A Life of Gratitude

Every night, once the kids go to bed, I finally have a few minutes to open my laptop and and write a blog or work on a KEEP design session, or catch up with friends on Facebook. I've been using the same laptop for quite a while. With 3 boys running around, that thing has hit the floor more than once! It was looking pretty rough to say the least! I haven't really thought much of it because it still worked ok but my hubby gave me the best surprise tonight! As I came to sit down and open my laptop, I realized there was a brand new laptop sitting where my old one had been!  The tape adds something, doesn't it? Broken and falling apart! Haha! So, as you probably guessed, I am typing this blog on my brand new laptop. It didn't creak or crack when I opened it and it isn't held together by tape!  My new, tape free laptop! Isn't it pretty!? Today I am grateful for my hubby! He takes good care of me! He hated watching me struggle to get my laptop op...

It took me two days to recover from our vacation but I'm finally able to spend a few minutes to share all about our last magical day in Orlando. We decided to surprise the boys with a day at Magic Kingdom to end our vacation. They were so excited when we drove into the main entrance! It was a wonderful day!  My boys and me in front of the castle This was definitely Evan's favorite ride!! Peter Pan!!! Eating lunch at the The Plaza Our little tour guide About to watch the County Bear Jamboree! Tyson absolutely LOVED the bears!!! Riding the Liberty Square Riverboat These fireworks were incredible!  Tyson was exhausted (just like his mommy!) Today I am grateful for a wonderful family vacation! It was seriously a incredible time for all of us!! I am thankful for the ability to rent out our home for the Furniture Market and for KEEP Collective, which make it possible for us to take vacations like these! I am also thankful for the memories...

We have spent the past two days in LEGOLAND!!! Our boys absolutely love Legos so we knew one day wouldn't be enough! I'm so glad we went for the 2 day package! We spent 2 full days riding roller coasters, building with legos, being amazed by the lego creations all around, and having a blast together as a family! Today I am grateful for such a terrific time with my family at Legoland. It really was so much fun for everyone! I am also thankful that my morning sickness hasn't been too terribly bad. I started each morning wondering how in the world I would walk around Legoland all day but after my boys prayed for me, I would start feeling a lot better. I made it through each day and had a great time too! I'm so thankful that prayer works!!! 

Today was  the first day of our family vacation and we started it out with a bang!!! The boys have never flown on a plane before but always talk about it so, we decided that we should take a family tip on a plane to Orlando! I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what we might be getting ourselves into with three little boys! Seriously though, it was so much fun and they all did so well! We only had a couple of tears and that was just because Tyson did NOT want to put up his seat-back tray! Waiting on our plane! Dylan got to sit in the cockpit! Let's go! Relaxin'  This sweet boy loved laying on my arm watching Mickey Mouse! He loved his snack too! Evan had so much fun!! We made it! Today I am grateful for an absolutely wonderful time flying with my family! It was so much fun to watch them experience this for this first time. We had a great time together!!! I am also thankful for technology!!! I honestly can't imagine how this flight w...

Today we celebrated Evan's 5th Birthday!!! Whaatt??!!! How can that be!?  It seems like just yesterday we met this sweet boy for the first time. I can't even wrap my mind around this little guy being 5 years old! I just keep thinking about who Evan is becoming; how much he has grown and changed over the past 5 years. I know God is up to something BIG and special with my sweet boy. Evan is all smiles, all the time! He is full of joy and has a huge personality! He is kind and giving, sweet and loving. He is FULL of life and full of LOVE! He is constantly doing flips and front rolls, singing and dancing, and he sure can eat! (Seriously, he eats non-stop!) He loves karate, baseball, drawing, play with legos, and playing with friends. Oh and frogs, HE LOVES FROGS! Today, I am thankful for my precious Evan! I am so grateful that God placed him into our family and has allowed me to be his mommy! He is so smart, so fun, and so loving!  I am thankful for m...

I have this really awesome pregnancy app on my smart phone that shows amazing pictures of a baby as it develops in the womb. I am officially 6 weeks pregnant today so I got to see the picture above, of a 6 week old embryo. Dylan and Evan are so excited about this baby so I've decided to show them the pictures each week so they can see the progress this baby is making. During our school time today, we read Psalm 139: 13-16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. It was amazing to read those verses with my boys and then pull out my phone and look more closely at this photo of a six w...

On Sunday evenings Bryan and I help with the children's ministry at our church. Tonight we had a time of prayer with the kids. Now, this isn't your average prayer time! This is laying hands on one another, seeking the Holy Spirit's presence and guidance, and everyone praying aloud for one another! It's incredible! I can't even express the joy that fills my heart when I hear these young people praying this way!  When another adult asked if anyone had something they'd like prayer for, my sweet, almost 5 year old Evan, asked for the group to pray for me, his Mommy! He is worried that I'm going to start feeling sick because of the baby in belly so he asked for prayer that I wouldn't get sick. He started the prayer time, praying for me! Then he said in his prayer, "Thank You, God, for "MY" baby!" I nearly burst into tears! My Evan knows this baby is gift from God and he is already taking ownership of this little one. It's just soo...

Lately, my boys have been asking for another baby! Last night, Dylan even prayed that I would have a baby in my belly already, even though I didn't know it yet. This morning, I took a test, and realized that God had answered Dylan's prayer!! We will be having another sweet little baby! According to BabyCenter.com, this baby's due date is June 6th!  We have 3 VERY excited little boys on our hands! They have been grinning ear to ear ever since we told them that God had answered their prayers! Dylan even said that this was the best day of his life! They've asked a hundred questions and thrown out fifty different name ideas. They are so happy to add another sibling to the family! Today I am grateful for another little life that God has placed in my womb. I know many people think we shouldn't share our news so early but we just can't keep such a blessing to ourselves! This baby is a gift from God, and an answer to prayer. Even though its early, we sh...

I have an app on my phone that gives me a "verse of the day" each day. A couple of days ago Jeremiah 33:2-3 was the verse of the day. It says, "This is what the Lords says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it- the Lord is his name: "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." As I read that, I couldn't help but wonder, what in the world are the unsearchable things that the Lord tell us?? This is a huge promise....we need to take him up on this promise!   I couldn't get that verse out of my mind and then other verses started coming to mind as well. Jeremiah isn't the only writer that mentioned these unsearchable things.... Isaiah 48:6 says "From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you." John 16:12-14 says, " I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of Truth comes,...