A Life of Gratitude

Dylan's Cub Scout troop had a Cake Decorating contest at the Blue and Gold Ceremony this evenign. So, Dylan and I spent all morning making a very special cake! We made a Pinewood Derby Race Track with fondant cars, stop sign, and traffic light. We had a lot of fun. Dylan especially loved making the cars out of fondant.  Such a big boy now!! Our finished Pinewood Derby Track The cars turned out pretty good! The Blue and Gold Ceremony Look at that grin, We won the Cake Decorating Contest! Today I am thankful for the fun time baking and decorating a cake with my oldest boy! I am also grateful that we won the cake decorating contest!!! Dylan was sooooo proud! It made my heart smile to see him so happy! I was looking at him this evening, as he accepted the award for "Best Overall Cake," and he just looked so big! I can't believe he'll be nine years old in just a couple of months! Time is going so fast. I am thankful that God blessed me wi...

This morning our 5 year old, Evan, kept talking about the power of God. Without hesitation, everything he saw, he declared that it existed or happened because of the power of God! I love hearing my children speak such truth. Little did I know, Evan was reminding me of something that I know, but needed to hear again. During our church service, Pastor Brent shared that God is the One that establishes our homes, as seen in Psalm 127:1 " Unless the   Lord   builds   the house,  the builders labor in vain." When we forget that He is the builder of the house, we do things for all the wrong reasons and seem to wander in circles, feeling like we never get anything done and we're never enough (sound familiar?) Pastor Brent also said, "If I keep my eyes on the Father, the Father will watch over the things I am called to watch over!" In other words, if I keep my eyes on my Heavenly Father, He will watch over all the things, events, people, responsibilities, etc th...

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays! I know not everyone cares for it but it is a special day for Bryan and I! 15 years ago on Valentine's Day, Bryan asked me to marry him! It was such a special day and every year on Valentine's Day, we enjoy celebrating the day we became engaged to be married!  My boys have become big fans of this holiday as well! They really enjoy giving and getting Valentines. Today started off with Dylan and Evan serving me breakfast in bed! It was just a bowl of fruit loops and a bottle of water (since I can't eat much in the mornings with this pregnancy) but I'm telling you, those were the best fruit loops I'd ever eaten! It was such a sweet gesture! They also made me cards and gifts and surprised me with flowers and homemade chocolate covered strawberries! The boys and I also decided to share love with others on this special day because, "We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19. We made lots...

Today our little family went to see the Greatest Show on Earth!!! Bryan and I figured we better take our littles since this is the last time the circus will be in our area. We had a great time together! Tyson loved watching the guys do tricks on their bicycles. Evan said his favorite part was the guys doing flips and jumping on the trampolines. Dylan liked the camels and the woman being shot from a cannon the best! I think Bryan and I mostly enjoyed watching our boys enjoy the show! Ready for the show! We gad to take a picture of the $14 cotton candy! Today I am thankful that we were able to take our kiddos to the Circus. I remember going as a kid and loving it! Our boys loved it too. I am grateful for these times together as family. I'm sad that we'll never get to see the circus again but I'm thankful for the memories!

This afternoon my big boys and I went to New Life Family Outreach to sort baby clothes! The center is given lots of clothing donations from the community but they don't always have time to sort through all the items. Since Dylan and Evan have been asking when we could help at NFLO again, this seemed like the perfect way for us to serve! We got to sort through little girl and little boy clothes, put them in tubs, and even zip tie shoes together (which was Evan and Dylan's favorite by far!) Today I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with my big boys! I love doing little projects like this to help them remember that God put us here for a reason...to love on others! I'm so glad that we could be a blessing to New Life Family Outreach and the babies that will wear these clothes! I am also thankful for sons that desire to be servants. Seriously, they have asked me at least 10 times over the past couple of months, when we could go back to NFLO.  I...

Today when I was picking up my kiddos from their classes at MOMS (Mothers of Many Seasons), I decided to pick up Evan first since Tyson's class is closer to the exit. By the time Evan and I got to Tyson's room, many other mommies had already picked up their 2 year olds. Apparently my sweet Tyson thought I wasn't coming and he had the BIGGEST tears streaming down his little face. I'm serious when I say that I almost cried too when I saw his precious face. He was just so sad and it broke my heart. I bent down and scooped him up and squeezed for a long time. Once I was holding him, he was totally fine. He was no longer crying; he wasn't sad. He was safe and happy in my arms.  I've thought about that tear covered face all day today, and still I feel a tug at my heart when that image comes to my mind. I mean, my kids cry and it doesn't always affect me this way. Honestly, it rarely affects me to this extent to see them cry.  I kept thinking about this all da...