Ezekiel Grey Sander

I know this is a couple months late...but, I'm a little busy!  3 boys (and MIKE) so, I hope you all understand!  But here it is the official birth announcement for our sweet Zeke.  I just ordered some printed ones also...for everyone who doesn't do the whole computer thing. But I will probably have extras, if anyone wants one!

While I am on here...I will add some of the best from the last 2 months as well!  

For the record...Mike thinks its terrible that I took pictures while Zeke was crying!  Oh well, I think he's the most adorable crying baby ever...LOL!

More domestic stuff.....

Some might call it 'nesting,' but I really just don't want all this yummy produce to go to waste!  I got some tomatoes from the garden when I went to Kansas last weekend.  I wanted to make salsa, & also canned crushed tomatoes.  Since Mike is allergic to onions, I use alot of crushed tomatoes for spaghetti sauce, chili, etc...any tomato based stuff...most of all store bought stuff has onions.  Anyway, I came  across a post saying that you could puree your fresh tomatoes (skins & all) and freeze them in freezer bags to use whenever!  I thought that sounded so much easier than trying to stand over the hot stove canning all these tomatoes.  So I tried it!  I did have enough peppers to make Mike 1 3/4 qts of salsa!

This little gadget came with my blender & attaches to it.  It has a bigger blade...I guess its kinda like a food processor!  It works great, I have used it more in the last 2 weeks than the whole time I've had it.  *Side note* My mom & mom -in- law both have their blenders that they got when they got married (37 & 36 yrs.) And I already have had to replace my blender once in 12 years (probably about 4 years ago).

So I ran the tomatoes through here & then transferred them to a bowl

Then I used this ladle to put the tomatoes into the baggies.  The ladle measured just about 1/2 a cup

I filled each bag with about 3 cups.

I ended up with 8 quart size bags of crushed tomatoes..can't wait to use them!  But...I should probably use the canned grocery store stuff that is in my pantry.  That way, when it's super cold & wintery, I can use my "fresh/frozen" tomatoes and they will taste so much better!

Mmmmm...Peach Rhubarb Jam

So, I bought 2 boxes of Colorado peaches recently!  YUMMY!!  I could easily just eat them fresh, but part of the fun is extending their goodness through the cold of fall & winter!  I have been looking for things to use them in.  I will be freezing some & also dehydrating some for snacking!  But I thought..hmm...jam sounds yummy!  Then I remembered I still had some rhubarb in the freezer from earlier this summer!  I wondered what the combo would taste like. So I asked my friend google...and it seems like many people pair the two off season fruits together.  So I decided to try it!

I used this basic Peach Jam recipe from Martha
http://www.marthastewart.com/345551/peach-jam?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/summer-produce-recipes&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/peach-recipes#slide_3

Then I modified it just slightly to add the rhubarb.  I adjusted the amount of peaches to include the rhubarb.  I didn't take into consideration that the rhubarb was frozen & therefor a little more watery as I used it, so the jam did not thicken as quickly.  But all in all, it was fun & it tasted yummy on my toast today!  I made 3 jars & also have a little dish in the fridge!

Chopped peaches added to food processor!

Blend them up!...So pretty!

Cooking everything together! YUM!

Pretty easy & very tasty!  Have fun!

Date to the 'Mountain'

Since we moved here, Lincoln has been obsessed with the 'MOUNTAIN' (Scotts Bluff National Monument).  He has been wanting to go there so badly. One evening, the boys & I drove out past there & then he got really excited, because he could see the tunnels.  The next night as we were leaving church, he told Mike that he wanted to go on a date to the mountain!  A picnic date!!  So, Mike told him that on Wednesday, we would go!  He was so excited!  Tuesday night, I asked him what kind of food we should take on our picnic date to the mountain.  We decided on: meat, cheese, & crackers, strawberries, cookies with chocolate candy in them, and root beer!  So much FUN!

On Wednesday, I told Lincoln that it was time to get our clothes & shoes on so we could go to the mountain & his response was, "Is it WEDNESDAY?!?!" So, off we went... all four FIVE of us!

We had a blast!  The boys loved climbing & hiking on the rocks!  Mommy did pretty good too...no worries, I didn't try to do any climbing, but we did have a nice walk!  The season pass cost us $15 and it is good for a whole calendar year!  We have a card & as long as Mike or I are in the vehicle, we can use it!  I originally thought that I would be able to take the boys sometimes when Mike was at work...HA!!!  There is no way I will be able to do that for a LONG time!  They are so busy up there.  Mike had to stay very close to them the whole time.  Absolutely not a great idea while I'm pregnant for sure, then when I have the baby....um...still not a good idea!  Oh well, we can still go very often!

Well, here are some pics from our day!  Enjoy...OH & come visit & you can join us on a picnic date to the mountain!

My guys!!

Justice!  

So strong!!!

My climbers!!!

Lunch time!!!

View on the way down!

The tunnel(s) there are 3 of them to drive through...THE BOYS LOVE THEM!!!

All of us...the best I could get! love these guys!!

Backyard Fun!

We had a great night tonight!  We set up our little fire pit & built a fire, cooked hot dogs for supper & then roasted marshmallows!  So much fun...the boys had a blast!!! 

We had some funny moments...I wish I could remember them all!  One time Lincoln said, "I love marsh(buuuurp)mallows!"  LOL I said, "Lincoln, what do you say when you burp?"  He proceeded to "pretend burp" too funny!  I explained...about 'excuse me'  Oh BOYS...what fun, they are!!!

Ahhh....FALL!!

OK, so I know its technically not fall until September 23rd...but this weather is so not summer!! I AM SO HAPPY!

First of all, our nice little window a/c unit does well for the front room.  Actually, it does too well for the front room, (cold) but the rest of the house is still stuffy & warm.  This girl can't sleep when it's HOT (preggo or not)...so I actually slept on the sofa a few times, because I was uncomfortable!  ANYWAY, yesterday we actually got to open all the windows & turn the little a/c unit off!  IT WAS AMAZING in our house!  AND....to top it off, the smell of sugar beats or feedlot were not invading my house along with the cool breeze..YAY!!!! And I actually slept in my room & had to use the sheet to cover up with for a bit...I was actually a little chilly!

Secondly, FOOTBALL!!!! YAY for FALL FOOTBALL!!! Is there really a better time of the year....EVER??? especially in Nebraska...hello?  I love Husker football & I can't wait to see how this season unfolds.  There is so much uncertainty...the newness of everything, the conference, the offense, new places to play, etc....I am stoked...no matter how it turns out each week, I anticipate Saturday!!!  (of course, it's always better if the Huskers win!)

Next, cooking & baking!  I told Mike the other day that I was so excited because it was finally almost soup season! He laughed & said you eat soup anytime!  I know...but I explained that somehow soup always tastes better when you don't have to cook over the hot stove to achieve a tasty pot of soup!  YUMMO!  Plus, I am kinda "famous" for my chili making skills!  But I also enjoy making beef n noodles, chicken n noodles, veggie beef stew, cheeseburger soup, & potato soup!  MMMMM.....
Oh and baking...mmmm...so many yummy flavors to choose from!  This morning I got up & noticed that Justice had taste tested 4 large apples in the fridge & returned them!  HA!!  So I cut out the teeth marks & then sliced & cored them.  This afternoon, I made apple crisp!  YUM!  I love making things like this that don't require a precise recipe!  After all, how can you go wrong with ingredients like, apples, oatmeal, a little flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, & butter?!!
So really, this also comes down to temperature...really who likes to cook when its 100* outside?

A few more things I am anxious for this fall!

• BABY SANDER #3...HELLO!!! Can't wait til October...or whenever this little munchkin decides to join us!?! 
• New wardrobe...actually for me..2 times!  I love change of seasons when you can pull out all the things you haven't worn for months...for me I get to do this a few times!  I will (maybe) get to utilize my fall maternity clothes & then also pull out all the non-maternity things I haven't gotten to wear for awhile. 
• Pumpkin patch with my boys!! HOORAY!!!
• The fact that summer is actually gonna be over...it's not been an easy one :)
• Cooler weather (already said that, didn't I?)
• Outdoor parties!  We have a ginormous backyard & I can't wait to spend some more time out there in the evenings! Gotta have people over!!

Anyway, I am extremely excited for the change in weather that has sparked all of these thoughts in my head!  Hopefully, it's not just teasing me...I really would like it to be here to stay! 

Great Article!!!

http://theresurgence.com/2011/08/31/a-wifes-testing-ground?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheResurgence+%28The+Resurgence%29

This girl is speaking my story!  I really needed this!  Sometimes its so easy to forget that God is always there even when things are so uncertain.  Change is hard for me...this moving & starting over bit, I DON'T LIKE IT!!!  I am not one to reach out, ask for help, seek friends etc.  So...obviously this is a difficult transition for me despite all of the things we are dealing with @ home.  BUT....GOD is ALWAYS FAITHFUL...he will always be my rock.

LIGHT UP THE SKY!!!!

Earlier today we were driving around & my boys insisted on listening to "Light up the Sky" by the Afters, over & over again...so precious to hear their sweet little voices trying to sing along...can you just imagine?  Lincoln does really well, and Justice...he's just cute while he sings it! So seriously we listened to it probably 12ish times.  Each time before the chorus, Lincoln would say "are you ready Momma?"  Then we would sing the chorus together...really loud!!  Then at the end of the song, he would say, "I want to listen to light up sky again!" (Have I ever mentioned how much these boys melt my heart?)

Anyway, it was so much fun!! Here's the song!!



"light up the sky, to show me you are with me!" AND...that's exactly what God did tonight!!! SO AMAZING!!!!!  He has really been reminding me of His presence lately!  I am so in AWE of His POWER & GREATNESS.  From everything He is doing in my life & teaching me lately and also the AWESOME light shows he creates...I like to think sometimes He is just showing off, or maybe just wants to make me smile, or wants me to have a little fun trying to capture a little bit of his GREATNESS on camera!  Well, I was so surprised tonight to see that I did just that!! I had some fun & captured what His GREATNESS looks like to us on earth!  What a great reminder of a CREATOR!!!!

Here are the best of the night!!

Hope you take some time to recognize the Greatness of the Creator!  I'M SO IN LOVE!!!!

Best Dill Pickles EVER....my Grandma's homemade!!!

So, as a girl growing up I can always remember having homemade dill pickles @ my Grandma's house.  THEY ARE THE BEST!!!!  So now as an adult(LOL) I have attempted to make them myself.  I tried a few years ago & didn't do something quite right, they didn't stay crispy or crunchy...they got kinda soggy :(  This was 2 summers ago..so last year, while visiting my Grandma, we of course had her homemade pickles..which prompted me to ask what makes them stay crispy...she told me & so I was alot more careful this time to make sure I did it right (I hope).  Anyway, thanks to a friend with a large garden, I made pickles today!  I can't wait to try them...but I know I need to!

DILL PICKLES

1 head of fresh dill

one garlic clove

1/8 tsp Alum

piece of horseradish about 1 inch long 

(I can't find any...so my pickles won't quite be the same...need to plant some in my garden for next year)

Ingredients

Scrub cukes and cut off ends

Whole Pickles

Slices for Burgers & Such!

Spears 

Pack into sterilized jars and cover
with boiling brine made from:

1/4 c pickling salt
1/2 c vinegar
3 cups water

All Packed in!!

Boiling Brine

Adding Brine!

Seal with lids (I just put my lids on & turn them upside down...then as they cool, they seal...EASY)!!!

YUMMY!!! Enjoy the BEST DILL PICKLE EVER!!!!!!!!

Lightning...YAY!!!

Best of the night!  Actually only got 2 strikes...mostly the lightning was sheety....which made for cool looking clouds.  The nice orange glow comes from the lights of the prison!  

I WILL RISE

Kinda  having a rough day...trying to remain confident that someone else is in control of my life & I can trust Him. 


I HATE being pessimistic.  But lately those negative thoughts seem to be blaringly louder than anything else I hear.  It is so frustrating for this "glass half full girl" to not be able to deal with the negativity.  This is something I have never struggled with.  I am always the positive one, the encourager, the joyful one.  But for some reason, Satan is really getting to me lately.  He picks & prauds until I can't take anymore & I feel like I just want to scream,( but I don't cuss(rarely-anyway)) so I usually just end up in tears of frustration to get it all out!  After the tears have stopped, I compose myself & try to seek some encouragement!  Sometimes that is just by opening the Scripture & camping out in the Book of Psalms for awhile & sometimes it is finding just the right song to listen to..which usually leads me to Scripture. 


This song, I heard a couple of weeks ago & I LOVE IT!!! It was just what I needed to hear today(and lots of days, actually)

⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)



¹⁴ This is why it is said:
   “Wake up, sleeper, 
   rise from the dead, 
   and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)

Such great reminders :)

Shooting Lightning!

I HAD SOOOO  MUCH FUN TONIGHT!!!!  I was finally able to get out to try to shoot lightning!  For real, I have had some great tips from friends!  It was fantastic.  Amazing to see that GOD does all of this...creation is sooo amazing!  I can only dream about capturing a part of it!

Here are a few of my favorites from tonight!

My first lightning strike capture..EVER!!!

I just really like this one!

I love how the tips of the fingers on the left are blue!

 My FAVE  of the night! 

I can't wait for another chance to get back out & try some more...always fun to learn something new!

Justice & Mercy

I recently heard the song "Courageous" by Casting Crowns.  There was a part in it that really stuck out to me.  They sing "Seek Justice, Love mercy, walk Humbly with your God."  I knew this was from Micah 6:8...I have loved this verse for awhile.  Steven Curtis Chapman has a song based on this verse as well called "The Walk" (I believe..actually I did double check) Anyway, when I heard this song the other day, it really made me think about ALOT!  Mostly, I'm sure because of recent circumstances in my life.  So the more I think about it, I got to thinking how contradictory these words sound.  How can you "seek justice" and "love mercy" at the same time.  It seems so opposite!  So I went back & looked it up in The Word, and then I went to dictionary.com to find some definitions of the words!

So here it is Micah 6:8

⁸The LORD God has told us

   what is right

   and what he demands:

   "See that justice is done,

   let mercy be your first concern,

   and humbly obey your God."

And for the words defined....(there were several listed for each..but I picked the one that made most sense to me)

jus·tice n.

the administering of deserved punishment or reward.

mer·cy 

n.

compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward anoffender, an enemy, or other person in one's power;compassion, pity, or benevolence

So...how do we administer deserved punishment, but be compassionate or kindly show forbearance toward an offender....anybody else's head spinning??  It's like a big circle...I could talk this around for hours...but, I don't wanna keep you that long.  

Anyway, the first thing I think about is the fact that I wonder how many of us really understand "justice & mercy."  For instance, we all want "justice" when we feel like we "know" someone has done wrong...take for instance the Casey Anthony trial...I didn't follow it enough to come to a conclusion on my own, but I gathered by the reaction via the news & social media that "most" people were convinced that she killed her little girl.  So "we" wanted justice.  On the flip side of that we all want "mercy" when we have done wrong.  Same story, I'm pretty sure (guilty or not) the Casey was wanting mercy.  

For me, this presents an inner struggle of what I want vs. what I know I deserve!  I know that when I do wrong to God & others, I WANT mercy, but I know that I really need justice.  The beauty that I have come to realize is that the two can only coexist.  When it comes to the plan that God designed, they are not separated!  God is just & will always be, but he sent his Son to take our place & provide mercy for us!  Romans 5:6-8 paints a great picture of this!

"Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him." (The Message)

It's so AMAZING to be on the receiving end of mercy, but lately, I have experienced how great it is to be the mercy giver.  A few weeks ago, my Aunt told me I was showing mercy, I didn't quite understand what she meant.  But the more I think & ponder on these verses from Micah, the more I think I understand & the more I want to be the mercy giver in all situations of life! A huge lesson I have learned is that the more mercy I show, the more mercy I realize that I need in my own life.  I am so grateful that Jesus continues to work on me & my downfalls. 


This brings me to the last phrase of the verse "walk humbly with your God." Maybe the most important part.  Knowing that I can neither seek justice or show mercy without walking alongside of God is the point.  It's all about Him & not about me.  Again, so thankful that His Truths are revealed to me each day, through trials & through joys! 


I mentioned a couple songs at the beginning of this post, but I'm only posting the second, because I found this super sweet live version & SCC just totally plays his guitar!!!

Praying & Believing

^11" For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13


Praying & believing that He is in control!  Knowing that He loves me & wants to take care of me.  Trying to patiently wait for his timing....yep, I said "trying."  This is always the hardest part.  

Wyoming trip & fun stuff!!

We had an AMAZING trip to Wyoming & Western Nebraska.  Such an encouraging time to meet with friends & former youth group students & some parents.  I don't think there is anything more encouraging than to see former students who are all grown up & still living faithfully for Jesus!!!!! I'm so thankful we had a part in their lives & now we get to partner again with them in ministry!  The trip was also very fruitful for our fundraising efforts. God is truly blessing us!!!! ALL PRAISE TO HIM!!!

The boys traveled so well!!! Poor Lincoln did get cars sick on the first day of travel.  This has never happened before!  It was so ridiculously windy!!! This made travel very....swervy!!  Poor little guy!  But he slept it all off once we arrived at our friends house!  YAY!!!!  But other than that, they traveled great...I think we logged about 1700 miles by the time we got home!  I'm so thankful that they did so well!!!

We returned home to very warm weather & this pregnant girl was a little grumpy thinking the Northwest Kansas had decided to skip spring all together & jump straight to summer :( But no worries...our AC works just fine!  Ha ha!!!!  So yesterday, Mike was watering the lawn & the boys discovered the sprinkler!  THEY HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!  We grilled steaks & then later toasted marshmallows over the grill!!!  I love these boys so much & I'm so blessed to have them!

SPIDER - MAN!!!

Earlier today, I was downstairs printing some pages that I needed, when all of a sudden, I heard what sounded like about 8 boys jumping around the living room!  Well, when I came upstairs, Lincoln very excitedly said, "mama, look at what I got!"  I said, "let me see."  He showed me a dead spider!  I asked him where he found it and he told me it was walking across the floor right over there!  I said what did you do?  He told me that he jumped on it like this!!!!! ((jumping up & down...sounding again like the 8 boys)) Made me giggle!  So I sent him to flush it down the toilet! Then I proceeded to boost his male ego & tell him that killing a spider was a super tough manly thing to do & that he was a hero to girls everywhere!

Then when Mike came home for lunch, we got to tell him the exciting story all over again!  I LOVE LIVING WITH THESE BOYS!!!!!!

A little catch up....

Two weeks ago today, we got our first support letters all printed & folded. Then I had a team of jr/high school girls & their mom graciously offer to help me stuff all the envelopes & put the labels on.  I wish I had taken pictures of this fun time, but I didn't!  Next time I will remember!!!  Then on Monday, I finished up sealing them & stamping them & got them in the mail!  So exciting to mail out over 450 letters about our exciting ministry!  And so far, only 1 has returned to me due to a wrong address!!  So, not too bad so far!  I have been waiting & cringing in fear that everytime I open the mail box that it could be full of blue envelopes with wrong addresses....so I am very thankful!

But, in more exciting news, we have officially received 2 pledge cards returned!!!! YAY JESUS!!! We have had several verbal commitments also.

On Saturday we will leave & head for Wyoming.  Mike will be preaching at First Christian Church in Wheatland, Wy (church we served with before moving to Norton the first time).  Then we will make our way around the state visiting some of my family & lots of friends & former youth group students.  This will be a very exciting trip for us.  Please pray for the boys as we travel...it will be lots of van time for them!

Please keep praying for us as we look for a house, & continue our support raising!  We are having so much fun!!!

Late post...really late!

Ok, so for those of you who only keep up with me on this blog...I apologize!  What I am about to tell you has been public for about 2 months now, but a friend recently reminded me that I needed to blog about this!

Yep, that's right!!! BABY SANDER #3 will be joining us mid-October...we are ELATED!!! This is such an exciting time, for us!  So much going on already & this is the best, most exciting news!  The boys are excited also!  Lincoln keeps changing his mind about whether this baby is a boy or a girl...who knows!  We like the anticipation of waiting until the moment he/she arrives, so you will all have to wait as well!  In the mean time...I am now 16 weeks & finally starting to feel my energy that has escaped me for some time now.  I still get tired, but not all the time exhausted.  I can't complain though...all of my babies so far have been very gracious to me.  Only giving me slight nausea (except Justice...I did get sick once) and fatigue...but that beats the alternative...I'm sorry friends who had/have terrible sickness.

More later....

Justice is 2 (almost)!!!

My "baby" turns 2 tomorrow, and yes I am sitting here being sentimental. Oh how the time flies!  I adore this little boy.  He is such a true "redhead." He is a ball of fire, so much fun, temper, loves to giggle, & just enjoys life.  Someone once told me they just laugh at him, because he has 2 emotions....1) Happy/laughing 2) Angry.  Pretty true....he is one extreme or the other. I find myself worrying that something is wrong if he is somewhere in between the extremes. LOL He is the sweetest, orneriest guy I have EVER been around (or heard of for that matter). He constantly makes me laugh, sometimes makes me want to scream, but mostly just laugh!  I am so completely in love with him its insane!  He melts my heart 1000 times a day!  If he hasn't melted your heart yet, you need to come spend more time with us!  He is an amazing little person!

So.....that means, busy week for me!  Wednesday, we will do our typical trip to the donut shop to kick off the birthday celebration. Then the next few days will be spent cleaning & baking cakes!  I am going to attempt a full body Elmo cake (fingers crossed).  Mike has a cute idea (in his head, you'd think he would find me a picture), so hopefully it will work!  Also I will be making Elmo face cupcakes.  I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!! So anyway, I should probably get busy doing something other than blogging!  Hopefully I will get pictures up on Saturday night.....or Sunday afternoon!

A little over a month ago, we announced that we would be resigning from the church & working at the Rock Christian Youth Center full time.  The thing is, the Rock doesn't have the budget to supply a salary for us.  So, we will be raising support for our family.  I'm so excited/scared for this opportunity!  

Yesterday, we took some family photos (thanks, Rachelle!).  We needed some current pics for our letterhead, prayer card etc.  We had a great time!  Pictures with a 3 & almost 2 years old is challenging & fun at the same time!  But we did happen to get a few shots that are PERFECT for what we needed.  We Mike chose the above picture for our prayer card, because it is so us!  This is like a fun evening at home playing with the boys.  Me- laughing, Lincoln- showing off, Justice- preoccupied, & Mike just loving us all!!!  So....with all that said I have a few prayer needs to share with you!

• Next week, Mike & I will be going to a conference to learn about raising support for our ministry.  I'm sure the learning curve is going to be well above my head, so please pray that I will be able to soak it all in, or at the very least take good notes that I can spend time mulling through later! 

• My mom & sister are traveling here to stay with our boys while we are gone!  Please pray for safe travel & good weather for their travel!

• Currently I have the responsibility to input names & addresses into our database system for mailings.  Please pray for me as I do this.  We  have a list of names of friends & family, and sometimes I wanna make the choice whether or not they will support us.  I try to over think their financial situation. Mostly, I don't want to send to people that I feel we would be a burden to.  I'm currently trying to work through these feelings & let God be in control.  Knowing that prayer support is a greater need than financial support.  Also, pray for those who will be receiving our mailing.  Pray that God would lead them in their commitment to be involved in the ministry at the Rock.

• My biggest concern right now is a house for us to live in.  Currently, we live in the church parsonage....so, we need to be finding something else.  I HAVE HUGE FEARS ABOUT THIS!!! We have  "our idea" of where/what type of house we would like to live in, but sometimes I feel like we are dreaming too big or asking for too much.  So I try to look for houses for sale/rent etc & I always find reasons why I don't wanna live there.  So on one hand I'm dreaming too big, on the other I just want a place to live, but I'm being too picky.  For example, I was driving to the store the other day, see houses for sale & the thoughts that race through my head are....it's on a busy street, there's not back yard for the boys, or its too small, it's so tiny, its too expensive etc.  One day while having these thoughts, I stopped & prayed.  I shared all of this with Jesus & I asked him to provide the house that he wants for us.  But the human side of me wants to just figure it out. Please pray for patience & wisdom. It is so hard to wait & to trust God!  

Well, thanks for reading & praying for us!  Love you all! 

Best moment of the day! (and probably any day)

I love my boys!

Today during worship, our song leader (Jeremie) was talking during a break in one of the songs. He was talking about how much God loves us & how that His love is so much bigger than all of our sin!  At that moment a tiny 3 year old hand reached up, clasped mine, and a cute little blond haired, blue eyed, boy looked at me and said "Mom, I LOVE Jesus!"  Lincoln melts my heart once again!

My challenge is to remember these most precious moments during the trying times.  I will spare the details of the not so good parts of my day.  Sometimes I wonder, "Why do I constantly have to remind myself that I love these boys so much?" I feel like a bad mom at those times. But I feel like a good mom when I always remember to act out of love first.

Praying that I will act out of LOVE towards others more often.

Birthday!

So...last week I had a birthday!  I LOVE MY BIRTHDAY & I'm not afraid to tell each of you that I am now 32!  I almost feel like an adult when I admit that I am 32...THIRTY-TWO!!!! Anyway, the main reason I LOVE my birthday is because my AMAZING husband (of almost 12 years) ALWAYS spoils me rotten!  Ever since we were dating he has made a big deal about my birthday er....should I say WEEK!  Since my big day is the 18th...he starts celebrating me on Valentine's day & goes through my birthday!  Yep...I'm spoiled...and I LOVE IT!  This year, he admittedly said he was struggling with what to do for the celebration.  So he asked me about some ideas & we decided that we would go to Omaha as a family, hang out & have fun!!! So, we made hotel reservations & Mike told me to make the plan!  HA!!!  This wasn't the fun part....I hate being in charge of planning stuff like this...especially with 2 young boys.  I am a no plans kinda girl.  So, that's kinda what we did...kinda.  I did make some plans. Mostly we just spent time together! THE BEST!  Oh & we stopped to see our friends Austin & Amanda....and their sweet 2 week old little girl!  (I want one).  So precious!!!

I ALWAYS want to eat Olive Garden for my birthday, but it is a struggle, because I know Mike does not LOVE like it at all! For one, his choices are limited due to his onion allergy & 2 he just doesn't care for pasta that much. Sooo.....my friend Jacob told me about Grisanti's.  A nice Italian place (very similar to OG) that also has STEAK!!!! It's like the perfect place for couples...I can have pasta & he can have steak (prime rib to be exact). So that's what we did on Thursday night. We went to Grisanti's with our awesome friends Cody & Meghan.  We had a great time.  My supper was sooo yummy. I shared with Justice & also got to enjoy my leftovers a few days later at home!  Mmmmmm!

On Friday, we woke up & decided to take the boys to get donuts (Krispy Kreme of course).  If you have never had a Krispy Kreme original glazed donut hot off the line...YOU ARE MISSING OUT!!!  PLUS, (Lincoln's favorite part) you can see the donuts be made.  They have a huge assembly line machine that you watch the dough drop onto the tray, go through the proofer, drop into the hot oil, flip over in the oil, go through the waterfall of frosting & then around the train!  Lincoln stood forever & watched the process.  Justice was intrigued, but was much more interested in the yummy frosted goodness!!! No surprise here!

When we could finally drag Lincoln away, we decided to head to the mall to do some shopping.  So we got the boys in the stroller & off we went to shop.  They are true men, shopping is just not their thing, they get bored with it rather quickly.  Lucky for me, the mall has the most amazing play place.  It's sooo cool!  Super soft floor (no ouchies if they fall), fun things to play & climb on (also soft). It was the best.  So Mike & I sat & watched the boys play for awhile, then we took turns going & getting a chair massage from the massage place!  YAY for a birthday massage!!! Then we watched them play more!

After our time at the mall, we went to CHIPOTLE for lunch!  So yummy! Justice loved it...Lincoln wasn't sure about his taco, but he liked the chips!







Some silly glasses I put on...they said Happy Birthday on them!

So, our shopping was kinda not shopping.  BUT....I had so much fun watching my little guys just enjoy life!  They are such a joy to me. I am so blessed to get to celebrate everyday with them, especially my birthday. Justice fell asleep in the van before we could get back to the hotel, so we decided to do a little more shopping & let him sleep in the van.  We took turns going into various places!  I didn't buy hardly anything!  But it was still fun! After they woke up we went to another mall, same story as the last!  Great play place & also a train! The boys could have stayed & watched Thomas for hours!  We didn't want to keep feeding Thomas our money though, so sadly we left!

We did have supper plans with Cody & Meghan again!  We grilled steaks @ Meghan's apartment and she made yummy baked asparagus & I made fried potatoes!  It was a great birthday supper!  Later, Cody & Meghan played Mario Kart with Lincoln....he had so much fun!  Best part of my day though was at bedtime, Lincoln was sad because my birthday was over & we didn't go to my party.  So he sang Happy Birthday to me like 5 times!!! THE BEST EVER!!!!!!!

Saturday morning we repeated the trip to Krispy Kreme (Meghan had never been there).  After we said our goodbyes, we went back to the mall for a couple of things I needed!  Mike & the boys stayed in the van & watched Peter Pan for the 50th time on the trip (new fave movie).  Then we met up with Mike's mom & dad for lunch & then went to a 50th wedding anniversary party!  50 years...so AWESOME!!  I can't wait for 38 more birthdays with my hubby & we will be at 50 years!!! WOW!!!!

So, probably the most unique birthday celebration I've ever had, but one of the best!  I love my 3 boys so much & can't imagine life without them! They definitely take my mind off of turning "older."