Happy Birthday America

So glad to live in America and have freedom to worship our God in a public place w other believers and not have to hide.

I'm feeling pretty productive today. Tyler is home so that helps. I made chocolate chip pancakes this morning and attempted to build a fort for the littles but of course daddy can do one better so he tears mine down and builds a spectacular one. One that they don't want to get out of so we can go to town.
Starting to make party decorations for Kinley's party. Cut out the fabric for bunting and now all I need to do is sew it all together. I need to purchase another can of yellow spray paint bc this morning when I popped the top off I broke the spray part--go figure! Made me very agitated!
Plans tonight are to bring the littles to a friends house to watch a fireworks show.
Started writing my one thousand gifts. Loving the book. Love how poetic she is but ohsoreal! I think it's going to be a fun journey of learning to live fully right where I am.
As I was wrapping birthday presents on the wood floor this morning it made me think of Christmas and how fun it'll be this year w 3 year old and 18 month old. Baking, the telling of jesus' birth over and over, gift wrapping, crafts, giving to others, and decorating the tree! I never get giddy this early--but oh I'm excited!

summer days

i need a schedule...ahh...so much i want to do and then i just end up doing nothing. so...i brought out my pocket calendar tonight and wrote down all the upcoming events/things i need to do. time is just flying by this summer--its depressing.

started back on my c25k plan today. i am excited about getting a workout routine back. i need motivaion. working out is so not my thing. but oh how i want it to be. the hubs and i are about to start eating more healthy. bleh. i don't wanna. how do you eat healthy in the south?!

you can see updates on the littles below...

my john tyler,
mommy adores the time she spends with you. i love when you wake up and come get in bed with me in the morning because this mommy isn't quite ready to get up. i love how you are starting to play with kinley and how you love her to chase you around the house. i do wish you would share a little more with her though...but i know that will come...hopefully :) i love your desire to learn. i love that you can say prayers now on your own without my guidance. funniest prayer today was ''dear jesus, help me not cry and not go timeout.'' you have been spending some time in time out for whining lately. :(  i hope to do more things with you this summer and have some me and you time. i love you to the moon and back john tyler.

to sweet kinley,
i can not believe you will be ONE on Saturday. goodness how time really flew. you are so much fun lately. love love this stage. you are walking around everywhere, you are eating pretty much anything we eat, you are sleeping through the night (because mommy had to let you cry it out and learn to soothe yourself), and you are just full of cuddles. i am smitten. i can't wait to throw you a sweet pink lemonade party! mommy loves you.

planning a party

I am loving planning Kinley's first birthday. I have never been fond of creating ideas or copying ideas because I am not very confident. But slowly with each craft I imitate...I gain more and more confidence! We are going to have a pink lemonade party :) now to start buying, baking, craftin, and paintin!

spring changes

changes are needed...

the hubbin is now working a day shift 6:45am-4:45pm. i am really not sure it has sunk in yet. he wasn't supposed to until june. i am ready to meal plan and cook his favorite meals. today i had all his clothes washed and a surprise wrapped waiting on the table for him. dinner soon followed. he was happy. he took us out for dessert. :)

i have gotten pretty lazy lately. we don't really have any structure to our days. so that is about to change. i need to do more activities/crafts with john tyler. gotta get back to planning out my days. need to plan out my workouts. only been doing 2 a week w friends BUT i need more. i crave more. i hope kinley likes it when i bring her back. i stopped bringing her since all she did was cry but she has been sick for a while too.

  speaking of kinley...she has been a fussy thing. i'm sure she doesn't feel great because she has had thick drainage for 2.5 weeks straight. never seen anything like it. she is very clingy and MOODY! but she's also been cuddlin--which i happen to enjoy. she won't let me go to the restroom or take john tyler without having a screaming fit. john tyler was nothing like this. i'm assuming its separation anxiety or heck maybe its her teeth or her ears. she is having buttons put in on the 24th. i am praying this does wonders. its very hard asking someone to keep her right now because she is very irritable so its been somewhat of a trying time. i am also praying this isn't because 'she is a girl'. a lot of people tell me this...haha!

john tyler has been a lot of fun. he's very good at talking. sometimes he talks too much :) i enjoy hanging out with him and doing things he likes. i know time flies by and i wish i could just freeze it. i do not like this 'growing up' stuff.

dreaming of a summer family vacation to dallas/ft worth area...go to dallas zoo, rangers game, maybe let the littles meet my mom for the first time.

i'm glad God is in control

preparing for a garage sale...i'm excited to get rid of stuff that i thought i'd use eventually but there is just no room. so...gonna sell it and make extra money. extra spending money is always good for the sahm you see!

god has been preparing me lately...for big things...i know i'm definitely a leader and i was made to lead and encourage others...but i had no idea His plan...so satan has been telling me that i can't do it and that i'm not ready and that i'm not good enough...

i've been praying lately specifically for my words...that they would glorify Him...one night God was so gracious to point out this sin in my life that i have been so blind to. i have a habit of saying things that are unneccessary and that have the ability to hurt or dig deeper than they should. and if my words are harming then they are definitely modeling Christ and encouraging others. so God led me to go through my bible and tag some verses on the tongue and how it can harm.

proverbs 13:3 says
Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

proverbs 15:4 says
The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

proverbs 21:23 says
Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.

  matthew 12:34-37 says
33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” luke 6:45 says A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

and last but definitely not least, my brother James brings the truth...
james 3:3-12
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

what our days consist of

Planting flowers...John Tyler loves to water the plants!

Playing...

Tears from itty bitty girl...

Hugs from a sweet brother...

Littles growing too fast...

And tons of outside play...

You are joy...You are joy--You're the reason that I sing

i have found encouragement in this song today...been singing it all day... Forever Reign by Hillsong United You are good, You are good When there's nothing good in me You are love, You are love On display for all to see You are light, You are light When the darkness closes in You are hope, You are hope You have covered all my sin You are peace, You are peace When my fear is crippling You are true, You are true Even in my wandering You are joy, You are joy You're the reason that I sing You are life, You are life, In You death has lost its sting Oh, I’m running to Your arms, I’m running to Your arms The riches of Your love Will always be enough Nothing compares to Your embrace Light of the world forever reign You are more, You are more Than my words will ever say You are Lord, You are Lord All creation will proclaim You are here, You are here In Your presence I'm made whole You are God, You are God Of all else I'm letting go Oh, I’m running to Your arms I’m running to Your arms The riches of Your love Will always be enough Nothing compares to Your embrace Light of the world forever reign My heart will sing no other Name Jesus, Jesus Oh, I’m running to Your arms I’m running to Your arms The riches of Your love Will always be enough Nothing compares to Your embrace Light of the world forever reign

2 Samuel 7:18

"Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?!"

journal entry 01-05-11
I want to begin this first entry of the new year with prayer.
Lord, I know you know our heart's desire in this situation but i need to ask you more frequently. i want you will to be done Father and i truly believe you have a job for Tyler on day shift. i would ask Lord for that day to come quickly...before July! its really hard as it is with just us 3 and I know Tyler gets exhausted. And i don't get energy from him because he is always tired. please give us strength, perseverence, patience, and energy in the time that we wait. i thank you Lord for what you are going to do.

UPDATE:
after 26 months of praying and friends praying for us, tyler will start on days this month! as soon as they find someone to take his spot. i am very excited. it was a very long hard wait. lots of tears. yea i wished it had come sooner, i'm not going to lie. having 2 littles close in age and doing naps, dinner, baths, bed routine by myself wasn't really my cup of tea. i love having tyler here. i'm not a person who likes to be alone. i was an only child and hated it. so you can say im so very grateful for what God is doing. I know that he waited to just the right time. i learned how to be patient and more gentle because I HAD TO. tyler got a lot of experience working nights and learned how to deal with a ton of problems. he makes a lot of decisions at 2am when no one to call because they are all asleep. so we really believe God had His hand in it. the timing was perfect. perfect to God. so i'm ready. ready for my husband to COME HOME! for years i've watched my husband walk out the door and go to work and he came home when I was asleep. but no more of that! i definitely went through valleys that didn't look too pretty but it was there that i learned more about the Father and i leaned on His Word to carry me through. His word is ever so precious to me. so if it took this hard time to get to where i am, i'll take it. thank you Lord for loving me and my family...

who am i o sovereign Lord...