;-)

Clarity

I love how sometimes God makes things just extra clear. Things that you think you know, understand, and then bam! he gives you such a clear focus on that same thing. Lately, I have know lots of people whom I love that are in the process of loosing someone dear or have just lost someone dear. It has made me think of how very hard and sad it would be to watch a loved relative or friend die. Well then one day driving down the road, I"m not sure what made me really think about it, a song perhaps. But I started thinking about the reality of the pain surrounding the death of Jesus and the amazing miracle of witnessing Him raise from the dead. It came crashing down on me like a ton of bricks and all I could do was cry. Jesus, so very loved by so many people. Mary's son, her little boy. Such an amazing person and so young. To witness him to be treated so wrong, to watch him in pain, and to die is more than I think my mind can wrap itself around. I just couldn't even imagine to watch my brother, friend, father, anyone go through that. Then the deep sadness to be without Him, for him to be gone. And then to actually SEE Him three days later! Are you kidding me?! To look into His eyes again, something that you didn't think you would ever get the chance to again. Oh my how much amazing joy those scenes must have actually had. I can't wait to experience those amazing moments in heaven. Oh the joy.

The Nutcracker

First I have to start this post and talk about the sweet blessings in our backyard :) When we bought this house a little over a year ago it felt crazy. It was a much bigger house than I was use to living in, it needed a TON of updating and just didn't feel like our home. It also is in a nice well established neighborhood, which is good, only I was pretty sure only older people lived here. No young families or small children. You can imagine my joy when I walked out our back door one day and walking into their house was our neighbors that live behind us. (we are on a corner lot) This was a sweet blessing from God it was :) These neighbors happen to be a sweet sweet couple that have four, yes four cute small children. Today, a year later, I am so thankful for them. My children love their children and I am so glad to have a friend that my lot backs up too. It was much more than I had hoped for. So the I got use to the house, we have made some headway with the updates, this is our home, AND we have the most awesome family living behind us.

So a few weeks ago Erin emailed me and ask if I would be interested in taking her Eden who is 4 and my Lily, 3 1/2 to the Nutcracker. What a great idea! So we planned it and I have been talking to Lily about it a lot. Well last night was the night. We had such a fun time. I just love spending one on one time with each of my kids. We had planned to go to the Spaghetti Factory before hand but when we finally got there, found a parking garage, etc. there was a 1.5 hour wait and we left the house early just to keep that from happening. But oh well :) The thing really was that Erin and I both have no clue a bout downtown:) I don't love it and it makes me nervous being down there at night w/o Kyle. We didn't really know where we were to find a new place to eat and really didn't want to go get the car out of the garage that we had just found and paid to park. So we started walking. After a while we realized that Hard Rock Cafe was not far so we walked there. After eating we realized we were cutting it short on time but didn't know how we were going to get to the Center For the Arts, remember we don't really know how to get anywhere down here :) Our waiter was great and told us the fastest way to get there (and warmest and safest :) was to get a taxi. :) Well that sounded great only I have never even been in a taxi before. So we made our way out and found a taxi. It as warm and fast and also scared me out of my mind. lol The entire time I was praying he was not someone who would abduct us and take us away. Thank goodness he was not and we made it just in time to get in our seats before it started. The girls did so good all night, so impressed! It was beautiful, and Li kept commenting on the things she liked, or recognizing the scenes from the book. About the last 1/2 hours she was pooped. It was 10 and she goes to bed not later than 8 . She was super sleepy and said "the fairies and angels went to bed let's get outa here lol ) We found our way back to our garage and got out of downtown pretty quick. It was quite and adventure but so fun. Lily loves Eden and kept putting her arm around her and rubbing her back during the show.

I was super thankful for this time with those sweet girls, memories I wouldn't trade anything for. As much as I worried a bit about some of the stuff you could tell it was all adventure and fun for those girls. I love childhood!!!

Eden and Erin.

Sweet friends

She's waiting to leave and so excited!

Loves these two. We told Callie maybe next year :)

Thankful

Thankful...... I could not be more thankful in this season of my life. If I try to list things I am thankful for I get overwhelmed because there is just so much. I also tend to get overwhelmed because in the midst of being so so blessed I still go through my seasons of not being satisfied and times of frustration with this amazing life I have been given, then that makes me sad. But no matter what my sinful flesh wants, I know in my soul I have an amazing life, if for nothing else but that I know Jesus and He is my Savior. Here is my short list because I don't want to miss an opportunity to actually list the things I am so grateful for.

My home, shelter over our heads.

Water whenever we choose

Extra money left over, no matter how much, after bills are paid.

Four extraordinary children who I couldn't love any more than I do, even when we are in a season of change.

An amazing husband that takes such good care of me and His family and He loves the Lord.

Wonderful family that supports us and loves us. All of them.

Friends, oh my wonderful friends that we are blessed to do life with.

Two cars in our family

My husband has a job and his a hard worker

We have clothes, gobs of clothes to put on our backs

The loud chaos that mostly fills our house, no matter how sometimes it may drive us crazy, it means that we have a home filled with family and love.

We have a church home that we love, that preaches the gospel and we can fellowship and learn within it's walls.

I could go on and on and on.

Oh my goodness we have so much to be thankful for. My prayer, especially now, is that my eyes not grow dim to my amazing life. That my want for things not cloud my unveiled eyes that Jesus has granted me.

E Mealz!

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Very excited about this!!!! I was kinda skeptical, but it's safe to say I love love love this! It has saved me so much time and headache plus I have loved the new meals it has brought to our dinner table. This is a busy household, I'm sure any mama out there can relate. There is ALWAYS something to be done, namely cleaning, laundry, school, or just making sure I'm spending enough time with the kids having fun not doing all those things. Which is why sitting down, making a menu, a list, scouting out the sales, deals and then trying to make those work with my meals was the biggest thorn in my side. On top of that i always ended up making the same things, I was in a totally dinner rut :) But this has fixed all that. It has been sooo nice to just print out my menu add my breakfast, lunch and other staples to it and then go. I love looking each evening to what is for dinner and not having to worry about it. For me this has been such a help during my week!!

Halloween 2011

This year was fun. It was the first year since all the kids that we have been able to just hang out at home, give out candy and let the kids go around the neighborhood.. It was so nice and laid back. Great family time. Now we have a ton of candy and oh my goodness, this mama is not good when it comes to keeping my hands out of it!!!

The Christian family

This is an amazing pod cast, the preacher is right on. Love hearing someone speak the truth unapologetic! Thanks Krystal for sending this to me!

http://media.sermonindex.net/15/SID15607.mp3

First annual Armour anniversary camping trip...

Well might be the last haha just kidding. We might just have to A) plan better and reserve a tiny cabin or something or B) do it earlier before it gets so cold. We had so much fun but that night it got down to 31 degrees and we froze our tails off. But like I said had so much fun anyway. It was beautiful, peak fall colors all around us and wildlife galore. Our kind of place :) The next day we got the kids and took them back to the campsite. It was too cold to let them stay overnight, but they had a blast playing , exploring, and cooking out until dark.

Our campsite was amazing and beautiful!

I had a pic of him smiling but this is my Kyle's true face so I pick this one :)

Early the next morning in the fog

coffee on the fire

beautiful sunset

Nothing better than these pretzels, THE BEST!!

A true camping dinner

Sunrise

Little buck

Sid had a bawl

Big oak trees

A hello from Cal

HUGE spider web

I just love these pics!

Little man

Sweet lady

Goodnite!

Seven awesome years!

Well it was yesterday actually. I feel like we had been celebrating all weekend :) we actually have. What can I say besides I realize how amazingly blessed Kyle and I are. We started out rocky. Not our relationship but the foundation our relationship was built on. I was a wondering believer not walking with the Lord and Kyle wasn't yet a believer at all. We lived together before marriage, did things that put us in the "high risk to get a divorce" category, you name it. But just like the soverance of our Lord, He knew what he was doing long before Kyle and I ever did. And I can tell you the summer of 2005, when we both submitted to God, together, and were baptized, everything changed. I mean like that everything changed. And the closer we have both grown to God, the closer and more secure our marriage has been. Is it always roses.... um no. But we have made a commitment to each other and to God that we will be one body for the rest of our lives. Love is a choice, happiness is a choice. I choose to submit to him as our family leader and make him feel respected. When I don't, we have issues. He chooses to love and appreciate me. When he doesn't we feel it. When we are moving forward with our eye's on Jesus, everything else falls into place. And when something ugly rears is head albeit be jealously, stubbornness, anger, selfishness, etc if we are still striving toward our Godly goal then He, in all his graciousness, convicts our hearts and leads us toward mending any hurt that those sinful things caused us. My prayer is that our eyes are eternally on him. And that in 50 years, saying we live that long, we can still be holding hands, enjoying all of our grand babies, and know the joy that was meant to be understood through the covenant of marriage.

I got this from a blog of a friend of mine Thank you Jana for reminding me of these sweet truthes!! I love your family

If you come to our house, chances are--
--there will be at least a few toys on the floor and in the yard
--there will be fingerprints on the windows
--it will be noisy and slightly chaotic (mostly laughter and playing=good noise to my ears)
--we will be dressed very casually (all day PJ days are just fine with me!)
--there will be crumbs under the kitchen table
--somebody will need something from me and I may seem distracted
--dishes will be in the sink
--there will a load of laundry waiting to be washed or folded

But I am OK with all that because there will be a day with no scattered toys, no fingerprints to remind me of all the little people that live here, all will be quiet, I will be able to get dressed up and go where I want to go, the floor will be spotless because adults just eat too neatly, I will be able to give you my complete and undivided attention, I'll have so few dishes that I will be able to wash them quickly, and laundry will be not an overwhelming task.....and that makes the noise, chaos, dirt, clutter and busyness a beautiful thing in my book these days. I'm choosing to be present with and for my kids....it can be harder than anticipated as I am a "all my ducks in a row" girl. But I have been convicted lately...and I need to listen.

Feeling very blessed to be mommy to my kiddos today....

Snagging this beautiful bit of wisdom :)

Lexus instead of a child?

I've been thinking :) Well I think a lot of things, but there is something that just flabbergast me, and I don't and can't understand a bit of it. Let me start off by saying I do not think that God has a huge family plan for everyone on the planet. Maybe He does maybe He doesn't I'm not here to make that call. But the one thing that is painfully obvious to me as our family expands is this epidemic, if you will, of selfish or monetary decision making. When people see that we have four kids the first thing they will ask (or close second) is "what does your husband do"? And then if we get into a conversation it will almost always move into how we budget to make it work, how many vacations we can't take, how we must really have to sacrifice, etc etc. And I find when talking to people about children in general they want just enough to "complete their family" while not putting a monetary strain on their lives..... really? I see EVERYWHERE that the mindset of our culture today is that things will bring us just as much happiness as children, really? That the ability to have a big house, new cars, multiple family vacations, expensive schooling, nail appointments all the time, etc. is just as wonderful as a precious child. The list could go on and on and on. But to actually look at those thing, which don't get me wrong I like just as much as the next girl, and say that I would rather be able to take vacations or drive a new Odyssey rater than bring into our family a little handmade blessing from the Lord to shine a light into a very dark world...I don't get it and it is very sad. Look at the hundreds of celebrities that have EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING their heart desires. Can go on as many vacations as they want, can drive any car, live in any size house, and yet many of them go to their graves alone and sad. Like I said not making a judgment on what someone and God have decided about anyone's family. But I grantee that if that decision is made because of things, passing things that really mean nothing at all in the long term, that is one sad thing to me.

My brother and the sweetest wedding...................

First let me tell you about my baby brother. He is wonderful. Ever since he was small he has been special. Just really the sweetest guy you have ever met. And we always have been close, my mama made sure all three of us were :) So anyway, my hope for him has always been as he grew older that he would find a wonderful girl to spend his life with. Either she was going to be wonderful or awful. Because remember he is a NICE guy, which means either he will find someone who appreciated him or treated him awful. Well praise the Lord he found an amazing girl!! g Tessa has been a part of our family for so long. I'm pretty sure they started dating his Jr year, and now I am thrilled to say this past Friday are now husband and wife. I had the privileged to be in the wedding and I can not describe how perfect and sweet the wedding was. You can tell how much they just love each other and how excited they were to be getting married! It was such an wonderful thing to get to celebrate!!!

This is their engagement photos

They ended up doing something pretty cool. They did all their photos before the wedding. So they did a "first look" photo shoot for the first time they saw each other in front of the church. It was supprisingly great! I have always been pretty old fashioned but it was sooooo sweet!! And how wonderful was it that there were no pics to take after the ceremony!