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!