Broken, But Under Construction!

I am broken, but thankfully, I am also under construction. I am thankful for my brokenness, for without my brokenness, I would likely not rely on the Father as I do each day. I HAVE to rely on Him, to turn my life and all control over to Him or I simply would not make it.

Naturally, I am selfish, but He is making me selfLESS...turning my focus to love and serve those around me. I am quick to anger; however, He is showing me to correct my children in the gentle and loving manner in which He corrects me. I am shy...not that it is a sin to be shy....but He calls me out of my shyness as I give Him control and He guides me out of my usual comfort zone as I speak to acquaintances and even strangers in an effort to show them the love of Christ in simple ways. I am self-conscious, but He shows me that I am His precious creation, a daughter of the King, made to radiate His beauty. I get caught up in the hustle of life, rushing my children through the daily activities, yet He shows me how to slow down, enjoy both the priceless time that I have with my children...HIS children. He shows me the wonders of His creation all around us that we tend to pass by without notice...the little "love notes" that he has formed for us personally. He is showing me ways to teach my children to notice the joys and wonder of His creation, as well.

It is human nature to dislike discomfort; however, He has shown me that if I am comfortable, I should be on alert--to stop and see what I am missing. Personally, if I am comfortable, I am not listening to what He has asked me to do. If I am comfortable, it typically means that I am becoming stagnate, and thus useless to the Kingdom.

Yesterday on the radio I heard, "Grace is when God gives us what we don't deserve. Mercy is when he doesn't give us what we do deserve." That is so true! I fail. I fail daily, but Father's never ending grace and patience continue to amaze me. I am broken, and He is slowly, but surely helping me to become the wife and mother that I am called to become. His job is big, but He is bigger! His job will not be complete in this life, but one day I will stand before Him in awe and His work will be complete.

Busy, Busy!!

It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to post to the blog! We have had a lot going on in our world since E's birthday! We had a great time playing in the snow this winter, but we have been seeing the introduction of spring here and there. It is great to get outside and run in the sunshine again! We have so much to be thankful for each day!

Z is officially in the full swing of tax season and we are counting down the days until April 15th. I think that it is really rewarding for him when he is really able to help some of the clients out, but the hours are a little tough right now.

C got a call to play spring soccer and he jumpped at the chance. He also signed up for baseball and is on his best friend's team. Dad is having a little bit of anxiety over having to root for a Cardinal, but says that he is going to get a Cubs hat for C to wear to practice, which I am sure will make him feel better. C has been keeping a very busy schedule, with either baseball or soccer practice every day except one throughout the week, and games on Saturdays. Thankfully, baseball games won't really start until after soccer is over.

J signed up for T-ball, after a long and very patient 2 years of watching big brother play. He has his first practice this week and I am so excited for him. He has asked every day for....well, I can't really even remember when!

E is now having to be the patient one, which is rough on a little guy who does not like to stay still. We could use some prayer for this, actually! I try taking balls for him to play with during practices and games, but he isn't really happy with even that because he thinks that he needs to be on the same field as the big guys! I am thankful that we have a beautiful forecast for the week, filled with sunny skies and mid to upper 60 degree highs!

I have been working for my step-dad's law firm doing his bookkeeping and billing, as well as subbing at J and E's school. I just accepted a teaching position for the summer, where they will even have a class for the older kids so that all three boys can go when I teach. It will only be 2 days a week, which is perfect for the summer!

Little bit just woke up, so I will sign off for now! I will try to take some pics of all of the practices this week and get them posted soon!

E's 2nd Birthday - Diego Style!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Birthday, Little E!!!

Where on earth does the time go? When we moved here, our "Little E" was just 6 weeks old. Yesterday he turned 2 years old and there is just no way that is possible!

In those two short years, he has obviously grown quite a bit. E is always full of surprises....he always has been. We were trying to have a third child and then thought that it just wasn't going to happen. Just when we had decided that we were going to have to put off trying for a while...Surpise...we were pregnant! Then, three weeks before he was actually due....surprise.....we were driving like maniacs to get to the hospital late one foggy night. You would think that nothing would throw us for a loop, with him being our third child; however, we had never been given the opportunity for the speedy, unexpected trip to the hospital with C and J because their deliveries were both scheduled.

E is strong, independent, loving and loves to make the rest of us laugh. He loves to tell us all kinds of stories. Although we don't always understand it all, he is easier to understand everyday. He fears nothing...and I am serious....he will jump off of anything and everything that he can climb onto. If he gets hurt, he rubs it, says "Ouch" then climbs right back up to do it again. He is a lover of chocolate milk, somehow named "na-nee", and a lover of all things Diego.

His smile brightens our world, and along with it, our lives! It will be amazing to see where God takes him and how he will be used to touch the lives of so many others!

Happy 2nd Birthday, sweet boy! We love you!

CONGRATULATIONS, ZACH!!!

Most of you know that Zach has been working extremely hard for quite a while on recieving his CPA license. Well, as of January 8th, he is now a licensed Certified Public Accountant!

Zach has done such a great job with so much on his plate.....staying up many late nights after a long day of work, making sure to spend time with the boys and I until they were down for the night, only to stay up until the wee hours to study. I am extremely excited for him! I love you, sweetheart!! Way to go!!!

WOW....

"Wow"....That is really just about all that I can muster right now. I have just been thinking about getting to see so much of our family this Christmas, the fun times that we have been blessed to share with them, memories being made playing with the boys and watching them discover new things. We were able to share time here with my mom and step-dad, then traveled down to South Padre to visit a lot of family down there.

And yet, there are so many all around us hurting and suffering. People with no one to share their Christmas with, or maybe unable to get to them right now. Others who may be hurting in a different way....As I type this some friends of ours are losing their mother to a battle with lung cancer and Zach is visiting another friend who is very ill in the hospital. It just really makes you appreciate and cherish the time that you do have with your family. I feel quite helpless because I want to change their situations, to take their pain away. Father, please help us show them your love and bring them your perfect peace, joy and comfort.

Spend some time with your family today. Turn off the television, stop working on whatever you are doing and just cherish your family and the time that you have been given.

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from this Christmas (in no particular order---I was having issues loading them!). We have been truly blessed....