The Party of 4

My Voice

2011-11-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

When my husband and I first moved here a friend prayed for me, knowing nothing about me, she prayed that God would restore my voice back. At a very young age my parents saw a quality in me to stand up for injustice and a God given ability to confront injustice in its face. Over the course of the last few years I felt the enemy begin to steal that voice away from me, but what the enemy has placed in my life for destruction and to silence me, God has completely restored and turned around for His good. My voice is back and I will not and have not been silent!! Praise the Lord!!

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-33
That verse has been my anchor this year and I have seen the miracle of how being truthful and honest about your flaws, your past and your sin will set you free. When you hide behind this pretend person never acknowledging your hurts or past God can never completely heal you or the ones you love. Truth also sets other people around you free. When you share where you used to be and how far God has brought you, that is your living testimony and you are breaking the chains. The enemy wants to silence you and keep you isolated so your sin can stay hidden and you can never break free. That is not God's perfect will for your life. If you continue to hide behind a fake person you have created you will continue to stay in bondage to the enemy.
I have a testimony and I am so grateful for God's goodness and grace in mine and my husband's life. It has not been an easy rode and we have cried many tears and hurt so deep I never knew I could hurt so bad, but I have seen us set free by truth. I will not be silent!! I was destined for this!

All of that to be said God has blessed us with the exciting news of a third child!!! This child represents healing and restoration for us. Let this be the light of God over our lives and our families life. I am so thankful for the the Godly counsel we have received from so many precious people that we have been able to trust with our story. I pray that this blog entry will bring complete truth and light and ultimately freedom to whom ever may read it. Just know that no one is perfect even the people in ministry. They have the same flaws as everyone else. God is the only perfection. That's why I wish that people in ministry wouldn't pretend to be as perfect as God. That is why Christians are seen as hypocrites. Lets be truthful about who we are because we are all in need of a Savior. Let it be mine and my husbands declaration to always walk in truth, transparency and honesty for the rest of our lives. We will always represent light which is God and not darkness that represents Satan and sin. Let integrity and honesty go before our family. That we act the same when we are around others as we are at home or in our own private time. Remember that you defuse the enemy by being completely transparent all the time. Nothing hidden and nothing in darkness. Like I said in a previous blog "LET THERE BE LIGHT!!"

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20

And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:30

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, Ephesians 1:11

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

Don't Forget to Play

2011-10-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

In the craziness and the chaos of motherhood never forget to enjoy it. So many times I get so caught up in the chore of life and mothering I forget to play. It is so important that I bless my children in spending time enjoying them, so in return they will bless me. There is a scripture in the bible that says "Her children rise up and call her blessed." Proverbs 31:28 If we sit down and enjoy some of our time playing with them we are blessing them. I can tell you the other day I sat at the table with my kids and we colored and played with stickers and you would have thought it was Christmas at our house! They were so happy to see me coloring with them. I was blessing them and in return I was being blessed. Sometimes we need to just put down the dishes and not worry about dinner or laundry right then and sit down and play. The chores will always be there but your children won't. I have heard it best said by my mother whom was the mother of 3, "I would do anything just to hold my children in my lap and rock them." I think we forget that all kids get older and one day we will not have these moments to play, rock or teach them. It starts now. Enjoy everyday God has given you with them and don't forget to PLAY!!!

2011-10-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

This makes me feel like.....

This!

2011-10-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

Came across this photo today on a friends facebook page. Such a powerful photo of exactly what our words do to our children whom one day become adults. Be careful, they are listening:)

My Process

2011-10-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes humility is a process. With me that is defiantly the case. What can sometimes seem to be an injustice can really be God trying to humble you. Pride that I never realized I had and failure to be truly anchored in Him has caused me to be deeply shaken. I am learning and that indeed I had a deep root of pride and just like the Bible says, "pride goes before a fall". It is the most important thing for me to learn to be only anchored in God because in Him and only Him will I find true hope and belief. If I put my hope in man I will only be discouraged, hurt and let down, time and time again. If I anchor myself in God, man can never let me down. God should be my rock and foundation, in Him I should trust. I must lay down my pride and allow God to humble me daily so that I can rely and trust in Him. There are journeys and lessons for all of us to learn and even if it hurts and you go down kicking and screaming, hang in there because at the end of the road, you will be so much closer to God. We think the process is going to kill us and we are never going to see light at the end, but God is metamorphosing you and bringing you up to a higher level. Just go with it. You will look back and see that you more than just survived, you arrived to where you were destined and created to be. They call it "growing pains" for a reason:) Be encouraged, none of us have it figured out and we all fall short. Just don't give up on the process.

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 NLT

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
Hebrews 6:19 NLT

Intentional Living

2011-10-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to live life everyday with intention? I think it means taking everyday that God gave you and living it out purposefully with guidance from Him. I think about my day with the kids and how monotonous it can be at times. I mean we wake up and do pretty much the same routine every day. It's not that I get bored, I think its just that I loose sight and I get lost in the mundane. When I take a step back and look at what God really wants me to do in my day, I can re-focus and get back on track again. I am living my life with the intention to teach, raise and grow healthy children. I am living my life to have a healthy, functional marriage with the help mate God gave me. I am living my life to bless and help others around me. Most of all I am living my life with the purpose to serve my Savior and show the love of Him to all of those I come in contact with through out my day. I am living my life with the intention to not to be like everyone else and to go against the grain. I am living my life with the intention to have joy and love everyday that He has given me with the people in my life. So my question to you is....are you living out your days with intention and purpose?

Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT

So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
1 Corinthians 9:26 NLT

My Loves!!

2011-10-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

I Love this Girl!!

I Love this Boy!!

I Even Love this Guy!!

His Light

2011-10-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

I have seen the enemies hand way too much lately. God will bring light on the sin in your life and He will expose you because He loves you. So....let there be light!

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. John 3:19

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12

Labels

2011-10-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

This past week my little one had been sick with fever and coughing. She is adamantly against taking any kind of medicine, ever. Mind you she is 2 and has been this way since about 6 months of age. This resulted in an all out struggle for me to get this chewable Tylenol in her mouth, with her consistently spitting it back at me. My frustration was building, as was hers. I was determined to get her to take that medicine just as much as she was determined to not take that medicine. Which resulted in the battle of wills. I remember just giving up and sitting on the floor and beginning to think "Oh dear God, she is just like me!" That is when the tears started to flow because just as that realization hit me, she came and crawled in my lap for a hug. I couldn't help but feel the need to pray and ask God for guidance on how to raise a strong willed child. Later that day after talking with my sister I began to think about how I was labeled as a strong willed child my whole life and how these labels given to us at an early age stick to us like glue. Have you ever noticed that? For instance when someone calls you shy, in your mind from that point on you are a shy introverted person. When you are called strong willed, like I was, you feel like you are a difficult person. Why can't we focus on the positive and say instead of strong willed, "strong" or "decisive". These labels not only attach themselves to kids but they attach themselves to adults. I have heard everything from "you are too loud" to "you are introverted" in my adult life and both resulted in me believing I was those things. I am clearly neither. Your words are powerful, so be careful how you label your kids, your friends, even yourself. Also be careful with the labels others will try and attach to you. If God created you with a strong character trait, that people turn negative, just know that He put that in you for a reason that is higher than what any man can demise or diminish. Here are a few examples of some labels and how you can put a positive spin on them.

Strong willed- decisive, strong, determined, bold and strong in what they believe in.

Shy- discerning, careful, thoughtful, genuine.

Flighty- creative, good imaginations, inventive, exciting.

Hyperactive- fun, outgoing, makes friends easily, life of the party.

Bad listener (ADD)- great imagination.

Tattle Tale- seeker of injustices made right, law abiding.

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29

My Golden Year

2011-09-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I was informed by my good friends that this year is my golden year haha! I never would have known that. I am 29 years old on the 29th. I guess this will never happen again, which is why it is my golden year. Anyways this was the cute video message waiting for me in my inbox this morning from my hubby and son. Love them to pieces!!

Gratitude

2011-09-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today at our ladies bible study we talked about whining and how you can always find reasons to be unhappy or disatisifed with any situation. This really struck a cord with me because I think in our American culture we live with so much pretentiousness and disatisfaction for what God has already blessed us with, that we can never be pleased. Just like how we cannot stand to hear our kids whine and complain, God can't stand how we whine and complain. No matter what situation you are in, you can find gratitude and thankfulness. Many scriptures come to my mind about this subject but this one stands out the most.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. Luke 16:10 NLT

Be thankful and grateful in the little that God has given you without whining and let him pour out more, when it is time. Just like the photo of this little hand. I don't know about you but I know I am so grateful my family has provision of another meal on our table. Take this to heart and recognize all that He has blessed you with.

Be glad you can do the things you should be doing. Do all things without arguing and talking about how you wish you did not have to do them. Philippians 2:14 NLT

Its been a while

2011-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Oh how things have changed since I last updated this blog. Life has changed, plans have changed and we have changed, but all for the better. Praise God!! All of that to be said, we have moved our family to Dallas, Texas to attend a year at Christ for the Nations. My husband and I met at this amazing school 10 years ago exactly and wow....we are back! We are loving every minute of it!! Words cannot even express how much we are growing and experiencing God and his provision while we have been here. Our time here is short, but we are soaking in every minute of it. My husband is doing the Pastoral and Leadership school, and he is growing leaps and bounds in his spiritual walk with the Lord. We have met some amazing and I mean AMAZING people here. There only goal in life is to be completely in love with Jesus and do only His will on earth. We cannot help but be so inspired by those around us. All I can say is God knew what He was doing when He called us back here to Christ for the Nations. This is a complete faith walk for us, but we have learned that is what life here on earth should be anyways. We are ready to jump when He says jump and go when He says go. There is so much freedom in trusting God for everything. I always say now, "I don't care if I have to live in a cardboard box, I would still love and trust my Savior." So where do we go from here? Well we don't know, but we are excited!!! My husband is seeking God about a missions trip to Israel in March. We are just taking it one day at a time and each day lovingly entrusting our whole world in His hands.As for the kids, they are loving it here too. My son is loving his school and learning so much about God and my little girl is staying busy with mommy, going to bible studies and playgroups. Daddy works an amazing job that allows him to be home with us on the weekends. His job is just one of many miracles we have experienced while being here. Anyways, the kids have such a community of other kids to play with. Never a dull moment and they love that. I just feel inspired and encouraged to share this journey, if only to inspire and enourage you. After all isn't that what Christians are supposed to do.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation,God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.1 Peter 2:9 NLT

It Smells Like Christmas

2010-12-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

When Paxon got home from preschool Wednesday he said "momma it smells just like Christmas!!" We baked all day pretty much. Great bonding time with the kids. Loved giving them out to others also. Its amazing to see how a simple homemade cookie brings such a big smile on somebodies face and can change a whole day. Doing small acts of kindness seems to have a ripple affect also. Hummm.... this may be a new hobby of mine.

One of those days

2010-12-17T13:48:00.001-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you didn't

feel like a very good mom? I am having one. I feel

totally insecure and unqualified at times.

Lets face it being a mom is very hard, but with

God's help we can make it through. I am reminding

myself of that today. I don't have to be a perfect

mom, but I can be a good mom with God's help. That takes

me casting all of my cares and burdens of motherhood on

Him and trusting Him to help me.

Hmmmmm......

2010-12-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

Having thoughts of another baby.
I don't know it may be a bit soon.
The thought of another c-section makes
me want to throw up right now. Maybe that
means it is too soon.

Being a Mom is Fun, Except When.......

2010-12-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

You have the Flu and you have to keep the kids all day by yourself.

Every piece of clothing you own is on your bedroom floor and you don't know what is clean or dirty anymore.

You can't keep your Christmas tree decorated.

Your 3 year old is sitting on the potty screaming "Mommy come wipe me!!!!"

Your 1 year old smears her breakfast all through her hair and you have to be at church in 20 minutes with everyone looking perfect.

You are in a hurry to get out the door and someone poops their pants.

The kids join together and decide to unroll a roll of toilet paper in the toilet.

Your 1 year old throws a lip liner in the dryer without you seeing and you turn it on.

You go to someone elses house and your son decides to color their white carpet black with a marker.

They knock over a flat screen tv off of its stand. It's not yours either.

They kick your seat while your driving.

They scream at the top of their lungs when you are on the phone. I think they have radar for that or something.

Your at the grocery store and one of them stands on the bread and smashes it. So then you have smashed PB&J's all week.

After the greatest effort is put forth to get out of the house, you suddenly realize you have forgotten something important, like your wallet.

Both of your children decide to throw a huge fit in public and you realize there is nothing you can do but get out of there fast!!! Spanking only makes the fit escalate. I have learned that the hard way.

You have to take a shower with the shower curtain open.

You have to use the bathroom with your child on your lap.

One child decides they don't want to take a nap that day.

You find an old bottle or sippy cup that you haven't seen in months and its growing a garden inside of it.

Welcome to my oh so imperfect life. I love it all so much and wouldn't change a second of it. I think the hardest part is just excepting the fact that nothing has to be perfect and roll with it. Its soooo much funner that way:)

Yummo!

2010-11-30T08:31:00.001-08:00

Vegetable beef soup just seemed like the
best thing to make in this cold
damp weather we have been having. My special
ingredient I got from my mom is spagehetti
sauce. You should try it!

1 lb ground beef
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
2 cups of beef broth
1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables
1 can of organic tomatoes
1 onion
garlic, salt, pepper
1/2 cup of egg nooodles

Cornbread
mix package of cornbread mix and half a package of white cake mix. It makes the best sweet cornbread ever!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T08:09:00.001-08:00

What an amazing Thanksgiving we had! Tons of family and tons of joy. My sister brought a missionary family from Venezuela to Thanksgiving this year and they were such a joy to be around. We spent a lot of time talking to them about their way of life in Venezuela and all the amazing blessings God has provided them through their journey here in the United States. We are still believing God will help provide them with the money they need to finish Bible school at Christ For the Nations. We also had 28 people at our house Friday. Wow! It was crazy, but so fun!

Breakfast time

2010-11-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Struggling to get it down, poor guy. At least he tried.

So I thought I would get fancy this morning and make oatmeal for breakfast.
They usually eat terrible stuff for breakfast. I know its bad
but we are not huge breakfast eaters at our house. Of course Evie loved it,
she loves everything. Paxon on the other hand was gagging all over the place.
I had to plead with him just to swallow it. The whole time he was gagging. It
was quite funny. The pictures explain it all.

Tunnel fun

2010-11-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

Enjoying a wonderful night at home tonight.
Kids in their PJ's, dishes done, bed time nearing.
Oh how I enjoy these night we can be at home
as a family. As the holiday season approaches
I am gearing myself up for all the holiday
parties and church functions we have planned.
Love family and can't wait to be with them
this week. Should have some great photos to post.

In the moment

2010-11-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

Taking in these simple moments
of watching them play.
If only they could stay this
young forever. My prayer is that
they always love each other and being together
just like this.

My family

2010-11-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

Ok so after deleting my facebook page and failed attempts at succesfully starting a blog on various subject matters, I have decided to begin a blog for and about my family. Here we go now:)