Eggs, eggs, everywhere!

Finding Easter eggs at FBC Kerrville last weekend.

Getting excited about our own egg hunt this year!

Happy Birthday Kate!

Kate is 1 year old today! I can't believe my baby is now a one-year-old. It's amazing to think that a year ago she was finally here. Before then we had not seen her or held her or kissed her or experienced the joy that is Kate.


We had her birthday party this past Saturday and I have to say it was quite a success. We had a great time and Kate did too. Several of her friends were there and we had a happy chaotic time. The weather was awful - cold, windy, and overcast - so we had an inside party. But the pinata still worked inside and the cakes was delicious, so no one seemed to mind.
With this pinata instead of hitting it with a stick there were strings to pull that would break the bottom. Much safer with little kids.


Kate's party was a bunny theme. She wore her ears for a little while.


My mom helped me make her cake. So fun!

She had her own little bunny cake which she enjoyed eating, contrary to how she may appear in this picture. =)

So far today we have celebrated with blueberry pancakes for breakfast. We have leftover birthday cake for tonight, a few more presents for her, and we will see what happens in between! =)

Thank you to all who helped make her birthday celebration so fun. Kate, your parents love you more than you can imagine and we are so thankful for this year we have gotten to have with you. We look forward to many more and are excited to watch you grow up. You are a blessing and a joy to us, more than you will ever know.

Fun with my new camera

Jesus Has Overcome

Sarah mentioned last week about the passing of our friend Julie. Last weekend we headed to Arlington to see friends, go to Connect Church and attend the Celebration service. Although we had heavy hearts, the weekend became one filled with Christ-centered worship. The theme of the weekend as spoken by Julie’s husband Mark was. ”It will be a little about Julie, and a lot about Jesus”

Julie was a woman who loved her God and Savior. She loved to worship Him and longed for others to share in her joy by knowing Him also. Faithful to who she was, the weekend became one about celebrating and praising Christ, and pointing others to Him.

It sounds so easy to type that, and almost natural, like, “well that is what you are supposed to do…” but it was Sunday morning during worship at church that I was overwhelmed by the foolishness and absurdity of it all. Here was a man (Mark) whose wife of 15 years had just died after a long difficult struggle with and ugly disease. They had been laboring in prayer for years that God would heal her and intensely trusted that He would. He is now left to raise their two young kids without their mom. This seems like the perfect opportunity to become angry and shake your fist at God and say things like, “she doesn’t deserve this… she was such a wonderful woman… why her…you owe me!!??”

I’m not saying Mark didn’t have those moments, but to see him standing there with both arms lifted high to his Father, singing and even shouting loudly “How great is our God…You alone are Worthy… Your Love is better than life…Oh Christ, Be the center of my life!”… I was overwhelmed with emotion. This just isn’t a natural response, it doesn’t make sense, and could even be disrespectful to Julie…. unless…. God is great and good and right and does no wrong, even in the midst of tragedy...unless He alone is Worthy of all honor and praise and worship in all circumstances…unless His love is better than life, and unless Christ was and is the Center of Mark and Julie’s life, marriage, and family. If those are true then a weekend of passionate worship is the only true and appropriate response such a tragic loss. Only in Christ are all understanding, purpose, peace and comfort found. For it is only in His death and resurrection where our hope for victory over death lies.

God give me the faith to praise you and rejoice in your goodness and grace in the midst of tragedy.

May I join with Job to say..”The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, but blessed be the name of the Lord” and Habakkuk who said “…Though the fig tree does not bud…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. …” and Paul when he says “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinth 1:18

These two songs resonated in my heart this week as I reflected on the weekend.

---I hear the Savior say,
"Thy strength indeed is small.
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all."

’Cause Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow'r and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots,
And melt the heart of stone.

And when before the throne

I stand in Him complete,
Jesus died my soul to save
my lips shall still repeat.

--Alex Nifong

---There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes

And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"

---Chris Tomlin

Blogging for Books

This week there are two books in the same tour. For the first time since starting the "Blogging for Books" program I was unable to finish reading the books. As the previous post stated, we had a good friend pass away and were out of town for several days. I did get to read about half of one book, skimmed the rest, and skimmed and read sections of the other book. So I can give a decently informed opinion.

Sally Clarkson wrote Dancing with My Father about finding joy through our relationship with the Father throughout life's challenges. She draws from her experiences in life and how the Lord taught her to develop a life of joy. Clarkson uses Scripture to explain what the Lord wants from us and for us.

I think that Clarkson is an encouraging and practical writer. She seems approachable and realistic. I like the way she tackles her topic and I have enjoyed reading the first half of the book. =)

Here is part of the summary for this book:
"In this warm and wise book, author Sally Clarkson invites readers to take God’s hand and let Him lead them into a life of anticipation, passion, and purpose. With the voice of a trusted mentor, she reveals how, by getting in tune with the rhythm of God’s presence, women can nurture an inner attitude of anticipation and celebration even in the stressful seasons of life."

Mother-Daughter Duet by Cheri Fuller and Ali Plum is about developing a strong relationship with one's adult daughter. I have not read this book, though I have read sections and skimmed much of it. Written toward mothers, it is a discussion about how to bridge the gap so that your daughter will want to draw close to you. Cheri and Ali are mother and daughter and use their own experiences plus stories from women they interviewed to help mothers move in the right direction.

I could see how this book could be a helpful resource for a mother wanting to develop a stronger relationship with her daughter. It seems to be encouraging and thoughtful. I would recommend it to a mother who is wanting to draw closer to her adult daughter.

Here is part of the summary:
"The mother-daughter dynamic is intense, personal, complex, and unique. But mothers and daughters can achieve mutual respect and learn to celebrate their differences when they learn the two-part harmony of the mother-daughter duet."

These books were provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

In His Arms

Today our friend Julie Mangrem is in the arms of Jesus, worshiping Him. Last night, after almost 5 years of battling cancer and trusting God, Julie went Home. We have heavy hearts as we think about her husband, son, and daughter that she left behind. Her children are 8 and 5 and will have much healing to go through. But we also rejoice, knowing that she trusted God completely. She leaves behind a legacy of a woman of God, mighty in prayer, and sure in her faith.

(Arica, Julie, Sarah)

We will be going to Arlington to be with our friends there and to attend the funeral and celebration services. Please pray for her family as they continue in the grieving and healing process.

Actually, this is her first rodeo

Last Friday a friend and I ventured to San Antonio to take our girls to their first rodeo. It was not the sunny beautiful day we were hoping for, but it was still a great trip and the girls were bundled.

They loved the animals! It was so fun to see Kate's eyes light up as she sat forward and looked at the horse or pig or cow or pony I was pointing out to her. She would point and wave at the animal.Looking at the chicks. She really wanted to get in there with them.Here I am telling her something very intelligent about the chicks. Probably something she will remember forever and will help her win at trivial pursuit.

Pointing at the ponies. She loved watching them!

Kate does not want to be a goat when she grows up.

Kate and her friend Abigail. Don't they look thrilled?
Our little piggies! Don't they look so cute!

The rodeo is a must for next year. We are thinking cowboy boots and hats are in order for the girls.

In case you were wondering, I did wear my cowboy boots.

Kate and her daddy on the beach

Puerto Rico

This past weekend we took a quick vacation with my parents to visit my brother in Puerto Rico. First of all, it was so wonderful to be warm again and to feel the sun on my face and to walk around wearing a skirt, sandals, and t-shirt. We got to lie by the pool, watch the ocean waves, put our feet in the ocean (Josh actually went in but I didn't really want to. The water was still a bit chilly.).

But even more importantly we got to spend great time with my brother and my parents. We got to see Matthew's house, attend a church that supports his ministry, meet some of his friends, get coffee at his favorite coffee shop, and see other local venues. Matthew is doing really well and seems to be adjusting to life in PR pretty well.The view from our hotel room

Another view from a different side of the hotel

a funny chair at the hotel

Kate was a great traveler. She hung in there for all the craziness that comes with long flights, time changes, and different cultures. She loved spending time with her tio (uncle) and grandparents. We have an amazing baby girl.

I need to get some more pictures from my mom's camera, so I'll post more when I do.

It was hard to leave Puerto Rico, but I know we'll be going back soon.

Watching closely

Josh has been getting up early lately and two days a week he goes and works out with his brother before work...that means he is leaving about 6:15am. I'm so proud of his dedication. He's been doing it for a few weeks now. Impressive.

Two days a week we have planned for it to be my turn to exercise in the morning and he will hang out with Kate so she doesn't decide to climb on me while I do my crunches or something. I have not been as dedicated. Between getting up to feed baby girl and major sinus pain, I have opted to sleep in several times rather than get up.

Today I decided to give it a try. Nothing special but I did exercise a bit. Then I asked Josh to watch her while he got dressed for work so I could take a quick shower. When I got out of the shower I saw that he had watched her very well....in fact, he had carefully watched her pull almost everything out of my bottom drawer.

This was of course taken with my phone as I did not have my camera with me. She would triumphantly pull out a pair of socks and hold them up for me to see before discarding them in the stack of clothes.

I guess she thinks I should clean out the drawer...

Clarification:

I really did just think that cartoon was funny. Nothing more intended.

Just wanted to spread some laughs.

=)

(I really have to be more careful on this thing.)

Blogging for Books

Get excited about this book! I sure was when I got the email that this book was up for review. I enjoyed several of John and Stasi Eldredge's previous books and was interested to hear what they would write about marriage. They did not disappoint.

In Love & War, the Eldredges candidly explore the great adventure of marriage. In fact, they often discuss adventure. As they discussed in their previous books about men longing for adventure and a beauty to rescue and women longing for beauty and shared adventure, in this book they take a look at what that means when these two come together in marriage. There is the potential for something great, something powerful, something beautiful.

Too often, however, the adventure gets lost in the mundane and the Enemy of our souls tries to take us out by playing up our insecurities, by whispering lies about ourselves that we choose to believe, and by pitting us against the one we love. The Eldredges attempt to call us back to the battle with renewed hope and strength. They encourage us that this is war and we must fight, but that we are equipped for battle and the cause is worth every effort.

John and Stasi share stories and experiences from their own marriage and how they have fought their way back to each other and to God over 25 years of marriage. They assert from the start that marriage is hard....but it's worth it.

I was so encouraged and so energized from reading this book. I plan to pass it to Josh next so that we can talk about how we can move forward on our adventure together. I am reminded that there is a real enemy who is doing everything he can to destroy what God is doing in and through our marriage. I am motivated to choose love everyday (or at least try to do so) instead of frustration or annoyance.

I highly recommend this book. If you are sometimes frustrated that marriage is hard, read it to be encouraged that while that's true, there is joy and hope to be found, beauty to be discovered, adventures to share. If your marriage is blissfully happy and exceedingly unconflicted, read it to be reminded of the battle you must fight alongside (not against) your spouse. If you are a newlywed and haven't yet found out that marriage is hard, read it to start off on the right track on this amazing adventure. If you want to know about the potential of marriage in God's great story, read this book.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, too.
(Click on the book for ordering info)

This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

I thought this was funny...

At long last...

A few pictures...(This was my dress on my first Christmas!)

Blogging for Books

I have to say I was very excited to hear about this book. Many of you may have heard of For Women Only and For Men Only, two books by Shaunti Feldhahn to help understand the inner worlds of the opposite sex based on survey results and interviews. Well, she has done it again.

The Male Factor is Feldhahn's look into the inner world of men in the workplace. The workplace is still dominated by rules, expectations, and assumptions that make it still highly a "man's world." After hundreds of surveys and personal interviews, Feldhahn explores just what the means and how women can understand this secret world in order to better navigate and succeed. She explains that many of the men she interviewed sincerely want women to be successful and wanted to pass on information about what women do to basically shoot their careers in the foot.

As she did in For Women Only, Feldhahn takes different assumptions, like "it's business, it's not personal" and looks at what the means to a man and why that is different than what it means to a woman hearing that statement. Feldhahn discusses why even at work women need to pay attention to the fact that men are highly visual creatures. And of course, one of my favorites, was the discussion about being emotional at work and how men and women interpret that differently.

This book was an enjoyable read. Feldhahn uses direct quotes and examples to really explain each point. She is careful to explain that she is not saying one way is right and another wrong, but merely helping to explain how it is so that women can then do what they like with the information. I think that I learned a lot from this book. I've asked my husband a few things (like: really, you don't take that personally? or really, that distracts you?) and it will probably help me relate to his work world a bit better. There also were times when I was reading that I thought "Oh, that explains that time when..."

I highly recommend this book. If you are in the workplace, I think you could learn many things to help you relate better to the men you work with. Ladies, you don't have to be in the workplace right now to appreciate and learn from this book. There are principles that could help you in ministry, volunteering, or understanding your husband's work world. It's also just interesting to read about how different men and women can be!

In addition, I was given the expanded edition to review, which contains a special section of discussion from experienced Christian women in the workplace who, in Titus fashion, pass on their wisdom to "train the younger women."

In conclusion: add this to your reading list! (Click on the book icon for ordering info)

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

home sweet home

We are back in our house now. The furniture is all back in but there is still a lot of work to be done. Aside from unpacking suitcases, doing laundry, and doing dishes, we have boxes of stuff in our bedroom to unpack and reorganize. This will probably take some time since I have a very active baby on my hands. But at least I know everything is here...somewhere...

Or maybe it's over there...

No really, I will

I know I haven't posted pictures from Christmas or anything yet. I plan to. Once you read about why I've been remiss about posting, I think you will understand.

When life gets a little bit settled, I will post pictures. Really.

An Explanation

I realize it's been a while since I've posted. I've composed several posts in my head over the past week. Unfortunately many circumstances have kept me from posting. We've been sick, and then out of town to visit friends, and then...

...our house flooded.

While we were out of town a pipe burst in the common wall of the unit next to us. Our landlord called us on Saturday night to let us know. We told her where the spare key was so she could check our side, since we wouldn't be back until Sunday night. Sure enough, there was water. On Sunday Josh's parents and our landlord and her husband spent most of the day packing up our stuff and moving it either into the garage or into parts of the house unaffected by the leakage.

Sunday night we got back into town and went straight to Josh's parents' house. Once we got Kate to bed we headed over to our house to assess the damage and get things we would need for the next couple days. There were big carpet fans under the carpet drying it out. Our furniture was all displaced - a couch in the garage, the TV in the kitchen.

We are very fortunate that our stuff wasn't ruined and the damage was not extensive. This afternoon they will be finishing getting the carpet back down and then will clean it (extensively I hope!). We can move back in tomorrow morning and our landlord said she would get people to help us move our furniture. Then the process of putting things back in order will begin. I guess this is our opportunity to rearrange and reorganize.

We are thankful we had Josh's parents to call to help take care of things while we were gone. We are thankful we can stay with them. And we are thankful Sammy can stay with us and play with their dog. As frustrating as the situation is, it could be so much worse. It will be good to get back into our house. And it will be a lot of work to get settled again.

I guess I better get thinking about how I want to arrange the living room this time. =)

He's Official!

It's official now...Josh is an architect!

Congratulations to Josh, Mr. Architect!