A Scolding!

So one of my friends turned 35 today, and to celebrate her husband treated several of us to lunch at Lola's here in Nixa last Saturday!! We were so excited to start celebrating early, and it is always fun to have lunch with a group of girls on a Saturday afternoon! :):) There were 5 of us girls and we had a BLAST!!! I was the youngest of the group and the oldest "girl" was 76! :) She was a dear friend of the birthday girl and we loved having her with us!! I hope that when I am 76 I am as joy-filled and happy as she is! :) Anyway, we were all so excited to have some girl time, we were chatting and laughing and really having a great time!! We didn't think we were being too loud or overly annoying, the restaurant was full of families and groups of friends!! It was a beautiful day and everyone was out enjoying it!! Well, I suppose we were enjoying ourselves too much!!! :) About halfway into our lunch, an older lady walked over to our table (several of us thought she was coming to talk with our 76 year old friend) and said in a very stern voice "Girls, you need to keep it down, you are all being too rowdy and loud!" WHAT?!?! We all just looked at each other in astonishment as she returned to her seat!! Did she really just scold a group of 30 year old women (plus one 76 year old???) We were in shock! My dear friend Amy (the birthday girl) was totally un-nerved! She called our waitress over to our table and asked her to add that lady's tab to our bill!! She said she wanted to spread some JOY to her life! :) I was so impressed with how my friend handled the situation, I was totally still shocked, and a little ticked off, BUT, Amy was calm, cool and collected! She wanted to shower her with JOY!! Needless to say, after she found out we had paid her bill, the lady came back over to our table and apologized for being too stern and thanked the table for paying for her meal!! That led us into an awesome conversation about how people really do need to SEE and FEEL people's JOY! Joy is indeed contagious and when you have true JOY, it shows!! It was an awesome lesson, totally unexpected, but great!! :) THANKS Amy, for a spunky fun lunch!! :)

12 1/2 Months

If you would have told me when I first got married I would have had 2 kids by the time Wyatt and I had been married for just 5 years, I might have laughed at you!! Not because I didn't want kiddos or because I was trying to be mean, Wyatt and I just had a "plan" for our life together!! He was getting ready to start at one of the top 10 accounting firms in the world and I was happy being a nanny full time!! We lived in a small (but lovely) duplex and were anxiously awaiting buying our first house! Kiddos were on the radar for year 5... or after!! :) Ha ha! God's certainly had other things in mind for the Jenkins family!! Of course many of you know our kiddos are only 12 1/2 months a part! When our precious little Maddie was just 3 months old, I found out I was pregnant again!! "Holy Moly" was all I could say for days, and I only told my closest friends that I was pregnant for about a month!!!

Today, I absolutely cannot imagine life being ANY different!! The first year was very difficult, but it wasn't just hard having two kiddos close in age, it was God working on my heart!! I had become SO complacent with my relationship with Him, He was using everything He could to draw my eyes back to Him! He taught me so much about my heart and how it was covered in yuck! He knocked me to my knee's and gently lifted my eyes to Him! There were some pretty intense days of me sobbing at His feet, wondering how I was going to get through another day as my husband worked 12-14 hours and I had two babies to care for!!! Oh, how I remember those days, and I am so thankful for how God pulled me through them kicking and screaming! :) Of course I still have days where I feel overwhelmed, but not nearly like those early days!! I praise God for His faithfulness and steadfastness!! :) THANK YOU Father for taking care of us and for never giving up on my heart!!!

I love my little M and Z! They are SO much fun! I absolutely LOVE the ages that they are at right now! We have so much fun together every single day...we can be hanging out at home having fun, playing at the park together having fun, eating out together having fun, enjoying a play date together having fun...you name it, we do it with joy-filled and happy hearts!! We are so bonded together, it is a wonderful blessing!! Wyatt took Friday off from work this past weekend so we had a 4 day weekend together and it was amazing!! We had the perfect mix of family time and friend time...AWESOME!! One evening Wyatt and I were sitting out on our deck and he asked me why I thought our little family was so close! I told him I think it is because he allows me to stay at home with our two kids!! Our life (finances) would look MUCH different if I worked, but we are willing to sacrifice for me to stay at home with them! I think that it is the key to the closeness of our family!! Maddie and Zack are truly the best of friends, they keep a close watch on each other and they love to laugh together!! They play together at home and when we are out a other peoples' homes! I think that is so special!! I wondered how they would feel about each other, being opposite sexes, but they couldn't be any closer!! It is Wyatt and my hope and prayer that they always stay close and involved in each others' lives!! This past weekend we were at the park with some friends and one of the husbands came over to me and said, "Do your kids always play this well together?" I said, "Yep, they really enjoy each others' company!" He said, "They are two of the most obedient and happy 2 and 3 year old I have ever seen!" My heart swelled with JOY (ok, ok and pride:):)) I am SO proud of them!! :):) God has a hold of their hearts and it is evident in the way they treat each other and their friends!!

*****Now, please do NOT get me wrong, they aren't perfect, we certainly have our days of dis-obedience and grumpi-ness, but they, like me are a work in progress! But I am thankful that God is continually working in their hearts and minds!!!******

I am so thankful for God's perfect timing in all areas of our lives!! He is SO good to us and we are continually humbled by the way He lavishes His love on us!!

5 Pictures

Today is our first day back to "reality!" :) Wyatt went back to work today after 11 days off of work!! We had an AMAZING vacation together, just the 4 of us!! We spent some REALLY fun time together, ate at some yummy places that we don't normally dine at, and we got a lot of stuff done around our house!! I plan to post about our vacation here in the next few days, but today's post is about 5 very special pictures!!

We re-painted our room last fall, and I must tell you that I LOVE it!! We found a gorgeous bedding set on clearance at Sam's and BAM we have a new bedroom! Over the past few months I have found decor for the walls, and as we hang each of them up, I love our bedroom more and more!! Our bedroom is a NO KID zone! Of course that doesn't mean our kiddos aren't allowed in our room, it just means there are no toys, kids clothes, baby books etc allowed in our room!! (of course if something is brought in, we enjoy it for the moment and then it goes right back out!! :)) We really just want our room to be a haven for the two of us! Our house is very kid friendly, but our room isn't! :) Anyway, we had one small wall that didn't have anything on it and I was ready to fill it up! :) I have been thinking about what I wanted on this wall for quite some time, but nothing I found for it looked quite right! So, I found 5 different sizes, different shaped frames and spray painted them all the same color (kind of a bronzed goldish brown) and put 5 of my most favorite pictures of my husband and I in them!! :) Every time I look at them, I smile!!! :):) The pictures are hung over my jewelry armoire, so I get to look at them several times a day and I just LOVE the way they make me feel! :) Picture #1 is the very first picture Wyatt and I ever took together!! We weren't dating, but we both have a gleam in our eyes, knowing, HOPING, that there was something special to come for us! :) Picture #2 is of us one winter in Colorado! We went with my parents and a few of our friends! We are standing on this beautiful bridge with snow all around us! I remember the feelings I had as we took this picture! We had only been dating for a few months, yet I knew my life would never be the same! :) Picture #3 is one of our engagement pictures!!! We look SO young, but so excited about becoming husband and wife! :) Picture #4 was on Christmas day last year! We were goofing around, just in love with life and my sister snapped this awesome picture of the two of us! :) Finally picture #5 is of us this February around Valentine's day! Wyatt always plans the best Valentine's day surprises and this one was just as special! We are beaming, knowing that we are about to spend a really fun evening out together!!

I LOVE my husband so much! I love living life with him! I LOVE having vacation with him, watching him be the daddy to our children and snuggling with him in our room each night! I LOVE these 5 pictures of us (and so many more, but my wall might be a little too small for all of them! :))

6 Years

This Saturday will be Wyatt and I's 6 year anniversary! I can hardly believe it!! :) These past 6 years of marriage have been SO full of joy and excitement and adventure! They have also been about learning and being stretched and growing in ways I never thought possible!! We have had heartache at times, and so much JOY at other times, learning how to live life together while combining both of our families! We are SO different, yet SO much alike, it is awesome to see how God intertwined our lives from the very beginning!! I am more in love with Wyatt Ben Jenkins today, than I have ever been before!! :)

To celebrate we are spending the entire weekend together, no kiddos, no friends, JUST US!!! I could not be more excited!! Wyatt is my best friend, he understands me better than anyone in the world, he just "gets" me!!! He makes me laugh, gives me butterflies and makes me want to be a better woman every single day!! He challenges me and sharpens me, and loves me despite me! :) I am so excited to just hang out with him and talk and laugh and remember the years we have spent together!!! We are going to see a late movie on Friday night, sleep in on Saturday and spend the day just enjoying each other! I think Sunday is a surprise from him, so I am not sure what we will do, but I know it will be a blessing!! Whoo-hoo!

Since we are spending the weekend together, just us, it means that I will be away from my kiddos for TWO nights in a row!!! I have never been away from M and Z for two nights in a row!! In fact, the last time I was away from them for one night was last June 26th! I know that lots of people think that is odd, but we are a very tight knit little family! We really like to be together!! Wyatt and I make every evening count and spend lots of time together when the kiddos are in bed! It is a priority to us that we get good time together to catch up with each others' days! I love that he wants to share about his day with me and I love telling him about our days! At least two nights a week, we turn off the tv and just talk out on our deck! It is wonderful!!! And we are good at planning dates for each other, so we go out at least once a month together!! For this season in our life, it is perfect!!!

We don't really get each other gifts for our anniversary, but our tradition is to write each other letters!! ( I LOVE to get cards and letters from my husband!!:)) I love to make cards, so I have his card all made with my letter inside!! It was so much fun to write to him my feelings of thankfulness and love!! I loved remembering back to the dates we went on and the things we talked about! Of course our lives are much different now, but I am so JOY-filled that we have made those decisions together and that we are living life the way that God wants us too! :):)

I remember all so well the days and minutes before our wedding, just like they were yesterday!! We were SO excited about all of our friends attending our special day! We wanted everything to be absolutely perfect!!! We took our time planning our special day and it was exactly what we wanted!! Wyatt took me out for lunch on our rehearsal day and we shared our last meal as individuals! We were soon to be husband and wife, and we were SO excited! I will never forget the way he looked at me, or how excited he was to show me my beautiful ring all put together! I will never forget the way he looked at me at the end of the long aisle, and I will never forget how beautiful and special I felt! I was in awe that God had provided for me such an amazing Godly man to share my life with!!

Ooohhh, I could go on and on, but I won't!! :):) I am a woman in love with her husband! It is wonderful to be so in love after 6 years of marriage and 2 years of dating! :) Now, what am I going to wear?!? :):)

Happy Anniversary Wyatt! I love you so very much!!!!!

Swimming???

Hilarious, I am still laughing, of course after the fact! Today we took Griffin to his swimming lesson and we decided to swim in the kiddie pool in their nice big neighborhood swimming area! (Seriously, for a neighborhood pool, it is VERY nice!!!:)) So after making sure G was where he needed to be, I got Maddie and Zack all dressed in their cute swimming suits and swimming diapers, we were all ready, and excited, for the pool!! :) Well, my little Maddie is a fish! She jumped right in, and never looked back!! Even though the water was about 3 feet deep, she LOVED it and enjoyed the other little kiddos that were swimming there with us!! My little Z, on the other hand, was NOT so impressed!!!! He started off by sitting on the edge, splashing his sister and playing with some of the water toys, we had brought! Then, he slowly inched his way in, where the water was up to his ankles!! Then, slowly he waded out where the water touched his knees! As he was inching in closer to the middle of the pool, he somehow tripped and fell face first into the water!!! Being the somewhat overprotective momma that I can sometimes be, I JUMPED into the water FULLY clothed to rescue my son!!! :):) (Can you even imagine what a sight that was???? :)) As I reached him fully prepared to do CPR on him, (wink) he stood up and continued to play, TOTALLY unaware that I had jumped in to save him!! :):) LORD, HAVE MERCY! As I got out of the KIDDIE pool and noticed other momma's looking at me, I started to feel a bit embarrassed!! So, I finished up our swim sessions sitting by the kiddie pool watching my kiddos, keeping an eye on G and trying to dry out!! :):) Oh well, better be embarassed than have my little man drown! :):)

SUMMERTIME!

We are a family who LOVES the seasons! We love the cooler temperatures in the fall, the pumpkin patch, warm cute sweaters and all things fall!! We love the winter, the snow, the cold-ness (cold-ness=hot cocoa) and being inside playing with all of our new toys! We love the spring... the flowers blooming, and rain and thunder (my kiddos know that thunder is just God clapping His Hands and they LOVE it!), we love digging in the dirt for our own little flower garden! And we LOVE the summer... my kids are fishes so we really enjoy the pool, hanging out at the park, having bar-b-ques and staying up late because we are enjoying each other and our time together so much!!!! This summer will be no different!! We are looking forward to the long Memorial weekend this coming weekend, with several parties and some good family time together! We are SO EXCITED for the pool to open... Maddie and I check it out every time we drive or walk by it!!! I am pretty sure we will be the first people in it!! :) We also have lots of bbq's planned with good friends and our loving family in the next few weeks and months!! We have birthday parties to look forward to, an anniversary trip to plan and the making of many special memories! We are also looking forward to Wyatt having 16 days off in June and July!! Yep, it is going to be a GREAT summer!! WHOO-HOO!!!!

YES or NO!!!

"All you need to say is simply "Yes" or "No;" anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Matthew 5:37.

This verse comes back to me over and over on a weekly basis!! Let your yeses be YES and let your NOs, be NO!! It is so simple, yet we (I) make it so hard sometimes!!! I know this is Gods gentle way of reminding me that I need to be held accountable for the decisions I make for our family every single day! I want people to know that when I say YES to something, that I am going to be there wholeheartedly and with a happy heart!! I NEVER want to get in the habit of telling people what they want to hear (which is many times, "YES!") when I really mean "NO!" If I mean no, then I need to say NO! (or in our household, we say "no thank you!!" :)) We are trying to be more diligent as a family to be involved with just the right amount of activities, play dates, outings, etc! We do NOT be over committed, knowing that we need time together as a family, but needing good fellowship also! It is SO hard to tell people no, but it can be a blessing in disguise also! We want the activities that we do together to count and be intentional!! Therefore I need to think before I speak, especially, when it means potentially hurting someone or having to cancel on them because I wasn't being responsible!! One of my dearest friends always used to tell me "Do not get so caught up in the good things, that you miss out on the BEST things!!" This is such GOOD advice! Lord, give me wisdom and direction, help me to seek You in ALL things, even when they seem small!

So, my reminder for today... if I say YES to something, I am going to do it, even if I decide I don't want to, or if I am not "excited" about it anymore!! God can use ANY situation to grow and stretch us, especially if we have committed to it!! If I decide NOT to do something I need to stick with that decision too, because you never know where God might take you, or use you for His glory!!!

Previous Entry's

I keep a journal for both of my kiddos and I LOVE it! I think it is almost as much for me, as it is for them! :) I try to write in it at least once a week, sometimes I write every day, sometimes, I write three times a month! But, it has been awesome to write down the things that they do or say on a daily/weekly/monthly basis! It is fun to look back and remember all of those little things that they did! I can't WAIT to give these journals to each child when they get married!! I have been looking back at my previous entry's and it is SO much fun to see how my kids have grown and changed!! They are such good, sweet, SMART kids! I am amazed at them constantly and I love them so much! :) Of course every parents loves their child, but I am in awe of how my love grows for them every single day! :) They are such great little people!! :)

It is also good to know that you DO forget about the hard days and press on towards the wonderful days!!! The last entry I read was from the beginning of September 2009! Maddie was just 14 months old and Zack was 1 1/2 months old! It was the first time I had taken them both to the grocery store by myself!! In the duration of our 30 minutes there, Maddie had managed to open BOTH a box of cereal and a box of pasta and dumped them both on the floor! Of course I couldn't find different people to clean up both messes so I had a grumpy sales-person AND a hungry screaming baby on my hands!! I remember SO well getting in the car feeling SO defeated, wondering if my life would ever be "normal" again! :) My daughter was sad because she knew I was upset with her, and my son was screaming with hunger!! AUGH!! What was I to d?? So, I cried! :):) A lot!

Now, I laugh at the memory!! I am SURE I looked like I had NO clue what was going on!! And how on EARTH had I let my 14 month old open TWO boxes and dump them out...where was I?? Oh yeah,I was the mom trying frantically to get a few groceries so I could cook a meal for my family!! :) I can be so hard on myself sometimes! I am not perfect...I don't say the perfect things or always act the perfect way! BUT I am work in progress, for God, for myself, for my husband and for my kids!!! I am SO THANKFUL for where God has led us to this point!! Life ISN'T always easy! Actually it will never be easy if we are doing what God has called us to do! BUT...it. is. SO! GOOD!!! :) I am SO grateful for God's timing being so much better than my own! I am so thankful for the way He teaches me and stretches me to grow in Him every single day!!!! THANKS God for your perfect plan for us!!!!

A cute story!

Yesterday we were driving in the car on the way to church and we were talking about sisters! My mom's sister came into town kind of unexpectedly yesterday, so we were talking about Aunt Julie being Ga-Ga's sister, and how Tre Tre was mommy's sister. Then we went on to talk about how Maddie is Zack's sister! It was so cute how she was stringing everyone together! She knew that Mze didn't have any sisters (but she did point out that he has 2 brothers, she is SO smart! :)) And we talked about daddy having several sisters!! Anyway, as we are talking through all of this, she suddenly stops, looks straight at me and says, "Mommy, I want a sister!!!!!" Wyatt and I looked at each other and burst out laughing!! It was just SO cute, she was very insistent upon it!!! :) I don't know what God has in store for us, but if a sister would happen to be born into our family, I think our little Maddie would be so happy!!! :):)

Love Languages_Edited

I just realized that some of this blog got erased, not sure how it happened!! Anyway, here is the original version!

Last week at MOPs our mentor talked to us about the 5 Love Languages! This book has been around forever and Wyatt and I have been through it several times, it is an awesome book!! So as she was introducing the topic, I was thinking, "I already know this, I want to learn something new!" However, I was excited to hear what she had to say! I really love our mentor's at MOPs this year! They are really knowledgeable and loving, wise and discerning and kind! She talked to us about the importance of meeting your spouses needs! It is always good to be reminded that his needs are not necessarily MY needs, but he needs them met anyway! What is interesting is that Wyatt and I do have the same top 2 love languages, but we SHOW them in different ways!! It was so good to be reminded of ways to continually meet Wyatt's love languages, and to think of some fun, new ways to show him how much I love him!

What was even more interesting was our mentor mentioning that we will be able to tell what our childrens' love languages are going to be by the time they are around 8 years!! As I was thinking through the 5 languages I pictured my children in each of those capacities! At this point in their lives, they NEED all 5 languages SHOWN to them!! But I can already kind of tell what language they are speaking to Wyatt and I and to each other!! Of course it will be fun to watch them grow and change, I want them to be stretched and grown the way God wants to teach them! It is just such a blessing to watch them become little people!

My Maddie LOVES her quality time and special gifts! She is also a acts of service kind of girl! She lights up whenever she gets to spend just a few minutes with anyone, just them and her!! She and I went out on a shopping date over the weekend and she just GLOWED the entire time! she was so happy to just be WITH me, it didn't matter at ALL what we were doing, it just mattered that it was her and I! My little girl loves her mommy and her daddy so much!! She also loves little gifts, even if I just color a picture for her or get her inexpensive stickers!! She loves to be given something, and then she loves to give in return! I am so proud of her for the way she helps take are of her "broder!" She is such a sweet girl and I am so thankful for her little life!!

My little Z is also a quality time kind of guy but also a words of affirmation! He loves to hear my love for him!! He really isn't the touchy feely kind of guy, BUT when I am snuggling him telling him what a good boy he is and how much I love him, he eats it up!! He needs to hear that although he needs to be disciplined sometimes, he IS an AMAZING little boy and that I love him SO MUCH!! He likes to spend time with us one on one and smiles so big whenever he is being BIG with daddy!! He sure is a daddy's boy, but he loves his mommy too!! :)

I was so blessed by this lesson!! I love living life with my husband and our children!!!

Today we went to an Easter Egg hunt with several of our good friends!! What a FUN time we had together!! :) We have been hanging out with this crew of people since college and we are SO blessed by the friendship that both Wyatt and I share with them!! What is even more fun, is that we all have children around the same ages so we like to get together and all play! Today was no exception! As I looked around the circle if little smiles, it was amazing to see how God has blessed each one of these little families! Some have one child, others have two or three children, and it is incredible to see how God is working in each of the hearts of each child! It is also awesome to see our kids forming such tight friendships with each other!! Maddie and Zack both ask for these kids on a regular basis, asking me how they are and if we are going to see them anytime soon! :) I am SO THANKFUL for these families and for the history we have with them! There are a lot of people that come in and out of our lives, but I know that no matter what, we will always be friends with these people, and for that, I am SO thankful!!

I truly feel that God uses our children (among SO many other things) to teach us about unconditional love, blessing and contentment! I am SO CONTENT with my Maddie and my Zack! I look into their little eyes and I see Wyatt and I and it is the most incredible feeling! I don't know if God has us to have more children, if He does, I am totally ok with that! But, if it is His will for us just to have our two, I am to content with that too!! My Maddie and Zack are such little blessings to me, they are refining me and teaching and stretching me in so many ways! I love them SO much I want to be the BEST I can be for them and our family!! My prayer is that God will give us the wisdom that we need to raise them as Godly toddlers, teenagers and adults! Thanks God for the blessing of our little ones!!!

SO PRECIOUS!!!!

Tonight I was making dinner for the family and it got really quiet! I finished up our baked ziti, (Wyatt's favorite) put it in the oven and went to investigate, worrying about what I might find!!! I peeked into Zack's room, then the play room, and then I heard it!! Maddie and Zack were sitting in her room, both in her chair (it is a pink over stuffed chair, really only comfortable for one child) and she was reading books to him!! Ok, so she wasn't reading the actual words, but she knew they book so well, she was telling him about the pictures and actions! :):) It was ABSOLUTELY the most precious thing I have ever seen!!! When I walked in, she said "Hi mommy, Broder and I are reading books!" It was so cute! She is such a good sister and he is such a precious little brother!! :)

It has been so hard at times having them so close in age, but after seeing them this week, I think they are going to be the BEST of friends!! At McDonald's on Thursday, they had several friends there to play with, and they did play with their friends, BUT they played together first and always kept an eye on the other! Then at the park on Wednesday, they held hands and Maddie helped Zack down the slide and "caught" him each time!!! I am so thankful for my son and daughter and for the J-O-Y they bring to my life! I am so thankful that God's grace covers us! :) I am such a proud mommy of two!!! :):)

"Um, excuse me...!"

My kiddos and I went to McDonalds yesterday with some friends to play at the play place and have some delicious lunch! Well after my two kids and the other 3 kiddos "ate" they wanted to play! Well my kiddos hadn't eaten very much because they wanted to play with their friends, so I left out their plates of food so that when they realized they were hungry, they could finish their lunches!! So I am chatting with my friends and this older woman walks up to me and says, "Um, excuse me, I just wanted you to know that your son is eating off the floor!!" I jumped up and looked over, and SURE ENOUGH my little Zack was eating some nuggets (that he had been carrying around) that had dropped onto the floor!! At this moment I had a decision to make! A. I could either raise my voice to him and try to dig out the half eaten nuggets in his mouth, OR B. I could let him finish the bite he had in his mouth and then tell him that lunch was O-V-E-R!!! So, knowing how my sweet little boy gets embarrassed at times, I let him finish his bite and then I told him lunch was over!! He swallowed BIG and said "YUMMY Mommy!!" It was pretty cute! The girls I was with cracked up and we went about our business!! I mean, the nuggets that dropped on the floor for 3 seconds couldn't possibly be worse than goat food...right?! :):):)

My Son-the talker!

Zack is now 19 months old and I am ENJOYING him so much!! He is SO full of life and joy!! I love the way he smiles and how his nose crinkles up when he is happy! I love the sound of his laugh and the way he loves for me to "get" him!!! He is ALL boy! he has bruises on his knees and his jeans are already stained and ripping! :) He LOVES to eat his 'anna's and drink his "ilk, pease!" (Bannas and milk are his favorites right now!! :)) What I am loving these days is his little voice!!! He is saying SO many words!! My favorites are "snuggle," "book," "snack," "sissser," "pease," "yuve you," oh and so many more!! He is just so sweet!! Today we hung out with some friends at the park and Zack just LOVED on the little boy!! Well I guess he isn't little, he was 12, but he just played with Zack and Zack just ATE IT UP!!! He laughed and laughed as T pushed him in his swing and chased after him at the park!! It brought me so much joy just to see him interacting so sweetly with other kids!! :) I am just so proud of my son and so thankful that God saw it fit to bless Wyatt and I with a son!!!

My Favorite Song

This is absolutely my favorite song right now!!! I LOVE IT and I listen to it over and over! It brings me so much encouragement and JOY to know that God is ALIVE and that He is ALWAYS faithful!!! Even though life can be HARD, no matter what season you are in life, God is HERE and HE knows my heart and my mind!! I am SO thankful that He LOVES me, just for who I am!

Let The Waters Rise- by Mikeschair

Don't know where to begin
Its like my world's caving in
And I try but I can't control my fear
Where do I go from here?

sometimes its so hard to pray
When You feel so far away
But I am willing to go
Where you want me to
God, I trust You

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

I will swim in the deep
'Cuz You'll be next to me
You're in the eye of the storm
And the calm of the sea
You'll never out of reach

God, You know where I've been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You'll be faithful again
I'm holding Your hand

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

God Your love is enough
You will pull me through
I'm holding onto You
God Your love is enough
I will follow You
I will follow You

Ohhh

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

Ohhh

Father, I will FOLLOW YOU!! No matter what!!!

A Day at the Zoo

We went to the zoo with my sister and nephew and another friend who has twin boys last week! We had a BLAST!!! We love hanging out with Tre Tre and Maddux so anytime we get to hang out with them is a treat! And, it was a beautiful day!! When we got to the zoo Maddie and Zack took off running and didn't stop until their little legs were absolutely worn out! It was so cute!! Maddie wanted to keep up with the boys (who are about 6 months older than she) and brother wanted to keep up with sister so it was this continual train of kids!! It was so much fun!! At the goat/donkey display they have food you can buy to feed the animals!! Well Zack was picking it off the ground and feeding it to the animals so I thought it would be fun to get some food to give to him to feed the goats! I turned away from him for about a second to check on Maddie (she was MUCH less sure of feeding the animals) and as I turned back around Zack started chomping on something! Oh yes, he was EATING the goat food!!! EWWWW!!! What was so cute, was that he didn't think it tasted bad at all! I have him his sippy cup and he washed it all down with some apple juice!!! Hilarious!! I am so thankful for my sweet little BOY!! He is ALL boy!! He wants to get into everything, get dirty and experience absolutely everything he can!! I love having a boy!!

Special Relationships!

We are so thankful for the special relationships our kiddos have with their Ga-Ga and Mze! I am constantly reminded how blessed we are that our kids know, LOVE and adore their Grandparents!! My mom and dad know our kids SO well, they love them and take such good care of them!! Anytime we go anywhere with my parents, Maddie is walking with my mom holding her hand, and my dad has Zack in his arms, telling him about some CRAZY adventure they are going to share! :) It warms my heart SO much to know that my parents, the people who poured themselves into me, will do the same with my children!! They are teaching M and Z about God and His love for us! We pray together at every meal, and now Maddie says prayers for our meals, always thanking God for her Ga-Ga and Mze!! They are teaching them about sharing and adventures and so many exciting fun things, that only grandparents can say to their grand kids!! Whew, what a blessing!! :) I sure do LOVE my parents!!!!

I am also thankful for the relationship that my sister and brother-in-law have with our kids!! Tre-Tre and Unk are SO important to Zack and Maddie!! Maddie constantly tell me that Ga-Ga and Tre-Tre and I are her best friends!! Ahh, melt my heart!! :) I love that I get to know and be close to my nephew!! He is so precious, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see him on an every other day basis! He is growing and shaping my sister and BIL into even more amazing people, and it is SO fun to watch!! Today, and everyday I am reminded that my family is a true BLESSING!! God is SO good!!

My Birthday Weekend!

Two weeks before my birthday I received the sweetest e-vite from my two BFF's Sarah and Katie! They were inviting me away for a surprise birthday weekend! The e-vite instructed on what to bring/wear on our weekend, but it gave no specific direction as to where we were going!! Of course I replied "yes" and our weekend was set! For 10 days I waited for my birthday to get here, I knew it would be amazing, but I didn't know exactly HOW amazing!!

On Friday, Catrina and Maddux came and picked up Zack, Maddie and I and we went into town for lunch! First we stopped by CCH to take a look at the new paint and couches and then we were off to lunch with my mom!! My family is the BEST at celebrating birthdays!! We enjoy each other so much, we love to celebrate together!! Catrina and my mom were so thoughtful an d bought us lunch at one of my favorite restaurant's--Maria's!It was SO much fun! After lunch at Maria's we stopped for yogurt...YUM-O!!! Wyatt came home that evening after being out of town all week! He took me out to dinner and we had a nice evening just being adults! I love my husband so much, he had been gone all week and it was wonderful to have him home!

The next morning my BFF Sarah picked me up at 6:30 a.m. and we headed out on our girls' weekend!! We had some amazing chats on the 3 1/2 drive to get Katie! Sarah is one of the most genuine, honest, caring, loving and unconditional women I know!! She is simply amazing! We laughed our heads off, cried maybe a tear or too, and anxiously awaited picking up our Katie!! When we pulled in we ran up to her door whooping and hollering, we all hugged and squealed with excitement...it was the perfect start to our weekend!! After Sarah and I loved on our little Max and Sophie, we were OFF!! We went to a really fancy shopping mall, to walk around and dream...and to people watch! It was so much fun! After our first round of "shopping," we went to a delicious upscale pizza restaurant!! Then we headed to the Galleria!! :) It was a BLAST!! We shopped and shopped and shopped!! One of our favorite things to do is stick Sarah in the dressing room and bring her clothes to try on!! She is a teacher so she really needs nice new clothes and we are happy to help!! Well on this particular day she needed shoes, so we went everywhere looking for the perfect pairs of shoes! We found them and celebrated with ice cream!

After several hours at the mall, we headed to our hotel!! Wyatt had taken care of the hotel for us with reservations and valet parking! It was a beautiful hotel, we had a view of the arch from our window!! After checking in we went to our room (on the 21st floor) and laid on our beds and chatted for about 2 hours!! Now, I imagine that with anyone else after awhile we would run out of things to talk about, but we didn't!! Thus one of the best parts about having dear friends!! We are so close, that we can (and do) talk for hours about everything, never getting tired of one another's presence!

Around 6:45 we started getting ready for our dinner reservation! We were all so excited about getting dressed up and going out!! Our restaurant was just 5 blocks from our hotel so we walked...it was so much fun to just be us!! Not mommies, not teachers, not even wives at the moment, just the three of us...the best of friends!!!! Dinner was amazing, it was quite the experience! Our waiter was fun, he really enjoyed having three hotties at his table! Probably the funniest part of our evening was when he asked us what we were celebrating! We told him it was my 30th birthday and he went on to tell us how TERRIBLE his 30's were!! WOW! Not expecting that at all, but we laughed none the less and enjoyed the rest of our diner, including the complimentary chocolate cake...ummm, YUM-O!!!!!!!!!!!! After dinner we were walking back to our hotel when we saw a horse drawn carriage! Sarah said, "let's go for a ride" and Katie and I said "ok," so off we went!! We must have looked ridiculous all three of us in the same bench, but it was so much fun!! We were riding through downtown St. Louis just the three of us laughing our heads off! It. was. AWESOME!! When we got home we put on our pajamas and chatted late into the night!! The perfect way to end the perfect day!!

On Sunday morning we woke up to the beautiful view of the arch, chatted some more and then decided we were hungry!! Thanks to Prudence, Katie's handy dandy GPS system, we found a St. Louis bread close tour hotel (after going the wrong way on a downtown street) and settled in for breakfast!! The rest of the day was spent at Target (with Sarah in the dressing room and us bringing her all kinds of cute clothes), eating lunch and being best friends! Sadly around 3 we took Katie home and started our trip back to Springfield! Our weekend was over!! But it was the BEST birthday weekend I have ever had! Sarah and I talked all the way home, laughing and crying some more!! It is amazing how God has changed our lives since we have known each other! It is so good see His glory shine through what He has done!!! I came home totally refreshed, encouraged and energized!!!

THANKS to Wyatt and Nick for keeping our kiddos!!! And THANK YOU to Katie and Sarah for being such incredible friends!! I am SO BLESSED to have you in my life! I love that we know each other so well and have such an awesome friendship!! I love you girls!!!

The Proverbs

I have been reading through the book of Proverbs a lot lately...it has become one of my favorites books in the Bible! In the verses all throughout the book of Proverbs, I find much encouragement and also instruction on how to live, and on how NOT to live!! The Proverbs talk a LOT about the foolish, and about the wise, and I am striving each day to be wise! I am really working on being a better wife to Wyatt this busy season, I love him so much and he needs to know that EVERY day!! As many of you know, Wyatt is an accountant so our life right now is CRAZY! Many times in the past I have met him at the door with disdain and dis-respect..not at all because I am mad at him, just because I have had a rough day and no one to talk to except two small children! So I am really trying to change that this year and all of the years to come! Wyatt works hard to provide for our family, and for that I am SO thankful! He doesn't have a "normal" job, but as long as he enjoys it, we will stick with it! As I was reading my daily reading, I came across this verse! It hit me SO hard, kind of out of nowhere! It is one of those verses that just STICKS in my mind and I am constantly held accountable for my actions with and against my husband! This verse is found in Proverbs 12:4, and it says:

"A wife of noble character is her husbands crown, but a disgraceful wife is like DECAY in his bones!" Proverbs 12:4

WOW!! DECAY in my husbands bones, no thank you!! I think that sounds terribly gross and quite uncomfortable! But... it really has made an impact on my heart!! Those 19 words have changed my heart! THANKS God for reminding me of who You are and who You are molding and making me to be!! So this week, along with the last few weeks and I hope, the remaining weeks/months/years of my life, I am going to focus on making my husband proud of me and for simply being a woman of noble character, instead of decay in Wyatt's bones! (YUCK! :))

TOP 10!

Hello friends!! Happy February! I love the month of February! It is far enough past Christmas, that it is no longer depressing that everyone has taken down their Christmas lights and tree's! It is fun when it snows, the occasional day "off" of whatever because of the snow is awesome!! :) Another reason that February is my favorite month...Valentine's Day is this month so I am pretty much guaranteed a date with my husband!!! Lastly, I LOVE February because it is my birthday month! :) My parents were really thoughtful with our birthday's when we were growing up, so birthdays are very special to me! My mom always made us a special cake, and we always had a plethora of friends over to help celebrate!! This birthday is particularly special because I am going to be 30!! Yes friends, this is the last week of my twenties! And you know what, I am totally ok with that!! With age comes wisdom and many new blessings! I am excited to see what God has in store for me (and my family) this year and the year after that, and the year after that...! :) I really believe that you should live life in the present! I think God calls us to be content with exactly where we are right now, but it is exciting to think about what He has for us in the future! It is also good to look back and see what He has done in my life for the past 10 years, He worked and worked and worked in my heart and I am so thankful!! They have been FULL of life lessons, amazing experiences, and a lot of JOY!! So...I think I will share with you my top 1o List of Lessons I Learned in my 20's! :) (Be assured friends that I am STILL learning and growing in many of these area's!!! :))

10. Life is FUN when you have a heart full of JOY!!! Of course there are days when joy may come in different shapes and sizes, it might not always be huge smiles and lots of bouncing up and down!! But when I live my life full of JOY for God, life is a lot better!! Joy is certainly a choice!! You have to choose joy even on the days that are rough, even when you are walking in the valley, and when life is hard! But friends, I promise you that the choice of Joy in Christ is amazing!!! The freedom that comes with JOY is un-replaceable! Therefore, I will always CHOOSE JOY, for myself, for my kids, and for our life!

9. Life truly goes by so fast!! If you don't embrace where you are at, every single day...years will have flown by without you even knowing it!! I can hardly believe how fast the past 10 years have flown by! ( I realize that that statement alone makes me sounds like I am 100 years old, but it is TRUE!!! :)) I am learning to make every second really COUNT and I am striving to be intentional with my family, I don't want to miss a second with them!!

8. True friends are very hard to come by!! A lot of people have come and gone in my life over the years, and I am so thankful for each one!! I have been refined by so many relationships, in both good and hard ways!! I am so thankful for the people that I have in my life right now! They are wonderfully loving, good listening, unconditional, GODLY families who live their lives very similarly to how Wyatt and I desire to live our lives and raise our family!! I have also learned that you don't need an entire entourage of people! Friendships are great, I don't want to discount that, but everyone cannot be your BEST friend!! That title should only be reserved for people who know you, love you and are unconditional with you!! But for us, for this season, we are thankful for the handful of people loving on us as we love on them!! We are truly blessed!!

7. Life runs in seasons! In some seasons, life is full of family and friends and busy-ness! In other seasons, life means change--changing job, changing churches, moving to a different house in a different state or simply having a different outlook on life! Seasons are not bad, in fact they help you grow and spiritually mature! I love the season of life we are in right now! We have taken a step back to see what is really important!! We are re-evaluating where were are and where we want to be...it is a wonderful season of learning, reflecting and growing!

6. If someone is willing to talk TO you about someone else, be assured that they are willing to talk ABOUT you to someone else!! This has been a VERY hard lesson in the past years, but I am thankful to have learned it and moved on! I have readjusted my ideas of what a good conversation is...if all I have to talk about is someone else, I probably shouldn't be talking, or listening!

5. The statement "If you don't put anything IN TO(fill in the blank), you won't get anything OUT OF (Fill in the blank!)!" This is one of my biggest pet peeves, but it is also one of the biggest lessons I have learned over the past decade!! God can teach us something in EVERY situation, we just have to allow Him!! Our hearts and minds have to be open and centered on Him and what He is trying to teach us!! Early in my 20's, I got so "me"-minded...everything was about ME, so of course I wasn't getting anything out of ANYthing!! My dad and I had several chats about this and I had the hardest time understanding his point!! That life isn't about ME, it is about GOD and how I can serve Him best! Now, I understand what it takes to learn, be fed and grow!!! It takes me putting everything aside to focus on what God has for me to learn, even when it might not be a lesson I want to hear!!

4. A family that loves, serves and honors God is priceless!! I can't even begin to explain how many times in the past 10 years I have talked to my parents about choices that I am making or would make! They always answer(ed) my questions and concerns with Godly wisdom and discernment!! They LOVE God, and, because of them...I live my life for Christ, and my children will live their lives for Christ!! It is a legacy that started a very long time ago, that lives on today, through my parents, Wyatt and I, and our children! My parent's aren't fancy people, they don't have a huge house or drive fancy cars , but they are living life for Christ and there is nothing better than knowing that we will be together in Heaven someday, praising God together there! I am SO thankful for my parents and for the way they chose to obey God, even when it might not have been the life they were expecting!

3. Children are a BLESSING!!! My two kids are the BEST thing that could have ever happened to me!! I am so in love with them and their little personalities!! They make me laugh and cry because I love them SO much!! Before I had my kids, I got to hang out with a sweet little man named Griffin!! I started being his nanny when he was just 2 weeks old!! I had really never cared for a baby that small, yet his parents entrusted his little life to me!! He has been a true blessing to me, and, he has taught me so much about what being a true parents means!! I am so thankful for the ways that God touches me through Maddie and Zack every single day! I am also thankful for my relationship with Griffin and all that God has provided through him and his family!

2. My husband is my perfect match! If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be marrying a man that was home schooled and had never kissed a girl before me, I would have laughed out loud!! I never knew that God would have someone SO AMAZING for me!! Wyatt is my best friend, he is the most incredible man I have ever met!! He still amazes me every single day with his patience, love and God fearing heart! He is a man of God, he loves God with his entire being! He challenges me to know and follow hard after God every single day! He is always on my side, but he is always willing to help me see the other side of any situation! Every decision that he makes for our family has been soaked in prayer! I am the luckiest woman in the world, and for him, I am SO thankful!!!

1. God is GOOD, ALL THE TIME!! He hears us when we talk to Him! He loves me unconditionally, and He is ALWAYS there!! He is proud of me, and He gives me the affirmation I need, simply because I belong to Him! I guess this isn't new to me, it is just a lesson that I have to learn over and over again! God is bigger than me, He is bigger than any situation I feel like I can't get over! He is BIGGER than my fears and failures! He knows me inside and out! He knows my heart's desire's! He knows my character and my integrity! He knows my passions and my struggles!! HE IS BIG...nd I am SO thankful!!

Father that you for your BIG-ness! Thank you for being constant with me and for loving me, hearing me and protecting me! Father, please guide me as I enter this new season of life! Please give me wisdom and guidance!! Father please help me to serve You, above all things!! Remind me each morning that You have provided a new day for me! Help me to keep focus on doing Your work each day!! Please give me wisdom and discernment in my mommy-ing skills, with my relationship with Wyatt, with my family...and in my friendships! Please use me to shine Your love, in all circumstances!! Please give me contagious JOY!! I love you and I give YOU the glory!! Amen!

Happy NEW year!

Happy New Year Friends!! It is so hard to believe that it is already a new year!! Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone and here we are looking at the beginning of another year!! I am SO EXCITED for this year! It is going to be the BEST year for the Jenkins family, I can feel it in my bones!! Wyatt took 16 days off for Christmas and just went back to work today, needless to say, we are MISSING him VERY much! During his time home we had a BLAST together!! We had a lot of good friends over for dinner and we got to spend New Year's with our BESTest college buddies!! It was a par-tay!!! :)

Some of the best time we had were the evenings that Wyatt and I just sat together and chatted!! I love my husband so much, he gets me in ways that I never thought someone could understand me!! I am so thankful for his love and unconditional-ness!! We feel like this year there is going to be a LOT of change, BUT, we are EXCITED about what 2010 holds for our family!!! We trust that God will guide and direct us and we are excited to follow His will for us!! During some of our chats, Wyatt made some pretty awesome challenges to me, I am ready to watch God work in my heart and mind!! Go GOD!!!! I also wanted to share some of my own personal goals for this year!

*Spend time in God's Word FIRST thing every morning!! If I am going to trust Him with my life, then I need to start my day with Him, every day!

*I want to be a better wife! I know that this sounds cheesy but it is true! Wyatt is amazing and his is the most incredible gift that God could have ever given to me!! So, one way I want to be better is that I want to be more mindful at making dinners that he especially enjoys! Sometimes I get stuck in a rut and he is SO patient, but I know I can do better! I want to make sure he has something yummy for breakfast and something to take to work with him for lunch! We aren't a big leftover family, BUT I am in charge of the food in our house and I want to take care of Wyatt by making sure he is well fed! Again, I know that sounds cheesy but it is big for me!!

*I would like to lose 50 pounds this year! I lost 70 last year and if I could lose another 50, I think I would be at a good place! Please pray for perserverance for me friends!!

* I want to stick to our budget and feel good about where we are one year from today!! By this time next year, we should have a lot paid off and that would be AWESOME for us!!!

* I want to be better about communicating with my friends!! I am not good on the phone, but I need to be better!! It always makes me feel special to get a call from someone, just because they are thinking about me! I think about people all the time, I just need to pick up the phone and tell them so!! I also want to send at least one letter per week! I LOVE to get mail, so I am sure others do too! :)

* I want to be more confident, pretty much all the way around!!!!

*I want to have contagious JOY!!!!

These are just a few of my goals for this year!! I am looking forward to all of the new adventures that God has in store for me and my sweet family this year!!!

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus!" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

You Never Know...

I would say that my kiddos and I are pretty active each week!! We attend MOPs, we have play dates and we eat lunch with my mom every single Tuesday!! (It is a blessing for both her and us!:)) We love being out and about, learning about new things, experiencing life together and meeting new people! All of these new adventures are fun!!! However, the meeting new people has really affected my life in the past year!!! You never know what people's stories are...us humans can be SO interesting!! I never let my kiddos talk to strangers, I am huge on stranger danger, but there are a few restaurants that we frequent quite a bit, so we have gotten to know workers at each place!! There a two people that have especially made an impact on my life and I wanted to share about them!!!

Our favorite restaurant here in Nixa is called Luigi's!! It is a local pizza joint and it is delicious!! :) But even better than the pizza, is our favorite waitress there named Kristie!!! My friend Kristie is a very lonely lady who loves to be loved on!! So each week when we go in there ( I know right, each WEEK!! :) We L-O-V-E pizza!!:)) she knows we are coming so she has crackers for the kiddos, high chairs and crayons ready for us!!! We started going to Luigi's several years ago, but it was just last year I felt a connection with Kristie!! She was so sad one day that we came in, I simply asked her if she was ok! She broke down...I was stunned!! I didn't know what to do!! She always has a bright smile on her face, but I could always tell there was something just not right!! So over the year she has poured out her life story to me, over the course of each week she tells me something new!!! It isn't always good, sometimes it is really hard to hear, but I love it that she feels so comfortable with us!! The last time I saw her (we haven't seen her in several weeks, she is quite ill) she said, "You know, I have never had a friend like you!" Oh my heart!!!! You never know who's life you are going to touch...just being loving and kind to people, taking an extra minute to really care about them and in turn THEY have a lasting affect on YOU!! I was getting so complacent in life, having two pretty awesome kids, a husband who works SO hard and a beautiful house to go home to, I think God knew I needed a wake up call, so He sent me Kristie!

Our other favorite place is in Springfield and of course it is another pizza place!! (Have I mentioned we LOVE pizza???) There is a guy there who has been waiting on us for just about a year!! He too is very lonely! He has had a rough life and is still trying to recover from some of the mistakes he made as a young man!!! He smiles so big at us when we come through the door!!! We know we are going to have to make some time to talk to Gary!! Much like Kristie, he has shared a lot with us over the year about his life!! It is hard to hear, but I know God is working on him slowly through us!! (Wyatt often meets us for lunch, it is halfway between our house and his work, so he gets to talk with him too!:)) This guy has made an impact on me because he has been through A LOT in life, yet he is still just trying to get through life! Gosh, I NEVER want to "just get through life," I want to LOVE life and ENJOY it to it's fullest!!! Unbeknownest to him, he has really challenged me to live every day for God, to find JOY in the little things and to trust that God's plan is always best for us, even when I am unsure!!

If you have a minute will you pray for the two people?? They have become dear to me, I pray for them every day!! They both need Jesus very much, we all do!!!

God is constantly reminding me of how BIG HE is!!!! He is everywhere, and in everything!! He uses us to touch each others lives, sometimes in ways we never imagined!!!

A Cute Story!

As we were walking into church on Sunday, I was holding Zack and Wyatt and I were both holding Maddie's hands! We were just talking and laughing on our way to the front doors! As I was holding Zack,I leaned down to him and told him that he looked so handsome and that I was so proud of him!! Almost immediately after, Maddie let go of my hand and turned to Wyatt and said, "Daddy, you are so handsome! I am so proud of you!" Then she gave him a big hug and kiss, right there in the middle of the parking lot!! I thought Wyatt was going to melt away!! :) It is amazing how much of our words our kiddos hear and understand and then want to say themselves!! She truly DID think Wyatt was handsome and she IS so proud of him, and she just wanted him to know! We really try to affirm our kiddos every day! We try to be calm and patient with them, and really LOVE on them no matter what the circumstance! (We still have our days friends when there is much chaos and craziness, but we always pray every morning for our day, and claim that it is the day that God has made for us , so we are going to rejoice and be glad!!!) We want to be a family that knows what unconditional love is, and we want our kids to know HOW to share that with others!!! It is a work in progress, but it is awesome to see how Maddie wants to love on people and share her joy with others!! We are SO proud of our kiddos!!

Wyatt

Wyatt and I have been married for 5 years and I am still in awe of how awesome he is!!! He is SO Godly and wise, I am so thankful for the advice he gives to me, so lovingly and honestly!! Since having kids I have seen a whole new side of him appear and I love it!! He loves having a son AND a daughter and he is SO good at playing with each of them they way they need to be played with!! Maddie and Zack love him so much, their little faces just light up when he comes home from work! He might have had a long 12 hour day, but you would never know by the smile on his face! He has missed them just as much as they missed him and they know it!! What a wonderful husband God provided for me and what an amazing daddy He provided for my kids!! He is such a good listener and encourager!!! Wyatt certainly isn't perfect, no one is, but I will always honor him in my conversations about him! God calls us to HONOR our husbands, ALL the time, not just when it is convenient to us! We both make mistakes but God fills us with grace for each other, and through Christ we are able to forgive one another and move on!! That is probably one of the things I love the most about Wyatt!! I can be so grumpy and self centered sometimes, but he always see's right past that and loves me unconditionally! We had such a fun family weekend together, God really used this time to remind me how blessed we are to have one another!!

A week of lessons

WOW, it has been a rough week!! I have learned a lot this week about my relationship with God, friendships and my sweet little family!! I've spent a lot of time on my knee's praying for wisdom and grace, for patience and knowledge! Many tears have fallen! I am so thankful that I serve a God who listens and who truly hears me! He knows my heart and my struggles, He hears my prayers, and holds me when I am unsure!! I think I always thought when I grew up, I would have it all together!! SURPRISE...I don't!! Don't get me wrong, life is certainly a lot more fun now, I love sharing my life with Wyatt, Maddie and Zack!! They bring me the most JOY, I never imagined that my heart so feel so full of love for three people!! But there are always life struggles...and I feel like they are all hitting me at once!! I am a very strong person, I LOVE God with my entire soul, I talk to Him a lot, I depend on my time with Him each day! So I am thankful for the time I have gotten to spend with Him...just Him and I late at night and early in the morning!!

I won't share every lesson that I have learned this week, there have been A LOT, (I can be kind of stubborn sometimes!!:)) but I think by writing them out, it helps keep me accountable!

I learned that I am not meant to work right now!! I subbed at GDA this week for two days, and although I LOVED my time there, I was sick being away from my babies!! I loved the fellowship in the friendships that I have made there, there are some AMAZING women there who challenge me in SO many ways!! I worked at GDA when I found out I was pregnant with Maddie! So many of the ladies poured into me wisdom and love!!! For them, I am SO THANKFUL!!!! Those two days I was there, felt like I never left, I had a blast!! But my time away from my kids, made realize how important my time is with them right now! They need me and I need them!!! We enjoy life together so much, I want to invest in them as much as I can before they start their school career's and I don't get to be with them all day every day!! Maddie and Zack have truly REFINED me, is that crazy to say about your kids?? I don't think so, they have helped me realize what kind of mom and woman I want to be! I have a LOT of work to do!!!

Lesson number 2! People/friends will come and go, but God will always stay the same!! People refine us, they make us better, despite who WE are! God uses people to teach us lessons (in my case, when I chose not to listen to Him!:) some really fun, good lessons and some lessons that break your heart! But, life is all about learning and growing, seeking and finding!! In order to HAVE good friends, you must BE a good friend!! I am truly still working on this one!! I want to be an awesome friend, one who listens and loves unconditionally!

Lesson number three! Being a parent is HARD!! Holy cow!! This has been a hard week of parenting for me, but I won't give up!! My sweet little Zack is SO MUCH different than my Maddie!!! It is hard for me to get used to it!! I N-E-V-E-R want to be a parent that compares their children and makes them feel bad about themselves because they aren't just like big sister (or big brother)!! Every child is important for exactly who they are!! God created both of my kids for a specific purpose!! He is going to do BIG things with them!! Maddie and Zack have their own personalities and I need to work on managing BOTH of their personalities!!! PLEASE, please, PLEASE pray for me as I discipline my children!! Kids NEED structure and discipline, probably not always the same kind of discipline, but they do need it!!! Please pray that I will take on this challenge wholeheartedly, lovingly and with MUCH patience and grace!! I love having my kids so close, but it makes for rough days sometimes! Pray me through those days friends, I NEED your intervention!!!

I am excited to see what God has to teach me next week!!! I used to think that God taught me lessons to get "back" at me (how self centered was I?!) Now I know that He teaches me lessons so that I can glorify Him with my whole life and not just parts of it!!! It is hard for me to remember Who I am living for sometimes, we keep so busy! BUT, after this week, I will NOT forget!

A Funny Story

So today Maddie and I were coloring and Zack was crawling around us pulling up on the things he thought he needed to look at!!! He crawled past me a few times and by about the third or fourth time he went past me, I could smell *something!* So...I asked him if he had a poopy diaper!! Before he even had a chance to "answer," Maddie looked up at me and said, "My check momma, my check!" So being the big sister that she is, she went over to him, pulled out his diaper (as I am sure she has seen me do about a hundred times,) and looked down, all as Zack is looking at her like "What are you doing kid???" She stands back up and says, "YEP momma, he is poopy!! He is poopy!!!" It was HILARIOUS to see my 2 year old become the BIG sister!! I laughed and laughed all day, the way she did it and said it...well, it was just like me!! Oh the things that our kids say!!!!

The Hardest Job

I love my kids so much!! I never knew I would (or could) love them as much as I do!! Their smiles and laughter bring an abundant amount of joy to my heart, and their little voices are so precious!! I want to have a hand in everything that they do, I just love to experience life with them, every second of every day!! They are our pride and JOY!!!!

Now that Maddie is two she has become quite attached to the word "mine!" Mine-itis attacked Sesame Street a few weeks ago and I think it caught Maddie!! However when it left Sesame Street, it came straight to Allison street!! The word "mine" seems to be Maddie's new favorite word! Oh boy!! :) I am big on discipline!! I think all children should be disciplined!! Discipline is how we shape our kids into Godly, well mannered, respectable children, teens and then adults!!! I really desire for our kiddos to be all of these so, I have been really disciplining Maddie when she gets on these "mine" kicks!!! She either has to sit time out, and then apologize or she gets a spanking (which rarely happens! I have to admit she knows when she does something wrong, and she usually feels really bad so it doesn't take much!! It is all about being consistent :)) WOW!! I thought they would have stopped by now, but nope, not yet!!! She is getting better and she is really good at apologizing!! She is so cute and I love so much, but she HAS to be kind to others, especially her bubby!!

Zack is now one and he is SUCH a boy (I LOVE it!!!)!! He wants to be everywhere all the time!! He likes to get into things, just to see what is going on! He does NOT want to sit still, he wants to crawl around! His newest thing is...he throws fits! They are not always big, but he knows what he wants and he wants it RIGHT now!!!! Unfortunately for him, that is not always possible!! :) I just started giving him time out and it seems to be working ok!! He is my precious son and I want him to be happy, but he has to learn that fits are never an option!!

Being a parent is the hardest job I have ever had!! It is the most amazing job I would ever want, and, it is certainly a career!! :) I have been praying over my children since the second I found out I was pregnant and I will never stop, but it amazing to me how my prayers have changed!! At first I prayed that God would keep them safe in my stomach, and that they would come in God's timing! Then I prayed that they would be safely (and quickly) delivered!! Later I prayed for them to be good sleepers and quick eaters!! Then I prayed that they would be safe in their cribs once they left our bedroom!!! I prayed that they would learn how to be mobile, that they would eat well, that they would not throw fits when we were out with friends!! Now more than ever I am praying that they will come to know Christ at a young age!!! I pray that they will always be loving to others and that they will set the example! I pray that God will help ME to be a good momma to them!! That He will shower me with adoration and patience and an abundance of love and grace!! I pray for their hearts and for their minds and for the words they will speak to others!! I pray for the friends that they will make and for the people they will date!! Our God is SO big and so Great, I know that He is preparing them to do something amazing in this world!! I guess it helps me to feel a part of it when I talk to God about it, as their momma and as His child!!! Life is so exciting, so fast, so rewarding and so scary all at the same time!!! I am so thankful for the gifts that God has given us!!!

A Year Ago Today!

A year ago today we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our son!! We didn't know what he would look like, what his personality would be, or how his sister, a baby herself, would handle this huge new change! We felt worried and excited, nervous and blessed all at the same time!! We never even imagined that God would have SUCH a blessing in store for us!!!

Zachary David Jenkins was born on August 11th at 8:13a.m.!! I got to be awake during his c-section so Wyatt and I got to hear every first little sound he made!!! He was pretty big at 8 pounds and 13 ounces, but he still looked so tiny!!! As soon as I saw him, I knew he was going to change our lives forever!!! He had a hard time keeping his body temperature up after he was born, so I got to have special skin to skin time with him for the first several hours of his life!! He snuggled right in and we started our life together!!

When my mom brought Maddie in to meet her brother for the first time, her expression was PRICELESS!!!! :) It was kind of a mixture of excitement and "What the heck is going on here? Mom, why are you in bed and WHO IS THAT!?!?!" She climbed on my lap and "held" her brother as well as a 12 and a half month old could!! Her and my mom came to visit everyday, and each day she liked him more and more!! She wanted to see his hands and feet, his toes and fingers!!! She thought he was pretty cool, until he came home with us!! :):)

Zack is the sweetest baby boy!! And, he is the perfect addition to our family!! He is fun and smiley and happy and sweet! He is for sure a BOY! He likes to get into everything, he is an adventurer! He loves for you to "get" him and chase after him! He adores his family, especially his sister!! He chases her around and she giggles at him with so much joy and love! I was SO nervous about having kids so close together (..there are still days my friends, that I wonder!:):)) BUT, I can already tell that Maddie and Zack are going to be BEST friends!!! They LOVE to hang out together!! They always have to know where each other is...and if one of them is sad, the other one wants to love on them!! They are learning and growing every day, we are AMAZED at what they pick up from one another!! We are so excited for this year and all that it will bring!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACK!!!!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH!!!

Zack's Milk Challenge

Hi friends!! So as many of you know our sweet little Zack has a mild form of the disease galactosemia!! Galactosemia as a full blown disease is VERY scary, so we are SO thankful that Zack only has a mild version of it!!! But, since he has even a mild version of the disease, we have been VERY careful for the past 11 months giving him any kind of milk product!!
(For more information on the disease Galactosemia, go here: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=galactosemia) or google "galactosemia."

Every newborn gets a whole round of tests done on them after they are born! Maddie's tests had come back just fine, so we didn't worry at all about them!! We just enjoyed our newborn baby boy!!! But, when Zack's tests stared to come back abnormal, our amazing pediatrician started asking some questions! We went in for blood work every other day for the first two weeks of Zack's life!!! At three weeks I was told to stop nursing and that Zack needed to be on Soy formula immediately!!! It was at that time that we started really learning about this disease!!! (No one had really told us anything at this point about what was going on!! Can you imagine my distress, having a 12 and a half moth old and a newborn and having to go to the hospital...it was crazy!!!!!)) But again I will say, we are THANKFUL that he doesn't have the full disease!! When Zack was just three months old we took him to a geneticist where we were told that Zack had a very mild form of Galactosemia and that we needed to keep him on soy milk for these first 10-11 months of his life until we did a "milk challenge"!! Mrs Peck (our geneticist specialist) told us that between 10-12 months we would need to slowly start giving Zack cow based milk to see how his body reacted!! We are really hoping that this disease has kind of "cured" itself with time!! Now if Zack had the full version of it, there is NO way he would ever be able to get over it! But since his form is so mild, we are hopeful!! So starting tomorrow we will begin giving him 2-4 ounces of regular formula with his soy formula!! We are going to try to wein him off of the soy and onto the regular, hoping that his body will tolerate it and that we will be able to give him milk products without any issue forever!!! If his body does not tolerate it, then he will be on a very strict diet for the rest of his life!!!

So please be praying for Zack and for us in these next 12 days!! We have been looking forward, and dreading this "milk challenge" ever since we heard we would need to do it!! After giving him cow's milk for the next 12 days, he will go in to be tested on Monday, July 20th and we will see what his levels are!!! Hopefully they will come back normal and he will be able to enjoy his first bite of ice cream for his birthday!!! :) Please just pray that he doesn't get sick and that his sweet body will be able to digest cow's milk and that he will be able to enjoy it!! Our little man LOVES to eat and I know he is going to LOVE the treats of ice cream, yogurt and cheese!!!

Thank you all for loving our family and being a part of our lives!! We love you!!

Progress!!

So, I have really been trying to lose weight since my son was born! I have been big my whole life and after being pregnant two years in a row, I decided that I was D-O-N-E being fat! So about 4 weeks after Zack was born I started walking with a dear friend!! We met every morning at 4:45 a.m. at the track and got moving! It was such a blessing for me!! Not only did I get to excercise, but I had an accountability partner, and, we got to spend some very good time together taking and laughing!! And, since Zack had an early morning feeding, I fed him, put him back to sleep and then left for my morning walk so it was "easy" for me to get there (most of the time)! It was such good motivation!!! So for about 8 months I have been working at improving my eating habits and getting moving!! It has been a very hard journey but a very necessary one!!! And, it feels SO good to be making progress!!! For so long, I kind of just accepted the fact that I would always be large, but I NEVER have to settle!!! I can make a difference for myself, despite myself!! :) I want to be healthy for my husband and for my precious babies! They deserve a wife and mom who takes care of herself and who enjoys living life to the fullest! And I CAN DO IT!!!! Beleive me, if I can lost the weight, anyone can!! It is fun to look back at pictures and see how far I have come! I DO NOT want to be a person who is caught up in body image and only focuses on me, but I DO want to be a woman who is trying my best to be what God made me to be!!!! I still have quite the journey to go (I would like to lose about 50 more pounds) so I am going just going to continue to work on my eating habits and excersicing and see where it leads me!! I feel GREAT!

SOOOOOOO, all of this to say, since August I am SO EXCITED to report that I have lost almost 70 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOO-HOO!!!! It is wonderful to see those pounds disappear!! It feels SO good to go down sizes and to be able to feel cute and look it!! :)

"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to have plenty and I know what it is to be in need. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed, or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I CAN DO EVERYTHING IN HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH!!!!" Philippians 4:10-13

A NEW post!

WOW! Time really does fly when you are having fun and that is what the Jenkins' family has been doing this spring!! HAVING FUN!!! Our kiddos are growing SO much every single day, it is such a joy to be a part of their lives! Even on the hard days, I am truly thankful that God decided to bless Wyatt and I with children!!! We cannot stop staring at their beautiful faces and we adore the way they make us laugh!! I have been learning SO much about who I am and what God wants me to do, so I thought I would share a few of those things!!!

First of all, God constantly reminds me that I need to find my identity in HIM!!!! No one else can make me happy, but Him!! No one can make me content and happy with exactly where I am, except Him!! He always listens, always loves, always protects me, from me! He is always on my side and will always give me the best advice...if I ask!!! He will always show me grace and unconditional-ness...ALWAYS!!! Someone will always have more money, or a bigger house or some exciting new adventure they are about to embark on. But, when I am finding my identity in Christ and leaning on him, I am on the biggest adventure of my life!! How could I NOT be excited and feel content in that??? God is my Savior and my King, He died so that I can live, there is nothing better than that!!

Secondly I am learning that I need to be exactly who I am!!! God made me to be me...He obviously has some amazing purpose for me or He wouldn't have formed me!! I am Christina Joy Jenkins, a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister and a friend! God has given me those jobs as a blessing but also as a challenge to encourage and love on people all the time!!!! I get so caught up in life sometimes, needing to be here there and everywhere and I forget to just be me!! Some days I have rough days!! I am the mom of two children that are 12 and a half months a part, life isn't always going to be easy!!! But when I embrace those rough days and pray my way through them, God is with me, it usually turns out to be a pretty good day!!! I used to think that if I had a rough day with my kiddos, I was obviously doing something wrong!! BUT, I know now that that is simply not true, sometimes life is just hard!!! I am THANKFUL for wonderful and kind friends who love me unconditionally through all of my icky blemishes!! I am thankful that if I choose to open up, they will listen with a patient and kind heart and give loving advice or simply just sit with me!! I am thankful for a husband that loves me and knows me better than I know myself!! He has an amazing way of listening and understanding me so incredibly!!!

I am also learning A LOT about grace! Grace has been hard for me to understand my whole life!! It is HARD to show grace to people!! It is SO hard to forgive someone once they have hurt you!! It is so hard to trust people knowing that they might not be trust-able! (I don't think that is a word, but it works!:):)) It is so hard to know that if someone is willing to talk to you in a gossipy way, than they are probably willing to talk about you in a gossipy way!! BUT then I remember that Jesus DIED for ME!!!! His grace was enough to cover me and anyone who chooses to live life in Him!! Knowing that and being reminded every day helps me be more grace filled!! Life is ALL about grace my friends!! I want to be shown grace, so in order to do that I need to shower grace on my friends, family and the people around me!!!

Sometimes I feel like I should be out working to help support my family!! We are trying really hard to get out of debt and often I feel like if I got a job, that process would be much easier! However, I feel so much peace about being home with my kids for this season of life!! I adore being a part of their every day lives!! I love it that we wake up and snuggle every morning!! I got special time with each child in the morning as we wait for the other to wake up! (This is probably one of my favorite parts of the day!! I get to snuggle with either Maddie or Zack when they still feel like snuggling in the morning!! Then when the sibling gets up, we go get him or her together! It is so awesome!!:)) I love it that they know that I am going to be there when they wake up from their naps and I love it that they know that I will put them to bed every evening!! I definitely enjoy a break once and awhile, but I am right where I need to be!! God is constantly showing us how we can save money and I am really starting to enjoy coupon-ing, so I feel that I am just where I need to be!!! I am thankful also that I get to hang out with other women that are going through the same stage in life as I am! God has really brought me together with some awesome women that I am so thankful for!! They have helped refine me as a mom and as a friend!! I love hanging out with them and investing in their children as they invest in mine! I am so thankful for the way that God provides peace and comfort for me, even in the smallest of ways!!

So these are just a few of the lessons that God has been laying on my heart!!! I hope God is teaching you something new everyday!!

My New Favorite Word...

DISCIPLINE!!!I feel like this word has been popping up a lot lately around our house!! It is a word that I used to think was all bad, but I am learning that with discipline comes much blessing!!

We need to be disciplined in our walk with God by spending time with Him EVERY day. Wyatt and I are really working on this part of our lives very hard! We want to be totally sold out for God and I think our actions and some of our thoughts in the past few weeks have not been that!! So we are being very disciplined in our walks with God, both together and on an individual basis!! It feels so much better to be right where we need to be with Him, leaning on Him and seeking HIM out when we need advice or counsel instead of just one another or other people! (Not that I think that Godly counsel in friends is bad, it is not, but I think we might have been seeking out too much instead of just going to God first!) It is amazing how much our attitudes have changed! With discipline comes blessing!!!

We need to be disciplined in our desire to get out of debt. That means no big shopping trips even though I want to give my children everything they want and more!!! All they really need is our love and attention, nor fancy toys!! That means so big vacation for a little while and that means not eating out a lot (which I am very proud to say we have cut waaay back on!:)) With discipline comes much blessing!!

We want to be good discipliner-s of our children!! This is a BIG one!!! We want our children to be well behaved, obedient and loved children! We believe that the best way to have obedient children is to discipline them in the way that God has called us!! We don't want to be slave drivers, but we DO want them to listen and have respect for us and for other adults and children! Please be continually praying for us in this capacity!! We LOVE Maddie and Zack so much and we just want to be good parents to them, even when it is hard!!! With discipline comes much blessing!!!

I need to be disciplined as I am trying to lose weight, it is not just going to melt away, I have to be disciplined in exercising and eating healthy!! I also want to be healthy to be a good example for my kiddos! This is a life style change, not a diet! (I have to repeat this to myself several times a day, I DO enjoy sweets!!:):)) With discipline comes much blessing!!

So please be praying for the Jenkins family as we learn about discipline, from the oldest person in the house to the youngest!! :)

Father we pray that you will show us how to be disciplined so we may honor You in ALL things!! We love you!! Amen.

A Biggest Loser Update!

Hello friends!! I just wanted to share a quick update on our Biggest Loser challenge!! To date I have lost 8.5 pounds in the past 3 weeks!!!! It feels SO good!!! I have several "goal" outfits that I would really like to wear this summer (specifically for our anniversary and a special BKD party we will attend) and I can actually put them on and fasten everything! I am not saying that everything looks good here my friends, Iam just saying that they fit!! But it really is a good feeling!! :):) Dresses that I haven't worn in YEARS fit and look fairly cute, it will be exciting to put them back on in a few months!!! It is GREAT motivation for me!! Anytime I think about slacking off, I think about my "new" wardrobe that I haven't fit into for years and get excited!! It is always fun to see what might fit next!! THANKS for all of your encouragement and advice over the past few weeks!! Please KEEP it up!! I love hearing what works for you all!! Thanks!!
P.S. Wyatt has lost about 6.5 pounds (I think) so he is doing really well too!!!

Lots of Thoughts!!!

I have been thinking so much and praying SO hard for this new year!! I am so amazed at what God has already brought our family through in the past few years! It is exciting to see what He will do this year! I feel that God is going to do some really amazing things in our lives this year, I am just not sure what they are going to be yet! This year has already brought many changes to our family! (All of them have been mostly good changes, but change is change none-the-less!!)

Maddie will be 18 months in a few days which brings many new adventures with it! She is still the loving, thoughtful and FUN girl she has always been but we are really struggling with stranger anxiety and her fear that we are going to leave her! She has always been so secure it is hard for me to see her so sad at times!!! Yesterday at MOPS she just wailed when I put her in her classroom, usually she is so excited to see her friends! And today we had a play date with some good friends (that she knows very well) and she just clung to me the whole time!! Please be praying for us as we love her and continue to show her security and affirmation in a loving and firm way!! We love our daughter so much and we look forward to all of the ways we will bring each other JOY all through life!!

We also have a growing 5 and a half month old son!! He is doing new and exciting things every single day!!! He loves to roll from his belly to his back and gets excited to play with his little toys! He smiles all the time and had the best laugh ever!! He is such a joy to us!! I see Wyatt so much in him!! Zack (and Wyatt both) are so cool, calm and collected!!! Whenever Maddie is having herself a day, Zack seems to just know...so he is so laid back! We have so much fun playing together, Maddie and Zack and I! I am so blessed by my kids, God sure does know what He is doing! I am so thankful to have a Mighty God to serve! I constantly remind myself that HE IS BIGGER!!! In every situation...no matter what!!

Wyatt is right in the middle of busy season at his job! He has taken on quite a few more responsibilities at work, which is wonderful! He loves to be challenged and he is SO good under pressure! I love to watch him grow and learn every day! I love it that he has a job that he loves! I am just so thankful for my husband!! He is SO encouraging to me and he loves me so unconditionally!! He is so wise and he follows hard after God!! He is so Godly and give such good advice!!! He always encourages me to think for myself but is always willing to chat with me about anything!!! I bounce everything off of him, not because I feel like I have to, but because I want to hear his thoughts on life! He can always see something in a situation that I can't see!! He is so loving and thoughtful in his advice but sometimes he is really good at showing me the positive side of something, when I can only see the negative side! He always encourages me to take the high road, no matter what!!! I love him so much, he is my perfect match in every way!!!

I feel like God is working inside my heart so much these days!! He has shown me so much about unconditional-ness and true hope and grace over the past few months! He has taught me about my own pride and broken me of much of it! (I am still prideful in many areas, but God has really dealt, and continues to deal with me in this area!) I no longer care about fancy things, big houses or amazingly cool cars! I just want to take care of my family, be a good friend and serve Christ with my WHOLE heart, even when it gets tough!!!! I want people to know that we am sold out for HIM, and that is how the Jenkins' are going to live their lives!!! We serve a MIGHTY God, and for Him I am so thankful!!!

The Biggest Loser!

Happy New Year!! We are SO EXCITED to see what God will do this year in the lives of our family!! The past two years have been amazing and trying at times! We feel so blessed by our two babies and we love living life together!!

So as this year began, my whole family decided we needed to do something about our weight and to just get healthier! SO we have decided to start the biggest loser between the six of us! We are all so excited about this new challenge! We all put money into a pot and in 3 months we will determine our first winner, then we will probably have another challenge!! This is not just about losing weight! (Although it is a big perk!:):)) We (Wyatt and I ) desperately desire to be healthy for our children! We want to teach them good eating habits and we want them to enjoy exercising, even if it is just is playing a fun game outside! We want to be mindful of the decisions that we are making about food, knowing that they will take their cues [about food] from us! ! We planned out our menu, went shopping and are equipped with a lot of yummy (and healthy) meals for the next several weeks!!! Bring on the challenge!! If you have any tips on how you lost weight or on how your are keeping your family healthy, please let us know! We are new with this but we are very excited to see the results!!! WISH US LUCK!!!!