Some thoughts!

I am SO excited for the holidays!! I always get excited around November, but for some reason I am extra excited this year!! I think it is because we have our two sweet babies to celebrate life with!!! I am so excited to get up early with them on Christmas morning and start our own new family traditions...I can't WAIT to see the joy on their faces and we celebrate Christ and His birthday and as they realize what He did for us on the cross so long ago!!! Wyatt and I are really trying to shop thoughtfully for gifts for Maddie and Zack because we don't believe that Christmas is all about the presents! We want to give our kids nice things, but we also want them to know what Christmas is REALLY about!!! Don't get me wrong, we are still going to buy our kids presents but we want to give them things that they need, and that will be really special to them, instead of just buying them big, expensive gifts just because we can!! We also are going to take them shopping individually for gifts for one another!! We really want them to appreciate the fact that they have one another, so we are going to totally let them pick out whatever they think their sibling will like! We are going to let them pick out wrapping paper and everything! Of course the next few years will be more like we "help" pick our presents for each of them, but we really want them to be better gift givers, then receivers! We want our kids to have a humble and thoughtful heart!!

I am so thankful for our kids!! Throughout the past few weeks we have been chatting with some friends who just cannot get pregnant and stay pregnant! They want to have a baby so bad, and they will be awesome parents!! I wonder so often why God blessed us SO much with both of our kids!! There have been times when I have let satan attack me for a variety of reasons...believing that I can't do a good job taking care of both of kids since they are so close, feeling guilty for not being able to give each one of them my un-divided attention at all times....the list goes on and on! However, I know now more than ever that God gave us our children so close together for a very specific purpose!! I feel SO blessed that He has chosen us to have both a girl and a boy!! They are already so different, it is a true joy to watch them interact with one another, with Wyatt and I, and with other people!! Zack is SO cool, calm and collected! Maddie is always bouncing off the walls (in a really fun way!) and chattering away!! I praise God daily for them!! I pray for them every single moment and I rejoice in the fact that God is going to do something MIGHTY in their lives!! What a JOY this holiday season will be!!!!

An Unexpected Blessing!

Today was an amazing day!!! This might be sentimental so if you don't like mushy stuff, stop reading now!! This blog is about my family, my parents to be specific!! There is no daughter who loves her parents more than I! My parents are AMAZING!! They are Godly, faithful, loving, kind, generous, compassionate people who have strived their entire lives to follow God and His plan for them! It amazes and overwhelmed me when I look back at all of the ways they sacrificed for Catrina and I!! My dad is a campus minister, a role that God called him into 30 years ago!! My parents were young and really had no idea what they were doing, but they felt God's call, so they followed it and hundreds of lives have been changed because of it...mine included!!!! My dad has a passion for what he does!! Not many people could put up with college kids for 30 years, but he has done so with an amazing amount of grace!! The kids love him and he loves them! It is so much fun to watch him teach students about Christ!! My mom and dad are not perfect because they are human, but they are wonderful examples of God's unconditional love and faithfulness!! My parents are not prideful people at all! They are extremely humble and have always tried to live as simply as possible! They bought a brand new car when I was 7! It was a beautiful red Isuzu Trooper and they were SO proud of it!! Especially my dad!! They owned that same car until a year ago when my dad sold it (for a measly $500) to get a "nicer" version of THE VERY SAME THING!! It was an exact replica of the the 1987 Trooper my parents drove off the lot (only it had about 100,000 less miles and a lot less rust)!! It had so much meaning to my dad that he actually looked for the same car because they couldn't afford to buy a brand new car, and because they didn't feel that they needed a new car!!! The day my dad showed us his "new" car he had the same smile he had almost 30 years ago when he bought his brand new car! It was priceless!!

I am SO blessed by my parents! They have taught me so much about being a God fearing woman!! They have been patient with me when I needed to learn, they have loved me through the hard times, and they have rejoiced with me through life!! They are definitely not rich, they will never own huge houses and fancy cars, but my parents love God with their entire beings! It shows in the way that they live their life!! For them and for who they are, and what they stand for, I am truly thankful!!! I am so proud of the people that they are!!

All of this to lead up to why today was so wonderful!!! My mom called me at the beginning of the weekend with the best news, and it all played out today!! An amazing man, who has just pledged his heart to God heard my dad preach at his church a few weeks ago and was intrigued with why he was a campus minister!! (If you have never met him, my dad is extremely intelligent, he can explain anything to anyone and make it understandable without making you feel stupid!!) Anyway, he wanted to know more about my dad and the ministry to they decided to have lunch one day! At lunch they talked about everything from God's Word to my dad's family, to this guys family!! I guess he saw the passion that my dad has for the ministry that God has called him to and decided he wanted to help...so he did!!! He gave a gift to the ministry and then decided to go on a search for something that my dad would never buy himself...something that would touch his heart and in a way, say "you are a blessing"! During their chat I guess my dad had mentioned that he loves motorcycles and that his brother had always wanted to him to go on a motorcycle tour with him! My dad had never felt like he could tour, because his motorcycle is 26 years old! So this guy asked my dad to show him his motorcycle...well needless to say, it is quite old and this guy was not impressed! So he decided that this was something that he wanted to do for him! So by talking to my Grandma and my Uncle (my dad's brother and mom) they gave him an idea of what kind of bike he would need to be able to go on a bike tour (and just ride around town because that is mostly what he uses it for!)!! All of this was a COMPLETE surprise to my dad and to us, I guess they have been talking for weeks!! He wanted to find my dad the perfect bike!! (Please remember that they met just 4 weeks ago, before that they had never heard of one another!!) Tonight he surprised my dad with a 2006 Yamaha 1700 cc motorcycle!!! It was absolutely incredible!! He pulled in the parking lot where we had decided to eat dinner (wink, wink) and we pulled him to the back of the restaurant where this guy, his family and my family were all waiting to surprise him! We had never met this guy or his family, so as we were walking back there my dad started looking at who was there and he got this awesomely confused look on his face! He could not figure out how we all knew one another...and why we were all standing there together! Then this guy told dad that he had come to give someone something!! And then he pointed to the bike and said, this is for you!! I thought my dad was going to cry!!! He was speechless for at least a minute!! No one has ever done anything like this for him before!! He was so overwhelmed, he just walked around and around it!! It was truly amazing!!!! He was like a 12 year old kid, he was SO EXCITED!!! I am so thankful for this man and for his generous heart!! My dad will drive this motorcycle with pride for the rest of his life!! No one is more deserving than him!

Father we PRAISE you for unexpected blessings! Not only for the beautiful new motorcycle, but for the friendship that this guy has provided for my dad! We praise you that he has surrendered his life to you and that he is our new Brother in your name!! We praise you for being bigger than the trials and tribulations that we go through, especially these past few weeks! We praise you because you are unconditional to us every single day!! Father thank you for my family and for blessing my life with them!! Please always guide and direct us as we seek desperately to follow hard after you!! I love you! Amen!!

A Weeks of Firsts!

Hello friends! I just wanted to share some exciting news with you!! Our sweet Maddie started walking on Tuesday evening!! On Monday night she learned to stand up on her own, so we were trying to encourage her to walk then ,but she just needed one more day to think about it! (She CAN be stubborn at times!!:):)) Then on Tuesday night I was making dinner and she just walked to me, just like that! We were so amazed!! We watched her walk to us over and over! We were all laughing hysterically!! It was so much fun!! She is the cutest walker you have ever seen, her chubby legs are still a little wobbly, but she is SO proud of herself! She just laughs and laughs as she tries to get away from us as we are chasing her! It is SO much fun to watch her grow and learn!!

Zack started smiling these huge, amazing smiles this week!! He loves his mommy and daddy! He likes his sister too, she usually just doesn't sit there long enough for her to see him smile at her! He has a wonderful smile, it is so big and so full of joy! He is such a handsome little guy! His personality is showing more and more! He is so cool, calm and collected!! We LOVE him so much!! We are SO blessed with two of the coolest kids!!

Prayer Warriors

In our Sunday School class we have been going through a series on prayer!! It has been such an awesome learning time for me!! I have always considered myself a prayerful person, but through this series I have learned a lot more about interceding for people and praying for specific things! God desperately wants us to talk to Him about things, like in conversation mode! We can talk to Him at any time, and any place!! This series has been such a good reminder for me...prayer is so simple, it is just talking to God! It doesn't have to be fancy or well scripted, it is just a conversation with our Heavenly Father, who desperately wants to talk to Him!!

There have been mornings that we have gotten to Sunday school class late and I was feeling a little flustered, not really wanting to watch a video. But in those times that I feel overwhelmed and a little stressed I feel like God has spoken to me through the speaker and through our conversations in class!! So many times the lesson that day has been exactly what I needed to hear!


So here is my plan: I want to pray for specific people and things on specific days, maybe to help me stay organized!! (Is that crazy, wanting to have an organized prayer life? I just don't want to leave anyone or anything out)!! I am going to try to pray all day for that specific person or thing (like an on-going conversation with God)!! I am super excited about what God is showing me these days, I feel so overwhelmed by His love for me and for my family!!! I also feel so blessed by the people that He continues to put in our lives to encourage us and sharpen us!! We are SO thankful!!

So here is my week in prayer-

Mondays-My precious Family: Wyatt, Maddie, and Zack! I want to pray for our relationships, for obedience and for wisdom on how to raise my children to know and follow hard after God! I will also be praying for my marriage to Wyatt! He is an AMAZING man and I want to be a better wife for him every single day!!

Tuesdays: Our extended families! My mom and dad and Catrina, Andy and Maddux! Our Grandparents! Wyatt's family also!! We are SO blessed by them!!

Wednesday: The members of our Sunday school class!! We have such an amazing group of friends there!! It is so much fun to get to know them more and more every single week!! We love them all and want God's best for them!! I am also going to pray for our church So many good things are happening there, it is awesome!!

Thursday: My MOPS group and a variety of good friends!!

Friday: I am going to pray for the people that I know and love that don't know God!! There are SO many lost people out there, I pray that God will show me how to pray for these people in my life! I will also be praying for wisdom and opportunities on how to share God with them!!

Saturday: I am going to pray for my missionary friends!! What an awesome calling it is to serve God overseas! With this calling comes trials and hard times for these friends!! So I want to lift them up, praising God for the work that they are doing there and interceding for them where they need specific prayers!! It is awesome that God calls His people to go out to the Nations to teach about His Glory! I am always amazed (and a little humbled) by the way many people have honored Him in that calling!

Sunday: I am going to spend the day praising God for His glory!!! He is SO good to us and we don't deserve it!!! I want to Glorify His name!

My Sweet Girl!

Maddie has been changing and growing so much over the past few months, it is SO sweet, so I thought I would tell you all about it!! Maddie is talking up a storm these days and it is SO cute!!! Her new favorite word is "Hi!" She says, "Hi momma, Hi da-da, and Hi bbbbbbb" (that is her name for Zack, we have been calling him bubby so that is her version of it!!:)) It is adorable!! she also can't say it quickly, like we all do, i its like a 6 syllable word for her! She also says "Shoes, more, and up." Sometimes it is hard to hear what she is saying because she says her words very quietly (her babbling is not quiet though good friends, no its not! Just the other day we were walking through Target and she was "talking" as loud as she can! She wasn't mad or angry she was just chatting with herself, cute, but at times kind of embarrassing!! :))

She also blows on her food now, whether it is hot or cold!! As soon as we offer her a bite she just starts huffing and puffing until she decides that it is perfect enough for her to eat it!! And, if she doesn't like it, whatever food it is, she will kindly take it out of her mouth and hand it to you!! :) Delicious! :)

Her new favorite toy is the remote! We don't watch very much t.v. with her so when we have the t.v. on, she finds that it is fascinating to push buttons on the remote just to see what it will do!! She thinks it is hilarious! I have to admit it is a little funny when the sound goes from silent to blasting in all of 5 seconds!! I am just not that fast sometimes! :)

Maddie is a wonderful big sister!! She loves to "hold" bubby!! She always checks on him when he is crying!! She pats his tummy or his head (which is not SO gentle sometimes, but it is the thought that counts right?!?:)) to make him feel better!! In the car she sings to him and reads her books to him! It is priceless!!! We love our little family!!

"That Mom"

So this past week I took both of my kiddos to Wal- Mart! Since I had quite the lengthy list of stuff to get, I got a cart and arranged both of them in it so we still had room to get all of our groceries!! We walked through almost every section, because there is always so much to look at, especially this time of year! :) As we were finally nearing the end of our list both my kids got restless at the same time!! Maddie was in the front "basket" of the cart looking at me like I had gone insane for keeping her out so late (it was getting very close to nap time) and Zack was getting ready to wake up from his nap so he was making the occasional whimper!! I just kept thinking if I could make it down just a few more aisles we would have gotten everything on our list and we would be headed out!!! Well, Zack started crying so as I was trying to get the binky in his mouth (he is really not a binky sort of guy), I noticed that Maddie had gotten very quiet! VERY unusual for her!!I turned around just in time to see Maddie open with her teeth the bag in the box if cereal we had in our cart! All of its contents hit the floor!! I immediately dropped to the floor to try to pick everything up, but they were grape nuts, and you really can't pick up little tiny grape nuts by hand!! So sucking in my breath, I ventured a few rows over to find someone to help me clean up the mess. The young guy that came to clean up the grape nuts was so kind... he kept telling me not to worry about the mess, because "that sort thing happens a lot, especially with young kids!!" he said with a smirk! I thanked him profusely and continued on as Zack started crying hysterically and loudly! We just had two more things to get, so I ran into the next aisle to pick out a new kind of spaghetti sauce. As I was bending down to see what our options were, I saw the box on angel hair pasta that I had just picked up fall past me and explode on the floor!! Not again!! I looked up and Maddie was smiling triumphantly at me, she has been trying to get the box for a few minutes and she had finally gotten it!!! I was so embarrassed that we had made another mess!! So again, I ventured over a few rows to find some to help us clean up ( I went the other way in hopes that we wouldn't meet up with the same guy that had helped us first.) Wrongo!! The bakery had to call someone for clean-up and it was the same guy!! He looked at me like I was crazy and didn't say a word! (Please remember that Zack is screaming his bloody head off at this point! People are starting to stop to see that is going on!! I was indeed THAT MOM that had no control over her kids, and who was making a huge mess right in the middle of the Wal-Mart!!) I thanked him again! We checked out immediately (and with a few extra things that Maddie had thrown in our cart) and headed for the car!! It was insane!!!! As I told Wyatt and my family about it later that evening we all had a fun laugh!! Kids sure do bring out the best in you, and give you a strong sense of humility!! I will never judge a mom again who has a basket full of groceries and unhappy children again!! :):)

Lots of Change!!

Hello friends! I am sorry it has been so long since my last post! Things are quite different now then they were the last time I posted!! This has sure been a season of change for the Jenkins family!!

Our beautiful son was born on August 11th at 12:27 p.m. weighing in at 8 pounds and 13 ounces! He is so beautiful!! We enjoyed our time at the hospital while we were getting to know our son! We were blessed by many good friends and family that came to visit us to love on us and our new baby boy!!! Maddie and Grammy came everyday also, it was a lot of fun to introduce Maddie to her new brother!! At first she wasn't too sure, but now she adores him!! She holds her hands out when she wants to hold him, and she is always checking on him to make sure she knows exactly where he is!! It is pretty cute!! After 4 days at the hospital we were ready to come home!! It was a little overwhelming going home, but once we got here we were so happy!! We celebrated Zack's arrival that evening by going out to Cheddar's for family night that evening! We had lots of fun showing him off!!

Wyatt got to take 2 weeks off, so we enjoyed our time at home together!! It was such a huge blessing to have some really good family time, just the four of us!! I think we all needed it to make the adjustment, and I think it really worked! Maddie doesn't really act jealous at all of Zack! She loves him so much and wants to be a part of everything that we do for him!!! She thinks she is big enough to feed him his bottle, so we try to help her...it is pretty sweet!! Maddie is also saying new words and doing new things every day! She constantly amazes us!! Yesterday when Wyatt walked in the door from work, she looked up at him and said "Hi da-da!!!" We were blown away!! She is such a sweet, joyful little girl!! She loves to read and play and laugh!! She LOVES blowing bubbles with her Grammy!! She is our pride and joy!! We feel so blessed to have such precious babies!! God is so good!!

After Wyatt went back to work, my mom came to spend a week with us! It was such a fun week!! Not only was my mom here helping take care of us, making us breakfast and lunch and letting me nap during the day...Wyatt and I became an Aunt and Uncle for the first time!!!! My nephew was born in August 28th!! He is absolutely precious!! It is so much fun that my son and my nephew are only 2 weeks and 3 days part!! It has been so amazing watching my sister become a mommy!! She is wonderful, and her son is so handsome!! We have already had so many wonderful memories together!!! It is so cool to watch God work, I feel such peace about the fact that He knows what He is doing in our lives! It might not always be what we want, but He always works it out for the betterment of His Kingdom! He has shown me that in so many ways over the past few months!!! We PRAISE God for His abundant blessings!!

Last week we were able to go with Wyatt on a business trip!! He had to work, but the kiddos and I just got to hang out together!! I was a little nervous about having them both by myself, especially in a place I didn't know! But I decided that until I actually did it, then I would always be nervous! So we met Wyatt everyday for lunch, then we would do some kind of activity and spend the afternoon together in the hotel!! I was able to have good time with both kids together and individually! It was AWESOME!! We had so much fun together!!! It is neat to see already the differences in our son and daughter!! Zack is a snuggler and Maddie likes to get up and go!! :)

We have a busy fall planned with MOPs and play dates and get togethers with our Sunday school class, we are really looking forward to it!! We feel so blessed by all of the amazing friends God has placed in our lives!! I don't know what we would do without you guys!! Thanks for all of your encouragement and love!! We also feel so blessed by our families!! We are so entirely thankful!!! Hope you are all well!!!!

Our Date Day

So we have just begun to actually realize that in just a few short weeks we are going to have two cute babies to hang out with!! Holy cow!! So we decided to have a date day today!! I think it was the longest that we had ever left Maddie in the (almost) year of her life!! We dropped her off with Grammy early this afternoon and headed out to run some errands, have lunch and relax at Barnes and Noble!! We had such a wonderful time together!! I love my husband so much, he knows me SO well and understands me completely!! We had a great time laughing and chatting! We actually sat at Cheddar's for almost 2 hours talking about our life and all of the blessings we have been given up to this point!!! We talked about our hopes and dreams!! We talked about how we have changed and how our views on life have changed...it is so awesome to see how God has brought us so much closer together just through spending time together with Him through prayer and by being in His Word!!! Our babies have also helped us grow closer together, we truly work as a team to take care of Maddie and we are already gearing up to team tag taking care of our sweet Zack!! I could not ask for a better partner in life!! I am so thankful for Wyatt's wisdom and character, for his honesty and uncondtionalness!!! He is such an amazing man!! He was such an encouragement to me today (I have kind of had a rough week) but he just loved on me and told me what a great mommy and wife I was!! He always has such sweet things to say, it was such a blessing to me!!!

Tonight we went to some friends' house for a bar-b-que and it was just fun to be there, just Wyatt and I together!! We talked with our friends and laughed and remembered "old" times!! It was such an amazing day!! Thank you Father for sweet days like today!! Thank you for providing us with good friends, and wonderful family!!! Thank you Father for my amazing husband who follows hard after you each day!!! We love you!!!

Maddie's Birthday

Hello friends!! Happy July!! We cannot believe it!! Our daughter has been our lives for almost an entire year and it has been amazing!!! What an incredible journey!!! We knew that it was God's perfect timing for her to come into our lives, but nothing could have prepared us for the un-ending JOY we have experienced in the past year!! We were scared and unsure of our capabilities as parents, but God has prevailed and we have an amazing little girl! I will never forget when I saw the two positive pregnancy lines pop up, I thought "What in the world are we going to do with a baby?!?!" Now I know! She is such a beautiful blessing, teaching us patience and unconditional love!! She makes us laugh and has joined Wyatt and I together in an awesome way!!! She is so beautiful and happy!! She smiles all the time and loves to give hugs!!! Her laughter is like music to our ears and her smile can (and will) turn your entire day around!!! She is the joy of our lives, she is sweet and innocent, she is radiant and pure!! We think she is the most incredible person in the whole world!!

We had her 1st birthday party yesterday!! We wanted to make sure we got to celebrate her sweet little life before we started really preparing for Zack to come! It was SO much FUN!!!! My parents graciously opened up their home for us and we had a blast!! We just had a few close friends and family and we celebrated all day!!! Wyatt, Maddie and I got to my parents house around 11 where lunch was waiting for us!! As soon as we walked into the house Maddie saw her Grammy and squealed with delight!! Once again I am reminded of how blessed we are that my family lives so close!! Maddie knows her Grammy, Mze, Aunt Trina and Unky so well, and she loves them all so much!! She always makes sure she spends good time with each one of them, they all have a special relationship with her!! It is SO sweet!! After lunch Wyatt and my dad worked outside finishing the final touches of their beautiful landscaping!!! After an hour or so of working outside, Wyatt came in and we took off to run errands! This was special time for Grammy to put Maddie down for her nap!!! When we got back we only had an hour before the party and my sister and brother-in-law showed up to help!! They are wonderful!! At 4:00 p.m. the party started and everything looked amazing!! One by one our friends came to the party bringing thoughtful smiles and beautiful gifts for Maddie!! It is SO much fun that Maddie has so many good friends that are around her age!! It is awesome to watch her interact with these kiddos on a weekly basis!! We are also very blessed by some pretty wonderful friends!!! First we had each kiddo decorate their own cupcake to take home!! We had a variety of sprinkles and candy to decorate the cupcakes with! Then we had dinner: hamburgers, chicken, hot dogs, tator tots, macaroni and cheese, cottage cheese, jello and deviled eggs-- all of Maddie's favorites!! After dinner Maddie and her daddy opened presents!!! Everyone was SO thoughtful of her and she got some really fun new toys! Then it was time for cake!! It took her a minute to figure out that she could eat the cake, but when she tasted it, there was no going back! She had it smashed all over her face in just a matter of minutes!!! It was so fun to watch her experience even something as small as a piece of cake for the first time!!! She was absolutely delighted!!!

After everyone left, the 6 of us gathered in the living room and had a fun conversation remembering the time right before Maddie came! Then we started discussing this first year, and all of the precious memories it has brought!! Then we headed outside to plant Maddie's first tree!! It is very important to Wyatt and I that we have some of our own traditions that we start with our family!! The tree is the first of these traditions!! We plan to plant a tree with each of our children on their first birthday's, then on each birthday as they grow older we will take a picture of the tree with our kiddos!! Throughout the year Maddie and Zack will be able to watch the tree grow in each season, and watch how it changes and grows!! We wanted to plant the tree's at my parents house because I don't think they will ever move from their current house and we want these trees to be a part of their lives forever!! And, my dad was really excited about having them at their house!! It was awesome to watch Mze and Wyatt talk Maddie through the process! Of course all Maddie was interested in was playing in the dirt, and, she actually took her first bite if dirt, but it was such a special time!!! We ended the evening with good conversations and much laughter (and a very sleepy, but happy baby girl)!!!

It is pretty fun to see how God works in our lives!!! He is so good to us, even when we don't deserve it!! Father thank you for the gift of Maddie and for her life! Thank you for the blessing that she is to our family!! Please help us to grow her into a woman that follows hard after you!! We love you!!

Our Family

I am so continually thankful for our family!! I am so thankful that they live here and have such an active part in our lives! I am so thankful that they love us and shower us with love and affirmation!! I am so thankful for the way they love Maddie, and for the way they love Wyatt and I!!! This past weekend Wyatt and I got to go out on a date (which we don't do very often, we would never want any one of our family members to feel like we are taking advantage of them! And, we LOVE to hang out with our little girl!) But, when Grammy came to the door, we opened it slowly and Maddie let out the biggest shriek of excitement when she saw that Grammy was on the other side!! They have such a special bond!!! Grammy brought Maddie a new bubble maker and out the back door they went to play!! Maddie never thought twice about being with her Grammy. When we went to tell her good-bye, she barely even noticed because she was hanging out with her Grammy!!! It was so special!! Of course being the mommy that I am, I called to check in several times, and each time they were laughing at each other, having a fabulous time!!! My mom just beams, she is an AMAZING Grammy! She was an awesome mom, but she has embraced this new role perfectly!! We are SO thankful for her!!! When we got home that night, Maddie was completely passed out (she slept for 13 hours!!), and Grammy was alomst asleep on the couch! They had worn one another out!! It was so precious!!!

Maddie also has such a special relationship with her Aunt Trina and Unky!! We had our Sunday school class over on Monday for Memorial day and we had a blast!! We are also blessed because Maddie knows each one of the couples quite well and she loves all of them!! She is usually more than willing to go to any one of them, but, she didn't want anyone more than she wanted Trina and Unky!! She just went back and forth between the two of them all night!! It was SO sweet!!! Unky also beams when he is with Maddie, I never thought he would be a real "kid-person" (especially when it came to having girls) but he has proven me totally wrong!! He loves Maddie so much, it is amazing to see!! They are going to be awesome parents!!!

My dad left for a mission trip a week ago today!! So, Maddie and I got up early to go see him off!!! Sometimes she acts a little afraid of him at first because he is so big. But on Wednesday, she held her arms right out to him and snuggled against his chest for the 30 minutes we got to hang out with him!!! He was SO happy to have her there!! He also had a special relationship with her, he promises to take her on so many adventures, and I think she is pretty excited!! He is her special Mze, her partner in crime!! They have a wonderful bond!!

Finally, I am SO thankful for my incredible husband who loves us so much!! He continually puts us first, even when it is hard!! He has a pretty tough schedule at work, he is challenged every day, yet he always comes home with a smile!! He is always so excited to see us and spend time with us!!! We have so much fun together as a family, we are comtinually amazed at the blessings God bestows upon us!! Wyatt is so Godly and wise and he continues to mold and make our family into a family who loves and wholeheartedly serves God!! That is our goal in life...to follow hard after Christ no matter what!!! Please pray for us as we continue to seek God will for our lives every day!!! We are SO thankful!!

A Thankful Heart!

What a wonderful weekend it has been!! There is nothing better than getting to hang out with the people that you love all weekend long!!! Maddie and I LOVED having Wyatt home all weekend!! We had just enough plans to keep us busy, but not too many so that we feel totally wiped out!!! We got to spend Friday night as a family, just the three of us which was awesome!!! We just hung out and played together, it is so amazing to watch Maddie and Wyatt together!! They love each other so much, and they have SO MUCH fun together!!! I fall in love with both of them more and more very day!! (I didn't think it was possible, but it is! They are amazing!!) On Saturday we had a rocking good time with Tara's baby shower!! It was the perfect amount of people and the perfect amount of time!!!! We talked and laughed and ate and laughed some more!!! We love the Lale's so much and are so excited to share in this special time with them!! Over the past few years they have become so dear to us, it is awesome to see them at this stage in their lives!! Saturday night Wyatt and I got to go out on date just the two of us, which was wonderful!!! We re-lived some of our dating favorites...we ate at Culver's, shopped at the mall, had ice cream, and hung out at Barnes and Noble, talking and reading! It was just what we needed!!

Sunday's are always a blessing for the simple fact that we LOVE our church and the group of friends we have there!! I don't know what we would do without them!! We have amazing Sunday school class teachers who love us and who love God and who truly desire to share God's Word with us in an understandable and applicable manner!!! We are so blessed to have them in our lives!! One of the couples in our class is moving away, and it is so cool to see how our class has embraced them, showering them with love and affirmation that we will always be here!!! That is what fellowship is about!! Building one another up, walking beside each other when life gets hard!! Wyatt and I praise God for the people He has brought into our lives through our class and through our church!!! We were blessed again this afternoon as we gathered for our 3rd annual Memorial Day Party!! I didn't realize it, but we have held it at our house for the past 3 years and two different couples told us how much they looked forward to it every year!!! Once again, we spent the evening laughing and talking about good times we have shared in together!! It was awesome!!!

We are looking forward to this week!! We are excited to see how God will move in our lives as we serve Him daily!! As I sat by my friend in church yesterday, she wept at God's graciousness in our lives!! We are so undeserving, yet he continues to bless us, even in the smallest of ways!!! Thank you Father for your unconditional grace and love! We love you so much!!

Play Dates

Play dates!! :) I love them!! They are a must when you have little ones!! I don't think I quite understood what they were until Miss Maddie came along!! Now we LOVE them and look forward to our weekly play dates with our friends!!! Maddie and I have had such a fun week, simply by hanging out with people that are going through the exact stages of life as we are! What a blessing!! I love the conversations that mommies have, they are so fun! They can be as simple as "Guess what my kiddo is doing now..." to "the most embarrassing things happened to me the other day!" you know that no matter what you share, another mom will have had a similar situation that you can all laugh about!! The time that we get to spend together is so priceless!! I used to think that you had to spend money in order to have fun, but the past few weeks (and months) have proven me so wrong!! I love getting together with other women and their children to live life together!! I have learned SO much through the conversations that I have had in my short time as a mommy!!! And, Maddie loves getting to be around other people and children, it is SO good for her!! It is so cool to see how God works through even the smallest thing like a play date to bless us, His kiddos!!! I have been SO blessed, especially this week!!

Thank you Father for knowing us so well, and for taking such good care of us, despite ourselves!! I love you!!

A Great week...so far!

Hi friends!! What a wonderful week is has been, and it is only Wednesday evening!! We had a great weekend celebrating with my dad his 30 years at CCH! What an accomplishment it is for him to have had the same job for 30 years, and STILL be going strong!!! I am amazed at my dad everyday, He loves the Lord so much and strives hard to follow after him every single day!! He is still human mind you, he is certainly not perfect!! But I think he is a wonderful man of God and it was an honor to honor him on Saturday night!! THANKS to all of you who came to celebrate!!! It was an extra blessing to have his best friend, surprise my dad for the weekend!! What a response, my dad was speechless for almost a minute!! :):) My "Uncle" Rick is so special to me!! He performed much of my wedding ceremony and presented it with as much emotion and love as if it were his own daughter!! He was there the day I was born and the day I got married! This time I was so proud to introduce him to my precious daughter!! He was so excited to meet her!!! It was a wonderful weekend of memories and laughter, we are SO blessed!! :)

Monday was wonderful because I got to spend the day with my wonderful and dear friend Katie!! Mondays are our special days together (with our kiddos) and I treasure each Monday so much!! I am so amazed that God has blessed me with such good friends!!! We chatted and laughed and ate together! It was perfect!! It is so fun to share life with amazing friends who are walking next to you in your Faith, and, throughout life! Our babies are due about a week a part! It has been so much fun to be pregnant with Katie!!

Wyatt got home early on Monday evening so we went for a walk and played with Maddie together! What a great evening!

Tuesday was fun because it was the last MOPS of the year! We chatted and chatted and laughed together!! It is so nice to be around a group of women who love God and serve Him in all that do!! I am always inspired by the ladies that I get to hang out with at MOPs!! I am already looking forward to next years MOPs when some of my dearest friends join me!! (You know who you are!!!:):)) Tuesday evening was a joy due to our Women's banquet! There were 130 ladies there!! AMAZING!! It was just a good time of fellowship, and I think my devotion went well!! My hope is that someone (at least one person) was blessed my the words that God gave me!! If nothing else, I learned A LOT about what it means to have spiritual gifts and how to use them for the glory of my God!!!

Today was our day to just stay at home!! It was wonderful!!! We had Katie and Max come over for lunch and we chatted and chatted, and it was perfect!!!

I can't WAIT to see what God has in store for us in these next few days!!!

Spiritual Gifts

Hi guys!! I have been asked to speak at our Women's banquet at church next month and the topic is Spiritual Gifts!! I am very nervous, speaking is not necessarily one of my spiritual gifts, but I am honored that they thought to ask me!! Will you please be praying for me as I search God's word about what He says about Spiritual gifts!?!? Will you also pray that I would not use my words but His!! Also, if you have any thoughts on this topic, I would love to hear them!! THANKS!!!

1 Peter 4:10 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

My Favorite Verses

I found my "old" Bible today as I was cleaning through a few things!! I LOVE this Bible so much because it was the first Bible that was actually mine, and not one that we just had laying around the house! It lovingly (but very faded) says my name on the front: Christina Embree, it is purple in color, and it is very worn!! I love seeing my maiden name of the front cover! I haven't had that last name for almost 4 years,but it always feels good to hear!!! It reminds me of where I came from!! As I am looking through my Bible I am reminded of some of my absolutely favorite passages!! I just wanted to share a few of those with you all today!! As I delve deeper and deeper into God's Word I am astounded by His wisdom and knowledge of us, His children!! He knew us so well, even before we were even born!!! His Word is amazing, and has so many answers to our questions, and, verses of encouragement and love meant just for us!!! What a MIGHTY God we serve!!!!

One of my dear friends has this verse set in her e-mail and anytime she sends me something I read it and am encouraged!! She has been through A LOT in life but still holds strong to her faithful relationship with the Lord!! She is a huge encouragement to me!!!
"I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Psalm 16:8 --AMEN!!! I WILL NOT be shaken, not by anything!!! Thank you Father for this promise!!!

I also love Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight!"

I went to this verse A LOT during my college years when I didn't know who or what I wanted to be!!!
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future!" Jeremiah 29:11.

This is a constant reminder of how I should live my life!
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house! In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me!" John 14:6

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16

These are just a few verses...I hope to post more later this week!! I hope you are encouraged!! Father, thank you for your Word and for all of the guidance you give us in life!! I love you!!!

Precious Moments

You all know that as parents we often get to have precious moment's with our kiddos!! Really, every day that we get to live with our babies here on this earth is a precious monet! But, being at stay at home mom, I feel like I get to see these moments every single day!!! For example, today Maddie started dancing to music!! It is absolutely the cutest thing I have ever seen her do (up until this second at least!!) She was sitting on our bed watching her praise music DVD while I was getting ready! When I looked over at her, she was bopping to the praise song!! It brought me so much joy!! Another precious moment was last night! I went out with a couple of girl friends and when I got home, Maddie and Wyatt were sitting on the couch together. Wyatt was holding Maddie and she was all bundled up in her jammies with a soft blanket tucked around her. She was almost asleep, but every once and awhile she would reach up and touch his chin, just to make sure he was still there. Then she would open her eyes to give him the sweetest smile you have ever seen a daughter give her daddy!! WOW, what a precious moment!! Maddie is so alert and loves to take in the things around her so she does this head tilt thing where she looks around you, or over your head (when you are sitting down), it is hilarious!! We love all of the precious moments we have with her!! She is absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to our family!!! Before we had Maddie in our lives, people told us that having a baby would change everything...some people made it sound like our baby would change our lives for the negative!! For those people I feel sad!! Maddie has changed our lives so much in such JOYFUL ways!! Sure, being parents is hard at times, you have to become selfless (which I am still working on) but it absolutely one of the best responsibilities that God has ever blessed us with!! We are in awe of our daughter every single day!!!

Last night before we went to bed, we had a precious moment with our son!! I was laying on my side and he started kicking my stomach so hard!! Wyatt got to feel him kick for the first time!! It was awesome!!! We are so excited to meet baby Zack (or as Wyatt calls him-the Zack attack!) God obviously had some amazing plans for our family, I can't wait to see what they are!!!

It's a BOY!!!

Wow!! Wasn't it about this time last year that I was writing about the sex of our first new baby!! Well, here we are again, time flies when you are having fun!! Last Monday Wyatt and I found out that on, or before, August 14th we are going to have our first son to join Miss Maddie and our family!! At first we were a bit surprised, I wasn't expecting that at all!! But we are absolutely thrilled!!! Of course we had to go out and buy a few blue things to hang in his closet!! We get to be blessed with a boy and a girl, the perfect mixture!! We are so excited that we get to experience life with Barbies and bows and frills, and, with sports and dirt and trucks!! We feel so blessed!! We are honored that God has chosen Wyatt and I to raise both a boy and a girl!! We could not be more excited!! Thank you Father for your many blessings!!

So my daughter has just started doing something new that I wondered if anyone else's child had done! She now has four teeth two on top and two on bottom!! She started grinding them yesterday!! I know this is not good for her teeth and it makes a terrible sound, but how do I get her to stop??? Any ideas?? Do you think that since these teeth kind of new and exciting she will just get past it?? Thoughts?? Ideas?? Advice??

Hope you all had an amazing Easter!!

Friends

Hi! As I look back over the past few years I realize how much change does affect our lives!! I am not really big on change, as in I struggle with it a lot at times, but I know that there are different seasons of life! I think I have grown to love these seasons over the past few months!! Just today Maddie and I had a play date with a girl that I went to college with and her son. Our kiddos are only a month and a day apart, and our husbands are good friends, but I hadn't seen her in probably two months!! It was so fun to catch up with her right where we left off!! I love friends like that!! Friends that don't expect you to be any less than exactly who you are!!! On Tuesday night I had a girls night out with a good frined from high school. It was so much fun to go back in time with her and talk about things we did in high school!! We also talked about our upcoming 10 year reunion and how much fun it was going to be to remember all of the people we knew in school!! Again, I haven't seen her in a month or so, but we just picked right up and talked for 2 hours!! Then of course I have the friends that I see on a daily basis who mean the world to me! We are rasing our kids together and enjoying life together daily as we walk through life together!! It is amazing how people drift in and out of our lives every day. For some friends, for a time, they seem to change the path of our lives. Some of them stay and some of them go, but the ones who make the biggest impact (at least to me) are the friends that stay the same to you as time goes by!! (Not that they stay the same, but they they grow with you.) Knowing that you can count on them to be unconditional friend even when you have a bad day, or just need someone to cry to!! Many of my friends have seen me in all stages of my life, and are still here!! We laugh together and cry together, we call one another when we are SO excited and we hold each other on bad days!! For all of you, I am trully grateful!! I am SO BLESSED by so many wonderful people in my life!!!! Thank you for refining me and for being there for me every single day!!! I love you all!!!

"A friend loves at all times...!" Proverbs 17:17

Our week, is it gone already?!

What an awesome week it has been!! I am continually thankful for all of the blessings God bestows upon our family!! On Sunday, church was wonderful! Our Sunday school class is meeting in a larger room to acommodate our always growing class! It is always SO good to be in class with our friends and our thoughtful leaders!! Ace is so good at directing our attention to God's Word and teaching us how different passages apply so closely to our lives! Sometimes it is so hard to imagine why I don't spend more time in God's Word. It is SO GOOD!! There are so many answers to our questions and downfalls! He encourages us so much through His words and experiences!! What a MIGHTY God we serve!!



Sunday afternoon was a blast at the Duggers!! They have a beautiful new home that is so warm and welcoming! It was so much fun to sit upstairs with the other girls (and our kiddos) and chat and laugh about life! We were having so much fun, the game was over before we even knew it! :) Thanks Duggers for being awesome hosts!!



Monday's are always a blessing because Maddie and I get together with our best friends Katie and Max! We were going through an awesome study called "Created to be His Help Meet," and we finished it up on Monday! I have learned so much through this book and through my conversations with Katie! It is so nice to have such an honest, loving friend who you can discuss anything with! I am continually blessed by our friendships with the Ramsey's!! After our Bible study we shopped at Aldi's and had lunch together!! It was a great day!!



Tuesday was my birthday and it was a ton of fun!! We had breakfast with a good friend and had lunch with my Sister, Mom, Dayle and Griffin!! Then that evening Wyatt made special plans for us to go out to dinner with my sister and brother-in-law. My mom joined us for dessert, then we shopped at Target with birthday money! :)!! It was a great relaxing evening with my wonderful family!! I love my husband so much!! He always makes my birthday special, and even at 28, I love it!! He is so thoughtful and he knows me so well!! I fall more and more in love with him every single day!!



Wednesday was also an awesome day! Maddie and I had lunch with a friend then my dad (and friend A.J.) came to hang up some of my new birthday gifts!! :) They look fabulous! I just kept walking through my house yesterday to see all of their handy work! :) That night was our Valentine's Party and it was fun as well!! There is nothing better then sitting around with your good friends laughing and talking and "picking" on one another!! Again, I am SO thankful for the girls in our Sunday school class, we have such a unique bond that holds so strong!!

Thursday was kind of our "rest" day since we had been going all week!! So Maddie and I had some good time together!! She loves to play with her toys, so we played on the floor and in her room, and in my room! That evening we had family night and my Grandparents came!! I am SO thankful for my Grandparents! My mom and dad had my sister and I when they were young (thus my Grandparents were young also) so Catrina and I have gotten to "grow up" with our Grandparents!! We know them so well and they know us so well!! It is fun to see how much they love Maddie!

Friday was amazing too!! We had lunch with Katie, Max, Anna and Titus and just sat around together and chatted! It is wonderful to have Godly girlfriends! We just talked and laughed, I felt sorry for the guy sitting around us, I am sure he found out stuff about us that he didn't want to know!! :):) Friday night some of my girlfriends took me out!! We had dinner at Cheddar's then came back to my house for cake and chatting!! It was SO much fun and very relaxing!!

Saturday was another day of rest for Maddie and I! We ran some errands in the morning then went out with Wyatt for lunch!! That evening we went to the Harshman's for a fun birthday party for our friend Justin!! There was fun fellowship and a delicious cake! :) (Awesome job Sarah!!!)

By-the-way---I am going to try to memorize scripture every week starting this week!! Some of these scrptures I know bits and pieces of, but these days I cling to scripture as I wait on God's perfect timing in our lives!! I have been struggling with worrying lately, and scripture is one of my favorite passages, so I will leave you with it!!!

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again REJOICE! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or recieved or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you!" Philippians 4:4-9

The JOY in Life!!

There is so much joy in life!! I am experiencing it so much these days!!! I think JOY is something that sometimes you have to seek out, it is not always obvious! But, other times JOY is so exciting that you can't help but see it and feel it!! Here are a few reasons I am JOYful!!!

**I have an AMAZING husband who knows me so well and STILL LOVES ME!!! :) (This is quite surpring to me some days!!:)) We have been together for over six years, yet I still get excited when I know we are going to get to spend time together just us, and, with our precious daughter!! God has blessed me so lovingly through him, I can't help but feel God's love for me when I think of how He brought us together! I am so thankful!!

**I am so joyful for my beautiful daughter!! We didn't think we were ready for a baby, but we totally were!! She lights up our lives every single day!!! She is my pride and joy, I love to hear her laugh and see her smile!! I love the way she loves me!! I am amazed that God saw it fit for Wyatt and I to raise her and have her in our lives!! She is our sweet little gift!! I LOVE being at home with her watching her experience life!! She is amazing!!

**I am joyful for wonderful friends!!! I love having lunch each week with different friends, talking and laughing and sharing!! I love how I can have such a unique and fun friendship with each one of my dearest friends, knowing that I could call any of them at any time and find encouragement, support and love! I look forward to raising my children with their children and living life together with much fun and fellowship!!

** I LOVE having my family close!!! I am eternally thankful for the impact my mom, dad, sister and brother-in-law have on our lives every single day!!! I love it that my sister, my mom, Maddie and I can have lunch together every week and always have stuff to talk about!! I love picking on my dad and exchanging e-mails with him, encouraging one another!!! I feel SO blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with them!!! They are my life support!

**Finally, I am JOYful because I have a Savior who died for my sins and covers me with His grace every single day!!! (Boy do I need that grace!! :)) I am thankful that He has a plan for my life and that it is a great secret that He reveals to me piece by piece, one day at a time!! I praise Him for my JOY and for providing me with so much to be thankful for!!!