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!!!!

Friends

I am so thankful for our friends!! Last night Wyatt and I were talking about life these days and how we are living it! It was such a fun conversation! We are SO content with exactly where we are! We have had people in and out of our lives a lot in the past few years, but we aren't sorry that we have gotten to be in the paths of any of these people! They have blessed us, encouraged us, and shown us what true friendship is! Life is so good and God is so faithful!! Life is certainly an adventure with two kids, but we see God's hand in everything that is going on right now!! It is so exciting to see how God is stretching us and growing us to trust Him more faithfully every single day!! Both Wyatt and I have been so blessed by a variety of people in our lives! We have friends in our lives now that have been around for decades, and we have other friends in our lives that have been around only for a short while! However, they have already impacted our lives in a mighty way!! We are so thankful for Godly friends who are like minded in the way that we raise our kids, in the way we treat our spouses, and in the way that we live our life for Christ!! What an encouragement!! I am daily reminded of God's love through these people...they have helped refine us!! I am also so thankful that my husband has Godly men that he can go to for encouragement and advice! We all know that it is hard for men to make good friends, but Wyatt really has made some lifelong friends!! We are so blessed! I have had a few rough days in the past few weeks, but I have been so encouraged by a variety of women and their willingness to pray with me! There is nothing more precious than Godly friends who are living life alongside us!! We are so thankful!

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

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!!