Janna's Collection

June Birthday

2008-09-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the double birthday party. There were alot of people all of whom were family and it was hard to get alot of good pictures. We did have two of the newest members of the family present, Kayla and Livia, our newest baby girl cousins!

Autie Tearsa and Jordan

Auntie Shawna and Auntie Tearsa with Madeline and her new Little Mermaid Build-a-bear.

Nana Simmering holding Kayla and Madeline happily posing.

Auntie Marie holding Livia and Auntie Elice holding Madeline

Jordan, Will, and Madeline having a good time eating lunch on the deck.

Auntie Becca and Madeline.

Jordan's most prized possesion, his green light saber.

I think she is having fun opening her presents. It felt like Christmas having both of the kids opening gifts at the same time.

Field Trip

2008-09-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

The kids had a great field trip to a local farm. This was towards the end of the year and we were very glad it didn't rain.

She had fun feeding bread to the chickens and ducks.

They saw kittens, bunnies, and pigs in the barn.

This was before she tried to hold one of the kittens and it scratched her and she started crying.

Group shot after eating a snack together.

Preschool Graduation

2008-09-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from preschool graduation. Madeline did a great job singing for their program, but it was hard to get any good pictures while they were on stage because the place was so packed and the teachers were standing right in front of them helping them with their hand motions.

All the kids on stage singing.

Mrs. Johnson giving Madeline her diploma

Madeline has her diploma! She is ready for Kindergarten.

Remembering Mother's Day

2008-09-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

These pics were taken on Mother's Day 2008. We had lunch after church at the Outback with my family and Mike's parents. It was a fun day.

Jordan's smile is so cute with his missing teeth!

Madeline is looking so tired in the car on the way there.

It is always hard to get a group family photo. We managed to get me and Mike in this photo but Madeline was probably sitting with various Aunties by this time of the day.

A few more cute photos

2008-01-27T20:33:00.001-08:00

Madeline and Daddy!

How can you not love these two dressed up for Christmas service on Sunday. They even match!

Christmas Day

2008-01-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

We woke up early around 6:45am and the kids were ready to see what Santa had brought.

We managed to get one picture before we got into the stockings.

You might see a theme here. She kind of likes Disney Princesses.

Jordan is trying to get into his stocking that is very full.

After our morning at home we headed out to the Simmering's for gifts and family fun!

Jordan is very interested in Auntie Marie's camera.

Gramma and Grampa Penson enjoyed being with the family too.

It actually started snowing after we arrived at my parent's house so we had a white Christmas. The kids and everyone else enjoyed this year's Christmas. It was one of the best yet!

Christmas Eve pictures

2008-01-27T19:41:00.001-08:00

We had Christmas eve with the Lewis' at our house. It was fun to spend time together and open gifts. Say cheese Auntie Becca!

As always there was lots of running around and laughing. Sometimes it is more fun to play with people than with toys.

Madeline and Jordan loved their new fleece blankets! And of course they are some of the most blessed children and received so many nice gifts!

New Pictures & Update

2008-01-27T19:29:00.000-08:00

The kids got to sit on Santa's lap at Madeline's preschool Christmas program. They were a little shy, but both got to tell Santa what they wanted for christmas.

We took a trip to the Pittock Mansion where they had each room decorated as a different fairy tale for Christmas. I was able to take a week of vacation before Christmas and this was one of our family outings. The kids had fun walking through, but it was often hard not to touch everything!

Baby Teeth

2007-10-12T02:09:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days have been interesting around the Lewis house. In our 4 1/2 years of parenting so far we have been pretty lucky to not have to deal with any major emergencies with the kids. But on Wednesday this week Jordan changed that record. He somehow managed to fall on the floor face first and knock in two teeth. With me being at work when it happened, Mike was the one that dealt with most of the difficult stuff. I left work early to come home and then took him to urgent care to get checked out by a doctor. He was fine except for the teeth that were slanted inward pretty far. Thursday morning he visited the dentist and they told us that the teeth would need to come out. One was broken off of the root and the other was twisted and need to come out as well. Mike was the one who had to accompany Jordan to the appointment and help get everything taken care of. Jordan and Mike both did a great job and survived the ordeal! This type of thing generally falls under my job duties as the mom, but things at work prevented me from being able to take Jordan. I am so thankful that Jordan is ok, and he seems to be going on with life as if nothing ever happened. Kids are amazingly tough! I am just hoping that our little boy does not get in the habit of getting hurt.

Really long update

2007-09-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

Since it has been so long since I last updated my blog I am feeling way behind on posting pictures and family news. Although we have no major, life altering new we have had a busy summer and are excited about the fall season. The kids have gotten so big and seem to have changed so much over this summer. Madeline just started preschool and is so excited about that. Jordan is talking constantly in long sentences now and that makes things very interesting since we already have a little girl who talks constantly! Here are some pictures of things we have done over the summer and I hope to keep things more up to date now.

Watermelon is so good on a hot summer day at the park!

Jordan likes to be as silly as possible and will do anything to get our attention and a laugh.

Madeline and Jordan are always willing to pose for the camera and play nice, but off the camera they have their fair share of fights these days!

Mike and the kids have made several trips to the zoo this summer. Since we have a membership it makes for an easy way to have fun.

Family Picture Day!

2007-06-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well it was past time to get our family pictures done! We did not have one with Jordan in it and he is turning 2! We went today and had them done at Sears and I think they turned out great. We ordered lots of prints to make sure we can give them out to our huge family and some friends too. Now I am going to have to start hanging photos on the walls of our house. I haven't really taken the time to do that since we moved in 6 months ago. Well, it was a good to get it done and be able to share it with everyone! We are all doing great!

Birthday Party

2007-06-07T07:01:00.001-07:00

It was one fun filled day. The kids had the whole family there to celebrate with them and a good time was had by all. No one can say that these kids are not loved! They are loved a lot and then some. It was great to have one party for both of them. I think that they enjoyed sharing the party and it made it so easy to plan. Enjoy the cute picutures!

Family Camp

2007-06-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

For memorial weekend we went to Camp Yamhill with our church for a fun family retreat. It was great weather this year and the kids had a ton of fun. Here are some pictures from that weekend.

Madeline decided she wanted to ride on the big rope swing they have at camp. You have to get harnessed in and climb a big ladder and then hang from the rope in your harness and swing. She got up the ladder and decided that was as far as she wanted to go. But we were proud of her for being that brave!

Off to work I go

2007-05-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Although it has been nice being home with my kids and husband the past few weeks, it is coming to an end next week. I found a new job with another bank and start on Tuesday. It is a relief to not be looking for work anymore and I am excited to have a fresh start too. I am very optimistic and feel like this will be a better place for me and that I will be much happier. Thanks to everyone who has kept me in prayer as I searched!

New Pictures and Update

2007-05-18T09:18:00.001-07:00

It has been way to long since I updated this blog. So here are some recent pictures of the kiddos. They are getting so big and they are both looking forward to their birthdays in June. Jordan is talking up a storm and Madeline is learning new things everyday too. They get along most of the time, until Jordan decides to tackle Madeline and there is not much she can do about it . I will definitely put more pictures up after the big birthday party. Maybe more before that but we will see how it goes.

Its me!

2007-01-10T15:29:00.000-08:00

I am always the one taking the pictures and so I never have any picture of the kids with me. I promise that I do exist and here is the proof.

Three Wise Men and a baby! (and our little angel)

2007-01-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

Here is the little Angel herself. She was so cute and took her role as one of the angels in the Christmas play very seriously. I think we have a potential actor, singer, or some kind of performer here folks. She knew every word and hand motion that she was taught and was very proud of it.

A group shot of the preschool angel choir. Notice the cute pose!

This is a smile that says "Yeah! I did a great job!"

This is what a smile looks like after hundreds of pictures have been taken of the group in an attempt to get everyone in just the right place!

Christmas Shopping Anyone?

2006-12-19T22:32:00.000-08:00

I am so jealous of everyone who is done with all of their christmas shopping. Today I was out for only 3 hours and got the kids presents, then spent the rest of the 2 1/2 hours driving around looking at gift ideas for those harder people on my list. I know that there are some great deals to be had out there and I will venture out in the morning to try to finish. I finally gave up and went home after making several stops and not finding anything that would work. I hope the stores will restock overnight because things were definitely picked over and the selection was less than desirable.

Look back here in the next couple of days for some great pictures from the christmas program. Madeline was the cutest angel you ever saw!! The others were so cute too, but I guess I am partial to my own and can't help but be proud of her performance!

"Big" Goals

2006-10-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

It seems like every day Madelilne is discussing with me the topic of growing "bigger". She asks me every day, several times a day, "am I growing bigger?". I say "yes, every day you grow bigger". Then she will proceed to ask me about specific things she will be able to do when she gets bigger. She will ask me, "when I grow bigger will I be able to go to the store by myself?". I usually confirm that she will be able to do those things when she gets bigger. Yesterday morning she asked me, "am I bigger mom?" to which I answered "yes, you get bigger a little more every day" and then she asked "can I drive?" to which I answered "not until you are 16 years old and right now you are only 3 years old". She then said "oh, ok". I am glad that these are such easy questions to answer, but I know that she is going to start coming up with harder questions in the near future. She seems to be thinking constantly about what she will do when she grows bigger.

Fresh Air: Breethe Deeply, Live Fully

2006-09-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

Westside MOPS is strating September 18th at 6:30pm. I am very excited about this school year starting even though I don't have school age children. Last year I joined the Mothers of Preschoolers group (MOPS) at my church. I have had a heart for a Moms Ministry for the past few years and was a part of the Coordinating Team at our church in Oak Harbor, Wa. We were a small group so we decided to do our own program rather than be a part of the MOPS International Organization. It was less money for us to spend and we were able to customize it to reach other mothers besides just mothers of preschool age children. I have still always wanted to be a part of a MOPS group and even thought about doing my church moms group and a MOPS group at the same time but never was able to fit it into my schedule. Now that I have had the opportunity of being a part of a MOPS group I just love it!

Our theme this year is "Fresh Air" and "What Every Mom Needs" a book by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall who run the MOPS Organization. I am reading the book and have liked the little bit of it that I have read so far. I am working on taking time to sit and read a little each day. What I love about MOPS is that it is a group of women who all have something in common. They are all mothers of small children. They may come from different backgrounds, different income levels, different church affiliations, etc... But they can all relate to each other and support each other in a very special and challenging time in their life. This year's theme is going to be incredible. Talking about the basic needs of moms and taking a step back to breath fresh air. Whether you are a mom or not, this sounds great!! Life can get so hectic and stressful. It will be great to have two nights a month that are specifically for me to relax and get a breath of fresh air!

If anyone is in the Portland/Beaverton/ anywhere in driving distance, this is going to be a great group to be involved in. We are meeting in the evenings on the 1st and 3rd Monday night starting on 9/18/06. Our evening program will allow us to include working moms and single moms and others who have not been able to join in the past. We also will have more opeinings for moms to join than in the past because we were limited by childcare openings as well. Most children will stay home with other family members, but if needed we will still offer childcare with advance enrollment.

Check us out at www.westsidemops.org or go to www.mops.org to learn more about the MOPS International Organization.

Missing Friends

2006-09-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

It has been so busy in my life that it seems I don't have time for friends. I don't even have time for myself. I definitely don't want this to be a depressing entry so I will not go down that road. I want all my friends to know that I miss you and think of you even though I have not been able to call you or email you lately. I want my blog to start being a place where we can connect more and maybe just keep up with what is going on a little better. That does not mean that I should not be calling you, so I promise to make an effort to do that more. After moving back to Oregon in November I have been even more isolated than before. There are alot of factors that play into that but I have come to the conclusion that it is not going to get any easier. Life is going to continue to be busy, as our kids grow up more we will be busier with their activities, we have jobs at home and outside the home, and life just gets busy! So here is just my way of saying that I miss you and wish I could spend more time talking to you and getting together with you.

Jennifer, you are now the friend that live closest to me. You are also my friend that I have had the longest. I am so excited that you are joining MOPS because now I will have more opportunities to see you.

Tammy, I miss you living close by and wish we could have spent more time together before you moved. I want to call you and email you more and find out how you are doing.

Cheryl, I know you are always a phone call away and you never seem to get frustrated with me when we don't talk for awhile. Thanks for all your support these past few months. I hope you can come to MOPS so we can see each other more.

Jessica, I can't believe it has almost been a year since you moved and since I have seen you. You are such an encouragement to me. You understand more than anything what we went through in leaving Oak Harbor. I want us to stay close friends and hope we get a chance to visit you soon.

I have more friends and love each of you dearly. Even though I may not have time to call or email at this busy time in my life I hope to stay in touch and find opportunities to catch up. I think of my friends often who have blessed my life and contributed to my growth as a wife and mother. Thanks, I love you all!!

Discovering Strengths

2006-07-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

After returning to work almost 3 months ago, I have been going through some really good training classes. I am learning alot about myself and alot about my job and I am glad because it is helping me figure out what is expected of me and how I can succeed in my job. I know, it sounds pretty boring right? Today was one of the best classes because it focused on each person individually and showed us each what are strengths are and how we need to use those in life.

At Wells Fargo we are lucky to be able to go through a process to "Discover Your Strengths". That is the title of the book written by the Gallup Organization. We all did an online assesment test and then were given what our top 5 strengths were. I thought it would be fun to share mine. I was kind of skeptical at first but I can really see how these fit me and how they affect what I do. You can get the book and take the quiz too if you want to pay for it, just make sure you buy the book new because the code in the back that you need to do the assesment cannot be used more than once.

Here are my "Top 5"
1. Maximizer- Focuses on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. Seeks to transform something strong into something superb.
2. Harmony- Look for consensus. Doesn't enjoy conflict; rather, seeks areas of agreement.
3. Responsibility- Take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. Are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
4. Arranger- Can organize, but also has flexibility that complements this ability. Likes to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.
5. Belief- Has certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

These definitions, of course, are the shortest little picture of what each of those strengths are. There is a whole book about discovering your strengths that I am thinking about reading. We went through alot of material in class today that went into more detail about what each strength is and also some things that you should do with each of your strengths. The idea is that you would focus on your strengths and leveraging those rather than focusing on your weaknesses and trying to fix them or get better in those area. You will see the most success when you focus on developing your strengths because those are the themes that are closest to your natural talents and abilities.

It was pretty cool, but I guess that is partly because I am a "maximizer" and enjoy knowing about people's strengths.

It is hot outside!

2006-06-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that people complain about the weather more than anything else? I guess part of that is because it is the easiest topic to bring up with people you don't know that you might see when you are out and about. I think it is silly though, that we are never happy, even with the weather. There is nothing we can do to control it, so we might as well learn to be satisfied with what we are given. I will acknowledge that it is very hot here today. I am getting ready to feed the kids dinner and then go to the store and get a kiddi pool to put on the patio just so we can cool down tonight. It is supposed to last for a few days so it might be nice to have a way to keep cool this week.

I really want to be able to do some fun things this summer with my kids and as a family or with friends. I guess we better come up with some ideas and options of things to do when the weather is not too hot and then another option for when it is too hot to be outside. I hate having the kiddos out in the sun too much and worrying about sun burns. It is going to be a fun, and hot, summer!

It's Birthday Month!!

2006-06-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

For the rest of my life June will be a busy month for my family. Both of my children celebrate their birthday this month. Today my firstborn, Madeline, turns three years old. She is so excited that it is her birthday, and you can't help but get excited with her. This year she really understands that her birthday is something special and it is a big event in her life. She has been asking me every day for the past week or two if it was June 1st, her birthday. I am glad that today I can finally say YES! Today is your birthday! It is June 1st today! We are planning a birthday party for her on Saturday, so she will continue to enjoy her birthday for the next couple of days. I brought home a special balloon and a little cake for her tonight to try to make today a little bit special and help her celebrate her actually birthday. It is so fun to see her get excited. Next we will have Jordan's first birthday on June 19th. Boy has this past year gone by fast! He can't already be a year old! We will have fun celebrating his birthday as well, and it will be great to have the extended family together for both of these celebrations!! I am so blessed to have two wonderful children!

Every moment precious

2006-05-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

One of the many things that I am learning is that every moment with my family is precious. I felt that I knew that before I started working, but now it is even more true since I have less time to spend with them. I am trying to remind myself that the dishes and vacuuming just won't get done right now after I get home from work because I only have 1 1/2 hours to see my kids before they go to bed. And usually after bedtime I don't feel like doing housework anyway. Luckily the pile of dishes in the sink is not a big one because Mike does a great job of keeping up during the day while I am gone. I am slowly adjusting to the working world again and realize how different it is from staying home. Staying at home is definitely the more physically and mentally exhausting job but also very rewarding. Please be encouraging to all stay at home mothers of preschoolers (and dads that stay home too). I now can relate to both working and stay at home moms and know that both situations have their ups and downs. I will continue to pray for wisdom and God's help in balancing work and family.

I made it through the first week

2006-04-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

I just made it through my first week of work. It was much better than I thought it would be and I am so glad. It is very hard adjusting to a long work day away from home and I do miss my kids and husband so much. But, I was pleasantly surprised and blessed by the great people in my office and by very encouraging boss. I know that it was all made possible by God and I also was very blessed by my husband doing such a great job taking care of our children at home and running the house so well. Thanks Mike! I love you! I am glad that he is staying home with them for at least these first few weeks. It feels like a smaller step to take and easier for me than having to take them to day care and worry about that all day. I hope that next week will be even greater!

I'm going to work!!

2006-04-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well, after a couple of weeks of applying for jobs and praying for the right opportunity God has blessed me and my family with a job for me to do. I was interviewed and offered a job today with Wells Fargo Bank. I used to work for them a few years ago so it will be familiar to me and the branch is fairly close to home so I won't be driving far. I think it will work for me, it will be a very big adjustment to go back to work and balance my family and a job. I have a week to get ready and get organized before I have to start. I really want to feel like I am organized and ready to go. I am excited and also scared so I will be praying for an easy transition.

Job Hunting

2006-04-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

It is a little strange looking for a job after not working for over three years now. It is scary and exciting, but right now it is what I need to do. I have an interview today and possibly some other interviews soon. I sometimes forget to be confident in my abilities since it has been awhile since I have been working. I just hope to find a job that is not too stressful and possibly even fun. It may seem a little funny, but one of my biggest worries is that I don't have much in the way of working clothes anymore. I really weeded out my closet over the past couple of years, especially after having two children. I need to work on adding to my professional wardrobe if I am going to be in an office again. My standard every day dress code of jeans and t-shirts (and sometime pajamas) will not work for me if I get a job. God will provide for me and my family even if it is not what I would have as my first choice right now.

Pivot Points

2006-03-29T11:54:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago our church hosted a Ladies Retreat and the theme was "Pivot Points" of life and talked about how God is working in our lives. It was a great weekend with great speakers from our congregation and good discussion time with other women. It was quite a fitting theme for where my life is right now. I am in the middle of a major pivot point for me and my family. While my husband is still looking for work we are relying on God more than ever to provide for us. Over the past week I have really seen some glimpses of how God is working in our life and providing opportunities for Mike to work in ministry again. We have to continue to be patient and wait for God to continue to work on these things for us and rely on Him to provide. It is scary and yet exciting to start to see what God might be doing. A few months ago we were not sure if a ministry job was something that we could see doing in the very near future. God has been able to heal our hearts and rekindle the passion for ministry and now it is something that is very desireable if God choses to open up the right doors. God can do so much in such a short amount of time. It is amazing and I pray that I am content with whatever the Lord provides for us.

Waiting for God's plan

2006-02-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

Just when you think that you know what God's plan is for your life you get thrown for a loop. I am thankful that God is in control of my life and that I rely on Him to provide and guide me. It gets confusing though when times are tough and you just don't know where you are going or what direction God wants you to take. I know that God uses these times to stretch us and help us learn and grow. I will be thankful when I come out on the other side, but for now I am trying to be patient in waiting for the unveiling of His plan. I guess we always need to remember that we cannot see the whole picture like God can and that we can't start thinking that we have it all figured out and that nothing will ever change. We can take comfort in the fact that God is guiding us through all the good and bad times and that we can use both experiences to praise God.

Planting a seed

2006-02-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

For almost a year now Mike and I have been talking about the idea of getting involved in church planting. It is definitely a subject that we have are gradually getting more excited about and are to the point now that we really feel God is leading us to start taking some action. We are now living in the Beaverton, OR area which is near where we have thought about planting a church. Our idea now is to start working on forming our church plant while Mike works a "secular" job at the same time. We will still be in ministry and will be working toward full-time ministry in the future when we can be fully supported by a church or by individuals who feel strongly about helping our church plant succeed. We have lots of logistics to work out to take the next step and we will be praying about how to go about that now. There are different organizations out there that work with church planting and we may be able to join their program. We already have many ideas about what we would do as a church plant and that has been fun and exciting to brainstorm and think about all the great things we could do.

A new start

2005-12-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Well after not posting for 2 months alot has changed in my life. We are basically starting over. We decided to leave the church that my husband was working for and move back to Oregon. We always hoped we would eventually come back here and live closer to family but we were not planning on doing it this soon or through the situation that we found ourselves in. We are still not completely settled in yet. Mike is looking for a job and we are looking to God to get us through all the changes in our lives. I know that this will be a positive thing, it already has been. We are in a place right now where we can start to heal emotionally and spiritually. It will be good to have some time away from ministry to clear our heads and even have some good time to grow spiritually. We have been lacking some things and just been in an environment that has not allowed us to do that for awhile. We are looking for a church to call our home and have been visiting some churches in our area. We are ready to settle down and just enjoy being a part of a church without all the stresses of working there. I do want to be in ministry in the future, but we are open to go where God wants us and will be looking for the right opportunity.

A good day

2005-10-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a minute to write about the good day I am having. I feel like I have been experiencing a lot of negative things lately and I want to remember that I had a good day today. It was not a particularly special day in any way. I stayed home mostly and went out for an hour at lunch time to go grocery shopping by myself while Mike stayed home with the kids. It is very exhausting to take both kids with me to shop right now. What has made this day good is very simple. I have been able to keep a good attitude and felt good about the things I have done. My 2 year old daughter has been pretty good and obedient overall, that is great in itself! My 4 month old has been on a great schedule and been happy all day! I cleaned up an area of my home that has been neglected for awhile now. It has been a normal day at home, and it has been great! I have been feeling really stressed lately and have been thinking alot about what to do about it and how to reduce the stress in my life. I have decided that for right now I need to cut out some things that I am involved in and responsible for. I have reached a point where I have too much on my plate. I was handling it all just fine before I had Jordan this summer. After that I started having a hard time keeping up and my 2 year old started acting like a 2 year old which meant I had more work on my hands too. I think that I feel better now that I have made some decisions to give up some things. I need to put my family first. I need to focus on my marriage, my children, and my home for awhile until I feel like I have more balance in my life. I hope I can do this without feeling too guilty about the things I have to say no to. I feel like I am already getting over that part though.

Does ministry isolate?

2005-10-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

I love working in ministry. I love helping others, and especially love being involved with teens and helping them grow spiritually. One part of being in ministry with teens is that it is hard to balance your own spiritual and social needs. I am feeling very isolated from the rest of the adults in the church right now because we don't have many opportunities to be around them and involved in programs that are designed for the adults. Our adult small groups are one of the main places where people connect with each other and get to know each other better. We have not been in a small group for almost a year now and that is taking its toll. If we are always with the teens because that is the "job" we are here to do, then when do we ever connect with the adults? Life is so hectic and busy right now that it is very hard to find time to get together with people outside of scheduled church activities. Hopefully we will be able to find some balance soon!

Friends are Forever

2005-10-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

Remember the song "Friends are Friends Forever" by Michael W. Smith. I remember singing it on the last night of camp and crying when I was a teenager. But the words are so true. I have been so blessed in my 29 years of life to have made a few really good friends that really do last forever. We may not be able to talk every day or do things together all the time, but we remain close in our hearts. I used to think that I could only have one best friend, and I was constantly striving to have that one close friendship that I would be able to talk to about anything and everything. Well, I have learned alot about friendships and am coming to realize that God puts people in my life at the right time for awhile and they may not remain in my day to day life forever, but they remain a close friend forever. There have been times in my recent past when I did not have a close friend that I could talk to and see on a regular basis because I moved away or they moved. Those are hard times, but I have learned from it. I have been blessed so many times with friends that God put in my life and I have grown from their friendships. I thank God for those times especially. I know that even though I am going through a difficult time right now with having a good friend move away, God will continue to bless me with friends in the future and I now have even more friends that will last throughout my life and into eternity.

Buried in laundry!

2005-10-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

The addition of a baby to our household seems to have doubled the amount of laundry in the house. Why is it that the smallest person in the home makes the biggest messes? Jordan is almost 4 months old now. He is such a good baby, and he is happy most of the time. One of the things that has been different with him is that he spits up all the time. He probably goes through 3 or 4 sets of clothes every day. I have gotten to the point where if we are just staying home during the day I will wait until he spits up at least 3 times on his clothes before he gets clean ones. On most days I even have to change my clothes at least one time. And the same rule applies to me, I have to have been spit up on more than one time to constitute a clean set of clothes. I remember one day when in a matter of 15 minutes he spit up all over my shirt and then peed on my pants when I was changing him. I can't wait to get my next water bill to see how much all this extra laundry is costing me! I think that things will start to slow down in a couple of months. I hope so! For now I will continue to try to keep up with all the washing, drying, folding, and putting clothes away. It is so tiring when you feel like you never get anything accomplished. As soon as you get a few loads done, there are more piles to wash.

Even with all the extra work involved, I am having a great time with my kids. I am so blessed to have 2 beautiful children and to be able to stay home and take care of them.

Rumor Weed

2005-09-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Veggie Tales video about Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed? Right now that is one of my daughter's favorite things to watch. It is very ironic that she is so drawn to that particular one right now because it is exactly what has been happening in my life over the past month. As the situation dies down and the truth starts to come out I can start to see how small it started and then how big it grew. It is just a wake up call to remind me that if I EVER get a feeling that someone is even POSSIBLY upset about something to not dismiss it, but rather ask about it and get it straightened out before it has a chance to grow. Sometimes you just get a feeling about something and you don't want to make a big deal out of it because you thing it will turn out to be nothing. Most of the time that would probably be ok, but then there is that ONE TIME in a million that there is something going on and it just gets worse the longer it goes on. People are very sensitive creatures and we are very self concious and sometimes that makes us think that someone is being critical about us when they are not. It seems that is what happened in my situation and it got twisted and turned all around and grew into a big rumor weed. I just wish I had known about it sooner and I might have been able to clear things up much easier.

Fortunately, God can heal all our problems and hurts. I am praying that over time He helps heal mine and the others involved also. I also pray that anybody that is still hearing about the rumors can realize that it was all based on a lie and that the people involved would never do or say the things that are being passed around. It is very hard when you know people are being told lies about you and that they would even consider believing them. The only way I can truly get through this is with God. I know for sure that He can be trusted!

Toby Mac Concert

2005-09-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday September 24th Mike and I went to the Toby Mac concert in Redmond, WA. It was pretty cool. He was joined by his old DC Talk buddies Michael Tait and Kevin Max. They all did their own solo stuff and then finally did 2 songs together at the very end. I just love going to Christian concerts and have been to quite a few over the years. It always is so encouraging to be together with thousands of Christians in one spot to have fun together and praise God at the same time.

I have to admit that it is a little weird now that I am older and not in high school and college anymore. I look around at all the people who came to the concert. This concert was actually very diverse in age. There was everything from infants to over 50. There were quite a few families that came together. The parents in their 30's and 40's and kids in elementary through high school. There was one family in front of us that I could not help but notice. I kept thinking that it was what my family could look like in a few years. The mom and dad were there with their 2 sons. The parents were just as excited, if not more, to be there as the kids were. They were clapping and singing along and dancing the whole time. They seemed to know every word to every song and tried to be as cool as possible. I started realizing that once you get older you just can't help but look a little weird and dorky. I guess that is in my future too. I hope that I am a cool parent when my kids get older, but even if I am not I still want to have fun and enjoy being with my kids.

But the concert was good. Not quite as good as the last one we went to with Third Day and Toby Mac, but it was cool to see all 3 guys from DC Talk together. That doesn't happen very often! I look forward to the next concert we get to go to. Maybe I can stay young a little while longer.

8 hours of sleep!

2005-09-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

My son Jordan is 3 months old today! He has been different from his older sister Madeline in some ways and one of them is in sleep. Since he was born he has only gone 2-3 hours between feedings day or night. A few times he went 4 hours and once for 5, but most of the time it was 3 hours max! This has been very exhausting for me and Mike, but mostly for me. We had a really busy summer and didn't get Jordan set up in his own room until just this past week. We had alot of rearranging and moving around to do before we could accomplish this, but we finally did. Well, the first 2 nights in his own room and in his crib he slept for 6 hours and then last night he slept for 8 hours! I am so excited and I pray that this pattern continues. I was starting to think I would never sleep through even half the night without having to get up to feed him. Praise the Lord!!

I hate it when friends move away!

2005-09-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

We have now been living in Oak Harbor, WA for almost 2 1/2 years now. Things have been busy since the day we arrived with our church and youth ministry. Over the past year I finally found myself settling into life here and making a couple of good solid friendships. One of those friendships has really become strong. Jessica has been one of my only best friends that I have made since I was in college almost 10 years ago! She has been such a blessing in my life and has been such a great friend to me that it is hard to describe. It had been so long since I had a best friend that was not hundreds of miles away and we could talk every day and hang out as much as we wanted. Well, in just a couple of weeks Jessica and her husband and two girls are moving to Georgia. I am not prepared for this and do not want this to happen! When we moved here I knew that this was a Navy town and that people are always coming and going. I just didn't count on making any good friends I guess. After Mike and I moved away from Oregon where I grew up almost 5 years ago I did not understand what it would be like to live so far away from our family and close friends. I think we assumed we would not be away very long and that it was just a temporary thing that would not be a big deal. Well, now that I have found such a good friend I have to deal with the fact that she will not be here in the same town or the same church as me anymore. We will still be friends, but it will be long distance. About as far apart as we could get without her leaving the country!! I just pray that God gives me strength to endure this and strength for Jessica too. I know that we will all be ok, but that does not mean it will be easy.

God is Trustworthy!!

2005-05-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

The doubts that I have been having are not because I do not think God is trustworthy. I think it is more about not trusting myself. And the good news is that I don't have to trust myself. I have God on my side and He is taking care of me and my family. I don't have to be good enough or smart enough or anything else. I have felt a peace come over me and do not fear the unknown as much. I will need to remind myself who my trust is in. But thank goodness I don't have to do it on my own! When we put our trust in God and allow Him to be #1 in our lives things are so much easier. That does not mean that I will not have any struggles, but the struggle I will have will be easier to handle with God.

How Much Do I Trust God?

2005-05-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

I am supposed to be cooking something for potluck at church right now, but I keep putting off posting and I hate not keeping up with it. I will figure something out for dinner, but for now I have some thoughts that I will try to keep short.

God is working really hard in the lives of myself and my husband right now. We have grown so much in our spiritual ideas over the past couple of years. I don't take as much study time as I should, but I really enjoy discussing things with Mike and we seem to always support each others ideas. I am so blessed to have a Christian husband who is really passionate for Christ and for reaching lost souls.

The question is now, how much do I trust God? With some of our new understanding of scripture we can't ignore the real reason we serve God. That is to reach lost souls and share Christ with them. We have to think outside the box and reach those that our churches are not reaching right now. This can be really scary when I have become so comfortable in my life and my safe place at church. I don't have to be with people that make me uncomfortable or are different from me. But that is what God has been telling us we must do.

There are alot of other things that go along with that. We are praying that God use us in our ministry to do this. We are praying that God shows us his plan for us and how we should minister. We are praying that God show us where we need to minister. I do not do well when I can't see the future and make plans accordingly. I am getting better at trusting that God will provide for me and my family, but it is a challenge. I want to get better at this, and am telling God every day that I am working on it.

2005-04-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

my son

God gets us through

2005-04-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

Haven't we all wondered if it really is true that God won't give us more than we can handle? I know there have been many times that I have asked that question. It seems that the world and satan throw us so many curve balls in life. Yet somehow we survive it. When we are right in the middle of it, it feels unbearable. But once we reach the other side, we feel stronger and wiser. It is a painful process that we go through to be molded into holy and godly people. It starts when we are born, and I am guessing that it keeps going until we die. I see a big increase in the "pain" during the teen years. My heart goes out to the teens in our youth ministry. They are dealing with so much and have so little knowledge of how to handle most of it. I guess that we all learn by experience, and by failure and success. It is so hard to watch others go through it and not be able to express what you learned when you went through it the way you want to express it. I hope to get better at this as I have opportunity to talk to them about their struggles.

Girls' ministry

2005-04-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

I have had it on my heart for awhile that I wanted to have an acitve girls' ministry within the youth ministry at our church. I am finally taking some small steps to start making that happen and it is very exciting. As with many things it is starting out small. We are just doing some fun outings and get togethers to try to form some closer relationships within the group. We went to the movies a few weeks ago and saw Miss Congeniality 2. It was a good girl movie and was pretty funny too. Next weekend I am hosting a sleepover at my house while my husband is at a weekend retreat. I hope that I get a good turnout and that everyone has a lot of fun! I would like to eventually have a girls' Bible study once a week or so too. I am waiting to see how God brings this all together. If nothing else, I am proud to have done something now instead of putting it off even farther into the future.

Busy, busy, busy...

2005-02-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

It is Friday and the end of a very long week. Sometimes I don't know what I did with all the time, but if I really think about it I can come up with some things that I did or just know that I spent alot of time chasing my toddler around. I really do enjoy having a full life. I don't think I would like it if I didn't have the things I do to keep me entertained and going every day. I never thought being a stay-at-home mom would keep me so busy though. But when you add all the other things we are involved in these days it does add up to alot. Being a wife and mother and keeping up with a house and even just one child right now is a much bigger chore than I first imagined. Then add our church activites: Sunday school teacher, youth ministry, praise team, leading the moms ministry, small groups, children's ministry team, and just trying to be social and get to know as many people as possible. Wow, that is a pretty long list right there. Then add that I am still a Pampered Chef Consultant part-time. I have had to cut back on my business a little right now as I prepare for a new baby in a few months, but I still want to remain active in that too. Even though all these things can seem to pile up and at times might be tiring, I love it all. I would not do anything different right now. I have some energy at this stage in my pregnancy, and I am excited for the future. I enjoy all the things I do and I can keep it somewhat flexible when life gets overwhelming. One thing that is helping right now is that my husband's ministry is going so well. I invest alot of emotion into being his support and when things are going well it helps our lives so much. We are not dealing with any big criticisms lately, and God willing, things will keep moving in the positive direction that they are now. Lord, please continue blessing us and help me to enjoy my life and do things that honor you always! Amen.

Resolution

2005-01-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

Every new year I can't help but think about making resolutions. I have noticed that I seem to make the same ones every year. Lose weight, pray more, read my bible more, be more organized, etc... Well, this year I have some of the same ones. I don't have to lose weight yet because I am pregnant, so I don't even have to worry about that one now. It is kind of nice to not have that on my list. I still want to pray more and read my bible more. I think that one will always be on my list of resolutions. I think that is a good thing though. I should always be striving to do better in my walk with God. As a mom of a toddler and a new baby on the way, that seems to be harder now than ever before. I think I definitely pray more out of desperation sometimes, but I don't have the discipline to read my bible. I never had a good routine before I was a mom, so I kind of set myself up for that one. I know that it is something I can do and become better at though. I hope that I remember to keep working on it throughout the year. The only problem with new year resolutions is they are so easy to forget when it is not the new year any more.

The Spirit of Christmas

2004-12-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

When I was a child I always looked forward to Christmas. The lights, the tree, the PRESENTS! I would always be amazed Christmas morning at the mounds of gifts under the tree. I think some of that had to do with the amount of people in my family. Put six kids and two parents and all the gifts together and it is going to be a pretty impressive stack. My family never had lots of money, but my parents were somehow able to make it stretch enough so that we felt blessed on Christmas morning.

I am struggling with that now that I have my own family. I feel blessed in my life, but the past couple of Christmas' have reminded me that we just don't have the funds to do even a little bit extra at Christmas. I want my daughter to feel the excitement that I felt as a child and the blessings that Christmas brings. I feel thankful that she is only 18 months and does not really have a concept of that yet. She will be happy with just a couple of things. I guess it is really me that is feeing sad about not being able to buy gifts.

I have been trying to remind myself that Christmas is about more than just presents. It is about Christ being born and what that has done in my life. I would not be who I am without Christ. I am so thankful and blessed by Him. That love and goodness that I feel in my life makes me want to give and share with others too. But, at this time in my life I am not blessed with monetary blessings that allow me to do that. I can hope and look forward to a time when that will be something I can do, but for now I need to be grateful for what I do have.

God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, and daughter. Our parents and brothers and sisters are also very close to us and that is a rare blessing. Our friends are scattered throughout different states now, but we are still bonded with them and are close to some still. We are looking forward to welcoming a new baby into our lives this summer. We have shelter and food and basic necessities for life. There are those that are not blessed by even a fraction of what we are. Thank you God for all you have given us this year! Help me remember the true Spirit of Christmas, Jesus!

This is new

2004-09-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know how much I will actually write on this site. I have enjoyed reading other people's blogs so I thought it might be fun to have this to try out myself. It is kind of intimidating knowing that someone might read what I write here. I don't know if I will measure up to other blogs that I have read, but I am willing to try. This will be an experiment for me. I am a mom of one 15 month old girl named Madeline. She is the cutest kid I have seen, but I am not very objective in that area. My husband Mike has been writing blogs and is probably not expecting me to do this. I don't know if I will even tell anyone much about this until I can come up with some interesting things to write about. I am working on naming my blog and am just hoping something catchy will pop into my head. I am sure something will.