Heaven

Last week my dear Aunt Karen lost her battle with cancer and she is now with her Lord. She was diagnosed on February 6th of this year, and it was a hard, painful fight. We are told in God’s Word that there is no more pain or tears in Heaven. That is so comforting.

However, I am really struggling with imagining her in Heaven. In so many ways Heaven is unknown. We aren’t told that much in Scripture about what to expect. I think my fallen nature is not allowing me to fully appreciate the fact that being in the Lord’s presence brings unending peace, joy, and happiness. I can read it and know it in my head, but I just have no idea what that will be like. I am asking the Lord to build my faith in this area to know that He who has given me so many good gifts on this fallen earth is the same God who sits in Heaven. Heaven must be marvelous!

In so many ways I have been spared from deep grief and sorrow. God has been abundant in blessings to me. This is the first family member that I have lost. We don’t mourn without hope. Nevertheless, she is gone. I loved her deeply and it hurts to have her ripped away from us. I can’t imagine the pain of losing someone without hope. The Lord is by our side and especially with Karen’s dear husband and children. May God continue to pour out His presence upon them.

Way too long!

It has been so long since I have written a blog post. The thought has crossed my mind many times to get back to writing, but I get overwhelmed by how much time has gone by and don't write. A vicious cycle! Life is mostly good, but we have been struggling with some illness in our extended family. Nothing like a dear loved one(s) battling with illness to bring perspective to life.

I can't wait to write some updates about the kiddos, post some craft projects, and even throw in a workout or two that I have done lately.

Mom jeans!?!?!

Last Fall I was so excited to find some jeans at Old Navy that had a higher waist than the extremely low rise jeans sold in most stores. They really helped this girl with a super long torso that shirts often don’t cover. I got tired of my shirt rising up and my back and “other” areas showing.

Well, I came home one day and caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror. I couldn’t believe it. I was wearing “mom” jeans. It was not a flattering look at all. I was covered, but not in a good way. Ugh! I stopped wearing them, and went back to my lower rise jeans.

The other day my friend posted a blog about Old Navy/Gap jeans. I was seriously laughing out loud. Her claim was that these stores sold “gateway” mom jeans and that some styles were straight up mom jeans. She went to the store and took pictures of herself in the different style jeans. She compared the pictures to herself wearing designer jeans. The contrast was striking. It was amazing how much more flattering the designer jeans were on her body.

I had to laugh when I found my Old Navy “sweetheart” jean in the post. That was the style she mentioned as being straight up mom jean. Oops!

 

She mentioned Vault Denim. I think I am going to look into ordering some jeans from them. Owning a  few pairs of nice jeans rather than lots of unflattering pairs of pants seems like a much better idea. The Vault Denim consultant will come to your house with 120 pairs of jeans. They are sold for about half the cost of store prices. Anyone up for a GNI to try on nice jeans!?!?!

Blogging…what is that?

Long time no blog! It has been busy around our house with Summer time activities. I am way behind in blogging, but we have had a great time together. I have been focusing on just being with my family rather than documenting everything. I might catch up and I might not.

Chase starts school next Monday. He has morning Kindergarten which I am THRILLED about. It really is the perfect schedule for our family. School, chores, and a little preschool (taught by me)  for Parker in the morning, and our afternoons are open for activities and naps .

I am starting to think about my homemade Christmas gifts. I am going to make an apron, 3 superhero capes, and a few other small things.

I am looking forward to going to a Giants/Braves game next week with my hubby. It will just be the 2 of us. Can’t wait!!

The following weekend my cousin is getting married in Half Moon Bay. We will be going down just the 2 of us and leaving the kiddos home. I am looking forward to celebrating with the happy couple and our family!

We feel so busy all the time. However, we don’t do much out of the ordinary. Our kids, work, school, church, and our family keeps our schedule full. We are tired. Life often feels out of control. Our home is LOUD and ACTIVE. I should be used to it by now, but I am not. Probably by the time I am used to it the kids will be grown and moving out . I am holding on for the ride!!

Happy Independence Day!

Wishing you a wonderful time with friends and family! So grateful we are able to enjoy the freedom for which so many have fought and given the ultimate sacrifice. May God bless them!

 

Parker is 3

3 years ago the Lord blessed us with a 7lb sweet, little boy.

 

Here are some things that come to mind about Parker at this time in his life:

*He has a wonderful imagination and loves to pretend

*He finds a toy and will bring it with him everywhere we go (his yellow and blue pens, sunglasses, wallet). If you look at his cute little hands often he will be holding something

*He is a tad dramatic and very sensitive

*He is a little timid and shy especially with new people or an unknown situation

*His favorite hymn is There is a Fountain

*He loves chocolate milk

*He LOVES his Daddy

*His favorite TV show is Curious George, but isn’t really that into watching television

*He has an imaginary friend Marisan that he met at Burger King

*He loves to swim, ride his bike, and kick a soccer ball

*He is very quick to share in others’ joy

*He is always hungry

*He likes to come in our bed in the early morning

*He has a hard time falling asleep for naps and bedtime and takes a while to wake up

*He can be stubborn, but I would not call him strong-willed

*He has dreamy blue eyes and cute blonde hair

*Every owie needs a band-aid

*He loves to change his clothes

*He loves his brother and sister very much

*He easily entertains himself for long periods of time

 

Our prayer for our sweet boy is that he will grow up to be the man that God intends HIM to be. Not living in anyone’s shadows. We pray that he will have moral courage and be able to stand alone for what is right and acceptable in God’s sight.

His babyhood was cut short by the addition of his sister. He also follows a brother with a very strong personality. That I am sure will shape who he is to some extent, but I really do hope that he can be secure in who God made him.

I love his satisfaction with simple things, and hope he is able to keep that with throughout his life. I can learn from him.

Parker Robert, we love you!

New “toy”!

After shopping at few stores and trying a few different brands, I finally bit the bullet and purchased some new shoes for x-bike. We went to Mike’s Bikes downtown. We received great customer service. They even noticed our stroller tire was about to come off the wheel and fixed it for us. We probably could have found a better deal online, but it was nice to support a local store. If you are in the market for a bike or bike accessories or need a repair, head over to Mike’s Bikes.

Here are my new shoes, and I can’t wait to try them out next week.