So.........some big news! Read to find out!

How did you like that title???  I love a little suspense.  But to be serious, my husband and I do want to share something really exciting that will be happening in our lives soon.  We are moving to.................
Africa!  Yes, you read that correctly. A little village named Chongwe in Zambia to be exact.  As of August 2013, we will be packing our bags, flying an extremely long flight with two young kiddos, and setting up a home in Zambia for a year.  2 years ago I would have (and actually did tell people that I didn't think I could ever even visit Africa) told you that you were crazy if you think I could handle living in such a different environment.  But of course, those were my thought, concerns, fears, and God is soooooo much bigger than that!
Last summer, something kept happening as I would watch my two beautiful kids play together.  There was something missing, no, not something, somebody...For a while, I couldn't put my finger on it-then an image of a little boy would pop into my mind.  God, are you telling me to have another child now?  I am not ready!  I am finally getting used to having 2!  But as the image became more clear to me, this little boy was not a baby and not white...Yes, I felt God telling me we should adopt a little boy from another country.  As I brought this up to my husband, he was hesitant at first-unsure of whether it was right for us and if he would love this child as his own so I just prayed that his heart would open to the idea...I started doing research and looking at various countries to see which might be the right fit for us and I would just show him what I found once in a while.  Then all of a sudden, he said he wanted to talk one night and proceeded to tell me that he felt like God wanted us to adopt from Zambia-he has been there 3 times and just has a heart and a deep connection to the people there.  You would think I would have been so excited that he finally agreed that we were supposed to adopt?  But there was one little problem-Zambia is one of the most difficult places to adopt from-which I already knew because I had looked it up and read the crazy, lengthy process.  So, then it was time for God to work on my little heart.  One of the requirements to adopt from Zambia is you have to foster the child for a minimum of 3 months!  What???  Zambia doesn't work with any U.S. agencies so you can't get the ball rolling on much of the legal work until you arrive in country.  What???  I am going to need to move there? What???  Sorry, about that, just trying to relay my attitude during that time.  And then my hubby really lowered the boom, "I think we should move there for a year and help the Give Life Project and the Bible college," said Mickey.  Excuse me?  Live in Africa for a year?  Leave my family/friends/church?  Leave my comfy/safe home?  Uproot my children?  Have my life change completely?  But as soon as these questions popped into my head, I heard God's still small voice- "Mandey, you are right. This is crazy. But this is what I am calling you to do-and you can do it-not of your own strength, but Mine."  And just like that, we made this decision to move to Zambia for a year.
1st and foremost, we will be finding our little boy. 2nd, we will be lending a hand to the Give Life Project, a non-profit organization started by some friends.  Mickey will be helping in all sorts of ways: discipleship, farming/agricultural methods that will help Zambians be self-sustaining, medical outreaches, and different construction projects.   I will be helping out by using my education background to help at the primary school Give Life has started and a local preschool.  3rd, we will be helping as needed out at the International Bible College of Zambia which was started by Gospelink, an organization our church supports as well as we support.  Finally, we pray that God will challenge us and grow us a family-that He will mold us and shape us into exactly who He wants us to be.  
So, that's the news!  We plan on updating this blog quite often about the process of international adoption and becoming part-time missionaries.  We have already had some ups and downs...but God is faithful and we have never felt more sure of anything in our lives.  Please pray for us as we begin this most exciting/scary/crazy time of our life!

2 of our favorite verses that encourage us to do what we are doing!
Psalm 82:3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and destitute.
James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit widows and orphans in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.


If you want to visit the sites of the organizations we will be working with, they are here!
http://www.givelifeproject.com/#
http://gospelink.org

Zambian sunset

Zambia Map

Thankful Tuesday

1.  Alea's nose has stopped running like crazy!
2.  Seeing Ev singing in his Christmas program at church.
3.  Being able to go see Santa at 10 am with no lines!
4.  The free photo and carousel ride at Bass Pro Shops.
5.  My kids both sat on Santa's lap and smiled!
6.  Getting to go to church with my hubby-there is just something about sitting with him and worshiping God together.
7.  For studying Ephesians with our small group.
8.  Chocolate mint cookies-a family favorite.
9.  Fun MOPS night out-cookie exchange.
10.  Snow is coming!
11.  Break from normal pre-K with Ev, doing lots of fun Christmas stuff.
12.  Alea's joy from a certain song on a cd that is on continuous play in our van
13.  I got motivated to work out before kids are up-makes my day a lot easier!
14.  Sub job tomorrow!
15.  Presents are wrapped and ready to go.
16.  Our pastor is going to be teaching through The Story this next year.
17.  Christmas cards from friends and family-love seeing all the beautiful pictures and hearing how the year went.
18.  Time to visit with a good friend and her new baby!
19.  Got to visit my sis in law and her new baby last week-love little Chloe so much already!
20.  God sent His son into this world to save us all-to offer us eternal life in Heaven with Him-after this tragedy in Sandy Hook, I just keep thinking about how ONLY because Jesus entered this world and died a gruesome death for us-that these young children can spend eternity with Him in a place where there is no pain, no tears...thank you Jesus!

"Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?"  from the song, Mary, Did you Know?  

Deer Hunting Weekend at the Farm

Every year we head back to my in-laws farm so my husband can enjoy the 1st weekend of deer hunting season with his cousins.  The last two years we have added going to see the Amana Christmas village...it was beautiful again.  Here are some pics of the festivities!

Evan holding his cousin Caden

Oma walking with her 3 grandchildren in Amana

Love this pic of Old Oma with 3 of her great-grandchildren

One of the beautiful trees in the Amana Christmas village

The awesome German windmill (that I am always so scared my children are going to destroy!)

Ev checking things out with Opa

Cute-a Raggedy Anne doll tree

Ev, Alea, and Caden in Santa's sleigh

Love this cheesers smile from Alea!

There is Evan's smile, Caden is still not sure what to think...

They love Oma's Christmas village

Daddy started this  game of rolling them in this old chair 

And Brooke, their older cousin gladly kept pushing them!

Putting up the tree!

We have fun each year decorating our tree the day or a few days after Thanksgiving (depending on Mickey's work schedule).  It was really fun this year as both kids were really interested in actually helping hang all the ornaments!

Thankful Tuesday

1.  Candy canes
2.  Jolly Holiday Lights
3.  A big project is almost wrapped up!
4.  Christmas trees
5.  Gingerbread Lane and Frosty Lane-thanks neighbors!
6.  Christmas specials on tv...
7.  The song Christmas Dreams by Francesca Battistelli
8.  New easy to make Christmas treat-circle pretzels with a Hershey's kiss in the middle!
9.  My mom's foot is healing from surgery
10.  My dad's goofy phone calls
11.  A friend's listening ear
12.  Getting Christmas cards in the mail!
13.  Christmas shopping is done, minus my dad and bro!
14.  How my Titus bible study I am in is changing my life and the life of many women in my church!
15.  Evan's Awana teachers-so kind and caring!
16.  For my kids excitement when the other wakes up and they can play together
17.  My hubby's steady job (even though the schedule and lack of sleep drive us crazy most of the time!)
18.  Alea likes to let me paint her nails
19.  Babies being born! (Kenley, Briella, Chloe, and Hannah!)  Yes, all girls and all healthy and happy! All family and/or good friends...
20.  Jesus' humble birth-He could have made a grand entrance but He didn't...

A prayer for this special time of year:
God, thank you for coming to Earth to offer salvation to all...thank you for living a sinless life, leaving us an example to follow, but giving us grace that we don't deserve when we fail over and over again...thank you for dying on the cross for my sin...your love is perfect and I can't fathom it.  Help me to keep focus on You as so many other things grab for my attention.

Thankful Thursday

It is supposed to be Thankful Tuesday, I know, and I didn't have time to post last week...there has just been so much going on!  So get ready, here is a big list that dates back a few weeks since I have been delinquent in posting...

1.  Pumpkin pie with more whipped cream than pumpkin
2.  Turkey leftovers
3.  My mom and all her work to make things my little food allergy guy could eat
4.  The deals we got at Black Friday shopping!  (I was a first timer and was getting boring household stuff, but it was still pretty fun!)
5. Down time to decorate the Christmas tree as a family
6.  Excitement of my kids about putting up Christmas decorations-makes it all worth it
7.  Online shopping
8. Packages on the front porch
9.  One of my four friends who are due with baby girls this month had a healthy little girl (still waiting on the other precious babes)
10.  My bro Josh playing with my littles
11.  My kids have a little cousin they adore and he adores them
12.  Preschool with Ev is still going well
13.  Evan wrote his name perfectly at church the other day-oh these little things just amaze me!
14.  I didn't disappoint the kids at the Awana store the other night (I was in charge of buying the goods and setting them up!)
15.  My awesome small group girls helped me run the Awana store-I couldn't have done it without them!
16.  An amazing message about radical gratitude-we aren't called to be thankful FOR our circumstances,but thankful IN our circumstances
17.  For the smile on my little bro's face when he got to see us all on Skype for Thanksgiving
18.  Our new computer-we finally went to a MAC-our old computer has been biting the dust for a while now...
19.  Alea doing fabulous in her big girl bed
20.  Getting an inhaler for Ev that he can do-so nice, don't have to run home to the nebulizer and immediate relief for him
21.  Warm weather in which to get outside with kiddos
22.  Being able to run outside in shorts in December
23.  Having a workout room in the basement-so convenient with kiddos and cheaper than a gym
24.  Fun deer season weekend at the farm
25.  Old Oma's yummy homemade applesauce
26.  Holiday Popcorn tins
27.  Mickey's cousins and their wives-just love them!
28.  Stocking stuffers from my mother in law
29.  My hubby is such a good, involved dad
30.  Great conversation about marriage with my small group
31.  Sweet, kind fellow MOPS mothers helping me out with something
32.  These little bites of heaven called cake bites that a friend makes!
33.  A new parenting book giving me a fresh perspective
34.  My hubby's kind words
35.  Corny Christmas movies on Netflix
36.  Hot chocolate
37.  Homes of Light-a gathering of women to celebrate the season of Jesus' birth, a devotional and testimony is given, and fun games and delicious treats!
38.  My friend Erin hosted-she is such a good hostess!
39.  God worked in the hearts of women there...
40.  Christmas is here-I just love this time of year-how exciting that is the celebration of when Jesus came to this earth, not because He had to, but because He wanted to, He wanted to demonstrate a love that only He is capable of...and I am sooooo thankful for His love!

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Thankful Tuesday

I know, I know.  I am late again.  But better late than never, especially Thanksgiving week!  God has really been speaking to my heart lately about how good I really have it.  He has blessed me exceedingly above and abundantly more than I can ask.  When I post these things I am grateful for, I really do want everyone to understand this is one way I praise God.   All glory goes to Him.

1.  How Alea sings with me when I sing to her before sleep.
2.  Evan's love of the Bible.
3.  My Bible study leader's (Heidi) knowledge of the Word.
4.  Getting to run outside in November comfortably!
5.  $2 workout shirts at Finish Line!
6.  The excitement buzzing in the air because of Christmas coming up...
7.  Francesca Battistelli's new Christmas cd
8.  Specifically the song "It's A Marshmallow World"-my kids love it!  (see #7)
9.  My neighbor Tiffany popping over to visit-love chatting with her!
10.  Our mini-van (I don't care if you think I am a soccer mom-our mini-van is amazing!)
11.  A friend's twins arrived early but our doing okay...
12.  Getting to see my friend Karie Livingston-thanks for driving up to Ankeny!
13.  A night out to Starbucks with some girls-such fun.
14.  College bball is starting.
15.  Dr. Molis-Ev's allergy doctor-she is amazing and was so helpful at our appointment.
16.  For Dr. Molis's desensitizing program-I will explain more in another post.
17.  An actual inhaler for Ev-so we don't have to rush home to the nebulizer when he is coughing. 
18.  The very helpful nurse who took my kids to color and play with stickers so I could actually have a conversation with Dr. Molis.
19.  Movie nights as a family.
20.  For God consistently knocking down my fears anytime Satan even tries to get me to be afraid. 

1 Chronicles 16:25
For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.

Alea's Strawberry Shortcake Party!

 

 

It all started at a garage sale...I usually give the kids a few quarters to spend and one day, Alea found a baggie of 3 little plastic dollies-one of them being Strawberry Shortcake...Next, Evan found some Strawberry Shortcake movies on Netflix and her Oma got her a Strawberry Shortcake doll. So, it wasn't too hard to decide on a party theme for her 2nd birthday. It was sooooo much fun and she loved every second of it...which made all the cleaning, cooking, and preparation worth it. Thanks to my mom, my mother in law, and grandmother in law for helping so much with the food.  I couldn't have done it without you.  And thanks to everyone who took time out of their busy Saturday to help make Alea's day special.  Hope you enjoy the pictures of our celebration of our little girl Stawberry Shortcake style! 

 

 

 

 

 

Evan took this picture of a decoration-pretty good, huh?

Drinking a juice box-a big hit since I NEVER buy these!

Alea's special strawberry #2 cupcake!

The cupcake and treats table...

Singing Happy Birthday-her face was just priceless looking at the fire on the candles!

She has started this totally cheesy smile now when we ask her to smile for the camera!  ha!

The kiddie table-From left, Solon, Kate, Conner, Ev, Alea, and Giana
(Cousin Caden was here too but way too busy to sit down!)



Starting to open presents-with her helper, big bro Ev



Snuck a quick pic with my lil princess before she was covered in cupcake!



Thank goodness Oma and Opa brought the bounce house, the kids had a blast!
And thank goodness it was a 75 degree November day!

We should have taken pictures before presents-she had no interest in us,
just in her new dolls.

 



Thankful Tuesday

1.  A really fun Strawberry Shortcake party for my lil girl!
2.  All of our friends and family who celebrated Alea with us.
3.  Yummy Amana coffee cake...
4.  Girlie toy explosion!
5.  My mom and mother in law and grandmother in law contributing food to the party...thankful for all the help too!
6.  My dad always willing to play with the kids and his willingness to play whatever they want him to play!
7.  Dinner out at Cheesecake Factory-deliciousness...
8.  My son's Sunday school teachers
9.  My daughter's care providers at church
10.  A healthy 2 year checkup for Alea...(she is long and lean, 25th percentile for weight, 67th percentile for height!)
11.  Excitement over a major turn of events coming up...
12.  Skyping with the lil bro (February can't get here soon enough! We want you home!)
13.  a warm November day
14.  the bounce house for the party-kept the kids completely happy for a long time
15.  Black Friday ads-have never gone but there are some amazing deals this year!
16.  Anticipation of a good book
17.  My hubby is done working at the farm till spring! 
18.  The show-The Mentalist (he just cracks me up!)
19.  Shutterfly photo books
20.  God's word being alive and true and relevant

Colossians 1:12 Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of light.

Thankful Tuesday-All things Alea!

I am definitely going to be crying happy tears as I write this...today's thankful post is focused on Alea.  She will be turning 2 this Monday, November 12th.  There are no words to describe the love I have for her and she fills me with such complete joy. These are just a few of the million reasons I am specifically thankful for my daughter.
1.  Her adoration of her big brother.
2.  Her eyes that are just like mine. (I love sharing that with her)
3.  Her snap decision making skills.
4.  Her way of talking-somehow she has this little adorable accent that I have never heard before!
5.  Her no-fear attitude-scares me at times, but I love that she is a tough little cookie.
6.  Her squeals of delight when being chased.
7.  Her ability to go with the flow.
8.  She easily goes to Sunday School, MOPS, and anywhere else I have to drop her off at!
9.  Her memorization skills of Evan's Bible verses.
10. Her desire to do things independently.
11.  How she plays with other children.
12.  Her love of "hanging" on anything she finds-cracks me up.
13.  Her love of shoes. Girly shoes are so fun!
14.  How she sings with me sometimes at bed time...she will echo me...love hearing her tiny voice praise God with me.
15.  Her soft heart-she is the first to comfort others that are sad.
16.  Her love of girly things-Barbie, princesses, Strawberry Shortcake...
17.  The way she jumps...it is just so darn cute!
18.  How adorable she looks riding in her pink car...
19.  The silly things she says...
20.  Thankful that God designed, created, and gave her to me as my daugher. 

She is an amazing little toddler-not so much a baby anymore...birthday post to come but just praising God for my little girl tonight!

There is Nothing You Can Do...

There is nothing you can do to make God love you MORE?  Wow...I heard this the other day at a concert and I can't get it out of my head.  I have always heard there is nothing you can do that will make God love you less or not at all...Romans 8:38-39 states: For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  This is actually my memory verse this week for my Bible study and it is truth that I take great comfort in.  God's love is constant and unconditional.  But I am finding the truth that there is nothing I can do to make God love me more is even more comforting.  I don't have to earn God's love!  God is not up there saying, "I'm really upset with Mandey today...she didn't do her quiet time and she hasn't served in the community in a while..."  Now, does He want me to spend quiet time with Him, does He want me to serve the needs of my community?  Yes!   But His love is steady and true.  It never wavers.  He doesn't love one of my friends more because they have been on more missions trips and He doesn't love my pastor more because he is the leader of a great church.  His love is unlike anything on this earth...that's why it is so hard to fathom.  Truth be told, we as humans are incapable of loving like Him.  If my child has a great day and is behaving and being respectful and listening, I am inclined to feel a lot more love for him that day, where as the next day, if he is misbehaving and causing me stress, I tend to feel a little less like loving him.  (I am not saying I dont always love my children, but the levels of love can go up and down quite a bit!)  Now, you may wonder why I am writing this...Like I said above, this guy at the concert said this and it has stuck with me.  We have been talking in my church small group about the importance of sharing what we learn from God to others and I feel like God was telling me this at this concert so I wanted to encourage you with it..  He wanted me to stop trying so hard to please Him, to take rest in His unwavering love.  This doesn't mean I am going to stop doing the things that please Him, but I will try and go on from here, and let my works just be an outpouring of thanks and love to my Savior, knowing that He loves me the same, during the good, bad, and the ugly.  I hope that you will find peace in knowing that God's love is unique; you don't have to earn it and He can't love you anymore than He already does.  All He wants is your love and He knows our love is imperfect but He loves us anyway.  Even just writing this makes me smile in sweet relief...thank you God! 

Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.


     

Thankful Tuesday!

Ok, so this month has been crazy to say the least.  My husband has been gone night and day working for the fire station and for his dad's farm, and when he is home, I am spending time with him and not blogging.  This month has been awesome though and there is so much to be thankful for! 

1.  Harvest is almost over and I will have a husband again very soon.
2.  My hubby gets to do a part time job he loves.
3.  God has come alongside me and given me lots of peace and stamina during this time of Mickey being gone a lot.
4.  My Titus Bible study-I could say this every week as I gain something each time and I get to be around other amazing women and learn from God's Word.
5.  Opportunities like Operation Christmas Child; what a great organization!
6.  My son's imagination!
7.  My daughter's delight in danger or being chased, flipped, anything!
8.  Awesome Francesca Battistelli and Sidewalk Prophets concert with my momma!
9.  Francesca's new Christmas cd, yes, I have already listened to it lots!
10.  Whitey's pumpkin shake, enough said.
11.  My in-laws taking us out to a yummy Japanese steakhouse!
12.  My friend Kayla having me and the kids over for lunch randomly
13.  Sad goodbyes-helps knowing God has great plans for you in Minnesota Sandersons!
14.  Faith back to babysit our kiddos for small group-such a special lady!
15.  2 pairs of shorts @Old Navy for $1.47 each! Love it!
16.  Our computer wasn't totally busted, it was just the power cord, a $10 fix!
17.  Safe travels to the QC and back.
18.  My hubby cleaned while I was gone since some friends were coming for an ice cream party!
19.  I have girlfriends to pray with-such a powerful time.
20.  For the example of Elizabeth in the Bible, she waited over 50 years to have a child, but remained righteous during this trial.

And there you have it, I think it was my only list in October, but November is Thanksgiving, so watch out, lots of thanks coming your way...  Make sure you take this month and focus on being thankful! 

Ephesians 5:4  Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks.

Thankful Tuesday

1.  Beautiful fall in Iowa
2.  The drive down 8th st. I do about every day with all the old, big trees a variety of fall colors
3.  Pumpkin blizzard from DQ-yummo (and a buy one get one free coupon!)
4.  Lazy pj mornings
5.  My TOMS
6.  Long naptimes lately
7.  Peace during what could be a storm
8.  I am getting to know Stephen and Aby Nelms with the Give Life Project in Zambia-amazing couple!
9. Queen Esther as an example of bravery and finding "favor" with others
10.  This election will be over very soon!
11.  The smell of freshly bathed kiddos
12.  Getting to go to church with my hubby for 3 weeks in a row!
13.  New recipes from my FAVORITE website: Pinterest
14. Feel of lotion on dry hands
15.  My mother in law bought Ev some cool new Nikes!  (and a few clothes for him and my hubby!)
16.  A verse reminding me God will give me all the Power I need to do His work
17.  My brother found a good friend in South Korea
18.  Ev figured out how to write an X after quite the struggle!
19.  Alea's ability to pick up on Evan's memory verses! 
20.  The feeling of God working in me and the freeing feeling of me allowing Him to.

Bonus: As I am writing this, Evan is singing this song, "The Perfect 10" at the top of his lungs while he is supposed to be sleeping, hilarious!  Thankful for my silly little boy!

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

I just have to say it...

Big Bird...seriously, who would have thought we would be talking about him as part of a political race? Of course, if I were President Obama, I would want to direct the attention to ANYTHING else besides the debate where I did horribly and the media is happy to oblige to that so there you go...Big Bird and his gang at Sesame Street are headline news. 
Anyways, quickly to my point, as I seriously can't stand politics, but I just feel led to say something about this particular situation.  About a year and 2 months ago, I became a stay at home mom and received my last paycheck.  As my husband and I looked at our financials over the 1st 6 months of me being home, we decided it would be in our best interest to cancel cable...What???  Who does that in this day and age?  Well, we do and several of our friends do as well!  And why is that you might add?  It is not that we are strapped so tight financially we couldn't afford it, we decided our money and time would be better used elsewhere.  To me, our country is in a similar situation, except our country is MORE than strapped financially!  So, not that I agree with Mitt about everything, nor do I disagree with President Obama about everything, for this one, I have to go with Mitt. 
We as a country do have many different rights, but I don't believe right to a television channel is one of them.  Television is a luxury and if you want it, then you should have to pay for it.  So if you love Sesame Street and all the wonderful shows PBS offers then you won't mind paying your hard earned money for it. 
Lastly, for those that want to argue the educational benefit, there has not been ANY research to prove that a television show can enhance a child's academic success in any way.  It is quite the opposite actually, watching television as a child typically means the child will be further behind his or her peers that don't watch tv.   So, believe me, if you want your child to learn the alphabet, numbers, etc., the best thing to do is actually sit down with your child and read to them, sing to them, and play with them.  Quality time with your child doesn't cost a thing and will  be more valuable to them than any show they could ever watch. 
Ok, I said my piece, I feel better getting this off my chest.  Sorry if you don't agree with me. I am not trying to offend anyone and I know there are many other ways to cut the deficit and that this is just a small piece of the puzzle, but I think cutting PBS from getting taxpayers money is a good place to start. 

Thankful but oh so tired Tuesday...

1. Candy corn (guilty pleasure)
2. My hubs doesn't have Celiac disease...
3. Crops are coming in fast which means I will have a hubby again soon.
4.  I see God working in Evan's life.
5. The awesome Awana teachers who are teaching TRUTH to children every week.
6.  Pre-school @home with Ev is going amazing!
7.  MOPS-time with other moms is so refreshing
8.  Getting to run outside once last week since Mickey was actually home for a few hours!
9.  Mick's safe travels to and from the farm.
10.  An incredibly generous and thoughtful co-worker of Mick's that gave us a bunch of nice toys and clothes for Ev.
11.  A busy, but fun outing to the mall with the Ports (sans husbands)
12.  My lil girl is a tough little cookie-she needs to be with how often she gets hurt!
13.  Lessons God teaches me everyday.
14.  Pumpkin anything...yum!
15.  A perfect, calm, relaxing Sunday
16.  A little time to relax with the hubs and watch a few good shows (The Good Wife and The Mentalist!)
17.  The hubs homemade pizza...mmmm...
18.  Communion time @church-love the time to reflect.
19.  Awesome praise music @church-Go youth band!
20.  An incredibly fun time having some friends over-even though I got to bed entirely too late!  Thanks Erin, Kayla, and Sonya!

Not a verse this week, but a song that has been going through my head lately...

In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified.
In my life Lord, be glorified today.

I pray that I would always glorify God in all things.  I can't and don't ever want to take credit for anything I do, because it is all HIM. 

Makes my heart smile...

So....being a mommy is tough work.  There are days when I feel like I am completely failing and moments where I just want to scream.  I'm sure none of you moms can relate, right? Haha... These are the times when I really have to pray, read the Bible for wisdom, and ask others for encouragement.  And thanks to my Heavenly Father, there are those moments that remind me all this hard work is worth it.  Here are just a few snippets of conversations with Evan this past week:
In the van: Alea says"it's sunny! I don't like the sun!". Evan responds,"Alea, mommy can't do anything about the sun, only God controls the sun, you have to ask Him for help." Alea responds back, "no!" Evan replies, "yes, Alea, don't you know God has the whole world in His hands?" Alea calms down and says, "yes."
On the stairs: Alea is complaining about her owie on her hand. Ev says,"let's just pray for Alea's hand right here on the stairs. Dear God, please help Alea's hand.  It is really hurting her. Amen."
In the van again on a trip home from the mall where another little girl bit Alea pretty hard on the hand: Alea says,"that girl bit me!" Evan says back to her, "yes, Alea, and that was wrong. God tells us not to hurt others.  Are you ok?". Alea says, "yes, buddy, I ok."

So thankful for these times when you see the difficult task of training your children reaping positive rewards.  Reminds me of a verse we talked about at my Bible study the other day.

Galations 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Wedding/Mini Vacation to Minneapolis!

What a fun weekend we had in Minneapolis for my beautiful cousin Emily's wedding.  We were so happy when she called this past spring to ask Evan and Alea to be the ringbearer and flower girl in her wedding.  It made me feel kind of old that she was even getting married though and that I had children old enough to participate!  She has always been little Emmy to me.  :)  Never the less, we told her positively yes, we couldn't wait to be a part of her big day.  So, last Thursday, it was off to Minnesota we went.  We hit up the Mall of America before we even went to the hotel because they offer a great twilight deal of $20 per child for unlimited rides in the indoor amusement park.  My children are pretty much OBSESSED with rides so this was a given.  Thankfully, my parents were along to help us take them on all the rides and give us little breaks so we could sneak in some shopping and dinner.  My kids didn't even ask for anything to eat until 7 pm they were having so much fun.  After we peeled them off the rides around 7:45, we headed to the hotel and we all hit the hay.  We stayed at a Grandstay Suites in St. Louis Park.  I would HIGHLY recommend it.  Great rooms/yummy breakfast/nice pool and workout area/wonderful service/close to lots of stuff/, just overall awesome!  Every room was a suite too, which if you have ever traveled with young children, it is almost a necessity...Friday we woke up and unfortunately Ev was pretty sick and suffered his first asthma attack-it scared me.  I have never seen an attack before.  He was yelling "I can't breathe", crying unconsollably, and just couldn't calm down.  We quickly did a double dose of his breathing treatment though and I could slowly feel him relax.  Thank the Lord.  We relaxed for a little while then as he felt better, we decided some fresh air would do him some good, so we headed to Como Zoo-a free zoo in St. Paul.  It was awesome.  They even had polar bears and it was small and easy to see everything in about an hour.  Perfect for what we needed. 
Ok, back to the wedding.  Rehearsal was at 5 on Friday night.  I was pretty nervoud about what Alea would do.  And I had every right to be!  She crawled, walked backwards, and sprinted down the aisle.  OHhhh boy...and Evan was yelling at her the whole time to do it right.  What had we gotten ourselves into???  We could only hope and pray they would pull it together for the real thing.  Saturday came and my sweet hubs swam in the pool all morning and got them nice and tired so they would take a good nap before the wedding and so I could sneak in a trip to IKEA with my mom and Aunt Janie.  Love that store! 
2:30 came quickly as that was our assigned time to be there for pictures.  Again, nervous about Alea-she is a very sweet little girl but is very strong willed and does what she wants to do!  And once again, she frowned, glared, and cried during the pictures...not one single smile...all while Ev is posing perfectly. HA!  Those pics will be fun to look back on.  As the wedding started, I was all poised to take pictures, but only got one of them as I had to put the camera down to tell Ev to let go of Alea-which he did, and they ended up both calmly walking down the aisle.  So sweet.  Evan was so proud of how he did.  The wedding was beautiful and I couldn't be happier for my cuz and her hubby.  They are a match made in heaven and I could just feel the love and happiness between them. 
The reception was seriously amazing-so elegant and in a very hip spot in Minneapolis-The Profile Event Center.  It was kind of like a night club and my kids loved all the lights bouncing around and dancing to the music.  I loved every second even though it did get difficult as the night wore on-we didn't want to leave the fun party, but as it neared 10 pm, my kids were on the verge of a complete meltdown.  All you parents know what I am talking about. 
Anyways, enjoy some pics below and congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Derrick and Emily Grams.  May God bless you with a lifetime of love and happiness together.  And just remember, love is a choice!  You are not always going to FEEL like loving each other (I know from experience :) ), but believe me, CHOOSE to love, you will be glad you did. 

She went on this carousel about a hundred times

All alone! Alea wasn't tall enough to ride this one...

Como Zoo!

Rehearsing for their big moment

me and my handsome lil man

The bride gave her Princess Belle for being the flower girl-do you think she likes it?  haha...

The bride and Ev (Alea was crying off to the side)

Alea didn't change this look off her face for one pic...

After this I set the camera down to tell Ev to let go of her and just walk!

party time!

me and the hubby

My cousin Emily and her new hubby Derrick with my mom and dad! 

Thankful Tuesday-Fall, Wedding, Trip to Minneapolis Edition!

1.  Cool mornings
2.  Warm afternoons
3.  The AMAZING orchard we go to every year! *Center Grove Orchard!
4.  Alone time on the jumping pillow with my kiddos!  So fun!
5.  Yummy, crisp apples
6.  Fall=some of my favorite tv shows finally returning with all new episodes!
7.  IKEA cinnamon rolls
8.  1 Bedroom suites at hotels-genius with young children, no creeping around at 8 in the dark because your kids are sleeping!
9.  My kids got to be the ringbearer and flowergirl at my cousins wedding this past weekend in Minneapolis
10.  Free, delicious breakfast at the hotel that I didn't have to make or clean up!
11.  Lots of help from my parents during the wedding weekend. 
12.  Dances with my kids.
13.  My cousin found a wonderful man who really loves her! 
14.  Got to hang out with my Grandma and Aunt Chrissy for a while!
15.  How handsome my hubby looks all dressed up!
16.  Safe travels to and from Minnesota.
17.  Great little finds at IKEA-love that place.
18.  The look of freshly cut grass.
19.  A great start to our Titus Bible study at church-I wish we met more than once a week-so encouraging to me each week!
20.  The inspiration of the Shunnamite woman from the Bible-she was hospitable without expecting anything in return! 

Romans 1:21
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Don't forget to thank God for the many blessings He has given you this week! 

Thankful Tuesday-Double Scoop

I am not going to offer any more excuses for not posting every week...it is what is, but I really do write my list in a journal, I just don't always get it posted.  So, here is a double scoop of gratitude...every week I wonder if making this list is going to be difficult, but it never is! We serve a mighty God who never ceases to amaze me in big and small ways.
1. Hawk eye football-this was print to the unmentionable loss to that other Iowa team, but, I still do love the black and gold!
2. Cyclone football-I know, funny after my last post, but I really do like them, just not against Iowa.
3. A great deal at Kohls-3 Lauren Conrad dresses for $30 total!
4. Caring neighbors(thanks Sam for rescuing my wandering son!)
5. Again, Pandora-I love learning the names of songs and artists because usually I am horrible at that.
6. Total darkness for sleep
7. CG picnics in the rain
8. The support system of other believers
9.  The book "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. Wow.
10. Groceries from SAMs Club bought by my in-laws.
11. Digital cameras
12. Gods safekeeping of my kids.
13. My hubby's S'mores, he melts the chocolate to perfection.
14. Words with Friends-keeps me connected with my mom daily
15. the book of James
16. Timely message about Gods plans over our own
17. Meal planning going faster and getting easier!
18. Yogurt for .29!
19. My kids friends
20. I get to watch godly women and men in action!
21. Pumpkin lattes from Stbx!
22. Getting to watch a friend and sister in Christ get baptized!
23. Riding in a convertible-I just love them!
24. Time with my bestie-Erin, she just makes me smile! So glad God put her in my life 6 years ago.
25. Evan starting Awana!
26. For the awesome workers at Awana who care about each child!
27. Mission Emphasis Sunday
28. The perfect message I needed to hear even though I didn't want to hear it!
29. My friend Diana teaching me to sew! So kind!
30. My new fun scarf that I sewed.
31. Skippyjohn Jones books-hilarious!
32. More good deals at garage sales!
33. Inspiration to do busy bags for the kids
34. Breeze through the house
35. Titus started up again today!!!
36. My hubby had a shift day off yesterday.
37. My high school friends son got the transplant he needed!
38. A scheduled and now booked trip to Hawaii-thanks to my in-laws!
39. The amazing house we get to stay in when we are there.
40. Also for scheduling to meet my parents in LA to take Ev to Cars Land-he is going to flip!

Whew....that was a lot, I could keep going as things pop into my mind, but Parenthood is about to start, haha! Love that show!
Psalm 119:62
At midnight I will rise to give thanks to you, because of your righteous judgements.

I prayed and...

1 week ago today was a very long and difficult night in our house...My husband who suffers from Crohn's was being struck with the usual pain that sends him straight to the ER and kept at the hospital for 5 or 6 days...  I know this, because it has happened about 5 times in the last 10 years that I have been with him.  The first two times ended in surgeries, the last 3 just ended with more questions than answers in how to fix the problem.  See, surgery could help remove the blockage that causes him pain, but it would cause more scar tissue, which then could result in another blockage.  And so the cycle goes.  Going to the hospital is no fun for him or me...He has to lie in bed, get a tube down his nose through his throat, eat nothing for 5 days, and generally just be in pain.  I have to still take care of our kids and our house so I am stuck going back and forth between the hospital and home.  Now, I want to preface all this too by saying, we are fortunate that Crohns is a disease that is not fatal.  It is difficult to live with and presents him and I with struggles, but nothing like what some of you are or might be going through.
Anyways, I am going to get to the good part.  GOD ANSWERED PRAYER.  I have never prayed so hard in my life for God to heal my husband.  Thankfully, my parents were here and they could take care of our kids, which helped me to completely focus on Mickey (again, I know God anticipated this as I wouldn't have been able to care for him like I did had I needed to deal with the kids).  After supper is when he got the look on his face that I know all too well.  Many times walking around and a good strong cup of coffee helps his stomach to unkink and relax, so we went to Target as it was raining and they have a Starbucks.  We paced for about an hour with no relief.  So we headed home...next, we tried some self-medication (i.e. alcohol) to numb the pain, which worked, but also made him sick as we don't ever drink!  Next up, we tried some good ole chew, yes you read that correctly, I went to the Kum and Go and bought my first can of chew-talk about a fish out of water!  Just smelling chew usually makes him (for lack of a more polite term) puke so we thought it might help relieve some of the pressure on his stomach.  This didn't really work at the time...so we decided to lay in bed and by this time, we were both extremely stressed and worried we were going to still end up at the hospital.  In desperation, I prayed, no, a better word would be willed the Lord to use His healing hands and unkink the blockage.  For two hours, I prayed...and then drifted off to sleep, to be woken up again, by my husband writhing in pain, so back to praying I would go, and back to sleep I would go, when finally about 4 in the morning, he threw up, laid down, and immediately was asleep.  He would stay this way till about 10 the next morning.  WOW...only God!  Every other time he has had this pain, it has ended with him in the hospital, but this time, only by God's goodness, he was about completley healed by 7 the next night. 
I just hope I am getting across the message that this was nothing that I or my husband did, yes, it was us that prayed and believed, but it was God who showed up last weekend in a miraculous way. He is there and He is listening and He does care.  All I did was have faith in God who can do anything!  I love this verse!  We tend to put God in a box, but our minds can't even fathom all He is capable of doing.
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.   

A few more verses I want to share about healing and faith:
Matthew 9:20 Jesus turned, and seeing her, he said, "take heart daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
Mark 10:52 And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
Acts 14:9-10 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, "stand upright on your feet". And he sprang up and began walking.

Just like the people that Jesus healed in the Bible, I had faith  I hope that your faith will be renewed after reading this.  God is good!

Thankful Tuesday

Didnt post last week I know...that doesn't mean I wasn't thankful, I was just busy getting ready for a garage sale.  I was feeling the itch to declutter and with my parents coming to visit, I knew I would have extra help with the kiddos.  Anyways, here is my list from over the last two weeks...
1.  Curious George, both my kids love that monkey!
2. Subbing for the 1st time went really well!
3. Church picnic fun...
4. My mom always shopping for me! (love my new shoes mom!)
5. Enjoying watching The Help for the second time with my parents...
6. Successful garage sale-decluttered and made a little cash!
7. The birth of Miss Reagan Heilman!  You took your time and made your momma wait but we are so glad you are finally here!
8. Time to exercise.
9. The still dark sky at night
10. Tasty Tacos
11. Seeing previews of the show "Parenthood"-love that show and thought it was canceled but it isn't!
12. Dinner with our friends the Smiths and getting to hear about their time in Zambia
13. My son's squeeze huggers!
14. Meal planning-takes the guesswork out of it for me so I don't get stressed!
15. A friends honesty, love, and support
16.  A dresser bought off Craigslist for cheap and redone by my hubby to be super cute for Aleas room!
17. I get to teach and watch my son in awe as he picks things up so easily
18. Dance parties to "Call Me Maybe"
19.  Digging into God's Word with my small group
20. Complete healing of my husband after a night of prayer (blog post to come!)
Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving  and into His courts with praise
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.

Thankful Tuesday-on time with 2 hours to spare!

1.  A few days of cooler weather, it felt so good and was much needed!
2.  Pandora-love cleaning while singing along to my favorite worship songs...it makes cleaning bearable!
3.  Finally getting to go to our church after being gone for a few weeks.
4.  Moments of brushing Alea's hair...
5.  Getting into the State Fair for FREE in the Nick of Time! :) all my running I do finally paid off!
6.  Kind, fun Sunday school teachers for our kids
7.  Amazing worship time @church, you never know when a song is just going to hit you!
8.  Amazing message on being wise from PJ!  (soooooo needed, I totally failed his wise test!)
9.  Leaders in our church who take the time to shepherd us NOT because they have to, because they genuinely care about the flock
10.  For finding adorable, little, tiny bracelets and neclaces to give to Alea for Christmas @ Target on clearance!
11.  Ev and Alea-their love for each other.
12.  For the crazy/busyness of summer
13.  Possibilities
14.  Hope
15.  Awesome friends who watch our kids in a pinch!
16.  Kind words said about our kids.
17.  Cheap cute scarve @Target
18.  I don't have to report back to school this week, 2nd year of being a stay at home wife/mom!
19.  Along with the last one, my hubby for doing an awesome job of providing for us!
20.  For God supplying our financial needs in ways that are so cool!

1 Chronicles 16:34
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Adventureland time!

Last week, we got to go to Adventureland thanks to my generous in-laws!  Mickey's family from Philly was in town because of his grandma (Oma's) 80th bday bash and they have 3 young kids so Adventureland was the place to go.  I know Oma loved having all 6 (well 7, if you count the one in my sister in laws tummy!) of her great grandchildren around her for her bday.  It doesn't happen that often.  And my kids LOVED it...wow. From the moment we got there, we didn't stop going on rides, they didn't even ask for snack or juice or even lunch!  We had to drag them away for nap, then we had to wake them up because they were sleeping so long and we needed to get back to meet up with the family. Night was the same, ride after ride.  Ev loved the Gallion, I couldn't even believe he went on that thing...They both went on the Log Ride and loved getting soaked.  Alea's favorite was the teacups which made me extremely dizzy! 
I loved being able to watch my kids faces light up in excitement and thrill and I was truly amazed and a little terrified at how brave they were...It reminded me that while it is my job to keep them safe but ultimately there is only so much I can do...they are each their own person and I just have to be consistent in my prayer that God's will be done in their life. 
Here are some pics of my crazy kiddos!

Mickey and Ev on the Gallion-I did put my fut down to Alea going on this, she is so skinny, I thought she might just fly right out!

1st Log ride ever, they loved it!

The landing...safe and sound

Of course, they chose the fire truck!

Opa and Ev on the bumper cars, Ev loved these even though I don't think Opa did since Ev kept banging into everyone!

We even got Old Oma to ride the log ride with us!

Ferris Wheel!

Raging River-Alea wasn't tall enough for this one so just Daddy and Ev!