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.