My Determined Little Boy!

Aiden started really riding his bike (with training wheels) when we moved into our new home in February. He would go up and down our long sidewalk whenever he could (as it was still winter and we had two ice overs). He kept telling us he was going to ride with out training wheels soon...

By April 20th when this video was taken he rode with out training wheels and hasn't turned back since!! Determined. He is now able to ride over grass, dirt, bumpy roads... he leans at turns and even stands up with his booty off seat and legs stiff as he just coast down the street!! lol I was so proud of him and even more thankful this milestone happened on video.  Three and a half years old with NO training wheels after just two months of bike riding! 

 We entered him into the Mighty Guy Little Tri here in Hernando in May. It was his first time to do it, and he thought he was so cool participating in an actual race! lol He was the ONLY three year old who raced with out training wheels and was even ahead of the pack! So many words of encouragement and claps from people that day for our little boy. Made this mom so proud FOR him as I realized just how big of a deal it was he met his goal of getting those off at his age.

He then ventured on to swimming lessons! This video was the end of his five day swim lessons with Mrs Melissa. Such a wonderful teacher. He is doing so good here too and really likes the water. Love watching my little fish swim under water.

Now, check this out!! 

Love this one from today at the pool with family. Still swimming strong and giving a thumps up under water!

Encouragements

Today, I felt led to just post some quotes, verses, etc that I have read on a daily devotional calendar. Enjoy!

God isn't disappointed in our failures; He delights in our attempts. - Bob Goff

Our lives hold no details too small for God's care and attention. If the Lord cares enough to count the hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7), He cares enough to steer our smaller, day -to-day choices.  - Kristin Smith 

My desire is to be a mother who continually points her children to the infallible word of God as the only truth, the only answer to all cultural, political and cocietal answers. I want to be a mother who loves and encourages unconditionally, yet delicately balances grace and truth when they fail. 
With their world and life view being challenged at every intersection, this solid foundation is something that takes time, but that can't be overlooked.  - Jennifer Schmidt

We spend our lives constantly seeking more of everything, except the one thing we should be seeking more of. Him. So today I throw my wish list in the fire. I surrender to the fact that there is One who provides all of my needs... He is enough. He is what we need more of.  - Sarah Hawbaker

A sufficient grace makes our weakness our power.  - Amber Haines

My mess if the perfect place for His glory.  - Kristen Welch

Sisters, let's choose to choose joy and come together to form the community that we all need... and journey through this life together.  - C.C. Almon

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  -Colossians 3:12-14 NIV

But at the end of it all, it won't matter what church we've gone to or how many women's Bible studies we've attended. 
It will matter, I believe, how we let Him infuse our days with Himself and how we allow ourselves to be taught by the little, beautiful things in life. And I think it will matter, at the end, how we choose to live with Jesus every day.  - Sarah Markley

This is the secret to friendship that last a lifetime: loving someone-really loving them-and not being afraid to let them know.  - Deidra Riggs

Cash all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.  - 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

When you are open and looking and searching, you realize things don't have to be perfect to be beautiful. You start to see the beauty in the imperfect. You start to find beauty in the messy. You are gifted a change in your perspective. Because God is good, Because He does not make mistakes. Because He makes it ALL beautiful.  - Jennifer, StudioJRU.com

You don't have to be a teacher, a parent, a pastor, or a doctor to make a positive difference in the life of a child. You only have to be willing!  - Dr Wess Stafford

When my focus is on myself and all that I think needs to be done in a day, I stop focusing on what God has placed as gifts right in front of me in my family. Smiles and laughter, hugs and love, encouragement and respect. These are the things that I need to be intentional about every day with my family. These are the things that I want them to remember about me.  - Kristin Smith

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destoryed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in Heaven, not built by human hands.  - 2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV

Just remember that God is on your team and He adores you and your children. He will be faithful to you.  - Sally Clarkson

Bad moments don't make bad Mamas.  - Lysa Terkeurst

Home is much more than four walls and a familiar neighborhood. Home is the God who understands each of the unique languages, thoughts, hopes and dreams of our individual hearts.  - Lisa-Jo Baker

Beauty is the state of the heart, not the hair.  - @incourage

Who I thought I would be as a mother involved a lot more twirling and dancing.
The reality of motherhood often looks nothing like that.  - Rachel Swenson Balducci

Sometimes, home is a soft place to land and other times, home is a tough mess in need of restoration. One thing that home never needs to be is empty.  - Angela Nazworth
 

All this came from the daily devotion calendar (in) courage - the art of motherhood by Dayspring  between months of Janurary to June.

www.incourageme.com

Daughters of the One True King!

I am a daughter of the the One True King! How awesome is that? Saved by His grace, washed clean, forgiven, and adopted. I can call Him "Abba Father!" Oh how wonderful. Can you say you are a daughter of the One True King? Please, if you can't say that you have asked Jesus into your heart and call God your Father, ask me (or someone you know) and I will be glad to share with you how you can live for eternity praising Him who saved you!!

Our pastor, Bro Wade (LPBC) gave a great sermon on Mother's Day! Full of things we as daughters of the King should be and do. A challenge to us all... some of our hubbies said in Connect this past week "that sermon wasn't just for the women" it was packed with convictions for them as well. I will share a little of  what it was about.

Daughters of The King.

A Biblical woman is Spirit-filled (Ephesians 5:18), fears the Lord (Proverbs 31:30), finds her identity and satisfaction in Christ Alone (Colossians 3:3-4), understands true beauty (1 Peter 3:3-5), and lives with a passion for God's glory in the home (Titus 2:3-5), and among the nations (Psalm 96:3). 

Wow. A lot to think about in such a small paragraph. Are we doing these things? Are we living like that? Does our spirit reflect Christ in our home... in public? Does our passion for God show? 

We, as women , have a great impact on our home. We can set the tone for the whole family. Haven't you ever heard the saying, "If Momma ain't happy, no one is happy." Its true! The way we act, talk, and extend grace is important. We should glorify Christ in all things. The way we step out of bed can greatly impact our day, which in turn affects our children(s) and husbands day too. Beth Moore has challenged us (in a recent Bible study I'm doing) to fall on our faces every morning. Wow! How great if we just PRAY with all we have each morning before we get out bed. If we set our minds on things above, have a spirit filled with peace, and extend our grace to our family imagine what can come of that. Can we be so filled with Christ that everyone sees it? Can we be so full of peace and grace that our family gets nothing but from us?

I  want my home to be one that serves the Lord (Joshua 24:15) in all things. Do you?

Back to the part I started with, "Can you say you are a daughter of the One True King?"

If you can't say with confidence "YES" then you are missing out. You are here for a purpose, don't miss what God has in place for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). Don't waste another minute on thinking you are not good enough, pretty enough, loved enough, and so on. You are, but none of us are a part from Gods grace (Romans 3:10). His mercy is new every day. We are forgiven in Christ.



The only way to God is through Jesus, His son (John 14:6). We have to acknowledge that we have sinned, and we need a Savior. That Jesus is the only way to Heaven and we believe in Him. Repent of your sins and ask God to come into your life and save you. Wash you clean, make you new and help you live a life pleasing to Him. God did this for you and for me.

"I will be a Father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me says the Lord Almighty." - 2 Corinthians 6:8

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Romans 10:13
 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going. ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:1-6

"There is no one righteous, no not even one..." - Romans 3:10

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15 

News today...

In today's news there is so much report of crime and sadness. It is rather depressing to turn on the evening news or log into media sites that are bombarded with links to "stories" sharing sad news.  This world is going south fast. We need Jesus. My devotional today was about "Media Messages" from the book How Deep a Mother's Love... Devotional Journey. What good quick reads for the busy mom! I got mine at Lifeway if you want to pick up a copy for yourself.  Let me share with you excerpts from the devotional (I have highlighted in blue) and a summary of my thoughts about what it says..

"Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on earth." Colossians 3:2

"Sometimes it's hard being a woman of faith, especially when the world keeps pumping out messages that are contrary to your beliefs."

Have you ever noticed that the media focuses on outward beauty, fame, riches, and such? Things of this world?  I can't say they never send out a prayer or encouraging link to a "good" story but its rare. When they do, have you ever noticed the comments from people below being so controversial? So degrading? Judgemental? Its sad. When you read those comments you see just how far from Christ the people and this world really are.

"Because you live in the 21st century, you are relentlessly bombarded by media messages that are contrary to your faith." 

Don't let the world convince you to thinking that a certain weight, hair color, appearance, job, number of children, car, house, etc is the right or wrong. God made us all different in different stages in life. Whether you have one child or seven... the biggest house in the nicest neighborhood or an older small house in the midst of the country... you work a full-time job or stay home and raise your children... you eat what you want or diet and  the scale isn't moving... you are healthy or battling a illness... you drive a new top rated car or one that used and beat up... we are all children of GOD and in the end of this life on earth it won't matter one bit. None of it! We can't take material things with us. We will get a new body in Heaven. We answer to God alone.  Why focus all your time on what the world does/says. Don't let the lies of this world depress you, or give you a big head. Let's read the Bible and dig deeper to see what He says is right. Let's store up treasures in Heaven and not on earth (Matthew 6:19-21).  Let's let people see Jesus in us and not our material things.

I am not saying its easy, or that we will never want stuff we don't need. I know Im not perfect at this but I am striving to give all my focus north (toward Heaven) instead of south (toward the pits of Hell).

"The more we stuff ourselves with material pleasures, the less we seem to appreciate life." - Barbara Johnson

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

Security

Do you feel secure? Secure in your relationships. Secure in your walk with Christ. Secure in your house. Secure in your new business adventure. Secure in your role as a Mother.  And so on...

"But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil."

-Proverbs 1:33

Feelings of security are everywhere. This world makes it harder and harder to push those feelings aside. The more that happens bad around us or to us, the more the news reports of evil in the world, the more advancement in technology - well you get the point - the more we feel insecure about our safety. Things have changed so much since the 1900s and I can't even begin to imagine what the world will be like  another century from now (if God allows us to be here that long). There is one thing that will never chance and that is GOD. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). If you let Him, He will secure all your needs (Philippians 4:19). Notice I said NEEDS and not WANTS. We as humans can get those mixed up sometimes. We want a lot more than we need and we get a lot more than we deserve. I know, I am right there too. Contentment is a big problem in today's time. That comes for another day and another post because its something I am doing a devotion on as well. I think the lack of being content in your life is one reason why so many people become criminals or do evil things. They want a  way to get ahead, have more, be more, do more - they just don't do it the right way. So, the need for us who do the right thing and have what  we do (aside from God allowing us to) from working hard have to go a step beyond to protect it.

"However, as Christians we can still know and enjoy the peace of God in this insecure world." 

- Excerpt from More Faith in My Day  by Emilie Barnes

How true is this statement. Our faith goes beyond the insecurities of the earth. Things here will pass away and be destroyed. There will be evil, sin, and Satan lurking beyond every corner.  Christians, we have a promise and a place prepared for us that is everlasting and free of sin/evil. I am happy to know that our God cares enough to do that for us. If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please message me or someone you trust and talk about it. Don't let your insecurities of life and faith go down with the world...

Women Have Fragile Strength

Why did I pick that post title? Honestly, it just came to me when I decided to write about this topic below. I think women are fragile yet strong! Just that. We are fragile in our emotions. They get the best of us. They consume us sometimes. They break us at times and they pick us up sometimes too.  Yet, we are stronger because of this. Our emotions make us a strong force too. We have strength in many areas... mentally, physically, emotionally, verbally, etc.  How we handle our emotions and strength is what makes us.

I had bought the book, by Lysa Terkeurst, Unglued  a year ago and have not made it very far. How far have I read? I made it to the third chapter on a few different occasions. Yes, chapter three is all I get to time and time again! I get that far then get busy and put it down not to pick it up again for months then I start over and stop in the same spot.  Well, I picked up the book tonight and headed to the jacuzzi where I made myself read the first three chapters AGAIN to refresh; although, I knew it word for word at this point! I did that so I didn't miss anything. Those first few chapters lead you into what the books about and I wanted to be reminded and reflect that I am not alone in this issue. I think every time in the past I get stuck because I am busy - busy - busy and come unglued in life situations and when I walk by the book I don't want to face that fact... That's me! I mean how many of us hold it together after four hours of sleep the night before and by mid day we have a screaming child, the phones ringing, the house is dirty, dinner is boiling over on the stove, and the dog is using the bathroom in the floor... ALL AT THE SAME TIME! This time I am moving past that stopping point of chapter three. I don't want to become the woman of crazy emotions going all over the place. Heck, its hard to do at times when your hormones are highly off track from your miscarriage and after two years of dealing with that and trying to get medicine to work in regulating it and nothing is working so far that you would think I could adjust to my new hormonal self causing more mixed emotion... but I haven't. That last long probably miss-punctuated sentence is not my excuse but its my REALITY.  I want to feel balance and grace in my actions not just some days, but everyday! I want to control my emotions not have them control me. I want to be able to react like a woman of grace all the time like I do half of the time. I can hold it together great some days and I feel confident and accomplished.  Others I ask -  How am I making it day to day - How much more does God think I can juggle - Why are my emotions all over the place - Is this really that bad why can't I shake this...  Are you with me yet? Its hard but it can be easy too. We have to DECIDE to react to things differently.  This I am working on! I am praying. I am praying some more and digging into devotionals, Gods word, etc.  Reading this wonderful woman of Christ opens up about her struggle in this area and how God helped her manage it is encouraging.

I am now going to face this book and see what some Godly views are to help in "making wise choices in the midst of raw emotions." (excerpt quote from Unglued) 

If you are reading this, lets make a pact not to let minds fill up which causes us to become more fragile. Give room to stay so strong in all situations. To be able to think and decide to react in a way that is pleasing to The Lord. Let's take a step back and say no to things coming onto our plate, let's lay down on the couch while our kid(s) sleep to refresh our bodies, let's open the Bible or devotion any quiet moment we get, let's order take out one night to give ourselves a break from cooking and so on.

 I am a woman of fragile strength. Are you?

Playing Catch Up!

1. We have now moved into our new home that took only a little over four months to build. God was our contractor for sure! We could have never done it with out His direction and grace through it. A lot of blood, sweat, tears, and late nights spent but it was worth it. We love our home and still doesn't seem real to be here. We sold our other home before we even moved out, another God thing, and closed just four days after we moved out. Sure not worthy of this wonderful new journey God has put us on. Here is an updated picture from my last post (which I will leave out the MANY pictures in between. lol)

2.  The "Great Debate" was solved. HAHA! I chose dark cabinets with light island and LOVE it.

3. Aiden's check up for his 6 month Ortho  visit happened in October and they found the spot was back again. Yes, its appeared back on the x rays... but small. The doctor doesn't think its anything to worry with still and is even considering it to be fluid filled where it fills up and drains. This would help explain the whole growth and disappearance then re appearance cyst. We go back in May for another follow up. God is in control and I still trust and lean on the fact He knows exactly! Praising HIM that it isn't causing pain this time though.

4.  To refer back to one of my previous post about a devotional. I bought the Jesus Calling  book and started reading it last year around Jan. I quit in March when I felt it was controversial on some days of wording and the fact the author used things in first person... from GODS perspective/words! Not my cup of tea; although, it did have some uplifting points and days I needed to read what it had to say at that time. I just didn't feel as though I should continue it. Lately I have heard flack about the book and reasons not to read... So?! 

5. I have had a tugging in my heart to start keeping up with my blog again. Why? Because I had tried to keep it Christ focused and encouraging in The Word. (Sometimes I get off track, but its still my personal blog) I want to speak truth and spread the gospel through this. I want to help others going through tough times or just encourage those trying to do the same and give God the glory in all things. I am not that great at it, but if God leads them to me He will help me find what to say. When I posted my Gracen  post over two years ago my blog jumped in numbers. I had people messaging me to talk and ask questions on I dealt with miscarriage. People who said "Thank you for sharing your story it helped me during my miscarriage" and others who opened up with things in their life that they have faced and not been able to share. To know God brought all that into play through me giving that part of my life fully out there its helped only a dozen people... and hopefully more than I know about... is amazing! I felt bad for not sharing sooner because I could have missed an opportunity to reach out to someone God wanted me to cross paths with. The point is..., hold nothing back. Share your story. Its your testimony!