no time to talk

I told myself at the beginning of the week that since I had so much to do I wouldn't let myself blog until I got it all done (you know, part of the whole "balance, prioritize" thing) SO, because I'm not finished with everything yet unfortunalty I don't have time to tell you about my trip to King's Dominion that I took with just Madison the other day...

I wouldn't be able to tell you how proud I was of myself for overcoming my rollercoater fear. I'm just too daggon stubborn to allow fear to keep me from what I used to love so much. But unfortunately I don't have time to tell you about that or how when we first got there & I saw this...

...& I almost passed out because I knew it was the first ride on the list of coasters that I had already promised Maddy I would ride with her. I wouldn't have time to tell you that I closed my eyes the entire time we clinked our way up that big ol' hill...

and flipped through that big ol' loop...

I'm pretty sure I blacked out for a moment or two from sheer terror. Thankfully, I survived (obviously) 

I also don't have time to tell you that after I rode that I conquered these as well...

I say I was so proud of myself because by the end of the day I talked Maddy into riding on the FRONT seat of the very one that scared me so bad at the beginning of the day...

AND I kept my eyes open the entire time... but we don't have time to go into those kind of details!

I also don't have time to talk about our recent hopscotch adventures...

OR share how I finally captured a picture of those 2 tiny teeth....

SO, I'll just say Hi instead & ask that you say a prayer for the upcoming missions trip!

OK, I'm off to study...

(No glamour here people)

like I did ALL day Saturday- "AKA- the kid's "Entertain Yourself Day"... but we don't have time to go into all that, now do we? 

zoomin'

Is it just me or is this summer zooming by. It’s so cliché, but so true… time flies when you’re having fun... and fun we are having! This summer has been so wonderful. I have really enjoyed my kiddos (& everyone else's for that matter) this summer!

I’m looking at the calendar & realizing that we have about 5 weeks left before school starts back. 2 of those weeks we will be out of town! 

Our New York City Missions trip is coming up the 1^st week in August (we leave NEXT weekend... woo hoo) & then we are going on family vacation. You heard it right folks… family vacation for FREEEEE (OK, that was an Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories impression… get it?) Moving right along. Yes a family vacation & we are so darn excited. Stephen decided to take an extra week off when we get back. SO we will stay in Kentucky (with the in-laws, which is where the kiddos will be while we are in NYC) for a few days and then we are going to hit the river. You heard it right folks… the river (OK, played out… scratch that last part) My aunt & uncle have offered us their place at the river. Remember… the place where my little ol’ heart is happy as can be?!? Yes, THAT ONE! 

I’m so daggon excited (I think I already said that). This week is going to be busy though. I have to pack, clean, laundry, and STUDY. I have a test & my final this week... plus a few other things to do to get ready for the trip.

God is so good though. Through our fundraising (rummage sale & coffee sales) the entire trip is paid in full WITH spending money. And to think... I actually stood in front of the team during our first team meeting & told them NOT to count on the fundraising to bring ALL of the money in. Don't listen to me, what do I know?!?... oh yea of little faith. Thank you Jesus! 

The trip will mostly be a work trip (soup kitchens, homeless shelters, under privileged kids etc.) We’ll also get the opportunity to share the gospel, pray for the sick… basically sharing the love of Jesus wherever we go! We partnered up with an organization called CSM. Our pastors have charged us with the task of bringing home as much useful knowledge as possible. So I plan to gain as much from the leadership of these different ministries as possible, with the hopes that we can implement some of it in our city! 

I’m stoked about this trip & I know God is going to do some awesome things! 

Even though I will be with Stephen on the trip there isn’t going to be much down time. Our week is pretty jam packed with ministry opportunities. SO I can’t wait to steal him from work the week after for our family vacation. 

YIPPEE! 

who needs a baby book when ya got a blog

That's what I always say (OK, I don't... but seriously, by the time the 3rd one rolls around who keeps a baby book anyway... I mean really?) 

Hmmm, let's see here... 

1st smile. I'd say that was around 1 & 1/2 months or so...

1st giggle... I'm thinking 2 or 3 months. Somewhere around there sounds about right. 

1st time she ate baby food. Wait, I KNOW that. I remember because I blogged about it here. 3 days before she turned 4 months. Score! 

1st time she rolled over and 1st time she sat up. The average timing for those sort of things is around 3 to 4 or 5 months. So, yeah, that sounds about right. Wait, I know she did both of those before she crawled & she crawled at 7 months, so... confirmed. 

I know she crawled for the 1st time around 7 months because I have a dated video that says so... 

this wasn't the 1st time she crawled, but definitely one of the 1st... I think.  

1st word was "dada" @ 6 1/2 months. How could I forget, my heart was crushed. 

mama & bye bye are now a part of her vocabulary as well... even though I'm pretty sure she has absolutely no idea what she is saying (except for mama... of course!) 

Ummm, what else. Oh, 1st time she pulled herself up. Well, this picture was taken June 11th...

& I remember that I took this picture b/c I was so excited (but apparently not excited enough to actual WRITE the date down) that she had just pulled herself up. So that means she was 7 1/2 months when she pulled herself up for the 1st time. 

1st time she played the piano. EASY.. 8 months...

Oh, you didn't know I had a baby genius?!?!

Reece turned 9 months yesterday & her latest tricks include... Pointing, mimicking, waving bye bye & blowing kisses...

We found a tooth about 3 weeks ago (bottom middle)... 

We just discovered a 2nd tooth a few days ago, right beside it. 

She is also eating a little bit of table food, in addition to the regular baby food. We started her on baby puffs & now she eats peas, cut up carrots, mashed potatoes, ice cream cones...

You know, the baby basics. 

Happy 9 months my sweet little Reece! 

Boy am I glad I documented all of that before I forgot! Gosh, I'm such a good mom {patting myself on the back}

A little Noah wisdom for ya...

Day 1: Adam & Eve 

"Choose you this day whom you will serve;... but as for me & my house, we WILL serve the Lord!" (Joshua 24:15) 

As long as you remain connected to God you receive the life of God. When Adam & Eve chose to disobey God they disconnected from God's life source... Stay Connected!

Day 2: David & Goliath 

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is HE that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4) 

You will face many Goliaths in your life, but God will ALWAYS be there to help you overcome whatever you are faced with. 

Day 3: Joseph

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." (1 Peter 5:6) 

No matter how big your dreams seem or look today, never give up, never lose hope, God will bring it to pass at the right time. 

Day 4: Peter & John 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and has anointed me to preach." (Luke 4:18)

God wants to use ordinary people like you & I to minister God's grace and love to hurting people in the world. Many people look to the world for remedies or solutions to their problems, but Jesus is the answer to every problem we face. 

Day 5: Jesus 

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) 

Jesus loves you & wants you to live and be with Him in Heaven throughout eternity. Some people will say that there are many ways to get to Heaven, but the Bible teaches us there is only 1 way & that's through Jesus! 

THE END (of 2009 VBS, that is) 

Whew! 

House Guest & God's Protection!

Meet Jacob & Preston...

They are 2 of my friend Robin's kids (they have 5!). They will be staying with us this week. Robin & her husband are going on a much needed & much deserved trip out of town! 

This week is also VBS week! The kids couldn't be more excited! As far as my VBS project... I'm feeling a lot better about the skits. All actors are assigned & scripts have been distributed. We had rehearsal Saturday night & all the actors did a great job. Now my BIG focus is on costumes & props... Everything is coming together nicely. 

My friend Linda said that I was brave for taking on 2 extra kids this week in addition to Israel. I think she was being polite though... I'm sure brave wasn't exactly the word she was looking for. Ahem. 

It should be quite an interesting week to say the least!

VBS HERE WE COME! 

____________________

In other news...

I am feeling very thankful this evening. A good portion of my family hit the beach this morning... A quaint little beach that we all used to go to when we were kids. I was really bummed that we weren't able to make it... but I knew I would be knee deep in VBS prep & wouldn't be able to get away. They had a great time until the rain & wind started...

A twister came though! Thank GOD they are all OK!!! Some people took shelter in the vehicles, but a lot of them huddled on the ground under the picnic shelter. They said the rain & winds were horrendous & the sound was so loud. A lot of them got hit with flying objects. My dad laid over my mom & the adults protected the children by laying over them.

Here are some aftermath pics that I snagged off of my cousin's Facebook...

My mom said she felt so helpless & all she could do was lay there under my dad & pray  "Dear God, please keep us safe!" And that He did...

Thank you Lord for protecting my family today!  

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

And fun we had! 

THE INVITE: 

Are you ladies ready for a TOTALLY RAD time?!?

Take a break from the kiddos & join us for 80's Skate Night!!!

We'll have dinner @  6:30p & then head to The Skateland for a TOTALLY TUBULAR time. 

MUST wear your gaudiest 80's get-up... you know... leg warmers, big hair, stone washed jeans and EVERYTHING NEON... don't forget your BRIGHT eye-shadow.

It's gonna be a FRESH time... so DON'T MISS IT! 
(open to all, so invite a friend if you wanna)

And a TOTALLY RAD time it was! 

70's night anyone?