Day 24: New Clothes

This might be a surprise to everyone out there, but I'm not the fondest of my post-pregnancy body. My wardrobe as of late consists of sweats and one of my husband’s t-shirts. Totally great for the comfort factor but an F- in the fashion category. My kids dress better than I do! So, today my Mother-in-law and I popped the babies in the stroller and hit The Wiregrass shops. I got a couple new tops and 2 pairs of pants that fit. I feel like a new woman. Maybe I'll stay hip like my kids.

Today I'm grateful for some new clothes.

Day 23: Best Buddies

It's really the cutest thing I have ever seen.  Chase and Zaya have discovered each other.  Crazy that they have been together for so long and have just now discovered each other.  It's so fun to watch.  They are lying right next to each other and just kicking away not noticing anything then their eyes finally meet and it's as though they have met their best friend.  They start smiling and talking to each other.  One will lend the other a hand to suck on and the other obliges gratefully.  They kick and wave their hands with excitement.  They have just met their best friend.  I'm so excited to watch their relationship grow. 

Today I'm grateful my babies are Best Buddies.

Day 22: Cuddle Time

Most mornings after the babies have a little play time they start to fuss just a little and this is what I've come to know as cuddle time. They want Mommy to hold them until they fall asleep. They want cuddle time. I pick them up and their whole bodies relax as they get right in the right spot to cuddle. I love it! I love holding them. I love loving them. I love taking care of them. I know the day will come when they will be to busy for me to hold them or too big so I want to take every opportunity I can to do so.

As I look at them during cuddle time I'm astounded at their tininess. Every part of them is so small. I hold their feet in my hands. Feet that I pray take them around the world one day. I hold their little bodies in my arms and I know one day they won't fit there anymore. Infants are so tiny, so delicate, so vulnerable, so dependant. I can't believe this is the way we all started. We all started completely dependant on someone to take care of us. This has made me think a lot about when I was first born. I only know what people have told me and it's not a lot. My mom was 18 years old and pregnant, she didn't know who my father was and her family encouraged her to give me up for adoption. They lined up a family for me, but the story goes, she took one look at me and couldn't give me up. The family was upset because they didn't think she could take care of me. I always thought they were right; I did do a lot of my growing up without her. She went to prison when I was 5 and after that I saw her only for her short visits into my life. I never understood infancy until now. Only as my children have been born have I gotten an understanding of how dependant an infant is and I had the thought that I must have been that dependant at one time. When I was an infant I had someone to be dependent on, my mom. I didn't ever realize that she did take care of me; she really was a mom when I needed a mom the most. She wasn't there for a lot, but she was there then. She was there when I needed to eat every 3 hours, when I needed diapers changed, when I was up at 3 in the morning, and she was there when I needed cuddle time. Even Jesus himself came as a baby so tiny, so delicate, so vulnerable, so dependant. The Son of God was dependant on sinful man. God entrusted His only Son to sinful man. I was entrusted to a sinful woman. My children are entrusted to a sinful woman. His grace truly is sufficient.

Today I'm grateful for the cuddle time I have with my babies and the cuddle time I must have had with my mom.

 

Day 21: Christian Music

 

To the one who's dreams are falling all apart

And all you're left with is a tired and broken heart

I can tell by your eyes you think your on your own

but you're not all alone

Have you heard of the One who can calm the raging seas

Give sight to the blind, pull the lame up to their feet

With a love so strong and never let you go

oh you're not alone

You will be safe in His arms

You will be safe in His arms

'Cause the hands that hold the world are holding your heart

This is the promise He made

He will be with You always

When everything is falling apart

You will be safe in His arms

Did you know that the voice that brings the dead to life

Is the very same voice that calls you to rise

So hear Him now He's calling you home

You will never be alone

These are the hands that built the mountains

the hands that calm the seas

These are the arms that hold the heavens

they are holding you and me

These are hands that healed the leper

Pulled the lame up to their feet

These are the arms that were nailed to a cross

to break our chains and set us free

Today I'm grateful for the music that is playing throughout the house.  It's just a boring Monday, and there's not a lot to get excited about, but I'm reminded today of the Lord's love for me.  As I'm putting away laundry this morning with one fussy baby in my hands and another on the boppy in front of me I'm captivated by the music I hear.  I'm reminded again of God's amazing grace, His love for me and His promises.  Life gets messy and mundane sometimes so it's nice to have music that helps keep me focused on God's goodness and His blessings for me. 

Today I'm grateful for music that points me to the Lord. 

Day 20: The Opportunity to Win Amy Wenzel's Workshop

"Tell us how you love, serve or inspire other people in your life, and what attending the workshop might mean for your photography journey." (In 600 words or less...that's hard to do)


It’s my dream to inspire people to believe in God, to believe He loves them more than they can imagine. I want to inspire people to believe that God has dreams for them and they can do and believe Him for the miraculous. The way I have always tried to do that is by telling the story of what God has done in my life. It is only because of Him that I might inspire people.

I grew up searching for hope, searching for love and really not believing it was real. My heart longed for a family, for people to show me some hope. I grew up not knowing my father and at the age of 5 my mother was taken away from me. She was addicted to heroin and caught dealing drugs. This began my journey to find love. I lived with 11 different families growing up, wandering around looking for someone who would love me without condition. I tried to be the best I could, but I began to believe what everyone said, that I would end up just like my mom, a prostitute and a drug addict. I wasn’t particularly good at anything. I wasn’t overwhelmingly beautiful. I was just a girl that longed for love and couldn’t find it. When I was in high school 2 friends invited me to a youth conference. It was there I met Jesus and experienced love for the first time. It was there I found hope and began to dream. It was there I knew I had to tell the world about this hope I had found, about this love that has changed my life! For the first time I had a future. I AM good at some things and I AM beautiful because I’m made in His image. I went on to graduate from college and I’ve traveled all over the world telling my story to inspire and give hope to those who are without hope.

My heart found more unconditional love when I met my husband. We had twins in Nov 2009 and they’re wonderful. I believe I’ve learned to love deeper because of them. Now my deepest prayer is to inspire them to love the Lord with their whole hearts and truly believe who they are in Christ Jesus and walk in it. My heart is to still inspire people for the Lord and to travel the world telling them of all God has done in my life and wants to do in theirs, but for now he has called me home to inspire my family. A calling I love. So in the mean time I travel through the internet my blog. I began writing instead of preaching and I believe God will use it for His glory. Every day I blog about something I’m grateful for and photograph it, this is my way to continue shooting and improving my photography skills. I have a passion for photography because every story is better with illustrations. I want to inspire people with my pictures and tell my story and others stories through photography. Attending this workshop would be a prayer answered. I want to learn this art the best I can so I can tell God’s stories and I believe attending this workshop would give me the confidence to do that. Photos capture a moment of joy and bring it back to life over and over again. I want to give that gift. I want to inspire people to love the Lord with their whole hearts and to walk in the love He has for them.

Today I'm grateful for the opportunity to win a seat at Amy Wenzel's Photography Worskshop.

What I would do if I won...

What my husband would do if I won...

Day 19: Hard Work

Today I dusted off my working boots okay maybe there hiking boots, but when I’m working there working boots. It’s been a long while since I’ve had those on. Pregnancy didn’t really call for them. Phil and I love working on new projects around the house so we started one, remodeling the patio. While the babies were napping we seized the opportunity and got to it. My job was pressure washing because we have to prep before we paint. I never like prepping, I always just want to get to it but that’s okay, I love pressure washing. Nothing like aiming a big gun at what’s dirty and shooting it clean. If only I could do that in the house. It felt good to be out there on this beautiful day working with Phil. There is something to be said about working hard. It’s usually not my favorite thing to do, but with the music on and my honey by my side I kind of like it. The best part though is dreaming while you’re doing it of how much you’ll enjoy it when it’s done. Productivity equals accomplishment and we all like the feeling of accomplishing something.


I’m grateful today for the ability to work hard and accomplish something.


Notice the most important tool...the baby monitor.

Day 18: Mother-in-law

Being a mother-in-law has got to be hard. Once you were the leading lady in your son’s life and now there is another lady. Trying to figure out where you fit in this new equation has got to be hard. Joyce works hard at our relationship though, and has truly become a person I can depend on. Joyce is doing great at being a mother-in-law. I shouldn't be surprised though, because she is really just great in general. She is a great mom, a great wife and a great friend. She loves the Lord and lives to serve Him by loving others. She truly is a servant. She would give anything and do anything for any one because that's how she loves. She lives out what Jesus asked us to do when he said, "love your neighbor as yourself." My husband has the great qualities he has because he was taught from really wonderful parents. I can't say that our relationship has always been easy, but I can say I'm thankful for it. Thankful to get to know the woman that poured such wonderful morals into my husband and taught him to be the wonderful man he is. I'm thankful for all she is teaching me about being a wife, being a mother and one day being a mother-in-law.


Today I'm grateful for my Mother-in-law. Happy Birthday Joyce! I love you!