GHF

I’m loving Greatful Heart Fridays!!
I’m taking a moment to reflect on a beautiful week and all the gifts God poured out upon me.

I’m thankful for a husband that was stoked to go Halloween costume shopping and dress his son like a Garden Gnome!

I’m thankful for Fall-ish weather, wind, leaves, and candy corn! I’m thankful for Chelsea Cameron changing my life through her honesty and convicting messages each week. I’m grateful for a husband that works really hard to take care of our family. I’m thankful for lovely

girlfriends and the amazing kiddo Halloween party they put together.

I’m thankful for an amazing third trip to the pumpkin farm, with just me and my children, for a fun mommy / kiddo date.

I’m grateful for awesome pre-school teachers that love on my girls and share the truth of Jesus with them. I’m so thankful that it is Friday and tomorrow Grammie comes to celebrate Halloween with us! I’m thankful for all the friends who will fill

our home on Sunday for food and fun. I am a blessed woman. I’m thankful that God has radically multiplied my little bits of sleep this week and that He has been my strength in the midst of much weakness.
Now it’s your turn – take a few moments to reflect on all the blessings from this past week and

cultivate your grateful heart!

Embrace Costumes

We had our first Halloween Party last night and we all had a blast!!

My little Giraffe, Garden Gnome (without his beard), Mrs. Halloween, and Sleeping Beauty!

Observe

I took baby boy on a little walk in the gusty wind today to enjoy the Fall leaves. The little dude has given up his stroller, so walks aren’t as enjoyable for me because he doesn’t really walk – it’s more like: step, stop. Step, stop. Step, stop! But today something really struck me. For 20 months now we’ve gone on little walks everyday and his 4 ½ year old sisters have their funny routines at almost each house where they walk on the retaining wall, hide by the side gate and say, “Mommy, say ‘where’s Georgia?’,” stop to touch the lamb’s ears, say hi to Mr. & Mrs. Tree and so on. Today, out of his stroller, the little man followed their routine almost down to pressing on the last tree knot to see if a magic door opened! He’s been observing and paying closer attention than I had thought for 20 months and now he has mastered all the quirks of our walk! I was amazed! These little people are so observant, it’s almost scary. What are they learning from observing me? Like I said last post, “more is caught than taught.”
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 I pray that as my children observe every little detail of my life, it causes them to turn towards God and praise Him.

Be Content

Yesterday we were in the front yard and as our daughters ran around the grass and picked up rose petals from one of two plants in the yard, my husband and I looked at the lack of landscaping and talked about what needed to change! They were happy. We were discontent. They counted the petals they had gathered and held them like precious treasure. They wanted to bring them inside and put them in a glass of water so they wouldn’t die (little did they know!). They didn’t notice all the empty dirt in the yard, they noticed the one piece of beauty – a red rose bush. I wish my eyes were more like those of a child – drawn to the beauty in every situation instead of complaining about what is missing or out of place. In my parenting class today I heard, “discontented parents breed discontented children.” “More is caught than taught.” So true. I immediately thought of yesterday and wondered how long it would be before the girls go into the front yard and start complaining, “when are we going to get some plants in the front yard? It’s so ugly out here…” How long before their contentedness turns to discontent because of what they see and hear from us?
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5

GHF

It’s the GHF Baby!! Grateful Heart Friday. Let’s get started with looking back at this week and cultivating our grateful heart!
In this lovely rainy week, I scrambled to find our zebra tent and teepee to set up in the family room as indoor entertainment for the kids! Yesterday, with some cranked up tunes, the littles started running through the tents and laughing like crazy until it happened. A loud thud and screaming. Baby boy had fallen inside the zebra and hit his mouth on the coffee table. As he cried, his sisters began to cry too and scramble to help in any way – running to the freezer to grab the kitty and fishy (frozen boo boo buddies), getting a bib to protect his shirt from the blood that was already all over it, Kleenex, milk, you name it! They sprang into action. I’m thankful for children that take care of each other and hurt when their siblings hurt.
I’m thankful for thunder, lightening, pouring rain, and Los Angeles when there is no traffic!! Even in the rain! I’m grateful for women in my life who being with them for a few hours is never enough! I’m thankful for spur of the moment play dates that are the best, celebrating my mom’s birthday, and children’s giggles ringing through our home. I’m thankful for a little artist that draws me pictures everyday, and a little singer that makes my life like living in a musical. I’m thankful for a late night out with a dear friend last night with fun conversation and great food. I’m grateful that it’s Friday! I’m grateful for the tea I get to go to tomorrow with more fabulous women. Most of all I’m thankful for my God who has shown me His power this past week, His grace, His care, and His love.
Now it’s your turn – take a few moments to reflect on all the blessings from this past week and cultivate your grateful heart!

Embrace Pumpkins

It's time to embrace the camera!!

After many failed attempts, this one was the best!

And that's why when all 3 smile at the camera it's a miracle!!!

Help

It’s one of those days. After being woken up 6 times last night by little people, I knew today was going to be rough. The dishes are piled up, laundry room is stacked, toys are scattered everywhere, 2 little ladies are having a rather loud “quiet” time, and the little dude hasn’t decided yet whether he will nap or not. I don’t feel physically tired, but every other part of me says otherwise. My temper is short, I’m annoyed, unmotivated and in this moment I’d like to get in my car and drive to the ocean and just cry for a bit. Today really isn’t that different from every other day – dishes, laundry, toys, kids being kids… But today I’m different, so everything seems wrong. Today all I can think of is myself and what I want. But I will not get it. Amazing how attitude and perspective change everything. I have a choice in this moment – to carry on in my own strength and lack of it! Or simply say, “God, help.” I know the outcome of both options – one will lead to a screaming Mommy, crying children, and regret. The other will lead to a miracle as God hears the cry of His daughter and comes to rescue her. I choose to cry out to you for help. Amen.
PS – the little dude is sleeping, girls are quiet, and already my Help has come.
“I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1,2

Know All About Jesus

I love when it’s bed time for my children – no, it’s not because I’m ready to be done with them! (Although there are evenings when I’m counting the minutes!) But I love when everyone is fresh out of the tub, “jammied up,” and we cuddle up as we read stories together. I put the baby down first, so the girls get my undivided attention for their girlie books about princesses and fairies! The other night, as I was taking the baby out of the tub, my daughter said, “Mommy, I picked out Macky’s stories and they’re on his chair for you to read.” She escorted me to his room and pointed at the books, “Please read him all these books because I want Macky to know all about Jesus.” She carefully had pulled out every Bible story book from his shelf and stacked them up for me to read. There really weren’t words for me to express to her how amazed, overwhelmed with gratitude, blessed by her heart, and filled I was at that moment. I simply said, “Ok baby, thank you.” I remember asking Jesus into my heart when I was 5 years old. I remember the words spoken at Sunday School that day, I remember praying in my canopy bed that night, I remember knowing that Jesus was now my friend and Savior. As I read Macky his stack of stories that night, it struck me that my girls are almost 5 years old. They know all about Jesus, but do they know Him? It’s time to get intentional. What about you? Is there someone in your home or at work or down the street that you need to be intentional with? I pray for a heart of evangelism that longs for everyone to know all about Jesus.

GHF

It's a lovely Grateful Heart Friday! Taking a moment to reflect on all I have to be thankful for in this past week once again refreshes and renews me!

I'm grateful for Columbus and giving us his day to not have to go to school or work! I'm grateful for super fun play dates with our rockstar neighbors where I got to pull my groin and bruise my wrists trying to teach the girls to do cart wheels! I"m thankful for friends that feel like family, family that feel like friends, and the buds of new friendship. I'm thankful for hot apple cider, pumpkin muffins, witches hats, and a misty morning at the pumpkin farm. There is so much to be thankful for! Now it's your turn - take a moment and reflect on all the blessing from this past week and cultivate your grateful heart.

Embrace Moma's Bed

He just looked so cozy and happy in all that fluff..

I had to join him!

Pearls

My girls love to dress up in jewels, heels, and tutus of course! All of the fine pearls and jewels came from a 2nd cousin, who received them from her Great aunts Paula and Willa! We were lucky that they shared. All of these pearls reminded me of the verse in Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” The verse that precedes it is, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” In these verses, I can see the thrill of the merchant and the joy of the man that found treasure. I remember when the package arrived from Cousin Callahan, sharing her jewels from her great aunts. The package was clearly addressed to my daughters, but when I saw what was inside, I was over the moon! The vintage jewels lit up my eyes and I couldn’t wait to try them on. This package was completely unexpected, and I was overwhelmed at its contents. Cousin Callahan and her mom had no idea that I am in love with vintage jewelry and it was like I hit the mother load! I think in a small way I felt the same way that the merchant did when he found the fine pearl, or the man who found the treasure – But their treasure would transform their lives forever. We are all searching for something in this world – peace, purpose, love, contentment, happiness, freedom… We are on a quest for fine treasure that will unlock the pain and fear in our lives and give us a sense of purpose and meaning. There is no need to keep searching. Jesus. He is the fine pearl and He is not hidden or buried. He is alive and knocking at your door, waiting for you to open up all that you are to Him. “Selling all that you have,” to follow Jesus and experiencing abundant life truly is like hitting the mother load.

Don't Assume Too Much

I can no longer assume he’s sleeping! My son was put down for his daily nap on Friday and all seemed well. Until I opened his door after an hour or so to find that he was not sleeping, but had climbed out of his crib (first time), turned on the lights, and decided to destroy his room – all in a stealth like manner! Sometimes I’m so certain of what is going on that I don’t even stop to question or check in. I knew baby boy was sleeping from 1-3, that’s our daily routine! Oh how wrong I was! It’s easy to get comfortable in our routine and begin to stop paying attention and that is when we open ourselves up for a sneak attack! It’s like that in my life as a follower of Jesus, a mom and a wife. It’s so important that I daily check in with my God and don’t just assume that all is going well and put our relationship on the back burner. In the same way, I need to keep up with the goings on of my children and my husband. Those are valuable relationships and if I don’t keep them in the forefront, I open myself up for attack and destruction. I remember when I was in high school, my mentor was married and we called them “Ken & Barbie.” They were perfect in every way! I said to Jenny, “you know Sean would never cheat on you right?” Her response shocked me and has stuck with me to this day, “I hope not,” she said. You hope not??? What? Aren’t you more sure than that? Why would you marry someone that you hoped wouldn’t cheat on you? I want someone who I know won’t cheat on me! She went on to explain that no one is above temptation and the moment we think we are, we open ourselves up for a great fall. We can’t assume too much. As a high school student that was unsettling. But now as a wife, those words haunt me. Not out of fear that my husband will be unfaithful, but just at the potential of sin and the enemy that is always working in a stealth like manner. Don’t assume that he knows how much you appreciate his working overtime if you haven’t told him. Don’t assume that he feels loved and respected if you haven’t shown him. And don’t assume that a harmless conversation, facebook friend, e-mail, or coffee meeting can’t lead to destruction in a home. Luckily it was only my son’s bedroom that got destroyed this time! But this little event opened my mind to think that I need to wake up a bit and pay closer attention to the relationships around me. I need to check in more and assume less. What areas of your life do you need to check in with? Are you assuming too much? Take an active role in the relationships you’ve been blessed with and watch your life flourish and grow.

I had to include this photo of my son

hurling his life-sized Mickey Mouse through the air!

GHF Boo Berry

It's Grateful Heart Friday friends! Taking a moment to relfect on all the beauty in this past week has given me some renewed energy! This has been a wonderful week and I have so much to be thankful for. I’m thankful that the Halloween Fairy visited us and decorated our house! I’m thankful for Boo Berry Crunch cereal that showed up on the shelves for the season to remind me of my childhood. I’m thankful for Mommy & Me, candy corn, rainy days, a weekend to look forward to, feeling inspired to cook again, a little person that trusted her Auntie to drop her off in the nursery, a husband that did all the dishes last night, little ladies that snuggled in bed with me, baby boy who broke the record and slept until 8:30am, and an overall filling of God’s grace and blessing that I’ve been praying for.
Happy weekend to you all and do yourself a favor – go get some Boo Berry Crunch cereal and relive the good ole’ days!!

Embrace the Beach

A little "embrace" on the beach in the early, gloomy, drizzly morning! I gave the 4 year olds the camera (the one below I did with my go go gadget arms!) We had a blast playing with nothing but a bucket of animals until it started to rain! We moved into the back of the truck for a dance party until the drizzle stopped. But, they didn't want to go back to the beach, the ExpiDisco was too much fun!!!
Mommy Girl and her Little Ladies

Mommy and Em - I swear I've never seen her smile like this! Holy underbite!!

Moma and the Little Dude

Mommy & a Little Pouty Gigi Jungle Fun!

ExpiDisco!

Old Things

I’ve always loved old things. Old furniture, old homes, old jewelry, old souls… When I got married, my husband did not share my affinity for antiques and he referred to my small collection as “broken down junk.” To his defense, some of my antique pieces were hanging on by a thread and somewhat unsafe!! As in all relationships, there has been some compromise and I’ve parted ways with some of my antiques, and he as well has embraced a little of the patina and “character”! One of my favorite things in the world is to go to garage sales! There is nothing like a good treasure hunt! My husband doesn’t share this passion for rummaging and fears that more broken down junk will flood our home!! This past Summer all five of us were loaded in the car to hit the local farmers’ market for some fresh produce and on our way out we spotted some garage sale signs. “Do you want to stop?,” my husband asked. I was shocked and said, “Well, let’s just drive by.” As we passed the home I noticed 2 old school chairs on the sidewalk and I knew we had to stop. I ran to look at them, solid English oak, all banged up and beautiful and I knew my twin girls would love these to play school with. They were 2 for $50. I asked if they would take $40 and got an immediate “yes”!! My husband gave them a quick thumbs up and before I knew it we were loading them into the back of our car. I was overwhelmed and my husband looked at me and said, “are you crying?????” “Yes,” I said with a laugh! I really was choked up and I wasn’t sure if it was because of this amazing find that I knew we’d have for the rest of our lives, or if it was because my husband genuinely liked the chairs too and wanted them. It was like he fully came into my world and liked it! I felt very loved in that moment and very known. It takes a lot of time for 2 to become 1 and the journey has many ups and downs, but taking the best parts of 2 people and blessing each other with love and understanding is one of the greatest gifts of marriage. I never knew that buying 2 old school chairs at a garage sale would make me feel so loved, but then again, I never knew that someone dying on an old rugged cross would make me feel so loved either.

All Things New

Several years ago I was at a place in my life where I was broken and worn out. I was struggling in my job, my heart was broken from an ended relationship, I felt lonely and confused and my prayer was that God would make all things new in me. I needed to be refreshed, healed, redeemed and made new. God was very faithful to do all of those things in ways that I never thought possible. He gave me a new job, a new home, a new city to live in, new friends, and best of all a new heart that was whole. Yesterday I was reminded of God’s promise to us when we first decide to follow Him,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone,
the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
The “new has come” part reminded me of that broken season. When we are followers of Jesus, His newness comes over and over again throughout our lives. Sure, we are transformed on the day we first believe in Jesus and decide to give our life to Him, but the transformation continues until we see Him face to face. In order to be made new, we must let go of the old things in our life – old habits, old ways, old excuses, maybe some old relationships. Are there any areas of your life that need to be made new? Are you willing to let go of old ways? We are loved by the One True God and He longs for us to experience life to the full and He does that by making all things new in us.
Be blessed by this song (click play).

GHF

It’s October 1st and I’m going to start a special Friday post tradition of being thankful and reflecting on all my blessings – Grateful Heart Fridays. Trust me, I spend most of my time with a critical eye, trying to perfect, improve and straighten most things in my life, but I am convicted that I need a little more gratitude in my heart and appreciation for all the great things surrounding me. One thing I try to cultivate in my children is grateful hearts, and I think that gratitude is not something they are born with, but something they learn. I want to be a Mommy that models a grateful heart to my little ones and trains their eyes to not only see what we can improve, but also what we can appreciate just as it is and say “thank you.” Will you join me? Take some time today, Friday, to cultivate a grateful heart and share what you are thankful for from this past week.

Rainbows
On the way home from school on Wednesday, what felt like out of nowhere, my daughter said, “Mommy, I know what a rainbow means.” My first thought was, “oh, this is going to be good,” because she has a great imagination and I couldn’t wait to hear what hilarious thing she was going to say!! She continued, “There were bad people on the earth and they were not obeying God and God was sad so he flooded the earth. Then there was a rainbow that was God’s promise to never do that again.” WOW! I’m so thankful for Godly teachers that are teaching my little 4 year olds the true stories of God’s promises, His love and His grace. I am thankful for the Sunday School teachers that taught me those same truths when I was little so that I grew up with God’s Word in my heart. I’m thankful that I’ve never known any different.