Shake, Rattle and Roll!

Today we had a 5.4 magnitude earthquake. It was a nice shaker and I had the privilege of experiencing it with a bunch of strangers in Kohl's department store. I held on tightly to my babies and prayed until it was over. And, then I booked it to the car to get home. I am thankful for God's provision and how he kept us safe when this had the potential to be much worse. It did bring to memory a fun family story that I will share with out reserve and may get in trouble for sharing, but that's never stopped me before. It was years ago and we were all sleeping soundly when a small earthquake hit. My Dad came sliding across the floor screaming at the top of his lungs (for those who know my Dad that is not remotely typical of him, he is even keeled and calm a huge majority of the time.) But, apparently he was having a dream about "the Big One" when this little quake hit. Needless to say, it was the first time I ever saw my Dad in his underwear and I will venture to say it will be the last.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

This week Scott and I had the privilege of helping with our Youth camp. I can't begin to describe how amazing it was to see over 350 young people focusing their energies on their creator. Lives were transformed, bondage's broken, healthy self image restored, first-time salvation's and calls to ministry. Other than having our door duct taped every morning the pranks were pretty mild, and we had so much fun with the kids. My personal favorite was cardboard boat races it was a blast to watch the kids try to get across the pool in their self-made cardboard boat. Hilarious! The experience was a lasting reminder of the need to reach out to young people. They are at such a crucial point in their lives and they have so much passion. If we can get them to focus that on the things of the Lord they can do amazing and powerful things. Thanks for the prayers. I have added a few of my fave pics!

We were sure this would float!

Neon Night!

Pray for Youth Camp!

We are heading up to Youth Camp this afternoon. We get the great opportunity to go spend 5 days with a group of over 300 jr. high and high schoolers. Scott and I both are believing for great and mighty things to happen this next week. So, please pray...pray for us for strength, energy and wisdom as we minister to the kids. Pray for the kids to be transformed to the point of no return (we want to see lasting transformation in their lives, the kind that lasts even when we drive down that mountain.) Pray for safety (these kids do some crazy things sometimes), Pray for traveling mercies. And, pray for anything else the Lord puts on your heart, we need all the prayer we can get! I am sure I will have some interesting things to post soon! 

Should I be Worried?

This is what Rachel looked like when she woke up from her nap. I am a little worried. There could be some crazy posts coming in the near future. This is the look of mischievous if you ask me!

Two Peas in a Pod!

I caught this picture of Nathan and Rachel, it was probably the first time they actually were playing together. It was such a blast to watch. They had each other laughing so hard. I think the reason I find such joy in it is because I have so many fond memories of times like this with my own siblings. I am looking forward to the relationship they will develop. And I had to share a pic. of my little monkey. This girl is into everything now it's getting really fun and really crazy all at the same time.

Promises Fulfilled!

As many of you know my Sister Carolyn and her husband Joe are in the process of adopting a brand new baby boy. The way this whole thing happened has been one God thing after another. Things have been an emotional roller coaster through this whole process for them. And on friday they got a call that the birthmom wanted to take the baby for 48 hours. She fealt this would bring her closure. Fear began to set in, but we entered into prayer as a family and the Lord gave us promises confirming he would return to them safe and sound. And, after 48 hours of leaning on Jesus, Carolyn just sent me a text that they are on their way home with the baby. Please continue to pray for a quick and smooth adoption. Thank You for your prayers. I will add new pictures later today!

Gotta Laugh About It!

Scott and I woke up this morning laughing. And, it wasn't because somebody told a joke. You know when crazy stuff keeps happening and you just have to laugh about it cause its the only thing you can do! 

For those of you who read my last post you know that our vacation wasn't quite turning out the way we had planned it...(see: Tantrums, Urgent Care & Vacation). Part of it was because Scott and I had a slightly (or more) unrealistic idea of what vacation was going to be like. 

We did have one nice day (thanks for all who were praying for our sanity). Yesterday we went to Sea World and Rachel seemed to be happier and Nathan had a good time. Scott and I had a nice time too.  

I did feel like complaining  a little about all the crazy stuff...sick baby, food poisoned husband, tantrum throwing toddler, crazy hotel room, getting stung by a bee, having to leave early, and the other crazy things that happened (too many to list). But, I won't go into detail...instead I will continue to laugh it off and share some of the things that I did enjoy!

Tantrums, Urgent Care & Vacation!

Scott said it right..."I knew vacation was not going to be what I thought it was when I was sitting on the balcony, with my coffee & a book and Buzz Lightyear came out of no where and knocked my coffee over." Needless to say we had envisioned our vacation quite differently than what the last two days have produced. Rachel started crying shortly after we arrived to our hotel. She fell asleep and seemed to be doing better and we thought well...we have a year pass to Sea World, lets go for the night shows. It was fun for about an hour until Nathan started to throw the mother of all tantrums because he couldn't get in the pool with the dolphins. Then, we lost one of his shoes so we couldn't take him on any rides which threw him into crazy child mode (you all know what I am talking about) and we had to leave. So we got back to the hotel and things started to mellow out a bit (the portable DVD player helped with that.) I thought things were all good but then Rachel started crying again (this isn't normal for her.) Sure enough she had a fever and it got worse through the night. Let's just say whoever was in the room next to us hates us! So, after more crying and the realization that we were not going to be going to the beach with a little sicky poo we bunkered down in the hotel for a while. After MORE crying I decided I had to get this little one to urgent care. Luckily there was one down the street. Sure enough, she has an ear infection and some funky stuff in her throat. Poor Baby! Anyways, we were given an antibiotic and we are hoping she sleeps well tonight and wakes up feeling better so that our last day here in San Diego will be a good one. There, it felt good to get that off my chest. And, the thing I am learning here is everything is an adventure with kids, you never know what's gonna happen do ya!

San Diego or bust.....

I know, I know it's glamorous! It's amazing what sounds fun for vacation an what is feasable with two little ones. I actually passed up a bargain I found at a Coronado Bay Resort to stay at a Best Western. You heard me right a luxurious Best Western...they were the same price but the Best Western had a kitchen and extra living space. All kidding aside, I am really looking forward to this trip. It doesn't really matter where we are I am just glad that we get to spend some quality time together as a family. And, we are going to go to Sea World and hopefully get a chance to feed the dolphins. I will add pictures of our adventure when we get back. I've gotta go pack!

Pictures...Finally!

I only have a few because I got to the hospital just before they were released. But, he is amazingly cute and you can tell he just has such a sweet disposition! (Just like his favorite Aunt) :) Enjoy the pics, more to come!

Caden is here!

Caden Joseph has arrived. I am dying to see him, hopefully when Scott gets home. He is 6 pounds, 8 ounces and 18 inches with dark hair and everyone is saying he is "beautiful". I will add pics as soon as I get them!

Still Waiting...

As of this morning we are still waiting for labor to progress and our new nephew to be born. Carolyn is at the hospital (with the birth mom) and has been privileged to be in the room when her new baby boy is born. Joe is on standby and we are all super anxious. I cannot wait to meet this little guy and give him lots of hugs and kisses!

Lucy & Ethel

There have been many occasions where my sister Carolyn and I have done projects that ended up more like an I love Lucy episode than we would like to admit. I thought today would be much like that. Carolyn asked me to do meals with her...enough to last two weeks! It worked out much better than I had imagined, and it only took 4 hours. Carolyn worked a lot harder than I did (she is the big sister and is always taking care of me.) We will see how everything tastes, that will be the determining factor on whether this is worth it or not. It will be really nice for Carolyn though as she will be bringing her new baby boy home from the hospital on Thursday or Friday. (We are sooo excited!)
I also got to see my Best Friend Kristy's new lil one again today. She is so cute. And, extremely precious to me as Kristy and I have been friends since we were three. It is so neat to be apart of the things we always talked about growing up. I had to post this sweet picture of lil Kallie Lynn and show her off a bit...

Beach Day!

Today started out as a lazy day which doesn't happen to often at our house with a toddler and a 6 month old. We left for the beach about one o' clock got lunch at one of our favorite spots...Mario's Pizza (Scott and I used to go there all the time when we were dating). Anyways, once we finally found a parking spot down by the wedge we unloaded the massive amount of stuff that you take to the beach when you have kids. And, after we reminisced about the days when we used to bring a towel and sunscreen, we started having fun. Rachel loves the breeze of the ocean and Nathan wasted no time getting all sandy and trying to steal other kids toys. (Yes, I brought him some, but the other kids toys were much more exciting!) All in all it was a beautiful day, God's creation is amazing! Here are a few pics from our day...

Scrub a Dub Dub, lets get all that sand out of all those rolls!

Praise Him!

2 Timothy 4:18

"And, the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!"

Last night was a powerful night in Jr. High. One of our youth leaders Katherine spoke and she was talking about praising God through trials. She talked about a portion in Acts where Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, they began to sing praises to God at midnight. An earthquake struck, the walls fell, and the next thing you know, the very jailer who was responsible for chaining them up and whipping them asked, "What must I do to be saved?"

I woke up this morning and opened one of the email devotionals I get and low and behold, It was this same portion of scripture. My automatic reaction is "oh great, do I have another trial coming." I shared this with Scott and he said, that while Katherine was sharing last night, he was thinking about what happened when Paul and Silas began to praise...their chains fell off. The things that entrapped them were removed. God is so amazing and I believe this is what he is doing. As we praise him, he is removing the things in our lives that are holding us back. I believe we serve a good God who desires good things for His people. I wanted to share this because I don't think it wasn't an accident that I have heard this portion multiple times this week. It definately hit home for me in this area of Praise in my life and I hope it will touch you too. 

As many of you know, my Uncle Guy passed away recently and I have yet to write about it because honestly I just didn't even know what to say. But, as I am thinking about this area in my life, I go back to the moment when I found out he passed away. I did ALOT of questioning and have been doing that ever since the day he went to be with Jesus. And, I know it is only natural to go through the emotions of sadness and loss. But, I also know that Gods plan is sovereign and I need to trust Him and Praise Him simply because he is good and because I have been privileged enough to know that he is good. So, Lord today I praise you for your goodness and I thank you for being faithful to us even when we don't understand!

Summer Fun Has Begun!

Well, today was one of those days. I was bored out of my mind its not that I don't have a huge list of things I could be doing, its just I didn't want to do any of the things on that list! :) I wanted to do something fun. I think it started this way because I got a chance to talk to my dear friend Samantha who I am always energized by. She is just one of those people who I have a ton of fun with no matter what we are doing. Her husband is in the military and they are now living in England and I miss her alot. Anyways, I think thats what set my day in motion. I just wasn't in the mood for an ordinary day. So, I went to tuesday morning women's bible study at c-stone and was refreshed as always. And, sure enough Kim was talking about contentment. And, although it didn't fix the itch, it did put things in perspective for me. I am so blessed with so much and when I have days like this I need to remember just how blessed I am. So, after naps and lunch and a little bit of toddler and baby insanity we got this fun little sprinkler mat and had some fun...

And...a little random side note: I looove the dollar bin at Target. There are always fun finds, and this was one of them. Who says $1 sunglasses can't be cute. I was a little hesitant to wear them but my sister Nicolle showed up one day and we were both wearing them. So, either they're cute or we are BOTH wearing stupid Sunglasses.