Earth Day 1/2 Marathon

Ahh..  My Spring race is done... Last night was the first night Maggie slept all night.. 5 am she woke and then I got ready and headed out for the race..  13.1 miles in 2 hours and 5 minutes and that is including a Potty break!..

How clean is your cup?

 So my heart has been  heavy lately.. heavy with seeing people  hurting from sin.. Either they have been caught in a stronghold of sin that is hard to get out of OR someone close to them has fallen and they just have to deal with the consequences of this persons actions.. 
Things like this always leads me to look at my own heart and I see that I am not far from being pulled in a direction away from Jesus.. My Savior.. My Rescuer..
Small things that pull me away from Jesus like..  you  need to work on your health.. exercise.. education.. need to have down time for yourself... All these things that are good things.. but things that satan uses to distract me and get my focus off what LIFE IS ABOUT..
So what is life truly about? HOW should i live each day?
Loving the LORD God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and loving my neighbor as myself..!
 Woo..  sometimes I think oh I can love God..I am so thankful for all He has done for me.. but love that person.. I don't have time.. I have a family that keeps me VERY BUSY..  and we are out of town so often that when I am home I want to spend with those that I feel comfortable with.. those who are in my safe zone..
 So life goes on and what am I doing? living for God?
 I tend to forget that I am human and go think that person has some work.. they need to fix that..
but me..  Oh.. My God clean me inside out.. FOR I AM SO VAIN..
 I want to be fit.. I want to be thin.. I want to be pretty.. I want .. I want.. Me .. me.. me.. I  need my sleep.. I need my time.. I need my space.. I I I I I I...
 and their just like that Satan has me without me even getting caught up in a big sin..
 Wouldn't you say this is the scariest type of sin..
 the little sins that set us up for the big kill..
Am I looking to serve my neighbor? TO love them more than myself? OR do I use others to make myself feel better? That person in your life that drives you crazy, have you been looking for ways to love them MORE than loving yourself? Your spouse? children? parents? people you work with? Sometimes we tend to love people because of what they do for us.. BUT IS THAT WHAT GOD Calls us to do?
 I am a vain very vain person..
 I am a weak person.. a person who loves pleasure more than God..
 I allow the things of this world to distract me.. I allow people's opinions of me to keep me from speaking truth..
 If you are reading this and hang out with me and I don't talk about God.. Shame on me... FOR God tells me to share the Good news to all.. and if I don't share with you.. I care more for my own comfort than making sure you  know you have a Savior..!
 I have always always wanted to be a missionary or in ministry.. THAT was what I would tell people when I was a kid.. and then I got married and had children and used the excuse that my husband was not called into ministry so I am not either..
God calls ALL to obey His commands... and this is something I have not done.. loving my neighbor as myself.. those unlovable people.. those who are different than me..  hmmm.. forgive me God.. for I have sinned...

Sleep less nights

/'

The number one question I get asked as a MOM is, " Is she sleeping thru the night?"
  To answer that question it is NO.. She is not.. She is almost 11 months old and she is not sleeping thru the night... she has slept almost thru the night a few times.... some nights I am up 5 times.. last night just 1 time..
 but my sweet little girl is not quite at the point of sleeping thru the night..  AND I AM OK with that!..
Though some nights are a bit rough and I SO wish I could have slept more than 2 hours..  MOST nights I enjoy being able to snuggle up with her for an 30 minutes or so...! Sometimes longer if I fall asleep hard..
 My 2 1/2 year old is getting so big and growing up SO fast... I wish I did not try to push her ahead and make her grow up so fast.. I wish that I would have held her longer when she wanted to be held....
Magnolia is on the move and during the day there is no holding her without a fight..  it won't be long when those night I share with her will be no more.. SO what am I doing to help her sleep thru the night? nothing .. I help her get sleep.. by not letting her cry for hours..
I am not the person to ask for advice when it comes to "HOW".. Me and my girls we do things the way we see fit for our family... and for the most part its been good
ps.
10:20 pm. and she is awake...

LIFE IS ABOUT ADJUSTMENTS

My sweet 2 year old.. broke her femur on Christmas Eve.. She has been put into a Hip Spica (body cast) ...

Wanted to share some of my journal entries from this adventure in our lives..

12/24 sledding accident on Mountain.. 1 1/2 hours to hospital.. first time on any meds.. morphine.. x rays... broken femur.. Me.. I was calm until the drugs were being pumped in my child and as we waited to see if she would have a bad reaction to meds. need to be put to sleep to be placed in a hip spica cast.. doctor says life will be miserable for 2 months.. When they take her to surgery room I sign a paper and i see in case of death.. I start crying uncontrollably thinking I will never see my child alive again.. I have gone the whole day with no food or water and still nursing Maggie.. almost pass out.. finally eat.. my emotions are now back to normal and I am not as dramatic.. 12/25 "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.." My trial: Ella broken femur.. in hip spica cast.. needs cares 24/7 My JOY: Ross and I were both with her when she got hurt Kay was able to help with Maggie The drive down Mt. and to hospital safe the car with car seats at house ER took us right away best bone doc around x ray shows broke but not all the way thru growth plate not damaged pain meds and all the drugs no lasting side effects no allergic reaction not having to spend night in hospital Maggie was a trooper My daughter is alive .. ....

I must say the past 2 1/2 almost 3 weeks have been very hard... everyone keeps telling me God does not give more than we can handle.. and I tried to believe that even though my mind would say other wise.. BUT today a friend told me.. God does give us more than we can handle that way we HAVE TO go to HIM.. and then he will give us just enough grace to get thru it.. SO I must say.. Without CHRIST, I would probably go crazy from lack of sleep and the whining.. and when i say lack of sleep I mean I feel rested when I get 2 hours in a row! But I can say this trial has brought me to my knees every minutes of the day in desperate need for help and sanity!.. and he gives me just what I need for that moment..

Mama's little helper..

So much to do in such little time, today was a day FULL of interruptions... and it wasn't like bad interruptions either.. JUST whenever I wanted to get something done something came up to make sure I could not do that certain thing.! BUT while I was working on more burritos to freeze, my daughter wanted to "wash dishes" So up went the stool and my sweet little girl, I did think I would actually be able to get the burritos rolled up and packed away.. but when a 2 year old is playing with water its best to not be too distracted..! I sat back and watched her for a minute.. LIFE caught in this moment.. She saw here tutu this am which she calls her "rina" and wanted to wear it..! and so her is my precious baby dressed up pretty... washing some dishes and just talking and singing away..! and I thought.. It won't be like this for long..! Today I am thankful for my interruptions, another day has ended.. both girls are in bed (for now anyway).. tomorrow they will wake up one day older..

When Mama is on the phone

One of the many things I love about my Eleanor is her love for life and how she finds joy in almost everything!.. BUT WITH this wonderful gift comes the messes, no fear ( on Ella's part LOTS on mama's) and the constant getting into EVERYTHING..! how easy life would be if i just kept her to play with her toys and let little girls do little girl things and Mama's do Mama things, but I do want to teach her and give her a love for cooking, God's Word, for exercising, for cleaning and maybe someday being a Mom.. SO with that comes the adventure called LIFE.... Ella is allowed to play with dry beans I give her 2 bowls and measuring cups and I let her go to town when I am doing something in the kitchen that can hurt her.. like using a knife or cooking over a flame!... She is normally good at keeping them in the bowls KNOWING Mama is watching.. but when the Mama gets distracted you can betcha what she wanted to do..! " Thank you Aunt B for letting me do something I normally am not allowed to do.. I enjoyed rolling in them and playing with scattered beans..! "

Count it all joy

It easy to "count it all joy" when life is full of bliss and moments that you want to capture .. but what about when life day after day is not giving you a break?..! Do you still count it all joy..! I have a very very easy life next to the majority of people in this world, and I hate to even go to the place of feeling like I want to scream, but I must say each day that has been passing on little to no sleep and as each day goes by I so want to count all my problems and make sure everyone KNOWS how miserable I feel.. I have a wonderful Savior.. Who is so very very personal!.. He knew how tired I was and so instead of letting my children nap today he decided to keep them awake..! ( you see nap time is never a time for me to rest but always a time to get as much done as humanly possible.. work out .. clean out.. get dinner started.. bills.. everything and anything I use every spare moment.. ) I headed upstairs.. Got Ella out of bed and decided to take a shower and then we sat and played 'people' while listening to worship music!.. I had such an amazing time of worship with my children.. as we sang, danced and played together!.. So a day that I would normally consider miserable has turned into a glorious day.. Did anything change? Did God give me children who sleep, Did he take the whine out of my 2 year old or make all the messes go away? NO.. He changed my heart making me just a bit more like my Savior!.. THAT IS WHY I can count it all JOY!..

My sweet Magpie!....

I would like to introduce my sweet Magnolia Mae.. She is now in her 6 month but having 2 children I have not found much time to sit and blog!.. So I am trying to play the catch up game!..

I cannot say HOW I am SO blessed to have 2 amazing little girls!.. When I had my first child I could not imagine loving anyone like My little Ella bella and then I met My Maggie and the love is so there.. Just like it was for my Ella.. Life the first 6 weeks was quite an adjustment.. Hard to not be allowed to exercise much.. getting used to the fact that we have another person in our lives.. but we have all adjusted!..

My sweet Maggie is a VERY VERY HAPPY BABY..! She of course like most babies loves to be near the Mumma.. She loves to nurse but also does not want to miss out on life!.. She is always watching Ella and at times it looks like she just wishes she could get down and play! Like her sister, Maggie is not one to sleep!.. Something we are working on..! I do not get much sleep at night..! I feel so rested when I sleep for 2 hours in a row!.. She is up every hour!.. I am happy this is such a short phase..! Ella was like this until about 9 to 10 months and then she slept til 4 am!... and then at a year Ella slept 12 hours!.. So I am not far off!.. I pray that my darling Maggie will use that desire to get involved and be apart of what is going on for the things of God..! I pray that the strong will I see in her will be used in a positive light!..

B. BOX ( busy box)

It has been a LONG time since I have been able to blog..! I am sitting in my kitchen HOPING my 6 month old will just go to sleep!.. So a quick little thought on life with a 2 year old..! She is a very busy girl and is always looking for opportunities to get into things! When I clean, cook, nurse.. go to the bathroom.. ANYTHING that takes my eyes off of her she is into something that can hurt her.. SO I heard of this busy box idea and thought I would try it out!.. She is only allowed to play with the toys in that box when she is in her "fort" and it has been very very helpful!... In my B.Box I have beads she can string.. ( I might remove that because she wants to wrap string around her neck since she wants a necklace..) puzzle.. Mr. Potato head.. some little animals.. blocks.. Over time I want to add more little people.. and a shape sorter..

Magnolia Mae SHOE

LABOR... Oh the word.. does it really sum up what you go through.. the pain.. emotions.. all that work!.. but the end result.. SO WORTH IT... These pictures are not really in order.. This first picture is RIGHT when Maggie came out.. 5:18 am.. But before I go there.. Let me tell you about my night...

May 30th.. I went to bed wondering HOW MANY more days I will go past my due date.. for now I am over a week late.. I started that Monday with a LONG walk in such heat and humidity.. I actually didn't know if i could make it anymore.. We spent the day at home for the most part.. Playing outside with Ella and doing the whole waiting game.. no signs of labor... like the past few weeks.. So the day goes on... Come night I decide to not stay up too late JUST INCASE this babe decides to come I want to make sure I have PLENTY of rest...

1 am... first contraction.. LASTED A LONG time.. ( or at least it seemed..) fell back asleep..

3 am.. up to go to the bathroom... Contraction again.. and then again.. by after a few I had ross start timing it just incase... 7 minutes apart.. over a minute long.. As we laid in bed I told Ross.. if it continues like this I am going to be in labor for a LONG time..

Went to the bathroom again around 3:30.. Contractions pick up.. NOW 2 minutes apart.. we waited 30 more minutes before calling Linda ( my midwife).. She was just finishing up at another birth when we gave her a call.. She asked if we were ready for her.. I told Ross I do believe this is it and its getting pretty intense so YES.. I AM READY..

She arrived around 4:30am...

This was So much more intense than my first pregnancy.. I was having SUCH a hard time relaxing.. When I stood Magnolia's heart rate would drop SO they wanted me to lie down.. WHICH WAS THE WORST position!.. BUT thats what Maggie liked best... sometime while Linda was here I mentioned I had to go to the bathroom.. and she told me.. I do believe you are ready to have this baby.. and I would say no I really need to use the bathroom.. So she checked to see how far along I was.. at this point I am about 6 cm... So I was allowed to use the toilet.. while I sat on the toilet my water broke AND my mucus plug came out.. and THEN I was ready to push.. everyone kept telling me to get out of the bathroom but I did not want to.. i was ready to have that baby right there in the bathroom.. BUT they got me back to bed.. Linda checked me again.. since not even 10 minutes ago I was only 6 cm... but at this point I am pretty much fully dilated.. This was around 5 am.. Linda told me to try not to push.. (THAT IS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS TO DO...!) My body wanted to push and for me to blow out those pushes was so hard.. FINALLY at 5:12 she told me okay give in and push when you are ready.. SO I pushed and at 5:18 am Magnolia Mae was born.. 8 lbs. 12 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long..!

More pictures to come soon!...

Ella's morning bible study.. =)

Words Ella can say..

Can you put your toe in your mouth?

We practice everyday SO when she is 80 she will still be able to put her toe in her mouth.. =) we all got to have life goals.

Needing LOVE and yet lack of it..

Once again my heart is full and my lack of education makes me wonder if I should even try to type up what is on my heart.. We are born needing love and as we grow it only continues.. we search to be loved from parents, friends.. from everyone and yet we have no idea how to love someone properly. Our sinful hearts makes us love ourselves more than anything that if it will hurt us or make us some what uncomfortable we tend to not give love to another and the cycle goes on..

BUT we have hope.. for not only do we have someone who loves us unconditionally but also is the perfect example on HOW to love others.. Through out the Bible we see verses like.. "Love your neighbor as yourself." I have been struggling with loving myself too much and loving others a bit less!.. As a Mom and a wife I am constantly pouring myself into my family.. AND there are days where I just want to scream.. "WHAT ABOUT ME??!.. doesn't anyone care about what I NEED..?" As a new baby will be coming in a matter of weeks God has been once again showing me my selfish heart helping me be more like him.. IF I try to take care and LOVE my family with my own strength then you will see me reacting.." what about me..??" BUT if I love my family like Christ then that would not be the case.. Philippians chapter 2! an amazing chapter getting my heart focused off of me and onto what really matters.. WHAT life is truly about.. If you have been going through something with people and think I can't do this anymore.. TRULY look at the situation.. Do you say that because it makes your life too uncomfortable? Not feeling loved? don't allow circumstances to make you compromise the WORD of God.. allow circumstances to make you more like Christ and focus on the Kingdom of God!..

Miracle Baby that NEEDS your prayers

Baby pierce born at 23 weeks.. and is fighting.. For those parents out there I KNOW you must feel like grabbing your little ones and holding them close..

PRAYERS please

to view this family's blog and to see pictures of baby pierce click the title of this post

Noah and the ARK...

I am not good with words or grammar or anything that has to do with writing ..! but my heart is full tonight and if you can get by all my grammar mistakes you might find something to take with you!..

I have been studying in Genesis and the past couple months been focusing on Noah.

It has been an amazing study, but the timing of this study in my life is no accident. As most people, Christian or not you have heard about Noah and His Ark..

My thoughts of Noah growing up:

He was very old..

built and ark

lots of animals.. and not much else... but as I dig into the Word of God, I am seeing a whole different side of this event in history..

EVERYONE has days that are just hard.. circumstances .. life... things happen and it affects us..

In my life I have a 17 month old who does not require sleep.. I am 34 weeks pregnant and completely exhausted and to add hormones makes each day something I really need to think about..

As I was doing my study today I started with praying.. AND pouring out to God on how tired I am of the every day and not sure how many of these days I can take.. And then something came to my mind.. Noah and his life..

Noah lived in a world that was full of wickedness and violence..

God's Word says "The earth was filled with violence..."every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.."

AND to top that off Noah chose to live a life that found favor with God.. He was not one to follow the crowd which means his life most likely was not easy..

BUT God found favor with Noah and told Noah he was going to save him and his family but he had to built and ark.

Noah then had some time to build the Ark.. from looking at around Shem was born to the time the flood began people say it could have taken him about 100 years to built the ark..

SO for 100 years Noah is building something that condemns everyone who seems him.. We live in a world where stepping on toes is not very good.. Wanting to make everyone happy and at peace..

BUT Noah choosing to obey God would have brought hardship..

Hebrews 11:7

"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."

Now lets head to the Ark.. Noah and his family went on a BIG BIG SHIP.. with one window 18 inches.. with lots of animals..

the smell from animals..

poop..

How did they see? What kind of light did they have on their ship..

The noise from the storm...

motion sickness from the water and waves

FOR ONE YEAR Noah and his family lived on an ark.. The trials and hardship that would have come with that..

Time to get off ark..

to a whole new world.. everything they ever known is gone.. the climate.. the landscape.. having to start fresh.. Never able to go 'home'....

Life for Noah was not easy.. BUT by Faith Noah trusted God and did all that God has called him to do.. He is in the list of people in Hebrews KNOWN for their faith..

Hebrews 12

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do Not Grow Weary

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."

I have Noah's life and other lives in the Word of God and all around me to SHOW ME I am surrounded by people who did not allow circumstances or life to get in the way BUT ran the race set before them..

I love running but it does take endurance..

AND whats the definition of endurance?

noun

1. the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc.

2. the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina: He has amazing physical endurance.

3.lasting quality; duration: His friendships have little endurance.

4.something endured, as a hardship; trial.

That is How we should live the Christian life.. Being a follower of Jesus is not a walk in the park.. it is work.. its hard.. BUT the hope we have.. What is your eyes set on?

I know my eyes gets set on things of this world.. MISSING what LIFE is truly about..

SO for those true followers of Jesus.. let us lay aside anything that will hold us back and lets RUN with endurance..

33 weeks Pregnant

My sister Becca took some pictures of me and Ella when we went to visit her.. I was 33 weeks pregnant here.. Ella is 17 months

Eleanor trying to let me know what she wants to do

I am the baby translator.. " Ma, do you see that cool play thing out there.. I want to go play on it.. please, please, lets go! Come on! Let me off this deck!.."

Ma says, " No, Ella that belongs to the neighbor but lets see what Auntie Becca has to play with.."

Ella's response!

TRIP TO BOSTON

This peaceful picture only lasted a moment.. On plane for 2 hours.. for an hour and a 1/2 it was a constant battle.. She fought and fought and fought.. and screamed and was not very good.. BUT for 30 minutes she played nice and was a sweet thing.. DON'T LET THESE PICTURES FOOL YOU.. This child KNOWS how to put up a fight..

Coffee UNDERGROUND with Uncle Toma

Need to scratch your Bum?

Ella dancing with her cousin Emma

When you are on the HUNT!

I have been on the hunt for some new dishes for a while.. A few years back Ross and I saw some dishes we both really liked and the price was amazing, but at that time in our lives we did not have the money to be buying dishes SO we saved for them and when we finally got the money we went back only to see they were no longer there.. SO the hunt began again..

My Sister in law, Brandi came to town for a few days so we wanted to take her to our favorite antique store.. AND Ross and I both found dishes we liked and once again the price was VERY affordable! BUT THIS TIME we actually had the money.. So my sweet husband let me pick them up.. Once I brought them home I realized I had no room in my cabinet for them and the yellow and the flower were just so pretty I wanted them out..

Brandi is VERY gifted when it comes to decorating.. ( you should see her house)

So she saw my Hoosier Cabinet and said.. " put dishes in here and keep it open!.."

AND SO I was inspired!

Thank Brandi for the idea!...

Check out Quick Update from Tokyo

Hi,

I want you to take a look at: Quick Update from Tokyo 

Ellie's First bike

March has begun..

Stumptown Whitefish, MT. 02.09.2011

28 Weeks.. Magnolia Mae

Another girl!.. As much as I wanted to wait to find out.. Ross talked me into finding out what we are having and NOW I am so thrilled i did..! A sister for Eleanor... how much fun!.. I have reach my last trimester and its crazy that I am in the last stretch before meeting my other daughter..!

Lake Lure Eleanor with a LEMON

Lake Lure, N.C...

My Ma and two sisters, Breanna and Kelly came down to visit for a few days.. AND whenever we have people come to visit us I love using the excuse of them visiting to head to Lake Lure, for the Brownie Sundae.. ITS SO AMAZING..! The weather was amazing.. so off we went!.. here is Eleanor and her "Cheese"...

Kelly, Bre and I ...

Ross and Ryan..