Miss Ornery

Wanted to share these pictures of my ornery, silly little girl.  I'm telling you she is a piece of work and keeps us desparately on our toes.  Yes...she is wearing Grant's underwear...over her diaper AND over her head...What a goofball!  And this is her favorite activity to do when Mommy and Daddy are distracted with something else...tearing out EVERYTHING from the kitchen cabinets.  Yes, she is ORNERY!!!!!!

I have so much to update on my thoughts and how the Lord is working in me right now...as in my pain issues...but it's all jumbled up in my head and althought I feel like writing, I just can't get it all out like I want...so I'll save it for another day...Just know that there is progress with my neck and as always, God is still in control (smiles). 

Mother's Day and more...

Have I mentioned lately how blessed I am? If not, well I should have. God has blessed me truly beyond measure with my kids...if you know me well enough you know that each child challenges me in a different way and there are always times a mom needs an escape...but I wouldn't trade any of these moments with my three kiddos. They are all three soooo unique and have their own personalities and things that make them special. Brock is my outgoing, outspoken, hard-working and energetic one...Grant is my shy, cuddly, go with the flow (and also hard-working) one...and Kiara, well, she is my stinker, friendly, entertaining one. There really is never a dull moment in our house and I love it. I really do. Even when I just want to escape for 5 minutes for a little quiet...I still love it. For Mother's Day, they told me we could do whatever I wanted...hmmmm...we went out for fast food because I didn't want to wait at a nicer place and then I took a nap. Ahhhh...naps are bliss aren't they? :) When we got home from church the kids gave me some big candy bars and the most adorable frame. I would carry this frame around with me at all times if that was feasible, because I LOVE looking at these three sweet faces. I took a picture...trust me that the "live" version is much better.

Below is a puzzle that Grant colored for me and gave to me.  He was so proud of it and so sweet to give it to me.

Later in the day, after both of our naps (hence the hair-do) Kiara found my chocolate/caramel bar in my room.  She unwrapped it as she walked down the hall and came into the room with Phil and I looking VERY proud of herself for getting her "choc-a"...she is her mommy's girl!

Oh, how I love my kids...and that husband of mine????  Well, I love him to pieces too...he just doesn't like his picture taken! :)

My song...

My theme song for the last few months has been a song by JJ Heller entitled "Your Hands"...it is song 4 on my playlist to the right...if you click on it you can hear it.  I've blogged about this song before.  The first time I heard it my mouth dropped open and I cried and cried out to Jesus that this song was for me.   It felt like it was literally written for me for this time in my life.  In fact, crazily enough when I call it my song, it seems I am almost saying that it is for me and I don't think of it being for anyone else...Fast forward a bit. I won tickets two weeks ago to go to a JJ Heller concert.  I felt this again was such a God thing so that I could go hear "my song"...So, I invited some friends to go with me and we went.  When we got to that song in the concert, she shared why she wrote it (for herself) and talked about how it had affected others and the dj even talked about how many of us could remember where we were the first time we heard it and ours mouths dropping open at how applicable it was for each of us...Wait, what? You mean others think it is "their song"????  HA!  It hit me that yes, it is still MY song and I do believe that God inspired her to write it and I believe He inspired me to hear it when He did at the exact perfect moment in time that I needed it, but now I realize...it's not about ME...it's about HIM. Duh.  I realize that seems very obvious but it's like I needed the concert and seeing her live to get that we are all affected with our own "issues" and we all need to rest in HIS hands in order to have peace in it.  I'm so grateful to her and her music...if you listen to more of her stuff...she is so powerful in her lyrics..the music seems so simplistic, yet it stuns you with the profoundness found in that simplicity.  She is my new favorite artist right now.  Here are some pictures of her and her husband Dave performing the show and one of us girls who enjoyed some time together.

I had to put the one of her singing "Back Home" in it...I can't listen to the song without seeing us all doing the silly movements with it.  The girls know what I'm talking about! :)

8 Years Old...Already?

Yep...really, already, Grant turned 8 this week.  I simply can't believe it.  My whole life those who were "older" have told me that the older you get the faster time goes...wow, they weren't kidding!  Every year seems to go faster and yet it seems to me that it was just moments ago that I held a 6 pound 6 oz little boy in my arms and cried at how beautiful he was...nope, 8 years ago already!  So, we made our regular birthday trek to Pizza Hut and then did presents, cake/ice cream at our house with Grandma and Grandpa in tow.  This little guy is the guy who used to cry so hard that he would throw up when we left him anywhere other than with us or Grandma...who wouldn't speak at pre-school...now...well, he wanted to be sure that Pizza Hut knew it was his birthday and made sure everyone at school knew too.  I love him.  He is so different from my other two and I just love him to pieces.  It won't be long and he'll be graduating...I know that, but I seem to love every age that he is at...watching him grow, explore and become our little man.  I love you Grant.  Happy Birthday little man!

Day 1 of his life :)  So little.

Birthday cake! He wanted 8 candles, plus a new "8" candle...plus the "8" candle from Brock's b-day!