Wordless Wednesday

I almost didn't post a Wordless Wednesday today. I think that would be the first one since I started! But, to be totally honest with you, I just don't feel like being funny, nor do I feel like laughing. (Maybe that means I really need the laugh though) But then I found this video from a Concert of Praise Rehearsal.

I figured since it is wordless music, it will count for Wordless Wednesday. It reminds me of a Saturday Night Live version of church. And the guy on the trumpet is Adaryll's long-lost fraternity brother from Texas Tech. It's so cool that God has brought them back together- they used to be on stage together in a jazz band and now they lead worship together at HCBC!

Sit back and enjoy!

Praising God, Regardless

I have realized over the last week that there are some serious hurts going on in this world right now. I know that seems obvious, but 2 of our 5 closest couple friends are in serious crisis right now, and my heart it so burdened for them.
I learned a new song (Long Live the King) at the Concert of Praise last week that I just keep singing in my head. It really sums up how I have been feeling and thoughts I have been having the last few days. And so I know that we can continue to walk through life, praising God, regardless of our circumstance. Because He is unchanging, no matter what is going on around us.


Long Live the King
My heart keeps beating even though I can’t control it.
My lungs keep breathing I admit I don’t know how.
Bring the flood or bring the fire in this lifetime
I’m ready for the altar or the plough
There are always days when I don’t feel like singing
There are always days when I don’t care at all
But I know the King of All Creation reigns completely
Over every moment great and small
Long live the One who gives us life and peace and hope for tomorrow
You’ve given everything we needed from the palm of Your hand
I’ll give my everything to the One Who pledged to cancel my sorrow
All I have is Yours- Long Live the King
Humbly we approach Your throne of Mercy
Aware that we’re unworthy of Your Grace
You have offered pardon and forgiveness
Grievances are gone without a trace
You restore our lives even though we don’t deserve it
And You’ve given us a love that’s not our own
You assemble all our broken, shattered pieces:
More beautiful than I had ever known
Long live the One who gives us life and peace and hope for tomorrow
You've given everything we needed from the palm of Your hand
I'll give my everything to the One who pledged to cancel my sorrow
All I have is Yours- Long live the King


I keep watching these videos from the Concert of Praise rehearsals. Seeing the kids dance and feeling how in love with them I am- and then realizing that God loves each of us even more than that- brings a smile back to my heart.

Circle of Friends

Adaryll and I have about 5 couples our age of we have connected deeply with over the last 10 years. Couples we have "done life" with. Couples we have become parents with and raised our kids with. Couples who mean SO much more to us than just lifelong friends- they are like brothers and sisters.
One of those couples brought their first child into the world yesterday. He was born completely unexpectedly at 22 weeks. He was perfect in every way- all 1 pound and 2 ounces of him. He was beautiful. His mom and dad got to hold him and sing hymns to him as he passed from their arms into the arms of Jesus.
If you would, please remember this couple in your prayers this week and in the weeks to come. Their story is far from over, and God is just beginning a work in their hearts and lives that only He knows the end result of.

What's On Your Mantle?

We have had the same picture hanging over our mantle for four years. In fact, I think it has hung in 3 different houses (which tells you a little about how often we have moved lately). Here it is...

I really do love this picture. I love the background and how all of our faces "pop". But there is something missing. HELLO! WE HAVE HAD ANOTHER CHILD FOR OVER TWO YEARS!!! So I thought it might be time for a change...

I absolutely love it! I think this trio of pics really captures both kids' personalities. I love that the frame matches my living room tables/TV cabinet and the matte matches the couch. It just looks like it was meant to be in that room. And it is so nice to have them BOTH up there looking back at me.

So, in the process of making that change, I started thinking about how we tend to elevate things that are important to us. We make the most important things the focal point, not just of our rooms, but of our lives. I like to think that loving God and loving others are the signature of who I am, but my life doesn't always look that way. It often looks like the only one I really love is myself. I have a long way to go when it comes to selflessness!

I think maybe we choose to display as a focal point in our homes what is important in our lives. My family is who I love and serve, day in and day out. With the kids, it is really a 24/7 endeavor. And there they are, the focal point of my living room. So, the question is, what's on your mantle?

Wordless Wednesday Winner

Thanks for playing, everyone! We have 2 winners this week.

Jenny: "We're almost there, Elena. Only 1,100 miles to go to get to Aunt Jenny's house!"

Jo: "Let's see, I thought this was the way to Daddy's office..."

Double Shot (maybe that is what I need now!)

It was really tempting to save this picture for a Wordless Wednesday, but I think the visual to go along with this story is too essential to leave out.
Elena had her 2-year-old check up today (i.e. SHOTS). She was in the 90th percentile for height (35.5 inches) and the 50th for weight (26.8 pounds). She is doing great developmentally and they were very impressed with her speech- both the amount of talking and the clarity of it all.
So at the end of her appointment, it was shot time. It wasn't until then that I let Elias know that he too would be getting some shots. I explained it to him like this: "Elias, you are starting school soon, and there are lots of germs at school. There are some shots that will help fight some of those germs." Still, he was scared. He pretty much started crying right then, and it was still another 10 minutes before the nurse actually came in with the shots! We decided that maybe it would help if we sang a song together while he got the shots, and he had chosen Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
He started to panic as soon as the nurse walked in the room. I sat him on the table and laid him back while she cleaned off his legs with alcohol wipes. I was leaning over him when she did the first shot in his thigh and all the sudden, through big sobs, I hear "TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR!!! (sob sob sniff) HOW I WONDER WHAT YOU ARE!!!!" I forgot we were going to sing, and, frankly, I didn't know she was starting. But Elias remembered, and he yelled it out through his tears. I wish I had it on recording. We finished the song together while she finished the shots and put on his band-aids. He was crying sooooo hard.
Once he was done and sobbing a little less, I sat him in a chair and gave him a sucker. Then I picked up Elena from her chair to take her to the table. The nurse said to her, "Are you ready?" and she just started bawling right then. She only had to get 1 shot, so it was quick. Afterwards, the nurse gave them both high-five. I told Elena to say thank you, and she just looked at that nurse with the biggest frowned brow I have ever on her face.
So I sat them both back up on the table and took their picture with my phone while they both cried. Really, it was just too memorable of a moment to not blog.

Wordless Wednesday

Here is today's Wordless Wednesday pic. What are they doing? Where are they going? What might they be thinking? You leave your caption under "comments" and I will choose a winner tomorrow night.

Shout Out

In my futile attempt to figure out who all you blogstalkers are out there, I am starting a new game. I am going to send a "shout out" to a group of cities. If you live in one of them, leave a comment with your first name (maybe last initial?) so I can know who you are! Seriously, 2100+ hits in less than 2 months means that someone besides the regular comment-leavers read this site! Plus, my site-meter actually lets me see where you people are located, just not who you actually are.
Here we go with round 1: Today, I am sending a shout out to...
1. Indianapolis (or the Greater Indianapolis area!), Indiana
2. Katy, Texas
3. Chula Vista, California
If you live in one of those cities, holler back!

Elena LIVE!

Here it is people- just what you have all been waiting for- Elena LIVE in concert! Who knew you could get tickets so cheap (ok, free!)? And your very own PERSONAL show! These are priceless...

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star..."

"I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillary. I may never fly o'er the enemy, but I 'm in the Lord's army. Yes, sir!" This is one of her favorite songs from her Sunday morning worship time.

Still singing "I'm in the Lord's army. Yes, sir!" Only this time she brought an audience- Mr. Frog in a stroller. Which is funny because the little babies at church come to their worship time in 6-seater-strollers. Apparantly this little one wasn't participating as much as she wanted him to.

Some Things I Love

Elias and I shared a special moment tonight. By special, I mean we each had a bowl of ice cream in my bed after bath time. It really doesn't get much better than ice cream in bed, does it? While we were eating, he made a comment that spun my mind into a whole list of things I love. Sadly, most of these things are related to the season/stage our family is in right now, which means that they will too soon be gone. Realizing that made me kind-of sad. Realizing that I could blog the list and have a permanent record made it all seem a little sweeter. So here are some things I love about my life right now...
1. Elias says tastes in 2 syllables: "Taste"-"Es" (i.e. My ice cream taste-es really good.)
2. Both of my kids LOVE music. Elena sat on the stairs today with an acoustic guitar singing "I'm in the Lord's Army" (Yes Sir!) Elias spends countless hours on his drums and piano.
3. They both yell "Daddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" when they hear the door open at the end of the day. Even if they are upstairs.
4. Elias is discovering the world of math and will randomly bust out with things like "Mommy, 24+24=48" while we are driving. Elena likes to count things too. She has learned to count to 10, but she leaves out 4 more often than not.
5. Elias has been reading a book called "Trash & Recycling" in the car. He regularly informs me of some new piece of information he has learned and I typically respond with "Yes" or "That's right". The other day he said "How do you know all of this already? Did you read this book when you were a little girl?"
6. Elena has Elias' laugh. Seriously, when they both get going with a deep belly laugh, you can't tell which one is which.
7. They are both obsessively orderly and have a need for things to be organized. Not sure who they got that trait from. I guess the fact that it is something I love about them gives a clue.
8. When we are listening to the radio in the car, Elias (lately) always sings the bass guitar line. It is amazing to me to hear him pick that out of any random song and then catch on. Elena sings the ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Lord's Army, or Jesus Loves Me (or some combination thereof) really loudly no matter what is on the radio. Every once in a while she catches on and sings a word or two of the song that is actually on.
9. They love to go out into the backyard and play in the sandbox together. Without me.
10. They really are each others' best friend. When we grocery shop and they sit side-by-side in the "car cart", they hug each other about once every 2 minutes. Then they talk and laugh and one of them says "Hug!" and they hug again.
11. They are just so stinkin' cute! Their skin is the perfect shade of tan and their curly hair is just amazing. They both have such a unique look. I really don't think God could have made them any more beautiful. (I know, I am incredibly biased, but hey, it is my blog and I get to say what I want!)
12. I love that I get to stay home and spend each moment of this special formative time with them. I am so thankful to be able to instill Biblical teachings and values into their little minds on a daily basis. Elias starts Kindergarten in 3 weeks, and though that makes me sad for the end of an era with him, it also makes me rejoice in the new season I will have with Elena.