I know every momma thinks their kiddos are cute…. but really mine are 
And so is their daddy!
I love piggy tails!!!
And sisters who are best friends!
Snakes… not so much….
I love the dreams I see in their eyes.
And the love
And the friends!!
Thanking God for the blessings of our girls!
Can I get a witness??
I love love love it!!
Resting in His timing for me, for my friends, for our future kiddos 
So glad I’m not in control!
Why do these things matter so much to me? I can’t help but think about what other’s opinions are of me. I try to act like I don’t care, that it doesn’t affect me- but in reality it does. I read an interesting thought in my “Made to Crave” devotion today.
“Don’t let people’s compliments go to your head and don’t let their criticisms go to your heart.”
But I do allow that. I do- but I don’t want to. The passage of scripture that relates to this is Colossians 3:1-2. Of course I love the message version-
“So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.”
Anybody have any real life application on how to do this??
I also liked this thought in the devotional-
“Be brave enough to accept negative feedback as a possible call to action but not as a definition of your identity. And while you enjoy the positive feedback refuse to get bloated by it”
I try to be open to negative feedback- for areas I may need to work on. I think I have a harder time with not getting bloated with the positive. The girls usually helps me with that though- when I’m on my high horse about what good girls they are, someone usually helps me out by attacking the other or working together to make a big mess 
- just keeping it real!
A quote that I first saw last year keeps coming back into my head.
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
Hmmmmmmm- where would that lead me?
A new quote that was in my Bible study this week is-
“Our spiritual life is His affair; because, whatever we may think to the contrary, it is really produced by His steady attraction, and our humble and self-forgetful response to it. It consists in being drawn, at his pace and in His way, to the place where He wants us to be; not the place we fancied for ourselves.”
I’m learning more and more that it’s all about the process. The process of becoming who/what/where He wants me to be.
I’m so thankful for His drawing me nearer, for not giving up on me. Working on me to get me to the place where my deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet!
Some days my kids are easily entertained. Some days not so much……Here are a few things we’ve done recently that they have liked.
Necklaces
Sometimes they entertain themselves 
Boats
Grandpa at the wheel of course- what do you mean you can’t tell… that stick person clearly has shorter hair!
I’m not very crafty but my kids LOVE it when I try!
Not related but I love this little face. This is her “I’ve got to tell you something in your ear”
One of my favorite speakers- Angela Thomas spoke at our MOPS group last Tuesday. Every time I hear her speak I come away with something new & helpful. One of the first times I heard her speak she talked about how our kids need to see us praying and studying the Bible. That has made an impact on me. Where I used to put away my Bible and devotional if the kids got up early from nap- now I go ahead and finish while they watch TV. They know Mommy’s Bible study is important!
I loved the topic of Angela’s talk- 5 things I wish someone would have told me sooner. I want to remember these things!! Now I just took short handed notes and its been awhile since Tuesday so some of this is my interpretation of what she said…..
1- The most important gift to give my kids and my husband is to care for my heart. It is more important that the housework, the crafts, the outings. One of the things she said is that we should choose to grow spiritually- because if not God will choose for us and that might not be as pleasant.
2- Simple memories are the sweetest. She talked about listing the 10 things you love about each one of your kids- and asked do your kids know those things??
3- Don’t spend so much money on your kids!
4- Laughter will carry you through. She mentioned that your kids love to hear you laugh. Your house needs to be fun- you want them to want to be there- to bring their friends there.
5- Take no offense. Take everything as a compliment.
And then she kept going 
I was glad- I didn’t want it to end!
6- Never stop touching your children. Touch them when you walk by, touch them so much they expect it!
7- Comparison is so unfair! You are always comparing someone else’s best to your worst.
8- Tebow Em She talked about how you have to build character early & have strong boundaries. Help your kids memorize scripture.
Somewhere in there she talked about how in the big picture Jesus is on the throne. Even the things that seem like huge things in the moment really aren't. This is the thing that has stuck with me the most. I have a hard time in the moment of something that seems like a big deal, a “what in the world were you thinking!!!” moment, I lose my cool. I yell. I lose perspective. So I’ve instituted a new rule in our house. When something happens and I want to yell, to say “what were you thinking??!!”, or just feel myself getting frustrated at all of the little things, I say “Jesus is on the throne” and the kids say “Hallelujah!!” It breaks up my mad, lifts my eyes to Jesus, and perspective hits home. Jesus is on the throne! He is in control. One day we will be in Heaven with Him! Now the fact that they just took all the clothes off the hangers, put half the bottle of shampoo and a bunch of lotion in her dry hair, woke up her sister, or reprogrammed my computer doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. They are kids- and yes they need to learn not to do those things- but they need to see their Mom loving them, showing them grace, and putting all the focus on Jesus more!! So if you see me out and about and I yell out “Jesus is on the throne” and my kids throw their hands up and yell “Hallelujah”…. you will know what’s going on :)
Please excuse this post if it’s a little random and run-on….. My heart is on fire- my hope is restored, my God hears me! He hears what I pray, He hears what I think- what I don’t say. How awesome is that?? Recently I found a new favorite verse- Micah 7:7
“But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me. “
And He does. He does even when it seems like I’m not getting through. Even in the waiting!
Our adoption journey has been a lot of waiting so far. And I’ve struggled with that. All the roadblocks, the closed doors- I wondered did it mean we weren’t supposed to adopt, or not right now?? But the one thing I KNOW is that we have been called to adopt. And in my heart I know that. And we felt like now was the time… and so we’ve been going down the paths we’ve been led down. And someday, maybe soon, maybe not til heaven we will see His greater plan. Why things have gone they way they have. The lessons we have learned along the way. How He is glorified through it all. But for now we are waiting. Waiting for Him to lead us where he wants us to go.
I was talking with an adoptive mom this morning and telling her where we were- and how people probably think, and how I sometimes think about maybe this isn’t His will. That maybe God is trying to tell us something. But as I shared with her I KNOW that is not true. This is just a small piece of the plan. In my quiet time today I was reflecting on how I hadn’t believed that until I said it to her. I’ve never really had the Lord speak to me using my own voice before- but I think that’s what happened. And I am resting in the fact that He is in control. As I continued in my quiet time I was reading ahead for our bible study. I opened up to Habakkuk 2.
“What's God going to say to my questions? I'm braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon.
I'll wait to see what God says,
how he'll answer my complaint. And then God answered: "Write this.
Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
pointing to what's coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
And it doesn't lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
It's on its way. It will come right on time. “
WOW! And we go back to MY GOD WILL HEAR ME. He heard my questions, my doubts, and answered me- “It will come right on time”
So- we will continue waiting- in big block letters…..
We are waiting for God to bring us a child through adoption!
I can hardly wait 
I’ve gotten more and more slack about carrying the camera around with us. I am thankful for my cellphone camera as it captures the pictures that tell stories of fun times, spontaneity and my girls growing up day by day. This is a smorgasbord of pictures… just day to day in our lives 
Dress up happens almost everyday
A trip to the dentist. A little sister who was so concerned for her sissy. She stood watch and held her hand….
Jumping on the trampoline with cousin and aunt!
A fun night out with my 2 oldest brothers, sister in law and hubby.
Our second Christmas tree of the year…
Silly Spiperman
Helpful girls who folded all the hand towels
Stuck with daddy in a submarine
New hairstyles!!
Helping her little sister climb in a Chic-fil-a play place that was made for kids a little taller
Day at the zoo
Countdown til noon for New Years Eve
With their very first magic show!
Happy New Year!!
I love the ‘tude Piper’s showing in this picture… boy does she have it! And her personality and expressions kill me. Her most popular saying right now is “Puh LEAse”- with a furrowed brow…..wanting to do whatever you told her not to do.
And with this random post here is my non-resolution- to keep being random, spontaneous, and fun-loving. To teach my girls in the day to day how to be a Jesus girl, to show others Christ’s love and to have lots of fun doing it! I am so excited to see what 2012 has in store for us- only Jesus knows and I am so excited to walk with Him through it!
