Love

I have always thought of February as the love month. Of course I am sure it is because of Valentines Day, even though I have never been one to "celebrate" Valentines Day. I will admit, the past 2 years we did get into it a bit more as the kids were involved in parties, but I still have not gotten that into it.

This year I felt God really pulling at my heart to slow down in February and think about love. As I meditated on it I am reminded that we are to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' Mark 12:30-31. Are we doing that? What could we do to love on others and really make an impact? Are we really  loving our neighbor as our self? And are we really loving God?

Chris and I got together and as a family decided to do a couple things. First, through the recommendation of a dear friend we came to Family From Afar, where we were able to begin the process of sponsoring a child from Africa.  Oh, my heart sings when I see a photo of Dirbe. We headed to the store as a family and picked out as many fun/necessities we could fit into the required size bag and on Valentines Day shipped it off to the group of people that will be able to hand out the "treasures" to the kids.

Second, last weekend we were able to pack food with Feed My Starving Children through a Community Food Packing Hunger Initiative. The goal, 1,000,000 meals packed in 1 day. We started the day off with the first shift and in just 2 hours were able to pack enough food to feed almost 70 children for a year. Children that would otherwise starve to death. In a day the goal was met the and exceeded  and thousands of lives will be saved. What an impact for not only those people but also for our family. We (the boys included) are looking forward to doing it again.

The last item on love was a personal decision. It was time for a hair cut, a big hair cut. Locks of Love is a wonderful organization and donating some hair was a way to bless someone else that needs it.

Before the cut and after.....

As I reflect back on the month of February I am reminded to love your neighbor as yourself.

And They're Off!

Who would have thought that a block of wood, 4 wheels and some spray paint would be so much fun! This month Noah was able to participate in his first Pinewood Derby for AWANA. I would recommend this or other events like it if you have one in your area (yes I do mean the derby and AWANA). The derby gave Noah some extra special time with his dad. They got to spend time working in the shop sanding, painting, picking out a race number, laughing and just having fun.

As we entered the derby room and saw the trophies Noah asked with much excitement, "Do you think I will get one of those?" Time to sit down again and remind him of all the fun he had making it, all the things that he learned in the process, and that not everyone wins and takes home a trophy. In my heart I was excited for him and really did want him to win.

The time for racing came. Car number 22 had a loud cheering section. As it raced down the track 4 different times racing various cars in various lanes it did amazing every time. It was so heart warming to see Noah and his brothers so excited! Finally the time came to reveal the winners. They started with 3rd place, 2nd place, still they had not said his name.... was he going to win?

In the end, he did win and take the trophy for 1st place in speed category. It was great, but the best part about it was not the winning or the trophy. The best part about the derby was the time with dad, the learning, the laughing and the joy filled heart that he has. Thank you Lord for Noah.

6 Already?

Noah is 6! Still trying to figure out where the last 6 years went, somehow they have managed to fly by! Noah, your dad and I love your smile and kind heart. We love that you always work to do what is right and include everyone. We love you for making the right decisions even when they are not always the popular ones. We pray that as you grow you will continue to show these Godly traits and shine for Him!It is a tradition at our home that on your birthday you get to select whatever you want for your birthday breakfast. Since it was a Sunday and we were excited to get to church, the day started early with Cinnamon Roll Cake. Yum!

We did some skating last winter, but this year the boys have fallen in love with skating. We have gotten out several times a week and love everything from the fresh air to the exercise. It was an easy decision to go with a skate party for his birthday this year. The weather could have been better, but in the end everyone had a fun time and no one got hurt. Here are a few shots from his big day.

4 Years Later....

4 years since our last post. So many changes in 4 years! I have been meaning to keep up with the kids baby books, scrapbooks and journals, and in the end have fallen way behind. The goal for 2012 is a monthly update so here we go!

I will start with the end of 2011. December 8, 2011 Jacob made the decision to ask Jesus into his heart and be Lord of his life. His brothers and I were sitting around the table discussion salvation at breakfast when Jacob (age 3 at the time) made the decision and prayed the prayer of salvation. God is so good!



December 26, our sweet Jacob turned 4. He is the spunky one in the family (not sure where he gets that from) and gets attention with his beautiful eyes. Mom and dad love you and are so proud of the boy you are.

Jacob Michael

If you still check the blog here, thanks for that. It's been almost a year since I've provided any updates here, as I've been posting photos to the smugmug gallery.

As you probably already know, Jacob Michael was born on December 26th! He was 8 lb, 10 oz and is a healthy, beautiful baby boy. More photos can be found at the smugmug gallery.



I don't plan to keep this blog up to date any time soon. With family, work, and school, this past year has been pretty hectic. I enjoy dropping photos on the net for your viewing pleasure, but haven't taken much time to provide much of the storyline.

Have a great 2008!