Ice skating and falling with style

Dave surprised us last Friday night and told us he wanted to take us ice skating. It had been on our thoughts to do it since the Olympics and since our friends, The Schwartz's, went and had a great time. We had a blast. For those that do not know, Dave played ice hockey for a number of years so ice skating comes so naturally to him but for the rest of us, not so much :). This was the first time we ever took Andrew and Kira and I must say I was thoroughly impressed with both of them but especially Andrew. Personally I think the progression of his pictures below speak wonders :) (sorry some of the pictures are darker, it was Fri night skate so it was like the good ol' days with the lights low and the music playing).
Kira on the other hand, well, we'll let the pictures speak for themselves too :) As you can see in the one pic, Dave decided it was easier to drag her than for her to skate - haha. No, in all honesty, she did really well. Hopefully next time we'll be able to get her to move her skates more than a 1/2 inch at a time :)
And for me, my norm for ice skating still holds true - one fall, and then I skate like a pro - haha, well maybe not quite like a pro. Maybe next time Dave will take a few of me ;)

Is your dog as spiritual as ours?

Bahahaha - I know you are probably thinking I'm crazy but I had to share these pictures with you. One morning before Dave left for work, I was reading my Bible and started laughing because Samson's paws were on the little New Testament we have. I thought wow, even our dog is trying to get closer to our God - haha.
Well, Dave took it one step further and opened it for Samson. These are the pics that came about so I ask you once again "Is your dog spiritual because ours is :)

Dinner with the Girls...

Last week I got the wonderful privilege to go to dinner with my friend Kristina and her beautiful baby Sydney!! We decided to make it a girls night and my beautiful Kira came along too! I worked with Kristina in the NNICU for about 3 years and she decided to move on and is now an awesome nurse coordinator for many clinics at the hospital.
She was one of my very first friends when we moved here and I so miss our chats and carpool rides together :) It was wonderful to get to spend time with her again over a yummy meal and just catch up!
Look at her beautiful little girl - I was at the hospital the day Sydney was born (you can look back in the blog to see :) ), spent time with her when she was little, and just have enjoyed hearing all the crazy stories of the wonderful toddler stage she is in right now. She reminds me of Andrew - very smart and always into something- haha :)
After we left dinner, I had memories of Kira at that age and just got to share some stories about her life when she was that young - she loved hearing them and it was a wonderful end to the night - just loving the beautiful daughter God has blessed me with!! We love you Kristina and Sydney!! We can't wait to do it again!!

Funny how God works...

It always amazes me how God works for our good and to show us His kindness and love! This week I had a very tough beginning of the week. Something happened and I made a mistake this week and my heart hurt because I hurt someone I truly love and care for! I cried for a couple of days - I won't go into all the details but it weighed heavy on my heart. You know what was amazing - the amazing sweet woman that was hurt (truly by accident) loved me in spite of what happened. Is this not a demonstration of God's love for us??? That He loves us in spite of our mistakes, our short-comings? How awesome that He can use others to show His amazing love for us (and for me)? She was a light to me when I was in a dark place in spite of the tough circumstances and for that I will be forever grateful!!
What baffled me even more is how another friend whom I love dearly as well wrote me on Tuesday to say I was on her heart and she did not know why, but God told her to pray for me the last couple of days! Ummm, excuse me?! God put me - just a lowly person - on her heart. I asked Dave why do you think God does this (have people praying for us when we need it most) - I mean He is sovreign and knows what will happen before it even does - He answered and said "I think He does it for us - to show how much love He truly has for us and how much He cares for us" You know what, I think my husband is pretty smart :)

Pleasing God...

For those of you that don't know, on Tuesday nights we get the privilege to be a part of a 2+ hour prayer meeting with our family at GFA and once a month on Friday night, we get to participate in an all-night prayer. What's awesome is that Gospel For Asia was founded on prayer and it continues 30+ years later. (Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God -- Phillipians 4:6) I truly think that every week is a blessing from God that we get to be a part of these meetings. One of the most blessed times of the night is when a GFA leader speaks - sometimes it is Brother K.P. when he is not in India, sometimes his son, Danny, but last Tuesday it was a man named David Carroll!

This is a true man of God that loves the Lord with all his heart and it shows - We had the pleasure of meeting him during our time in Texas (he is the one holding the book in the blue plaid shirt)!! These are the things he shared -- please know this was his message, not from me -- but I share it here to encourage you as I have been thoroughly encouraged!!

Things that please God

1. Heartfelt worship, praise-(Noah, Gen 8:1-22; Heb 13:15).

2. Faith (founded on the unseen, not the seen; living for God’s Heaven, not earth) (Heb 11:6,: Heb 11:16)

3. Purity & goodness of heart (Samuel, 1Sam 2:22-26; Mk 12:34)

4. Obedience (of the mind and the actions; living out the fruit of the Spirit; children obeying parents) (I Sam 15:22; Eph 6; Col 3:20))

5. Wholehearted love for God (living only to please Him) (Luke 14:26, Luke 14:13)

6. Unity (Ps 133:2)

More things that Please God

7. Thankfulness in everything (Eph 5:4; I Thess 5:18)

8. Sacrificial giving (Phil 4:18; Heb 13:16)

9. Rejoicing always (1 Thess 5:16)

10. Praying w/o ceasing (for kings & all who are in authority) (1 Thess 5:17, 1 Tim 2:1-4)

11. Presentation of my body as a living sacrifice (including suffering for Him) (Rom 12:1)

12. Doing good works to others (Heb 13:16)

13. Doing service to God (Rom 15:16)

Guess who the secret snuggie wearing thief is??

YEP, you guessed it! Andrew has been secretly stealing my snuggie in the mornings when he is reading his Bible with his daddy! Hmm, and this is one of the boys in the house that makes fun of me because I wear my snuggie... ALOT!!! Tsk, Tsk my son -- now I have evidence that you are a snuggie wearer too!!

Peek a Boo - Samson Style

So, one morning after cleaning up the kitchen I am looking for Samson - I could not find him anywhere, that is until I looked a little closer. Tell me if you can see where he is - Now remember I was coming in from the kitchen on the left side of the pictures :)



And yep, our crazy dog came out for me to pet him and then went right back into his cozy little place - silly doggie we have :)

Spring is in the air...

And with the arrival of spring comes warmer temperatures, playing outside, and of course baseball!! Andrew is playing again this year and we are so excited to have him be able to be on the Coach Tim's team again. Of course, practicing your catching with your daddy is a great way to end a beautiful spring day!

Love it when my boys are playing together!!

Get Involved - Gospel for Asia

Get Involved - Gospel for Asia
Please get involved with sharing the love of Jesus with those who have never heard His name before! We are called to be His witnesses to all the earth! The Great Commission was not a suggestion but a command! Please see how you can get involved. And if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Just click on the link at the top of the page to learn more about GFA and what God has called our family to!!