Signing Off...

So, I'm going to end this blog for a while. My hunny had a run in with some not so pleasant circumstances and I just think it would be safer all the way around if I not write about our family life. I was made aware of the darkness in humanity and I have to say, I was not happy. My kiddos are gifts from God and if I don't protect them to the best of my ability, then what's my job? If you have questions for me, you can email me. But otherwise, adieu until a later time...

One Step Closer....

We had our home inspection today for the adoption. We passed! So... Now, we will be licensed and the waiting begins in earnest. We're seventh on the waiting list, so who knows? Maybe we'll get a baby this year?!?! Well, that is... If we're still living in Reno. With Yeadon's job insecurity we are looking for positions outside of Nevada. If we leave the state, we will no longer qualify for the program of which we are a part. Please pray for God to give us peace about the future of our baby... He is, after all, the ultimate provider and His will be done!

Vacation time

We were so lucky to be able to take almost two weeks of vacation in March. Kayden was off of school for the month of March and Yeadon was able to take vaction time at the same time... sooooo, we headed over to visit our friends the Schreiners. I was optimistic about the 15 hour drive until it turned into an 18 hour drive.... Suffice it to say, I was very done with driving by the time we reached Aurora at 3 in the morning! The girls were pretty amazing, expect for the fact that Kaelin chose not to sleep for almost the whole car trip... Yead had also worked the night before so he was pretty tired and I did a lot more driving than I expected to! Overall, we had a fabulous time. We went to the botanic gardens, visited the aquarium, and just hung out with some pretty great friends. Yeadon was able to go skiing with Casey, and Nikki and I were able to sew together, which is something that I LOVE to do! Nikki's the one who taught me how to sew in the first place, so spending time with her in this way was such a joy for me. I would love to show you pictures of our vacation, but, alas, my husband downloaded them somewhere and I can't find them! If the picts show up, I will post them... But, I wouldn't count on it being any time soon. :)

Easter goodness and a little confession...

Sooo... I know I'm behind on the Easter pics, but as we all know, I'm just about late for everything I do. So without further ado... Easter!

We had a great day Easter Sunday. Yeadon was able to get the day off so, we met at church then went over to Yeadon's dad's house for brunch and an Easter egg hunt. We then went home, rested, and went over to my Dad's and Grandpa's house for dinner. Overall, it was a busy, but lovely day... Inspite of the coldness and the snow that fell that night!

I made the girls' dresses this year... I finished Kaelin's the night before Easter! Oh well... I tried to be on time this year, I really did! I'll try and post close up's of the dresses next. It was hard to capture them when they were hunting for eggs :)

As for my confession... I'm a TERRIBLE blogger! I have been feeling SO tired lately and I haven't wanted to do anything at all but sit under a blanket and read. Not such a good activity for an active household! Thank you, Jesus, for my fabulous husband who has been so good with the girls lately and for putting up with my sluggishness. I hope the Easter pictures make up for my blog tardiness...

Here we goooooooooooo!

So, we've done it. It's official. We've turned in the paperwork. The check's in the mail. And the waiting begins...

To be pursued...

What does it mean to be pursued?

I just finished a book (yes, ficiton..., but one that inspired some deep spiritual thoughts for me). It was set in the time of the Puritans. I could not have lived that life! I would have felt hopeless and insufficient... On top of living a life void of any God-given pleasures. Plus I'm WAY too outspoken to have kept silent over certain things! Anyway... This book was about being pursued by God and our worthiness to be pursued...

How could the God of the universe want to pursue me on a daily, hourly, minute-ly basis? Why would He? What do I have to offer to the One who is pure and loving and good? I remember feeling so inadequate and unworthy when my husband and I were first dating. I had been in bad relationships, ungodly relationships... relationships that left scars on my heart. I just couldn't accept his love at first. I couldn't accept that he would want me, baggage and all. But he did, and still does. And isn't that what our loving Father does? He accepts us, ugliness and all, and wants to love us in a way that completes us and covers the stains of the past. And why? Why me? I fail on a daily, hourly, minute-ly basis.

I am human. I make choices: sometimes right, sometimes wrong. I cannot do everything right all day long. I barely do things right even part of the time. I fail. I cringe at the mistakes I've made... and yet He is still there. Waiting. Longing for me. Aching for me to see Him as He deserves to be seen. He still pursues me even when I don't take the time to be pursued. How would my relationship with my husband have survived if I had not let him pursue me? If I had not allowed my desires for him overcome my insecurities, my past hurts?

Why is it that we seek to make our physical relationships with spouses, children, family, and friends as good as they can be, but we neglect the most important relationship of our lives? We don't pursue the only One that can love us unconditionally, the only One who sees us for who and what we are, and STILL desires us with a holy love. Why can't we let go of the world's standards and look with all of our being to Him who deserves to be adored, cherished, and yes, pursued?

What would our relationship look like if we took the time every day to just pursue our Lord? And not the way everyone says we should. I will never say that reading the Bible, singing praises, spending time in prayer, or just having quiet time with Jesus is in ANY way an unacceptable form or pursuit! But what if we changed our thoughts? What if we go about our quiet time with an attitude of pursuit? What if we seek after Him with the same intensity that goes into choosing our mates? Or caring for our children? What if we pursue Him with the same longing and desire that our hearts have when we are first being courted by the one who will be our partner in life?

So what now...? What does this have to do with me?

I don't know.

But, I do know this: My God is big, and good, and loving. And he DESIRES me with a holy love. He sees me for who I am, faults and all, and is not scared by what He sees. He will never stop pursuing me, and when I am able to give up my selfishness, my weaknesses, my inadequacies, then I can begin pursuing Him with all that I am in the manner He deserves.

Maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of that pursuit.

When words become actions.

When actions become habits.

When habits become a holy fire that inflame everything and everyone that I touch...

And in turn, maybe I can finally seek after... no, pursue, the only One who truly deserves my holy adoration and esteem.

Prima Ballerina and a Guppie

My girlies are so stinkin' cute, if I do say so myself! We decided to get them into some sort of physical activity, so we chose ballet for Kayden and swimming for Kaelin. Perfect! Here's some videos of the rising stars in action:

Isn't she SO beautiful?!?



She just dove right on in, no fear, and took off! It was SOOO much fun to watch her. I'm pretty sure she's the youngest in the class as well.

this is what happens...

When I have five home studies and classes for my license... This is only TWO of the piles of laundry that have to be done... It's going to be a LONG road back to the land of the clean clothes!

And this is a what happens when a two and half year old has a room full of toys all to herself... Pure concentration and utter enjoyment!

and so it begins again...

Another year under our belts... Another birthday gone by... Life just doesn't slow down does it? We think that maybe this will be the year that we feel like we will accomplish all that we set out to do. I guess what's really important is that we do all that GOD sets out for us without whining and complaining along the way. If I've learned nothing else from the past year is that God's ways are not mine, and if I don't fight Him along the way, then the journey, whether good or bad, will somehow turn out ok. I've learned alot about myself, my hunny, and my kiddos this past year. I've learned things that work and things that I won't ever do again. I've learned that perfection only worked for Jesus and the rest of us can only hope to be the best we can be and we should accept our faults when they happen. I've come to the conclusion that sometimes our expectations about ourselves do not fit with God's expectations for us, and that makes for some deep soul searching to figure out what we need to do to come into alignement with the perfect will of a perfect God. The beginning of a new year brought some new resolutions... I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, but this year feels different somehow... I feel I need to make some life changes in order to be prepared for whatever the Lord has planned...

So, here are my goals:

-Lose 30 pounds in a healthy manner

-Excercise with my husband on a daily basis

-Get in shape enough to run a half-marathon

-Cook through a cookbook with my hunny in order to eat healthy and spend time together

-Make quilts for the homeless


If any of these appeal to you, I would welcome the company on the journey. I feel that these are attainable goals and God inspired desires.

Just in case my thoughts and processes were not entertaining enough... Here's my girl, getting all grown up!