Phone Dump

I seriously haven't pulled my camera out in forever, which is bad for blogging & for making our annual family scrapbook {which is basically this blog in print via Snapfish!}. Anyway, here, in no particular order, is some recent life: 

 Behold, Daddy painting Ella's nails. This actually happens alot! Ella always wants her nails painted & sometimes Daddy is the sucker who says yes! And other times Daddy even lets Ella paint his toenails {but you didn't hear that from me!}

 Josiah with Daddy's fro wig on!

 Us going out on a date night. I like this pix ... not usually fond of unedited phone pix!

 Josiah cutting up his own snack. He is such a big boy!

 Here we are at a wedding Jason officiated. I thought he did so great and the wedding was so sweet! And we were "lei'd". It was a seriously wonderful afternoon {& I got to hold the brides 3 week old baby {{whom I met that day}}during the ceremony ... hello baby fix}.

 Disney days! We've had lots of these recently, esp. since several of our friends have passes too! It's been fun. Recently we went for a parade and during it Caption Hook came up to Josiah and "hooked" him and Ella about flipped her lid. She freaked out thinking he hurt Jay. So sweet. Rapunzel came down the route shortly after & that calmed her.

 

Me & Ella after dropping Siah off at school. I love this time with her! 

 Ella wearing the wig!

Josiah and his friend Marley at a birthday party.

Us & Drew at his basketball awards banquet. He pretty much rocks.

Daddy & Ella at the birthday party.

Ella found this wig in her friend Deslyn's bedroom & was in LOVE with it. Poor girl wants hair! She would not take the thing off! She looks so different to me.

This is from a Wizard of Oz party we went to ... so cute! 

A Daddy & Josiah day at Go Kart World.

Ella doing Mommy's make-up {and her own} at Nana's.

The results {I look scary! lol}

Ella having a sideways tea party. She has a tiny ceramic tea set that she hearts big time! 

 Jason & I went on a field trip with Josiah to the Cabrillo Aquarium. I work in the classroom once a week, so I know the kids. It was a lot of fun! I am going to be sad when the school year ends.

My cute boy!!

 This is Drew driving me & the kids home from church. His first decent fwy trip. Ah!

We're organizing our craft supplies in preparation for summer. Siah is an eager helper!

A Magic Mountain trip.  The older I get, the less I like roller coasters!

Ella at ballet class. She wants to sa-shay everywhere. 

 A few parents & I decorated Josiah's teachers door for teacher appreciation. I thought it turned out cute. We are going to miss Mrs. Downey!

While Josiah typically must be forced to "smile", this girl never passes up a photo op!

Different b-day party, different day! ;) 

Below are my kids doing what they love:

Whew ... that was a lot! 

Babies

The kids and I spent the day at home with our sweet friends. I love friend time. 

My friend is fostering this sweet baby with chubby thighs and we commented on the fact that for the last 5 years, one of us has had a baby! Pretty amazing God work for 2 girls who spent many nights together dreaming of families! 

Father's Day printable

(I printed it as a 8X10)

His word

I am about 6 weeks into the process of memorizing the Sermonon the Mount {yes, the whole thing}. I am ashamed to admit how much I actually have done and how difficult it has been for me. Not the actual memorizing part, I seem to do that well. It’s the sitting down to do it. And the focus to keep my thoughts meditating on the Word of God rather than what’s for dinner or the mud on the bathroom sink from little hands who made mud pies in the backyard. Last night as I lay in bed, thinking about the Sermon, and thinking about my lack of commitment to it, it occurred to me that I needed to start reminding myself WHY I was doing it. Why memorize scripture?

The day after memorial day several years back I was in apre-op room, terrified out of my mind. Jason had been separated from me for paperwork purposes and I was waiting for him to return. A nurse came to me and spent 10 minutes trying to find Ella’s heartbeat on a Doppler. She gave the look; a look I was all too familiar with, and said “Well, let’s just wait and see what your doctor wants to do”. My doctor was in surgery and wouldn’t be out for an hour. The normal, fleshy me would want to cry, panic, call 5 people so I can talk about it and seek calmness, demand that some other nurse do something to tell me why they couldn’t find my babies heart beat, etc., etc. Rather, in that room that morning I talked about Isaiah with my husband. We meditated on it easily because we had recently hidden it in our hearts. We repeated it and it flowed so easily off our tongues.

When you pass through the waters,     I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,    they will not sweep over you.When you walk through the fire,     you will not be burned;    the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God,     the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom,    Cush and Seba in your stead. {43:-4} We spent that hour in peace. Complete peace. My doctor came in, mumbled something about “hospital nurses”, told me that he’d SHOW me Ella’s heartbeat and that she was fine. He did and she was.

THAT is why God wants us to memorize scripture. For every little moment of life when we’re afraid or uncertain or paralyzed with unknowns … his Word is there. But we’ll only find refuge in it if we know it. If we have it in our hearts. 

Mother's Day