Merry Christmas!

One of my very favorite things about Christmas is sending and receiving Christmas cards. I LOVE sending them and I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting them. Getting the mail every day is SOO fun! I wish we could all start a trend to send summer cards, or maybe Valentines...or even for Easter!

I would LOVE to send each of you a card this year - but since I can't - I'll virtually deliver it to your mailbox!

May you always remember the real reason for the Christmas season!

This is us.

This is us. All of us. All of my family. 

 We had a birthday party for my mom on the 27th of this month... She turned 55. Her doctor told her she'd never make another birthday, so it was a special one for sure.  We went all out with decorations, cake balls, and lots of useful gifts and things she liked. We had as many friends and family we could contact send birthday cards to my aunts house and we packaged them all together for her to read. It was really special.

 This is the whole group - all of my grandma's kids, grandkids, and great grandkids were there.  It is rare that we are all in the same place at the same time.  That made the day even more special.

So, that's it. That's all I've got for now. And that's us.

The old Stories (and a few pictures)

I think when things are tough or we are seeking God - it's so common to turn to the New Testament or to the Psalms to read what the Bible has to say. But I feel like all the sudden - God is really stirring up in me a renewed interested in the stories of the Old Testament. They are everywhere I look!


Those stories are NOT just stories. They happened. They happened and were recorded so we could see how God has been working for thousands of years and those stories mean more today than ever. I can't get them out of my mind lately and they apply to so many of us. Or all of us.

 

 

 

I think about Joseph. His life was a living HELL. He was sold into slavery, falsely accused, spent years in prison, false promises, more prison. And yet he trusted God. And God had a plan. Even when I'm sure Joseph thought he had been long forgotten. And at the end Joseph was made a ruler and the puzzle pieces of his life finally made sense.



I think about David. He was just a little red headed guy who had nothing but a few rocks and yet he fought a GIANT. And God was with him. God helped him fight that giant when it seemed hopeless. I think about all my friends and so many of you who are fighting GIANTS. So many of my friends and loved ones are fighting cancer and other illnesses and it seems insurmountable and hopeless. God is with you - helping you fight.

I think about Daniel. He and his friends were thrown into a FIRE. And yet they came out unharmed and someone actually saw God in there with them walking around. I think about so many of you who are in a fire and though you can't see Him - God is right in there with you in the fire. And He will bring you out.

 

 

 

And then I think about the Israelites who God took out of slavery and led them to the promise land. For forty years, God was with them and provided their EVERY need. And the minute they couldn't see Him or anything changed - they would grumble and complain and say "Why us?" and completely forget everything God had done for them. And I think we can be easy to judge and read that and think "You stupid Israelites - you were so selfish and childish" and then I think "Ouch". Because I am totally one of the Israelites.



I think about all the women in the Bible who fought infertility. I love that God shared their stories with us to encourage us - Elizabeth and Hannah and Sarah and so many more. And God was faithful and they all became mothers.

 

 

 

I think about Job - who had everything happen to him that could possibly happen. When people ask why bad things happen to good people - the ULTIMATE example of that was Job.  And yet he said "Though you slay me - still I will trust you."  Job said "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord".  Oh to have that kind of faith.

Last Saturday...

Last Saturday, Luke turned seven. Seven!! Seven years old. I can't believe it. He is SUCH a fun kid. I could all of his wonderful qualities, talents and skills, but we'd be here a while. He's not perfeect, but I love him to pieces. And he is suddenly so grown up. This year instead of a big backyard bash like we usually do, he wanted to "just hang out" with a few friends and run in the Great Muddy Escape, like we did last year. So, we did just that.

 

 

He got to pick out a new bike, which I got NO pictures of, and we got him a camoflauge backpack full of all sorts of camping, hunting, and survial tools.  He is really into hiking, foraging and learning to live off the land so to speak.  He loves the Survivorman shows on TV.  He loves to study plants in the forest and what you can/can't eat.  He is quite the outdoorsman and loves to talk about camping, starting his own fire, catching fish for dinner, and really "roughing it".  We are planning a camping trip soon!!

Cason got him a book about pranks and tricks (great), a few new tshirts, and some science kits.

I just can't help but love this picture.

Luke's crew: Raymond, Cody, BJ, Skylarr and Brelee

Heath let Cason "run" on his last lap

And, of course Jason had to pick on someone; namely the birthday boy.

 

 

The photographer was quite impressed with Heath's wall clearing skills(compliments of USMC)

 

 

More pics to the party to come soon!

K's Bridals

A few weeks ago, I snuck off to college station to take some bridal pics of a friend and returning customer.  Her husband graduated from A&M so we decided to surprise him with bridal pics taken on campus and around town. We had SO much fun and I am so pleased with her pictures. She is certainly a beautiful bride.  Now that she is married, as of Saturday actually, I can share.  They got married on a cruise...how cool is that! 


 

 

 

The bracelet pictured here was in honor of her grandma who was fighting cancer at the time.  A few days after we did the pictures, her grandma passed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

K isn't back from her cruise yet, so I haven't heard how much her husband loved them but I can't wait to get some feedback!

Just hard.

The blogging and twitter community can be a wonderful thing. It is a wonderful place to share the little moments of our lives with other people like us. I have had the privilege of celebrating many joys in the lives of my twitter and blog friends and the honor of praying for them in trying times as well.


I began reading Julee Turner's blog several years ago and enjoyed following along with her life. Julee's beloved husband passed away after a car accident this past weekend and leaves behind Julee and their beautiful baby girl, Preslee. I have never met Julee in person but have shared in our lives through our blogs.

Life is hard.

Sometimes, especially lately, I feel like life is surrounded by really hard things. I have just been in constant prayer for Julee this week and it just seems so unfair. I HATE what she is going through. Another family I know of lost their 7 year old granddaughter a few weeks ago - she was hit by a schoolbus. I would do anything to take that back for them. My precious friends Jeremy and Ashley's daughter Morgan has been fighting cancer for a few years (she is 11). She is in the fight of her life right now and it's so hard for their family and I feel helpless that all I can do is pray.  My mom is battling cancer herself (more on that later, maybe).  And of course you know about our little love Bryson and his struggles.  He has been in the hospital this week because of an infection (but is home now).

I get texts and phone calls EVERY day about hard things. I pray through tears and wonder why some families have to deal with more than others. I have a strong faith on a solid foundation but I find myself lately asking "What are you doing God?" I trust Him with every ounce of my being.......but I can't understand the big picture. And I think it's okay to question God.

I'm pretty sure that there are so many who don't believe in God or maybe are just starting a journey in your relationship with Christ or even those of you who have been believers for 30 years and KNOW that God is good.........but when you hear hard things - it's hard not to be shaken.

I don't have the answers. I know God is good. I know that God loves us so much that he let his OWN SON die just so we could have abundant life with Him. I heard someone say this once and this is kind of my motto......

"You have to decide for yourself - either you are going to trust God or you aren't. In all things." And I have decided to trust God.

He never promised this world wouldn't be hard. "In this world you will have trouble.But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33" He also says "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deut 31:6.

I read these verses last night:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I've been praying these verses for Julee this week:

We do not know what to pray for but the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26

I would have despaired unless I believed I would see the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27.13

Jesus sits on the right hand of God praying for us. He is holding your hand in His hand. We WILL have hard times on this earth. And that's where we make the choice - do we trust God works it all for the good (sometimes good that we might not see in our lifetime) or do we forsake Him and choose anger and bitterness? I'd rather have God hold my hand through the good and bad.

I know many of you are facing GIANTS in your life. Hard HARD things that you think you can't bear. I'm praying you can drop them at the feet of Christ and let Him carry your burdens for you.

I love the blogging community. Today is Matt's funeral - PLEASE cover Julee in prayers. And, Please pray for each other.  And know God loves you. Even when you can't see it.

Goals, Prayers, and TV

Well...I find myself not knowing what to do.  The boys are staying with Papaw & Nana tonight and Heath is working.  I have to make this quick because I am in need of some uninterrupted television time that doesn’t involve The Outdoor Channel or Phineas and Ferb. The backlog of shows on my DVR right now is shameful. If someone walked in and looked at my DVR they might get the impression that I don’t love T.V. at all. And they would be so wrong. 
So I plan to start with Parenthood and end with Storage Wars and perhaps catch up on a little White Collar.
Goals in life are good.

All jokes aside, I've been working hard.  I've had several portait sessions to shoot and edit, ball games to attend, and meetings to manage (all of this after 5p).  I've been doing a lot of writing in the evenings- it helps me unwind from the day.  This thought came into my head last week and I have been trying to write it down on paper ever since.


Finally, thanks to my friend...I pieced it together, so here ya go..

I have a very close friend that is pregnant. She is due to have a little boy in February, her first. We have been talking a lot about how my pregnancies were, what I did in certain situations and this has lead to some very deep conversations. Because all of us mama's know that once you are pregnant, things change. Everything in life becomes a little more meaningful. I mean, this is your kid we are talking about here. This is a huge deal. I know, when I was pregnant with both boys there were two prayers I would continuously prayed: "Lord, give him a PASSION for you. Let him chase after you his whole life" and "Lord keep him safe, healthy and free from disease. Watch over him and protect him from harm". And still, every single day without fail I pray these two prayers over my boys.There have been some times- few and far between, but there have been times when I was scared to death about something going on with one of them. Either sick, or hurt, or troubled over something. At the time, each seemed to be the hardest time of my life. And yet through those hard periods - I drew closer to God. I saw Him move in ways I had never known before. I saw Him work and still continue to see Him get glory from our trials and stories. Through the ashes of a hard time – not necessarily with my kids but during various trials with friends, and other family, He has given me so much beauty and opened so many doors to share my faith than I ever could have dreamed.

I am learning that praying for "health and safety" and praying for "a closeness to God" may not necessary go hand in hand. God has been teaching me this over and over in the last few weeks.

A few weeks ago I was chatting with a friend about praying for our families. I shared how I had a lot of anxiety for my children and I just prayed constantly that God would protect them. When the time came around for my wise friend to share........she spoke something that has been circling in my head on constant re-play every day since. She said that she used to be the same way and one day God changed her prayers and she began to pray that He would just make them like Him. And if that meant her boys had to go through struggles or hard things in order to be closer to God - then she wouldn't want to pray for protection from that.

 That hit me like a ton of bricks. I know without a doubt that it's the hard things in my life that have always made me seek Him. It's the tough times when I had no one else to turn to that I learned to trust in God. I want my boys to have a "perfect" tear free, pain free life........but that might be a life where they don't need to depend on God. And that's the polar opposite of the one thing I truly want for them.

Another time recently, I was chatting with a friend (Bryson’s mom) and once again we began to discuss this very thing. Fear is the opposite of trusting God. And we can trust God with the little things in our lives as well as the most important things in all our lives - our children. He made them. He numbered the hairs on their heads. He already knows the plans for them (Jeremiah 29:11) We are kidding ourselves as parents if we truly think we are "in control" here.

I'm not saying to just be reckless and tell your kids to go and play in the street because "God is in control" or to not try to do everything you can to protect them and keep them safe. But I think at some point we just have to "Let go and Let God" and pray that God uses them.

I have a stubborn streak and when God wants me to learn something .....He often has to really hit me over the head with it, several times. I'm also sometimes not a patient person so God has had to teach me lessons the hard way. Clearly I wasn't going to learn trusting on His timing with just one area. So two discussions were not going to be enough for me to realize God is trying to teach me to change my prayers and my focus for the boys.

I was reading a blog last night, and the author wrote that God had just given her this message to share with all the moms reading, to just "relax". And then she proceeded to say almost WORD for WORD what I have said here above. I'm not the smartest girl in the world but I had to raise the white flag and say "Okay God - I get it".
She shared that being conformed in the image of Christ is NOT easy. As parents - we are to raise up disciples. What a concept, huh? Our biggest job is not making sure our children are the smartest or the sweetest - but that they are following Christ.

Something she said that really struck me was this:
"Don't be the reason your kids choose comfort and safety". I don't want Lucas and Cason to decide to take a desk job rather than following a calling to Africa to work as a missionary because I have instilled fear into them. Raise BRAVE kids. I don't want Lucas and Cason to remain silent in high school because they are scared to share their faith. Or because they think their mother will be a nervous wreck.

My prayers are changing. And it's hard. I DO want my boys to be safe and healthy. But the safest place you can be is the center of God's will. And that's exactly what I'm praying they will always be in. Whether that's a football coach in Texas or a missionary in the Middle East. My prayer is that they will be bold, courageous men for Jesus. That they will have a passion for Him. Period. No matter what path gets them there.

Maybe that wasn't so quick, but hopefully you suffered through it with me!  Farewell for tonight, I have a date with my pillow.