Sunny days

Crazy weather here in our part of town. Last weekend snow and then today's high temperature is in the upper 70's. The sun is out and my soul literally feels warmer and happier after just a few minutes of sitting in the sun, having it hit my face. Thank you Lord for the beautiful sunshine and how happy it makes me and the kids to be out in the fresh air!

Blake's family portrait: (L to R)  Blake, Alli, Daddy & Mommy

Snow Day = Happy Kids

I think the pictures say it all :-) This was Alli's first time playing in the snow and she loved it!

Big Decisions

    I have never been a huge fan of making big decisions. Truthfully, I really don't like making any decisions no matter how big or little they are. Of course I blame this on being the baby of the family and having most decisions made for me. However, now I am a parent which means decisions big or small are left up to me and Brent to make.
     So we are embarking on one of those big decisions in life regarding Blake. He is ready to enter kindergarten next year and we are in the process of deciding where he should go to school. I was experiencing some major anxiety about this because I want to make the right decision for him. It is one thing to make a choice that affects me but this decision affects Blake, his learning, his circle of influence and friends etc. We are his parents, responsible to protect him, raise him and give him the best that we can and so the anxiety rises! Thanks to some wise counsel, I have a plan :-) First I am going to visit each school that is an option for Blake to attend. I will visit the school, talk with some of the teachers and pray that the Holy Spirit gives me a clear direction. I have listed the pros and cons to each school. I know what certain benefits are versus the possible negatives. I will gain as much information as possible and then pray. Pray hard!!! Pray that God will reveal His perfect will for Blake's life. Again, it is so hard making these decisions that affect Blake and his upbringing but I know that God knows and loves Blake even more than I do. He knows what Blake needs for k5, I just need to discern what God wants. So as I visit 2 schools today I pray for divine direction that God's will be made known and remind myself of these truths so that the anxiety lessens and all that remains is faith!

Phil. 4:6-7 Do not be anxious for about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Speakeasy

Yesterday Brent's class had their annual speakeasy at school. It's where all the kids dress up in 1920's attire, dance the Charleston, and have snacks to mimic the forbidden parties that took place during Prohibition. Brent goes all out and decorates the class room with lights and streamers. It really is a fun day so I decided to join in this year and take the kids. Of course we couldn't look out of place so we dressed up too. Allison had the time of her life dancing and showing off for the students. Unfortunately Blake was very shy and sat in the corner for most of the day but overall we had a great time!

Alli breaking out the dance moves!

Seeing the hand of God

     Over the past year and a half I have been incredibly blessed to part of a mentorship program in our church. The program's vision is to connect mature Christian women with younger ladies in order to encourage them, disciple them and hold them accountable in their walk with the Lord. I have been so blessed by the program and my mentor over the last year there are not enough words to explain all I have gained. My mentor has given me so many parenting tips, devotional tips and just encouraging words that kept me going when I felt like I was at the end of my rope.
     As I reflected on my journey with my mentor this last year, probably one of the most treasured things she encouraged me to do was journal. Like I said in previous posts, I do not like to write so the idea of keeping a prayer/life journal was daunting to me. I knew it was a good idea but doubted if it would really help me in my Christian walk. However, I decided she was more wise and probably knew best and boy did she :-)
     I cannot begin to adequately describe to you what a blessing it was to end the year of 2012 and look back and read my journal from the year. Wow! First of all I could see answered prayers. I looked at my writings from Jan-Mar and could see where God had answered those questions I had by Sept. He had closed certain doors I was asking about and opened new ones I didn't even know were a possibility. I could also see reoccurring themes that God had taught me throughout the year through my devotions. Lessons that I don't want to forget and have to relearn the hard way :-) Second, I could see my attitude as I began to write how terrible a day was and by the end of my entry I was encouraged by what God was showing me. I could trace God's faithfulness through my day and even through my year. He was right there with me, always! Lastly, since my mentor encouraged me to write about life events too I could see when my kids were sick or we had a really fun day together. I have record of those funny sayings and conversations with my kids. Suddenly this book that I trudged through writing complaints, prayer requests, what I was thankful for, what God was teaching me became one of my most treasured possessions.
    Something I could not see at the beginning was how amazingly encouraging it is to be able to see the hand of God in my life. I have always known in my head that God is working but in the day to day life it is hard to see Him. However, when you journal it gives you the opportunity to go back, see it and remember it. Of course, there were days even weeks where I missed but even having a glimpse of what God has done encourages me to be even more faithful this year. So I just encourage anyone who is maybe struggling because you don't feel like God is working in your life or you can't see Him to start journaling because He is there and He is working.

Phil. 1:6 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." 

Rant on texting

Ok so I am going to have a rant today about texting and why I generally despise it. I understand the premise of texting. It can be a very useful tool if you want to ask a person one question or let them know one piece of information quickly without going into details. However, I really dislike how our society now prefers texting over having a phone call. When I have something to tell a friend, I hate that I am now programmed to think maybe I should text them instead. That's ridiculous in my opinion! How many times have you called a friend to ask them a question and then you talk for 15 minutes catching up, building on your relationship, learn about something going on that they wouldn't have told you over a text. In my opinion, relationships are becoming more shallow as we disengage from one another. People are loosing vital communication skills and the ability to write complete sentences because we are so used to writing quick phrases for our texts. Of course, this is just my opinion and I know others who disagree with me but as for me I will only text when necessary and don't be surprised if you get a phone call from me too see how things are going :-) 

Who am I?

So who am I? It is such a loaded question. Do I answer as who am I now, who I was as a child, in high school, in college, as a young married person? The problem in answering this question is that there are so many aspects to each of us, which ones do we choose to describe ourselves. Also many times our answers revolve around the roles we currently hold in life. If I was asked this question today about my roles I would answer that I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend but do those roles really define who I am or just what I do. As a stay at home mom, sometimes I do feel defined as only being a mom because of the day in and day out tasks that consume me. It feels like that is all I do, therefore that is all I am. Then I remind myself of all the things that make me who I am. God has given each of us gifts, talents and unique personalities. I think sometimes we are afraid to admit who we are because we wish we had a different personality or a different talent.
     I have been thinking about this topic recently because I can get frustrated with myself when I am not who I think I should be. For example, I am a rule follower. I have come to accept that God made me this way. I thrive on structure and time management. It is at my core so please don't ask me to bend a rule because I won't. Even the thought of breaking rules brings up anxiety. Also don't ask me to plan something and then expect lots of flexibility. It is just not in my nature. Another aspect of me that is frustrating and I am trying to accept is that I am an introvert. Basically this means that I gain energy through self-reflection and being alone. In a large group, I am more reserved as I observe and talk to a few people. I am not energized by being around other people and generally need time alone to process things. I will never be the life of the party :-) My struggle is that sometimes I want to be the life of the party. I want to walk into a room full of people, tell jokes, go with the flow and be spontaneous. In my head, I think my life would be easier if I could be this way but then am I questioning who God has made me to be? I believe that God uniquely created me and has a specific purpose for my life here on earth. I strive daily to be more like Christ and follow His plan for my life. So when I desire to be different, am I questioning who He wants me to be? Where is the balance of accepting who you are and trying to improve on certain areas?
     Really, I don't have the answers to these questions and I don't know if there is one right answer but it has me thinking. Usually it's topics like these where I choose to rely on the truth of what I do know. I know that I am so special to God and whether I am an introvert or extrovert, God has a plan for me and I will walk each day in faith as I follow Him. (Ps. 139:13-16). So even though I don't know the answers, today I am choosing to be thankful for who God created me to be. I don't know when He will use my introversion to help someone or to protect me from something but I believe God has a plan and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds :-)

New adventure in blogging

    Not sure if this happens with everyone else but there are times in my life where I have so many thoughts running through my head that I feel like my head will explode if I don't let some of them out. Recently I have been experiencing this and looking for an outlet to get some of these thoughts out. Yesterday I ran across some neat blogs that really sparked my interest. I sat there and read as people shared their thoughts, their beliefs and what God was showing them. I had the thought, I should do that then it struck me that I already have a blog. This blog just started out as a way for distant family to see pictures of the kids and it will continue to be that because I can't help but post cute pics of them. I love showing off pictures of them at holidays, events etc. However, I also am going to experiment for a little while and try using this blog as an outlet for some of those thoughts that I have been having on life, God, my family, parenting, working, relationships and communication.
    On a whole, I do not like to write. I have never considered myself a good writer which is funny because I come from a family of good writers. Usually I have to be in a mood to sit down and eloquently write what I am thinking so the idea of a blog scares me because of those days where my mind goes blank. But I know this adventure in blogging could stretch me into using and practicing my writing skills. Being a stay at home mom for the past 5 years has brought me so much joy but it has wrecked havoc on my writing/communication skills. So as I begin this journey, I invite you to stay and read along with my thoughts. I don't promise they will all be exciting or earth shattering but one thing I can promise is that they will be real and honest. Of course, I will continue posting pictures of the kids and family so feel free to stick around if only for that too and just ignore all the writing :-) I don't really even know who reads this but thank you and may God bless you in this journey of life!

Christmas photos

Christmas Eve

Tree, presents, A Christmas Story, check...all ready for the big day :-)

Christmas morning! Alli loved her new boots, baby and soccer ball!

Blake's new umbrella and bowling set!

Merry Christmas!

Nieter Family Christmas

My boys!

Our little Tinkerbell

It was a Cubs Christmas :-) Thank you Uncle Gary & Aunt Bonnie!

Alli checking out her toys! Thanks Great Grandpa :-)

Blake loves his new quillo made especially for him from Nana!

All the kids in their quillos! We love them Nana!

Blake & Alli with Mimi & Poppy!

Brown family Christmas: 9 Grandkids=lots of fun

LOVE! Pretty much describes our Christmas! We are so very blessed :-)