Ever Green

I read something today from Jill Briscoe, that really challenged me. Thought I'd share it with you.

"A tree with roots in the riverbank will be ever green. The leaves are green, the branches are strong, the trunk is solid, the roots are deep. Similarly, the woman who chooses to live a spiritually vibrant life will choose to be a 'planted' person, like a tree planted in a channel where the water never stops flowing. God's grace plants his followers in running streams of his love. These 'trees' have to flourish, for they have all they need.

We need to find out what sort of people we are--planted by the riverbank or blowing across the desert. If we are God's people, he plants us in his river of salvation, where our roots are bathed in the water of eternal life. We need to let our roots drink deeply of this living water so we can be transformed. If we are truly planted, we will be productive, however hot the desert sun or barren the wilderness around us. Planted people are joyous people (Ps 1:1--Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.) Our soul, like the tree with its roots in the river that flows from the throne of God, will be ever green."

This made me think...am I a spiritually vibrant woman...is my life ever green... are my branches strong...are my roots in the riverbank, or blowing across the desert? I have all I need, in my Savior, so why don't I drink deeply of this living water more often? Is my focus on the material and temporal, or the spiritual and eternal? Am I delighting in Him throughout my day? He has blessed us so abundantly, yet I seem to focus on the things I don't have. Why do I do this? When I sit down and take an inventory on all He has blessed us with, it is a pretty amazing list! Here are just a few...

Eternal life

A loving, supportive husband

A little girl who brings us so much joy (and trouble!) every day

Extended family who live close

A home to rent

Wonderful Christian friends

A church family

Two cars that still run

Lance's job

Being home with Norah

Babysitting-giving Norah a playmate

Good health

Food in our fridge

Clothes in our closet

Gas in our car

Running water

Heat on the cold days

...

The list could go on and on...but these are just a few. I have been trying to look at these blessings, and remember that they are just that...blessings and not burdens. Some days I can look at this list and find the burden instead of the blessing (I want a better car, different clothes, a home of our own, a daughter who doesn't cling to my leg all day). But I am trying to be content, and see the blessing instead of the burden!

Norah is becoming a little girl...she isn't a baby anymore. I think part of this is that she is finally getting hair!! She is talking up a storm, and learning something new every day. About a week ago, she was riding in the car with Lance, looking at one of her books and said, "ABC's"! She just happened to be looking at an ABC book! We aren't sure where she learned it, but somehow she learned what letters are, and any letter is "ABC's" to her! One of her new phrases is, "Yah, ok"! She enjoys coloring, reading books (she now 'reads' to herself), riding on daddy's shoulders and running through the house, and watching her "moo-moo's" (movies)! She is such a joy...it's hard to remember what life was like without her part of it! We look forward to spring coming, as she loves being outside! Here are some recent pictures of Norah...

I hope that you will remember the blessings in your life, even on the burdensome days! :)

How Time Flies...

It's hard to believe it's February already. Where does the time go...well, here's where our time has gone over the past two months.

Lance, Norah, and I were all sick over Christmas. We had a variety of bugs (cold, flu, pink eye, sore throat, to name a few). We had a long two weeks...but we were very thankful that Lance had 11 days off during that time! We ended up having to stay here on Christmas Eve due to Norah being sick. It started out as a very sad day, knowing we were missing some time to celebrate with our families. But we made the most of it, and had a nice day as a family. Then we went to visit family in Ogema for a few days after Christmas. It was a nice time of visiting, playing games, eating way more than we needed to, and relaxing!

After Christmas, Lance was in work mode. He has been working on a big project at work, that has consumed many of his hours at home after work. We are thankful the end is in sight, at least with this project! I am also thankful that he is so dedicated to his work, and that he works so hard for our family.

I was thankful to have the chance to help out at a spa night at Ogema Baptist Church in January. I brought my Mary Kay, Satin Hands set. There were a variety of other spa-type services offered at no charge, but donation suggested. Donations went to help support an adoption agency that a lady from the church went through in adopting two children. Later that week, I enjoyed getting together with some childhood friends for breakfast (pictured below)! It was great to get together and catch up! That same day I also did a Mary Kay party at my sisters...thanks Joelle! Some of you may not know, but I sell Mary Kay. I have been doing this for about 2 years, but haven't put a lot of effort into it. It was fun to get together with some of Joelle's friends and to 'get back into it' with a party! (If anyone is interested in having a party or doing facials, let me know!!)

This past weekend, some friends offered to take Norah overnight, so Lance and I could have some one-on-one time! (Thanks Derek and Christy). We enjoyed dinner and a movie, sleeping in, a walk outside on a beautiful 44 degree day, coffee at Starbucks, and some time to relax. The house was so quiet without Norah here, but it made us realize just how much we love her and love having her in our lives. We were thankful for a refreshing time!

Norah is growing and learning more every day. She is so much fun right now. We are very thankful for the joy she brings to our life. Some of her new words that we love hearing are cereal (say-so), thank you (gah-guy), grandma (gah-gah), book (bup), movie (moo-moo), amen, and obey.

You probably noticed a theme of thankfulness in this post. God has been teaching me so much, and through so many different avenues, lately! One thing I continue to be reminded of is His goodness. We are blessed beyond measure. I can find a lot to complain about any given day, but I am trying to remember to be truly thankful for all He has blessed us with. I am so thankful that He chose me... Ephesians 1:4 - "For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight." We truly are blessed to be chosen by Him.

Coming soon to a blog near you...

I am in the process of doing a makeover on our blog. It's been up and running for close to a year, and it needs a new look. Stay tuned for more...

Christmas time is here!

It's been nearly 2 months since I've updated our blog. So, here's a (short) recap of the past 2 months.

The week before Thanksgiving, my brother and his family came to visit. They were at my parents' for about 10 days. Norah and I were able to visit during that time as well. We had such a nice time together. Norah was a bit overwhelmed the first couple of days, but then warmed up to all the cousins. She loves to play with big kids, so it was perfect for her! She got to play outside in the snow for the first time too! We treasure the time when we can all be together like that! This was the first Thanksgiving in 8 years that we were together.

All the cousins

Norah's first time in the snow

Norah is changing more and more every day. We hear often that she is starting to look more like Lance! :) She is saying a lot of words (uh-oh, all done, oopsies, help, up, papa, baby, lights, cracker), and she is copying what we say all the time! She recently learned to get up onto the couch and the dining room chairs all by herself. No falls yet!! Today she was watching Diego, and I heard her say 'ah gah' (all done). Then I heard it start up again. She had climbed up onto the couch, taken the remote, and happened to hit the right button to start it again! Norah loves to dance...she spins around in circles, swings her arms, and stomps one foot! It's quite entertaining! She loves to give kisses, and blow kisses! She makes us laugh and brings us so much joy.


Random, silly shots

Lance and I both love this time of year. The lights, the tree, the sweets, the time with family, the music, and most of all, remembering what Christmas is all about...the birth of our Savior. It's so easy to get wrapped up in all the activities that come with Christmas. But when we really think about why we get to take part in all the activities, our focus needs to be on Jesus. After having a baby, I can't imagine all that Mary went through, and what she must have been thinking and feeling. From the aches and pains of pregnancy and delivery, to knowing that her son was going to be the Savior of the world. What an amazing journey it must have been for her and Joseph.

We hope that you have a very Merry Christmas, and that you remember why we celebrate.

Luke 2:10-11: But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:17-19: When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

What we've been up to...

The month of October has gone by so quickly for the two of us. We have really enjoyed this fall, and the beautiful weather the Lord blessed us with. We took advantage of some of the beautiful weather by playing outside, going for walks (Norah loves to walk around the yard and down our road), and most recently going to an apple orchard/pumpkin patch.

Norah is changing so much. She is on the go all day long. She is saying words (what's this?, daddy, mum, help, up) and learning lots of animal sounds (puppy, chicken, cow, sheep, pig, duck, owl). It is truly amazing to see how she is learning and growing so quickly. Lance and I just love our times together in the evening with her! Norah loves books, her babies, Baby Einstein DVDs, bath time, and snack time...not so much meal time!!

Here are some recent pictures...

Outdoor fun

Around the house

A day at the apple orchard

Today at church, our pastor talked about keeping Christ as the center of our lives. It was such a great reminder that life isn't about us...it's ALL about Him. And if we aren't living that way, we are going to have struggles. We sang the song 'All to Us'. The lyrics really challenged me to be more passionate about the Lord, to let His righteousness be a flame burning inside of me, and to let Christ's love for me, be the measure of my life. I'd like to share these lyrics with you.

Precious cornerstone, sure foundation
You are faithful to the end
We are waiting, on You, Jesus
We believe You're all to us

Let the glory of Your name be the passion of the Church
Let the righteousness of God be a holy flame that burns
Let the saving love of Christ be the measure of our lives
We believe You're all to us

Only Son of God sent from Heaven
Hope and mercy at the cross
You are everything, You're the Promise
Jesus, You are all to us

You're all to us
You're all to us
You're all to us
Yes, You are

When this passing world is over
We will see You face to face
And forever we will worship
Jesus, You are all to us

Norah's Birthday Celebration

I am a little late in getting these pictures on here...but better late than never!

We celebrated Norah's birthday with our family, a couple weeks ago. She enjoyed the party, though she seemed a bit overwhelmed with so many people here! She really enjoyed her cupcake! It was a fun day, celebrating her first year in our family!

It's Norah's Birthday

Tomorrow is Norah's birthday! It was so fun, remembering the events of this day a year ago! Watching football with Lance and his dad, my water breaking/trickling at home, leaving for the hospital around 7 pm, and then going to the hospital and waiting...and waiting...and waiting for something to happen! We had no idea what to expect. The labor was drawn out but, finally, Norah was born at 11:53 am! It is so hard to believe that was just 1 year ago. In some ways, it seems like Norah has always been part of our family! We praise our Lord for the blessing that she is!

Norah has started taking multiple steps at a time! She has taken about 10-11 steps at a time, and that seems to be her limit. She will be walking very soon...and I will have to put my running shoes on when she starts. Norah is a very busy little girl. Some days she plays so well on her own, and other days she wants my attention all day! She is really starting to enjoy books...we're thankful she has (almost) lost interest in eating all her books. Other things she is doing right now are: telling us what the cow and chicken say, showing us "so big" (and waiting to be tickled), waving hello and bye-bye, watching Diego (well, actually she mostly just likes the music/singing on the show), playing in the snack cupboard, playing in any cupboards she can get into, and digging through mommy's purse. She says mama all day long, but we aren't sure if that's in reference to me, or if it means more. She also says something that sounds like hi!

I recently started watching a friend's daughter who is almost 2. Norah doesn't quite seem to understand that they can play together, but every day it gets a little better! The girls really do pretty well together. I am slowly adjusting to my new schedule, learning how to coordinate naps, and how to juggle the day with 2 kids! I look forward to Norah being a little more interactive with other kids!

Here some pictures from the past month...by the way...sorry for all the separate posts for the collages. I haven't figured out how to link all the collages in the same post!