Posts filed under 'Faith'
My friend Suzy tagged me. I get tagged a lot but usually the tagging involves very hard-core, thought-provoking and soul-bearing information all held in one blog post, so I usually don’t play along. But Suzy’s tag is to tell 5 things about myself. Sorry if you’ve tagged me in the past but I clearly felt very inadequate. I’m working on that. Maybe that should be #1?
1. I love chocolate chip cookies with no nuts. And anything tasty that resembles them, i.e. the Cookie Monster dessert at Cheddar’s or chocolate chip brownies.
2. I love working out. I’d do it every day if I could still spend time with my kids. And when the weather is nicer I will take the girls in my jogging stroller while I run. [And if I ate fewer chocolate chip cookies, I might not have to work out as much as I do.]
3. I love my house. One moth Suzy did a really cool series on her blog – 31 things she loves about her house. Don’t be offended if you see something like this on my blog soon. I’m just sayin.
4. I love my kids. I think you’ve seen evidence of this on my blog, but just wanted to reiterate it. They have made me evaluate how short and fleeting this life really is. And I promise you they are the best kids only because God made them that way.
5. I love my husband. These obviously aren’t in order of importance or he would be first, even above chocolate chip cookies. *gasp!* The day I married Kevin was the greatest day of my life, and I get to re-live that day every day as his wife. God did a great thing bringing us together – it could only have been His doing, and I know that no matter how hard things get, there is nothing that will tear us apart.
I think now I’m supposed to tag 5 people. Really I should be tagging whoever wants to play, but for sake of following the rules and overcoming my inadequacies, I tag Amanda, Leslie, Sara, Brandy, & Rachel. And no tag-backs! 
March 6th, 2010
Today in Bible study we used Zacchaeus and Jesus puppets to tell the story. This is Kennedy giving Zacchaeus a piggyback ride during music class. He Is short, after all.
March 4th, 2010
I’m taking a break from regularly scheduled pictures to give you an update on something else I’ve been doing this year. At Thanksgiving celebrations a few months ago, my dear mother-in-law asked me why I hadn’t been updating the blog in awhile? I thought she just meant she wanted to see pictures of the grandkids. (because after all, isn’t a picture what most of you are looking for when you come here?) But then she went on to say, “You know, you could be a writer.” I think she said some other stuff about how brilliant my writing was and how funny I was and the best daughter-in-law I was… I don’t know what she said. I wasn’t listening; I was having a Lightening McQueen moment when he dreams he’s the spokescar for Dinoco… and then I was jarred back into reality by the need to discipline my sweet children for poking each other in the eyes with said Lightening & Dinoco cars.
So, I put out some feelers… I contacted some blogs I knew and looked up some I didn’t… Like any time you apply for a job, I knew I’d probably have some disappointments. For one, I was surprised that none of the faith-based companies replied to me, since in my writing I display an overexuberance of God spilling out of my guts. But God knows exactly what He’s doing. And that’s cliche, but true.
Then, Stephanie contacted me and invited me to guest post for the Parenting site at 5 Minutes for Mom a few weeks ago. I am completely humbled to be given this opportunity, as I’ve loved reading 5M4M for a few years now. I never dreamed I’d get to write for them.
Here’s the links to my articles and I would encourage you to subscribe to their feed – I also have all of the sister sites bookmarked too. [parenting, special needs, going green, books, faith, and giveaaways] I’ve had articles up each Friday for the past few weeks and I have another one to be published this Friday. And if you can find a decent pic of me to use for my byline, let me know. I’m a writer, not a design artist.
Why
Shortcomings
Monosyllabic
Segues
March 3rd, 2010
I went to Houston today for a handbell festival with my handbell choir from church. There were 40 choirs and almost 500 people ringing handbells together.
February 27th, 2010
The Hoovers came over for dinner tonight. Chris & Christine, Landon & Colton [Madison was at a tennis tournament.] A great way to end a very busy week.
February 19th, 2010
I went on a retreat this weekend and one of the crafty ladies made these coasters. The picture doesn’t do it justice – she stamped a tree and the word Faith onto mine. Each of the coasters were unique.
February 6th, 2010
I love San Antonio. I love Kevin Grubbs. The end.
January 23rd, 2010
I met my dear friend Ashley when we went to A&M together. We had Every. Single. Class together our freshman year – out of pure coincidence. (Or was it divine?) We also sat together in church and Breakaway. One of those many times, she wrote this to me and placed it in my Bible. [We had such a loving relationship; back when it was cool to call each other bros and hos... so we changed it to 'shmo'.] I’ve used the same Bible for the past 10 years but haven’t seen this in a couple. I had it “hidden” in 2 Kings – apparently I don’t read much there. Now I think I’ll hide it somewhere else and see how long it takes me to find it.
PS – Love you too, Shmo!
January 14th, 2010
At fbc Bryan. They played to benefit Blood:Water Missions and A&M’s Two Weeks of Sacrifice. As part of the sacrifice, we were encouraged to give up all beverages except water for 2 weeks and then donate the money we would have spent on those beverages to Blood:Water Missions.
I didn’t do so great giving up coffee the first day… Because i was so distracted, I ran a red light and almost got into a wreck. So, I chose to sacrifice my time on Facebook instead. It worked! Yesterday was my first day “back” and I look forward to doing it again next year.
Oh and the guy with kevin in the other pic was Shane’s & Shane’s bass player. He looks like our good friend Jeff Schmulen. Maybe not up close but definitely up on stage.
December 2nd, 2009
Sweet Baby Girl, it is so hard to believe that you are already one! You like to point your finger at everything, like a pointer dog stands on point to hunt his prey. You are still a Mama’s girl and fuss at me whenever I’m not holding you while I’m in the room cooking or doing dishes or laundry (which is most of the time).
You love your siblings, especially your Colby. Whenever he comes into the room, you grin and say “bah-bah!” (bubba) You also love Kennedy because she shares toys with you. You really try to say her name (“dee-dee-dee”). You say a LOT of words for a one-year old… Beh-ggie Deh (VeggieTales), Coopah (Cooper), puppy, cack-ah (cracker), DIS! (THIS!), ball, doll, book…
You’re not walking yet but I’m in no rush for you to do so. You crawl just fine and are able to get into lots of things like the trashcan and the potty, if we turn our backs for just a few seconds. You also rub your feet together like a little cricket when you sit on the floor. It makes shoe adventures much more memorable.
Today I was saddened, thinking about all the events that happened on your birth date last year. I had complete peace at the time that you would be okay, but all of the emotions rushed over me like a tsunami and I thought about what Could have happened to you. I fully realize that you are no accident and God has incredible plans for you. I can’t wait to see what He is going to do through you. I want you to remember that no matter what happens, we are to trust God for His provisions, rather than making our own.
You have endured many things in your first year of life and I can’t wait to see what is in store for your Toddler years. Did I just say that out loud? Hopefully a better sleeping pattern tops the list.
I love you so very much and I thank God every day that you are my Carlee Joy.
Love,
Mom.
UPDATE: Kevin inserted some pictures, wahoo!
November 11th, 2009
Is your Christmas shopping done? Here’s what I want to follow for Christmas this year – advent conspiracy.
What do you want for Christmas?
October 26th, 2009
Have any of you read a “SuperMom Blog”? You know, where the Moms of Suburbia proclaim how great their children are and how much more superior their children are to others? They always do things perfectly – they sit down to dinner as a family every night, they never speak in a raised voice, they RECYCLE!, for crying out loud, because “that’s just how they do it in their household” but yet they are very clear they don’t judge others when it comes to Their Style of Parenting. Have I become THAT Mom?
I can hear laughter in the background coming from my husband… even though he’s at work, he’s ever in my subconscious, reading over my shoulder and lasso-ing me back down from the clouds. I know the answer to that question even before I ask it – NO! But here’s some better questions: Do I WANT to become THAT Mom? Do I Want to be everything that other Moms envy, so that I can better boast of my own parenting skills or my own incredible kids? Let’s see… No, No!, NO! I’m starting to sound more like my youngest child all the time.
Let me make one thing incredibly clear to all 5 of you who read our blog – I want one thing to be known about me when I die:
I cannot do anything in my own human strength.
Whew! I said it. Did you blink? You might have missed it. Let me put it in another way. The ONLY way I can do anything that I do is through Jesus Christ. He saved me from my sins once and for all on the cross, and He continues saving me every day through His Holy Spirit.
I know I haven’t updated the blog in awhile and that most of you expect pictures here when you do read, but I also want you to know how Real I want to be with you. I am NOT perfect, nor do I claim to be. I hope none of you has gotten the impression that I’m perfect. Actually I bet a lot of you would line up to say, “She’s right, she’s not at all perfect.” But are YOU perfect? NO!
I only want to boast about the power that is in me, the power that is like dynamite in my soul, and that is Jesus Christ. All milestones my children reached are because He has allowed them. All possibly humorous stories I tell are only because God has put them into my brain, not because I’m bragging about them. I’m tired of reading about Moms who boast in their children or boast in their marriage or boast in themselves.
And now, I don’t know how to end, because I think this is only the beginning.
October 22nd, 2009
Colby started PreK yesterday. He goes to a half-day school close to our house on MWF mornings. They emphasize Kindergarten readiness but also teach a hands-on Bible curriculum too. And, he has a special music class each week and time in centers each day. The school has a neat covered playground that he loves. I also pack him a lunch to eat at school, so he gets to practice his table manners.
He had a fabulous day yesterday and was all smiles when I picked him up. He said his favorite time was circle time where they learned about the calendar and that “today was Wednesday”. His teachers are really kind and I am looking forward to getting to know them.
Here are some pictures of his first day, getting ready to go and Kennedy helping him pose for the shots (and putting on Daddy’s socks). I was worried about Colby adjusting to school, but Kennedy had a tougher time yesterday than he did. After we dropped him off, she cried all the way to the car and all the way home because she wanted to stay at school with her Bubba. It made me sad but now I know they really do love each other!
September 10th, 2009
Here’s this month’s journal entry.
Dear Carlee,
I can’t believe you are already 3 months old. You are doing so well with your eating and sleeping “schedule”, you actually remind ME when it’s time to eat and sleep and change you. You are such a happy and content baby and really only cry when something is really wrong and Mommy has to pay attention to only you. You are the ideal third child because (unless you’re hungry) you wait your turn patiently while I deal with your siblings and then I can focus my attention on you.
You love sleeping on your side or on your tummy, which I know the hospital says is a no-no, but it helps you sleep better when you’re on your tummy. You do NOT like to sleep on your back, and you don’t really like to be in your carseat either. When you fall asleep in your swing, you’ve tried rolling completely out of it, just so you can be on your side. You’re strong enough to hold your head up, scoot yourself (somehow?) over to one side of your bed, and roll yourself over from front to back, which are not easy tasks for a 3-month old.
At night you still sleep in the bed with your daddy and me, although the past few nights we’ve put you in your bed to begin with; then when you wake up for your 2-3 am feeding, I put you back in our bed so I can continue to get some sleep. For naps you either sleep in my bed or in your swing. (Since your crib is in Colby’s room I definitely don’t want to wake him up from his nap.)
You do not like being hot. This has posed quite a challenge lately, as the weather has been hot for a few days and then cold for a few. You don’t like being swaddled, but you do like to have a blanket on you when you sleep. These two challenges (hot & blanket) have been interesting to overcome!
You’ve started liking your pacifier more, which I’m not sure is a good thing or a bad thing. I LOVE holding you, and you seem to love this as well, because you don’t really like when I put you down. You love when anyone sings to you, and if you could talk, you would because your mouth moves 100 mph. I love all the cute little noises you make, especially when you laugh out loud. What a precious thing you are.
Your favorite people in the world (besides Mommy & Daddy) are your big brother and your big sister. And, the feeling is mutual. They love you too and want to climb all over you so they can kiss you. They help me get your burp rags and pacifier and turn on your swing for me when I need it. They can’t wait for you to be big enough to play with them!
And, YOU HAVE RED HAIR! Your Aunt Alicia is so proud, because it looks to be the same color as hers.
I love you so much, my sweet Carlee Joy. You will never know how much joy you have brought to our lives in such a short time of knowing you. We pray for you to know our God in Heaven and His Son Jesus at a very early age. We pray that you would let Him guide your life. You are treasured and enjoyed.
Love always,
Mom
February 11th, 2009
I have friends who blog about every month of their child’s first year (or more???). If you have read our blog for any length of time, you know that’s not really my style. We do celebrate each month they are with us, just maybe not in blog form. I do have a journal for each child and I write them an update each month or when they do/say something really funny.
Colby – I started an online journal for Colby when he was younger. I typed out my prayers for him and also his developmental milestones. Being the first child, he’s the only one with a completed baby book, and it was actually totally scrapbooked with the cute letters and cut-out pictures and everything. (Now, Kevin has such a good camera and such mad skillz that I don’t need to crop or rotate once the pics are in paper form.)
Kennedy – Hallmark made her scrapbook/baby book and all I did was add pics. It’s still not finished. She however has a more extensive journal because in addition to her milestones and prayers, I wrote out her family history… the story of how Kevin and I met, our first date, some fun memories he and I shared, etc. etc. etc. (I’m not finished with that one either!)
Carlee – She might actually have the most extensive “baby book” of all three kids. I say this because I’m using a baby’s first year calendar. It came with some stickers, but it’s basically a blank pink calendar. I have written fun things we did on a specific day, her milestones so far (more on those later!), her ‘normal’ schedule, etc. etc. I’m writing more in those tiny little boxes than I ever thought I could. So while there might not be any pictures in said calendar, it will be full of words and full of love!
How do you catalog memories of your children?
February 11th, 2009
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