just read this from a woman who knows my heart's language...
(please go read the whole thing on her blog, as my snippets won't do her justice: "aholyexperience.com". my sis in law has got me reading it daily now...wonderful daily reminders of how He calls us to live.)
"Take up a cross… Be willing to suffer… this — these are the marks of a follower of Christ.
Perhaps our greatest daily temptation is to be impatient — to refuse to suffer.
Perhaps my greatest daily sin is to refuse to suffer — to refuse to take up the cross of Christ.
Perhaps my greatest sin is refusing to wait on God’s ways — but to want my own will done — now.
Patience is a surrendering to suffering — a willingness to wait — a carrying of the Cross."
then she has this verse...
"And he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me…” ~Mt. 10:38
ah yes...exactly...
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
have you met grace?!
so...have you?
well we have!
recently, the kids and i snuck away to my folks' house in nor cal...to see my sister's (and cool bro in law's!) new baby!!!
(ok, it might have been during the school year! but in my defense, i just received these pics!)
sweet tiny grace and her courageous cousin emma kait!
(it's the only way i know to hold babies!)
Grace is a tremendous blessing to my sister and her husband, hand delivered by God through adoption!
four sweet girl cousins! now the gender ratio among cousins is all evened out!
(as is the brown to blonde ratio!!)
what a beautiful crowd of grandkids!!!
it was a very short but very special time of getting to know and love our newest little cousin/niece!!
we love you grace...welcome to our awesome family!
well we have!
recently, the kids and i snuck away to my folks' house in nor cal...to see my sister's (and cool bro in law's!) new baby!!!
(ok, it might have been during the school year! but in my defense, i just received these pics!)
(it's the only way i know to hold babies!)
(as is the brown to blonde ratio!!)
it was a very short but very special time of getting to know and love our newest little cousin/niece!!
we love you grace...welcome to our awesome family!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
40 toes
enjoying every minute of summer...
a break from school
a break from schedules
a break from clocks and hurry
sweet slowness!
a break from school
a break from schedules
Monday, July 4, 2011
leaning in
a friend recently sent me a book that is deeply changing my life. (it's called "one thousand gifts"- i hugely recommend it!)
after reading i noticed that the author has a couple of websites with additional information.
i found myself reading one late last night, ignoring my need for sleep. i came to her "parenting manifesto for joy"...it is a list of ten things she commits to doing each day in her home, in an attempt to promote joy and thankfulness. (please go to her site at "onethousandgifts.com" to read it fully. i never recommend random websites, but i promise, this one is so worth your time.)
one of the things she sets her mind on each day, is the idea of drawing in closer to her children whenever they begin to exhibit attitudes or characteristics that would otherwise repel her. (i love that word, repel!! do i have kids that ever repel me?! hmmmm???)
as i read her words, i was taken aback. drawing in closer is the exact OPPOSITE of what i want to do. get closer? to a manic Tasmanian devil? on purpose?
a few days ago, dan returned from costco and after unloading everything, tossed the empty boxes into the garage. our #3 found one and converted it into his very own "bed". (even though his loving parents have already provided him with a full size bunk bed!!) that night he informed us that he wanted to sleep in the box, ehem, i mean bed. it was late and in an effort to not have one more hideous battle on my hands, i agreed...surly he would climb out after, say ten minutes, and sneak back into his real bed.
the next morning he declared he had indeed spent the whole night in the new bed. (mind you, i had no idea whether he had actually slept in the box all night or not.) that night he requested to be in his new bed again...to which we said, why not! again the next morning, he emerged from his room bragging that he had slept in his new bed ALL night!
this i gotta see! so at midnight the next night, dan and i snuck into his room to see just where the little rascal was really sleeping!
no kidding! these were taken after 12am! the kid had actually smooshed himself into a nectarine box from costco!!!
all that space lay wasted on his bunkbed...he seemed to crave closeness on all sides...as if he needed to physically feel his boundaries.
oh. i see. lean in to the repelling behavior...huh.
those three nights were the best nights of sleep he has had in years! (seriously!)
early this morning, i awoke to him crying...3am! i stumbled in to find him in his fruit box-bed weeping...one of the corners had busted!(go figure!) he only found deep rest again after i promised to duck tape the heck out of it in the morning!
after reading i noticed that the author has a couple of websites with additional information.
i found myself reading one late last night, ignoring my need for sleep. i came to her "parenting manifesto for joy"...it is a list of ten things she commits to doing each day in her home, in an attempt to promote joy and thankfulness. (please go to her site at "onethousandgifts.com" to read it fully. i never recommend random websites, but i promise, this one is so worth your time.)
one of the things she sets her mind on each day, is the idea of drawing in closer to her children whenever they begin to exhibit attitudes or characteristics that would otherwise repel her. (i love that word, repel!! do i have kids that ever repel me?! hmmmm???)
as i read her words, i was taken aback. drawing in closer is the exact OPPOSITE of what i want to do. get closer? to a manic Tasmanian devil? on purpose?
the next morning he declared he had indeed spent the whole night in the new bed. (mind you, i had no idea whether he had actually slept in the box all night or not.) that night he requested to be in his new bed again...to which we said, why not! again the next morning, he emerged from his room bragging that he had slept in his new bed ALL night!
this i gotta see! so at midnight the next night, dan and i snuck into his room to see just where the little rascal was really sleeping!
all that space lay wasted on his bunkbed...he seemed to crave closeness on all sides...as if he needed to physically feel his boundaries.
oh. i see. lean in to the repelling behavior...huh.
those three nights were the best nights of sleep he has had in years! (seriously!)
early this morning, i awoke to him crying...3am! i stumbled in to find him in his fruit box-bed weeping...one of the corners had busted!(go figure!) he only found deep rest again after i promised to duck tape the heck out of it in the morning!
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