Some things I've been thinking on...

So...a few days ago I started to write this blog...and I gave myself some bullet points that I wanted to make sure and share about...here are the "bullet points":

Remembering...discipline

Washing all pink loads... anyone?

The Gospel..."A Gospel Primer for Christians"

Having three kids and would love some heads up...

Gratitude...I love the noise of the girls voices.

Jada's sleepover success and why I am so thankful for the girls in our lives...

After I wrote the bullet points for myself I decided I was too tired to think that hard...so I closed my computer and went to sleep!

So now, in the middle of my Wednesday, after just completing some photography work, I am coming back to it (not really full of energy) set on completing this mission too! And so I don't have to say it later...all of these pictures were taken from phones, so please excuse the blurriness and try to enjoy the moment :)

Here goes...I have been thinking about what following the Lord was like when I first came to Christ. It was Good Friday 1998. I knew I had so much to learn and in a short season grew so quickly. It was fun and hard and challenging and beautiful...I look on that season fondly. The Lord gave me deep understanding of who Jesus is and how He is so much better than anything else. That came out in all sorts of different circumstances where surrender (though through tears at times) was easy. When I say "easy" I mean, it was so clear that Jesus was better and I had to make a choice...Jesus or "fill in the blank". I learned quickly that my heart wasn't a safe gage to follow and that I had to lean into and trust what the bible said. The Lord was gracious and over and over again spoke loud and clear. The Lord redeemed so many things that were broken and still he continues to redeem things and relationships from my life "before Christ." So, as I have been reflecting on the Lord's current redemption of things from long ago, I have asked myself the question "what about now? What am I surrendering now? Am I continuing to make choices that say Jesus is better than...?" Through all of this, I think the Lord is asking me to be more disciplined in prayer, in the scriptures and in pursuing Him more...just talking to Him more. I am excited and hopeful...I don't want to miss anything the Lord could give me or my family out of laziness or an unexpectant posture towards Him.

And I find myself sorting clothes for laundry and now I have a whites, darks, mediums, and pinks...yep...I run all pink loads! Every now and then purple will join the pink party too, but good thing Judson is coming next to defend the blue in our home!

And it seems there has been a lot of talk about the gospel...what it really is and the implications of it for a lost world. I have lots of thoughts, but mainly I wanted to write about a fabulous book that my friend Kari gave me last summer. It is called "A Gospel Primer for Christians". I have found it sooo good and helpful for me to understand the Gospel in deeper ways and to literally remember it daily for myself and the people I see in the places that I go. You can get it for $5 on amazon...it is really really worth your time and energy getting it!
And since we are embarking on being outnumbered by the children in our home...I thought I would ask any and all of you to give me some advice on how to mother/parent three children. Anything from carefully shepharding their hearts to how to grocery shop would be helpful! So, please get back to me on it...assume I am clueless!

And we had a day at home recently where there just never seemed to be a moment where Jada or Kiva weren't needing my full attention. They were loudly calling for me constantly...even when I was sitting next to them or holding them. And I was feeling some anxiety start to rise up in my heart when I seriously and suddenly broke into laughter...the sounds of their voices turned from needy to wonderfully delightful...they will be in their 20's far too quickly...and the days that I have with them now are truly treasures to me. So, as I ask the Lord for patience and perspective, I hope to enjoy every single moment they need something or just want my attention :). I am grateful for it!

And I left off last time with Jada wishing for a sleepover for her huge and monumental 4 1/2 birthday. Well, it was amazing. Bernie and Kellie celebrated her so sweetly. They made her favorite meal...pancakes and bacon...and the pancakes were even pink! The evening she was gone I was truly overwhelmed and humbled by their love. There is something so unique about other people extravagantly loving your children. I thought about how that must be why the Lord tells us to love one another...He really enjoys it. So, thank you Bernie and Kellie for Jada's...and I quote..."best night of her whole life in the whole world."
And on other random news...here are some other photos from our latest days...Jada had a play date at the Crawford's home and when Kiva and I went to pick her up we walked in on a girl band. Love it!
And make no mistake...Kiva loves Aunt Ashley. She points to her picture when she is not there and says "A-ley" and gets excited every time she sees her. So...I took this pic of Kiva reaching for Ashley's pic to prove to her that she does this while she is not there...so precious!
And with these fabulous spring days we've been having, we have been going on lots of walks and made many trips to the park. The girls LOVE bringing their sand toys and can spend hours shoveling dirt, sand or rocks into different containers. And you may recognize the brown dress that Jada is wearing from when she was a flower girl. Truth is, she wears this "princess dress" daily...even on walks. So funny. And the last picture is a bunny that was hopping down our street last week on one of our walks. The girls were giggling and totally into this little guy...Jada requested that I take a pic. So here it is :)