the flower girl

 

You know those moments that your heart is snagged (in a good way) and you just fall in love with someone all over again? Well today Ava got to be a flower girl in Brandon and Kailey’s wedding. We have been talking about this event for months. We practiced on Tuesday night as she would toss and pick up. Toss and pick up. I honestly wondered how today would go. Not only was it ohhh 95 degrees out but my baby was going to be a flower girl. Now she is only 3 years old and at the age of 3 you can’t bank on how the situation might go.

Will there be tears because you don’t want to wear your cute flower garland in your hair?

Will you make it down the aisle?

Will you know what to do?

I know what you thinking… sheesh she is only 3 years old, and I sure hope you didn’t put all of that pressure on your poor little 3-year-old. Nope. I think I did a good job at not doing this. It’s just stuff you hold inside. Just wondering. And Hoping that things will go how you somewhat expected.

Well it was Ava’s turn and I watched from the sidelines. I couldn’t have been more proud. I know she was just a flower girl, but little miss  melted my heart so much today. She really pulled at my heartstrings. I really wish I would have captured it on video because it’s one of those precious moments that I will play over and over again in my mind.

The sheer glee on your face as you pranced down the aisle today was so wonderful. You pranced and tossed those flowers so well. I know you were not there to perform for anyone. But today you truly gave your best and the Joy that beamed out of you, well it melted my heart. I think it melted God’s heart as well. You had no worry or care in the world. You were determined to do the job you were called to do and you did it with more Joy then I do most of my life. It’s funny how much you can learn from such a quick instance. From such a tiny person. But you put your best foot forward, grinned, and proceeded with Joy. Oh how much fun you have when you/ we proceed with Joy. Anyhoo…

I’m sure other people thought oh what a cute little girl, but honey you were wonderful and I am just so proud to be your mommy! Someday you will prance down that aisle again and when that happens you will be given away to a man. I guarantee I will see you as a flower girl and remember this day and your Joy will radiate from your sweet face once again.

I just hope you know what a gift from God you are to me and your daddy. Know that you will always be our little girl, no matter how old you get. The joy of the Lord spills out of you and I pray that you continue to radiate the Glory of Gods Joy all the days of your life. Thank you for giving me so much joy today and once again I love being your mommy and am so proud of you!

The Happy couple!

And the exhausted hot family. Time for bed!

Idahoooooooo

A few weeks ago we braved a 9 hour trip to Idaho and a 10+ hour one back to Oregon. It was quite the adventure. This is the longest trip we have taken with two kiddos in the ghetto van thus far. Like I said it was an adventure, isn’t it always? (life that is). Steve and I had discussed leaving on a Tuesday night after work, but as that Tuesday approached I started to get anxious and wondered if it was such a hot idea. You know “hoping” that the kids would fall asleep in the car, like good little children and there would be no potty breaks, uh yeah right! So we decided against the insane idea (of leaving at night) and left the next morning. I enjoyed this idea much better because we packed the car the night before, woke in the morn, threw all of our bodies in the car, and started the trip with some Starbucks, now we are talking!

I think on the way there we stopped oh 10 times or more. We prayed over our ghetto van several times because once we hit the nothingness in Washington (who knows how many miles of no buildings) the temp spiked to the 90’s, 100’s somewhere in there. Just to give you an idea of the ghetto van, (now don’t get me wrong, we love the van, it was free and is a bigger blessing than we realize) but this van is from 1993 and it is a Ford Aerostar. The van has a radio and tape deck. We do however have AC, state of the art for her time I’d say.

  Now quick  side note… my friend Jacqueline drove one of these babies in college and it burned all of the way down to the ground in the Roth’s parking lot. For reals. I got the call after it had happened, my friend telling me she was standing in the parking lot looking at her burt to a crisp car. Is this the first time we have heard this, ummm nope! Apparently it’s an Aerostar thing. So you can see why one would pray hard over a van like this driving in to no man’s land, with 90+ degree weather…

So back to the 90’s+ weather… “We” start to get a bit worried how the ghetto girl will fair in this type O’ weather, because extra heat added to the already working hard engine is.well.a.no bueno.  Will today be the day she burns down? (honestly we really hope we never cross that road) Will the heat be too much for her to handle? So for miles of nothingness we worried, I mean we trusted the Lord… uhhh we just worried. The Lord was gracious and we finally made it to our destination! No cranky kiddos, no broken down car, no grumpy parents (well not too grumpy)… we had made it! Halleluia!

Anyhow in Idaho we stayed at Steve’s folks spot on “The River”. About 40+ family members showed up. We basically hang out for days, float down the river a few times, eat, talk, relax, and sleep in campers! It is pretty great if I do say so myself. And because I am a caffeine addict I always enjoy my sis n’ law and the fact she brings her rock star of an espresso machine to the river. It’s like wake up, have a legit latte, eat yummy camp food, and float da river! Can’t beat times like this with the fam.

Alrighty here are some precious pics of our time in Idaho!

Good morning to you!

Beautiful girl!

Yes they have everything at the river, even a kiddie pool for the youngsters.

Papa loves. I think he’s cute. This is good because Steve will potentially look like this someday.

My darling niece.

Aunt Kelli and Kyla. Getting ready for an outdoor movie night! How fun are my relatives?

On our way home from Idaho, we stopped in the windy Gorge.

Oh my Family is cute!

That is all.

gone again…

Hello I’m back, I know I know my last blog said something about goals. And something about me blogging once a week…. blah blah blah.  Well that is a goal and that is still on my heart. Unfortunately, for the last 6 weeks I have been taking some grad classes which has consumed my time. I really don’t like using that word but it is probably the truth. One of my classes was awesome and the other not so awesome, but I got A’s in both so I suppose I am a happy camper.

I am glad I took the classes because I have learned a few things about myself and a few things I was supposed to learn. I needed to take these classes so that I would not loose my teaching license. It’s something they make you do, if you teach, which I suppose is good if you send your children to public schools (knowing that the teachers are always learning). Every few years you get this treacherous letter in the mail from TSPC (teacher standards and practices) saying you either need to get your masters or do some grad credits within a certain amount of time (and this happens every 3 years). For me I am not teaching right now, well not in a “school” per se. I honestly don’t know if I ever see myself teaching in a public school again. Not because I am against this profession or anything but because God has blessed me with a husband and some sweet children. He has called me to something more because of the gifts he has blessed me with.

It says in Titus 2:3 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and train up the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” – I honestly enjoy staying at home and I embrace my title as a Stay at home mom.

Proverbs 31: 27 “She looks well to the ways of her household”

I feel like in the last 6 weeks I have had some troubles at “looking well in the ways of my household/family”. Although the time I have spent was on something most people see as important, it was time nonetheless that took me away from my home obligations. My children got bits and pieces of me but not all of me, and so did my husband. Many nap times were spent reading many many books and writing a ton. Many evenings I was up until midnight composing papers, which I haven’t done since college. Due to staying up so late, it was often hard for me to want to rise up at all in the morning.

(aren’t they sweet??? How could I not want to spend all of my daytime hours with these girls?)

The classes did suck up a ton of time which I can never get back, but I have learned a few things about myself:

I am very capable of blogging once a week if not more.

I am also able to read more than once thought. (This has been a constant struggle for me since having children).

I have a new perspective for students who I minister too and how much time classes do take.

I understand different ways people interpret text due to their surrounding environment, which should be helpful when leading bible studies.

And I really do love reading and learning. I love engaging my mind.

So there you have it. That’s what I have been up to, with a few other things squeezed in as well.