Faith like a child.

I am so beyond proud of my sweet William.  Yesterday he asked Jesus into his heart.  I believe that he was already filled with the holy spirit when he was born; however, what he chose to do with the grace God provided was up to him and his freewill.  I am so proud of the decision he made and the journey he has CHOSEN to take.  I always pray with, and for, my children to lead a life that is pleasing to our Lord, and now he is exercising his own freewill to take a step, on his own, in that direction.  It gives me chills.  I'd like to share the conversation that we shared yesterday:

Allow me to set the scene- William had been unusually moody, nasty, and stubborn all afternoon.  We had just gotten back from the grocery store and I had him laying on my bed watching a show while I put the groceries away.  Madelyn was already napping and when I was finished in the kitchen, I came into my room and turned the TV off, telling him it was time for a nap.  He, as any nearly four year old would, reacted adversely and told me he didn't want to nap.  However, he went on to say that he didn't want me to be his mommy anymore and that he didn't love me.  He knew this hurt me.  He knew what he was doing.  He was trying to get a reaction.

"William, I am always going to be your mommy no matter what.  I know sometimes you're upset, but that doesn't mean you can say things like that.  Your words can hurt people and you need to use them carefully."

With remorse showing on his face he said, "God doesn't love me anymore."

"Oh no, William.  God will always love you, no matter what.  Just like mommy will always love you.  But when you do bad things, it makes both mommy and God sad, but we will both always love you.  William, do you know what it means to have Jesus in your heart?"

Looking confused, "No."

"When it's your time to die, do you want to go to Heaven to be with Jesus?"

Looking excited, "YES!"

"Well, if you ask Jesus to live in your heart, he will send his Holy Spirit to live in you and help you live the right way.  If you do that and believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, then when you die a long, long time from now, you can go to Heaven to be with Him.  Do you want me to help you ask him?"

"Yes mommy!"

Then we prayed together for Jesus to come live in his heart- him repeating my words.  Saying he believed Jesus died for his sins, and asking God to help him make good choices.  I told him I was so proud of him and we cuddled for awhile together.  Then I heard William quietly pray, saying, "Thank you for coming into my heart and for Jesus dying on the cross."  This action he did on his own showed me that he KNEW what he was doing- it wasn't just my words- he put them into his own.  


Like I said before, I am just so proud of his decision, and so thankful to be his mommy.  Thank you, Lord!

After days weeks of on and off rain (and having two soccer games and team pictures cancelled), I couldn't think of a better ending to the day than seeing this in my backyard:

The kids were elated.  They danced around outside in their respective underwear and diapers and marveled at the beauty of God's promise.  I mean, who has time to put clothes on when there's a full rainbow in your backyard, right?

These Two...

These two have grown up together. 

These two have shared special occasions.

These two are the best of friends.

These two are sure going to miss each other.

Wishing safe travels to our sweet friends, and prayers for wonderful adventures in Germany.  Sighhh...

Berry yummy!

William's been keeping a VERY watchful eye on "his" strawberry plants for the past few weeks.  Every day we water them together and count how many blooms/immature berries we have.  There's been one berry in particular that he's been licking his chops over...and today the little guy got his wish!

And allow me to introduce my surprise guest of the season:

I knew we had rose bushes in our side yard, but I had NO IDEA they'd literally have HUNDREDS of blooms this early! I love being able to place them in every room of my house- getting a delicious whiff every time I walk by.  What a nice Spring we are having! 

After 11 ridiculously long months, I am so honored to announce that my dad has a job! This job has been in the works for about a month or so, but I couldn't say anything until now (as we personally know his new employer and didn't want to place any pressure). He will be working close to home and we are so thankful that God has basically created this job just for him and his talents.  How amazing is that? What an awesome answer to prayer.  Thank you so much for keeping our family close to your hearts over the past year.  I know that my dad feels a huge sense of relief and I couldn't be happier (or prouder) to share this news with you!