Be Kind, Please Rewind

Do you remember that label that was also on VHS tapes when you rented them from a movie store??  I thought of it today when I was sorting through pictures and deciding about where to start.  I'm hoping you'll be kind to me today and let me rewind a little bit, back to early November.  We had so much going on in November that I just didn't have time to post much, so here are some things I wanted to share, in no particular order or common theme. 

Travis is still very vigilent about reading to the kids everynight and I really appreciate that about him.  Not only is it good for them, but by the time bedtime rolls around I am usually so tired from the day and I just don't have a lot left in me to do much more than survive.  He has been kind of taking over the bedtime routine for over a year now and I am always happy to let him.  We are trying to be very intentional about turning the TV off and doing more reading or playing with the kids. 

Happy to be reading about the zoo, what a guy :)

One of his favorite things to do however is to read some interactive books with them, from his ipad.

I get a big laugh out of one story in particular, about Noah and the Ark.  He and Ava listen to it together, but there are certain parts where the story is not totally theologically correct and as the narrator is reading it, I'll hear him say to Ava, "Actually Ava, that's not true.  This is what really happened..."  It cracks me up.  Mostly it's just details that they've left out or added, but it totally bugs him :) That's what you get when your Dad is a Pastor! 

Carty is not so into reading books yet.  He doesn't want to sit still for more than 2 or 3 minutes, but we read to him anyway, knowing that he might be listening as he moves all around his room and plays with his toys.  Either way, we're just glad to be with him :)

Just before we left for our trip, Ava and I had a fun date night together.  Our local High School was performing the musical version of Beauty and the Beast, which just happens to be one of Ava's favorite movies right now.  The student who was playing Belle, is one of our students from Church and one of our leaders in junior high, so I knew I had to take Ava to see it.

I had no idea how she'd do with it because it didn't start until 7:30 pm and it was almost 3 hours long! But, she was fascinated by the whole thing and she sat on my lap for all of it. We sang along and occasionally she'd ask me (quite loudly), "What's dat Mama?" Thankfully the people around us were very gracious and thought she did great. We got to say hi to Belle and some other students we know afterwards. Ava was totally enthralled by the whole night.

And almost the minute we pulled out of the parking lot, she was out!

She loved it and I did too. She still talks about it and I'm hoping it's the first of lots of dates we'll have together.

These make me laugh.

When you've had a recent case of head lice, this is what you do for fun, for weeks to come!  Ava got so conditioned to us checking her head that whenever she sees that headlamp, she tells Travis and I that she "needs to check your head." So funny! Thankfully, we always get a clean report.

On one particular day I went to get Carter up from his afternoon nap and found him...topless. I have no idea how he got his shirt off, but he did! I thought that was funny :)

And after a mess like this, how could we not take some pictures?? Clearly he was into his pasta and felt the need to enjoy it from head to toe.  Can you see the streaks of orange in his hair?? After we got done laughing about it, I spent a good 30 minutes cleaning up the kitchen and that high chair! I'll be so glad when this stage of eating is over!!

But as much work as this season is, it certainly helps me keep going when my man brings home some beautiful flowers like these, just because. They were just the pick me up I needed. He speaks my love language well!

I had to include these pictures because Carter is wearing my favorite jammies and he's holding his equivalent of Ava's blankie...His giraffe.  He takes that giraffe everywhere around the house and he loves to rub his face all over it while he hums some kind of loving tune :) It makes us smile to watch him and in those jammies, I could just eat him up!! He is just too cute!!

These are some of my favorite women in the world! Two days before we left for our trip I went off for a little annual getaway with the other Pastor's wives from our Church. We go on a retreat together every year and we meet once a month too. It's such a blessing to get to catch up, laugh with, support, pray together and just encourage each other. We went to a fun Inn in a little college town pretty close to us and we had the best time. We always take some time to be in the Word together and to pray for all of our kids by name. It's an incredible blessing in my life to know and love these women. There is something about being the wife of a Pastor that only other Pastor's wives truly understand.

We are so grateful to be serving the Lord together at our Church...Honestly, we are so thankful and BLESSED by our Church. It is a joy to love our husbands and support them in their callings, but it does make a difference to be supported as a family by the staff and the congregation. We do not take that for granted at Grace! I just love each one of them and the wisdom and spiritual depth they pour into my life. We got to get out of town together, do some shopping, eating and laughing together and THEN our Church graciously let us attend the Hillsong United Concert together!! It was sold out and our Church was hosting it, but they got seats for us and it was incredible.

My friends who are married to our Worship, Finance and Mission's Pastors..

...Senior, Executive, Young Adults/Adults Pastors...

and the Men's, Children's, Senior High and Junior High Pastors wives.  We were just missing our new Small Groups Pastor's wife :)

Not only did I get to enjoy the concert with my friends, but because my parents were in town, Travis and I got a bonus date night out of it too!

Honestly, I think I could say it was the best concert I have ever been to. The worship was unreal and we were on our feet with 4500 other people the WHOLE time.

If you ever get a chance to see Hillsong United, do it! They are from Australia and they only come to the US every now and then, but when they do (like now!!) make sure you go. They will lead you right to the throne of God through their music. What I loved the most about the concert is that it was not at all about them, but totally about the Lord. Not to mention, their music is so great too! What a blessing that night was and a great way to wrap up a wonderful retreat weekend.

Finally, I'll leave you with Carter's new trick.

He's a sneaky one! We have to keep our bathroom door closed now and the toilet paper off the roll, for obvious reasons.

Does this face look innocent to you???

Thanks for letting me rewind today. Those were our highlights from early November...I'll pick up with the big roadtrip next!

Happy Thursday everybody, hope you have a blessed day!

Back in the Saddle Again

 Hi friends!  We're home!  I can't believe it's been so long since I've been able to update, but the truth is I have been going non-stop since the minute we got home.  As it turns out, when you're out of town for two weeks, as glorious as that is, it's incredibly hard to come home and just pick right back up.  From laundry, to the mail, to appointments and grocery shopping, it's an awful lot of work to get up and running again!  But, I'm taking a break this afternoon to get some pictures up and to post a little update. 

In a nutshell, I have blog material for a month after this vacation!  It was SO much fun, we seriously had a great time and I think we would even say that we will do it again someday.  However, that doesn't mean that we weren't without our challenges.  We made a visit to the ER, I had a migraine and we all got on each other's nerves at least once.  So, I think that makes it an official roadtrip!  Ha!  I'll spend a few days recapping our adventures, but today I've just got a few things to share with you.

This little muffin was SUCH a good boy while we were gone.  He slept so well, in 5 different places,  none the less. He had a blast getting to see so many people and he handled all the transition well.  He did have the hardest time (out of all of us) in the car, but I think we expected that.  He just had a few fussy times here and there, but mostly he did great and we learned that Praise Baby DVDs are his magic pill!  He loves them, just like Ava always has, and particularly the lullaby one.  All we had to do was turn it on and he quieted right down.  One of my favorite memories of Carter on this trip, was when we drove through the night both down and back to Dallas.  Each time Carter woke up in the middle of the night, usually when we stopped for gas, and rather than get really cranky, he got the giggles.  I would hear him stir, turn around to look at him and he would burst into hysterics!  We loved it!  At 1 and 2 am we were laughing with him and trying to keep him quiet so he wouldn't wake up Ava.  So hilarious.  I hope I can still hear that laughter in my heart when he's 25 and I'm remembering this trip :)  

This big girl was also a GREAT little traveler!  She was incredible in the car, grooving on her snacks and the endless supply of DVDs we had for her.  We were very proud of her and thankful that she seemed to catch the excitement of going from place to place.  She also slept very well everywhere we went and really enjoyed all her time and attention from family and friends.  I think this was a great trip for the four of us to spend some sweet time together.  Unfortunately, she did have the biggest hiccup of the trip that resulted in us getting to meet some some new friends at the Abilene Emergency Room :)

We don't totally know how she hurt her elbow, we were with her at a play place in the Abilene Mall, but we never saw her fall or run into anyone but Carter.  However, she did do something to her right elbow and she cried all afternoon last Monday, holding her arm and refusing to move it.  After watching her in the afternoon and early evening, we decided to take her to an urgent care clinic.  They sent us to the local ER however, so they could get some x-rays.  She was a trooper but she was not a fan of anyone touching or trying to move her arm. 

The nurses thought she was adorable and got her set up in a room where she could watch the movie, Happy Feet.  She loved that!  She was especially happy when I pulled out some cheez-its to snack on :)

Thankfully, her X-rays showed no visible break, but we left with an uncertain possibility that she may have sustained a growth plate break.

They sent us home to watch her closely and follow up with her pediatrician. 

She was happy to go home, but not willing to move that arm or let us get near it for a couple of days.

Her pediatrician wanted us to immobilize it, so the last few days of our vacation meant we had to try and keep her in a sling.  You can imagine how that went over with a 2 year old! 

She was the cutest darn thing with that sling, but it was not an easy sell for more than a few minutes at a time.  As the week marched on she did start to move it and use it a little more, but her doctor sent us to a specialist at Childrens' Hospital, just to make sure there wasn't a break on the growth plate that an X-ray couldn't detect. 

Yesterday, Ava and I made the trip to St. Paul so that we could go to Children's.  Let me just tell you what a sobering trip that was.  Seeing all those precious kids and their stressed out and heartsick parents made us incredibly sad and very, very thankful for kids who have been healthy so far. To be there for something so minor as a potential broken arm was a good dose of perspective.  Her doctor said her arm looked great and she most likely had a soft tissue injury that corrected itself, but honestly, even if it would have been fractured, I still would have walked out of there with a grateful heart after seeing how sick all of those sweet kids were.  I was choking back tears the entire time and praying for all of those little faces that I saw.  We were wisked out of there so quickly, but a big part of me wanted to hang in the waiting room and hug some Moms and Dads.  I did sit with Ava for a few minutes in the car, telling her about all those kids who were sick and praying with her, thanking God for her health and asking Him to heal those kids and bring comfort and peace to each one of them.  It still makes me teary to think about it, so many hurting people...so many sweet kids. 

I'm thankful that Jesus knows every one of their names, He knows their stories and He loves them more than even their Moms and Dads. 

Look Mom, my arm's ok!

Finally, I'm leaving you with two new things we've been eating around here!

My in-laws made us these incredible grilled cheese sandwiches that we are loving!

Smoked gouda, apples, and bacon...UH-mazing!! 

Even Ava is loving it because that means she gets bacon for dinner! 

Like Daddy, like daughter, she's a bacon lover :)

And finally, I made a dessert that my Mom made when one of my sisters graduated from high school.  I haven't made it for years, but holy cow, we love it!!  It's a Chocolate, Raspberry and Amaretto Tart. 

Do you want the recipe??

It makes a lovely holiday dessert :)

Chocolate Raspberry & Amarreto Tart

1-8oz pkg cream cheese (softened)

1 C sour cream

1/2 C sugar

1/4 C Amaretto

2 T heavy whipping cream

Raspberries (or strawberries)

Mini Graham Cracker Crusts or Chocolate Dessert Cups or Graham Cracker Crust of Oreo Crust

Beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy, pour into the crust of your choice. 

Top with raspberries and drizzle with chocolate OR sprinkle raspberries with amaretto and powdered sugar. Refrigerate and serve chilled. Enjoy!

So there you go!  Hope that helps you for your next party.  We are glad to be home and I am hoping to get back into some kind of blogging routine!  I do want to tell you to stay tuned for a really great giveaway coming very soon!!!  I'm just working out the details from the retailer who contacted me about it, but I think it's going to be really fun and a great product to have, especially if you like photos!! 

Happy Tuesday, Friends!

RoadTrip 411

Just stopping in to say hello.  And Happy Thanksgiving.  And Merry Christmas!  That's a little early, but now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm moving on to all things Christmas!  Aren't you?? 

Thought I would give you the low down about our week so far, minus pictures.  Yes, I'm taking lots of them and even uploading them to my laptop.  But no, the internet here does not like me.  Or my pictures at least.  I've tried several times (read:wasted lots of time) trying to get some posted and I've decided I'll just wait until it decides to cooperate again.  Which may or may not happen in the next few days.  I'm really enjoying the break from technology, mostly from my cell phone.  Although I like all of you and I enjoy keeping up with friends and family, when you have no service and no capability to text, it's amazing how freeing the silence is.  Wi-fi is keeping us from being totally cut off, but even if we didn't have that, I think I would enjoy it just as much. 

So, the pictures are coming in the near future, but for tonight here is the 411 on the Armstrong Family Roadtrip:

-Roadtrips rock.  5 days in and I have thought at least a dozen times, I'm so glad we are doing this!  It has been so much fun to pack our little family up and hit the road together.  Even though they are little and we will remember this more than they will, it is SO WORTH IT to make these kind of memories together.  I think I can confidently say this will be the first of many roadtrips for the Armstrongs!

-Our kids are doing so well and we are so thankful!  I really wasn't sure how the car ride would go or how the sleeping in different places would pan out, but they have been troopers.  We did a huge chunk of the trip driving through the night, which was great because they slept through 90% of it.  When they were awake, looking out the windows or watching a movie or playing with toys kept them entertained.  And of course, eating. I practically ran a cafe from the back of the minivan, but it worked!  We had lots of snacks and drinks to keep us from having to stop for anything but gas.  I'm thinking all the stress of planning and packing definitely paid off. 

-I've fallen in love with my husband at least 10 times over!  Something about just being together, no work stress or interuptions...it's a good thing.  I love hanging out with him and especially being in his home state together.  He's a road warrior and I'm so thankful!  I tried to stay up with him throughout the night when we drove the first long stretch, but I didn't make it.  He let me sleep and smiled when I woke up asking, "Are you ok?  Did we hit something??" So far we haven't been on each other's nerves, but  who knows, that may come before this is said and done :) Ha ha!  We aren't perfect, but I do love him! 

-Taking time to see family and let our kids get to know their Grandparents and make these memories is so important.  Life is busy, we live a long distance from all of our parents, but these are years we don't want to miss making these connections and teaching our kids the value of family relationships.  It's not always easy to make big trips or get time away, but this trip is reminding me again that it's always worth it. 

-We love our minivan.  We are grateful that the Lord blessed us with the means to get it, when we got it, so that we could take this trip.  It's been so nice to have the extra space, a DVD player (can I get an amen??) and lots of other things we appreciate.  We've all had a comfortable ride and we're getting great gas mileage!  Who knew that would excite me??  She's done well on her inaugural trip, I think we'll keep her! 

-Although we're on a roadtrip, we have gotten more sleep in the last 4 days than we've gotten in months.  We've been in bed early every night and our kids are sleeping like rocks.  I actually feel very rested, which is amazing.  Travis continues to serve me by getting up with Carter in the morning and letting me sleep a little longer.  Did I mention that I love him??  We've been outside in the fresh air everyday and eaten more food than we know what to do with.  Today we ate at a fun place that Trav has been wanting to go to.  It's a local dive that was featured on Food Network's, "Diners, Drive-In's and Dives" and it was so good!  Travis had their famous "Cabrito Burger" which is...wait for it...Goat.  I stuck with the all-american cheeseburger :)

I hope you've had a blessed Thanksgiving!  We have so much to be thankful for, don't we?  This roadtrip is just one of many ways the Lord has blessed us this year.  We are grateful to Him this week and always...

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  We will happily be enjoying ours in the South Texas sunshine!!

Whirlwind Living!

If you read my tweet yesterday, you know that we are soon embarking on a 2 week roadtrip.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  TWO WHOLE WEEKS AWAY!!!  I'm so excited about the time away I can hardly stand it.  We've been planning it for awhile, but only recently have begun the serious work of getting ready and figuring out all of the details.  We are so looking forward to hitting the road with our little lovebugs in the minivan!  It's going to be a memory maker kind of trip for sure, but I think they are going to love it.  We're kind of pinching ourselves over the 2 weeks of vacation Trav is able to take.  We've never taken that much time away and we are so grateful that we can do it!  I don't exactly know what I'll do with the luxary of having Travis with us all the time.  I'm hoping to rest a little more than normal, but mostly just enjoy his company. 

Life this week, is kind of a whirlwind.  I have 3 to-do lists running simultaneously.  Before our big trip, I get to go on a mini-trip this week with my fellow Pastor's wives.  Our annual retreat is one of my favorite things all year, it's always such a good time and such a refreshment to my soul.  I can't wait to spend that time with such dear friends and then start our vacation soon after!  But, as you can imagine I have a lot to accomplish between now and then.  I will say, although it's a lot to pack and organize, it's 10 times easier than prepping to fly.  We are so thankful that we get to take our time and stop when we want to stop on our way to Texas.  Yes, that's where we're headed.  Trav's homeland.  I guarantee you his accent will step it up a notch the minute we cross the state line!  And that's usually when all the "Texas bragging" begins too.  I'll get to hear hours and hours of commentary about why Texas is the greatest state in the nation, should have been it's own country, is home to some of our greatest Americans, etc.  Any other Texans out there?  Or brave people married to Texans??  I do love the Lonestar state, but if you're born there I think you're bred to pledge your love and loyalty for life!  That's ok, loyalty seems to be a dying character quality these days...

Our kids are in for a treat because we will be able to see so much family while we're gone.  I love Thanksgiving and we'll get to have a feast with lots of people we love, but I'm also looking forward to celebrating Christmas a little early too!  I'm working on clearing out all of the Fall stuff in our house before we leave so that when we come back we can dive right in to Christmas.  It makes me smile to think about how much Ava and Carter are going to love the holidays this year.  Already the displays in the stores make them giddy, so I'm sure the trees and the lights will be especially exciting.  Pinterest has been a true source of inspiration already!  I've pinned so many great things, I'll share some of them soon. 

I hope you have a great Tuesday!  I've got to run and get dinner started before my nappers wake up. Before I go, I want to say Happy Birthday today to my Mom!!  I love her so much and I'm so grateful that the Lord blessed me with her for a Mom.  She is one of my favorite people and that's a good thing because I'm turning into her!  She makes me laugh, makes me appreciate her and admire her, and she's my favorite nurse!!  The best thing about my Mom is that she loves the Lord and has walked with Him my whole life, in lots of ups and downs along the way.  There is nothing I cherish more about her...We are a blessed family under her care.  SO, Happy Birthday to the best Mom and Grammy out there!!!  We love you!!

Acknowledged

"Now it happened in the process of time that they king of Egypt died.  Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.  So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them."

Exodus 2:23-25

My Bible study lesson this week has me in Exodus, remembering the life of Moses and how the Lord set him apart from his birth to be a significant leader in the history of Israel.  From the beginning of Moses' first days, he was rescued and spared from the suffering that his fellow Hebrews were enduring under the hand of the king of Egypt.  While he providentially sat in a palace, under the protection and authority of Pharaoh's family, the mighty nation of Israel was being afflicted and persecuted all around him.  They came to Egypt under the blessing of the previous Pharoah and because of the honor Joseph had earned.  They came favorably and protected, but that favor was lifted when the change of rule took place and suddenly the displaced Israelites found themselves hated and abused.  It was a difficult season that lasted for years and years.  As we read in Exodus 2, over the course of time the king that hated them so, died.  There would be a natural change of rule again and I'm sure the Hebrew people were in distress, wondering how it would go and if they might find favor again or just more hate awaiting them. 

In that moment of great distress, they groaned and complained to the Lord.  They were in bondage and had been unjustly afflicted because of who they were and the God that they served.  In their pain and stress, they cried out to the Lord.  To the one who brought them to Egypt and then seemingly left them there to die, they petitioned Him for their lives, and for an end to their enslavement.  Mercifully, as only our God does, their cries reached His ears and He heard all their complaints.  He didn't ignore them or wipe them out, although He could have.  Instead He listened and He remembered the generational covenant that HE had established with their forefathers.  He thought about His promise that would make them into a great nation and take them to a land He had set apart for them.  A land they willingly left when He told them to go, so that they could be Egypt.  The very place they must have hated being.  He heard all of their groaning, He remembered the promise He had made with them, He looked down upon His children, seeing the injustice with His own eyes, and He acknowledged them.

As I read that word, acknowledged, I pondered it for a little while.  It's an interesting word that packs a lot of meaning.  It doesn't say that He answered them or that He gave them a reason for their suffering.  We know from the story of the Israelites that He did in fact have a plan for them, and that He began initiating it soon after with Moses.  It was probably not a plan they would have liked, as it was going to involve more hatred and isolation from the Egyptians, plagues, a bloody Passover night, and an ultimate exodus into the wilderness...followed by 40 years of wandering in a desert.  It's no wonder He didn't give them all the details at that point, I'm not sure it would have been comforting.  Instead He chose a better response and one that met their deepest need. 

The Bible doesn't tell us exactly what He did to "acknowledge" them, which I love.  However He chose to do it, they knew that He saw what was happening to them and He acknowledged that it was happening.  And doesn't that make all the difference??  In some of the hardest trials of my life, one of the most comforting things has been the acknowledgement of a friend and certainly of the Lord.  To have someone agree with me and call my pain what it is, makes a greater impact than a spirtual cliche or a lesson in character building.  Yesterday, it reminded me a little bit of when your kids need shots at the doctor's office. 

While they endure that quick poke, pain ensues and cries are released.  It's gut wrenchingly hard to watch them cry out in pain and yet, as their parent you know it's something they need to go through because that shot will ultimately protect them.  For their own good, we allow it to happen, even though at any point we could stop it.  As Carter cried from the poke he wasn't expecting yesterday, I found myself holding him tight saying, "I know buddy, I'm so sorry.  That hurts doesn't it?  I know...I know.  I'm here, Mommy's got you."  I couldn't take his pain away and I didn't stop the nurse from doing what she needed to do, but I comforted my baby by acknowledging what was happening and holding him through it.  And as I read this passage in Exodus today, I realized that the Lord does the same thing for us.  Somethings He chooses not to remove us from, but it's always for our good.  He never turns away from us or closes His ears from our groans and our cries.  He always bends His ear to us and listens to every word.  He looks down on us from Heaven and He remembers the promises of His Word.  He sees us in our pain and He acknowledges what we're going through.  Sometimes He uses a word from a friend, an unexpected blessing, the comfort of His Word, or another way He chooses.  But in His mercy and love He doesn't ignore us or forget us. 

And today as I reflected on that word, I realized how grateful I am for a God who acknowledges me. 

Here is my big guy at his 12 mo appt., cruising all around the room while we waited for the doctor to come in.

And here are my babies last year, when we went in for a similar visit that resulted in shots for everyone.  Amazing what a difference a year makes and how we managed to survive that visit, despite the pain and the cries.  God heard us last year and He heard us this year too. 

He is kind, compassionate, merciful and loving toward those who belong to Him.

If you're feeling alone in the desert today or forgotten in your pain, I hope this reminds you that there is One who hasn't forgotten you.  As you cry out to Him, He's waiting to acknowlege you.

Happy Friday, Friends...

Party of Four

I've been waiting to show you some of the family pictures we had taken recently and today I finally had some time to post them.  Our friend Jeff took them for us, he also photographed us 2 years ago when Ava was just 7 months old and like before, he did a great job.  Seriously, photographers are magicians I think.  You'd never know that it was cold that morning, our kids had runny noses and Carter cried for most of the hour we were shooting these!  As I poured through them and even as we took them that day, the significance of how our little family has grown kept washing over me..

We have two kids, we're a party of four... 

I wanted to take some time this month, to reflect on the many things I'm thankful for and today, I'm starting with my little family.

When we found out we were expecting Ava, we were thrilled at the thought of a baby girl. 

As we immersed ourselves in a sea of pink that first year, we embraced all things girl.  Pink toys, baby dolls, hairbows and princess themed cups spilled out of every corner in our home.  We were so in love with our Ava Page that when we discovered the Lord had blessed us with baby #2, I immediately thought the Lord would give us another girl, a little sister to grow up with. 

But at our 20 week ultrasound, we saw with our own eyes that the Lord had a different plan for our family.  In His grace and wisdom, He had a plan for a little boy to enter our world and shake things up.  Literally!  He gave us a bright eyed, blonde-haired, ball of energy to bring us twice the joy and love we thought we were capable of having.

On that day in June, we were introduced to the color blue and in a matter of seconds, I'd never seen a color I loved more.  God took the heart of this Mom, who thought she'd have a pair of sisters to nurture and He carved a new spot for a little brother.  A spot that belonged to him all along.

Now we would have the privilege of raising a sweet daughter and son to know and love the Lord and to grow up to be a Godly woman and man. 

Suddenly our roles and responsibilites were sharpened.  I would model the way of Godly womanhood for my daughter, by the grace of God alone, as she watched me be the wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend God called me to be.  For my son, I would do the same and paint a picture of the woman he might wait for, when it's his perrogative to seek the Lord for a wife.  A high calling indeed, and one not to be taken lightly. 

For Travis, he would model Biblical manhood to our son, as he led our family and loved and served us with the same kind of love that Christ displayed for the Church, only by the grace and strength of the Lord.  He would show him how to be a man, a husband, a father, a son, a Pastor and a friend.  As he did these things in the presence of our kids, he would also paint a picture of the kind of man our daughter might wait for as she trusts the Lord to bring her the husband she's dreamed of. 

With the knowledge of having a son and a daughter, we suddenly gained little mini-me's.  A meticulous, creative, neat-freak little girl and a tender hearted, demonstrative, thrill seeking little boy! 

Pure JOY twice over!

As this past year has unfolded, we have marveled at the plans of our God.  Plans that are good, right, and just.  Plans that give us a hope and future.  Plans for a little girl and a little boy who would change us forever.

Our laundry has doubled and our groceries too but would we go back?  Back to the quiet nights, the free weekends, the meals for two?  No.  Someday we'll be forced to when the Lord moves them on, out of our home and on to the path He has marked for them.  But until that day comes, we will take every long, disrupted night and each exhausting day to love these little people and grow them up in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

There was a day when we doubted the plan God had for us.

When we didn't know how He would give us children of our own or if He would. 

Those days were hard and not always filled with beds of roses.

But as only He can, He saw us through with patience and love and faithfulness.

He reminded us that His ways are not our ways, that He works all things out for the good of those who love Him and His plans are better.  Always better. 

He knew that a little red head and a little blonde would one day keep us busier than we could imagine and bring us right back to Him for wisdom and strength.

He knew we needed each other and a marriage centered on Him to survive parenthood.

He knew we'd fail, we'd make the wrong decisions, we'd look other places for validation and we'd forget the reason we were created.

He knew all of that, before He led us to one another, before we bent our knees to Him.

And yet...

He gave us Ava Page.

And He gave us Carter Travis.

He chose us, imperfect and flawed, and He gave us them. 

By His grace and mercy, we are doing our best to give them, Him.

A party of four and we couldn't be more humbled or grateful to Him for it.

"From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another."

John 1:16