Happy Birthday Miracle Baby

Today I had the privilege of celebrating the first birthday of a miracle baby. According to doctors, beautiful baby Kelly shouldn't be celebrating a birthday at all. She wasn't even supposed to survive birth. Yet, God has shown once again that He is bigger than any diagnosis or condition. Kelly is such a precious little girl. She has touched people all around the world with her story. She is truly a miracle and testiment to who God is and how much He loves us. It has not been an easy road for Kelly or her family, but through it all, they have remained faithful and thankful, trusting God to be with them through it all. Kelly is a reflection of God's glory and it was a joy to celebrate her life and her birthday today. Happy Birthday Miracle Baby!!

Blessed Beyond Measure

Gosh, I am just so blessed. Great kids, an awesome hubby, amazing sisters, fantastic friends, fun job, health, wealth in all the ways that count, enough challenges make me stronger, grace for all of my failures, opportunities to learn and grow and give, everything I need for today, hope for tomorrow, dreams for something bigger, and love overflowing. I am blessed beyond measure.

About Trust and Giving

Over the last few weeks, God has been really showing me where my trust has been. My husband has been unemployed for almost a year but for the most part things have been good. In that time the bills have been paid, we have been tithing, and although we have had to tighten up our budget a little, we were not struggling too bad. This whole time I thought I had been trusting God with our finances and He has been providing. However, when I checked my bank account balance one day and realized that our balance was nearing zero and J. still hadn’t started receiving any unemployment benefits, I panicked. I was consumed with fear. I tried to pray but fear always overtook my prayers. All I could think about was our lack of money and no where to get any. Worse yet, I didn’t have an income, either, for a week, because the child that I babysit was on vacation. When our church had started the 10 for 10 challenge earlier in the year, I had felt called to give an additional $10 each week, which we continued to do even though we had no actual income that week. It was a very small tithe check. Still, I continued to struggle with overwhelming fear.

One night a prophetic word was spoken over our situation. I started crying and couldn’t stop. I cried my heart out to God that night and He showed me that my trust had been in many things but not in HIM. I had been trusting my bank account, my income tax return, and my husband’s future but non existant unemployment check. While I had continued to tithe, even giving above and beyond, I had truly not been trusting God. In the back of my mind, I had always had a back up plan. When the back up plan was gone and I turned our finances back over to God and put my trust in Him once again, he has shown me that He will provide. While my husband is still unemployed, I know that God is a God whom I can trust to provide for my needs and he is a God of grace who forgives me when I fail.

Summer....

I am simply not ready for summer to be over!

Teen Drama

Yikes. Dealing with teen drama this weekend and it wasn't even my teens. UGH! And all I did was offer one of them a ride to church at the request of my generous daughter who wants to be a witness. While it was rather frustrating to deal with, it did give me an opportunity to have some great conversations with both of my teenagers and left me feeling totally blessed to be their mom. My teens are not the drama type. They really have good heads on their shoulders. They are wise beyond their years and have a strong faith and moral standard. They are good to their friends and have few foes. They treat everyone kindly and respectfully (except maybe each other at times, as most siblings tend to). I truly feel that they are set apart. It is so refreshing that I can totally trust them. Sure, they make mistakes at times, but they are trustworthy. I know that they are going to make good choices. In some ways, they are normal teenagers. But in ways that reallly matter, I am so glad that they are different. Now I know why I was called to homeschool. Teen drama can stay in the public school and my kids and I can avoid it.

It's a Madhouse

Some crazy stuff going on here. Last week I was taking Declan out of his high chair and I threw my back out. I mean out! I couldn't even walk. It hurt BAD! I couldn't get up from a chair for two days, so I pretty much stood all day long. After a steriod shot, a chiropractic adjustment, and tons of ice and pain meds, I am feeling alot better. Carmen hurt her elbow the same day I hurt my back. Thank God it is sprained and not broken. We keep fighting for the ice pack. I always loose. Also on the same day, Logan developed and ear infection in his ear canal. Not a normal ear infection. We spent the entire next day at various doc appts. Gabe came along too, to get an xray. He had accidently swallowed a video game token from Scallywag Tag the week before. We hadn't seen it come out the other end (although we didn't really look all that well) so we decided to have it checked. Wouldn't you know it, that coin is still stuck in his stomach. After consulting with the GI and our family doc, the urgent care doc decided that we should wait two more weeks then get another xray. We will see what happens. We are already under financial attack and now this strange attack on our family's health. Enough, Satan. In Jesus name we have authority over you. Leave our family alone!

As I tell Declan every night after we pray, "God is good." I will choose to focus on him and not my circumstances. These afflictions eclipsed by glory.

A sad day....

A sad day in our household. I have to cancel our vacation today. I haven't told the kids yet. They are really going to be dissappointed. I am praying that God go before me and give them peace about this. We just can't afford to go. We have all of the money we need set aside for it, but we have bills that need to be paid. That money must go toward bills. J. is getting NO income or unemployment at all. I am getting very little for my daycare job. Bills are piling up and going unpaid. I am really scared about how we are going to make it. God is a big God. I am trying to focus on how big God is instead of how big our bills our, but I have to admit it is hard to do. I am really struggling with fear.

Update: I told the kids. I think Carmen is taking it the worst. She is already struggling with depression. I was able to transfer the cabin to a date next summer. Hopefully we won't have to cancel it altogether. But we are prepared to if bills get too bad.