Peace in the Middle of the Puzzle

I'm in the middle of a puzzle right now, however I'm not the one putting the pieces together. I'm leaving it up to the One who created the puzzle, who knows exactly where each piece belongs and who can see the picture on the box. Sometimes my head can get in the way of my heart, which says to let go and trust the One who hung each star in the heavens and even cares for the little birds. He knows the big picture; I do not. His plan for my life is so much bigger than I can ever imagine. I don't want to settle for less. So for now I will keep trusting and wait for HIS answers in HIS timing. I will rest in His love for me. I will pray for peace that passes understanding. I will rejoice and be thankful for TODAY. I will "let go" and "let God" continue to work the masterpiece He is creating in my life. For HIS glory and honor. Amen.

Oh Happy Day!!!

I have the morning to myself!!! The toilets are clean...the counters are scrubbed...the floors are mopped....I LOVE a clean house!!! J.D. and Colby are at the Home Church for "Mom's Morning Out". They get to play with their friends and work on some schoolwork with the help of tutors there and I get to have 3 hours to myself (with Brady) on Friday mornings! I'M SO EXCITED!!! Brady fell asleep on the way home from dropping them off and he's been out for 2 hours now. As a homeschooling mom, USUALLY when I have time to myself it's when I'm at the gym or the store. I'm sure the boys and I will have a great afternoon now that we've had some quality time apart! :)

I found this poem and just had to share:


To a Homeschool Mom
By Amelia Harper

He gave this gift with gentle hands,
A treasure rich and rare;
But sand and rock and rugged stone
Obscured the gem so fair.

“I give this gift to you,” He said,
“To polish and to prime;
The future lies within your hands,
So make use of the time.”

Some others placed their precious gifts
Within another’s care,
Because they knew the craft took time—
And time they could not spare.

But you were not content to trust
This task to other hands.
You sought to teach yourself the craft
That such a task demands.

For, you said, “No other hand
Can craft this gem so fair;
My loving eyes can better see
The treasure hidden there.”

So carefully you chipped away
Till brilliance sprang from stone.
You shaped each facet, smoothed each face,
Until the task was done.

Some days you feared that you would fail;
Some days, you saw success.
But still you labored on with love
And gentle tenderness.

Thus, soon the gem He gave to you
Reflected Light sublime;
And then you knew no other task
Was better worth your time.

2010 - A Year of BLISS

Another year has come and gone. A brand new year is right around the corner....full of anticipation and excitement for what is to come. I love the opportunity to reflect on the past year and set goals for the coming year.

2010 was a wonderful year for our family because we welcomed another SWEET baby boy into our family. Brady has been such a JOY and we are so thankful that God entrusted him to us!

Last Day of "Work"!!!

So tonight (Thursday, July 1st) was my last day of working at Trader Joe's until November or December (I hope!)....I am officially on maternity leave! Now the real "work" can begin! :) Only 14 days until my due date! Top of my to-do list tomorrow is getting the car seat washed and installed in the car so we're ready whenever this baby decides to make his entrance into the world.

I had a sonogram and ob appointment yesterday. The baby is 9 lbs according to the measurements from the ultrasound. If I go to my due date, we'll be looking at a 10+ lb baby! AND this baby is transverse which means he is SIDEWAYS! No wonder I'm so uncomfortable! The doctor said he will either turn head down (like he's supposed to) or else turn into a breech position. So we're praying that he will turn his head down soon and then we can figure out from there whether I'm having a c-section or not. Another sonogram and ob appointment are scheduled for next week, so we'll just wait and see what happens!!!

My grandpa

Grandpa & Kiley - 1980

Grandpa & Kiley - 1997

Today at lunchtime, the boys noticed a picture of my grandpa Esra on the fridge and started asking me questions about him. They asked me what he was like and what were his favorite things to do. I'll never be able to fully describe him in simple words....you just had to know him. I wish they would've had the opportunity to know him because they would've loved him and grandpa would've loved them so much too.

I told the boys that he was one of the funniest people I've ever known and he loved to ride his bicycle backwards and eat red licorice. Then J.D. asked me "Will he still be funny and ride his bike backwards and eat red licorice in heaven?" With my eyes welling up with tears, all I could do was nod my head and smile. I'm so glad we'll see him again someday!

Grandpa with all of his grandkids - 1989

Chad, Darin, Grandpa, Clark, Kiley & Felecia

Playing aggravation at Yosemite -1999

(less than 3 months before he passed away)

Zoo Zoom Kid's Fun Run

The boys participated in their first official run today! It was the Sacramento Zoo's Zoo Zoom Kids Runs. J.D. has been asking for weeks, "How many days until my 1/2 marathon?" Ever since Mike & I ran a 1/2 marathon last October & then Mike did another one last month, J.D.'s been begging to do one. It wasn't quite a 1/2 marathon that he did today, but I'm sure he'll work up to one eventually! Colby's age group ran 220 yards & J.D.'s age group ran a 1/2 mile. They got their shirts & bibs early this morning in front of the zoo entrance. All the kids had the number "1" on their bib! Then we had to wait for the 5K & 10K runs to finish. It was fun watching the first runners of the 10K run the final stretch to the finish line....they were so fast! Colby's group went first & Mike did the run with him. J.D. was in the third group & Mike also ran with him.....although J.D. left him in the dust when he got close to the finish line! The boys got medals at the finish line & were pretty excited! Unfortunately we didn't get to go to the zoo afterwards like we had planned. The weather was just too bad today. Thankfully the rain & strong winds started right after the last run finished, so we were able to stay dry! We'll just have to plan a trip to the Sacramento Zoo another day!

www.sacramentozoozoom.com

J.D. lost ANOTHER tooth!

Last week, J.D. lost his 2nd tooth! He lost his first two teeth less than a month apart! No others are loose yet.....maybe these two teeth will have a chance to grow in before he loses any more! :)