Mowat Madness

New Album!!!

2012-02-14T07:45:00.000-05:00

I think I have mentioned before about Seeds Family Worship and how much I love their songs - every word is scripture, and it is done very well musically!! It is great to get a song in your head and the words be right out of the Bible!

Well, good news!! They have another new album, just released TODAY!!

You can download Purity here.

But there is more!!! They are encouraging parents to take the Parents Purity Pledge. The pledge helps us all take a look at how purity in our children starts with purity throughout our homes. Every person who takes the pledge receives a free song from Purity and a free devotional download from the Passport2Purity curriculum by FamilyLife.

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.

Song of Solomon 8:4

**********************
SONGS ON THIS ALBUM
1. Hope and a Future - Jeremiah 29:11
2. Do Not Awaken Love - Song of Solomon 8:4
3. Your Word - Psalm 119:105
4. Keep Your Heart - Proverbs 4:23
5. Not Your Own - I Corinthians 6:18-20
6. Bad Company - I Corinthians 15:33-34
7. He Humbled Himself - Philippians 2:3-5,8
8. Preeminent - Colossians 1:18

Random Pictures

2012-02-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

On January 20th we did a dinner and movie night at the church and watched the movie Courageous (soooo good if you have not seen it yet!). We had over 75 people come!!!

Damaris didn't make it through the movie :)

Becca helping to clean up after the movie

Stephen has a huge fish - an Oscar. He was way too big for our little 10 gallon tank, and then my friend Kate gave us her 30 gallon tank that she doesn't use anymore!

Isn't he a pretty fish? Now that he is in the tank he looks a lot smaller than he is!

Stephen built this cool stand for the tank

The kids sometimes like to play games on Disney Jr. Damaris was playing a pirate game, so she wanted to look like a pirate too :) :)

Pastor and Spouse Retreat

2012-02-07T20:24:00.001-05:00

The last weekend in January is always our Wesleyan North Michigan District's pastor and spouse retreat. This was our third time, and every year gets better as we meet and get to know more of the pastors in our district.

This year the retreat was in Muskegon at the Shoreline Inn. The hotel is fairly new and was really pretty by the water. Here are a few pictures:

The hotel from the outside

The view from our room

Another view from our room

On Saturday, there was a group of us that went to an Asian Buffet in town. It was seriously the LARGEST buffet by FAR that I have ever been to. And we both ate for only $15!!!! This picture is Chad trying out the octopus. They had such a huge selection of items.

Beautiful Sunset

Another one, just because it was so beautiful!!

Here is a picture of the kids after we picked them up from Stephen's parents :) I just thought it was super cute.

New Family Pictures!

2012-01-31T20:16:00.003-05:00

I won a free photo shoot with friends of ours that live a couple hours away - what a great excuse to get together!! It was so good seeing them and hanging out for the weekend!! Here are some pictures that Shelah took...some just fun ones of the weekend, and the rest our actual family pictures. These are just a few of my favorites. It is going to be SO hard deciding which ones to get!!!

Damaris and their son Wyatt

Shelah and Damaris sledding! They all went sledding in our yard while I made everyone home made pizza...win-win for everyone :)

So cute!

Chillin' on the couch :)

And now for the family pictures...and if you are in the Michigan area, Shelah is willing to travel! Check out her website http://www.cherishedimagesbyshelah.com. She does great work and was fast at getting them back to me!

She said "you two kiss" and the kids thought she was talking to them - ha!!

This one cracked me up!

Aren't they great?!? :) :)

My Heart

2012-01-22T18:54:00.000-05:00

Ever feel like you have so much to say but no idea how to make any sort of sense for it to actually come out of your mouth? So you say nothing? I feel like that is me all day every day...

As for verbalizing personal thoughts/feelings...I feel like I am a very open person and will talk about anything in my past. Even though there has been a lot of pain and falling on my face, I don’t mind sharing and don’t feel like I have to hide things.

However, I also have come to realize that I don’t just volunteer information about myself. If someone wants to know something about me – especially something intimate/personal, I need to know that they care to listen and hear my heart in it. And quite honestly, I don’t even think to talk about myself. On the other hand, if there is something brought up in a conversation that is relevant to something personal in my life, if I feel I can share, I do. But I DEFINITELY prefer really small groups, like 2-3 people...much more than 5-6 people and good luck getting me to talk – especially to really share my heart.

But since I am more of an introvert and more of an internal thinker, talking is hard for me. So I have many times been accused of being cold, unapproachable, insensitive, stuck up, etc. These really hurt, because I feel so misunderstood. I may not be overly emotional, and I know that I definitely have my faults (who doesn't?!?), but to those who know my heart and truly know me, I do not think they would describe me with these words.

Because that’s not my heart.

The people that truly know my heart are people that have continually poured into me and genuinely cared to get to know me, and I care about them and genuinely care to know their heart too. I only have a couple people like that, and I cherish my relationship with them.

But maybe that is the point. If I don’t initiate conversation...if I am not vulnerable with other people around me...if I am not willing to get to know their heart...well, no wonder I have so few people in my life that I am super close to.

Because someone has to be first. And I can’t always wait for the other person to start. Some days I just don't have the emotional energy to really work at this. But most days I use this as an excuse to stay in my comfort zone.

Why do I feel like I so desperately have to protect my heart? Why do I feel like I have to keep these walls up and guard myself? I am not in junior high or high school anymore. And I can choose...I don’t have to be vulnerable with people that hurt me. I have God and the couple people that truly “get” me...so what does it matter what other people think? What does it matter what other people say or do to me? What does it matter if people aren't willing to love and accept me for ME - faults and everything???

It doesn’t.

I want to live free in 2012. I want to continue to break down these walls that are so firmly in place. I want to risk...even though I am dead scared to do so.

Winter Wonderland

2012-01-19T21:22:00.000-05:00

Last week we had our first real snow of the season - which is strange because it is mid-January. We normally have snow starting around Thanksgiving. It started as rain and then switched to snow, so it really made the snow stick to the trees, which was very pretty. Here are some pictures of a nearby road where the trees were over the road and looked like a tunnel. It was gorgeous, but of course pictures don't do it justice.

Haircut

2012-01-16T09:12:00.001-05:00

I have today off for MLKJ Day. I really like to spend holidays with family, but Titus starts school at 8, Damaris has to go to Preschool at 11:45, and Stephen has to work. And of course there is not time to go anywhere, since the kids get off the bus at 3:30. But it is a nice break to not have to go to work...and since I love to organize (I know, I am strange ;) ), I plan get some things done around the house that I normally don't have time for.

And this morning I had time to give Damaris a haircut...which she has been asking for...for MONTHS. She wanted it short "like mine" so here is how it ended up:

BEFORE

AFTER

I thought it turned out cute!

Adorable!!!

2012-01-10T20:43:00.000-05:00

Nope, this one isn't ours, and we aren't house sitting or rescuing...Stephen's mom got this little cutie from friends of ours, and we were having fun snuggling and cuddling with him :)

His name is Watson...and he is super cute!!!!

Funny Teeth!!!

2012-01-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

These are suckers that the kids got from Stephen's family for Christmas :) :) I thought they were super cute!!

Sledding!!

2012-01-06T20:17:00.000-05:00

We barely had enough snow, but it is pretty much the most we have ever gotten all winter. It has been very strange! Not that I am complaining :) I do think we are in for it...it must be all waiting to dump on us :) :)

I love Titus's laugh on this one!!!!!

Reflections on 2011

2012-01-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

I am not one for resolutions...I really am not into that. But at the beginning of a new year, I do like to take a long look and reflect on the previous year.

First and foremost, I think it is the very first year since 1998 (WOW!) that I have had consistency and not a bunch of change. The reason I say 1998 is because I graduated high school in 1999 and every year since then I have had major life changes...new place to live (some more drastic moves than others), new vehicles or new pets, new job, new child, major health issues, and sometimes almost all of these at once. It has been exhausting, emotionally taxing, and just too much transition at times. Other times, I have enjoyed the excitement of change and new things.

In 2011, we have enjoyed living in the SAME house, with us having the SAME jobs, SAME vehicles, SAME pets, and obviously no new children :) The closest we got to change was Damaris going to school for the first time (Preschool) and we now have a new brother-in-law. I think this "settled" feeling was one of my very favorite things about 2011.

We definitely had some hard times, but overall, it really was a good year.

Here are some things that I am either looking forward to or hoping for in 2012:

We desperately need someone to buy the parsonage in Crystal so we can start to get a housing allowance from the church. This has been a huge weight, and I am ready to be out from under it. We knew it would be tight until it sold, but over a year and a half of living "tight": I am VERY ready to be done with that. It has been a lot longer than we anticipated, plus we have had some major, unexpected expenses come up, which has made it even harder on the budget. If everything works out, we are hoping a lady is buying it this spring...we shall see!!
I am excited for Damaris to start school full time. She really likes it a lot, and it just reaches a new chapter in our lives with both kids in school. I am really starting to enjoy the kids more and more the older they get. It has been fun, and I am excited for both of them!!!
My job is still hard. I have mentioned before that I have SO MUCH to be thankful for...good pay, great boss and people work with, a lot of personal days, good benefits. I like everything about it - except the actual work - ha! So to sit there day after day, 45 hours a week, bored and tired of busy work...which leaves me feeling depressed some days, and utterly worthless and unfulfilled other days. Just being honest here. I love, love, LOVE Melaleuca (chemical free/wellness company and stinking amazing!!) that I work for on the side, but that's just it...I can only work on the side. So although it is definitely helping us financially, it is not replacing my income quite yet. I am really hoping that I can be CONTENT and find other ways to feel fulfilled besides my day job. Easier said than done when my full time job is most of the hours in my days. But that is what I would really like...and I remind myself to be content and THANKFUL multiple times a day already...so hoping the words stick :)
My heart is stirring and walls that have been built for years and years I feel like are slowly melting away. That excites me, and I am excited to see what God has in store for 2012.
I really think we will be able to be completely vehicle debt free in 2012 [keeping my fingers crossed that my car holds out...it has 170,000 miles on it, and I really don't want to replace it!!]. We are SO CLOSE!!!!!!!!! That is exciting to me...in SO many ways...because then this last payment we have can be rolled into one of our other debts, and we will really be flying then!! :)
Stephen and I made a huge change in our parenting this summer, and it has drastically changed our attitudes and the kids' behavior. I rarely yell (never pegged myself as a yeller, but it is amazing the ugly parts of myself that kids can bring out in me), I truly enjoy being around my kids and spending time with them more than I ever did before, and they are happier and more obedient. Now, as I type this, I am reminding myself that I have started to slip back into my old habits and I need to step up in this area again...bad habits are hard to break, that's for sure!! But overall, I am very happy with how we are parenting right now. Parenting is a LOT of work...and when I get lazy, that's when there are problems. I really want to hit this hard in 2012 and make my natural instinct the new way instead of falling back to the old, horrible way.
We are at the beginning stages of creating a chore chart for the kids. They have always helped around the house and been good about chores...but nothing has been set in stone or consistent. They are old enough that there is a LOT more that they can help with, and I really want them to be a part of the family in this way...not to mention that even though at first it will be more work, in the end it will be a huge help and lighten the load that Stephen and I are trying to keep up with. Win-win all the way :)

I am sure there are more, but those are the ones swimming in my head at the moment.

Here's to 2012...a year that will have its challenges just like any other...but one that I am very much looking forward to!!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T21:34:00.000-05:00

With Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, and Stephen being a pastor, obviously some of our traditions had to be adjusted a little...but it was really good! We had a service at church Saturday night for our traditional Christmas Eve service. A large group went caroling, but since it was only 48 hours after me getting the stomach flu, I was pretty wiped out after the service, so I just went home with the kids. Sunday morning was so much fun at church, and especially cool since it fell on Christmas day! Stephen set up round tables and so it was like a family style service where we had communion, shared with each other, sang Christmas carols, and so much more. You could just feel the excitement and fun that everyone was having together, celebrating Christmas as a church family. It was amazing...and made me wish Christmas fell on a Sunday every year! :)

But anyway, back to our altered traditions - with pictures :)

Our first tradition is opening stockings on Christmas eve...slightly earlier in the day than normal because of everyone going caroling after and me and the kids going to bed :)

Even Eva got one...

Treats of course!

Ornament from an anti-human trafficking organization - which ironically I bought one very similar to this when they did a workshop at our church...I guess that shows how much Stephen knew I would like these!!

Damaris has been asking and asking for monkey pajamas for a couple years now...

Christmas morning we normally read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible and make home made doughnuts...but since Stephen gets to the church super early on Sundays, we knew that wouldn't work. So we did doughnuts on Monday instead, and opened presents Sunday afternoon...

Another tradition we have is that the kids pick out a small gift for each person in the family...this is the kids opening their gifts from each other.

Titus took our pictures while we opened his gifts :)

Then we do our gifts that we bought for the kids...

We unofficially (but now I really want to make it official) buy a game for the kids every year

Titus with his gifts

They got a sled too...well, we kind of gave it to the whole family, because the only one we own is a baby sled. It was definitely time to get us something!

Damaris with her presents

Our next tradition is making a super nice dinner for Christmas...and we go all out!

Amazing brownie recipe from one of my friends in Indiana. Seriously rich - but very good! As if brownies weren't rich enough, this also has 3/4 C of brown sugar, 2 C of chocolate chips, and 40 PB cups!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is our yummy meal...pot roast and potatoes, homemade dinner rolls, cheesy vegetable bake, shrimp, sparkling apple cider, our brownie dessert, and a really amazing salad with a LOT of stuff in it (dried cranberries, french fried onions, cucumber, romaine lettuce, egg, croutons, ham, carrots, cheese, real bacon, and I still feel like I am missing stuff!)

So, as I said, on Monday we ended up doing our doughnuts! I think this is the kids' favorite tradition :) And I tried out Stephen's grandma's chocolate fudge frosting...which was really good!

Christmas with the Mowats

2011-12-28T20:32:00.000-05:00

We headed up to Evart on the 22nd to spend the 22nd-24th with Stephen's family for Christmas. Only several hours later Stephen was driving me home because I ended up with the stomach flu that Stephen and Titus had so lovingly shared :) Let's just say throwing up in a gas station bathroom or alongside the road were not on my "to do" list this Christmas...or EVER. I absolutely DETEST the stomach flu. But, this battle with it was actually not as awful as it normally is for me, and for that I was very grateful!
Anyway, Stephen thankfully took lots of pictures of the kids opening their gifts, so that was nice since I missed it all!

Here are some pictures...

Their dog Bear...

And of course Eva was there...

Ready to open the gifts...stockings first!

I just loved this picture...Titus catches like I do - with his eyes closed!!!! :) :) :)

Stephen's cousins came over - this is their newest little addition :)

Damaris loves babies...

All tired out from the big day

On the Camera...

2011-12-27T21:08:00.000-05:00

It is always fun for me when I find pictures that the kids took...they have so much fun taking pictures and videos with my camera. Here are a few:

The kids made a fort

And Titus made a video to explain the fort :)

Picture of himself...

Picture of Damaris

Picture of one of our ornaments

Christmas Program

2011-12-26T11:09:00.000-05:00

Last week Sunday we had the Christmas program. Our worship leader, Cherri, does an amazing job. She had all age groups involved, which I thought was cool!

Youth group singing "The Little Drummer Boy"

Reading the story of Jesus' birth

Singing "The First Noel"

All the kids, including Preschool and Nursery

They sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

And they also sang "Away in a Manager"

Damaris wanted to be a star :)

Our friends Jason and Tara were Mary and Joseph - it was prefect because Tara just had a baby a few weeks ago, we we had a real baby that was just the right size :)

Christmas Fun

2011-12-23T10:07:00.000-05:00

Titus had stomach flu last weekend. So Damaris and I stayed with our family plans and had fun with just the two of us. We had practice at the church for the Christmas program the next day, and then the little theater in town showed The Smurfs for free! After that, the fire department had Santa ride in on a fire truck through town and then all the kids could get in line, talk to Santa, and then get some goodies. It was fun!

Christmas and Wedding Reception

2011-12-22T21:24:00.000-05:00

On the 10th we celebrated Christmas with my family and then we had a wedding reception for my sister and Dan (since they got married in Indiana) and then we had Christmas with my mom's family. So it was a busy day, but a lot of fun too!

Here are some pictures...

Dan and Kara got the kids these cute reindeer ears :)

My mom and dad opening gifts...

Stephen's turn...

Dan's first Christmas with our family...

Kara opening a gift

Damaris and her new sweater...

Titus got a travel size etch-a-sketch

A new sweater for me too

And of course I had to try it on! So I wore it to the reception with my new boots too :)

I thought this was a cute picture of Stephen and me

Kara and Dan had fun getting all dressed up again.

This is such a cute picture of them with my grandparents

I love this picture of my grandma and Kara. My grandma has Alzheimers/dementia and this picture makes me feel like I have my grandma back. This is how I want to remember her.

Dancing

2011-12-21T09:56:00.003-05:00

I guess our dance lessons inspired us to all start dancing :) :) :) These videos were taken last month...I know, I am behind. Hopefully I can post and catch up since I have a little time off over Christmas...

Surprise Date Night

2011-11-22T18:05:00.000-05:00

The guys from our small group planned a surprise date night for all of us girls. All they really told us is that we had to dress up, and that we were meeting at 3 PM. They took care of all the other details.

So we each got all fancy, and when we were ready to go, another guy from the church drove us around in a bus with the windows covered so we couldn't see where we were going.

Rebecca and Liz (sisters)

Julia and Kendra

Brandi, Jenica, and Ashley (sister-in-laws - Jenica and Ashley married Brandi's two brothers)

Jessi and Tara

Cherri, me, and Dawn

Me and Stephen

When we arrived, we realized we were at the church, and when we walked in, we noticed that all the chairs were cleared out and candles were lit. The guys had dance instructors come in to teach us all dancing for two hours!!! We learned swing and salsa. Other than Stephen's knee absolutely killing him in the salsa, we had a ton of fun. I don't have too many pictures of the dancing - kind of hard to take pictures when you are dancing yourself ;)

Stephen and Brian

Brian and Jenica doing a little swing dancing

Chad and Dawn doing a little salsa dancing

Afterwards, we were brought into the church fellowship hall, where we had an AMAZING dinner that Stephen and Brent picked out, and then paid some helpers from the church to make it and serve us. They seriously went all out - sparkling juices, shrimp as an appetizer (it was so good and I am not even a huge fan of shrimp normally), 4 types of bread, two choices of meat, two types of salad, we could choose 3 different sides, plus dessert. SO GOOD. I was so impressed. They even used china, and nice goblets and everything. And, the guys picked out napkins to match the elegant menus they made for us, plus did all the decorating!!! I was completely blown away. Stephen said he wanted to go for a super fancy meal, and they sure accomplished that!!!

Yes, I know...this is a huge group to call our "small group". And we were even missing two couples!! If you think this is big, you should see us all when we get together with our kids ;) We have so much fun together, and it doesn't seem that big because we all feel so comfortable with each other.

Kevin and Kendra

I loved my hair. This is a little messy because of all night dancing, but you get the idea. A lady in our church did it. It was fun to get my hair done - a very rare treat!!

Forgiveness

2011-11-17T21:50:00.000-05:00

“Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.” ~ C.S. Lewis

Recently, I reconnected with a hurt in my past. Talking felt good. Getting our frustrations and hurts out in the open felt good. The weight was off my shoulders, and theirs too. We could start fresh. Redefine our relationship. Move forward in a stronger friendship.

But what about people that refuse to talk. Refuse to forgive. Assume the worst of you. Hold a grudge. All from a misunderstanding, where quite honestly I just feel like screaming at them, defending myself, saying "IT'S NOT TRUE!! This is all a misunderstanding. How can you hurt us like this??? You were wrong in all of this too. Please hear us out!!!!" But that wouldn't quite bring restoration would it?? :)

The topic of forgiveness has been on my heart for several months. Mainly because of a disagreement that involved five of us, two of which have refused to talk, which leaves three of us feeling very unresolved. It has been painful...and between tears, heartache and pain, the three of us desperately want restoration with the other two.

Last Sunday in church the topic was forgiveness, and in tears, me and one of the others talked about how much we just want to restore the relationship, talk, and allow the misunderstanding to unfold so we could all move on. But we can't.

I read this article online, and I thought it was good. Here is an excerpt:

The Christian’s Attitude of Forgiveness
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (attitude: forgive because you love the Lord)

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (attitude: can love cover it?)

Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.(attitude: loving and forgiving just like God forgave you)

Another friend who knows the situation told me to "shake the dust of my feet" and move on. That is from Matthew 10:14that says: "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet."

I guess I have no choice but to move on...but that is hard. The Bible talks about how if we don't forgive, then God will not forgive us. And that if we have something against someone else, we immediately have to address it or God will not listen to our prayers. But what if that person will not grant you forgiveness - will not even talk to you??

I would love nothing more than to talk about what happened, apologize for my part in the misunderstanding and receive their forgiveness. I want to also know that I have truly forgiven them for their part in the misunderstanding, not just think that I have truly forgiven them. I feel like at that point, it would be a lot easier for us to go our separate ways in peace. I will move on with my life, but I will continue to pray for healing in their heart. I will never stop praying for them to one day forgive, so that one day, we might restore our relationship and have peace.

Halloween

2011-11-16T19:07:00.000-05:00

So I am way late on this post...but I had so many good pictures from my sister's wedding, so I just had to share!!

Anyway, as usual, our youth group at the church put on a Fall Fest at the church for Halloween, where the kids can play games and get candy. Damaris was a ballerina or fairy or princess, or whatever she told you at the time you asked her :) :) Titus wanted to wear his costume from last year (Iron Man), so I was glad it still fit!

And this next picture has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween, but it wasn't worth of a whole post, so here it is :)

Don't judge when you see the tank water in this picture...we have tried everything we can think of to get this water to clear up - three different chemicals, a larger water filter system, changed the filters...nothing will clean this up. So I think we will have to dump all the water out and start from scratch - but that is very hard, because the fish are HUGE. This is a picture of the plecostomus (this is how Wikipedia spelled it, but Word and Blogger says it is wrong...no idea). You can see that he is the size of the tank! The other fish we have in there is an Oscar. He is huge too. We are getting a 30 gallon tank from a friend, so maybe that will help too???

A few more pictures of the wedding...

2011-11-14T18:31:00.001-05:00

I know, I know...I have a LOT of posts from the wedding, and you are probably ready for something else...and this is the last one, I promise! Since I was in the wedding, I couldn't take pictures during the ceremony...so here are a few other pictures I got from other people.

These first three are from the photographer. We had so much fun with her, and I really like her pictures. You can check her out at http://www.lindseyhawkphoto.com

Titus :)

Damaris

I love this one that Lindsey took of my dad and my sister...

These next pictures are from Kara's friend Stacey. She is not a professional photographer, but I thought these turned out really good!!

Instead of a unity candle or unity sand, they did what is called a salt covenant. Indicating that with salt, there is no way to distinguish the crystals, therefore separation of the two vials is impossible once they are joined. It was really cool!

I thought this was so sweet!

And here are some other pictures from Lindsey...if you are in the Marion, Indiana area and need pictures, you should seriously check her out!! She is also on Facebook, so you can "like" her at Lindsey Hawk Photography and Design.

My mom reading to Damaris while we were waiting to get our hair done

I LOVE this picture!!!

Captivating

2011-11-11T08:23:00.001-05:00

"A woman yearns to be seen as captivating...we desire to posses a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are...a beauty all our own to unveil."

~John Eldredge

(from his book Captivating)

I love this quote...I don't know why, but it speaks to me. I posted it on Facebook, but wanted to post it here too.

I couple months ago, I popped in an audio book called Waking the Dead by John Eldredge, and I realized that there is something about how he writes truly stirs my heart and my mind.

Stephen has a devotional with daily writings taken from several of the books that John Eldredge has written, and I love it! It makes me want to read more of his stuff :)

Kara's Wedding - It's Go Time! :)

2011-11-04T20:42:00.000-04:00

As you can see from previous posts, I took a LOT of pictures while we were in Indiana for my sister's wedding. Our whole family was IN the wedding, so it did make taking pictures during the ceremony impossible, but I did get lots of great pictures before and after :) :)

Here are some of my favorites :)

Titus looked so handsome :)

My boys :) :) :)

All of the bridal party. The dresses were really nice. Best part - pockets...and they were HUGE. I could put half my arm in it :) I could also have my camera in there and you couldn't even tell. It was AWESOME. I thought they looked very flattering on all of us too.

I love this picture of me and Damaris. It is so hard to get a non-cheesy picture of Damaris these days :) :)

Back view of my sister's dress

Side view

Front

The flowers were so pretty!

Kara looked so pretty!

Me and Kara

All of us (Kara didn't have her shoes on, which is why we are all tower over her :) Kara and I are actually the same height :)

Aletheia helped me with the sign for their car :)

Titus and Damaris

So sweet!

With their Aunt Kara

My nieces...they were the guest book attendants. I miss seeing them now that we are in Michigan :(

I love this picture of me and my dad

Me with my mom and dad - they both looked so nice!!

Tired of standing up... :)

Helping Titus with his tux. And this is the only picture I really have of my hair :) They did a cool knot/twist on each side.

So sweet :)

Awww... :)

We did sparkers for Dan and Kara's exit...and then we lit a whole bunch of them afterwards...which is crazy flames - not sparklers - so we quick threw them in this :)

Their cake...

They had pumpkins and sharpies so people could decorate their own pumpkin!

The happy couple

My neices, my sister Carlyn, my mom, me, and Damaris

Kristin and I grew up together, so it was good seeing her again!

It was a really nice wedding, and I am so happy for Kara and Dan!!!

Kara's Wedding - Getting Ready

2011-11-02T19:40:00.000-04:00

My parents made all of us pancakes for breakfast!

Angie and Kara

Titus and Aletheia

Me and Jen

Jessica and Jen

Kara starting to get her hair done

Damaris was so good waiting for all of us to get our hair done!

Jen's turn...

Looking good! :)

My turn!

Next up...Aletheia

She is so funny...

Kara's turn...again

Jessica

Her hair was short, but just long enough to go up!

Damaris now!

Kara and Aletheia

All done!

All of us girls

My mom got her hair done too

Damaris looks serious here, but she really had a lot of fun. She was really good while they were doing her hair!

So pretty

I thought it turned out really cute!!

Kara's Wedding - The Day Before

2011-10-31T20:34:00.001-04:00

My sister got married this past weekend...here are some pictures of our time on Friday, the day before the wedding :)

First we went and got "beautified" :)

Kara & my Mom

Me and Aletheia (who was also in the wedding)

Kara getting her eyebrows done. This was so cool - they literally just use regular string!

Then she decided to get fake eyelashes...which I normally think of the fake looking Halloween ones...but these were WAY different, and looked really nice! They took little pieces and "glued" them on. See the little black dots on her eye lid? That was it!

All done!

Next it was time for our nails...Kara and Aletheia got pedicures too.

My mom got acrylic nails

Don't worry, they will cut them down :) :)

They had to GLUE Kara's toe nail back on - oops! Good place for it to happen...she figured it would fall off, so what better place than at a nail salon! (It was stepped on several weeks ago, and was looking VERY loose!)

Much better :)

I just did french tips and kept my own nails :)

Aletheia had a pretty purple color

Kara and Aletheia

All done!

Aletheia decided to try out the string on her eyebrows too :)

The three of us

Jessica and Lissa - they helped me and Aletheia make up Kara's rehearsal bouquet :)

The happy couple :)

Kara, Dan, my mom, and Damaris

Rehearsal dinner at the Hostess House

Damaris

Me and Damaris

Stephen and Titus

Titus's thank you gift for being in the wedding was a cool bow and arrow set :)

Damaris got a tea set for being in the wedding

Time to practice!

My dad and Kara

All the bridesmaids and my sister. We had so. much. fun. They are great!!!

After the rehearsal, we had a personal shower for Kara...just a few "safe" pictures to post :)

Kara had to go on a scavenger hunt for one of her gifts - the girl dropped it off on the porch of the wrong house :) :) :)

I really do not like shower games...so for a game this time, I made KARA play and the rest of us laugh and watch :) This was one where she had to get "dressed" for her honeymoon blindfolded...and I had gotten the ugliest stuff I could find on clearance isles for her to put on :) :) :)

It was a lot of fun

Next up, the wedding day :) :) :)

Random Pictures

2011-10-29T19:08:00.002-04:00

Damaris took these two pictures:

Me and Damaris

Damaris and Stephen

Fall Fun!

2011-10-26T19:06:00.000-04:00

Pretty fall flowers

Damaris by her huge pumpkin

Iron Man...I mean Titus...by this big pumpkin

Where is Damaris hiding?

Titus is in the same spot...

In the loader bucket of course! :)

Damaris wearing Titus' costume...blurry, but I thought it was funny :)

Ready to fight :)

Last Saturday we had a fall party instead of small group like we normally do on Fridays. It was a lot of fun! We also invited the youth group to join us! Hayride, costumes, carving pumpkins, homemade doughnuts, cider, chili, and many other yummy goodies!

Cutie!!

All my hayride pictures turned out blurry :( But this one is still cute...

Again, blurry but cute...

Another little cutie...

Damaris cleaning out her pumpkin

Stephen helping Titus with his

Damaris wanted hers cleaned off :)

All done!

Titus trying to match his pumpkin :)

Half of our pumpkins (the other half's picture didn't turn out :( )

Playground

2011-10-21T17:28:00.002-04:00

When we lived in Crystal, we used to frequent the wooden playground in Carson City because it is really nice, and it is free! Since we moved further away from the playground, we hadn't been back.

So at the beginning of October, when we had 70/80 degree weather for almost 10 days, we made sure we took the kids because we knew they missed it!

Here are some pictures of our time there:

I just LOVE to hear the kids laughing...although Titus got a little scared at the end for some reason :)

Damaris laughing - I could listen to this all day :)

There is also a really pretty river that goes through the park...so we went down there too!

(it was REALLY sunny out, as you can tell on their faces)

Can you tell they had fun??? :)

Yep, the park was definitely a big hit :)

Driving

2011-10-18T19:34:00.001-04:00

Stephen let Titus "drive"...on a dirt road, don't worry :)

Big Tree

2011-10-15T13:21:00.003-04:00

Stephen has been taking down some trees in our yard and is cutting them up to sell the lumber. Pictures don't do it justice...this was a HUGE log!

Me & Titus

2011-10-04T19:18:00.000-04:00

70th Anniversary!!!!

2011-10-02T13:56:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday we celebrated my grandparent's 70th wedding anniversary!!! This is pretty amazing!! They are both in very good health, although my grandma does have Alzheimers, which has been hard since it came on so fast. But they both still live at their house and still went camping with us this summer!

My aunt planned a potluck dinner for everyone in the family after church last week. It was fun with all of us coming together to celebrate with them!

The sisters...my grandma in the middle is the oldest. Her sister on the right also has Alzheimers too, so that is sad.

The sisters and their spouses!

My grandparents and their "children" :)

Grandparents, children, and spouses of children

All of us
(that could be there, there were a few families missing)

It is amazing to think that all of us are here because of my grandparents!!!!

Baby Squirrel

2011-09-30T18:49:00.001-04:00

Isn't he/she cute?!?

The "Princess" and the Frog :)

2011-09-25T19:00:00.000-04:00

Here is my "Princess" on her first day of Preschool!

Being crazy

And here's the frog...

Inside our house.

And the next day I found two more.

Inside the house.

Good thing we all like frogs...I just prefer to see them outside :)

Anderson's & Girls

2011-09-23T18:36:00.001-04:00

Before Stephen had his surgery, he wanted to do something fun with all of us. So we went to the local apple orchard. They have a free petting zoo with all kinds of really cool animals (kangaroos, sloth, lemurs, bobcat, wallabies, and so much more!).

Here are some pictures:

I thought this was cute...both of them by the zebras :)

Zebras are so cool...

Do you see both of them way up there?!?

Reindeer!

Not sure what he is doing here :)

Ice cream...good to the last drop :)

Normally we go later in the fall when it is cold...it was nice to go while it was still warm!!!

Stephen's Surgery

2011-09-21T18:34:00.000-04:00

I think that last time I posted that Stephen wasn't going to have to have knee surgery. Well, when he went back to the doctor after physical therapy, the doctor wasn't satisfied with the popping, pain, and catching that his knee was doing. Since the MRI can't show everything, we decided to go with a minor surgery on his knee where they scope it and make repairs to the meniscus if it is torn, and clean up any loose pieces or whatnot.

His surgery was yesterday, and it went well. Thankfully no torn meniscus, and the doctor was able to clean it up good. However, he does have a small tear in his ACL, which is really bad because that is a separate surgery with a 6 month recovery time frame!! The doctor said the tear wasn't bad enough to do the surgery now, and suggests waiting. We will know more when Stephen goes in for his follow up appointment.

So far Stephen has done very well with recovery. Coming out of the anesthetic was pretty smooth, and other than being tired and a little dizzy, he is doing good. Some pain, but manageable.

Thanks to those of you that knew about the surgery and were praying!!

Puppy for a Week...

2011-09-15T19:23:00.004-04:00

Stephen rescued this cute little puppy from going to the humane society, and we have her until next week, when her new owners are taking her.

I hate puppies, but she is a cutie, and a week is just enough time to enjoy the cuteness and then let her go so I don't have to deal with all the puppy stuff :) :)

Isn't she tiny???

The kids love her...

And will be VERY sad to see her go...

But there is no way we can keep her with a 90 pound dog in the house. Although, Eva loves having another dog to play with. :)

Eva and her are friends...although Eva doesn't realize her size and sometimes steps on her or hurts her...but the puppy can hold her own :)

She is supposedly half Chiwawa and half Doxin, but I don't think she looks like either, really.

I know, I know...how many more pictures of a sleeping puppy can we take, right?? But she is just so cute!

Isn't she a doll???

First Day of School, Second Year of Kindergarten

2011-09-13T19:05:00.000-04:00

Here to a great year in Kindergarten!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-11T19:03:00.000-04:00

Labor Day weekend was SUCH a nice, relaxing weekend. My sister, Kara and her fiance Dan were going to stay at our house Friday night and then head to Mackinaw and stay with my aunt and uncle and cousins, but it was supposed to rain all day Saturday, so they didn't want to go up just for Sunday morning/afternoon. So on Saturday we had a GREAT time hanging out, playing games, and we even got to go on a double date!!!

Kara and Dan

Stephen found a turtle and brought it in so the kids could see it.

Starting to get brave...

Finally on the move...

Then we took him outside so he could go in the pond

In our garden we are growing big pumpkins for the kids...

They are pretty big, but still have a ways to go, so it will be fun to see how big they get!

What a nut!

My and my sister before our double date

Dan reading a book to the kids

So sweet...

Kara driving the tractor

Just a fun picture when we were driving...unfortunately my picture of them didn't turn out :(

Then Sunday it was just us again, and so in the afternoon we took the kids for icecream in town. It was really cute how they put eyes in the icecream :)

On Monday we of course had the day off, and we spent the day catching up at home and just relaxing too. It was AWESOME and much needed...

We found this pretty big walking stick. That's Titus's finger, which is pretty small, so you can see how big it was!

Helping Daddy...I love her little tongue :)

Titus helping too

Even Eva "helping" in the barn

Damaris pretending she was on crutches

And of course Titus had to try it too!

It was such a great weekend!

Lions vs Patriots

2011-09-07T20:54:00.001-04:00

Several of us from our small group (16 of us total) went to the Lions/Patriots preseason game on August 27th. Two brothers bought a small bus so their families could travel together, so we took that down to the game, and it was SO FUN. I loved being able to all ride together.

The game was fun too...it was great seeing the Lions cream the Patriots in the first half (starters against starters), and even when the no-names were playing, we still were playing good. It is going to be fun watching the Lions this year...last year and this year is a whole new feel to the team...and it is exciting to see them come together after SO MANY years of losing.

Anyway, here are some pictures:

Playing football while we wait to meet up with another guy going to the game

Playing cards...

Doing pull ups

And Cornelius did a flip...it was pretty cool! Check out the video...

Brian drove the bus because he has his CDL license

I thought this was a cute picture of us :)

Chris and Liz

Here is a picture of the bus...we wrote "Go Lions" on all the windows :)

Kendra and Kevin

Me and Stephen again :)

Chris and his son Justice (who refused to look at the camera :) )

Chris, Liz, Cherri, and Cornelius

Cherri and Cornelius

We were only 15 rows up in the endzone!!

I feel like even with the zoom on, these pictures look further away than what we could see where we were actually sitting...isn't that weird?? We were very close.

Justice
(finally got a picture with him looking!)

Matt and Brandi

We had a great time, and it was so fun going with everyone!

On the Lake

2011-09-05T12:23:00.000-04:00

I have been a bit MIA...life is crazy, work is crazy, and I have not been on Facebook or reading blogs...but I am trying to at least keep a good document of our life so that I have my blog "scrapbook" up to date.

I have enjoyed having the day off for labor day, and having a weekend of relaxation, fun, and getting several projects done around the house. It is hard to believe that school starts tomorrow already. Because of too many kindergarteners, Titus has been moved to a Kindergarten/First Grade split class...which could be really good for him and better prepare him for first grade next year. Plus his friend Seth from his class last year is in this split class too, so he is pretty excited about that. Damaris starts preschool on the 19th. I can't believe how fast they have grown up...

Anyway, at the end of August we went for a pontoon boat ride with Stephen's parents. It was my first time out on a lake all summer...which is quite pathetic where we live up here, surrounded by lakes. We had a great time, and the kids did too!

Here are some pictures:

This is about all Stephen caught all night :) :)

Titus, on the other hand, is quite the little fisherman :)

This was one of many fish he caught...

Damaris "fishing"

This huge fish was another one Titus caught...on his little tiny fishing pole :)

Do you see how big he is?? (Bottom middle)

Damaris caught this one...but as you can see from her face, she is not so sure about holding it up for a picture...

So Titus, being a good brother, held it up for her ;)

All tired out :)

Vacation - At the Beach

2011-09-03T18:52:00.002-04:00

This is my last vacation post...and I had to save the best for last. I mean, the ocean is the whole reason to go to Myrtle Beach, right?? :)

The day we got there, we unpacked and of course had to walk down to see the ocean for the first time!

We weren't planning to get in, but as you can see, we couldn't resist :) Titus was loving the waves...

I could be wrong...but I think he likes it ;)

And she might like it too... :)

Having fun...

He wanted to taste it :)

This video just shows the pure joy the kids had experiencing the ocean for the first time. I just love their laughs!!

The rest of the week, we were prepared...and we went in our swim suits :) We made it down to the beach every day at least once. I love being near the water!

My hottie :)

This is where we stayed...well, a mirror image of it across the street :)

We found a jelly fish! It was pretty big, too. Probably the size of a softball.

Damaris saw other people being buried in the sand, so she wanted to do it too :)

Looking for shells for the sand castle...

Our finished product

I thought it turned out good!

Vacation - Broadway at the Beach

2011-09-01T18:02:00.009-04:00

Broadway at the beach is a really fun place...to say it is an outdoor mall is really not doing it justice. If any of you have been to downtown Disney in Florida, it is similar to that - really neat shops all around a lake. They also had carnival rides for kids, a playground, water rides, and so much more. Here are some of the fun things we did there:

Titus was able to build his own car!

Picking out his parts to his car

Putting it together...

Damaris did Build-A-Bear, which was REALLY good timing because they had a special...ANY animal, ANY outfit, ANY shoes for only $29.99!!

She chose the leopard

Running the peddle to fill her animal up with stuffing

Giving her animal a "bath"

Dressing her up!

All done!

Naming her leopard Sally :)

Ready to go :)

There were lots of ducks and neat things - like the ship in the background - all over. It was just a fun place to be!

They also had a playground, which was really nice!

Titus

Damaris

As you can see...the kids loved these things. And they thought it was hilarious that Damaris was in the "boy" one and Damaris was in the "girl" one :)

They had several cool fountains...

Feeding the ducks and fish...

Fish don't normally bother me, but these things were so ugly...

And there were HUNDREDS every time someone through the fish food into the water. It was crazy, and something you really just have to see to "appreciate" :)

I have no idea what kind of bird this is (a crane of some sort???) but it was cool :)

These were pretty cool and fun :)

The kids liked climbing on them

I just really like this picture...

Vacation - At the Pools

2011-08-29T19:32:00.000-04:00

We spent a lot of time at the pools while we were on vacation. The kids loved it and so did we!

Indoor pool

All by herself...

I did it!!

Lazy River...where we spent more time on our vacation than anywhere else...definitely a daily event, if not multiple times per day :)

Stephen and I were able to read and relax a lot while the kids played too!

Vacation - Inside our Rooms

2011-08-27T18:03:00.003-04:00

We love our vacation club that we are a part of. We only pay for our fuel to get down to our destinations, and then we cook all our own food. The kids have their own room and bathroom, and we have a washer and dryer right in our room. We love it. Here is where we stayed in Myrtle Beach.

We didn't spend a lot of time in our condo, but here are a few cute pictures :)

Damaris being funny

This is the view we had just outside our door...and the view from the kids' room.

Titus being silly...

I just thought they were both too cute :)

Then, as I mentioned in my last post, we split up our trip and stayed overnight in Columbus, OH. That way we ended up driving 10 hours on Friday, and then 6 hours on Saturday. I got a hotel ahead of time on Priceline...a 4 star hotel for only $45! I called to see if we could have two beds instead of a king, but they didn't have any rooms available, but did say they had a hide-a-bed couch. I was a little apprehensive on how this would work, but when I saw the room set up, I was thrilled. Here are some pictures...

As you can see, the living room was separated by French doors...which was PERFECT for us.

It was a really nice hotel!

And the kids thought it was pretty fun, too!

Vacation - Driving

2011-08-25T20:35:00.002-04:00

As I explained in my last post, we left after the wedding, so it was about 8:30 before we got on the road. We were a bit nervous about driving through the night since Stephen and I both struggle with night driving, but it went SO well, and we only had to stop for an hour and a half at a rest area. Other than that, we just tag-team drove and when one of us got tired, we switched while the other one slept. It worked great!

The moon was really pretty!

We got a cheap dollar store fun glow toy for each of the kids for the night drive. Unfortunately this picture is blurry :(

These looked cooler in the dark :)

This is how Titus slept most of the night :)

And this was close to how Damaris slept, just with her blanket :)

On the way home we split up our trip over two days. Our DVD players for the kids weren't working, but they were SO good on the way down and on the way back. It was SO NICE!!!

Damaris about to fall asleep :) I thought she was too cute!

Titus finding a new way to color :)

This was a cool mountain on our drive. I think it was in Virginia...

Wedding #4

2011-08-23T19:06:00.000-04:00

Joe and Tarin

We were going to leave in the afternoon or in the morning on Friday, August 12 for our vacation to Myrtle Beach. But Joe and Tarin from our church wanted to get married, and asked Stephen to do the wedding. So instead, we left that night and drove through the night to get there. Anyway, here are some pictures from their wedding!

Having fun, waiting for the wedding to start:

Waiting to begin...

Damaris and Tonisha

So handsome :)

Titus took this one of the program :)

All us girls...

Damaris took this picture...she wanted Tonisha to make a fish face :)

Time to start!

The wedding was on the river, in the woods, and it was really pretty!

The girls all in black...

The guys had on various colors...I thought it looked really nice!

Giving away his daughter...unfortunately my pictures of Joe and Tarin didn't turn out :(

I loved that the girls rode in, and then Joe and Tarin rode out on the wagon.

Making faces on the way home... :)

Let the vacation begin!!!

Vacation Bible School

2011-08-21T15:55:00.000-04:00

We just got back yesterday from our family vacation to Myrtle Beach...so stay tuned because I have a LOT of pictures from the last couple weeks!!!

Before we left, we had VBS at our church every night. Here are some pictures!

Opening ceremonies and singing time:

Games!

Brother vs sister :)

Singing - each age group on their color :)

The theme was "Come Sail Away" and Bob made a GREAT Pirate :)

The bird was fake, but looked pretty good!

All the kids got their picture taken with the life ring. This was one of the teens, and I just this picture was funny :)

Storytime!

Here are pictures from the meal time:

All of us that helped in the kitchen...

We served a full meal to all the kids every night.

I thought this was cute

We had a lot of fun!

Here are pictures from our craft time. Jodie does a great job:

GAMES! :) :)

It was a great week!

Small Group Camping Trip

2011-08-07T20:43:00.003-04:00

The last weekend in July, our small group went camping again this year at Herrick Park in Clare. We love it there! The kids had a great time, and we had a great time too!!

Here are some pictures of our time there...enjoy!

This is what happens when you put a magnesium log in the fire...it was as bright as daylight and burns hotter than wood. It was funny because the park ranger came flying into our area because they thought a camper was on fire...it was that bright. He thought it was great and pretty cool, and was fine with us doing it - just relieved that there wasn't an out of control fire!

Jaelle's first swim...

She loved it!

Titus loved his alligator. Every time he was in the water he was on this thing :)

Wyatt LOVED this!! He has pretty amazing balance for only being a year and a half! He loves the water, and so does his brother!

Damaris loved this tree thing, even though she really was too big for it...

Can you see me?

Angie and Wyatt - I thought this was so cute!

Jenica chilling on a raft...only a few more weeks to go before her baby is here!

Titus was having fun with Tara

Damaris was too :)

Damaris splashing Chad :)

:)

There was a sandcastle competition that day...this was Titus's that he did all by himself :)

Some of the girls made a turtle

Brendan wanted to make a chair, so Chad and Tara helped too

I thought he did a great job, and it turned out really good! See the crown on the side there?

The guys went all out to create something huge

Titus trying to keep water in the sand...

The guys won second place!

When we aren't at the lake, a mud puddle will have to do :) :)

Abby and Damaris

Jenica and I have the same bathing suit and didn't realize it until we went camping :) It is nice because it is a regular bathing suit, but it stretches enough that Jenica can wear it even while pregnant. So we had to get our picture together in our matching suits :) :)

The kids loved the playground!

Titus waving from the top

Damaris climbing up the slide

Almost there!!

Titus pushing the merry-go-round

There were 30 of us over the weekend - 16 adults and 14 kids :) It was a lot of fun!

And we had a great view from behind our campsites...

Another Wedding

2011-07-31T18:02:00.001-04:00

Funny how you go a year or two with very few weddings, and then all of a sudden you have 5 in one year. Stephen is performing two of the five weddings for people in the church, and the other three weddings are family. I posted the pictures from Stephen's cousin's wedding this spring where Damaris was the flower girl, and then his other cousin got married just a couple weeks ago, and of course my sister's wedding is coming up this fall.

Anyway, here are pictures of Ben and Jodie who got married from our church. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding. The only other wedding I have been to outdoors was in October in Michigan and we froze. So this was fantastic :)

Here are some pictures...

The happy couple :)

Here we go!

Stephen hurt his leg playing basketball...this is a complete side story, but he is in another brace now where he can bend it, but can't put any weight on it, and had an MRI this past week. We find out tomorrow whether or not he has a tear in his meniscus. Hopefully not!!

Ben and Jodie had their kids stand up with them. I thought that was a really neat idea! Here are the boys...the girls come later since I couldn't get them during the wedding.

The whole family did unity sand, which I thought was really cool too.

The wedding was beautiful with the pond and all the flowers, and the huge willow tree in the background.

I just thought this was cute...everyone in the "new" family talking just after Ben and Jodie walked out :)

Here is a picture of the girls :) They looked so cute.

The wedding was at Cornelius and Cherri's house.

Jaelle is such a doll. I just love her chubby cheeks ;)

Ben laughing because of Jaelle's hair band on his head and Jodie not noticing yet :)

Ben and Jodie with Cornelius and Cherri

Stephen with Jaelle

It was such a fun night!!

Wedding Plans

2011-07-25T19:35:00.000-04:00

We had to cut our church camp short - but for good reasons! My younger sister is getting MARRIED!!!!!!! I am so excited for her and Dan. Anyway, Damaris and I had to go down to Indiana where she lives and where the wedding will be and try on dresses, and to be able to go with her to pick out her dress. So my mom, dad, Damaris and myself made a quick trip.

Here are the pictures I CAN show you...obviously I can't show you what dresses Kara tried on, especially not the one she picked - you will just have to wait until the wedding ;)

Damaris was in GIRL heaven :) :)

Angie, Kara's roommate came with us!

Damaris loved her :)

Damaris took this picture :)

Damaris really liked this dress :)

Let's be honest - she loved trying them ALL on :)

And loved trying on their veils and jewelry too :)

Below is the only dress you will see, mainly because this wasn't really one that Kara was going to buy, she just tried it on because it was fun - it is a Vera Wang dress, and was just HUGE. She (and Damaris) had a lot of fun playing around while it was on :) Don't worry - I asked Kara if I could post a couple pictures of her in this dress before I published this :)

She looked so beautiful in EVERY dress she tried on - seriously. She should be a wedding gown model :)

The dress was so poofy we could literally hide all of Damaris in the layers :)

And of course you have to spin in a big dress like this :)

Damaris and I trying on different dresses...

Damaris tried twirling in her dress too :)

Damaris took this one of Angie and me

And this one of my parents...which is why it isn't centered, but it is a cute picture :)

We had a great time, and look forward to the wedding this fall!!!

Family Camp

2011-07-23T16:06:00.000-04:00

This past week was our North District's Family Camp. It was my first time going, and the only camps I had ever been to were West Michigan and Indiana North - both which had a similar feel. Whispering Pines in Manton is the North District's camp, and although it is very different than the other camps, I really liked the laid back, relaxed feel to the camp, and the many activities throughout the week. It was a great time to spend with the family, and we love camping, so it was great!! Stephen and I are both huge into church camp, so it is important to us as well. The speaker was Dave Holdron, and he was AWESOME. The kids had their own services, which was really nice, and their teacher was great too! I would encourage anyone in the North District of The Wesleyan Church to GO!!!!!

Here are some pictures:

Softball: Pastors vs the rest of the camp...

Stephen's turn up to bat...he was hitting really good!

Almost home!

The camp doesn't have a pool, but they brought in three different sized portable pools, and you could swim anytime of day. They even had a lifeguard for the older kids in the afternoon, so they could swim without a parent that way.

Trying to be brave...

Finally made it in :)

Titus in the baby pool :)

They also had this cool blow up thing during the lifeguard time, which the kids loved - but ours refused to go down :) :)

The playground was just across the way, so we would let the kids go alone if they held hands all the way and watched for cars. Of course we watched them out the window and I couldn't resist snapping a few adorable pictures of them holding hands :) :) :)

On Thursday afternoon the camp did a carnival for all the kids - with games, prizes, cotton candy, snow cones, etc. Everyone had such a great time, and I thought it was a really fun idea!! And it was all FREE!!!

This girl wanted her face painted like this - and I thought it was pretty fun and creative...plus she wanted to see a picture of herself, so I was happy to oblige :)

The one guy was awesome at painting!! I thought this was really cool!!

Damaris just wanted a butterfly...and of course wanted it purple :)

Titus liked playing the games...

He won these teeth :) :)

Stephen got his face painted too!! A Detroit Lions fan of course :)

Damaris trying out a few games...

Some of the other activities were volleyball and basketball tournaments, a canoe trip, movie night, all-camp bonfire, and more. You could be a part of everything, or stay at your camper and just relax. I just really liked having the variety to choose from.

We spent a LOT of time at the playground...

I love this picture even though it is blurry...

Having fun swinging with Mommy too! :)

Lara's Wedding

2011-07-21T06:03:00.000-04:00

Mike & Lara

On July 9th, Stephen's cousin got married - it was a very beautiful wedding, and of course a beautiful bride!! :)

Here are some pictures:

Stephen's cousins Mary and Melissa sang a song before everything started - they sounded awesome!!!

Stephen's cousin Katie

Stephen's sister Bethany

Stephen's sister Valerie

Stephen's cousin Lynnette (Lara's sister)

Stephen's cousin Leah (Lara's sister)

Lara and Stephen's Uncle Vic

They did unity sand instead of unity candles. We have definitely seen that become pretty popular. Stephen conducted this part of the ceremony.

The cute couple :)

Katie and Valerie

Valerie and Bethany

Stephen and I

Me, Stephen, Valerie, our friend Caleb, Bethany

Damaris fell asleep on the way to the reception... :)

I thought this was a cool groom's cake...

And I just loved Lara's colors...everything looked so classy!!!

The table settings were simple, yet very elegant. I loved the fuchsia with the black and white.

Titus and his Grandma Mowat!

Stephen's cousin Kayla with Damaris :)

Titus being silly

Stephen and Caleb :)

Me and Stephen's Grandma Mowat

Katie and her husband Bill

I thought this was a cool ice sculpture...

Damaris thought it was cool too...

Ha!!

Welcome to the family Mike!!! We love you Mike and Lara and wish you the best!!!!

Respect

2011-07-09T14:09:00.003-04:00

God doesn’t command a wife to feel respectful toward her husband. She is to be respectful. Her responsibility is to obey God; not her feelings.
Cyndie Hamley
10 Steps Towards Respecting Your Husband

Ephesians 5:22-33
[emphasis below is mine]
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Can I be honest here???

Several months ago I was really convicted about submitting - still not great at it, but trying to get better. And now I have been convicted of something else I need to work on...I have been a pretty lousy wife when it comes to respect. Some days/weeks are better than others, but as a whole, I really have been very disrespectful to Stephen. Some of my good qualities can become rather horrid, ugly, marriage-shattering bad habits. I am independent, organized, and keep things in line and under control at work. I like my home organized and in order and in control too...which is fine, but when that starts spilling over to people in my life - specifically Stephen...NOT good.

I decided to look at some definitions...and here is what I found:

Control
–verb (used with object)

to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate; command.
to hold in check; curb: to control a horse; to control one's emotions.

–noun

the act or power of controlling; regulation; domination or command
the situation of being under the regulation, domination, or command of another
check or restraint

Submit
–verb

to yield oneself to the power or authority of another
to allow oneself to be subjected to some kind of treatment
to defer to another's judgment, opinion, decision, etc.

I really didn't like these two words when I read the definitions. I hate being a controlling wife/person, and like I said, I am working on submission.

Since respect is what I have been recently convicted of, I looked up that definition too:

Respect
–noun

esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability
deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment
the condition of being esteemed or honored
favor or partiality

For me, I think my issue with respect comes down to trust. I need to trust Stephen to lead our home - I WANT him to lead our home. At least, I say I do, but what about actually DOING it? Do I SHOW him that I trust him?

Trust
–noun

reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
confident expectation of something; hope.
a person on whom or thing on which one relies.
the condition of one to whom something has been entrusted.
the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed.

I really like the second definition...hope. Confident expectation.

How do I reassure Stephen (and myself!!) that failure is OK, and that leading doesn't mean doing everything perfectly? What a huge weight off my shoulders if I would just learn to back off and stop trying to control everything and TRUST! And both of us would be happier because of it - this seems win/win to me!

I know this seems circular, but I think a lot of these questions can be answered in one word: RESPECT. By showing respect to Stephen at a whole new level will bring about so much in our marriage - trust, love, hope, unity, peace...

I read this by Nancy Anderson:
We women are very good at pointing out our husbands’ faults and failures and punishing them for not meeting our needs, but that only leads to discontent and distance in our marriages. We all know that yelling, nagging, and belittling are disrespectful and ineffective. So I’m suggesting a radical concept: Treat him like a king, and eventually, he will begin to treat you like a queen.

She came up with an acronym on how to respect him and treat him like a VIP.

V - Verbally.

Cut out (ok… cut back) complaining and add in compliments.
If you want to have a peaceful, happy marriage, learn the art of the compliment. Compliments are like magnets and the more you compliment your husband the more he will be attracted to you. Begin to notice when he does it right and verbally encourage him by complimenting him at least once a day.
If you are having a hard time thinking of anything to admire, consider these categories: physical traits, mental skills, financial strengths, spiritual growth, or healthy relationships with others (children, parents, or friends).
You may be asking “Hey, why should I compliment him when he NEVER compliments me?” It’s because, if you want your marriage to grow and bloom, you’ll have to water it with kindness and encouragement. Then, as he sees your sincere efforts, he will begin to change too. Don’t give up.
If you do need to bring up a difficult issue, place it between two compliments, also known as a “Compliment Sandwich.” Here’s an example, “Honey, I know how hard you work for our money and that Sally’s braces will be expensive, but I need your decision before her appointment tomorrow. I hope we can do this for her, but if you want to wait, I trust your judgment. What should I tell the orthodontist?”

I - Intellectually.

Men like to solve problems and fix things. So appeal to his intelligence by asking him to help you solve a problem. Instead of saying “This garage is a mess, clean up your camping stuff!” Try, “I’d like your help with something. Could you figure out a storage system for all the camping supplies?”
Don’t imply that he isn’t smart. Instead of saying “I think you are wrong about…” Say, “I’m confused about… please explain it again” (Remember to keep your tone of voice sarcasm-free.)
Request his help on Spiritual matters too. Ask him to explain a passage of Scripture or ask him to pray for you when you are going through a difficult time. If your husband is not the spiritual leader in your home, continue to pray for him and ask him if there is anything you are doing that is hindering his relationship with God.
Men don’t give a lot of weight to feelings—show them facts and they’ll be more likely to listen. For example: if he wants to buy a car that you think is too expensive, don’t launch into a hissy-fit, write out your monthly expenses and ask him what other things should be cut out in order to buy his car. Let the facts speak for you.
When you cannot reach an agreement, instead of trying to wear him down by nagging or crying say, “Is that your final decision or can I still try to convince you?” If it’s his final decision, then honor it. It’s freeing—let him carry the responsibility of your family.

P - Physically.

Physically ask what he would like you to do and then, do it. Find out what his top three needs are. Ron likes the laundry done, sex a least twice a week (guaranteed!) and he likes me to keep my “girly-make-up stuff” off of the bathroom counter. If these top needs are met, he’s content and easy to get along with. I know it sounds simple, but each of us have different things that make us feel loved and appreciated. You won’t know what he wants unless you ask him.

Nancy and her husband travel and talk to groups for marriage conference and such, and their website is actually where I read this article Nancy wrote. Their website also has 100 ways to love each other...the list for loving your husband is here.

I also read a little article by Laura Doyle, who wrote a book called "The Surrendered Wife". Some people shudder at a title like that, and she states this isn't some anti-feminine, doormat mentality book. She said the main points of her book are about recognizing these things:

When you control your husband, you demean him, which causes him to doubt himself.
When you nag and criticize your husband, you squash intimacy in your marriage.
If you want emotional connection with your man, you must give up trying to run his life.
Your husband wants to make you happy, but he can't if you tell him what to do and how to do it.

I think in the end, a lot comes down to meeting the basic desires of our heart. Women very much want love and men very much want respect (hmmm, so God knew something when He wrote the Bible...). So the way I can feel loved the most is when I am respecting and submitting to my husband.

Love
–noun

a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
affectionate concern for the well-being of others.

–verb (used with object)

to have love or affection for.
to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person).
to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in.

—Idioms

for love, a) out of affection or liking; for pleasure and b) without compensation; gratuitously
in love, infused with or feeling deep affection or passion
in love with, feeling deep affection or passion for (a person, idea, occupation, etc.); enamored

I feel guilty that it seems I am always the one with issues in our marriage. And there is probably very good reason for my guilt!! Stephen doesn't bad-mouth me. He doesn't make me feel like a bad wife, or disrespect me...he loves me and tells me that frequently. He is constantly encouraging me and has so many great qualities that I too quickly overlook in the midst of my petty frustrations. And good grief, if he can love me when I am terrible to him, when I am controlling and disrespectful, when I nag and complain...well, it's about time I step up and do something about my crappy attitude...because neither one of us is perfect, and I want to love him in spite of everything ugly in our lives.

A lot of marriages don't make it, some people have affairs (and maybe their affair is with work and not another person!), and others stay together but it seems like they struggle, argue and it just doesn't work. And I could be very wrong, but I think a lot of these issues come down to men not loving their wives, and women not submitting and disrespecting their husbands. I don't want to become one of those statistics. I want to have a happy, vibrant, healthy marriage! Stephen is my best friend and is with me every step of the way - so why not make these fleeting years together as awesome as possible?!?

Here are some things I want to do differently...and, you know, since Stephen reads this blog, and all of YOU are reading it...there is quite a bit of accountability here... :)

I want to learn to control my tongue instead of Stephen.
I need to practice how I talk - a simple adjustment to the tone of my voice or how I word things can go a long way.
I want to work on trusting his judgement and knowing it is OK if he fails.
I always said I would never bad-mouth Stephen to other people/in public...but lately I feel like I have been more negative toward Stephen. I need to be careful what I say in front of other people, especially our kids.
I need to turn any negative thoughts into positive things and list what I am THANKFUL for instead of what I am frustrated with.
I want to truly step back and let him LEAD - which means I definitely need to keep my mouth shut in the midst of failure, and instead show love and encouragement.

And, bottom line...whether or not my husband deserves it at the moment, it doesn't matter. The quote I had at the beginning takes it right to the point: my responsibility as a wife is to obey GOD, not my feelings. And God tells us as women to respect and submit to our husbands, and if I choose to turn away from that command and disobey God, well, according to SEVERAL verses in the Bible - that is sin. And I am saturated in it and ashamed of my behavior.

I am sure Jesus didn't feel like dying on the cross...but I am overwhelming thankful He chose to do it. Thankful that my sins are forgiven, and that He will give me the strength to make these changes in my life.

4th of July

2011-07-06T19:28:00.001-04:00

In addition to camping last weekend (see post below), we had a pretty full day on the 3rd as well as the 4th. The 4th of July is a huge outreach event for our church, and our small group is kind of in charge of the float part of the parade. Our church is also known for handing out water bottles - and everyone loves when our float comes through. We had over 3000 water bottles and still ran out! I think we could have 5000 next year. Pretty big parade for a small little town like Crystal!

Here are some pictures, mainly on Sunday when we were all together putting labels on the water and building the float.

Trying to stay cool in the shade...

Something fun to keep the kids occupied...

In addition to our float, we were decorating these "boats" that one of the guys made to pull the kids in for the parade...which was a brilliant idea because the kids LOVED riding all the way around the lake, and they never got bored, and we didn't have to worry about them while the parade was going.

Painting our sign...the guys did such an awesome job!!!

It looked awesome!! And, it was open in the middle (the picture above this one is a little easier to see that) so we had a place to put all our trash from the water bottles - it was perfect!

Damaris was pretty wore out...she crashed on the couch just in the short time I was unloading the car!

This year the parade was at 10 AM - which was SO MUCH better than 1 PM last year. It still was hot though...and the parade goes all the way around the lake - over 5 miles...so it is a long time to be running water to everyone. It lasted about an hour and a half for us to go all the way around in the parade. It was fun. Here are a couple pictures while we waited in line for the parade to start...

The water was stacked three levels high all the way around the signs and on top part of Stephen's trailer. It was a lot of water!!