Wednesday, December 29, 2010

How time flies

My oldest baby girl is really 7? Every year I ask her to stop growing. She just gives me that sweet Laney smile and says, "Awe Mom!"

Friday, December 24, 2010

The Christmas Jesus was at the wheel


It's Christmas Eve and I just tucked my sweet babes into bed. We read the story of baby Jesus from the bible and I sang Away in a Manger. Never in my life has the power of Jesus name been so sweet to me. I've been a Christian most of my life, was raised in church, a "Jesus is the reason for the season" type of person. Looking back, I realize I never really understood how much Jesus loves me, us, humankind.

We moved to New Mexico two years ago with four very small girls. Far from the comforts of family to lean on in a strange barren land. At first it was very hard living here, trying to adjust and very uncomfortable. Let me pause to tell you that if you find yourself in uncomfortable place in life, God is probably about to take you on a journey. A journey that is painful at first, but if you stop and let him show you things that you need to change, beautiful things can happen. I'm amazed at the things God has shown me about myself in the past two years. Issues I've held onto for most of my life. Issues I still wanted to hold onto, control and fix myself. Some are stupid issues, some are bigger and more important. I have issues with church people and what the body of Christ is, and personal attitude issues to name a few. Anyways. I knew he brought us to Albuquerque for a reason. The biggest reason was to grab hold of my attention and work on my heart.

On December 7th, just a few weeks ago, I was in a rollover car accident. I had my two youngest girls in the car with me, Savanna 4 and Addison 3. We were on our way to pick up my oldest two daughters, as they were about to get out of school. Driving down a busy and traffic filled road, a car came into my lane causing me to veer out the way. Even after adjusting my car, the other car still didn't see me and I over corrected trying to get out of their way. It's happens so fast. A glimpse. I knew I no longer had control over the car and we were starting to flip. I called on the name of Jesus. I prayed, "Jesus, please protect my babies!" That is the last thing I remember until I was being rescued from the car and even those memories go in and out. I kept asking about my girls. "Are my kids ok?" The voices kept telling me that they were being looked after. I knew I was injured and they just say that so they can keep you calm. Going in and out of consciousness, I was airlifted to the hospital. I arrive at the ER. I can answer questions. My clothes are being cut off.....I keep asking for my girls. Then my husband is there. "Babe, have you seen the girls? Are they ok?" He says, "They're fine, there's nothing wrong with them!" "They are absolutely perfect!" I know my husband would tell me the truth, but it seems impossible that they would be ok. "There's NOTHING wrong with them?", I ask.

A witness told my husband that our car flipped at least five times. Five times and my babies have no bruises, no broken bones, nothing. (Savanna bit her tongue and Addy had a little scratch by her mouth, probably from her teeth.) They were released from the ER that night. I had just been at a MOPS Christmas tea earlier in the day and the back of my suburban was full of glass teacups, plates and serving platters. My husband tells me they were shattered inside and out of the car. Pieces of tea cups all over the road. We roll five times and pieces of glass are flying everywhere and my babies are perfect. Every time I think about it, I cry and a feeling that I can't describe comes over me. Every part of me knows that Jesus was sitting in that car with us. Jesus, I will never again underestimate the power of your name and the power of the love you have for your children. My babies are perfect.

I have a C2 fracture, which just means my second vertebrae down from my head is fractured. I have to wear a halo for 6-12 weeks and full recovery won't be for another 6-9 months. I was released from the hospital four days after the accident. Every nurse and doctor that cared for me told me how lucky I was to not have sustained more serious injuries. They tell me that most people that have a car accident as serious as mine, don't have the use of their legs. They tell me that some don't make it out alive. They tell me that I was lucky. It wasn't luck. It was a miracle. Jesus was sitting in that car with us.

His love and his power isn't just for me and my family. He's there for you. Waiting for you to notice him. Let go of the control you are trying so hard to hold onto. Jesus, the most beautiful name I know.

This Christmas I crashed our only car. This Christmas, I'm not able to pick up my kids. This Christmas, I have a dirty head with big scabs. This Christmas, I'm missing a fingernail that was ripped off during the accident. This Christmas, I lost my diamond wedding ring in an accident. Yet this is my favorite Christmas ever. This is the Christmas that Jesus sat in the car with us and my babies came out unharmed. This Christmas is all about sweet baby Jesus. Born on a midnight clear. O Holy Night. Nothing in the whole world can compare. My family is home, safe, warm, together, alive. We are thankful and blessed beyond measure.

Merry Christmas


Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Laney's First Day of 1st Grade

We just sent Laney off for her first day of school! Laney is excited for her first day of First Grade. Olivia doesn't start until Monday.

Laney

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

A 3 year old is just a 2 year old but smarter.

My baby turned three this week. I am mourning the loss of not having a two year old. Seriously. My baby will never be two again. She didn't want to hold my hand on her birthday. She changed her clothes three times on her birthday. My baby is big girl.

Pink gel food coloring is a staple at our house of four girls. (Staple, get it?) The birthday girl gets to request what she wants for her birthday breakfast. It's usually pink pancakes.




All in all, I think she had a really good day. She rode the carousel at the mall. Opened presents. She even took a birthday nap.

Instead of cupcakes I made these ice cream cone cake pops. Courtesy of Bakerella. If you've never heard of Bakerella, you must go to her blog and learn how to make all sorts of fun treats. Click here for her tutorial on these. Hers are WAY better than mine. Don't judge.

They look cute and actually tasted good too!


The chocolate ones with chocolate coating were REALLY good.

Now both of my youngest are both three for a few weeks. Until Vannies turns 4.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Who drank all my coffee creamer?

Mama has good ears. I'm sure every Mom is on the listen for certain sounds throughout the day. When you have a newborn, you learn that different sounds that they make mean different things. As they age you learn that they have a fake cry, and a hurt feeling cry, and the real hurt cry. You also learn that some noises mean TROUBLE. Like silence, and the sound of the fridge door hitting the wall.

Mama (coffee addict)- "Who drank all my coffee creamer?"
2 yo and 3 yo (new creamer addicts)- "Not us!"
Mama- "But I can see it dripping off your face!"


Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Monsoon

It's monsoon season here in the southwest. I love monsoon season. The clouds roll in in the afternoon and we've seen some pretty amazing storms.

There was a night were the storm was all around us. It was raining or lighting above us, the perfect time to try and catch some lightning on "film".

I took hundreds of photos just to get these handful of lighting shots. Like hundreds and hundreds of black pictures I went through and deleted.

It was worth it though, to see the power of a storm.

Last night a monsoon rolled in and Savanna said, "You don't need to be scared of lighting 'cause Jesus makes lighting."

(These photos are unedited. These were the true colors that the storm and lighting produced.)

Friday, July 23, 2010

Book Club

Summer book club is going great! I forgot to take pictures at "The Help" book club.
This months' book was "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

I really, really loved this book. It's been a long time since I've read an all around good book like this one. It has clean romance, humor, and touching war stories.


Thank you to my friends who read this months' book! I am having sooo much fun.
(That's my friend Gina. She is pregnant with baby number 5. I think she is the cutest pregnant lady ever.)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Fishin' with Papa

We recently stayed in Flagstaff, AZ with my parents for a few days. My Dad took the girls and I to a fishing hole. (Hole+water+stocked fish=fun!)

Located in Oak Creek Canyon. If you are ever in Arizona you must drive from Flagstaff to Sedona via Oak Creek Canyon. Oak Creek Canyon= one of my most favorite places in the world.

The girls loved fishing!


Look at Savanna's face! She's all, "There's a fish in there!"



They caught 3 fish in like 5.2 minutes. Now that's my kind of fishin'.
(Olivia may or may not have gotten a hook stuck in her finger.)

Fishing is really hard work.

Really, really hard work.



After you catch your fish, you take them to this really nice lady who cleans them and gets them ready for you to cook. The girls watched. Then the nice lady put the fishy's still beating heart on the window for everyone to see. Like the heart is beating outside of it's body!!! Then the nice lady eats the fishy heart.


Wednesday, July 14, 2010

California and cute little two year olds

We recently visited our family in Northern California. It was fun to watch all the cousins play. They pretty much lived on the trampoline.


Addy and Logan are both two. Both the "babies" of the family. Both have pacifiers. Both have blankies. They love each other. The were sooo sweet to one another. I don't think I saw them fight over toys once. If one would find the others blankie they would search high and low until the owner was found. I mean, really, how cute can they be?