Thursday, September 29, 2011

365:265 & 266



These 2 shots are SOOC...The only thing I did was crop them... I was excited that the picture was still pretty clear after cropping them so much... 

A couple of weeks back my son told me how he saved "it's" life from drowning in the pool, and made it his pal for about an hour...In the backyard, of course!! I watched him let this "thing" crawl up his arm and around his neck...Even typing these words get the hairs on the back of my neck standing...Yuck! 

I do have to admit though, this locust/grasshopper is amazing looking...It almost looks like it has personality when you look at it's eyes...I often wonder why GOD made creepy crawly things....Hmmm, maybe for my son to play with it that day....To distract him from something else that might not have been so good...
HE does those things doesn't HE, distracts us, with other things for a purpose we may never know...I'm good with that ;)

The Lord will keep you from all harm He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."    Psalm 121:7-8

365:248-264 (I'm so behind)

The only Disney pictures, before & after "the situation"...I love how you just can't tell ;) (read below)

I love the looks on their faces on the "Montezooma's Revenge"...
This ride goes 55 MPH in 3 seconds...I went on it...


Ok, this was a littleee strange...We stopped at Baker, CA because my son Matt saw an "Alien Beef Jerky" store and wanted to check it out...They sold everything in Alien style...It was hilarious...My favorite is my son Matt laying down in front of the car as if they ran him over...He is so his dad...LOL

AND BELOW IS OUR STORY:

Yay! we went to Disney, we went to Disney…..NOT!!

My wonderful real estate lady (Mel) has been a blessing to us in so many ways during our move, and still continues to make our lives peaceful during a stressful time…We love her…She blessed us again in a way we could ever dream off…She sends me a text message asking my husband’s days off, I tell her, and she responds saying she has 4 tickets to Disney for us and would we like to go…EXCUSE ME???? Wait, let me read that again…..EXCUSE ME????
We tell the kids in a nonchalant way, and jump up and down excited for what is to come…We are really low on cash, so we had to priceline a hotel for the night, we did and got a great deal…We wake up 3:30am, pack our bags, pack drinks, pack a cooler of food and all the other things needed for an overnight trip…You would think we were going away for a week…Tired, a bit cranky, but excited to go we head out by 5AM…We are be-boppin along I-15 talking about how the “California Scream” will be the first ride we hit! We were told by  Mel there are 5 tickets and we can do what we want with the extra one…We were so excited to be able to bless someone and couldn’t wait to see who it would be…We get to Disney as soon as it opens…We prayed in the parking lot and asked the LORD to guide us to the person that would be blessed by this free ticket…We look around the ticket counter to see who is buying tickets, and the first person I see is a man in a wheelchair with his daughter and wife….Bam! That’s them…I walk up, explain why I am there, hand the man the ticket (he’s skeptical), daughter has no clue, wife is smiling and I end my conversation with, “We just wanted to bless someone with a free ticket in the name of JESUS, and, JESUS loves you…I leave (skeptical man still looking at the ticket)…

I smile as my family watched me coming toward them, feeling so excited that we were able to bless someone….We walk as a family hand in hand to the ticket counter, Disney lady swipes the ticket  and……It’s EXPIRED!!!!!  “Oh”, she says, “there’s probably a mistake let me call guest services”.  I’m thinking, “uh, yeah lady you do that.” Guest services Disney lady arrives, checks things out and apologizes “sorry their expired”.  I didn’t even look at my kids at this point I walk ahead in shock…I cry and look down at my boys to tell them how sorry I am...I thought of the LORD (which is usually not the first thing I think of), I knew HE was doing something and I needed to pull it together….In the meantime, my husband the AWESOME man that he is, was already saying “it’s ok, we are going to have an awesome time no matter what we do”.  He really plays the part well “Be joyful in all things”….
 I finally look again at my kids…They smile with a bit of glassy eyes and say, “Mom, it’s ok”….I scoop them up and cry again because of their beautiful hearts…Then we all realize we gave a “free” ticket to those people!!! Great, now what will they think of Christians…My husband said, “Maybe the LORD allowed their ticket to work”. I pray so…Then my husband suggested we could just go to Knott’s Berry Farm... I’m thinking, uh, good idea where is the money coming from?  By this time we are walking back to the van…Mel texted me, I tell her what happened…2 seconds later my phone is ringing…For the next 15 minutes she apologized a million times, and told us to go back to Disney and she will get us in…I know her tricks, she would have paid out of her own pocket…We weren’t having it…She tried though… We told her how blessed we were that she even thought of us and that we are just blessed to be able to get away as a family…She wasn’t having it...She said she would call right back…We went to the Lego store looked around and then headed to Knott’s Berry Farm…
Mel called back and had tickets waiting there for us…Soooo SWEET!!! We went to pick up the tickets and I knew she paid for them…She tried to say she wasn’t doing that, and that the “company” will reimburse her…Hmmm, I think I’ll follow up on that Mel ;)
Anyway, a long story even longer…We are in awe of how the LORD works things out…We had the most amazing time as a family…There were no lines on any of the rides…We were able to stay on rides without getting off…I overcame my fear of crazy roller coasters & free fall rides…I definitely hate the tea cups, swings and the octopus ride…The LORD knows what is always best for us and where we need to be and cares about ALL the details in our lives…

Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus….1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
 


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

365:248-250




So what if I decided to have 2 first days of school...I tried you know!!! We really did do school that first day I posted back on August 9th...I think we did a week of school...Not full school, but review...Then, we moved into the new home....School stopped for a bit...I told everyone I started, but after a week of no school, I thought it would be a good idea just to say we didn't start school yet so that I wouldn't be made out at liar...Ha!

Anyway, for real we started today...Tons and tons of distractions, but still good attitudes from everyone...I love being back in the swing of things...I love these pictures, just for the mere fact of what they choose to do on their breaks...I love it and I love my sweet boys...They truly are best friends...They would say, "Mom, we're brothers"...They don't get what I mean, but they will...

I see their hearts growing for the LORD and it makes me smile...I love to watch them get excited about the Word of GOD! They truly apply it to their lives...If you read in my last post or I think the one before that, you will know what I'm talking about...Today, I had to get a few things from Walmart & Mikey had some birthday money left over...Matthew is trying to explain to Mikey why he needs to get this certain Lego...
Hmm, really?
Well of course I step in...I tell Mikey he can pick out whatever he wants and I'm sorry Matt, but it is his birthday money and he shouldn't feel pressured....Matt agreed...After Mikey picks out his Lego he asks how much money he will have left...I tell him...He says, "Matt, you can pick out whatever you want with the rest of my money"...Matt was overjoyed, so happy and thankful...I on the other hand, wanted to run up and down the isles and tell everyone what a sweet heart my boy has...It just blesses me so much to see my boys wanting to bless others...


Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others....Philippians 2:2-4






Saturday, September 17, 2011

365:238-247


Even though school has not officially started for us yet, I still need to make sure my kids don't miss their homeschooling activities...I mean really, what kind of parent would I be not bringing them to messy game day!! Forgetting about my house to deal with was pretty easy for me...Look at those sweet faces having such a blast...Lately, it's been difficult to spend quality time with our boys and they don't like it...Neither do we...Our times together are so precious and it effects my boys when they don't get it...

My oldest boy watched us pack, move, unpack, hook up, set up, and all the other things that come along with moving...After seeing me break down the other day, he gently, with glassy eyes says, "Mom, you need a day of rest".  "Oh Matthew, your so sweet seeing mom work hard on getting things done around here.  Don't worry honey I will, but not right now, there are a million things to do".  "No mom! (still with glassy eyes) GOD said so and that means you have to".  I can't imagine how hard it was for him to say that to me knowing he is telling and adult-HIS MOM what to do...So that's exactly what we all did that day! I stopped right there in my tracks, went upstairs to his room and played Battleship...We laughed and laughed because I beat his butt...

I'm thankful to the LORD for the words my son spoke to me...I'm also thankful that he is learning how to apply the Word of GOD to his life....And mine! 

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work...Genesis 2:2

Monday, September 12, 2011

Oh, that YOU would bless me!

So here I am in the new house...FINALLY-Praise JESUS!! Now all I have are boxes and stuff and stuff and more stuff to unpack and find a new home for...BUT, I'm not complaining... I'm praising my LORD on every box I open...I'm so thankful for all that HE has blessed us with...So many blessings it still amazes me...I have many pictures to post and catch up on, so don't give up on me...We just got the internet hooked up this minute, so I thought I would throw a shout out to everyone and let them know that "The New Yorker that Loves JESUS" is still loving JESUS, and we're alive and well :)
Look for my updates and pictures in the next few days...Also, please, please pray for us that we get our new home put together quickly...We are not able to take any babies until the new house is approved for safety...
Until it is approved we have to wait...I know the LORD has us in the palm of HIS hands (Isaiah 49:16) and it's been hard to wait, but I know HIS timing is perfect and HE is in control of ALL things for HIS purposes and glory...Thanks be to the LORD that HE lets me be a part of HIS plans...




Tuesday, September 6, 2011

365:237

I have to say, I really like this shot...I almost feel like a pro..Ha! I wish I could say I had my tripod out, a really fancy lens, camera set to the "manual" setting, and that I set the camera to the settings I needed as if I knew how to set up settings...BUT,  this is SOOC...Oh, what does that mean you ask?  Straight Out Of the Camera... I did have the setting on shutter speed, got up as close as I could before freaking out that it would eat me, and snapped the picture....A little bit of photo enhancing and VOILA!!
You like? I like...

Friday, September 2, 2011

365:233-236

I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO 
MY SWEET BOYS BIRTHDAY COLLAGE I MADE





Finally pictures from my boys birthday!! He's so cute, I still want to nibble on him...Yes, he turned 8 on Monday....You can definitely relate to the term, "they grow up so fast" only if you actually have kids...It's almost like when people talk about the love of a child or labor pains...Your don't know until you experience it..It was a fun party, but I didn't do well with my camera, well that's because I forgot mine...Praise JESUS my friend lent me hers...Thank you JESUS for my sweet boy Mikey...Help me to be the best Mom I could be for him and for your glory!!

I pray all the time that my boys would worship, praise and honor the LORD all the days of their lives...I ask the LORD to use them for HIS perfect glory, and that they may walk with HIM boldly...It's hard to pray that sometimes ("for HIS perfect glory")...It took me a long time to understand, they are not mine, they are HIS! HE can take them home anytime HE wants for HIS purpose and glory and it would be perfect timing...
Because HE is Perfect...Although, I feel like throwing up when I think about it, it's true...

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; Jeremiah 1:5