#589. witnessing God's handi-work in 2 amazingly perfect babies tonight...don't know when I was last left speechless and so in awe of someone/something so tiny and beautiful. He is good!
#590. catching up with the hubby. Late nights of armor building = seeing him every night this week! That hasn't happened in probably 2 years!
#591. r2d2 shoes for the girl...she is going to be SO excited and surprised come the 31st!
#592. the persistence of Paul...so many opportunities taken and boldness availed
#593. above mentioned twins = real life, tangible proof of prayers answered...love that I get to share that with my girl as she has been praying for these babies for months and months.

#586. playtime at Forest Home with friends
#587. 2 sweet babies are here and well!
#588. sleeping in with my girl

#577. good time in the Word
#578. a healthy kid today
#579. generous hearts and donors @ work
#580. all day with my girl
#581. a good Fuse table
#582. a church we call home, in our community
#583. naptime for a very tired Mom
#584. creating a new baby-gift project
#585. Halloween is only 4 days away...then we can get back to normal/efficient life

#569. 3 days in a row with my 2 favorites!
#570. hockey, hockey, and more hockey
#571. date night with the hubby
#572. deal-a-day sites...fun adventures ahead, already payed for
#573. 4 weeks in the Word...
#574. opportunities for community
#575. grandma and grandpa live so close...such a blessing
#576. Yuma is in sight...less than 2 weeks

#559. sicky little girl = lots of snuggles with Mom
#560. costume creating...lots of it
#561. getting to know new co-workers
#562. a whole day of relaxing/resting
#563. making up stories about the little one, over and over again
#564. holding a tiny one at work
#565. a good table at Fuse
#566. seeing hubby 3 out of 4 of the last few nights
#567. finishing a journal...3 years later...can't wait to pick out a new one
#568. parents who love my girl so well

#555. 3 weeks in the Word
#556. snuggles with my girl
#557. talks of His provision with the hubby
#558. we are active and growing...both of us

#544. fields of pumpkins
#545. 2 cute girls walking hand-in-hand, enjoying the adventure
#546. slow night at work = time to connect
#547. desire for total surrender
#548. vision/prayer for future of family
#549. staying connecting between visits
#550. her request for "piggy tails"...love how they spiral perfectly
#551. her blossoming sense of humor
#552. bargain deals for a friend
#553. her shouts of "Come on guys"...such a great little hockey fan
#554. armor building with the hubby and the study of Troopers

Good AND Faithful?

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matt. 6:21

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." -Malachi 3:10

At church today, our pastor shared about TOTAL surrender when it comes to our treasure. As a part of the vision for the next 2 years, each person has been asked to fill out a card, checking EVERY box and committing to be totally surrendered for the next 2 years. I listed out the vision a few posts back, and each one of those items was on the card to be filled out. I have held on to this card for the past week and have been totally okay with checking almost every box.

I've never been one to commit to a big list of things or to go along with a big church plan, but this time around I really sense that God is going to move if I'd just commit. I really do desire the things listed on that card, I desire a life that is passionate and I desire a relationship with my King that is real and authentic. And so...I checked every box, trusting that God will show me how to fulfill those boxes that I am hesitant about or unsure of.

-I commit to being in the Word 7 days a week for the next 2 years.
-I commit to serving, even though 100 weeks is very daunting and I have no clue where to serve and how to fulfill that box.
-I commit to going out of my comfort zone, yet I don't know what that will look like. A part of me would love this part to mean traveling overseas, doing missions of some sort, but I don't really know what that looks like now that I am a Mom.
-I commit to fasting with the church when the time comes.
-I commit to tithing 10% and also giving an offering over the next 24 months.
-I commit to passionately praying for the lost, especially my in-laws. God has put it on my heart to pray with conviction and faith for their salvation. I am specifically praying that by the end of these 2 years that they will at some point fill the 2 empty seats next to me in church. Today in church, a couple in their 30s or 40s baptized both of their parents, in front of the whole church. I couldn't help but cry as I witnessed that and prayed that someday, we too would get to experience that first hand.

I want to be totally surrendered. I want to learn to hear the voice of God and to truly enjoy and learn from His Word. I want to set an example for my daughter, of what it means to love Jesus and serve Him. I want to learn what it really looks like to serve my husband and care for him as Christ cares for me. I want to be a different person at the end of these 2 years. I want these next 2 years to be the start of a lifetime of authentic and real faith, of growing relationships, of depth and understanding. I want my life to reflect my King...in the ways I love, serve, give, and communicate. I want to see God's blessings abound in my life and share them with those around me.

At the end of this life, I want to hear my Maker say, "well done good and FAITHFUL servant".

#534. late night Disney adventure with my 2 favorites
#535. walking right on all her favorites
#536. her little wave to all her favorite friends in the parade
#537. time to let hubby enjoy a few rides just for him
#538. solo backfloat for 4 seconds!
#539. sweet little star at work
#540. Grandma and Grandpa who care for my girl and love her so well
#541. catching up with friends
#542. playtime and grown-up time all at once
#543. happy she's healthy

#528. fun new ideas for costumes
#529. connecting with kids at work
#530. unexpected chat with hubby after work
#531. not being woken up at 4am to find a lost friend in her bed
#532. catching up with an old friend
#533. meaningful work

#524. successful week2 @ Mom's group
#525. safety in our travels
#526. conversations with co-workers
#527. encouraging words

#512. conversations with my Maker and prayers of hope that someday the 2 empty seats next to me at church will be filled with 2 more family members
#513. conversations with the hubby
#514. a quiet house with time to read and catch up
#515. another wonderful evening at Disneyland
#516. sweet hubby picked a special rose for my girl, she thought it was so great...as did I
#517. his thoughtfulness in indulging my love of sweets
#518. hearing from the backseat, "Look Mommy, a cross. It's beautiful." Yes sweet girl, it is truly beautiful.
#519. time to work on updates and loading pictures for books
#520. the promise of a special family night 1/2 way through the week
#521. carrying my sleeping girl in from the car, her arms wrapped around my neck
#522. 2 weeks down, 7 days a week in the Word
#523. peace about round 2 of strangers in the morning

Swimming Lessons

Hope has been taking swimming lessons once a week for 3 months now and she's getting pretty good! We had a few weeks of tears and her telling me, "Mommy, I not go under the water", but she is making progress! On Friday Jaye got to come with us to swimming lessons so we got a few pictures of her in action. Friday was truly her best lesson yet as she actually swam a little tiny ways by herself and she floated on her back for a second or two, by herself! She was a happy little fish and she's really getting the hang of it! It is so fun to see her progress and to see her self-confidence build as she gets used to the water. Can't wait to see where we are a few weeks and months from now!! I'm so proud of my little fish!

She used to cry every week when it came time to swim to the "castle" as it meant she'd have to go underwater. This is a pic of about the point where she did it by herself a bit!

In the picture below Hope has to stand up on a giant kick-board-like duck and then walk to the edge and jump to Mom. This was the first week she didn't sit down at some point or hesitate to jump or just cry. Progress!

She's getting great at floating. I put 1 hand under her head and she does the rest. She's getting the hang of it and will be on her own in no time!

Each week on our way out we walk past a wall of pictures of kids who have graduated from one class to another. Hope knows that when she can swim underwater from the castle to the wall by herself and when she can float on her back by herself then she will get her picture on the wall with a special award! I love this time I get with her and I love cheering her on each week! We make a pretty good team, her and I, and we reward ourselves each week with a date for cake pops after a great morning of swimming lessons!

#504. having Jaye home with us Friday

#505. sharing Gymboree and swim lessons with Daddy

#506. 3 days in a row of my 2 favorites

#507. Star Wars movie nights

#508. family ice cream date! Yum!

#509. her request to "snuggle" @ 3am...I just can't say "no"

#510. future planning/dreaming with my man

#511. laughing til we cried while trying to show her a puppet show

Bad Hair Cut

On Tuesday I went with my Mom to get a haircut. I loved my cut I got earlier in the summer and just needed a trim to keep the shape...Well, the lady who cut my hair did a number on it and I am left with hair that I HATE! I'm not sure what she was thinking, but the layers are choppy and way too short!! I don't mind having short hair, but when I can't even put it in a ponytail, something is not right!!!

In the picture above you can see the "hole"...I feel like she screwed it up there on the side...it just doesn't blend like it was supposed to...I've found that if I can manage to get it 1/2 up then you can't see the bulk of the yuck... (I haven't worn my hair 1/2 up in forever)

It's decent from the front...a little short, but not too bad...it's just the back that kills me! I had hoped that maybe if I made my hair "curly" it would help hide the yucky cut, but I'm still not so sure. I know it's only hair and it will grow back and really, there's not much I can do...but in the mean-time it really stinks to get ready each day with a cut that I hate and don't feel great about.

Esther

"Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he brought up because she had neither father or mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother had died...Esther was also taken to the king's palace and entrusted to Hagai, who had charge of the harem. The girl pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with beauty treatments and special food. He assigned her seven maids selected from the king's palace and moved her and her maids to the best place in the harem. Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. Everyday he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her....Now the king was attracted to Esther more than any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen." -Esther 2

So the story goes that one of the king's right-hand men despises Mordecai and asks the king to send out a decree to have all the Jews killed on a certain day. Mordecai learns of this and asks Esther to approach the king and have the decree revoked and instead, allow the Jews to go after those who are persecuting them. Esther and Mordecai both fast and pray for 3 days prior to her approaching the king. Esther could have been immediately killed if the king did not invite her in when she approached him. The King found favor with Esther, granted her banquets and ultimately granted her requests, had the king's right-hand man Haman killed, and appointed Mordecai as second in command. God chose to use an orphan, being raised by her cousin, to bring victory and freedom for her people.

"Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of the Jews." -Esther 10:3

This story is not only the story of God using an orphan girl named Esther, but is the story of a faithful man who spoke up for those who could not speak for themselves and worked to further the good of his people. Mordecai chose to take in Esther, his cousin, and took the time to raise her and really to prepare her for what God had in store for her, and in return God ushered him into a position of power and authority. Mordecai said "yes" to an opportunity set before him and was greatly rewarded for his obedience and also his faith and boldness!

What opportunities or people has God placed before us that we need to say "yes" to? Are we truly in-tune with His urgings and callings in our lives? Are we courageous enough to say "yes" and take those steps of faith, even when we may not know the outcome? How does God want to use us to further His Kingdom and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves?

#496. early morning adventures
#497. her awe of the windmills in the desert...she couldn't get over that they twirled around and were everywhere
#498. the joy of a new friend and how quickly play begins when you're 2
#499. catching up with a near/dear friend and picking up where we left off 3 years ago
#500. pumpkin scented candles filling the house on a rainy Wednesday
#501. grateful that hair grows back...
#502. unexpected treat to see hubby before bed last night
#503. excitement for Fuse and the possibility/potential for meeting new friends

#490. a great morning pretending to be butterflies
#491. time to sit and catch up with my folks
#492. quality time with some cute kids at work
#493. a few moments catching up with hubby
#494. middle of the night snuggles with my girl, even if I am not exhausted
#495. joy and excitement over trash trucks

24:7

At church today our pastor rolled out the vision for the next 2 years at church. I love that it has been prayed about, fasted about/for, and planned since the beginning of the year and I love what the next 2 years are all about! The key verse is Exodus 24:7

"Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, 'We will do EVERYTHING the Lord has said; we will obey."

He then layed out how, as a church, we will do this...

1. Intentional Intimacy
-By spending time with the Lord, praying, and reading His Word seven days a week.
-By asking each day, "God, How are you going to bless me and who can I show love to?"
-By writing down what God puts on my heart, how He blessed me and who I showed love to.
2. Total Surrender (of our time, talents, and treasure)
-By using my talent and time to serve God at Crossroads for 100 weeks.
-By faithfully tithing over the next 2 years.
-By giving an offering beyond my tithe over the next 24 months.
3. Experience More
-By serving out of my comfort zone at least 2 times.
-By fasting with the church during two 40-day fasts.
-By meditating on the key 24:7 verses.
-By participating in a Learning Community.
4. Love Like Jesus Loves
-By passionately worshiping God.
-By passionately praying before church and during the invitation.
-By loving the family of Crossroads the way Christ loves me.
-By loving my family, my friends, and others the way Christ loves me.
-By participating in a place of Community.

I love the clear purpose and intentionality of all of this. I love the challenge that was set before us today and I love that He boldly called the church to step out of the apathy and into a real-life, passionate relationship with Christ. I am excited to see what God will do in our church, but I am more excited to see what God will do in my own life as I commit to these things. I have faith that He will move and that He will work in my life and also in the lives of those I love.

#484. playday with two 2-year olds and a favorite friend
#485. bein with someone who knows me so well and continues to be a part of my life, after all these years.
#486. "new friends" for my girl @ the game
#487. another sleep-in Saturday...so grateful my husband allows me to do so each week
#488. my sweet hubby took her to Costco, dalmation costume and all
#489. hubby who works so hard to do well and produce great work for his company