where did my baby go?

can someone please tell me where my baby went?? how is he already FIVE YEARS OLD?!

what i think determines how i act which determines how i feel

so today i am thankful. i loved class last night. it was actually 3 classes on the book of Romans. one thing that we were reminded of was the fact that Jesus died for us...the LEAST i can do is live for Him. i just loved that. i can get so caught up in everything around me, and feeling discouraged with things that i don't need to be discouraged about. i have an amazing God who wants me to live an abundant life...not just one where i get by. does anyone ever feel like you are just barely getting by? you don't have to feel that way!!! read romans 8 to be reminded of what we have in Christ. that we are IN Christ and that we will be WITH Christ soon!!! i was reminding AJ today of the message from a couple of sunday nights ago. what we think determines how we act, which determines how we feel. i saw him sort of pouting today, and it was because his cousin wasn't playing the game that he wanted to play. so i went with that concept. i said let's think of a verse. we picked "think of others as better than yourselves" (phil. 2) ok, so now that is what i am thinking over and over, now how will i act as a result of that? i will act differently towards that cousin. then....when i treat him better, how does that make me feel? he saw right away because he recognized that the pouty way he was feeling right then did not feel good! i love to see the kids getting it!! i need to get it too!!! why don't i think about those verses in romans 8, and totally concentrate on the verse that talks about how NOTHING can separate me from the love of God. if i think about that over and over and over, i find it hard to even care about other things!!
-here are some pictures of the boys room where i have painted this stuff on their walls. i am not done with the first one yet, but getting there...

another beach day

today was a beautiful 80 degrees, so me and erika packed up all the kids and drove the bus...er, i mean, erika's van...to odiorne point. the kids had a great time and it was perfect weather by the water. notice the pose of all the kids standing facing the water. it was sooooo funny - we lined them all up, then as me and erika were behind them taking their picture, she says "i wonder how long they would stay like that" so we took a couple pictures then went back and sat on the blanket. it was hilarious to just watch them all standing totally still, in a straight line facing the water. we were crying we were laughing so hard! finally, i think it was alissa who turned around and said "can we be done yet?" it was great. anyways...a great day and a great reminder of how amazing God's creation is, and how thankful i am to have my family!!

my baby is 7!

i can not believe that it was 7 years ago today that i was in the hospital having my first baby! wow...why does time go by so fast?! i am so unbelievably happy just looking at my boys. aj has really grown very tall in the last month - he's getting pretty close to my height!! he is doing great with his school - he loves history, is very good at reading, and has unbelievably neat handwriting! he LOVES sports, but especially football! he loves playing and watching it any chance he gets. luckily, we have the football network channel!! randy moss is his favorite player, and laura just got him a moss jersey for his birthday yesterday! he doesn't EVER want to take it off!! he is a really great brother to ry, and they play really well together. he has finished his book in awana, and has learned a ton of verses...i love seeing the way that he is so sensitive to the Lord. i pray every night that he will be a strong leader that will be willing to stand alone, and stay strong in his faith. i love to think about how God will use him. we had a great birthday party. aiyah and uncle chad, all the curriers, nanny and grampops, the boulters, mark and laura were all here. i painted white lines on the front lawn for a football field, and they played for a very long time! during "half time" they all came in for snacks and gatorade. aj scored 2 touchdowns! the uncles, mark and daddy were great sports and had a lot of fun playing - oh ya, the kids had fun too!! haha! he had a randy moss cake, and got some great presents! he was so cute - every time he opened a gift, he would close his eyes unwrapping it the whole time and then once it was all unwrapped he would look at it! he is a funny kid! we did miss having unca and aunti bobbi there! (and the chase side of the family!) then today, he asked for his birthday meal to be spaghetti, meatballs and corn on the cob!! strange combination, but hey, it's his birthday!! i am so proud of him and so glad that he is mine!! happy birthday aj!

beach time!

today was another beautiful day - and the boys are loving it (which means i am too!!) it was about 1:00 today, and i just wanted to get out. so i told the boys that we were gonna go and find a park to go to. i decided to go towards epping, because i needed to fill up with gas, and it was cheaper in epping than raymond. then i headed towards the beach and decided to go all the way there. there is a great park there, and parking is still free. the boys LOVED it, and the weather was perfect!! after playing on the playground for quite a while, we walked to the water...well, i walked, they ran. it was exactly what i needed. just seeing the amazing beauty in the color and power of the ocean was perfect. i said to the boys, "can you believe God created all of this?" aj said, "that's our king alright!" i am so blessed to have them in my life. they get along so well and are so much fun. they love to laugh and have a good time, and it is so fun to be with them and to watch them enjoy life. i love being able to have such an enjoyable day, with no cost involved! ry said "this is my best day so far". it is always good when you can make your kids happy!! i am so thankful for everything God has given me.