The Musings of an Intentional Mommy

love

2012-01-26T19:42:00.000-05:00

i love a lot of things.
i love coffee.
i love my bible.
i love shoes.
i love yard saling.
i love running.
i love photography.
i love brownies.
i love the new england patriots.

but what i love more than i could ever express with words is

yep.
my chums.
my babies who i get to spend every day with.

we've had a rough school year.
just being real here.
well, actually?
i've had a rough school year.
my boys are never the problem. it's always my lack of organization.
but this week has been a good week.
a great week!
it started with a refreshing visit with 2 girls who i do not get to see nearly enough.
they are women who love God. and are serious about raising their kids to do the same.
(thank you for the inspiration jen and cherilyn!! love you girls so much!)
and we have done our school work exactly as i have in their assignment books.
see, a little work by me goes a long way!
the porch has been full every day, and my husband went grocery shopping for me today!
life is good.

i also started a little something to keep me more serious about staying focused on prayer.
i, for one, do not take advantage of the way that my Father says i can ask Him for anything...anytime!
so here's the deal.
if you go here
you can enter in any prayer request you might have.
i will then find a Bible verse to pray over you, and email you back with the verse so you can pray too!
go ahead, give it a try!
i would be honored to pray for you and with you!
we know - HE is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine!

New Website Launched

2012-01-20T09:14:00.000-05:00

i am so excited to share my new website with all of you!
i have just finished and am really excited about what it looks like.

you can check it out here!

a little story about me

2012-01-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

so there i sat. in the front pew, where i sat every sunday morning. and sunday night. and wednseday night.

see..i was the pastor's daughter.
and behind me sat rows and rows of people.
with eyes.
ya know, as opposed to all the people without eyes? ha.
but when i say "eyes", i think you know what i mean.

you know the type.
people who look at the pastor's family with critical, judgmental eyes.
they normally choose 1 of 2 options.

1. those pastor's kids are such a bunch of hypocrites. they act all godly on sunday morning, and act like total and complete worldly sinners every other day of the week.

or...

2. those pastor's kids are such a bunch of judgmental, self-righteous snobs. They act so godly all the time, and think they are better than everyone else.

normally those are the only 2 impressions.
there seems to be no in between in the eyes of the beholders.

i find it to be so incredibly ironic that so many people choose to

JUDGE others...
for being.

get this...

JUDGMENTAL!

wait, what?
that doesn't even make any sense!
but i feel like it happens over and over.
and a lot of the time?

the person who is being accused of being judgmental?
is not actually even being judgmental!
they are just choosing to live their lives the way they live their lives!

sure, it might look different than the way another person is living their lives.
but that doesn't mean that they are judging the other person!

i just felt the need to get these thoughts out there because i want for you to think.

the next time you see someone who looks like they have their life together.
or the next time you look at your pastor's family.

just stop for a second.
give them a chance.

before you start judging them for judging you.

maybe give them the benefit of the doubt that they're not judging you at all.

more fun in the snow

2012-01-14T14:34:00.000-05:00

a bright and sunny day today made for 2 boys begging me to go outside and play in the snow with them!

so i bundled up with them after lunch and we went snowboarding and sledding together!

and although this is my snowboard, clearly both of my boys could teach me a thing or two.

my kids are so much fun to be with...
i love these happy boys. ♥

snow at last!

2012-01-12T13:27:00.000-05:00

we got a fluke snow storm in october, and thought...oh no!! this is going to be the longest winter ever!
but - we haven't gotten snow since! in fact, it has been one of the most mild winters i can remember!
while it's been great for my photography business, it has not been so great for 2 little boys of mine who have been dying to go sledding, throw snowballs and make forts!

this morning they woke up to a winter wonderland

they love sledding down the stairs of the back deck

yep! i would say it's safe to say that i have 2 very happy little boys.

101 in 1001

2012-01-09T22:39:00.000-05:00

so i heard about this challenge.

101 goals in 1001 days

it was about dreams. and not only just having dreams, but...

turning those dreams into goals.

big difference, by the way.
i kind of backed away from the idea, because to be honest?
i have had a lot of dreams.
a lot.
and i have written out my dreams in a notebook, and started going somewhere with those dreams.
then i lost the notebook.
and that was that.

but when you turn those dreams into goals
all of a sudden, you feel like maybe it's a possibility.
maybe it's something that you had better get started on and not stop!

so i decided to just go for it. why not?
well..actually.
there are a lot of reasons for the why not.

because if i never write them out for real, live people to see?
i don't actually have to feel like a total loser if i don't accomplish them.

but the other side of that is this.

if i do write them out for real live people to see...
those people can hold me accountable. can challenge me. can pray for me. can help me achieve these goals.

so here we go.

my list of 101 things that i would like to do in the next 1001 days.
(in no particular order)

1. write out scripture more often
2. start a consistent early morning prayer routine
3. get more organized with my homeschooling. ugh. i feel like i always say that, and it never happens.
4. go back to haiti
5. run another marathon
6. learn how to french braid...actually, how to braid. (good thing i don't have girls!)
7. visit new york city. i know! i can't believe i've never been to new york city!!
8. put my laundry away as soon as it is clean
9. never stop attending FBI
10. outsource!
11. finish perfecting my website
12. to be less critical. of myself and others.
13. to get together with my amazing p31 sisters again.
14. go on more dates with my husband
15. buy another prime lens
16. start taking vitamins
17. go horseback riding
18. see kari jobe in concert
19. get my make up done professionally. never done it.
20. to go along with 19, wear false eyelashes. i don't know why, i just think they look so cool
21. drink more water every day
22. go to the basketball hall of fame
23. give at least half of my profits from my photography business to people who need it, and various ministries
24. beat aj in wii mario kart
25. reach 1000 facebook fans
26. have my branding done professionally. (i wish i could afford it right now!)
27. speak at a women's conference - of any kind
28. give the gift of photography to more people who can not afford it...just to show the love of my GOD
29. talk less, and love more
30. email prayers of scripture to one person a week
31. make an incredible website for The Porch
32. write one song a month
33. have more people receive The Porch newsletter
34. go to bed earlier...which will in turn, help me to get up earlier.
35. go on a cruise with my family
36. understand that who i am is not determined by the way people treat me. i hate that i care about that so much! God loves me just the way i am!!
37. spend more money on others and less on myself
38. memorize one verse from every book in the Bible
39. be asked to guest blog
40. go back to disney with my family and bryce
41. send birthday cards to every family member each year!
42. take more prayer walks
43. send more mail. like... actual paper mail
44. take more pictures of my kids living life. not just posing.
45. master white balance
46. read more books by tozer
47. become a mentor to someone serious about raising Godly kids
48. meet up with lindsay lanzel somewhere...anywhere.
49. write a book about parenting (at least a booklet)
50. take time off facebook every once in a while
51. watch the sunset on the beach with just me and adam
52. write down my dreams more
53. print more pictures out!!
54. finish writing and record songs of scripture for my boys
55. learn how to juggle
56. play the piano more
57. learn how to speak spanish
58. plant a garden
59. attend a pursuit 31 conference
60. go snowboarding more than one time each winter
61. oh, and to go along with #60, learn how to get off a ski lift without falling
62. learn how to change the oil in my car
63. go ice skating
64. never pass up an opportunity to pray with someone on the spot
65. become an official not-for-profit with epping lighthouse ministries
66. buy a building for epping lighthouse ministries
67. order new business cards
68. do another beth moore study
69. understand that i was created to bring glory to God. and never forget it.
70. go to boston more
71. organize a stylized shoot
72. use the crock pot once a week
73. be asked to travel to shoot
74. learn how to play an f chord on the guitar
75. write thank you letters to everyone who has donated to The Porch in any way
76. forgive girls who have hurt me. like, really forgive. for real. not allowing bitterness to have a hold on me in any way.
77. hire my husband to be my accountant for my business
78. think of others as better than myself way more than i do now
79. run at least 3 more half marathons
80. run another marathon
81. organize everything better. i know it sounds kind of vague, but i love being organized, and really need to just get better at it
82. not let myself get impatient and stressed over stupid things that don't matter at all
83. learn how to knit or crochet
84. finish our foster care classes
85. take in foster kids, and hopefully adopt!
86. read the Bible in 90 days again at least once
87. finish my study on being satisfied with JESUS
88. not miss any more days praying for all of the ladies i know, by name, from my town
89. send letters and packages to the jackson family in papua new guinea
90. go to texas to visit my aunts and uncles and gram
91. declutter my house
92. email, text or talk to each of my siblings every day
93. learn how to speak creole
94. make legal who my kids will be left with when me and adam die
95. buy a hammock
96. get dressed up more
97. take the boys to sea world
98. go to the dentist
99. get pictures of myself done for my website
100. write in my mommy journal more often
101. say i love you to everyone in my family. every single day

so there they are.
all out in the open.
and now i am like...nervous to hit publish!
this is crazy.
ok.
i'm just gonna do it!!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

my monday morning in pictures

2012-01-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

happy monday!

family photography love

2012-01-08T22:26:00.000-05:00

i am so lucky to have a sister-in-law that i would honestly be close friends with even if we didn't happen to be married to brothers.
she is amazing.
she has 2 boys.
she is beautiful.
she is funny.
she wants to please God.
she loves photography.

perfect. just perfect.

anyways, in spite of the fact that i had literally been the sickest i had ever been in years, i had made a promise to do some family shots for her when we met up in virgina.
a promise is a promise.
so i got ready, dragged myself downstairs and got to look at this beautiful little family.

and it was totally totally worth it.
i love this girl and her family.

girl time

2012-01-07T23:01:00.001-05:00

with a house full of boys, it is nice to get a little bit of girly time!
ron, bobbi and lilla came for a visit after christmas

and we sure enjoyed having lilla around!

christmas part 2

2012-01-06T22:21:00.000-05:00

having a photo shoot on the 23rd, and another on the 24th made for a little bit of procrastination with going through my own christmas pictures!
but here is the rundown of the chase family christmas

my grandmother is visiting this year from texas - WHICH WE LOVE! and the wamplers were here too!
me and mel decided to get our grandmother a manicure so we all went together.
we had such a great time!

christmas eve we always have the boys open one present.
it's pajamas. always. and they know it.
but we wrap them anyways.

then christmas morning starts with opening stockings, then eating some food
(my mom is amazing in the kitchen. she is always whipping up some new delicious dish! this one is a pampered chef recipe that you can find here although it calls for ham too...she did not add that)

then reading the christmas story

then opening gifts!
i think the boys are trying to get cal into legos already!

the boys were pretty pumped about their new jerseys!

gram came up huge with new lego sets for the boys!

aj loves his new bongos from zach and ruthie!

we buy the boys 3 gifts each year for christmas.
this year, one of those gifts was a combined gift.
a new tv for their room!

i think they liked it.

then we have an older lady from our church come over for lunch. she doesn't have family around, so she enjoys celebrating with us.

always a good time!

the next morning, we started our trek to virginia.
we stopped at my sister's house for the night.

and for some reason?
i got 2 pictures.
what is up with that.
anyways.
phewwww...that was a lot of pictures to upload!
and that was my very merry christmas.

oh, and i'll have more pictures of when my brother and his family came the day after we got back from virginia!
but not yet.

why not?

2011-12-31T14:48:00.000-05:00

so it's the beginning of a new year.
normally, i hate the thought of new years resolutions.
it seems pointless to make unrealistic goals that you will most likely not keep much past march. tops.
but this year, i thought...why not?

why not decide that i am going to memorize a verse from every book in the Bible this year?
(with my sisters and mom joining me. i haven't told them they are a part of it yet)

why not decide to make sure that i make specific "us" time for me and adam?

why not choose to make monday my prayer day?

why not?

so maybe it only lasts through march.
won't that be better than nothing at all?
won't those few dates with my husband help my marriage to be even stronger?
won't those few weeks of prayer time make a difference?

and what if...

it lasts longer than a few months?

it will definitely be worth it then!

so now i will ask you

why not?

make a decision to go to church every sunday.
ok...you're saying you've never been to church a day in your life?

decide to go one sunday a month for starters!

make a decision to say one nice thing about your husband every day.

would that be so hard?

come on...
why not?

what is your decision going to be?
i would love to keep you accountable!

let's do this together!

why not?

christmas in reverse

2011-12-29T23:12:00.000-05:00

chase side family christmas

christmas cookies

2011-12-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

i have no idea why, but i have not been feeling it lately when it comes to baking.

or being festive.

or doing anything wife...ish. like, i should be enjoying making holiday stuff, right??

ugh.

anyways.

adam said that one of his favorite Christmas foods was suguar cookies.

just like his mom used to make.

so i bit the bullet and made up some sugar cookies.

i think it was the right thing to do.

ya know, to show adam how much i love him.

and i enjoyed eating them too.

it's nice when being nice...

can be nice for you too.

a little bit of this and a little bit...more of this

2011-12-14T15:29:00.000-05:00

do you ever feel like you are
just
not
getting
it?

today i read 2 corinthians 10:5.
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ"

i have read this a million times. at least.

let's break this down.
what is an argument and pretension that would set itself up against the knowledge of God?

the ESV calls it lofty opinions.
what would those be?
well, for me...they look a little something like this:

*i deserve to be treated with respect all the time
*the fact that i don't "own" my own home means that i have not quite arrived yet.
*what my body looks like determines who i am
*i can do things my own way, not God's, and there will be no consequences.

do any of those look familiar?
maybe you can add your own.

i know where to find the knowledge of God.
His Word.
i know that i am told to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus...but what does that look like?

i'll tell you one thing.
it never looks like me thinking that i know it all!
and it almost never looks like what my feelings are at the time!

what it does look like is:
*reading and studying God's Word.

*it looks like spending time with people who are challenging me to do right and constantly helping me to grow.

*so i guess it would therefore also look like not spending time with people who are not even doing right themselves, so are of course not challenging me to do right!

*it looks like being diligent. hard-working. fighting to do what's right. not allowing my own "knowledge" to become higher than God's!

so here's the deal.

-i wake up in the morning.
-i make a conscious decision to spend the rest of the day actually fighting this battle of life that i'm in. not pretending that i'm not even in one.
-i make an intentional choice to spend time with God: hearing from him and talking to him.
-i make a choice to remember that with everything God has done for me? the least...very least i can do is try to please Him.
-i remember that just like i want my friends to love and care about me? that's how my God wants to be treated too.

then?
then.
i do it.
that's it!

because my problem comes in here...
if i'm not paying attention.
if i'm just cruising along in life, with the redundancy of life...not paying attention to any of the darts being thrown at me.
then before i know it...my knowledge is all of a sudden ahead of God's.
and i start believing it!

how stupid can you be??
i guess pretty stupid!

so maybe i need a little bit of this...
and then a little bit more of it.
and then some more...
ok. you get the point!

and i can't say enough how important it is to surround yourself with friends who are living to please God the way you are.

because when you are spending the majority of your time with people who aren't taking God's knowledge seriously?
pretty soon...
you are allowing their thoughts and opinions to be set up before God's!

we need to demolish those things!
that means
destroy
ruin
tear down
wreck

them's fightin' words!
and that is exactly. the. point.

we are in a battle here.

so what arguments and pretensions are you allowing to be set up against the knowledge of God?

fight it!
hard!
get rid of them.
take those stupid thoughts captive, and make them obey God.

once and for all.

happy monday

2011-12-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

this is what i am looking at today

i am so fortunate that i get to spend every single second of every single day with these boys who make my life so amazingly happy....
i can not imagine it any.other.way.

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

2011-12-08T23:51:00.000-05:00

I love Christmasssssssssss!!

ahhhhhhh!! i just love it!

I love listening to Christmas music,

i love eating christmas cookies

and I love the calming, peaceful feeling that i get when i'm in front of the tree!

We got a small tree this year, and the boys decorated the whole thing.

i am totally not a perfectionist, and i do not care how they choose to decorate it, it just makes me happy to watch them put the ornaments on.

i always love going through the box of ornaments each year and being reminded of where they all the came from!

some were made by the boys when they were younger,

some were gifts,

some were made by me when i was in the first grade!!

hard to believe they have been around so long..i know!

oh, and this little reindeer has always been my favorite since i was little. i don't even know why.

while some parents are going to school concerts at least twice a year, i haven't been able to see my kids in a concert since aj was in kindergarten!
riley is in a music class at our homeschool co-op this year, and his teacher was adam's 2nd grade teacher!!
isn't that just wild??
she is great, and riley had a really good time in class.
they had a christmas concert on tuesday and i was that obnoxious mother with a video camera in one hand, and a regular camera in the other.
yep.
that's me!
(sorry boys, i don't think i'll get any less embarrassing as time goes on!)
oh, and i think i did a couple whoop whoops at the end too.

he is so cute i can hardly even stand it.

your holiday, your husband and your happiness

2011-12-07T22:29:00.000-05:00

so it's the christmas season.
it's that time of year when schedules get crazy, finances get tight and relationships tend to get...
strained.

you know what i'm talking about.

it's supposed to be the time when everyone is smiling and happy, drinking hot cocoa and sitting in front of the christmas tree reminiscing of all the years of happy memories while listening to frank sinatra, right?

here's the thing.

you have to know what kind of obstacles are going to be in front of you so you can be prepared to fight them.
and a big obstacle right now? is keeping our marriages strong!

it's no secret that marriages are under attack right now.
i think one of the biggest problems that we have, starts out as
a good thing!

putting your kids first!

doesn't that sound so...
self-sacrificial?
loving?
thoughtful?

but here's the problem.

it's the wrong first focus!

i've talked about this before, but we all have the following relationships in our lives:

*parents

*husband

*children

two of these relationships are designed to be temporary
one of these relationships is designed to be permanent

we were designed to grow with our parents, and then eventually get married and move out.
we were designed to marry our husband and stay with him forever
we were designed to have children and raise them to eventually move out.

but, what happens in our every day lives, is our kids can take over.
we have to get them up, feed them, clean up after them, bring them to this game, and that party.
it can take over.
then...what ever we have left at the end of a long day (which may be NOTHING) we put into our husbands.

the ONLY relationship that is supposed to be permanent

see how that is all wrong?

i am encouraging you this christmas season, to just stop for a minute.
ok. maybe a few minutes.

and just refocus

maybe you have forgotten what your role as a wife is.
i wrote about that here, last christmas!

don't let yourself fall into the trap that is lying to you and telling you that everyone's marriage is struggling...
and this is just the way it is going to have to be.
don't settle for less than what God has for you!

it is not the way it has to be!

while you're refocusing, remind yourself that you do not have rights that deserve to be met
that you do not need to spend more time taking care of yourself...
see.
that is also part of the trap!

proverbs tells us that only by pride comes contention
gulp.

is there contention in your marriage right now?
is there stress that you are getting overwhelmed with?

put your pride aside.
get a friend you can trust who will be consistent to pray for you.

and start enjoying your marriage.
the way God intended it!

it may be super hard the first couple of steps, but it will get easier and easier,
and your life will be
better
as a result of it!

so go and make some hot cocoa,
put on the sinatra and ask your husband to snuggle in front of the tree with you.

make this holiday be the best one your marriage has ever had.
it can start with you.
and it will be totally worth it.

p31 and a new level of confidence (also possibly the longest post ever)

2011-12-05T22:35:00.001-05:00

i have talked before about how i have been conflicted with my feelings towards my photography business.

about the time that i started feeling so confused, i stumbled across a group called Pursuit 31. it was started by a woman who was feeling the same kind of conflict i was.

the pull towards forgetting her priorities (being a godly wife and mommy)

and pushing to better the business and make more money.

i found out about a retreat that this group has, and was shocked to see that there was going to be one in connecticut!

what??

no one ever comes to the north east!

i had to go.

just had to.

i had to meet this woman who was living out what i wanted to be living out!

so this past week, i was able to spend 2 days with some incredible and amazing women.

women who are living lives to serve God, and working to keep their priorities with their business in the right place!

here's how it started.

thursday morning, i walked into a beautiful home

(owned by desirea. another godly woman who lives to please God!)

and looked around a room of 14 other women, and thought.

"what on earth are you doing here, rachelle?"

but i stayed.

because, what else was i gonna do?

karen shared her story, and asked us to share ours.

so we did. tears and all.

she then challenged us to keep our marriages first.

our Jesus first, and to have the kind of faith that God calls us to have!

then we spent a couple of hours talking about the business aspect.

um.

ya. here again, i thought.

"what on earth are you doing here, rachelle?"

have you seen my website? haha...did you try clicking on that? i tricked you. as if i am going to show my blog "website"! ha

then i went back to my hotel suite.

with 5 other women, who i had never met.

it always amazes me how a relationship with Jesus can bring people so close, so fast.

it really is a family.

anyways...we stayed up for.ev.er.

talking. asking questions about each other, about the Bible, about our families.

it was amazing.

i seriously love these girls just like they are my homegirls.

no lie.

(seriously so much love for you anglesea, stacy, sharna, katie and beth!!)

then the morning came.

pretty quickly, i might add.

and here is where my same question came back to my head.

see...i am not a wedding photographer.

i am a portrait photographer, and the thought of being in front of other photographers and posing people all by myself terrified me.

for real.

i wanted to get in my car and go home.

when we arrived, i felt like i was back in high school all over again.

i pulled out my...cough xti cough...from my bag that i bought for 2 dollars at a cough thrift store cough...and tried to be all..

ya. wassup girls.

i'm cool

i know that the cost of my camera and all my lenses are not even close to how much your one lens costs.

but ya know, i got this!

and you know what?

the girls didn't even judge me!

it was unbelievable.

and so with my new friends, and the confidence that they had in me.

i had the time of my life.

and here it all is.

oh, and even with all these images? i could have uploaded a million more that i have on my computer!

and just like that.

i went from being a portrait photographer

to just a plain old photographer!

who knew?

and i have to thank not only karen,

but also all the other girls that were there.

we all cheered each other on, encouraged each other, and gave each other more confidence.

and i gotta say.

it sure feels good!

so bring it.

whose wedding is next??

i'm totally in.

*hafta give mad props to the ones who made everything so beautiful!

the hair and makeup done by Simply Goreous by Erin and Professional Makeup by DeLieto

the planning by DeeDee and Heidi of Always and Forever,

also, our hostess Alicia whose heart for God amazes and challenges me!

and obviously, karen. whose at fault for all of you reading this super long post!

rounding up

2011-12-05T19:48:00.000-05:00

as much as i love to hear that my boys are growing in knowledge,
i could have done without riley's putting his math to practical use with the comment
"mom, now you're 35. you round that up to 40!"

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
you NEVER round up with ages riley.
never.
learn that now.

moving on.

because of my mom, i have always looked at birthdays as a way to show someone that THIS is their special day...
for the whole day.
i remember waking up to pancakes with candles in them,
balloons hanging, and a day full of special treats.

i realize that now that i am practically 40, i can not expect that kind of treatment.

however.
i was proved wrong this year.

i woke up to this

made by my mom, and taken with my new...

IPAD 2!!

(lovingly called "the 2" by my boys, who i am pretty sure love it more than i do. ya, those angry birds are ENORMOUS on this thing!!)

yes. adam spoils me.
he decided that the whole day, would indeed, be my day.
(he even made the bed!)

the boys then got me a gift card to dunkin donuts, and a super rad dunkins travel mug.
awesome.

then i got some new clothes from my parents.
we went shopping, (where adam got me some new shoes)
then went to olive garden with a gift card from my good friend Ron from church.

then my mom made me my favorite dinner
ok, so my mom spoils me too.

then we picked out a christmas tree.

then my homegirl ruthie brought me some delicious cupcakes.
then we went to riley's soccer game.
and that was it.

an amazingly, unbelievable day where i felt incredibly special and loved.

i got texts from my friends, and calls from my siblings.
so thank you.
thank you to my family who always always makes me feel loved
and to my friends who i am so grateful God put in my life.

happy birthday to me...still in my early thirties, right?

full

2011-12-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

i have been thinking of the word full lately.

we have had a full house
i have been getting very full from all the food i'm eating
i have had a full schedule
and i am honestly full of JOY.

last week, we celebrated the life of a very special person in my life.
when i was 10, my grandmother passed away after fighting a battle with cancer.
at the funeral, a lady from my church came up to me and told me that she would be my adopted nanny.
she filled in just where my grandmother left off...
she hugged me, loved me, and loved adam and my boys just like my grandmother would have.
about a month ago, she found out that she had stage four cancer.

last week, she went to be with Jesus.
reminds you of how short life is, doesn't it?
i am so grateful that my family had the chance to spend some time with her before she left.

really special time.
we talked about ministry, and about life and about the fact that we have the assurance based on the perfect Word of God that we will SEE HER AGAIN!!
it was also a challenge for me to love people even more...this woman truly loved people.
and she showed that by her hugs and her love.
i want to do the same!

we always love when anyone from the family comes to visit.
because my siblings are all so close, we always try and find a way to be together!
my older sister and her family spent the week with us, and then my brother and his family came for a couple nights as well.
i didn't really do a good job taking pictures, but here are a few!

alright...i have more to look at, and more to write.
i am so exhausted right now, that i can barely keep my eyes open to enjoy the patriots destroying the colts!
so you know i must be tired!
i had the privilege of attending a pursuit 31 retreat last week, am so excited to share some of what i learned. but i will have to write about that later.
my pillow is calling my name!

fun in the laundromat

2011-11-27T22:52:00.001-05:00

i love my family

2011-11-20T21:49:00.000-05:00

i am so thankful that my sister was here this weekend...she is not here enough.

but anyways.
i was so excited that she said she would take pictures of our family!
i thought of every single pose i could imagine, and we went work!

here we are in all our glory...

mel made the super cute banner too!

it was so weird to not be behind the camera!
i could not even wait to get home and start editing!
i am so thankful to be able to have these pictures of my family...i know i am incredibly blessed!

thanks mel :)

ps. any comments are always welcomed.
you know.
right below where it says comment.
go ahead.
do it.

photography love.

2011-11-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

every single time i do a shoot...

or even take pictures of my kids,

i can not WAIT to get home and upload them to see what i've got!

it's honestly like i'm more excited than my clients sometimes!!

here are just a little bit of what i have been up to..

i have got some gor.geous clients!

a little crazy

2011-11-13T15:06:00.000-05:00

that's what i am

crazy
about
these boys.

yep.
totally crazy.

i can't even hardly imagine how our lives were without them!

how much less we must have laughed.
how much more money we had...haha
and how boring our lives must have been.
we love these boys like CRAZY!

how can i not be thankful

2011-11-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

today...
my back is really bad.
it was hard to get out of bed.

but ya know what?
i can not and will not complain.
ya know why?
first of all..
i was convicted in a message yesterday about the verse in philippians that says to do everything
yes. everything.
without complaining.
ouch.

and second of all.
God has blessed me so much, that something as small as walking slowly and with a limp should never affect my outlook on life!

yesterday, these 2 little (i should probably stop calling them little now, huh?) boys learned about the importance of prayer in sunday school.
i am always challenged by my boys faith.
they started their own lists of things they are praying for. i loved looking at it, and thought you might too.
maybe you should start one of these!

it's no secret that my boys could play with legos forever and a day and be perfectly content.
they work so hard on their little creations, i thought i would show you some of their handiwork!

oh, they are growing up so fast.
i was just talking about the word of life super bowl that is coming up in a few weeks, and could not believe that my AJ will be old enough to go next year!! are you kidding me right now? where does the time go?
they are the lights of my life, and i am so incredibly blessed beyond words that God has given me the opportunity to raise these boys to honor Him.

so my back hurts.
so what.
with everything God has done for me...how can i NOT be thankful?
what are you thankful for today?

a different-kind-of-biggest-loser-CHALLENGE!

2011-11-02T22:04:00.000-04:00

i find it very intriguing to see the amount of time, effort, and sometimes money people put into losing weight and staying healthy.

i mean...it's not like i, myself, don't put time into staying healthy as well.
i do.
(some months more than others!)
but, i guess that the reason that i find is most intriguing is because of the following verse:

"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things." I Timothy 4:8
Interestingly, giving all your goods to the poor actually profits nothing. (I Corinthians 13:3)
as does foolish questions and controversies, and arguments about the law.

*side note: it has always blown my mind with the amount of time and energy people put into spouting about being King James only, or the necessity of expository preaching!
for the love of peter!!
is it me? or is this a bunch of foolish controversy?

ok. moving on.

what IS profitable is this...
and we are told to affirm constantly, or insist on, or stress:

to be careful to maintain (or, devote yourselves to) good works.
does this surprise you?

in a way...it surprises me!

to think about maintaining good works sounds..
almost...
legalistic.
which is what i do not want to be anywhere near!!

but interesting, right?
now, what would i have to be doing to devote myself to good works, in a non-legalistic way?

well..working so hard on my relationship with my Father, that i am just dying to please him.
just dying.
you know, the way a 5-year-old wants to make his daddy proud of him
the way a 16-year-old wants to do everything possible to show her boyfriend she likes him
not because they have to...
but because they just want to so badly!
and it's not so other people will look and applaud.
it's wanting to work hard because of the relationship that is there.

so that is where i want to be, and where i am going to challenge you to be.

this is a full fledged challenge, people!!

and i am totally serious about it.
serious, because i want to surround myself with people who are striving for the same things i am.
serious because of this verse i found that i love that says "Be diligent with these matters; give yourselves wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

so serious that i am offering a prize at the end of the month to the winner!!

yep!

you read me right!

a real. live. prize.

i mean, it's not a trip or anything...but it is a gift certificate to CBD.

which you can, in turn, use to help yourself continue to maintain good works!!

yay!

ok. so here's how it works.

we are starting the competition on next tuesday. (november 8th)

we are starting on a tuesday, because i love the idea of starting something new and hard

not on a monday!

and it will go until thursday, december 8th.

this will work sort of the same way the actual biggest loser show works.

there are challenges during the week.

there will be a "weigh in" at the end of each week,

and there will then be a final "weigh in" at the end of the month, determining the winner!

(weigh in will be decided by points earned)

here are the basics:

1. Bible reading

2. Prayer time

3. Scripture memory

4. Church/small group attendance

5. Ministry

this is open to any person of any age in any location.

i will have a more detailed chart of how it works for everyone as soon as i have a list of who will be joining the challenge.

so - either leave a comment with your email, or email me personally at ajnrileysmommy @ hotmail dot com.

oh. and one more thing

i will be like jillian michaels all up in your face pushing you..

except instead of screaming

DO ONE MORE PUSH UP!!!

i will be screaming

READ ONE MORE CHAPTER!!

ha!

so.

instead of counting my calories this month?

i am going to count how many people i have on my prayer list...while eating apple pie.

i mean.

it is fall, after all.

who's in?!?!

let's do this!!

I Timothy 4:15-16 "Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶ Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

so lucky

2011-10-28T00:06:00.000-04:00

to have such adorable nieces and nephews!

i heart faces {Let them Be Little}

2011-10-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

the challenge on i heart faces this week is
let them be little.

normally, i look in my archives of recent photo shoots, and try to come up with something spectacular.
and breathtaking.

but this challange? it reminded me of life.
of the kids that i see every day who are not allowed to be little.
they somehow have had more responsibilities put on them than any kid should ever have.
the kids who are not allowed to be goofy and crazy.

so at my house?
it's a little different.

i try to say no as little as possible.
i love laughing.
i love silliness.
i want my kids to be allowed to be kids
i want my kids to know that they aren't going to get in trouble..just because they are being loud or goofy.

i want to let them be little!

soccer mom

2011-10-24T22:53:00.000-04:00

last saturday marked the last day of soccer season for the...
get this...

8th year in a row.

no lie.
i have been bundling up my boys since they were 2 years old to play saturday morning soccer.

we're just that committed.
ha
both of my boys were taking throw-ins with their pacifiers in their mouths.
{insert judgmental attitude here}

but funny enough, our life is really not all about sports.
and the boys know that.
before every game, we stop and pray that we will be love and light to every person we come in contact with.
adam has coached every year, and this year i was the assistant coach.

it was funny because a few weeks ago, in the middle of a game, i said to adam
"don't forget what we're here for!"
and one of the kids on our team looked at me and said
"what are we here for?"
it kind of took me back, to be honest.
i didn't really think anyone else was paying any attention to me...
i mean, they certainly didn't pay any attention to me during practice!!

but i looked at her and said
"well, to bring glory to God!"

so this past saturday was another end to another season.

it was intense..a real nail-biter.

but we came out with a win.
ry scored three goals.
and i was a one proud mommy!

and as you can see..

adam is one. great. coach.
he loves these kids, and it definitely shows!

so proud of our little team!!

i believe...

2011-10-20T11:57:00.000-04:00

in God.
not just in a blind-faith-it's-good-for-me kind of way.
i believe in God because of all the indisputable evidence i see.

i believe in God not because it makes me feel good.

even though it does.

because sometimes?
it makes me feel bad.
it makes me feel guilty for things that i am doing wrong that i am trying so desperately to justify and excuse.

i believe in God because if i didn't have hope, i would be lost.

and if my hope in God was only for this life?
i would be miserable.

i believe in the God who is preparing an amazing home in heaven for me, where i will live forever.

i believe in God because there is no other way.

i believe in not just any god.
not the man upstairs
not my opinion of who i think God is.

but the God of the Bible.
and the God of the Bible?
is amazing.

He is loving.
He is personal.
He is compassionate.
He is JUST.
He is FORGIVING.
even when i do not deserve it at all.
He is a healer and a protector.

i believe in God
because it is the only way to live.
God fills my life with
PEACE
God fills my life with
HOPE
God fills my life with
JOY

why would i want anything else, anyways?

i believe in God.
and i love that i have complete confidence in my God
who loves me...
who watches over me...

and who RESCUED ME!

don't you want to believe too?

a few stragglers

2011-10-17T22:35:00.000-04:00

i'm editing pictures like a mad fool.

in the middle of it all...i found these few that i forgotten i had!

makes me miss them all so much more!

i love fall

2011-10-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

the best time of year.

hoodies, jeans and boots = perfection.

well...today wasn't exactly that kind of weather, even though i am pretty sure the calendar says it's october!

it has been so so warm outside!
but it is still fall and i am loving every second of it!

oh...and getting to spend every day with these boys make any time of year the best time of year!

bring it on...

2011-10-10T14:29:00.000-04:00

we have an official chase/currier challenge.

the boys thought it would be fun since it was sooo warm out today to go outside and throw the football around.
nothing new.

adam joined in on the fun, and it turned into a let's-see-how-many-passes-we-can-catch contest.

you know...everything in life is about competition, after all! ha!

so they ended up making it to 663 completions!

they ran in the house yelling...let's challenge the currier's!

so there it is!
let's see what you got cousins and uncle!!

child-discipline...controversy and all

2011-10-06T17:53:00.000-04:00

so here is the child discipline video i have been promising.
i apologize in advance that my mouth does not match the sound!
so annoying, but i didn't realize it until i had finished...
and it was 30 minutes long.
soooo...i was not about to start over!

don't forget to scroll down and pause the music at the bottom of the screen.

hope you enjoy it!

generations of godly men

2011-10-01T22:10:00.000-04:00

adam and i are very blessed to both come from generations of godly people.

adam's grandfather and uncle needed a place to stay for the night, so they stayed with us!

we only got to see them for about an hour, but it was great to see them and catch up.

what you see there,

is a grandfather who still chooses to live his life to please God.

then you see my husband, who is also choosing to life his life to please God.

then there are two little boys, who wake up every morning and read their Bibles..

trying to learn how to live their lives to please God.

they have great role models to look up to.

and i am so grateful.

the de-uh-field fa-yuh

2011-10-01T16:42:00.000-04:00

the deerfield fair has been a family tradition ever since i was little.

this year, it was just me adam and the boys with my parents.
we sure missed the rest of the family!

i took pictures of things that would remind my sisters and brother of the stops we always make as we walk.
we always start at betsy's donuts.
um. yes, they are enormous, and yes i finished the entire thing.
don't judge me.

we always get a cheese steak at sam, joe and ed's, and finish things off with pat's apple crisp.

oh. i just realized that all i've talked about is food.

yep.

that's pretty much the point. ha
found this old picture of adam and the boys at the fair probably three years ago!
the boys have changed just a little!!

and a few others...not the greatest quality..but so fun to look at!

then we watched the flying wallendas...

and called it a day.

a great day.

already looking forward to next year.

hopefully?

in 2012,
i'll have pictures of lilla, oliver, cal, and all the currier kids too -

enjoying the fair.

rainy day, 2 obligated subjects and a new lens.

2011-09-29T13:45:00.000-04:00

my boys are used to me using them to practice by now,
and this morning fed ex delivered my beautiful new 85mm 1.8 lens.
it's not the best lens ever created, but for what i paid for it, it's pretty close!!

so i threw them in front of the french doors, and made them pose for me.

now my 20 minutes of free time is up, and i guess i should stop putting off the inevitable...grocery shopping.

here's an encouraging verse for the day.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless!"

so thankful for all the good things that God has given me!

happy rainy thursday!

ps. i am working on my discipline video to put on here. hopefully it will be up by the beginning of next week!

i am...nothing.

2011-09-27T21:52:00.000-04:00

i can remember it like it was yesterday.

i was incredibly hot and very thirsty.
i had just climbed up to the top of the citadel in haiti.

there were people everywhere.
women.
my age.
holding up necklaces...that they had made by hand

begging me to buy one more.
we had already bought 5 from other women.

this one woman stands out in my mind, because she was talking so fast, and i could not understand what she was saying, but i of course knew what she wanted.

i had just walked by the places that they call...

i don't know...

home?
you be the judge.

and i had a hard time even comprehending that a family lived here!

as i closed the door to my car, this woman continued to hold up her beads to my window.

the music that happened to be playing in the car was

amazing love
how can it be
that you, my King would die for me

i couldn't hold back the tears.
i thought,
i am no different than her!
no different at all.

i wondered if she knew her value.
what the God of creation thought of her!

i still think of her. a lot.

now back to today.
to reality.
to the place WE call home

i mean, not me personally.
but..According to the National Association of Home Builders, the average home size in the United States was 2,700 square feet in 2009.

a little bit of a difference?

i have been thinking so much about who i really am.
i of course wrote about my fear of thinking too highly of my photography business and starting to focus on making money,
when that is so not what life is about.

but i have been thinking even more so about who i really am.
so much of our world today is based on popularity.
sometimes i feel like i am in the 6th grade waiting to be picked in gym class.

you know...how many people are following my blog? how many people have liked my photography page? and on and on it goes.

i have so often looked at other blogs, and thought...really?
how does she have so many people following her blog?
i mean...what does she have to say that is any different from what i have to say?

then i thought this.

why do i get the opportunity to blog for the world to see, when this woman i just talked about will never get to have people hear her thoughts..
her dreams.
her struggles.

it's not fair.
and so i was reminded.

i am nothing.

nothing!

who cares how many people read what i write?
this woman has no one reading her thoughts..
yet it does not mean that my thoughts are of any more value or importance than hers.

according to james,
yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

and that is it.

regardless of who you are.
what your status is
who your friends are...
you have no idea what your life is going to be tomorrow.
neither do i.

love others today.
live for God today.

don't worry about what other people think about you.

because if we all start realizing that we are nothing.
that we need to be putting the needs of others before our own needs
that we are here to bring to glory to God and God alone
not receiving glory for gifts that God himself has given us.

then maybe,
just maybe.

this world would be a little different.

the benefits of getting off your couch

2011-09-21T12:29:00.000-04:00

i have been looking back at some of my blog posts that i wrote years ago.

it reminded me of the long tiring days with 2 little boys in diapers,

leading youth group,

owning our own business

and financial struggles.

it's good to look back and remember where you have been, and where God has taken you!

i am very passionate about godly, intentional parenting (as most of you know) and am always blessed and encouraged when i see parents who are really parenting the way God wants.

sadly, i feel that there are a lot of christians who are being beguiled into thinking that God's Word is not the ONLY answer.

i believe 100% that God's Word is the only answer!

so here's where i'm going with this.

remembering back to the days of a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old at home...

a lot of my days were spent disciplining and disciplining, over and over.

let me give you 2 options that i had and what each outcome would look like.

i tell my son to pick up the cup off the floor and put it in the kitchen.

he says no.

option 1.

stay sitting on the couch (since i did only get about 2 hours of un-interrupted sleep last night and i am in the middle of reading a book to my other child.)

i can just pick up the cup later, and i don't feel like moving right now.

option 2.

tell the son i am reading to that he needs to hold on for a couple of minutes.

calmly get up off the couch

take my disobedient son upstairs and bring my bible and the paddle with me.

discipline, hug, kiss, pray.

go back downstairs and finish reading my story, while my now obedient son puts his cup in the kitchen.

obviously option 2 takes a lot longer than option 1.

however...

let me tell you the results of option 1 vs. option 2.

fast forward 6 years

result 1.

tell your now 8-year-old son to go upstairs and get dressed for the day.

he ignores you.

tell him again.

he starts whining, and continues to play his video game.

tell him again.

he turns and says that he will do it when he is done

tell him you are serious!

he stomps his feet and looks at you with eyes that are daring you to try and move him.

you throw you hands up and tell him that his father is going to have to deal with him when he gets home.

result 2.

tell your now 8-year-old son to go upstairs and get dressed for the day.

he says "yes mom"

and goes upstairs to obey.

see, this is the beguilement that we fall for...

try things once, twice, maybe even 5 times.

but then mix it with not following through 6, 7 or even 10 times...

and then we don't get the results we want, so we fall back to sitting on the couch.

i can not tell you how many times this has come to my mind this week alone -

i am so glad that i was consistent when they were little!!

because the rewards i am enjoying now are so amazing,

and i don't even remember most of the stressful days!

i am throwing around this idea in my head of making a video to put on my blog explaining biblical child discipline.

i think that people hear the word "spanking" and freak out.

they picture a woman in a grocery store grabbing her child by the arm and slapping her on the bottom.

then they say "how can you teach your child to not hit, by hitting??"

well, since that is not spanking, maybe if i showed you examples of what it actually looks like, you might have a different idea.

so there you have it.

the benefits of getting off your couch now?

are that you will not have to get off your couch later!

ha!

so seriously. get off the computer.

stop reading this, and take care of your little one who is throwing a fit right now!

it will be totally worth it!!

i heart faces {a touch of sun}

2011-09-20T10:09:00.000-04:00

this week's photo challenge is a touch of sun.

i want to call it touch of Son...

because not only is this beautiful girl on the outside

but she is an absolutely awesome example of what someone should look like who lives her life to honor and please Jesus.

painful

2011-09-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

have you ever heard God's Word called convicting?
Hebrews says this
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Psalms says that our secret sins are set before God in the light of His presence.

i have to say that this morning, my sins were set before God, and it sure judged my thoughts and ATTITUDES.
in a painful kind of way.

see...there are times in my life, when i think i am treated unfairly.
i have times when people hurt me, and i don't understand why.
i feel like certain people should treat me certain ways...
and when they don't?
i just don't get it.
maybe i use the fact that i am "hurt" to kind of justify the startings of bitter thoughts and emotions towards them.
because, after all...they have God's Word too, and should know how to treat me!

I might even excuse my bad attitudes by saying that i am not hurt for myself, but for my boys, or my husband.

ya. i started doing that yesterday.
it ran over into today.

not like i was up stewing and angry all night or anything, but i will say that facebook doesn't help in this area.
when i feel like i am fine and over something, then i see a comment that reminds me -
oh yaaa....i can not BELIEVE that person did that or said that!
what did i do to deserve this??
and blah, blah, blah.

see? it even looks ugly typing it!
isn't it weird that you can actually have a physical feeling of...i don't know, discomfort?
thinking about having the right thoughts towards someone can literally bring discomfort to my body. like i am fighting within myself!
(which according to galatians is accurate! my sinful nature and the spirit are literally fighting against each other inside of me!)

so anyways...after i was done spewing out all my frustrations and ugliness
(which, of course, was my right, i mean...i didn't do anything to deserve this! ha!)

i read my devotional for today, September 14, 2011.

here's a little excerpt from it.

Streams in the Desert - Sept 14

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34

The cross that my Lord calls me to carry may assume many different shapes. I may have to be content with mundane tasks in a limited area of service, when I may believe my abilities are suited for much greater work. I may be required to continually cultivate the same field year after year, even though it yields no harvest whatsoever. I may be asked of God to nurture kind and loving thoughts about the very person, who has wronged me and to speak gently to him, take his side when others oppose him, and bestow sympathy and comfort to him. I may have to openly testify of my Master before those who do not want to be reminded of Him or His claims. And I may be called to walk through this world with a bright, smiling face while my heart is breaking.

Yes, there are many crosses, and every one of them is heavy and painful. And it is unlikely that I would seek out even one of them on my own. Yet Jesus is never so near to me as when I lift my cross, lay it submissively on my shoulder,and welcome it with a patient and uncomplaining spirit.

He draws close to me in order to mature my wisdom, deepen my peace, increase my courage, and supplement my power. All this He does so that through the very experience that is so painful and distressing to me, I will be of greater use to others.

please tell me that i am not the only one that struggles with this!!
i have to NURTURE kind and loving thoughts about the very person who has wronged me.
i found this definition of nurture - to feed and protect.

yikes!
interesting.
i have to be feeding and protecting those kind and loving..

get this.

THOUGHTS!
not actions...which can be done hypocritically and with a rotten attitude.

but my thoughts.

wow.
i find it interesting that i can think of myself as a strong, independent woman who can handle anything.

then i can't even control my stinking thoughts from people who are wronging me.

that is not strong.
that is weak.

BUT...fortunately for me,
i have this loving reminder from an amazing Father who knows that i am weak...

HE tells me that i can take pleasure in my weaknesses, because when i am weak, HE is strong.

so thankful for the fact that i have God's Word to remind me of where i need to be.

because, although i think that it feels good when i talk about how i was hurt,
it is very short-lived.

it does not feel good.
it feels rotten.

it's just like when you go running.

it hurts when you are running.
when you get cramps, when your legs are aching...

but when you are finished?
you feel amazing. stronger. accomplished.

same way here.
let God's Word be a light to you, and convict you.

even though it hurts when you read it and when you act it out.

when you are finished?
you will feel amazing. stronger. accomplished.

big families

2011-09-13T23:45:00.000-04:00

my sister has one.
there is always something going on when they are around!
when they were here, the house was rocking!

her kids are really great kids.
her and my brother-in-law are serious about raising kids the way God says to.
and it shows.

i love having them around.
i miss having them around.

every single one of them is so special to me.

i am so in love...

2011-09-11T22:05:00.000-04:00

with these two little boys.

first this little boy who came into my life when i was 24 years old.
i didn't know i could ever love someone so much

someone who changed my life completely, including suddenly not sleeping at all!
somehow, i didn't care one bit.

you see that sweet face? you wouldn't have minded either!
that sweet, adorable little face that still brings so much joy to my life

this high-needs baby that has grown into a totally chill, and relaxed little man.
just like his daddy.
oh, i just love him so much!
then, less than 2 years later...

the little brother.
i didn't think i could ever love someone as much as i loved aj.
but i did!

this time, i got a baby that slept through the night pretty quick.
i have to admit, i was hoping for a girl.
but now? i can not ever even imagine my life without ry.
i am a boys mommy through and through and can't imagine it any other way!
sweet little crazy, silly, anything but chill ry.
just like his mommy

i can't stop smiling and tearing up just looking at these pictures of my babies.

i am with them constantly.
for real.
when i am gone for a couple hours?
i miss them like crazy.

i am so incredibly thankful and blessed
God has given me and my adam these two little boys to raise up to bring glory to HIM.
they are sweet.
they are rough.
they are smart.
they are athletic.
they are godly.
they are funny.
they are perfect to me.

i am so in love.
and you can see why i would be!

conflicted

2011-09-08T13:04:00.000-04:00

my thoughts have been all over the place lately.

not that this is uncommon or anything..it's just been more noticeable lately!

i stumbled upon a problem that i didn't really realize was a problem.

do you ever do that? i hope that i am always open to realizing when i need to change.

which is a lot.

anyways.

i was outside with my coffee, reading my Bible the other morning.

i realized that as i was sitting there, my mind was going crazy.

i was thinking about a way that i could better advertise for my photography.

i was thinking about going out to buy some more props from an antique store nearby.

i was thinking about all the editing i had to do from my latest shoot, and posing i was going to use for my next one!

my point.

i wanted to be thinking about what i needed to do to get The Porch ready,

i wanted to be thinking and praying about how i can be a better mom and better wife.

i wanted to be thinking about the girls from my young adults group that i promised to pray for.

i wanted to be thinking about the planning i need to be doing to get ready for this homeschool year.

do you see where i'm going with this?

all of my thoughts are being spent on my business and not on anything with eternal value.

now.

of course, i love my business.

i adore capturing people on camera

i really enjoy what i do, and that is where the conflict was.

do i just put my camera down, and forget all about it?

i didn't want to do that! i love it too much!

and i feel that God has gifted me with this ability!

so this is where i was going back and forth and back and forth.

i have just been feeling conflicted on my time management and what things need to be taking first priority.

see...i believe wholeheartedly that it is my responsibility to tithe a MINIMUM of 10% of my finances.

i also believe that i should be "tithing" my time as well.

when adam and i tithe our already small income, God always, always provides and blesses us even more.

a verse in proverbs says that giving to the poor is like lending to God.

God always pays us back even more so than what we give.

i think it should be the same with my time as well.

i need to be giving my FIRST percentage of time to God.

then to my husband.

then my kids

then my ministries...

THEN

my photography.

this does not come naturally for me, but the whole thing about it is?

i don't want "natural" results for my photography!!

i want God results.

you may think that it is kind of crazy to even include God in this, because it is something i do on the side.

it is a camera.

a job.

but i need to really work on making sure that i am allowing God to have what is rightfully his in every area of my life.

every area.

i tend to get up and read and pray.

then spend the rest of the day figuring out how to do everything else.

that is where i have been conflicted!

because i have felt guilty when i am spending too much time editing, or researching, or anything that has to do with that.

i feel like i HAVE to do that first, because i want to fit everything else for that day in!

so here is where my confliction ends.

i don't think God needs little old me to spend hours coming up with ideas and plans for ways to make more money.

i think that God needs me to be honoring Him with my time, with my money and with my thoughts!

when i do that, i can only imagine what he will do to bless me.

i want to spend way more time praying, reading, planning for my ministries, spending quality time with my husband and my kids.

then, when i feel like i have accomplished what God has clearly called me to FIRST

i will put the left over time into my photography.

i want to be a proverbs 31 woman.

that is my goal. i know that that includes being a business woman as well as a mom!

there. it's all out.

ok. i feel better.

thanks for working through that with me!

now i have to get moving.

i have tons of homeschool planning to do,

the porch needs to be cleaned before it opens monday,

and i have 2 senior sessions sunday!

Alton Bay 2011...the rest of the days

2011-09-01T11:05:00.000-04:00

part of me hates putting these pictures together with this post, because it means that vacation at the bay is over.
so so many of my childhood memories are from alton bay.
so many great memories.
our family has gone to this camp ground ever since i was about 2 years old.
what is so great about it, is that it is a totally family friendly place.
there is no alcohol allowed on the grounds,
there is a private beach where only one-piece bathing suits are allowed (even more appreciated by me as my boys are getting older!!)
there are different speakers and singing groups that come to the campground,

and it is just a safe place to be.
this was the first year that i really let my boys go back and forth to the playground, and the beach and the cottage by themselves.
it reminded me so much of the years when i would do the same with my cousins!
when i started dating adam in the 10th grade, he would come up in the summer for a day or two and stay with our family.
he has come to love this place too!
we rent different cottages each year that we go, but eventually we would love to own a cottage ourselves!

i just love all the good, old-fashioned-summer-fun!

and that is it.
so thankful for an amazing family.

thankful that i have a family that all want to honor God with their lives..
a family that wants to raise their kids to please God.

and i am thankful that i have these pictures to forever remind me of the great times we had together.

to bring a smile to my face everytime i see them.

and to remind me of how blessed i really am.

i heart faces {white}

2011-08-30T21:12:00.000-04:00

can't stop looking at my adorable nephew and his sweet little face.

Alton Bay 2011 Day Three

2011-08-24T12:53:00.000-04:00

my parents are amazing grandparents...
they love spending time with their grandkids!
because there are so many, they broke them into groups to go mini-golfing.
here is group A

caleb won from the first group

then we had more time at the beach!

it has been so great to be staying right next door to the curriers!
the kids are just running back and forth all day long!

even though it's been a little chilly, leah stays in the water forever!

lots of cribbage has been happening back at the cottage!

erika with her youngest and her oldest

we celebrated callen's first birthday

it's been so great to have my grandmother with us this year.
she is so special to all of us!

sisters

2011-08-24T09:34:00.001-04:00

i am one lucky and happy girl

Alton Bay 2011 Day Two

2011-08-22T23:32:00.000-04:00

we started out the day today with a cake smash for cal.

he wasn't too sure about it, and didn't like getting his hands messy...

but we got some great shots!

it was a little cooler today...

but it didn't stop the kids from being in the water!

actually...
it didn't stop the adults either!

back at the cottage...a little pampering for our gram!

the love of my life...♥

another great day of relaxing, and enjoying the company of our amazing family.
so thankful.

Alton Bay 2011 Day One

2011-08-21T17:05:00.000-04:00

family vacation time is here!

we have 2 cottages full of people...me and my family, erika and her family, mel and her family, my parents and my grandmother.

there are going to be a lot of beach and kiddies pictures for the next week!

cousins!

little soccer game on the dock...

cribbage time!

micah wasn't too thrilled with his first feel of the water!

thunderstorms cleared everyone out of the water, so it's time for movies, games and

of course...

eating! ha!

love family vacation!!

ps. miss you ron, bobbi and lilla!!

Guest Blogger {Shelby}

2011-08-17T15:10:00.000-04:00

i have a good friend (who i have actually never met, except for through our blogs!)
she recently posted a "note" on facebook from her niece, challenging others to stand strong in their faith.
it was so encouraging for me to read!
i have been in youth ministry for over 12 years, and am still so blessed when i see and hear about teenagers who are taking a stand, and choosing to live for Christ!

i would love to be able to use this blog to showcase some of these teens...don't you think they deserve it?
i think it is our responsibility to encourage them and pray for them as they are growing up in this world that is becoming more and more difficult to stay strong in!
my plan is to have a guest blogger once a month.
please contact me if you know of someone who you think would want to share something as well!

this is what shelby wrote:

I can't expect this to be read by a whole lot of people because honestly nobody ever reads notes but I can't help myself.

More and more now, I'm beginning to notice the shallowness of people in general. I'm really beginning to experience the truth of the fact that the intention of humans' hearts is evil from his youth (Gen. 8:21). We are born evil and undeserving of Christ's mercy. Which is completely obvious to me.

Christianity is becoming almost an add-on to our Facebook profile. It's like.."Yeah I play this sport, I'm in this club, these are my friends, this is where I party every friday, and this is my boyfriend who I am completely in love with. Oh, I also love God."

Doesn't that seem just a little wrong?

We are representing Christianity TERRIBLY. This is not at all how it should be.

Once you are a Christian, every part of you is changed. You are no longer identified with your sinful flesh, you are identified with Christ. EVERY part of you changes when you become a Christian. It's ridiculous to say you are a strong Christian then go off and cuss and drink and submerge yourself in sin. There's no way.

It's shocking to me how two-faced people are. Saturday night they are cussing, partying, sleeping around, and drinking..and Sunday morning they put on a "Christian mask" going around posting statuses of verses they saw on religious t-shirts but not actually understanding what and who they are representing. Maybe we all just need to step back and look at how we've been living and realize, "hey, I havent exactly been practicing what i've been preaching" and give up the double lives. You either bury yourself in sin and desires of the flesh, or live 100% for Christ. When Christ comes, and we are sat before the throne of God, we are going to be held accountable for EVERY sin we have ever committed. And then you will get one of two responses.

1) "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers."

2) "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

And with each, there are consequences. With the first..complete separation from Christ. Which means, no joy, no peace, no love, and utter darkness.

But with the second..unmeasurable joy and peace. The treasure we will receive in Heaven is greater than anything imaginable.

The kingdom of Heaven is explained through this story..A very rich man with many earthly treasures and possessions stumbles upon a field full of treasure so great that he covered it up so no one else would find it. Then he immediately went and sold all he has and buys the field.

Obviously the second is what most would prefer. However, to get there, it takes more than saying you are a Christian. Becoming a Christian requires you to abandon yourself.

In Luke 14:26, Jesus tells us.."If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my diciple." Being a Christian is actively submitting yourself to God and making Him your everything.

Unfortunately, humans' reality of this is extremely skewed. It's about time we choose how we are going to live, and stick to that.

please, please take just a second and leave a comment to encourage shelby!

i know that she would appreciate it a lot!

and thank you so much shelby, for being willing to take a stand. i pray that you will hear God's voice loudly...over the voices of the world, and that you will stand strong in your faith. i pray that you will continue to be courageous, and that you will turn this world upside down with the love of Jesus!

For the love of the boys...

2011-08-16T20:40:00.001-04:00

sometimes you have to sacrifice.

sometimes you have to do things that you would not necessarily want to do...

just to make your kids happy.

then...

sometimes?

you get to do exactly what you want to do, and look like the cool parent for doing it!

that's what happened today!

we decided last night, that we would take the boys to patriots training camp.
it was really for me, but we said it was for them...ha!

2 years ago, we surprised them and took them to training camp, and then stayed at a hotel for the night.
(you can read about that here)
today we just made a day trip.

i have to admit, that i am crazy about the patriots.

mock me if you want.

it started when i was little and i would watch the games with my dad.
my first crush was tony eason.

and.

i. loved. him.

no lie.
i had his name written all over my shoes, my papers, and my walls.
i was so crazy over the patriots, that i would daydream about someday working on the sidelines.
like. a lot.

so, to this day...
my idea of a perfect day would be

apple pie.
vanilla ice cream.
family.
patriots game.

anyways, back to the day.
we invited a couple of our friends to come with us

and then i had to act all sports-crazed and take pics of the players.
whatever.

this is probably a face i should get used to?
ya know, as my kids start to realize that it's kind of embarrassing when their mom acts weird!

aj and ry loved ocho's cleats!

here's where i got a little crazy

sorry,
but i know my homegirls marie and ruthie will love these!

the boys got to get some autographs after practice was over...
check out ry's face!

the boys had a great time using the inflatables that were set up!

started out looking like it was going to be a good race between aj and jeremiah....

then came the face plant!

everything was free.
weather was perfect.
patriots are awesome.
and the boys loved every second of it!

the things parents do!

all for the love of the boys.

(wink wink)

new york chase's

2011-08-12T16:25:00.001-04:00

we lovingly call them the new york chases.

clever, right?

we are really so lucky to have such awesome family...
the only unlucky part is that they all live so far away.

our new plan is to see each other every four months.
they came to see us in april, we went to see them in august.

they have 2 boys
we have 2 boys

they are crazy sports people
we are crazy sports people

they love swimming
we love swimming

they love eating
we love eating...

i love photography
bethy loves photography

they love bowling
we love bowling

um. except for carter.
he doesn't love it...yet.

they love hanging out with their kids more than anything
we love hanging out with our kids more than anything

and we all hate saying goodbye.

jimmy and adam have always gotten along great,
and i couldn't have picked a better sister-in-law.
we always say that we would be friends even if our husbands weren't brothers.

i love that we can talk about parenting, about our faith, about food, about what we're reading in our Bibles that week, or about american pickers.
we just love being together...
no matter what we're doing.

we miss you already ny chase's! can't wait for our next visit!

i heart faces {friendship}

2011-08-08T08:20:00.001-04:00

the photo challenge this week at i heart faces is friendship.

nothing like the friendship of sisters! i adore this picture!

just a little bit of photography

2011-08-06T23:23:00.000-04:00

i try not to fill up my blog with posts about my photography.
i know that a lot of the people that come here, aren't coming to check out my incredible, mad skills as a photographer
(insert sarcastic laugh here)

anyways, it is a pretty big part of my life, so i thought i would share a few of my recent shoots!

and now i am taking off for a few days to visit family in ny!

the photo shoots will have to wait till i get back!

the 2-year-old and the analogy

2011-07-30T23:13:00.000-04:00

i am working on this little project that just kind of came to me...i will share more on that as i get closer to completing it!
as i was working on it, i needed to find a notebook.
i have about 672.
not really, but pretty close.
over the years i have written a lot of (unfinished) songs, taken notes from church, and other conferences and... just journaled.

sometimes i write little devotionals with analogies that i come up with in my head.
here is one that i found that i had written back in 2003.
thought i would share it here!

The other night, my 2-year-old son called me up to his room after i had put him to bed...as he often does.
when i walked up, he looked at me with those big blue eyes and said "pray with me".

my heart melted. any irritation i had felt from running up the stairs was instantly forgotten. i sat on the floor next to his bed, and he put his little arms around me and he said "you're the best mommy".
i spent the next five minutes rubbing his head, and telling him over and over how much i loved him and how special he is to me. wouldn't any mom?

can you imagine if he had blocked his ears to tune me out while i loved on him and adored him?
he would have missed out on all those feelings of happiness and contentment!

you are God's precious child.

he loves and honors you. (isaiah 43:4)

you are tuning out all of God's praise on you when you don't spend that alone time with him!

know how much he loves you!

let him tell you!

listen to Him!

give him the chance to be next to you today and tell you over and over how much he loves you and how special you are to him!

he won't get irritated when he hears you calling Him!

*suggested reading Isaiah 40

misrepresentation

2011-07-27T22:36:00.000-04:00

i have spent a lot of time with teenagers in my life.
for the past 12 years, i have been a youth leader (sometimes with a group of other adults, sometimes just me and adam) at my church.

when i first started, my desire was to be an encouragement to the "churched" teens, in particular.
sometimes, it felt like people were so focused on helping the teens who were getting into trouble, or the ones who had gone through really hard childhoods, that they were kind of overlooking the ones who were...

i don't know how to say it...

normal?
not that i would necessarily categorize myself as normal, by any means. ha.

but you know...my parents were still married,
i was raised going to church,
i wasn't into drugs and drinking,

so i was just...

normal.

i really wanted other teenage girls, growing up in "normal" homes to understand that obeying God was the best way...i had done it! so could they!

i wanted them to know that there was still someone who was going to be there for them.
for.
like...
ever!

i had a lot of youth leaders in my life come and go.

a lot.

it seemed like (and still does, in my opinon)
that a lot of people just "do" youth group as another thing to do,
or a lot of times..

see it as a stepping stool to get to the "real" job - senior pastor! ha
so where does that leave the teens?

my goal was to be a youth leader at this church, and basically?

never stop.

so here i still am.

not really young, and cool and hip anymore, but still doing the same thing!

and i still have the desire to show teenagers that living a life that is pleasing to God is always...always the best way! no matter what other people, who are not doing so, try to convince them!

i recently heard this quote

God is misrepresented by those who don't even know Him.

when i heard it, i started getting really irritated!!

i thought..ya know what? that is so true!! how dare they?!?

people who know nothing about who God is at all...

are the ones who are saying you shouldn't believe in Him!

He is unloving,

He is unmerciful,

He is unjust,

and that's just not fair.

they don't even know him! how can they be saying that?

if someone who wasn't friends with adam tried to convince everyone around them of what a terrible person he was..i would be livid! how dare they?

it's the same with God.

if you don't know him.

maybe you shouldn't be talking bad about him!

my question is...

if not this?

then what?

if not heaven after death?
then what?

if not a creator that has a plan and purpose for my life?
then what?

what are the other options?

why AM i here?

where AM i going to be when i die?

if i have nothing to fall back on...then where does that leave me?

where do i find my answers?

JESUS is the answer.
He is the one who is the author of life, and i absolutely love the incredible peace that i can live my life with!

that is what i am going to continue to tell other teens...and other people!

and that is what i am telling you.

don't let someone's misrepresentation of who God is determine who YOU think he is!

find out for yourself.

i promise you this...

you won't be disappointed!

facebook dilema

2011-07-27T09:15:00.002-04:00

a friend of mine recently got me thinking about the question that i have heard people ask before.

how old should my kid be, before i let him get a facebook account?

seems like a valid question, right?

i mean...i feel like i am forever getting friend requests from 9 and 10-year-old kids!

while my boys have never even asked for a facebook account, i decided to do a little research.

you know, on the company rules.

this is what i found:

What is the minimum age required to sign up for Facebook?

In order to be eligible to sign up for Facebook, users must be thirteen (13) years of age or older.

well. i found that pretty interesting.

so...here's the question.

what are your views on keeping rules?

i mean, you might think i'm totally crazy and a bit extreme to be looking at it like this, but hey..
let's face it.
you already thought i was totally crazy and a bit extreme anyways!

think about it.

the rules of the company facebook say that you can't have an account unless you are 13.
so...

in order to let your child have an account, would you have to lie about their birthdate?

well then..if the rules of your child's teacher is that they can not talk without raising their hand...what does that really mean?

...if the rules of the company that they are going to work for in a few years say that you can only take 15 minute breaks...what does that really mean?

if the rules of the state of nh say that you have to be 21 before you can drink alcohol...
what does that really mean?

if you are willing to bend the rules for one thing...

how in the world will we ever know that our kids will have the discretion to not bend the rules on every single thing?

really!! where do you draw the line??

i have heard the quote

what parents do in moderation, children will do in excess.

true?

i think so.

i, for one,
want to be teaching my kids right from the start, that we are responsible to abide by rules that businesses and our government, and our SELVES have set up!

and if we bend on this...

who's to say they won't start bending on other, more "important" things!

so when your son or daughter asks you if they can have a facebook account?

how about you be the mom that says...

hey, let's check out what the rules are, and go from there.
i mean, after all...
a rule is a rule.

and don't we want our kids to be keeping the rules?

for their own good?

i know i do!

*oh, and if they try the...every other 10-year-old has one?
i give you permission to drop my name...and my 10-year-old that does NOT have one!

let's work together, moms...to be raising responsible, respectful kids!!

ronnie

2011-07-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

i know everyone calls him ron now,
but he's still ronnie to me.

and probably always will be.

and of course, bobbi likes to make me look like a mean sister-in-law by hacking into my facebook :)
but it was pretty funny, and clearly, she found it hysterical...as seen in the picture below! haha!

he's always been a great little brother...

well, except for the times when i used to babysit him,

and he hated me. but after that...

♥

flash from the past

2011-07-25T19:00:00.002-04:00

this always makes me smile to hear this little tiny voice.
ry always hated shopping...still does!

can't get enough

2011-07-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

of her cuteness!!

my brother, bobbi and lilla came to visit this weekend, and i couldn't resist getting a few shots of my gorgeous niece!

we're havin' a heat waaavve...

2011-07-22T15:09:00.000-04:00

so incredibly super hot here!

very thankful that we have some amazing friends who let us use their pool today!
the boys had a blast (and so did i!)

thank you john and liz!

i heart faces {props}

2011-07-19T21:14:00.000-04:00

a few things i love about the lake

2011-07-13T18:35:00.000-04:00

the boys get lots of fresh air

i get to sit in the sun, read, and watch the boys play together
(and lose to a game of rock, paper, scissors off the dock!)

they aren't asking me for a snack every 10 minutes

it's free

(this is aj playing the trumpet and "falling off") ha

it takes us all away from reality for a little bit

reading

2011-07-13T13:12:00.000-04:00

the other day, we found out that tdbank has a summer reading program.
if your child reads 10 books this summer, they will deposit 10.00 into a savings account for them!

as soon as riley heard that, he decided that he would be a reader.

keep in mind, he has HATED reading.

really.

last week, i opened my bedroom door to find this.

what???
that's all it took??

for now...

2011-07-12T20:06:00.000-04:00

i had to share this

and this...

i will share more about our day at alton bay later.

i hate religion

2011-07-12T06:40:00.001-04:00

seriously.
religion really irritates me.

i'm not trying to be judgmental towards religious people, but there is just something about it.

a few weeks ago, i got a new keyboard.
it is so nice!
weighted keys.
headphones.
it is amazing, and i LOVE it.

i have not had a piano ever since we moved to epping 5 years ago, and i have missed it so much!

anyways.

when we bought it, i came home and opened up the enormous box, and out fell all the little pieces.
the stand
the pedals
the screws...

and everything else.

along with it was an instruction manual.

directly from casio.
mr. casio himself.
(actually, turns out the technical name is カシオ計算機株式会社...but whatever.)

so. i started reading the manual.

it made sense.

you know, once i flipped through the 27 pages of other languages!

and there it was.

step 1.
step 2.
etc. etc.

i really didn't have a problem reading through it.
and following the instructions.

i mean, i really wanted to play the keyboard.
i was so excited about it, that i actually made sure i followed the steps exactly.

it didn't even cross my mind to disgustedly throw the manual down,
and start saying...i can not believe these close-minded, know-it-all inventors.

who in the world do they think they are to try and tell me how to put together my keyboard??
this is just full of rules, rules, rules.
don't put this screw in first, do put the left side on first...enough already!

i also didn't start questioning who really created this keyboard.
i mean...i wasn't there when it was made!
who's to say there wasn't an explosion in japan and all of a sudden.
voila.
a keyboard!

are you starting to pick up what i'm laying down?

why is that a common reaction with people who pick up a Bible?

why can't it just be thought of as...

i know i didn't create myself.

i am waay too complex to have just appeared thanks to an explosion (which came from...??)

so what else is there to do than to believe that God created me?
and along with that...gave a manual.

you know, an instruction manual.

not filled with rules, rules, rules.

but filled with instructions to make sure that i am put together properly.
and that i function the way i was created and designed to function!

so. yes.

i hate religion. i hate being accused of being religious.

i love that i have a relationship with a real God.
who is kind enough to give me directions on how to put my life together.

so that when i follow step 1, step 2 and step 3.

i, like my keyboard, can play beautiful music.

the opposite of fear

2011-07-11T22:47:00.000-04:00

i remember my junior year of college...

laying in my bed and playing this song over and over.

i don't know why i loved it so much, but i remember just laying in my bed crying as me and my roommates listened to it!

i remember thinking about the part that says...

rest easy
have no fear
i love you perfectly
love drives out fear

there is a verse in 1 John 4:18 that says this

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear...

i have contemplated this verse so many times.
i have never thought of love as the opposite of fear!
i would maybe think of courage as driving out fear.
or bravery.
or strength.

but love?

why love?

this is it.

God is love.

our definition of love comes from who God is!

if we feel unloved, the thing that we are comparing how we should be feeling to...

is God's love!!

God's love is perfect.

if we realize that God loves us perfectly...

is always kind and patient,

doesn't keep a record of my sins,

always wants good for me, never gives up and never ends?

and this love.
from a God that is unchanging and unsurpassably powerful.

towards me...

tell me this.

what in the world could i possible be fearful of?

and that explains my question!

resting in a love like this

leaves me with a peace that can not be explained

and the fear

is

gone.

whatever you are afraid of right now....

compare it to the love that an amazing Father has for you.

and tonight?

rest easy.

because the opposite of fear?

is love.

and not just any love!

God's love!

track meets and multiple pictures

2011-07-09T00:13:00.000-04:00

aj's track meet was wednesday

we were planning to be there the entire day, so riley brought his playmobile stuff to keep him busy!

ruthie was nice enough to play with him to make him happy!

isn't she beautiful?

i love her.

aj did great in his events and qualified for the state competition in all three!

our friends from church competed too, so it was fun to get to watch them!

hannah was sweet enough to do a "race" with riley, since he is not old enough to be on the team yet!

it was a LONG day, so we treated the boys by taking them to our favorite place to swim

i think they had a little bit of fun!!

tonight was the state finals.

our friend jeremiah competed in the mile, and he did great!

aj could only compete in 2 events, and since he qualified for 3, he got to choose which ones he wanted to do. he chose the softball throw and the long jump.

my parents and bryce came to watch...

my boys are very blessed to have people in their lives that love them so much.
my mom got a little excited with the cheering!! (which i loved)

*sorry i forgot to get pictures with you, mom and dad!

aj got his best jump ever - 6'8".

he came in 2nd place in both events!
we are so proud of him...

not only because he is very gifted athletically,
but because he is a sensitive, godly boy who wants to please God with everything he does.

i love my aj!

i'll start on monday...

2011-07-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

oh, monday.

it's crazy that i always have such high hopes and expectations for you!
it's not really your fault.
i mean, it's not like you asked to be the first day of the week...

and actually, oddly enough...you really AREN'T the first day of the week!

but then poor little, old sunday.

the day of doing everything that i swear i won't do as soon as the next morning arrives.

when technically? i should be starting these resolutions on your day!

i think i've always done this -

i've sworn that starting monday,

-i will stop eating the way i am.
-i will start running again
-i will be a stronger pray-er
-i will...i will...i will.

ahhh...when does it end?

and what's so bad about wednesday?

maybe i can start on wednesday this time... eating right, and all those other things.

so this week i'll start on wednesday.

right after i finish those m-n-m's, and all that chinese food in the kitchen.

i mean, after all...i can't let it all go to waste.

what kind of a person would i be?

here's to starting on wednesday!

4th of july

2011-07-04T16:56:00.000-04:00

enjoying a little cooking out on this 4th of july!

we got to celebrate with bryce this year! he is getting better every day!
it is just amazing to watch this miraculous healing.
so thankful!

boys + sunshine + water = happiness

2011-07-03T16:02:00.000-04:00

our last day at mel's was super hot, so we went to a little lake nearby, and were happy to find out that we were the only ones there!

(nothing to avert the eyes from...what an unusual and sweet relief! ha!)

perfect way to spend the morning.

just perfect.