Baptism and this past week!

After Carson accepted Jesus into his heart a few weeks ago, Kane and I started talking to him about getting baptized. We talked to him a bit about what it was and we read about John the Baptist in scripture.

Because we have been doing this whole two-church thing for a whole year now, we decided we would give Carson 100% choice as to where he would get baptized-at "home/old church" where we still attend on Wednesdays, or "new church" where we attend on Sundays for the service and Sunday School. Without any hesitation, he chose new church. We asked him a few more times in the days following, and he was pretty adamant about the pastor at new church baptizing him...so new church it was! 

Today was the big day: he was a bit nervous, but also SO excited!

The funny thing about technology is that we have the ability to capture/record any and all memories that we choose...but at the same time, it really distracts us from being in the moment. I didn't record the baptism simply because I wanted to enjoy the moment in real time. I did manage to snap just a couple of pictures, though :)

  

After church, my parents along with Kane's mom and sister went to grab lunch with us! It's always interesting eating with these crazies!

And this is what Grant thought about getting his picture made with Harp! haha!

Kane and me with Carson-the sun was in his face :)

And an attempt at a family picture...these just keep getting worse and worse! ha!

We've had a busy July so far! This past week we had VBS at new church and this week, Kane's oldest brother, wife & kids will be here visiting! 

All for now!

child of the one true King.

Just wanted to drop in and write a few lines on my "journal" to document such an important part of Carson's life. Tonight, Carson asked Jesus into his heart! 

He's been asking questions for months now...Kane and I have had several discussions about whether or not he actually understood the gravity of the decision he was about to make. It's so hard, because you DON'T want to deter him from God (Luke 18:16), but you also pray that it is a genuine commitment. 

Carson moved up to the "big kids" class on Sunday mornings at new church (yes, we're still doing the two church thing :/ anyways, he has been reading his bible and asking a lot of questions lately. Things have been really starting to click for him. He may only be 6, but he was ready.

I held my breath when they made an invitation at VBS tonight for kids who want to be saved. I watched the little faces walk by me, but didn't see Carson (or Harpers). Those invitations always scare me-I don't want my boys to follow the other children just because. You know? The music started back up and several minutes later, I could see Carson shuffling his little feet back and forth. He tapped his leader on the shoulder, (C: "is it too late to go to the back and pray?") He left the pew and started walking, Harp following close behind. Kane walked with Carson into the fellowship hall, I grabbed Harp in the hallway. Me: "Harp-do you wanna go talk with them about Jesus, or do you want to go back in the sanctuary with me and sing?" Harp: "Sing!" :) haha!! 

Kane told me he was given a small group of boys along with Carson (He's an RA leader still) to talk and pray with. Afterwards, Carson told Kane he wanted to pray and become a Christian. So Kane and Carson walked into a quiet room (the church library) and with his earthly daddy, my sweet boy asked his heavenly Father into his heart. 

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I have no idea why in the world God would entrust Kane and I with such an amazing blessing that Carson is. At barely 19 years old, WE-in all of our selfishness and sin-became parents to such an amazing child who changed our lives and continues to do so now, 6 years later. 

We are SO proud, and our hearts are SO full! 

Our Year In Review

**you can click the links to take you to the original post**

**you can check out 2011's year-in-review by clicking here**

One word that would describe 2012 for our family would be change. 

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In a nutshell, our year looked something like this:

-2012 started off with our oldest son turning 5. 

-Followed by the birth of our sweet baby Grant.

-Soon after, we let our family and friends know about some health concerns surrounding baby boy.

-Harper turned four in April!

-Grant was officially diagnosed with Goldenhar Syndrome.

-Grant had surgery to remove his skin tags & we were so excited to see what he looked like post-op!

-When prompted by God, our family ventured out to a new church. 

-In June, Kane and I celebrated 5 years of marriage!

-Carson lost his first tooth! Such an exciting milestone for him! Right after that, he lost another!

-In August, Carson started Kindergarten!

-Then the following week, Harp started Pre-school!

-We saw a team of Craniofacial doctors who evaluated Grant.

-I wrote a post-which I eventually took down (not even going to get into why)-that was really the start of our transition out of "old church" into "new church." New church has been so wonderfully refreshing & renewing for our family-specifically for Kane and me. As much as we have/will miss the wonderful people of RCBC, we know that new church is where we need to be right now.

-The last few months have been consumed with sick babies, classroom activities, and more sicklings.

-We celebrated Christmas!

Our lives have changed so much this year. We have stepped out of our safe zone, and have been allowing God to lead us to the faith zone. It is there that growth will happen. So much change can be unsettling, but we are learning to cling to our Father. 

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a glimpse at 2012:

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As 2013 is upon us, I expect this new year to be one of growth for our family. Join us in praying for just that.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:18

Another tooth & VBS

Whew, life has been SO busy. Between the usual summer activities, the back to school shopping, and VBS, we have been going. 

In the mist of it all, Carson lost his second tooth! (August 2). Right after he lost his first tooth, he complained about his other tooth hurting while he ate. I forgot to check his mouth, and a few days later he mentioned it again-I checked and his tooth was SO loose! Just two weeks after losing his first tooth, his second came out!

We also had VBS last week. We have been going to a new church on Sundays for church and Sunday school, & Wednesdays at our church-I know the set up is not conventional, but it works for now. 

Anyways, as usual, Kane was in charge of the outdoor games for the big kids, and I led a group in the pre-school department. This particular group of kids (the 4 year olds) are VERY spirited :) Actually, my Harper is apart of said group. Enough said?

So as they were going buck wild at one point, I realized that this is the same group Bethany and I did a few years back! So funny to see how much they have grown-obviously there are some new faces, and some missing :( 

And just for fun, here are some comparison shots of VBS 2010 &2012. 

Carson (age 3 & 5)

Harper (age 2 & 4)

I can't believe how grown they look now! It makes this heart hurt a little bit. 

And I can't leave this little guy out-he is working on cutting his second tooth and it has NOT been fun for anyone involved! 

How can anyone not smile when they see this face!?

a simple prayer...

Yesterday, the boys and I were going to head over to see Baby Annlyn and "Aunt Aleah," but didn't after finding out poor Annlyn was constipated (ie. fussy baby and exhausted mama).

I told Carson about it, and after his initial response (read: tantrum) he calmed down. He looked over at me and asked sweetly, "Mama, can we pray for baby Annlyn?"

Me: "Of course, Carson!"

I watched as my sweet babies got down on their knees and bowed their heads.

Carson: "umm...Dear Jesus...please take care of baby Annlyn and make her feel better. And...umm...please keep her safe....{pause}...from da big bad wolf. Amen."

Sweet. Innocent. Rotten.

dwell on this...

good reads...

I've read two really good blog posts today that I thought I'd share on here (mainly so that I can look at them again soon!)

Storing Up Treasures: What does it look like?

and

Bring the Rain: Lamb

Both will only take a few minutes to read...Enjoy!

You HAVE to watch this!!!

I saw this on Facebook today (thanks MIL!) and thought it was h.i.l.a.r.i.o.u.s. And very true...Ya'll just have to watch it (it's only about a minute or so long!) Enjoy!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

couldn't be prouder...

The boys absolutely LOVE their Wednesday night class at church. They learned John 3:16, so I recorded Carson (Harpers still working on it) reciting the verse. I recorded it with my cell phone, so the quality is really poor (as your about to see!) so turn your volume up and enjoy! :)

ps. Harp (on the right) just had to be in the video too, so just politely ignore him :)

the scent of Mary's worship

I read Angie Smith's "I Will Carry You" a few weeks ago and read something that really stuck out to me, so I thought I'd share.

A chapter in the book was dedicated to the story of Lazarus. Now truthfully, I've read that passage several times over the years and even though I understood the significance of the resurrection, I never really "dug deeper" into the story. 

As everyone knows, a celebration was held in honor of Jesus' resurrection of Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary. At one point during the feast, Mary (without regard to the lavish scent or expense) shattered a bottle of perfume, pulled her hair down (which was not culturally appropriate for Jewish women to do in public), and dipped her hair in the perfume, anointing Jesus' feet. Just days later is when Jesus was crucified.

Now heres the part that really stuck out to me...

Angie writes, "the scent of the perfume surely would have been on His skin a few days later when He was beaten and crucified. So, in essence, every time a Roman soilder's whip hit Him, the scent of Mary's worship was released and rose all around him; a reminder of who He was."

Pretty amazing. And theres more...

After Mary watched the crucifixion, she probably wandered the streets in sorrow, mourning the death of her Savior. But here is the part that I have never considered before. 

"Everywhere she went, every step of the way, she was followed. Every person she came into contact with, every stranger who saw her cry, every home she entered was being filled with something intangible, a gift that would be with her for many days to come. It was the scent of love for her Savior, and it was caught in her hair."

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

Proverbs 19:21

imperfection

i am an imperfect wife. an imperfect mother. and most certainly an imperfect christian.

when i think back over the past 5 years of my life, i cannot help but be stunned at the events that have occurred, and they would appear to anyone as imperfect.

you see about 5 years ago, i had my whole life waiting for me. i was on top of the world; great friends. great boyfriend. an acceptance letter in my hand. i was floating. and then i woke up to reality, and quickly began to drown.

two weeks before graduation, i found out i was pregnant. shock. disbelief. fear. anger. i really could not wrap my mind around what that meant. everything i had ever worked for was gone. just like that. or so i thought in my immature and unprepared 18 year old mind.  

by my 19th birthday, i was a mom. to the most beautiful, squishy, blue-eyed little boy in the world. and i was married. even so, i couldn't help but think, not exactly how i thought this year would go.

by my 20th birthday, i was a mom again to another gorgeous, chubby, serene little boy. even then, i would look around at the chaos in my life, still in disbelief.

the following year, kane and i separated. for nine months of my life, i was lost. in shock. hollow. depressed. but i have never in my life felt so close to God. i had more faith during that time in my life than i could have ever imagined. and even though i would never want to re-experience that time in my life, i am so grateful for it as well. because it has taught me a lifetime of lessons. it has strengthened my marriage. and my relationship with God.

and now, present day, it still shocks me that this is my life. my imperfect life.

as i said before, i am an imperfect christian. i forget to read my bible. i most certainly do not always exhibit Christ-like behavior. i am not always pleasant to be around. [especially on mondays]. but something that i do think that i am good at is having faith. believe me when i say, i have a lot of faith.

i am learning that regardless of how much i plan and plot, God has already prepared my path. i'm curious as to how the next 5 years of my life will be like. almost a little nervous. but i will [try to] remember to hold onto what i know. and i know faith.

so even though my life may seem imperfect, i think that God may just see it all as flawless-because it has all happened according to His plan.