Do you know, O Christian?

You're a sermon in shoes!!!

Kyria's choir class

one more month and she'll be too old

for the 3-4-5 year old class...

and then Anya will be entering it!!

WOW

and Kyria READING

to her baby sister...

sweet moments

(oh, and pardon all the toys... )

basket ball & other fun

This past Monday, our school basketball team played the staff men... + a couple church men as we didn't have enough staff for any kind of rotation. Of course, we went and cheered OUR team on!

--GO, DADDY, GO--

Anya - crazy girl

Mikalah was tired already... it started at her naptime

so, she had to go see Daddy where they were stretching...

don't you just love those knee chubs?

It is getting harder to keep her covered... she is growing taller so quickly!

and, he had to hold her (for good-luck, you know

-oh, wait.... we don't believe in luck!)

warming up

takin' a practice shot

and another - good follow through

got their numbers on

well... you all probably know more of what's going on than I really do...

I was never a good basketball girl

but there were some pretty intense plays

everyone is looking up at the ball

and IN it goes!! for the "old" team...

yep, that's what some of the students called them

Mikalah was sooo tired by the end

oh yes, and the final score was 61-60 ("old" guys)

fast forward to Wednesday....

I am sick... so, Mikalah is still in her PJs

But the weather was SOOO beautiful that I could not deny my girlies some sunshine for a bit. When they came in, they looked like this!

"who you callin' dirty?"

"but, I'm not dirty, Momma"

(she REALLY said that to me!)

just before they got in the tub!

and the "seat" of the situation

and now, Friday.... Mikalah tore a page in a book. I taped it.

and then.... I left the room.

I came back to find that Anya had ALSO taped it!

side view - wow... that's alot of fixin'!

Thankfully, this tape peeled up easily with no more destruction to the book.

I am still a bit ill, but feeling better. My throat feels horrible - but I'm praying some more gargling (yuck) and rest will help. Today was another beautiful day and the girls played outside much of the morning, but they did not get quite as dirty as the other day! It's gotten up to 70 most of the week... but alas, it will be in the 50's the next couple days. We have Spring Break next week - YEAH! maybe we'll make it to the park or a friends house.

turning 30!

So, today is my birthday.

And I want to share my thoughts

on this supposedly auspicious occasion...

So now I'm in the same number family as my hubby (Kyria pointed that out - lol). I thought that was pretty cute! He's been there for a couple years. I've heard of some people completely dreading turning *30* because, well, not sure why. But I'm pretty sure most of the reasons are not valid. And, while I understand the politeness of not asking people their age, I have never had a problem telling people how old I am. I'm excited to be 30....

When I was a kid, I had dreams of what I thought my life would look like - at 30 - like my life would be over by then-lol. I figured I'd be married. I desired to marry a man in full-time Christian service. I wanted my parents to approved of and love the man I married. I had a desire to be working/helping in a church -a great church- with my husband. My heart's desire was to have a family to teach of Jesus and raise to be Godly.

And now - I'm 30. Getting here didn't happen in all the ways I thought it would. But I'm here. And the greatest desires of my heart are in progress. I didn't happen overnight - but now that I'm here, it feels like it! There may be a few things I wanted to do and didn't... but now that I'm on the other side - it doesn't matter. And I don't have a desire to do them anymore - or to even have done them (except for doing what I did better). God has only been good. He has given me the desires of my heart (sometimes by changing my desire...); I'm sure there will be more and greater difficulties to come than what I have already encountered. But God has taught me to trust Him.

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One of the ways God taught me to trust Him was through watching my parents trust Him... through so much! ---So, if you are a parent - remember that whatever the Lord is teaching you, He is teaching your children at the same time. Even if you feel like your family isn't involved in the deepest part of your heart that is learning His lessons, they see the results - and what happened along the way. Now that I am a parent, I see this on the other side. I know my reactions are not always as they should be; and my children have learned things things from me that I do not like! but it is my responsibility to change (only with God's help!!) and apologize when I am wrong and teach my children the right way.

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Being the woman God wants me to be is an ongoing work-in-progress. But I have it on good authority that it always will be. For now -at 30- I look at my life. And take stock. I have a wonderful husband who loves God and loves me and loves our children (I love you, John!!). My parents love him (and approved). His parents love us. I have 3 beautiful children that are learning to love God and (while stubborn) do have soft hearts for doing right. My oldest has already accepted Christ as her Savior! We serve together as a family in a great church that has become our extended family (as both sides of our family live very far away). I have seen God's hand at every turn in my life. And I know He will continue to guide as we turn to Him.

So, all in all, being 30 isn't bad. Those older will laugh at that comment. But there are still those younger who think their life will be over by then - and really - it's not. Life will continue to ebb and flow. And (as God helps me) I will continue to praise God through the good and bad. I'm excited to see what happens in the next 30 years... and it will happen even faster than the first...

she's still *5* - right?

While I was making supper last night, Kyria came into the kitchen with her strawberry-shortcake additions flashcards and told me she was going to tell some answers to me. (The flashcards have numbers on one side (with no answer) and representative pictures on the other side - with the answer.) I said sure-- thinking, "I can surely keep up with her, she's 5."

so - how fast can you read this?

9 + 6 = 15

8 + 5 = 13

7 + 8 = 15

5 + 1 = 6

4 + 7 = 11

9 + 9 = 18

And that's how fast she was saying it!! I turned around to tell her she needed to not look at the answers... and she WASN'T! I had to ask her to slow down - cause Mommy just wasn't thinking that fast today (um.. eVeR!).... and she just kept going!

She's *5*.

Really, she is!