Disneyland Vacation

A few months ago Matthew and I decided that we needed to have some fun and have something to look forward to, so we splurged and planned a Disneyland vacation. We went a couple weeks ago now, but of course, it's taken this long for me to post it on my blog:) Matthew worked very hard and spoiled us with being able to stay at the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland.It was very nice and so convienent for us to come and go to the parks as we wanted. We were there 5 days and nights and had a blast!! Here are the views we had of California Adventure Park from our room...Benjamin wanted to hug every character we saw, but as you can see, Jake took one picture with Winnie the Pooh and that was it for him...Jake's Favorite Things...Rock climbing at California AdventureAnd of course the Train (Jake loves trains!) We were so proud of Jake as he conquered some of his fears and went on Splash Mountain with Daddy and Big Thunder Mountain with Mommy, but that was the last of the big rides all week for him:)Ben's Favorite Things...McQueen & MaterPouting because he had to wait in line to see Lightning McQueenHe loved the Carousel and Circus Train too. Our fearless one wanted to go on everything, but was so frustrated when he was too short to. We will have to go back in a couple years so he can go on everything:)We didn't get to see many friends or family on this trip as we were busy at Disneyland, but we did get some precious time with our good friends, the Vogels. I like to call them our "kindred spirits". We love them and miss them so much and so thankful we were able to spend some time with them. Crystal also took our family pictures while we were down there. You can see that I've put a few of them on my blog design...she is amazing!:)www.crystalvogelphotography.comIt was so hot that day we had to take a break and cool off in It's a Small WorldSomething cool that happened was while we were waiting on the Steamboat, the Captain came to us and asked if the boys wanted to steer the boat. So both of them took turns steering the big steamboat around Tom Sawyer's Island and pulling the horn and bell. The boys loved it!We had a great time as a family creating special memories and so thankful to the Lord for allowing us to get away and have some fun together!

Soccer Mom

I am officially a "Soccer Mom". I think since the day Jake could throw or kick a ball, he has been waiting for this day:) He definitely has his father's athletic abilities. He just started playing soccer and had his first game this past Saturday. It was so much fun for him and for us:) Although he is one of the littlest ones on his team and still a bit lost in the game, he is out there running back and forth the entire time with the biggest smile on his face. It was kind of weird for me to see him out there and know that he is big enough now to play sports...makes me kind of sad that he is growing up so fast! I know it sounds silly, but it's the truth:)He made sure to wave at us a couple times during the gameBenjamin wants to be out there playing so bad. This was at Jake's first practice and Ben had to put on Jake's new uniform during practice and playEthan our nephew is on Jake's team this year, so that makes it even more fun for them and us

Sharing My Heart

As I look at the date of my last post, it has been 4 months since I have blogged!! I guess I'm not a very good blogger:) Truth is so much has gone on in our lives these last 4 months, but a lot of things I just didn't feel led to share on my blog. My life just in this past year has gone through more difficult things than I think in all my 30 years of life. The Lord is continuing to show Himself faithful to us as He always does and is carrying us through, stretching us and in the end we will be made stronger than ever:) As He is the potter and I am the clay, I feel like He has spun me around and around and I am just waiting for this season in my life to finally stop spinning and become a beautiful vessel. The Lord has just reminded me this morning in Isaiah 45:22...

"Look to Me, and be saved,
All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other."

Oswald Chambers says on this verse, "Rouse yourself up and look unto God. Build your hope on Him, no matter if there are a hundred and one things that press, resolutely exclude them all and look to Him. 'Look unto Me,' and salvation is, the moment you look."

That is exactly what I have had to do everyday lately, even several times a day...look unto Him. That moment that I look to Him, my problems and trials are no longer in front of me, but I am saved!

God is so faithful! Today Matthew and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary!! I am so thankful for Matthew and for the Lord blessing me with the perfect man for me. They say that going through difficult things in your life as you are married can either make you or break you. I couldn't imagine having those things break us as those difficulties in both our lives this year have only drawn us closer than ever and closer to the Lord through them. He is my best friend and I love him with all my heart! Thank you Lord for being so faithful to us these last 8 years!!

Our Prayer Jar

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18Our family started a new tradition...our prayer jar. We've been doing it for a couple months now and it has been such a blessing in our lives. I have done a couple prayer jars in the past, but this is the first that we have done as a family. We put the names of our family and friends on a small piece of paper and fold them up and put them in our prayer jar. Every week we have the boys each pick one name out of the jar and we pray for those two families everyday all week. The boys get so excited on the night that they get to pick out a new family. We then send those families a card letting them know that we have been praying for them that week. It has been so awesome to see the Lord work through this little prayer jar. We've had several of those people that we've sent the cards to come up to us and thank us and tell us how much it encouraged them and that it was the perfect week to pray for them because of what was happening that specific week in their lives. It has been so encouraging to us to hear those stories. It is a great opportunity to teach our boys the importance of praying for others and at the same time teach them how to pray. We pray for those families everytime we pray throughout the day. It melts my heart to hear my boys praying and growing in their prayer lives since we've started this. The Lord put it on my heart to share this on my blog last night as I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep:) Hopefully it will encourage you and possibly you can also start a prayer jar with your family and witness for yourselves the power of prayer in your family and the lives of your loved ones!