F-I-V-E

Can you believe it? I have a FIVE year old? Time has sure flown by, but I've cherished every moment and look forward to more....

Dear Joshua Eric,

My heart grows with joy every time I look into your eyes and see the wonder and love in you. I see how you have compassion, are gentle, and speak with genuine love towards others. These are precious characteristics in you. You were created for a purpose. I know. I prayed for you.

We named you "Joshua" - which means "warrior for Christ". And that you are. You are bold in your faith already. You reflect Christ's character to everyone who meets you because you have His tender-heartedness.

I love being your mommy. I love that you still crawl up into my lap and give me "butterfly kisses" and tell me that you'll never be too old to be my "cuddle bug". I love the young boy you've become and the leader God is shaping your young heart to be. I love you....

I have so many words to write, but none will compare to the way you make my heart leap when you run up to me after school and jump into my arms to say, "Mommy, I missed you today."

Ki-Ya!

We're a month into school..... and it feels like it we are loving all the things we get to do! One of the "enrichment" activities Josh is in is Karate. He has it Monday's after classes (so he's VERY tired on these days, being in school from 8:30am to 4:15pm), and on Friday mornings. Yesterday, he earned a white stripe on his belt! I think you need two or three stripes to move up in rank. At any rate, he is not only doing well, but is having a BLAST!

The coolest thing is that he practices right below my classroom in the gym. It happens to also be when I am switching math classes, so I brought my camera to sneak a quick video of him in action:

Courageous

I love the movies by the Kedrick Brothers. Fireproof, Facing the Giants, and Flywheel. When I heard they were making a new movie, Courageous, I couldn't wait. Our radio station, KSBJ has contests and they had one to win four tickets to a private screening a week before the release date.

I called....

and yesterday,

I won!

So Jason, myself and my dad and his wife are going to see the movie on Thursday evening.....

Awesome.

Here's the trailer of the movie.....


Doesn't it look good!!! Can't wait to write about it and let you all know!

Nature Walk {Picture Blog}

One of the great things about attending a UMS school is that on Tuesday's and Thursday's you have enriching assignments to compliment the work done at school and to reinforce what teachers teach. One of Joshie's assignments today was in Science. He's been learning about the difference between living and non-living things. So his Science assignment was to go on a nature walk and find three living things and three non-living things. This is what we found as we walked to the mailbox:

"Going on a nature walk was sure fun! I can't wait until I'm big enough to do it too!" ~Jayden

Cherish...Embrace...Love...

I cherish my kids

I embrace them every chance I get - rocking them at bed time, holding them on the couch during a movie, sitting with one on my lap while I type...

I love them with all that I have. I never knew what it was like to really love until I had kids. It's a sacrificial love. An unconditional love. And yet it doesn't even measure up to the love of Christ.

I hate being away from any of my kids and feel "incomplete" when one of them is gone at a friend's house. And then I think how God must feel about us and that our time here is short. How are you spending it waiting for His return?

Ouch!

This is what happened at Kroger while she was coming out of the bathroom and the door got a hold of her toe.

Jenna-Girl

My sweet little girl just gets more and more precious each day.....  <3