(this was posted on 2-16-2010 but Natalie’s birthday is on 2-17)

Happy 10th Birthday Natalie!!  I can’t believe you are ten, time flies.  You are such a blessing to our family.  From your smile, to your laugh, to the sparkle in your eyes, we adore you!  You have touched so many lives and I know that God has a mighty plan in store for you.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Your life has been a journey, one that has taught me how to love with my whole being.  You have taught me perseverance, compassion, gentleness, patience and how to advocate for others!  In one tear I  think of how your life would have been but in the next tears I have tremendous joy that floods my heart for you.  You are my precious firstborn and I love you so much.  I thank God for you.  You are a trooper in this life but know that in the next life where you will be whole, you girly will have many rewards.  I can’t wait to see you run, dance, skip, speak, sing praises to Jesus and wrap my arms around you holding you for forever!  I know  you will find me taking  me to the feast table showing  me all the different foods and we are gonna have a meal,  making up for what you missed out on.  We are gonna have a BLAST with our KING!!

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

We CELEBRATE you Natalie, may God bless you every day of your life.  I firmly believe that you have a special connection with Jesus.  Your light shines for HIM!! 

so smart in mommy's glasses

Sept. 7, 2001; 9 days prior to Natalie's brain injury

2002

Christmas 2003

2004

2005

2006 (one of my favorites)

 

2007

valentines 2008

2009

2010...look at that hair!

 

 Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Hi friends,

We are well into the new year, 2010, can you believe it.  Where did the decade go?  I follow a few blogs and Kelly over at Kelly’s Korner is doing this fun Show Us How You Live topic.  This months topic is New Year Resolutions or what I like to call “goals”.  So let’s share!  You can click on the link above to get to Kelly’s blog. 

Five goals for 2010:

1.  Regular date nights with my hubby.  We have let this go and life get’s ahead of us.  You can get so wrapped up in the day to day stuff and before you know it another month, year or decade is gone. 

2.  Develop a quiet time.  This is an ongoing goal of mine.  I really want to cut out time to fellowship, praise and dig into God’s word.  I want to grow patience allowing God to stretch me in adventures that I believe he has for me.  I desire to follow God’s lead in my life, doing his will, being a faithful follower.  Be and have kindness and gentleness reside in my heart so I can model to my daughters what it means to have compassion towards others and teach Phoebe self control.

3.  Work out three times a week.  I am a mom of young children and I don’t want to place un-necessary pressure on myself.  As long as I am eating healthy and getting in my 3 workouts I am good with that. 

4.  I want to read more.  I love to read.  I don’t get the chance often but I want to start a book club or something.  This allows me to slow down and take some time to myself.  Plus it helps your kids.  When they see you reading you can tell them to go and get a book.  Reading is food for your brain!

5.  I want to discover me.  This is the biggest one for me.  Jesus made me like he wanted me and I have lived in bondage thinking I don’t measure up.  This is such a lie and I want to break free.  I want to see what I like and what I enjoy and be the true me.  I believe many gals have these chains because let’s be real..we all want others to like us and think we are special.  The one that I want to impress by being who he created me to be is Christ.  There is something in each of us that only we possess and we need to discover it, unlock it and use it so that we can work for God’s kingdom. 

6.  Okay I said to list five but I have another one.  I want to be a better mom.  I want to take the time out of my busy life to truly disciple my children.  Who else will do it and who else would I want to do it?  Once again it boils down to being disciplined with TIME.  Making sure we are not allowing BUSYto get us. You know the acronym for BUSY is: being under Satan’s yoke.  The evil one keeps us busy so we can’t develop our quiet time, spend time with our husband,  deepening our marriage, disciple our children according to God’s truth and not of this world, build friendships and on and on.  He likes to isolate us or keep us running all the time and than her has our minds for a playground and boy does he have fun!  Be aware of his schemes.  Be on the lookout! 

So there is my list for 2010.  What do you have on your’s?

I hope you and your family have had a blessed Christmas!  We serve such a marvelous, miraculous, loving, forgiving, gracious God.  Our home was filled with laughter and relaxation Christmas day.  We received the Toy Story Mania Wii game.  Watching Elliott and Phoebe play this game was a hoot.  For one,  Phoebe does not like to loose.  We are working on that whole winner/loosing thing.  The funny part was seeing them hopping around swinging their arms, shooting targets.  The game is themed off the ride at Disney, which is 3-D.  It is really a fun ride, Natalie loved it.  The games and levels are things like, throwing pies, throwing balloons, catching fish from a pond.   Natalie received a Nerf gun.  We had fun with that.  Phoebe received a dog…yep the best kind.  They are called FurReal.  It came in a purse.  Doesn’t need to be fed, let outside or see the vet..awesome!  Natalie received lots of girly things..hair clips, lipglosses. 

As another year comes to a close I hope you take time to praise and pray to Jesus.  Praise him for answered and unanswered prayers.  Praise him for who HE is.  Praise Him with all your heart, soul and mind.  Be in deep prayer regarding the new year.  What can you do to make your walk with Christ deeper?  What can you bury to make you more like Christ?  Think about where Christ has taken you this 2009.  As you think about this I ask that you take 8 minutes out of your day and watch this powerful..and I mean powerful video.  My question to you is “WHAT WOULD YOU WRITE?”

Are tears running down your face?  Is your heart racing?  Do you know what you would write?  God is awesome!  He is in the business of redeeming lives.  How cool is that!!  We live in such an evil world and bad things do happen and we go astray,  but I know for a fact that Christ will always bring glory out of despair and hard times. We just have to allow him.  Be open and willing to where he leads.  Be obedient.  God is always there, waiting, hugging on us.  We might not feel it, but he is.  He cries when we do.  He doesn’t like to see us in a pit.  He wants to take us farther, grow us.  Will you allow him to do that in 2010? 

Have a great week.  If you can and are okay I would love to see what you would write.  You can do it anonymously!  Take a moment to Praise God.  Turn that worship music on, get out of your seat and raise those hands.  What do you think heaven will be like…come on..you know it sounds fun!!

We save money so we can get that one special gift.  We go to tons of  stores searching for that one special gift.   We can’t find that one special gift.  UGH!  The stores are packed with people all looking for that one special gift.  This time of year we get into a mood that we should have all year long.  Giving special, thoughtful, loving gifts.  It doesn’t have to come from a store.  It could be a card, a meal, helping someone who is under the weather clean up their home.  Swapping childcare with a mom whose hubby is gone alot.  A cup of coffee with a new mom who is lonely and needs a friend. 

I am going to pose a question that I hope you really ponder on for a while.  You know why don’t you go get you something to drink, coffee, tea, water, a soft drink, and I will wait for ya…go on..get a snack if you need one.  Okay..so here is the question.  What gift are you going to give Jesus this Christmas?  I will give you a minute.  (the Jeopardy tune is playing in my mind..is it in yours?)  Will it be, more time with Him, reading your bible daily, a better prayer life, serving others more, getting involved in church, forgiveness,  repenting from sin in your life.  Think about this, Christ came to earth as a baby when he could have come as a KING, what he is.  God sent his son, humbly to live as we do, to serve us and to in the end give the ultimate gift..salvation through death on the cross.  I really want to pray about what I am going to give to Jesus and I am going to write it in my bible so I can remind myself of it. 

In the hustle and bustle of Christmas we make our list of who we need to buy gifts for:  husband, kids, parents, extended family, friends, teachers, etc.  Do we ever place Jesus on that list?  I want to make it tradition that when I sit down to write out my list for gifts, Jesus is at the top. 

I pray that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas filled with love, laughter, joy, peace, and health.  May the true meaning of Christmas flood your heart and  home.  Many blessings to you and your family this Christmas and in 2010.

Today is September 17, 2009.  Today is the 8 year anniversary of Natalie’s brain injury.  If you don’t know Natalie’s story than hop over to her site and read about it. 

I wanted to take a moment and say a few things about Natalie.  First, she is precious to me and I love her with my whole heart!  I absolutely hate that her life is like it is.  She has taught me so much.  She brings such joy to our family.  Here are some thoughts that come to mind,

Natalie,

you make me laugh when you laugh

you have more hair product than I do girly!

you are such a trooper, going through all the things you do

I know that you love Jesus

you are a testament to God’s love

you are the sweetest thing in the world and others fall head over heals with you within minutes of meeting you

your smile lights up a room

you are a GIFT

I go through agony when I know you are in pain and I can’t fix it

you are part of a bigger plan designed by Christ, be proud of it!

you are my cuddle bug, you always have been and always will be

I treasure each day I have with you

I trust that Jesus has a destiny for you and I can’t wait to see it come full circle

I so anticipate the day that we meet in heaven and you extend your arms and say “hi Mom”, GLORY!!  We are gonna be singing and praising the Mighty One!

I would give up EVERYTHING to have you healed and out of pain!

YOU BLESS ME!   I love you

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

You run this race because your reward awaits you!  I am proud and honored to be your mom.

Moments…we all have them. Like on Thursday night when Phoebe told me her throat hurt. Oh, no I thought. We had to cancel her birthday party. Do you know how a little one responds to “honey we need to cancel your party.” Not good! Well, it continued to get worse. Fevers, sore throat, chills and than on Saturday, ear ache. Thankfully our pediatrician is open on Saturdays. I took her in and she has an ear infection and sinus infection. She is on antibiotics and resting. Thank goodness for this long holiday weekend.

Natalie’s surgery went great. Her ears were a mess. The doctor said they had lots of “gunk.” The tubes went in beautifully. Her pulmonologist (lung doctor) came into the little conference room and smiled. I thought he was gonna tell me that she had pneumonia and needed to be admitted. He said that her lungs looked incredible. Really, they looked great, not inflamed, red or anything. Praise Jesus! Now we just have to keep her that way through the fall/winter season. I came home and wiped all doorknobs, remotes and phones down with a disinfectant wipe. Guess that will become a routine thing.

I had an incredible moment on the way to school Wednesday. Here is how it went. I was driving Phoebe to school and we were listening to a local christian radio station. The song, There’s a Light at the End of This Tunnel by Third Day came on.  Phoebe yelled for me to turn it up. She was singing her little heart out. This is such a blessing to witness. Than this happened:

Phoebe: You know mom when they are talking about the light at the end of the tunnel they are talking about Jesus!

Tricia: That is right Phoebe, Jesus is our light. (smiling from ear to ear)

Phoebe: (with tons of excitement in her) Yeah, because when they went to the tomb and the stone was rolled away the angel said “He is not here” He is Risen!!

Okay,  I had a revival right there in my car!!  I about came out of my seat!  I didn’t know what to do with myself.  I prayed right than and there that God would water that seeded soil and allow a strong, rooted spirit to grow inside of her. We threw on the praise music and gave God the glory. God sent me such a gift in that conversation and girlfriends that was a MOMENT!  She makes those comments and it takes my words away..imagine that me speechless. She asked me the other day if when we get to heaven Natalie will be able to walk up to us and give us a hug.  I told her absolutely.  Her comment was, “that is cool”    WHEW…I pray to get more of those conversations.  

When I was at the Beth Moore simulcast I bought these prayer cards.  They came in a cardboard box.  I wanted something prettier to put them in.  My husband is a hobby woodworker and he said he could build me a pretty box to place them in, that it wouldn’t take much time to make.  I hear the tools going in the shop, so I am gonna peak.  I will post a picture of it when it’s done. 

I came across this video and it is powerful.  Please take 10 min. out of your busy day to watch it. I  believe it will bless you, get you thinking  and make you smile because it is very relatable to how we are. 

When we allow God to chisel out the fear we will see courage in Christ. When we allow God to chisel out pain we will have joy in Christ. When we allow God to chisel out bondage we will have freedom in Christ. So, what does God need to chisel out for you. I know that this video made me think, really think. I want to shine for Christ. I want to be a testimony to his faithfulness. I want to be his masterpiece!!

Well today is a bittersweet day for me.  It was my last MOPS meeting.  If you are not familiar with Mops, it stands for mothers of preschoolers.  It’s a wonderful ministry that nurtures and grows women in their motherhood adventure.

I have to say that when I walked into my first MOPS meeting in 1999, I had no idea I would still be going to meetings in 2009.  MOPS has meant so much to me.  I have met wonderful, amazing women.  I have developed friendships, served on the steering teams, and grown as a women, wife, mom and friend.  When life was extremely difficult, my MOPS buddies were always there to carry me.  When Natalie went through her tragedy, MOPS really stepped up. The women loved on me, they brought meals..to the hospital and then when we were sent home they came there too.  They sent cards and became strong prayer warriors. 

MOPS has allowed me to grow closer to Jesus.  It has helped me deepen my relationship with Christ.  I desired to be a godly women, wife, mother, friend, daughter and sister.  The women in the groups I have attended  allowed me to be me.  The good, bad, and ugly.  It has given me leadership skills that I didn’t know I posses.  It has been my outlet and my security when needed.  I am so proud to call myself a MOPS alumni. 

This chapter of my life is closing.  I have graduated from MOPS.  God has some other things planned and I want to be obedient in his destiny for my life.  I am sad, but also excited.  I know that I have built a foundation that Mops has helped pour.  Thank you MOPS for loving, encouraging, supporting, teaching, growing, serving and accepting me.  I will never forget all you have done!! 

Here is a link for MOPS International.  If you are not in MOPS and you have children, newborn to kindergarten I encourage you to check them out.  You will be blessed!

RISEN!!

It is Holy Week and we are preparing for Easter.  What does that mean to you?  Easter means everything to my heart and soul.  To have someone love me so much that they endured the beating and death on the cross for me…whoa!  I rejoice at the cross, knowing that my savior Jesus Christ died and rose again.   The tomb is empty and he is alive!!  He lives in me and walks daily with me.  He loves me and desires a relationship with me.  He wants to talk with me daily.  He cries when I cry and jumps for joy when I do.   I am redeemed in Christ. 

 Galatians 3:14
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Luke 1:68
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.

 

As we take notice of Spring, the trees, flowers and earth coming alive out of it’s dormant stage, I hope that you search your heart and ask where have I been dormant?  Do you need some renewal?  Do you need a fresh start?  Do you need to follow through with a commitment?  Do you need a change?  What is your need?  Take it to the cross.  Lay it at the base and humbly give yourself and it to God.  He will meet you there. 

I pray that you rejoice in our risen Savior.  The rock is rolled away and Christ is alive!

I am back from the Hearts at Home national conference.  We had a blast.  I had so much fun I forgot to take lots of pictures, but here are some. 

from left to right: Karla, Carol, Jennifer, Lori and Tricia

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