My Hubby

Just wanted to share a picture montage that one of Josh's parents did as part of her photo business. This was taken from last years Brush Prairie Softball Tourney.

first trike

First triKe

I guess that I forgot to post this picture from a few weeks ago... what a cute little dude we have! He was enjoying pushing this trike around, be then decided it wasn't too bad to actually sit on it! :) Oh yeah... this was during one of our sunny days... it has been rainy & SNOWY since then.

{happy BIRTHday to ME}

Turned the BIG 35 today!
God is good and he parted the clouds briefly... so that I could see the blue sky! (this rain & 40 degree weather is NOT working for me! Come on SUN...)
I am thankful for my amazing family & friends. You are all SO special to me! Thank you for your thoughts, calls and well wishes and for all your prayers. I have been stressed and busy and 10 lbs lighter in the process... and thus absent from blogging, but I miss you all!
I was able to get out tonight with my wonderful hubby and share a quiet dinner alone with no kids! That was a MUCH needed treat.
Anyway... Happy Birthday to me! And... Life is Good! Crazy, hectic, unpredictable, wonderful, stressful, sad, happy... but GOOD! Thank you God for this life, help me to not take a moment for granted.

thoughts from my devotions...

Okay ladies, just had so share this AMAZING book that I am reading for worship, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver. I just wanted to share a few thoughts that I thought may encourage some of you... including me. I know that many of my DEAR friends are going through some struggles, changes, loss of job, home, & sickness just to name a few. So with that in mind I just had to share some of the things that have touched me so far.

"What is it about us women that creates such a desperate need in us to always "know," to always "understand"? We want an itinerary for our life, and when God doesn't immediately produce one, we set out to write our own. "I need to know," we tell ourselves. "No," God answers softly, "You need to TRUST."

We can bring our needs to Jesus anytime and anywhere. Jesus really cares about what concerns us. Jesus loves us enough to confront us when our attitude is wrong.

WHAT WE WORRY ABOUT
40% are things that will never happen.
30% are about the past-- which can't be changed.
12% are about criticism by others, mostly untrue.
10% are about health, which gets worse with stress.
8% are about real problems that can be solved.

"Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Here is what Joanna did... "Instead of mentally obsessing about my problems, I began consciously turning my worry into prayer." You see, fretting magnifies the problem, but prayer magnifies God. Perhaps that is why Paul finishes his prescription for worry with one last piece of crucial advice: "Be thankful for ALL things!"

*God's will does not always proceed in a straight line.
*God's love sometimes tarries for our good and His glory.
*God's ways are not our ways, but His character is still dependable.
* God's plan is released when we believe and obey.

"God takes Satan's worst and transforms it into our best. And with each jog and twist, our story grows clearer and richer and more divine. The Author of our salvation really does know what he's doing, even when we can't figure it out."

Now if you can't pick up a copy of this book for yourself, Open up your Bible and read John 11, the death of Lazarus. There is a lot we can learn from this story, especially waiting & believing in the Lord. I am willing to share my copy of this book with you when I am done... or if you would like, we could begin a Bible study and learn together.

Ladies, I am thinking and PRAYING for you and each situation that you are in! Thank you for being such dear friends to me & my family.

{TodDLeR?}

just a short clip of jack walking! He is now taking 7-8 steps pretty regularly... so I guess that makes him a {toddler} and not a baby anymore. Of course after those few steps... he ended up walking the rest of the way to me... but the video on my phone isn't that long. but you get the idea!

{Jack} Cheering for the Ducks!

This is a clip of our little duck fan at the Arizona/Oregon game Saturday night. He literally does this almost the entire game... he LOVES the music, crowd, and all the action! What a sweetie! You will need to mute the music to hear... but I must warn you it is loud and hard to understand what is going on! THANK YOU DAD for the tickets! Wish you could have been there for the game it was GREAT!

{2} steps for the little man!

HE DID IT!

Jack took 2 steps this morning... 2 steps this afternoon... and 2 steps this evening!
I was SO excited for him (he is 14 months already!) I think I scared him with my squeals of delight! I will try to catch some video to post tomorrow... and if I am lucky I will get it on here for you to see! He is such a {Blessing} and such fun to watch grow! Happy Sabbath all... I just had to share... but my HOT bath is calling my name! Goodnight!

{Mammogram}

Okay Ladies (guys may NOT want to read this entry!)
I did it! Got my first mammogram & ultrasound yesterday & survived! It actually wasn't bad at all... a little squishing here and there... pulling here and there... okay not really, but I figure I have nursed 5 little babes for a combined total of 4 YEARS & 8 MONTHS, so this was nothing! I also had to laugh looking at an ultrasound that looked like an ocean instead of a baby... as you know I did that with 6 pregnancies... so it was a relief to see ocean and not baby! (of course we were looking at breasts... anyway you get my point!) Anyway as some of you know I found a pea sized lump in the left breast 2 weeks ago... so this was to make sure everything looks okay. Looks like it is just dense tissue in that area and ultrasound looked clear! YEAH! So for now we wait and monitor for 4 months and then head back to the doctor to make sure everything is the same with no changes. At that time if there are any changes then they will take a biopsy to make totally sure... BUT I was feeling pretty good with the positive results yesterday! :) So thats the news.... but as Anita Renfroe said at Women of Faith... I did feel like I was giving them up as an offering to the machine!!! :)

Charlie bit my finger!

Okay friends... you must watch this video.. mute my tunes down on the right of the blog... and play this video! The girls ask to watch this over and over again.. and I watch it with them, it makes me smile every time! Thank you Chip & Lisa for sharing this with us! LOVE IT!

goodreads.com

Okay all you bookworms out there who {LOVE} to read like me...
On the right side of my blog you will see "My books" if you click on the goodreads icon under that it will take you to books I have read, am reading, or am planning to read along with my reviews (if I added one) I would LOVE to have you join me there and we could share reviews & books etc. Anyway, I have a LOT more books to add so keep checking back. I am thinking this will be a [fun] thing for me to do... especially since I read so much that I can't even remember what I read sometimes. READ ON!

Lucky {us}!

How {lUCky} are we to have the BEST family & friends?

We were blessed to have my parents here for a night... and part of last Thursday! :0)
we are hoping they will come back soon when we can actually SEE them... and be able to enjoy their company!!! I am thinking a couple weeks?!?

Then on Friday our {dear} friends Chip & Lisa Dickinson flew up from Camarillo
(So Cal for those NWerners!)
We SO enjoyed their visit and I must admit I shed a few tears when I dropped them at the airport on Monday... in fact McKenna & Sydney said to me as we were driving off
"Mommy, can we watch a movie so that we aren't so sad & cry about Uncle Chip & Auntie Lisa leaving?" I guess they were feeling the same way I was!

Anyway, it was a BUSY weekend with Children's Church, birthday parties, shop & more... but somehow we found the time to relax with each other... and of course watch the girls do a performance of High School Musical 2!
(what would a dickinson visit be without a little karaoke? :)

Anyway, a couple pictures of their visit... a slide to come later! Sorry no pictures of mom & dad as we didn't have a lot of time together. Next time I will get pictures!
Lisa & Me... thanks Lis for switching sides with me!!! :)

Jack, Chip, Lisa, McKenna, & Sydney
The kids were spoiled rotten by Uncle Chip & Aunt Lisa... this shot was taken right before I dropped them at the airport, Sam & Emma were in school...
We miss you guys already.... and I am planning for May! Love you guys!

High School Musical & Karen Kingsbury oh my!!!

Jenny & I at the High School Musical play... performed by kids in the Christian Youth Theatre in Vancouver/Portland area. This particular show was in Camas.

these pictures are out of order... but basically... I got to meet Karen Kingsbury!!!! My favorite author! 2 of her 6 kids had lead roles in the play... Sharpay & Troy! Jenny knew the stage manager as she was one of Jenny's old students.. so after the show we got a BACK STAGE tour and the girls got to meet all the actors in the play! What a treat for all of us! The kids were super nice to the girls and Karen treated us like she had known us forever! I was of course a blubbering fool to meet her! If you haven't picked up any of her books DO IT! She is amazing!

The girls with "SHARPAY" aka Kelsey Russell, Karen's daughter! She was so sweet and the girls were SO excited to meet her... especially emma the Sharpay want to be! Blonde in the back is Jenny's old student Elaine Thatcher.

The girls with "TROY" aka Tyler.... Sydney got a little nervous to meet a boy so she ditched on this picture!

meeting some of the cast & getting autographs!

The {BEST} concert!

Matthew West, a one man band...what an amazing talent. He sings many songs you know and has written for many others. This last year he had to have surgery on his vocal chords and they said he would likely not sing again, and for 6months.. yes 6 months he could not speak, he could only write what he was feeling or needing... now you will hear his new album... :Something to Say... with the hit single "You are Everything" my fav!!! God worked a miracle!

tobymac...
I now know why he is voted Performer of the Year, every year...
What an opportunity to watch him in concert, they had some serious moves going on! More to come on him later... but this dude is a daddy to 5!!! and his music, dancing, and well everything was amazing! And of course he sang all my favs!

Jeremy Camp, another HUGE favorite of mine...
Lost his first wife to cancer years ago, is remarried and has two precious little girls. God reigns supreme in his music... Throughout the concert he would pick up his Bible and read scripture to the audience. I can't even pick a favorite song... I LOVE them all. He had me in tears most of the night it was so touching.

tobymac... coming into the audience... one row from us and was singing one of his ballads. Some kids from our school were right there and one of them was able to sing into the mic... but it gave me a chance to get a super close up picture!

the theme of the evening.. I LOVE THAT THEY PREACH IN WORD & SONG!
Jesus died for you, Jesus loves you, now go and share this love with others.
Something we all need to be reminded of!
Anyway... Josh and I decided it was the BEST concert we have ever been to!
Thanks to my dad for watching all 5 kiddos so that we could go on our date!
I will post a slide later of some of the other pictures that Darrin took with my camera!

syd

One of our Go Kodiaks signs! Syd would hold this over her head... and her little belly would poke out from underneath... :) Our other sign said We love you Amanda & Ashlee!

Friendship Tourney

mckenna & Janet Rich thinking "happy" thoughts for the Kodiaks!
okay... the super cute picture of Syd with her sign isnt posting... I will try it again since she was too cute!

this is the full fledged cheering section... pom-poms and all... signs too!

Amanda & Ashlee Rich... and their fan club!

me & lauri... one of the best friends a girl could ever have..
and we are related 3 different ways by marriage which makes it even better!
and YES... we were exhausted... stayed up gabbing WAY to late or early!
thanks friend for the great time!

Super Bowl... okay I am REALLY behind!

our little gathering for the super bowl... we had a HUGE crowd again this year... all the kids are upstairs though so it looks quiet and calm in this picture!

The ex-NPAA (except Millers) staff shot! I LOVE that we still all get together for this event! Oh yeah our 5 kiddos are MIA in this picture... and we are MISSING the Heinrich's which is truly depressing... although I think they will come in March!

Peter and Heather... sorry for the sideways pic

another partial shot of the group...
our group will grow by two new members next year with the new additions to Chris & Julie's family in April, and to Ken & Amy this spring!

oh my. . .

Okay peeps... I have been crazy around here. I am SORRY that I haven't posted lately. I have been totally preoccupied and I have barely even turned on the computer... lost 6 lbs in the process... note to self, not eating is not the best way to lose weight! Anyway, I have an AMAZING family from top to bottom, wonderfully supportive parents and in-laws, LOVING, accepting, and prayful hubby, precious kiddos... friends who are there through thick and thin...and Tink isn't so bad either! :) I REALLY will try to post some pictures later... I have a ton of pictures from the last few weeks... I can't believe it has been that long. I will try to update you along the way... but for now this will have to do.

Walla Walla University

Okay... Here is the reason I am MIA... We are in Walla Walla for the friendship tournament until Sunday! Lots of fun as we get to visit with friends and cheer for all the teams. We are of course cheering for the Kodiaks from Columbia... but many of the other teams have coaches we went to school with! And of course... Josh and I are alumni of Milo & Auburn who also have teams here!

Also, I was thinking this morning... it has been 17 years since I started college in Walla Walla! 13 since I graduated. I guess I should start feeling old now, but for some reason I don't. the energy you get from the high schoolers and college kids is contagious, you have to love it!

I will try to post some pictures later.... that is IF I take any, I have been too busy cheering! thanks to those of you who have been praying for us this last week... We REALLY appreciate it!

Children's Church

Here is yet another video clip from today. The first Sabbath of every month we have a Children's Church program in the Fellowship Hall of our church which I am in charge of. I have been blessed with an amazing group of support staff that make everything run SO smoothly. From the praise team that the Fords take care of, David with the puppets, Janet with the story, and everyone else, (Laurisa, Peggy, Melissa, Brenda, Jenny, the Bennetts... I could go on!) I hardly have to do anything... well not really, but everyone makes it run so wonderfully. We had a great turnout today! I don't think you can see Josh in this clip, but Sam is up front with Trevor on the guitar helping with Praise team! Once again MUTE the music in the playlist box to hear...

Emma & McKenna Special Music!

Here is a video clip of Em & McKenna as they sang/played piano for special music at Children's Church. We are definitely blessed with sweet kiddos! You must MUTE the musicplaylist down on the right side of the blog if you want to hear them. This was the first time we have been able to get McKenna up front.. notice she never looks up... just at Emma the whole time!

Cozy Bug...

My little man was a cozy as they come yesterday! He was just wanting to snuggle down and I was LOVING every minute of it! My sweet McKenna snagged this picture for me!

My two precious men! Notice that Jack is two fisting his froggies!

Now it is time for the dudes to clean up the mess, we are trying to teach Jack how to put his toys away.... you understand this means 1 in the basket... 3 out to play! Such fun!