Priority time...

The details that matter are God's details. The thing that matters most is God. So, my life should reflect that truth. My priority is God, but if you look at my time, and where I spend it...God may make the top 5, but He is not my number one. That needs to change. That WILL change. I'm in the process of changing it now. Priority time with God. A chapter a day.

Matthew 7- the whole chapter is pivotal. In one single chapter it highlights my disastrous short comings and also my most passionate beliefs.

God warns us not to be judgmental. His word is our guide and also our warning. If we never get into his word we do not get the direction we desperately need. If we were in God's word we would know that "in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." YIKES! He goes on to warn us against hypocrisy and self-righteousness. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" Good question. Why am I prone to do this. God instructs us to take care of what needs fixing in our own lives before we go around "helping" others.

This too shall pass!

Since we've lived in our house- nearly 3 years now- I have managed to put pictures on every available wall...except this big open wall in the kitchen. I've had many different ideas as to what should go there, but nothing ever seemed...right. UNTIL NOW!! This is my latest brilliant project. Matting and framing these pictures of our kids- to go in our kitchen to remind me that "this too shall pass!" These are pictures of all my children at 9 months discovering the joys of "real" food!

Codie Rae

Cooper

Mia

Powerful Morning with Codie Rae

The usual morning routine is: up at dawn- bottles, diapers, breakfast and K-Love (radio station).

Yep, "Positive, encouraging K-Love" gets me through my days.

To completely understand this story, you need to understand me first. I have a dream. No, really. And one is an understatement. I feel like God has gifted me with creativity, and passion, and vision. Like He has planted a seed in my heart and if I don't tend to it I get bogged down with ideas that grow like wild ivy in the south!
And, God has also given me three beautiful, healthy, wonderful children...which I am sold out for in terms of adoration and passion.
These two gifts can feel like a contradiction at times- like they are competing against each other for time and attention. Even as I write this I feel a bit foolish because surely there must be a way to marry these two passions into one beautiful dream. I'm not putting this past God, I'm just saying right now at this point in my life...these two things, children and my art, they want separate lives. They don't want to marry. They think the other has cooties. Yes, think elementary school passions.

Okay, back to my morning. I'm listening to K-Love, making eggs for Codie Rae, all children are changed and babies are enjoying their bottles in bed. Codie Rae waits patiently for her eggs at the table. Do you have a visual? Good.

So, this song comes on that I've heard a few times before that I REALLY relate to. I don't know what it's called or even who sings it- but when I figure it out I will replace this sentence with the title and artist. The chorus says, "You only get just one time around, you only get one shot at this..."

Part of the song is telling a story about a woman who packed up and left- she left one dream for another. She left her child to pursue something else...and she realizes this tragic exchange that night when she calls home from a hotel room and hears that sweet little voice that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about since she left. Even as I write this now, tears sting my eyes and fall down my cheeks- because I have entertained a day dream that resembles the lyrics of this song. It usually happens when I'm up all night with a baby and/or C-Rae has taken her art work to a whole new level- meaning the walls, windows and floors- and my life feels like one big mess, literally.
Okay. You get it. I relate. So here's the kicker. This song plays at the precise time I am serving Codie breakfast. As I sit down I look at Codie and as the last lyric plays, Codie puts her hand out to me palm up and says, "pray," as she usually does before meals.
Anyone else's heart strings being pulled besides mine?

As, I begin to pray out loud, I cry, and I thank God for my precious dream named Codie Rae, Cooper and Amelia. I earnestly thank Him for each of my gifts, and for my husband too. When I say "amen," Codie says, "amen" and when she looks at me, tears running down my face, she says, "mama cry?" And she curls out her bottom lip and tears begin to fill her eyes...and I realize that our love bond is so strong that without knowing what is wrong, if I am sad, she is sad too.

I wipe my eyes and tell her, "I love you Codie Rae" and she replies, "too," which means: "I love you too."

True Story

So...we were in the car yesterday heading home from the park...all 5 of us. Our back seat is full of babies. Codie sits behind the driver, Mia in the middle and Coop behind the passenger. I feel bad for Mia because she gets the blunt of all Codie's "playfulness." It was kind of sweet though, Codie and Mia were playing...Codie was laughing big belly laughs and Mia occasionally chimed in with a good laugh too. I thought to myself, "that's so fun that they are playing with each other." Little did I know that Codie Rae had kicked her shoes off and had her FOOT up in Mia's FACE was sticking her TOES in Mia's MOUTH! OMG. No, I don't have a picture. You'll just have to use your imagination.

Codie Rae's favorite dancing outfit

Side View

Front View

Back View

Action Shot!

This is Codie Rae. She is great! Full of fun and surprises!
She loves to dress up and she loves to dance.
If she can combine these two loves into the same activity
then you'll see her rise to a whole new level of
SHINE!

Sometimes she insists on wearing a dress the way it was intended, all zipped up and bows tied. Other times she will invent new ways to wear her clothes!
You go girl!

Anyone seen Toy Story 2?

For those who have kids and stay home with them all day, every day, you'll understand that you get to a point where you start to quote lines from kids movies. This particular picture reminds me of Toy Story 2- if you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for? It's a classic! Anyway, at the very end of the movie, Woody is being saved from Stinky Pete and in an effort to teach Stinky Pete a lesson on being loved by a child, they put him in a little girls backpack. When the little girl finds Stinky Pete she puts her barbie doll in next to him and the barbie says to SP, "You'll like Amy, she's an artist." As she says that, she turns her head to reveal half of her hair is cut off and half her face is drawn all over! SP's reaction: "Ahhhhhh!"

So, when I see this I think, "You'll like Codie Rae, she's an artist!"

A hand full!

A common response I get when I am out running errands with my sweet children is, "wow, you must have your hands full." Indeed the understatement of the century. In my opinion, each child requires at least two hands...therefore I must conclude that I have more handfuls then I have hands. This means that you may occasionally see me use my feet, my hips, elbows, legs, shoulders, and head to corral my children. Yep, I bet you wish I posted a picture of that!