Road Trip recap!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am an only child. For most of my life our friends were more like a family than our family. Not because of bad blood or anything, but because we lived in Texas and my parents' families lived in Michigan, except for my Nana and Papaw who lived on the ranch with us! Anyway my family is pretty small, my mom is an only child and my dad is 1 of 4 kids. But like I said all of those cousins live in MI and that is a long way to go for playdates. I was never one of those kids who played with cousins all the time. When I was in junior high my dad's cousin came down with Uncle Dale (he and Aunt Gretna came every year and stayed at the ranch and it was always awesome having them visit!). Cousin Joni also brought her kids with her (Amy, Jake, and Neil), they were all around my age and it was awesome getting to know cousins! After that, her youngest kid Neil would come down and spend summers with us. The most memorable was when I was 16 and he was 13, we spent all summer on the road showing horses. We went all over TX and to New Mexico, and more places that I cannot remember. Neil is the closest thing to a brother I have ever had. He is an amazing dude. He joined the army and has been at Ft. Bragg in NC for the last couple years. Having him close by has been great even if we only hung out once. Now that you have a little history on the life of Ryan and her fam, here is what happened this weekend!

Neil is finally finished with his army training he was doing in NC and had a graduation yesterday. He invited all of us over to celebrate. This was our first road trip with 2 kids. The drive took about 4.5 hours, and the girls did really well! I don't care how old I get or how much I travel it is still really exciting when you go over a state line. I don't know what it is about it, but it always makes me giddy!

It was a cousin reunion, and it was awesome. I even got to meet another cousin who I had never met before. We had a great time. We went out after dinner and played pool and danced around. It was a great night. I am so thankful for family. Coming from a small family of blood relatives it is so nice to get to know everyone as 'grown ups'. The girls got to meet Uncle Dale and Aunt Gretna, and all of their cousins. I still maintain that it is far too complicated to know which level of removed and 1st or 2nd or whatever cousins. As far as I am concerned family is family and that is all that matters! Thank you for having us share your day Neil! We are so proud of you! Also we love your girlfriend, she is pretty awesome!

Bridesmaid BootCamp Update!

A while back I posted about my desire to get back into shape for the weddings of my 3 super awesome friends in 2012! Bridesmaid bootcamp (which is me making myself go to the gym each day) was born. I hit the ground running (okay walking quickly, lets face it in the beginning there was no actual running!) I was in the gym 5 days a week!! I am still doing really well with it, making it to the gym most mornings. This week has been more sporadic due to car trouble and this whole sleep training thing with Madison which is a whole other blog...ps I hate sleep training, it makes me sad and I am fairly certain it could be the reason stay at home moms of young children often look discheveled. I have a good rhythm going in the gym, I know what I want to do each day. 3 days a week of cardio, 2 days of weight training, and today I tried yoga for the first time...this will be added in on a weekly basis as of now! I loved it! I am fitting into most of my clothes from when Justin and I got married. I say most because nobody told my hips we were getting smaller...so the designer jeans I have been hoarding away in my closet for 2 years that I paid way too much money for and REALLY want to wear are still in hibernation. I have 4 more lbs to lose before my first goal... the deadline for this goal is Christmas!! I know I can do it, 4 lbs is nothin!

I got a little frustrated with this whole thing a couple weeks ago and I had to be reminded of how far I have come. Not this time around...but in general. A short 5.5 years ago I weighed over 300 lbs, and I have no reason that I cannot get back to my healthiest me! If you see me grumping about going to the gym or putting it off until tomorrow remind me that I want to wear my really awesome jeans and that I have to stand next to my beautiful friends on the most important day of their lives and I don't want them to think I look like a porker! ;)

OH and in yoga today I found out I am better at balancing than I thought and I am bendy-er than I thought! woo!

It's been a while!

 

I was just watching some video from the Champions Cup at the futurity and some of the webcast and I got incredibly emotional and sad. It hit me last week that this is the first year since I was 14 that I wouldn't be going to the futurity and I got really upset. I feel like I am missing out on a huge part of my year, like I am missing the family reunion (but this is the kind of family reunion you look forward to 11 months out of the year, not the kind with flies in the potato salad and awkward family conversation). The futurity is the biggest horse show of the year, and I love going! I always have so much fun with my friends and even though we are not kids anymore it is fun to relive our crazy antics once a year. I have only shown at the futurity once, and it didn't go well (see photo above, this is in 2008 showing in the Non Pro on Pop Tart...she ran off on our next cow). It's not about the showing for me, it's about the spectating. The Open and Non Pro semi finals are in my opinion the best night to watch! I love playing high/low in the stands and shopping in the exhibit hall. I love like going to the sale (okay maybe not love going to the sale but my husband and dad love the sales so I will go for a little while with them). Some day when we are able I hope to show regularly again and maybe I’ll get another futurity horse. Anyway that is why I am sad today... but now for happy stuff!!

Madison is now 8 MONTHS OLD!!! WHAT!!! She is crawling and pulling up and very opinionated! I love that little bug so much!

Justin and I celebrated our 5 year DATE-A-VERSARY yesterday!! What is a date-a-versary? Oh I am glad you asked. It is the anniversary of our first date! I absolutely love the story of our first date because it is pretty adorable. After talking online for months (yes we met online while he was deployed to Iraq for his 2nd tour) Justin finally made it back to the states on November 29, 2006 and the next day he was headed down to San Antonio from Ft Hood to see Bethany who was about 18 months old at the time. Conveniently San Marcos is right on the way to San Antonio from Ft Hood. He stopped and took me to lunch, and the rest is history. The cutest thing was that he brought me a gift set of dvds from Iraq, and he asked if he could kiss me! Best first date ever, so we decided it would be our last first date ever! Each year on November 30 we go eat at Red Lobster because that is where the amazing lunch date occurred, and he also took me there the night he proposed. Not the fanciest place, but it is our place and we love it!

We are kicking off our student lifegroup this weekend and we are so pumped about it! Woohoo! Stay tuned for more posts on that!

Bethany is in a play for Christmas at school, she is a giraffe! Can't wait to see it!

Okay that's a good little wrap up. To all of my friends in Fort Worth, have fun for me, I am missing you!

Spiritual warfare...

I have all these ideas for a blog about spiritual warfare, and the way the enemy creeps his ugly face into our daily lives and thoughts. I have sat down (this is the 3rd time) swimming in ideas only to feel totally scatter brained when I am ready to type. I just prayed a simple prayer for God to guide my thoughts on the subject, here it goes.

We are living in a world that is full of sin and distractions and confusion. We are doing Twisting the Truth, a study by Andy Stanley in our Friday night couple's bible study that is shedding light on the ways that Satan can twist your environment and way of thinking in a way that will cloud your judgement so much that when you are in the middle of a situation you think you are making the right decisions, but once you step out of it you realize you had to have been temporarily insane. Our society has created a picture of satan in our heads that is cartoonish, the little red guy with horns and a trident. He lives down below in a big hot pit with all the bad people and shoves pineapples up Hitler's butt each day (yes that was a Little Nicky reference). When you stop and think about the fact that he really is after us, and after our kids it can be really terrifying, which is why I have spent a lot of time not thinking about him. He is trying his best each day to make you stumble. That little thought that enters your mind that maybe your husband thinks that girl at work is cute, or that your kids are ignoring what you asked of them out of spite or just to irritate you. Those little thoughts can be like cancer, and they are certainly not of the Lord. The devil uses these thoughts to pit you against yourself.

I am asking each of you to think of your life as a battle ground each day and you are  one of the troops, and your Commander in Chief is the Lord. Each day His orders for you are to further
His kingdom, show your family love, and make the right decisions for Him. Each day we are called to battle for Good vs. Evil. So, okay now we are all solders and we are in battle and this is really overwhelming because now we have to fight for God?! YES! It is overwhelming if you let it be. But the good news is that the Lord is there to help. Jesus has been exactly where you are at, he knows what it is like to battle the evil of this world. We can and should ask for their help! God knows you cannot do it alone and believe me he wants to help you.

We do not need to pray only for strength in battle, because most of the time it is not a physical battle, it is emotional, spiritual. Make sure you are praying for discernment, so you can figure out when the enemy is attacking and you can battle with your best weapon...prayer.

Okay so now that I got all of the lessons Justin and I have been learning out and into the blog I hope it is a message that helps.

A little example from the life of a sleep deprived Mommy...

Madison has been sick the last few days, on top of cutting teeth. Needless to say sleep is never consistent. I am exhausted, and my husband sleeps like a rock. Not that he could help Madison in the middle of the night since I am nursing. Well....last night the enemy struck, and his battle came in fierce around 2 am. I have also been feeling crummy, and really wanted to sleep. I finally got Madison down for good around 11pm, and I was not far behind her. She was zonked and I was confident that we would get at least 5 hours of sleep. Well....2am I hear the whine-y middle of the night cry that could wake me from even the deepest of slumbers come over on the monitor. I immediately felt irritated, and on the brink of angry tears. Why do I always have to get up? Can't I just sleep? How does he not hear that? Why won't she just sleep? Isn't she too old to still wake up in the middle of the night?

Since we just started this study on spiritual warfare I recognized the attack. I immediately prayed for patience and that she would simply nurse and go right back to sleep. I prayed, but I was not happy to be awake, let me make that clear. I was still grumpy. So I scooped her up out of her crib and groggily settled in to the rocking chair to feed her. She made it very clear that we would not be going back to sleep anytime soon. I changed her diaper and we went downstairs to watch some tv until she was ready to go back to sleep. I snuggled up on the couch with my little bug and we watched some cooking show on the food network, she was very sweet and cuddly and I really did enjoy our time in the middle of the night last night. Around 4:20am she was ready to go back to her crib, and I was pretty much asleep on the couch. We went back upstairs, I tucked her in her crib and went back to my room to crawl back into my bed and play tug of war over the blanket with Justin, and he rolled over and hugged me. Had I not prayed my prayer for patience I would not have been able to slow my thinking down enough to simply snuggle with my baby and enjoy the moment with her in the quiet of the middle of the night. I would have grumped over the fact that she wouldn't go back down and the situation would have been totally different.

Guard your heart, your homes, your thinking, your words, and your actions. The enemy is real, and he is after Christians, he already has everyone else!

Tricky treating!

Halloween with the Major girls! Bethany was a super scary vampire, I was a army girl, and Madi was a lil ladybug!

Her daytime halloween attire!

Mommy and Bug at the campfire

Bethany and her super cute BFF, Abbey the fairy!

Crazy!!

you SHOULD be scared!

The Loot!!

Now that we are embracing our lives as Virginians, holidays like Halloween are WAY more fun. Last year we didn't really know where to go, so we went to a random neighborhood and Bethany timidly knocked on doors with only me and her Dad by her side. This year was a lot different! We stormed our friends' neighborhood with about 15 kids! It was a blast! The moms took the kids around to knock on doors and trick or treat, and the Dads stayed at our friends' house with the bonfire and candy bowl and handed out candy to the little ones. Madison stayed behind to keep warm by the fire, as it was about 40 outside when we were trick or treating. Justin's mom is visiting so she went with us and played her role as the paparazzi! (which is a good thing or we wouldn't have these photos!) Luckily the ladybug costume Madison was rocking was much warmer than Justin's old army uniform that I decided to wear. We all got in on the fun, I dressed up as an army girl, Justin was a Son's of Anarchy guy with his beanie and hoodie, Bethany was a spooky Vampire, and Madison was an adorable little lady bug! Now we begin our month of being thankful!!

Today I am thankful for my family! I love being a Wife and Mommy! Best job ever! I asked Bethany this morning what she was thankful for today...today she is thankful for God!

TEETH!

This is a short blog to note that Madison who turned 7 months old yesterday has 2 teeth! They have been working their way up and out for about a month and broke thru this week! They are feel-able to the touch and don't seem to be bugging her too much. I did give her some teething stuff tonight because she was having a hard time falling asleep. I cannot believe how big she has gotten! yay for your teeth baby girl!

On the big kid front...Bethany is very close to loosing her 7th tooth!! Our kids are growing up sooooo fast!

Bridesmaid bootcamp!

1 year from now I will be finishing up the biggest wedding season ever! 3 of my bridesmaids are getting hitched...what's that mean for me you ask??? Oh that means I get to stand up with 3 of the most amazing women in my life as they marry the men of their dreams!

Sounds awesome right? It is!! What's the catch??? I am not ready for those photos....so I have started my very own bridesmaid bootcamp with myself.

I have a plan to lose the extra 20 lbs I somehow found after getting married. I have until June of next year when the first one ties the knot. I am working out every week day with a different workout scheduled for each day. I am loving it so far! This morning was the first day of week 2! I love the hour and a half to myself each morning, and that Madi is well taken care of in the nursery at the gym. The girl that works in there goes to Lifepoint, so I know she will care for Madison properly! I am so excited to get into a routine, and it seems to work well for Madison as she plays and gets to socialize with other babies in the morning and takes a good nap when we get home allowing me to get some housework done!

The 2 on my left in this photo and the one on the far right are the lovely brides to be! Congrats Ashley, Rachel, and Janell!!



What I'm For

I was listening to Pandora last night, which is how I stay up on my red dirt music out here on the east coast, and this song came on. While I haven't always been the biggest fan of Pat Green, I do really love this song. It reminds me of my dad, and of my husband. I love the lyrics, and they just really make me appreciate the amazing people in my life who are for things that are real, things that matter. And any song that references Texas Margaritas is just fine by me.

As a mom of 2 little girls, I am looking forward to many more years of wildflowers in my window, and stray dogs. I love the part about dusty pawn shop guitars, and boxers passed their prime. Getting out of debt, and havin faith in something that hasn't happened yet. The part about the inner city teacher reminds me of my amazing friend, Karen who teaches in the ghetto and shows those kids Christ love every day. The title of the song reminds me of Karen and I's old roomie, Cyndi because she always said Im for it!

I am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life, and even though they are far away modern technology allows for us to maintain our relationships and thrive. I love y'all in Texas, someone go to Cheatham Street for me and have a shiner!

http://youtu.be/7bsj_mwQrpA

I'm for wildflowers in the window
Mechanics you can trust
I'm for crackers in my chili
And leavin' grudges in the dust

I'm for drive thru order takers
Who can muster up a smile
I'm for takin' in that stray dog
That's been hangin' 'round for awhile

I'm for turning off the TV
Gettin' off the internet
I'm for learning all the words
To the Gettysburg Address

I'm for dusty pawn shop guitars
And boxers passed their prime
I'm for soakin' up the wisdom
When an old man speaks his mind.

I'm for laid off factory workers
When the wolf is at the door
You don't have to guess what I'm against
If you know what I'm for

I'm for Texas Margaritas
Gettin' outta debt
I'm for havin' faith in something
That hasn't happened yet

For the shy kid in the corner
Afraid to ask the girl to dance
For the ex-con outta prison
Who just wants a second chance

For the inner city teacher
With her heart stuck in her throat
Can still see God in every child
And never gives up hope

I'm for dusty pawn shop guitars
And boxers passed their prime
I'm for soakin' up the wisdom
When and old man speaks his mind

I'm for Detroit factory workers
When the wolf is at the door
You don't have to guess what I'm against
If you know what I'm for

I'm counting all my blessings
When the wolf is at my door
You don't have to ask what I'm against
You don't have to guess what I'm against
You know what I'm for

Major Motivation!

There has been a new energy surging thru our little family, and this has all of us working towards goals. I feel so inspired and excited about bettering our family, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Justin and I joined a new gym this week, and I had my first training session with a personal trainer today. I felt so amazing afterwards! It felt great to have someone show me what I needed to be working on vs. the way I usually do it. Which is to snag an eliptical in the back row, run for about 1.5-2 miles, and head on my way because I have no idea what to do with the 7000 machines that line the weight floor. Anyway I will probably be bedridden tomorrow due to muscle pain but for today I am loving it!
We are back on Dave Ramsey and getting our financial fittness in gear. I am proud to say we have a great afternoon routine that requires all homework and piano practices done before play time. And Justin and Bethany are learning Russian. Yep...Russian. We are all working hard to better ourselves and I have to say as a parent that makes me so happy. Our girls are getting to see us work hard for things we want to achieve and isnt that the best motivateor there is? We have to follow thru so they learn to be honorable and finish what they start. So fantastic. I also started an online bible study that requires you to anwser questions and take a test at the end of each lesson. Which is great because since I am not the best at sitting down and doing my study each day. This will make me commit to it like it is a class! So much good stuff! Also my good friend Becky came over to take our fall family photos at the new house...here is a sneak peak!

Madi is on the move!

This kid is never still. Seriously her hands and feet are always going. She isn't quite crawling yet, but that doesn't stop her...she rolls and scoots everywhere! If there is something that she wants to discover she is on it, and will do anything to get to it. Today she was on the floor getting into the laundry, pulling Derby's ears, and somewhere along the way she found her new favorite toys...Daddy's hat and the stairs. Enjoy!

Take Me Out!

At bible study last night I was thinking about the road I have been on thus far in life. All of the things I have done and accomplished, and by the standards of the world I have been successful. But now here I am staying at home, changing poopy diapers and running from school to piano to play dates 1500 miles from 'home'. I left my job in sales and I no longer show horses.

I grew up showing horses, and doing very well at it. I was able to travel all over the place, win competitions and prizes, and gain notoriety. I have amazing friends and an extended family who would do anything for me, and I wouldn't know any of them without my family's involvement in the cutting horse industry. I have been very blessed.

I now find myself in a season of waiting. Waiting on the Lord and the opportunity to show horses again. I think that this is my time that the Lord is giving me to work on my faith, to study His word. I want so badly to be emersed in His word and I really cannot wait to see where he will take me once I am ready. In this season of waiting I want to be diligent in my study of Him, and learn to do and say the things I should, and reach people who are far from God.

I believe that He had to take me out of sales and take me out of the show ring so that I could get out of myself and focus on Him! There is a worship song by Mercy Me and it says

Sometimes I feel disappointed
By the way I spend my time
How can I further Your kingdom
When I'm so wrapped up in mine

This lyric really speaks volumes to me. How can we show people Christ's love if we are too busy being wrapped up in ourselves? I hope that when I am ready He will pull me out of this waiting time and give us the means and opportunity to show again. I know that it is my passion for horses that is a God birthed passion and that my talent wasn't given to me by accident, so for now I will wait. I will study and learn and do my best in this season. I will be the best mommy I can be, and the best teacher of children I can be! Just my thoughts for the day. Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! <3

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Madi and Granpa June 2011

Madi and Granpa June 2011

Bethany and Granpa in Gonzales at a cutting 2010

College Graduation 2008

Wedding Day 2008

Today is my Dad's birthday! I am so lucky to have been raised by such a great man! I was raised to find a man who treated me as good as my daddy, 'no less than a princess' is the phrase we always said. And I believe I picked well, and we are now teaching our girls to find men who will treat them as good as daddy and granpa! Love you Daddy-o happy 51st!

Bethany and Madison Major!

Bethany at 6 Months. November 2005

Madison at 6 Months! September 2011

You can certainly tell they are sisters, but Madi has a personality all her own and more hair than she knows what to do with! I am glad they look similar, those Major genes are strong!

And just for fun... Me at 6 Months...McCarty/Madison genes are strong too!

What a visit!

I am such a lucky girl! I have the most amazing family ever. I had the amazing pleasure of having our first house guests for the last 10 days. My Mom and Nana flew in and stayed for a while. They were such an amazing help getting the house put together, helping with the girls, and helping me throw a Tupperware party. We had a blast! And we shopped until we literally dropped! I love watching my mom with the girls, she is such a fantastic grandma. And of course Nana is great with them, because she is the best Nana ever!

They flew out so Justin and I could go to our sweet friends' wedding in Ohio on the first, but Justin got sent out of town on business and didn't get back until around midnight on Friday. Since it was a 9 hour drive to Cleveland, and it was very late we decided to stay home. My mom and nana knew we needed a night away so we were told to go have a night away. We drove down to Richmond for our first night away from the girls since Madi was born. We stayed at the Hilton, we got to people watch in the hotel bar (one of our favorite things), I had to teach the bartender to make a Colorado bulldog (I am guessing they don't have the bar tending school they have in Austin with the catchy song on their commercial. "If there's a school to attend then I highly recommend you call 1800bartend!"), and we went to a very nice dinner at Maggiano's where our waiter gave us free dessert and we had a very nice bottle of Mondavi Cabernet.

On Sunday we woke up early and drove home for a Sunday at our favorite place, LifePoint church! We took Mom and Nana and they LOVED it! I was a little worried about what Nana would think, especially since they had a DJ scratching records when we walked in, and our new worship leader, Birch came running our saying get ya hands up...But she loved it! (although she was very glad she took the earplugs they offer as you walk in)

Also while they were here we painted the kitchen, redecorated the downstairs bathroom, hung wall art, picked out stuff for other rooms for 'someday', toured all around, and ate a lot of meals out! I always love having family come and stay but the day after they leave I always feel like doing NOTHING! So today I am catching up on my blog, doing laundry, and cleaning up.

Oh AND Madison turned 6 months old! She weighs 14.7 lbs and is 26 Inches long! Tall and lean! Love my little bug. She is getting close to crawling, eating everything I put on her spoon, and starting to love her toys!

6 Months ago

6 Months ago today Madison West Major was born. 4 hours of labor and no drugs later and my sweet baby girl was in my arms! I could not be happier to call her my baby! I am so excited for my Mom and Nana to get here tomorrow for a visit and to see the house and to celebrate Madison's 1/2 birthday! I will write more when I have time! <3

Meanwhile...

At bible study on Monday night we were talking about meanwhile moments, you know the things that happen while you're busy making other plans. Most of you who read this are close family and friends and know the story but for those of you who are new to the Majors here's a little back story. Justin and I met when I was 20 and he was 22. Bethany was born 4 days before Justin turned 21, and he is a fantastic daddy. When we met I hadn't given much thought to being a mom. I guess I always figured I would have kids...some day. Well here was this great guy who came with a kid. Honestly I had no idea what I was getting myself into by being a step mom. First of all the name has such a negative connotation....thanks a lot Cinderella...Not all step moms are evil! Bethany is an amazing child, strong willed, funny, sweet, loving, a great big sister, and a lot like me in a lot of ways. She has a great sense of humor and is learning to be sarcastic which is hilarious! I was given this amazing opportunity to be her mom. I was literally thrown into mothering, and it has been the most challenging ride of my life. Being a step mom is not an easy task, and it can cause some serious hardships in marriage if you let it. I would say the hardest part is keeping a positive attitude. It is hard to answer the questions that are inevitable. But it is fun to be a Mom and a friend. I love that she comes to me with all the events of her day, and asks me zillions of questions from how to be a good friend to how to put an outfit together...she needs me and I need her! She is my helper with many things and she always knows when Mom needs a hug.

We had a parent teacher conference last night. The first one of 1st grade, and her teacher is amazing! I was really impressed with the way they are teaching reading in the public classrooms and how they incorporate social studies into all of the lesson plans. Very cool! Bethany is reading above her grade level, and is doing great socially. She is 'a joy to have in class'. As a parent isn't that the greatest thing you can hear? I need to remember these things when she is being a maniac at home...she is a joy to have in class. She is an amazing kid! I am so proud to be her mom.

Justin had to work late (very late...poor guy was at the office until like 10:30 last night) so it was just the girls and me last night. So to celebrate her good report we went out to dinner. She got everything she wanted...even 2 flavors of ice cream! She was so cute and so grown up at dinner, and she made me very proud! I am so excited to see all of the amazing things she is going to do with her life. Thank you Lord for my meanwhile moment, it is amazing how His hand changed my plans! Silly me thinking I had a say.

Check list..

When we started our house hunt I had a long list of wants and needs. Throughout the searching process I eliminated several things from this list because I had to realize that to have everything we would have to increase our budget by thousands of dollars (like 100,000 more than we wanted to spend). I had come to the conclusion that I would not have a large fenced in yard, or stainless appliances, or a unique looking home, and if I got one of these things I would probably have to sacrifice the other. The Lord's timing and provision was so perfect and he knew what I wanted and what I thought I needed. Despite my pickiness our realtor stuck it out, and my husband trusted my judgement. The Lord's perfect timing and amazing blessings provided a unique looking brick rambler, on .6 of an acre, with granite counter tops in the kitchen AND bathrooms, stainless appliances, and a garage. I am so in awe at how he answered our prayers for this house, and how he put people on our path that would provide all the answers for everything from financing to a moving van. Our Lord is sovereign and no matter how in control we think we are, he has the reins. It is up to us not to take the bit, and let him lead us in the right direction!

Too much for 1 blog

Can I just say that this week has been such an whirlwind! We closed on our new house Aug 31st...that is when chaos began. There is still not an end in immediate sight to said chaos, but I am making due. We decided to take the move slow, pack a few boxes and take them over in the jeep to be unpacked and organized. This went really well at first and then it just kind of exploded all over the upstairs family room. I am avoiding said explosion right now. During all of the chaos of moving our laptop decided to die, so I am finally getting to update my blog from the ancient desktop that has lived in Bethany's room for the last 2 years, I cannot believe this thing still works!

I am trying to reflect on all of the amazing things that have happened this week, and it really is too much to put into 1 post. So Ill give you the bullet points version.

• Started the living the dream series in small groups at church- AMAZING! Started it with a women's lifegroup that I am apprenticing with on Monday nights and with the couples group we have been going to since January on Friday night. Fantastic series and I cannot wait to see the work the Lord is going to do through it!
• Back to school night at Bethany's school Tuesday night, her teacher is AWESOME!
• Dyed my hair brown with blonde highlights! LOVE it!
• The guys from lifegroup are amazing and they helped us move furniture after group on Friday night until 2 am so we only had to pay for 1 day on the van rental (call us cheap, but hey I have a house to furnish and that extra 100 bucks will come in handy)
• The house is old, it makes weird noises, I am not used to it yet.
• Derby likes to dig, at the gate in the back yard. NOT COOL!
• Saturday night football at the Ramsey's, Scott is insane and it is really funny to watch him watch Florida State football.
• Sunday morning church! Pastor Daniel brought it big time with a challenging message on the way God is working on all of us in every season...even the dry seasons!
• Served in Trek for 2nd service, a group of about 20 3-4 year olds with glue...scary but amazing and so much fun! Already excited for next week!
• Too cold for coffee on the porch Sunday morning...but I will have my coffee on the porch this week! and yes I did say COLD! It seems fall has arrived in central VA!
• And Comcast is terrible...no new news there
• OH one of the coolest things! Justin is building a corner pantry for me! He started it this weekend (yes on top of the move, he truely is amazing) and it is looking so great! We picked a beautiful stain for the oak wood he is using and with the help of Scott's power tools it is coming together nicely!
• Madison started eating baby food. She likes the squash and will eat the green beans but she isnt in love with them!
• And 1 week from today my mom and nana will be here to visit! Cannot wait to see them and for them to see the girls! 3 months in between visits is too long.

Okay enough avoiding my chaos upstairs, the baby is napping and I should get some work done. 

Anwsered Prayers in the middle of Lowes!

Yet another amazing example of our Lord's active involvement in our daily lives. Justin and I received some money back during the closing on our house. With that we decided to buy our washer and dryer, and a few other necessities for the new place. We went on our shopping journey this afternoon to Lowes...a very daunting place if you hate spending large sums of money at one time (on things other than clothes and fun stuff like me)

So we found a few options of dryers and washers, but I really wanted one of the new kind that look neat and are high efficiency...too bad they were way out of our price range. Of course they had the lowest price option that looked just like the ones we all grew up with, your basic, no frills washer and dryer....a fine option but not what I had pictured when we were talking about buying a new set. We could afford to get that set AND a warranty but I wasn't happy about it. Maybe I'm a little spoiled but I wanted to make sure we were getting the best one for our money, and somehow buying a whole set new for that cheap made me feel like we would be replacing it sooner than we want to. Plus if I was getting a new washer and dryer I wanted all of the new technology that comes with a new set. Anyway I got pouty and decided that it was time to pray....so I asked the Lord to give me discernment and let Justin make the final decision. I made my peace with the low cost option and Justin assured me we could get those for now, and in a few years I could upgrade. Fair enough.

Just about the time I had made my peace with this decision, the sales manager came over to help us. He saw that we were looking at the new whirlpool he set, and told us there was another option on the other side of the department. Exactly what I wanted...exactly the right price WITH a warranty!! Just as soon as I was willing to submit the Lord shined a light on the perfect set for us! I looked it up online, and we never would have been able to get this set at it's full price tag...Thank you to the man upstairs for having our backs on this one! Now I can do my laundry with all the new technology without breaking the bank!

Creeped out!

After living in apartments and condos and dorms for the last 7.5 years I am used to the noises that come with it. People above you flushing, creaking floors above you, bass thumping from the stereos of those who live under you, etc. I lived my entire childhood on a big ranch, and silence should not creep me out. I guess after close to 10 years of apartment life I am no longer used to quiet. I went to the house this morning with a load of stuff, and was totally creeped out. It was so quiet! Every creak of the floor would creep me out! Ack! It was so frustrating because I know we are safe there, I know we locked the doors yesterday when we left. I should not be nervous. Anyway I turned on some worship music and tried to ignore my inner child who was freaked out. Madison probably though Mommy had lost her mind when I was blaring songs on my phone and singing really loud....needless to say she didn't take a nap there this morning. I guess my husband will get to tell me No More Law & Order!!

Homemaker's Challenge! 31 days to CLEAN!

My intention is to create a second tab on the blog to keep this separate from the normal blog, but since it is 9:42 and the baby has been asleep for 2 hours already I want to get this done so I can still be semi functioning when she wakes up to eat before I go to bed. Anywho the challenge for today was to come up with a family mission statement, why do want to make our home a haven, and be specific.

Major Family Mission Statement:


In our house we will learn to laugh at ourselves, sing loud, and dance in the kitchen.

We will keep our house beautiful because the Lord dwells here too.

We will always remember to greet our guests with a hug, and never let them leave on an empty stomach.

This home is a place of refuge for our family and friends, please make yourselves at home.

We always say I love you, no matter what.

We will never leave or go to bed without a kiss.


Then we were to make it pretty and hang it in the house...so I am printing it and putting it in a pretty frame to hang in the new house!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/HomemakersChallenge if you would like to join in on the fun, the book is only 4.99 on the kindle!

She's got a brick house!

For the 8th time since leaving the comforts of my life on McCarty Lane, I will be moving again. This time is different....this time it is into our very own home! Justin and I closed on our house last night, and it was such an amazing feeling! I left home at 18 and moved into the dorms at Texas State, I bopped all around San Marcos until Justin bought the condo in 2007 and we lived there until we moved to VA. We made our big move to Virginia about 1 year ago...and I find myself packing to move one more time. We will not be moving after this for a long time!

In the few years the Lord has been blessing us beyond belief and in ways I never imagined. When Justin and I got married we had no idea we would be moving to VA, no idea he would have a government job, no idea we would be blessed with Madison, and here we are.

We knew we wanted to buy a home here because his job will keep us in the area for a long time, and a mortgage on a really super cool nice house is considerable cheaper than our rent in this 3 bedroom apartment. So after Madison was born the search began. I bet I searched 50 houses...and that was in person....no telling how many I looked at online. Our poor realtor has been put through the ringer, and he earned that commission for sure! 2 days after I came home from our visit to TX I toured a house. It didn't come up on the realtor's search because it wasn't on public water and sewer, but I found it online and HAD to see it. So I toured it while Justin was away on business. I walked in and I knew! It was that wedding dress feeling!! He looked at it online, and gave the approval, so we made an offer that day (or maybe the next day....it was either on my birthday or the day after...end of June) We made the offer, and they accepted it!

The Lord put so many people in our path who helped us get to this point, and it is amazing to see His hand in our home buying process. We didn't want a cookie cutter home or neighborhood, we wanted a big lot with a fenced in yard, with at least 4 bedrooms, and that didn't need a lot of work. Boy let me tell you, God had my checklist and he checked EVERY SINGLE BOX! This house hunt had so many ups and downs, and they all happened so the Lord could give us this home. We have room to fellowship with friends and family, we have room for the kids to grow and the dog to play. I am so in awe at His handy work in our lives! So next time yall are in the area stop for a cup of coffee!! It's the little brick house with black shutters! :)

Light in a dark place?

I have heard the phrase it is easy to be a light in a dark place thousands of times. Friends and family would tell me this a lot when I was working. It wasn't until recently that I realized what an opportunity I missed in the work place. I graduated from college and went to work in sales. I was really good at my job, and it wasn't until I was about 2 years into the career that I began dreading the workplace. I loved the competition, the friendly rivalrys, and even the customers (on most days...). As time went on and the promotions didn't come like I thought they should I got annoyed. I worked insanely long hours for little return and even less appreciation from the customers who came in each day. I became jaded about my job, I would make jokes to hide how disappointed I was with the outcome of what started out seeming very promising.The biggest thing that I regret is that I would fall prey to the majority. Meaning I would get in on the jokes and the general absurdity that happened each day at work. I kept my faith to myself, for the most part. The Lord gave me so many opportunities to share it with my coworkers and I chose not to. Dangit! To any of my former coworkers that might be reading this, I am sorry. I wish I could have told you how amazing my Lord is every day. I wish I would have shown you how to love customers, instead I would usually choose a worldly response, making fun of them as a defense mechanism because of the way they treated us. (Which was usually like dirt)

I had lunch with a new friend yesterday, and she was sharing with me how excited she is everyday to be a stay at home mom. She calls it her ministry! What an amazing outlook! We are not just here to clean dirty diapers and fold laundry. We are here to show our family Christ love thru our daily walk and routines. So today I am going to really focus in on that! I want to show Christ love to everyone I come in contact with, smiles and a helping hand. Showing grace to my children when they drive me crazy, praying daily for patience, and staying in the word, not the work! I so wish I would have had this type of outlook when I worked at Enterprise. If I would have taken each day and focused in on my ministry thru sales I could have reached so many people. I know that I had some amazing conversations with some customers, and I did share the gospel with some of them....but it should have been more. Thank the good Lord for his grace, because even though I missed some opportunities, he forgives! 

Here are some lyrics to a song that sparked this blog,

Steven Curtis Chapman's Do Everything:

Your picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today

Matching up socks
Sweeping up lost cheerios that got away


You put a baby on your hip
Color on your lips and head out the door

While I may not know you,
I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?

Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause he made you,
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
Tell the story of grace


With every move that you make
And every little thing you do

Maybe your that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers
Cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day


Little stuff
Big stuff
In between stuff


God sees it all the same
While I may not know you
I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?

Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause he made you
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
Tell the story of grace


With every move that you make
And every thing you do
Maybe your sitting in math class
Or maybe on a mission in the Congo
Or maybe your working at the office
Singing along with the radio


Maybe your dining at a 5-star
Or feeding orphans in the...
Anywhere and everywhere that you are


Whatever you do
It all matters
So do what you do
Don't ever forget
To do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause He made you
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace

As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause he made you
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace

First Grader!

Seems like just a few days ago she was wearing size 2T and giant sunglasses!

Now she is my beautiful first grader! <3 you so much Bethany Brooke! Can't wait for you to get home and tell me all about it!

As I walked away from dropping her off I got a little teary eyed....not nearly as bad as the sob fest that was last year. She was of course so pumped for first grade she could hardly stand it! I talked to her this morning about what to do if there was another earthquake, I told her to pray and ask Jesus for a big Jesus hug if she got scared. She said, "He's right here with us Mom, we're good"


Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
 1 Timothy 4:12



Bucha Comes to visit!

Kisses!!

She has the magic touch at nap time!!

I know what you're thinking, what is a Bucha?! Bucha is what my best friend's nieces and nephews call her, and it is also what my kiddos will call her. Bucha is my bestest friend and she came to visit!! I was so happy that she was able to make it for a weekend visit! Rachel and I have been friends for pretty much our entire lives...I'm thinking it was around 4th or 5th grade when we started hanging out. She was my maid of honor, and I just love our friendship. We are the type of friends that can go weeks without talking and fall right back to normal without skipping a beat. We are finally out of the crazy time of life where we don't get to talk everyday because she graduated from St. Mary's Law School this summer and just took the bar exam! She starts her big fancy attorney gig in a month and before starting that job she came to see us! It was so so so great to get some real girl time. She is such an amazing woman and we had some conversations that were very different from any we have had before. It was so nice to take a few days to hang out and get to know each other as grown ups....if you want to call us that. It was great to bounce ideas off of each other about what we see God's plan for marriage looking like in our lives (she is engaged to an amazing dude who also graduated this year from St Mary's Law), and of course nobody has as much fun people watching as we do!! It was a great time of rejuvenation for me, and I loved watching her with my kids. She is the best Bucha ever!

1st Grade?!

1 week from today Bethany starts first grade! WHAT?! I cannot believe she is already going back to school, and that it is already time for first grade. This means real homework, sitting at her own desk, more responsibility! I still remember Mrs. Lander's first grade class, and it was intimidating....I pray that Bethany gets a teacher who is more into fun than my first grade teacher.

We have been making the rounds to all of the get you ready appointments. Doctor, Dentist, and the all important trip to the Salon. Now that she is in first grade I decided I would treat her to her first official salon haircut (she usually gets her hair trimmed at super cuts with daddy). She is obsessed with it, and looks so beautiful and grown up. They cut about 1.5 inches off and took a little of the bulk out of the back. Those of you who know B, know that the kid has more hair than anyone needs!! Here are her before and afters!

The night before, she was helping baby sis in the Jenny Jump Up!

After! Look out first grade!!! HERE SHE COMES!

Good luck to my little bumble B! Love you!

Letters to my girls.

Dear Madison,

My sweet little love bug. You are almost 5 months old and not a day goes by I don't thank God for giving you to me. I love the faces you make. I love when you finish nursing and fall asleep you make this little pouty face when I move you to my shoulder. I miss the cute face you used to make when I took you out of your car seat. I love your crazy hair and that it is now long enough to get in your eyes. I love that you sleep in the same position as me and your daddy. I love watching the joy on your face when you see me for the first time in the morning. I love the way you smile at your sister. I love the way you gum your rice cereal and how you don't really know if you like it but want to keep eating it. You are obsessed with standing. I can't take my eyes off of you, not because you're mischievous (even though you are) but because you are amazing. I love watching you play with your toys and listening to you 'talk'. You can pretty much operate my iPhone. (yes I am serious, the kid knows how to play the baby ap. already) I love that you are a ham for the camera just like your sister. I know you're getting close to crawling and that terrifies me. I am not ready for you to sleep in your own room. I love that you hate formula. I love the way you look at your Daddy, like he is the most amazing person in the whole world (because he totally is!) I love the way you chew on your binkies and that you are only into them when it's time to sleep. I love that you still fit into some newborn  and 0-3 month clothes and that you are still in size 1 diapers. I am so glad you are tiny mainly because it makes me feel like you're going to be my little bug even longer. I can't even begin to imagine all of the ways you are going to surprise me, make me proud, challenge me, and succeed in life! Thank you for being my little love bug!

Love, Mommy

Dear Bethany,

While I write this you are in trouble. Yep again. You are such a little spitfire. You challenge me every day. In a way I am glad you are such a spitfire, because I know it means you will be strong willed as an adult. But when all I want is for you to do is what I ask I wish you weren't. You are almost 6 and a half. You are wearing size 8 clothes and have more hair on your head than I have ever dreamed of having. You are in a hurry to grow up most of the time, and then sometimes you surprise me and want to cuddle and be my little girl again. You keep me and Daddy on our toes constantly, and sometimes you make us crazy. You are a very loving little girl. You always want hugs and kisses and never forget to tell us how much you love us. When you were very little I started the do you know how much I love you game, and you have never forgotten...but you still don't really get it. This morning I told you I love you more than the moon and the stars....you told me you loved more than the coffee maker but hey Ill take it (we do have a really nice coffee maker) I remember the first time I met you, you were 18 months old. Daddy had picked you up for the weekend and we were in the tiny apartment that Daddy lived in with Uncle Jeffy in Killeen. You were so funny and so sweet. You kept hiding in the cupboard that was supposed to be for dirty laundry (the boys didn't use it, but that was what it was for, it had a little opening at the top that you could drop stuff into and then you could open the door at the bottom to get it out.) I was so nervous. I had never been around a baby before, and I was getting even more nervous because I was in love with a man who came with one. We quickly adapted and became a family. And even though you are not my blood you are my baby. I love you more than the moon and the stars and I never ever want you to forget that. I love the way you sing, and 'play' your guitar. I love how curious you are. I love your sense of humor and when you try to be sarcastic. I love that you want to be just like me, and that terrifies me too. I wish you would be less picky about your food. I love that you love God. I love that you never stop asking about Him. I love that you want to know more about having Jesus in your heart. I am sorry I lose my temper. I don't care what you say you are not ready for training bra. I can't believe you are starting first grade next week! Thank you for being you!

Love,
Mama

Oregon 2008

 2007

Before Texas State Homecoming 2007

Last week, playing with the boys on the playground

Summer Dresses!

pretty girls, matching dresses

June 2011- photo by Judson Baker

June 2011, photo by Judson Baker

April 2011 in the park