Anniversary and Our Valentines

Kyle planned a surprise trip to Breckenridge and Cha Cha and D watched the girls...it was awesome. I didn't take very many pictures...room service, skiing, long breakfasts, uninterrupted dinners, couple's massage, and lots of relaxing :) So grateful...

100 days...

of school! Erin dressed up like an old lady to celebrate her first 100 days :)

Kissing Cousins

Drew and Brooke LOVE each other, most of the time :) At their preschool, Drew reminds Brooke that he is her 'husband' when she wants to sit with someone else at lunch. They make their teachers laugh...

and Brooke asked me today when she could take Drew on a date...

I told both of them, they couldn't date each other...they would just have to be friends :)

Erin's 6!

She had a really fun week celebrating her sixth birthday! Erin left school early on Friday, picked up Brooke, and all the girls headed to Dallas to spend E's birthday with my friend Kelly. She had a manicure with her sisters...it lasted just a couple of hours before it looked like it does in the picture below, wore a cute new outfit Kelly got her, and saw Yogi Bear while we ate pizza...it was a good time!

Today all of her cousins had lunch with her at school and when we got home Brooke asked if she could buy a birthday gift for Erin with her piggy bank money. So, we did...a unicorn in a bag from Krogers :)

We love you Erin! You are a joy :)

Into the Streets...

of Ethiopia! A 5k fundraiser on March 19th, Barbara Bush Elementary in The Woodlands! Mark your calendars and come run/walk with us for liquid gold!

Waiting.

another awesome video created by a man in Portland who is creating the video for our Into the Streets of Ethiopia 5k run on March 19th! Mark your calendars and be there!! All money raised will buy formula for 4 orphanages in Ethiopia!!

Waiting on the Lord...

Before it hit the fan...

New Year's Day...and then the next 3 out of the 4 pictured had strep!

Kam by far was the sickest. She had high fever for 4 days (103-104.5), inflamed bleeding gums, 1000 blisters/sores in her mouth, and topped it off with a case of strep. She was skinny and now she's really skinny. Her appetite is finally back, but her mouth won't let her eat :( Dad got strep and so did Brooke. Erin and I are well :)

a beautiful prayer

in a song. Can't help but think of this hymn when I think about the new year...Be Thou my Vision...I love it...and it's first on this playlist :)

Be Thou My vision

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Merry Christmas!

The girls woke up extra early this morning and laughed when they noticed Santa ate some of his cookies but left some for them...and they were kinda sad that Charlie, our elf, flew back home.

We celebrated Christmas at the Watsons...enjoying one another, opening presents, and eating a heavenly feast :)

Jesus' birth amazes me....God humbling Himself by coming to earth as a baby, to dwell amongst us, show us how to live, and then being perfect and sinless, dying a criminal's death on a cross to pay for our sins.

Merry Christmas!

The Nutcracker!

a note home...

blessed...

The grace of God...

I didn't understand the gospel for a long time. Most of my life, I could of told you that Jesus died and three days later He rose, victorious over sin and death, and that's the good news.

But I didn't understand that He did it all. I still thought I needed to do something. I needed to stop doing x and start doing y.

...and then my heart heard the gospel for the first time just a few years ago. From a passage in 2 Corinthians 5:21, 'God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.'

The word picture is this: When God looked at Jesus on the cross, He saw me (all of my sin), so that when He sees me, He sees Jesus. Jesus did it all...when He sweat drops of blood in the garden, it wasn't because He was about to be crucified, but because He was going to face the full wrath of God and pay the penalty of our sin.

Because of Jesus, there is nothing I can do to earn salvation and there is nothing I can do to lose it. Amazing grace...check out this new video!