I'm It!

O.k., so I've been "tagged" by Sara and this is my first time, so I guess I just fill in these answers and then tag others, right? Very fun!!! Who needs a nap...I'll do this instead. :)

* I am - a mommy. There is no higher calling.

* I want - to go on a fun vacation with my girls this summer....now that they're older and more flexible.

* I have - been blessed by God. He's given me a wonderful husband and two adorable little girls...and many extras in life that I don't need, but enjoy.

* I wish - that warm weather would get here to stay!

* I hate - spiders!!! (Jaclyn threw a big, fake one on me the other day and I flipped out! So much for not spreading my fear on to my girls.)

* I miss - my family in Kansas City. It makes me sad that my girls are not growing up near their cousins.

* I fear - that my girls will not accept Christ as their personal Saviors. But, I pray often, and I must trust the Lord to claim them for Him.

* I feel - kinda tired at the moment...with the thought of cleaning my house and making some meals looming over my head a bit. (I'm definitely procrastinating today!)

* I hear - my daughter, Ashlyn, playing happily behind me with a Leap Frog karaoke machine.

* I smell - hmmmm...possibly a poopy diaper. I'll send her up to Daddy.

* I crave - another massage...one per day would be nice.

* I search - for contentment. Even though I love being a mommy and I have everything I need, I often find myself falling into the trap of being discontent...of longing for more success, fulfillment, appreciation, or money. Lord, help me to give thanks in all circumstances for this is Your will for me.

* I wonder - what my life would be like if I had pursued a different career...which leads me to the discontentment trap that was just discussed.

* I regret - not spending as much individual time with Ashlyn as I could with Jaclyn (I'm working on it).

* I love - God, my husband, and my kids.

* I ache - in my heart after I lose my patience with my girls.

* I care - about my church and the various ministries I'm involved in.

* I always - check the doors and windows to see if they're locked before I go to bed.

* I believe - in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and choose to serve Him with my life.

* I dance - terribly. I've got rhythm, but not the moves.

* I sing - a lot! I miss singing on the worship team at church...hopefully I'll get back into it sometime.

* I cry - when I think of my girls getting hurt or lost...or worse.

* I don't always - react how I should or think before I speak. I tend to overreact when I'm frustrated or very disappointed.

* I fight - for what I think is right (and hopefully God-honoring).

* I write - posts on my blog!

* I never - jump in a pool without testing the water first.

* I listen - to Go Fish CDs and Strawberry Shortcake movies in my van a lot.

* I need - better health insurance that's affordable.

* I am happy - to have friends who care enough about me to read all this!

So, I tag all the people who I know that have blogs (not very many): Kristi, Athena, Erin, Travis, and Abby. I know this takes a while, but hopefully they'll all participate...it's worth it!

So Sweet

This was one of those sweet moments that I just had to capture. I love these years when the little ones are just trying so hard to be big. We were getting ready to go outside, so Ashlyn went and got her shoes on. What a big girl! Never mind that the shoes were sandals with socks and that they were on the wrong feet. She was just so proud of herself for getting ready on her own. What a sweetheart. I don't ever want to forget...

Casting Crowns Concert - Take 2

I think I have to say that my current favorite singing group is Casting Crowns. We went to their concert Thursday night, and it was so much fun and very worshipful. We had tickets to the concert back in December, but of course we had a major snow storm and weren't able to drive the hour and a half that it took to get us there, so it was very sweet to be able to go this time around (thankfully we didn't have any snow this time...although it wouldn't have surprised me!).
Thanks, Grandma, for keeping the girls. We had a wonderful night!

Big Girl Bike!

Jaclyn now has her own big girl bike! Doesn't she look so big?!! We had a wonderful day outside, and Jaclyn rode her bike all over, even down to the school park (which is quite a ways). She did fall about 4 times throughout the day, but she did a good job picking herself up and trying again.

Ashlyn had fun keeping up on her own little "bikes". She can scoot pretty fast! We're going to have such fun outside this year with my big girls!

What a Man!

I put so much on this blog about my kids, and rarely anything about my husband, so I thought this would be a good chance!
Things I love about my husband:
*He is a WONDERFUL Daddy to our 2 little girls.
*He never complains when I ask to leave the house (alone) for a little while, or when I have evening meetings or social times with friends.
*He is totally supportive of me and my activities or volunteering.
*He doesn't put me down in front of other people and seeks to build me up.
*He helps clean the house! (As you can see below.)
*He is very patient with me, choosing not to make a big deal of things when I am acting unreasonably.
*He often will take the girls outside or play with them to give me a break.
*He lets me sleep in and take naps!

I could go on and on. The bottom line is, I love this man and thank God for the blessing he is to me.

Sick Days

Well, we've been bitten by the influenza bug! This is our 5th day of it, and I think we're almost to the end. I got it first and then, of course, shared it with Jaclyn. Luckily Ashlyn seems o.k., so hopefully she'll escape it. Craig took Ashlyn to Des Moines for the weekend to be with Grandma(he had a volleyball tournament), so Jaclyn and I have just been sitting on the couch watching movies and feeling miserable. I think we'll be ready to join the world by Tuesday (I hope).

I Can't Wait

This is my own little tribute to my girls. Before you have children, you can never imagine the depth of love you can have for them. These past four years have been so precious, and I cherish those memories. And at the same time, I look forward to our future, and I get so excited for all the experiences that lie ahead for them. I love to see them learn and grow, and I love to introduce new things to them. And, at the same time, I wonder who's learning the most about life, love, and God...them or me! Motherhood has taught me so much about myself and about life. I thank God that He chose me to mother my girls, and that he created my girls to bless and teach me.