This is not my typical blog post. There has been something on my mind all week. Before I say it though, I want to say that Yes I am a Christian. Even though I am a Christian, I make mistakes. I sin. I am far from perfect! BUT by God’s grace I am forgiven and have salvation. Praise God! That being said, there are a few things that I have seen during this summer that have really concerned me. I see some of my Christian and non-Christian friends reading 50 Shades of Gray or going to watch Magic Mike. Now, I don’t know a whole lot about either of these things. I do know that 50 Shades of Gray has been compared to reading porn. I also know that MOST of the ladies going to see Magic Mike have no real idea about the plot of the movie. MOST of the ladies going are only going to see Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey taking their clothes off. I wonder how us ladies would feel if our men were going to a movie where some of the hottest ladies in America were stripping down to g-strings. But more importantly I wonder how God feels about those who have read or watched. (As I stated before I am not perfect but this week I have felt highly convicted about this book and movie.)

I have wanted to write a status on Facebook, but feared I would step on toes. So, instead I have been praying about it. Today at church, Dr. J had such a wonderful message that aligned so much with my thoughts this past week. One of his points is that we should intercede for America’s spiritual decline. He told the story about Abraham asking God if he could find just 50 righteous people would he spare the city? Eventually he went down to just 10 righteous people, but he couldn’t even find 10 righteous people. What about you? In your workplace? In your neighborhood is there 10 righteous people? I can’t answer myself, because I am a coward when it comes to talking to people about their faith. I do pray for the county and my co-workers and neighbors….. But we are called to do more.  I am called to do more. So please pray that I will have boldness.

A verse Dr. J shared today was really haunting to me.

Ezekiel 16:49-50 says “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.”

Does that not remind you of America? As you get ready to celebrate the 4^th of July, the freedom we have in our country, please pray for our country. Not just because you don’t like Obamacare, but for the lost people. For the culture that is so willing to except books and movie that causes people to lust.

 This week and especially today as I listened to Dr. J’s sermon, I thought back to I love Lucy. That show wouldn’t even show a married couple sleeping in the same bed. Think about some of the things we watch on tv? (yes WE, I am guilty too) I was thinking about how I wish I could live back then. (I would even be willing to give up my IPhone J)

Sorry, I know my thoughts are jumbled but this has been on my mind all week. Again, please pray for our country. Please pray for me and that I will have boldness! I know our God is bigger and stronger then the immorality of our country! 

OK! I am still awful at blogging…. But at least it hasn’t been a year since I last blogged! Summer has been so busy! Jason is working on his internship for his Administration degree, we went on an anniversary trip to Gatlinburg, and of course we are soaking up our time with the kids!

Gatlinburg was a great trip. It was hard to leave Libby and Luke, but we really enjoyed the break. We went zip lining which was fun. I don’t know that I would choose to do it again. It was really fun, but it is one of those things once you have done it…. You’ve done it and it’s enough. We also went shopping at the outlets and went to a fun upside house…. It wasn’t really an upside house. It looked like one but inside it reminded me a lot of the McWain Center. It was cool. We also ate really, really well!  Enough about us though….

Luke recently went for his 4 month check up. He was 18 lbs and 8 ounces and 26 ¾ inches long. That is the 98^th percentile for both! He is a BEAST! Everywhere we go people are shocked that he is only 4 months! He is starting to use his hands a lot more. He enjoys watching Praise Baby on the tv and he loves watching his sister play too!

Libby has such a huge personality! Lately she has become obsessed with the David and Goliath story. In her version she includes that David wasn’t scared because God gave him courage…. However she also includes that after Goliath got hit in the nose and the head with David’s stone, he went home and had to go to timeout! Occasionally she gets mixed up and says he went to Nineveh. She has had a big summer! On Thursdays she has “Gran and Soach Day.” They take her to the library and “Chick flay”. Then she goes home with them and spends the night. She has also spent lots of time with CiCi and Pop Pop. However often she lets us know that she wants to go to the beach (and I do too!) So in a few weeks we will be heading down there!  She has also had some tough times this summer. She has had a lot of UTIs and yeast infections since January. She has also been complaining about her back hurting.  A couple of weeks ago we went to the doctor. She had to have a catheter (her second since January), blood work, and x-rays. She was such a brave girl (although there was plenty of crying.) Everything came back ok, which is great. Although we still don’t have an answer.

The past few weeks I have also been working on my dining room. It has pretty much been an empty room with a table and a timeout mat. I am still waiting on my curtains to come in. Once that is done I will try to post a blog about the house.

Ok that is all for now….

Inside The Upside Down House (really wish I could remember what that place was called)

 At Bubba Gumps

 Tanning ;)

Swim time!

I am totally awful at blogging!

Our family of 4

Luke on Easter

LOL! I can't believe I have not blogged since last summer, before I even knew I was pregnant. Now, my baby boy is already 8 1/2 weeks old. It is probably a good thing you didn't have to hear about my pregnancy since this time it was a lot more difficult then my first. However, Luke has turned out to be a very sweet, calm baby..... unlike his sister. He has reflux like she did, however it causes him to spit a lot more then she ever did. I am talking handfuls, several times between feedings. We went to a GI specialist last week and they increased his meds. That didn't help. Yesterday they added a new med....so far it has helped.... hoping it is not a fluke!

Update on Libby.... she LOVES her brother! She has picked up on a lot of my mannerisms as she takes care of her babies. When Luke cries, she either goes to him and puts his paci in his mouth, gives him her "night-night", or sings to him. Speaking of singing..... Libby LOVES to sing. All she does is sing! She has made up some dances to songs and remembers what dance goes with what song. She is a little performer.... I believe I was too. I just don't think I started so young.

Luke was a big baby when he was born. He weighed 9 lbs 8 ounces and was 20 inches long. I had to have a c-section because of his weight. ( my water broke two nights before the section was scheduled, that was unexpected. I thought we had it all planned. I had so many plans for that Tuesday. Buy groceries, pack our hospital bags, pick up my piece from All Fired UP..... But Luke had other plans. ) At his 2 month appointment (which we had this week) he weighed 13 lbs and 14 ounces, 23 inches long- He is growing even after all the spit up!

Ok, so I have so much more I could say, but I guess I should limit myself. I will TRY to be a better blogger!

Oh! Just remembered.... i didn't blog about the sale of our home, and building our new one while living with my parents.....I will try and do a blog on those events soon. There is so much I didn't blog about over the past year.....

Summer Begins

Just about a month ago I kept Libby’s Sunday School class. She is at least ½ a year younger than all the other kids in her class (I asked for her to be in this class because she was walking and more aggressive than the other kids her age.) While keeping the class I felt like she was really behind when it came to words. Then I remembered that she is at least 6 months younger then all of the other kids. However, since then she has really started to expand her vocabulary and understand more too! Some of her favorites are Dog, Roe (my parent’s dog), Daddy (which she also calls me…still no momma), Hey, Bye, What’s that?, fish, baby, hop, shoes, and there are more, but I won’t bore you.

She still loves to dance. Anytime music comes on she gets to shaking her booty. So it makes my love of So You Think You Can Dance easy…. She enjoys watching it too!

She loves for me to hide behind the couch and jump out and scare her. The more I scare her the louder she laughs. It is so funny. She also started saying cheese when we take pictures (which is really helpful because she usually won’t pause for a picture). Her favorite show is still Micky Mouse Clubhouse.

We just got back from our first 2 (of 3) beach trips. Libby really enjoyed it. She loved to dip her shovel into the sand or bucket of salt water and lick it. Yuck! She hated to get sand on her hands though. One of our trips was to Destin. It was my first time there and it was beautiful. The water was so clear that we were able to snorkel. I also had the most amazing dinner from Dewey Destin. It was Mahi Mahi Parmesan and it was AMAZING!

Easter

So, I realize this is a little late....but here are some Easter pics!

Easter Egg Hunt

Her Basket

I tried to get a good pic of her but she was not really into it

She was also not in to a family pic

BUT isn't she beautiful!

Mother's Day

With all the craziness of life lately, I have not had time to go out and buy all the moms in my life a Mother’s Day gift. So, I thought I would pause to thank them. (I will update Easter and such later).

My Mother- Sandra- Gran- My mother is my best friend. She is the most selfless person I know. She has the gift of service and giving. She is willing to drop what she is doing at a moment’s notice to run help keep Libby or clean the house before it is shown by a realtor an hour later. She has a great personality and is always smiling. Thank you for all you do! Thank you mostly for making sure I was in church so I could eventually love the Lord like you do.

My Mother-in-law- Cheri- CiCi is also an amazing woman. She keeps Libby for us 5 days a week. She is also willing to take her on the weekends if we have a lot going on. I know when I leave Libby she is going to be well taken care of and she will have a great time. She also helps us so much around the house even when we ask her not to. She raised the most amazing man I know. She loves the Lord and has raised a family that loves Him also. Thank you for all you do, but mostly for molding Jason into such a wonderful man.

My grandmother,Joann Gilliam-Mamaw- She is where my mother learned to drop what she is doing to help out. My grandmother was always there for us. As a child, I loved when Mamaw and Pop would come to visit. As a teenager, I loved shopping trips with my grandmother and mom (and not ONLY because they bought me stuff, but we also enjoyed each others company.) As an adult she taught me how to make her famous caramel cake. (Mine are not nearly as good as hers though.)She is a sweet woman who I love dearly.

My grandmother, Ruby Windle- MiMi- Although MiMi is not with us, I still think of her on Mother’s Day. She had a stroke when I was in 7^th grade, so I did not get to know her as much as I would have liked. However I know that she was a Godly woman who loved the Lord and touched many lives. I believe that part of who I am is because of who she was. Thank you MiMi for helping me become a woman who loves the Lord. I pray I continue to grow into a woman with the reputation you had.

Jason’s grandmother, Mrs. Pate, Mawmaw- Mawmaw has always welcomed me into her home. The first Christmas Jason and I were dating she welcomed me with open arms. She is also an amazing cake baker and decorator. She did the cake for our wedding and it was beautiful. Mawmaw is so sweet and always has a kind word to say.

Jason’s grandmother, Mrs. Drake- Nanny- Nanny is also a sweet woman. She loves to stop by and bring Libby a new outfit or toy. She is always willing to help out. Like Mrs. Pate, she was quick to include me in family holidays and dinners. I love going over to the Drake’s for family suppers. We always have a great time!

Jason’s great-grandmother, Mrs. Rickman, Grandmaw Rickman- Grandmaw Rickman is a sweet woman with a great sense of humor. I love Christmas Eve night, because all of her children, grand-children, great-grand children, and now great-great grandchildren crowd into her home and enjoy celebrating Christmas together. There is always a lot of food and a lot of laughs.

Jason’s great-grandmother, Mrs Collins- Grandmama- Grandmama lives with Nanny. So whenever we get together for family dinners she is always there and we get to spend time with her. She is a sweet woman who loves the Lord and loves to read. Most days you can find her with Dora, Nanny’s small Chihuahua, in her lap. She is also a very sweet lady.

My Friends are also great mothers. They have really helped me the last 15 months as I stepped into the role of motherhood. They have given me advice and been a great encouragement. Thank you to my friends who are all wonderful women and great mothers!

As you can tell, I am blessed to have so many wonderful, Godly women in my life. It is a lot to live up to! I am so thankful for the families God has placed me in and the friends he has given me. I am truly blessed.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely ladies mentioned above. You are all a blessing to me and my family!

Gran and CiCi

Nanny, Mamaw, Mawmaw

MiMi

Grandmaw Rickman

Tuscaloosa

For some time now, Parker has written a weekly devotion. This week his devotion is written about the devastating tornado that rampaged through Tuscaloosa. He says well what I cannot

dev175-for Tuscaloosa

by Parker Windle on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 5:58am

“And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

Job 42:10

The last few days I have helplessly poured over the news and facebook looking at devastating photos from Alabama. Tuscaloosa. The town that I call home, was pounded by a violent tornado on Thursday, leaving a mile wide trail of destruction where formally sat houses of friends, restaurants that I enjoyed, and churches that were dear to my heart, and barely missing the hospital where I was born. As I gazed at these photos, my heart was broken at seeing these places, that were once so valuable to me, now reduced to a pile of worthless rubble.

It is at is such times as this that the book of Job is meant to be read. During times of peace and prosperity, we can analyze the conversations of Job and his friends with a haughty air. We give explanations on behalf of God, trying to answer the all-important “why” question that people ask when their souls are overwhelmed with the depths of woe. But when we are in the midst of the storm, these proud answers do not suffice. Although surely my friends and family in Tuscaloosa are asking the “why” question after each body they dig up from the rubble, they will never be satisfied by the arrogant answers. God does not need these answers. God’s ways do not need to be defended. They need to be trusted.

Job’s friends took the road of conventional wisdom - if you are being punished, it is because you have sinned. While we certainly see in the scriptures that God sometimes uses natural disasters to punish sin, we do not see that as being the case all the time. And, in the case of Job, we know that this conventional wisdom of Job’s friends was not only incorrect, but was despicable in the mind of the Lord. Man’s reasoning ability is unable to account for the works of the Lord.

The temptation is to either give up God’s sovereignty or God’s goodness. People would like to either say that God did not cause this to happen or that he doesn’t love people enough to stop it. Yet, in Job, God does not leave either of these positions as an option. Job, who God loves, was chastised because he doubted God’s sovereignty. “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

“Then Job answered the Lord, and said: ‘Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.’”

For the moment, we will have to be content without an answer to why my hometown lays in ruins. We are in a position where trust is necessary, and thankfully we have One who is worthy of our trust and who can relate to us in our tears. Just a few days before this tornado brought its worst, the churches of Tuscaloosa met together to remember the time when God suffered for us. They broke bread and drank wine in memory of the Savior that wept over the cup that he would have to drink. Tears are part of what it means to be human in a fallen world. The eyes of God cried tears just like our eyes do. The fact that the sovereign King chose tears tells me that He can be trusted.

Because of His sufferings, eternal life is promised. On account of His afflictions, tears will never be the final emotion. The tears of Tuscaloosa will be turned back into praise soon enough, and therein lies the beauty of the gospel. There could never be any suffering so grave that it would keep the church from praising the One whose wounds healed them.

This Sunday morning in Tuscaloosa there will surely be many “whys” in the hearts of the churches of Tuscaloosa, some of whom will be meeting in new places because of the destruction of their sanctuary. Yet drowning out these “whys” there will be a melody. The great hymns of old will ring through the city like a like a mighty choir ready to welcome in their King. The organs will blast their chords and the drums will bang out the rhythm of a triumphal Savior who has already conquered the death that is staring them in the face. The people from different races, backgrounds, and denominations will unite their voices in harmony in awe of the One who is as sovereign over the storms and as He is over the cross. Why will they do this? Because there will never be a tornado strong enough to keep the church from praising their God.

Alabama, I love you. You are in my prayers, and I will be singing with you this Sunday