In With the New

Life is funny. It's an adventure. It's never what you expect it to be. Sometimes God opens doors for us that we didn't even know where there.

Life is different for me now. I had no idea 2 months ago that I would even have the opportunity that I have now. A few weeks ago, it was mentioned to me in passing that there was a teaching position open at Columbia Christian Childcare in town. We talked about it for a little while. My friends have always known that I've had an interest in teaching, but that I've never pursued it. I guess they decided that they would pursue it for me! The next day, I had 2 of those friends contact me about the same position. One had even taken the time to call and speak with the director of the center.

Every piece of the puzzle kept falling into place. This couldn't just be by chance. If I am going to claim to have the faith that I claim to have, then I've got to live it. And so I did! Me and Jesus talked about it...a LOT. I agonized over this decision. There were nights that I couldn't sleep and days that I couldn't focus. I loved my job. I was happy. I was making good money. I had a great boss and coworkers that were so much fun! I would be absolutely crazy to leave! But sometimes God does things that we think are crazy.

Every single door opened for me within 2 weeks. And so...drumroll please...I've taken the job as a Pre-K4 teacher at CCS! Holy moly! It has absolutely rocked my world and turned me on my head. But I love it! My class is so much fun. We're all still getting to know eachother, but I really do have a good bunch of kiddos. They're not perfect by any means, but who is? Certainly not me! I love it, and I know that this is where God wants me. That's the most important thing to me.

My plans are to work through the Non Traditional Licensure Program for the next 2 years. I want to get my license in secondary English so that I can teach high school-level English courses. I know, it sounds gross to most people, but it's where my heart it. I actually wanted to major in English in college so that I could teach, but I changed my mind for one reason or another. But I'm doing it now. I'm jumping in! My next step is to take Praxis 1 and 2. They have to be completed before I can apply for the summer-intensive program. So here we go! This should be a wonderful adventure. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for our family through this journey! Stay tuned... :)

Watermelon Shoot

A few weeks ago, Lorelai had a mini-photoshoot with a local photographer. Stacey Howell with Cloud Dust Photography does amazing work! She had a promotional shoot scheduled for the last weekend in June, so I quickly signed Lorelai up for a 30 minute session. We could choose between a watermelon-themed shoot, or a woodland fairy-themed shoot. I chose the watermelon, mostly because I don't think Lo was quite big enough for the fairy pictures.

For a small sitting fee, we got 30 minutes with Stacey. She then chose 5 of the best photos from the shoot, edited them, and burned them to a cd. A couple of weeks after our shoot, the pictures were ready! I am so pleased with the results!

I sure do love this sweet smile! It was tough to get her to smile, but as soon as her P-Pop showed up, so did the grins:)

Her mouth was open in every picture because she had been so sick that weekend. Poor girl couldn't breath through her nose:(

This one is our favorite! Such a classic Lorelai expression!

Stacey is an incredibly talented photographer. She's so great at capturing candid moments, as well as cute little poses. I definitely recommend her to anyone in the Magnolia area! When Jeremy asked me in June what I wanted for our anniversary, the only thing I asked for was a family photo shoot with Stacey. We're scheduled to have a session with her at the end of September. I can hardly wait!

These are pictures from this weekend. It was a tough one for all of us, but we still enjoyed sweet fellowship with family. I haven't posted pictures in a while, so I thought I should share before I got in too much trouble:)

Four fun generations! We had a lot of fun Saturday evening and Sunday, just the four of us. I sure do love my mom and Grandma Eva!

Sweet Lorelai cooperates so well, even when there's a camera in her face!

This is special to me. These are the flowers that were at the church for Gramps' service. There are 22 red roses, and they represent the number of years Grandma Eva and Gramps were married. The 2 yellow roses represent Tyler and me. And the big sunflower represents Lorelai. She lit up his life, that's for sure!

It is so hard knowing that Gramps is gone. But it is such a blessing knowing that his death was not the end! I got to hear his salvation story this weekend, and it thrills my soul to know that he had faith in the Savior. He is rejoicing, and he doesn't miss us one bit! This is the way it should be! Praise God!

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15

Death is hard. Death is painful. Death is heartbreaking. But I praise my Jesus that death is not the end! I have leaned on this hope so many times in the past, and He is faithful to let me lean on it again today.

I desire to bring glory to the Father in my every action, my every word, my every thought. Even when faced with suffering, we are to glorify God for who He is. I'm so thankful to be a child of God. How fortunate that He chose to place me in a family that placed such value on His Word and His church. How unworthy I am of His salvation and His mercies. I'm so grateful and so humbled.

Death has no sting for a child of God. What a beautiful promise! The sorrow may last for the night, but His joy comes in the morning. Praise God! Today is painful for us, and tomorrow will be as well. The next few months hold many tears of sadness for us. But we will never cease to praise His name for who He is.

He continues to prove Himself faithful, and His mercies are new every morning.

My Little Fan!

We love the Texas Rangers at our house! I grew up watching them play. I can remember staying up late during the summer with Tyler watching games and learning players. I remember my very first Ranger game. I remember our favorite players in the 90s. I remember learning the ins and outs of America's favorite past-time, all while watching the Rangers! Sure, they're not always a winning team, and they usually break your heart come July or August. But they still are, and always will be, my favorite team in baseball.

I converted Jeremy when we got married, and now we're both hooked! Lorelai will be raised a Ranger fan, as sad as that may seem to many. She already has 3 outfits and a bib. I'm planning her first trip to the ballpark later this season. Enjoy the next few pictures of her cheering them on last night! Sadly, they blew it. Better luck next time, boys!

I think these are so funny. She looks like she's forcing a smile for the camera.

I saved the best for last! When I look at this picture, I can't help but say, "Bless her heart!"

Leaving My Baby Girl

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I am leaving my sweet Lorelai for the first time for any extended period of time. I'm starting to get quite anxious. Not because I'm worried about Lorelai, of course, but because I'm going to miss her oh so much!

Jeremy and I are packing up tonight and leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for Dallas, Texas. We are going as sponsors to SOAR, an annual youth conference put on by the BMA. I love Soar. I've been going since I was in the 7th grade. The only year I've ever missed was the year Jeremy and I got married. Since then, we have been going as sponsors with our students, and we love it! Of course, this year is a bit different. We debated about bringing Lorelai on the trip. After all, I am nursing, and I really didn't like the thought of having to switch her to formula, or even having to supliment with formula. Unfortunately, my body has decided that it may not be up for nursing for much longer, so we started suplimenting a few weeks ago. It's gone great so far, and so Lorelai will stay home during Soar.

We are taking a group of almost 100 students! I know we're going to be going like crazy, so it's best that we not add a 6 month old baby to the mix. We will be taking Lorelai to Nanny and Pappy's to spend the night tonight, since we have to load up and head out of town before 7:00 in the morning. She will stay with them until Thursday night, when D-Dar and P-Pop will pick her up and keep her until we come home Friday evening. I'm excited about our trip! But I sure am going to miss my sweet baby girl!

I really never understood why people were like this with their children. I thought I understood that they loved them and all, but I thought that it should just be super easy to leave them for short times. But what everyone says is so true...you never fully understand the monumental love that a parent has for a child until you become a parent yourself. It blows my mind how in love with this baby girl I am! Every single day, I find even more love in my heart for her. How is that even possible at this point?

The Little Things

I'm starting to realize just how fast my days with Lorelai are speeding by. She literally does something new everyday. And I love it! I love watching her grow and change. I'm fascinated by her development and the ways that she's starting to interact with her world. I am absolutely loving every second of it! And it's making me very aware of the little things around me that I am so incredibly thankful for.

Last night was the first time since Lorelai has been here that we actually sat down, as a family, and had dinner. I even tried a new recipe! Go ahead, I'll give you a minute to catch your breath after that surprise....

So we enjoyed an evening together, just the three of us, with no distractions. Lorelai played in her highchair and entertained us. We laughed a lot. It was so great!

I understand that these days are flying by, and that we won't have many more of them. I want to enjoy them while they're here. So there will be many more family dinners to come. Whether it be my cooking or Dairy Queen, I'm not picky! I want to remember the little things.

I am so inredibly thankful for the little things.