Thursday, August 29, 2013

Brennan is 3!


I can't believe that my little Bear is turning 3 years old today. 

It really doesn't seem like it has been 3 years since I delivered him!!

I love that little boy so much. 

He's so full of life and energy!!! 

He is all boy... I mean all boy

He hits, spits, kicks, karate chops just about anything and everything...and everyone. 

Yet, he can be so sweet and tender...






One of my favorite things is hearing him laugh with Bella...they are so silly together. And in true sibling fashion, they can be hitting and screaming at each other one minute and then giggling and hugging each other the next. 

It really is a special relationship that I love to watch develop more each day. 

It definitely falls into the category of, "I can hit my sister, but you better not lay a finger on her..." We have have already heard him defend her before...which was awesome! 







He also has a wonderful relationship with his little sister. 

He can also make Breelee laugh with just about anything that he does. 

He also can be soooo tough with her...but I love when he starts singing to her to calm her down. 

It really is precious to see how much they care about each other and are concerned for each other.






I love that my kids love each other. 


After hearing a sermon by Brad Bullock in Louisiana a while back, Lee & I decided to come up with a few things that we want our kids to have deep in their hearts...


For Brennan, we have these statements for him - and he finishes them for us::  
We say, "You are my..." he finishes with - "Bear"
We say, "You are so..." he finishes with - "strong" 
We say, "And you say..." he finishes with - "I can do all things through Jesus!" 




We feel honored that we have been entrusted to raise a strong, mighty man of God. 

My prayer for him is that he grows up desiring to have a relationship with God for himself...not because he feels like he has to...not because he knows that we want him to...but because he wants to himself. 

(And I know that will come from how Lee & I show him our relationship with God now.)

I pray that Brennan is covered by God's hand of protection and provision. 

I pray that Brennan will continue to love to learn. 

I pray that Brennan will enjoy life - and help everyone around him enjoy life as well...just like his daddy...


Loving God and loving others...that is what I want for him. 

My heart is full today as we celebrate the first 3 years of his little life!! 

The best is yet to come!!!

Here are just a few highlights of my baby boy! 


















 I'll have more pictures of the superhero birthday party that we are having this weekend!! 

Sunday, August 25, 2013

How I Love Lee

I feel so blessed. I love being married to Lee. 

We've been together for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health...definitely for better or for worse. 

And I absolutely love him. I love being with him. I love hearing his voice. I love being on the same page as him. 

I just feel blessed. 

I choose to love him every day. 

I know that there are days when we get frustrated with each other...we disagree on things...but I still choose to love him, and he chooses to love me. 

Love is a choice. Not a feeling. I think my feelings can change with the wind. But I don't have to make my choices based on feelings. 

I really like looking at 1 Corinthians 13 when it comes to thinking about "true love." I mean, it's known as the love chapter. It's often read at weddings...inscribed somewhere for marital celebrations. 

In verse 4 it begins giving a list of what love is and what love is not...

Love is patient.
Love is kind. 
It does not envy, 
It does not boast, 
It is not proud.
It is not rude, 
It is not self-seeking, 
It is not easily angered, 
It keeps no record of wrongs. 
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Those are strong images of what love is and what love is not. 

I don't succeed at truly loving Lee every day according to these verses. 

I'm getting ready to teach a Bible Study Methods class for our Deeper small group at Connection Church. I am soooooooo excited about this. 

And one of the things that is consistent with every method of studying the Bible is application. 

It's one thing to learn about it...but I am missing the point if I don't apply what I have learned to my life. 

So...my personal goal is to memorize these verses again (I memorized them when I was a teenager)...and whenever I don't "feel" like loving Lee (or anyone else for that matter), I will meditate on these verses...I will make sure that I am applying them to my life. 

I want to love my husband even more than I do now. 

Marriages don't just get better over time...It's not like a fine wine that can be put on the shelf and get better by itself. 

A good marriage takes work...and a great marriage takes a lot of work!

But every investment in my marriage is worth it...and every effort to love like 1 Corinthians 13 talks about makes my marriage more delightful than it was the day before!

And that is worth it to me!!