Just some thoughts.

Grammy and Dutch bought this for Michaela for Christmas. It has been a big hit. She loves climbing on it and sliding down! I can't wait until the weather allows us to go outside and play on it!
Do not ask me how this happened! I guess she is trying to start a new trend in fashion.

I have been reading other people's blogs and it is just amazing how God blesses each of us in a way that is indescribable. Even through the tough times, God sustains us and reminds us that we are His. He doesn't owe any of us anything, yet He chooses to bless us so richly.

We had a bible study last week at Fairview and it was unbelievable. It was a wake up call and an invitation to be hungry for the Word of God. God is really hammering that into my head and heart here lately. I have spent way to long being satisfied with a luke warm christian life, although it was so hard to deny that it really existed. I always have great intentions, but life gets hectic and many times the most important thing in life gets put into the back seat. There are so many of us that want to raise our children to one day give their lives over to the Lord. I need to be a parent that demonstrates to Michaela that life is not lived to the fullest unless it is lived to serve the Lord. One thing that hit home with me during the bible study was that Dr. Bob Utley stated, "Salvation is free, yet it costs everything once you have got it!" How true.

For those of you out there that know me, you know that I am full of many imperfections!!! It is my prayer, that the Lord will transform me into the person that he intends me to be.

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

Here with the fam update!

I am so excited to say that Audie is following a call to missions and will be leaving towards the end of the summer to do some teaching overseas at a school. Everything is not in stone now, so I will update on details later, but I am so proud of her for following where He has led her. I am going to miss her terribly, but I have a peace that she is doing exactly what her call is at this point in her life. Please pray for her, as many of you know that she does have diabetes and this will be a great adjustment. Also, please pray that the seeds that she plants will grow into great fruit-bearing trees! :)

Katie is in Louisville at seminary and loving every bit of it. She is not a fan of the cold weather, but it will pass in the near future. Michaela adores her aunts, so it is sad not to see them as often as we would like, but we make time whenever it is possible.

I am ready for it to warm up so we can go visit my mom and dad and take Michaela to the beach! It is going to be so much fun this summer because she will actually be able to play in the sand and the water. It should be a hoot.

I will update at a later date. As for you all out there, keep the updates coming! They are so great to read.

Fun times.

Michaela finger painting with Madison and Hunter. She had a great time.
Ravioli makes wonderful face paint.
Michaela's attachment: "bunny"
Grammy putting on some lip gloss. Michaela already wants to get dolled up!
Uh-Oh! She can climb on just about anything now!

This is just an update for the past few weeks. We have stayed pretty busy although we have spent most of our time inside, due to the extremely cold weather. Michaela has changed a lot over the past few weeks. There are new words everyday. I think that is the most shocking thing yet. She mimics a lot of what she hears and is now saying please and thank you more consistently. Gotta love it. She has a few more dance moves to add to her list. She still is obsessed with waving at everyone she sees. I think it makes some people quite uncomfortable. She is a blessing everyday.

Chris is staying busy. A friend of his lost everything, due to the tornado that hit Caledonia, so he is rebuilding the house there and working on a house in his subdivision. If you know anyone looking for a house, send them our way. We have two brand new ones and we are about to put our personal one on the market. All at great deals!

I have been taking part in a Beth Moore study at church and it has greatly enriched my life. It has really stretched me to spend more time in the Word, which is exactly what I need. I had really been slacking in the most important area in my life, and that is getting to know my Savior better through His word. It is amazing how He will give you a hunger for it when you take the time to spend time reading it. I am addicted to reading fiction novels, so that was taking a lot of my extra time. I still love to read those, but I have made it a priority that the Bible comes first. I encourage all of you to spend more time getting to know the Lord through reading His Word. It makes such a difference throughout your day. I am speaking to myself because I have such a bad habit of getting my priorities out of whack.

Well, I hope that this finds you all doing great. I love to hear from you and I really love to keep up with your blogs and so forth to get up to date. Tah Tah for now.