spring thus far...in pictures

Sugar Detox 2011...CHECK!

Well, the eight weeks of no sugar is done! And No, I didn't quite skip all the sugar...but most! In fact, I can honestly say that sugary treats don't even taste quite as good as they used to. Nor do I want to eat up every sugary delight placed in front of me. Which is a good thing, a very good thing! I still love to have my chai tea everyday, and an occasional Starbucks treat. But all in all I think this was very good for me. And for future I definitely want to try to use natural substitutes in baking and such. So a big THANK YOU! to Donielle @ http://www.naturallyknockedup.com/blog/ for putting this together!!

Never A Dull Moment. 5

So goes my day. And I am so tired. Dragging. Teaching Elijah about Abram and Lot. Ethan is learning his letters. Lyla Jane is following me around whining and wanting nothing but for me to hold her all day, which is hard. But she is sick so I try to understand. Finally lunch time comes. And that means nap time is next, and not that I want to get rid of my little darlings but today I would like to take a nap too. Hoping anyway. So I am getting lunch ready and Ethan turns on his whines. He wants milk. Milk. Milk. Milk. Mama I want milk. Mama? Mama! Mama...You get the idea. I am ignoring him until I hear the right request. Elijah is singing at the table, where he does his school, I-I-I'm done. I-I-I'm done again and again and again....and again. He is ready for me to check his work. I am ignoring him too. Then I hear Lyla chime in mommy, mommy, MAMA MOMMY! MOMMY!!! I also ignore her. Now I am almost laughing out loud because it is getting louder and more chaotic by the second. Then it gets quiet. *SIGH* See! Ignoring does work sometimes. The boys are now talking about baseball at the table. Nice. So I finish up with lunch. And then I hear a spill. Right next to me. Lyla Jane opened the cupboard, took out the big bag of peanuts, took off the clamp, and dumped the entire bag out. All while I was "ignoring" her! ... Now everyone is at the table ready to eat. Elijah's prayer goes like this... "Dear God, Please bless this food and just bless this day and um help us to have a good day and just help me and Ethan to not quarrel like Abram and Lot's men. And give Papa a good day. And help us learn something at church tonight. And bless this food and in Jesus name amen." I can't help but smile. In all the chaos some things, good things are sticking. And I am thankful.

"Pretty"

I love that I can finally do things with her hair! She looks in the mirror and says, "pretty".

CONGRATULATIONS to You!!

Thank you Thomas for all you're hard work!! We love you and are very proud of you!! Congrautlations on your raise!!!

Smooth Sailing

Do you ever feel like everything is going so great that it may at any moment just fall apart? Well that is how I feel today. Things have been rough for a little while. In my heart that is. I have just been struggling extra. But it went away. Praise the Lord!! I feel like I got a little victory over worry. And now for the last week or so, things have been so great. And whenever this happens I usually have a big let down. So then the worry starts to creep in again! Viscious cycle. So please pray for me if you think about it :) I believe there is great power in prayer! And I want lasting victory. And to keep this sweet joy in my everyday! Thanks dear friends and loved family!!

Sugar detox...

Well. Here I am week half way through week 5. Last week was to completely cut out all refined sugars, even the organic ones. And this week is cutting out all quick breads...pancakes, waffles, muffins. Pretty much any bread made without yeast of some sort...I love pancakes. And why is it I never think about something until I want to exclude it?! I went to Starbucks just the other day and got a peppermint white chocolate mocha{probably full of HFCS}...and a muffin. A muffin?! I NEVER get those. Oh well. It was a special occasion after all. I mean, I was getting a treat for the boys...anyway I really do want to better my diet and eat less, WAY less sugars. And as much as I really have cut back, this is just a lot harder than I thought! So anyway on I go...On the upside I have bought LOTS of organic produce the last couple weeks and we have had salad with every dinner! Yes even the kids :)

The boys being boys!

Our little Lyla Jane is a little handful!

Ben Bur Park!

We have a great park right by us! Just a 10 minute walk. And today was perfect for a walk to the park! Cool but not cold. A good work-out for yours truly...double stroller helps. Thomas went to men's prayer meeting/breakfast this morning, so we decided it would be fun to take a walk. And a perfect chance for me to play with my new camera!! So here is our afternoon in pictures...

Seven Years...

Happy 7th anniversary to us! What a beautiful experience we have shared. We are more in love today, this day, than ever before. We have not always put the Lord first in our personal lives and I believe that is cause for disaster, as we have experienced at times. But we have learned and praise the Lord we have made it 7 years already! I am sure that if the Lord tarries we will have many, many more wonderful years together. True love is selfless work and so, so worth it all!! Here's to many more happy anniversaries to us!

Happy sixth birthday my dear sweet boy!

Six. Family. Painting. Prince for the day. Happy. Scavenger hunt. Sweet cards. Love. Stickers. Optimus Prime. Fun. Movies. Pancakes. Lasagna. Balloons. Joy. Cake. Smiles. Six!

JOYfulness VS. Self~Pity God can turn our greatest sorrows into our deepest joys.

JOYfulness is the bright spirit and radiant countenance that come by being in full fellowship with the Lord.

It is possible to have joy and sorrow at the same time, because joy is an expression of the spirit, and sorrow is an expression of the soul. Joy and sorrow can effect our hearts so that we will have either a joyful heart or a sorrowful heart.

• Joy is our strength~ For the joy of the LORD is our strength Nehemiah 8:10
• Joy is our health~ A merry heart doeth good like a medicine Proverbs 17:22
• Joy is our brightness~A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance Proverbs 15:13

What are the steps to experience JOY??

Give thanks unto the LORD. It is God's will for us as a believer.

• All things come from the hand of God. {Job 1:21, Matt.10:29}
• Ever thing that happens to us is ultimately for our good. {Rom.8:29}
• Every circumstance can build character in us. {Rom.8:29}
• Difficulties and afflictions can teach us God's ways. {Psalm 119:71}

Call upon His name. Are you trying to live this Christian life of your own accord and your own energy? I know I have. God will put us in situations beyond our human ability to deal with to remind us that we need Him for His strength to give us the desire and power to do his will! {For when I am weak, then am I strong 2Cor.12:10}

Make known His deeds among the people. When we cry out. He will respond. It is then our responsibility to tell others the mighty things God hath done for us! Our rejoicing glorifies Him and strengthens the faith of others.

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him. Eph.5:18-19. A person who sings is joyful!

Talk ye of all his wondrous works. Our conversation centers around people and events which we are most excited. It is a joy to tell others about the mighty things the Lord is doing in and through us!

Glory Ye in his holy name. {John 14:14} He is the Great Physician, the Tireless Provider and the Strong Protector.

Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jer.29:13 Trails and tribulations are designed by God to turn our affections away from temporal things. When God has our WHOLE hearts, He fills them with joy, because No Good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly Psalm84:11

Seek the LORD and his strength. We can ask Him for wisdom to discern the benefits of such trials, so we can thank Him for them. The resulting joy strengthens us, because ...the joy of the LORD is...our strength Neh.8:10

Seek his face continually. Are there sins or transgressions that would cause Him to hide his face from us? Or cause us to not want to look up at His face? As His face shines upon us, our faces also shine and brighten the lives of others. This is the very essence of JOY!!

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR JOY?!

I have lost my joy before. There is no better time then NOW to get it back.

I have been studying a book called The Power For True Success How to Build Character in Your Life. Most of this has been quoted right from the book... May it be a blessing to you as it most definitely was for me!

Sweet BMW!

Dear little Blake,

This is your Auntie Talia! I am just so excited for your Mama and Daddy and I can't wait to meet you, little doll baby! I already love you so much! Funny how your little ultrasound picture can make me cry every time I see it. And I am not even your mama! I pray for you. For your heart and mind to be strong and for your bones to be straight. And I pray that one day you will know our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and that you will serve him with your life. I love you Blake Michael!! See you in June!

Sugar detox...week 3. NO SWEETS!

So this week we make a drastic decision, well at least to me it is a drastic decision. No sweets. What?! I thought we would ease into this one...well I guess jumping in with 2 feet is the best way. So no sweets here I come. We don't have anything sweet in the house right now, except animal crackers, so that makes it a little easier. Although it is hard to remember! I walked to Starbucks this morning with my family and ordered a tall peppermint white chocolate mocha and thought nothing of it! Until about half way home it dawned on me!! Duh! I totally think this counts as a "sweet". Oh well. I really have only had Starbucks like 5 times since we moved here. And if you know me that is really good! So I will still refrain from dessert when we go out this Saturday night. Okay? Okay. My incredible sister-in-law, whom I have watched over the last few years completely change their eating habits, posted this the other day on FB. It was so great to read this. I want to change my and my family's eating habits out of love not fear. It puts it all into perspective. At least it did for me! Anyhow, here's to no sweets! For however long I need!

Sugar Detox...challenge #2. No diet things or white flours...

So week 2 and challenge #2. Get rid of the diet things and white flours...Apparently your body processes white flour the same as sugar! White flours make up a much larger portion of our diets than sugars but our insulin response{after consuming sugars our blood sugar rises, body responds by putting out insulin to bring sugar levels down, now they are dropped low enough that we feel hungry in order to regulate the blood sugar. It's a vicious cycle!} is the same when we consume white flours...Very interesting! Had no idea that our bodies treated white flour the same as sugar. Now I know, and now I say byebye...As far as the diet things go, we do not buy anything diet. Ever. So until next week!

Sugar Detox...Goodbye HFCS!!

Well, I am doing this Sugar Detox 2011 challenge through http://www.naturallyknockedup.com/. I know considering the name you all are wondering if I am trying to get pregnant...THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!! haha I have always wanted to say that to someone. But really, I do indeed want to have another baby! In fact I would like to give birth tomorrow! I feel so ready for another lil chubby bub to hug and kiss. And yes I am sure. Even though I have my plate full and frequently have crazy and hilarious mishaps. Like yesterday when a sopping wet monkey, dripping with potty water, smacked me in the face to wake me from my very wanted nap! But that is in the Lord's hands. So I will wait until His perfect timing takes place. But I do want to be more healthy overall and that is the reason I am doing this detox. The more I read about sugar and all it's negative health effects {3 big ones being: causes an imbalance in our blood sugar levels, cancer feeds on sugar, majorly suppresses your immune system} the more I want to never consume it again. And for those of you who really know me. I have a mad sweet tooth, with a mind of it's own! I could live on sugar and carbs. Not really, but I would be happy :) So anyway this challenge will last 8 weeks. This is week 1 and the challenge is to rid your house of any and everything containing HFCS aka high fructose corn syrup. This wasn't too hard because we have been avoiding it for over a year now. But we did still have a few items...which went straight to the trash...well, except the frosting which was quickly claimed by my friend. And the Manwich sloppy joe mix...gulp...which I made for dinner last night...But I do solemnly swear to NEVER purchase it again so long as I live! With that said I am ready to eliminate or at the very least greatly decrease the amount of sugar I and my family will be consuming from here on out. I am excited to see what the next step will be!! Follow the link at the beginning if you want to join me in bettering your health this year!

My Grandpa...

Grandpa Bruce. My sweet Grandpa Bruce has gone home to be with the Lord today. And with a tears streaming I write. Writing about him will help me. May it be a blessing to you as well. My most favorite memory of my Grandpa is back from when I was 5. I spent a lot of time at his house when I was that age because we lived in the same apartment complex. He always said, "Hi Talia! {with a huge denture smile} whatcha doin?" To which I would always reply, "Nothin." To which he would always reply, "Nutin honey?" I thought he was the greatest. It always made me smile. So one day, as usual, I went over to Grandpas house. and asked for some werthers candy. We had our same conversation. Only today Grandpa had something else to tell me. I sat on his lap sucking on my candy as Grandpa explained to me that I was an angel. Ha! I laughed. He didn't. He just smiled. He wasn't joking! Was I really an angel? He told me to feel my back, so I did and sure enough they they were...my budding wings! I was an angel, I truly was! I had wings growing out of my back! I could feel them. But just to make sure it was really truly angel wings growing, I had to pass a test. He very seriously looked at me and asked, "Can you wiggle your ears?" Huh?! That was a strange question. But I tried it, and sure enough!! My ears wiggled! That settled it. He said only angels can wiggle their ears. So it was true, I was an angel! And he never let me forget that. Even now that I am 27 years old, I am still pretty convinced. The last time I got to see him, was on Christmas Eve. And he told me again, "You're an angel, I love you." I will miss my Grandpa so, so very much. But I know he is up in heaven praising Jesus, and laughing with the angels. Heck, he's probably doing cartwheels! I look forward to the day, when God calls me home, and I get to see my Grandpa again! I know I am going to heaven when I die. Do you? I will never forget his great sense of humor. Or his smile. Or hand feeding the raccoons with him. Or how he always drank his milk with ice. Or his great big bear hugs. Or him crawling around on the ground at his old apartment {his dentures securely in a cup next to his chair} chattering his gums at us, while snorting and growling! I will never forget how much he loved me, or how much I will always love him! I will never forget my Grandpa Bruce!

Welcome 2011 !

Well I always make "new years resolutions" and then the excitement fades and so do the resolutions. It is kinda pointless to wait all the until January to try to make things better anyway. But none the less...I have a few commitments I would like to renew and add {in no particular order}. *Be up by 6AM each morning to ensure I read and pray everyday. *Integrate more JOY into my everyday life. *Keep a journal. *Try a sugar detox challenge. {I have a mad sweet tooth that needs to go bye-bye!} *Send out birthday cards to my family and friends through-out the year. *Take {and give the kids} vitamins and supplements everyday. *Do family devotionals at least 3X per week. *Eat and feed my family more raw foods. *Stop buying processed anything, even if it is marked organic. There are more little things here and there also, but these are the main things I want to do better or at all in 2011!