This is our Aeva the week we met her. She was a chubby, happy 9 month old little girl with

a spunky attitude!:) The cutest little nose, round little cheeks, and beautiful brown eyes... we fell in love.

This is her today. 5 years old. She is a spunky, carefree, loving,crazy, opinionated,daring,full of life 5 yr old.

Man how we love her.

not sure why these are coming up as links...but they're not. :)

Emma! We love you SO much! Wish we could be there for your big party, but we are thinking about you and praying for you, big girl!

Love, Cassie, Sammie, Max, Mitch and Aeva!

Cassie is a joy to my heart.

I love this girl beyond words.

Thank you Lord for her heart, for her love of life and of people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihRmM0aVADU&feature=share

Need to be challenged with your priorities??

This will hit you right where you need it!

A blog I read is doing a give away for a $100 gift card to LEGO!

Go check it out at:

http://thelifeofsuz.blogspot.com/2012/07/reading-books-and-building-blocks.html

Yesterday was Aeva's birthday. We started out with out traditional birthday pancakes! :)Then went to the free movie at the theatre and then to the park for free lunch ( we love free:)

and then stayed at the park and played in the lake. We had alot of friends with us and it was a blast!
Aeva and her cute buddy Sienna. They are so adorable...even if she has a mouth full of cake!:)
A sweet moment between sisters.
CHEESE!
Playing with her new bubbles!
Beautiful chocolate faced 5 yr old!

Aeva, God has blessed us with you. You are funny, crazy and sweet. You like to be the leader and enjoy playing with friends and coloring. We pray as you grow older and older, you continue to choose to follow the Lord! Love, your mommy and daddy.

In case you wanted to see a few pictures of the house for sale, here you go! :)

Since Cassie was missing out of the last post, I thought I would show you what she has been up to this summer...and a little video of her concert...this is only after 2 weeks of lessons ( free lessons, BTW!)

It's all kinds of ridiculous how musical she is..

and she has really good time, which will help with ALL

instruments as well as dance...

and let me tell you, she has moves. :)

I love this girl!

Summertime.

Things I see this Summer:

1. a cute hat for 2$.....

2. Posers...

3. Sun-bleached hair and a tan....

4. Relaxing and Reading

5. these beautiful BROWN...

and CRAZY BLUE (un-edited) eyes....

6. FRECKLES...

7. Sun-kissed cheeks...

8. the occasional time-out..:(

9. lots of these...

10. this sweet little boy...even with some 'tude.

(again, the EYES!)

11. My newly planted flowers...

12. sleepy eyed faces..

13. that my kids are naturally athletic...

14. and FINALLY some landscaping around my house.

DID I SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE SUMMER????

Happy Father's Day to the man who drives me.....to LOVE more deeply.....

to TRUST more fully....

to TEARS with frustration,

to LAUGHTER like I've never laughed before....

to FOLLOW hard after JESUS....

to BELIEVE in the strength and power of an ALMIGHTY GOD..

and hopefully( Lord willing) to CALIFORNIA next year. :)

I love you, Slim Shady.

So, i had a lot of firsts in the past Week.

Number One:

First time to hide in the bushes and take pictures of a proposal.

It was awesome! I felt like...a secret agent or something!

Congrats to you two!

Number Two:

First time I've ever had a child graduate from Preschool.

Not because they weren't smart enough, but because this is the first

one we have put in preschool! :)

She ADORED Mrs. Justice and

will miss her a lot next year.

You cannot help but get teary when your youngest

is wearing an outfit BOTH of her older sister's have worn..

sigh. I wonder who will wear it next? :)

Number Three:

First time walking through " LITTLE ITALY" in Ohio.

It was an adorable few blocks of goodness.

And Caden loved it. :)

Number 4:

First time walking through

the Market in Cleveland.

It was pretty fun!

The kids loved seeing all the fresh foods you

can buy.

Number 5:

First time attending a good-bye party for my sister.

It was a good time with all her friends out there in Ohio.

I just LOVE this little boy. A LOT.

Number 6:

First time my kids have ever had to say goodbye to

their only family they have ever had close.

First time I have had to say goodbye to my best friend/sister

for such a long period of time.

It was not fun, despite the smiles.

I was very weepy all the way home.

The reality that we will be the only family out here in the midwest

has hit me like a ton of bricks. And my oldest too.

I would look over every now and again all day and she would

be crying, saying, " I just can't make it mom. I can't make it here without them."

Oh my daughter, I KNOW exactly how you feel!

BUT GOD. He WILL get us through this, because we KNOW we are in HIS will.

During one of the times in Ohio, I happened to be the only one in my van. ( you become very unpopular when there are Aunts and Uncles to ride with, even to your husband! :)

As I was driving and sobbing, The Lord spoke to me through a song.

http://youtu.be/79055I6o-NQ

"All of my life, in every season, you are still God and I have a reason to sing.

I have a reason to worship."

That is my prayer, that through this season of my life, I will bring Praise and Worship to the only

one who deserves it.

Along with that, my Sis-in-love sent me a link tonight from Beth Moore's blog...oh such goodness.

And SO something I needed to hear, right now. Tonight.

http://blog.lproof.org/2012/06/anybody-get-a-word.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LPMblog+%28LPMblog%29

To quote one of the parts that stood out to me, although ALL of it was perfect for where I am,

"Isn’t that the way it goes? It is only in a season like this that I get what I constantly beg God for: an intense relationship with Him where I can sense His Presence and where His Word is life and breath to me. Where the Cross is so much dearer. Where His Spirit seems much nearer. Where I love Him more than anything I can see or touch. That glorious place of the thinning veil."

I'm begging God.

Read this verse on a bloggyfriend's blog and had to share!

I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises
I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are helpless take heart.

Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
let us exalt his name together.

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. Psalm 34

It's been a hot one around here. REALLY hot. Since our pool was trashed last year..(big holes)

and we sold our window air conditioner at our yard sale last fall( since we were suppose to be moving this

summer, and not needing it...dumb move.:)

We've had to come up with some creative ways to cool off from our 85 degree house.

So, tyson set the sprinkler to hit the slide, added a big ol' tarp, and a bunch of dish soap.

And TAA-DAA! Our own mini waterpark! This picture looks as if she isn't enjoying it..oh, but she is!:)
Playing outside really tires one out. ESP. Max. He was so adorable,

falling asleep in their playhouse/slide.

This TOTALLY reminds me of when he was just a little baby...how time flies.

The girls has their piano recital last Sunday. Samantha's first one. She did so good. Cassie has done this 4 other times, and is an old pro. :) and looking WAY TO OLD in her dangly earrings. sigh.
I almost cried, thinking about Mom not being there to do this with them next fall...Oh how hard this is going to be.

But, I know we are following the Lord, which is so much better. Aren't they cute?

So, God is on the move in my life.
Have you ever been pursued so hard by the Lord,

there is no denying what he is trying to teach you?

I am there.

UNITY.

That is what Jesus wants for us.

Unity with our families.

Unity with fellow believers.

Unity with our SPOUSE.

I have been hit over and over and over with this in the last week.

Just yesterday in church. (we are going through Philippians.)

In chapter 4, the speaker was talking about UNITY.

Tonight, in my bible study, we were studying UNITY.

Standing Shoulder to Shoulder, without gaps in between us where Satan

comes to steal, kill and destroy our marriages.

MY sisters!

We must be UNIFIED!

There is so much blessing in standing together!

Not only Unified in spirit, but I was hit tonight with unified in our faith in Jesus.

Our faith to believe he will do what he says he will do.

That he has given us ALL we need to for life and godliness.

That he is able to do immeasurably more than anything we can ask or imagine.

(like selling our house, NOW. Or finding us a big one to rent for the same(ish) price we pay now, or me getting this job I applied for that is perfect for what we need RIGHT NOW, or providing a van that can hold up to 10 kids! :)

He is so much more than able to do all these things, IF we have faith and believe he has our best interests in mind.

BY FAITH, Abraham obeyed God.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen, it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. ( Heb 11:1)

So, take a new grip with your tired hands. Strengthen your weakened knees.

Mark out a straight path for your feet, and WALK IN FAITH.

AND do it together, UNIFIED.

This I know.

I cannot live without your presence. You are everything to me.

You are worthy of my praise, Lord.

Worth everything I have to do to adjust and alter my life to draw close to you. Giving up nearness to you is out of the question. Knowing YOU is what I live for. You are my love, my light, my salvation. I will do ANYTHING to make my way to you and I will move everything that slows your way to me. Teach me your ways, O Lord. Clear the path. Arise, my God and come to me.

This is a section of my bible study tonight. Somehow Beth Moore knows how to take my thoughts and make them make sense on paper.

So, this is my prayer for this year.

This year of hard.

This year of change.

This year of growth.

We have been praying and praying.

We both feel we have heard a word form the Lord.

We are not to move. yet.

We have made a lot of stupid choices with our money that have

made us slaves to our debt.

We have not honored God.

We have done what we want and not what he asks.

No MORE.

I want to "move everything that slows his way to us."

So, we are staying here.

For another year.( unless God says otherwise)

Prayerfully selling our house to pay off a big chunk of what we owe.

Working hard to clear away all that is between us and the Lord.

Saying goodbye to my family will be one of the HARDEST things I will ever do.

Living here without them seems to difficult to think of.

NOT DOING WHAT GOD HAS ASKED US TO DO IS COMPLETELY

UN-FATHOMABLE.

I refuse to disobey.

I chose to step in faith.....

no matter the cost.

In our lives Lord, be GLORIFIED.

A Week At A Glance

The Boys had pirate day at school...Max rubbed his mustache off because he

was too embarrassed.

It was also Muffin and Mom's for mothers day...they are cute huh?

This week has been AMAZING weather. 80's, not humid, cool at night, reminds me of California. :)

So, we decided to do a park hop. This is where you go to a park, do everything there once, and then drive to another park and do the same..ect.

They all took turns leading through...:) They really did have fun, despite Cassie's face.

This picture just CRACKS me up.

J.T. turned 4 and was here over his birthday. We got to hang out on Mother's Day

with them and here he is..such a big boy!

So, there are lots of other things I would like to share, but am still

processing through them all. Hope to share soon...

UNTIL NEXT TIME.......