Knowing God's Word...A through Z

"It's written down so we’ll know how to live well and right,

    to understand what life means and where it’s going;

A manual for living,

    for learning what’s right and just and fair;

To teach the inexperienced the ropes

    and give our young people a grasp on reality.

There’s something here also for seasoned men and women,

    still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—

Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate,

    the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women."

Proverbs 1:1-6 (The Message)

Ever since I became a mother with Laylie entering the world, I felt deep down in my heart that not only am I here to raise her and protect her, but that the most important part in being her mother is to train her up to love and honor the Lord with all of her heart. Jason and I would pray together daily that she would be filled up by Him and be a light as she grew up. The moment she started saying words and talking, I felt it was my time to let her know the word of God and give her wise words of wisdom each and every morning when we woke up.  It started by praying, then it went onto reading our Bible, then doing our prayer journals together, and now it is memorizing scripture. The day she turned 18 months we started sitting together on the kitchen floor, looking at the big printed Bible verse that was taped to the fridge, and we would memorize it together. 

Now, 2 years later, our favorite part of the day is saying our Bible verses together and reading his Word each day. I am excited to tell you that she now knows over 40 Bible verses by heart, and 26 of them start with A and ending with Z (Thanks to my sweet friend Kelly for gifting us the amazing verses). Yesterday was the day she conquered the 'Z' Bible verse "Zion hears and rejoices" and I must say, this mama is rejoicing and thanking God for letting this little girl fall deeply in love with her Savior, and for the guiding that I am blessed to be a part of. We are now adding new verses, and the most important thing in life I am praying for daily is that the Word of God will be rooted in her life forever. When she goes through a tough time, she can call out on scripture, if she is having fear, she can call out on scripture. If she needs to be reminded how to live a life full of goodness and love, she can call out on scripture. 

Laylie, mama and papa are so proud of your willing heart to grow and lean on Him. May you never fall short and always have a heart as a child wanting to learn and blossom for God. Just like the other day, when you asked me, "what is 'sin'?" I told you about it and you replied, "God takes my sin cause I prayed one day and now he is in my heart." Sometimes you blow me away with how much you understand! May you beam brightly for Him, and teach others when they need to be lifted up. I love you, sweet Angel! 

What's Happening in the White House

We have been enjoying our summer and some extremely fun activities these days....Take a look, read some, and enjoy!

Laylie has been enjoying going to VBS this summer and learning how to be strong for God. She has learned new songs with hand motions, Bible verses, and even how to give money or donate items to those who need it. She loved it and it was a joy to see her so excited to go every morning. The best part was her Auntie Jillian was the leader of her class and she was able to be with her cousins Sam and Leia. The last day, we were able to watch her perform all the songs she learned from the week. It was a joy.

Laylie is at the age where she does the cutest things and says the funniest things. The other morning she put a ball in her shirt and said, "look mama, I am pregnant." I replied, "wow, when is your baby due?" She smiles and says, "only in 3 years." Oh my! I can't ever imagine waiting for a baby for 3 years and being pregnant that long.

Jason and I have always enjoyed upgrading and working on our home together. We are now working on our room and doing our bathroom. We were blessed by some friends who gave us a beautiful new bed-frame, and we rearranged a few things in our room to give it a fresh look. Jason has been working hard on our bathroom and I am so happy how it turned out. I enjoy going to bed each night and waking up every morning in our beautiful suite now. Thanks Jason for making our place look so great!

We framed our big mirrors, added a new medicine cabinet, repainted the drawers, and cleaned our fancy lights. 

We all dressed up as cows and headed to Chick-fil-a for a FREE meal. We had the best time dressing up as cows and eating a yummy chicken lunch with our family, and then dinner too, with friends.

We went to the beautiful wedding of Michelle and Dustin. We had the greatest time witnessing their love and watching their magical day unfold. We have seen Michelle grow up since she was in our Jr. High group at church, and now she is a stunning bride. We are excited to see their life begin together. Laylie felt so special going to the wedding and having a wonderful date with her mama and dad.

Happy Summer and hope you are having a fun one like we are!!! 

A Special Zoo Date

Laylie had an extremely fun day with Auntie Lindsay and Uncle Tim. They took her for the day and explored the San Diego Zoo together. She had the time of her life. She got her face painted, which she LOVED and even slept with it still on that night because she wanted it to stay on there forever. They saw so many wonderful animals, rode the sky-ride, drank lots of lemonade and had so much fun. She came home with such an amazing happy spirit and she was over the moon excited about her special day. Thank you, Lindsay and Tim, for making Laylie feel so loved and giving her the BEST zoo experience ever. She is still talking about it, and I know it will be a memory that will last forever.

What a fun day!!! 

A life as a 1 year old

Rael is becoming more independent now and she is everywhere. She is on the move all the time, and I always have to keep a special watch on her. She loves to explore the house, with unrolling the toilet paper, playing in the toilet water, eating anything her eye sees on the floor that might look like food, and climbing stairs when the gate is left open. And to top it off, here is a story for you...warning...you might gag! 

Rael had a bad rash on her bum so I was giving her lots of probiotics, kefir, and cream, and I also knew that letting her bum get some fresh air helps. After her nap, I stripped her down, rolled up our living room carpet and let her run around freely. She loved it! We headed outside to play for a bit, and she decided to play in their little play house. A few minutes later I hear Laylie scream, "Mom!! Rael pooped in my play house!!" I take a look and find that she is smiling so happily...with brown mushed poop all over her mouth!! I could not believe it!!

Poop on the floor, and she is EATING it!!! Yuck!!! This mama gagged a few times, cleaned up Rael, cleaned the play house, and put a diaper back on that bum. The thing about this girl- she is curious, loves to get into everything, and has a jolly of a time doing it. 

She is now at the 50% mark for height and weight. She is feeding herself with a spoon, she screams for anything and everything she wants - we are still working on how to talk - she loves being with her big sister and follows her around the house, and she can now say "ball" and "book". She is a joy! 

Happy 4th of July!

We had a wonderful day celebrating July 4th. The girls up woke and we dressed them in their red, white and blue outfits. We enjoyed the entire day hanging out with friends, eating delicious BBQ food, swimming at our pool and watching the Del Mar Fireworks. It was a super awesome day and we loved every moment of it!

We met the Williams family for a swim at our pool. We had so much fun swimming, splashing, and cooling off that sunny morning. 

We headed back to our house for a 4th of July BBQ lunch where we enjoyed tasty hamburgers, lemonade, watermelon, chips, and a special red, white and blue dessert. 

The Watt family joined us for some more celebration and another BBQ, where we had lots of fun together. 

As the evening approached and the day started coming to an end, the 3 families headed to the Del Mar Fireworks. We laid out our blankets on the grass and oohed and ahhed over the fireworks. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful day. 

Last year on July 4th we had a tiny newborn - and now look how much she has grown....

Happy 4th of July!!!!