Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Last week, I ran out of diapers for my 4 month old. I didn't take her older brothers size 4 diapers and put them on her so that the top of the diaper was resting below her arm pits...no not me!

I also didn't try on a dress last night thinking I had lost my baby weight and couldn't get the zipper to even MOVE...no not me!

The BIG picture

So, it's Saturday and my husband is off playing Halo (an awesome video game) and I am left to my own devices. I have been thinking of my days in China. My reasonings for going and my reasonings for LOVING it. For those who don't know, I lived in China from 2003 to 2008 with a little time at home for summer vacation one year and time to get married/ raise support. When I decided to go to China in 2003 it wasn't because I was unhappy with my awesome job as an Assistant Account Executive (sounds fancy eh?). ahahaha. It wasn't because I was running from people or circumstances. It was because I KNEW that was where God wanted me to go. It was soo clear and evident to me. The most clear thing I have ever known or had the privilege of feeling. I had never traveled outside of the US...hardly anywhere in the US for that matter. I was dating Josh and he had always told me that he wanted to go back to Asia (he grew up in Taiwan), but the thought of leaving my awesome job, car, apartment, friends, family....didn't appeal to me. It wasn't until I went to church to listen to a guest speaker...well, that guest speaker was NOT speaking that day...in fact, it was 2 guys that I would grow to respect and call my friends. These two guys spoke of China and the need for missionaries. The need for people to share the gospel. The need for people like ME, followers of Jesus Christ, to stand up and say...I will GO!!! It was that day that I truly felt the Holy Spirit say "you will go". I told Josh, he was elated...I told friends, they were excited, I told family....got some resistance, but all in all...it was my decision and I KNEW that this was what I had to do. Filled out an application and went. Quit my job and raised X amount of dollars and went. My good friend said "if it's God's will, it's God's bill". I remember I had $3000 left to raise. I prayed and prayed and it was NOT coming in on time. I had a week left to raise that amount. Impossible right? I went for a run one afternoon...seriously it was a 15 minute run...so...not long at all. I got home and saw an envelope on the door with my name on it. Inside......$3000. From a man who didn't even know me, but had heard of my need.

So, I went. I saw some awesome things! I smelled strange smells, I ate strange looking things, I heard many different dialects and saw the strangest lines on signs. This was a NEW world and I was calling it home...for a while. I am nostalgic about China as I write now. I miss it OH SO MUCH! It changed me in soo many ways. I see things so much bigger n

ow. The BIG picture. What God wanted me to see....the big picture. How the world...life isn't about me. How it is VERY much about lives changed for the Lord.

William Wilberforce said "Having seen all this you can choose to look the other way, but you can never say again 'I did not know'".

How true is that? I now know that I was there for a reason. If I had not shared with Candy (my dear dear friend), then she would have never met her now husband at a retreat we took all the christian students on (maybe she would have eventually, but maybe not). Believe me, I am not taking credit or bragging...just stating the course of events that led her and him together. But most importantly, they taught me how to love other people regardless

if there are differences (like language).

Bottom line. China changed me. Allowed me to see that while yes I was a Christian before I left, now I see that I have the opportunity to invite others to be in this family. To be apart of the Kingdom. To encourage others that life doesn't have to be about stuff, but about eternal hope. Keeping the perspective of....(like Kelly Clarkson would say) "my life...would suck...without You". Now she is talking about a boy, but still....it is applicable.

Sorry to drone on, but these are my thoughts. I am grateful for wh

at the Lord has done and I only hope that through this walk I have with Him, He shows me grace. Grace that can only be given by Him that allows me to say "hey, I'm not perfect, but I have an audience of 1......and He loves me and I want to give him EVERYTHING". We can half a$$ this life or we can live fully for the King......our choice.

This picture is of the city I lived in. It is COVERED with concrete, high rises and no grass in sight. A TOTAL change from where I am now. People might say...oh...how ugly, or why would you want to live in a place like that. To those people I say, I love that city. Christ is IN that city.

Happy Sabbath!

Edyn today

Ok, so I know this picture stinks....blurry...overexposed...the works. BUT, This is my Edyn. She is always looking like this. Always smiling, and flailing her arms about. She is my gift from God.

Happy Friday!

So, in looking at my blog...I realized that it is MOSTLY pictures. Where this is OK, I do want to make sure that I have thoughts about life...fashion...and of course..food & Faith on here. :) Currently...living in CO, loving the scenery, NOT the snow. Too much snow currently. Not many places to go in town with 3 kids where they won't pick up germs...so, we stay inside and I try and entertain with dance parties and crafts. The kids are currently into making bracelets with strips of paper. Kayla and Guinness are getting along pretty well these days. They give me many a headache and stress, but the good outweighs the bad for sure. Kayla can be really sweet and mothering sometimes and Guinness can be a real gentleman. Edyn of course is just a baby...but she is soo sweet. I think she smiles soo much/hard that it hurts her face. :) She is by far my easiest. I think God gave me an easy 3rd, because I can't handle that much more right now.

Fashion: well, I made it my NY resolution, to change my whole wardrobe to something AGE appropriate. I used to be SOO much into American Eagle. Nothing against them..I still do LOVE their jeans. However, I walked in there a couple of weeks ago with my daughter in tow (in a stroller) and you would not BELIEVE how many stares I got. I mean, I know I am not 16 anymore, but...do I look 50 walking in there? I think it was the stroller that made all the girls nervous. :) hahahahahha. I def felf out of place. THEN.....I walked into my newest FAVORITE store....(drum rolls) ANTHROPOLOGIE!!!! This store is sooo choice. I just love the smells, colors, sales women, the couch in the dressing room, the way I feel in that store. It is indescribable. I have gotten into reading some blogs of women who go into Anthro, try on clothes, take pictures of themselves in the clothes and then write reviews. Can I tell you something?.....this is AWESOME!!! It is the most helpful thing for a girl who lives in the middle of nowhere. I mean, to see someone who has similar body shape and taste in clothes..trying on something that you have had your eye on..letting me know that it is TTS (true to size) or size down because they run big.....it is sooo helpful. Thank you to the ladies who do this for us folk who like 3 hours away from the nearest. Fortunatly, I have a friend here who has equally the same amount of love for Anthro, who I can have great fashion conversations with. She also tells me when she has something in her wishlist that is in my size....("do you want me to order it") she says.....sooo nice!!!

Finally food: I just had a baby ok? I am still in the phase of using the excuse of "well, I have to keep my calories up for nursing purposes, so..I will eat". This is dangerous. Where I am not putting weight ON, I am not taking it off either. WIth it 20 degrees outside, so running is out, I don't have any activities I can do outside with 3 kids. By the time Josh gets home...it's dark and FREEZING!!! Anyway, food is my friend and I don't believe in substituting taste for saving calories. Having said that...I do enjoy salad and salmon and shrimp. I usually do Kellogs for breakfast, salmon or shrimp for lunch (with an apple, granola bar and tall glass of water) and for dinner...I go all out. Usually pasta dishes with a heavy cream sauce or....pizza, tacos...that stuff. Josh doesn't benefit from this except to pack on calories, but still......I like my meals. :) I am not going to apologize for it either :) hahahaha.

Faith: where faith and food don't go together, I will say that my faith and walk with the Lord increases every day. I am not bragging about this, but I am excited about it. God is showing me all the time areas of my life that need a fixin. He is currently showing me the power of prayer. Praying for my kids by name...praying for Josh and our marriage, job situation, and parenting together....these are my life. All very important to me! So, why am I not praying about this MORE..??? not sure, but God is showing me how to. He is also showing me the importance of raising my kids, not dictating to them and making them feel small and fearful. I think I do this.....or did this. I am changing remember?

Anyway, this blog is going to change. I will add photos of course, but I want this to be an outlet of expression and comments...please leave your comments and add to the discussion of....parenting biblically, fashion and how to dress age appropriate, and of course MARRIAGE!!!! and food....:)

Have a good weekend readers!

One more

here is Guinness right after nap....anticipating a snack!!!

Finally

Dang, I have not posted anything lately!! wowzers, as my kids would say. :) This is a Kayla day! she didn't want to take these pictures, so I had to bribe with play dough. She did it for the dough.

I know one of the pics if fuzzy, but I LOVED the shot. She is laughing and throwing her head back....just like her mother. :) She also decided to share with Edyn her dollhouse book. Sooo nice. I turned around to kayla saying..."here you go Edyn, look mommy, Edyn likes to play too". hahaha, she is a funny kiddo

FOR JOY!!!!

Gmas gift

This is what Kayla and I did today. We built this doll house from a book. It is the coolest thing. My mom got it for her for her birthday, but she was too little at the time to play with it. I think now she is still too little, but she has had a dry pull up (yes friends, pull up...can't bring myself to let her sleep all night without one) for 3 nights straight. Anyway, kayla is having a blast coming up with stories for them. Currently she is looking for a blanket (she just arrived with her colorful hat) for "rose" so she can have nap time. :) hahaha. check it out

Guinness

Josh got a kick out of this one of our favorite boy

photoshoot

SNOW!!!! part deux

More snow has plagued us the last few days. OH my. LOTS of snow. Josh was shoveling the roof the other day. SHOVELING THE ROOF!!!! who has ever heard of that? We finally got Guinness out in the snow. He has hated playing out there, but he has just found a fondness to the snow when his uncle Joel was out there. He is the cutest bundled up boy I have ever seen !!

Christmas with Edyn & more

Christmas with Kayla

Christmas

Here are some pics of the kiddos over Christmas: starting with Guinness. We had a great time with Josh's family! Everyone piled into our small home and boy were we cramped...but it was fun. Lots of people to talk to. For me...that was great. I usually talk to a 3 year old all day long. This was a nice break!

Christmas

Here are some pics of the kids and Josh. Josh is standing...basically in our backyard...That is Steamboat Springs...craaaazy. Edyn is sooo giddy and happy. She is SUCH a good baby. God has surely blessed us with an easy beauty. Guinness was a firefighter this Christmas. He wore his new jacket for most of the night (we celebrated at night) :)

I wasn't allowed

to put these pictures up in the past due to our location and being in country. BUT for my friend Joy who hasn't seen many pics of the city where we were for many years...here you go!

Gotta love God's Word:

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus.

And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand — out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

Romans 5:1-3 (MSG)(emphasis mine)

The view

This is the view from my backyard. The mountain had the alpin glow on it tonight. SOOOO pretty. All day it has been cloudy and then this little surprise at the end of a LONG day. :)

Look

Look how I found Edyn last week after a few minutes alone in her Bumbo. Also, Kayla is letting "bobo" put ornaments on the tree. I let her put like 10 ornaments on. G got to put like 2 on.

How much difference a year makes

This time last year we didn't know we would be adding another one to the family. We are blessed to have Edyn and look how much the others have changed.