Thank you Jesus....

That is pretty much how I can describe life right now. I know I have crazy kids and a crazy busy life but its been so amazing. On top of everything else God. He has blessed our little family with so much. Hubby is getting baptized how AWESOME is that!!! Sometimes I feel as though as I am undeserving for the things I have. As I go on through the last couple of weeks of my bible study I am saddened that its almost over but I have also learned so much about myself and hope that I have changed.. Sometimes I feel myself slipping back to the way I was being critical and judgmental and that is when I pull out my book and start reading and studying the word on the attitude I have at the time and it puts me back in my place. I also pray for me and whoever or whatever I may have an attitude about. Its hard to change your attitude.. Most of them are etched on our very being that it makes us who we are so when we start changing our attitude we are not who we were before.. If your working in the ways of the Lord and walking closer to him its for the better. Hubby and I have been having a hard time having a relationship with family members and friends because we feel as they do not respect our new life but of course we pray for us to have continued strength and for others to see the wonderful things God can bring. I feel as though we may lose some family members and friends as we continue on this journey and all I can hope is that they will make that decision to walk the way the word of God says. On the upside I have met so many wonderful people just like me. Struggling to live by his word and trust in God with EVERYTHING! In a book I have been reading that God made people unique.. made women strong and special in our own way and it said to ask my friends what they thought was unique about me. Pretty much all said the same thing, my personality, my ability to love a lot unconditionally and speaking what is on my mind. I had NO idea... I feel as though I do not love enough. Again its what other people see that is unique about you. My book says to use this "special ability" to further our families success and works in God... I am so confused. How do I know what God wants me to do? I have not really had a calling for anything yet. So how do I know? My brother is coming into town this week. I am so stoked to see him. He is in a friend of the families wedding. I am sure the wedding will be beautiful. Congrats and many years of love and happiness Cliff and Jeanna.. May God bring upon many blessings to the two of you, your beautiful family and your home. Anyways, I am just really looking forward to being with my brother, sister in law and nephew! Its going to be great. I know hubby is excited to have his best man in town too.  I will be blogging about our visit throughout the week and hopefully have photos to go with it. Have a wonderful week!!
With all my Love

Ps. Song playing is now my fav song EVER!!

Amateur Photographer..

"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'' For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Mark 10: 6-9

So I do a little amateur photography on the side for a lil extra dough to play with. I love it too.. And I had the wonderful pleasure of taking pics for an amazing woman. Her husband was deployed with mine and when they asked me to take pics at their wedding I was THRILLED! Anyways I have not gotten her disk to her yet but ther are some GREAT pics and I had to do a lil sneak peek!

Hope I did the beautiful wedding justice with my photos! I had a wonderful time with this beautiful couple!! Many blessings on their wedding!

My Testimony!

As you can see I am a Christian. This is not my first meeting with Christ as I have been raised a "Christian" my whole life. I have not been saved recently so that does not explain my closer walk with the Lord these days. So what is it you as. Well I was saved back in June of 2003. Baptized on June 10th to be exact. Until recently I had forgotten the date or why I did it. Hubby and I were thrumming through our bibles on our bookshelf to see where we had gotten some of them and I ran across mine from when I got baptized. June 10th 2003. I kick myself for forgetting this important date but at that time in my life events were all just a fuzz. June 8th I lost a very near and dear love and friend. I can not tell you why I chose then to get baptized maybe it was in the moment kinda thing. Again I am not sure. As for this recent transformation of my life and my thoughts. I have to give some of the credit to my church. I survived this year long deployment with my husband gone to Afghanistan. Many IED incidents, many injuries and two deaths in just his unit. Sleepless and lonely (I look back now I know I was not alone) nights, a lot of crying and worrying, a a lot of putting on my happy face when I did not want to. It was no easy. Hubby came home on emergency leave for a death in the family. As we waited for him to go to demob and complete his training he was home with me 24/7. I loved it!! I was spoiled. Then all of a sudden he got a call to go to Demob in MISSISSIPPI!! He was only supposed to be gone for a few days but because of his back injuries they had to take all the precautions and make sure they had him set up correctly for treatment when they released him. 3 days turned into almost 4 weeks. I became severely depressed. I did not want to go anywhere or do anything. I did not even want to take care of my kids.. =( As a mother that is extremely hard for me to say because I love my children with my whole heart. Lets just say it was bad. My family and friends were extremely worried about me. So one Wednesday night I made a decision that would change my whole attitude and apparently my whole life. I grudgingly took my kids to AWANAS at our church and as I was dropping them off they asked if I wanted to leave Allison so I can attend the service.. I said sure whatever I had no where else to go. Admitting I did not attend the service in person rather sat outside the sanctuary and listened to the preacher preach. I was looking over a newsletter they had given me and seen their Women's Ministries about to start up and my mom called. One looked like it would be interesting and I figured I would drag her along with me. so I signed up for Tuesday morning bible study "Lord Change my Attitude". From Day 1 my attitude about life change dramatically. Hubby shortly returned home to see a changed person and he was so stressed and weary from worrying about himself and me the whole time he was gone. We had a few arguments but got past them. I continued my bible study and he continued to see a change. Maybe it was appealing to him and he wanted to continue to support this change so we began attending church. I love my church, my Sunday school teacher, the staff I just love them all. They opened up for parents to go watch the movie Courageous while the AWANAS staff fellowship with our children. I looked at it as a way James and I can have some "adult" time but it turned out more than that. We are now BOTH walking closer with the Lord. Hubby is becoming an amazing spiritual leader of our home and I am learning to be his "help meet" (see bible for definition =)) God is working in wonderous ways and I could not be more happy with my life.
With all my love,

Faith

So I posted a question on my Facebook yesterday and its clear that A LOT of peoples definition of faith is the same but there are a few people who are different. A friend quoted one of my new favorite bible scriptures when it comes to Faith and its Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen". Whatever you give will be received " Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap." Luke 6:38. In a book I read the amount in that verse she used flour as an example.. pour some flour in a cup and you have air bubbles.. shake it the flour settles and then you press it down and voila room for more and not just that.. not just pressed down to the top of the cup but running over or in some bibles over flowing into your lap. That is a lot. In the Bible we are constantly being told by God and Jesus that God will never forsake us. But there is a price to pay and that is FAITH. BELIEVING in him whole heartedly that he will come through on these promises. So you wonder how do I get these blessings and this amount given back? Contrary to what many think first and foremost you must accept God as your Lord and Savior. You must believe the price he and Jesus paid to forgive us all of ours sins. Pray and Read his word. Sounds easy? I am not gonna lie it really does SOUND easy but its not. As you pray and read his word you will have a desire to walk closer to him to live the life that he has set a path for us in the Bible. That means giving up things. At this point in time I am having a hard time giving up a few things.. For example tithing or as some of you may know when you sit in church and they pass that little plate around for you to put money in... Yeah we have close to nothing after bills are paid right now so how am I supposed to give to God?? In the Bible it says to give him your "first fruits". That means you give to God before you pay bills or anything else... UGH! How on earth am I supposed to do that and pay ALL my bills.. Bill collectors do not care if you are tithing like you should or if you are a Christian. As I am learning this week that is where faith comes in. I have to KNOW that whatever I give to the Lord whether it will be time, money, my thoughts that I will get it back in a "good measure". So am I struggling with faith in the Lord right now? Yes! What do I do.. keep diving into his word and praying so that I find the answer somewhere that God finally says "Sweet Pea its OK! Trust me, I will take care of you just as I have ALWAYS promised". I hope all of you find a place in your heart that says ok Im going to trust God and have faith in him and believe. If not for the little things in your life but for where your going to spend eternity. Its one of two places. Heaven or Hell.. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 16:6. So when that trumpet sounds I know where I am going and I cannot wait until Jesus greets me with open arms at those wondrous gates of heaven!

So where are you going?

With All My Love

Give Credit

Where credit is due.. Who do you thank for your blessings? Do you work and make the money to get them yourself? Are your blessings in material things? Are your blessings things people cannot see? I know mine are. I have an amazing husband and 3 beautiful children. My marriage is in tact and is stronger than ever and my love for my children is unending. So who do I thank? I did not do it that is for sure. God did! I have Him to thank in everything I have. God is still moving unyielding in making changes in my life and each of my precious family members lives! Big Papa has officially become a member of my church which I could not be more excited. We are members together at the same church as ONE family. All I can say is when God wants to make a change in your life.. if you let him in boy does he move. I know its not going to be easy. Its going to be hard walking closer with him. Which I am sure I have lost a lot of my readers because of my new Christian outlook on my life. At some point I will give my testimony and share with everyone Why. Why this drastic change in my life. I am still learning. Its not like I can jump right into it and say hey I am here I am a full blown Christian because I cant.. there are still things I do not understand and I pray the Lord guides me in those ways. Let me tell you what has been AMAZING to me. My women's bible study group at church! I cannot reiterate how amazing those ladies have been there along with the staff. Hugs and welcoming and just the all around feeling that I am at "home" when I am there and with them. I am really worried about my Tuesdays when its over... 2 more weeks and I will be done and I have not missed ONE day of it! I am very proud of myself. But remember if your most prized possessions are material things you might want rethink what these precious blessings are. Mine are unseen and that is the love I have with my family. You can not see it, you can not touch it but if you could oh how I wish you could FEEL it! GOD is AMAZING! I am humbled by the blessings I have received and I thank Him. Remember you gotta give credit where credit is due!
With all my love,

Time...

Where does it go?? I tell you what when I was a kid and a teenager I wanted so badly for time to go by and I could be a grown up and do things on my own. Now that I am an adult and a parent I feel so bad for my parents for all the times I wished I was grown.. Time just flies so fast... It hit me.. as I have been thinking of ways to be happy and content with my life yesterday.. My last child, my baby turned 2... Wait what?? Yeah I said it she is 2 now!! WOW you say.. mmhmm I was thinking the same thing.. Hurts my heart to see them grow up so fast. I dont have much to blog about except that life is still amazing and I cant wait till the wedding this afternoon! I am so excited to see a beautiful bride and amazing couple dedicate their life to each other. Anyway here are some pics to leave you with (since its been a while since I posted pics).

With All my love and best wishes...

Innocence

We can all learn alot from little children.. they forgive and forget quickly, they do not hold grudges, they are honest, but most of all the greatest thing we can learn from our precious children is how to love. They love A LOT, they love everyone, and they love hard. Its so hard for us as adults to love one another we always find some reason to not love someone fully either because you do not approve of their lifestyle or they have hurt you and you cant let it go. I shared a story in my bible study this past week as were talking about loving one another as Christ loves each and every one of us about my adorable little 2 (tomorrow OMG) year old. We were having brunch with my mom and she greeted everyone as they walked in and as we walked in. Hello! Hi! *wave*. As we went to leave and walk out the door Buttercup said "bye" and waved and she got a unanimous "bye" from those who were there and she said "I love you!" Just as freely as could be and she had no reason not to love these strangers. They had not hurt her or were not hurting her. I believe she sincerely loves EVERYONE! What if.. we ALL loved each other as much as she loves? What an amazing planet this would be. Of course we are human and there are things in our minds and our hearts we are unable to let go (of this I am guilty of too) and its so hard to love the people we think are "unlovable". In the right margin of my blog there are some rules and regulations to live by. A foundation on what we as CHILDREN of God would have us live off of them. I cannot list ALL of them but there is a book you can read as guidelines for life. If you so choose to walk that path. Of course if you do not know what I am talking about I am talking about the Bible. Please do not think my intentions are to get on here and blog your brains out and "preach" to you but I am just simply sharing my thoughts on things and my testimony on the amazing things God can do if you trust in him. Two of the things that stand out in my mind that are AMAZING works of God is this day...

My husband and his unit (minus two) returned safely home to their families. Many soldiers are returning home to their families and what amazing work that is. Imagine if God just said well I am going to let you all handle it. We would all be in trouble. Another story is an amazing little boy that I have the amazing pleasure of knowing.

Dear sweet Tony!! I love this boy with all my heart. He has such imaginable strength and courage and so does his family. As a mother I cannot imagine having a child with a disability... I do not like this word because let me tell you this precious little boy does not act by any means disabled. Still my heart melts when I see him and hey said "Hey Ms. Jennifer". One day I hope to post their story. His mother has written an amazing story about both of their struggles and trials and even successes in his life. This precious little face has what you call Moebius Syndrome which you can read about HERE!! But when I first met Tony he had a feeding tube in could not walk and could say very few words. Now here he is in his karate photo standing and talking and walking like nothing is holding him back. How amazing. God has given doctors and therapists the knowledge to help this little man, given him and his family and friends the strength to not give up. What an amazing little boy.. back to my title.. his mommy posted this on her facebook a little bit ago and I wanted to share because its so precious how innocent our children are... "Tony's innocence showed this morning at WH on GA ave. Man walks in with a long white beard and Tony immediately asks, 'Are you God?!' Really, really loud! Haha. Didnt even go for Santa first which would be most kids, he went for God, such innocence. Love it :-)" So cute!! I love that family so much! Anyways! I just wanted to share some thoughts going through my head today! Hope you all have a great day! Tomorrow is Firday for all you workers!! Almost the weekend!! Hope yall have a great evening. Im off to my inlaws for some yummy food and togetherness!

Content...

So I ran across this article on my facebook and thought I would share...

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?" 

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

 "Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.

They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.

They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

 Mermaids do not exist.

 But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?

They would have no sex life and could not bear children.

Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.

And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

 Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

 At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

 We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.

We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.

Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

 (The girl on the picture is French model Tara Lynn)

In todays society it is difficult for a woman to be content with anything nowadays.. our family, our life, our career and even our self esteem. I struggle with my weight endlessly and I can do more about it but it would take away from more important things in life. We all become so wrapped up in wanting something more we dont bask in the blessings that we already have whether it be working to make more money to buy more things.. Things are just THINGS and they are easily thrown away after they wear out... family and time together and memories cannot be thrown away. The "idea" society has about peoples image is too far fetched we are all made differently. Im not always comfortable in this skin but I am content.. I have the love of an amazing man and children who love me no matter what I look like! Remember be content with what you do have... soak in all the amazing blessings God has given you and stop trying to get more.. Sometimes more isnt always a good thing. Just some food for thought!! Hope everyone has a great day!

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."Hebrews 13:5

All my love

Being a Christian...

I am not sure but I am truly hoping you all have noticed an attitude change in me. I really hope you have because I feel a change in my heart... It has not been easy and I am sure it will continue to be a struggle within me. I have been going to a bible study on tuesdays and it has opened my eyes and convicted me of many things I have done and should have done different or not at all and things maybe I should have done. If there are ones in the past I am truly sorry from deep within my heart I am asking your forgiveness. I am not going into personal things but I guess all I can say is if you feel as though I have done something to upset you I am truly and dearly sorry. Its so hard to ask forgiveness. Any prideful person can tell you that. You dont apologize for looking like the weaker person or you just dont want to give in to the grudge or the hatred you may have in your heart. Its definitely hard to love an unlovable person.. well maybe someone YOU think is unlovable. I have spent so many years holding onto things that people have done or said that have hurt me that it has kept me from true happiness in my soul. To include myself. My point of this whole blog is... if something were to happen to me tomorrow I want to know that I left with a good relationship with everyone behind. Sure its hard to have a perfect relationship with anyone but I want to go to sleep at night with the peace in my heart that I spoke the words of love from my heart and not hatred because I was holding a grudge. I love my family and friends with all my heart and those who WERE my friends still have a very special place in my heart. Were coming up on an old friend of mines wedding and I will not be attending but I thought of this beautiful couple as I looked through my daughters baby book. There they were sitting in the hospital room holding her and talking to her... He was a very prominent person in my childrens lives until recently and it hurts that they no longer are but I dont hate them... I dont hate anyone... I may not love them ( Like I SHOULD) but one day we will hopefully get passed all of this... point is I love them very much and of course wish them the best.. I could name quite a few people that I dont have the best relationship with (and wish I did) but they stick out in my mind because I have seen their picture recently. Anyways! I am sorry I am all over the place but I am trying to come into my faith as a complete Christian and my husband is right beside me and its a breath of fresh air and relief knowing that in this human life I live with my husband will continue beyond the years unto forever. That my friends is a beautiful thing! With all my love in Christ

Courageous

What an amazing weekend I had. I cannot even begin to emphasize how amazing it was and how I am so grateful for my wonderful life. So Friday we went grocery shopping (ok so THAT part was not so great) but we did pick up the new Transformers movie. After we got back home and settled in and put up groceries we had dinner and baths. The littlest went to bed and we let the older two stay up and watch Transformers. Good movie.. Lots of action.. Definitely a guy movie. Im glad we bought it though because I will watch it again. Saturday morning I got up and took some bridal portraits of a good friend of mine. They turned out good! I dont think they were GREAT (on my part) but I am my own worst critic. I just hope she loves them! Shes a very beautiful woman inside and out and she is a beautiful bride. I cannot wait until this weekend to take pics at her wedding. After the bridal pics I came home had lunch took a little nap with the babies and then hubby and I took the kiddos to the church (because they are amazing and offered babysitting for the kids) so we could go see the new movie Courageous. I cannot begin to explain how amazing that movie is. All I can say is if you have children or grandchildren, want to have children, and parents take your children to see this movie. It will NOT dissappoint. It is a MUST see! As parents sometimes we take advantage of this amazing blessing of having children for granted and well this movie definitely puts things into perspective and shows the importance of a "father" in a childs life.  http://www.courageousthemovie.com/  Please check it out! I BEG YOU! Anyways so back home put kiddos to bed grabbed a bit to eat and my mom came over and we watched Passion of The Christ. I had seen it before and lemme tell ya that is a movie that a person can only watch once. James had never seen it so I gritted my teeth and watched again with him. Again another great movie if you have not seen it I encourage you to see it . Sunday morning we went to church. Have I mentioned I love my church.. Shame on me for not going more often until now. Came home had lunch took naps with the kiddos and then woke up had a big dinner of fried chicken with my mom and stepdad and then bathed the kiddos and got everything ready for another crazy week! So all in all it was GREAT! Sunday coming we start the bible study that goes along with the movie Courageous and I am really looking forward to it. Well I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend and may God bless your families just as he has mine! With all my love!