Circus fun!

The kids have been begging us to take them to the circus this year, so we just decided to go for it. We went with some dear friends, and I think the kids had a blast. I was really impressed with it this year.

 
 
 
 

My little man!

Radlee has always been so physical. He is really gifted athletically. He is so aggressive, until he gets on the field or on the court. I think he just likes to observe until he really gets it. We just started basketball. He loves going to his games and practices, but when he is in the game he just sort of runs around and does his own thing. I just want him to have fun! I love that he thinks he has done such a great job no matter what. Usually when he comes up to me after the game, I will say something like, "wow, dude you are so awesome". He just says, "I know!!!" I am just glad he is enjoying it for now, and maybe all of the other will come later. Here are a few pictures. I need to try and get some better ones next week. He is happy to be playing on the same team as one of his best buddies,Preston!

the purpose of trials

Like many of you, I set some "realistic" goals for 2009. So far, I am on the right track on some of them, but of course I still need to work on some others. I expect 2009 is going to be a great year for our family. Now for a small little brag session..... Our sweet big boy is growing up and playing basketball now. He had is first game this past Saturday, and it was a hoot! Maddie is getting so big! She is such a sweet,precious girl. She is becoming a really good little reader. Brittany is the best teenager a mom could ever ask for. She does what she needs to do to get straight A's without me even telling her. She has such great goals and ambitions for herself. She is driving once again too. I am just so proud of the beautiful girl she is both inside and out. Jeff and I are striving to work together as a team with our new schedules now that I am working. This has been a struggle, but I know we will get it! My hope is that we will strive to continue to grow in the Lord by seeking the changes needed to develop the character traits He desires for us!

For me, 2009 started off with BIG changes. I switched all of my classes to online this semester. They were pretty easy classes, so hopefully this won't be a change I regret. One of the biggest changes was starting a new job. I have really struggled with this. The job is quite easy, but those lurking feelings of inadequacy and not fitting in with other personality types has been quite stressful. I think this is probably common for most when starting new jobs or maybe I am just a "social dork". Something that has been really helping me during this transition period is a book I have been reading called Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen. My dad is a fan of Joel, so I thought I would see what he really likes about him. I have found that I really like what he stands for. He is a great Godly man with such great biblical advice. His book has been such a blessing! It has completely changed my thinking on many different issues. I wanted to share this paragraph from his book that truly transformed my thinking. I guess this is something I have always known, but for some reason this time it spoke volumes to me.
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God often allows you, too, to go through situations to draw out those impurities in your character. You can rebuke until your "rebuker" wears out. You can pray, you can resist, you can bind, you can loose, you can sing and shout, you can do it all, but it's not going to do any good! God is more interested in changing you that He is in changing your circumstances. And the sooner you learn to cooperate with God, the sooner you'll get out of that mess. The quicker you learn your lesson and deal with those bad attitudes and start ruling over your emotions, the quicker you'll go to the next level in your spiritual journey. We must recognize the refining purpose of trials. We can't run from everything that's hard in our lives.

I love that God knows me and loves me so much to allow me to go through hard situations to mold and refine me. Of course we have to be willing to open our hearts and eyes to see what He is trying to teach us. What is God using to teach you right now?

Stacy's blog

My sweet baby cousin just started a new blog....ok she is not exactly a baby anymore!! Go over and check out Stacy's new blog and leave her lots of comments so she will keep updating! She is one of the sweetest girls on this planet! www.stacyslifestories.blogspot.com

A New Do!

Yesterday, one of my best friends called and wanted me and the kids to go with her to our other bff's house for a play date. I probably just should have just went, but I felt so lousy from working the night before and only being able to sleep for a few hours. (The night shift is taking a little more adjusting than I thought it would) Being the sweet friend she is, Mel asked if she could just take Maddie with her. The kids had a great time. Since one of Melissa's daughters just had her hair cut a week ago, Maddie was dying to get her haircut too. Our other friend Angie's daughter also wanted to get her hair cut, so we decided to let them go together. I reluctantly stayed at home but I got play by play updates on how it was going from Melissa and Angie. Angie also took lots of pictures for me and emailed them later. I can't believe I let Maddie do it without me there, but that just shows the trust I have for Mel and Angie. I am so glad Maddie was able to share this sweet memory with her dearest friends!! When she got home, I thought she looked so adorable and grown up! She loves it too. Here are a few pictures of her "new do". Thanks Melissa and Angie.

Pride

When pride comes then comes shame;but with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:12



Tossing and turning for many hours during the night is a common occurrence. I usually lay there for many hours thinking about a range of different topics. Many times after about an hour or two, I get up and watch discovery health channel and infomercials. Sometimes I resort to taking some kind of medicine such as Tylenol pm, but that only results to feeling even more tired and miserable the next morning. Tonight, I decided to do something productive and get up and write/type all of the thoughts that were racing through my mind about my first day of orientation at the hospital. So that is what I am doing right now at 2:15 am.
Starting a new job for many is a "nerve racking" experience. Cheerfully greeting others and meeting lots of new folks quite frankly is not my "cup of tea". For those rare spunky outgoing folks (you know who you are) it is lots of fun, but for more introverted folks, such as myself, it can be rather painful! Most of us would like to think we really don't care what our peer's opinion is of us, but the fact is most of us desire to be liked and desire to make a good first impression. During today's orientation, the facilitator had us individually introduce ourselves and state the department we would be working in. One by one I heard names followed by RN or some other noteworthy title. Then it was my turn....ummmmm Christy....unit clerk....gee whiz! I felt so inferior and frustrated. I found myself cringing with envy. I wasn't just coveting my neighbor, I was coveting the entire room of people. Good grief, couldn't they at least think of a better title. Why unit clerk?
Here is the deal....I am becoming more aware of my own struggle with pride. Although it is no ones fault except for my own, sometimes I feel frustrated with myself because I am __ years old and still working on my degree. I hate to admit when I don't know something or need help. This is something I know I need to work on. Being content and happy where I am at in this journey is key to living each day to the fullest, which is one of my own New Year's resolutions! Proverbs 27:1 reminds us not to boast about tomorrow, because we don't know what tomorrow will bring.
My desire, as I make my SLOW climb up the education ladder, is that I will not only think about what new opportunities my education will bring, but that my eyes will be open to the opportunities presented each day. Also, I hope I will always be reminded to not judge others by their title. For this lesson, I am grateful to still be at the bottom of the pack. Everyone has different plans and purpose while here on this earth.
There is nothing wrong with seeking and using our God given talents! In fact, I think God wants us to constantly seek and experience our full potential; however, this world often reminds us we must achieve significant "titles" to be considered a success. As a matter of fact, we tell ourselves we must have some remarkable title in order to be of value. Christy, mother of three amazing children, wife of a devoted husband, and daughter of the never-forsaking Heavenly Father should be and IS enough.

Back to reality

I'm back! Whew this past week has been a whirlwind. We are all trying to recover from a short trip to Virginia, get back to school, and start working. I am going to update more tomorrow, but right now I am off to give kids baths, do homework, and start unpacking our bags. Check back tomorrow. I won't let you down!