'Praying A Quest'

I am so incredibly thankful the Lord has given me the opportunity to be a mommy! He has also allowed me to be at home with our little girls. Each day is a treat, filled with new adventures! I want to follow the instructions written in Deuteronomy 6:5-7, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Although I am still growing in this responsibility of teaching our children about Jesus throughout the day, I do try to grasp teachable moments. When I am driving in the car with the girls, I always use that time to pray outloud with Wubs and Bella. It's part of our routine. I have taught Wubs that a 'prayer request' is anything she would like us to pray about together. Yesterday, as we were backing out of our driveway, I said, "Burrr! Jesus has given us a beautiful chilly morning! We should tell Him thank you! Wubs, do you have anything else you would like thank Jesus for?" Wubs thought for a moment and replied," Actually, I have a praying a quest." It was so sweet!!! (Her 'praying a quest' was praying for daddy at work. Precious!)

"I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."- John 6:47

Zoo Trip

Last Friday, Daddy took a day off from work to take his girls to the zoo! Wubs and Bella especially enjoyed the sea lions and flamingos, and David liked the snake that fell from the tree (true story... an angry squirrel chased a snake out of a tree right in front of us on the walking path). I liked everything about our zoo day- from the beautiful weather to the sweet family memories we made together. Here are some pictures of the fun!






(This is my favorite picture! )

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."- Phillippians 4:7

Miss Style

Our soccer season ended this past Saturday morning. Coach Scott had a banner made for the Striker team to run through before the big game. There was a boombox playing some fun music for the children, too. (If you read the banner closely, you'll see 'Wubs'! We laughed about that!)

After the game, our team met at the nearby McDonalds for an awards ceremony. Each little player received a soccer trophy. As Coach Scott was giving out the trophies, he introduced each player by saying a few kind words. Players received awards such as the "Mr. Defense award", "Miss Engergetic", "Mr. Score another goal", etc. Finally it was Wubs' turn to receive her trophy. David and I had no idea what Coach Scott would say, since Wubs hasn't been very...um...competitive this season. wink. Wubs proudly received her award for being "Miss Style" for always having her piggy tails and shirt sleeves tied up with sporty soccer ball ribbons. Watching Wubs happily receive her award, I thanked God for the way He made Wubs, our little Miss Style. She may or may not ever have a passion for sports, but we are praying that Wubs will have a passion for the Lord!

"My command to you is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, the he lay down his life for his friends."-John 15:12 & 13

Seventy-three cents

This weekend we went out for a special frozen treat with daddy! The fall weather is so beautiful!

Bella, Wubs, and a new friend playing follow the leader.
Bella in her favorite shades!
Seventy-three cents isn't very much. I could probably dig out seventy-three cents from the seats of our family car or from the bottom of the diaper bag. But it was seventy-three cents that amazed me the other day! Here is what happened...

A few weeks ago, I found out that one of the benefits I receive from my part time job at our church is a medical reimbursement plan. I haven't been to the doctor in a couple years, so I haven't needed to turn in any receipts. Apparently, this unused money rolled over from the last two years. I had no idea how much money was in the account, or if I would ever really use it. My friend, Cindy, told me that I could always turn in receipts from our family medical expenses- not just my own personal medical receipts. (David is really good at managing our monthly budget, paying our bills, and saving our receipts. I knew we'd have some receipts to turn in for sure!)

David and I have been praying for a long time about our finances. We have seen God's hand over and over again as He has provided for our needs. Our goal is to become debt free! When I told David about the reimbursement plan at the church, he asked, "Will it help us make the payments for Bella's tubes?" Bella got ear tubes back in April, and her surgery did qualify for the reimbursement. The reimbursement check was mailed to our house last week, in the amount of $1, 140. David called Wake Med (the hospital where Bella's procedure took place) and our remaining balance was $1,140. 73. The difference was only seventy-three cents! All we could say was, "Thank you, Lord!" As always, His faithfulness and provision is amazing!

"Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them."- Psalm 111:2