It's up!

My new website, that is...
I am so excited to show you all!
Just call me the apron lady!!
Go check it out!!
Sew. Love. Create.

The first Thanksgiving...

We hosted our first Thanksgiving this week. We had my mom's family over...all 22 of us!
It was lovely and I was surprisingly un-stressed..Maybe it had to do with the fact that Cody took the kids to his mom's family's Thanksgiving all day and I had the house to myself to get everything ready...haha..
Everyone pitched in and we had a great time and stayed up late and played games, ate a LOT of food, watched football, drank yummy apple cider, and made our game plan for Friday shopping(yes. I am crazy.)

me and my momma

me and cody


me and adrienne

the cutie pies!!

more pics.

12:38 PM Posted by Amanda 0 comments
Before they had food all over their faces...
Uncle Aaron chillin in the playroom




my Aunt Kay!


Cade having too much fun!

She did it!!


Well, Chloe made it through her tube surgery today...
She did great! She was pretty oblivious as to what was happening and I think that makes it a lot easier. She had fun playing with the other babies in the waiting area and she was pretty friendly with the doctors..she doesn't get quite as upset as Cade does...haha..
She just fussed for a minute when she woke up and she was pretty hungry, to say the least...but other than that it was a fairly calm morning..(Besides me being a bucket of nerves...)
Even though it is an extremely common surgery, I still get myself all worked up. 
Thank you Jesus for giving me peace and for keeping our little girl safe and giving us a great doctor to help heal her little ears! All the praise to You!!

Here is the one "okay" picture we got of Cade on Halloween. We could NOT get him to be still and we don't have a camera that works well. This is taken from Cody's phone...

And here is one of them in Rockdale a couple of weeks ago. I love this picture. They are precious.

AMEN!

Read this....

http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2008/10/not-cool-obamas-pro-abortion-stance.html

Third times a charm...or so we hope!




Cade had tube set #3 put in his ears on Tuesday. I pray this is the last time. The doc told us that some kids have to have them until they are 6 or 7....ahhh!! EXPENSIVE!! I know it is such a minor surgery, but it is always traumatic...for me. Cody is so chill it makes me sick. Or maybe he is just putting on a brave face for me. I don't know.
This was definitely the best experience yet..
The past two times we had to hand him off to the doctors before he was put to sleep and that was not fun at all. Last year, he had his adenoids out too, so he had to get a yucky IV in his arm. Cade really liked that.(NOT!) But this time Cody got to go back with him and we were back in the recovery room before he woke up, so he never knew we were gone! Thank you Lord! I think they saw that he was going to be a hard one to keep still. He was kicking and fighting while the nurse was just trying to get his temperature and heart rate.
My kids cannot stand going to the doctor. I feel like mine are the only ones that you can hear screaming from the hallway...am I alone here??
So then Wednesday I took Chloe to see the ear doctor. I wish we could've scheduled them to have tubes the same day, because we found out she will have to have them too.
She has had some chronic fluid in both ears for 5 months or so and has gotten 3 infections in the past 3 or 4 months...we see the pattern here...
So, she will have tubes put in on Oct.28th.
I am already praying against all the crazy things that start going through my crazy head.
Pray for my sweet babes and their sweet ears!

A little bit of truth.

Watch This!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxhYampIl7A

TAGGED

Em tagged me to blog 6 random things about myself.

Here are the tagging rules:

1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you are tagged, DO IT and pass it along

1. I am an obsessive-compulsive sweeper. We don't have a lot of carpet in our house so I am forced to look at the dirt ALL day. And trust me, my children track in a lot of dirt...and food...and who knows what else. I know that it would be much easier to just sweep once at the end of the day.....but I CANT!! I probably sweep downstairs in the kitchen/dining/living area 6 or 7 times a day...the dirt drives me NUTS!

2. I am currently reading 4 books. I really like them all and I can't seem to finish any of them completely. AHH...

3. I want to feed my kids super healthy food...but I just can't afford it. It seems pretty insane to me that the healthiest foods are so expensive and the JUNK is so cheap. Don't we all want our kids to eat good and not give them things that could potentially make them ill..OF COURSE. Then why do ho-ho's and ding-dong's cost 50 cents and grapes and apples cost 3.oo a pound?? I am baffled by that. So I do what I can with what I've got..

4. OK, being completely hypocritical of what I said above....

I LOVE coke...and dr. pepper. . . I have tried to give them up many times but to no avail. They are just soo yummy but do disgustingly bad for you. Posting this is making me want to try to give them up again. Thankfully, when I was on bed rest when I was pregnant with Chloe, they MADE me drink water and now I actually like to. SO, Im not completely dehydrated!

5. Hmm. I am a needy person. I need people in my life. I love people and I love to have them around. All the time. I don't do loneliness well. And Praise the Lord for my babies. Because with them, I am never lonely.

6. My great great great great great great grandfather was Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States of America. Seriously.

Here are the people I'm tagging:

1. Laura
2. Jenn
3. Glenna
4. Tiffany Wall
5. Tiffany Reeves
6. Marissa

My thoughts.

Grief. It is such a unreal thing.
I have never experienced anything like it, thats for sure.
It is completely unpredictable.
Monday was an okay day. I felt pretty good, no major meltdowns.
But the past two days have been super hard. I don't know if it is the gloomy weather and being stuck inside, but it just hit me really hard. I am learning what it really means to live in God's grace, moment by moment. To take every thought captive to Him.
Because I have some crazy thoughts and some crazy fears. Because when someone you love dies, you start thinking about other people you love, too. It is just ridiculous.
Because my hope IS IN JESUS and I know that i have NOTHING to fear...our hope is not in this world.
But I am being attacked by those thoughts and I am claiming His promises. One being:
Hebrews 4:16:
"Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Despite my heartache, even in the midst of the darkest moments, I have an inexplainable peace. A peace that ONLY comes from Jesus Christ. It is ONLY by His grace and mercy.
I do feel the Holy Spirit whispering things to me. Even some things Cade has said to me, I believe the Lord put in his mouth to comfort me. I am being broken and molded through this and I cannot make it through without Him. People keep commenting to me that I am so strong. But I'M not. HE is. I was telling Emily yesterday that I have been clinging to this song, just like she did in her hardest hours. I am so grateful that she posted it on her blog back in May. And Star, if your out there, I am so grateful that the Lord put this song in your heart. It has truly blessed me.

I am Strong in the Lord

I am strong in the Lord
and in the power of His might
I confess that my strength, it comes from Him.
On my own, I am weak
and I cannot see to fight.
But my strength, it comes from the Lord.

I lift my eyes up.
Where does my help come from?
It comes from the Lord,
Creator of Heaven and Maker of Earth.
He is the fortress of salvation
for His children as they cry.
You are the Lord,
you are the strength, the strength of my life.

You held out Your hand,
and Your healing power,
causing my eyes to see.
You poured down Your Word,
in my darkest hour,
teaching my heart to see...

That I am strong in the Lord
and in the power of His might.
I confess that my strength, it comes from Him, alone.
On my own, I am weak
and I cannot see to fight.
But my strength, it comes from the Lord..

Dad

Words fail me as I try to write this post. 
I want it to be eloquent and honoring, but my thoughts are so scattered right now.

My dad went to be with his sweet Jesus Saturday morning, August 9th. 

My dad was an avid reader of this blog since he lived in Fort Worth, and I want to do him right by this post.
My dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis over 15 years ago. He has struggled for a long time with pain and other sickness that went along with the disease. We lost my grandma(his mom) in 1996 and he really struggled with that. 
He would be the first to admit to you his faults and I feel like to bring him honor I need to give a little back story. 
He struggled for many years with addiction to his painkillers. 
In the last year, God had transformed his life completely. 
He went to live in Fort Worth with a good friend from high school and his wife and daughter. They ministered their socks off to him and God brought forth the fruit. I had not seen him this happy in years. 
He even got his drivers license on Friday and he had wanted that for years. 
In the last year, he got to spend a lot of time with us and Cade and Chloe and with my brother. He was getting to ride a bike, and go camping, and play golf....things he had not been able to do for years. 
But most of all, he was growing closer everyday to his Lord and Savior. 
I am so thankful for that and for the fact that he died in his sleep, in peace. 
I have no doubt in my mind that he is dancing with angels in Heaven and he is with his sweet mom, my Grams. I have no doubt that my God is Jehovah-Rapha and that my dad is completely healed and perfect.
People keep asking me the "cause of death" and we still don't know what is physically is. But I know that the cause of death is that God numbered his days before the foundations of the earth and that it was his time. I find such comfort knowing that this is no surprise to my God. He knew he would be called home at that exact moment. 
I know that I will grieve and cry and mourn, and I am hurting more than I ever have, but I know that my dad would not want me or anyone to go around being sad for him. He wants Jesus to be glorified through his life and death and I plan to help that happen.
Last time he was in town, just a couple of weeks ago, he kept telling my brother and me how proud he was of us and how much he loved us. 
He wrote me and Cody a letter. 
He hugged Cade and Chloe so many times. 
I just wonder if he knew. I believe that he might have. I believe that he might have been talking to God, a lot.
So, whoever out there is reading this, please pray for our family and for peace. I pray that other family members are finding peace in the Lord like I am and that I can share that peace with them.
I love you dad with all my heart and I am so thankful for you. I will miss you more than words can say. But I find such hope in knowing that I will see you again one day. Please know that your memory and life will live on and that with Jesus I will live to glorify your Creator through this.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we do not look to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

* My dad was a youth pastor back in the day and still had a great passion for young people to be reached for Christ. If you feel so led, in lieu of flowers, we are asking for donations to the Greater Houston Region of Young Life. 
You can send donations to: 
Young Life Greater Houston Region
900 Town and Country  
Suite 302
Houston, Texas 77024-2226

*His obituary can be read on www.chron.com. His name is Jeff Taylor.


Happy Birthday Chloe!



OK, get ready for the mommy cliche'....

I can't believe my baby girl is ONE! Chloe had a great birthday today. 
We are so blessed with family and friends who love her and her brother so much.
I will post some pics later this week of her party. 
Chloe girl, mommy and daddy's biggest prayer for you is that in the Lord's timing, you come to know what Jesus did for you on the cross and you give your life to Him. We love you more than words can say and thank God for your sweet sweet life EVERYDAY!!
Happy Birthday baby girl!!

She walks and she talks....



Our sweet Chloe started walking about 2 weeks ago when we moved into our house. She is getting pretty fast now and is really trying to keep up with Cade. My camera broke.....but hopefully I can get a walking video on here soon! 
She is also trying to talk and babble like crazy. Her absolute favorite word is HAT and she repeats it over and over and over again. Its really quite funny. She is also saying Dada, Mama,
 Tad (Cade) and Im pretty sure shoe is szoooo....haha. And she also loves to make puppy noises and thinks any dog is hilarious. She just went to the allergy and asthma doctor and we found out she is a pretty allergic kid. She has had a barking cough and other symptoms of asthma since she was born. I will spare you all the details of the appointment, but we are going to have to watch her pretty closely with food and things she comes into contact with. Now we have to give her breathing treatments everyday which is torture to watch her scream and scream and then just give up and lay there. It breaks my heart. I have prayed that she would have understanding and know that we aren't hurting her, and that Jesus would just give her peace. I am probably over dramatizing it, but she is my baby girl and she never cries, so it kills me to watch her scream like that.
I feel like I have talked so much about Chloe on here lately, so here are some Cade-isms of today.....
-First things first, he has an imaginary friend named Bobby that he talks to constantly. It is hilarious! He frequently tells Bobby not to run in the street, he always prays for Bobby's food, and he tells me all the time that Bobby is at work. There are many things that Bobby does, but those are the main ones.
-When we play shopping he always says, "thank you for shopping Home Depot!"
(he has been there with daddy quite a bit lately...)
-"Chloe bout get it!!" (when he thinks chloe is going for his toys..)
-"Hank bout get it!!"
-"mommy, i wanna hug and love you.." (my favorite)
-his laziness has come out so much lately and he tells me "I cant mommy, i cant get it, i cant reach it, i cant do it.  most of the time, he is perfectly capable.
-peez have ooo-reee-ooo!!
- he loves to watch "So you think you can Dance" with us and tries to imitate all their moves...funny....

We are leaving tomorrow for Galveston for the week with my whole family so I am really praying for a miracle in that my camera will start working again. I really want some pictures! I know Galveston is not the most beautiful beach, but it is our vacation and Im thankful for a week away..especially for Cody.

Chloe is 10 months and MORE.

Chloe lookin' cute...
 Cade using his swimmin' skills...
Wow, what an incredible month it has been here at the Kaufmann house. 
So much has happened in our family, I don't even know where to begin.
I guess with Chloe's 10 month birthday....
She is such an independent little lady. I am very thankful for that, most of the time. Sometimes I just want to hold her and she won't let me. Or she wants to get down and crawl around a nasty auto parts store and screams when I won't let her! She is a pretty good sleeper. She goes to bed at 7, wakes up for a feeding about 2AM and then sleeps until 7 or 7:30. She takes two 1 1/2 hour naps in the morning and afternoon. So I am NOT complaining. I really enjoy the few minutes of quiet time I get to have with her at 2 in the morning. 
She loves to play with her brother and already thinks he is the funniest person on earth. It is too cute. She has started babbling A LOT in the past couple of weeks. I am pretty sure her first word is na-na (banana). Considering Cade's first word was cheese, it wouldn't surprise me if hers was a food, too.
Speaking of food, I would have to say that her favorite thing to do is EAT. I am so thankful for a good eater. She gave up baby food awhile back, but was able to chew everything pretty easily. Her favorite foods right now are strawberries,grapes,blueberries,bananas,broccoli,zucchini, cheese,chicken,turkey,sweet potato cubes, goldfish, and chicken enchiladas. I could name more. The girl would eat anything your put in front of her. And the occasional popsicle or Oreo when Cade is having one. 

One of my best friends from high school, Kady, got married last weekend. It was a ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS wedding. I can't wait until I have some pictures to post. She was a stunning bride and I was so happy to get to stand next to her as she married the man she loves, who is a great, great guy. 

We potty trained Cade this month. He has been so awesome. I have to confess, I only read about 2 articles on it and just prayed that he would get a hang of it quickly. Praise the Lord he did. I stayed home for about a week. The first 2 days I just let him run around naked and he realized pretty quickly that he needed to sit on the potty. Then, we went and bought some spiderman and thomas the train underwear. He had a couple of accidents for a few days and then he was good. Of course he still has them occasionally, but I think that will happen for awhile. He caught on very quickly and I couldn't be more thankful. I didn't make a huge deal about it, so I don't think he stressed about it either. It was a small miracle.

We also got a dog a couple of months ago and I just haven't posted about him. His name is Hank Aaron. He is a chocolate lab and he is really sweet and he is going to be really huge. HIs paws are MASSIVE.

We also bought a house! HOORAY! We decided to move to Friendswood. A lot of factors went into the decision. We prayed that the Lord would open and close doors for us and He was faithful to do so. We close on the house next Thursday, the 12th and will move in the same day. 

We are leaving tomorrow for a family reunion(Cody's family) in Austin at this beautiful resort. Check it out. www.hollowsvacations.com
It is going to be like an actual vacation. I am totally excited. We won't be back until Sunday, so it will be a nice calm before the storm of moving. Then, hopefully, we will get to stop in Columbus and have a little birthday time with Grace since we are going to miss her party on the 14th because....

My step brother Brandon is getting married Saturday, the 14th. 
So, needless to say, life is crazy right now. But crazy GOOD. 
God is so faithful. We are so excited to move into our first home. 


"Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever, AMEN!! 
Ephesians 3:20-21

Chloe is 9 months old!



Miss Chloe turned 9 months old on the 3rd. She went for her check-up today and is weighing in at a healthy 22 pounds, 28 inches, and a HUGE head. I am not kidding at all. It is off the charts. Big headed babies really do run in our family(Anna, Austin, Ethan....) so it is not too much of a surprise. The doc said if she wasn't on track developmentally he might be worried, but since she is, we will just see how much it has grown at her 1 year visit.
I didn't really notice her head that much. It would cross my mind when I take pictures of her and Cade together and their heads are almost the same size. Haha. She is such a beautiful baby girl and I'm sure she will grow into it!
Chloe started crawling last week and now she is EVERYWHERE! She races herself around the house and Cade chases her on all fours. They just laugh and laugh at each other. It is priceless.
She is very attached to mommy right now, but seems to forget about me after I'm gone for a couple of seconds so that's good.
She refuses to eat baby food, so thank goodness she knows how to chew with only 6 teeth. 
The girl will eat anything you put in front of her that she can pick up and I am thankful. Cade was a mighty picky eater. 
She has the most contagious laugh and loves to laugh at herself. 
Happy 9 months Chloe!! Love you lots and lots!!

Idol Gives Back.

I am sure most of you saw American Idol last night. 
If you didn't, it was awesome.
They sang "Shout to the Lord!!!!!" That is not just a song that says Jesus. It is a full out worship song!! (you can download it on ITunes)
I was so shocked and surprised by this and totally amazed that they would even put it on TV. 
God is THE MOST awesome!!
If you didn't see it, it was the Idol Gives Back show. They raised 75 million dollars last year for children all around the world. The goal this year is 100 million. It is an amazing cause that involves several different charities. 
I was so moved by all of the footage of children suffering from poverty,AIDS, and malaria in Africa. They showed little babies in the hospital dying. Babies the same age as mine. Just like mine. Every thirty seconds a child dies in Africa. WHAT? I knew that things like this happen in our fallen world, but God moved and shifted my heart in a big way last night. 
They also showed horrible poverty in our own country. Children who have NOTHING. And I really mean NOTHING.
It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about the things that I complain about everyday. It makes me sick to think that I am worried about a new lamp, or a new shirt or whatever....when these children don't even have running water or electricity. I think most of us are so blind and naive to what goes on around us. I am not saying in any way that we should sell everything we have to feel their pain...unless God calls you to do that. I am just saying that I am thankful for shows like this and incredibly thankful for the life God has chosen for me! God used it to open my eyes and hopefully others. 
If you didn't watch the show, you can go to 
www.AmericanIdol.com
and watch some videos or donate if you feel compelled.
I am sprung to action. I am not sure how, but I am.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'  Matthew 25:40

Frightening.

I have been totally over Oprah for awhile now. The things she had been saying and endorsing were starting to be really scary to me. Of course, I mainly watched it for the makeovers and girly things like that. But now...THIS. This is total blasphemy and all I can do now is pray that others will open their eyes to this. I really never get all hyped up about things like this, but this is truly scary. I feel I have to take a stand on this.
Watch THIS video- it is a little cheezy, but exposes the truth. 
Umm Oprah, he is a "jealous" God because he wants us to put no other gods before Him.
God's living, breathing, inherent word tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And no one will come to the Father except through him.


3 Years!!!

Today is me and Cody's 3rd anniversary.
I would have to say that it has been a pretty eventful 3 years. We have already lived in 4 places, had 2 kids...the list goes on...
I feel like it has flown by and then, in other ways I feel like we have been married 13 years. 
I guess because "most" people are married for awhile before they have kids. "Most" people finish college before they get married. 
I know that everyone struggles, I just sometimes feel we are "the odd man out" because we are so young. (minus Laura and Preston) 
With that said, I am incredibly grateful for Cody. I don't know many almost 23 year old men like him. I don't know many men like him.....period!
He is strong. Strong in his love for me. Strong in his love for Cade and Chloe. Strong in his love for everyone else in his life. Strong in his work. Strong in his faith.
We have seen each other change in so many ways the past 3 years. We have both grown up a lot. And hello?? How could you not?
I have also really seen Cody come out of his shell. He has always been a little "shy", and I have seen him gain so much confidence and that makes me so happy because he is REALLY funny and no one knew that before. HAHA!
I have always been outgoing and he has made me a little more homebody. 
There is so many things I love about him and I hope many he loves about me.
We praise God for the past 3 years and for however many more he gives us on this earth together! 
We are actually getting to go on a date tomorrow night, which never happens, so we are super excited about that!
Happy Anniversary babe! I love you!

Has is been a month? Really????

I know, I know...
It's been a month since I have posted. Most of the time, I am so intrigued by everyone else's blogs, that I forget about my own. Hah!
Things have been crazy here at the Kaufmann house for the past few months. 
Lots happening...
We are still in the process of making some big decisions for our family. The main one being whether or not we are going to stay here in H-town or head out to the country...somewhere.
That is our goal. To get out of Houston. 
Not that we wouldn't miss our family, friends, church, everything terribly...but we want to raise Cade and Chloe and any future children in a slower pace of life.
Oh my word I never thought I would say that. Cody has ALWAYS wanted to move to a small town and I would ask him, "What would I do all day? Go to Wal-mart??"
Over time, my point of view has changed dramatically. I find myself wanting to stay home more often and finding fun things to do here. It is hard to get out with 2 kids! (can anyone back me up here? I know my girl Laura can!)
Every time we go see Cody's parents, I watch Cade in amazement. He has the best time of his life riding his Pop's tractor and 4-wheeler with his Daddy. Running around on 12 acres of land where he can roam free. Staying outside from sun-up to sun-down. He was born for that!
So, basically we are waiting on a job opportunity for Cody. There is a few scenarios that could happen. 
We are praying for CLARITY right now! That the Lord would make our path clear so that whatever decisions we make would be HIS WILL ultimately!
Hmm, what else?....
Chloe started clapping her hands and bopping up and down to music! She is truly our daughter!
She also has started waving when someone walks in the room. She is still not crawling but manages to get what she wants. Cade gives her crawling lessons everyday but I don't think they are helping. 
He is such a sweet brother. Today at the mall, he decided to just put his arm around her for a good 10 minutes while they were sitting next to each other in the stroller; and leaning over and kissing her head and saying "hey Co-e" in the sweetest little voice. I wished so bad a had my camera to capture that moment. It was priceless. Then, he grabs her hand and just starts playing with her little fingers and looking at it like he was just trying to figure her out. She was pretty annoyed at that point. Hah!!
Chloe will be 8 months old this week. WOW!
I will post on that later.
I hope everyone had an awesome Easter rejoicing in our Risen Savior!! We did! I just forgot my camera and we were at Cody's parents for the weekend.
Love to you all!
Here are a few recent pics...


We went to sing at Crier Creek a few weeks ago and got to spend the weekend in Columbus with our pals. The weather was awesome and Cade and Grace got to play on the splash pad at camp and had a blast! I know they are only 2, but they truly miss each other. When we see them, they hug in this long embrace. It is the most precious thing ever and makes Laura and I cry.


Here are Chloe and Fish. Still bound to the stroller. Before we know it, they will be running around too...



Here is Chloe, trying to get daddy's guitar...too cute!



This is what you look like when you get to the Livestock show and get to ride a tractor, see a bunch of animals and eat FUNNEL CAKE! His face is intense. He really thinks he is driving and believe me, he knows how.

This is what you look like after the Livestock show. Too much fun with Gammi and Pappi, too much funnel cake, and one too many pigs in your face. He missed his nap and fell asleep on the couch at 6 o'clock. Poor guy!

A couple more pics....

11:09 PM Posted by Amanda 0 comments
me and laura at adrienne and mark's wedding.

all four of us. 


A sweet one of Chloe!

Adrienne and Mark's Wedding...two months later.

My cousin Adrienne got married on December 21st. 
It was an absolutely beautiful wedding. So Christmas-ey and warm and wonderful. I was her Matron of Honor and it was a honor! She is such a special person in my life and I am so thankful for her. She married a wonderful, funny, sweet guy named Mark. We have gotten to know and love him well the past few years. I can tell you right now that they are going to be great parents. They love Cade and Chloe so much and they love them back! They say they aren't ready to be parents yet, though.  But that doesn't mean they won't be....LIVING PROOF HERE!
Most importantly, they love Jesus and have chosen to live their lives to honor Him. 
Anyhoo, the point of my post was to share a few pics from the wedding. 
The pics are by Glenna Harding. She rocks.
   My cousin Anna and Cade.
My cousin Megan and my brother, Aaron.
The Bride and Groom.
Me and Age.

A few more....

10:00 PM Posted by Amanda 1 comments

Me and my girl. She looked PRECIOUS.


She couldn't hold it together...

Bridesmaids....

My totally handsome boy.

My brother and my Grandmama.

Laughter.

Chloe has just recently starting laughing...i mean really laughing out loud. 
I love to listen to her laugh at her brother when he is being silly or playing peekaboo with her. Or when Cody or I tickle her fat little neck and she just squeals and giggles. 
I love to listen to both of my kids laughter. Cade can be quite theatrical with his laughter.
It brings such happiness and peace to my heart to know that they are joyful, happy children.
It makes me think how much greater is the Father's love for us. As his children, when we are joyful and happy in Him. No matter our circumstances, or what kind of day we are having; that we are finding our JOY in HIM and finding reason to Praise Him!

You have made known to me the path of life;  you will fill me with JOY in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.    Psalm 16:11

                                                           

PSALM 42

Since Cade has battled pneumonia over the past week and a half, my mind has wandered to some dark places. We praise the Lord that he has healed Cade's little body and he is well on the road to full recovery. We still have to be careful with him. I took him for a re-check yesterday and the doctor made sure I knew that I should not have taken him to church Sunday. He said his immune system is still down and he doesn't need to be in large crowds. Large crowds?? That's pretty much anywhere. This will be the second week in a row that he has missed preschool at Jenny's house.So, if anyone is healthy and would like to come over and play, we would love the company!! We may have to take him back for another chest x-ray because he is still getting out of breath really easily and there may be some fluid way down in his lung that is blocking his airway. If you are reading this, say a prayer for him. And that we would have wisdom to know whether or not to get the x-ray. (it is expensive..)
Anyways, the point and reason for my post was that I got a really comforting word from the Lord this morning. Here it is....
Psalm 42: 1-8
1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, My God.
2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed in me? Put your HOPE in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon - from Mount Mizar.
7 DEEP calls to DEEP in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
8 By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me - a prayer to the God of my life.

He promises me that he is not just in the heights, but in the depths. The depths of my thoughts. "Deep calls to deep!" That I need to let him take me deep into himself. That he will give me peace there. And to keep on praisin' His name!!

In His Love,
Amanda

Happy "half" birthday to Chloe!!


Miss Chloe turned 6 months old yesterday! 
Here I go, sounding like a big fat cliche'....
It has gone by soo fast!!!
First, the stats.
She weighs 19 lbs. and is 27 inches long. TOP OF THE CHARTS people! 
I know she will slim down..and we are glad she is a healthy girl.
She is rolling around everywhere and sitting up with a little support. 
She is way more laid back than Cade. He was raring to go for everything. She just kind of sits back and chills. She's not in a hurry. 
She is sooo smiley and happy and absolutely loves her brother. He adores her, too. He gets WAYY up in her face and talks to her and kisses her. That makes my heart so happy.
Our prayer for Chloe is Colossians 1:9-13    
"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."
We love you Chloe girl!!

Cade and Preschool - Chloe and Bronchitis....

SO, our big boy started preschool last week. 
Now, let me elaborate. It is only one day a week(Thursday) from 9 to 2. And it is at my friend Jenny's house. So it is a very comfortable environment for Cade. She is VERY qualified and used to teach, but now stays home with her 2 year old. She felt the Lord wanted her to keep using her gifts and decided to do this in her home. She only took 4 children and her own, seeing as it is just her and them. (BRAVE woman) She has more patience than I will ever have in my life. 
We went to visit the week before and saw all the fun stuff. Her house literally looks like a little school..We talked about it the night before and he seemed excited. I don't think he quite understood. 
I prayed with him on the way there and when i was done I asked him, "Can I hold your hand?" He responded, "NO Mommy, move it and drive!" I am so glad he knows safety..haha!
Jenny said he didn't cry until after I left but that he was ok and had so much fun once music time started! (That's our boy!)
He ate ALL of his lunch, which he doesn't even do at home. And he ate raisins for a snack! WHAT?? RAISINS? I have never been able to get a raisin in that kids mouth. The power of peer pressure! 
When i came to get him he was so excited and wanted to show me everything he did! 
He didn't want to do his art project. He just wanted to pound the playdough. That sounds about right. ALL BOY.
All in all, it was a great day and I am so excited for him to have this time and for me to have a little time with Chloe. And while she is sleeping I can get some things DONE! Like update this blog! YEA!

And poor Chloe has had her first and hopefully only 'bout with bronchitis. It was nasty. She couldn't sleep at all and has had to do breathing treatments and take an antibiotic. She is the sweetest little girl and we have hated to see her go through this. She did weigh 19 lbs. when i took her to the doctor. She is quite the chunky monkey! Praise God she is feeling much better, but now she is teething! So, we still aren't sleeping, but it's cool. 
One day we will.....

Cade and Chloe comparison...

So, here is a picture of Cade at 5 months old and Chloe, today, at 5 months old. All of you out there who say they look so much alike....well...the pictures speak for themselves. 
There is definitely some similarities; like the baby food covering their faces. HAHA! Kidding!
I know they look like brother and sister, and I'm glad. 
But Cade looks nothing like me, with the exception of his eyes. So, would anyone dare to say that Chloe looks like me?? I think there might be a chance!

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