Haiti...Day One

So far so good!!!

David left the house this morning at 3am to head to the airport for a 6am flight to Miami. They had a short lay over and then flew from Miami to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Once they get to Haiti they had a four hour bus ride to Jacmel (I think that's how you spell it). Tomorrow morning the busy days start.

As far as us girls, we all came over to spend time with Kristen and her girls! The girls are doing fairly well. Much better than I expected! They played outside all morning; riding bikes,watering the plants,and watering each other, they even watered their popsicles. We had lunch together and they watch a cartoon then it was off to bed for "naps", although they varied in length and the babies didn't go down until the others started to get up we are having a fun filled day!

I'm off to start dinner and maybe we will be brave enough to take the girls for ice cream, but I wonder if that might make us scream?

Thanks for all your prayers!

Stepping...

Book recommendation...

A few months back, I read a quote from the book Stepping Heavenward. I was so encouraged by the quote that I bought the book and started reading it. I read it as a single but now as a wife and a mother the topics are so encouraging. I was telling David last night how neat it is that altought the book was written a long time ago some of "Katy's" temptations are much the same as mine. I found myself encouraged that even when life was very different the temptations to sin were the same and I find encouragement in how she worked through those issues. If you haven't read it in a while, bring it back out. I keep in it my bathroom for little snippits here and there - just one more attempt to read more this year.

David's going to Haiti

This coming Monday, really early in the morning, David will be heading to Haiti on missions trip. He is helping to lead a team that will be doing some work at an orphanage. So he is counting down the days till he leaves and the girls and I are counting down the days till he gets home :) He will be gone 8 days, so its not that long. Two years ago he went to Cuba for 12 days and that seemed like forever. I am looking forward to getting some projects done that I've been putting off for a few weeks and then when he gets home we will leave the next week for a family vacation! While he is gone the girls and I are going to go to the library with Mimi, play with Kristen, Katelyn, Hallye and McKenzie and maybe even some of our other friends. If we have time we may go to get some pictures taken of the girls and maybe even venture into some craft projects together. Pray for him and for us while he is away!

David's Ordinaton

Yesterday, May 20th, David got ordained within Sovereign Grace Ministries. I had to opportunity to honor him during the meeting. It was a joy for me to be able to encourage him on this special day for him. Here is what I was able to say.

I have had the privilege of being “pastored” by David for almost 6 years now. He has not only been a loving husband, he has led me and “pastored” me every day of our marriage.

In Ephesians 5:25-26 it says~ “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”. David finds much joy in washing me with the water of the word. And he daily demonstrates Christ’s love for the church in how he interacts with me.

He is diligent to help me set my heart on the things of the Lord, to make sure I’m having consistent devotional times and he is regularly showing me the way to the cross when it seems I’ve gotten off course. He never lords over me or harshly “lays down the law”.

In our current season there are many opportunities for him to help me have a new perspective on things, when I am weary he encourages me to run to the savior for my strength. You see, he lives what he preaches. There has not been a single time where he has said something in a message where I thought to myself “if only he did that at home”. David has a hatred for hypocrisy in his life or in the life of our family. What you see on a Sunday is what David is at home.

I would willingly and with joy follow David wherever he is called. He is an able leader, a gifted preacher, humble Christian and loving husband and father. I realize and some day the girls will too that the life that David and we as his family are called to is a life of serving the church and we do it with joy. Because of your love for us as a family, we can willingly and joyfully do that. You live like your ministry outside the home is not more important than your ministry in the home.

So on your ordination day, I want you to know (as the one who knows you best) that I see up close and personal what the church is saying today.

Love,
Your Bride

I wish you all could have been there. It was a holy moment!

Guess who's Four!!!

Tomorrow the 9th is Alyssa's 4th birthday! It is so amazing to see how she has grown in the past four years. Our life has certainly changed since this day four years ago - I can still remember vividly the day she joined our family. The past four years has flown by, I am excited for the next years of her life as she grows, becomes more obedient, and starts school. I'm not sure what she would be most excited about, probably starting school. We still have a little ways to go before that starts, but with as quickly as the past four years has gone by, I know the next will go just as quick.

Blue Pool Video

More Maui photos

Real Life

Well, this is our 5th day home from Hawaii and although the jet lag wasn't as bad as we expected it is still awefully hard to wake up in the morning and to go to sleep at night.

I am always surprised, although it doesn't make much sense, at how quickly you dive right back into real life. We got home friday night, so we picked the girls up on saturday. Saturday night the girls are asking for things (many things) as they are currently asking now too. "Mommy, can you get me a drink". Its funny how quickly you forget. I had 6 days of no sippy cups, taking anyone to the bathroom, or disciplines. On saturday night, in that moment, as shocked as I was that I wasn't in Maui anymore. I reminded my self that this is what the Lord has called me to. To get drinks, change diapers, change clothes, feed, and bathe (on top of all the wifely priviledges) for my three little girls. No number of days on Maui could take that desire away.

More Maui pictures to come!

On our way home...

We are leaving Maui in just a few short hours. Our flight leaves at 2:35 am eastern time on Friday morning and our flight lands in Orlando at 5:45 pm. Please pray for us for the day of travel and for the next few days after our return that we don't experience too much jet lag. I'll post more pictures once we are settled back into real life.

Maui Pictures

Maui update

Wow! We have been super busy since we've been here and for the first few days couldn't get an internet connection. We have been snorkeling, saw some whales off the shore, hiking in the mountains to see waterfalls, swam at a place called Blue Pool (it is right off the ocean in this secluded little waterfall that pools in a cute little place to swim. The water was freezing, but we all jumped in for the "chance of a lifetime"). I'll finish uploading the pictures later. It has been beautiful here, warm and sunny. Today it is windy and raining, but that won't stop us. The guys are going to golf at a course where a PGA tour is played and the girls are going shopping (surprise, surprise!). We are off to a breakfast buffet. The food is fantastic here, one night we went out for sushi, the ahi tuna was the best we've ever had and they even had a Korean restaurant where we ate the first night. The travel day was long, I think most of us had been up 24 hours before we went to bed that night. We have been going to bed by 9-10pm every night but waking up at like 6-7am. The wake up early is still because of the time adjustment. What a wonderful time we are having! More later...

Airplane...Baby food - A couple of Brooklyn's Firsts

This past week we went to Maryland for a conference, so it was Brooklyn's first time on an airplane. She did great! Then today we gave her rice cereal for the first time. She has been a little fussy lately, so I am trying to figure out if she is teething or needing more food. She did great for her first time.

Maui Here We Come!!!!

We cannot believe it, but we have been given the opportunity to go with some dear friends of ours to Maui for a week. We leave this coming Friday, April 20th and return the 27th. We are going to try to post pictures while we are there. Please pray for us and Brooklyn that we will adjust to the time change (we hear the jet lag will be really bad) and that we will have traveling mercies on each of our full travel days. Friday we leave at 7am and arrive in Hawaii at approximately midnight(eastern time), although it will be 5:45 Hawaii time. Any tips?

Pictures