Friday, April 30, 2010

Spring Gardening

I love our house during the spring. We get great shade all through the day, so its never too hot, and our spring flowers are just gorgeous. I took a few pictures around the yard...


at our mailbox


We have azaleas around the side of our house. Aren't they perfect? I hate that they bloom for such a short time.

Yesterday was our big gardening day. We went to Country Gardens, which I highly recommend for anyone in our area. Lucy got to pet a goat, refused to pet a pony, and got really attached to two dogs while we were there. One of the dogs followed us to our car and I was afraid we were going to have to bring her home with us :) When we got home, we got right to work.


Lucy taking soil OUT of the pot, instead of putting it in



My two big helpers :)



Before and after pictures of our garden



My herbs I planted in a pot right outside the back door, so when I'm cooking I can just run out and snip some real quick. I just planted parsley and basil, since that's what I cook with most often.



Two tomato plants. I think we got a little ahead of ourselves with three last year so we just got two this year.



Two zucchini plants, with asparagus in between. You can see the asparagus shooting up already. It blooms pretty early. Zucchini is probably my favorite vegetable, and Lucy's too, so we got two plants this year. Last year I grew the zucchini from a seed, this year we bought plants, so we'll see if there is any difference.



Monday, April 26, 2010

Comparison

I came across an old picture of me when I was about Lucy's age. I don't really think we look alike but everyone else insists that she looks exactly like me.




What do you think?

p.s. as you can see, Lucy got her lack of hair from me. Don't worry...it'll come in eventually.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Let's revisit Easter...

A week before Easter (when it was still COLD outside...) Mark took Lucy over to my grandparent's church for an egg hunt. It was a Saturday so naturally I was working. I was pretty proud of Mark for taking her by himself, usually he's not up for that kind of stuff :)

He said she had a lot of fun, what do you think?





Abbie is almost exactly 6 months younger than Lucy, but surprisingly, has always had more teeth and hair than her :) We need to let them hang out more because I think they're gonna be big buddies.



Grandma Monica came along for the egg hunt too. Now that I think about it, that's probably the reason Mark agreed to take Lucy, because he knew Monica would take care of her once she arrived. Good thinkin Mark.




I wanted to revisit Easter, because I can't seem to get it out of my head this year. I keep thinking about it over and over, and I am reminded of what Easter Sunday really means for us. Christ conquering death and sin on the cross! This takes on a whole new meaning for me in respect to the events of this past year. My great suffering only makes me long for a day when there will be no more suffering. And honestly, it has made me appreciate all the more Christ's sacrifice for me.

My faith has been shaken and challenged in nearly every way this past year. Sometimes I blamed God for our circumstances, sometimes I blamed myself. While circumstances can be consequences to our actions, I have prayed long and hard over ours, and I truly believe that what happened to us was not punishment, and in fact, not orchestrated by God at all. God cannot be blamed. The only explanation I have found is that we live in a fallen world, filled with pain, sickness and death.

So how will we react when we experience pain, sickness, or death? Will we ignore God, blame Him, cry out in anger, beg for mercy, pray for a miracle? I have done all of these in the past few months and have been met with utter silence. No response. Not even a reassuring "I haven't totally abandoned you, even though it seems like it" whisper. This is my time of silence. I think at some point, if we are honest with ourselves, we have all experienced God's silence in our lives. At first I fought my time of silence with more cries of anger and pain. Then I realized why the Lord kept putting Easter Sunday back in my mind....sin was conquered on the cross, but why? Because of LOVE. God's Love for us.

I can get so wrapped up in my faith and my life and trying to be "Christian" that I forget about Love. And yet Love is the greatest of Faith, Hope, and Love. The greatest commandment, is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind." I think ultimately, through all the suffering and trials and just enduring LIFE in general, God just wants to know that we love Him. Not because we've been conditioned to because we have been blessed with families and "stuff" and success, but because when all is stripped down and we are broken and naked and bleeding, we CHOOSE to love Him.

Through my suffering, and God's silence in my life, which is suffering in and of itself, I choose to Love Him. To serve Him wholeheartedly, and to do everything in my power to know Him more so that I can Love Him more. I say this publicly not because I want praise or acknowledgment, but because I have truly been to hell and back with my faith this year, and I came out on the other side, still alive. I want that for others. I want others to be encouraged in their time of silence. And ultimately, I just want to give the Lord the glory He is due for dragging me through this trial, kicking and screaming, as stubborn as I am :) He created me stubborn, and I've come to accept that.

I'm done with my rant. I just needed to let that out. As I said, I'm going to try and be more vulnerable on this blog. Maybe I went too far :) Hopefully I won't lose too many readers over this post. Until next time, I leave you with this quote:

"To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and greatest commandment nonetheless. Even in the wilderness -- especially in the wilderness -- you shall love Him." - Frederick Buechner


Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Two peas in a pod...

Just had to post pictures of these two sweet cousins from when Molly and James were here over Easter. The older they get, the closer in age they seem, if that makes any sense :) James just couldn't get enough of his "Juicy".





Sunday, April 18, 2010

My heart

I haven't been as vulnerable on this blog as I would like to be, but I'm going to be today. Our family has been greatly affected by loss this year and I think it would be an injustice not to share it. I heard this song at church this morning and I can't stop thinking about it.

God loves a lullaby
In a mother's tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves the drunkards cry,
The soldiers plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done,
The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

Better than a church bell ringing,
Better than a choir singing out,

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah.


God I pray that my cries of pain and disappointment and frustration are a beautiful melody, that the sound of the broken heart of your child somehow becomes a song that will bring you honor and glory. Use my honesty and my vulnerability for Your Kingdom, so that my suffering will not be in vain.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Nurse in training

I found Lucy in my closet the other day doing this....



A girl after my own heart :)

Friday, April 9, 2010

Easter

Easter was a blast this year. Lucy actually understood the concept of finding eggs and putting them in her basket! It was so much fun watching her and James run around the yard with each other. Makes us wish they lived closer :) Enjoy the pictures. I may have gotten a little carried away :)

Posing in their sweet Easter outfits


Sisters! This bow was on a basket Big Daddy and Grandma gave Lucy, and when Lucy saw the bow she immediately said, "bow Heidi bow Heidi bow Heidi." Thus, we put the bow on Heidi. She was happy.




Ok I know I'm a little biased, but she's gorgeous, right?!



I just couldn't get enough of these two holding hands....









And some pictures of the egg hunt...








We are humbly reminded of the true celebration of Easter weekend. This song resounded in my mind all week long:

How beautiful the bloodflow,
How merciful the love shown,
The King of Glory poured out,
Victorious are we now!

Thank you Heavenly Father for sending your Son, and thank you Jesus for willingly choosing the cross. We will never know the cost.