We are the REDEEMED...

... we are the ones who are FREE!! And we belong to JESUS!!

God has placed inside me this unbelievable desire to love people and "be Jesus" to the thousands of people who Jesus has and will place in my path!! God has also really given me this amazing passion for the people in our town.... I walk through the store, at a restaurant, the mall, or a playground and all I can think to do is to pray for the people I pass that somehow God will bring them to himself... whether that be through Reveal Church or one of the other Churches in the area!!

Now, let me just say this I am not an outgoing person!! I am VERY shy and so I am not always sure why God blessed me to be the wife of such an incredible and Godly man who He has given this HUGE vision to!! But I do know that the call on our lives in real and that all I can do is to follow the prompting and movement of the Spirit... even when it might be hard or uncomfortable for my flesh.

I think my greatest desire and prayer in my personal life right now is to not live by my flesh but to everyday be filled with the Spirit so that He will be the overflow of my heart!! And I know that as I live through the Spirit all things are possible!! I have such a passion to see this town reached with the message of Christ and to show them that as Christians we can live in the freedom of who God says we are, the REDEEMED bride of Christ!! While we are not perfect and we have struggles, all our sins have been wiped clean with the blood of Christ Jesus!!

Thank you Lord for your redeeming grace that changed my life and help me to daily be a shining light for the world out there who needs to come out of their darkness!! Help me to LIVE in your amazing grace and not WORK to make you love me more... I am so grateful that there is nothing that I can do to make you love me more or less!! Your love is so infinite for me and you so adore me that even in my struggles to rest in who I NOW AM IN YOU... you are ALWAYS right beside me!! Even though I can't grasp your unwavering love for me I want to live my life to show others the freedom we have in YOU ALONE!!

Date night

Friday Mark and I had a date night.... it was so much fun!! We went to Cheesecake Factory in Buckhead and waited FOREVER for a table, but it was SOOO completely worth it!! I didn't care how long we had to wait because Mark and I were getting to spend time together without chasing down kids!! My cousin Amy, who lives in Athens, came over a watched the kids for us... she is so great!! There is no better feeling than leaving your kids with someone who you trust and who you KNOW loves your kids and enjoys watching them!! She was great and Noah wanted her the next morning... he was asking for "my mamy" when he woke up!! Weekends are our favorite times... Mark is usually home and we get his undivided attention... the kids are always easier when Daddy is around... and there is another adult to talk to!! We had a great date night and over all weekend!!

Precious Gifts

I love my kids... they crack me up!!

Noah is the age I wish he would stay forever!! I think 2 is my favorite age... he can tell me what he wants, he is so funny, he still takes good naps, he still loves on us, he is potty trained (mostly), he plays really well with other kids or by himself... I love my little boy and I am NOT looking forward to him growing up and him not wanting anything to do with me!!

Then there is Hannah... she may have her attitude problems but man alive, when she looks up at me with those bright blue eyes everything else just melts away!! She is getting to were she is super funny and silly!! She loves to smile and laugh... and she loves her Mommy!! I have such a special attachment to her that no one else really has... I think because I nursed her for so long and I got to know her on such a different level than anyone else did. I tend to be able to deal with her fussiness and attitude better than others... she is getting alot better about that too!! As she grows and is learning her boundaries, she is becoming mush easier!!

As great as my kids are and how well behaved they are... there is always this fear in the back of my mind that I am going to do something to screw them up for the rest of their lives!! And the thing is that no matter how well Mark and I parent and how great our kids are... they ARE going to have issues!! It is inevitable!! My parents were great and they took great care of me I couldn't ask for better parents... but I have a TON of issues!! It is part of life!! The only thing that gives me comfort is that however my kids turn out they are ALWAYS in God's hands and that they will always be MY babies!! I just have to stay close to God and to constantly seek His face for direction and patience in taking care of this amazing gift he had blessed me with!!

Weekend Fun

This past weekend we had so much fun...

• It started on Thursday, Mark was at a conference for the day, so me and the babes went down and saw Sissy and Bryce for the day!! So much fun and it's funny that as a mom you just naturally fall back into taking care of an infant when you are around one!! I love my new nephew!!
• Then Mark took off the weekend to spend with us... he has been super busy lately so we were SOO happy to have him around!! The kids really needed some Daddy time (so did I)
• Friday He did have Starbucks that morning but was home before the kids got up from their naps so after they got up we went and got some dinner at Five Guys (YUMM) and then we went to a Night of Worship at Chestnut Mountain to hear a friend of Mark's who was leading the worship!! It was so much fun!! I think both our kids are destined to be musicians... it's in their bones!! They were dancing and Hannah was singing we had a blast!!
• Then Saturday we took it easy all day!! Mark and Noah went to breakfast so I got some time alone with my Hannah Bear, we don't get much time alone and she is so much fun and SOO talkative when Noah isn't around!!
• After the kids were in bed Mark talked me into watching "Skeleton Key"... I hate scary movies but I always end up liking them in the end!! It was a good movie but I HATED the ending!!
• We went to Mountain Lake's portable campus yesterday, as we are on our church tour with our team!! Good day!!
• Then last night we wanted some movie called "The Haunting" it was SOOO dumb!! I guess it was supposed to be scary but it was just dumb!! Oh well... then we got sucked in and started watch "Celebrity Roast of Larry the Cable Guy" don't ask me why but we did!!
• Oh not to mention we washed the kids nighties yesterday and Hannah wouldn't sleep because hers didn't smell or taste like pure filth anymore... kids are funny!!

I love the time me and the kids get to spend with Mark... he is such a great daddy and he is an incredible husband!! I am so blessed!!

Good Weekend...

Well as I departed from the terror of the last 2 weeks I went into the weekend hoping that it was going to do good little did I know I how great it was going to be... Mark got to feeling 100% late on Friday which was good since we were heading to Canton on Saturday morning for Pop's Birthday Party... little did we know that we would get a call on our way out the door that Sissy was in labor and at the hospital!!! So thanks to my WONDERFUL husband who dropped me off at the hospital on the way down I got to spend the afternoon at the hospital with my extremely pregnant and ready sister while she was working through contractions. Mark took the kids and let them play and take their naps and then I hitched a ride to his mom's house to get ready for the party that night. Sissy had still not had Bryce when I left so I was hoping that he would wait until after the party was over and I could get back to the hospital on our way back home... and he did!! I got back to the hospital and within about 30 minutes he was born!! My sweet little nephew... 7lbs. 12oz. He is BEAUTIFUL!! So I didn't get to stay long because we had the kids with us but I got to kiss him and love on him!! I am going back on Thrusday while JR and Mark are at Unleashed for the day!!

Then on Sunday we didn't have services for Reveal... we were getting a little burnt out and to be honest a little frustrated with our lack of people... so we decided to take a break and get some new ideas going and attack this town with a new plan!! Anyways we decided to visit some other churchs for a while... It was great!! We needed the break and the time of worship we had!! We visited Fusion Church in Suwanee... we had been there before but we got a behind the scenes look which is always great when you are trying to plan your own services!! The worship was great and so was the sermon!! Tony McCulloum (sp?) is great!! It was very refreshing!! The rest of the day we just vegged out at home!!

So it was a good weekend and a much needed one!!!

Fun!!

This week's fun:

• Noah's potty training: It is going really well but we still have our struggles with it... I can't complain though, I havn't had to change his diapers (just clean pee off the floor)
• Hannah is OBSESSED with the TV and really anything electronical so I am constantly fussing at her for touching things she is not supposed to do...Noah went though the same thing but Hannah is way more stubborn
• Ever since the snow on Sunday Noah has asked for it to snow again... he loved it, he sat in front of the window all night on Sunday and watched it snow
• Trying to start on some spring cleaning... vaccumed the stairs this morning!! That's all I've done so far the kids are not really fond of me cleaning when they are awake... mostly because I won't let them help!!
• Glad that Mark is feeling better last week was not fun at all!!
• I am so tired of Winter, I want Spring to start... tired of my clothes and the cold weather!!
• I am praying hard for my Sissy this week... she is only 3 weeks from her due date and I know that she is SOOO ready!! I remember this time in both of my pregnancies it is really hard!!
• I am excited that I am having a girls night out with Amber, Nicole, and Amanda on Friday night!! Can't wait for that!!
• Have to go down to Canton on Saturday for Pop's Birthday Party... not spending the night so no packing... YEAH!! I like day trips!!!
• I wish that I could go with Mark to Unleashed next Thrusday but can't get anyone to watch the kids during the week :( Oh well

Well I guess that is it... I better go!! Noah just informed me that he peed on his toys in his room!! oh what fun!!

Not so great week...

Last week was not the greatest of weeks in our house! That is kind of an understatement... Last Monday and Tuesday Mark had a churchplanters conference and there alot of old friends that he hadn't seen in a while so he was out late hanging out and catching up and so I was alone with kids for pretty much 2 days straight (you moms know how that is)... Then on Wednesday (I guess from being around a bunch of people) Mark got sick!! YIKES!! So from Wednesday to this morning I have had 3 babies to take care of on my own!! I love my husband and he is the BEST but when he is sick, man alive, it really does feel like I have an extra kid!!

So with taking care of Mark and the weather I hadn't been out of the house with the kids all week, so I finally couldn't take it anymore and so I called my mom on Friday and told her I needed her on Saturday!! I had to get out of the house and it was rainy and gross but I just had to!! So mom came up on Saturday for a little while and helped me out and I got to vent and talk to another adult!! She helped out alot, I love when my mom comes to the house because I can just oversee the kids and she does all the playing!!

So needless to say I havn't slept very much this past week and I am glad that Mark is feeling better and back to himself today!! Having him out of commission is not fun!! Oh and on top of everything Noah is potty training and is still having several accidents a day.... I am so tired of cleaning up pee off the floor all day, glad to have help in that department too!!

Hopfully this week will go better as we start preparing and making plans for some BIG stuff at church!!