I'm Here!

I know. I know. I haven't blogged in over a month! A friend asked me why I stopped and my reason was 'not enough time.' That is partially true, I guess. I have time, I just don't have the motivation. I am going to attempt to be better because there are things I need to write for memories purpose. I print my blog into yearly books, therefore if it doesn't get written, I probably won't remember.

Lots going on in the casa. First, I'm 19 weeks pregnant an things are going well. In the past pregnancies, I wasn't working out and with this one I am and I feel great. My MS gets so much better when I'm prego. I joke that if someone could come up with a way to mimic pregnancy without the belly, they'd have a near cure! haha We get asked if we are going to find out the gender. My answer is, if I get my way, we are not finding out. Matt prefers to know. He says it's weird not knowing what to call it the whole time. I remember how fun it was when Cooper was born and we had no idea if he was a boy or a girl.

Second, we have an offer on a house in Broken Arrow. It's a short sale, which means we wait and wait and wait. So far, it's been, I think, just over a month since our offer was accepted by the seller. Waiting on the bank is the time consuming part. We aren't worried about it. We will either get it or not and are trusting God will pick the right one, as He is known to do. Our goal is to be in a place before school starts in the fall and for sure before the baby is due in September. Matt is looking forward to his commute being cut in half and I'm looking forward to many many things. We still have to put our house up for sale and hopefully it sells fast.

Third, Cooper turned four! We celebrated at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. I'll post those pictures soon I hope. Chloe is rocking school and just getting so smart! haha She is super close to being able to read. I'm really looking forward to that; reading with her.

Fourth, our church finally got a real life campus! We have been meeting in an elementary school for three years!! So nice to have a real building. It's been amazing to see the whole thing come to fruition. Love my church and the people at the Owasso campus are some very sincere amazing people.

Fifth, I'm addicted to spin.

Great Wolf 2012

A few months before Cooper's birthday, I asked him if he wanted a party or to go to Big Wolf Lodge, as he calls it. Without hesitation, he opted for Big Wolf Lodge. I was happy to oblige as we do not have the room nor do I have the time to plan and host a party. Great Wolf it is!! The plan was to leave on Wednesday, April 4 and come home Friday.

 Outside the ice cream and candy shop.

 Notice Chloe is wearing a yellow bracelet and Coop a red. Those determine what slides you can go on. Chloe is tall enough for 'big' slides as long as Matt rides with her. Coop finally noticed he wasn't getting yellow bracelets and lost his mind. When he knew Matt was riding with Chloe it broke his heart. haha On the last day, he asked the 'bearer of bracelets,' "Can I please have a yellow?" They denied him. If they let him measure in his Crocs, he was tall enough, but take of the shoes and the boy is in red territory. Next time, he'll be all over the yellow slides! :)

 Although this picture doesn't show it, Colbie had a blast. When we were here in December, she hadn't mastered walking yet which limited her playing. The zero entry/kiddie pool thing has a small ledge around on the perimeter. She would spend the whole time stepping up then stepping down, over and over. When we would open the door to our room, Colbie would try and sneak out and if she succeeded in slipping out, she made a break for it. She wanted to play!

 The last night, we opted for dinner at Rainforest Cafe. The service was poor, food was overpriced and the decor was lame BUT my kids loved it. I guess that's what matters.

 I always wait to take the group pictures on the last day. Eventually I will learn this is a bad idea.

 I didn't take this picture which possibly explains the blurriness.

 As we were walking out the door to leave, this guy was spotted by Cooper and he went nuts. NUTS!! Coop calls him Wolfie, his name is actually Wiley. The reason Coop went momentarily insane dates back to Christmas. When we were here in December, the kids got to 'build a Great Wolf animal.' Cooper built Wiley and he loves that thing. So when the 'real life' Wolfie appeared it was as if his stuffed creature came to life. It was a sweet moment.

 Chloe is holding her squirrel, I can't remember its name, that she made on the previous trip.

The kids happily posed and as we were walking away, Chloe says, "He's not real, Cooper, it's just a person in a costume." Great Chloe, thanks. Luckily, Coop was still in Wiley land and didn't hear her. 

Cooper Matthew

Cooper Matthew is 4!!

-Love Language is touch and words.
-Very passionate about everything!
-Loves Superheroes, Thomas, firetrucks, bugs and junk food.
-Is content doing nothing, but if given the opportunity will play until he crashes.
-When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, with out fail he says, "I want to be a Dad like my Daddy."
-Has learned at school this year; How to write his name, recognize his colors, count to 20 almost perfectly, and other things they do in a 3 year old class.
-Loves his sisters very much. When Colbie beats on him, he just sits there. Very easy going.
-Is starting to be able to remember Bible stories and can retell them.
-Favorite song is Building 429 "Where I Belong" He says it is his special song.
-Loves people.
-Now that he is 4, he tells people, "I growed and growed so much!" 
-Has the sweetest heart and wears that on his sleeve.
-Will grow to be a great Man of God, father, grandfather and Man.

KONY 2012

Back in the day, my church used to have various ministries; sports teams like men's slow pitch softball, various specialty ministries. I can't remember them all now because it was so long ago.

The church no longer has those ministries and let me tell you why. Craig, Preacher, decided that the church needed focus on less ministries and do those well versus dilly dallying in lots of ministries not doing them well. Dedicate the church to a few and be the best; they are.

I ran across a video on a man named Joseph Kony. Prior to Tuesday night at 11:00pm, this man was unfamiliar to me. I was seeing lots of "Kony 2012" hashtags on twitter and wondered who this political fool was. After watching the video, I realized he is a bad man who is in charge of the LRA, Lord's Resistance Army, in Uganda. He and his men for the past 26 years, have kidnapped over 66,000 very young boys and girls and used them to fight for him. These children were required more but I'm not going to share.

I watched the video while holding a sleeping and coughing Colbie and just cried. The makers of the movie, Invisible Children, have a goal to stop Kony. I was all about it and excited to help, then twitter hit me. I began receiving so many various links to people's sites that contained their opinions against the organization, Invisible Children, makers of the film.

I'll spare you the details of what I read because as soon as I would read a negative rant against IC, I would find a positive, "We are the World," rant for them and hence I became very confused. Honestly, I am still very confused. Then it hit me last night around 10:30pm with a sleeping and coughing Colbie on me, that I needed to "back it on up."

My family supports our church, LifeChurch.tv, with our tithe. Above and beyond that, our money goes to Compassion International and our sponsored child in Ecuador. I realized my family gives to two organizations; we do it well and we do it generously. (Not calling my tithe 'generousity' ok? Just making a point.)

Rather than dilly dally in various organizations, I decided to stick with the two I know and do it the best I can. I hope Kony is stopped. I hope Invisible Children take this responsibility of all these followers very seriously and do right by the people that have given money.

For me, I'm stepping back and sticking with what I know.

March Photo A Day: FRUIT

Theme For Day 2: Fruit

March Photo A Day: UP

A friend 'pinned' this idea called "March Photo A Day Challenge." I thought it sounded fun so I'm going to try. I can 100% guarantee I will miss a day or two or three or the next thirty, but I'm going to try not to.

Theme for Day 1: UP

 Mr. Moon, or at least his better half.

Saturn. It was yellow to the eye but bluish to my camera.

Weekly "I AM"

"You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet..." -Psalm 8:5-6

Outside my window... It's a lovely day! Weather last night was a little touchy and actually hit Branson, Missouri and caused fatalities. The trees are starting to bloom and the air just smells like spring. Love this time of year. I have no idea where winter went but I'll take this!

I am thinking... That the sugar cookie I just ate has 4 more friends in the box that I really should not eat but really want to eat. I'm looking forward to moving but getting this house ready for sale is overwhelming. So much needs to be packed, cleaned, painted, organized, cleaned, trashed, donated, cleaned and straightened. 

I am planning to cook... I have no idea. I'm so tired lately that I can't even think to cook.

I am reading...  I'm still working on "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." It's been a rough go. It's a letter style book which has been hard to stay interested in. Also still doing the "Loving Our Kids On Purpose." That book is for book club, we do one chapter a month. 

I am hearing... I'm hearing a show called I think, Sons of Guns? Kind of interesting seeing them build guns from scratch. Speaking of guns, Matt is going to buy a new gun so we can take a concealed carry class. 

I am learning... I'm in two Bible studies which is great but also a bit overwhelming. One is on Genesis, which has been very interesting. The other is a Beth Moore on James. That one is very good. 

I am praying... First thing, our new baby, due September 12. :) And for our move, find the right house, for the kids' school when we move, for our continued health and lots of other stuff.