this little booger is going to be 3 next month!!

what will you choose??

My mind gets so caught up in everything sometimes. It wants to be everywhere all the time and so involved. My life right now is pretty perfect, not bragging, but I just feel extremely blessed & loved. I have an amazing, supportive & loving husband who’d do anything for me- including let me stay home with our daughter. I get to spend everyday with our daughter, who amazes me ever day. I wish I had as much energy as she does. She doesn’t even know she has a choice everyday to be happy and to choose to be joyful and loving; she just does it everyday without hesitation. She melts my heart when she says things like, “guess what mommy?? I love you!!” really?? I mean you are two! Maybe because she’s my daughter, those of you who know me well know how emotional I can be, or simply because she’s a girl, but she takes so much to heart. She notices when you are sad, or when you are crying, or if you are happy, or upset, or even disappointed; and she is genuinely concerned. She’ll put her hand on yours & lean her head down to look up at you and say, “okay??“ She notices details, things I sometimes do not even notice and remembers things from months ago that I didn’t even know she knew.
I was looking over pictures today on my computer, trying to clean up my files. Of course I have like a zillion pictures of Kylie. I stare at them & think about how little she was & how much life has changed since she’s grown. When you become a mother, you change so much inside. You see life differently & feel so much more, if that’s even possible for me, haha!!
Last week we celebrated my husbands grandmother’s birthday. She turned 80 this year!! What an amazing life she has to tell. When we spend time with his grandparents they tell us the best stories. They both have the best memories. His grandpa (who I believe is 83) starts out stories like this, “Well Travis, I remember back in 1978...” and he’ll tell you every detail, the year, the time, who was there & exactly what was said. They amaze me! Both are such amazing, loving & Christ like people.
As I think about life, from one generation to the next, it reminds me that no matter how old you are or what your background is, you have a choice. A choice about who you want to be, how you love, your attitude, what you eat, how you react, what you do in your spare time, to follow your heart & dreams, to laugh or scowl. There are so many choices in life. I choose joy, what will you choose??

NEGU

when i was a kid my best friend and i would do pretty much everything together. we'd go to the park and dig in the sand, play "house" & barbies. we'd have sleep overs and make up dances. we'd even go to church together. on wednesday nights is when we'd go to AWANA's. we'd play games, have relay races, sing & learn about Jesus. every week there was a memory verse we had to memorize and tell our leader in order to get our book signed off. i remember the very first verse i ever memorized:

"i can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

a young girl named jessica joy rees, who i have never met, recently lost her battle to a brain tumor. she was 12 years old. from reading her blog, her facebook & the articles written about her, she was an amazing, strong, loving and passionate young girl. she is a young girl who could teach any one of us about life, courage, love and never giving up on who we are, fighting for what we want in life & what we believe. jessica, what her loved ones called her, jessie, has her wings in heaven now. she taught us all to NEVER EVER GIVE UP! i think her middle name was joy for a reason, she brought joy to others through her spirit, love & life!  jessica's mother had NEGU & Philippians 4:13 tattooed on her ankle, which represents her daughter and what she was about. jessica believed she could do anything through Christ, i believe this was her strength. only a few days before she died, jessica was writing inspiring posts & asking for prayers for other kids who found out they had cancer. at the same time she was losing her sight, hearing and strength.
how strong! how faithful! what strength! what a role model! such love! such joy!
jessica chose to fight & be joyful through her journey.
how will you spend your journey?

ecclesiastes 3:1

there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born & a time to die
a time to plan & a time to uproot
a time to kill & a time to heal
a time to tear down & a time to build
a time to weep & a time to laugh
a time to mourn & a time to dance
a time to scatter stones & a time to gather them
a time to embrace & a time to refrain from embracing
a time to search & a time to give up
a time to keep & a time to throw away
a time to tear & a time to mend
a time to be silent & a time to speak
a time to love & a time to hate
a time to war & a time for peace

what is your time right now? where are you in your life? are you dancing or are your mourning? are you building or tearing down? are you at war or at peace?
i have read this verse so many times and it always makes me think about where i am in life. it's good to reflect and think about where you are in life, choices that have been made, outcomes and new goals you may have. and what better time than now, the begining of a new year! welcome to 2012!

"watch parade with me"

i just got up to let the dog back in because of course he's barking to come inside. then i realize he has no water & he'll wine to me after i sit down, & will not stop until he's satisfied. as i'm filling up his bowl i hear a little voice in the other room. her voice is muffled because of her chest congestion and filled nose. i walk back in the living room and she says to me, "watch parade with me."

the rose parade is not just a parade that comes on every year or just something fun to go see with friends & family. to me the rose parade represents a part of my childhood. when i was a kid i would spend all the holidays with my grandma, every summer vacation and even birthdays. it was the times i cherished the most growing up. my grandma was everything to me. i cherish all my memories with her, including watching the rose parade. it was our time we spend together eating breakfast and watching the beautiful floats, together.

and now, every year, i hope to continue the tradition with my daughter. kylie is almost three, full of love and excitement about everything life has to offer. she's the sweetest and continues to amaze me everyday.

happy new year!!!