Playing House

Baby Powder 101

2012-01-11T20:12:00.001-06:00

Baby Powder 101:

Class taught by Professor Peyton

#1 Use Liberally. On Everything. Floors, cribs, dressers, dirty clothes hampers, benches, baby brothers, chairs, closet interiors, your own hair/body... etc.

#2 Baby powder is especially effective when paired with Desitin, vaseline, baby lotion, and baby wipes.

#3 Best when used before ~~responsible~~ uneducated adult enters premises. (Use in front of baby brother is encouraged for visual teaching purposes)

#4 Warning: When at all possible, do not leave identifiable markings in the baby powder after using. Most adults are not aware of the correct usage of baby powder and will wrongly accuse you of doing something wrong before immediately put you down for a nap.

Congratulations on graduating from Baby Powder 101. You may now register for the inevitable Baby Powder 201 class taught by Professor Vandis.

Ok, Dad...

2012-01-10T01:11:00.000-06:00

Ok, Dad... you can come home now. I am ready to go sledding, and you know mom won't take me.

Oh, by the way... can you bring some snow too? It's basically been summer around here the past few months and if I grow out of this snowsuit without using it even once mom is not going to be very happy. Mom also says that the snow is only allowed to be here for one day. Between you and me, she seems kind of high maintenance about this whole thing.

Anyways, can't wait to go sledding with you!

Love you, Dad!

Love, Peyton

Strength for Today, and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

2012-01-09T00:23:00.000-06:00

I was a part of a ladies conference this weekend called Empower 2012: Treasured. I would LOVE to write a post all about it, but I have no pictures from the event. Since planning for this event consumed my life for the better part of the last few weeks, a post will be coming... just not until I can get some pictures from a beautiful pregnant friend of mine named Ria :) Or anyone else who will post some to facebook... I don't discriminate, I just need pictures!

The title to this post is from an old hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. I've sang this song so many times, but this weekend during the conference the phrase "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow" really stood out to me.

Since my last blog post at the end of October a few things have changed in my life. Things like my kids growing bigger, smarter, cuter... my husband's return date coming sooner... and my longing for 80 degrees and sunshine becoming stronger have been the usual, expected changes.

But then there were a few unexpected changes as well. You've probably had some too... you know, the ones you don't plan for. The ones you don't see coming. At the top of my list of unexpected changes is the announcement that my Pastor of 16 years was going to be leaving his role as our pastor to go be the "Executive Director of International Ministries" for Converge Worldwide.

I was beyond shocked when I heard the news. I mean, talk about unexpected change! Pastor Ivan has been my only pastor, ever! I grew up being best friends with his daughter, he was practically my second dad for a big portion of my life. I never saw this coming... and neither did he.

As a person who likes change, I can see that this is super exciting for both our church and Ivan and his family. I know that God has a plan for his ministry as a big-shot director, and I know that God has a plan for my church, Edinbrook.

That hardly makes it any easier to say goodbye.

Today was Ivan's last day as our pastor. As we commissioned him to his new position, from the Pastor of our Edinbrook to the Director of International Ministries I remembered that we are given strength for today, and a bright hope for tomorrow.

For Edinbrook, we have strength in this time of uncertainty, and hope that our God who started a good work in our church will be faithful to complete it. (Philippians 1:6)

Today God offers strength

in the often tiring and tedious job you have as a parent
while you pray for your friend/child/parent/sibling that is far from God
while you are getting through the work day at a job that you only have to pay the bills
as you wait for a resume to catch an employer's eye
in the pain and hardship of this life

And the bright hope that

your dedication, love, and reliance on the Him will amount to a young life that is sold out to Christ. (Proverbs 22:6)
He is able to melt the heart of stone. (Ezekiel 11:19)
His purpose for your life is better than you can ask for, think, or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)
He will provide. (2nd Corinthians 9:8)
He has overcome this world. (John 16:33)

Will you allow His strength to work in your life today and trust Him for a better tomorrow? God is to be trusted! His word never fails!

I want to end this blog post with a short video. Shane, is the 17 year old son of my pastor who will be leaving his friends, school, band, and church behind to follow his parents in this ministry. He wrote a short song with a clear, simple message that I am thankful to be reminded of.

A Photo Collage of My Life the Past Few Weeks

2011-10-31T23:01:00.000-05:00

*** WARNING ***

A photo blog post sans witty commentary is all you will get in this post.

It's going to be really boring.

Similar to the title.

I just wanted to get some pictures up for the hubs.

Who, by the way, just got promoted to Sergeant!

On to the Pictures...

Women of Faith

Anoka's Halloween Parade

Peyton Being Unnaturally Adorable

Halloween Harvest Fest at Church 2012

<3 <3 <3

Happy Birthday Sweet Two Year Old Girl

2011-10-24T19:44:00.000-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweetie pateetie, Peyton girl.

You are growing up so fast... it's unreal.

I love seeing you figure things out, you are very precise and possibly a little ~~OCD~~ bit of a perfectionist.

Aside from being the best sister, you are also the best friend! You love your friends "Meme" and "lulalala" (Amiee and Olivia).

At this stage in your life, your favorite fictional characters are "wha-wha" (Dora) and Elmo. Good choices :)

You have LOTS of people that love you a ton!

And you're ok with not always being the center of attention... as long as you have a brand new toy to distract you :)

You are finding your little way in life like a champ. I can tell already that God has BIG plans for you miss girl.

Your momma and daddy pray for you every day, we love you so much and want the best for you! Always remember that <3

I know that someday your love for Dora and Elmo will turn into a love for your generation's Justin Beiber and Brittney Spears... and I think I'm ok with that. Just as long as your biggest love is Jesus, for ever and for always.

Always remember that you are SPECIAL, in the BEST way. Jesus made you to do something big in this world little lady, I pray that I always encourage you in His ways for your life.

You have taught me so much in the last 2 years, about love, patience, joy, and kindness. I have a better understanding of Christ's love for me because of you, thank you for that :)

I will love you forever, and you'll always be my baby girl.

My sweet, blue-eyed, cheerful, independent, little lady.

I love you so much sweet girl.

Love- Momma

A Windy Pumpkin Adventure

2011-10-17T18:25:00.000-05:00

This afternoon my sister and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch near my house.

It was incredibly windy.

Which made the 61 degree weather feel really, really cold.

All we really needed were a few pumpkins so we ran through the piles and picked out a few.

Then we hightailed it out of there... because it was cold. And I had to get to class.

ps... I miss blogging.

Twin Cities Corn Maze

2011-10-09T22:58:00.000-05:00

The kids and I, along with our beautiful friend Danielle, enjoyed the summer-y fall time weather on Saturday at the Twin Cities corn maze.

We had the best time. Something about playing tag and hide-and-go-seek among animal feed just brings out the giggles in a toddler.

After meandering through the kiddie maze, we found the corn pit.

Jackpot.

If you've never been in a corn pit before, just think of it like being in a McDonald's ball pit with more fun and less urine . At least we hope so for the sake of the guy who's about to take a nose dive.

Vandis couldn't get enough of the corn kernels... they were his chubby little hand's delight.

Peyton wasn't so sure what to think as she is a control f-r-e-a-k and something about sinking while trying to walk just wasn't ok with Miss OCD.

Needless to say, we all got corn in some interesting places. And by "interesting" I mean, "I wonder how much of the corn in that corn pit had already been down someone else's pants..."

That is all.

After the corn pit, we braved the real maze, where Peyton took this amazing picture.

Watch out Ria, we've got a little photographer on our hands ;)

We played following the leader, which was super productive seeing as our leader is only 2. Somehow she lead us in multiple circles in the same area, which probably takes a good amount of talent... I mean did you see the map at the top of this post?!

About halfway through the maze our leader started having a breakdown. Are we surprised? I would just like to clarify that her breakdown is in no way related to sleep deprivation. I would never take my toddler out in public after she boycotted her afternoon nap. That would just be irresponsible. Which I am not, because I'm a mom now.

After the breakdown we finished the maze and ~~got in the car right away as to avoid any further embarrassment brought on by an unruly 2 year old~~ went to the petting zoo!

Where we made friends with a baby goat...

and used the butt of the baby cow as a pillow.

Yeah... it was time to go home.

All in all, it was a great day, and I would totally recommend the Twin Cities Corn Maze if you live in the area!

*** I hope to resume regular blogging soon, I've been wrapped up in beginning a new business venture along with other "life" things and just haven't found the time! But I really miss it, and hope to be back at it again sooooon! <3

The Perfect Blogger Mom and Her Perfect Kids: Park Edition

2011-09-30T02:43:00.001-05:00

We went to the park the other day after having a morning full of bible study.

'Cuz I'm a Christian Blogger mom. And I'm kind of perfect like that.

My perfect friend Erika (who also blogs, because she too is perfect) came too.

My perfect toddler played nicely on the public playground that I sanitized before she played.

Perfect Blogger Moms don't let their kids touch germs.

While I was busy sanitizing the park, my daughter ate a nutritious meal. That I made from scratch. From the animals on my farm and the vegetables in my garden.

I would never, ever think to feed my child the garbage that some mothers feed their children. I shudder at the sheer thought of McDonald's.

My perfect 6 month old posed beautifully for every picture that I snapped.

I trained him early.

I was armed and ready with my camera aimed at every fun activity that my little lady could think to do.

Not because I wanted good blog material, but because I care.

Every single shot turns out perfectly. Every time. No exception.

When my toddler is not sharing and caring on the playground, she is with her brother... hugging and loving on him...

He returns the love with even more love.

Precious. Just precious.

They would never even think to wrestle, or pull each other's hair.

I've seen some children behave that way. It's appalling.

But not my kids.

I would never stay at the park past my toddlers nap time. That would be irresponsible.

She would never turn into a Donald Trump look-alike because she was having a breakdown.

No, no. She is the image of perfection 100% of the time.

My children never have to tell me when it is time to go back to our perfectly clean house for a nap.

That is my job as their mother!

And I'm not just any mother... I'm a perfect blogger mother. One who's child would never turn into a sleep-deprived zombie.

That would just be wrong.

Why Don't We Always Wear Cute Hats, Minnesotans?

2011-09-27T18:08:00.000-05:00

When I was in Georgia at the beginning of this month, my friend Jillian and I hung out with her Midwestern turned Southern friend Katie. We went out to eat one night and Katie let me look thorough her wide variety of hats and pick one to wear to dinner. I was loving life.

I'm sure everyone who saw me thought to themselves...

"Wow... that girl looks great in that hat. She should always wear hats. Good thing she lives in the south where it is acceptable to wear them and not in Minnesota where the majority of people only wear hats because it's so stinkin' cold. She'd stand out like a sore thumb there. Gooood thing she lives here in Georgia."

I'm SURE they were all thinking just that. Unfortunately I do live in Minnesota. And I don't like to stand out like a sore thumb. Even if it is a very cute sore thumb with an over sized bow on it.

So COME ON Minnesotans! Break out some hats!!! Let's make it happen :) I know you all like them... we just have to do this TOGETHER!

We'll coordinate... just let me know when you're wearing your hat and I'll wear one too :)

Sing Off... Where Have You Been All My Life?

2011-09-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

I've not heard of this show "Sing Off" until I saw it on Hulu last week. It's on Monday nights... but no, I did not watch it tonight. I'll watch it commercial and judging free tomorrow... Just because I don't super love those parts. Thank you, Hulu!

My favorite of last week was the all girl group Deliah. They could have used some more clothing, but their song was uh-MAzing!

Excited to watch tonight's episode tomorrow during nap time :) Good use of time, don't you think?

Here's to not getting too involved in TV this fall!

Here's hoping, anyways :/

Girls and Their Makeup

2011-09-25T00:23:00.000-05:00

My little girl is the biggest copy-cat.

Every morning that she sees me put on my makeup she has to have hers "put on" too. Well apparently I was not quick enough today and she had to take matters into her own hands. To be fair, it was early afternoon and I still hadn't gotten ready yet...

Here she is, showing off her foundation application skills... My-oh-myyy Peyton, you are SO pretty! Now if only she would copy me by wearing her shirt more often...

A Day To Just 'Be"

2011-09-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

Thursday has become my one day of the "work week" that has nothing planned, and I am so thankful for that this week. It's been an unusually crazy week so far, and I don't see the craziness letting up any time soon. And that's ok. We're just taking things one day at a time.

Tomorrow the kids and I will be focused on having fun and not worrying about the time, or getting out the door! Ohh man, I am looking forward to it :)

I'll be posting pictures of my rapidly growing kiddos... because it's been a long time! Something for you to look forward to :)

For now I'm hoping that my tired-ness has still allowed for some sort of comprehensive blog writing to have been done ... I might regret this post in the morning. Though, regret may be a common feeling around these parts after you read my midnight-brain posts...

Ok, I'm going to bed now.

Goodnight friends <3

Matching Pajamas = Love.

2011-09-19T18:24:00.000-05:00

Call me cheesy, but I am kind of obsessed with matching pajamas. Like... matching family Christmas pajamas for Christmas morning = must have. With Christmas still 4 months away I just couldn't wait till then to get matchy-matchy...

Now, I'm well aware that I have a boy and a girl. It does make it a little bit more difficult to find jammies that match and aren't very specifically "boy" or "girl".

But Costco came through for me. Of course.

And thank you cell phone for having battery life when my camera doesn't.

How cute are my kids in their matching pajamas?

Last Wedding of the year... #7: Grant and Britni

2011-09-17T23:51:00.000-05:00

Tonight I went to the last wedding of the summer. It was the seventh wedding I've been to since June 4th. Phew! Good thing I love weddings.

Grant and Britni had a beautiful Christ-centered service and their reception was filled with personality.

You guys make a beautiful couple! Congratulations!

NLC Part 3

2011-09-16T18:49:00.000-05:00

Andy Stanley
This was one of my favorite sermons of the day. Andy totally spoke my heart and said in a clear and well-thought-out way what I have been thinking and tripping over for a while now.

Here are a few of his thoughts in my own words...

People like to make points. Christians so often have to be "right" when talking with non-Christians because we know that we're right. And though that may not always lead non-Christians to have a bad taste in their mouths toward Christians... a better way to be an influence in our world is to just be an example. Hold your tongue sometimes... don't make a point just to make a point!

It's always easier to make a point than to make a difference... you may have to forgo the point in order to make the difference

aaaaand

Don't judge non-Christians for acting like non-Christians.

...Do I have any business judging those who are outside the Christian faith? Isn’t it your business to judge those who are inside? God will judge those who are outside...

1 Corinthians 5: 12-13

Ohhh I am so glad there is a verse in the bible that says that! Who am I (as a Christian) to judge a non-Christian for acting like a non-Christian!? They have not committed to living following the Lord... so why should I expect them to act like it? My job is to LOVE them... the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Goooooooooood stuff :)

Jud Wilhite

Jud talked about staying grounded. His church is in the heart of Vegas so when one of his topics was about staying a little crazy for God, we knew he knows what he's talking about...

When we are just a little crazy for God... he can use us better. We have to be able to give up control... and that doesn't happen if you are normal :) Jud talked about how having his church in Vegas is a little bit crazy, but how God using his church to reach a group of people that wouldn't normally hear about Jesus.

For instance... at my church I don't think we've ever had someone just pass out in a seat because they were so drunk, and I don't think we've had a working stripper in our small groups. Those things are a little crazy... but God is working in those people when they are in His house!

Now, your "crazy" might not be opening a church in Vegas...it probably isn't. BUT you should figure out what kind of crazy thing God is calling you to do...and then just jump in, because He want's to use you!

Allllright... this was my last installment of the NLC conference! So if these last few posts weren't really your "thing" don't worry because tomorrow I will be back to blogging regularly about things like this...

Yes, that is poop on the wall in my entryway from 2 days ago that I just saw today. How do I know it was from 2 days ago? Well because 2 days ago my 2 year old came upstairs from her bedroom with a poopy diaper and poop on her hand. I was incredibly and happily surprised that she didn't make a mess at all! Looks like she's pretty sneaky.

So, yes. Playing House will be back with normal-ness like that. Apparently if you read this blog by choice... then you are into stories about poop.

Seriously, that's not normal... you may want to see someone about that.

NLC Part 2

2011-09-12T23:36:00.000-05:00

Here we are... another late night blog post about the Newspring Leadership Conference. In this post I'll be over viewing the sermons of 2 more pastors that I didn't blog about the other day!

Let's just get right into it with...

Perry Noble
Pastor Perry is the Pastor of Newspring Church (where the conference was held) and he is a great speaker! He opened the conference with a sermon on 5 Things the Church Needs... here's what I got from it...

an awareness of His presence

remember that God is bigger than your biggest critic and He is always there

a desperation for His voice

beg God for a vision
Listen, learn and then do

a realization about what God has given you

everything God needs to complete a miracle, he has given us!
we don't need anything special for God to work through us... remember Moses, trying to tell God that he didn't have enough? God used what he did have- a staff, and parted the Red Sea with it! God can use what we have to create a miracle.

a desire to work hard

you can't just pray good things into existence! You have to work hard.

a desire for people to see Jesus clearly

when people see Jesus more clearly, they want to start to live for Him.

***If you're wondering why this blog post is 2 days later than it should have been and about half as short as it should be... it's because my life is busy. And sometimes I don't blog because of it... or sometimes I blog the first section of a blog post and then fall asleep on my computer.

aaaaand we're back to blogging. 2 days later. and in less detail.

Judah Smith

Judah Smith ended the conference with a simple truth and an "amen, brother" question.

He preached on unfulfilled promises from The Lord. His dad died a few months ago, and he was talking about how he prayed for healing and believes in healing, but his dad was not healed. Judah knows that The Lord can heal... and for whatever reason He didn't.

Now, he preached for almost an hour... but ended with this...

When did Jesus become not enough?

THE PROMISE HAS BEEN FULFILLED. Jesus is the promise. Nothing else matters. He is it! When all else fails in the world, Jesus will remain.

It's good, right? Just going back to the basics.

---Tune in tomorrow-ish for the final post about NLC 2011

Newspring Leadership Conference 2011

2011-09-09T23:34:00.000-05:00

Here is the group from my church that went to the NLC this year.

We have... the Sr Pastor and his wife, the Youth Pastor and his wife, the Alive Creative Arts Ministry Leader, The 5th&6th Grade Leaders, and me. :) Great group of people that I love so much!

The Lord calls us to record what we have learned and experienced so that we can remember His faithfulness in our lives and what He has taught us. That's a big reason I have kept this blog and the main reason I am writing these next few posts.

I want to share with you and record for myself what the Lord has taught me. Thursday from 8am until 6pm I heard 7 pastors speak with authority The Word of The Lord, and here, on my blog, I want to record what I learned. Over the next couple days I will be writing about the lessons I learned from each pastor at the conference.

If you have any questions or want further information about any of the content below, you can message me! Also, I'm linking to all the pastor's churches if you want more information about them or their church.

Mark Driscoll

This man is smart. He studies more than I sleep. I mean, he is SMART. He's popular among a wide variety of Christians and is one of the most downloaded and quoted pastors of this time. Here's what I got out of his sermon at Newspring...

Your family must come before your ministry
Make sure that the work you are doing for the Lord does not become your idol.
Just because you have the theology of something does not mean that you live the reality of it. Make SURE you are living what you preach.
Your spouse should be your friend, not just your partner in kid-raising (life) or ministry, because when you move into different seasons of life, you are going to need to have more that just a work-type relationship.

He and his wife wrote a book on marriage that will be coming out soon. He was very real in sharing struggles and hurdles that he and his wife have overcome in their marriage as well as personally. A smart person who also is humble and shares his heart... now that's a good pastor right there :)

Steven Furtick

I heard about Steven Furtick last year at around this time and have been listening to his sermons online and reading his blog posts pretty regularly ever since. He is a bold young man of God and his wisdom is from the Holy Spirit. I was a little geeked out to see him in person, which is slightly embarrassing to admit... but hey, I'm just being real :) Steven spoke on gratitude, (I had heard this sermon before, but he added and took away some content since then) and when you have 45 minutes to spare, I strongly, strongly suggest that you listen to this sermon, which is the 3rd in a 3 part series... all really good, but this was the one he revamped for yesterday. It quite literally changed my life through the way I think. Here's what I learned yesterday...

Psalm 100:4 God want's praise before anything. Give Him your praise, your gratitude when you "enter His courts".
Gratitude is never invisible or silent. If you are thankful for something, you say it. If you aren't speaking it, then you aren't feeling it. "From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" Matthew 12:34
Gratitude sustains joy and blessing. When you remember and are thankful, you will be joyful and receive God's blessings.
Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends. When I feel entitled to something, I am not grateful like I should be. I need to know and remember that my God is the giver of all things good in my life. I deserve nothing good, everything good in me is God, and I am grateful.
Grateful people can FIND a blessing, ENLARGE a blessing or CREATE a blessing in almost any situation, and on the flip side, negative people can FIND a burden, ENLARGE a burden or CREATE a burden in almost any situation. Quit being a crap factory and look at the good in life.
Lots of times the very things I complain about are things I have asked God for. They were at one point a blessing to me and now I am complaining! Staying home with my kids, working in ministry, dealing with a spotty Skype connection with Ryan... these are all things that are a HUGE blessing in my life and yet I can so quickly become negative about them.

I am so thankful for Pastor Steven and his willingness to share this reminder... seriously, this is a fantastic sermon to listen to... I HIGHLY recommend it!

Craig Groeschel

I had never heard of this pastor before... but let me tell you, I have never laughed so hard during a sermon. All the pastors at this conference were hilarious, but Pastor Craig was HIL-AIR-E-US. On top of that, he was incredibly relevant and had very good things to say. It's no wonder that his church has multiple campuses and is continuously growing. Here's what I learned from Pastor Craig...

Be aware that after you have taken steps in following The Spirit's prompting in your life, you will experience uncertainty. If you have every step planned out and you don't have to rely on the Lord for guidance, then you are missing out on what He has planned for you.
If you aren't ready to face opposition for God, then you are not ready to step out in faith. Hard-core Christ followers are often criticized... for many, many things! I think it was Craig who said "If you're church isn't being called a cult every now and then, you probably aren't moving the world enough." People like to call out Christians for anything they can... and you have to be close enough with God so that you can know, that you know, that you know that you are on the right path.
Don't build your ministry based on what you don't like, (ie. we're not like that boring church over there who just sings hymns) but build your ministry on a positive base (ie. our church plays contemporary music because we are trying to reach the younger generation for God.) Don't be negative!
Acts20:24 Make God's plan more important than my comfortably.
We (as Christians) can live in 3 different categories... the middle one is where most people tend to hang out...

Our goal is to make a difference in our world.
We think that we (our church, our ministry) is good.
We are happy when our numbers are up and we get upset when our numbers are down because that is where we find satisfaction.
Our enemy is all the other churches because they are taking the people from us...which is bad because we're the best!

When we switch our thinking from I'm or we're good to "God's good" then we are able to change History... God's glorification is top priority and our only enemy is Satan. Imagine how succesful we would be in the eyes of God if our only goal was to glorify Him.

God wants to change the world with us. He does not want us to only make a difference. Follow the Spirit's prompting in your life for the glory of The Lord because only then can He change the world through you!

Craig said so many good things... I wish you could have been there to hear him as well as the others.

Tomorrow I'll wrap up the day with the 4 other pastor's lessons. Thanks for stopping by... I pray that the Holy Spirit gave you clarity while you were reading :)

What A Day...

2011-09-09T00:36:00.002-05:00

Today I had the privilege of hearing 7 pastors preach it to me and about 2,000 other people at the Newspring Leadership Conference in Anderson, South Carolina.

It was uh-mazing. I have to much to share.

Tomorrow.

Because tonight, right now, I am going to bed.

A Super Star Sister

2011-09-05T22:18:00.001-05:00

Check out this super star sister...

She is my big helper that loves her little brother.

Peyton's always going to have Vandis' back...

and I'm sure he'll always return the favor.

Just another one of those blog posts written at 12:30 am.

2011-09-05T00:43:00.002-05:00

I'm busy.

So busy.

I'm so looking forward to Wednesday when I leave for the Newspring Leadership Conference in South Carolina. I neeeeeeeed a break! Ohh man.

So you know that bullet point list I made a few days ago. Yeah that seems like a really lame idea now, I have no motivation to follow through with that list. Plus there's other things I'd rather blog about.

So here's the quick version :)

the flat tire fiasco I had on the way to my much needed hair appointment concluding with the new tire install annoyance I got a flat tire and missed my hair appointment and I could have joined Peyton and Vandis in a cry fest, but instead I called Progressive Roadside Assistance and watched Dora with Peyton while someone came and changed our tire. Good story huh? Gosh, who made this list?

Vandis sleeping on his tummy Yep. He's old now.

Peyton no longer even trying to be potty trained outside the house This is mostly true. I just don't really have the motivation to keep trying to make her go on the big public potties. Someday soon. It'll happen. She's not even 2 yet, so I'm ok with her just being potty trained at home.

the new volunteer position I have taken up in my church's youth group I am part of a 3 person team called the "Hub" We work out all the logistical things that the youth group does. It's time consuming but exciting and worth it!

the new volunteer position I have taken up in BSF I am a discussion leader. Which is entirely crazy. But, I'm excited to see what God does through me and in me this year as a result of that.

the old and loved volunteer position with ALIVE that I have temporarily let go of because of my graphic design class I needed to let something go while I am taking this class, So Alive it was. I am really sad about it and it's really really hard to stay out of it, but I have to be a mom first and being gone Monday, Thursday, and Friday nights was just not going to be OK.

Ok. Glad that's done.

Now... on to more recent events that involve cute pictures.

I went to the Great Minnesota Get Together aka, The State Fair with my MIL and BIL and kids. On the hottest day of the last few weeks. We toughed it out, there was a nice breeze so that really helped. Because it was so hot, I didn't really feel like stuffing myself with tons of fried food, so that was a helpful thing for both my waistline and my wallet. It was Van's first fair adventure and he seemed to have fun. He likes people and stuff to look at, so the fair is a great place for him! Peyton had a blast too!

Aaaaaand I'll leave you for the night with the progress that has been made in operation girl room to boy room...

before:

after (in progress):

LOVE how it's turning out!!!!!!! More pictures and progress coming... so stay tuned!

A Beautiful Wedding

2011-09-01T23:28:00.001-05:00

Last Friday my beautiful friend Erika married her Marine man Dan.

They are a super romantic couple that I am so blessed to know.

They are already sacrificing for our country in their short marriage as Dan was only home for 4 days after the wedding because he had to go to more training for the Marines.

Erika and I felt each others pain this summer while Dan was gone for his first batch of training and we will be there for each other during this time as well. Dan will come home for a couple weeks in November to get things together to move to an unknown (as of now) location with his new bride.

The military life isn't easy. But, "we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

Romans 8:28

And Dan and Erika are and will continue to experience that.

I don't like to think about him coming home and then whisking my friend away to some faraway land,but I know their adventure is written by the King of Kings... so I'm excited for them.

Their wedding was one of the more emotional ones I have ever been to. Made me miss my military man. But the King of Kings is writing our adventure too :) So I know this time apart was well planned.

Congratulations Dan and Erika! I love you both so much <3 God bless your marriage!

Thanks Sun Country!

2011-09-01T00:22:00.000-05:00

One afternoon a few weeks ago I went through the Wendy's drive through and got a Frosty. When I got home I was stalling on the computer, probably not wanting to blog or something, and I decided to enter the code that was on the bottom of my Wendy's receipt. I had to make a KS95 (a local radio station) account and enter the code on their website. Easy peasy... I was done in a matter of minutes and probably said a quick prayer that I would win :)

Well, fast forward a couple weeks and I'm up north with my family on vacation listening to a voice mail on my phone "Hi Sarah, this is so-and-so from KS95 calling to let you know that you've won 2 Sun Country round-trip plane tickets" What?!?! I was totally surprised and so excited!

I went to the radio studio a few days later and picked up my totally legit ticket vouchers that I can use toward and 2 round-trip domestic flights between now and August 2012!

I am like beyond excited about this... Ryan and I are looking for a cruise to go on after he gets home! Yay, yay, yay!!! The most expensive part of a cruise for us Minnesotans is the plane ticket to get down to Florida or wherever the ship departs from, so this is going to be so perfect :)

So, I would like to say thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to Sun Country for these tickets! You've made Ryan's homecoming that much more special for us :)

And for those of you who've always wondered (like I have) if those codes on the bottom of receipts actually have a prize attached to them... they totally do! Which is SO TOTALLY AWESOME!

When I Really Don't Feel Like Blogging

2011-08-30T21:57:00.000-05:00

I'm having one of those weeks where I could blog about a lot of different things... but I just don't want to. Posting on this blog has been a real discipline for me. It's something I make myself do to remind myself who's boss! 1st Corinthians 9:27 says:

I keep my body under control and make it my slave...

and that's what I'm trying to do by blogging regularly. Keep my body and my mind under control. Telling Netflix "you don't rule my life!" by blogging before I watch something makes me feel like I'm not wasting as much time. You know?

Anyways, these last few days I could have told you all about

the new workout video that I started doing
the plane tickets that I won
the weddings I went to this past weekend
the flat tire fiasco I had on the way to my much needed hair appointment concluding with the new tire install annoyance
Vandis sleeping on his tummy
Peyton no longer even trying to be potty trained outside the house
the new volunteer position I have taken up in my church's youth group
the new volunteer position I have taken up in BSF
the old and loved volunteer position with ALIVE that I have temporarily let go of because of my graphic design class

I mean... I have stuff. Lot's of stuff. I just haven't been disciplined enough to write about it!

Here's what I'll do. Since I am good with lists and plans... I will just kind of run down that list and post every day one or 2 of those things! Consider those bullet points as tiny commercials to what my next few posts will be like. If that list looks like the most boring commercial you have ever seen than come back in a few days and see if I'm done being boring :)

I'll start tonight by telling you about this new workout video I found on Netflix Instant Watch. It's called Crunch: Super Slim Down.

Since Ryan has been gone I have been eating a LOT. I don't know if any of you can relate to realizing that that person you are just a little bit embarrassed or proud to eat too much in front of being gone and you just eating, and eating, and eating because you have no accountability. I am like that. Totally. In the spirit of keeping my body under control, I knew I needed to make a change.

I've realized that I can't eat all that food and still be happy with how I look or how I feel. So that means I have to eat less and work out more. And my more, I mean more than the nothing that I do now. And by nothing that I do now, I mean the nothing that I did 2 weeks ago. 'Cuz I totally work out now.

The video is about 40 minutes long and I do it at night or during the kid's nap time. Peyton does not like it when I do it in front of her. Which is AWESOME. Not.

The instructor is super nice and I like listening to her. I really feel great after I'm done with it and I totally get a work out! The last few minutes before the cool-down are super intense! But it's great!

All you need is a yoga mat, but doing it on carpet might work too.

If you are looking for a way to get more active, I'd recommend Crunch: Super Slim Down!

You should tell me of any videos you like, I'm bound to get bored of this routine sometime soon :)

The Reason I Will Be So Tired At Church Tomorrow... I Mean Today

2011-08-28T02:16:00.000-05:00

I spent a long LONG time on fabric.com picking out the fabrics for Peyton and Vandis' room tonight.

I started looking after the Vikings lost. Let's not talk about that.

Now it is 2 am. And I have to be at church for the early service so I can hold babies. At the early morning hour of 9:30.

Buuuuut on a less overwhelming note, in 5-10 business days I will have beautiful fabric in my hands to make pillows, valences, and curtains for my kids rooms.

I am one happy lady.

Are you dying to know what I picked?

No?

Oh.

Well... imma show you anyways!

Here is Vandis' room... the fabric story

Loving. It. Orange circles will be used for a box valence. The navy/white stripe will be used for the curtains. The navy/orange chevron will possibly be used for a lampshade cover or maybe something else... we'll see.

Aaaaaand Peyton's room fabric story...

These 3 will make up the box valence (left) and the curtains (center and right). b.e.a.utiful.

And these 4 will be made into pillows!

Ohh my I am so excited!!!

And tired.

Goodnight friends :) Happy Sunday!

Friends From BSF

2011-08-25T22:59:00.002-05:00

*** this should have posted yesterday, but didn't. so now you get it today :) ***

Today the kids and I met up with some friends that we met last year in BSF. We met at a park for playtime and lunch... on a windy, sunny, warm day! It was GREAT! Our kids (ranging in ages 2.5 months to 4 years) played together and us moms gabbed about our summers.

If you are looking to join a bible study, or have been wanting some christian friends, I would encourage you to see if you have a BSF group that meets around where you live. It is a really great program! If Ryan and I ever end up moving, I will be joining a group in our new city ASAP! It's a great way to meet other people who you have some common ground with!

Here's the link to the website.

We have a much needed night off of life tonight and will be enjoying our time by staying home and eating BBQ chicken that is getting yummy in the crock pot as I type!

Happy Wednesday friends!!!