It's a....kitty!

Our newest family member, Tillatoo...
















who is joining our other two feline friends... Gabby,
















and Black Cat.





















I love kitty cats!

God is...

Our church-to-be is doing a series on "God is..." right now. During the sermon this morning, I got the desire to spend a few minutes filling in that blank for myself. So I did, and following begins my list. Though I know God's Word says these things much more poetically, I don't know exactly where examples of my "God is's" are found in scripture, so I'm just listing them in a testimonial sort of way. Here we go...

God is mysterious. Try stargazing on a clear night and try to make sense of what you see.

God is nurturing. No matter what junk humanity heaves, there is always a safe, quiet place to rest in the peace of His presence.

God is persistent. Once He’s got you, there’s no ignoring Him. Go ahead. Try the wrong path and see what happens. Been there, done that.

God is forgiving. Okay, wrong choice? Give it up. Wholeheartedly (seriously, no holdouts) give it back to God. He’ll fix it.

God is passionate. Oh my gosh. Those first feelings of falling in love…the intoxicating, all-consuming blood lust. A sweet gift of heaven, and so incredibly beautiful when respected as that.

God is generous. How with my itty bitty human self can I ever thank God for sharing a tiny piece of His love for us by giving me two children. My greatest pain, love, understanding, hope, patience, and peace have come from being a parent.

God is all-knowing. I’m so thankful that when I can’t figure it out, it’s okay. I can rest easy because God knows. I am small. He is BIG.

God is forever. He has watched my great-great-great-great-great grandparents lead basically the same life that I’m attempting to lead, and He’s still going. I’ll die. My kids will live their lives (probably again very similar) and die. And He will still be here. God is bigger than death. Seriously. He’s got this.

God is exponential. The more I study His word, the more I understand, the more I love, the more I worship, the more I give…

God is beautiful. I see Him in every piece of nature. I feel Him in the goose bumps I get from worship. I hear Him in the silence. I taste Him in cheese and chocolate. I smell Him in the ripe dirt after a spring rain. I sense Him every time I sit still enough to try.

God is demanding. I am redeemed by the blood of Christ, and that is not a free gift. I am responsible every second of every day to share the light and love that was given to me. (PMS is not an excuse.)

God is alive. He is, therefore I am. (DesCartes almost had it right—he just didn’t account for God letting him think.)

God is loved. By me. To be continued... (but probably not on the blog). ;)

Cousins

Growing up, my sister and I had no cousins. Seriously. None. Of my mom's 3 brothers and sister and my dad's brother and sister, my parents were the only ones to procreate. Candace and I were always the ONLY kids at all family events. Weird, I know.

Well now that we're grown, we finally have cousins! My mom's sister is 16 years younger, and she and her husband now have 4 kiddos. Yay for us! Though they live all the way over in Arizona, we do get to see them now and then. Last week was one of those precious moments.

Here are my sweet cousins with my and Candace's children lined up from oldest to youngest...love you guys!!!!

Blessed be the tie that binds...

Our hearts in Christian love...

10 years, November 1998
















34 years, June 1975
















40 years, May 1969
















57 years, June 1952
















70 years, June 1939
















What a beautiful testimony of marriage. I am humbled and so proud.

Pondering...

Sacrifice. Compromise. Giving up a piece of yourself for the happiness of the one you love. Jesus demonstrated this ultimate gift of selflessness for us on the cross. Here in our human lives, we are given opportunity after opportunity to replicate that lesson of love as we struggle to grow and live His purpose every day.

I am small, broken, insignificant, sinful. But I have given Jesus a home in my heart, so I am reminded by the nudges of the Holy Spirit to remember. To remember the sacrifice. To remember my insignificance. To remember to give up my selfishness and let His light guide me. I am so humbled and so overwhelmingly thankful for His saving grace. I am too small to understand, but in faith I follow.

So in awe I look upon my wonderful husband, my beautiful children, our stable jobs, our warm home, our loving families, this beautiful Earth, and I am so grateful to be alive. I’m so grateful for the life I was given and the Life reborn within me. Now, as ever, that nudge from the Holy Spirit asks, “Now what will you do with these blessings?” I will use them all to His glory. Yes, I will fall. Yes, I will sometimes fail. But I will keep trying, because I want to understand. I want to seek Him. His grace is there for us all...

In Christ’s Love,
Janelle

Hot Springs

Our little cabin...





















Tori psyched about her bunk bed...





















Adrion's first amusement park ride...
















Adrion chillin' with his daddy after a long day...
















Tori ridin' the campground's train...(I didn't realize how badly I drop the g's on my -ing's until I told another camper from California, "See ya...nice meetin' ya" and he replied, "Nice meeting you". I'm such a hick...)
















The Arkie and her Okie...
















My beloved boys...





















Posin' at Garvan Woodland Gardens...(Really pretty!)
















Feedin' the Koi...
















Lots of drivin'...
















Back home...my first pepper ever awaiting my arrival! :)

Tori Antics

Thursday night Garon had to work late, so I had to carry out the "night night" routine solo...(Our usual is for me to do baby maintenance while G takes care of Tori. ) So I had Tori taken care of and all tucked in when my mom came by to check on us (at Garon's request since I had no phones on).

Well, Tori heard Grammy and me talking, so out she came. She then decided that she wanted to sleep in a boat tent instead of her bed (AKA sofa with cushions turned upward and a sheet on top). Seeing as how it was a school night and she more than likely wouldn't get her optimal amount of sleep in the "boat", I said no. And then began the negotiations...

"Okay, Mom. You have two choices. I can sleep on the futon or in the boat tent." She tries these sorts of negotiations pretty often, mimicking my super-effective discipline strategies...

So I reply, "No, Tori. I am the adult. You are sleeping in your bed."

So Tori changes to her next tactic. (Insert fake tears.) "But Mom, I'm scared."

Me-"What are you scared of?"

Tori-"I'm having nightmares."

Me-"What are you dreaming about?"

Tori- "A ghost."

Tori is obviously not a master tale-teller, so at this point I'm becoming amused... Tori is amusing herself somewhat, too, as she fights a smile and buries her head under her arm.

Me- "What did the ghost do?"

Now she can't hold in the giggles...She peeks up and says as pathetically as she can without laughing, "He said 'Boo'."

My silly Tori. After that we compromised, and she got to sleep in the living room in her sleeping bag. What a girl.