Beautiful Mornings

Recently I decided to start getting up in the mornings with Nathan.

I have not been a morning person!

I feel that I am more of a night person, I think better at night, I thought I functioned better at night.  And I had begun going to sleep around midnight or 1 am on a more regular basis.

No wonder I wasn't a morning person!

In the mornings I would just wake up when my kiddos woke up.  They were my alarm clock most days.  We'd all get up and get ready and that would be how our days began.

Some days went smoothly, others did not.

And while I suppose that's how life is sometimes, I'm sure our routine did not aid in a postitive way when we had rough mornings and consequently those rough mornings seemed to carry into the whole day as well. 

The change began when Nathan asked me to keep him acountable for reading his Bible and getting up in the mornings earlier to make time for that.

I decided I'd get up with him at 5:30 and we could both have our devotions in the morning together.  There would be two alarms going off and we knew the other was getting up so it made it easier for each of us to get up and we'd be holding eachother accountable! 

Wow!  What a difference in SO many ways this new routine has made!  In the beginning it was hard for me because I had created a habit of staying up late and waking up late. But we would somehow manage to crawl out of bed. 

I decided to set the coffee pot to go off before I got up so I could make my way to the kitchen and pour a cup of coffee.  Then I set about getting Nathan's lunch ready for the day while he's getting ready.  When he comes out we both sit down with our Bibles and have our devotions.  Before he leaves for work we pray together and then I have time before the kids wake up to check e-mails, exercise and get ready, even make breakfast for them before they get up.

Talk about a smoother morning!

I have seen so many beautiful sunrises, since all our large windows face the rising sun.  And the extra time with my husband is an emense blessing.  I love being able to help him, even in the small way of getting his lunch together.  And then I'm ready for the day all before the kids get up. 

Having my time in the Word and with the Lord first thing is such a blessing as a mother.  I need to be filled with his Spirit to overflowing so that it will pour down onto my children.  Those still, quiet hours of the morning and time with the Lord get my started off on the right foot.

Another added benifit that I did not anticipate at all is that I sleep so much better than I ever have.  I used to comment often about never getting a good nights sleep.  Always tossing and turning, waking up often throughout the night.  Now most nights I go to bed at a decent hour and wake up feeling completely rested.  There have even been nights where I got very few hours of sleep and yet I still felt rested in the morning.  This has been another blessing and help for my day.

And no, I have not gotten up every single morning. There have been a few days here and there that I slept in, mostly due to the night before. But there's always a new day to start fresh again.

I suppose it came down to making a choice, asking the Lord for His help and being consistent.  If for some reason I splet in one morning, then the next morning I didn't throw in the towel but instead made it a point to get up and try again. 

It's not a new concept, and I've known in my mind and heart that it was a wise way to start the day, now I am experiencing how true it is and how much of a blessing it can be.

Good Morning!

Furthering the Work on our House

So there's been a lot of work going on around this house trying to get it furthered along, and Nate's been doing a great job at it.  The only thing at this point is what is being worked on takes a long time and the results aren't quick.  But they're coming along never-the-less.

One of the new changes around here is probably most exciting for our neighbors and gives them a little bit of hope that the front of our house won't look like it does forever and that one day it will actually look like a finished home! 

Another change is one we really appreciate and anyone who comes to our home.  Although I can't say that Zeke is as thrilled as the rest of us now that his peek hole is now closed off.

If you've tried to guess what I'm hinting at we've started getting garage doors installed and trim put on our doors or casing in official terms.

Yay!  A garage door!

Trying to figure it all out..

They're up from the outside, not in working condition yet but being worked on!

Trim!!  (casing)

No more peeking in or out from that bathroom!  And yes, we will eventually paint the doors to match, I know it look bad.

Or from the bedrooms, which makes us happy but it makes Zeke sad.

And the laundryroom door.  Don't worry, the door will eventually look better, it has paper and plastic covering all the glass, it was primed over and we chose to leave it on until we paint it.

Like most things around our house, all the finishing touches on the trim will eventually need to be finished, like caulking all the corners and nail heads and then touch up the paint, but for now I'm just happy to have the trim up!

Everyday Moments: June 18th - June 24th

Welcome to our summer in photos. If you're wondering what this page is about please feel free to read more about it here.

The week of June 18th through June 24th: in photos!

June 18, 2012
Celebrating Nathan turning 30!  Check out more of the fun birthday celebrations here.

June 19, 2012
We headed to our friends' house for another day of playing and working on a sewing project.  I can hardly wait to show off the final product!

June 20, 2012
Janessa hangin out in her toy bin and playing with her bro bro and sis sis.  We also had another spectacular full rainbow right in our back yard after a summer thunderstorm passed.

June 21, 2012
My sweet girls at bedtime all snuggled in their beds.

June 22, 2012
Daddy reading a book, they love time with him!

June 23, 2012
Janessa learned to drink from a straw, it was super cute to watch her and in the end she was soaked!

June 24, 2012
Zeke can get some of the best belly laughs out of Janessa when he plays with her!  They always have fun when we get the dominos out to play with.

30 is Not So Bad

I made it.  I didn't think I would.  I almost had a mid young-life crisis.  Really.  Okay, maybe not really.  But it was a bit scary to me that Nate was turning 30! 

Let me clarify, Nate had no problem turning thirty, even if he did he didn't have much of a choice.  These darn days seem to want to go by quicker and quicker every year. 

I had the problem about Nate turning 30!  The fact that it was the age of 30.  Not Nate, he was not the problem.  Just clarifying. 

We happened to be up late the night before his birthday and at one point I looked over at the clock and it was past midnight and I realized he was officially 30, I almost had a mild anxiety attack.  Then Nate looked at me and asked me if he all-of-a-sudden looked older.  Which he did not.  And I realized I was going to be okay... I think. 

Then a dear friend posted a Happy Birthday note on our Facebook page and said that he was simply one year closer to being with Jesus!  And that was it.  That triggered something in my silly brain.  I LOVE that thought.  And I don't think getting older will be so painful for me from now on, because I'll just be one year closer to being with my Savior!  HOW AWESOME IS THAT!??!!  Eeek!  It actually makes me a little excited about getting older.  A little.  Totally excited beyond words and imagination about seeing my Lord, still just working on the 'getting older' part.

Anyways all that to be said we had an awesome day together as a family on Nate's birthday!  We woke up a little early Monday morning, got ready and headed out the door to Bismarck once again since they have a lot more to offer than Minot does at the moment.  Bismarck has a little outdoor water park that we've driven past many times and always wanted to go to.  Nate's birthday seemed like the perfect occasion to finally check it out.  The kids were so excited they could hardly stand the drive down there.  The day was absolutely beautiful, you couldn't have asked for better weather for North Dakota.  And everyone enjoyed our time there.  We also enjoyed a surprise lunch at Five Guy's, we had no idea they had one in Bismarck and it had been years since we had been.  It reminded us of our Virginia days!

Zeke was adamant that Daddy needed a birthday cake so we stopped at a Coldstone and we all enjoyed a slice of ice cream cake before our drive home.  And even though there were no candles we sang Happy Birthday to Daddy for all to hear in Coldstone!

The day was wonderful and Nate was blessed.  It was a simple day with just our family but it was perfect.

Happy Birthday Lunch at Five Guys!

Zeke and Kenzie loved eating the peanuts.

Concentrating.

When we made it to the water park Janessa passed out for a nap while Nate and the two older kids played in the kiddie pool.

Having so much fun together!

Getting splashed!

It took her a bit to feel comfortable but as long as Daddy was right there with her she was brave!

The water was shallow enough for the kids to feel comfortable to play.

Going down the slide all together!

Going down... or over the side!

One happy girl to be outside!

Watching her bro bro and sis sis play in the water!

Nate enjoyed going down the big slides.  Much better than the blue one, but don't tell the kids...

Janessa and mommy getting their toes wet!  McKenzie's ready to call it a day.

At Coldstone for a birthday cake!

Yummie!

A wonderful birthday for the best and most amazing husband and dad!

And if you've made it this far in the post then you get a special surprise.  A FIRST in our 6 years of marriage.  And only one other time in all the years I've known Nathan have I seen this....

When I met Nathan in Virginia the guy had one burly beard and longer hair.  Then, before we were married, he randomly decided to shave off his beard.  When I saw him I cried.  Yes.  Sadly that is the truth.  He looked SO young it was weird.  So since then he's always had stubble, because once his hair started to grow back we both decided we liked that look on him.  We always joked that when he turned 30 he should shave again because maybe by then he would look a little older clean shaven....

Well 30 is here.

And off went the stubble that has been there for the last 6+ years.

What is he going to look like?!?!!!.... The anticipation was killing me!

And there he is folks, for the first time in over 6 years.  Nate, the clean shaven man.  Yeah he still looks younger.

Before... After

Look at those dimples!  I had no idea! haha! Just kidding!

I am happy to announce that in the last few days the stubble has returned and so has my husband whom I have always known.... ;)

Bible Memory Verse Organizer

I am really excited about this project!  And really glad that I have it implemented now!

We have been memorizing Bible verses with the kids since they could talk in full sentences.  And the list of Bible verses they know has been growing and growing and its become harder and harder to keep track and remember all the verses to make sure we review them. 

I've been trying to decide how I wanted to keep track of the Bible verses.  I started by writing them up in a word document but we didn't always have the ability or convenience to run to the computer to check the list.  And I've had a few friends with different systems that I liked but they still weren't exactly what I was looking for.  I was so thankful when the Lord helped me come up with this system for us to keep track of the Bible verses we've memorized and to be able to review them. 

I keep them in a mini file which is convenient to have or carry with me whenever I might needor want it, I can easily throw it in my purse if we're headed to somewhere where we'll be waiting, like a doctors office, or even to our picnic lunches with Dad, and we can review a couple verses easily if we're having trouble remembering them off the top of our head. 

The kids have been so excited about their Bible verse memory cards as well and it has given them a new excitement in learning more. 

For the most part we keep our Bible verse memorization very casual.  Saying them at any given point in the day when we think of them, or saying a few before bedtime.  But one of the things a friend does with her kids is have a Bible memory verse review every day at lunch.  The family is already sitting down together feeding their bodies, so it's a perfect time to also feed the soul.  I hope to implement this as well into our daily routines! 

Here's our Bible Memory Verse file Organizer:

I purchase this mini file from Wal Mart.

Again, I broke out the trusty label maker and printed out the labels I wanted.

Daily, Weekly M (for Monday), Weekly Tu (for Tuesday), Weekly W (for Wednesday), Weekly Th ( for Thursday), Monthly Week 1, Monthly Week 2, Monthly Week 3, Monthly Week 4

In the very back I have a "Want to Memorize" section if my list becomes too long to handle all at one time but I also don't want to forget the verses that I desire to memorize, they are held in this section until I can get to them.

And I labeled the front.

Then I picked up colored index cards as a color code system.  Each person will have their own color card.

Then I went to work filling out each card with the Bible verses we know and the ones we want to work on memorizing.

I dated each of the cards, and even though we've known some of these verses much longer, I had to start somewhere.  So they just got the date that I started the project.  When a new verse is added, the date on which it is added will be written on the card.

And I wrote our name on the back of each of our cards.

Then I filed them where they belong.  I also keep blank index cards in the very back so I'll always have one available to fill in with a new Bible verse to memorize.

Here is our system:

Bible verses that we are working on memorizing start in the Daily section and they are reviewed on a daily basis.

Once we know the Bible verse by heart it moves into the Weekly category to be reviewed on a weekly basis. 

I have this section divided into Monday through Thursday, so as you accumulate more verses you divide them up evening between the Weekly Monday through Thursday sections and on that day, along with your Daily Bible verses you will also review the ones in the Weekly section as well. 
(Example: on Monday you will review all Daily Bible verses and them you will pick out all the Bible verses from the Weekly Monday category and review them too.)

Once you know a Bible verse really well you can move it to the Monthly category to be reviewed on a monthly basis.  The Bible verses in this section are reviewed on Friday.  This section is divided into 4 sections, 4 weeks in a month, on a general basis. Just like the Weekly section, divide the Memorized Bible verses evenly between the Monthly Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4 sections.  Then on Fridays along with your Daily Bible verses, you will also pick out the weeks Monthly verses and review them as well.  (Example:  On the second Friday of the month you will review your Daily Bible verses as well as the Bible verses in the Monthly Week 2 section)

If at any time a Bible verse becomes hard to recall it can simply be moved back to the Daily spot and into the rotation to be memorized again.



As of now, we probably won't implement this structure fully, since our kiddos are little and they don't have that many verses that well memorized, at least not for the monthly review section.  But for myself and for the kids as they get older I'm sure we'll use this system to its fullest. 

That is our family's new system to remember and keep track of all our Bible memory verses, so we can continue to keep God's Word hidden in our hearts!

Does your family memorize Scripture together?  Do you have a system that works for you to remember all the Bible verses you know?  I would love to hear about it!