What makes you feel special?

This post is going to sound very materialistic and in a way I suppose it is. I work in a very affluent city. Many of the people where I work drive fancy cars and every street corner is filled with the top dollar vehicles. I have been driving a completely paid for Nissan Quest for the last 6 years. Mike and I strive to save our money to pay cash for most purchases and refuse to have a car payment that is over $250.00. I have been embarrassed of my van for quite some time. I even started not taking care of the inside of it because I didn't like the way the outside looked so I guess I just stopped trying. I recently purchased a new vehicle. It is not a fancy one nor is it a high dollar vehicle like those that my co-workers drive yet it is very nice to me and I love it. I have noticed how special I feel in it, how I feel like I belong or have as much right to be somewhere now as someone else. Now before you condemn me I am sure you have all felt the same way about a new haircut, a new shirt, your favorite pair of jeans. Often it is the material things that make us feel so special. WHY??

Knowing we are children of God should be enough. It should make us feel as if we belong or that we are special. We should take care of our insides by feeding it doctrine no matter what condition our outsides are in. Why is it that we spend tons of money on the outward appearances when God has provided us with all the free doctrine that we need?

Just a quick post but with a powerful message. Something to reflect on.

Seeing thru God's eyes

Today I took my baby to the nursery at church for the first time. Up until now I have been taking him to the service with me but he really doesn't like to be held for very long anymore so I figured it was time to take the trek down the preschool hall and drop him off. I had tears in my eyes as I left him-it never gets easier even with him being my third child to leave them in someone elses care for the first time. I prayed that he would feel God looking over him as we left him there and went to service. After service I picked him up and the girls told me how much they loved the spot on his head. It seems like lately every time I take him to anywhere someone comments on how his hair grows dark out of his mole on his head. I promise you that we had three ball games this weekend and someone mentioned it at every game that we were at. I get tired of telling the whole story about how for months I wouldn't let my self finish his room because I thought that he was going to be taken from me due to complications of his spot. I know just smile and say yes he was born with that, yes it is natural and I think that is where God kissed him in the womb. It is exhausting at times how everyone notices it. My son Trey and I were talking about it Saturday on the way to the ball game about how we want to tell everyone that it isn't cool and we wish he wasn't going to have to have surgery and we wish they would just stop talking about it.

NOW for the title of this post...it wasn't until after church today when I was folding clothes and thinking about the service I had just left when it hit me like a lightning bolt...everyone and I mean everyone that comments on Tylers spot ALWAYS says that they love the spot on his head. They all say how cool they think it is. I have to believe that they are telling me the truth because if they didn't why would they mention it at all to me. If they thought it was gross or ugly they would probably just talk about it behind my back. I have seen people with birthmarks before or a strange characteristic and thought that it was just that..strange. I have never thought it was cool or felt like I needed to comment to people about it. I really think that God has people continually comment on it to reassure me that he is in control and that he is taking something that has bothered Mike and I and allowing people to see it thru his eyes. I love my God and I love how he continally reminds me that he is right there by me. I love that he loves me unconditionally and I love that he formed Tyler in my womb by purpose, nothing about Tyler is an accident. I love that..

Happy birthday to the love of my life. I love birthdays and wake Mike up every year with a birthday doughnut and candles. I asked him today if he thought we would be 97 and I would be still doing that. I told him I might have trouble w/ the cane and the plate. My mom always had a birthday doughnut for me and it is a tradition that I hope my boys do for my grandkids. I love that Mike plays along even though I know he thinks I am silly. I love him so much and am so proud to be part of his birthday celebration.

Mike may have been right

I hate when Mike is right...Can anyone relate to hating when thier husbands are right? I know someone in cyberspace is feeling my pain right now. Mike hates when I buy the boys new toys as he thinks they have enough. I on the other hand love to buy them toys. One thing I secretly enjoy is buying Tyler a toy that he loves and then Mike thinks it is cute to watch him play with it and I can say see aren't you glad I bought that toy-he really enjoys it. That back fired on me today as suddenly everything became the walk behind toy Look below and you will see what I mean..

Look I am walking

I will be lucky if I don't have a bar stool go through the glass door before the weekend is over

Walking makes me tired

Love Saturdays

What a wonderful day God blessed us with today. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. The weather men said it was going to rain tonight but I guess that God had other plans. We got up this morning early-6:30 to be exact and got Tyler up and ran to the store. We then picked Trey up from a friends house and came back home. Trey, Tyler and I ran some errands while Conner and Mike were at baseball practice. When they got home Mike and I drove to a couple of nearby campgrounds. I love going on drives with him just to look around at things. My favorite part of the day was when we all just hung out in the front yard. I had bought Tyler a walk behind toy at a consignment store today. We all had so much fun watching him walk behind it in the front yard. He would get going so fast that his little legs couldn't keep up. I never tire of watching the rest of my family with Tyler. Mike is so good to him and the boys adore him. We had so much fun laying in the grass pretending to be asleep and Tyler would crawl on us and we would pretend to wake up. He laughed and laughed and laughed. I live for these carefree relaxing days as they don't come very often.

I ordered a car to be shipped here from Virginia. I hope that I like it otherwise I have wasted the $150.00 to have it transferred here. I guess that will be my mothers day, birthday and Christmas present for the next year. I am so proud of Mike and I as we have saved up enough money to a big chunk of it down as a down payment. We have really tried hard to teach the boys how important it is to save until you can afford to pay cash for something and how if you have a loan on something then you don't really own it the bank does. We are pretty open with them about money and I hope that it is a lesson that they will take with them when they leave to make homes of thier own.

Speaking of birthdays..Mike's birthday is Monday and I have nothing for him yet. I have no clue what to get him and this is one of the first birthdays that I haven't thrown him a party. We have just been so busy with Tyler.

Well the news is on and I need to get to bed.

God Bless

Can't take back the words....

Ever have one of those days where you wish you could just sew your lips shut?? Today was one of those days for me. I sometimes don't realize when I am kidding w/ the boys how seriously they take me. Yesterday Conner brought home his report card-he had gotten straight A's for the 3rd time this year. We were looking at his report card and I jokingly told Trey that Conner was the smart kid. I was just teasing and honestly didn't mean it...Today Trey came home very upset. I asked him why and he said I got a C. I said well lets take a look at it. He was torn up and I asked him why he was so upset and he said because Conner makes all A's. I had to remind Trey that Conner was in 4th grade and Trey was in 7th. It broke my heart to see Trey so upset and wish he wasn't so hard on himeself and that he could see himself through my eyes so he would know just how spectacular I think he is. This taught me a good lesson today to be very careful when joking around as words hurt worse than punches sometimes and I don't want to do that to my kids.