04/07/09

Cherry Blossoms ....

It has felt like winter instead of spring today. I have missed the sun. I am hoping it will come back out tomorrow. I figured these pictures would brighten up the day. :)

04/06/09

I thought I would show some of the pics from Wesley and Mikayla's birthday and then a couple of their nine year pics. I took them yesterday to Duke Gardens for their pics. It was the only day this week where I saw it wasn't going to rain or be cold! It worked out really well, though. Glad I saw all of the beauty of that place... I have never been there before. Wesley was the perfect "model".... Mikayla, well... not so much. LOL

Opening up their Wii... it was a priceless capture

Mikayla Girl... Duke Gardens

Wesley my "poser"

I still can't believe how old they are now....

04/05/09

Some maple seeds for your picture today. :)


We sang a lot about the cross today at church. So fitting as this is the beginning of Passion Week. One of my devotions last week spoke to me a lot and then today we had a solo on this very thing. I hope you enjoy this and, again, use it to prepare your heart for Resurrection Day!

John 19:17
And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

"Take up Thy Cross"
J. R. Miller

At first there was no one to help Jesus to bear His cross; though fainting from loss of rest and from the gashing and laceration of His body by the scourge, and still more from the untold anguish through which He had been passing, He yet had to carry His cross for Himself until nature gave way. Yet we must remember that while Jesus had to bear the cross unaided, it really was not for Himself that He bore it, but for us. He endured the shame and pain, and staggered beneath the awful burden, that He might set us free from the burden of sin's curse. The Baptist (John the Baptist) said, when Jesus passed by Him at the beginning of His ministry, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!" We may say the same words as we see Jesus bearing His cross. That is what He is doing. It was not the mere wood that was so heavy; the real load which Jesus bore that day was the mountain of our sins. It was this that made Him faint and sink down by the way, and that wrung from Him such cries and tears in Gethsemane and on Calvary.

A little later He sank down under the burden, and then the officers compelled a passer-by to help Him. After that the scene was this - Jesus and Simon of Cyrene together carrying the cross, Jesus in advance carrying the heavy end, and Simon coming behind bearing the lighter end. Here again the picture is very suggestive in two ways: - We must share the cross with Christ before we can be saved: that is, we must accept our place with Him under the cross and follow Him. Then we can turn the picture another way, and we see Jesus helping His people to bear their crosses. Every cross we have to bear, His shoulder is also beneath it, and He always bears the heavy end of it. No believer ought to be unable to bear any cross with Jesus. No load that He shares should crush us.

04/04/09

Here are some things about ME.... got it from one of my friend's blogs. Play along if you'd like!

I AM happy and thankful for what God has given me

I AM NOT good with cooking on a grill, cooking without a recipe or, well, sometimes cooking in general

I KNOW that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!

I THINK I would like a slower paced life

I DON'T THINK you should pay a lot for clothes

I WANT a Canon 40D

I HAVE two children, two cats, two dogs, two fish... but just ONE husband. :)

I LIKE to scrapbook... but am finding it is becoming more and more difficult to do

I DISLIKE a whining and complaining spirit, ungratefulness

I HATE the way this world gets further from the Way, the Truth and the Life

I DREAM in color

I FEAR cancer or anything else that can suddenly take my family/friends

I'M ANNOYED by children that do not obey their parents!

I CRAVE chocolate, chocolate.... time to be quiet and think

I USUALLY stay on a schedule

I SEARCH for bargains

I HIDE presents in places that sometimes I forget

I WONDER what Wesley and Mikayla will be like when they grow up and what I'll be as a grandparent!

I REGRET that we came home early from our honeymoon (don't get me started and don't laugh)

I LOVE Jesus Christ, my precious Steve, Wesley and Mikayla, my family and friends

I CAN do all things through Christ Who strengthens me

I CAN'T worry about tomorrow

I TRY to keep my house clean

I ENJOY photography, being with my family, movie nights, visiting other places, looking at God's Creation

I DON'T CARE about sports... lol

I ALWAYS tell my family I love them, tell Steve thank you for all he helps me with (and how much I love him), have a routine

I NEVER need to say "never"... I learned that when I said I would never drive a minivan and guess what I've been driving now for 9 years?

I'D RATHER make beautiful photographs

I RELY on the Lord daily

I BELIEVE my future is in God's Hands

I DANCE with my family sometimes.... it can be hilarious

I SING or hum songs often.... unfortunately, I don't always know the words so I make them up

I ARGUE hardly ever.... I've learned it takes more to understand the other person than to always think of yourself and when you do that, the arguing doesn't happen very often.

I WRITE things on sticky notes and have them everywhere. I am very visual and need those reminders

I WIN rarely

I LOSE my red pens on my desk in the middle of a day... it can get a bit frenzied

I WISH I could travel more places

I LISTEN to a lot of children speak my name daily

I DON'T UNDERSTAND this country's economic issues

I'M SCARED of critters... all shapes and sizes

I FORGET not a lot of things.... I have to help Steve remember a lot so I can't forget. lol

I AM HAPPY because the Lord is with me and I am BLESSED

04/03/09

Our cherry tree has been so pretty this year. I was able to capture this full shot before the wind blew all of the blooms off of it. Now the green leaves are beginning to overtake it so I was glad I took it last weekend.

We are off to celebrate the kiddos birthday tonight since we couldn't on Wednesday night because of church. Their birthday will be celebrated all month, it seems! They are having their "friend sleepover" party at the end of the month. I mentally can't go there right now, though... lol

I am officially on Easter/Spring break! We have worked on the house all afternoon and gotten a lot of cleaning done. That makes my break seem even sweeter because I will not be always seeing a mess in my view!!!

04/02/09

Tulip Tree blossoms....


I don't have a lot of time today.... Have to get myself ready to photograph some teens going to our Junior/Senior at school. Then, I have to rush back home and go to the Broadway play Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Kevin!! Tomorrow is Friday and the beginning of my Easter Break!! YEEEHAWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

04/01/09

Nine years ago today..... One at 5:46pm and one at 6:30pm...

I just can't believe my April Fool's "babies" are nine years old. I have had some moments, I must admit. It seems NINE has hit me hard and I am not quite sure why. Maybe it is because I know this is the last year for them to have a single digit for their age. I just look at them sometimes and wonder where in the world time has gone.

They were SO excited. I have sung to them many, many times today. I put candles in their oatmeal at breakfast, too. lol It was a FUN day for them both as many people wished them a Happy Birthday and they received many calls. They finally got a Wii. (We are not gaming people .... sorry Sal and Casey.... but we don't mind them having a Wii because they are active while playing.) They were BEYOND excited. I'll have to share that picture later... lol

I cherish my babies.... who will ALWAYS be my babies... and am thankful to the Lord for all He has done for them. They have been healthy and are doing wonderfully.

Here are some "flashback" pictures as I remembered today. All of the "old" ones were taken the day after they were born.

DO NOT laugh at my loveliness.... On top of having mega short hair, I was in shock and had not had a lot of sleep at this point. lol

Precious little Wesley

"Babydoll" Mikayla

Taken today between the times of their births (Wesley 5:46 and Mikayla 6:30 pm)

I am so blessed. My Mommy moments are emotional.... Cherish the days.