Quote of the Week

Morality is a neat cover for foul venom, but it does not alter the fact that the heart is vile, and the man himself is under damnation. Men will be damned with good works as well as without them, if they make them their confidence (rather than Jesus Christ).

C.H. Spurgeon

It's Official

I now have 3 mobile children. Life just got a little more complicated! :)

He's getting fast too, and when he must be contained...

We throw him in the bucket.

Is it pathetic to be jealous of your own daughter?

What she lacks in coordination, she makes up for in a head full of gorgeous hair. I mean, seriously, does this look like a 2 year old???

Music!

Okay, I've been wanting to add music to the blog for a long time and finally figured out how to do it. The kids helped me pick the songs. :) If they are annoying to you, the player is at the very bottom of the page and you can just turn it off. We have interesting taste in music to be sure. Enjoy!

The Wonder of the Cross

This is my *current* favorite song. Yes, my favorites change frequently. :) I just had to share the lyrics to this song though, because they are so powerful. Happy Lord's Day!

O precious sight, my Savior stands,

Dying for me with outstretched hands.

O precious sight, I love to gaze,

Remembering salvation’s day,

Remembering salvation’s day.

Though my eyes linger on this scene,

May passing time and years not steal

The power with which it impacts me,

The freshness of its mystery,

The freshness of its mystery.

May I never lose the wonder,

The wonder of the cross.

May I see it like the first time

Standing as a sinner lost,

Undone by mercy and left speechless,

Watching wide eyed at the cost.

May I never lose the wonder,

The wonder of the cross.

Behold the God-man crucified,

The perfect sinless sacrifice.

As blood ran down those nails and wood,

History was split in two, yes,

History was split in two.

Behold the empty wooden tree,

His body gone, alive and free.

We sing with everlasting joy,

For sin and death have been destroyed, yes,

Sin and death have been destroyed.

May I never lose the wonder,

The wonder of the cross.

May I see it like the first time

Standing as a sinner lost,

Undone by mercy and left speechless,

Watching wide eyed at the cost.

May I never lose the wonder,

The wonder of the cross.

May I never lose the wonder,

The wonder of the cross.

May I see it like the first time

Standing as a sinner lost,

Undone by mercy and left speechless,

Watching wide eyed at the cost.

May I never lose the wonder,

The wonder of the cross.

Listen here

From my CF card

I have decided to add a new weekly post on Saturdays called, "From my CF card". These will just be old pictures that I love, that otherwise probably would never again see the light of day. Here is the first one of Jaden and Baylee, 10 weeks and 2 years. Who does she remind you of with those cheeks???

Happy Birthday Jaden!

Today is my little man's 4th birthday! I can't believe it's been that long. Jaden has brought so much joy to our lives. He's got such zeal for life. Every morning he runs into our room yelling, "Good Morning! It's a beautiful day! I love you Mommy and Daddy!" He's so excited just to be alive. Sometimes his enthusiasm exhausts me. He is constantly on the go, always asking questions and observing every little detail of life. He never stops talking. His little voice fills my days from 6:00am to 7:00pm. He says the funniest things, he's a little comedian at heart. He loves to make people laugh. He is also very devoted to his family and friends. He adores his brother and sister and is convinced that he needs "lots more babies". He's just a constant joy. He pushes me way out of my comfort zone in public, introducing himself to everyone he sees. And if that is not enough, asking them personal questions about their activities, families, or anything else he's curious about. He always makes sure to introduce his new friends to me, after he has met them, like he has known them for years. If Tony's the one with him, he says "This is my Daddy, he takes good care of me" ...every time. :) We love our little guy. Happy Birthday Jaden Mighty Knight!

Quote of the Week

Wisdom is the right of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.

C.H. Spurgeon

Last Day of School

First Day of School/August 21, 2007

Last Day of School/May 22, 2008

First Day of School

Last Day of School

Today was Jaden's last day of school. This year went by so fast! It's amazing to me that when he started school in the fall, Aubrey wasn't even born yet. Looking back at these pictures, I'm reminded of how much he's grown during this year. When he started school last fall, I was so worried about so many things. Would he obey his teachers? Would he play well with other children? Would he be able to tell someone that he needed to go to the bathroom, and actually go?

There were quite a few "time-outs" and he got to know Mrs. Bonnie from the "office" very well. However, we've seen such a huge improvement in him from the fall until now, it's almost unbelievable. Jaden is a challenging child. He's strong willed, fiercely independent, ridiculously energetic... but he's got a great little heart. We've been seeing a lot more of that heart shining through lately. It's very encouraging as a parent to see. We love our little Jaden, he's just growing up way too fast!

Birthday Party!

On Saturday, we had a birthday party for Jaden and Baylee. We had such a fun time! We rented this huge water slide, and the kids just loved it. We had our little pool out for the smaller kids. Baylee wanted nothing to do with the "big slide". We had a chocolate cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jaden Baylee and Holden, who's actual birthday is today. They loved having so many friends over, and had a blast. It was a very fun day!

Quote of the Week

It horribly skews the meaning of the cross when contemporary prophets of self-esteem say that the cross is a witness to my infinite worth… The biblical perspective is that the cross in a witness to the infinite worth of God's glory, and a witness to the immensity of the sin of my pride.

John Piper

Starting Young!

Happy Mothers Day

Everyone who knows us well knows my mom. She is always there for every memory, big and small. My kids think of her as a second mom, and a much more fun one I'm sure. :) When I run into old friends, the first thing they ask is "How is your mom?" Not many of them had such a caring, dedicated mom as I did growing up. She was at every field trip, every class party, every sporting event... she is just about the most dependable person I've ever known. It continues on with her grandchildren and they adore her. She is so special to us, we are very blessed to have her. We love you Mom! Happy Mothers Day. *** Proverbs 31:28: Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Happy Birthday Baylee!

My beautiful little Baylee turned two 5/3! (Sadly, we were in Mexico) She had loads of fun with grandpa and grandma though. I almost can't believe how big she is. She has grown up so fast! She is really turning into a little girl. An extremely girly one, I might add... which I really wasn't prepared for. She adores all things pink, loves clothes shoes and princesses. She has Jaden (and Daddy) wrapped around her finger. At this point, I think she has a better vocabulary than I do. She loves to do everything that Mommy does, and follows me around saying, "me too! me too!" She potty trained herself at 20 months, which she pretty much had to do because after Jaden I was on potty training strike. She amazes me everyday! I never thought I wanted a girl, but I don't know what I'd do without her. Happy Birthday Bayleesan Bunkin. :)

Quote of the Week

Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence with them.

Hudson Taylor

Cabo

We had the best time on our trip! Aubrey was great, he slept on the flights and did fantastic until the last night there. He got a little cold, and was up all night being extremely fussy. We were glad that he did as well as he did, though. We had so much fun. The food was fantastic! We just stayed at our hotel the entire time. They had tennis, golf, ping pong (Tony was challenged by almost everyone in the company) a spa, horseback riding, parasailing, atv and jeep rentals, a glass bottom boat, an entertainment crew who taught spanish, sang and did some sort of weird yoga/stretching thing, and anything else you could think of. Aubrey's naps kept us from doing too much, but it was wonderful to just relax, get some sun and some reading in! We sat on our patio during his naps and read, talked and watched all of the sunburned people walk by. :) We walked by the ocean each night after dinner, talked about our kiddos and all of the details of life. It was very relaxing, and a welcome break! We are both so thankful to have my parents who not only are we able to depend on to babysit our kids, but to go so far above and beyond that the kids don't even miss us. They thought they were on vacation! It's wonderful to be able to enjoy a trip without worrying about the kids. Thanks mom and dad!

Highlights:

*On the flight to Cabo, we sat next to a very nice man who was on his way to go fishing. He said, while watching Aubrey sleeping in my arms, "Ahhh... to be two again". :)

*Hanging out with our friends, the Jelsos. They brought their two sons, Jaden and Tanner. They were so much fun.

*Talking about all of the wonderful things about our kids... while they are a thousand miles away being cared for by my parents. :)

*Getting to spend so much quality time with Tony's boss Mitch and his family. His kids are so darn cute! We had a blast with them.

*All you can eat buffet.

*Getting to spend some "alone" time with Aubrey.

*Catching up on our reading

*Watching Aubrey's personality unfold as he makes all kinds of friends with people who don't even speak the language he doesn't know how to speak yet.

*Seeing the conditions of the majority of the people of Mexico. Realizing how blessed we are.

*Seeing the condition of the rich people "living it up" in Cabo. Realizing how blessed we are.

*Reuniting with our munchkins

*Sleeping in our own bed! Being back home with the people we love. :)

Coming Home

As almost everyone (both of you) knows, we just got home from our trip to Cabo last night. I will post pictures and stuff when I find some time, but for now am just enjoying my munchkins. This morning, Jaden crawled into bed with us at 5:45. He is just the funniest kid. He was so excited to see us. He crawled right between us to cuddle a little bit before the others woke up. The first thing he said to us in his groggy, very concerned voice was, "Grandpa got a shot in his bottom. He got three shots. That hurts... and Grandpa just laughed!" Obviously very disturbed. We both started to laugh. We really had missed his little stories. He went on about how he caught a lizzard with Grandpa in the "movie trap" They named it snappy. "We put a box outside with twigs and sticks and leaves and rocks and we caught him!" "He's a jumpy little fellow!" Baylee confirmed all of it when she got up a short time later. She liked snappy too. (Too, is her favorite word... as in "me too!") The usual conversation in our home consists of Jaden telling an exciting story, and Baylee exclaiming, "Me too!" I didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw them this morning. They are so much fun. We had such a wonderful time, but it is good to be home.

Happy Birthday Tony!

My wonderful husband turns 27 today! Happy Birthday Babe, I love you!

*Tony shares his birthday with my wonderful Aunt Julie. Happy birthday to you too, Julie! We love you.*

Quote of the Week

(I always think of the Bussells when I read this)

Missionaries are not heroes who can boast in great sacrifice for God. They are the true Christian Hedonists. They know the battle cry of Christian Hedonism is missions. They have discovered a hundred times more joy and satisfaction in a life devoted to Christ and the gospel than in a life devoted to frivolous comforts and pleasures and worldly advancements. And they have taken to heart the rebuke of Jesus. Beware of a self-pitying spirit of sacrifice! Missions is gain! Hundredfold gain!

John Piper

Prayer Guardian

I recently became a prayer guardian for an orphan living in Cambodia. His name is Sorn Sombath and this is his picture. I put a banner on the side of the blog in case anyone else was interested in praying for one of these precious children. I really feel as if I know him and have an interest in his well being now that I pray for him by name, and see his sweet face every morning. It reminds me that we are so blessed living in America. It helps me to be content in my circumstances. It gives me a heart for a child that I'll never meet, but I love. I think that's important. The little orphanage that he lives in is certainly not a terrible place. They have a warm bed and good food. It is a church run orphanage, so every morning they do devotions and read their bibles. I pray that he will grow to love the Lord. It just breaks my heart that he wakes up every morning without someone to kiss him and hold him and be there for all of the struggles of his day. Every child should have that. Until then, at least I can pray for him. I think that this Prayer Guardian program is such a huge blessing... probably more so for me than for him!

Discovery Channel: I Love the World

This is a great commercial! I really don't watch commercials if I don't have to, but I saw this on Challies. Anything with Bear is awesome! Enjoy. :)

The Weekend

This weekend was pretty low key. We all enjoyed having Tony home! Saturday, Tony and Jaden went to the Warbirds In Action show. They had the best time! They watched the stunt planes and even got to go inside of one of the actual planes from D-Day. (so jealous!) Jaden thinks that they flew in it. They both came home with blue mouths from snow cones, (Jaden thought it was so cool) and big stories about Jets and helicopters. The rest of the day he flew his little plastic jet around the house, quite loudly I might add, because "jets are loud mommy, not quiet!" Then, after dinner we went to get some ice cream. Of course that went over really well, too. Daddy is just so much fun to have around!

Daddy's Home!