Success!!!

Very quick post!!! Last night, I decided to brave it and put Lucas with LJ for the night. LJ went in first since he sleeps hard and after about 30 minutes, I put Lucas in. Leo and I prayed that both our boys will sleep through the night. I prepared myself for a long night and then it dawned on me, I forgot to plug the baby monitor in their room. I was so worried that I may not hear Lucas when he cried but I decided to just go to sleep. I reminded myself to sleep light but once my back hit the bed, I was out. I woke up at 4am in a panic and bolted out of our bed into the boys' room. I went in and saw both my boys asleep. I am so excited that I couldn't put myself back to sleep. Lucas finally stirred about 5am. I got him up so he wouldn't wake LJ, nursed him for about 5minutes and he was out again. I put him back in his crib and the boys didn't wake up until about 7:40am. I couldn't believe they slept so well together! Thank you, God! I am one happy mama. Here's to hoping that this continues every night.

How Great is Our God!

I finally did what I'd been dreading to do for some time now--put the boys down together in their room for a nap! It was somewhat successful but I'm very encouraged. Lucas, who's now 4 months old went in first since he's been sleeping. I then told LJ that his baby brother is in the room so he will need to be quiet--BIG MISTAKE! He tried his best but an almost 3 year old boy can only do so much of being quiet. Just as I was about to read my book, Captivating, I hear Lucas crying. That's when I received a text from Leo and he suggested that I put LJ in first next time since he's a very heavy sleeper. So put LJ in first, I did. It worked!--for 30 minutes. I was so excited to see both my boys sleeping in the same room that I videotaped it for when Leo returns home from work before Lucas woke up for the second time! Currently, he's sleeping in our bedroom so I can do some blogging and I also got a chance to read my word.

I was so taken by Isaiah 40

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." 6 A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? 14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding? 15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. 16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. 17 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.

It never ceases to amaze me how sovereign our God is! All created beings shrink to nothing in comparison with the Creator. When God made the world, no one directed him or gave him advice on what to do, or how to do it. Everything he created, in comparison of him, are as a droplet compared with the vastness of the ocean. To me, this truly magnifies God's love to the world and God's love for me, that, though the world full of sin may seem insignificant , yet, for the redemption of it, he gave his only-begotten Son, ( John 3:16 ) . No amount of good works can make any addition to him.

18 To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? 19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. 20 A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple. 21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. 25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

What a source of comfort it is to know that God ordains and orchestrates EVERYTHING! He calls each star by name. He knows all of us, each and everyone of us by name! Our lives are in his hands. Oh how I pray that I continue to be reminded of God's endless love for me, especially during times of trials and troubles. Here in Los Angeles, it is so easy to lose hope. You look around and you see people walking around with empty hearts, hopeless. Yes, there's plenty of beautiful people, on the outside, but how I long for them to get to know the God I serve, the Jesus I love. I lift my eyes to you, Lord and I say thank you for all the blessings!

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Where God had begun the work of grace, he will perfect it. He will help those who, in humble dependence on him, help themselves. Thank you Lord for being my source of strength, my shield and shelter in times of trouble. Your understanding of my circumstances are never ending. May I continue to watch against unbelief, pride, and self-confidence for I am aware that if I go forth in my own strength, I shall faint, and utterly fall; but having my heart and my hopes in heaven, I shall be carried above all difficulties, and be enabled to lay hold of the prize of my high calling in Jesus!

My Nameplate

"Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the LORD.”

Exodus 28:36 (NIV)

Devotion for this morning:

Recently I received a license plate with my company’s logo on it. They strongly encouraged us to place it on the front of our car so that everyone can see who I work with at a glance. I was pretty excited and proud to do it - at first. However, when someone cut me off in traffic and heat rushed up my spine, sending my morning smile into a scowl, I remembered the plate that identified me! I forced the grimace to leave my face and replaced it with numbness. Arghh! The realization hit me, I can’t just react now without thinking of the impression it will leave on others. I must admit at times I’ve wanted to intentionally drive through a mud hole to mask the name on that plate.

My girlfriend won’t let her husband put a fish symbol on their car, a symbol of their faith, because she knows that car can sometime reflect a little “road rage”. She is afraid it might reflect poorly on her Savior. What if we had to wear the seal of God on our forehead for everyone to see? Would we act any differently? Would we be nicer to the store clerk, the grumpy boss or the bratty child? If at a glance the world could see who we were with, would it alter our behavior?

In Ephesians 1:13 it says, “… Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” So we ARE marked with a seal, and it is not just on our foreheads, it should be oozing from every part of our being! When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, it is as powerfully evident to others as an engraved nameplate welded to our face that we belong to Christ. How? Matthew 5:16 tells us, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Surprisingly, I have become accustom to to the nameplate on my car. I think now before I react. I consider the consequences of my driving. It has seriously made me a better driver and less stressed. Isn’t that amazing? It no longer makes me anxious or afraid that I will discredit my company. People recognize me coming now and wave.

So who is reading your nameplate? Do they recognize the light of Christ in your actions?

Father, we often try to blend in with the world. Give us freedom today to proudly display the righteousness You have given us by reflecting your light onto others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

WII FIT

I won a WII fit at a mommy website that I'm a member of. I never win whenever I enter contests like this so I was truly blessed when I got the email notification that I won! I sure could use it to lose the rest of the postpartum weight. My cousin, Bernard, came over tonight to connect everything. THANKS AGAIN, B! We had so much fun trying it. Bernard, Leo and I did our BMI and all three of us were in the normal range. I tried the balance test and my result was that my center of balance was pretty good 49.6% on the left and 50.4% on the right, NOT BAD! I will not divulge on here what my WII fit age is though. I completely messed up on the testings and as a result, I can be a grandma right now. Creating the MIIs were hilarious because you can create people that look like you or not. We were laughing so hard. To my girlfriends, you all are going to have to come over to try this out. It's a lot of fun!


Made Me Glad by Hillsong

A couple of you asked me for the lyrics to this song on my playlist. Oh yeah! If you haven't noticed, I added a playlist of songs I love to listen to. if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you'll see my playlist. This is one of my favorite songs I love to listen to and sing. I especially love the lyrics because it truly captures how I feel about Jesus! So here it is:


I will bless the Lord forever
I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
He has set my feet upon a rock
I will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord

You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need

Whom have I in heaven but You
There's none I desire beside You
You have made me glad
And I'll say of the Lord

You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need

Amazing Women

I literally just finished reading a new journal and also literally just stopped sobbing. Ever since I started blogging, I've gotten to know amazing women whose stories touched me deeply. I probably will never meet these women in person but I wanted to honor them here. I follow their incredible stories everyday looking for new posts on their blogs. Their blogs are listed under "Blogs I love to Visit". Despite the trials that they've been through, their faith and love for God grow more each day, very evident when you read their posts. And so, Angie, Taylor, Stephanie and Stacy, I want to say thank you for sharing your stories. All of you are touching and changing lives of people you don't even know. Thank you for being great examples of walking by faith, not by sight.

Listen......He is Speaking

...taken from Girlfriends in God Devotional
-this touched me so much. i hope you enjoy it as much as i have reading it today!

Today's Truth

Job 16:20 "My Intercessor is my friend." NIV

Romans 8:26 “… but the spirit himself intercedes for us." NIV

I cannot resist the temptation to look around the room. I am captivated by the scene before me, my husband on his knees in prayer. Tears fill my eyes as I look over at our son, Kyle, almost a man, his big strong body on his knees before God. What a beautiful sight! I wish I could freeze this moment in time. Da-Nae, our daughter, kneels quietly beside me, her long, beautiful hair sweeps forward as her head bows in prayer. I look over at Bryce, his small body, a perfect pint-sized clone of the man I married. He kneels silently looking so sweet with his little hands clasped together in prayer. Frozen into place, listening intently to their father’s gentle voice, the children appear to be barely breathing as they soak in every word.

The scene takes me back across the years to a house in Georgia where, night after night, I knelt in family prayer. I recognize why my children are so silent and still for I, too, knelt quietly when I heard my father's voice in prayer. It was the most edifying time of my life. He would call my name out and ask God to bless me and walk with me through life. My heart melted as he pointed out good things I had never noticed in myself. His words were the kindest I had ever heard. I drew them into my very being, feeling the love spill over me as each precious word reached my motionless body and pierced my tender ears. I knew if my father spoke it, it must be true.

Now, the same scenario is played out in the lives of my children. Their father speaks; he speaks so quietly that they must not move a muscle for fear of missing something. They long to hear what he has to say. His words are kind, gentle and full of love. He brings his thoughts concerning us to the heavenly Father with a grateful heart of praise. He calls our names aloud.

Perhaps you have never had the blessing of a spouse or earthly father praying on your behalf. Perhaps no words of love ever flowed from the lips of those you needed most. Well, my dear friend, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whispers your name daily to God the Father. His words are edifying, gentle and full of love. He notices the special things you do and say to encourage another's heart. He praises God for your life, for in you, He is being revealed to others. If you are very quiet and still, you just might hear Him speak something new about you. For when the Father speaks, you can rest assured that His words are true. Don't move a muscle, be very still. The Father has something to say to you.

Let's Pray

Jesus, I thank You for the way You gently love and care for me. I thank You that You have good things to say about me. I thank You that You see the good in me and point it out to Your Father every day as You gently intercede on my behalf. Teach me to be still and listen for Your gentle voice in my life. Teach me to receive Your precious word - even when I am broken and in pain. You are my Father and I long to cling to Your every word. Amen.

Dream Homes

As I stated on my very first entry, one thing I'm truly passionate about is home decorating. I love, love, love anything that has to do with home decorating. My dream job would be to work for a home builder company and decorate/furnish their model homes. What fun that would be to be able to furnish/decorate homes where money is no object!

Two of my favorite movies where I believe the homes upstaged the great actors are "Father of The Bride" and "Something's Gotta Give". I adore these 2 homes featured in these movies. I would love to own homes like these in real life one in the suburbs (Father of the Bride home) and one in the Hamptons, by the beach (Something's Gotta Give).

Below are some pictures of these homes I mentioned. Bless my husband Leo because every time I mention watching these 2 movies, he knows it's more because I want to see the homes.

Father of the Bride Home:




Something's Gotta Give home:

Date Night

Leo and I were invited to our friends' play, Betrayal, tonight. This is our first date night since Lucas was born. Our wonderful friend, Nikki, was so sweet to watch the kids. Nikki, if you read this, thank you again! You're so patient and loving to our boys. They sure do love their tita Nikki.

The play was awesome. Our friends, Sophina and Henry did such great jobs. Leo and I (and Bradley and Tracy) were all very impressed with the English accents. We go to church with these two and never knew that they have additional hidden talents--where does it end?

By the way, I wanted to make a plug here. Please support our friend Sophina's show. She has recently been added to the cast of the TV show "Numbers". I'll remind again as the new season gets closer.

I'll try to post new pictures of the kids this week as I know that's what most of you are waiting for!

Fun Overload!

So yesterday, we got another evite for one of our friend's (kid's) birthday party! The Clark family loves to celebrate with all of our friends, but you all are scheduling it on the same days with times overlapping! (LOL) This month alone, we have 9 events to go to, (weekends, not counting events on weekdays). I'm posting this here because we just want to let you all know in advance that we will do our very best to attend everyone's parties BUT we may be late for some of them, or have to leave early in order to go to the other event. We love you all so much and LJ is having a blast hanging out with the kids. Have a great weekend everyone!

Trust

This truly encouraged me this morning. I hope that it blesses you as much as it blessed me!

Proverbs 3: 5-6.Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

What do we have when we trust someone we love? We have the unwavering faith that they are always truthful with us. Truth in the words they say, truth in their actions, truth in the way they live out their convictions. Sometimes the truth hurts, but when said in love, can make us grow into better people.

When we begin to place our trust in someone, we begin to reveal our true selves to them. We break down the protective wall that was once wrapped tightly around our hearts, and we begin to let them in. We reveal our past, our hopes, our dreams, our disappointments, and our expectations. We, in essence, allow ourselves to become vulnerable.

When we trust someone, we assume he or she has our best interest in mind and we begin to love them unconditionally. We believe whole-heartedly that they wouldn’t do anything to hurt us.

Our security in the relationship is strong and unbreakable when we trust. Our stamina to brave the storms is unwavering. We feel like we can conquer any trial life throws at us because we trust each other. Two are stronger than one. We are finally our true self.

But what happens when that trust is broken? Truth turns into lies. Revealing turns into confusion. Unconditional love turns into nit-picking. Our security is ripped apart and our vulnerable and true self is buried once again in the self-protective shell of our broken heart.

I have asked myself many times, why is it that we (I) trust someone and they always end up hurting me whether it be intentionally or unintentionally? The question that I should be asking myself is why do I place so much faith in human beings? We are all so flawed and eventually we all disappoint someone we love. Why do I not remember that I should only care to play to an audience of One, when He is the only one I will have to answer to at the end of this life?

We often put our trust in our spouse or friends to make us happy instead of keeping our eyes focused on the One who is always truthful with us, always has our best interests in mind and loves us so much. We must remind ourselves that God is with us through every storm and disappointment that life brings us. He knows our true vulnerable selves, and He loves us more than we will ever know.

Let’s Pray

Lord, please refresh my mind each day to remember all of the good things in life that You have given me - a home, a husband, my healthy children, a job and friends who genuinely care about me. I trust You, Lord, to take my disappointment in others and mold my brokenness into a tool of trust and hope no matter what is going on in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God First

I will sing of the Lord's great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all
generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm
forever,
that you established your faithfulness
in heaven itself.
You said, "I have made a covenant with
my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through
all generations.

Psalm 89:1-4

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young--
a place near your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you. Selah
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah
Look upon our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 84

I meditated on these two passages this morning. I love reading the Psalms in the bible because it really reflects what I want to say to God. It calms me and truly ministers to me. I've had a very busy week last week and this week is looking to be another busy one. Reading Psalm 84 summed up how I feel inside. Turmoils may be going on around me, but envisioning how lovely the courts of the Lord is, gives me peace. I am guilty of getting caught up in what's going on in my life that I overlook to give my best to God FIRST. I am so thankful that I made the decision to start this blog. Reading what I've written down enables me to see where my focus has been lately. I've also been reflecting a lot on what I devote my time to. Does God truly come first in my life? I've realized that it's so easy for us to schedule things we think are important like working out, going out with friends, mommy and me play dates but yet when it comes to devoting time for God, we give him our left overs. I prayed this morning for time of refreshing, for the Holy Spirit to really flow into my life. One thing is for sure--I need to really focus on my alone time with God. All the things I hope to accomplish, especially in this city, will not come to pass if I allow other things and other people to get my focus off of God first.

I want to thank those of you who have been praying for my mom's health. She has been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home. I am so blessed to have fantastic friends who have been my source of strength during tough times. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Also, my friend Joanie just informed me that she attempted to post a comment here but was unable to. The reason why was that you needed to have an account. So that's why most of you had been emailing me! I didn't know that.

Kung Fu Panda

Yesterday, we took our LJ to his very first movie, in a real movie theater to see Kung Fu Panda! He did really well considering we took him around his nap time and he hasn't had lunch yet (bad parents). He moved around a little bit, asking for juice but for the most part he did really well. Our little Lucas did well also. He pretty much slept through the whole film.

What a day we had today! We went to church and had a great time. The message was excellent and once they post it online, church website, I'm going to post the link here. It was so good and very applicable to one's life.

We then had 2 parties to go to. I finally had some yummy filipino food and it was much needed and desired!

Tonight, Leo and I are going to watch a movie, Hitch (for the 20th time but we love this movie). The boys are down and we got our new flat screen TV today! Good night!

Homeschooling

For a while now, Leo and I have been praying about whether or not to homeschool LJ. Last month, we decided that I am going to go ahead and give homeschooling a try. I know some of you are probably wondering "why homeschool your kids?, what about social interaction?, what about your time alone?, ARE YOU INSANE?"

The answer to all of these questions is this--It is what we feel is best for our family right now. Three years ago, I had the chance to work as a school nurse for LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District). What an eye opener that was! I worked there for a semester and one thing I became sure of is how terrible that public school district is. I would literally work 10 jobs if I have to in order to send my children to a better school. Don't get me wrong, not all the schools in LA are bad but they certainly are few. My office became the haven for teachers. They would come in and vent to me about how difficult it is to teach the children with all of the politics and bureaucracies, not to mention the food in the cafeteria they serve the children. I couldn't believe they get away with serving these children heavily fat laden foods. I also cannot fathom allowing my LJ to learn about same sex marriage or the topic of sex from other people. I truly believe that as parents, it is our job to inform our children about such topics. Leo and I will let him know about those topics as we see fit. As far as social interaction, we are so blessed to know so many couples who are also homeschooling their children and they are the happiest, well behaved and well adjusted kids I've seen. We have lots of play dates, mommy and me groups and of course our church's kids ministry that LJ's social calendar is actually busier than mine!!! As far as my sanity goes, my husband is so supportive of this decision that we made together that we truly are going to ensure I get some "me" time.

Who knows, maybe I'll do it this summer and decide it's not for us. Maybe I'll do it for just a year. One thing I'm sure of is that I want to give it a try! We're in the process of creating an area in our living room right now for LJ's school. We started buying school supplies and I'm so excited! I know it's going to take a lot of discipline, organization skills, time management and PATIENCE!

So to our friends who homeschool, if you are reading this post, please feel free to give me tips, encouragement, any helpful suggestions at all.

I'll let you all know how it goes as I get started.

Deuteronomy 11:18-25

18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. 22 If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow--to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him-- 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.

Experiencing Captivating

We had a very emotionally charged meeting last night at our women's study of the book "Captivating". As I've mentioned in my previous post, we are in the most difficult part of the book= exposing your wound, so God can do his work of healing. I just want to thank the women in my group who shared their stories. I know it was very difficult but we were all there for each other as we exposed our wounds. We all had a good cry. I haven't cried like that in a long time. It's amazing how we all have been going to church for years together yet we really don't know each other's life stories. I felt so privileged to know more about each of you. Thank you. I love you all.

Wednesday Get Together

Okay, so I woke up this morning and I saw that 38 people viewed my blog since I launched it yesterday BUT only one commented! I then checked my email messages and what do you know, I got messages from a lot of you there. Thanks for all of the compliments. Please post your comments here, unless it's private information and you don't want others to view it, then email me.

Last night, we got together with our friends the Rapier's and the Gerhardt's. We haven't done it in a while and so we need to do it more ladies. It was a very nice evening with friends and the kids had fun. These pics were taken at the end of the evening (note LJ is wearing his PJ's).

So I have a playgroup that meets up every Tuesday mornings. I've gotten to know so many cool moms this year and many beautiful, fun kids. Last Tuesday, we went to the new mall, the Americana at Brand in Glendale. They did such a great job. It reminds me of The Grove but the Americana is closer to us and it seems more family friendly. The kids had a blast. We watched "The Hollow Trees" perform. They were really good. The kids were in awe of the waterworks every 30 minutes and we also rode the trolley. Here are some pics:

Getting Back in the Word

Okay, so my goal this summer is to just devour the word of God like I used to (BC=Before Children). As I posted on my very first entry, I used to just curl up and read my bible like a good novel, unable to put it down. Kudos to all of you who have kids, and also to those who don't, who feed yourselves with the word of God on a regular basis. I read my last post and felt very convicted as I wrote on there how busy my summer is turning out to be with events and parties to go to every week it seems like. But no matter what, those things get done! Well, I need to be just as vigilant when it comes to my word time, even more.

This morning, I meditated on Psalm 34:15-22.

5 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

It really spoke to me this morning. The women at my church are doing the book "Captivating" by Stasi Eldredge. How appropriate this verse is to where we are in the book. We're at the part where we share our wounds. What a source of comfort it is to know that God is attentive to our cries, that he delivers us from ALL of our troubles, that he has a special place in his heart for the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. I think about the wounds that we all shared with each other last week. It is so comforting to know that we exposed those wounds, not to dwell in them, but for God to do his work, heal our hearts and fix the wounds.

Busy Summer!

This is turning out to be a very busy summer! Last week, we had an event to do/go to every single day. It doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon either. Don't get me wrong, I love going to parties and seeing family and friends but with a very active toddler and a 3 1/2 month old baby, it takes a lot of coordinating.

We got to see our friends, Scott and Amy with their sweet kids Gehrig and Annie. They came up from Houston. Boy, was it heaven to go to Manhattan Beach where the weather was beautiful and cool for a change versus the 100+ degrees of heat where we live in the valley. Here's some pics from our visit. Unfortunately, all Amy and I did were gab so she and I don't have pics together. She looks so beautiful expecting with their 3rd and it's a surprise.






We had a very fun 4th of July celebration at our friend's house, Bradley and Joanie. It was great to finally get together with them. Joanie and I lived to text the last month, as they had been busy also. They had sort of like a block party. We pigged out and of course the kids had a blast playing outside with the slip n slide and the ball with water coming out of it. LJ and Sammy (his sidekick) had so much fun with the other kids. It was so neat to see my big boy interact with other children. He really is growing up right before my eyes. Here's some of the pics: