A Modern Day Miracle...

and I got to love on all of them!!


A few weekends ago, I got the opportunity of a lifetime...to lay my eyes on one of God's modern day miracles...If you have followed my blog at all you will remember this post or this post...when I was asking for LOTS of prayers for the Jones' Family...after a very scary labor/delivery at 28 weeks (Becca weighed 1lb. 11 oz.) Julie suffered from some very MAJOR medical complications in which she ALMOST didn't make it...I vividly recall on 3 separate occasions that the doctors told us there was no more hope...that she wasn't going to make it...However after a caringbridge website was set up and THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of prayers were said...God had a different plan...and that plan was to produce a HUGE modern day miracle!
I cannot believe that 9 months ago, we were praying for GOD sized miracles and just a few weeks ago...I was holding/hugging those miracles! God is SO good and if you ever doubt that, feel free to go read the ENTIRE journal of what this family has endured...and owes ALL of the glory to God!
I know that through this journey I have learned ALOT...about myself, about who God is and about the body of Christ!
-Myself- I have learned that too often I tend to say one thing and believe another...Oh, we say that God is good and that He can perform miracles, but do we believe it...I can honestly say that I fit into that category...I have too often "watered" down the mighty power of God! I tend to put God "in a box" not totally believing all of the things that I "say" about him! This experience has totally shattered all those misconceptions...I believe in God and his POWER more than ever before...God is mighty and is very capable of doing the Inconceivable...because He is God! I also learned that never in my life have I "known" what praying without ceasing meant...until now! I prayed every second of every minute of every day...I would wake up in the middle of the night and start praying...It consumed my every waking minute...and what an amazing feeling that was...to be in communion with my God that much! My hope is that my prayer life will continue to get stronger (without the necessity of praying for something so life threatening) that I can learn to pray without ceasing about the everyday things in life...How much easier would my life be, if I STAYED in constant communion with God!
-The body of Christ...WOW! It has been so awesome to sit back and see the body of Christ at work...People from ALL over the world were praying for Julie and I truly believe the Jones' Family felt every single one of them! There were of course the people that know and love the Jones' but even more amazing was that people who have never seen/heard of them were spending hours in prayer for this precious family...I had calls from all over, asking how they could help! What a powerful testimony of coming together for one cause...I pray that I can be a person that is willing to pray continually for those that I don't even know!
I can honestly say that this experience has truly changed the way I live, the way I think and the way I believe! May it be a marker in my life that shows that I TRULY believe God for who He is, what He does and how mighty he is!!

"Thy Word"...

is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path... It's a song we sing regularly at our house and Avery has found that it is one of her favorite...Often times she will just go around and sing it at the top of her lungs and I just LOVE to hear her! However, Avery's words aren't exactly like the song...Listen for your self and then I will type HER lyrics (she really cracks me up!)


Avery's version:
MY word, BRUSH MY TEETH and a light unto my CAT!!

I love her!

Our Little Fish...

Brenly spent the last four weeks in swim lessons at Coach Rob's pool school...that meets at St. George's School...it was T/Th night from 6:30 to 7:00...and she was amazing...Started out very apprehensive about the water..not liking to go under water, scared to jump in without holding some one's hand, and the back float was out of the question...IN a matter of four hours (total swim time over the past 4 weeks...she has turned into a little fish and is doing so good...In fact last night was the last night of the session and her instructor, promoted her from level 2 to level 4...she is completely skipping over level 3! I was so proud of her! Her are a few pictures and a video of her "mad skills"

Our answered prayer...

or one of the many...About a month ago, our babysitter of two years, sent us a letter in the mail to inform us that effective immediately, she no longer had a childcare business...WHAT? I had less than 24 hours to find someone to watch my precious babies...OH MY GOODNESS..what does one do on such short notice...I immediately called Stephanie (a good friend from high school, who also happens to be the director at Brenly's preschool!) to inform her that we will have to pull Brenly out because there is no way that I can get her to/from since I work full time...Stephanie was SO sweet and said that she would ask a friend of hers if she was available to help me temporarily until I found someone else...In walks Jennifer into our life...and what a blessing she is! She is the preschool director for the church where Brenly attends preschool..so she definitely knows kids...and actually has 6 of her own! We become FB friends and she offered to help me temporarily, because she plans on starting back to school in the fall! The first time she kept the girls, she took Brenly to school, which left her with just Avery...needless to say there wasn't a dull moment in her day! Well I had planned on using Jennifer at least until school was out and then beg some of my teacher friends to pick a day, any day that they would like to take care of my children...Last Tuesday, I had my EARLY priority time and in my prayer journal, I was pleading my case to God...these were my exact words,

"I have NO clue why I am so calm about this...I pray that its because I KNOW your provision is faithful and you did not give me these angels to be "left by themselves"...Please provide a wonderful Christian woman who will love them as much as I do, one that will protect them when i am unavailable."
That same day I kept trying to plead my case to Jennifer explaining that I really was going to find permanent care for them, asking for patience and understanding (which is two of her best qualities) and she kept reiterating that she had enjoyed keeping the girls and would love to help out as needed!
On friday on that same week, I get this email from her
"Hey. I want you to know that I really am serious on offering to keep them more over the summer. I know that I am probably way out of your way, but if you need me, I am here. Your girls have got to be the sweetest children I have ever babysat. You have done a fantastic job with them, and everyday that I have kept them has been a joy. At some point over the summer, I will go home to see my parents, but besides that we have ZERO plans made. We would love to include them in our planless plans!! LOL :)
Jennifer"
God is once again faithful...providing my girls with a WONDERFUL, CHRISTIAN woman who loves them and is willing to give of herself to protect my babies...She is an answer to my specific prayer on TUESDAY!


Jennifer,
I cannot thank you enough for offering to take care of my babies this summer...You have no clue how much it means to all of us...My girls LOVE you and have a blast when they are with you! Thank you for being a vessel...allowing God's servant spirit to pour through you! You are an amazing woman...and I believe it was absolutely no accident that God allowed our paths to cross! You have given us such a peace, knowing that Brenly and Avery will get the best care possible this summer! May God bless you as much as you bless others!







P.S. Thank you Stephanie pleading my case to Jennifer...If it weren't for you, we certainly would've never met her! So amazing how God allowed us to be friends many years ago...so that many years later my children would be taken care of...God's plan absolutely amazes me!

My Children of the Corn...

Last year it was soybeans...and this year we get to watch corn...Brenly refers to it as "her corn" and she constantly goes to "check" on it... Sunday, I decided to get the camera and take some pics of them in the corn...

Let's go fly a kite...

and ride in a convertible and swing/slide on our playground...Sunday was a beautiful day to do all those things! MiMi and Grandfather decided to drive down to visit with us on Sunday...Grandfather just got a new Mazda Miata convertible and it was too beautiful to stay at home...So they made their way to our house to surprise the girls and we are so glad that they did! Its always fun to be with them...makes our day even better when they are around...Here are a few pics from our fun day!





I have no clue why I didn't get a picture of MiMi...sorry about that...I'll so better this weekend! :)

My little SNEAKER...

If I have said it once, I have said it a million times...My children are SO different... from looks, to attitudes, to discipline..I mean complete opposites...and I love it! I would hate to have two children that were clones of one another, RIGHT?!?! Both of my girls definitely have faults of their own...Avery, however, tends to be well, a little more mischievous...SNEAKY if you will (Lord, please help me to raise this baby you have entrusted to me...without losing ALL my hair :) She really bad about doing things that she KNOWS she shouldn't be doing, trying her best NOT to be caught, although doesn't do a very good job with it (although I am sure that she will continue to improve her skills before she gets to be a teenager...Lord, Please HELP ME!) She will constantly try to sneak candy from a drawer in the kitchen (or from Brenly's bag from school!), will try to sneak Daddy's "make up" (really its just chap stick, but she is convinced that its Daddy's makeup!)For instance, yesterday she reach in Ray's drawer in the kitchen and found his chap stick...at just about that moment , I looked at her and asked her what she had...Right in front of me, she tried to hide (and hold) the chap stick under her armpit, and at the same time, backing away from me as if I wouldn't be the slightest bit curious about her odd behavior! I finally "caught" her and found the chap stick!! (Oh my goodness!) So last night...right before bed I told Avery to go the bathroom and brush her teeth...and usually she will get her toothbrush...and the toothpaste...get frustrated b/c she can't get any toothpaste out, and call for me to help...Well last night was a little different...She went to the bathroom...opened the drawer and instead of getting her toothpaste...she found some lip gloss of mine...and proceeded to try to be SNEAKY...


Needless to say...after the shock ...we cracked up and had to take a picture...wasn't as easy to be Sneaky when you look like that!!!

My Precious Angels...

...from heaven...I just love them to pieces...and me personally, I think that they are absolutely two of the cutest kids God has ever created...and I have proof...check out these pictures that I took before Brenly's swimming lessons last week (and pictures from swim lessons are coming later...)

My Preschool Graduate...

I cannot believe that she is a graduate from pre-school...I know, it's JUST pre-school...but it means that she has finished this chapter in her life! She is growing up so fast and she becoming so independent. Although I know that this is the natural progression of her life...It is still hard!
Thank you Lord for Brenly's life...for allowing her to make another milestone in her journey...Thank you for her enthusiasm to learn and her excitement over the things to come...Grant me peace as we embark on this next chapter in her life...Love her, Protect her, Guide her...Amen!

(and for those of you who are about to say ugly things about me for not inviting you to her graduation...she did NOT have one...they just sent this picture home in a book....and I accept your apology :)

Rowan's caringbridge site...

Please go visit Rowan's website and let them know that you are thinking/praying for them...
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rowancharleswinters

Thank you so much for your prayers for our family during this very trying time!