Mother Daugther Florida Trip 2013

So I took a last minute trip to Orlando Florida with just my mom January 17th-22nd. It was an amazing trip for so many reasons:
1. We were able to completely relax. We stayed at our friends Cheryl and Fred Engles Vacation home with a heated underfound pool. Pool temps were 88 and 89 degrees.
2. No work, no stress, just late nights chatting, praying, snacking and enjoying eachother's company. We spent 2 nights at some of the parks in Disney but mostly were real leisurely about our time and schedule.
3. Enjoyed Epcot fireworks and rides and took in the Lion King show at Animal Kingdom on Friday the 18th. That was a crazy busy day but so fun! Our last day there we went to Downtown Disney and road the boat down the river and visited a few of the resorts. That was a late night and a fun time shopping.
4. And finally, I have never taken a trip with just my mom before. It was just so wonderful to be able to be with my mom and have her all to myself. She's one of those people that is so easy to spend time with and have fun. She's relaxed, funny, serious, loving, spiritually uplifting and sensitive and just plain beautiful inside and out. I'm so proud to call her my mom.

Here are some pictures from our little Mother Daughter Vacation.

MY MOST FAVORITE PICTURE FROM THE TRIP- Me and Mom

 

 

 

Probably one of the favorite pics I took that weekend. My mom was just laughing like a little kid- priceless.  Loved being able to offer this trip to my mom as a gift for all she's done and given to me in my life.

 

I LOVE YOU MOM! 

Email to my Sister in Laws and Irene dated 1/16/13

I'm on my lunch and thought while I was eating my soup that I would send a quick email.  An email telling you that I love you all and was thinking about you.  Praying you are well, happy and that God is speaking to your hearts and encouraging you.

My verse this morning is "No wonder we are happy in the Lord! For we are trusting in Him. We trust his holy name. Yes, Lord, let your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in your alone." Psalm 33:21-22 TLB

http://thebornmanmelody.blogspot.com/
I wrote a few new blogs this January. I never get enough time to write all the details of my heart and life. I just love writing though- almost as much as I love making music. :)  One thing that has truly delighted my heart and brought such renewed "purpose" in my heart has been my Bible reading and devotional at each end of the night with Abby and Becca.  I really need to be honest that I was not consistent with it. It was sporadic during the week. It wasn't that I wasn't teaching, or telling or praying or never reading the Bible with the girls, but that it wasn't disciplined. It was when I could fit it in during the week.  I felt a conviction to truly invest in the greatest treasures God has given me on earth- my children. And then He told me to give them the greatest treasure I have- His Word and His love.
Now we can't wait for that time at night and Abby and Becca seem to have flourished during our Bible reading/devotional/Girl Gab. :)  I'm using a mother daughter devotional written by Dannah Gresh. Abby told me her favorite part of our night is the "girl gab" where basically I share parts of my life that apply to the BIble reading or devotional. Where it was lived out.  We have also learned and been practicing "meditation or meditating" on God's Word and in prayer and what it really means and looks like.  So far that has been one of my most favorite nights and Bible reading when we learned together what meditating on God's Word was- the world has distorted what meditating is.  

Anyway, life is good. Everyone is healthy. Cornelius is enjoying work and his classes. He's so smart and so humble.  He challenges me with his humility and servant heart.  I love that about him.  And the girls continue to do well in their studies- top of their classes.  Abby is called the "calculator" in class.  She's such a whiz at math and mathmatical concepts. Becca is plain bored in school and the teacher tries so hard to find outlets and other tests or activities that she can do. She took up drum lessons. I told her she's like her dad- she learns and picks things up so quickly but that I want her to learn to not be lazy with her gifts and abilities.  Lazy in that she doesn't really apply herself and is complacent. I want her to challenge herself and push herself.

And Jaelle- she has joined the speaking world!! She is saying little sentences now.
1. I like it mommy
2. I no like it.
3. I sorry
4. "He" naked.  *(she was looking at the little baby on the shampoo bottle!)-
5. She also says "she" which is so neat to see that she can differientiate between he and she.

And so many other things. I wish I had more time to write about our new sitter.  She is truly a God send and we have seen such a "blessing" through her being in our lives and her companionship with Jaelle.  She is young, only 20 but I would compare her heart to Laurel's and Katrina's. So pure, so beautiful, so loving and extremely intelligent. She loves children and just fits in our family. Her name is Larita. And Jaelle calls her"rita".  There is a long story of how it transpired for her to come into our lives and for our old sitter to be gone. I know that it was all God planned and that God put her in our family's life for this season.  I'll try to capture a picture of her with Jaelle and send it.

Oh and Sarah, tell Nelson thank you for his compliment of Abby- he told Sarah that Abby is growing into such a nice young lady, "like Laurel and Katrina".  That was such a high compliment. ;)

Pray for me in that I am going away for my first time without my husband and girls on a little vacation. My mom and I are staying with friends in Orlando FL for 4 days. We leave January 17th at 6pm from Grand Rapids and return the 22nd at 10:30am.  Its the longest I've been away and I feel a little anxious and excited.  We are being hosted by Cheryl and Fred Engle, friends of our family in their late 60s/early 70s.  Very Godly and wise people. We meet with Cheryl once a month for prayer and Bible reading. They own this home in FL and go there to escape the winter months in MI.  Cheryl has a heart to disciple women in His Word and God has used her in many lives.  She told me she's excited for us coming and is planning on nightly prayer times....can't wait!!

Ok, well,  I need to get back to work.  Just a few more hours and I'll be home. 

LOVE YOU ALL, wish we were all closer but knowing that God has us all in His hands.

Happy 9th Birthday Becca

Nine years ago today I was in the hospital on a very cold and wintry day such as today giving birth to my beautiful Becca! She was such a plump healthy baby that she had a fat roll between her nose and forhead! The doc told me that I had the biggest umbilical cord he had ever seen and waved it around for all the peeps in the room to see! LOL! That's probably why I only gained 15 pounds for that pregnancy and Becca weighed 9 pounds 15 ounces.

Last night while doing our Mother daughter Devotionals, we studied Joshua 1:8 about meditation. She drew a picture of herself with Jesus on the streets of gold.  She told me she wants to have wisdom- I know that God has called her to be a woman of wisdom and strength.

Becca is probably my most challenging child to parent because she's very independent, very smart and aims to challenge what I think she's unable to do or shouldn't do-

One thing that Becca decided she wanted to take up is to learn to play drums. At first I was so upset that she didn't want to continue with her piano lessons because she was so natural at it. She could pick up concepts and techniques so easily on the piano. But then I just decided that if she truly had an interest in the drums I needed to let her seek it out and not make her like what I like.  I'm so glad we've let her explore playing drums. I've seen a new side of her personality come out with playing drums. She might end up being a band chic one day. :)

Below are a few pictures from her birthday today. Cornelius made the cake with the grassy hill with horses grazing on it. Becca helped her daddy design it. ;)  And then a picture of Becca with her pink hat. She loves her pink hat. Becca loves hats and I think she looks adorable in her hat. And finally the last picture of Becca taken this past summer. She just looks so beautiful. Where has my baby gone?

 I pray you keep growing to be strong, wise and lead a new generation of women. I'm blessed to call you MINE Becca. :)

 

Jaelle Speaks!

So our little Jaelle has taken some big leaps in her speaking this past week.  She's just talking up a storm now. Here are a few things that have been so cute:
1. "Get me!" and then she proceeds to run away from you. :)
2. "Sorry mommy" and then she hugs you. She was running around and bumped into Cornelius in the kitchen and said to Cornelius "Sorry daddy". 
3. "I burp!" and then giggles loudly.  She was happily eating her chili tonight and said "I burp!" and started laughing. You couldn't help but laugh- I then told her she had to say excuse me after she burped.
4.  "Birdy loud"- we have 2 parakeets in a cage in our eating room and sometimes they can chatter quite loudly.  Jaelle looked at them and said "Birdy Loud!" then she put her finger to her month and went "shish".
5. Jaelle was looking at the birds then looked down at their shelf where there food was and said "Birdy food". That was a pretty big deal because we didn't know she knew the word "food".

What's so fun about this now is that Jaelle is speaking to us and not just mimicking what we tell her. Many times with little ones when they are first learning to talk, they will copy the words or sentences you are speaking to them.  Today we really noticed that she was initiating her conversation and speak.  So fun!  Its just so fun to have her speaking to us and taking part in our conversations.  When we are talking with the older girls, if she recognizes a word or comprehends what we are saying, she will add to her with her own little sentence- with some words that are in the English dictionary and some that in Jaelle's little dictionary.

Becca said it well tonight- "Oh Jaelle, you are so cute when you talk."  You just see complete joy in her face and she has so much expression.  We are all so thrilled that Jaelle has entered our speaking world and can't wait to hear what more things she tells us and the dynamic she will add to our family as she talks and develops her little personality. 

I Found It!

I found it!  I found what I want my New Year Resolution to be!  I feel so relieved.  I guess because it just was so depressing to me that I didn't have something specific that I wanted to resolve to work on or give to God this coming year. I had this overwhelming cloud of nothingness hanging over me...like I was just emotionless, directionless and unfocused.  I wrote the following on facebook New Year's Day.
"Today I'm putting away my Christmas Decorations and it always makes me a bit sad- Christmas and New Year go so fast. Does that mean I'm getting old or does it mean that we pack too much into the season that we can't enjoy the simpleness of what it should be? Its the 1st of 2013 and I still haven't made a resolution for this year. I don't want it to be generic. I want it to be something I can stick to and sincerely invest my heart to. Praying for clarity of mind today as I declutter my house."

So tonight it - I FOUND IT....I found what I want to resolve and commit to do this year. 
But first let me recap my day

• We have a new daycare provider for the girls. Her name is Larita Helton. She's young but my girls adore her and she came with high recommendation.  She officially started today. I came home to find my sweet little girl happy, dolled up wearing a cute bow. I don't know why it meant so much, but it did. I guess because if I were home, I would put a bow in her hair and dress her cute too.  That's just how I am, and I want my little girl to have that same kind of love and attention to doll her up, like her momma would.
• Family sat down to a yummy meal planned by me and prepared by daddy: baked sweet potatoes, steaks that were roasted with onions and seasoning instead of grilled, and an extremely tasty salad with dried cranberries and ovacado.  Everyone chattered happily and enjoyed the food
• Becca and I watched some of Toy Story 3
• Cornelius worked on the basement trying to get it ready for drywalling etc. So excited to see progress happening down there.
• While putting Jaelle to bed, I sang my usual round of songs and then proceeded to sing my prayer over her "Thank you Jesus for Jaelle. Help her sleep in peace tonight. Let her know we love her so. Fill her with your Spirit Lord. Blood of Jesus cover her. Angels come surround my girl. Teach her Lord to know Your voice. Help her Lord to obey you. Amen."
• When I completed my prayer song over her I decided that I was going to tell her to hold mommy's hand so we can pray. Which Jaelle totally understands because we always hold hands to say our prayer before our meals.  So she took my hand and I started the prayer like this "Jesus....we love you.  We thank you for your love.  Thank you for Jaelle....and then Jaelle interrupts my prayer and says "Gina" and so I prayed a simple one-line prayer for Gina. And then Jaelle says after that prayer "Gampa" and so I proceed to pray for Grandpa.  Interesting enough, those were 2 people that I had thought about today and worried about and here Jaelle was mentioning them while we prayed. I ended the prayer with "In Jesus Name, amen."  Then I kissed her and laid her down.  Mind you, Jaelle is 19 months old this January 1st. IT IS NEVER TO EARLY TO TEACH A CHILD IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO!
• I then call the girls to the living room so that we can do our devotions together. For Christmas I bought the girls a book called "The One Year Mother Daughter Devo" by Dannah Gresh with Janey Mylin.  Its so very cool. Each devotion is just one page which is very managable for busy moms. But it has a Bible Blast- scripture reference that correlates with the devo. A scripture to focus on or memorize.  The Devotional to read and then the GIRL GAB.  Love the Girl Gab! Girl Gab gives the mom opportunity to share something personal from her own life that relates to the lesson and allows the daughters to input or share too.  Abby told me tonight that her favorite part of our devo time is the girl gab. The book also has a few devos with crafts or recipes that can be incorporated. When I bought this book, I just liked the whole idea of reading a devotional with my girls instead of doing it on my own. It made me feel more accountable because the girls know its a DAILY devotional.  Also, because my girls are my greatest treasure and I desire for them to know that Jesus is the greatest treasure that we possess.  What better gift to give them, then the gift of Jesus and an enduring faith and promise of God's hope?!

So after all this, I FOUND IT.  It just hit me.  I knew what my New Year Resolution was to be.  To commit to daily devotions with  my children. Investing in their Spiritual Growth daily.  Not by accident or when I have time (which is like never!).  But to be committed, relentless and disciplined enough to read God's Word every night not because it's easy or fun or because its a good thing to do. But because my children are my greatest treasures on earth and God is the greatest treasure I have to share with them.  Nothing of me will last-like the flowers of the field we pass away. But God's Word and His truth and wisdom will forever be implanted in their hearts, minds and souls.  YES, I HAVE FOUND SOMETHING THAT WAS WORTH INVESTING IN. SOMETHING NOT GENERIC but MEANINGFUL TO ME AND MY CHILDREN.

Here is how I found Jaelle when I got home from work. It meant so much to see her hair all done up and cutie..She is my sweetie cupcake!

You wouldn't guess it from this picture but Becca is my fireball and boy do we bump heads. She's very strong and stubborn.  I wonder where she gets that from? :)

Abby is pure joy- just pure sweetness just like that sweet smile.  She has such a kindness, tenderness and pure love about her.

Silly shopping sisters. Sunday, December 30th we went shopping to River Town Crossing Mall specifically to get things from Build a Bear

 

And that cute face that you saw above- well here is the whole picture!  That rascal was in my purse pulling out things as fast as she could out of my wallet!

The Shopping Trio

 

And finally, another picture of me taken by Molly Bea Photography in her studio in Alma, MI. 

 

Happy New Year and may we discover this truth of this scripture in a new way this year:

"Your Word is a light to guide my feet and a light for my path."

Psalm 119:105