When Alomae was a baby I loved capturing her joy as she explored the park! I hardly ever remember to take a shot of Poppy so I have tried to be more intentional about capturing this sweet joy!
I would say her and the park get along just fine...
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Christmas
Merry Christmas (three weeks late!)
We had SUCH a mellow Christmas this year and it was so refreshing and nice. Andy and I didn't do gifts for each other and saved all our money for our weekend away in Vancouver BC. The girls had a blast opening up stockings and presents and Andy and I enjoyed sitting back and watching them play with contentment all day! definite win-win I'd say!
holiday movies my the twinkle teepee lights
little girl and a BIG tree (at church)
silly alomae channeling her inner Mary on christmas eve
Santa gifts for alomae
and for Poppy
of course Alomae needed a princess dress OVER her christmas Jammies
overnight blueberry french toast for our x-mas breakfast
my crew eating
sweet pops never got out of her new ariel nightgown!
play dough! this mamas enemy...
but they do play for hours!
We had two guys over for dinner who didn't have family in town and ended the night with a fierce game of Settlers of Catan (and bbq pulled pork sandwhiches. I highly recommend food you don't actually have to cook on christmas day! made my day so relaxing as well!)
Friday, January 3, 2014
Follow me
Awhile back Andy brought home a book by David Platt called Follow Me a call to die a call to live. I immediately said I wanted to read it. I even attempted to during my short little bath times but it quickly made it's way back to my pile of other magazines and books I someday hope to read. As a mom of two young girls it is hard enough to find time to think a coherent thought let alone read a book that takes some time and focus to really hear the words on the page.
Well tonight I picked it back up and to say I have been once again wrecked by what it means to follow Jesus is an understatement. I will admit it, I have, like many others, become distracted by the people and things around me; the mountain of "things to do", and my plain ol' selfishness. I have allowed things that mean nothing, to distract me from my everything!
In a time where follow me leans more to social media then it does Jesus, I feel it is a perfect time to take a step back to really look at how I am doing this life.
How does my life look any different from any other person (follower of Jesus to not)? Who is guiding my thoughts, my actions? Driving my will to do this or that? These are all simple yet important questions I am asking myself tonight.
When speaking on the many people of the world who claim the title "Christian" without really understanding (or maybe just not caring) about the gravity of what following Jesus really means, Platt tells this simple little story:
"Imagine you and I set up a meeting for lunch at a restaurant, and you arrive before I do. You wait and wait and wait, but 30 minutes later I still haven't arrived. When I finally do show up, completely out of breath, I say to you "I'm so sorry I'm late. when I was driving over here, my car had a flat tire, and I pulled over on the side of the interstate to fix it. While I was fixing it, I accidentally stepped into the road, and a Mack truck going 70 mph suddenly hit me head-on. It hurt, but I picked myself up, finished putting the spare tire on the car, and drove over here."
If this was the story I shared, you would know I was either deliberately lying or completely deceived. Why? Because if someone gets hit by a Mack truck going 70 mph, that person is going to look very different then he did before!"
Do I look any different today then when I fell in love with Jesus? I know the answer is yes, and I truly believe and love Jesus with every once of my being and feel that I have been blessed to understand His grace, but am I continuing to look more and more like Him or am I aiming to look like a warped image of who the world and my distractions have made Him out to be? It's not even that my distractions are bad, it's just that He is so much better!
We are coming up against a lot of questions in our home about how to best be effective for Jesus and how to love Him and others well. With those questions come a call to dare to be different and to ask and explore what this so called "different" means.
I don't have the answers to these questions but I know I want to walk the path of finding them and not just be okay surrounded by the pretty things. I am starting my own journey of finding out how to really do the things Jesus is asking of me, do them well, and do them without fear.
Platt quotes from Oswald Chambers My utmost for His highest saying:
"Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender...
Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him... If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything that you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says. Once you obey, you will immediately find that what He says is as solidly consistent as common sense.
By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ's statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God. Trust completely in God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis-- only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the Character of God."
Jesus promised that this life would not be without trials and hardship but he never once said in the midst of or in-between them that this life wouldn't be fun! Jesus demands a unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him, now that is how I want to live!
So here goes. A little less distracted by the petty things in order to leave plenty of room for that unrestrained + adventurous spirit to shine!
Can we all just admit that by having known Jesus and fallen for His way of life we have been ruined.
Ruined for the ordinary life!
Well tonight I picked it back up and to say I have been once again wrecked by what it means to follow Jesus is an understatement. I will admit it, I have, like many others, become distracted by the people and things around me; the mountain of "things to do", and my plain ol' selfishness. I have allowed things that mean nothing, to distract me from my everything!
In a time where follow me leans more to social media then it does Jesus, I feel it is a perfect time to take a step back to really look at how I am doing this life.
How does my life look any different from any other person (follower of Jesus to not)? Who is guiding my thoughts, my actions? Driving my will to do this or that? These are all simple yet important questions I am asking myself tonight.
When speaking on the many people of the world who claim the title "Christian" without really understanding (or maybe just not caring) about the gravity of what following Jesus really means, Platt tells this simple little story:
"Imagine you and I set up a meeting for lunch at a restaurant, and you arrive before I do. You wait and wait and wait, but 30 minutes later I still haven't arrived. When I finally do show up, completely out of breath, I say to you "I'm so sorry I'm late. when I was driving over here, my car had a flat tire, and I pulled over on the side of the interstate to fix it. While I was fixing it, I accidentally stepped into the road, and a Mack truck going 70 mph suddenly hit me head-on. It hurt, but I picked myself up, finished putting the spare tire on the car, and drove over here."
If this was the story I shared, you would know I was either deliberately lying or completely deceived. Why? Because if someone gets hit by a Mack truck going 70 mph, that person is going to look very different then he did before!"
Do I look any different today then when I fell in love with Jesus? I know the answer is yes, and I truly believe and love Jesus with every once of my being and feel that I have been blessed to understand His grace, but am I continuing to look more and more like Him or am I aiming to look like a warped image of who the world and my distractions have made Him out to be? It's not even that my distractions are bad, it's just that He is so much better!
We are coming up against a lot of questions in our home about how to best be effective for Jesus and how to love Him and others well. With those questions come a call to dare to be different and to ask and explore what this so called "different" means.
I don't have the answers to these questions but I know I want to walk the path of finding them and not just be okay surrounded by the pretty things. I am starting my own journey of finding out how to really do the things Jesus is asking of me, do them well, and do them without fear.
Platt quotes from Oswald Chambers My utmost for His highest saying:
"Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender...
Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him... If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything that you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says. Once you obey, you will immediately find that what He says is as solidly consistent as common sense.
By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ's statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God. Trust completely in God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis-- only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the Character of God."
Jesus promised that this life would not be without trials and hardship but he never once said in the midst of or in-between them that this life wouldn't be fun! Jesus demands a unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him, now that is how I want to live!
So here goes. A little less distracted by the petty things in order to leave plenty of room for that unrestrained + adventurous spirit to shine!
Can we all just admit that by having known Jesus and fallen for His way of life we have been ruined.
Ruined for the ordinary life!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Processing Mr. Banks...
Some girlfriends and I met this afternoon for a much needed fun, kid free, mama-movie-date. We all wanted to see Saving Mr. Banks (I think we all figured this was our chance since most our husbands were not jumping at the opportunity to see a movie about the "making" of Mary Poppins.)
I went into the theater with little knowledge of the movie and the expectation of some lighthearted fun. To be honest, I don't think I have ever even seen Mary Poppins the whole way through and really just went along for the good company of sweet friends. I did not though, bargain for the roller coaster of emotions that hit me at each scene of the movie and the intense thoughts, pictures, memories, and realizations that have swarmed me after.
This is not, I repeat NOT a fluffy film about the making of a Disney movie. This was a beautifully told story of real life actions, consequences, and the path that life takes to make us who we are!
In the two hours I sat in that uncomfortable chair, I saw bits of how I got to be who I am and the kind of mother I want to be!
You see, whether we like to admit it or not, we are greatly affected by the childhood we have. The family we are born into and the way we are raised set the very tone for the rest of our lives. Coming from the mindset of my own childhood this brings up a mixed bag of good and bad. Luckily, the memories of the good outweigh the bad but both emotions do still coexist. This is not about me though, I know there is far more to the story then how I was raised and who I have become. More then that I am overcome with thoughts of what my own Mother has gone through and who I am raising my own daughters to be.
I thought about breaking down each thought but realized in doing so I would be revealing things I have no right to speak on (at least at this point in my life.) So instead I just want to say a quick thought and encourage you to see the movie through your own background and lens.
What each person in this life has experienced is what sets them up for who they will become. For some it is generations of love and good and joys and for others it is not. P.L Travers reminded me so much of my own mom and watching the story of her with her dad showed me how one might become that way.
To consider why someone is who they are is a beautiful gift we have to give. To not write them off for the actions they have (or lack there of) but to truly question, wonder, and ask is a responsibility we have in loving one another well. This movie showed me so clearly how one does not just wake up one day to be who they are: but took me on a two hour journey of how it can come to be.
Find out more about that person in your life who holds so much mystery. Boldly ask them more about their story so that you can better understand them and in return love them well and meet them in that place where they need to be. (I write this from my own vulnerability. So Mom, if you are reading this, I want to know more and invite you to write and share things with me...)
Take the time to invest into peoples lives and go beyond the surface of who you think they are. There are events that lead us and people who change us: each one leaving a lasting imprint on who it is we become. Our own words and actions also do the same for others so the responsibility is ours to be careful and thoughtful, because wounds run deep and impact so much more then our simple minds can see. (note: the entire movie is about just this!)
And lastly, do not give up on the ones you love even if you do not understand them. Be patient and pray and maybe, just maybe, like the film, you will see the whole picture and it will all make sense one day!
ok, Now Go, see the movie for yourself! And do not worry, there are PLENTY of laughs and light hearted moments to balance the intensity :)
well done Disney, so very very well done!
I went into the theater with little knowledge of the movie and the expectation of some lighthearted fun. To be honest, I don't think I have ever even seen Mary Poppins the whole way through and really just went along for the good company of sweet friends. I did not though, bargain for the roller coaster of emotions that hit me at each scene of the movie and the intense thoughts, pictures, memories, and realizations that have swarmed me after.
This is not, I repeat NOT a fluffy film about the making of a Disney movie. This was a beautifully told story of real life actions, consequences, and the path that life takes to make us who we are!
In the two hours I sat in that uncomfortable chair, I saw bits of how I got to be who I am and the kind of mother I want to be!
You see, whether we like to admit it or not, we are greatly affected by the childhood we have. The family we are born into and the way we are raised set the very tone for the rest of our lives. Coming from the mindset of my own childhood this brings up a mixed bag of good and bad. Luckily, the memories of the good outweigh the bad but both emotions do still coexist. This is not about me though, I know there is far more to the story then how I was raised and who I have become. More then that I am overcome with thoughts of what my own Mother has gone through and who I am raising my own daughters to be.
I thought about breaking down each thought but realized in doing so I would be revealing things I have no right to speak on (at least at this point in my life.) So instead I just want to say a quick thought and encourage you to see the movie through your own background and lens.
What each person in this life has experienced is what sets them up for who they will become. For some it is generations of love and good and joys and for others it is not. P.L Travers reminded me so much of my own mom and watching the story of her with her dad showed me how one might become that way.
To consider why someone is who they are is a beautiful gift we have to give. To not write them off for the actions they have (or lack there of) but to truly question, wonder, and ask is a responsibility we have in loving one another well. This movie showed me so clearly how one does not just wake up one day to be who they are: but took me on a two hour journey of how it can come to be.
Find out more about that person in your life who holds so much mystery. Boldly ask them more about their story so that you can better understand them and in return love them well and meet them in that place where they need to be. (I write this from my own vulnerability. So Mom, if you are reading this, I want to know more and invite you to write and share things with me...)
Take the time to invest into peoples lives and go beyond the surface of who you think they are. There are events that lead us and people who change us: each one leaving a lasting imprint on who it is we become. Our own words and actions also do the same for others so the responsibility is ours to be careful and thoughtful, because wounds run deep and impact so much more then our simple minds can see. (note: the entire movie is about just this!)
And lastly, do not give up on the ones you love even if you do not understand them. Be patient and pray and maybe, just maybe, like the film, you will see the whole picture and it will all make sense one day!
ok, Now Go, see the movie for yourself! And do not worry, there are PLENTY of laughs and light hearted moments to balance the intensity :)
well done Disney, so very very well done!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
A letter to my girls.
Am I the only one that sometimes feels overwhelmed with the world we are currently raising children in and the influence it has? Now don't get me wrong, I fully understand that people have always been a bit crazy and they always will be, but whew, the responsibility I have as a mother to guide my girls properly and give them the the right perspective on how to decipher what is right and wrong, true and false, gospel and not, is just a really really big deal.
So here are my thoughts. As I sit here at 30, processing all I hear and see, here are just a few things I want to say and influence those two beautiful girls asleep in the next room...
My girls,
I hope to always start everything I pass onto you with Love. I know I do not always do this by example, but I always want pure love to be the driving force in all that I and all that you do. The reason why love is so important is because love covers! It covers the good AND the bad. It's not up to us as to whom we love and to what degree we love, we are simply and clearly called to love. Even when you are tired of loving and feel like you have no more love to give, still I say, love!
Throughout your entire life you are going to see things that you do not agree with. Something you must know though is, there is a difference between an injustice and disagreement. You cannot fight every battle nor should you try and let your opinion be known in every thing that rubs you the wrong way. Know when to turn the other cheek and when to stand up for the one who has had their voice taken away. Save your energy for the things that are really important so that when you do speak up, the people around you will listen!
You have the ability to create beauty in yourself and in others. By the way you speak and the way you listen, you have the power to raise someone up (and the same power to tear them down). You have been created in the very image of the living God and to see yourself as anything less then is a shame. No you are not perfect, and sometimes your imperfections will be more obvious then others, but more importantly then the way you see yourself, I want you to see the way God sees you through Jesus. True beauty shines so bright through the understanding and ability to see yourself and others through eyes that are far more gracious, pure, and enlightened then your own.
More then anything I want you two to be gracious, generous, empathetic, loving, true, just, and kind. I want you to take on the heart of your maker and have the ability to see his people through a glimpse of the lens that he sees. I so desire for you to be slow to speak and really weigh your words carefully for they have so much power to build and destroy. Recognize the influence you have to breathe life and to share the hope I pray you will grow to know well. Changes of the heart do not come from being attacked and belittled, but come when we extend the grace we have been given, especially when it is not deserved.
Be slow to anger, quick to forgive and always always be ready and willing to love and love well!
You create beauty with your attitude, your behavior, your actions (it's all up to you).
I am already so proud of you!
your mama
Our kids are going to hear MANY MANY voices in their days, make sure yours is one they know they can always always trust and come to!
So here are my thoughts. As I sit here at 30, processing all I hear and see, here are just a few things I want to say and influence those two beautiful girls asleep in the next room...
My girls,
I hope to always start everything I pass onto you with Love. I know I do not always do this by example, but I always want pure love to be the driving force in all that I and all that you do. The reason why love is so important is because love covers! It covers the good AND the bad. It's not up to us as to whom we love and to what degree we love, we are simply and clearly called to love. Even when you are tired of loving and feel like you have no more love to give, still I say, love!
Throughout your entire life you are going to see things that you do not agree with. Something you must know though is, there is a difference between an injustice and disagreement. You cannot fight every battle nor should you try and let your opinion be known in every thing that rubs you the wrong way. Know when to turn the other cheek and when to stand up for the one who has had their voice taken away. Save your energy for the things that are really important so that when you do speak up, the people around you will listen!
You have the ability to create beauty in yourself and in others. By the way you speak and the way you listen, you have the power to raise someone up (and the same power to tear them down). You have been created in the very image of the living God and to see yourself as anything less then is a shame. No you are not perfect, and sometimes your imperfections will be more obvious then others, but more importantly then the way you see yourself, I want you to see the way God sees you through Jesus. True beauty shines so bright through the understanding and ability to see yourself and others through eyes that are far more gracious, pure, and enlightened then your own.
More then anything I want you two to be gracious, generous, empathetic, loving, true, just, and kind. I want you to take on the heart of your maker and have the ability to see his people through a glimpse of the lens that he sees. I so desire for you to be slow to speak and really weigh your words carefully for they have so much power to build and destroy. Recognize the influence you have to breathe life and to share the hope I pray you will grow to know well. Changes of the heart do not come from being attacked and belittled, but come when we extend the grace we have been given, especially when it is not deserved.
Be slow to anger, quick to forgive and always always be ready and willing to love and love well!
You create beauty with your attitude, your behavior, your actions (it's all up to you).
I am already so proud of you!
your mama
Our kids are going to hear MANY MANY voices in their days, make sure yours is one they know they can always always trust and come to!
Monday, December 2, 2013
into the woods
We did a little family photo shoot a few weeks ago with two gals I just love to pieces. Lauren has quickly over the past couple years, become one of my best friends. She is kind, real, creative, real, fun, real... All the things that make me tick! We are pretty like minded on a lot of things and it makes being her friend effortless and fun! Lauren styled the shoot, I swear with just me in mind! (did I tell you we have the same taste!) and the wonderfully sweet and fun Caroline took the photos!
It was kind of a crazy time as Poppy did not want to sit still and carried around a minnie mouse lip gloss the entire time, but somehow Caroline managed to get some really cute photos of us!
reading (or am I just trying to keep poppy from running away?!)
the only way to get Poppy in the shot sitting still... allow the lip gloss! haha
close up!
kissing under the mistletoe
loving on my big girl
love how tender Andy is with his girls
me and my man
tangled in lights
just a real life moment
getting squeezed
more k-i-s-s-i-n-g
beautiful girl
cozied up with our first born (while poppy is off somewhere with her lip gloss)
looking out on the city we love
PDX
up close with Poppy
Thank You so much Lauren & Caroline for being patient and good sports working with this crazy crew! I adore you two so much!
tree
Man, Thanksgiving was LATE this year. Usually I am not so overly zealous to get our tree but being that it was really almost December, we decided to take advantage of the dry Saturday and venture out!
Dont get me wrong, I love love love getting our tree! I just like to celebrate one Holiday at a time :)
beautiful poppy in a sea of trees
sweet baby wonderer
family shot on the hayride out to find our tree
can this girl get any prettier?!?
Daddy giving me a funny wink (love pops in the background!)
anxious to cut!
Alomae hugging the tree after Daddy cute it down!
And oh my is our tree big. It did not look so big in the woods, but in our little house it is grand! I just LOVE the girls ages right now and how fun these little adventures are.
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