The Blessed life...

I am not sure I have been quite as excited to do my Christmas cards as I am this year!! WHY you might ask?? Well because we live on the beach now so I FINALLY get to have family portraits done on the beach!! For years I have seen families do this and thought "now that would be Awesome!!' And here we are---living less than 5 minutes away from the beach and I can finally do it!! I found a great local photographer who was willing to work with me so that our family can get some amazing shots taken. And then to top it all off---I am going to buy my cards through Tiny Prints again!  I have participated in a blog share through Tiny Prints for the past few years and loved it---I get to share their amazing stuff and they reward me with a great deal on my cards!!
Here are a few I love...you might want to check you their Christmas Cards to see if there is anything YOU might like!!












Tiny Prints is offering some specials so be sure to check those out too!! Cant wait to show our finished product!!

The kids that is!! Seriously some days I dont know where the time has gone--the kids are growing soo fast!! Today I told Austin how lucky we are to live in a family that loves each other so much, that speaks kind words to each other, and that is blessed with so much. You know--some days you just have those moments where that hits you. Well--its been doing that for me lately!!

Lexi's new thing is to sing---and wanting to have songs sung to her. The other day I realized how very innocent she still is---wish I could keep her like that forever.

Austin has started to really initiate trying to be helpful---like REALLY helpful! Tonight he loaded the cart with all the trash ( we live on the 4th floor so to take the trash out is a job--we have a little push cart we use for trash and groceries!) He loaded the cart, pushed it down to the dumpster, unloaded it, pushed to the car, then loaded the cart into the truck---all by himself! ( I of course was with him but he did it all on his own!)

Beach day last month!

Aunt Courtney and Ireland came for the weekend last month and we had some great beach time!

Playing with hermit crabs...of course!

Here is some pictures--I admit--I have been awful with posting pictures because since we got new phones that take great pictures, I never upload them to my computer to post here...sigh. Technology makes it easier and harder all at the same time!

*Note--I should warn you--this blog post is not about my family, fun pics from the beach
( alright...maybe I will throw one of those in somewhere,!) or about the happenings in our life. Its about something the Lord showed me in my quiet time yesterday morning. And honestly...I am not sure why I am supposed to share here...its not like I have this huge platform to speak to people. But  nevertheless I am being obedient and letting my lesson of THAT day be shared. Maybe it will speak to the one person it was supposed to get to,  in sharing it here.*

If anyone knows me, you know that I feel pretty strongly about being transparent. Transparent about struggles, joys, past events, and who makes you who you are. Now this does not mean that every person you meet, you share your deepest, darkest secret with. ( although I have been in that place where I just met someone and felt I was supposed to share something...and later looked back and SAW why I needed to share that crazy info that I never would have shared with a stranger before!)
I have always believed that being vulnerable and transparent with people...allows them to relate to you.

But man do we ever have a tough time doing that. As I was reading through my quiet time yesterday, something was mentioned about David--and how through the Psalms, we see his ups, downs, his struggles, joys and victories We witness how he cried out to God when things were bad--and how he praised him when things were good. And all of a sudden I thought...wow...can you imagine many people in this day and age allowing THAT much of their life to be seen by all the world? No one wants everyone to see ALL their failures and mistakes--yes maybe we share  a small one here or there. --"I ignored my kids this morning when they wanted cuddle time because I was on Facebook. Or "I wanted sleep this morning more than I wanted my quiet time with the Lord." We feel we can SHARE those things...but what about the big things. If we look at the bible, its ALL about people being transparent...Rahab's life choices, Mary's struggle with God's huge job for her, Josephs doubts, Peters denials, Job's anger with the Lord, Hagar's pregnancy that caused so much resentment....the list goes on and on and on.

But with each story and person...we not only see their struggles, failures and lows...we also get to see their victories, joys and the hand of God in all of it. What hit me yesterday was this....if we are not transparent, we not only don't allow people to see our struggles--we don't allow people to see how God worked. If we think we need to put on the perfect happy face...who are we trying to  identify with? The people who are perfect and happy? Cause I am pretty sure there are few of those around. Do we want people to think that as long as your perfect, than you don't struggle? Is that the example the Lord gave us to set? Who do you learn from or identify with--those who appear to have it all together or those who real about their life?


OR---are we to show our struggles and valleys...so then the people around us can also be witness to the miracles, the joys and the victories?  If we are to share the "good news", what better way than through the examples of the Lord working in our lives!

Again--I don't think the Lord calls for us to let it all hang out, ALL the time. But I do think we live in a world where people think they need to be something that they are not. Or need to keep things private as to not seem vulnerable, seem needy, or not seem like they are not trusting the Lord.  I think we can still be actively trusting the Lord, even if we share where we are struggling in doing so!

I recently witnessed a close friend who walked through one of the most terrifying and hardest struggles a marriage and family can.  I saw the lows, the deep valleys and the moments of sure terror. But as the Lord has started to heal and bring this family back together, they are sharing bits and pieces of their story with people. I am sure some people are shocked by this story---but I also know that many others will get to be witness to God's amazing power of healing and reconciliation because they are  sharing there imperfections. I wonder how many other families may be saved from the same hurt, because this family is sharing theirs.

What do you keep hidden that someone near you might need to know about? Are you keeping your struggles  private...but then in turn are also keeping God's victories private? How can we also share our OWN personal  book of Psalms ?

• *Its storming really bad here--and all I can hear is the wind, rain coming down sideways and the palm tree's beating the side of the building. We dont even have a hurricane warning this weekend...and I wonder what it will be like the first time we have to live through one of those. *Note to self* NEED to get that evacuation box/list ready before NEXT hurricane season! ( The Joy's of Island Life!)

Speaking of island life...here is a picture out our bathroom window... I know its hard to see---but over that tan building/white roof is the beach. Here--this one is zoomed in...it was raining that day too!

oh and here is a pic of the bathroom...one of the few COMPLETED rooms in the house!

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•   This the first weekend Shea has been home in like 5 weeks...he has been working 6 day weeks, LONG days. Needless to say we ALL are exhausted and so thankful to have him home with us. 
• Our house in DFW has not sold...and we are sooo ready to have that huge monkey off our backs. We have done foundation work, we have the latest pipe breakage fixed and we keep on paying that mortgage.  I pray everyday that we will finally get a buyer...and unfortunately is does has not happened. I kind of wonder what out life will be like here once we are not in constant worry over that any more. 
• This week I had really great moment really SEEING my kids. You know the days go on and on--life gets busy, you do the same routine and you just miss SEEING things. This week I was convicted of that and tried to really SEE things. I saw that Lexi is asking a TON more questions and we are understanding her more and more clearly. Her favorites..what ya doin mama? Mama 'mere ( come here),nack, nack ( snack), who talkin to? ( when I am on the phone) and our favorite...daddy toot! Mama toot. Bubba toot! (gotta love a little girl with an older brother!) For Austin...I  saw that he is paying attention to more things around him and asking REAL questions like --where does the moon go when it's day time? Or how come the boats look like they are going so fast way out in the ocean when they really are not? He is also becoming much more engaged in "bigger" kids play like leggo's building stuff--he still LOVES his trains, but he is playing more with other stuff and using his imagination. 
• Lexi has not slept in her bed in over 2 weeks--night time sleep or nap time sleep. Where is she sleeping you might ask--you are assuming its with us!! BUT its not...I told Shea that every time I go check on her after she has gone to sleep--its like "where's waldo?" Tonight I had to tunr the  light in to find her---she was under bed, all the way against the wall, with two pillows blocking her from view. I have no idea whats going on with her--we put her to bed every time IN her bed with pillows, blankets, babies, etc... and every time we find her somewhere on the floor with her pillows, blankets and babies. That girl!!
• I leave for DFW in about 10 days for a doula training and I have mixed emotions about it.  I am ssooo excited to go and do it...but I am afraid I am going to be emotional going back to Ft Worth and be near my house the entire time. I will be gone 4 full days--and 3 nights...longest I have been away from the kids and daddy all at one time...praying the weekend goes smooth for ALL involved!! 
• We have been doing the beach every Sunday. Church, home to change really quick, grab teh cooler and head out. 2 weeks ago we pulled up to our spot...and found a neighborhood of hermit crabs. Needless to say they entertained the entire family for hours. We found lots more over the afternoon...but in the end we returned them back to the sea...where they belong!

These are them in their shells.

Lexi "digging" for them!

Austin with his "finds!"

If you look REALLY close you can how some of them have their little legs hanging out of the shells. We would just leave this alone and all of a sudden you would hear all of them moving around trying to get somewhere!!

Blessing for the day/week....That since we have moved here we have learned so much about so many things! All sorts of sea life, the variety of shells, different seaweed and its cycles, why the ocean looks like it does on certain days, how to treat a stingray encounter AND a jellyfish encounter...and so much more. You really dont realize all there is know about something until you are submersed in it!!