Time Flies...

I can not believe that we are days away from Easter Sunday.  Time is just flying by!!  Last year on Easter Sunday during the evening service both of our girls were baptized.  It was so special not only because they were baptized together but because their daddy was the one to baptize them.  We are so blessed!

Here are some pictures from that wonderful evening...

Michaela went first and then Sophia.

The Waiting Game

I don't know about you but I do not love to wait.  Recently I heard this song and I really loved the words!  Maybe your waiting for something right now...it will be "Worth the Wait" all in God's time!


"Worth the Wait"

I can see your heart is yearning
Everything is so unclear
Is the answer ever coming
After all these years
It’s not an easy feeling
Sometimes it seems unfair
But He knows just what He’s doing
With unanswered prayers
So hold on

It’s worth the wait
Just keep believing
God has perfect timing
Never early, never late
It takes a little patience
And it takes a lot of faith
But it’s worth the wait

What if what you’re desperate for
Isn’t what you really need
What if there was something more
Than what you dreamed
We may not always see
We may not understand
But He knows just what He’s doing
He’s got a bigger plan
So hold on

In His time, you’ll be fine
All this waiting, now, is by design
written by Jason Barton/Chris Lockwood/Barry Weeks/Ian Eskelin



I know this for sure...these 2 little ladies were worth the wait!!

Clear Conscience

I have mentioned before on the blog that I am currently leading a ladies Bible study at our church right now.  We are studying Nancy Leigh DeMoss's book "Seeking Him."  I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a Bible study both in a personal way and or in a church or class setting.  It encompasses the whole idea of personal revival and the preparation we need to make in our hearts and lives.  It is a great study!!

A few weeks ago we studied having a clear conscience.  I wanted to briefly type out some of my thoughts on this topic.

• I am amazed at what Samuel did before the people of Israel in I Samuel 12:1-4.  He basically went before all the people and asked...have I offended any of you because if I have I want to make it right.  Wow!  Can we even imagine what our homes or churches or families would be like if people would be willing to "own" their wrongdoings.  It takes quite a lot of humility to go before someone and say I think I have wronged you or offended you.

• The second amazing thing about this story is when Samuel asked the question the people of Israel responded with the answer that he had NOT offended them.  So not only did he open himself up but the people responded with respect and appreciation.  What a testimony!!  

• So what about you and me?  Are there people in our lives we need to go to and just humble ourselves and say "I am sorry"?  Could you stand in your home or church or family or group of friends and open yourself up with the question...have I offended any of you?  What do you think the response would be?

• There is a French Proverb that says, "There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience."

This has me asking...What kind of pillow will I sleep on tonight, hard or soft?

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Let's talk about Saturday.  I was pretty excited about Saturday.  It did not live up to its expectations!  I had big plans but they changed.  We did sleep in a little, key word little.  We had pancakes which was nice.  Michaela had a birthday party in town so we had to leave by 10.  At about 9:30ish the sky turned black and the thunder started rumbling and the lightening flashing!  By 10 it was POURING.  Did I mention that it started to rain?  I mean hard rain the kind you curl up on the couch and read a book because "I am not going out in this?" kind of rain.  However, when you are a mommy and your sweet seven year old girl is SO excited to be going to a birthday party you get in the car and trudge on.

While Michaela was at her party which by the way she had a wonderful time, Sophia and I had a mommy/daughter date.  We went Easter dress shopping and had a nice lunch out.  I failed to take pictures as I am sure my little camera would have been ruined for all the moisture!  It rained the whole time we were out...ALL 5 hours!!!!  We did not see the sun until we were about 10 minutes from our house.

Even though it was a yucky day we still had a nice time.  Michaela had fun at her party, Sophia got some treats and we found Easter dresses!! Plus as another bonus I found them dresses on clearance for 12 dollars.  They were the same style but different print...YEA!!  They wore the bonus dresses today for church.

Here is a picture of my 2 little ladies in their new dresses...I love these girls SOOOOOO much!!

Sophia is currently sporting the "Mulan" look with her hair...she is so funny!

Disney {Day Four}

This was our last day at Disney.  Both of the girls were feeling much better which was a blessing.  As soon as they woke up they went swimming.  They both love the water and love to dive and play around.

I really did not take a lot of pictures that last day but we had fun.  We went to Animal Kingdom first so we could ride Everist and do a few other things like...the Nemo show.

After AK we headed back to Magic Kingdom for a few final rides.

There it is!!!

The girls hula hooping on Main Street

Alladin was our final ride.  We had a great time.  I am so grateful for all the memories we were able to create.  I just LOVE my family!!

Disney {Day Three}

I am not quite sure what happened on the morning of Day three, but I did not even take one picture.  We slept in that morning and headed to Hollywood Studios.  Sophia was definately sick and not feeling well at all so we just spent a couple of hours there.  .  She really just had cold symptoms, but was miserable.  Sophia did discover that she LOVES the Star Wars ride...go figure.  Michaela got to ride the Rock 'n'  Roller Coaster for the first time and LOVED IT!!  It was a fun day.  We headed back late afternoon to take a nap because we had another very exciting late dinner planned.  Sophia slept for 2 hours and woke up feeling much better.  I did remember the camera for dinner.

On our way to dinner...

We headed to the Grand Floridian to eat at 1900 Park Fare with CINDERELLA!!  

The first special guest to our table was Prince Charming and he was just that...very charming.

The girls really loved this dinner. 

The next visitors were the stepsisters and the stepmother.  They were really funny and pretty much stayed in character the whole time.  

And finally...CINDERELLLA!!  She is Michaela's favorite princess by far.  So this was an extra special treat for her.  Sophia was most excited about Prince Charming :)

The Grand Floridian was beautiful.  Quite pretty to see and walk around.  We also discovered a nice little treat after dinner.  We were going to take the ferry back to MK and then catch a bus back to the hotel.  By the time we got to the dock the fireworks at MK were about to go off.  We knew we would be able to see them from the dock so we waited and watched them there.  It was the most special way to watch the fireworks.  It was beautiful!!!  I think that was my most favorite magical moment of the trip.

Disney {Day Two}

Warning: Picture Overload

We started day two bright and early...not really.  They did very good on this trip about not getting up at the crack of dawn which was nice.  

They still occasionally like to dress alike.  Although you will notice a slight but very important difference in their shirts.  I have been requested to never mix them up (no pressure).  So I figured I could document who wore what and I could reference this if need be.

Once we were up and dressed we headed straight for our favorite park...MAGIC KINGDOM!!! If you have small children I would just plan on this park being your favorite as well.  There are things for them at each park but there is not as much as MK!

My funny girls on the bus.  It was neat because Disney was testing a brand new bus that day.  It is over 20 feet longer than their normal buses and can hold 30-40 more people.  It was really long!  We enjoyed being bus "testers" for them and got to ask lots of questions to the Disney employees.

The first ride we headed to was the Barnstormer.  They are doing a MAJOR expansion to Fantasyland and had just reopened the Goofy roller coaster as well as half of the new Dumbo ride.  I can not wait to see the completely finished Fantasyland.  

OH MY!! This is what is coming in just a few years...Watch out!!

Our first time to try the hotdogs at Casey's Corner right off of Main Street...they were Yummo! (note added:  I just was reading this again and that is not a picture of them eating the yummy hot dogs but eating cotton candy...just so you know both were really yummy.)

After lots of rides and fun we decided to head back to the hotel for a nap and some swimming.  Sophia was starting to not feel well at this point so the nap really helped.  Plus we had a fun dinner planned at the Crystal Palace with some fun characters...

Waiting for our table...Do we look tired yet?

The first visitor to our table...Eyore!

then Winnie the Pooh...

next came Piglet...

and finally Tigger!!!

It was lots of fun and the girls really enjoyed it.  After dinner we split up so Daddy and Michaela could ride the "BIG" rides.  Sophia and I hit a few rides like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, It's a Small World and others meanwhile Daddy and Michaela were riding Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and many more.  Sophia and I headed back to the hotel and went to bed and Michael and Michaela closed the park!!  She had a blast.  She is getting so big and I think she felt pretty special for getting to stay up so late.  The girl has endless energy.

These were taken with his phone but you can't miss that smile!