Barbies, books, & bugs ... OH MY!

Just as the title says things are just that, barbies, books and BUGS! Madi has been up to her eyeballs in projects these last few weeks- my goodness 5th grade is more demanding than 4th! She had to complete a model of an insect..

So while Madi was working on her project little Miss Anna was busy creating "Barbie Magic" in the living room. I could hear her deep in conversation. I am going to miss it when she no longer loves her Barbies. She has such an imagination. She created some kind of couch for them with a Kleenex box, she plays for hours, setting up furniture all over the house.

Madelyne continued to plow through her work tonight and amazingly completed ALL of her projects! YEAH for her! A few of them are not due until next week, but Madelyne is all done! She worked really hard ( so did dad he was the artist).

Sweet Moments....

Gotta love this poster Madi made! It just cracks me up!!

The girls have been playing together A LOT lately, something that just melts my heart. 99.9% we don't hear a peep out of them, they just create their imaginary magic together. On occasion they squabble, but I would worry if they didn't. It is BARBIES, most of the time...here are some of the things I have come across.

Ha, ha the baby in her crib!

Love this, Ken has a broken neck, so it's taped!

Of course Barbie & Ken share a twin size bed. LOL

Today there were a few things that little miss Anna said that I knew I couldn't NOT write down.

Tonight the girls were watching a show about a girl who was hit by a car trying to save her little sister from getting hit.

Anna thinks for a second and says "Madi would you save me if I was going to die?"

Madi says: "Yeah, I would."

Anna responds: "I would, no doubt about it, for sure, because I LOVE you!"

Ahh, heart please give it back now! That little girl is just so sweet.

Tonight she was feeling a bit frustrated and sad because her sister was asked to a friend's tomorrow after school. She gets really sad and says, "When am I going to get invited somewhere?' I wanted to scoop her up, but had to remind her she did go to a birthday party the last TWO weekends in a row and just got invited to one for next weekend. (Dang, we are going to go broke buying birthday gifts!) She then realized she HAS been invited to play with friends. Dang, the kid has a better social life than I do!

The kids are always complaining about us telling them to pick their rooms up and "Why do we ALWAYS have to pick up our rooms?" I thought I would document some of their "messiness" as I keep reminding them, we pick up so it won't become too overwhelming later and to keep our home nice. Ha-ha, as if they really care! :)

Madi, well she has JUNK all over ALL the time!

Anna's desk...goodness it never looks like a desk!

Tonight the girls had a snack before bed, always a perfect photo op! Love these silly kids!

Fudgesicle

Vanilla with chocolate powder! YUMMY!

These two are just a kick! Always being silly!!!

Until tomorrow...

One Foot Forward...

Last evening the girls participated in the Salvation Army style show. This event helped raise money for many of the Salvation Army funded programs. It was a fun event and the girls had a chance to dress up and feel special as well. It was a little bitter-sweet as their grandma purchased their outfits and it was her friend who was in charge of the show- yet grandma was unable to attend.

Grandma is in California right now, as her brother is dying from cancer (something our family is all too familiar with). However, I made this video to show grandma the highlights. :)

The girls have been talking a lot about their uncle Dan and him passing away to heaven. Anna especially, as she is really having a hard time with this. She had a moment the other night when we had guests over where she broke down crying. She just does not think it is fair that he has to leave and says she will miss him. Although she does not see him all that much, I know she understands the concept and it frightens her.

This just makes me worried for how she will handle losing someone who is close to her, she is so very sensitive. It is hard for kids, when they have never really experienced loss. Madelyne sees things more logically and understands the suffering and idea behind being sick and how much better it is to go "home" with Jesus. I realize this is an age difference, it is hard to teach that.

You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he's gone
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what he'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

~ David Harkins

I think that it is hard to look at a life that has been difficult to deal with and know HOW you are suppose to feel. BUT, family is family and taking care of each other in our best and worst is what we do. No one should have to suffer through cancer no matter what they have done or how difficult they may be to deal with. Life is too short, CHERISH EVERY MOMENT!

God is Great, but sometimes Life ain't Good.

I love these lyrics from the song "Anyway" by Martina McBride

You can spend your whole life buildin'
Something from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This world's gone crazy
It's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
In a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah - I do it anyway

You can pour your soul out singing
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yea, sing it anyway
Yeah, yeah!

I sing
I dream
I love
anyway


What brings this to my mind? So much has been happening and we just don't have any control of it. I think right now of my family. My uncle is battling the end stages of pancreatic cancer. It feels something like having a DVD on RPT, as we went through this with my grandmother (his mom) 8 years ago. Yes, it was the SAME UGLY cancer. I have such a curious hatred for cancer. I say curious, because I want to know more, learn more and study more. I have seen cancer invade the lives of too many I love that I want to pay it forward and learn how to beat the BEAST!

Dan and my brother Chris (who also lives in California).

The last five months have been full of trials and moments of wondering 'where is God?' is my life? I have realized through the valley that He was whispering for me to come closer, closer, closer and TRUST in his LOVE and plan for me. That is really hard when you think you are the one in control of your own life. I have had to take a serious step back and learn that it is not me, God ultimately has the last say in everything happening in my life- THAT I had to accept. We grow up being told to 'make out own choices and decisions' and be "responsible"- which is true. Yet, we have to learn that our Father is the one who has our life written out and knows what is to come.

(Photo copyright Christopher Maddox 2011)

We never want to live our life with "regrets". Every decision I have made in my career has blessed me for the time I was there and opened a new door to my future. I spent a bit of time wondering WHY my life would change the way it has, but God's plans for me are MUCH bigger!!! I know that he wants me to take my love for kids and my experiences and pay it forward. I had to TRUST and be patient through the last few months. I will not say those months were easy. It has required a lot of praying and trusting in His plan. But patience has paid off and God's love for me is evident! I have met so many new amazing people and spoken with some who have reminded me which opinions REALLY matter.

It is difficult to know what is in store for me and my family as none of us can predict the future. I do know the next few years will not be easy, school will be busy, work will be physically demanding and hard on the body and money will be tight. But we will get through it, it will not be forever and we will learn to get by. The payoff will be worth it. :) I also know, it will be a blip on the radar. Life is such a journey, and when we travel through our journey, sometimes it feels like it is lasting forever, when in reality- it is just a speck of time. As our pastor once said we our living out our "scratch"- when the real living is eternity with God, that is what we are preparing for.

Challenges...we all meet them. It is how we face them that shows what we are made of.

What is inside of you?

http://www.newsboys.com/bornagain

http://www.newsboys.com/bornagain

Easter is HERE!!!

It is hard to believe that SPRING has Sprung! Wow, we are in April already!?!?!
Hopefully the beautiful weather we are having is a GOOD sign that the cold is gone for good. BRR...it was a nasty one this year! I think that we have been spoiled over the years. haha

All the signs of spring are in BLOOM, literally! The birds are chirping (our cats are hunting) or at least trying through the window. The trees are beginning to show the first buds on the end and even those plants we thought were gone- sprouting up! All beautiful to me after snow, snow, and more snow! 

Sadie sits at the window and "talks" to the birds and the bunnies! She meows SO loud at us wanting out! In one day she escaped -FAST- out the door three times!! She is going to be a handful this summer! 

Even Oliver has gotten into the spirit of SPRING~ with a NEW haircut. I know it looks very strange, but HOLY SMOKES he has got to feel better. He was shedding so bad and I think he must have lost 5 pounds in hair! He is still our Oliver. Too bad Sadie hissed and batted at him the first few days because she did not recognize him. Poor thing! :(

The girls are EXCITED to spend this next week home for spring break. Unfortunately, my school is on a different schedule than the girls- so they will be spending the week with grandparents. I will be heading back to work on Monday. It is hard to believe that we have just 6 weeks of school remaining. We will send our progress reports home in two weeks, that marks half-way through the quarter. SO hard to believe! Where has this year gone?

The girls enjoyed flying their kites last night- we had just enough wind. Daddy was on the ball with that one getting those kites out there- what fun! There were several neighbor kids helping out- we had those kites out there until dark!!

We had the perfect amount of wind to get those kites up there!                                                        

Oops~ stuck in a tree!

Today the girls & daddy went to the park played and went on a bike ride. Mommy stayed home and did the taxes. Hmm.... I think that daddy got  the lucky break this time!?!?!

Tomorrow we are taking the girls to a HUGE Easter Egg hunt at Wildlife Prairie Park. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and the rain will be out of here by early tomorrow morning.

The girls do not know we are going, so it should be a nice surprise! They have been begging to go to the park itself, so that will be a nice treat. Again, I pray the rain will be OVER!

We wish you all a very Happy Easter Sunday! May you enjoy the time you spend with your family! Anna is very excited because this Easter Sunday is shared with her 7th birthday! How very special for her!  We have a low-key day planned, just happy to be together! :-)

JESUS LOVES US ALL SO MUCH

Jesus loves us all so much
That He would bleed and die
He took upon His beaten back
The cross that saw Him crucified

Yes He loved us all so much
That He was scorned and scoffed
He took it all upon Himself
For it was the will of God

God knew it was the only way
The final sacrifice
Jesus Christ a sinless man
Would need to give His life

And even in the gift He gave
We still have not yet known
The fullness of His mighty love
And the grace so freely shown

All He asks is that we all
Repent and follow Him
For He has made the way for us
Free from hurt and sin

Yes God loved us all so much
And yes He loves us still
He longs for us to trust in Him
And do the Fathers will

~~~ Happy Easter ~~~

Brent, Julie, Madelyne & Anna

Snow? More? WHY???

Well, here we sit waiting for yet another round of the white stuff. AGH, I think we are all about sick of the snow and ready for SPRING! :-)
It seems that this winter has been full of snow, snow, snow! I suppose that is what living in the midwest is all about!

Anna seems much more enthused about getting out to play in the snow than Madi. Madelyne seems to think that it is a waste of time to get cold and wet! Haha, her thinking cracks me up sometimes. These are from our last snow. Anna, had a blast! Madi was out for five minutes before school and that was it!

A bit sunny with the snow!

     Snow angels!!                     

Such a smile!

Miss Dimples!

Super Bowl Sunday!!

TRYING not to BLINK!!!

Ahhh yes, these days have been filled with cabin fever! We are longing for our bicycles and our swing set! The girls and I are in desperate need of the park and sunshine...spring please come SOON! :)

Praying for sunshine...

Julie, Brent & the girls