Sisters

When Abby saw this picture she couldnt tell which one was her...can you tell?

And can I just say " Can they be any cuter?"

My family

Changes are everywhere

Change is in the air. I love change. I love seeing the new things that come my way that God brings. At first change is scarey. For some, it is intimidating. Because you don't know what change may bring. For me, change is good. It means I'm moving forward. My life isnt just sitting duck. Right now I'm not certain where God wants us. I feel like he is driving some sort of change within us but I'm not sure where or what exactly that means....

I will wait patiently...and this time I will WAIT upon Him. I will not push my ideas into the scenario...I will alow Him to do the changing. In chapter 23 of "Purpose Driven Life" Rick Warren speaks on how we grow. God did not intend for us to remain children. He intended us to grow, to mature, to develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ. "To be like Christ you must develop the mind of CHrist. The New Testament calls this mental shift repentance, which in Greek literally means "to change your mind". You repent whenever you change the way you think by adopting how God thinks-about yourself, sin, God, other people, life, your future, and everything else. You take on Christ's outlook and perspective. Philippians 2: 5 says" ...think the same way that Christ Jesus thought..."

During these times of change for us I want to "think the same way that Jesus thought" I want my desires to be put aside and I want His desires to be placed in my heart.
Change is good.
Godly change is even better.
Especially if your walking in His will and not your own.

A time to rest

Yesterday was my day to rest. I slept in late because my girls were staying at their Grandma's ...I didnt get out of bed until almost 10am...oh how glorious it was! I ran, did a quiet time, took a long bath, then got my hair cut. (something that I usually don't do anymore). I have to say, it was strange having the entire house to myself. It was quiet. I didnt hear pitter-patter of little feet or "mommy I need you"...and to be honest, it was nice. It was nice to just...be. It was nice to take my time eating my lunch. It was nice to watch something on tv that I enjoyed. It was nice to go to the bathroom by myself...hee hee, but you know...when those girls walked thru the door, I lit up! I really missed them. Even though it was nice to have some "mommy" time, I really missed being those things to my girls. I love hearing "mommy I need you". Those words will probably only last for a short time, I have to savor them...so today, I played hard with them. We played and played and I didnt worry about the house, or the mess, or the time, I just played and it was nice too! At one point we were playing "fox and the hound" and Isabelle wanted to put me to bed, so she covered me up and we "pretended" to sleep...well, I really did fall asleep...opps, okay, so most of the day I played hard, that time, I "pretended" really really, really good.

Dead Funeral

Last night my mom called to tell me that an old friend of ours father just passed away. We have been friends with this family since I was very young so it was really sad to hear. I knew that he wasnt doing well because he had been ill for some time now. It really was just a matter of time...sooooo....even though I hate funerals, I went. I went alone, because I didnt want my daughters to see death quite yet. Funerals are just plan no fun at all. I mean, this guy was a Christian...his family are Christians...so why all the saddness?

I would like a rockin' funeral...lots of music that I love, lots of friends and family there, laughter, smiles...people rejoicing over the fact that I was with the Lord! I mean, how awesome is that? We really miss the people that pass on from this world but when they have a faith in Christ, we should be happy...it's pretty easy for me to say because I havent lost anyone really close to me in a long time...but I guess my point is to tell you that when I die, I want a big party...

Abigail celebrates her 5th Birthday!!!!

To my sweet, sweet Abigail, (my sweet, sweet Petunia)
Wow! I can't believe you are already five!!!! These past five years have flown by so quickly...and you have grown into such a beautiful young girl. I thank God everyday for you Abby! You make me laugh, you make me smile, you challenge me daily with wondering questions about the world and you love God so much at your young age. What an amazing girl you are. I pray that I can be the mom that God designed me to be even on the hard days. I pray that you will continue to share you heart, your voice, your love, your creativity, your God & your mind with others so that they can see how wonderful you are and be blessed the way your family is to have you in our lives! I am so proud of you in so many ways...I love you Abigail Rose...Happy Birthday!!!!

prayers of a child

Sometimes as a parent you wonder if anything you do or say ever really gets into your kids heads. Well the other night when Cancun, Mexico was hit by the hurricane...Abby and I were surfing the net together. We came across pictures of the storm...I looked over at her and she said,"Mom, I just feel so sad about all of our friends in Cancun(we visit there a lot and have made several lasting relationships) I just feel like I need to pray."

I was taken back. We try to pray as often as we can with the girls, not just at meals or before bed, but about life too throughout the day, but wow...she got it...she felt sad, and wanted to take her heavy heart before God. How amazingly beautiful is that?

She then knelt down in prayer for our friends, by name who were going thru the storm...

Several days later we received a call from a friend that needed prayer. We were having dinner at the time the request came in and right away Abby said, "Can I be excused for just a minute please?" She walked away from the table, went right over to the couch and knelt again before her Heavenly Father to pray for our friend....

They watch and hear our every move. We have to be doing our best to live holy, blameless lives not only because God calls us to, but also because there are little people in our homes modeling their lives after ours... scary thought but it helps to keep us on our toes...I think I'm in trouble with this one, I have a feeling she is going to call me out on a lot of things as she gets older...

Thank you Lord, for giving me such a special little girl...may she grow to love and serve you with her whole heart...

Alive in His care

Majesty, Majesty. Your grace has found me just as I am. Empty handed but alive in your care. I love this song. I think it's one of my favorites now. As we were singing this at church sunday nite my soul began to weep. He takes care of me, no matter what is going on in my life.

We talked about the fall of man & how Adam & Eve were just "hanging out" around the tree of good & evil. They could go anywhere in the entire garden & there they were. They wanted to "take things into their own hands" to see if they could "be like God" to have the knowledge of Him. So what do they do? They hang out right next to the temptation. I desire to run from the temptations in life. I don't only want to RUN, but I want to run towards something amazing. I not only want to RUN into the arms of Christ but I want to BE like Christ. I want holiness. I want a holy, blameless life that is constantly running & doing my job here on earth. I desire to reach people to love people, to truely embrace the lost. That's the ultimate goal for my life. The goal that Christ himself asked of us. That's it. To love, to be one. To reach out. To run from evil & temptations. But here we are, like Adam & Eve, wanting more. Desiring more. Climbing the tree to just see if there is more. Then we are tempted. We fall. We leave the plan of God. We are ashamed. We run. We hide.
I'm learning more & more the importance of our brothers & sisters in Christ. They are not just there to hang out with. They are there to support us, to lift us up when we are tempted. So when you struggle, don't hide, don't run away in shame. Run towards someone(a brother or sister in Christ) and allow them to carry your burdens. It's much easier to bare when someone is right there beside you lifting you up. How awesome that God made us one & desires us to be one so that we can do this for one another. Not only do we have God to lift us up & to make us "alive in His care" but He also gave us friends. Come on brothers & sisters, let's embrace this whole "oneness" thing & be honest with one another. Life here on earth wouldnt seem quite so bad then...

Aqua-what?

So for our anniversary I planned a night out to the Melting P0t(a fondue restaurant)and after a concert at the House of Blues to see Aqualung. I know what most of you are thinking...Aqua-who? Well, I heard this group from a movie & I fell in love with their sound so I thought hey, I'm gonna check them out. They were playing on the date that we were going out so I thought"why not?" Matt & Emmy joined us for the concert & it was...well, it was interesting. It was not the normal environment that the four of us find ourselves in, but the music was okay. The funny thing is we listened to two groups before Aqualung came on & by the time they came on it was 11:30 and we were all smoked out(everyone was smoking & we stank!) But we did hear a couple songs from them...and I enjoyed those at least. Check them out...aqualung.com...my favorite song is" Brighter than sunshine"

11 years !

Well, 11 years have past since David & I became husband & wife...amazing! Our anniversary was on October 8th but it has been a whirlwind of a week already(and it's only Wednesday).
It was a beautiful, sunny October day. The leaves had just started to change colors. I was running late(as usual). I quickly dressed & got my hair done and looked in the mirror. Wow, I'm getting married...to the man of my dreams, to the Godly man that I prayed for. To the man that I never thought I'd ever have. To David. I didnt feel the normal gitters that a bride feels. I was just excited. I wanted to get the show on the road! Come on, just let me run down the aisle to him! But I waited until the right moment...when the photographer told me to & when my dad took my hand. Then I saw him. Pale as ever but he was standing at least. He looked ready too. We both talked about this moment for months now. Now the time had come. We were to be husband & wife.
After a beautiful ceremony of love, tears & some laughter(I almost caught my dress on fire from the unity candle-but David, already my hero came to my rescue & stopped the candle from falling from my hand) we said those magic words,"I do". And the rest is history!
Now 11 years later & I'm still learning how to love him the way God has designed me to. This past year has been the most rewarding & the most challenging...but God has gotten us thru. In fact, this past week we experienced something that we've never had to encounter-a wedge that we never imagined would enter our marriage, but God had victory! It's amazing how two truely become one & you feel the others heart. The way that God intended...it is so beautiful. I know that we have a long way to go but I also know that we have already come so far. God has revealed some holes in our marriage that we have begun to repair...holes that I didnt even think exsisted, but He is in control & David & I will grow even closer because of them. I look forward to another 11 years with this amazing man & many, many more...

Two is perfect...one for each hand!

I just returned from babysitting my nephews for the entire day...all I can say is "whew, I'm glad I'm home to my somewhat quiet house." My sister-in-law & her husband went away for a couple of days & I got the first stretch of kid-watching ...they are great boys(3 total-they are 2, 6, 11)but VERY different from having girls. Let me explain: I'm used to tea parties, dressing up as princesses, doing shows, and playing doggies...but today we played Star Wars, lions, cars, wrestling, tag, jump on Aunt Angie & other things that totally wore me out! Also, before my sister-in-law left I asked her if the youngest was peeing on the potty yet...then I said"Can he get up on the potty by himself okay?" She looked at me, laughed & said"uh, he stands up"...opps, I forgot that boys do that...hee hee! Anyway, I'm home, my girls are in bed & I'm going to do a very "girl" thing and scrapbook for awhile...oh, and I'm glad that I have just one kid for each hand...five kids today was stretching it for me!

A kiss on the lips

"An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips." Proverbs 24:26

As I was reading this morning that Proverbs hit me. A kiss is so innocent & so sweet(especially from your child)...it brings such joy when I am kissed by my girls...& David's kisses are sweet too. Just last night we were shopping & Abby stuck to me like glue kissing me & saying"your the best mom, I love you"and then she'd give yet another sweet kiss. It brought me joy! Joy beyond what I could ever describe! So, now God is telling me that honesty brings on that same type of joy? Wow!
As I'm slowing reading "Boundaries" by Townsend & Cloud I am being constantly reminded of how little I am truly honest with people. I don't tell lies or anything, I'm just not honest...I don't truly speak the truth. When I'm asked "how are you?" I give them the "I'm great, my life is perfect, I can do everything & ANYthing that comes my way, so there is nothing in my life that is wrong" answer. Ohhhh....kkkk...whatever!
So, why can't I just be honest with people and say, "you know, my life is hard. I struggle daily. Can you pray for me?"
Is this so hard to do? Yes. But God says that I need to be honest. Honest about my limitations, honest about my boundaries(No, I can't do everything), honest when someone askes my opinion, honest to my sweet David, honest to my friends, to my mom...the list goes on & on. When I'm asked about how I feel, I need to tell people. Now, I don't want to be one of those people that spew stuff for no reason at all, those people that are constantly "complaining"...that is not what I speak of. Because God also calls us to have "joyful hearts even during a storm". I'm talking about raw, honest answers. "Yes, I'm hurt because...no, I can't do that for you...yes, I feel sad, lonely, afraid, angry..."God gave us feelings to express them. When we do express them in a loving matter people will respect us even more. They will see that we are true, honest people that they can rely on. And it will help you grow together with other believers. Cool consept.

This is my prayer today...
"Take control of what I say, oh Lord..." Psalm 141:3
May my honest answers be "like a kiss on the lips"

Pampering session number one

Yesterday was Emily's birthday. So this morning I took her to a salon for a little pampering. She is a new mom & I thought she'd enjoy a little time for herself...well, actually, I went with her...I needed some mommy time too(and some friend time).So we got our nails done(since we both bite them).Yes, Stumpy got filed, buffed & polished.(for those of you that don't know, I named one of my fingers "Stumpy" because it is my favorite to bite & it literally looks like a stump because it is so short-gross, I know). My goal is to stop my childhood habit!!!! The girl doing my nails suggested that I come in every week to have my nails done, so that I can take better care of them & to help break the habit-yeah, okay, like I have the time or the money for that...so, Em & I agreed that we need at least a once every couple months "pampering" and friend time(it might not be every week but it's better then never. )This was only my 2nd manicure in my 31 years of exsistence...
Anyway, we had a great time & then headed to a scrapbooking store & bought a couple of things on sale. It was a fun morning spending time with you Emmy! And even though your feet hurt you looked so adorable!!!!I love ya!Happy B-day yesterday!

Run Forest Run!!!!!

Okay...I hurt! All over. I guess it is a "good" hurt since I've been exercising more than ever in my WHOLE life! Emily had this wonderful(that was sarcastic)...idea that she would run a 6 mile run in November. I said"Go Em! I'll hold Addy as you cross the finish line." Then David, says"we should run it too, it will be fun to train for it."
What?
This is the man that eats pizza at 10pm !!!! Now he wants to train for a race...?
Hee hee...(I laugh)
"HAve fun..."(I laugh again, not because I don't think he can but because I knew what was coming next out of his mouth.)
"Come on, want to do it with me? We could both get into such great shape"
Hee hee...(I laugh again)
It's too bad I started reading "Boundaries" by Townsend & Cloud last week, if I started it a couple weeks before David asked me I could have said "no"...

Seriously, it has been an awesome 2 weeks so far, I finally ran 3 miles without stopping! (I watched Hitch as I ran, and the time flew)
If only I can somehow wire up a tv in front of my face, then the race wont be so bad...

Popcorn & Kisses

This morning, a lot like many mornings, my girls woke up & asked for popcorn. For those of you that know us well, making popcorn is not rare. You should see their faces as they watch patiently as the seeds begin to pop. Then screams & squeals belt out of them. The neighbors must think we're crazy because of all the fun at our house! It's such fun to do the little things that make them happy.
Later in the day as I was making burgers on the grill, little Isabelle came up to me & said," Look mama, a baby popcorn!"
I was a slight bit confused because I didnt see any popcorn & I didnt know what she was talking about. Then she showed me the inside of her nose....!!!Yep, that's right, another "nose" story to tell. When Abby was about Isa's age she stuck a cooked pea up her nose...the day I was in labor & a few hours before I had Isa...anyway, so there I was again with a toddler with something lodged in her nose. What's a mother to do? First I panicked, gently that is...I smiled & tried to hide from Isa that we might have a problem, then I remembered what the doc suggested when Abby had her nose issue. ...Plug the other side of her nostil & give her a big Kiss & blow!!!!So, I told David what happened & he came to the rescue! He knew just what to do since he was the kisser with Abby...Isa sat patiently on the kitchen counter as I explained that Daddy was going to give her a big kiss...she said, "ok mama" , David blew into her mouth & out poped the popcorn!
Whew......I hope this is the end of my nose stories...thanks David for being our Hero!!!!!

memories of mexico

wonderful cross

Oh the wonderful cross...

we sang this song at church sunday nite...I've sung it before but this time it really touched me. What a wonderful thing Jesus did for me on the cross...he died so that I may have life...he died to forgive all of my hideous sins...he did all of that for me? Oh the wonderful cross...

The message also hit home for me...serving others...loving others...expecting nothing in return...do I do that? Do I do things expecting love back? Or gratitude back? Or something material in return? I hope that my heart is right with that...I hope that I love because I need to not because I desire it back...God calls us to love unconditionally ALL THE TIME...to everyone...even the un-lovely.
Even the poor, the sick, the ugly, the crazy, the strange, the ones that annoy us to all end...EVERYONE!!!! God put it on my heart to really branch out a bit...to go beyond my comfort level with this...how? I'm not sure yet, but I want to love the un-lovely, love because He loves...show love to the world...anyone with me? If so, how can we do this here & NOW?

David & Isa in Mexico

Everyday

Everyday I am reminded of being "only human". I roll out of bed hoping that this day will be different. That I will remember to be in constant communication with my Heavenly Father, that I will love with an unconditional love to those around me, that I will be patient with the little people in my household, that I will listen when I need to listen & speak when I need to speak...
God has really been reaching deep into my soul about that last one. Yes, the others are challenging in themselves but lately it has been about listening & not speaking. I have been studying the book of Proverbs. It is amazing how many verses talk about being slow to speak. Now, I do have my moments of getting into "gossip" but that is not what I am writing about. I mean, listening...Listening to my husband, to my beautiful girls, to my neighbors, to my friends...most people when you ask them about me would probably agree that I am a great listener...okay I agree somewhat...but do I really? I listen but I don't really Listen. I don't listen to what they are REALLy saying, I listen to what I think they are saying & then I make remarks to encourage. But sometimes I need to JUST listen. For some reason I feel that I need to be the "helper" the "healer" the one that makes everyone feel better. That is okay but I think most people would say they just want someone to really "hear" them & understand where they are coming from. Not to "solve" it but to just LISTEN. David will tell you that I do this ALL the time to him. The other day we were driving & we saw people playing tennis..so he says," I loved playing tennis in high school, I used to play so often"
Okay, here comes Angie to the rescue!!!!HE obviously desires to play again, and since he is so busy with our family & work he must feel that he cant'do those types of things again-right?
Boy was I wrong...he simply wanted to talk about how fun it was once in his life...so I open up my encouraging yet alot of times irritating Italian mouth and say"You should start playing again, find a place where you can play, I'll make some calls for you"

He didnt even want to talk about tennis anymore, I gave him a solution when he just wanted to talk...what I could have said was,"tell me what you enjoyed about it"then he would have shared his heart..now, this is a simple story about nothing but the point is I need to listen...to find out what the other person is really looking for, to give them a listener ear not a solution to everything.

Proverbs 15:23 " A man finds joy in giving an apt reply-and how good is a timely word!"

Vs.2 " The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly."

Proverbs 10:8" The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin."

I don't want to be a chattering fool, fixing everyones problems when they don't want them fixed, I want to be a friend who listens. A friend to my husband who just wants to share his thoughts, a friend to my friends who just want me to "feel" what they are feeling. As I was running this morning it dawned on me who else this affects...my daughters, I feel that God is allowing me to see this little problem in my life so that I can prepare for my daughters. They are really going to need me the most as they grow older. They are going to want me to sit on the edge of their bed to listen to them talk about their periods, their friend issues, and why it hurts when a boy breaks their hearts...I need to learn to listen with my heart now, so that I can be there for them then...
Lord, thank you for giving me a new chance every morning. Help me everday to listen more & speak less.

STD's

Okay I know that this is a weird way to start my blog but I just had to write this...the other nite Abby & I were telling stories before bedtime when she said that she had a story to tell me...it was called "The giraffe that ate too much"
okay sounds cute, well the first thing out of her mouth was" Once upon a time there was a giraffe & his name was Gone-a-ree-a" (yes, that's right the STD name) it took alot for me not to crack up, but I was able to hold my composer until I shared the story with David...Abby loves making up names for her stories & characters that she acts out when we play but this one was by far the most creative...hee hee...

Isa and mommy on the beach in Cancun.

Moving Day

I've packed up my xanga and moved my blog here.