One word....WOW!

Let me go ahead and apologize if this ends up being long. I don't really know how much I'll write; it could be a lot, or it might be a little.

This weekend was AMAZING. I don't think I realized how long it's been since I've truly let God speak to me and reveal Himself to me in new ways until this weekend. First, try to picture 19,000 women in one place together....worshipping our Heavenly Father with raised hands and raised voices. That was pretty powerful in itself. Then you add in the three Godly women that spoke and it really left me in awe of God.

Friday night, I had the honor of listening to a woman named Priscilla Shirer for the first time. She was so funny....yet so serious.....all at once. Her whole talk was focused on chapters in Exodus (even though she talked about other scriptures as well) and about God taking His people into the wilderness. The wilderness is just times in our lives of trials and tribulations while God tests us and refines us. For some reason, lately, I've kind of been overwhelmed by feelings of fear of something going "wrong" in my life. I've always kind of struggled with worrying too much about things that I can't control, but ever since I became a mom it has been really hard on me. I find myself constantly in fear of something going wrong with one of my kids. We all know that the mind can be a pretty dark place if we let it and there have definitely been times in the last 2 years that I have let it. I find myself talking to God and saying that I want to do whatever it takes to praise Him and live my life for Him and for Him to do whatever in my life that needs to be done to bring refining. However, right behind that, I immediately think "But please don't let it involve Joey.....or my kids....or my parents....or Trey and his fiance." See what I'm doing? I constantly put stipulations on what I want God to do. The problem is that I'm not completely trusting God with every area of my life. I want to hold onto to certain things because I don't have the faith that come with knowing that I know that I know that God is COMPLETELY in control of EVERYTHING no matter what the circumstance. Priscilla said that sometimes it's during the times that we are the furthest from external blessings that God is bringing us to the top of His mountain.

On Saturday, Beth Moore said something that kind of coincided with Priscialla's talk from Friday night that absolutely stopped me in my tracks and made me think, "wow". She too was talking about struggles and hardships in life. She said that NO MAN has ever seen God's face because scripture says that no man can see His face and live. His glory is just too all consuming and too powerful for us to see with our "naked eye". So, she said that when we are in the darkest moments of our life, we need to realize that God has His hands over our eyes so that we can't see His glory. I loved that! I love the thought that although I may go through extremely dark times in the future that God is still with me and He might just be shielding me from His glory for a moment....but in time He will reveal Himself to me again and deliver me from the hard time. For someone that seems to struggle with feelings of fear over the future, this was such a huge comfort to me. Right now life is going along very smoothly. I guess that's what makes me live in fear the most.....the fact that things are going so well that I think the "other shoe needs to drop" so to speak. One of the biggest things I learned this weekend is that when/if the other shoe does drop, God will be there to pick it up and place it back on my foot! I have to remember that I am more protected in the "wilderness" with God that I am outside of the wilderness without Him. So, when I go through times of wilderness in my life, I should pitch a tent, camp out, and see what God has planned.

I was going to write more about Kay Arthur and Beth Moore but I'll have to save it for my next post. Just reliving Friday night with Priscilla for a few moments on here is enough for now. Not only that, the truths that both of these other women shared deserve their own posts!

For those of you that prayed for this weekend for me....THANK YOU! I could definitely feel them and God answered them in big ways. Makinley did AWESOME for Joey and his mom and she took the bottle fine. So, it was awesome!!!!!

A short break....

Well, I had a slight accident with chocolate milk on Tuesday and spilled it on my computer! So, it's getting fixed and I'm going crazy with no internet access at home. I'm at the library right now checking my email and getting my "blog fix"! We'll get the computer back in a week and I'm sure I'll have plenty to update then.

Until then...pray for me for the next 48 hours. I leave tomorrow at 2 for the Deeper Still conference and I'll be back on Saturday around 7 or 8. Pray that God speaks to me in an amazing way. I pray I leave the conference rejuvenated as a mom, wife, and just as a child of God! I can't wait to see what God shows me.

Also, pray for Joey and the kids. I haven't left overnight since Makinley was born so we are all a little nervous about how it is going to go. His mom is coming to stay at the house with him and the kids.

I'll be anxious to get back on here and share how the weekend goes!

Mak's favorite things

Makinley LOVES to take a bath! In fact, as soon as she hears the water running, she comes scrambling into the bathroom screaming and she loves for you to take off her clothes. I know there will come a day when she will want to KILL me for putting these pictures on here, but she's just so darn cute that I couldn't resist! She is also obsessed with the nightlight that is plugged into the hall. We have to unplug it every morning and plug it back in at night. So, I got a couple of pictures of her trying to take it out!

Taking off...

Standing at the tub

Is she watching me?

Next up? Tripp Lancaster!

I wonder if the Braves start recruiting at 2? If so, I think we have the next Chipper Jones on our hands!

Trying to figure it out.....

I have nursed Makinley her whole life.....so she has had to have very few bottles. BUT I am leaving her for the first time this weekend overnight to go to the Beth Moore/Kay Arthur "Deeper Still" conference in Atlanta. So, we have been working really hard on taking a bottle and/or sippy cup. It will be interesting to see how she does without her mommy!

I can do it!

Ok, somehow this works.....

1st to 4th; 4th to 1st...

This time last summer, I was huge and miserable. However, I was also anxiously anticipating a whole year staying at home with my children. God is so good and allowed Joey and I the financial freedom to allow me to take a year off work.

This summer, I'm no longer huge (but I'm by no means where I want to be) and I'm looking ahead to July 28th when I go back to work. Now, I know some people will think that I should continue staying home with my kids. It's funny, because I always thought I would want to be a stay-at-home mom until my kids went to school. Don't get me wrong, I have loved being home with them this year. But Tripp is definitely getting to the age that he needs to interact with other children on a daily basis. The hardest time I'm having is when it comes to Makinley. Anyone that has spent any length of time around Makinley knows what a PRECIOUS baby she is. There has never been an easier baby (and I'm not just saying that because she's mine) and she really makes being a mommy easy. So, I get a little pain in my chest every time I think about leaving her. However, financially, it's time for me to go back to work. Not only that, ever since we moved to Madison, I have kind of felt like I'm isolated on an island by myself. All of my friends here work so there is no one for me to hang out with (it's been better since the summer hit because my closest friend here is a teacher also, so I've hung out with her a lot). Plus, with it being such a small town, I feel like going back to work will give me the opportunity to really get plugged in and begin making Madison feel like home.

With all that being said, not only am I going back to work at a completely different school, in a completely different town, but I'll be teaching a completely different grade. I've taught 1st grade for 4 years. Now, I'll be teaching 4th grade Language Arts. I'm extremely nervous about this drastic change....but God has truly blessed me. For one, I'm getting the classroom of a teacher that is getting out of the field of education all together. SO, she is leaving me a TON of stuff. PLUS, my roomate from UGA, Katie, taught 4th grade for the last 5 years. The irony....she will be teaching 1st grade in the fall. :-) So, we are basically switching places! It is wonderful for both of us because we each have a sounding board for ideas and questions. We got together today and switched over materials. Now I have a ton of 4th grade stuff to go through and I stocked her up on Clifford and the Berenstein Bears! Although I am nervous about going back to work and about leaving my children (who will be with a wonderful woman who has kept kids in her home for almost 30 years), I really do have a peace that this is God's plan for our family at this time. I'm sure there will be plenty of tears shed but I pray God comforts me during the seperation (I'm not crazy enough to think that this is going to be harder on my children than me; they will both do great).

Prayers for smooth recovery....

My brother, Trey, had major back surgery today. For the past couple of years, his back has been giving him a fit and they discovered that he had a bulging, slipped disk. He has tried physical therapy and other things but nothing was working. It was getting to the point where his leg was always hurting and he had a really hard time sitting down for a long period of time. So, this morning they went in and repaired the disk. He was in surgery for over 3 hours and he'll be in the hospital for 3 days. Then he'll be on pretty much "bed rest" for 10 days. The Dr told his fiancee that it would be about 18 months before Trey is back to 100% again. Trey also has some other things he needs to take care of health wise in the coming months. So, please pray for him as he recuperates from surgery. Also, pray that he has the self-discipline that he needs to take care of himself and eat right. I love my "baby" brother and want him to live a full and abundant life!


This is a very old picture of the two of us, but I love it! Sure wish I was still that skinny!

Diamonds are a girl's best friend!

Christen and I took the girls today to get their ears pierced. I know some people might think it's not a good idea to pierce a baby's ears but we decided that it was the route we were going to take. I figure it will be easier for me to clean them and take care of them while she's this little. Plus, her hair is so short that I don't have to worry about it getting tangled up in the earring. Anyway, Christen and I both were a nervous wreck (especially since we had the big siblings with us too) but it went great. Karli and Tripp just sat and watched and both the girls did so good! Makinley did make her "break my heart" face for a few seconds but that was it. So, now I'll clean and turn them twice a day for 6 weeks and she'll be good to go. Obviously, I'm praying that the healing goes smoothly and we don't face any infections!

Bailey went first! A sucker was her prize for being so brave!

What are you about to do to me?

Does this face break your heart? It was the worst of it!

Getting love from mommy!

What just happened?

We are so big!

Bailey on the ride home....she's so pretty!

Chuck-E-Cheese Please

Today is Karli's 3rd birthday! Karli is one of my best friends, Christen's, little girl. It's so crazy to me that she's 3 because I found out I was pregnant with Tripp when Karli was born. We took the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese to celebrate the big occassion. It was our first time going and Tripp LOVED it and all the kids did so well. Karli and Tripp both were terrified of the mouse that walks around......in fact, Tripp hid under the table when he came by! :-) It was so much fun and I look forward to many more birthday celebrations to come!!!! Happy Birthday Kar-Kar!!!!

The birthday girl!
Bailey (Karli's little sister) and Makinley are exactly two weeks apart. I just want to squeeze her cheeks!

Tripp playing skee ball...which was always my favorite thing at Show Biz

Christen watching Karli take out some frustration! :-)

Makinley even got to ride!

Tripp and Karli playing together

Harrison and the mouse

Tripp watching the train go around.....his favorite thing there

Happy Daddy's Day

I feel so thankful for the two earthly dads in my family! Joey, thank you for everything you do on a daily basis to help me raise these two precious gifts we call Tripp and Makinley. There is no possible way I could do it without you and there is no other person that I would want to share this journey of parenthood with. God knew exactly what he was doing 9 years ago when He brought us together and I'm thankful every day!

Daddy, thank you for all the love, wisdom and sacrifices you have made for me over the last 28 years. As I grow older, I just appreciate it more and more. Now, I get the joy of watching you be a Big Poppa with my children and it does my heart good! :-)

My heavenly Father.....thank you for blessing me with these two amazing men!

We spent Father's Day at my mom and Dad's and we took the kids to the pool. As always, I took a TON of pictures, but I just posted a few. Both my kids love the water....we need to work on teaching Tripp a little respect of the water though! Enjoy the pics!

She loves riding on his shoulders, but she gets a death grip on his hair! Daddy and Tripp playing in the water

Makinley's first time at the pool....she loved kicking her legs and splashing

Flying through the air! He had NO fear of the water....made me slightly nervous

Old Friends......New Friends

It is such a blessing to have friends that no matter how much time goes by in between seeing each other, you pick right up where you left off. That's how it is with my friend, Amy, from college. We haven't seen each other in over five years, but we got together today to let our kids play. Carter is only a month or two younger than Tripp. We had such a good time catching up, tripping over toys, and telling our boys to "share" about 100 times! We have decided to have a playdate once a week! I'm so excited that we live close together now and I hope our boys come to love each other as much as I love her! Here are a few pictures from our morning!

Me and Amy

The boys dancing together

Carter was a better picture taker than Tripp!

Makinley wanted to join in the fun!

Eating lunch and watching some cartoons

9 months and growing.....

Each month I take Makinley's picture next to the same bear to see how much she has grown. Since she will be 9 months old tomorrow, I thought I would post her very first bear picture and her most recent and you can see how much she has grown!!!!

Dry skin anyone?

Right when I think it's okay to leave the room for one minute........

Our forever house......

Considering how many times I have moved in my lifetime, being able to call a place my "forever" house is pretty monumental! We are so excited that we will be closing on our dream house on July 31st. God is so good and so faithful! I pray that within the four walls of this house, Joey and I raise our children to love and honor God with all their hearts. I pray that we always put Him at the head of our dinner table and at the center of our every day lives. I pray that even when the storms come that may shake our home that our thoughts will be "Jesus, bring the rain if that's what it takes to praise You" (quoting one of my favorite songs). I pray that I never for one second forget that the only reason we have any of this is because God chose to bless us with it and that it is all His to give and take as He sees fit. Thank you, God, for our beautiful home. But more than that, thank you for loving me and my family more than I can even fathom!

Albuterol x 2

So, my kids have been under the weather since Friday. It started with Makinley running a fever and being extremely lethargic. I took them both to the Dr (although Tripp was acting fine at the time) to see what was going on. Makinley hasn't been sick yet in 9 months so I was definitely a concerned mommy. Anyway, the Dr really wasn't sure what was going on since niether of them had the usual symptoms but she gave me a prescription for Amoxicillan and sent us on our way with 2 "possible" ear infections. Well, by Saturday morning, Tripp was in pretty bad shape but Makinley seemed to have taken a turn for the better. Anyway, to make a long weekend very short, I ended up taking them both back to the Dr today. Don't you love it when you have to pay Dr bills twice in less than a week? It didn't matter though because Tripp has been pitiful and Makinley started coughing pretty bad last night. We got to see a different Dr today and I liked her a lot. As most of you know, we moved a few months back and had to change pediatricians (which is extremely hard to do). On Friday I didn't get to see the one that I wanted to see but today I did. After listening very closely to both of my kids she was able to hear wheezing in their chests. So, we were given Albuterol for both of them. Now, this will be my first experience giving Albuterol to my own children. But, as a school teacher, I've seen the effect it can have on kids. Whoa. Let's just say that I'm not looking forward to the next few days. The last thing I need is something to make Tripp more "excitable" than he already is!! For a mommy that has probably had only about 12 hours of sleep since Thursday, reading the label and seeing "could cause insomnia" didn't go over real well. I'm going to give it to them when they wake up from their naps and pray that they are able to rest tonight. I have to give it to them twice a day for a week.....I'm sure it will be a very long week! On a positive note though, neither of them have ear infections!
I know that kids get sick. However, both of my kids have been so incredibly healthy for the last year since I've stayed home with them. I've gotten very spoiled. Now, I feel like I am getting a glimpse into my future when I go back to work in the fall. It makes me really sad and I wish I could continue to shelter them from it. Tripp stayed sick for the first year of his life but Makinley made it to 9 months old before she got anything. I've seriously thought about trying to hire a nanny to come keep the kids at our house so that I can avoid sending them to "daycare" (although the one I found is in-home and she is wonderful). Joey said that I can't be this way because they are going to get sick. But, you mommies understand how I feel. I just want to put them in a bubble and shield them! Not only that....who does most of the work when kids are sick? Mommy! Don't get me wrong, Joey tries. My kids just both want mommy when they feel bad. I don't blame them; I always did too. Anyway, pray for us over the next few days. Pray that my kids feel better and that the Albuterol doesn't make them nuts. Also, pray for my sanity. I've felt it slightly slipping away a few times over the last 4 days!

Already feeling blogging illiterate

Ok, so all my blogging friends, I already need help! I can't figure out how to add more photos down the side of my page of my kids and I can't figure out how to link to the blogs I like to read. Please come to the rescue!

We'll see how this goes.....

Well, some of you know that I am obsessed with reading other people's blogs. Each day I find myself pulling up my "favorites" list on my computer and checking in on what all my blogging friends are up to. Over the weekend, I found four new blogs to read and I got so excited! So, anyway, I figure that the Lancaster's have to have as much to talk about as the next family, so why not try it? I'll also go ahead and say that this blog will probably be easily kept up from now until the end of July. I can't say how things will go once I start back to work full time. Only time will tell, but for now, I'm excited to share the daily ins and outs of being a Lancaster!