God's love

Part of my nightly routine is checking in on the boys before I head to bed. I quietly open each door, peek my head in and check to make sure all is well. Occasionally I need to take a moment to do a little adjusting; move an arm or a leg, tuck someone back in, move around some toys so that there is a little more room in the bed, but mostly, it is just that, a moment. A moment when I smile and feel an overwhelming sense of God's love. My children peacefully sleeping, their true innocence (which I can sometimes forget about during the daily grind). My heart is warmed and, I too,feel such a peace.

I am thankful for all those little moments throughout the day when we are reminded that we are not alone, that we are loved in a way only He can love. Thank you God for those moments.

9 & 50 something

Tomorrow Kev and I will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. How fast time passes. I can still remember July 16, 1999, the night before our big day, like it was yesterday. We attended our rehersal at the church and then had a wonderful dinner at Mountain Jacks. After dinner, Kev headed to our new apartment that he had just moved into. I returned home to my mom's with one of my bridesmaids. I remember her asking if I was nervous and in all honesty, I kept waiting for the nervousness to set in. I thought it would be a long night, but it wasn't. I could hardly carry on a conversation once my head hit the pillow! I had peace...the peace in knowing that I was about to marry the most wonderful man.

Kevin is not only my husband, but also, without a doubt, my best friend. I cannot believe that God brought such a kind and loving man into my life (and for those of you who know our background story, you know that in the beginning this was not necessarily the case) At 16 I met a boy who drove me crazy, made me laugh,allowed me to cry and made me feel like the most important person in the whole world. Fifteen years later, I am happy to say, that man still does all those things.

We have seen "for better" and "for worse". We have been "richer" and have definitely been "poorer". We have experienced "sickness" and thankfully "health". Holding true to the vows we shared nine years ago.

I have not doubt that tonight, July 16, 2008, I will again have no trouble falling asleep because still today, I have no doubts. Kevin, I thank you for these nine years, for your love, your friendship. I love your thoughtfullness, your love for the Lord, your wacky sense of humor, your helpfullness, your honesty, your compassion, your smile, your predictability and your unpredictability, your strength, and your determination. I love you!

As for the fifty something....July 17th is not only special because of our anniversary,but also because it is my Dad's birthday. So Happy Birthday Dad! We love our Big Papa Chicago and hope you have a fantastic day.

dedicated

We had the boys dedicated at church tonight, so needless to say, it was an important evening for us. Our church does not baptize infants etc., but rather waits for a chid to make the choice to accept Jesus as his/her personal savior before he/she is baptized. So rather than baptism, we do a child dedication, where as parents, we make the promise to raise our chilren in Christian home/environment etc. So tonight, that is exactly what Kev and I did.

Our lives have been tremendously blessed. Kevin and I continue to grow our relationship with God on a daily basis and can only pray that our children will come to know Jesus more and more and experience His amazing love and promises. While we are far from perfect, we put our trust in the Lord that he will help us raise Koby and Kyan according to His word and that His love and light will shine through our children.

How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called the children of God 1 John 3:1





The Lord bless you...all the days of your life Psalm 128:5

black and white slideshow

black and white

So it is probably quite obvious that I have learned a new trick on our blog, slide shows! Thanks to Jessica Troger for the inspiration. As many of you know, I am a sap for black and white photos. There is something about the simplicity of a black and white photo that gets me. Wouldn't it be nice if everything were as simple, as truthful, as innocent as black and white? These are just some photos captured while messing around with the camera settings, waiting for the rain to end at a Whitecaps game and just quick moments caught of the boys. Hope you all enjoy the slide show, I'll try not to overdo them!

Happy 4th of July