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

Grandma Hoekman

My Grandma Hoekman (my mom's mom) passed away this morning at 89 years old. She has not been doing well now for the past year, and in all honesty, I am amazed that she survived the past year. A year ago in May she took a turn for the worse and we all said our goodbyes to her while she lay in a hospital bed at Spectrum. That was tough. God, however, was not quite yet ready to welcome her home. She bounced back enough to be released from the hospital and was placed in a home here in town. She has suffered with dimentia this past year and has been legally blind most of her life. She also was not able to hear well, so needless to say, her quality of life in the end was not the best.

I brought Koby and Ky to visit with her this past Friday, as hospice had warned us that it would probably not be long due to several blod clots in her body. My mom helped me tag team the dynamic duo, who are not so use to the close confines of a shared room in home (all i can say is, thank goodness her roomate was out and about that morning....her bed made an excellent racetrack for cars!) Grandma was in and out of sleep for the most part, but did have moments of clear consciousness. When I told her that Koby and Ky had come for a visit, her eyes lit up and she smiled a great big smile. She commented on how big they had gotten and told me to keep my eye on the little guy (she has always worried that little kids with blond curls make excellent targets for people with not so good intentions.) Ky shared one of his graham crackers with her and rather than eating it, she held it for a bit and then politely put it on her water cup. While the boys continued to make a ruckus on the bed next to hers, she opened her eyes again and told me she was "going home". At that moment, I knew that she did not mean going back to her condo, but rather going home to her Lord. I was afraid to share those simply words with my mom, knowing that she already had alot on her mind. So as we left, I gave Grandma a kiss on the forhead and told her I loved her, hoping I would see her again.

Sunday night I received the call from my mom that Grandma was not well and that it would not be long. I headed over to see her and was amazed at what a difference two days made. She was breathing very deeply and it was very evident that she had fluid in her longs. She could no longer open her eyes, or move any part of her body. At that moment, I was so thankful for Friday. Thankful to have seen her smile one last time, thankful to have had a chance to look in her eyes and tell her that I love her, thankful that my boys had one last chance to see their great-grandma and most of all thankful for God's love and promise that this is not the end. This is just merely a "goodbye for now" and "I'll see you soon". I am thankful that my grandma, the southern bell from Mississippi, is new again.

One of my clearest memories of my grandma is when we would visit them in Florida and she would tuck Al and I in at night and sing us the song "Froggy went a Courtin". It is a song about a frog who wants to marry a mouse but first needs to seek permission from her uncle rat. I am not sure of the history behind the song, but will forever hear her singing:

Froggy went a courtin and he did ride um hum

Froggy went a courtin and he did ride um hum

Froggy went a courtin and he did ride

a sword and a pistol by his side um hum..........

Here are a couple of photos of Grandma. The first one is from January '07 and the second from Al's wedding in April.

Goodbye for now Grandma.....I'll see you soon!