My girl

My mom has been bugging me to write down some of the cute things Jacey is saying and doing. So like Kelly, I'll warn you that this is going to be me bragging about my kid.

The best phrase right now is "I can't want to ___. " I can't want to read, I can't want to color, etc. The companion to this is "I can't like ___." Today she told me that she "can't like tuna fish." (She does, she just didn't want that for lunch today.) I don't know exactly where she picked this up, but it's been around for a long time. And it's sweet. She is such a good talker that most of the time things are very clear. Yesterday's cute comment was that she told me that she was little, not big. I think this stems from us telling her what a big girl she is.

Thanks to our 2 week visit to my parents, she is generally potty-trained. She still has a hard time during naps and through the night, but that doesn't bother me. As she plainly told me, she's little and I don't expect her to hold it all night. The best part is that I haven't changed a diaper in weeks!

I've been wondering if and when the "terrible twos" were going to show up. Jacey for the most part is good-natured and willing to listen. But then this week happened. INDEPENDENT. That's the word for her right now. It's driving me batty. I know that it's the result of the craziness in our lives right now. And her age. And the fact that my energy level is nowhere what it used to be. But still. If I tell her to do something, it's either "No! Go away!" or she'll do the opposite. Tantrums, kicking, tears. We've had it all. She has to turn lights on by herself, dress herself, go potty by herself, walk by herself. The funniest, and yet most annoying part is that if you do something to help her (like carry her down steps), she throws a fit and proceeds to go back to the beginning to do it "mySELF!"

And on the other side, she's so precious. She's started making up songs to sing and readily entertains us. She refuses to let us sing to her before bed because she wants to. (The independent thing again.)I've been meaning to record her singing "ABCs" and "Finkle Finkle" (twinkle, twinkle). Most of the words are missing and the letters are all out of over, but she's so proud of herself. She also wants to say her prayers by herself. These consist of thanking God for everyone she remembers. Then she'll pause where we say usually "in Jesus name," skips it, and says a hearty "Amen!" I know she has just said one of the purest, sweetest prayers.

She can color in the lines (generally) and has a very artistic eye. Her favorite color is orange. She loves the Berenstain books and reads them aloud to us. Barbies are her friends, along with Mickey, Minnie, "Dit" (Eeyore), and "Kittycat." Stickers are the greatest invention and will get us through church. She knows how to use the iPhone to watch movies or play games. She can now pedal a tricycle - she goes so fast she's fallen off turning a corner. All in all she's graduated from being a baby to a big girl. Or a "little" big girl.

New things

Ok, so this is a post I've been needing to do for a while. Do you ever have so much going on that it's nearly impossible to imagine writing it all down? Well, that's been our life for the past few months. I warn you, this could get lengthy.

Mitch and I have known for awhile that our time here in Canyon was coming to an end. We knew that we were ready to move on to a new ministry, but weren't quite ready to say goodbye just yet. And honestly didn't really know how to start. At the beginning of December the elders and Mitch had a meeting. Long story short, Mitch agreed that it was time for us to go somewhere else, and he resigned. The elders have given us some time to look for a job. Mitch's desire right now is to either preach or do associate work. We love teens, we love the enthusiasm they have, but for now we are ready to not be coordinating trips, devos, retreats, etc. There is just so much more to ministry than how the next trip goes. I have no idea what God has in store for us. I don't know where we'll move to or what we'll be doing. God has been a little quiet on the subject. I do know that we are on the right path. We have put our house on the market, and I've very proud of what we've done. New cabinets, paint, and flooring in a few places goes a long way. Hopefully someone will fall in love with it soon!

Most of you know that we have been wanting to have another kid for awhile now. For whatever reason, God had asked us to wait. Probably one of the hardest answers to a prayer I've had. But the day before Mitch and the elders met, we found out #2 is on the way! Crazy timing, huh? I don't believe for a second that it was coincidence. We've had 2 ultrasounds and have seen and heard the little heartbeat. Such a miracle and a blessing. Last week we were able to see the head, arms, and legs. So cute. :) The doctor believes everything looks great. If all goes well we will meet this little one around August 6. I'm kind of hoping it can make it to the 12th, so that Jacey and #2 can share birthdays. (It runs in my side of the family - my sister and I have the same birthday only 3 years apart, and my grandmother and her sister had the same birthday.) Considering Jacey was 4 weeks early, I'm not exactly counting on it, but we'll see!

To make life just a little more interesting, Mitch's parents have been looking for a job for a couple of months, and my Dad lost his job over Christmas break. They both have possibilities, but again it's just a matter of waiting to see where God is going to put you. Talk about timing...

So there you have it...a recap of our lives since December. We welcome your prayers for our (and our parents) future. I'm excited to see what it holds!

Random Thoughts

Every now and then I spend some time with a blog idea in my head. (Obviously most of the time I don't get it into a blog format. I'll try to be better at that!) God has definitely given us an interesting year, full of situations we were able to grow and learn from. Most, if not all of them, I wouldn't have asked for. Yet our family is much stronger because of them. It often makes me wonder what is coming next! And I look forward to that with both excitement and nervousness.

One of these situations brought a question to the front of my mind. Why do you/we go to church? A question we all answer differently at different times in our lives. We probably start out answering, "because my parents go." I have had varied answers...because I wanted to, because I was expected to, to see my friends, etc. Sometimes I have felt like going to church was our job (naturally, I suppose). No matter the reason, I have always been blessed by being there.

I have noticed that there are some people who go for themselves. The ministers need to preach about what they want to hear, their kids should get their way in the youth ministry, they should be able to sponsor activities they want to sponsor and do it their way, etc. Not only does this frustrate me immensely, it's purely selfish. It causes division, jealousy, anger, and so much more.

One visit I had at home triggered this particular thought for me. My granny was talking about my aunt, who is have some major health problems, and mentioned that she was disappointed that their minister hadn't visited them. The conversation continued about how visiting others wasn't this minister's strength, and they wished for more from him. Being the wife of a minister who has to deal with these issues, I told them to think about all the work this man does well. How much time he must spend caring about the congregation. No minister is perfect. If you are unhappy with how your ministers are serving, what can you do to pick up the slack? All of us our ministers. We don't get out of that responsibility just because we pay someone full-time to minister. (I have to say that Granny is probably more in tune with God and his Word than almost anyone I know, so please don't think I'm down on her spirituality!)

Look around you today and see how you can build up someone else, especially those who are paid ministers. Some rarely hear what they are doing well...only the negative things.

I so often fail to look beyond myself, but I'm trying to change that. God has taught me all year to look past my wants/needs and to rely on him. A lesson that I'll probably continue to learn for the rest of my life.

Summertime!

As most of you know, the minute kids are out of school is the minute our lives get crazy. I was much more prepared this summer for what to expect, and I have to say that it has been a really awesome ride. Mitch is finally doing "his" ministry with the youth group. We both feel more at home here among the church and the community. And the kids are responding in amazing ways.

Our summer checklist so far:

1. Jr. High 6 Flags trip to Dallas - was super fun! Jacey even got to ride some rides and really loved the waterpark.

2. Houston Opportunity Camp - There are only 3 days between the 6 Flags trip and this one, so Jacey and I visited family in between. We had a great time being with cousins and aunts and uncles. Camp itself went so smoothly. I hadn't been in a couple of years, so it was good for Mitch and I to do this work together.

3. 4th of July - My parents came for the weekend! They hadn't been here in almost a year. It was great to let them meet friends and be a part of our small town celebration.

4. Random trip to Dallas - Mitch's yearbook friends from high school had a reunion. I enjoyed meeting people he had told me about. We also got to stay with Tom and Donna (Mitch's aunt & uncle). Jacey was completely spoiled.

5. VBS - a full week of crazy fun. Very exhausting, but good.

6. Church camp - This week is always like a vacation, since we get to stay with Mitch's parents. Jacey was spoiled, and we had a great time being with family. For some reason we always get sick afterwards (probably the exhaustion kicking in).

We have done all of this plus our normal weekly events in the past 9 weeks. I'm always nervous about the summer starting, but God has really blessed us this summer. It hasn't been as hard as I thought it might be.

Next week Jacey and I head off again to Nashville to help my parents move into their new house. It's great to see what God has done with them this past year. I had no idea what to expect last year, and now they're buying their dream home. Definitely a God-thing. I can't wait to see the house and help them decorate. When we get home it'll be time for Jacey's 2nd birthday and our anniversary. Then maybe life will quiet down. At least a little. :)

The beach

A few weeks ago I posted about our trip to the beach, but I didn't put up any pictures. (Sorry Grandma!) Here are a few we got. Aunt Charlotte needs to send me the rest...hint hint.

Seeing the ocean for the first time

She decided it was ok and plopped right down

Chasing the birds

Vacation

We are finally home from our fabulous vacation at Destin, FL. We were able to spend the whole week with Grammy, Papa, and aunt Charlotte. There's nothing better than relaxing on the beach, swimming in the ocean and the pool, and letting Grammy and Papa watch Jacey! :)

Jacey wasn't scared of the ocean much at all. I was really surprised because I remember being terrified. She loved being able to make a mess!

We've decided the best way to explain this week was in a top 9 most funny moments list. Here goes:

9. 5 adults, 1 child, and 2 dogs in a camper for a week. I think that's pretty funny in itself.

8. SPF 4 really DOESN'T offer much protection for white skin. Ask Charlotte about that sometime.

7. Jacey was proudly carrying a bucket of water back from the ocean when she tripped and face planted in the sand. Probably not as funny for her, but we thought it was precious and hilarious. Especially since her face was half covered in sand.

6. We generally left the screen door open during the day. Both dogs at different times didn't realize it was closed and tried to jump inside. Lexie, my sister's dog, ended up doing a back flip in the process.

5. Mitch was relaxing in a beach chair when it completely collapsed. Unfortunately no one was there to witness it.

4. Mitch also had a close encounter of the crab kind. He was out jumping waves when he was pinched by a crab. Apparently the crab hung on for a quick ride before letting go.

3. On the camper there is a LP alarm, which goes off to let you know there is a propane leak. The first two nights it waited to go off until we were all asleep. The funny part was listening to it beep, then hearing my dad smack it. This happened repeatedly. He did finally figure out how to unplug it.

2. One day my dad was napping. Jacey walked up to him, grabbed his can of coke, said, "Milk!" and proceeded to pour it all over him.

1. Eglin Air Force base is right next to Destin/Ft.Walton beach, where we stayed. Charlotte drove in very late Friday night. She misunderstood part of the directions Mom gave her and turned towards one of the gates. (To get to Destion you have to go over a toll bridge.) In her hand was a $5 bill, and on her face must have been utter confusion. Two guards saw her and probably had the biggest laugh of their year. They did eventually tell her how to get back to the correct road. Ask her to tell this story as well. Fanawesome. :)

Kitchen Table

So God granted us the opportunity to purchase new furniture...a table. Our old kitchen table was bought pre-marriage at the Salvation Army and then painted to be pretty. For the two of us it was ok, but it's gotten smaller and smaller recently. Our new one is gorgeous, and big!