All the children of the world

The other day lunch went something like this:

Hayden: Preslyn and Ella, you know its really great that we have lots of friends that are all different than us. We can always ben friends with people no matter what color their skin is or what they look like.

Mom: That so right Hayden! Great job telling your sisters that. Because in God’s eyes what do we all look like???

(thinking to myself, we all look the same, He loves us all the same and created us equally and wanted us to all love each other equally)

Ella: (screams out) MEXICANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Stretchy like Gumby

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
… it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God…
I paid a huge price for you…
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.
Isaiah 43:1-4 MSG

Lately I feel like God has stretched me to fullest I have ever been stretched. In ever single aspect of my life I have been stretched. But the great thing about God stretching is that just like jeans, rubber bands, elastic…you never go back to the same way you were. I know that the things I have learned in these past few months have made me into a new, better version of who God wants me to be. I’ve learned to keep quiet, when my opinion was not needed…to pray, when all I could do was that, to fully rely on God in a capacity that I had never done before and to experience freedom when He orchestrated a solution without me doing a thing. It has been a very hard time for me, but one that I know I will look back on and see a turning point. A specific time when I turned from one direction and took a step towards a new me. A better me. One that has experienced the love of God in a new way. He has shown me a side of Him that I had never before been ready to see. My heart has been set on fire for Him. I crave my time with Him daily. I want to scream from the mountaintops so that everyone else can experience this with me.

If you are in a valley, don’t let it overwhelm you. Look for the way out. Look for what God wants to show you while your down there. Then get ready for victory. Because if He is for YOU…then what can stand against you? Rom. 8:31

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Hayden gets baptized and Graduates preschool

The last weeks of May were quite the emotional rollercoaster for us because Hayden knocked two big life events out in the same week. Sheesh! I was so emotional and put my anxiety to good use by staying busy and whipping her up a graduation dress hours before the big event.
So the first event was the baptism. Hayden had been really interested in baptism at the beginning of the year when BJ and I did the Daniel Fast. One of the suggested childrens passages that we read with the kids was about Jesus being baptised. Of course she was very curious and asked lots of questions and then at the end said that she would like to be baptized. Of course our hearts swelled with joy and excitement, knowing what a big step in her faith this would be.

When the time finally came, Hayden was so thrilled. We had all our immediate relatives there with us as she followed in Jesus’ footsteps and was water baptized.
Here is Hayden with her two baptism buddies, Corie and Callie.

Then the very next day was her Pre-K graduation. Oh was I a mess!! I felt like I had a lump in my throat for a week. I cried saying thank you to her teacher at the end of the day. She started crying. She was probably so glad to be finished with the year, but I was so thankful for what an amazing teacher she had been for Hayden. How well she had understood her needs as a first-born, strong willed, genius child. I pray Kindergarten is the same way and her teacher just as amazing.

Anyway, I wisked her home from her last day to get her changed and ready for graduation. This is when I decided making her a new dress was a must. Me and my crazy ways. It turned out pretty good, with a few snags along the way but nothing major. Then we headed back to see our little graduate. The program was so cute. Hayden sang her little guts out and did all her hand motions perfectly. I was so thrilled that tears welled up in my eyes. SHOCKER. I was just so proud of my little child. She has the worst stagefright and I was so panicked that she would run off the stage screaming as she had done in the past. But she didn’t. She did exactly what she had practiced. She was so proud of her little medal that she got to wear and getting her diploma as they announced that she had told them, that when she grew up, she wanted to be a cotton candy person. That’s my little girl! 🙂 I felt like my heart would explode with pride and love for her. 
She chose her celebration spot and asked immediatly for sushi. Mama did NOT complain on that decision! 🙂 So we went and celebrated and enjoyed the amazing little girl that God has blessed us with.  
 
Hayden we cannot wait to see the things waiting for you in Kindergarten!!! You are such an amazing child and so thankful that you have been placed in our family!
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8 years ago

Today is our 8 year anniversary! Wow! I have really enjoyed this past year. It seems like our life has taken on a new rhythm and we’ve moved into a new stage of our marriage. I really enjoy it. God is so faithful. Marriage is really hard and I don’t think many people realize that before they get married. That even when you do choose the right one it is still filled with ups and downs and growing pains. But I am so blessed to know I have the man by my side that God created just for me. We have a beautiful family together and I am so thankful for that. I’m so thankful that we support each other and learn from each other. That God has really taken our family and done some amazing things in the past year.

Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for my husband. Even in the days that I may feel like strangling him 🙂 Even then I’m still thankful that I’m not wandering out there lonely and waiting for him to come along. He is perfect for me and I’m so thankful our lives are joined forever.

here’s to 88 more!

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New post coming soon!!

Summer is here and we are wasting NO time! We have been running like crazy and having so much fun. But I have a lot of things that I need to get recorded so I will be updating soon! Promise!

In the mean time I have posted our reading lists on the right, that we have done so far this summer for me and the girls. We love summer reading programs and try to join one every year through the library.

Coming soon:

Hayden Graduates from PreK
Hayden Gets Baptised
Easter
Loose Tooth
VBS
Sea World

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That time I met P-Dub!

I have never been to a book signing before. Much less one that I really adore the author, even moreso than the book! I got word that the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond was going to be in my neck of the woods, and so I wrangled my mom into going with me and off we went. The girls were with us, since it was early in the day that we had to leave. In hindsight we probably should have waited the extra 30 minutes until BJ got off work, but we didn’t know what the book signing would be like and we didn’t want to miss her!

So we headed out and pulled into the cutest little bookstore ever! It was so much like the “Shop around the corner” on “You’ve Got Mail”. Everyone was so excited, chatting over recipes and the book, and of course Charlie (the ranch dog) and star of her newest childrens book. It was like we were one big happy family and it didn’t matter how long we had to wait to meet her!  So we we waited and waited and went and got dinner at Pei Wei and then came back and waited some more. But finally it was our turn. I was so nervous and hoped I wouldn’t say something awkward or nothing at all!

Of course Ree was fantastic. So warm and lovely and easy to talk to. Even if our conversation was only 2 minutes long and mostly about my twins and the fantastic food that we had been cooking from her website. I was so excited to meet her and she autographed my books for me. Her new Charlie book is super cute and an easy read. Hayden even made it through several pages of words, sounding out each one.

I’m glad my mom got to share the moment with all of us. It was a fun first for all of us!
Thank you P-Dub for gracing Houston with your presence and being so kind to stay for all of us to meet you!
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Mothers Day 2011

Mothers Day this year was so enjoyable! It happened to fall on BJ’s birthday so we decided to have lunch at our house to celebrate his birthday with our family and mother’s day. The last several years we have gone out to eat on Mother’s Day and it always seems to be more stressful than relaxing. I wanted to cook for everyone this year and just have a nice day at home with everyone.

It turned out so nice and I loved having all of my family there to enjoy the day with. (BJ’s parents were on vacation celebrating his dad’s birthday) May is a big year for us with 4 birthdays in our immediate family! Its interesting how you can put so much effort into some things and they turn out to be more stressful and then something easy just turns out to be so rewarding and relaxing.
I know this is definitely a mother’s day I will remember forever. Just sitting around laughing and talking and making memories together.
My little family gave me some beautiful pink roses for my table. Then they surprised me with some new perfume, some bubble bath and a pool coverup (hubby used a coupon AND got a free gift with purchase!! YAY!)

I made my mom a necklace that I’ve been wanting to make her for a while and it turned out pretty good! There’s even room for a couple more grandbabies, once my brother and sister in law pitch in 😉

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Hurry hurry hurry

I’m in a contest for my business and I’d love your help getting votes!!!  It takes two seconds! Won’t sign you up for anything and won’t ask you to buy anything! If you do vote, you can vote once per day and then come over and post on our Facebook wall or send an email to info@lindentreeboutique.com to be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift certificate! Everytime you vote you can be entered again! More votes=more entries!!!

Thank you so much!!! The link to vote is on the left of my blog 🙂

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