Lost in Paradise

I am sorry we seem to have vanished all of sudden. At the present time we are living in 2 houses while we manage a cross base move to a new house and my parents are visiting (so we are trying to do fun stuff as well)...not to mention that it is my Dad's and Jesse's birthdays. I will try to post some pictures after the weekend and give an update on how the chaos is going. Thanks for being patient!

Thank you for what you given me

"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6

I am much like Anna, my 3 year old daughter. I want what I want NOW. and if I don't get it I will scream and cry and pitch a fit. "God WHY?!". Why is this happening to me. I deserve better!! I often look at Anna's temper tantrums and dramas and get frustrated, trying to reason with her and throwing my hands up in the air asking for wisdom on how to raise her. It has just hit me that God is doing the same with me and is asking me to take me own advice. "Have a happy heart Mary. Be thankful for what I have given you. Trust in me and what I am doing in your life. Be content with where you are." I hear his words as clear as day.

Lord, forgive me for getting upset when I don't get what I want. Remind me that Jesus didn't want to die on the cross but he lived in total submission to your will. Through your Holy Spirit, help me to live in total submission and be content with what you give me. Amen.

Here are a few pictures of some of my blessings...

The kids with their Easter baskets.

Easter Egg hunt

Jesse on the move!

This picture has nothing to do with Easter but is too funny to pass up. These are Anna's "hide and seek" goggles. For some reason, everytime the kids play hide and seek she has to wear these now. Maybe they give her some x-ray vision or something.

Walking

Jesse is moving now! He is so proud of himself. He took his first steps in Australia but didn't really attempt it much more until this week. He is very slow and deliberate about each step (which is nice that it slows him down a little) but we know it won't be long before he is running and making the job of mommy chaser more difficult.


Here he is just being his normal mischevious self. Look at that look on his face! I know we need to baby proof the house but we are moving to a new house in less than 2 weeks so what is the point now! Oh, it is going to be a long 2 weeks with this rascal. Anna is so good at helping me chase him. She is such a little Mommy.


HAPPY EASTER everyone!! May the Lord be your center this weekend as we remember and rejoice in how deep his love for us goes. That same power that conquered the grave now lives in us.

"...death no longer has mastery over him."
Romans 6:9b

Jesse's 1st Haircut

Before

Before

After

I have been resistant to cut our little Jesse's hair. I really don't know why. I didn't cut Asher's until he was 18 months old and Anna's has never really been cut so I just wouldn't admit to myself that it was needed so early...at least not until his 1st birthday. He kind of had a mullet goin' on. Within 1 week, he was mistaken for a girl not once, but twice. So that exact afternoon of the second mistake, I cut his hair as soon as we got home. I didn't consult Joel because I knew he would talk me out of it. I was teary eyed as I did it but then he just looked so handsome, I couldn't help but be glad it was done! Look at our little sunshine. and he is the sunshine in our home. Always so full of joy. He is taking a few steps now so it shouldn't be long before he is walking all over. He is EXTREMELY exhausting now, always one the move. First into the cleaning cabinet, then pulling the DVDs out, then taking the books off the bookshelf, then up the stairs, then we start the whole cycle all over again. But again, he is our sunshine :).

The Power of Prayer

I was able to get all dressed up a few weeks ago in order to join Joel at an Awards banquet where he was a nominee for CGO (Company Grade Officer) of the year for Hickam Air Force Base. He did not win the award, but he had already received CGO of the quarter and CGO of the year for his group, and it was a huge honor to be nominated at the base level. These awards are a huge testimony to the power of prayer and in allowing me to see God working in Joel's life.

Our move to Hawaii has given Joel a new appreciation for the Air Force and increased his desire to make it a career. He was very discouraged about this desire because he had basically been idling for 5 years with the belief that he was going to separate from the military. This is a big deal because the AF makes their officers jump through hoops in order to be selected for promotions and Joel believed that he was going to be jumping through these hoops too late. Now God has been teaching me A TON about being a prayer warrior...not just for myself (I am good at saying God, Help ME) but for my family and friends. So I got on my knees for Joel and asked my prayer group here to be on their knees as well. We prayed for Joel to have favor at work, that He would open doors that no man could shut if it was His will for Joel to be in the AF beyond Hawaii. Then within a month, God's favor flowed. He was ranked #3 out of 18 in his office, the awards were showered on him, he has the potential to be selected to a school slot that looked bleak before, he is working on his master's online, and he has been selected to be in a command deployment (very rare for a Captain)...all things he can put on his resume to increase his potential to be promoted to major and beyond. God is so good. Prayer works and He moves.

"Ask, and it will given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

Now, some of you may have noticed that I mentioned a "command deployment" above. Yes, it is what you think. Joel is being deployed for 4 months - August-December. It is helping me to know that this was God's will, part of the favor that I prayed for, and He will hold Joel in his hands now, while he is deployed, and forever His protection is over Joel. I have been blessed with a wonderful support group here. Even though I don't want him to go, and I am somewhat in denial that the date is inching closer, I have experienced God's love and will continue to walk with him and support His will in my family's life.