Blog Fast

This week our girls are going to spend the week with their grandparents. I am going to miss them terribly, especially since I will be home alone all week while Jay starts work at his new job. But, God has been very clear about the focus of this next week...writing!

Our new Foundation Bible Series for women is coming out in the fall and we have to get going to finish it in time! So, while I love to blog...I will be fasting from this during this next week in order to focus on what God wants to say. I will need to spend the time I have writing there instead of here.

It helps that my favorite subjects won't be here to photograph and enjoy this week:( So, you may want to wait to check back until next Sunday...and then I'll have LOTS to catch up on when my girls get back from this amazing vacation! I will be updating on Anli's tests results hopefully today or tomorrow...so keep that in your prayers please.

Pray for Ginger and I this week as we work diligently on finishing this project. God already has another one lined up once this one is finished...The Sand Dollar Life: Living Whole in a Broken World. The cover is AMAZING...love it! This one is already a retreat I have done in past years, but it will be one of our short topical studies we will offer at our website for ladies' or teen groups. But, I have another group in September that already wants to order it...YIKES!

So, I say farewell to you my friends this week. I will really miss this time to blog...it's a wonderful time for me to reflect. But, I'll be back next Sunday with lots to tell and hopefully a finished product!

Update on Anli's EKG

We just got home from a trip to the Children's Cardiac division of Kennestone Hospital for Anli's EKG. It went very well, though they wouldn't tell us anything about the results. We will know more in the next 24 hours about the test and the Cardiologists recommendations about Anli's use of this medication. They did inform us today that because Jay has mitra valve issues with his heart, she is at the elevated risk level.

Checking her oxygen levels and pulse...all was well here!

Starting the EKG. The stickers were a little cold (Anli said) and she told us this machine looked like an octopus with 12 arms and legs! So, cute!

I couldn't tell a thing from her computer! I hoped to get a photo of her little heart rhythm, but no luck!

We will update as soon as we hear something from our doctor or the cardiologist. Thanks for your prayers...keep them coming!

Pray for Anli today

Oh, like father like daughter! Anli was SUPPOSED to be getting out of the bath and putting on her PJs...but decided to go a little further! She is too much like her daddy...and looks like him too. She's a blast and makes us laugh on a daily basis, and she doesn't mean to which is the funniest part of all!

But, on a serious note, please pray for us today as she goes to the cardiologist for a routine ECG. Our pediatrician wants us to go have this test run in accordance with the new American Heart Association alert for children on ADD (Anli) or ADHD medications. There has been found a risk of cardiac arrest, so they are sending us to get an ECG this morning to make sure her sweet little heart is doing just fine. Jay has a heart issue...so it runs in our family.

Please pray with me this morning that the doctors would have wisdom and that God would reveal any risks or abnormalities so that we can make the right decisions. We have asked the Lord that Anli would have peace and would trust God above all else with this test.

This is just a routine test for us as adults...but for a little one who has no idea (though Jay has explained every last detail to her...you just have to know Anli) there is still the unknown. Thanks for joining us in pray this morning at 10am. I will update this afternoon on our visit!

Swim Lessons

Both of my girls have been swimmers since they were about old enough to walk. They love the water and enjoy swimming! I used to be on the swim team when I was younger and Jay is a certified lifeguard...so why in the world would we be sending them to swim lessons?

Well, when we are in the pool with the girls...they want to play with us and not learn stroke work from us! So, about 2 weeks ago I got a card outside our apartment door about a girl who teaches private lessons. I gave her a call and each girl had their own private lesson yesterday at this amazing pool with a huge water slide!

Anli works with Anli to work on breathing.

Doing the backstroke!

Virginia has really mastered the backstroke too!

Virginia breathing to the side...that was a huge accomplishment for both of them!

They did amazing (she said) and we will be taking some more lessons throughout the summer. They worked on the 4 strokes and breathing to the side instead of bringing their head straight up. I was super proud of their work and now it's my turn to keep them practicing until the next lesson. But, they picked it up very quick!

After lessons, we were able to stay there at the pool for a while and play. Then, we headed to Subway and got a yummy lunch and ate it under the arbor at our apartment complex. The weather was awesome and just right for drying out after a long swim time.


I don't know what Jay was thinking when he took some leftover fabric pieces and put them on last night! He looks like a trip back to the 80s. I had cut the legs off of several pairs of leggings since they were getting too short...now they are shorts...and apparently leg warmers for Jay!

Monday Morning News...

Jay woke me up this morning with the coolest news ever...he finished the entire Bible today! I'm sure he has read all the books of the Bible throughout his life, but over the past year he has been traveling through the One Year Bible. He finished it this morning! What a way to start your Monday...I have some other weekly news so check below for another post! Have a GREAT Monday!

Week in Review!

Last Saturday we headed to our new favorite family fun spot...Lifetime Fitness! We joined along with several of our friends and we love it. It has a great climbing wall that Jay and the girls love to hang out in several days a week. Anli is our competitive climber...but Virginia likes to climb too! This place allows us all to enjoy climbing together. Yes...I even climbed using the auto belay! I'm terrible...but it was fun!
Here Anli comes down using the auto belay. It's really cool (and for me a little freaky) to be climbing on the auto belay. But, it allows Jay to belay one of the girls while the other one climbs on their own! We got to see our good friends that Prachts there too.
On Sunday, we celebrated Father's Day by going to church and then heading to see Kung Fu Panda. It was so cute and the girls loved this bigger than lifesize panda! Virginia ran over as fast as she could and struck the kung fu pose. Jay loves movies, so it was a great movie we could all enjoy!
Then, we headed out to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream. Jay LOVES ice cream, so this was a must for his Father's Day celebration. It was such a nice night we sat outside and enjoyed our night with the BEST DAD around!
Anli chose blue raspberry sherbet and her tongue was a crazy shade of blue! She is just like me when I was little...I was all about sherbet too!

Monday began a week of dance camp for the girls at First Baptist Woodstock. The whole week cost $17 for each girl! So, we signed up for this past week and another week in July. Virginia took the ballet camp, while Anli was in jazz class. They had a blast! They went all week and each of them had a cute little dance routine to show at the end of the week.

Monday night was Jay and I's first Strictly Strength class at Lifetime. On Saturday, we each met with a personal trainer to help us assess where we are physically and what we need to do meet our goals. We had our strength, flexibility, cardio/oxygen level and body fat tested.

It took around an hour and then they told us our body age...mine was 34 years thankfully since I am 34 years old! But, the trainer told me that I need some major strength training. I am an aerobic kind of girl...not so much a strong kind of girl. That is why it is good to get this assessment...because running and aerobic activity wasn't going to meet my goals.

So, he gave us some classes to attend. Jay went with me and we BOTH were about to die!!!! It was a solid hour of strength training every muscle group in our bodies. I mean it was like boot camp...but it was awesome! We have gone 3 more times this week (which is our assignment until we meet for our results in August). I was so sore...but now I'm doing better the more we go.

But, most importantly...I have a ponytail. You don't know how long it's been since I have had one of these. OK, it's not a big one...but I think it counts:)

Tuesday, before dance camp, we headed to Kangaroo Bob's for Caleb's birthday celebration! It was a blast and basically deserted the whole time. The kids had a great time and we loved getting to celebrate Caleb's 7th birthday with him!
Happy Birthday Caleb!

On Saturday we headed to out to breakfast together and then went swimming at Lifetime. Then, while I worked out Jay took the girls climbing again. We ate a yummy, yummy lunch at the Life Cafe and I had an amazing hummus wrap! Then, we headed home for a day of relaxing together.

We got home around 1:30pm and for the rest of the day we played together as a family. We built buildings out of blocks with Dad, we made a doll house for our Bobble Heads as girls, we made milkshakes for dessert, and gathered up in Virginia's bed and read our Kids Through the Bible.

It was a perfect day!

We have an amazing Through the Bible in a Year with Kids. It takes about 7 minutes to read the portion for the day...and in a year...you have read the entire Bible with your kids! Talk about a worthwhile investment of 7-10 minutes a night. We spend time talking through what we read together and the girls can ALWAYS answer all my questions. They really get it!

I tell my girls several times a week...invest in what last! Invest in the things that will last today...the Word of God and the souls of men (or kiddos!). It's worth every minute!

Catch up post!

Well, today I am going to work on finishing up our Families on Mission trip. I have lots more to post from the past week, so I need to get up to date! Maybe I can do a week review tomorrow...

Rick is the NAMB staff person in charge of all Families on Mission! There are 6 locations with over 700 people attending this summer! It started last year with only 200 people...it's growing like crazy! We are thrilled to be project coordinators for next year, along with 11 other locations...it will be a busy summer for Rick next year! We loved getting to know Rick and he became like family.

This is the first day headed out to our ministry site at the KOA campground. The kids were so excited to get there and do VBS and meet lots of friends!

The first day Jay was in charge of the Bible story time. He did a great job...as always! The girls and I were in charge of music all week and had a blast. We had already done VBS the week before at our church, so we knew all the fun motions and the words.

After VBS at the campground, we would go back to the hotel for a little while, then head to the nursing homes. We were able to visit 3 nursing homes while we were there. It was awesome! We all made gift bags and gave the residents LOTS of wonderful gifts. The kids also made cards and pictures for a homemade gift. What an amazing thing to see your kids love on people like Jesus did...a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven!

Here the kids do a few VBS songs for the nursing home residents! They loved it...Tuesday was a huge day for me. This little girl named Nina showed up for VBS. While we were doing the craft, we had a few minutes to talk. She told me that she didn't go to church...and that "the devil is not a bad person...my brother told me so."

Her brother had told her that if she really wanted a puppy, the devil was the one to pray to for that. He told her that Satan would give her the things she wanted. I was a little shocked at that. I asked her what she thought of that. She told me that she was really scared to pray to Satan.

I asked her if she had ever accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and she said never. We talked and talked through scripture and through the kids tract that we had been given. She prayed to receive Christ that day, and this is the smile of a girl who was set free from fear...

The amazing thing is that the next day...her BROTHER came to VBS. He was in all black and didn't say much, but participated in everything we did! And the cool thing...he came on the day we gave the Gospel message...the ABCs. What an awesome God we serve! This is a picture I hold very dear to my heart.

On the last day we did all kinds of fun things! We had face painting, sno cones, and...Jay did balloon animals while we were there!

After VBS and the nursing home on the last day, we headed with our team (our new family) to the creek for some fun! The day was hot and the kids had not EVER complained one single time while we were ministering. They were AMAZING! They gave all they had everywhere we went. I was humbled by all of the kids and how awesome they did all week.

They had a great time wading and cooling off. It was great to just play together too! The women waded some, but mostly sat and talked along with snapping all the photos!

We were finished early on Thursday, so we headed to downtown Cherokee and enjoyed some tourist traps. We met a buffalo!

We danced the "friendship dance" and really enjoyed some Cherokee traditional dances and music.

Well, after this photo we headed home. We were all very sad that the week was over, but each of us was excited to get involved here in our own town doing some of the same things! Already our family is planning on getting involved with My Sister's House in Atlanta. We hope to do movie nights with the kids there at least once a month...and hopefully much more!

It was a sensational week. God was HUGE! We are grateful for such an opportunity...and we hope to see you next year!

Mission Trip Memories: Sunday

On Sunday, our family separated from the rest of the group and headed to Ella Missionary Baptist Church for Jay to preach. They were the sweetest group of people and they all loved the girls to pieces...lots of hugs! It was a great day and we are so grateful we were able to be there for this service while their pastor was in the hospital.
This is the view right outside of the church. It was right on the river!
After church we all met back at Shiloh Baptist church for a yummy catered lunch and then some evangelism training and prayerwalking our project sites. The girls wanted Families on Mission hats...so cute!
Here are the kids that went on the trip! There were over 100 of us at the project site for the week and we all became like family. The summer staff from NAMB led a few games today and it was so much fun to watch...and laugh!
This is Kristen who was the mission specialist for the summer. She is in college and wants to be a teacher...she was amazing with the kids. We loved getting to know the summer staff and one was even an Auburn student!

This week was be far one of the most amazing weeks of my life. Being on mission with my entire family for the week was truly a gift...and we are so grateful that we will be on the leadership this year! We can't wait to see where our project site is for next summer...we're already eager to get back!