1st Dental Cleaning

American Girl

We celebrated Audrey's birthday at the American Girl store today in Nashville. We were supposed to go Saturday, but the store was closed due to the snow. 

The girls enjoyed fruit fondue, pizza, ice cream and cake. Their dolls shared in the fun wearing tiaras and having their own chairs, cups, and saucers. 

We did a little shopping for Bitty before heading home. We adore our sweet princess Audrey. 

Ice Skating

Audrey loved ice skating with her friend Landon today.  We were supposed to go to Nashville to the American Girl Store for her birthday, but the store was closed today due to the weather. 

Auj skated for nearly 3 hours.  By the end she was skating with her head resting on the milk crates. 

Alexander joined us for a bit. He's really getting the hang of it.  

My Girl is 5

What I've Been Reading

Not My Words - A few quotes from what I've been reading lately. 

All I want is for my boys to obey me. And to be quiet. And to stop wrestling all the time. And to put their toys away. And to stop goofing off  at the table. And to stop spilling their drinks. And to stop wrinkling their noses at the dinners I work hard to fix for them.  And to focus on their school work. And to stop fighting with each other. And to be quiet (did I already say that?). Do you find yourself nodding your head? Sighing deeply because you kinda know what I mean? We don’t just have messes, we are messes.

Yep, motherhood brings out the very worst in me. But after seven years of battling, I’ve finally come to this:

I’m glad. I’m glad my kids bring out all my ugly. I’m glad they make me disorganized. I’m glad they keep me on my knees in prayer, asking, begging God to make me more like him so I can be the kind of mom they really need.

Thank you, God, for your faithful promises that bring us hope in the weariness of motherhood. Encourage our hearts on the hard days, fill us with your peace in the chaos, and help us to see the beauty in the mess.

Before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide—for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.

Hosea knew going into his marriage that God was asking something ridiculously special of him, something humanly impossible. God had chosen Hosea’s life as a canvas to display the splendor of the gospel. We can look at his life and SEE the gospel in action. Can others see it in yours? 

Launch Day

Today is launch day for "Hope for the Weary Mom Devotional." I am so excited for many more mothers to experience the hope this book brings. I have loved reading "Hope for the Weary 

Mom Devotional."  I just don't want to finish the book and for it to be over. It is so encouraging to read about other mothers who feel the same as I do. As a pastor's wife it can be diffilcult to find someone I can share my struggles with. As I seek to rely more on God's Word for my peace and comfort this book has been a great tool to help me connect to the Lord through His word.  The book also holds special meaning for me since my name is Hope.  I have blogged several times about the devotional prior to this post. I started my blog after my father died five years ago.  It was a way to write and remind myself of God's truths in that difficult time. The blog has become more of a record of my children's lives, but in recent days I have begun to also use it as I originally intended.  

Brooke and Stacey's books are ones that I will continue to reread as this Hope continues to find true hope in Jesus. 

HOPE

“Hope is not a wish or a sprinkle of magical fairy dust. Hope is a person.”

"Hope will not wash away. It is your promise. Your source of hope will never stop seeking to pour it fresh into your heart."

Emily Dickinson wrote, “Hope is the thing with feathers.”

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

Romans 15:13