God's Best

Last week I found this picture on our computer.  I SO love it.  I know it's not the best quality, it's a bit blurry and pixelated.....and is over 9 years old.  But it shows so much.  Aaron's Auntie Joy snapped this picture as we were leaving the church on our wedding night.  Heading home to our little duplex together for the first time as husband and wife.  I have never been more sure of anything in my whole life. Aaron is God's Best for me. Do you see the unspeakable joy on our faces?  The anticipation?  WOW.  We were 28 and 29....ready to take on the world as a married couple.  Ready to serve our Jesus together as husband and wife.  Ready to start a family......and love each other forever. All of those things are still true.  Why?  Because I married God's Best.  I never would have guessed we would have been through all we have now.  Infertility, three miscarriages, the loss of my Dad and our son Elliott, anxiety and fear.....the adoption of our sweet Halle Grace.  Now we are stronger than ever.  Marriage is super hard work.  Without hesitation, I would be the first to tell you that. With Jesus our marriage has survived while others around us have fallen and crumbled.  That hurts my heart.  It makes me so sad to see how many marriages around me have led to divorce.  I'm so sad and frustrated by the choices some people make.  I have watched my Sister and some very close friends go through divorce.  It stinks and  it's really hard for me to put myself in their shoes.  I think I would have never made those choices in the first place.  But, is that the truth?

When I was in my twenties I dated a man I thought I would marry.  He and his family were my life.  Let me be clear in writing this.  I know they may read this and I have no hurt feelings towards Luke and his family at all.  After dating for 1 1/2 years our relationship ended.  It really was for the best, but I didn't think that at the time.  That relationship made me grow into the woman I am today.  I had to rely on Jesus and my identity in Christ not in my boyfriend and his family.  It was then I learned who I really was.  Believe it or not, this is how I  became the independent redhead I am today.  You can thank for me that later, Aaron.  Choosing to serve on the Youth Staff at my then church caused me to grow spiritually under the guidance of our Youth Pastor Jon & his wife Stacey.  Through this experience I gained lifelong friends who still guide me today.  During this time I also moved back home after living with a roommate for four years.  I lost my job....and my new one didn't pay as much as I was accustomed to.  Because of this, I took on a second job on Saturday's to supplement my income, working with my friend Candace.  She was the one who set Aaron and I up on our first date.  And...I am forever grateful. In our house we don't use the term "God's Best" loosely.  I only know that Jesus is the one who brought my husband to me and having Him in your marriage is the only way to keep the marriage healthy and whole.  Praying together, honoring each other and continually striving to make it work as God intended marriage to be.

A WHOLE Bunch of Silly!

That's right.  Paige, Paityn & Lincoln came to our house to play for a Saturday so our Titi could sleep & their Daddy could work.  Look at this silly bunch!  We definitely had our hands full!

Dad's Day!

This is all about Dad's.  Let's face it....they really don't get enough credit.  It seems good Dads and Husbands are few and far between these days. I hit the jackpot.  Let me tell you.  My husband and Halle & Elliott's Daddy is a rare find.  When Halle was small I went back to work after six weeks.  Right before that Halle started sleeping through the night.  Phew.  But, before that Aaron graciously got up for his shift.  He plays with Halle and explains lots and lots of questions she has.  Let me tell you, this is no small feat.  More importantly, he shows our daughter the love of Jesus and what it means to know Him.  These two share an incredible bond that I believe could not be any deeper even if Halle was our biological daughter.  From the moment Aaron looked in her eyes on November 10, 2008 she had him...hook, line & sinker.  She is so her Daddy's girl. Where ever he is....she wants to be.  Hence, her love for all things music and those garage related.  The other day she was using the wire cutters right along with her Daddy.  And recently she asked while listening to a classic rock station "Dad, do you hear those guitars?"  That's our girl.  She is very quick to climb up into his lap and give him the biggest hug you have ever seen....and on the days she is home with me she runs to greet him on his arrival home from work.  What a blessing it is to me to see Halle and Aaron together.  I love to see them snuggled up on the couch, playing Legos or playing guitar together.  Thank you Aaron for being an incredible Daddy to our little girl and our little boy up in Heaven.  You stood by my bedside while we welcomed our sweet boy and comforted me while I sobbed.  You are truly God's Best.

And my Dad, who is no longer here with us to celebrate this Father's Day.  I miss you.  You are and will always be my hero.  You fought such a long and hard battle with cancer and never, ever did you give up.  What a champion you are....through and through.  Let me tell you a little bit about this Godly man I call Dad.  He bbq'd the BEST chicken you would ever taste.  Incredible, I tell you.  He liked sampling it too....as you can see above.  Many times, my Grandpa tried to replicate it.  It never, ever tasted as good.  He was a strict parent.  Now I am thankful for that.  He knew the value of hard work and earning your pay and responsibility as a teen-ager.  When I turned sixteen and bought my first car he co-signed on my loan and I was made responsible to pay the payment each month.  He loved to sing and had the very best laugh.  His favorite breakfast was french toast and I swear my Mom made it for him every.single. Saturday morning.  He favored sweat pants and flannel shirts and loved his recliner and watching every sport known to man.  He would have been an incredible Grampie.  I so know it.  And he and Halle would have gotten along swimmingly.  You would never, ever beat him in a game because let's face it, we all know, he cheated.  Big time.  He stacked the deck in card games he played with me and hid his money during the "Game of Life".  He loved Altoids and never, ever drank a cup of coffee.  Coke was a dirty word and Pepsi ruled in his book....sometimes Mountain Dew.  Gold Medal Ribbon ice cream was his favorite and his pizza MUST have extra, extra mushrooms. He loved his Jesus and was not afraid to share that with everyone he knew...including those who cared for him during his illness.  He was the best.

Wordless Wednesday--Meeting Halle for the FIRST time!

As long as I live I will not forget this moment.  It's frozen in my mind....the look on Halle's face as her Daddy held her.  Believe you me, she loves her Daddy with every ounce in her body!  He is her hero....November 19 is National Adoption Day and November is the month in which Halle came to live with us just three years ago.  This month brings back so many exciting, extraordinary memories for me.  I want to celebrate Halle and the the life her Mommy Michelle gave her.  We are so thankful for the gift of adoption!

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" James 1:27

Daddy's Day

On this day....we celebrate YOU Daddy!! Thank you for:

• wiping my snotty nose
• dancing with me to "Liza" and my new favorite the "Trash" song
• instilling your love of music in me
• loving Jesus with your whole heart
• taking such good care of Mommy & Me
• "Bringing Home the Bacon" everyday
• getting up with me in the middle of night
• teaching me about guitars, tractors and lots of animals
• telling me I look pretty

Most importantly...teaching me about Jesus and His love for me!!

And a note from Mommy:

Dear Aaron,

Thank you for loving our little girl....for loving me...for believing in her and all her dreams. For taking extra time to blow bubbles with her, walk with her and "Rock-A-Bye" her. A long time ago when we started this long journey I knew I had chosen the very best! You believed in adoption from the get-go and had NO problems with it....even before we were married. You are my ROCK, my sounding board...and you can make me laugh....sometimes when I'm about to cry. You are one HOT handy man and I'm so happy to call you mine! Thank you again for being the BEST Daddy you can be...I appreciate you so much!!

Hugs and lots of kisses,

Your Wife

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary!  I have been married to this wonderful man for five whole years.  I can hardly believe it!  To celebrate, Halle is going to stay with Nana and Papa tomorrow so we can go to a movie and out to dinner.  AND...we are going to get a wedding band made for my ring.  We are very excited about that and had planned to do this before we got "the call" about Halle.  So, we've put it off for a little while.  I could tell you so many things about Aaron.  He's handy, cute, cuddly and most of all...he loves Jesus with all his heart and soul.  Now adding to the list is the fact that he is truly the best Daddy ever.  Halle loves her Daddy so much...that is already evident.  She is truly a Daddy's girl!  I love that!  I love to see Halle asleep on her Daddy all sweet and content.  I love that he calls her "Halle Bear".  I love that he loves me...when I have spit up all over, I haven't showered and I need a haircut.  God placed this AMAZING man of God in my life just when I needed him.  I could not have asked for a better mate.  One who fits me so well.  I love you Aaron!!  I'm looking forward to many, many, many more anniversaries...........Your Princess

Applesauce Making

The apples before...don't they look yummy???

Here's Aaron hard at work.  It should be said that he peels A LOT faster than I do!!

All peeled, cored, quartered and in the pot

Look at this garbage bowl!!

42 cups of yummy applesauce goodness!!  Thank goodness Tupperware makes this bowl!

The containers washed, ready and waiting

All the containers filled and ready for the freezer

Wow!!  Aaron and I made applesauce for the first time this year.  My Mom was supposed to help, but...she didn't feel very good and we didn't need to catch her bug.  So....we ate a quick dinner and began this process!!  Aaron helped me peel all the apples...that was the hardest part.  I wish we would have used Mom's apple peeler/corer/slicer...next time we definitely will.  We used Gravenstein apples and this applesauce turned out so yummy!!!  It wasn't very hard at all.  You just have to peel and of course core the apples...quarter them up and put them in a big pot on the stove.  Don't turn the heat up too high...the sugar content in the apples will cause them to burn if you try to cook them too quickly.  Take them out of the pot to cool....add sugar/splenda to taste and cinnamon if you desire...it tastes the best with it!  We also made ours kinda chunky...we both like the chunks of apple in it.  Once it's cooled and you get it into containers just pop it in the freezer and take it out as you need it....ENJOY!  I know we are!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Today is Aaron's birthday!!  My dear, sweet husband...he's 29 (+5!!!) and in his heart not a day past 20, I'm sure.  I just wanted to take the time to let him know how much I love him!!  I can't believe God has blessed me with someone as dear as him.  He is selfless, sweet, understanding, handy (I love that!) and handsome too!!!  The complete package.  I could not ask for anything more.  We have been through some not so good things together, including our almost three years of infertility.  I wanted nothing more than to make him a daddy!  He will be the best....see, he even likes to play Legos with our nephew Bryce!  He is quiet where I'm outspoken and somewhat loud.  He does not worry, when I sometimes do (I know God doesn't want me to, I've been working on that).  He is calm when I can be somewhat high strung. He is my rock and my listening ear.  He is not so talkative, but...when he does have something to say it is so profound.  God has given him the gift of playing guitar and singing....trust, me God knew what He was doing.  He is an incredible wood worker and has built not one, but TWO guitars.  One he plays during worship at church. He makes me laugh...and smile.  He is affectionate and snuggly...mmmmmm....love, love that!! He is hands down the best at grilling on our charcoal grill.  And...he can fix anything!  I love him and I'm so glad God chose him to be my husband.  And I can't wait to make him a Daddy!!!  

I love you Aaron...Happy Birthday