Good Intentions...

I was changing Edyn & rocking her to sleep, all to the sound of pots and pans banging downstairs. I was completely annoyed by all the noise b/c Edyn was having a hard time going to sleep due to a few teeth coming in, so by the time I got downstairs & saw this mess, I was not happy! And I yelled. Really bad. And I wanted to cuss. It was completely one of those moments when I REALLY needed God to knock some perspective into me. And He was faithful...of course. I was so frustrated as I had just organized and cleaned everything. After I told them how upset I was, they just looked at me w/ such thoughtfulness & innocence and said, "But mommy, we are making meals for our friends, because they sick & hurting and they not be able to cook right now. Jesus like that". I was speechless. My mind immediately raced back a few days before when I made a huge batch of food and my girls endured 4 hours in the car as we delivered meals to my cousin who had a baby, my aunt who had major surgery and another friend who is going through a heartbreaking time.

God immediately brought this scripture to mind..."Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." -Deuteronomy 6:5-9

I thank God for blessing us tremendously with 3 healthy little girls who have hearts that already long to serve and honor Jesus. My prayer is that Jared and I will always strive to "...set an example...in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity."-1 Timothy 4:12...because that is hard to do sometimes...really hard!

Welcoming Trinity Grace!

Our friends and neighbors, Jana & Jamie are preparing to welcome Trinity Grace in just a few short weeks! Sharon and I had a shower for them on Saturday and of course, Emma was right in the middle, handing out presents and playing lil' miss hostess! It was such a fun time for all! We are praying for a healthy arrival for Trinity! We can't wait to meet her!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Emma had her Valentine's Day party on Feb 11th at school. I was in charge so it was so much fun watching Emma help me plan for it! Jared just rolled his eyes as he watched her line up everything 4 times the night before! I LOVE to plan parties and it has completely rubbed off on Emma...so fun!

Speaking of Jenklamm.com....

As mentioned in my previous post, Jen came to our house and took pics of the girls and these were our Valentine gifts for many! She comes highly recommended! Check out all of our pics at jenklamm.com and under client proofing you enter "angels" as the password and you can view our photo shoot! Edyn made her debut on the front of her page. Thanks Jen for all of your wonderful work and patience with my kids! You are amazing!

Great and Fun Idea...not so much!

The weather is nice, I finally figure out how to put together my new and overwhelming camera (thanks to my awesome husband!) and I thought it would be a great idea to dress Edyn up and take her pictures! She didn't think so! It was a a lot of work just to get her to look at me, then she wouldn't look at me, then she completely fell apart! Reason # 87 why I pay for a professional to come take pictures of my kids. Check out our Valentine's gifts this year at www.jenklammphoto.blogspot.com! She is so wonderful with my kids...I can't get them to do what she can!

Out of the mouth of a child...

Mom: Will you please stop changing your clothes?
Ellie: Why?
Mom: Because every time you change them, I have more clothes to wash then I don't get to spend as much time with you b/c I am busy doing laundry.
Ellie: "You not be a mommy if you don't wash the clothes all the time and play with me all the time too. Mommy's can do that. Daddy's not know how to do that"

How I love my middle child...and her spunk. She will forever keep us on our toes, that we are sure of!

Waddle Toddle, Waddle Toddle...

...Oh the fun of watching our baby walk! Yes, Edyn is walking and we just forgot how incredibly cute their little waddle is when they are walking for the first time! She pulls up on stuff or gets up by herself then just takes off! Or she stands & dances with Emma & Ellie...and that is hilarious! So fun!

Hebrews 12:1....

"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...."
These are my great cloud of witnesses, the girls that are my rock and keep me accountable. I never imagined that the decision to serve on MOPS steering team would be such a tremendous blessing in getting to know and work with 12 AMAZING women in love with Jesus, all serving their hearts out for His kingdom. I have learned so much from these girls and am so grateful for their presence in my life! This picture was taken at SPA day where we got to pamper over 90 women! What a joy it was to get to help all these moms enjoy 2 hours of relaxation that was much needed and well deserved!

Go Chieftans Go!

The girls were so excited to sport their new cheerleading outfits! We went to Jared's games on Tuesday & Friday and they had so much fun cheering & running around! Good thing Cara (their baby-sitter) was there to help...what a lifesaver she is! Emma was excited to get to pose w/ the "real" cheerleaders but Ellie needed mom to get in the picture so she would pose for the camera!

Angels we have heard on High!

Emma was so disappointed when school got canceled (b/c of the weather) the day of her Christmas party & program. They did get to have their party at school, along with their program on January 7th and she was the most beautiful angel! She was so proud of her part and did wonderful!

Cupcake Cutie!

Our little cupcake celebrated her 1st birthday with family on New Year's Eve! She loved her balloons and still chases them around, saying, "ba, ba"!

Fun on the Plaza!

The girls had nonstop fun as they explored the plaza while we celebrated Edyn's 1st birthday! It was a beautiful day (record high's) and so we let them run through the fountains! And of course, we made a stop at the candy store and Edyn was so proud of her sucker! They had so much fun that they didn't even fall asleep on the way home (VERY abnormal for them!!)

Happy Birthday Edyn Jo!

Our baby turned one (SO hard to believe!) on December 26th and we celebrated with a trip to downtown KC to Fritz's! The girls had so much fun ordering their food on a phone then having a train deliver it! Edyn enjoyed some ice cream for her big day! Then the girls had a BLAST running around the plaza!

The beauty of Christmas....

Oh, the beauty of Christmas as you get to experience it through their little eyes...it was so precious! I will forever treasure the expressions on their faces when they realized that Santa came! Edyn was just happy to get a candy cane & LOVED putting Emma's new underwear on her head, but Emma & Ellie couldn't stop bouncing around! Ellie was most excited about her pull-ups and toothbrush...yes, she adamantly asked for both and those were her favorites (LOVE her practicality) and Emma was just happy to help everyone else open gifts!