good. better? best!

This story came to mind while doing dishes the other night. It happened about 2 years ago. While we were working with 5th and 6th grade at church we decided to take one of the students out to eat. We'll call him Bob. Bob comes from a broken home in a run down neighborhood. He was one of our "challenging" kids, but we sure did enjoy him! Since he didn't go out to eat much, we wanted to treat him to some yummy food. We went to The Texas Roadhouse. We told him he could order ANYTHING he wanted. He sat there for awhile looking over the menu. We were excited to spoil him... to give him something special, out of the ordinary. When the waitor took our order, he happily ordered macaroni and cheese. We were floored. There was SO much he could have ordered, yet he stuck with macaroni and cheese. Something so simple. Part of us was disappointed. But Bob was not. He thoroughly enjoyed his macaroni.

We learned some things that day.

This is what Kevin learned... (written by Kevin)
We learned that when we get used to the ordinary and bland things, we don't have a taste for greatness. When we get used to asking God for normal and small things, we forget all that He has to offer. God wants to give us the world, and we can't even recognize it because we forget that God has great things in store for us. God wants to give us filet mignon, and we stick with the plain old mac and cheese.

On the flip-side this is what I learned....
Bob was content. Even though tempted with food of greater value, he went for something simple. Am I okay with mac and cheese? Or would I pout until I got something more expensive? Living in our culture today, we are constantly bombarded with the "need" for more and more and more. Greed is eating us up! When I start playing the comparison game and take my eyes off of what really matters (Jesus), I am NOT content. When I look at the lives of those around me, I begin to want what they have. I forget that God has given me EXACTLY what He wants me to have. He is my provider and has promised to always take care of me.

Anyways...
Needless to say, we are always learning more and more about God and His ways.

a little moment

This morning I was in the living room reading my Bible when out of Mikaela's room in such a sweet, gentle voice I could hear her sing... "Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so" over and over again. She was flipping through a book about Jesus. Now, her reading a book is nothing new. She does it every morning... afternoon... evening... and in between! But normally I hear things like "Swiper, NO swiping!" from Dora the Explorer. Anyways, the moment melted my heart. Thank you, Lord, for such sweet moments!!!

Flower Girl

Mikaela was a flower girl for Jesse & Tiffany's wedding on Friday. She was beautiful and did such a good job! We were so proud of our little girl. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy...

Kevin was a groomsman. If you look closely you can see him one head or two higher than the other guys... hehe!

Home in Killeen, Texas

Hi there!

We are in Killeen.

I've been wanting to write about our journey to Killeen, but I feel a little overwhelmed at the task of putting our journey into words that make sense!

We were in Temple. We loved it there, yet felt it was time to move away from the comforts of a small, safe town. So, we moved to Austin. We chose Austin because it was a familiar place to go since we both grew up there. We also liked the fact of being close to mom and pops. Unfortunately big doors were closed and we weren't sure what God was up to and how we should respond. We prayed... and prayed... and prayed. What do you do when plan A, B and C fall through... and you don't have a plan D? Go back to school :) We realized we were running away from the "plan" God has for us. Kevin was designed to work with youth. Anyone who knows him knows that! So, he's finishing up school at UMHB and more than likely going to seminary.

Why are we in Killeen? Well, God kinda forced us here. That might sound silly, but it's true. We didn't really want to be here. It's a rougher city... more diverse. Though we had been looking for more diversity, the thought of living in Killeen scared us. Anyways, there were no affordable homes in Belton... and the two we found fell through. Harker Heights was our next option... and again that fell through. So, Killeen was the next city on the map :) There are TONS of homes available because it's a military town. And the homes are fairly inexpensive! A big reason why we're here is because of the church we're attending. Grace Bible Church. It's a sister church of Temple Bible. We absolutely love it and realized the importance of being close to the church for outreach opportunities. We want our home to be a hang-out place for the youth. Therefore, we NEED to be close! We've been here for a week. I LOVE it! I love the house. I love the neighborhood. It's very diverse and that excites me! I feel like we're finally in the right place.

Family updates:

Kevin's a waitor at BJ's in Temple. He's also training in mixed martial arts, otherwise known as cage fighting. He hopes to have his first fight in September... yikes :) He'll start school in July.

Mikaela is almost 2 years old! She talks all the time :) She strings 2 or 3 words together, which is a lot of fun. She loves to play outside. She loves juice, fruit, cheese and Dora the Explorer. I have so much fun with her. She just lightens up our home :) Oh, and she can count to 10!

Keira is almost 3 months old! At her 2 month check-up she weighed 14 lbs. and was 24 inches long :) This girl definitely has her daddy's genes! She smiles ALL the time and tries to laugh too. She is sleeping through the night (about 12 hours), which is wonderful for us! When she cries it sounds like an eagle shrieking. It's short, loud bursts of noise. I can't help but laugh when she gets going :) Unfortunately, her "noise" scares Mikaela and sends her running in the opposite direction.

As sisters, they are very sweet with each other. Keira loves to watch and grin at Mikaela. Mikaela likes to hug, kiss and share things with Keira. I pray they have a lot of patience with each other!

Overall, we're adjusting well. We still have some unpacking to do, but we definitely feel at home... and for that I'm thankful :)

Chosen

Here's some of my story for those of you who haven't heard...

I am who I am because of Jesus. My heart has been safely held in the hands of my God. I am in love with the King of the Universe and because of that I am at rest.

My dad died when I was 13 months old. I am an only child. My mom raised me on her own. She was a very talented seamstress. From Kindergarten thru 8th grade I went to a Catholic school. I learned a lot about God. He was the Creator. He made everything and everyone. He had a Son named Jesus who came to earth and died on a cross. I believed this, yet I didn't understand why Jesus died on a cross. I didn't understand for a long time.

My mom was beautiful. She was from Guatemala. She lived a hard life. We were pretty close. After 8th grade we decided to leave Indiana and head to Texas. We craved something new... something different... something refreshing. So we packed our bags and drove to Austin. Once we got settled in, life became what it was in Indiana. Nothing had changed other than the scenery. Bummer. But then a neighbor invited us to her church, a non-denominational Bible church. That is when my journey really began.

The kids in the youth group were different. There was something about them that drew me in. They had peace and excitement. They genuinely cared about each other. They took me in and became my friends. I began really watching them and trying to figure out what was different and how I could be like them. A year or so went by. Then something clicked. I learned why Jesus died on the cross. He died for sin. My sin. Your sin. Sin (all the stuff we say, do or think that displeases God) is a barrier between us and God. Since God is holy and perfect, He can't be around sin... and we are full of it. Thankfully, God loves us so much that He came up with a remedy. The remedy was His Son, Jesus. Jesus had to die for our sin. Blood had to be shed. Jesus took ALL of our sin (past, present, and future) upon himself. And died. For me; because of me. For you; because of you. But three days later, He rose from the dead. He conquered death! He is now alive! Once I understood that, I became alive as well. I finally admitted that I was a sinner and needed to be saved because without Jesus I was going to Hell. I told God that I believed in Him and Jesus and wanted a close, intimate relationship with Him. I wanted to be a part of His family and He gladly took me in. I became is daughter. I was so excited.

A couple weeks later things got hard. My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The doctor said it was terminal. I couldn't believe it. Why God? Why would you let this happen? Especially since I JUST became a part of your family! Aren't you suppose to keep us safe... and healthy? For two years my mom struggled with this horrible disease. I watched her body deteriorate. I watched her sink. She was alone. I wasn't really there for her. I was in high school and didn't know how to handle it well. She shed many lonesome tears. But God was there for her. He held her hand. He carried her when she couldn't walk anymore. He listened to her when she poured out her heart. He took her fears, her pain, her uncertainties. He did this because she was also His daughter. My mom enjoyed fellowship with God for 8 months before He took her home. She passed away one month before I graduated high school.

Fast forward 9 years and here I am now. I am a wife. I am a mother. God has given me an AMAZING husband and two BEAUTIFUL daughters. God has been faithful. He has taken good care of me. Looking back, I am reassured even more that God will continue to take care of us. He has our lives in complete control. I can rest. I can have peace. I can have joy. I can laugh. My God will never leave me or forsake me. You can have this as well. Ask God. He'll be there for you. He'll take you into His family... just as you are.

Pictures

Life is definitely a little harder with two girls, but sooooo much fun!!!! Keira is a VERY easy-going baby. She loves to sleep... a little too much... which makes middle of the night feedings a challenge! She has pretty blue eyes, dimples (I think), and makes the funniest faces :)

Mikaela has done surprisingly well adjusting to her new sister. She likes to kiss her, pat her head, and touch her nose and toes. Mikaela tries to mimick any noise Keira makes... burps, grunts, and cries. It seems like she's trying to understand Keira. We're trying very hard to make sure Mikaela feels loved and secure in our family, but please pray for her sweet heart!

I've been recovering very smoothly... a lot easier and faster than my first! I feel great other than being tired :) God's been good to us. We're extremely thankful!

Keira Jade

At 4:21 a.m. on March 18, 2008, we welcomed our beautiful little girl into this world.

It all started when Laura started having contractions in the afternoon, so we decided to let Mikaela spend the night with her grandma just in case we had a baby. We went to the hospital at about 7 pm, and got sent home at about 8:45. We were super bummed. However, the bumness didn't last that long. She started having contractions about 3 minutes apart at 1:30 in the morning, so we booked it to the hospital! We got there at about 2:30 and had a baby within 2 hours!!! She came out weighing 7lbs 12oz (supposedly. we think she was a little smaller than that, but whatever) and she was 20 1/2 inches long. Unfortunately, she came so quickly that Laura didn't the epidural (sp?) that she so desperately wanted. But she survived, and everyone is all healthy and awesome.

We are home and trying to figure out how to live life with 2 little girls at home. So far, it's amazing. Mikaela loves the baby. She looks at her, points, and says, "Baby." It's adorable. She also likes to kiss little Keira on the head, then say, "Good girl." She's so cute. Anyways, we appreciate your prayers and messages.

Thanks for reading!!