Monday, April 30, 2012

to make texas happier....

yesterday was a big day at our house. yesterday was april 29th.

what's so special?

we now have ONE more month until the election.


it's been longer than the hubbs or i ever conceived it to be, but i still, somehow, can't conceive that we have only one month left. although sometimes it feels like it's more that there's STILL one month left... but that's not the point.

the point that i'm trying to make is that after this last nine months, i am changed. i am not the same person as the one that went into this adventure last august. i am different. i'm a different wife. i parent differently. i have different priorities. i have different relationships. i have a different view of my Lord. i have a different view of people. 

forever changed.

it's amazing what such a seemingly short time span can do to a person. things that i thought were rock solid about myself are now broken. things that i thought were huge weaknesses in myself are now strengths. it's nothing short of miraculous. it's a miraculous work that the Lord has done in my life. in my marriage, in my family.


people often ask me how in the world we could even think of doing this with children. that was my first response when the hubbs and i were challenged to pray about this call. we thought to ourselves, "but we have such young children!" how on earth could he possibly be away from them. how on earth could we rock their world like that? 

but you know what we found? that "but we have such young children!" was actually the answer. but to a different question. this time the question was how could we NOT think of doing this? i remember very specifically as we were praying through this, and i kept asking God that question: "what about our kids? i'll go wherever You want me to, but what about our children??" and i remember very clearly - almost audibly, but not quite - "dear becky, but I am bigger than all of that."

wow. do you believe that? do you believe that He is bigger than all of your excuses, no matter how good they are. no matter how rational. He. Is. Bigger.

yes. it's been a long, hard road. i told the hubbs last night that 90% of the time i don't think about how tired i am, how weary we are or all that has happened or all that is going to happen in the next month, year, etc. ninety percent. i think that's a pretty good percentage. and that 90% of the time, i'm doing great. i just make it all happen. make it work. my house may be a mess. i may be a mess, but there is food on the table, clean underwear and we are somehow all at whatever place we need to be at whenever time we need to be there. somehow, the hubbs and i are still happily married (remember, i said 90%, right?) and somehow we still find precious slivers of time to simply be husband and wife. 

but it's that 10%. the 10% that makes me cling to the Lord for dear life. the 10% that makes me tear up, even as i write this. it's the 10% that has changed me forever.

it has changed the way i worship. now, i worship freely, often with tears streaming down my face, praising the Lord for changing my life, my heart, for choosing US (not just the hubbs) to go into this battlefield and fight for His glory. now, i have to fill my house with worship music because i've learned the great lesson of focus. if i'm focused on worshiping the Lord, my eyes are NOT on my circumstances... that 10%.


it has changed my marriage. the hubbs and i have been together since 1998... so, a while. and we've never been the best communicators. but boy has this rocked that boat. i can completely see how it could tear a marriage apart... campaigns, well, politics in general often do. but God, again, continues to show us that He is bigger than politics. He is bigger than time constraints and the demands of a campaign. He has even healed things in our marriage through this process that i didn't even feel needed healing. we've learned how to be true servants to one another, although it's not always the case, but we're now quick to communicate and iron out problems before they fester and grow into big time issues.


it has changed our children. our children now can see, in our lives - and truly in their own lives - what it means to serve others. to serve for Christ. b. especially talks about it with us at bedtime. how important it is for daddy to walk neighborhoods, get signs out, etc. - but for a reason. the hubbs often tells this story, and the humor and wonder of b's statement has worn off on me, but i think it's very important to share what he's learning. when you ask him why daddy is running for office, he says this: "to make texas happier."

such a profound statement, i think, from a four-year-old little boy.
and yes, that's the essence of why the hubbs is running. but it's in the running that we want to impact the kingdom for Christ. j is doing what he was clearly made to do. what the Lord placed on his heart a LONG time ago to do. if you ever hear him speak, or see him at an event, no one can deny that this is how he was made to serve. 

i'm so very proud of him. proud of his character & integrity & courage. his willingness to face adversity. proud of his listening ear and his soft heart.

and proud to support him in his endeavor "to make texas happier."


Thursday, April 26, 2012

the e.r.


if you're friends with me on facebook, you probably saw that i rounded out my twenties with a trip to the emergency room for our little man.

i am so thankful that our friend (and j's campaign manager) caroline was with me at the house when the 'accident' happened. really, it could have happened anytime or anywhere. b slipped and fell and hit his head on the corner of the coffee table. honestly, it's probably not an uncommon occurence at our house. it's just that this time, the corner caught his ear and somehow split the lobe open. literally.

caroline was great holding the ice and the towell on his ear while i figured out what to do. i have a friend who's a pediatric nurse at children's so i called her first. normally it takes a LOT for me to go to the doctor, let alone the emergency room, but when caroline removed the towel, it looked like someone had taken scissors to his ear lobe, if you get my drift.

long story short, we ended up at children's plano. they were phenomenal. the doctor was great. the nurses were even better. and the child life specialist was awesome. b. was incredibly anxious and scared, although by that time i don't think he was in a tremendous amount of pain. he got to pick out a movie to watch while the doctor put the stitches in.

it ended up being FIVE stitches. and to think that caroline and i originally thought a bandaid would do the trick. ha.

and so today, i'm thankful for a healthy child. you could look at it now and you wouldn't even see a scar. medicine is amazing. i'm thankful that sweet caroline was with me, helping me get the kids in the car, making sure i had all the necessities - my cell phone my insurance, etc. i'm thankful for so many friends near us that it's easy to drop a kid off in an emergency. i knew lil' miss was in good hands with julie & her girls while i waited with b. (c. actually probably had an awesome time with those 'big' girls!)

thankful.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

b's birthday.


although this post is extremely late, i do have an excuse.

well, kind of. 

b's birthday landed on the saturday before easter, and i was very specific that i did not want to share the two. i felt like his birthday needed to be HIS birthday, and more imporantly, Easter needed to be about Jesus. 

and it all worked out.


friday night, the hubbs picked b. up for a very special night out. they went to dick's sporting goods and picked out all things tee ball. a real tee, a real (metal - and kinda scary) bat. a box of tee balls. a batting helment? (really?) and cleats and bases and so on and so on.

he was in heaven. 


i don't know what was more special, all of that one on one time with daddy or the tee ball stuff? i think it was probably the daddy time.

friday night after he went to bed (which took him FOR.EVER.) the hubbs set up a 'field' in our back yard.

and b. could not wait to get dressed in his new pants, socks, cleats... and be a 'david murphy'. bless him.

we kept the birthday celebration really low key due to life circumstances AND the fact that next year is the big FIVE birthday, so i could save my energy for that. 

back yard bbq for our family & a few of b's best friends. really easy peasy.



sweet brady & sweet harper. i love her.


best buddies. "pieee---eerccee". somehow b. makes his pierce's name two syllables. i think it's his little texas accent kicking in. love. it.


add big-kid sydney to the mix. i think this was the first birthday party she's been at for b! one of b's bestest friends (and BOTH my kids think she HUNG THE MOON) but her birthday is only a few days before b's.... but we coordinated BEAUTIFULLY this year! :)



all the kiddos - without bryn. i may or may not have accidentally knocked her down and she never quite got over it. i swear it wasn't hard. just sayin'. 


this year - in the vein of keeping it low key - i made b's cake this year. it was quite delicious by all accounts, if i do say so myself.


sweet birthday boy. everyone says how sweet you are... but let's not forget the other stuff. you're kind and thoughtful. you are concerned for others. you're inquisitive and creative (from your daddy & your momma, respectively). you're (mostly) protective and very affectionate with your little sister. you're a very picky eater. you have a pretty strong will but you're a peacemaker. you're heart is precious and you ask about Jesus and heaven often. it very much blesses me. you love to sing praise & worship songs in the car. you sleep well. you make friends easily - everywhere we go.

i'm so thankful you're our son. you were made perfectly for us.


bubba & miss (soon to be aunt) mel. mel brought c. these cute beads so she wouldn't feel 'left out'. precious. she wears them EVERY day. (not kidding).


oh - the cake. yeah. i'll have to share this recipe some time. very easy. very yummy. crowd pleaser all the way around.




present time.

i love how all of a sudden we went from no one caring about presents to everyone huddled around 'helping' with the presents. they're truly big kids now.



a hug hit. darth 'mater'. 


again, with the cake. 


we are abundantly blessed.


 my mom said that on b's birthday she was looking up scriptures to pray for him by his birthday. in other words, she was looking up a lot of 4:7 references. she came across this one that i love so much.

"beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7

that's my prayer for b. that he would love others, born from his love of our precious Lord. 

happy wednesday everyone.



Friday, April 13, 2012

blessing.


do you ever need this reminder?

i do.

especially here lately. i've been praying over a certain 'situation' in my life for a long time. as in, for years. and in the last year my heart has been heavy heavy heavy. i pray for healing. i pray for forgiveness for all of my judgement, i pray for restoration.

sometimes i have to pray for the desire to pray.

and sometimes i wonder if He hears me. if He hears all of us praying. if He does, then why has the situation not changed? why has He not answered our prayers???

a few weeks ago it hit me that the Lord may never answer my prayer the way that i want Him to. the way that i think that He should.

don't get me wrong, i'm not asking for material blessings or anything like that... i'm not asking for anything that i think would be anything less than what HE wants. but maybe that's just it.

maybe He wants more

more time.
more prayers.
more people changed.
more glory.
more of me.

what if He brought all of this about just so that i, becky, was on my knees everyday begging for His grace & mercy? what if His whole plan that has been terribly painful is all meant to bless me?

does that not blow your mind? that the Lord may be orchestrating all sorts of stuff in the world to get YOUR attention for ONE moment in time?? wow.

let me be the first to tell you that i did not take this epiphany well. i verbally told the Lord that i did not need Him to do this. that He could mess with anything else in my life but i did not want Him to mess with this.

i was angry. with the situation, with people, with the Lord.

the next morning i woke up and was working through my bible study that rocked my world in all kinds of ways.

and what verse was staring at me in the face?


'Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.' (James 5:16)

our prayers are....... effective???? they make a difference?? they really can bring healing???

please don't get me wrong... i'm not saying that i'm a 'righteous man'. far from it to say the least. but it was certainly a challenge and an encouragement all at the same time. just when i needed it most. my prayers are not falling on deaf ears. 

so once again, i am laying it all down at His feet. it's a daily process for me. all the while knowing that His answer might not be the answer i want, but that He is still Great.

so i continue on.

because the Lord promises that He hears. and, that prayers are effective.

this post has been on my heart for a while but i haven't had the courage to write it. hopefully it will encourage at least one of you today.

and for those of you who commented on my worship song i left here a few weeks ago from my sweet friend terri, here's another one.

may you be blessed today.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

project life catch up.




yes, i do still do project life. and i'm actually pretty current thanks to a long night with a sweet friend who was doing hers as well.



i was about a month behind (4 weeks) and it took me all of two hours to put everything together.





i have honestly been keeping it very basic.... even started paying "full price" to print my pics at 4 x 6 to skip the step of the cute paper behind it like i did last year.



i'm trying to think big picture here.

even if it's not as cute as it would be had i spent an hour on each layout with all the bells & whistles, that's not the point. the point is to have a book of memories for years & years to come... and i do. 


b. loves looking at the books from last year. the stay on our coffee table for that purpose.


my plan is to have j. write a little blurb about his donuts with dad day so i can attach it somehow. i think that it will be neat to have that written account of their morning together at school.


and yes, i still love this project even though i don't spend as much time on it as i did last year. it's more that i love the result of this project if that makes sense.

and if you lack inspiration just look here & here & here & here.

i'm determined to be more creative at my next catch up session!! just look at this girl.... it's like a regular scrapbook inside of project life. love it.

make it work for you! all sorts of ideas.

start at the beginning & get going!!!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

the countdown continues.


1. the smell of spring rain. (i really think it's the smell of dirt, but nonetheless, i love it.)
2. anthropologie volcano capri blue candle.
3. ruffles.
4. my girlie girl carrying her baby everywhere.
5. photoshop + rad lab. awesome.
6. new girl.
7. worship music.
8. the weather channel.
9. pink peonies.
10. project life.
11. the new PW cookbook. love it all.
12. phillip phillips. american idol. done.
13. fresh produce.
14. conversations about heaven with my little man.
15. sweet text messages.
16. Jesus Calling.
17. generous people.
18. my accountability group.
19. wal.mart.
20. city craft.
21. grapefruit.
22. sleep.
23. new friends.
24. watercolors.
25. green monster smoothies.
26. the lake.
27. comfort food. (*confession* i'm a stress eater)
28. leaving my windows open all day long.
29. nail polish.
30. cucumber water.


***ps - i saw this idea on some person's blog a while ago, but i can't quite remember where it was. just wanted you to know it was not my idea***