Abigail Walking at 9 months

Like Brother Like Sister

8 months & walking!

The Race

The Rhythm of Life

When in rhythm there is an unstoppable fluidity, a harmony, a momentous unity. I have begun to run again these past two weeks and while doing so the Holy Spirit is teaching me with faint, yet intimate whispers about rhythm. Not only am I learning how to run and have fun while doing so, I am also learning life lessons as I run with the Teacher, Holy Spirit. While I run I am noticing the importance of my body staying in rhythm with itself. What I mean by this is whatever pattern of speed and pace I stride to, my arms too must move with my legs; not only the arms and legs, but my breathing, and state of mind as well. The stronger the fluidity and longer the harmony of my body in sync with itself, the greater vitality I seem to have as I run. The value of the run is maximized. Enjoyment, stamina, strength, and endurance are all working for me.

There is always opposition on runs, whether it is the terrain, climate, weather conditions, energy level of my body, or incline. But the more I seem to stay in a running rhythm the greater chance for success I put before myself. The less I am in rhythm the more I put extra resistance in my path. Such is the challenge of abiding in the rhythms of the Holy Spirit. When I am in rhythm with the Holy Spirit there is an unstoppable fluidity, a harmony, a momentous unity. When abiding in Spirit it is impossible for me not to fulfill my destiny.

The journey of my faith walk is similar to the terrain that is before me when I run. There are times that I run on flat pavement and other times up inclines or down them. There are times that I run at a slow pace and other times that I am flying with the wind. Christ is the author and the finisher of our faith, the journey before us is already established if we dare to partner with His leadership. There are season when I am moving in His Spirit at a steady pace with ease. There are other times that I am moving so fast downhill it is hard to keep my feet under myself. These are the times when Gods grace is pushing me forward, taking new ground in an accelerated time. Almost everything I touch prospers and I feel like, "how much more can I take?" At times there are mountains that stand before me and I am not only taking ground forward, but yet at the same time vertically. These are the times when my true grit is discovered, when the heart is revealed and faith is tested. I personally feel I am in one of these seasons at this present time. The pace is slow, the battle is on two fronts and my heart is ready to explode giving all I know how. The ground being won seems insignificant and I am tempted to give up and turn back around but that will be to no avail.

Rhythm, the secret to vitality, the path toward victory in God. The more I learn to stay in rhythm with the Holy Spirit the greater my potential is for enjoyment in God, victory, and ultimately fulfilling my destiny and making history. The less I am in rhythm the more unnecessary resistance I place before myself. God and the devil already are planning resistance in my life. Gods resistance is working good toward me and producing fruit. The devils resistance is set in my path to kill, steal, and destroy. I don't need anymore resistance! I believe this is sufficient.

Father, teach me how to in all things stay in rhythm with your Spirit. With your consuming fire burn away all of the mindsets, affections, and behaviors that hinder this dance of intimacy and friendship with your Spirit. Help me to surrender!

This was an excerpt from Cody's journal.

Twins?

Do these two babies look like they could be related? Well, they are. You probably recognize Abigail in the top picture and the bottom one is me. We aren't quite sure how old I was when this was taken. But I don't see any teeth, so maybe around 6 or 7 months. Abigail is now 8 months old. Here are some new things she has done this past month.

waving

smacking her lips

eating cheerios & teething biscuits

stand for a minute w/o holding something

walk while holding something

claps hands

plays peek-a-boo

mixture of regular crawl & gorilla crawl

bounces to music

likes throwing things & picking them up

sucks her thumb & holds some of my hair w/ her other hand when she is tired

Surprise Visit

We made a surprise visit in March to see Cody's family in California. We had a wonderful time with the Morris clan and were able to be there for 3 weeks. While there, Cody's mom and dad watched Samuel and Abigail for us one night. We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory, had some yummy food and then went to Borders. For those that know me two of my favorite things to do are read and eat, so this was the perfect date night :) Here are some photos from our visit...

the sacramento zoo

my two little buddies

abigail likes aunt vicky but does not like oranges

making cookies with grandma

opening easter baskets early

on the oregon coast heading back to wyoming

getting ready to swim at the hampton inn

in two seperate hotels we had the same room number. coincidence or God? it felt like a kiss from God to me.

birthday surprises

look what i can do mommy

toby is so good with the kids

sweet kisses from a sweet brother

my little valentines

fun in the tub

thanks for my book grandma & grandpa bowler

Cody surprised me a week before my birthday and said he wanted to celebrate early! He dropped me off at Maurices and told me I could spend up to $300! I didn't end up spending that much but it was a real treat to get to shop without the kids. After that he brought me my favorite sandwich from the Breadboard and we drove up to Billings. I did a little more clothes shopping and then we came back to Cody. We went to dinner at a place we hadn't tried before called the Rib and Chop House. After enjoying a yummy meal we headed home where I opened up presents. It was a fun weekend! I turned 27 on the 20th and Cody took us out to an Italian restaurant in town. They brought out a yummy ice cream pie at the end of our meal and Samuel blew out the candle. :) I am very thankful that the Lord has blessed me with 27 years of life. I am also thankful for my loving husband and two beautiful children. I look forward to what the Lord has in store for us this year.

Samuel likes playing with the kids at Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). We go on Thursdays and his teacher said he answers a lot of the questions after the bible story. Samuel loves to have books read to him. He also likes to use his imagination and is able to play by himself for a while with his animals and cars. He likes making up stories and he likes to make up songs while playing his guitar.

Abigail turned 7 months on the 26th. It feels like she is growing up so fast. Here are some things she liked doing this month:

crawling everywhere

pulling herself up to stand

playing with Toby and Samuel

squealing

saying dada!

splashing in the bath tub

climbing up steps

sucking her thumb

playing in Toby's water dish when Mama wasn't looking :)

Hungry

I want to be hungry for more of God. But there are some things in my life that want to pull me away from that desire. When I feast on the things of this world, be it media, movies, books, t.v., facebook, etc...I find my hunger for God lessens. I feel like I get fat on these other things in my life. Sometimes to the point where they become idols. And when I walk away from them I realize they are not able to fill the hunger pains that are inside. The only One who can fulfill my hunger is Jesus.

"One of the greatest uses for Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time." -John Piper

Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (Matthew 22:37-39)

When I pour my time and energy into the things I listed above can I really do what the Lord has called me to do. I'm not saying that all forms of entertainment are bad. I think these things can be used for good. I have been convicted by the Holy Spirit to cut back on these things in my life, so I can make more room for Him.

I heard this verse the other day and it struck me:

"I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." Job 23:13

Do I treasure God's word more than food? I want my answer to be yes. I'm realizing how many times I check my email each day versus opening my Bible. Or how many times I check my facebook versus waiting on the Lord and seeking His face. I am waiting, checking, wondering when I will receive my awaited answer. Now I can see how much time I was wasting with these. How much time I could have been waiting on the Lord, seeking His face and reading His word. Communing with Him. Getting to know Him better. Receiving an answer from Him.

I like the following quote by Bill Johnson. He is the pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California:

"In the physical we become hungry by not eating. In the spiritual we become hungry by eating God's word. Eat (read) God's word and get in His presence and you will become hungry for more of Him."

It think it's time for me to turn off some distractions.

It's time for me to feast on His word.

It's time for me to wait for His voice.

It's time for me to set certain things aside for something greater.

Someone more powerful.

Someone more satifying.

I feel like He's drawn a line in the sand and is asking me to cross it and follow Him. I ask myself, "Am I willing to leave these things behind for Him?" He longs to be with me. And He longs to be with you also. He's waiting for us. He's hungry for us.

Will we be hungry for Him too?

Firsts

January has brought many firsts for us. Abigail started eating baby food, had her two front bottom teeth come in and she started crawling two weeks ago! We gave Samuel a bike with training wheels for his birthday. He has had the opportunity to ride it on a few days when it wasn't too cold out. Samuel has been doing really well using the potty! :) He now only wears a diaper for his afternoon nap and at night. We are so proud of what of big boy he is becoming!

mmmm...rice cereal

best buds

Samuel 3 years, Abigail 6 months

At Abigail's 6 month check up she weighed 16.5 pounds and was 26 inches long. She has gained 10 pounds since she was born. Here are some things Abigail liked this month:

crawling

finding Toby's toys and chewing on them

finding Toby's dog food and playing in it

eating her favorite baby food: squash

sitting up without support

sucking her thumb

kicking her legs when she's excited

making different sounds like: squeals, laughing, raspberries and buh, buh,buh...

big eater

on the move