Party On!

So, unless you live under a blogging rock, you know that the ultimate blog party is going on over at 5 Minutes for Mom right now. I've joined in every year they've had the party, I think, and met a bunch of my followers and bloggy friends over there. So, I knew I had to join in once again for more fun!

First off, please get comfy and try one of the delicious snacks Lil and I made just for you!

For those of you coming over from the party, introductions are in order...

I'm Amy. I knew you'd never guess from my blog title. I blog occasionally. That may be putting a little mildly. I go in spurts. I'll post several times in a week and then I might go a week or three with nada. I'd rather have something interesting for people to read than having people scroll through my posts because of the yakking, so there ya have it. Hopefully a little goes a long way here.

This is my first born yahoo, Lilla. She's just turned 5, is as small as a peanut, she loves pink and anything princess. She never ceases to amaze me with her thoughts on life, God and the world. She often takes my breath away so I find myself blogging about her a lot. She keeps us on our toes and stirs our hearts to love God more. She is super Lilla!

And this is my Anna. She is a 2 year old ball of fire. She is strong willed, silly, rambunctious and full of hugs and kisses. She is ready to take on the world at all times and anything Lilla does Anna thinks she can do better! Her favorite things are small stuffed animals and milk. At anytime of day you will usually find one, if not both, on her. She is Anna banana!

And, of course, no post about me would be complete without showing you my better half. This is Michael, the hubs. He's strongwilled, kind and 100% boy! God bless him in a house of girls. Even the dog is a girl here! He's all about Colts football, sci-fi and the stock market. I don't have a clue about those things, but we make it work anyway. Oh, and he also lost 50 lbs in 3 months this past winter, he's looking saucy now!

A few other things about me...

I take an obnoxious amount of pictures.

I'm a homeschooler. We started out last year with preschool and are doing kindergarten with Lilla this year. It's a daily challenge that often has me wondering, "What was I thinking?" I wouldn't change it for the world.

I'm being shredded by Jillian Michaels right now. The Sadist.

I'm going to Hawaii very shortly with just my husband. Woo hoo!

Just a month later I'm going a mission in trip to work in an orphanage Haiti. Wow.

Finally, we try to live our lives for Christ. He is our only hope. Our life, our breath, the only thing that often keeps us going. He is our everything.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope that you will meander around a bit and don't forget to say hi! I'd love to visit you too! Oh, and I'd love for you to follow me...just click over on the button to your right!

Happy partying!

Marked

Years ago, when I was in grad school, I got the brilliant idea* to have someone take an itty bitty needle to my back and draw on it. No amount of Irish Spring is taking that purple and pink away.

Clearly, I am an adult with two pregnancies under my belt now and my lower back is covered for the most part. I'm always saying, "No one wants to see none of that mess." Which, is probably pretty close to being accurate. But, I digress...

The other day I was leaning over to pick the fruit loops off the floor when Lilla and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Lilla: Mom, why is that butterfly on your back?

Me: Because I was a moron that thought it would be a good idea. It wasn't.

Lilla: Why not?

Me: Because it is permanent. I can't ever get rid of it. Once it's there, it's there. I wish I had not done that.

Lilla: Even when you die?

Me: Yep, even when I die. It will never go away.

Lilla: Well, maybe when you die it will go away.

Me: Nope, it is going to be there even when I die. It's forever.

Lilla: Well, maybe not. We are going to get new bodies when we get to heaven and maybe your tattoo won't be there then.

To which, of course, my breath was taken away. You see, if we are in Christ, she's right, someday we will have new bodies. All the imperfections and mistakes will be taken away. No more tears or hurts or spur of the moment grad school tattoos.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Phillipians 3:20-21

Thank you Lord, for giving me this lovely child to remind me of your mercy and the promise of heaven!

*Just to clarify, I'm not saying all tattoos are moronic. Mine was not well thought out. At all. For something so lasting, not so bright.

Pray

This little girl and her family need our prayers.
Please pray!

The H's

Two weeks ago we found out we are going to Hawaii. Yes. Hawaii! As in aloha, lei's and luaus.

Truly I must say we never thought we'd get the chance, just not a place people like "us" go. However, God bless my husband, because he's a hard worker. A really, really hard worker. For the last year he has pushed his team of stockbrokers to do their best all year and he earned it. All expense paid, five star hotel on the beach, beautiful Hawaii.

Crazy. I'm still having to get used to the idea.

Two weeks ago I also found out about another trip in my life. Haiti. As in, one of the poorest nations, earthquake struck, spiritually dark and bankrupt Haiti. Our church has had an orphanage and many church plants there for years, and we often do mission trips there. In fact, we have three trips this summer alone. This is my year to go.

I will be doing an English camp and may be doing some technology based things as well. We are still putting it together now.

God is putting together the details. It's an expensive trip. We don't have any extra money, yet God is still in the details and is already providing in unexpected ways.

So, less than a month apart, I will first travel to a land of much opulence, proceeded by a land of much desperation. I wonder how God will work on my heart through it.

I'm excited to see.