God is teaching me about this...

There are 147 million children worldwide who have lost one or both parents.

Approximately 88 million orphans live in Asia.

Approximately 45 million orphans live in Africa.

Approximately 14 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Approximately 1 million children live in public care facilities in Central and Eastern Europe.

More than 800,000 children cycle through the foster care system in America each year.

There are 2.1 BILLION Christians in the world. 

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.   James 1:27

I am not saying I am obedient to that James 1:27 truth...I am just saying this is what God is teaching me.

Oh the faces we see each day!

And we see this sweet face too.

And unfortunately...this face.

And boy are we smitten with this face.

Always this face...

Oh wait, here's a different one...her Blue Steel/Sweet Potatoes face.

Faith Without Deeds is Dead...

God is drilling this into my head and heart right now. I know what it means, but I don't know what this is REALLY going to look like in my life. And I know that I am not LIVING this out the way God desires me to. God is expecting more from me right now. He is calling me to be a "lion chaser" (read the book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day), truly obedient, a NO EXCUSES, faithful servant! 


What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.    James 2:14-17


By doing nothing for those in need, I am basically saying, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed."


"Hang in there, ok."


Right. There are MILLIONS who are not well and not fed! 


Faith without action is DEAD.


Lord, what will you have me do?

Mother's Day!

Ten things you won't learn from the "Mommy Manual."

1. There is no manual.

2. You will use an ungodly amount of wipes - for just about everything. After that, you will use more.

3. You will say things you never thought would come out of your mouth, including "Please don't put that on your penis" and "we don't eat poop."

4. Pirate's Booty isn't just for kids.

5. What Pirate's Booty is in the first place (or "Booties" as Sawyer calls it).

6. Your car will serve as SO much more than just transportation including a changing room, a changing table, a dining room, a nursing room, a concert hall and timeout step.

7. Some days your children may get more servings of Veggie Tales than veggies. (And that's ok, especially when you make yourself feel better by throwing some diced broccoli into the mac & cheese.)

8. That when you tell your child to "Have a happy heart," you need to do so as well.

9. You will not bathe your second child as often as you did your first. That, and you will allow your second child to eat off the floor - all the while thinking it's probably not that sanitary, but really, how harmful could it be.

10. Nothing else will bring you so much frustration and so much joy! 

I'll take it!

Today was a special day as my sweet family celebrated me, the mom. I woke up to wonderful (and a few snotty) kisses from everyone! (Does it get much better than that?) At church, my sweet boy gave me beautiful flowers that our church had gathered for all the mothers. After that, we went to brunch with an amazing mother, my friend Jenny, and her precious family. It was so beautiful outside (contrary to now as the snow is only hours away) that we got to sit outside on the patio at Windy Ridge! The boys were able to run around while the rest of us got to sit and relax - sort of. We still had to run interference so the boys didn't throw rocks at each other or any of the patrons sitting nearby. We stopped by the bakery behind the restaurant for some delicious goodies including my favorite, their chocolate dipped coconut macaroon! Yummy! After a short nap and a walk on the trail behind our neighborhood, my husband and kids gave me sweet cards and my gift - a new driver! That's right, I got a golf club for Mother's Day! I am VERY excited about the rest of the gift, which is golf with my sweet husband! 

Thank you, my sweet family, for loving me very well! I love that you make the job of mom extremely worthwhile! And thank you, God, for blessing me with such an amazing family and for giving me the gifts and the strength - and the honor, to be mom! You are so good to me! 

For whatever reason, blogger will not allow me to upload anymore photos right now. I was able to do one, but it's a cute one!

Why do we live in a society chocked full of entitled young adults?

I think I know.

Because their moms and dads camp out overnight to get them into preschool when they are young. That's right, preschool. Not Harvard or Yale, or Texas A&M. Preschool. Not a U2 concert or the Academy Awards. Preschool.

Last night, Rob camped out in the parking lot of Park City's Cooperative Preschool so that we would be guaranteed a spot for our little man next year. There were only seven spots open for 3 year olds, and the registration is on a "first come, first served" basis. We have heard from friends with children attending the school that when the spots are limited, folks will get there really early. Translation: "really early" means the night before. So at midnight, Rob gathered his long underwear, his beanie, his ipod, his sleeping bag, and his gumption and headed into town to be one of the first seven at the door for the 9am registration. When he arrived, there were already FOUR people ahead of him. Did I mention it was midnight? Preschool?

Seriously.

This is insane!

I know!

Yet we did it anyway.

I will say that it is a VERY GOOD preschool and it is also the only one in town that we can afford. I will say that we love our son very much, and I will say that Daddy is AWESOME for camping out in the cold!

But I won't say that this is the right thing to do because it just seems so wrong. It's preschool. He's not even three yet. He has no idea what his daddy did for him last night.

He's like me. I can't comprehend how much my God loves me, the sinner, and what he did for me through Jesus on the cross. Yet I spend my days feeling SO entitled to his blessings and want even more. When you think about it, God's love for me is absurd. Just like camping out in order to get your kid into preschool. Truly absurd.

We did get a spot, unlike those people who got there "really early" this morning. Their names sit on a wait list.

And now, the long awaited blog post! Sorry, Dad!

Highlights from the last two months!

A long overdue trip to Lubbock to see family and friends. What a treat!

Young Life, Young Life, Young Life!

Sweet Bean turned 6 months!

Sweet Bean turned 7 months!

Lots and lots of sledding!

Trips to SLC to the museum and zoo!

Our little man went skiing for the first time!

A much needed family vacation to Southern California! We actually got to wear flip flops and no puffy coat! Ahhhhh.....

Like father like daughter...

.

He's a fisher of men - and fish!

My sweet husband is amazing at his job and spends his life fishing for men - teenagers mostly. He loves it, and I get to see the amazing "catches" he makes all the time. Let's just say, with the help of Jesus, his net is full!

Not only is he a fisher of men, but he loves to catch fish as well! He spends SO much of his time working on Young Life related things, that he needs to get away. I know it is good for him, and I really do love it when he gets to go.  

Recently, Rob stumbled on a new, "secret" fly fishing spot where the fish are healthy (translates BIG) and no one else is around. These are two important essentials for the sport to the avid fly fisherman, and they are difficult to find here in Utah.

So, over the past few months, Rob and some buddies have made their way to the "secret" spot. No, I don't even know where it is. The following are pictures from those expeditions. Contrary to how they might appear, these photos were taken on different occasions and there is a different fish in each picture. Silly me, it looks like he keeps catching the same fish over and over again.

I love you so much, baby! You are an amazing fisherman!

Some Fall Fun - and potty training - at the Andersons!

Quickly, here's what's been going on...

A bottomless boy who has been amazing at peeing and pooping in the potty. That's not to say that we haven't had our
share of accidents and tantrums in the process.

A sweet redheaded girl who is now 3 months old - yes, the saying is true; times flies!

Several days of snow - in October! I am so NOT ready for it.

Amazing fall colors and some fun hikes to take it all in!

My sweet husband surprised me with a Halfy Birthday Party including him in a half shirt (that's right, picture it) and a half
ice cream birthday cake. I never knew until that day when my half birthday was. It was sweet (Rob's gesture and the cake).

A crazy but great fall as we are always busy this time of year.

A new/used car. LOVE the Honda Pilot - thank you, honey!!!

Lots of fun cooking and baking with my little sweet tooth! (For some reason, this time of year makes me excited about
cooking, baking and trying new things. Rob is thankful!)

Projects...there is much to be done before the snow falls...and stays...forever...

A REALLY cute giraffe and a tiny, little cheetah for Halloween.