My Dad

I am doing a True Woman 101 study called Divine Design with several ladies right now. It is a study on God's design for men and women and how we display His glory. So good! I have been truly blessed to be in this group with several stay-at-home mom friends and a few older and wiser women. As we've gone through this study, done several pre-marital counselings (for couples at our church), and seen my husband as a great dad, I have been overwhelmed at what a blessed daughter I am. I love my Dad. He has been such a godly example to me. Who I am to be in Christ and what a man is supposed to be. He has taught me so much growing up and now I am realizing even more truths that were ingrained in me through him as I grew up that God is opening my eyes to even now. It is not Father's Day or anything but I wanted to share how much of a blessing my Dad is to me and my family.

One of the blessings that has been so clear to me lately is financial blessing. He has blessed me financially in so many ways. I think of how he has sacrificed so much in his life to bless my Mom, sisters, me, and others by giving his time and money. It all started when he made a decision to work hard through college to get a civil engineering degree. I know that earning that degree was not easy and getting up early for so many years to bring home the bacon was another commitment altogether. Because of this sacrifice and hard work, he was able to pay for my college degree, a civil engineering degree also. Although God did design me with that Type A personality with a love for math and science, I wanted to be like my Dad. I respect him in so many ways and thought doing that would work for me. I knew that if I worked hard through college to get that degree I could be financially stable no matter what happened in my life. My husband also got an engineering degree and that is how we met in college. Another blessing! I used my degree for several years before we had kids. I enjoyed my job immensely but knew God called me to stay home and raise our children up in the Lord that way. I am blessed to have worked several years in that profession and also help put my husband through his seminary masters degree. My Dad also showed me that ministry and family are more important than materialism. John is now a pastor and I stay at home raising our boys. If it wasn't for my Dad's financial decisions to get a good degree in order to get paid well and pay for my college, we would not have been able to take this church position. I am thankful to not have school loans or car payments so that we can be here here and serve where God has led us. Thank you Dad for allowing us to serve and showing us that God satisfies more than money ever will.

I am also reminded of many other sacrifices my Dad made for us growing up. My Dad would park outside the house in the extreme heat and cold so that my Mom, sisters, and I could park in the garage. He hardly ever spent money on himself so that we could have luxuries. He daily took care of the cat we brought home so that we could enjoy him. He went to work really early so he could be at our 3:30 pm track meets or any other activity we were involved in even if it was a dance competition. He really showed us that he supported us and cared for us in his actions and not just his words. And he still sacrifices things for us as we come visit with them or so that we can financially do things in our life.

He is a great example of a godly man and husband in many ways. He took us on individual dates so that we would know how a guy was supposed to treat us. He showed us that we were daughters of the King and we were to be treated like one. I think this kept me away from a lot of jerks and guys that weren't worth my time. I knew I should have only the best...and I certainly received the best in my husband. My Dad would always kiss and greet my Mom first, showing his daughters that his wife was of highest importance to him, even over us. He always made sure we respected Mom and talked well of her. He never lectured us about those simple things such as greeting her first but displayed them in daily life. After all, we grew up and got married and he is still in the same house with my Mom. A marriage relationship must be first (after God) above all other relationships! I think many couples miss this and don't know their spouse after the kids leave...they often end up divorcing. I was also blessed to see that my Dad took my Mom on dates weekly. He showed the importance of 'working' at your marriage. I think many couples just think they are going to stay madly in love without spending time together or having those intimate conversation they have while courting. Not so! I am grateful my Dad showed me otherwise because after being married 7 1/2 years I know it is easy to co-exist. I am grateful my husband and I are more in love than ever even in the 7th year when they say it is supposed to be the hardest. Yes, it is a choice to spend time together but oh what a blessing it is to have a wonderful marriage. Thank you Dad for showing me how to live it!

My Dad also showed me the importance of showing love and appreciation. I cannot even begin to count how many times he has told me I am beautiful, capable, and that he is proud of me often times with a hug. He still does. Wow; I am crying thinking about the extreme blessing that is to a daughter. To know that I am deeply loved because I am his daughter, not because of what I do or accomplish. He loves me even in my failure. He points me to the unconditional love of God the Father. It saddens me to see how many of my friends growing up and people in my life now turn to men to get that affirmation and love only to end up hurt and unsatisfied. I am grateful my Dad never made me feel that I needed to turn to worldly things (such as drugs, drinking, smoking, trying to have the perfect body or the best clothes, etc.) or people. I was satisfied in the fact that he loved me for me and that he pointed me to perfect love in Christ Jesus.

My Dad also showed me that it is OK to show and share emotion and how to listen and comfort when on the other end. My Dad was the first person I called when in college and I was struggling with a class. I knew he would listen, comfort me, and tell me he believes in me. I saw my Dad grow in compassion and grace as we grew up. He didn't become a Christian until his 30's so raising up a godly family was very foreign to him. Even in this I think he did a great job and as I think back on my life growing up I can see how God transformed him to be more like Christ. One of those ways is compassion. I know I turn to him more in my later years than when I was younger because of this. My sisters and I always joke that we made my Dad 'soft' living with 3 girls and my Mom. God used us to grow the fruit of the Spirit in his life of compassion and gentleness. I pray I allow myself to be molded by the Potter as my Dad has.

Of course, my Dad is not perfect but even in his failure and sin, he showed me what it means to ask for forgiveness and change. There are probably not a lot of Dad's out there that actually say they are sorry and ask forgiveness from their kids when they mess up but he did. Kids are smart and know when parents sin, so we might as well confess and display how a Christian should confess and repent when wrong. Even though my Dad and now husband do this humbling task so well, I struggle doing it myself. I strive to be better at that one day. I know Noah and Luke recognize when I sin. I might as well fess up to it and show them how they are to respond in a similar situation. I have done this some but should more. I want them to pass on that godly character to their wives and children...another generational blessing of godly character to be passed down from my Dad.

I could go on but just wanted my Dad to know that I love him and am grateful for him in so many ways. Dad, I am generationally blessed by your faithfulness to be a godly man, husband, father, friend, and minister of the gospel. I pray that those blessings of your character and life are passed down to our children. You are a blessing to many, Dad. I love you and I am grateful to be your daughter.

Dallas Aboretum

We spent Thanksgiving week in Mesquite, Tx where my parents and sisters and their families live. After leaving at 8:15am Tuesday and arriving at 8:15pm because of a 7 hour wait in a Norman, OK car dealership to fix two reading lights, we were glad to arrive. The next morning my Dad and Mom took us to the Dallas Aboretum. It had been a year since the last time we visited the Aboretum so we were excited. It is such a beautiful place of flowers, plants, and this time of year is the pumpkin festival. In the pictures below, you will notice lots of pumpkins, hay, and beautifully designed blown glass art.

hay maze (a little run down by all the kids that would have played there by this point in the year)...

 one of the many pumpkin houses...

 organizing the pumpkins...

 bridge to one of the play houses...

 carriage pulled by hay horses...

 Noah and Makenna (my niece) giggling as they approached the water fall...

 in a teepee...

 They loved playing in this part. There were over 10 houses of various sizes that displayed how people lived a long time ago. They had bunk beds, tables with dishes, and other various educational items to show how life was lived. They loved going in and out of them and playing house...especially this tree house...

wagon next to the tee pee (I love Makenna's pose!)...

There rest of the pictures are of the blown glass. It was absolutely beautiful!

What a beautiful place! I would love to go different times of the year to see what all they do. Thanks for such a wonderful time Dad and Mom!

Our Son Praying

We prayed for Noah as we picked out his name a couple years before we married. After three years of marriage, we prayed for him in the womb. We've prayed for him each day. And over the last couple years, prayed with him at least 3 times a day. And this evening for the FIRST time Noah expressed a desire to pray. He loves hearing us pray over him and with him; but he never would. We never pushed him to do it but only asked if he wanted to. What a blessing it was to hear him pray earlier this evening and then several different prayers tonight. Oh how it blessed my heart to hear him. I cannot imagine the smile on God's face as He hears our sweet Noah's voice.

"Come as a child..." and he did. My heart is full!

More family photos...

Here are a few more pictures that the lovely Asher took. I posted the first pictures we received from Asher on the Fall 2012 Family Photo blog post. 

At the house with the boys...

A picnic in the kitchen...

Making Pumpkin bread with my little helpers. I love this recipe (at bottom) b/c it makes 3 loaves. I bake one and freeze the other two batters for another day. So yummy!

 Peanut butter pie (recipe below) with an  (doubled stuffed) Oreo crust...

 A truck driving riding cowboy..

 Rocking the boat with Daddy...

 Building tall towers (high on the list of to-dos these days)...

 And playing with ladybugs...

I love experiencing these adventures with my little men. They are so full of excitement and joy for life. We are blessed!

Pumpkin Bread

2/3 c. shortening

2 2/3 c. sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 c. pumpkin (15 oz. can)

2/3 c. water

3 1/3 c. flour

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. ground cloves (or ¾ )

½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or ¾ )

2/3 c. chopped pecans (optional, I don't use)

2/3 c. chopped dates (optional, I don't use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, pumpkin, and water; mix well. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ground cloves together. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Fold in pecans and dates. Pour into 3 greased 5 x 9 inch loaf pans. Bake 50-55 minutes (Med=45 min, large=50 min). Cool in pans for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

§  FOR CRUST

§  25 whole Oreos

§  4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

§  PEANUT BUTTER FILLING:

§  1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

§  1 package (8 Ounce) Softened Cream Cheese

§  1-1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

§  1 package (8 Ounce) Cool Whip, Thawed

Crust:
Crush the Oreos until they’re fine crumbs. Pour melted butter over the top and stir with a fork to combine. Press into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until set.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Filling:
Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add in the thawed Cool Whip and beat mixture until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

Pour filling into crust, evening out the top with a knife or spatula. Chill for at least an hour before serving.