A God deed

We were shopping at Lakeline mall and were leaving the food court (us and the boys) and we passed by this man in an electric wheel chair who was leaned over trying to eat his sandwich off the table. So we passed him and rounded the corner and Chad said "did you see that" and I said sort of but I didn't really look at him because I didn't notice the sandwich thing. And chad said he can't reach his food. so we kept on walking then all of the sudden Chad turned around and walked back. Cameron was like "where is dad going?" I said "I think he's going back to check on that guy." So we also turned around to go back but he was way ahead of us so I couldn't see him. When I got there I realized he had gone back to FEED that guy his sandwich. He ask the guy if he needed help and the guy couldn't talk but chad introduced himself and he ask if he could help him with his food. So chad put the sandwich in the guys hand and helped him get started. Chad thinks the guy was saying he dropped it but once it was in his hand he could do it. Me and the boys just stood at a distance and watched. I was very proud of him today. Especially when I asked Cameron "do you think anyone else in the world would do what your dad just did" and Cameron looked at me and said "me". I almost started crying in the freaking food court. Chad is a great father and his boys are learning love and compassion by watching him.
Thanks for reading.......

God, you move me!

I sit down to write this because I wish that I could explain with words what I'm feeling right now. I will not be able to do it justice. Six months ago Chad, Andy, and I set out on a mission to start small groups for the youth (The Uprising). We started with about 5 kids. I remember thinking that we should just play cards because I didn't want to waste a great worship set and lesson on just 5 kids. Andy and Chad just moved forward as if there were 25 kids in the room. The experience was amazing the kids were moved to tears during the worship. Then Chad cast a vision to 5 kids about "the gathering". Those kids cried out to God to move in big ways. The group has grown every week. I am moved to tears EVERY single week. Even as I write this I want to weep. How in the world do I deserve to be a part of this amazing life changing experience. Teenagers are amazing. The are funny, full of energy, creative, sometimes selfish brats who are socially awkward, and even punks at times!
But because they wear their emotions on their sleeves they are raw, authentic, and transparent. So when they let God move in their hearts HE moves in big ways! And it rocks me to the core with a smile on my lips and tears streaming down my face. There's power in passion. 51 people crammed in my house last night for small group LOL yes I said 51 for small group. Chad, Andy and I stood in the corner together at one point looking around at the new faces and I of course fought back tears. My group was amazing, but that's another blog. I do have 3 funny stories to share though. This is why I love teenagers. I usually cook for all these kids, but last night was "pot luck" . I know I know after 14 yrs of student ministry you would think I would have "re named" the theme for the night.(maybe that's why we had 51) haha
So Andy asked one kid if he new what "pot luck" was and he said he googled it. LOL
Andy himself being 23 and single brought a jar of pickles. Another kid brought 6 whoopers (candy) and 3 nutragrain bars. Everyone did a great job though. One kid was going through a lot of stuff and got really emotional in group prayer time so Andy was talking to him in our laundry room. Well, when he came out his face was red and puffy from crying but he came out in style wearing my 6 yr old sons 3D glasses as a disguise. The first words out of his mouth were "Where's my ham? I put my plate down before I went in there" Beautiful! Adults aren't nearly as entertaining. LOL
So, now the house is quiet, all the food is gone, the floor is trashed, and I fell asleep on the sofa, but I can't wait till next week.... because GOD, YOU MOVE ME!!!!

Has it Been that long?

WOW! I can't believe it's been 2 months since I've blogged. Now that I'm on facebook I never blog anymore. It's all about relationships here so that's the best way for me to keep up with people. I've been so busy this fall. The boys are doing well in school. I'm Cooper's room mom so I'm having fun planning the parties. I also help out with the reading groups in Cameron's class. I also teach a moms and tots music class at Gateway on Fridays. What takes the majority of my time is of course The Uprising. The Uprising is our student ministry here at Gateway. I am the small group director for middle school and high school. This should definitely be a paid position because it's a lot of work, but at this point it is not. We have started Soul Revolution and things are in full swing! We had 25 kids show up for small group at my house last night. We split into 2 or 3 groups. It was awesome! I will try to keep up with my blog, but the best way to keep up with me is through facebook. I love it!

Tomorrow is Cameron's 1st day of 1st grade. I have been busy getting things ready. We met his teacher at back to school night. I'm very excited about Cameron going to first grade and I feel great about the school and the teacher. So tonight I packed his lunch and I was writing a note on his napkin and all of the sudden it hit me and I started crying. The boys laughed at me. Cameron ,having the sweet heart that he does, came over to comfort and tease me. He wiped the tears off my face and whispered in my ear,"I hope you don't do this in the morning when you drop me off cause I'll be so embarrassed." So if your reading this say a prayer for me when I drop Cameron off in the morning!

The transition is complete

wow! Is it HOT in Texas! It has been a great summer here in Austin. We are resting up, gearing up and praying up for the exciting things coming up in the fall. Cameron will be in first grade at the local public school. Cooper will be in the 3 yr. old class at a local christian pre school 2 days a week. I really have peace and confidence in our decisions regarding school choices. This will be an important yr. for Cooper to understand some basic biblical principles. While Cameron on the other hand needs a chance to spread his wings and put into practice some things he already knows. I'm really looking forward to many conversations with him this year, and the opportunity to parent him through making good choices, being a good friend, and letting his light shine. Chad is busy leading the Uprising and is doing a great job. We will be adding 2 middle school services Aug. 24th, and completely changing the Wed. night program to an outreach for non believers young life style! Tues nights in Sept we launch our High school small groups (led by student leaders!)This is where the high schoolers can go deeper with God. I'm taking on the role of small group coordinator for ms and hs and I love it. In Sept I will also be starting my preschool music class for moms and tots at Gateway. I'm really looking forward to that. The Swanzy family is doing great. We are spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy! To all of our new friends here at Gateway as well as all of our friends at FRC thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support through out our summer of transition!
I am so grateful to be writing this post as I am reminded "That ALL things work together for good to them who love God and are Called according to HIS purpose."
Peace out!

To pee or not to pee?

I am writing this post for fear that someone else will beat me to it! So... today I had to go up to the church to talk with some people and drop off some papers so being the responsible mom that I am I really tried to plan ahead. I fed the boys lunch so that they wouldn't be hungry. I went before nap time so that they wouldn't be grouchy, and I brought their bikes so that they would have something to do. But no amount of planning could have prepared me for what was to come. I stood there talking to about 5 people close to the window so that I could see my kids and all of the sudden I see them BOTH pull down there pants and pee on a tree in the middle of the church courtyard in front of the office windows. All I could say was "Oh my gosh!" When I stepped outside and said,"what in the world are yall doing"? They informed me that they were pretending they were at work and went on a restroom break!
"could you not have gone inside to pretend the restroom break?" They just looked at me with big eyes and sad faces as we headed home for a spanking and nap!

Camping

Some of Chad's fondest childhood memories are of camping with his family and friends. He has been trying to get back into it since our boys are getting old enough to enjoy it with him. So for Christmas he got a tent, lantern, and out door stove. This weekend the boys convinced us to go camping for the night. We called our friends the Marriotts to tag along. Tim put up a huge 3 bedroom tent and all 5 kids were stoked about sleeping in it. They also brought their pimped out RV. After putting everyone to bed I attempted to sleep in our tent on the air mattress we borrowed. At 1:00 in the morning I started digging through the car and only found a towel to cover up with. At 3:00 in the morning I decided to check on the sleeping angels in the big tent only to find that they had all deserted us and joined the Marriotts in the pimped out RV . They were sleeping soundly in the Ac on the mattresses with BLANKETS. Perhaps this is why my fond childhood memories included the holiday inn!

I'm believing

So here's the deal.... Tonight we had our small group and it was my turn to steer the discussion. I was a little nervous about how it would go. But God showed up. Doesn't He always show up if we just get out of the way. I don't often give advice about youth ministry because there are so many amazing people with such great ideas, but this one time I just can't resist because I see such a huge difference in this small group vrs ones we have done in the past. We started this group by getting up on the stage and saying if you want to be a leader in this student ministry meet right over here and sign this paper. Then we called the names on the list and said meet at our house tues. night 7pm. We eat dinner together, then our worship pastor leads us in worship. This totally sets the mood! We read scripture together out loud then silently. Then open the floor for discussion. The adults can hardly get a word in. Then we always shake it up. We try to have a creative aspect every single week. For example tonight we passed out plates of sand for the kids to write in. This went along with our lesson in John chapter 8. This creates meaning and experiences for the kids. With this group of kids we have really been focusing on quiet time with God, prayer, journaling, bible reading, accountability groups. The next step for this group is to reach out to the other kids at the uprising. This means they have to step out of their comfort zones and lead. Andy, Chad and I are expecting big God size things from this group in the Fall.

The snake

My oldest son Cameron will be 7 next month. He loves camping, swimming, bike riding, the ocean and beach and ALL kinds of animals. He is always catching something, but he never keeps it. He always wants to return it to its natural habitat. Well today he found a snake in our back yard. I hate snakes so I told Chad to kill it. Cameron begged me not to kill it. He said it was God's creation and that we could catch it in a coffee can and let it go in a field across the street. So I agreed as long as it was out of my back yard. Chad went over to the side of the house to catch the snake in the coffee can. He bravely bent over to scoop the snake up, but the snake jumped and scared Chad so he hit with a baseball bat. THEN he scooped it up in the coffee can. As soon as he came inside Cameron asked "did you get the snake into the can?" "yes, it's in there", replied Chad. He had good intentions! lol

student small groups

I'm so amazed at God's perfect plan. His willingness to use imperfect humans to express his love to the next generation. Chad and I meet with 12 students on Tues. night in our home. This group of high schoolers have been a huge encouragement to me. They are so willing to be transparent about their lives. They discuss the scripture with such passion. They are eager and hungry to draw close to God. Each week has been a unique experience that I find myself savoring every moment of. I have seen them worship God and be moved to tears. They have reached out to hurting kids in the group. They offer each other encouragement and accountability. This group is the base group that our small group ministry will be founded on in the Fall. In Sept we will launch small groups to student ministry. We will all meet together for food, worship, and an intro to the lesson. Then we will break into our small groups which will be student led by the 12.

Happy Birthday Cooper

As I laid in a hospital bed three and a half years ago Chad and I were a whirlwind of emotion as the doctor stood before us announcing that I was probably having a miscarriage and because I was only 4 months along " the baby wasn't viable". As I spent the night alone in the hospital that night I remember thinking I can't believe that in a hospital where they have all kinds of drugs and know all kinds of procedures they won't do anything to save this baby. Crying alone in a hospital bed that night I prayed " God, you are the only hope this child has. I know this this baby is viable to you. I know you have a plan for him. God work a miracle."

After months of bed rest and weekly appointments with a specialist it was determined that when the baby was born he would have issues with his kidney's. One kidney was missing and the other was under developed. So the plan was to whisk him away for exams and x-rays to determine the severity. As long as he had one working kidney he would be okay. So we prayed...........

On the day Cooper was born everything went as planned. They whisk him away for testing and a few hours later they brought him back placed him in our arms scratched their heads and said " this child is perfect. He has TWO fully developed working kidneys" God, you are so big!

Happy 3rd Birthday Cooper Brady! You ARE "viable" to God.

mother's day

Today was the Mother's Day party at Cameron's new school. Don't you like my southern bell hat? As you can plainly see this hat was made for style not comfort! lol I couldn't see a thing, but I wasn't about to take it off. The class drew pictures of their mom's and we guessed which one was us. I guessed right on the first try, only because that is the only smile Cameron ever draws. He also made a book about me. He said " My mom is 23. Her favorite food is brownies. She likes to shop at HEB. She looks pretty when she wears her skirt. Her favorite show is Grey, Adam, and Eve. (Grey's Anatomy) I love my mom because she is always there for me!" It was really sweet. I felt so special to Cameron today. It's a privilege to be his mom.

(the inside of the hat)

forgiveness

Have you ever truly forgiven someone? Yeah I know you have probably said that phrase a million times as a child, "I forgive you." Or maybe you have said "I forgive you, but I can't forget what you did" "I forgive you, but I don't trust you any more"..... Being the imperfect person that I am I have realized that I have a huge problem forgiving people. Check out this definition Of forgiveness I found today.
Forgiveness: Is to excuse a mistake or offense, to pardon them by treating the the offender as if the offense had never occurred. To free them from guilt or blame.

Wow! This is by far the best definition I have ever heard. To genuinely forgive someone is to treat them as if they had never hurt you. Do you remember that God also commands us to forgive each other. He leads by example. God treats us as if we never hurt him. He covers our offenses as if they had never occurred. He frees us from any guilt or blame. Forgiveness is not a feeling it is a choice. Now ask yourself has anyone ever truly forgiven me? When I think about this question the only answer I can think of besides God is my parents. They usually were on the receiving end of some pretty harsh words and actions when I was a teenager and yet they treat me as if that never happened. Other than that I cannot think of another person who has ever treated me the same after conflict. Forgiveness just goes against our human nature to protect ourselves. But what if you were willing to be completely obedient and make yourself vulnerable by treating people as if they had never offended you. What if you let down all the walls? I think I would be saying to God "I trust you to keep my heart safe"...by forgiving others.

The move

wow! It's been a long time since I've blogged. We have had many changes in our family over the past month. Chad decided to quit his job and excepted a job at Gateway church in Austin Tx. We lived with some friends for a while until we found our house. We moved in our new home 2 weeks ago. We also took the kids to my parents and went on vacation with old college friends. We have amazing neighbors! They have 3 boys . Our kids have become instant best friends. Cameron started his new school on Monday. He is in k-5 at the local public school only blocks from our house. He likes it. Cooper has had many ear infections lately. He's going to a specialist may 9th. I'm sure he will have to get tubes put back in his ears soon. So for the past 30 days I have been adjusting......

Holly Guyon Talks about her Tatoo

Hey readers I have my very first guest blogger on my blog. Holly recently got a tatoo with a beautiful story behind it. Ladies and Gentlemen, Holly Guyon.


I got a tattoo in memory of the love of my life Peter Guyon...I wanted a symbolic tattoo that was pretty but held a lot of meaning so with the help of a friend, this is what we came up with:


The diamond shape in the middle represents our love (unique and forever like a diamond)
The flower petals represent the four years that we were married
The black swirly lines represent our lives, his line is the one on the right (notice it's shorter)
The green vines represent our growth - how we grow in different directions and now we are apart but will still always be connected by our love (the diamond)
The black "dots" on either side are tear drops - which represent how much I miss him and always will
And the colors of course are green and purple - each of our favorite colors


I wanted to put it in a place where I will always see it and remember him so I decided on the inside of my left wrist...it makes me smile when I see it and I also get to tell people about him all the time when they ask me about my tattoo...love never dies!



Holly

Our mistaken identity

Have your kids ever embarrassed you by telling the truth? Mine did today. The neighborhood kids all came over to jump on trampoline today. I took a chair outside to referee how many people were jumping at a time so that Cooper wouldn't get trampled. Over the past 8 months we have developed somewhat of a relationship with our neighbors across the street. However, he has never been able to remember our names. We first noticed this at a birthday party when he introduced us as Dean and Nicole instead of Chad and Cat. We were so taken back that we didn't say anything. So, he continually calls us Dean and Nicole and we answer to it, because we didn't want to embarrass him. Well, today as I was sitting watching the kids in my backyard he came over to check on his kids and he said "Hey Nicole! How are ya? Where's Dean?" Before I could even answer him Cameron said " My dad's name is Chad and my mom's name is Cathy but she goes by Cat, so I think you might have just embarrassed yourself!" He looked at me and said "really? I've been calling yall that for 8 months". Then I had to have a very awkward conversation about why we never said anything. I could have killed Cameron! And NO Chad wasn't outside with me!

Hide and seek

The other day Cameron talked us into playing hide and seek in the house, in the dark! So we played on teams. Cooper was on my team to start with and we hid first. It was a fast game because the minute Cooper heard "ready or not here I come" he could not control his excitement And started laughing and squealing because of the anticipation of someone finding him in the dark. It was so funny. I tried to hide with him twice then we switched partners and he did the same thing with Chad. So funny

Have you ever been in a place in your life where you felt like you were just standing still. Closing one chapter but not yet beginning another. It's the most awkward feeling. Alot of raw emotion. Anticipation, uncertainty, loneliness. At the same time knowing full well that God is still in control and has a plan but desperately trying to see it through His eyes to get the big picture?

I had a good laugh today and wanted to share it with you.

Thanks Heather for the laugh.

I've always heard the parable of the soils taught that as Christians sometimes we get to plant the seed, sometimes water the soil, etc, etc .... However, today I feel something a little different when I read that passage. I think that as Christians it's our job to prepare the soil. I have a friend that I met two years ago. Every since the first day we talked she has been asking me all kinds of questions about God and what I believe and my church. She was truly seeking answers, and was so close to giving her heart to God. She became very involved in a church and started working and volunteering there several days a week. Surrounded by Christians she had high expectations of their behavior. The people around her assumed she was already a believer and proceeded to let their true colors show. They spoke of all the turmoil in the church. She said that once she got to know some leaders she realized that even though she wasn't a believer she was more kind and a better example than the Christians around her. She has decided that the Christian religion might not be the place for her and her family. Can I tell you that this information breaks my heart and at the same time makes me furious? Instead of fertilizing the soil of her heart this group of believers have dug up holes and wedged in rocks because of their poor examples. Where do I go from here?

Cameron's first love letter

In Cameron's class they are writing letters to each other. Each child choses a friend, writes a letter and puts it in their friends mail box. So, today Cameron came home and informed me that he got a letter from a girl. He said that the letter was funny so he decided to write her back. "oh, Cameron that's so nice. What did you say in your letter to the little girl?" I asked. He said " I wrote Dear ------ you toot and your lazy" Wow, Cameron you really know how to sweep a girl off her feet. As Chad picked himself up off the floor, I said "please tell me you didn't sign your name on that letter". He proudly announced, " sure did, first and last!"

relationships

It's so amazing to me how God works. I was just telling my 7th grade girls today that every situation we are faced with can be used by God to build character in our lives. It's awewsome how God ordains friendships for specific seasons of our lives. when we are young we have our friends from school, friends from church, friends from the neighborhood, and then there's the one time friend that you met at the park and played with that day but will never see again. Isn't it funny that as adults we still have different layers of friends? People that God has placed in your life like threads of a rope. Each one comes together to make one strong cord.

Everyone needs someone in their life who loves them unconditionally. Someone who knows the good, the bad, and the ugly and loves you just the same. For me this has come from my parents. They have been my rock my whole life through all my drama. The next person who comes to mind makes me laugh. Every one must have one person in their life who wears rose colored glasses. A cheerleader, a person who thinks you can do no wrong and will always be on your side.

My sister is this person in my life. If I told her I robbed a bank she would say "well I'm sure you needed the money." lol To balance things out in your life you must have a truth teller. My friend Monica has that one covered. I also have a group of "mommy friends" their job is to encourage and support as we go through parenthood together. I also have some college friends that I see about once a yr. We always pick up right where we left off. This group is special to me because we were family while away at college. We met when we were only 18yrs. old, and we know each others deep dark secrets. It's always fun to get together and laugh at the past. I could go on and on about the awesome people that God has brought through my life. Some of them I still see and some of them just bring back great memories and a smile to my face. Why do I still feel connected to them? Because God is our common thread. He connects us to each other. He ordained the relationships we have in order to shape us into the person we are now. Relationships change with the seasons of your life, but thank God they don't have to end!

When I was a kid I was extremely shy. I remeber being at restaraunts with my family and hiding behind my mom when the waiter ask me what I wanted to eat. I've always been kind of reserved until I get to know people. I cannot tell people if they have food in their teeth or something hanging out of their nose or their pants are unzipped unless I know them very well. However, I've come a long way . People used to ask me how in the world Chad and I ended up together. Only because I was so quiet and Chad was so loud. So when we were dating and newly weds Chad thought it was so funny to embarass me any way he could think of. One time I will never forget is when we wanted to stop and get a milk shake. We were craving a big, thick, fatening, chocolate milk shake. We stopped at what we thought was an ice cream store. To our dismay it ended up being a health food shake place. We walk in, go all the way to the register, look up at the menu and see things like bran shake, alfalfa sprout combo, multigrain something etc.... At the exact same time we both realized our predicument. The lady at the register turned to face us and take our order and instantly Chad drops to the floor and crawls on his hands and knees completely out of the store without being seen leaving me standing there by myself. Not being able to walk away all I could say was "do you have anything with strawberries in it" knowing full well I was about to pay $6 for a drink that was going strait into the trash can.

The other day we went to publix. My kids love to get on the scale and see how much they weigh. I also got on the scale, and when I got off chad got on. I saw him look puzzled, get off, then get back on again. I have known Chad for 15 yrs. and he has always weighed the same amount, but not today. " Wow Chad you've gained 10 lbs" He glared at me and said " you have to subtract 3 lbs. for clothes" Then Cooper topped it off right on cue by singing " daddy is a fatty" lol

In this season of my life I am a stay at home mom, but my passion is education. I'm always on the look out for creative, out of the box teaching ideas. A good teacher is always learning. If you don't stay up-to-date on the latest most innovative teaching methods as well as the tried and true ones you risk becoming stale and stagnant in your teaching methods. I'm not saying you have to use everything that comes along but you should at least stay informed and have an open mind about different methods. One of my greatest resources this year has been my son's k-5 teacher at FRC. She has 17 students all with different back grounds and learning styles, and yet she is able to reach each one with her creative, hands on, out of the box style. Today I was watching a MLK documentary when Cameron walked into the room and announced that he knew all about this man and how he helped make the country fair again. "Really? How do you know about this man?" I asked. He began to tell me about a day of school when his teacher taught the class an amazing piece of our history with out so much as even opening a history book. From what I gathered from my 6 yr. old it seems that the teacher, who is always fair, was having an off day. Little did the kids know that their was a method to her madness. She chose 3 kids, and all day long these kids got special privileges that the other children did not. Such as candy , extra play time, special seats etc..... When the experiment was over she gathered them all together and ask them to share what their thoughts were. After the children expressed their frustration over the unfairness she told them that she had done it on purpose. Then she was able to unfold the story of the civil rights movement and how MLK played a huge part in making things fair for all people no matter what their skin color. This is one history lesson that Cameron will never forget.

Hats off to Mrs. Guerro and her creative methods!

Love

Yesterday I received a phone call from a long lost friend. Actually this woman is old enough to be my mom, and for 4 yrs. while we lived in San Antonio she was like a 2nd mom to me. She was an incredible mentor to me. I led a young mother's bible study ,"The Power of a Praying Parent", and I ask her to come to be the mentor mom. She has an incredible way of speaking the truth with an incredible amount of love. She really lives out the fruits of the spirit in her life. I've never seen her be reactionary or harsh with anyone. She is gentle, meek, humble, honest, kind, thoughtful, and above all else loving. I didn't realize how much I missed her until I talked to her again. I miss her kindness, her words of affirmation, and her sensitivity. She is an example to me of the verse in the bible that says you can do a lot of good things but if you don't have charity (love) you are like clanging cymbal. The message says your like creaking of a rusty gate if you try to do good things without love. So what do you feel when you hear a creaking gate or door? How about a clanging cymbal? When my kids get those party favor noise makers, like clanging cymbals, they quickly disappear when the kids aren't looking. Why? because it's annoying. It's noise to me that's not communicating anything of value. 1st Corinthians 13 (the love chapter)
says this in the message: You can speak with human eloquence, you can speak God's word with power and reveal all his mysteries , you can give everything you own to the poor, you can even die as a martyr, but if you don't love you have gotten no where. So, no matter what you say, believe, or do you are bankrupt without love.
If you don't love people you are ineffective and all your hard work is vain. I don't really remember any of the great advice that my mentor mom gave me years ago, but I do remember that she cared about me and that she loved me.

Thankfulness

Today I have a lot a free time. A lot of time to reflect and think. As I sit here thinking by myself what I feel is enormous gratitude. I feel so so thankful for the small things in life. I am thankful for my boys. All three of them. More specifically: The things I love about Cameron are his sense of humor, his compassion and sensitivity for others, the way he worships his God so freely not caring what others think yet (I hope he never loses that), his strength and fortitude to right the wrongs (don't know where he gets that), his happy go lucky, relaxed,laid back personality. Cameron, you are a lover not a fighter and I am thankful for your gentle spirit!
The things I love about Cooper are hmmm...lol...Well, whats not to love right? I write this with tears burning my eyes because Cooper is my tangible evidence and daily reminder that God is the creator and giver of all life. Cooper, God made you a fighter from the moment of conception. Without the hand of God and the determination that He placed in you, you probably wouldn't be with us today. God has amazing plans for you and I just can't wait to see what they are. Although you try my patience daily I can honestly say that I am thankful for your strong will and determination, your confidence, your sense of humor, and even your leadership style of never going with the flow.(I wonder who you take after?)My prayer today is that I will be the mom that God has called me to be to help these two amazing and unique boys reach their God potential. I'm thankful for my calling.

The Fierce Hunter

Florida has so many lizards. I used to be so scared to get out of my car at night because I thought a lizard was going to fall on my head. Chad is also afraid of them. We try to talk Cooper into picking them up and throwing them outside for us. He's tough. This weekend we were outside jumping on the trampoline and chad saw a little brown mouse on our porch. He ran to shut the door before it could get in the house. It ran behind some toys so it was a suspenseful moment while we all watched Chad move the toys one by one holding a baseball bat in one hand. The boys watched with big eyes to see what their big strong dad was going to do to the little brown mouse with their bat. Then it happened the mouse ran out and their big strong dad screamed like a girl, threw the bat down, and almost broke his neck trying to get back up on the trampoline. The boys were cracking up laughing. Cameron said that was the best show he'd seen all day!