just call me "aunt stephie"

Welcome, Elliana Brooke Townley!
Born November 28, 2008 @ 12:12 PM
7 pounds, 20.5 inches
Dark curly hair.
Beautiful.

TWILIGHT!

As some of you may have heard, a new movie came out this weekend- TWILIGHT! Now, being beyond obsessed with the books, of course I went to the midnight premiere with my good friends Lesley, Jamie and Lindsey. You might notice in these pictures that we are characters from the book. That's right, we are just THAT cool. :o)

just some pictures

give thanks

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34

I work in the children's ministry for my church, and this is our verse for the month. I have spent several weeks putting this verse on all sorts of fun things- a coloring sheet, a word find... memory cards, I even made a bunch of grapes with these words on them! But this morning I was struck with the realization that for all my effort in helping these kids learn the concept of gratitude, I could really stand to be a little more grateful myself.

It's so easy to focus on the things in your life that aren't playing out the way you had hoped or dreamed, to forget about all that you have been given. I have found myself in the midst of a pity party for the past few days and I realized on Sunday that it stinks. My sweet friend Beth told me that self-pity is an okay place to be for a little while because you realize how good you really have it.

Well, folks- today I am aware of all my blessings. Here are just a few of them:

*I have a sweet husband who loves me in spite of all my ridiculousness
*I have a happy, healthy baby boy- who lets me hear "i love you momma" everyday, sings "Jesus Loves Me" at the top of his lungs and makes me laugh
*I have a family who raised me up in the faith and has taught me what unconditional love truly is *I have precious friends who are willing to get up early with me, give up dr. pepper, have ridiculous nicknames, and so much more
*I have a boss who truly wants my priority to be my family and understands "mommy things"
*I have Jamie who selflessly watches John Mark 3 days a week so I can work and not put him in childcare
*I have a church that challenges me to grow in my faith and genuinely worship my Savior
*I get to watch middle school students be excited about their Savior and be challenged to follow Him more closely
*I have a mentor who speaks the truth to me in love and helps me become a better wife, mother, friend and believer
*I have a home that, although there might constantly be cheerio's and goldfish in the carpet, is clean, warm and a place I love to be
*I have a space heater at my desk that keeps me warm when the heater is broken

And most importantly...
*I have a Maker, Savior, Redeemer- and He knows my name, has lifted me from the pit and set me free. And if all those other things passed away, I would STILL have Him, and He would be enough.

What are you thankful for?

I hope we sit together
when Jesus serves the wine
So I can look into your eyes
when I taste it the first time
--waterdeep

work friends

These girls are my life 32 hours a week!! Love them!

election day

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
Psalm 20:7

Today, O Lord, we put our trust in You.
We know that you are sovereign,
and nothing happens that You have not ordained.

"You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You Are
For there is no one like our God"
--Chris Tomlin

trick or treat

What a fun night we had!
We dressed our monkey up and headed to some friends houses to get candy. Here is John Mark at Chris & Kelly's, then with Whitney & Lesley. He was so cute- he did it exactly right. Each time they opened the door he said "trick or treat" and then walked right on into the house and started looking for candy. My kind of kid! :o)


After stopping at a couple other houses, we went to a fall festival at Waterloo Road. John Mark had a ton of fun bouncing in the moon bounce. My brother-in-law was working at that spot and every time we tried to do any other fun thing, John Mark just said "i jump with jeremy" so we ended up there for most of the night. When we were done with that, we went to my friend Sara's house. She had made cookies for John Mark, which he promptly ate!
We dropped John Mark off at his grandparents, then headed to some friends house for a Halloween party. Kelly, Lesley, and I were the 3 men in the tub- the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker! You'll also notice creepy batman lurking in the background... that's cherish!

It was a fabulous night spent with the people we love, doing what we love- spending time together and eating!! Here are a few more random pics.