micah's birthday

I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures of Micah's birthday celebration at Cuppies & Joe. If you live in Oklahoma City and you haven't been there... you must go now! If you live somewhere other than Oklahoma City, well you should go too. And come say hi to us when you're there!! It's the cutest, sweetest little coffee shop with AMAZING cupcakes. (I don't work for them- I promise!)

Anyway, we met some friends there for cupcakes and coffee. It was such a fun time. There were lots of kiddos running around, so it was a little crazy... but definitely a good time. Here are the pictures!

um... i want that cupcake

he's so grown up!

my sweet niece, elliana

a glimpse into their future perhaps?

seriously- i love this girl!

"ca-line, urs my best friend"

sweet baby logan came to micah's birthday

work buddies

jamie sat on wehunt's cupcake...

don't worry- he ate it anyway

i love these girls!

race day

Today was the OKC Memorial Marathon. I ended up running on a relay team with an awesome group of women from my church. I did the final leg- 10K, or 6 miles- thinking I would just take it easy and not have to push myself too hard. Plus I wanted to try and improve my 10K time. Once I realized that my leg of the relay was entirely uphill, I wasn't as hopeful for my goal time of 9:00 miles. But then I had to run INTO the wind. For those of you not in Oklahoma today- let me just tell you- it was crazy windy!! There were points in the race when I literally felt like I wasn't moving because the wind was pushing on me so hard. But I finished in just over an hour, so slower than I had hoped, but still finishing.

I've been a little mopey about running since I decided not to do the full, but my sweet friend Natalie gave me an attitude check tonight. So I leave you with the fact that 6 miles is still good, and I will hold my head up high and stop saying I "just did 6 miles..."

PS- I'm sorry for my lack of updates. I have a ton of pictures and cute stories to post. I'm off work tomorrow, so I will have a whole new blog hopefully sometime tomorrow afternoon!

my love

"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her..." Ephesians 5:25

When I was younger, I remember dreaming about my future husband...
would he be loud? funny? shy?
would he love sports? fishing? books?
would he be tall? short? blonde?

But I never wondered if he would love me. In my mind, that seemed like a given- of course husbands always love their wives- that's what they do, right?

As time went on, I watched many marriages crumble around me. I saw husbands no longer love their wives. Marriage vows forsaken, I started to question if a sacrificial love was truly possible anymore.

Then true love walked into my life. In all my dreaming of the man I would some day marry, I could never have dreamed of someone so kind, steadfast, wise, and yes- LOVING.

My precious husband has showed me Christ's love. He has spent the past 5 years painting a beautiful picture of Christ and the church in the life that he lives with me.

His is a true love that gives more than it takes, is patient, kind and selfless... it's a jealous love without being jealous. And while I know he is proud of me as his wife, his love is never arrogant or rude. His is a love that never fails.

I am so blessed to have married you, Micah.
I can only pray that I can love you each day as wonderfully as you love me.

Happy birthday, honey. I love you!

cardboard testimonies

Here is a video from our church services over Easter weekend. These testimonies are so powerful. Try to watch them without crying. I dare you!

melts a mommy's heart

Today we were eating lunch after church.
Out of the blue, John Mark looked at me & Micah and said:
"Jesus died on the cross.
He loves us very much."

Oh my gracious.
I started crying right there.
Oh, how I long for him to know this...
to hear the Savior call His name...
to follow after Him all of His days.

my sin

My sins are the nails
that held His sinless body
to that cross of wood.

My hands are the ones
that drove the nails
into His spotless flesh.

My selfishness pierced His side,
as blood and water poured out.

I am the one who mocked.
betrayed.
abandoned.

But the sweetest words ever spoken-
"Father, forgive them"

The veil was torn.
Christ rose from the dead.

I believe.
I believe.
I believe.

I am forgiven.
I am free.
I am Yours.

"He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

a puke story

My poor baby is sick. It all started on Sunday night. When we came home from church, he told me that his tummy hurt. I just figured that it was because he was hungry. I fixed him lemonade in his rocket cup (his newest obsession, both the lemonade and the cup) and turned back to the kitchen to find something for Micah and I to eat.

I heard John Mark crying from the playroom. When I turned around his shirt was all pink and he was crying. He said "sorry i spilled my juice my mom." I looked at his cup, which was still basically full, but I could tell from the spot on his shirt and the floor that SOMETHING was there.

And then... he just started puking. Oh, poor baby- it was so sad. He hasn't thrown up at all since he was a baby, so he just kept telling me that he was sorry for spilling his juice. After that he acted much better, so I thought that maybe that he had just eaten too much candy this weekend. We put him to bed and he started to go to sleep. But then I heard him say "my tummy hurts" from the other room.

Let's just say we had a long night of cleaning up... him, the bed, his sheets, every single old towel in our house... Monday he laid on the couch all day and was just so pitiful. He wouldn't even laugh at his cartoons.

Anyway, it's been a sad couple of days. But I do have to mention that I have the BEST husband in the whole world. He mopped up pink puke and cleaned carpet while I was taking care of John Mark.