A boys' shelf-lining

As bedtime presented itself a few nights ago, I found myself lying atop the Star Wars comforter next to my youngest handsome gent, who was all snuggled in for a deep sleep, as we talked through the highs and lows of the day, reflected on a variety of learning moments, and eventually prayed together. However, as we began winding down our conversation something caught my attention more aggressively that particular night than it ever has before. It was the descending line of a variety of sports trophies on the shelf next to Mason's bottom bunk bed. I was taken aback for a few moments, but then as he began to drift away to dreamland, I paused to really look at what they were and why they were aligning themselves there as something he obviously prided himself in receiving. Those soccer, basketball, and baseball trophies I realized, are actually statues of something that represented a deeper sportsmanlike heart and hopefully, a more meaningful lesson on life. 

Joyful Noise 2019--Let's do this!!! 

I will admit that it shocks me to some degree, that in nearly everything a child does, he/she are given a trophy just for participating in a sport. And not just a sport, but in anything that may be considered extracurricular! To me, in all honesty, participating in the sport is a given. Not sure why there needs to be some sort of special recognition of it. As a parent, you are the one who signed up your child after all. And as a player/participant, you give it your all. You are a team player no matter the cost, but if you exceed the expectations and are above the norm, then that trophy is well worth being given! Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I feel like that has all been lost. 

So much fun with friends at Joyful Noise!!

Crowder...singing "Red Letters"...stage side!

These guys! 

"Land Of Color"....they were awesome! Mason got a signature of course ;) 

As I momentarily pondered on those trophies lining the shelf of my athletic little that night, I could only pray that these mortal representations of a "champion" would give way to something deeper. Something more eternal. The Eternal Life that is found in Jesus and HIS crowns (trophies) that are Heaven-awaiting. And that are SO worth the wait!!

...& Carson ready to listen to awesome music!

Mason....

Austin & mama up to the stage to worship with "I Am They"! 

"Store up for yourselves, treasures in Heaven...."


Standing amidst the crowd of thousands on the turf of the National Sports Center, my hubby and I, along with those who share in our generational love of the Newsboys/DC Talk, were vaulted back to our teenage years as the Newsboys music filled and overwhelmed the open-air arena. But I think one of the most telling moments of the night, perhaps even beyond the lifted side-spinning drum set during "Jesus Freak", was just a small snipet of one of Michael Tait's (lead singer) 2-minute talk inbetween songs. Walking down the charcoal black center aisle of the stage, he humbly and unashamedly declared into the microphone that "We freaking love what we get to do!! It doesn't matter how many Billboard awards, Grammy's, how many Dove awards we get. This is all so much more than that! It's about sharing His love to you people, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ here and out there.........."


Clearly. It's not about the shiny statues for them. 

Meeting the NEWSBOYS!!!!!

Newsboys!!!! Yep...blessed by a 'meet and greet' with one of our favorite bands!
As we walked away, Carson says "Michael Tait smells good....and it's now on my shoulder." ;) 

Legacy guys/friends---and ultimately men of God

Thankful for these beautiful ladies! 

I pray that all of us, especially our handsome & beautiful sweet littles, are beyond getting some sort of earthly participation trophy. But rather, that as we continually travel the pain-staking challenges, the deep hurts & heartbreaks, the heartfelt questioning, the utmost joys & the hardest sorrows, we anxiously await the Heavenly jeweled crown that will only be adorned by His utmost Majesty. 

My Favorite :) 

And I can't even begin to fathom a more perfectly glorious, beautiful, undeserving, humbled, perfected Trophy. 

To God be the Glory!

Togetherness...question marks or exclamation points?!

The things that can cause a married couple to either draw closer to one another or pull away from each other are limitless.  And boundless. 

Even timeless.

And those very said things that face couples these days could very well be bigger than the glorious endless mountain ranges that are standing firm, or smaller than just one of the hundreds of minnows finding their way in a nearby flowing creek-side.        

This man of mine.... #favoriteartist #wifelypride

In the (soon-to-be) 17 years that Andy and I have been married, we have never shied away from working on house projects together. And we have definitely had our share of them! Renovating bathrooms, laundry rooms, painting bedrooms, landscaping reworkings, painting the exterior of one of our homes, entryway makeovers, etc.  Maybe I'm just biased because we've recently completed another small 'house reno' in a matter of 6 days, but I think I can confidently say that as a married couple, one of the things that says a rather deeper "I Do" to the one you love, even though there are many things, would be house projects. Working side by side with your spouse in situations such as these will be the best of times....or perhaps the worst of times. 

But you're in those times....for better or worse. 

*Paint spilled on the upper stairway carpet not by one of your hardworking handsome gents, but your lifelong partner lends itself to a cry for forgiveness & patience. 

*Having to re-cut every slice of shiplap that was previously "professionally" cut but then finding the two of you standing in the driveway with table-saw in place when tiredness is beginning to settle in can either cause a smile or a raised brow. 

*Giggling moments as evening gives way to late night, suddenly turned early morning....and you're still giggling. Priceless. 

These handsome gents-they were 'all in'! 

Tirelessly trimming!! But loving it...working alongside my fam is the best!

Mason couldn't wait to grip the roller :) 

Carson was all about the painting! 

Austin took the lead a variety of times.... Godly-leader-in-the-making

This guy!

...sometimes I have no words....

But no matter the "better or worse", at the close of each day, let's hope a little dirt & grime and plans gone haywire will cause a couple to lean in a bit closer to one another. 

Lean in to listen. Lean in to forgive. Lean in to learn a new skill. And lean in to smooch here & there. 

It's totally worth it. 

A stolen kiss seconds before realizing you might be 1/8 of an inch off measuring that soon-to-be beautiful purely white painted shiplap is 100% worth it. 

Kiss away girl! Shiplap will always be there. Your hottie-hubs may not be. 

Surprise her with a little spin around the living room before that lighting changes. The music can always be heard but your wife's fast feet will someday slow down. 

Recessed lights....let's do this!

Cheer each other on when a new skill is learned and is defined by hard work and a little (or big) step out of the comfort zone. 

Andy DOMINATED putting in these lights!! So proud!

Marriage is all about the "together." And that comes in all forms & sizes. You could literally add that word "together" behind everything the two of you face. Together.

Parenting.

Arguing.

Forgiving.
Praying.

Traveling.

Loving.
Scared.

Building.

Moving.

Growing.

Being stretched.

Faithful.

Laughing.

Facing hardships.

Making memories.
Stepping out in faith. 

Because it should never be a solo duo. You are indeed, partners for life. 

There's something satisfying about taking a step back, pausing for as many moments as you dare with your arms gathered around the waist of your spouse and realizing that together "we did this". With God's provision, we transformed what once was, into something that now is. And it was a team effort. It took a together-effort. And stemming from that united togetherness, a full family-of-five effort. 

Before...

After!!

Before...

After!!!

Building your marriage stronger, closer, tougher, lovelier, deeper....together. Are you putting question marks(?) or exclamation points(!) at the end of the day regarding the best friend that you're married to.  Yes.   Married to. Not just sharing a home with. 

 **A few random snapshots of the most recent "together" marriage moments for this duo to keep you caught up. ;) ** 

So fun to have family at Art-A-Whirl!!

So much friend support for Anderson Clayworks!!! 

Parenting these 3 handsome gents of ours....

....together. :) 

Mason's "fan club" for one of his tournament games!!

This kid--triples, homers, pitching strike-outs, and a TEAM player! Proud of you #7

Way to go Gold!! 2nd place in the tournament--what a weekend!

Hanging out with my man....baseball bleachers, backyard, etc. It's the two of us. Together. 

Keep on building couples! Your marriage is worth it. 

Keep Christ at the center and watch Him throw some crazy exclamation points at the end of where you may instead have put a question mark, and in what you may have even thought was just ordinary. Your marriage deserves those exclamation points as you point back to the One who unites. 



"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them"  1 John 4:16



(** and because I know the question will be asked....it was yours truly that spilled the paint on the carpet. Thankful for a patient and forgiving hubs. And a spot-free stairway that leaves no trace of said spill....) 

Raising Knights

Another celebrated Mother's Day swiftly come and gone, and a Friday evening out a few weeks ago with 2 of my 3 handsome gents to an event at Legacy entitled "A Mother's Knight" led me to ponder that very thing.

That word.

That phrase.

What does it mean to raise a Knight? Especially in the fast-paced, seemingly-chaotic, techno-driven world we live in today? The term quickly coins itself in the popular lady-spoken phrase as her "knight in shining armor". A handsome man riding atop a purely white horse rescuing that damsel in distress, with a shimmering silver sword diagonally placed across his chest that's ready to draw at a moment's notice. A rescuer. A hero. Perhaps he wears only a sword today, but tomorrow his outfit contains the full "Knightly armor".

Such a FUN night with these 2 knights of mine!

Oh Carson.... his 'knightly' personality has been evident lately!! ;) ha!

Beautiful "mothers-of-knights" 

And more beauties...with our handsome knights :) 

And a Biblical Knight wears just that. Armor.

Thee armor.

How do I raise that kind of wanna-be-man? A boy-become-man who puts on that armor with all fierceness and intent of being a warrior? Strength and dignity all wrapped into one as he firmly leads well. And yet remains humble and kind....gentle and compassionate.

Austin & his buddies

LCA Band Concert

Austin received the Allegro Band award for Outstanding Achievement :) 

It's an ever-learning process but one thing I know I've learned through raising boys up to this point is that they love attention. They crave validation.

He's not a boy who needs to be entertained to the enth degree. Truly. He doesn't.

Plopping a boy in front of a screen doesn't do anyone any favors. Providing hours on end of video games that can all-too-easily warp the mind only aids in a boy's desensitizing of what's happening in & around of him, minus the screen.

Drama awards for these thespians...so proud of you Carson & Austin!

Carson-- LCA Middle School baseball

Stealing second! Way to go #29!

Mason up to bat--here we go #7!

Track and Field day at LCA!

Mason pitching! Struck out 5 batters in two innings! 

Mason crossing the finish line :) 

Hear me out. I'm not against video games at all. There's a time and a place. Or more of a time limit. And a specific place. But hours on end (or anytime they want) is just lazy parenting. Dear mama, don't allow the games to be a babysitter for something you're missing out on with that handsome knight of yours. He needs to join in on your cooking, sit across from you in a game of Carib-ridge or next to you in a competitive game of Catan, ride alongside you as you bike the neighborhood scoping out the springtime beauty of budding flowers. Have him build a fire and then sit on a log next to it with a twig & knife and use those God-given sills to create something out of nothing. Give the boy 20 minutes to get those creative juices flowing and you'll be amazed at the results!! That's knightly.

And just as I expect him to be "ever-present" in the moment at hand, my actions better meet the same criteria. Ever-present. Cellphone-less. Put that thang down dear mama. Your boy is watching and he needs you to see him, not the device that holds your attention more than your own flesh & blood.

We wonder why this generation of "kids" has such a hard time unplugging. They're watching. They're learning. And as a whole, we're not gettin' it.

Yard work at it's....finest?!?

The "fire-manager" 

Doing some yard work for Grams!

Let him get dirty. And then show him how to wash that dirt out of those jeans.

Let him take risks. And then show him safety within those risks.

Let him make mistakes. And then fellow mama, with a firm voice & gentle love, correct him. Allowing him to reap the consequences of said mistakes will be more beneficial than you realize. Life lessons at its best.



At the end of the day, I'm humbly grateful and ever-thankful that God chose to bless me with the overwhelmingly tough but beautiful task of doing my best in mothering these 3 knights. Who, by the way, still give their mama a daily hug at lunch (in front of their friends even...)!! I never shy away. Never will.


But I know that eventually, down-that-road, there's another who will take the place of those daily hugs. And I'm already praying for her. Praying that she is one who loves the Lord first and foremost.
That "damsel in distress". She will become his beautiful princess.

And I challenge you to do the same....sweet Mother's of Knights.

May our handsome gents grow to be Knights in shining Armor.

Mother's Day 2019