Heather Smith Photo Shoot- Fun at the zoo :-)

Given that Callie was crabby for most of the day, she got some pretty good shots. Good thing she can work well with what she's got. Thanks Heather!!

Encouragement

It was another great night of fellowship here for me. I think it's one of the things that the Lord has allowed me to have with Dave's schedule being what it is. I love hanging out with other women, getting to know them, and praying for them. Tonight, a bunch of girls came over for a movie night. It was a lot of fun. We watched "To Save a Life"...I had already seen it, but really enjoyed it a second time. Afterwards, we sat around talking for awhile. I was telling them the story of how God healed my hip at summer conference. One of the other girls mentioned that her hip was bothering her. We ended up asking to pray for her. The moments that followed were pretty amazing for me. First of all, the other girls gathered around her without prompting and prayed incredible, heart-felt, God-driven prayers. Secondly, I felt like I was learning again how to pray in that moment. There is something to be said for listening to other's pray, and also in receiving prayer. We all pray differently, but it's nice to hear the way others pray too. I LOVED listening to these girls pray, the different styles, the things that came out. It is so clear that God is essential in their lives...and they get it at such a young age. Chalk it up to one of those clear Holy Spirit moments where you just take notice of what's happening around you. I'm glad the girls came over to hang out...if you're out there reading this...you are ALWAYS welcome anytime. Just invite yourself over. Oh, and my friend's hip wasn't bothering her after we prayed. I pray that God continues to heal her in that area...and encourage her faith too.

Thank you Jesus for allowing me moments like this...to encourage me and to grow me too.

Welcome back Kristin

My friend Kristin is back in town after a summer of being at home. I'll say it...I missed her terribly. She's back at school now, and I got to hang out with her tonight. It was SOOO nice to catch up on life and talk about real things (not over the phone in the midst of needy children or other random events). Welcome back Kristin! See you next week. :-) (It's nice that I can say that now)

Rejoice in the Lord

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:4-7

I have noticed, for some time now, that I am a complainer. Give me something to gripe or worry about, and I'm on it. Yet, it's not the way that I WANT to be. There is a woman in my lifegroup who is so filled with joy. Her circumstances have not been easy, yet she sees God through it all. Every time I look at her, I see God's sweet joy on her face. I want to hang out with her just to soak up some of that joy. I was thinking about it this morning as I was doing my quiet time. The verses above stuck out to me in many ways.

I love that he repeats "Rejoice!" twice...that usually means it's a big deal. Paul is writing this letter in jail. There is not much to rejoice about in jail, but Paul has the knowledge of knowing Jesus. His heart is at peace even though his circumstances seem dim. Life for me is surprisingly dull compared to Paul, yet sometimes I catch my heart in the woes me stage. (I'm incredibly talented at it, mind you...ask my husband). The part that I need to remember in the good and the bad is to rejoice, because I have Jesus. The other part that stuck out with me was the in everything, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. I have read this verse a hundred times, and that part never jumped out at me before today. Rejoice and be thankful...I'd like to get on board with that.

Lord, thank you for always shining a light on the areas that I am weak...not to condemn, but to guide. Help me to rejoice in all my circumstances and to be THANKFUL always for ALL that you do for me. I love you Lord.

Heart for Prayer

I love praying for Callie. She has the heart of a pray-er. She loves giving prayer and she loves getting it. Each night I sit on the couch with the kids. We read out of their devotional book and then we pray for each other. Callie always says, "Pray me!" with a big grin on her face. Just recently, I have started to have her open her hands out in a receiving gesture and close her eyes. Since I started this a few days ago, I've really felt a difference in our prayer times. I have really noticed the Holy Spirit present when we are praying. Her eyelashes always seem to flutter and she has this look of content concentration as I'm praying. It's amazing and humbling to watch. I love that the God of the universe loves my baby girl so much that He longs for her to be in community with Him at such a young age. I love that her heart responds to Him. I pray that it is always so.

Callie's Muscles

Callie is hilarious when she shows us her muscles.

Noah's Dance

My son defines interesting dance moves. We cleaned the carpets one day and moved out all the furniture. We then had a dance party in the open space while the carpet was drying. The kids had a blast...and I enjoyed it too. :-)

My morning

You can tell by the picture...it was a good morning. Our friends came over to play this morning and somehow the dress up came out. The picture above is the result. They had so much fun. We love Tony and Sarah and their precious kiddos. Often Sarah and I dream about what God's plan is for our kids. I look at this picture and smile. We don't know yet, but it will be exciting when we look back at this picture in 20 years and see all that God has done.

Thank you Jesus for these amazing kids and the plans that you have for their life. Thank you for entrusting them to us. Help us to raise them well. We love you Lord.

My sweet girl

Buzz and Woody

Noah and his good friend Andy together. They're pretty stinkin cute.

Space Bags

So, Dave and I decided to try out space bags to see what all the fuss was about. Although it's not pretty...it's pretty amazing.

Here's what you see above:

2 sleeping bags
1 queen size comforter
3 sets of queen sized sheets
6 pillows
1 queen size blanket
1 queen size down-alternative comforter
1 queen size blanket
1 twin size blanket

all on the top shelf of my linen closet.

Don't leave your drinks out at the Yenerich house...

A good day

Yesterday, Dave let me sleep in until 8 (yes, that is sleeping in). It was wonderful. Then he took Noah to our friends house for the day. Dave helped put in his laminate floors and kept Noah with him. Noah had a blast tormen...I mean playing with their kitten...although he has a long scratch running down his face from sometime during the day.

Callie and I had a very relaxing, and very quiet day. It was great. I had a really nice quiet time. There was a storm in the morning, and I love summer storms. It was so nice just to sit and watch it without having to be anywhere at that moment. We went to the mall for a little while. I returned a pair of shoes and we just browsed. Afterwards, we went home, had a nice lunch and then she took a 3 hour nap. I finished cleaning the house (hallelujah!) and then our friend Sarah B. came over. I felt like I had accomplished a lot, but also rested a lot.

It was a very peaceful day.