Happy Birthday, Steven!!!

Today is my wonderful husband’s 31st birthday!  He is the most amazing husband and father.  He is an excellent provider.  He is a godly man who seeks godly wisdom in making decisions about our family.  He is a great friend.  He is kind and loving and gentle and fun and totally and completely amazing!

Here are a few pictures of Claire helping to make Grandma Robin’s peanut butter cookies for Daddy’s birthday.

And here’s a little video of Claire twirling.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Steven!!  I hope it’s the best one yet!  We love you!!!

Love is responsible

“Today is about personal responsibility.  It’s something we all agree others should have, but we struggle to maintain it ourselves.  We tend to believe that our views are correct, or at least much more correct than our mate’s.  And we don’t believe that anybody, given our same set of circumstances, would act much differently than we have.  As far as we’re concerned, we’re doing the best we can.  And our spouse just ought to be glad we’re as good to them as we are.  But love doesn’t pass the blame so easily or justify selfish motives.  Love is not nearly as concerned with its own performance as with others’ needs.  When love takes responsibility for its actions, it’s not to prove how noble you’ve been but rather to admit how much further you have to go.  Love doesn’t make excuses.  Love keeps working to make a difference – in you and in your marriage.  The next time you’re in an argument with your spouse, instead of working up your comebacks, stop and see if there’s something worth listening to in what your mate is saying.  Love is responsible and is willing to admit and correct its faults and errors up front.  Love calls us to take responsibility for our partner in marriage.  To love them.  To honor them.  To cherish them.  Part of taking responsibility is admitting when you’ve failed and asking for forgiveness.  It’s time to humble yourself, correct your offenses and repair the damage.  It’s an act of love.  To do it sincerely you must swallow your pride and seek forgiveness regardless of how your spouse responds.”

Today’s Dare:  Take time to pray through your areas of wrongdoing.  Ask for God’s forgiveness, then humble yourself enough to admit them to your spouse.  Do it sincerely and truthfully.  Ask your spouse for forgiveness as well.  No matter how they respond, make sure you cover your responsibility in love.  Even if they respond with criticism, accept it by receiving it as counsel.

An example from our relationship:  When Steve and I first starting dating, he had some trouble figuring out the difference between a “comment” and a “compliment.”  My mother and grandmothers have always said, “If you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.”  Steve, apparently, had not heard this.  If it popped into his mind, it came out of his mouth.  Now that I know him better, I understand him and know that his comments are not intended to offend or hurt me.  They’re merely observations which failed to get sensored before being spoken.  In learning this about Steve, I also learned that I take things too seriously too much of the time.  I too often get offended over little things that should have just rolled right off of my back.  I am learning to relax and allow people to make mistakes.  I am learning to forgive more quickly.  And my wonderful Steve, who has always been quick to forgive and easy to get along with, is learning to think before speaking.  lol  We are both a work-in-progress, but we are learning.  Our marriage is wonderful, and we are blissfully happy.  I love being able to talk to my husband openly and honestly.  I know that he loves me and that he always will.

Life Is Good!!

We finally found a church we like in Memphis!  And it’s finally fall!  After living in Houston for five years, I am so excited to live in a city with four seasons again.  Fall is wonderful!

These pictures were taken after church yesterday.

Claire’s daddy bought her a new ball yesterday.  She loves it!

Yesterday afternoon we visited the park.  Claire learned to climb the steps and slide down the slide all by herself.  (And yes, that’s us laughing as she goosed the little boy in the beginning of the video.  Poor kid.  He never saw it coming.  It should be noted that she was just trying to get him to move off of “her” step.)

Claire also has another talent that her daddy taught her.  She blows her nose.  Anytime she can get her hands on a napkin or tissue, she blows – just like her daddy.

Claire is talking a lot these days.  Her new word this evening was “pizza.”  It was homemade, and it was yummy!

Slam Dunk

Steve was totally amazed when I told him that Claire had learned to “dunk.”  So we made a video to prove it.  Here’s Claire dipping her chicken and fries in honey mustard dressing at Arby’s.

I can’t believe she’s growing up so fast.  She’s turning into a delightful little girl!  We’re loving every second!!

Awestruck!

I am so far behind in my blogging.  Here’s some of what you’ve been missing:

We went to Tulsa for Labor Day Weekend.  Matt, Randi and Kenley came to town for a visit.  Claire LOVED spending time with her cousins!

Claire holding Allie

a little Mexican fiesta with the McComber family

My Sweet Analise – I totally heart her!

Claire cuddling with Kenley at bedtime

We had some professional pictures taken of our whole family while we were all together.

The Girls

The McComber Crew

This past weekend, Claire got to take her first bubble bath in Mommy’s big tub.  So many bubbles!  So much fun!

Last night Claire put on her apron and baked her first batch of brownies!  They were delish!

And then my camera battery died, so I wasn’t able to take any more pictures of her cooking, licking the spoon, etc., but it sure was cute!

And that brings me back to the title of today’s post – Awestruck!  I am completely and totally blown away by God’s goodness!  I wasn’t really sure I’d ever get married.  Of course, I wanted to be married and loved and have someone to grow old with, but I wasn’t sure I would ever find the right man.  But this morning I was awakened with a kiss from the man of my dreams.  I had someone look me in the eye about three years ago and tell me that I’d never hear anyone call me Mommy.  But I’ve already had Claire call me Mama several times today.  My life – my ordinary, housewife, mommy life – is amazing!  It’s better than I ever dreamed it would be.  I am married to the most amazing man who loves me so completely and extravagantly.  I am Mommy to the sweetest, most beautiful little girl.  I am blessed.  I am loved.  I am happy.  I am awestruck!

Love Forgives

“This one is tough – perhaps the toughest dare in the book.  But if there is to be any hope for your marriage, this is a challenge that must absolutely be taken seriously.  Forgiveness has to happen, or a successful marriage won’t.

We see all kinds of dangers and risks involved in forgiving others.  For instance, what they did was really wrong, whether they admit it or not.  They may not even be sorry about it.  They may even feel perfectly justified in their actions, even going so far as to blame you for it.  But forgiveness doesn’t absolve anyone of blame.  It doesn’t clear their record with God.  It just clears you of having to worry about how to punish them.  When you forgive another person, you’re not turning them loose.  You’re just turning them over to God, who can be counted on to deal with them His way.  You’re saving yourself the trouble of scripting any more arguments or trying to prevail in this situation.  It’s not about winning and losing anymore.  It’s about freedom.  It’s about letting go.”

Today’s Dare:  Whatever you haven’t forgiven in your mate, forgive it today.  Let it go.  Just as we ask Jesus to “forgive us our debts” each day, we must ask Him to help us “forgive our debtors” each day as well.  Unforgiveness has been keeping you and your spouse in prison too long.  Say from your heart, “I choose to forgive.”

I am happy to report that not only have I forgiven everything Steve has ever done to hurt me, bother me, offend me, etc.  I can also report that I have forgiven those members of his family who have hurt me.  I have totally and completely forgiven them, and it has freed me to love Steven even more than before.  God is so good to me!  I am so thankful that He has forgiven me and that He has enabled me to forgive others.

Love vs. Lust

“Lust is in opposition to love.  It means to set your heart and passions on something forbidden.  And for a believer it’s the first step out of fellowship with the Lord and with others.  That’s because every object of your lust – whether it’s a young coworker or a film actress, or coveting after a half-million dollar house or a sports car – represents the beginnings of a lie.  This person or thing that seems to promise sheer satisfaction is more like a bottomless pit of unmet longings.  Lust will make you dissatisfied with your husband or wife.  It breeds anger, numbs hearts and destroys marriages.  Rather than fullness, it leads to emptiness.  It’s time to expose lust for what it really is – a misguided thirst for satisfaction that only God can fulfill.  Lust is like a warning light on the dashboard of your heart, alerting you to the fact that you are not allowing God to fill you.  When your eyes and heart are on Him, your actions will lead you to lasting joy, not to endless cycles of regret and condemnation.

[Set] your eyes on the Word of God.  Let His promises of peace and freedom work their way into your heart.  Daily receive the unconditional love He has already proven to you through the cross.  Focus on being grateful for everything God has already given you rather than choosing discontentment.”

Today’s Dare:  End it now.  Identify every object of lust in your life and remove it.  Single out every lie you’ve swallowed in pursuing forbidden pleasure and reject it.  Lust cannot be allowed to live in a back bedroom.  It must be killed and destroyed – today – and replaced with the sure promises of God and a heart filled with His perfect love.

Lust has not really been a problem for me.  I truly am grateful for all that I have been given.  Sure there are things I want, but I realize that they are things – just things – things I don’t really need to be happy.  God has promised that if we seek first His Kingdom, then He will satisfy every desire of our hearts.  I am truly blessed and can honestly say that I have everything I ever wanted.

--Amy