Kim's World

My previous post was a learning lesson for me, so this post is fun, because it's Friday!!! And Fridays are always fun! I love them! There is this awesome song by Jamie Grace (who I think is beautiful and has cool red boots) featuring Toby Mac. In fact, I believe he helped her produce this song. Here it is: Enjoy! You'll find yourself snapping your fingers and tapping your foot.....see I told you....there you go now....*snap* *snap* *tap**tap**tap*....oh yeah! Lord, I love the way you hold me.....whoa oh oh oh...

Sometimes I feel like an awesome mother. I'm taking life by the reigns and driving my wild horses. And I'm winning. Other times, well, I don't feel so awesome. I wonder where I've gone wrong. This very morning was one of those moments. I love and enjoy every stage of development; the infant, the toddler, the child and now the pre-teen. However, I do not always know how to respond. Yes, I read my bible for direction, I pray, I seek godly counsel and yet, there are still moments where I feel like things are amiss. Now, I do not tell my kids this, I let them believe I've got it under control. But folks, I'll be transparent, I do not always have it "under control." Like every morning in my house, we are up early. My kids have to be in class by 8 am. Well, this past week, one of my children had to be to school at 7:30 because they missed a test. Unfortunately, a few of the days they were too late, and one of the days the teacher had a meeting we didn...

"Just a little bit"...NO! A lot of it! That is what it takes, according to recent studies, for a marriage to be successful. So, are the researchers just figuring this out? Hmmm...I believe if they would read their BIBLE, they would have discovered this a LOOONNNGGG time ago! No, I'm not on a rampage, and I have great respect for research. But I am currently working on a paper for my Speech/Communication class regarding "Divorce in America." And I tell ya, it's depressing! Honestly, divorce is not something I think about. I remember being told as a newlywed not to ever mention the "D" word. So, when working on this assignment it almost made me feel as if I was doing something wrong. Crazy, I know! But that was how I felt. Divorce is not a new thing. In fact, it has been going on for years. However, what surprised me was the fact that researchers, therapists and counselors have decided that RESPECT is the most important factor in a marriage. Resp...

Today is my Elle Belle's 9th birthday. Physically, she looks like a six year old, but don't let her smallness fool you, mentally, she's 16! For those of us who know the "real" Elle, she is a joy! She is careful to preserve herself for those closest to her. However, if she loves you, she will love you for life! Elle is an avid reader, loves to write and aspires to one day write a book. She loves music, has played the piano but is moving on to the violin. She has an appreciation for art and enjoys various forms of art, especially theatrics.  Elle and HER Papa! We LOVE Elle!   2011 What is so special about this little princess is, she was born on our 6th wedding anniversary. Couldn't ask for a better gift! So there you have it! Today is also our anniversary :). (you can do the math, if you can't figure it out, ask your kids).

As I mentioned in a previous post, we spent last weekend at my parents. On Sunday, we went to church with them and I got my baby fix. See, I love babies! I love to kiss them, cuddle with them, spoil them and then return them to their rightful owner. Having done my share of populating, I am very happy to borrow! Well, this last Sunday I had the privilege of holding Mr. Levi Bigelow, for quite some time. Not only is he simply adorable, sweet, smiles continually but he also shares his name with my oldest son. I think that is so cool! Here is a picture of the two Levis:  Sorry my phone doesn't take the greatest pics Last night I decided to take my kids to the mall. I wanted to go to a few places and in return I told them they could choose a few stores.The boys' list included: Vans, Zumiez and H&M. I was good with that. Naturally, the girls wanted to go to Build-a-Bear. I managed. While there, promoting the new Snoopy friend, the kids were given dog ears. Myles, Elle and Ashl...

Today was Ashley's first official field trip! Not only that, she rode the bus for the first time! Of course, I joined her, wishing later that I would have drove. However, I made the best of it and did not tell her that the bus was SO stuffy and stinky, that I was on the verge of loosing my breakfast. We went to this great farm in a town called Aurora, named Fir Point Farms. In addition to pumpkins, they have apples, corn, live stock and wonderful places for the kids to play. They have this cool little building in which the kids can climb into and play in hazelnuts. And did you know that Noah's Ark landed in Aurora, Or.? Well, a miniature version a least.  We went through a corn maze, drank fresh apple cider (delish!), held chicks, petted a calf, a goat and tried to pet a sheep. We also got to see three of the cutest piglets ever! Made me want to go read Charlotte's Web !  Each child and parent chaperon picked a pumpkin to take home. Within about five minutes, Ashley ...

Please forgive my unfaithfulness to my blog this past week. I have tried to be diligent in updating but this last week seemed to run away from me. Between my family, my school work, preparing for the Christmas musical and just simply life, we took a weekend trip to my parents. The reason for this spontaneous adventure is due to the fact that they are moving from this dear, old house. I will not get emotional but I do want to say a few things regarding this house: Yes, it is a restored barn! This little (3500 sq.ft) house, or rather "Grammy's Barnhouse", as Levi so sweetly termed it at 2 years old, has been the center of many, many family affairs for about 10 years. Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving, Christmas after Christmas, any holiday we family members could think of as an excuse to escape away to the barn in the woods! Some family members even lived there for a time. Not only family, but my parents' former Pastor, wife and family stayed there for a time. And o...

Yesterday, October 9th, marked the first service for Sherwood Sanctuary . For over a year, Pastor and Sister Mallory and their family, have been doing a bible study with these precious people. Their home has reached capacity and God has opened a door for us to have service right here in Sherwood. Moving forward, one service at a time, adjusting to two services almost back-to-back on Sunday but yet, loving the results. We are so excited at what God is doing! Here are a few pictures I took from my phone, so the quality isn't the greatest :).  We had 7 brand new teenagers or tweenagers visit that morning! 14 people from the bible study. And then of course a few of us regulars from Newberg there to help. Isn't God awesome??

Just for a few brief hours yesterday, we were blessed with my dear cousin, Stacie's presence! She and her mom were on their way south to my parents and stopped to share hugs and coffee. I did not tell my kids just in case they didn't get the chance to see them. So when Stacie showed up at their school with me to pick them up, the most beautiful scene followed. I am still kicking myself that I didn't grab my phone and record it! Myles came out first and saw Stacie, came running with eyes opened wide and a huge smile on his face. Then came Elle, with a response that brought tears to all our eyes. She was walking and chatting with a friend. When she saw Stacie, she was a good 30 or 40 feet away, ran with all her might, eyes as wide as half dollars, saying, "Stacie, Stacie, Stacie!", flew into Stacie's arms and literally wrapped herself around Stacie as if to never let go! This display of love was so precious and I wish I could have captured it. Her excitement wi...

 (Yahoo pics) Yes!! It is Friday!! I love Fridays, not as much as I love Sundays, but I do love them! Fridays stand for FUN!!! Hmmm I think I have an acronym for this: F = fun        R = relaxing             I = ice cream?              D = down time           A = awesome                      Y = Yabba dabba do!  Totally corny! But it's all I could think of in five minutes! And I really don't know about the ice cream part but it sounds good. Thanks, Fred Flintstone, for letting me borrow your signature phrase! So let me ask you, do you love Friday? If so, why?

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21 Imagine my surprise when I got to the third chapter of my speech/communication textbook and this verse was the opening for the chapter. Very interesting! Then, at church last night Bro. Stan Gleason (who Bro. Mallory convinced to come back) used this same verse as part of his message. Okay, Lord, I think I am supposed to be getting something here! We could read the first part of this verse, stop and have a full blown sermon. What comes out of your mouth can either create or destroy. We have that much power in a spoken word. Spoken words cannot be returned to their origin. In other terms, you can't put words back in your mouth once they leave. This is why it is so important to choose your words carefully.  However, the second part of the verse is just as important. You will reap the harvest of the words you speak. If you choose good words, you will reap good fruit. On th...

Truly, I did not know I could cram so much into one weekend! Can we say exhausted? Well, no matter, I'll recover (by the end of the week, no doubt). This weekend our church hosted a youth revival with Bro. Stan Gleason as the speaker. It was awesome and impacting. Bro. Stan spoke from his heart and God used him mightily to reach our youth as well as many others. Not only did we have amazing church, but we had *capital* fun! Unfortunately, I missed the Saturday evening service due to about 12 hours of algebra homework :(. However, my husband and the boys went so I lived vicariously through their recap of the service. Yesterday's service was equally as awesome as the others. There is a family that has been attending for a while and going to the bible study at the Mallory's for quite some time. At the end of the service, I was sitting next to the mother, I reached over and put my arm around her. As we sat there, praying, I felt the presence of God come over her so strong. She...