Crazy Love

We just finished our bible study called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It was a great book that I got to study with amazing women & friends.

This book was awesome, life changing. It helped me view my walk/life as a lukewarm Christian. That I need to be more intentional in being Christ like and to others around me, He calls us to do that. He is also helping me focus more on an eternal perspective, a focus on Heaven, not on the day to day happenings of my life, big or small. 

Today, I was alone in the car, staring at the Jesus emblem I adhered on my dashboard to try to stay focused... and I just wept. Wept because of the massive amount of love I feel for Jesus. It was overwhelming, the love I felt FOR Him and the love I could completely feel FROM Him. It was humbling- and it felt so good, free.....joyful.

I am so blessed to be intimate with Christ, truly.
Love,
~melissa

christmas party

Our Christmas Countdown......

Every year, we do an advent calendar with the boys. Honestly, I think it is one of their favorite traditions. This year, I am trying a new method- I made these cute little boxes, our Christmas Countdown to Jesus's birth. There are 25 of them...they get to open one after dinner every night.

Its hilarious to see Brayden falling out of his chair

with excitement! Chandler is getting so old, that is getting hard to find something he would like to fit in such a small box!

(the background is the kids magnetic chaulkboard)

Also, our elf on a shelf "appeared" last night! Brayden was so excited! Brayden knows he is watching every choice/action he makes & reporting it to Santa! Wonder where he will seating tomorrow morning!

Our Thanksgiving, short yet sweet

Braydens PreK Thanksgiving Feast

Brayden had his school Thanksgiving feast today. It was really nice. They even made their own turkey....

Brayden was so excited that Daddy got off of work to come to his Feast!!

Here is a picture of Brayden's placemat that he made.

and here is a picture of me reading a book to Brayden class....his teacher made me do it!!

We have so many reasons to be Thankful.

Holiday party

making wreathes...

making gingerbread houses

(bray made an airplane)....

singing christmas carols......

Operation Christmas Child

we worked at operation christmas child all week....

we got to do it last year, we truly enjoy it.

one day...one of chandlers friends put him in one of the packing boxes! brayden was freaking out, that his brother may be shipped to a third world country.

They carried him on to the huge truck!

boys!

where brayden came from....

When I was putting Brayden to bed, he said "I know where I came from."

I was thinking, Im not ready for this. Calmly I replied " really, where did you come from?"

Brayden replied "you got me from the store, dah." So I asked   "oh, well what store did we get you from?"

Brayden said..."from Lowes, because I am tough, and I bet you got me on sale" 

That was a nice laugh before bed!!

Happy Birthday Heather!

I got to go away with one of my dearest friends, Heather, to celebrate her 40th birthday. Heather is a very important person to me, there is so much I admire about her-how she mothers her boys, loves her friends, cares for her family, how real and honest she is, and most of all her every showing love of Christ, how she is intentionally devoted to this life,(for the next). I feel so blessed to know her and have her in my life.

I also got to meet and spend time with some of her close friends, that was alot of fun and a blessing as well. Im really glad I got the oppurtunity to do that.

Love you Heather. Happy Birthday. I hope you realize today and always, how loved you truly are.

Fun with friends