August Staycation

So in August we had a family staycation - (that's right people - August - yes, I'm once again posting months behind...it's the best I can do right now :) My parents came down along with my nephew Seth, and stayed for a few days. As always we tried to pack in the biggest possible punch in the short time that we had. We went to the Rain Forest Cafe and Riverwalk, Sea World, and our amazing neighborhood pool...AND we had a family birthday party for our little big Alex's 4th birthday! It was so much fun - busy but fun!
I need to get the pictures of Alex's party from my mom so I can write about that in another entry! Here are a few pics from Sea World...it was the kids first time to go, and they had a blast! They loved Shamu and we got some great pictures! The rides and water park were a big hit, too. Here are a few pictures from the day...

I LOVE that picture - so typical of E and A right now - she leads and teaches and he listens...most of the time. :)

Grandpa E and Seth...where is Grandma? Grandma - I need some pics of you!

Me Myself & Lies

So hear I go - taking a deep breath as I attempt to share with you a bit of what I've been learning over the past few weeks....
....I just finished the most amazing - life changing - Bible study entitled "Me, Myself and Lies" by Jennifer Rothschild. I had NO IDEA what was in store for me as I dove into the Bible and the book along with some friends this summer. The study was all about taking a long, hard look at what we are letting our minds dwell on each day - each hour and even minute, really. And not just the things that we purposefully think about, but also the things that just kind of pop into our heads but then kinda stick around and fester for a while. After looking at these things, and realizing that many times my "thought closet" was full of hurtful labels, worries and fears, I then began to learn how to completely replace those things with the Truth from God's word, and get rid of that "stinkin' thinkin'". It's been amazing (for me) to see the trasformation in my thinking and trusting...I'm just so glad that our Heavenly Father never gives up on us and is ALWAYS at work in us until the day He brings us home. Praise Him!

So here are a few things from the book that especially hit home for me...
"Who I am, and what I struggle with are NOT the same thing."
"Start paying attention to where your thoughts are wandering during an idle moment."
"To dwell on untruths is to hold His truths in low regard."
How often do we waist our emotions - because we are not exercizing faith.
"A surplus of emotion usually preceeds acting without wisdom."
"You can't always control which thoughts pop up, but you can control through God's Spirit, what you do when one knocks. Be alert and say - no entry."
"Trust God more than you trust your feelings and abilities..."
"HOPE will ground you, anchor you, and make you unshakable."
"You may not FEEL equiped for the battle, but you are equiped."
(All of these in quotes are by Jennifer Rothschild)

These are just a few highlights from 6 weeks of study - and of course she had us always diving in to the Bible - I have many verses that I've now added to my offensive weaponry. Here's a new favorite....
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry "Abba (Dad!) Father". The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.
I added the "Dad!" :)

If you ever have the opportunity - I would highly recommend this Bible study! ...And a little "shout out!" to my Bible study girlies - I love you guys and I'm so thankful for you!

So, there ya go - a little peek into my journey through God's word this summer....can't wait for the next one. :)

Bad Blogger - BAD!!!

So I ran into a good friend last week at the store (whom I haven't seen in forever!) and she informed me that I'm a bad blogger. Well, what can I say? She's right - considering I haven't blogged anything since, um, April!?

So, here I am, sheepishly attempting to recap the past few months in the form of a blog or two...
I owe it to my far away friends and family, right?
But where do I even begin?

I'll give you the quick run down, along with some cute pics, and I'll try to post more detail in the coming weeks...starting with some things I left out, and hopefully getting us back up to the present. :)

FEBRUARY - Started my very first Gruene Market Days with my dear friend Brandy Webb - she makes THE most adorable clothes for little girls, plus shopping cart covers, and more!


MARCH - I'm not sure what we did in March! That's what I get for not blogging!
I hardly even have any pictures of the kids for March...hmmm....I'll let you know if I figure it out.
Oh, I know - we started to really enjoy our back yard - Now that spring was breaking through, our big shady yard was sooo nice....



APRIL - I (Megan) celebrated my birthday...no need to mention age really...I'm still in my EARLY 20's...(Ha! I just caught that typo! I must be subconsciously wishing I was still in my early 20's!!! OK - so that should be early 30's)
We added another Market Days to our schedule - Boerne Market - which made for a busy month!
We had a great MOPS and POPS
Emma had a special trip to Grandma and Grandpas house - just her - she had a blast!
AND, we had our family pictures taken by a good friend - Amber Walters...AMAZING Photographer!!!



MAY - Was a busy month! After the Swine Flu scare settled down, we had to cram everything that had been postponed into about 2 weeks...sooo
We had our last MOPS, Emma's gymnastics show - the "mini olympics", and her last day of pre-school, graduation, and fun day.
Emma's graduation was HILARIOUS! They had her standing right in front of this air vent that shot air straight up from the stage - so her hair was wildly blowing through all of the songs, like they had a wind machine on her. And of course she was playing right into it. Cute. Funny. So Emma.



JUNE -We pretty much spent every other day in June at the pool - Emma is a FISH and can dive down to the bottom of the 8 foot pool in our neighborhood to pick up diving sticks. AND - drum roll please.....Alex learned to swim! He still needs to practice quite a bit, but he is getting better every time we go.
Emma had her 6th BIRTHDAY!!!, and decided to to opt for a family party at Rain Forest Cafe with one friend. That was HER idea! Amazing! What a break for Mommy and Daddy!
Her favorite presents were a toy Hamster that rolls and has a wheel, and her very own desk that Mommy and Daddy made for her...



Whew! And here we are in July! I guess that means July can have it's own separate little spot in the Blog. Lucky July. ;)

From the Concert! We were this close!

Britt Nicole - Live in Concert!!!

BRITT & EMMA

That's right! Emma and I went to her very first concert on Friday, April 3, and it was amazing! Seriously, she experienced every little girls dream of getting to meet a STAR and getting the star treatment in the process.

It was a very special Mother / Daughter evening. We started off with dinner - just the two of us, and then got to the concert early with seats of the front row! We had to wait about 30 minutes for the concert to start, so Emma decided to draw a picture for Britt...she had to do it on her lap, so it was a little hard, and her writing was a little hard to read, but it was sweet. She wanted to give it to Britt, but I told her I didn't know if we would have the opportunity to meet her, but that we would for sure get it to someone who knows her.

When Britt came out, everyone ran up to the stage, including Emma, who made her way right up to the front, and began bouncing to the music, waving her arms to the beat and clapping her hands - what a pro! I guess Britt got a kick out of her, and after the first song, she said "What's your name?" "Emma!" shouted Emma, and Britt yelled, "Everybody give it up for Emma!" You can imagine Emma's and my excitement! Everybody clapped and yelled - it was pretty cool.

The concert was amazing. What a great Christ-centered experience. In between her songs, Britt talked about her testimony, and calling. She challenged us to Shine for Christ, and to take each moment of everyday and live fully for Him - not wasting time or opportunities. (I'll post soon about the ways that Emma and I have taken the challenge, and about the ways that Emma has been shinning for Jesus)

After the concert, we waited for a little bit in the autograph line. It was getting pretty late by now, and they weren't allowing any pictures during autographs. A separate line was set up for that. I knew it would be too late to do both, so I thought we'd just be happy to meet Britt, give her the special picture that Emma drew, and get an autograph. WOW! Britt could not have been sweeter! She is just so cute, and fun, and she told Emma that she LOVED the picture, and would keep it always. Emma was in Heaven, and I was pretty psyched about the whole event - it was pretty special, as a mother, to watch these events unfold. We got her autograph, and then Britt said, "come give me a hug!" What!? - totally unexpected - totally cool. And to top it off, a lady who was taking pictures for the event snapped some pics of Emma handing Britt the picture she drew, and of Britt hugging Emma. Afterward, she gave me her email address, and said she send me the pictures! And THAT is how I got these amazing pictures of Emma and Britt. (Thanks so much, Annette!)

What more can I say!? It was so fun, and I hope that Emma and I have chance to do something fun like this again. Emma told me that the best part was just spending time together - Awwww...:)
I couldn't agree more.

EMMA GIVING BRITT HER PICTURE
(and a picture of the picture she drew)

More Pictures from Britt Nicole!...

Pro-Life Lobby Day!

Feb. 24th was Pro-Life Lobby Day at the Texas Capitol! Emma and I headed to Austin for the day to show support and Lobby for the Ultrasound Bill. We met some friends there, and heard from Gov. Perry, Lt. Gov. Dewhurst, AG Greg Abbott, Sen. Dan Patrick & more! Afterward we had a picnic lunch on the green, and signed in for our support of the Bill. It was a great day. Now that I've done it, and seen the difference it can make to get out there and stand up for the prolife cause, I'm looking forward to doing it again and again! Here's a link for more information on the Bill ... http://www.2heartbeats.org/why.shtml and here is an update about the hearing held last week... http://www.lifenews.com/state3958.html... Please be praying about this bill - studies show that around 80% of women who go in for an abortion and then view an ultrasound of their unborn child chose life. Here are some pictures from the capitol....

February 2009

Well, I have no truly great excuse for not posting anything in THREE MONTHS!!! (other than the fact that we have ALL been rotating through illness and trips out of town since January!) Anyways, for now I'm just adding some pictures and quick captions. This will have to do for now....

Here's a picture of our Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt! It was so fun - I made up little rhyming clues, and had the kids going throughout the house searching for them. The kids loved the V-day goody bags. I think this tradition will be a keeper!