his and hers

*my sweet friend does a post like this every few months...and i thought i'd steal her idea and try it out for myself

he is enjoying a break from teaching
she is loving her one year old is finally sleeping through the night

he is marking up his calendar with athletic camps and summer ball games
she is taking the summer one. day. at. a. time.

he is soaking up every second he has with his little boys
she is trying to catch up on much needed sleep

he is becoming frustrated with teenagers
she is encouraging him to keep up the good work

he is letting her run off some steam at night
she is pounding the pavement in order to make it through another day with a whiny toddler

he is counting down the days to the beach
she is making lists of what to pack and stressing out a bit

he is praying for ways to connect and encourage
she is anxious about who her little boys will become

he is sweating in his ford focus with 3 hubcaps
she is taking advantage of her automatic doors in her van

he and she are trying to remember Jesus is the center of it all.

ty turns one.

here is a snapshot of the birthday party for ella and ty. they are a week and one day apart so we decided to celebrate together. we opted for a circus theme for "ella-phant" and "ty-ger". we was a lot of fun. give mom and em all the credit for the decorations...i brought the hot dogs. :) 

update

we are still in the midst of baseball season. halfway through as a matter of fact. the boys have been having a blast watching baseball. eli has picked up a lot about the game. he acts out the umpire and loves to announce our players' names...which are all things he has picked up on his own. he loves to throw the ball, catch it and wear his own helmet.

we have to bathe after every game. i don't care if they are asleep when we get home, i wake them and bathe them before putting them to bed. that is how messy they can be!

ty is a different child now that he has gotten tubes. he is  happy and is eating all sorts of foods. green beans, sweet potatoes, all kids of fruits, cubed potatoes, bread, spaghetti, and crackers/cookies. he is basically a human vacuum. i can't wait to see how much he weighs at his next check-up. he is also trying so hard to walk. he pushes eli's toys around and walks behind them. just this week he has started trying to stand up. he is still too timid to take a step though. he babbles a lot as well. babababa and dadadada and belive it or not, "e-yi" i'm pretty sure he hears me yell that enough throughout the day to pick up on it.

just wanted to put a few thoughts down before bed...so i can remember them one day.

Eli-isms

eli is becoming quite the character. the more he talks, the funnier he gets. he is definitely going to be an entertainer like his daddy. he sings all the time and loves to put on a show. here are some of my favorite sayings he has right now:
"who dat in a phone?" --he asks me this every time i hang up the phone
"what matter with ty, mommy?" "ty whine" "ty wake up!" --all observations of his little brother
"this for da eli" --he might have a little spanish in him adding an article before his name
"eli two" while holding up 2 fingers
"i make tree mommy" holding up 3 fingers 
"where are do mommy?" --when he can't find me in the house
"ty like cay-rots" --he copies everything i say to ty.
"obey door chil-ren" --his version of "children, obey your parents" from col. 3:20

he also loves baseball, basketball and golf and musical instruments. when staying at my parents' house, he has to sleep with the guitar and mandolin in the room with him. he loves numbers, colors, and following chris and me around copying your motions and words...so watch what you say around this kid.

most of the time he is in good spirits. he laughs and is constantly on the go...that is if elmo or mickey mouse club house aren't on tv. he also loves being at the baseball field. right now, two of his obvious faults are his bossiness and his roughness with his brother. but we are working on that and learning what Jesus has to say about those to things. i can't wait to see what God has planned for this little guy.

and by the way, that last post was him. somehow he opened blogger on my phone and published his own post...i thought it was interesting that he actually almost spelled his name! and totally by accident. :)

i'm amazed at how much of a sponge he is. he remembers so much that we tell him...things i don't even remember i told him. :) i love him so much.

Ii

Batter up!

Well it's that time again...baseball season is going strong. I've been learning how to survive a game with two little ones in tow and still see a few moments of the game as well. I rely on family, friends, and parents to help me out. But so far I think this year has been a little easier because Ty isn't completely mobile yet (do I don't have to watch what he's getting into) and Eli is at an age where I don't have to follow right behind him. Last year being big and pregnant and chasing a toddler around proved quite challenging.

Here are a few pics from the first two games.

to those dear to me...

this post has been working in my brain for a few months now. i have sat down to write it a couple of times but don't know exactly how i want to communicate my thoughts. so, i'm just going to speak from my heart like i am talking to you face to face..

since august i have been studying the book of Acts and it has proven to be one of the most challenging books i've studied. why? well, it is the story of the start of the church and the lives of those who were pivotal in spreading the gospel. their boldness and desire for all of those near them to know Jesus has ripped me apart and shown me my own sin that i'd rather make others happy and not bring up controversial topics in order to keep life easy. 

but the truth is...eternity is just that...eternity. forever. and without knowing Jesus, that eternity will be spent apart from Him in a place that i would want no one on this earth to go. but even more than that, Jesus is the only one that can satisfy us on this earth. He is the only reason i can find joy in my life. chris, my children, social status, family, NOTHING can satisfy me. that is, nothing but Jesus. 

so, how do we know Him? the bible makes that very clear in Romans 10:9-11... "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, 'WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED'".

why do we need Jesus?

God--He is holy and set apart, perfect, without blemish. and being holy, He cannot be in contact with anyone unclean. in isaiah 6:3 it says, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

Man--Since God is perfect and can have no part with anything unclean, He cannot be in communion with man. But you may say, "April, i keep the laws, i keep the commandments, i'm a good person." i, too, once thought all of these things...but i have learned, God made the commandments to show us we can't match up to Him. if we really study the ten commandments, we see there is no way we can truly keep them. here are just three examples...

• "You shall have no other gods before Me" -- anything we put before God breaks this law. anything...i break this everyday when i put my family, social networking, tv, sleep, and the list goes on, in front of God.
• "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." -- how many of us have used "God" or "Jesus" in a way other than talking about Him. this one is so popular in our culture.
• "You shall not commit adultery." -- Jesus says in Matthew 5:28 "but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." So its not just the act but the thoughts of our heart that break this commandment. 

we are so imperfect. in isaiah 64:6 it says..."For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." and romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

now if i left us here, we'd be hopeless. there would be no way to have a relationship with God. but the good news is there is hope in Jesus.

Jesus -- He came to the earth to live the perfect life that we are unable to live (because of our sin) and die the death we deserve to die (again, because of our sin). He conquered death and the bondage of sin. For John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Romans 5:6 states, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Basically, this means God sent His son, Jesus, and Jesus died for you and stands in your place. Christ's blood now covers you and washes you white as snow.

Grace -- This is truly by grace alone. Jesus gives His free gift that we don't deserve so that we may know Him. There is nothing we can do to earn this salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 proves this ... "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

When you see God's perfection, admit you're a sinful being, and believe in Jesus and how He died in your place...you become a believer and one of God's own. John 1:12 confirms this ... "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."

Please take time to search your heart and reflect on whether or not you have accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life.  This isn't a joking matter. Its true. And the way I know it to be true is because Jesus has truly changed my life. In December 1999, I was walking as far away from God as possible...i was searching for fulfillment in life through all things this world has to offer, and then Jesus drew my heart to Him and I became a believer in Him and He changed my desires. I no longer searched for fulfillment but found it in Him.

I love each of you and only write this in order that you might be found in Christ and know the joy that I know. And my desire is to see you one day in Heaven worshiping God with me. I don't think it was coincidence that God gave me the study of Acts the same year that our family has lost so many to eternity. I know that Aunt Virginia Burrell, Aunt Jody Chandler, and Uncle Steve Miller would tell you these same things if they could. They are in Heaven worshiping our Creator and Giver of life. Please, I beg of you, accept Jesus as the Lord of your life. Truly search your heart to see if you know Him personally. If you do, live for Him and study His word so that you can know Him better. I promise, He will be the only thing to fulfill you and give you satisfaction and purpose. My prayers are with every member of our family daily. My only desire is for you to know the hope and joy that I know.

With Much Love,
April