You're Invited . . .

Sharing What's on the Heart ♥

You’re Invited!

A night of Praise & Worship, One Girl’s Story & a little Pizza & Fellowship, too!

Join my friend, Lisa, & I and our husbands as we share w/ you Worship & A Message from My Heart entitled "So, What's Your Prognosis?" - One Girl's Testimony of What she learned through her Walk through Breast Cancer not once - but twice? Come find out how in spite of the trails we faced as a family, we found blessings and peace along the way. If you get nothing else out of it you'll have great fellowship & laughs - lots of laughs - come here my story! Who knew Breast Cancer and trials had a funny side?!

Date: Sunday, April 26, 2009
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Food & Fellowship: 5:00 p.m.
Worship & My story begins: 5:45 p.m.
RSVP: princessjulie1213@gmail.com for details & location
Bring $5 if you're keen for Pizza (we're ordering in)!
We'll provide beverages.

We hope you can make it!

The Moo Farm

Well, it's official, we have found the Moo Farm. The Moo Farm you ask? What's that? Well, thanks for asking, I'd love to fill you in.

If you haven't visited us yet than you are not aware of the fact that just down the road from us is a big field where there are generally anywhere from 4 to 6 cows tied up grazing. We've always enjoyed watching the cows as we walk or drive by. But nobody enjoys them as much as Lilly.

Anytime you mention the cows she gets really excited and starts mooing. And it's a very sweet & drawn out Mooooooooooo! Well, Scott started a routine w/ her. Around dinnertime she is often a little fussy as she's hungry and usually getting tired. So in an effort to help me out, Scott started taking her for walks to see the Moos. So now at the first site of Scott as he returns from work, Lilly goes running to him jumping around happily, going Moooo, Moooo. And she jumps in her stroller and they are off.

In their daily adventures several things have happened by the moos. Always funny stories. And Scott has met the farmer, of course, and the caretaker of the cows, also an of course. And he's learned about the Moos. So they have learned most of the Moos are quite friendly and it's ok to pet them. Except for the mean Moo who they know to stay away from. So we do enjoy driving by day and night and watching them.

But the field moos aren't the greatest thing we've discovered. On one of their walks Scott & Lilly found the actual Moo Farm. A pen with several young cows just one neighborhood over. They drove me by once and I fell in love.

So in an attempt to have fun w/ Lilly one day, Jesse, Lilly, my babysitter, Marcia & I all drove to the Moo Farm when we were taking Marcia home. And Lilly started Mooooing out the window. Then one cow started Mooing back. Then Lilly and I would moo some more and then one by one like crazy sounding windchimes they were mooing at us. We were all laughing hysterically, but no one was laughing as hard as Marcia. She said, "Julie, they are angry at us! They think we've come to feed them and now we aren't. They see your car pull up and it's feeding time and you aren't feeding them!" Very funny, poor cows.

Turns out, that's true. I hope their food came shortly after. Well, not really.

When we drive by as much as I like meat, I see these sweet little faces and start calling them baby and then start shouting "Don't eat! It's a trick" Of course, I knew this, but it was never so evident as when many of them disappeared during the Christmas Season.

Now it's become routine sort of, Jesse has taken over for me yelling "Don't Eat!" But Lilly quickly counters "Eat!" Nice, right.

So what I've learned about all of this is Moos may come and go in your life, but Lilly proves to me the best thing to do is to just continue visiting the Moo Farm and be happy to see whoever is out waiting to Moo back.

My Son the Famous Shoe Kicker!

Jesse had Field Day this past Friday and so I went to cheer him on. But more importantly he came home w/ a blue ribbon for 1st place. He's so proud of it. He carried it to the supermarket and everywhere else we went all day. At what event did he win? The Shoe kick of course.

The PE teacher explained, you will untie your shoe & pull your heel out and just have the front of your foot in the shoe & then toss it as far as you can, blah, blah, blah. I say blah, blah, blah, as after she gave her explanation of the event - they heard no more. Instead like Graduation Caps soaring through the air - so it was w/ shoes flying everywhere. I was giggling so hard as I was texting the scene to Scott. I said - they so need video of this - she's lost all control and it's so funny.

Then it happened. Right before Jesse's big win, the 2nd grade boys stood on the line preparing to kick - I said, "Jesse," and then looked to the boys around him, too, & said - "you guys know - kick out - not up!" And they smiled agreeing.

So I watched from the sidelines like any proud Mom as my son's shoe flew through the air over the teachers' heads (he says he hit one - which makes me aware it could have gone even further) and by no question at all - his shoe went the furthest by a long shot. And I cheered and he smiled from ear to ear as those kids always beat him in the races and he was so proud!

It was so funny! I love that a Graubard won such a silly event! Sketchers. That's the key. I knew they were shoes that rocked!

Tiny Dancer Busts a Move

I've had a little bit of a hard time adjusting to being a mostly stay at home mommy w/ a baby again so I decided to try out this play group thing. It wasn't intimidating as it's held at a community center as opposed to someone's house. The first 1.5 hours is just free play & they have a craft table where they have a craft they can make. Lilly made a frog w/ my help. Therefore, I had fun. They also have little kid food & coffee for grown-ups. A nice touch. But the best time for both Lilly & I was the last half hour when they put away the toys & replace them w/ instruments. At that time they do music time playing songs such as the Wheels on the Bus. In case you didn't know, Lilly loves to dance thus her nickname Tiny Dancer. Anyway, so she started out shy sitting on my lap and sort of shaking the bells they gave her. But it didn't take her long to get up & go into full routine taught to her by Josh where she points her fingers & pumps her arms. She marched to the middle of the room to perform her little dance. It might not have been quite as funny to everyone else, but I had the picture going through my head of Josh dancing w/ her. It was sort of like the end of Little Miss Sunshine - only not as rude. Very, very funny. Josh calls her Mini-Me. I assure you, Mini-Me made him proud today.

Out w/ the Old

I need to start out by telling you a story of how my New Years Eve began this morning. This morning Lilly was kind of grumbling in her crib, but I was still in that half asleep state until I heard this sound "ssssssssssss" - Lilly had removed her diaper and was peeing on her crib mattress. Out w/ the old. Scott tells me this is funny. Sort of - or at least now. As she was very proud of herself. He said, look, she's that much closer to potty training, she didn't like being wet. Yep. Good perspective . . . now that I'm awake that is.

So let me leave you on this beautiful sunny New Years Eve w/ these thoughts that I shared w/ my E-Bible Study group. We are studying the book "The Shack" which I highly recommend you read this coming year. Here goes as I wrote it to the group this comment by God in the book:

I also highlighted on page 187 "So when you don't hear me the first time, I'm not frustrated or disappointed. I'm thrilled. Only forty-six more times to go. And that first time will be a building block to construct a bridge of healing that one day - that today - you will walk across."

Isn't that how it is even w/ us when we are planting seeds of faith. So maybe our neighbor doesn't get it right away. Doesn't understand why we follow the Lord, but they see something in us that turns into a seed that is planted in them. And then w/ each seed planted we bring them closer to knowing the Lord. It is so true in our faith walk and bringing others to Jesus.

I thought that paragraph was cool. As it reminded me just like God - we need to be patient and let God's work fall into place and try not to be discouraged when we don't get instant results. - just keep walking the walk and let the Lord use you and others to keep planting seeds in people's lives day by day as it's all worth it. Like my friend Jillian who came to the Lord through befriending me, her silly Bible thumping neighbor - cause that's how she saw us. To her Scott & I were these people always having churchy friends over and her husband, Kevin, told us later that they always hoped that they didn't get invited to our pizza gatherings. Then one day after Jillian and I both had small babies she started taking walks w/ me and started realizing I wasn't just a freak and she wanted to know more about my faith and then she ultimately had some other stuff happen w/ others speaking into her and her husbands lives as well and then they came to the Lord and their ministry is huge now. Meanwhile at the same time I was trying my best to plant seeds in my other neighbor who was very much against my pushing my Christianity walk on her. She was a friend who I was and am very close to so I had this sense of urgency for her to have what I'd found in Jesus. Eventually I realized through the Jillian experience that I may have planted a seed or two in my friend, but someone else would probably be the one to plant the seeds that seal the deal and eventually bring her to the Lord. I'm still waiting, as Christianity is something we don't talk about anymore but I do believe the Lord will use someone else to plant the final seeds that draw her close. Anyway, I learned this from the Jillian experience. As here is how the Jillian story played out. Jillian and her husband did start coming to church and ultimately accepted the Lord. So later one day one of Jill's closest friends said to me - we were so glad you and your husband came into their lives -we've been trying to speak into their lives forever. But God used you guys. Scott & I got to plant the final seeds. So you see - it doesn't matter where you are in the seed planting business - You just hope and pray that you are leaving seeds behind in your walk and they are taking people one step closer to the Lord. Even when we don't see it.


Happy Seed Planting in the year to come!

Blessings,

Julie & Scott & the gang

Miss Lilly has been w/ us for 6 months!

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A Ta-Da Moment

I can't believe I forgot this great Ta-Da Lilly Moment! Scott just reminded me of another Lilly story.

One day we were at our church. It was after the evening service & Lilly was crawling around. And our friend, Ingrid, was making all over her. Well, at one moment I was busy talking to someone else and Scott was nearby Ingrid & Lilly. Lilly kept crawling up the carpeted steps to the stage (about 4 or 5 steps) when all of the sudden Lilly started to fall down the stairs. Ingrid caught the flying baby in a single bound by throwing herself through the air. Even though Ingrid caught Lilly mid air thus keeping her safe - Lilly still was wide-eyed and began to cry (but honestly I think Ingrid was even more wide-eyed and shaken). Scott quickly jumped in to crying Lilly and said "Ta-Da!" And Lilly went from tears to a big smile as she threw her arms out in the air & said, "Ta-Da!" And all was well again in her world.

So in our family Lilly has taught us when life gives you lemons a Ta-Da is needed is needed indeed. And Ingrid taught us how to fly through the air at the drop of a hat if needed. Honestly I think the Ta-Da Moment belonged to Ingrid. But Funny Girl got the laugh.