Happy 8th Anniversary

Wow. 8 years has sure flown by!! Well, if we want to be accurate we have been dating since 1999 and married in 2005...so technically we have been together for 14 years! WOO HOO!

I am so blessed to have married such an amazing man. One who goes to work each day with no complaints, provides for our family and comes home each night to be with me and our little girl. A man that protects, loves, faithful, funny (can make me laugh no matter what), honest, and really HOT!! :)

One of my favorite things Ben does is when I am upset, sad or whatever...he always (since the first day of our marriage) gets me to laugh by dipping me and kissing me (Photo below)!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Ben! I love you Infinity and Beyond!

Ruth 1:16-17 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

A Father; Forever in a Daughter's Heart

When I think back to all the memories growing up with my dad; I have truly been blessed. To me there is nothing more priceless than having a dad. A dad is someone who protects, loves, plays sports with you, coaches you, disciplines you, prepares you and leads you to Christ. Those are just some of the things that my dad has done. Nothing will ever replace having a dad who leads our family where Christ is the center. One of my fondest memories I have of my dad is when I would be yelling down the laundry chute to ask what he is doing and his answer was always reading the bible.

My dad taught me through example. At an early age, he placed before me right and wrong, values to have, and traditions to hold onto. My dad always provided for our family, always was apart of our every day life, always helped, always fixed things and still does today. Let's just say if something is broken; I call my dad.

So needless to say when I had a little girl, I was so excited for her to experience what I did in having a father. When I married Ben, I knew from the get go that he would be a phenomenal father; and he is. He also has an example of an amazing father. One who sacrificed to provide for his family, who coached him in basketball to gain a Division 1 scholarship and they coach side by side today, one who generously is helping his family and others, a man of honesty, integrity and one of the biggest hearts I know.

These three men in my life have impacted me and my family in a way that no one else can. Men of integrity, courage, love, respect, protection, faithful, hope, loyal and much more. I love these 3 men more than life and words can never express the impact they have placed on my life.

I am so glad Addy has an amazing father; her eyes when he walks in each night say it all. One of my most favorite things is how my 6'5" husband gets on the ground and plays right at her level even if it is with Barbies. Another thing, I just love that Ben always sets aside time for daddy/daughter date night...They head to Perkins for some Rainbow Pancakes!

So on this special day, I say thank you to the men in my life; my husband, dad's, brother's, grandpa, uncles, cousins(by marriage). You play such an important role in shaping our kids and that can NEVER be replaced. A child needs a father and I am so thankful that I have been blessed with these amazing men in my family. Each one of you has left a lasting imprint on my life. Such a legacy of godly men who lead their families in Christ!

The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him."- Proverbs 20:7

Aviation Day with Grandpa and Grandma

This past weekend Addy and I went with my parents to Discover Aviation Days at the Blaine Airport. For those of you who don't know, my dad has his pilot's license so ever since I was little I grew up in airplanes. I think I actually took my first ride when I was 2. Over the years I have gone with my dad to airshows and have enjoyed learning about airplanes. Needless to say when Addy was born she was destined to continue on the tradition. So last year Addy went to the airshow in Blaine and we continued that tradition again this year. I don't know about you, but I love traditions and they mean even more when it is carried on from generation to generation.

Road Trip with Wrigley

Last weekend we drove up to Hawley, MN for a Graduation Open House for one of our Glory basketball players. We decided to stay the night in Detroit Lakes since they allowed dogs and it was a 4 hour drive. This was Wrigley's first trip with the family to a hotel...I think he rather enjoyed it. :) And so did we!

Blessed Mama

Today, I reminded of all the blessings the Lord has given to me. I am reminded of how precious life is and that God gives us this life. I was blessed to grow up with an amazing mom who today has become one of my best friends. I was blessed to marry into a wonderful family and gained a wonderful godly mother in law and sister in law. I was blessed when my brother married a godly wonderful woman. I was raised with two wonderful grandmas and Ben's grandma who gave their loving, godly examples through out my life. I have numerous aunts, cousins and friends who have showed me not only what its like to be a mom but a godly woman.

Not until March 17, 2010 did I truly know what motherhood would be like. I always new I wanted to be a mama and have 2 children (Lord Willing). March 17 was one of the best days of my life, getting to meet my little girl for the first time. I realized at that moment that God had given to Ben and I a precious life in our care. What it has meant to be a mom is much more than changing diapers and holding in my arms; its about making a disciple to follow Jesus Christ and glorify his name. After all, she isn't mine....she is the Lord's. Its a hard thing to grasp that she isn't mine but for now God has entrusted in me this precious life to lead her to bring to his Glory.

I am thankful today that I have had so many godly examples of how to be a mom and woman of God. This is a blessing not everyone has but I am surrounded by women who uplift me and encourage me to be the best mom I can be. The support I have had and the advice given are such a blessing to help raise my beautiful girl.

Our little girl is so precious. Each day I am amazed how she begins to grow and learn more. I am always astonished at what comes out of her mouth....mostly when it relates to Jesus. Her heart is so loving and forgiving. She is pure and she is magnificent. My prayer for her is that she will come to know Jesus as her personal savior.

I am blessed to be surrounded by a family who trusts in Christ each day. I am thankful for a husband who guides and protects our daughter; who teacher her right from wrong. I am blessed that Addy can know her grandparents and that the teach her about Jesus. I am thankful for her aunts and uncles who love her and pray for her. I am thankful for her great-grandparents who share wisdom and love. I am thankful for my cousins who visit her and pour their time into her. I am thankful for our friends that care about her and invest in her.

There are so many people who play a huge role in our daughter's life and I am so thankful for that. Today, I am blessed beyond measure. I put some pictures together from her first few days/months of life...Enjoy! Happy Mother's Day---May we remember the blessings that God has given us today.

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” ... Proverbs 31:25-30

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" Jeremiah 1:5

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Luke 1:41-44

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:13-16