MAY we be... steps of Joy and Gratitude!!!

today is a day of JOY and Gratitude!!!!!!

For those of you that know Greyleigh's story you will know why, but for those of you that do not I will offer a recap.

When I was pregnant with Greyleigh and we went in for our BIG ultrasound we had some issues, the Dr's we unable to get a visual of Greyleigh's spine and believed she might be missing half of it. I was then sent to a specialist(a week later),and  they too couldn't provide answers and I was then scheduled for a heavy duty ultrasound examination however the 1st available was 2 weeks away... for a mom that is worried thats a really really long time. We didn't tell many people simply because I didn't want to vocalize it and give Satan authority over my joy for this child, but I can tell you there was a huge battle going on in my mind. would Greyleigh ever walk? what would this mean for my childs future? and many other things were constantly running through my mind. It was a long waiting period full of many tears and it had me on my knees a lot! thankfully the day of the big ultrasound I got up prayed got myself ready and headed to my appointment. I had a huge overwhelming amount of peace come over me once I got to my appointment and when they hooked me all up to the machine the first thing we saw was a BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECTLY FORMED SPINE! praise the Lord!

I know what you are thinking, why is she telling us this; well I tell you this because today I experienced something that I once thought wasn't going to be possible, but thankfully God knew it was possible!

GREYLEIGH TOOK HER FIRST FEW STEPS!!!!

I cannot tell you the Joy this brought to my day! who knew the sight of your child walking could make you cry? who knew it could make you jump for Joy and laugh? who knew it could make you so grateful? well I can now tell you, I DO! I know cause thats exactly what it did to me :)

 I am overwhelmed and humbled by these small moments in Greyleighs life... but more then anything I feel pure Joy and Gratitude! Thank you Lord for showing me how BIG you are in my moments of weakness. thank you for loving us through our season of waiting, thank you for putting people in our life to encourage us through that time, Thank you for teaching me to trust you in ALL things, Thank you for bringing this precious child into our life, and thank you so much for the Joy you have placed in her heart! she radiates your love with every smile and giggle and I know that Greyleigh is even more important to you then she is to me! I know that she will be someone you will use to love others, encourage others, and teach others all about you! She was indeed formed by Your hands, dreamed up in Your heart and  placed in this world for purposes I cannot wait to witness!

so today in these moments I am thankful for many things, but more importantly I am thankful for the Joy of this child!

MAY we be Grateful and full of JOY

MAY we be.... Grateful for friends!

today our focus is Grateful!

I have been busy busy lately and I feel like every second of my potential "me time" is full. so when my friend Becca called me yesterday and asked if she could watch my kiddos today I was so grateful!!! I was able to go eat lunch with my friend Stephanie with no mouths to feed but my own :) wow, who knew eating lunch could be so enjoyable when you aren't busy cutting things up into small bites and you can actually enjoy a CONVERSATION!! I had a terrific time with Stephanie and really enjoyed talking and spending time with her since it isn't something we get to do too often. Stephanie is a working mom, and can I just say she is awesome! I am so proud of her and I try to remind her of that every chance I can, because lets face it, being a mom is a hard enough task, but when you throw a whole separate job into the mix that makes it much harder! Needless to say she is doing great at both and I love her and I am so proud of her! She is a huge blessing to me and I love spending time with her whenever I can! She totally defines the word "classy" to me and handles life and everything else thrown at her with a level of love that is bound to encourage anyone! She is one of those friends that always goes out of her way to Hug you and bless you with her sweet smile. and both her hugs and her smile are the best out there! shes fabulous and I loved my time with her today :)

Becca has really been a great friend to me, and I have really loved getting to know her! In the small time we have known each other I feel our friendship has taken great strides and I love it! She is one of my first calls when I need advice, and someone who always makes me laugh (bleh) ;). If I am with Becca I can always count on the fact that I will have a GREAT time! I feel like every time we are together we find out more similarities, I am kinda shocked at how alike we are... must be why I love her so much ;).  this friendship was definitely put in my life to challenge me and encourage me! she is one of the most authentic people around! Becca is someone I would call a natural leader, I can already see her years from now leading young moms to Love the Lord and raise Godly kids! she is pretty amazing, and I am really grateful for her! she is one of those friends that you can always count on to lift you up when you need it. In fact I remember a day I was having when my 2 year old turned into a monster. She was having meltdown, after meltdown, after meltdown, and I was so worn out and feeling extremely defeated... Becca called to ask about something and in the midst of it gave me a pep talk, encouraged me, and assured me that, yes today might be challenging, but I am doing a great job! that was just what I needed to hear that day. it is friends like this that help make the hard days do able! I am so thankful for her. She is a beautiful person inside and out and I am positive we have many years of being great friends in our future. I always admire her and I love her even more.. she is a huge blessing to me and I am so grateful for her influence in my life :) she is pretty fantastic. I mean what friend calls to ASK you if she can watch your kid so you can have some time to yourself? not many... thank you Becca for being such a great friend to me! you are one of my favorite friends and I am so grateful for your friendship and encouragement in my life! you have made my life more enjoyable with your laugh, sound effects ;) and sense of humor and I love you oodles!!!Thank you so much for giving me some time to enjoy Stephanie today, It was fantastic to get a break!

if you haven't noticed it yet, I have some pretty amazing friends! we are only 3 days into May and I have many more friends to go...

How do you tell your friends you love them?
how do you show your friends you are grateful for them?
How do you let them know what they mean to you?


I myself don't have an answer to these questions, but I can tell you I am working on it, and hopefully by the end of this month Katie, Stephanie, and Becca won't be the only ones that will know just how much I love them! :)

MAY WE BE GRATEFUL!!!

and today I am really Grateful for my friends 

Stephanie and Becca!!! :)

MAY we be ... KIND

Today we are focusing on KINDNESS    

We have a little old lady next door named Louise. she is a widow and she has 2 sons in the area that if I am being honest could use a lesson or 2 in how to treat their mama.  if you followed our 12 days of kindness she was our day 12 and that too will give you a little back story to her... last week we had plans on friday night and due to rain they got canceled so I knocked on her door and said "come on we are taking you on an ice cream date" she was so excited and rushed to grab her shoes and we were out the door... on the ride there she told us in the car "sorry I'm not wearing a bra" to which my husband quickly replied with... "its ok I'm not either", I on the other hand couldn't stop giggling ;) while we were getting ice cream she talked a little about wanting to move back to FL since her sons clearly don't want her here. Selfishly I clearly do not want this to happen because we love her! Gentry LOVES her and we have taken her in as her adopted grandma. so today we decided was the perfect day to show Louise some kindness and love on her a bit more. Gentry colored her some artwork and told me what to write on the card and I transcribed it... the card was clearly direct out of the mouth of a 2 year old, but the most precious thing ever.  it showed me the pure love in her heart that she has for Miss Louise... I don't remember it word for word, but it was pretty close to this...

"I love you. You are pretty. thanks for neighbor, I love you all pretty. you are my friend. I love louise, yes I love louise. I love you, love Gentry"

I wrote Louise a little something too and then we put some Hugs in a cute bag and we went to go deliver it. Gentry was full of smiles and so excited to give it to her. Louise was shocked and said "you just made my day" with tears in her eyes. Gentry gave her some real hugs we took a picture and came back home.. and then gentry said "I do that again" :)
I don't think she knows how much she made Miss Louise' day, but I do, and I know it was the perfect medicine for a lonely little lady to be loved so much by a silly little 2 year old. Watching your kids love someone you haven't even prompted them too is so special. truth of the matter is, I probably wouldn't have reached out to Louise much if it weren't for Gentry. Gentry has taught me a thing or 2 about being a good neighbor. She is always outside waving to our neighbors, providing hugs, and blowing kisses. Its kinda funny how that works out considering shes a kid and I should be the one setting the example in that area, but either way I am thankful for the Lord using my daughter to help wake me up and show me how easy it can be to love your neighbors and work on developing relationships with them. I know the Lord placed us in this house for many reasons and loving on Louise is definitely one of them! We are thankful for her and love her so much, and while yes sometimes she may drive me bonkers, and show up at the worst time to talk, I know that the Lord is using us to help mold the life and heart of Louise, so I have and will always drop everything to show her how much she is loved!

so here is my little take away today:

the Lord blessed you with a place to live and he put certain people around you, so how are you showing them kindness? How are you showing his love to them?How are you reaching out to them?

Your neighborhood is your biggest potential mission field out there, so turn off your TV, stop running inside to make dinner, and leave time in your life for God to use you (or your children) to love your neighbors... if you aren't doing it who will?

Miss Louise and Gentry

MAY WE BE KIND

MAY we be JOYFUL

helloooooooooooooooo MAY! we are glad you are here :)

today we are focusing on JOY


when you think of the word JOY, what comes to mind???

well I can tell you the first thing that pops in my head is a person! you've heard the saying Joy is Contagious and I am proof of that thanks to a fantastic friend of mine :) She always ALWAYS brings me joy! she is the most positive person in my life hands down! she always speaks from the heart and her words echo in my mind days beyond being said. she is wise and she is someone who cheers me on when I am weak and affirms me when I am in doubt. whenever I am with her I leave feeling blessed and loved! she is gentle, and kind, and  she never has a bad thing to say about anyone. She is always equipped with a beautiful smile and a sweet spirit. She really is one of my FAVORITE people on this earth! in the time that I have known her I have been so encouraged to be a better mom and wife just by watching her. If you haven't figured it out yet shes pretty much amazing! I am so thankful for her friendship in my life and the thought of her always puts a huge smile on my face and Joy in my heart... If I had to count the joys in my life, she would be close to the top of my list! and it should come as no surprise that she even has a blog called Counting joys and if you go there you will see a small glimpse as to why I adore her :)

So today I want to highlight Katie Kafoure, someone who always inspires joy in my life and is a true reflection of joy from the Lord! You are loved, adored, and cherished as one of my favorite friends and I am so grateful for the witness of Joy you have been to me :) love you oodles!

what brings you real  JOY???

Do that!
Be that!
Share that!
Spend more time with that!!

Gravitate to Joy!!
whatever it is, get more of it and pass it on to those around you.. BE JOY!