Brotherly Love

So I just about had a complete GOOD melt down because of something so simple. Does it ever amaze you just how God works?!??! Sometimes I just sit in awe of His goodness and faithfulness. He’s ALWAYS right on time never missing a beat.

I’m sure that every sibling relationship is different. Some are really close, not so close, or in the middle. My bother and I are kinda in the middle. I am the older one of the two of us and a little more mature. Growing up I was the “mother hen” and he was my little “chick” He was very quiet and to himself a lot. I on the other hand was loud and always getting into something, imagine that! We just really are on two different levels in the terms of life, goals and what we wanted in life. We try talk at least every other week, even if it’s just a quick “Hey”. He is very close to my heart and I love him so much. Sometimes I don’t think I tell him enough, but I make sure that I tell him before we get off the phone or as he is leaving that I love him.

Today, he surprised me with something so simple but brought such joy to my heart. To be honest, I was really surprised and had to do a double take. So, do you want to know what happened?

I got a text from him saying this “ Whatcha doing? Just wrote to say that you’re the best sister that I could ever have got. Love you bunches and know that God loves you to.”

How special is that?!!

Thank you Father God for your love, your faithfulness and for giving me such a special loving brother!

Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez!!!

In light of the Mardi Gras holiday and with Fat Tuesday a day away, I'd thought I would share our 1st family experience at the Krewe of Janus Parade in Monroe, La. Like my mask?? Ethan made it at school for their Mardi Gras celebration.

Well hello there handsome!!

The kids were really excited, esp the boys. BOY were they something else. Can you see the mischief in Jackson eyes?? OOHHH YEAH! I CAUGHT YA!!

They all decided that it would be fun to do "bunny ears" on each other. They just about fell off the platform. Speaking of which, I must thank my sister-in-law Sheila, http://mylifestarringsheila.blogspot.com/ for getting us "tickets" for the night. We got to "do it right" at the Krewe's Den. We had lots of good food and drinks AND got to get on the lifted platforms. ( This is awesome when you have small childrenz!)

HAHAAAAA! Silly boys

The girls just chilin out watchin the crowd down below. I think they got a few eye fulls...you should have seen their facial expressions!!

There was a gentleman that was oh so nice that offered to take our picture as a family. I wished Sheila had been there to fit in the missing piece of the Snow puzzle.

Ethan wanted me to take a LOT of pictures of him and his mask. He was SO proud that he made it.

This was the 1st float that rolled on by.

Jackson caught a hand full of beads off the first float. He was super excited, but wanted to know why he didn't get more and where the rest of them where!

I thought this was neat. It was the "drivers" for the Clydesdale horses. There were two men and their cute little Dalmatian dog sitting in between them. I just thought it was neat.

And here they are will all their ENORMOUS glory!! These are such beautiful creatures to me. I mean would you look at those "feet"??!

By this time, Ethan is racking up! I really don't think he grasped what the whole thing was about, but he sure was having fun!

This was another float that came by. I thought the butterfly was pretty.

The girls were so funny. They brought plastic sacks to keep all the loot in, but they both broke because that had it stuffed it to the gill. They just kept saying, "LOOK AT ALLLL THE STUFF I'VE GOT!!" "These beads are hurtin my neck!"

So anyways, this was our fun time at the Mardi Gras. For all you folks partyin' it up down in NOLA, be careful and stay safe!

Birthday Celebration!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happppppy Birthday dear Chloe Grace, Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuuuuu!!

The cake

The greeting table.

The star cookie decorations!

I was so surprised at the number of people that showed up to celebrate the 1st year of my babies life with us. She is such a wonderful blessing to our family and truly does complete us. She has such a sweet disposition and is happy almost all the time. She is so loving and really likes her "mommy" time. One of her favorite things to do is take a bath and ride on her little bunn bunn. She has learned how to wave "bye bye" can say Momma, Daa Daa, Ma Ma (Madi), Bubba, Hey!, Nuh Nuh (no). She has learned so much and is really smart. She has not started walking yet, but is into EVERYTHING! I can tell she really is going to be a hoot!

We started out opening presents....and can I just say WOW! I can't believe at the number of gifts that she got. It took two people to go through all of them at home. It was like Christmas allll over again. I wished I had more room to post all the things she got, but Blogger would prolly charge me for extra space! Timmy and I got her this "BIG" girl cup. Isn't it cute?! I got it off of www.Etsy.com (check it out!) We have not completely weaned the bottle yet, but we are working on it.

She must have loved the cup because she would not let me take it from her. Next it was time to sing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and blow out the candle. She did pretty good trying to blow it out, but she was more like "euwwhhhh, look at the light" and tried to grab the candle while it was still lit!

Good job Chloe Grace!

So we removed the top portion of the cake for her. As you can see, she didn't really know what the deal was, but she picked up quickly and figured out that it was something she could put in her mouth and it tasted pretty good!

Is this how I do it mom? YUMMMO!

Think she is enjoying herself?

I think so! She got pretty excited that she could make a mess and eat as much of that cake as she wanted to, and boy did she eat a lot of it!

"What? You want some of my cake? No way buster, get your own! DIS IS MINEEEE!"

As you can see, there wasn't much left! For those of you out there freaking out, no she didn't' eat ALL of it, but she did put a hurtin on that cake of hers!

Well hey there Bella! So glad you came to my party. I hope you are feeling much better now!

Thank you to everyone that came to Chloe Grace's birthday. Each and everyone of you are so special to our family and we love you dearly. Thanks Aunt Sheila, Madi and Tiffany for all your hard work and help in the kitchen. I could not have done it without you! It's been such an awesome year, I'm excited about many more to come. God has certainly blessed us with you Chloe Grace. We love you!

Wave bye bye!!!

Remembering the birth of Chloe Grace Snow

I remember that day oh so well. I had a scheduled c-section at around 8 Thursday February 14, 2008. I was anxious about what the experience would be like compared to my first. I just remembering praying that God would just give me complete peace and thankfully He did. We were so excited and ready to finally meet our sweet active baby girl. : At 8:27 a.m our beautiful baby girl was brought into this world.

At first we did not hear much noise and for any mother giving birth, that can be kind of a scary thing. I heard a lot of commotion behind the big blue curtain, but didn't hear baby girl crying!

The worked on her for a while, for me it seemed like eternity..........

I heard them patting and "beating on her trying to get her to make some kind of sound. I was getting sorta worried, but I just prayed quietly as I waited.

After patting, sucking, rubbing and patting some more.....I finally heard the sweet sweet noise I had waited for so long to here. Everyone in the room was excited and let out "wheewww" and " there ya go, good girl"

The doctors checked her over listening to her heart and her lungs. The nurse said she was absolutely beautiful and had a head full of black hair. One of the nurses yelled out " we have 10 fingers and 10 toes!!

I was so overwhelmed with emotions when they finally brought my sweet angel to me. I could not BELIEVE how different she looked compared to her big brother. I could instantly tell she looked like a Snow!!!

The nurse brought her closer to me so that I could kiss her sweet little face. She was so soft and warm. Being able to finally see her and just take it all it, I just can't tell you how that made my heart feel.

I can't help but giggle a little remembering this particular part. The nurse that was holding her laughed at Chloe Grace because she had made a "mess" all in the blanket and had to change her not once but twice while she held her. I'm so thankful for the nurse that offered to take the pictures of the whole thing!! I didn't not have that opportunity with Ethan so I missed a lot of what it was like.

Timmy just kept saying how beautiful she was and how much she looked like him and Madi. I know he was so proud to be a daddy again. He left me in the OR after they got her all cleaned up to take her in the waiting room to show her off to everyone.

Her big sisters and brother were so excited to see her could not WAIT to get their hands on her. They sat at the nursery just watching as the checked over her, soaking it all in. The nurse posted the little card on her little bed. She was born at 8:27 am, weighed 7 pds 13 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Compared to her brother who was 9 pds when he was born, she was tiny!

I sat in recovery for about an hour or so just waiting for the time to go by before I could actually hold her. When it was time, the nurse wheeled me down to my room. I was surprised to see my family all standing in the hall waiting on me. I figured for sure they would be by the nursery.

The time had finally come!! They brought my little one to me all wrapped up in white onsie and blanket. She smelled SO good, you mothers know that smell. I just sat.....loving on her, looking at her and thanking God that He gave such a precious baby to me. I thanked Him for a great pregnancy with no complications and a healthy perfect little princess.

You know that since it WAS Valentines Day, we just had to put her in a special pink Valentines outfit. It just about fell off of her, but we managed by rolling the waste a couple of times.

She had such a dark complexion and jet black hair, and just like the nurse said... A LOT of it. I was SOOOO happy about that. My baby girl had to have hair for her bows!!

Can you tell how happy I was??!!! Having Chloe Grace was so much easier than having Ethan, so I was able to enjoy her birth so much more. I honestly can not tell you were the time has gone. It does not seem that she should be one now. The past year has been such a blast. She has brought our family so much joy and happiness, more than we could have imagined. She has been beautiful, healthy, wonderful and happy all the year long. I could not ask for more than that.

Thank you Father God for giving us such a precious precious gift from you. Thank you for choosing and trusting us enough to be her parents. I pray you continue to help Timmy and I to be the parents you would have us to be. I pray and thank you in advance for another year of great blessings and health over not only Chloe Grace but for all of our children and family. You are so good to us Father and I thank you again. In Jesus' name I pray-Amen.

ONE MORE DAY......

Only one more day until my little cutie patootie turns the big 1!!!

Attitude

I don't know why I should be surprised that God's timing is perfect, but I AM!
Let me elaborate. On our daily drive to work, Timmy and I usually take that time to talk about the "to do's " for the day and the week. This morning was no different except for a small part. I just had this overwhelming "bothered" feeling. "What is the matter with me?"

I had a really chaotic time last night. Timmy and I both go to the gym and we have to work out our days around what all it going on for that particular day ALONG with the responsibilities with having children. I had worship practice early, and I had all these to do's at home waiting for me I kept thinking about. I just got overwhelmed and S.T.R.E.S.S.E.D out! Why do I do that to myself? Why can't I just take each obstacle, using patience and a sane mind to work it all out?

This morning, 1st thing, I woke up just feeling "UGGGGH" You see, I went bed feeling stretched, irritated and just in a foul mood! So of course, with out fail, conviction came over me. God spoke to me on our drive to work this morning. I just heard Him say, if you don't confess this, then I can't help you and you won't be able to move on. I had to admit to that I was being "not so nice" last night and totally in the wrong for my behavior. There is a word that I could use, but I won't! I think you get the picture. I had to ask for forgiveness!

So here is the part that just blows my mind (why it does I don't know, but it does) God's timing is perfect. I receive a daily devotional and this is what today's was about.....take a little time to read it if you can. I feel totally humbled!!

Father God, Thank you for always knowing exactly what I need. Thank you for speaking to me and reminding me of your love. Thank you for giving me "2nd" chances daily when I mess up. Thank you for forgiving me and molding me to be what YOU would have me be for your kingdom. Help me to remember that my time here is not about me, but about You. Remind me daily of how blessed my life is because of You. In Jesus precious' name I pray-Amen

What Has God Done For Me Lately?

11 Feb 2009

Tracie Miles

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

Is the glass half full or half empty? Is it partly sunny or partly cloudy? Perspective makes all the difference.

Even for strong Christians who are grounded in their faith, discouragement can easily sneak its way into hearts and minds as life deals us chaos. As we struggle with the challenges and difficulties of everyday life, or things that happened to us that were unfair or unwarranted, it is easy to get pulled into a habitual mindset of negativity. Just like that old song from the ‘80s says, we may find ourselves asking God, "What have you done for me lately?"

Our answer to that question will depend entirely upon our perspective. God does more for us each and every day than we deserve, but it 's so easy to lose sight of the good, because we are caught up in the reality of the bad. How do we combat this perfectly human attitude?

Prayer.

Resolve to have an attitude like Christ.

Take inventory of our every blessing.

Life. Your every breath. Your every heart beat. A spouse or loved one. Children. Clothes that need to be washed because God gave you clothes to wear, and a way to wash those clothes. Good health to help those whose health is failing. Trusted and educated doctors to treat you when you are facing health challenges. A house that needs cleaning. A car to drive. The ability to purchase gas for the car. A job to go to. The ability to be a stay at home mom or wife. Healthy kids who can play music or sports. Friends. Family. Freedom. Jesus. Eternal life.

What is on your inventory list today? If you were honest with yourself, would you say you have been looking for the positive aspects of the situations in your life? Are you considering how God could be using those things to draw you closer to Him? Or have you been primarily focused on the negative?

During times of negativity, we actually become our own enemy. We wage a battle in our mind because we look at our situation from our own perspective, instead of what God may be doing through our situation. So in order to change our minds, we have to choose to change the way we think – our perspective. Attitude is a choice.

Winston Churchill once said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." What do you usually see?

To quote an old cliche©, today is the first day of the rest of your life, and it is never too late to become an optimist! I have heard it takes 21 days of doing something for it to become a new habit. The more you practice challenging your thought patterns, the more automatic it will become. Changes may not take place immediately, but over time, the challenge gets easier, and optimism becomes the norm instead of the exception.

Are you willing to take the challenge to become an optimist today? The rewards of looking for God's goodness in every situation will be a healthier and happier heart.

Dear Lord, help me with my human tendency to be critical or look for the negative in situations. Forgive me for a lack of gratitude for all You have given me. Thank You for Your patience with me as I strive to be a Godly example. Guide my heart to recognize You at work, instead of seeing things from an earthly perspective. Lead me into a closer relationship with You by helping me remember to count my blessings every day. I n Jesus' Name, Amen.

Power Verses:
1 Peter 1:1-3, "Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want." (The Message)

Happy Birthday Scout!!!

Saturday we went to celebrate one of my very best friend's little girl's birthday. Scout turned 1 years old! Her and Chloe Grace are exactly 10 days apart.

Isn't she a cutie patootie. It took her a minute to figure out what exactly she was supposed to do with the cupcake, but after mom helped her out, she got after it!

I love this little outfit on her, and not because I made it, but because the colors are perfect for her. She is such a little spit fire! She looked really interested in the card. I would too if I knew there was money in it!

Sweet Sweet Scout. I wish you many many more fun days and Happy Birthdays. You and Chloe Grace will develop such sweet relationships like your mommy and I have. Love your sisters and be a good girl!

Love you bunches!!