Our Little Hoopster

Isn't he so handsome? He loves his hoops!

He is still so little...

Dribbling the ball!

He shoots on a 10 ft. hoop with a boy's regulation ball.

And he makes a lot of shots!!

I LOVE the shadow behind him. The shadow is a truer depiction of who Luke really is!

Luke is always at his happiest when we are at the gym.
Someday Luke is going to make his daddy look so smart!

The Park...On A Beautiful Day!!!!

The pretend water tower at the park...my kids love it for some reason.

Luke

Pretending to shoot me with water...what is it with boys and weapons?

Faith enjoying the rocking horse!

Hannah watching Bubba and Sissy. She LOVES them!

Prayer for Our New President

As I am sure that everyone knows, today our country gets a brand new president. I know that to a lot of people this seems a little scary for some reason or another. To others, it's a relief. To both I want to encourage you to pray for the new leadership of this country. Pray for wisdom, strength, intelligence, and many other things. I would also encourage you to pray that God would overwhelm Obama's heart with an overpowering urge to love and serve the one true God. Pray for our country and our economy. I am sure that there are very few people out there that haven't been touched by the economic downturn in our country.

Please pray for our government and it's leaders no matter what your political conventions are. Pray in hopeful expectation that the LORD can and will do amazing things. Lastly, pray a prayer of thanksgiving because our God is sovereign and has ordained each and every event that will map out our future.

God bless America! God bless our new president and his family.

A Whole New Year...

It's officially 2009. Not that you need me to tell you that! I have been thinking about all the changes that 2008 held for my family. Last year was amazing, fulfilling, and a million other things wrapped into a time frame of 365 days.

To think just a year ago we were a family of 4, and now we are a family of 5! Crazy. Simply amazing. Hannah came into the world completely naturally. It. Was. Painful. And. Beautiful. She has been such an amazing blessing to us all. Hard to believe she will be 1 next month.

It's been totally fulfilling to watch my family change, adjust, and flourish. Tyron finished up the school year at the The Colony and a short week later started at Farmersville High School. The next thing we knew, our house was on the market. 81 days and something like 40 showings later, our house sold. Off to Farmersville we went. Good thing too...Tyron was actually sleeping in his office and in our car on game nights. 6 ft. 10 in. doesn't fit very well into a Honda Accord while sitting...I can't imagine him lying down in it! It was a huge adjustment for all of us to move. We moved away from our friends and the conveniences of civilization. Even though we didn't move that far away, it's still far enough that it changes things. I wouldn't trade it for the world though. We actually see Tyron now. Every. Single. Day. A HUGH blessing.

I am utterly and completely amazed at the last year of my life. So many things have changed. The thing that amazes me the most is that every single moment of it was completely orchestrated by my God who loves me and ordained every single breath of 2008. That alone trumps every single thing that happened in 2008.

I am not a "New Year's Resolution" kind of person; however, I do have some things that I am going to continue to strive for. Here are a few of those things:

1. Pray more often.
2. Live more in the moment. All too soon this season of life will be a thing of the past.
3. Say yes to every thing the LORD asks of me with reckless abandon.
4. Do a better job of encouraging my husband.
5. Seek God every single day.

Most of all, I want to be near to my God. Here are the lyrics to a song that I think summarizes how I feel. I want this to be the cry of my heart this year...

Be Near by Shane and Shane

You are all,

big and small

beautiful

And wonderful to trust in grace through faith

But I'm asking to taste~

For dark is light to you

Depths are height to you

Far is near, but Lord I need to hear from you

Be near, oh God, Be near, oh God of us

Your nearness is to us our good

Be near, oh God, Be near, oh God of us

Your nearness is to us our good

Our good

Your fullness is mine (Your fullness is mine)

Revelation divine (Revelation divine)

But oh to taste, to know much more than a page

To feel your embrace...

For dark is light to you

Depths are height to you

Far is near but Lord, I need to hear from you

Be near oh God Be near oh God of us

You're nearness is to us our good

Be near oh God Be near oh God of us

You're nearness is to us our good

Be near oh God Be near oh God of us

You're nearness is to us our good

Be near oh God Be near oh God of us

You're nearness is to us our good

My good

Rachel's Pizza Dough and Pizza Sauce

I went to Rachel's house last week to hang out and eat dinner. We had such a good time. Rachel made homemade pizza. It was fabulous, so I figured I would put it here as my recipe of the week. Besides being fabulous, it's super easy to make and budget friendly. Enjoy!

Rachel's Pizza Dough

• 1 Package of Rapid Rise Yeast
• 1 tsp. of sugar
• 1 c. warm water
• 2.5 cups of flour
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt.

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Combine yeast, sugar, and water.
3. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.
4. Combine with other ingredients.
5. Rest for 5 more minutes.
6. Shape into pizza crust and top with whatever you want.

Rachel's Pizza Sauce

• 1 - 10.75 oz can of tomato puree.
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1/8 tsp. basil
• 1/8 tsp. thyme
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1. Bring ingredients to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
3. Makes 1 cup.

Recipe of the Week

I thought that I would start posting a recipe of the week. I know that I get sick of fixing the same things over and over. If you also want to post a recipe of your own, just leave it in the comment box! This is an easy way to share recipes that we love. I hope you are all having a good day amidst all the rain and ice!

Mac and Cheese the Healthier Way

Serves: 6

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 13 minutes

• 1 box (13.25 oz) whole grain penne pasta
• 4 cups broccoli florets (optional - use something you like better if you don't eat this)
• 1 c. skim milk
• 1 Tbs. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 cups 2% sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

1. Boil water and add pasta. Cook about 6 minutes.
2. Add broccoli to pasta and water. Cook additional 4 minutes.
3. In small sauce pan, whisk together milk and four. Simmer over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
4. Add grated Cheddar, whisking constantly until melted. Transfer past and broccoli to serving bowl. Pour cheese sauce over pasta-broccoli mixture and stir until coated.

Enjoy!!