Just a few of my blessings.........

Two handsome, healthy boys!


Friends that change your life and challenge you to walk worthy of the call!


Friends that share coffee, talks and life with you....and have cute little babies!


The most wonderful, loving, hardworking, patient, giving, understanding, HOT, husband and father to my children!


Again, two cute little guys to make my life such and adventure!


Just stuck this one in cause Sawyer is too stinkin' cute!

Thanks Lord for all these blessings and so many more in my life!

Blessings and Trials

Well, I have had a heavy heart this week, and finally decided to blog a bit to express what I am feeling and learning, and maybe you will benefit too! The past 5 days have been filled with emotional events that have caused me to take a second look at what I value, my blessings, my family, and my great God.

This week, I learned of a baby that would be born 3 weeks early due to complications; a co-worker's friend was informed that she had miscarried her "unexpected blessing" of a new child; my cousin's friend is now a widowed mother of 3 children after she was shot by an intruder and her husband was fatally shot this week; another friend's sister lost her baby girl 30 weeks into her pregnancy; and lastly, just last night, I laid my eyes on a sweet 9 day old boy whose daddy is in the hospital while cancer has brought the end of his life very very near. WOW! Can this be real? Can all of this be happening in my little circle, all at one time! So much hurt, so much pain, so much sorrow..... I don't know how to fathom the pain that my friends must be feeling. I can honestly say I NEVER want to walk in their shoes. I hope that doesn't sound selfish, but I am not sure I could endure the pain that would come along with any of these circumstances. Over the past few months, I have continued to remind myself of the following, "Our circumstances, no matter how grim, do not nullify the goodness of God." Do I still believe this? You bet! I pray I would be able to claim those words if I were in their shoes. So, what does one do? Do I get mad at God? Do I take back my words of God's goodness? Then, I remembered a few other things.... My friends Matthew and Robin had a beautiful, healthy boy on Friday. On Monday, the Lord allowed me the opportunity to lead a sweet lady into a relationship with Christ. My dear friend who I am mentoring celebrated a huge milestone in her own personal battle, and last night, the clouds parted and we celebrated changed lives as 18 new Christians were baptized in the Davidson River. So, what have I come to? Well, a few things. First, that we are not in Heaven yet. There will be sadness on side of Heaven. We will all be faced with traumatic events in our life that will shake us to the core. Secondly, there will be events in our lives that bring us more joy than we ever thought. And lastly, no matter how many tears we shed, or how many shouts of joy we express, GOD IS GOD and GOD IS GOOD! I have to cling to that. I have to know that He gives and takes away. Everything is sifted thru his hands. The blessings and the trials. Oh how my heart aches for those I have mentioned that are hurting so much right now. On the other hand, I sing with great joy for the new baby, the victories, and the new Christians. I am so thankful that I serve a God who holds us when we grieve and cheers with us as we rejoice in blessings.

That is my prayer today. "Lord, please continue to remind your children of your goodness. Hold those who need holding today, knowing that a day WILL come when they will rejoice again. And cheer with those who dwell in happiness this day, but may they remember were the blessing comes from and cling to you when trials come their way. For you are good, and your love endures forever. Amen"

He is our ONLY hope! Without Him, who would hold us? Who would cheer with us? No one is Big enough....but He is! I love you Lord Jesus! Thank you for being my Savior, my comforter, my friend, my LIFE!

First Born

Today I have found myself just lovin' on my first born....My Wesley! He is getting so big, so smart and so sweet. I can hardly remember him as a 6 month old (as Sawyer is now). The time goes by too fast. I am not a fan! I just want to be able to remember everything, and I am having a hard time simply remembering to pack a sippy cup for church. I am doing my best to hold onto the moments. Cherish today, and not always be looking forward to the next day, the next event, the next vacation, or even the next moment. Just embracing all the moments thatI have with him. Knowing that the Lord has blessed me with him, and it is my job to mold him and direct him to desire to grow into the image of Christ. I just want to do a good job! So, just thought I would devote a moment to Wesley Crawford Aiken. I love you little man!

Have you ever?

Sawyer is definitely proving to be one of a kind! He has begun to show off some great tricks lately. I have tried to capture them on camera to show off his talent. I like to call this the "Have you ever seen a 5.5 year old do this?" photo shoot.

Do push ups?



Fall asleep in the bath?
(Pardon the parts people, I couldn't figure out how to crop the picture. And yes, the water is totally covering his ear. I think it must remind him of womb-life)



Put his daddy in a figure-4?

Elliot and the Whale!

Elliot had the opportunity to go striper fishing with his good friend Ryan Peeler this week! They traveled to the Clinch River in Tennessee and had a blast! Elliot was sick with allergy/sinus stuff the whole time, but the fun they had, and the fish caught made him forget he was feeling the least bit sick. He caught the biggest fish, one 27lbs and one 28lbs. This was his first guided fishing trip and he loved it! He is not sure how he will be able to go back to trout fishing. Seems the trout are a wee bit smaller than the fish he caught this week! I have been informed that the big one will be on the wall very soon! :) (it seems that my son is always wearing the fat cat tshirt and the camo pants with I take pics of him -- I will see if i can't spice up the wardrobe!)

Easter Fun!

What a wonderful Easter weekend! Friday Elliot, the boys, and I headed down to Troutman to visit my dad, and so Elliot could go hunt for a turkey. (no luck there) However, we had a great visit with dad. We dyed Easter eggs, had a small egg hunt, and ate, ate and ate some more. Wes had a great time on the 4-wheeler (or-eear, as he calls it) . We traveled back Saturday evening and had a great day of worship as we celebrate the FACT that our Savior is risen! The tomb is empty, and He has gone to prepare a place for his children, those who have received the gift of salvation and have accepted Christ as Savior. (That's me! :) ) So, after an awesome morning of worship and teaching, we headed to the Stoltzfus' home for a delicious dinner with friends! The Shelton's, the Stricklers, the Stoltzfus' and of couse the Aiken's (never gonna miss a good eat), sat around a beautifully prepared table and fellowshipped! Then, as if it couldn't get any better, it did! What a georgeous Easter Sunday the Lord blessed us with! Everything was so PERFECT! So, we took the kids outside, sat in the grass and played, shared coffee and dessert and just took in the SONshine! Elliot decided to pretend he was Mr. Dare Devil! Pics will tell! After the children were so tired they began to walk with their heads layed over on the toys, we decided it was time to go so they could get naps! It was such a blessed day! I pray we never forget that the true meaning of Easter is not chocolate bunnies and colored eggs, but the HOPE that was brought to those who recieve it by a God who loved us too much to leave us in our sin state, so he sent a sacrifice, of his OWN son, to take on our sin so that we could live an abundant life on earth, and spend eternity with him! Is that what Easter means to you? Have you recieved the gift? I hope so! Love to all and Happy Easter!

Hanging out with Papaw Mike.







Easter at the Stoltzfus' with wonderful friends!



(Elliot just loves it when Wes plays with pink toys!) :)

Me Time and Family Time

What a great weekend! I was able to go out with some friends while Elliot hung out with the boys. Isn't it amazing what a few hours strolling thur Target, Ross and Marshalls with a Starbucks in hand can do for a weary soul. It was such a refreshing retreat from the regular routine. It was so nice though to get back to smelling spit up all over, tripping over matchbox cars, and cleaning out sawdust filled pockets. Today was just as wonderful. Worship was sweet, the message was challenging, and the fellowship as good as ever. After lunch and naps, we decided to head to Sycamore Flats for some family time. Fishing, rock throwing, and strolling was enjoyed by all. I snapped many pics of our afternoon together. I enjoy days like these, filled with the little moments that make the biggest memories.


Throwing football with daddy.
I made chocolate oatmeal cookies for our time at the river. (Papa Dewey and Gramma Kate....they were YUMMY! )Me and Baby Saw!This is what Wes does when I tell him to praise the Lord.

A little playtime b/w bath and bed.