Saturday, September 5, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
He Stands!
I am so excited! Sawyer is standing. I can't believe it, and it is almost bizarre to see such a little guy stand like he does, but we are so proud. Elliot says he is gonna be walkin' before he gets teeth. Just might be the case! 
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Vacation....Vermont Style!
Well, I must say, sometimes vacations can be more tiring than fun, but not in this case. We just returned from a wonderful trip to VT. Elliot's parents will be moving back to NC in November, so this was our last chance to visit the beautiful state of VT while they are still there. I am the insane picture taker, but I am proud of it. I love capturing the big, small and in between moments of our lives. Elliot's sister Jennifer, her husband Paul, and our nephew and niece, Reese and Ella also make the 1100 mile, one way, trip as well. It was well worth it and the kids did AWESOME!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
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!
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!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
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!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
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?
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?
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