A lesson in patience and faith!

Back in August, the 16th to be exact, Glen Rose ISD posted an open position for an elementary teacher's assistant. I heard through the grapevine it was for a PE assistant, which would be right up my alley so I applied. I did all the "right" things after applying...making contact with the principal, and then following up after my interview. As the weeks went by, I assumed I hadn't got the position and re-focused my attention and efforts on studying for a certification exam. I even emailed my "prayer force" and told them I hadn't got the job... Then, two weeks ago on Friday October 23rd one of my references contacted me saying the principal from Glen Rose elementary had contacted them! And this morning at 10:35 I received a call from the HR department offering me the job. This has not been an easy 6 or 7 weeks for me. See I began the journey to becoming a classroom teacher and/or getting in the schools in any way possible 8 months ago. I did all the "right" things with every job I applied for and got no where with each application/open position. God seemed to be closing every door that opened so when the Glen Rose position came open I went into it expecting the same results. Little did I know what God had in store. :)

Cute story:
The day of my interview Austin told me he was going to pray for my "meeting" to go well before jumping out of the car for school. This is our conversation after school.
Me: Austin, did you pray for me today?
Austin: Yes mom, I did.
Me: What did you pray?
Austin: I asked God for you to do well and answer all the questions right. I also prayed that I'd see you when you came in the school.
Me: And, did you see me?
Austin: No, but it's okay because God doesn't always answer our prayers right away. And I didn't see you today, but maybe He'll answer my prayer by letting me see you everyday if you get the job!
I'd say Austin is wise beyond his years. :)

A few scriptures that I proclaimed throughout this test of faith and patience!
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Psalm 37:7
No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord. Proverbs 21:30

Tomorrow begins a new and exciting journey!

Our little yellow belt!

Tonight was a BIG night for Mr. Austin! He tested for his yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do. We started Tae Kwon Do at the beginning of the summer to give Austin something different to try other than soccer and football in hopes that he would take a natural interest in it...and he did! This has been something that has been not only good for Austin, but for our entire family. We go every week as a family and this week Jeremy and I started taking the adult class as well. Carson has even made a friend (Eastman) and they meet up every Wednesday and Friday and play together and watch their big brothers get a workout! It's been great for Austin to get out of his comfort zone and go to a place where he doesn't know the other kids from school...a place he can build his confidence, health, and skills! The video below is a shorten clip of his test this evening. Jeremy and I could not be more proud of him

.


Before Austin tested this evening, he was very nervous and afraid he would fail. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to break the board... I asked him if he had prayed and told Jesus he was nervous and if he had asked him to help him do well on his test. He replied "Of course I have mom. I've also prayed for all of my friends; that they will do well even if I don't." His responses always amaze me! Our 7 year old prayed for the other students testing to pass even if he didn't...I sure don't know what God has in store for Austin, but I know it's BIG and I'm so thankful that God chose Jeremy and I to be his parents!

San Antonio 2011

This Labor Day weekend our family took a mini vacation to San Antonio to spend some time with our friend (family really) Jeff and take the boys to do some fun stuff. This was the first time that we have taken Carson with us on a family trip. As I say that I feel like I have to justify why we haven't taken him places yet...first of all, he's just now 2 and we have only really ever gone skiing and to Schlitterbahn...both of which he was much too small to enjoy until now! So anyway, back to the vacation. It was SO much fun. Jeremy and I had as much fun as the boys did. This blog will be full of pictures of everything we enjoyed!

This is all of us at the Riverwalk! Carson loved the "tourist" boats that came by every few minutes. Austin was busy looking for alligators while Carson would yell "there's a boat, there's a boat!".

After some yummy lunch at Casa Rio on the Riverwalk, we headed over to the Alamo. The boys both enjoyed seeing the old cannons!

Can't you just hear Carson saying CHEEEEESE?! 

Saturday we enjoyed the Riverwalk and Alamo and on our way back to Jeff's house we made a quick stop by KENS 5 so the boys could see where he works. Again...they had SO much fun. It was pretty quiet around the station so the producer let them both have the studio all to themselves! They got to sit where the news anchors sit and even give the weather report! 

The most handsome news anchors I've ever seen!

Austin is trying to figure out this reporting business!

This is Carson Morgan reporting live for news channel 5!

Enjoying every minute. :)

Checking it out!

The highlight of our Saturday was most definitely the stop by the news station. They boys were treated like super stars for sure and it was a blast watching them have fun. Sunday morning we all went to Sea World. We've all been to Sea World before but this was the first time Carson was big enough to really enjoy it and boy did he (and Austin too!). A few years ago we met one of the dolphin trainers in the show Azul. When Austin was an only child (back in 2008) he took Austin backstage after the show and let him feed the beluga whales. Well, on this trip to Sea World we all got to backstage again! We got to see the whales and dolphins, feed them and touch them! One of the baby beluga whales took a likin' to Carson and it was super cute! Thanks Chuck for treating our boys like super stars and taking them backstage. You're awesome!

Austin feeding Martha, the beluga whale!

This is "Atla" a baby beluga whale. She's swimming up to check out Carson.

See Atla looking at Carson?! He thought this was so cool. :)

This is our friend and dolphin trainer Chuck! Some of you might recognize him... Have you seen Spy Kids 4?! 

There were so many fun and wonderful memories created this weekend! Way too many to write about here... I cannot wait to take another family vacation with the boys. We all had so much fun! Thank you uncle Jeff for everything! We'll definitely be back soon. :)

A Mommy Brag Moment!

This blog is simply a moment for me to brag on my 7 year old, Austin! We are in our second week of school and I'm pleased to say Austin is doing great. He breezed right through last week and was SO, SO, SO excited yesterday when I picked him up. When he was waiting for me at cone #2 I could just tell he was excited about something. He was glowing. He literally jumped in the car and announced "I've made the Tiger Patrol"! Oh how we've talked about this day for TWO years! Ever since he started kindergarten he's talked about being a Tiger Patrol... Tiger Patrol is something that 2nd graders have the opportunity to participate in for good behavior. This is a position that you must earn by having good behavior and be selected for by the classroom teacher. Tiger Patrol students must arrive at school and be ready for duty by 7:30am every morning for a whole month. At the end of the month new students are selected based on behavior and teacher recommendations. Austin went to bed about 15 minutes early last night so he would be prepared to carry out his duty as the first grade hall monitor! He was up at 6:15am and asked if he could start getting ready for schools! I walked in with him so I could get a picture of him in his tiger patrol vest...which embarrassed him just a little. :) Jeremy and I just couldn't be prouder!

Austin's first day of Tiger Patrol duty!

Another accomplishment Austin has achieved is all 3 of his stripes on his white belt in Tae Kwon Do. Last Friday he earned his final stripe on his white belt and is now ready to test for his yellow belt! He'll be refining his skills and getting ready to test very soon. We are so proud of him and how well he is doing, but more than that we are proud of how hard he works as a student to do well in anything he does. I know God has an awesome plan for Austin and I am so thrilled to be a part of his life. :)

Way to go Austin!

We are so proud of you!

Nothing sweeter than a praying friend!

It was a year ago that I received a text message from a friend asking me how she could pray for me that day. I can remember receiving that text as if it were yesterday. I thought "really, did she just ask me that" and "maybe she sent this to the wrong person". I have to admit I thought it was a little strange and then wondered how in the world to respond. I had never had a friend ask me how they could pray for me before. Not and really mean it. Sure, I've had people say "I'll be praying for you" and I believe those people did pray for me but I had never had a friend seriously ask me how they could pray for me, for my struggles, for my life. Why was this so weird?

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them....This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

1 Timothy 2:1 & 3-4

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. 

Ephesians 6:18

I believe this seemed so strange to me because I wasn't praying like I was supposed to... I was praying for the things "I" wanted and the things that would make "ME" happy. My prayer sounded something like this "God, please fix all the problems in my life; make the difficult relationships easy; give me the best job; bless us with the things we desire; help us to make a lot of fun friends and so on..." Get the picture? After my friend texted me that day I looked to Scripture to see how the Bible tells us to pray and I found the verses above in 1 Timothy and in Ephesians. I also found the verses that told me how to pray (see below) and my prayer life over the last year has completely turned around. And a few days ago, I reciprocated to a few of my friends the offer to pray for them and for their needs. If you've never asked your friends how you can pray for them, I would encourage you to do that... It's truly a humbling experience to see what their needs are. Honestly, it made me much more grateful for the things and blessings I do have.

Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. Jesus said, "This is how you should pray." "Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation." ...."And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

Luke 11:1-10

...Pray for those who hurt you.

Luke 6:28

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray...

James 5:13

There are many, MANY more verses on prayer found in Scripture, but these are a few of my favorites! I'm not saying I've mastered prayer (because I'm far from it) but my prayer has changed so much. Today I'm praying for my friends and their requests, for their kids that have gone off to college, for the house that is quiet without them there, for my friends who have moved and are longing for friendships, for my friends to grow closer to God, for those that need jobs, for those that are struggling with raising their children, and many more. It has made my needs seem much smaller in the grand scheme of things and I count it a true honor to pray for others! 

The stock outlook on teeth is turning around!

Well, Austin finally lost one of his front two teeth! It's been loose for a while now and finally fell out just after we met his new second grade teacher last night. Austin was discussing how much he thought his tooth would be worth when Jeremy interjected and said "teeth values are down, the stock market dropped over 400 points today"! Of course Austin didn't understand the joke as much as Jeremy and I did, but it was funny! 

Austin's last picture with his two front "baby" teeth!

Missing one front tooth!

I'm happy to say that the tooth-fairy must have expected the stock market to rise today because she was good to Austin. He got a whole $2 dollars for that front tooth. :) Since I'm blogging about Austin today, I want to brag on him for a second... He has grown about a foot tall this summer and is wearing a size FOUR shoe! Not only has he grown physically, but he's becoming a wonderful young man who loves God with his whole heart. He's matured so so much over the last few weeks and Jeremy and I are so excited to see how he grows this year in second grade. Austin, we love you!

How are you handling all this heat?

It's August 18 and we've had record high temperatures for over 50 days straight now. I think we are getting close to the second hottest summer EVER... I don't know about you but I'm SO ready for winter. Well, maybe I'm not ready for winter, but some cooler temperatures anyway! All this heat has gotten me thinking...

How are we really handling this heat? Spiritually speaking, how are you handling the heat and drought conditions?

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and

have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit!

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Did you read the verses above? Wow... While all these days of over 100 temperatures are surely sucking energy from me, what kinds of heat and drought are really getting to you? For me, it's the months of unsuccessful job searching, difficult relationships, the battle of time, the difficulty of raising children, the frustration of SICK children... Thankfully as of 8:00am we have been throw-up free in our house for 17 full hours! Anyway, while the land we live in is currently experiencing a drought, our spiritual lives should not be. For me, these verses redirected me in where my trust, hope, and confidence should be. My prayer today is that I will put my full trust in the Lord and give him all of my problems so that I may not be bothered by the heat or worried by the drought, but continue to grow "green" in Him!