Friday, October 31, 2008

Beyond the Grave

The title of this post may suggest this is a post about Halloween. It's about quite the opposite. As some of you know, I'm now going to a different church, Word of Life (a non-denominational church). This week they are putting on a drama called "Beyond the Grave". For any of you who have seen "Heavens Gates, Hells Flames", it is very similar to that. The first half of the drama is based on Columbine. The second half of the drama shows what happens to the teenagers who were killed after they die....going to heaven or hell. The play is very powerful and the take home message is if you die today, where will you spend eternity. For anyone who is reading this, you are someone I care about. I do not want to come across as condemning or judgmental because anyone who has met me knows how far from perfect I am. But I feel compelled to talk about my faith and relationship with Jesus. I don't want a single person reading this to not have the opportunity to know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. I don't want a single person to spend eternity separated from God. So if you are unsure where you will spend your afterlife, please talk to me. I want to pray for you and I want to show you how you can have a relationship with Jesus. Again, please don't think I am spiritually superior or that I have all the right answers because that is definitely not the case. But after seeing this drama last night, I feel responsible to tell every single person that is a part of my life about God and what He has done for me and more importantly, what He can do for you.

"All who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13

Be Blessed,
Jaime

Monday, October 27, 2008

Baby Beethoven



As most of you probably know, I play the piano. I took lessons for about 8 years when I was younger. I love to play but have a fear of actually playing in front of people. The short version of the story behind my fear is the first time I ever played in church, I messed up so BAD that I just stopped all together. I can't even remember if I made it all the way through "What Child is This" but I remember going to sit back down in the pew and just crying! But I absolutely love playing. Before my grandmother passed away, every time we had a family get together and there was a piano around, she would always ask me in her can't-say-no-to-me sweet voice to play something for her. Of course, I always did. And even though my songs were usually riddled with mistakes, I could always see in her eyes how happy she was hearing me play. The last time I was out visiting my mom, she asked me to play something for her too. Like mother, like daughter I suppose...I know it would make my grandma so very happy to see Carter climb on my piano bench and pound away on those keys. When he is old enough to understand, I will teach him how to play. He loves music and I think he'll be very receptive to learning how to play once he's older. But his "songs" now are still music to my ears. Hopefully one day God will give me the courage to play for others again. For now, I'll let Carter be the musical entertainer of the family!




Saturday, October 25, 2008

Getting ready for Halloween


Theo and I have never really been big on decorating for Halloween. But now that we have Carter, I feel more obligated to put up some festive decorations. This year I made a vow to do more crafty things. So here are the results of all of my efforts. Carter helped some but having him around a hot glue gun is definitely NOT a good idea. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the wreath is just a grapevine wreath with fabric "ghosts" and I glued googly eyes on the ghost face. The "spirit jugs" as they are called were too easy and really cute at night. I took an empty milk jug, used a sharpie marker to draw on faces, cut a hole in the back and strung some orange lights in the hole. Really cheap, easy and cute. Thanks for looking. Let me know if you have any cute, easy Halloween craft ideas.



Friday, October 24, 2008

My Little Pumpkin







This past weekend we took Carter back to St. Luke's pumpkin patch. It was rather warm outside but he had a good time climbing all over the pumpkins. After searching for the perfect pumpkin, daddy finally found "the one". We also bought a smaller one to keep inside. We haven't carved it yet but will hopefully do that this weekend. Stay tuned for more pictures.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Fatherhood


I hope Theo doesn't mind me sharing this....most nights we put Carter to bed around 8:00. He normally does really well falling asleep in his own bed. Last night though, the planes were flying late and they woke Carter up. I am usually adamant about not getting him out of the bed once he's asleep. But Theo said "Can we just let him lay out on the couch with us for a little while?" Even though I didn't think it was a good idea at the time, I said "Whatever you think is best." So we got him out of bed, turned all of the living room lights and the tv off and laid him on the couch. After a few minutes, Theo went over and sat on the couch with Carter. Even though it was dark, I could see Theo just looking at Carter and stroking his curly hair and it was as if I could visibly see the love that he was pouring out over Carter. Tears just streamed down my face and I prayed a silent prayer to God thanking him for what an amazing man I married and what an incredible father he is. I have always secretly wondered if fathers love their children as much as mothers do. Last night, I knew the answer to that was yes. I also thank God for Theo's parents because I know the man that Theo is today is largely because of them. (Picture: Carter was only a few days old)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

To Work or Not To Work


We enjoyed having a long weekend with us both being off for Columbus Day. Theo was able to get a lot done around the house. I was able to go to Hobby Lobby (my favorite shopping place) and run a few other errands. We hung out with Carter a lot, babysat some good friends of ours kids (one of whom is our adorable goddaughter). Sunday we went to church and Carter stayed in the nursery the whole time despite his buddies not being there. This is a huge accomplishment for him. Being with Carter and Theo for the long weekend really reinforced how much I miss being home. I know that I went back to school for a reason but I know God has spoken so clearly to me that at this point in my life, I should be home with my family. I am in no way condemning moms that have or want to work. I have a new understanding and respect for working moms since I've been one for a year and a half now. But I know my heart is at home. Yes, there are times I feel overwhelmed at the thought of being home 24 hours a day 7 days a week with Carter. However, as several of my friends have reminded me, time goes by so fast and in three years, he will be in kindergarten and I won't be able to stay home with him. (No homeschooling for this family!) All of this is to say please pray for me that I have a peace about staying home and the courage to leave work because I know wholeheartedly that being at home right now is God's will for my life.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Family Portrait


Hi Everyone! I realize it's been almost a month since I've posted anything. In fact, I haven't even told anyone about this blog until today. So, it's about time I start using it. We really enjoyed our summer but are looking forward to some cool weather. In Louisiana, that doesn't happen until around Thanksgiving! Theo is really busy with his grad school classes. Carter is keeping us both busy. He is such an incredible joy to have around. We're trying to decided what to dress him up as for halloween. Most of the costumes are designed for cold weather. There is a good chance it will still be over 85 degrees here on halloween! I'll post most pictures after Halloween. Stay tuned!