Nana is the Best!!!

The kids love their Nana. They always enjoy doing special things with her. We are so blessed to have a Nana like her. Jaycee helped decorate sugar cookies and make pies, Jackson was the taste tester for the Jesus birthday cake, they made cool Christmas ornaments, she has the best toys, she makes the best floor beds (Byron and I thank you for that), the kids love for Nana to read to them. If you weren't aware there is even
"Nana's bread" for your tummies.(its cinnamon bread) Around our house if those words are spoken the kids will eat it. Do you think that would work for veggies??? We might just have to try that! Thank you Nana for making our trip such a special trip. It always feels like home when we are there!!!

NCCTK SMALL GROUP PARTY!

Monday December 20th we had a get together party with our small group from North County Christ the King. It was so much fun. Its amazing how in 5 years life can change. The small group started in January of 2006. At the time, we had Jaycee, Toby and Kelly were pregnant, and Caleb and Hannah had Aurora. Since then the group has grown a lot!!! Joel and Amy have Kaleb and Jessa. Toby and Kelly have Ella and James. Greg and Bekah have Alina and one on the way. Caleb and Hannah have Aurora, Kaina, and Trinity. Dusty and Rebecca have Isaiah and Gabriella. Ben and Jenn have Audrey and a boy on the way. We have Jaycee and Jackson. Outside of Aurora, who is now 15 1/2, the kids are 5 years old and under. It was a total blast seeing all the kids playing and laughing together! Thank you Joel and Amy for organizing the evening and letting us invade your home. It was a great evening!

Christmas Road Trip 2010

This post is so I won't forget the little details of our trip.

2500 miles Velma, OK-Bellingham, WA Left on Tuesday December 14th at Noon CST. Arrived at Nana and Papa's on December 16th around 7:30ish PST. The states we went through-Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Oregon- We stayed at Sleep Inn in Gallup, NM and Days Inn in The Woodlands, CA-

2200 +/-(my guess I haven't actually asked Byron yet) miles Bellingham, WA-Velma,OK Left on Monday December 27th at 4:30 a.m. PST arrived home on December 29th at 12:30 a.m. CST- The states we went through Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas- We stayed at Best Western in Rock Springs, WY

The kids state total way surpasses Byron and mine at this age in their life! I was excited to add Wyoming to the list of states I have been to. I loved the scenery on the way home until hitting Eastern Colorado. Its flat and boring. We saw a lot of snow and a lot of beautiful mountains. I would have loved to see Ogden, UT in the daylight, but they by far blew all other cities away in Christmas lights decorations. So that was quite beautiful to see. Ogden, UT, Boise, ID, Denver, CO have made it on my list of places I could live.

The kids were absolutely amazing on the trip! We look forward to many more family road trip/vacations!

So far...

we have just been relaxing and enjoying it! The kids have had so much fun just playing at Nana and Papa's house. Today, we went to Bellingham Christ the King. It was a great service. Jackson did well sitting with us and our social butterfly, Jaycee, went to class.

Thursday night we got to meet our precious niece, Gwendolyn, for the first time. What a joy she is. All of the Lohrer cousins have grown and changed so much. Each one of them are so unique in their personalities and they are such a delight to be. Jaycee went home with the cousins Thursday night and had a splendid time.

Things we have already checked off our list of things to do, Wood's Coffee and Taco Time. I am sure that we will hit them a couple of more times while we are here. We did some shopping too today. I so love being close to places to shop. That is probably why God has us living in Velma so I won't be shopping everyday. Ha!Ha! That goes with coffee places, too. I enjoyed going to the mall this afternoon with Nana and then went shopping at Fred Meyer's with Byron tonight. I am pretty sure we are going back to the mall again in the morning!

This week will get a little more busy, but we are excited to see our friends. Tomorrow night we will be getting together with our small group from NCCTK. It will be wonderful to see everyone and their families. When the small group started Jaycee was the only child and now everyone has one, most have two, or moving towards that. Tuesday, we are spending time with the Lohrer 7. Wednesday is the get together with the Nooksack gang at Red Robin. We are very thrilled to see everyone there. Thursday we are having a Lohrer girl day! Amanda takes her girls every year down to Seattle for a girls day. She has invited Nana, Jaycee, and myself to join them. Pretty sure its going to a magical day for all of us. Christmas Eve we will have dinner at Phil and Amanda's then attend Christmas Eve service at NCCTK. Christmas Day will be at Nana and Papa's! WOOHOO!!! Busy full week with lots of time to share, love, and be thankful for all the wonderful amazing blessings God has given to us. THE BEST GIFT OF ALL IS JESUS!!!

2500 miles later...

we are in Bellingham,WA!!!! It was a great first family road trip. The kids were amazing. I can't even begin to describe how well they did. They never whined or complained. We knew that Jaycee would do well, Jackson of course was the one we were concerned about. He is very much a home body little dude and he loves to have room to play. He did great! Both kids are loving every moment already at Nana and Papa's.

We left out at Noon on Tuesday. We drove to Gallup, New Mexico. We left out at 7:00 a.m. and made it to Woodlands, California on Wednesday night. We left out of there at 4:00 a.m. arrived at Nana and Papa's at 7:00 p.m. Thursday night.

Our trip consisted of lots of music, games, leapster games, movies, snacks, and naps. The best was being able to see God's beautiful creation with our kids. They loved seeing all of the scenery. The first time Jackson saw Mt. Shasta in California he said it looked like a big pile of yogurt!!! At dark we did a lot of "I see some" which translates into Christmas lights being spotted. That was probably one of my favorite parts is just driving and seeing cities and towns bright with lights.

We are having a great relaxing day. The kids are enjoying their freedom of running up and down the stairs, playing with "new" toys, and playing outside. So thankful that we were able to make the trip and blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family to enjoy this time of year with.

Things are always changing!

We are still leaving today but have adjusted our course and have reverted back to the original route. The original route being California. Driving I-40 forever. Its worth it to get us safely to Washington. The weather doesn't play too much of a role in what we do on this route so that helps tremendously! Thanks again for your prayers. We might just be in Bellingham early on Thursday! Woohoo!!!

Quick Update!

Well, good news we are actually heading out today around Noon!!!! WOOHOO!!! After checking many different weather sites we decided that we needed an extra day to travel. That way we wouldn't hit potential hazards with weather early in the morning or late at night. The plan is to drive to Denver or Ft. Collins, Colorado today. Get up in the morning and make our way to either Boise, Idaho or Pendleton, Oregon. Then we will have a relatively short drive to Bellingham. Also, Thursday is the best weather day to cross Snoqualmie Pass. I think taking the extra day will be great for all of us. The kids are very excited as we all are. We can't wait to be in Washington Thursday afternoon!!!! Thank you to all who are praying for our travel. I am sure we will keep out status updated on Facebook. If I do get a little break to blog I will. See you all soon!!!!

The week has arrived!

In just a few short days we will embark on our first family road trip. Boy, are we ever excited. I must say though I am a little nervous to see how the kids will do on the trip. I really think they will do well, but I know it will be a very long trip for all of us, but it's totally worth it! The weather is looking like it's going to allow us to travel the shorter route. We are so very thankful for that. I am doing well with stress of getting things together. It makes it so nice knowing that we are driving. I am not worried about packing too much in a suitcase or not being allowed to take something on the plane. Even though we have a plan and schedule of how we would like things to go we aren't bound by that. It really does relieve a lot of stress.

Tonight, the kids are at my parents getting their last fix of Mam Mam and Paw Paw time before the big trip. Byron and I got the kids' leapster 2's set up and working.(They have no idea they are getting these and at some point during the trip they will get them.) We also got Byron packed and I am doing laundry. Byron and I have gone over the route on the atlas that we will be taking. We have also gathered other things up that we need and also have discussed other items to throw in for the trip. Tomorrow, I will make the final run to Wal-Mart to purchase a few last minute items. Tuesday, will be spent cleaning the dogs, the dog's room, placing all items that will be needed to take care of them out, poop scooping (my favorite ;-),packing the van and doing a quick clean of the house.

I can't believe that its been 3 years since we moved from Washington. In some ways it doesn't seem that long ago, but it does. I also can't believe that its been a year and half since we have been to Washington. We miss our family and friends like crazy. I can't tell you how thrilled we are to see you all!!! We know that we are where God wants us to be and God has done incredible things in our lives that I know wouldn't have come about if we weren't where we are right now. So very grateful that we have the means of coming back to the Pacific Northwest. We love you all so very much. We are truly blessed! See you all very soon!!!!!

*The picture above is my babies 3 years ago before we left Washington! WOW!!!!

Immanuel Baptist Christmas Program 2010!

Last night at church we had our children's Christmas program. This was our first year to participate in a Christmas program and both kids were in it. Jaycee was an angel and she sang a solo. She did amazing!!! She got up there and sang her little heart out! It was one of the most precious things I have ever seen. So thankful that God has blessed us with our sweet precious beautiful Jaycee. Our lives would not be the same if she wasn't a part of it. In the moments of her singing I saw a little girl that God has placed in her heart a love for music as well as a heart to worship her Savior. What more can a mom hope for than to have a child that wants to worship her Lord and Savior?!?! I will continue to pray that God will be Jaycee's love and joy. I pray she will have a passionate intimate relationship with her Heavenly Father. As she grows that God will give us the wisdom as her parents to help her see the talents and gifts God has given to her. Help her to use them for His glory. I pray that God will help prepare my heart for the journey that He has for Jaycee. That I will provide encouragement, support, and counsel as she discovers what God has for her life. What a joy this will be to walk this road with my daughter and how grateful I am that God has chosen me to be the one to help her. Okay, now that I can't see the screen anymore b/c of my tears I will finish up on the Christmas program.

Jackson was a brave little guy last night. He played a donkey. He was by far the cutest donkey I have ever seen. My heart overflowed with joy as my little guy pressed to stay put on the stage. Oh how great the temptation was for him to come to his momma in the crowd. He hung in there til very end. As their part of the program ended I met Jackson in our church foyer. As he saw me the tears began to pour down his little face. I grabbed him and held him close and told him how proud momma was of him. That my heart was so happy for him. That Jesus was also so proud of him for being so brave for Him. The other huge step is that Jackson did this without needing to drag his blanket along with him. We have downsized to a little square camo blanket that he can take to public places with us. Here at the house he carries that one along with 2 bigger blankets around. As the anxiety builds in Jackson he tends to chew on the corners of his blankets. Well, without anything to chew on his tongue appeared. ha!ha! It circled around his lips at least 100 times. It was the sweetest thing ever. Unfortunately now he has bright red lips that we keep doctoring with chap stick.

It was a fabulous night with our family and church family. We are so blessed to have the best teachers for our children. The teachers love God and deeply care for the children. They do a great job pouring Christ's love into our children.I am sad that my pictures didn't turn out the greatest. Well, I haven't actually loaded them on the computer, but what I did get they seem a little on the dark side. I am very handicapped in working my camera. I have tried to read the manual, but camera lingo is very foreign to my brain. My husband did an awesome job video taping, though. The kids loved coming home and watching it 3 times before they went to bed last night.

Christmas Songs-

While putting my make-up on this morning I was listening to Faith Hill's Christmas cd Joy to the World. Both kids were sitting on the bathroom counter "helping" me put my face on. The song Santa Claus is coming to town came on. The part where it says he knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you are awake... Jaycee immediately said "he doesn't know that." I said " sweetie, you are absolutely right. Santa does not know when we are sleeping or awake nor does he know if we are good or bad, b/c the Santa this song sings about is not real." So here began in my mind a discussion took place. We do not believe in Santa Claus, at least the one the world tries to sell us on. The truth behind Santa is from a man named, Nicholas. He was a man that loved Jesus very much. He lived that out in his life. There was a family in his town that had 3 daughters. This family was so poor that their daughters would not be able to marry b/c the family did not have a dowry to give with their daughter. Nicholas had compassion for this family. One evening Nicholas came by this family's home and threw a sack full of money in the window. The family did not know where the money had come from, but were thrilled for their oldest daughter. Nicholas also provided money for the other 2 girls. The dad of the family caught Nicholas on his last delivery. Nicholas pleaded with the dad not to reveal his identity. Nicholas' identity remained a secret until his death. The story of his life was share and he became known as Saint Nicholas. I so love this story and Nicholas' love for Jesus.

Now, back to my thoughts on the song. First, as an adult I know that this is just a fun little song to sing. Knowing that Santa isn't real and so forth, but for our children who we are training in God's ways how do they see it? This song is basically teaching that Santa is a god. How has this affected our world? We as humans have our standard of what good is, right? As Christians we have our standard as what is good, right? Good is God. Good is Holy. Good is Righteous. Good is Just. Good is Perfect. We as sinners are none of these. Jesus is the ONLY ONE who has these attributes. Only through death on the cross and His resurrection are we able to be looked at in this way. Its only trusting in Jesus that restores us to right standing with God. So as humans we start to compare ourselves to one another. We will always find others who we think we are better than, right?! So when Santa decides who has been naughty or nice what is the standard? Honestly, have you ever heard of someone not getting a gift for Christmas because he was found to be naughty? Therefore, every one is good enough. So comes in the reasoning as long as I am a good enough person I will go to Heaven. Which as believers in Jesus we know that this view is wrong. If we are only looking at human standards its sometimes hard to understand this view. But, when we look at God's standard then we see we have completely fallen short of the glory of God. The only way we can look upon God is to believe in Jesus.

I am thankful that God has already began to work in Jaycee's heart to know that He is the One true God. That there is no other who knows everything. That no one compares to our God. My heart for my kids is to have a deep passionate relationship with Jesus.That as they have questions they will seek Jesus and His truth. The truth of God's Word. They will not be like the boiling frog experiment. Seeing it in my on life I believe too many Christians have fallen to this. They have not pressed in to know God and to trust Him. It has led to lies beening seen as truth. Thankfully, as Christians we have the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. We receive forgiveness and grace because of Jesus and His unconditional love for us.

These are my thoughts my convictions. I pray that my convictions will lead to repentance and to a life that is changed for the glory of God. I pray that I will not so easily sweep things under the rug or just pass them off as no big deal. I also pray that it leads freedom, freedom in Christ.