The Altman Family

VERVE Happs

2011-03-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

Eleven people were baptized. It was awesome hearing each of their stories and, for most, knowing even more than they had time to share. God is doing amazing things in people's lives at Verve, and it's exciting to have a front row seat.

One of the best and most important services we've done. We talked about being grace wholesalers. If you missed it, you can listen to the message here. Loved the songs the band played and how it all weaved together. Poetry.

Cupcake update

2011-02-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I, with the help of a couple awesome ladies, baked 30 dozen cupcakes. That's right, 360 cupcakes. You read in my previous post about us selling these to help provide cupcakes for us to take into the strip clubs and love on the girls. We sold all of them and some! So a huge THANK YOU to those of you who helped support this ministry. This is something you can always donate to, if you have questions just email me at tkaltman0805@yahoo.com. :)

The Cupcake Girls

2011-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

One cool thing happening this week is that you have the opportunity to buy some delicious cupcakes, and support an awesome ministry. One of the new ministries at Verve is The Cupcake Girls, some women and I who go each week to some strip clubs, bringing cupcakes, loving on the girls, and (when the opportunity is right) inviting them to Verve. So ... we're going to have the same (awesome) cupcakes for sale on Sunday morning and Monday evening. The deal is that you pay $20, which gets you a dozen cupcakes and pays for a dozen cupcakes to be brought to a Strip Club. You get to eat well, and support a great ministry! If you don't live in Vegas and still want to support the ministry and help provide cupcakes for these girls, you can email me at tkaltman0805@yahoo.com for more infomation. Thanks for your support!! :-)

Krystal

1 year Bible reading plan

2011-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

It's not too late! Tommy is writing a one-year Bible reading plan for Verve and you can join us and follow it daily on www.vervecatalysts.org or www.tommyaltman.com. :) It will take you through the New Testament and Psalms and Proverbs (2 other books of the Bible).

Future Rock Stars

2011-02-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

I was uploading old pics and videos from my phone to my computer and thought I would share this one with you. I was making dinner and had to come up with something to entertain the boys as they joined me in the kitchen. Enjoy :)

Dog-tags

2011-02-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

So Brodie is working with Daddy in the garage and just ran into me holding something....Daddy's military dog-tags. For those of you who do not know what dog tags are, they are silver tags that hang around the neck of a soldier. They have vital information pertaining to the soldier. As I took the dog tags in my hand, I read the information engraved on them. Name, security number, blood type, and religion. I thought, hmm . . . religion? It struck a cord with me.

So if a soldier is at war and something happens to them, their dog tags have the top 4 of vital information another soldier would need to know about them...name, social, blood type, and religion. It made me think if I were to die, do the people around me know these "important things" about me? No, I don't have dog tags around my neck, but they should know by the way I live my life. What would they say about me? Would my relationship with God be in with the top 4 important things they say about me?

So, what's on your dog tag? Name, social, blood type . . . ? I can't think of anything more important than a person knowing what's going to happen to them when this life ends.

Soldiers know they may face death when going to war, so they think about it, just look at the 4th thing on their dog tag. I hope you've thought about what happens when your heart stops beating. If you haven't I hope you will soon.

I hope that you know that there's a God who loves you. Who loves you more than you can ever imagine and who wants you to spend forever with Him in heaven. If there's one thing I've been reminded of lately it's that life is fragile and shouldn't be taken for granted. We're not promised tomorrow. If you have questions, I'm here. If you're not sure that you even believe there is a God, ask him to show you if He's real. Know that I share this with you because I care. I don't want someone to one day ask me "why didn't you tell me?"

Big deal

2011-01-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

Be forewarned...this is going to be a "mom post".

So, after 15 months, I am finished breast-feeding Tristan. It's bittersweet. It's bitter because I realize he is probably my last and that I will probably never breast-feed again and it also means my baby is becoming a big boy :(. A little sweet because between being pregnant with Brodie, breast-feeding for a year, being pregnant with our 2nd, then pregnant with Tristan and breast-feeding for 15 months...I feel like my body has not been my own in a long time. I'm finally getting my body back. Not 'getting my body back' as in the way it was before kids because I realize that will probably never happen, lol. It hit me the other day when a friend handed me excedrine for a headache and my natural reaction was "I can only take tylenol"...because for so long, that's how it was. I'm thankful for the good habits it helped create for me, like drinking lots of water, limit coffee and soft drinks to hardly any, trying my best to limit stress and stay rested, and thinking twice about everything and how it would effect my little one. It's tough to see our babies grow up and move on from things; especially something so close and "attached', literally. lol. During our trip in Virginia and Tristan having to be away from me overnight, he did well and didn't seem to mind not being nursed. I had been slowly weaning him over the last couple months but he had put up a fight. He will now drink his milk from a cup, and not throw it across the room...which is what he did when I first attempted it. When it came down to it though, it was easy and kind of happened naturally. So, I guess we were both ready. Kinda. lol. Yes, this was a big deal.

I keep asking myself...didn't I just have a baby? Where did the time go??

Love him! :)

Virginia trip

2011-01-22T10:17:00.001-08:00

So we just got back from our trip to Virginia for my sisters wedding and all of the festivities. The wedding was absolutely amazing. My baby sister was a stunning bride and I couldn't be more thrilled about the husband she chose. It was fantastic to get to see all of the many friends and family that came for her special day. Of course my sister did an amazing job with all of the wedding planning and details that I can't imagine anything more beautiful. It truly was like a fairy tale wedding. The trip was great and we had a couple days to visit and spend time with some friends, which we always cherish. It's always hard to leave but I'm thankful for each and every one of our family and friends there and for the times we do get to have together. Tommy spends most of his time in Virginia at Trinity Tattoo, learning the ropes from Dave Lukeson. What an awesome opportunity this is for him to learn from one of the best! The boys did great on the trip home, sleeping most of the way. So now, to get back settled into life here in Vegas. We're excited to see the close friends here we've missed so much and excited to get back to Verve! Oh, and we're excited about the 68 degree weather here! So...now you all need to plan your trips to come visit!! :)

So I know I'm aweful at this blogging stuff but I've decided to try to post atleast 1 blog a week. I'll try to keep you posted on whatever current happenings we have going on with family stuff here. Tommy and I will also be blogging atleast once a week on www.tommyaltman.com with current happenings with ministry and life here in Vegas.

Blogposts coming soon....

2010-10-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm lacking in the blog world. I have so much to post about but it's been so crazy busy that it's hard to find the time and energy! One of my lasts posts was about SerVegas day and it has been non stop since! Following SerVegas we took a family trip to California for some much needed family time. We returned to jump right into Verve University, which I will explain more of later. We then had one of my best friends come visit with her husband and stay with us for a week. They left and we had a week of birthdays for our 2 boys including their birthday bash at the park. Then we started our Vault Conference followed by Stadia bootcamp for church planters, which I will explain more. I've also had the opportunity to take cupcakes strippers in local strip clubs. So..I have lots to share with you and hope to get it all out here very soon. :).

Blog posts coming soon...

California
Verve University
Courtney and DJ's visit
Birthdays
Grandma's visit
Vault Conference
Stadia Bootcamp Conference
Strip Club Cupcakes

Check it out...

2010-10-06T00:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't had time to update yet but check out Tommy's blog.... www.tommyaltman.blogspot.com

CWeeds Adopt

2010-09-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to share this news with you. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law have decided to adopt a little boy, from Africa. We will have a new nephew! You can follow their story and even help support them to bring him home....www.cweedsadopt.blogspot.com. So thankful they have said yes to bring this little boy into their home and family and surround him with God's love. Please join us in praying for them through this long but exciting process.

Guerilla Lovers

2010-09-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

So one of the sayings for our church is "Love God, Love People, Turn the World Upside Down". Vince Antonucci, our lead pastor, wrote a book called "Guerilla Lovers". He gets this term from guerilla warfare and uses it as a way to love people. We want to ambush people with God's love, in practical ways. This week he challenged each of us to make cookies for our garbage man. I know, it may sound silly...but some of the stories have been amazing. Seriously. They're like "You did this for ME?? Why?? No-one does this!". Try it! You may be surprised at the impact it has on you, your garbage man, and those around you!

SerVegas

2010-09-29T11:34:00.001-07:00

So...over the last several weeks you heard and saw us talking a lot about "SerVegas". This was a day that Tommy has been working on and planning since we moved to Vegas. The idea was to reach out and serve our community but rather than start a new project in only one area we decided to serve non profit organizations who are already serving here. We had a team of volunteers were in on the planning and organizing of the event. We lined up projects with non-religious, non-profit organizations for us to serve all on the same day. The organizations included Shade Tree (a shelter for abused women and children), Street Teens, NV Partnership for Homeless Youth, Family Promise, St. Vincent Thrift Store. We also had volunteers serve at "Neon Reverb" which was a music festival that same weekend and we had our youth do a "Free Car Wash" for the community. We had atleast 60 volunteers show up and it was an amazing day. The organizations were blown away and very grateful and the volunteers were grateful to be apart of something where they could "give back" and serve. We also had an after party that evening with catered h'orderves, a live band, and a comedian/magician, for the volunteers and the organizations we served. A great time was had by all and this is definitely something we all look forward to doing again in the future!

(I tried adding pictures to this post but it keeps giving me some sort of error...I will try to add them again later!)

I want to make these...

2010-09-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

1 (12-ounce) box uncooked jumbo pasta shells (if all of yours survive the boil this is enough, to be safe you may want 1 1/2 boxes)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups fresh chopped spinach

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened (I think you could get away with one package)

1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 cups)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce

1. Cook shells according to package directions. Be careful not to overcook them or they will tear easily when trying to fill them. Drain and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease two 9x13 baking dishes.

3. In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells.

4. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. If you are freezing one of the 9x13 prepared pans, freeze it after this step. Include a baggy of the remaining mozzarella for when you cook it.

5. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.

http://thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com/

10 things I love about you...

2010-09-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am one blessed wife and mommy. There are so many things I see everyday that you don't get to see and I want to share them with you.

10 things I love about you...

1-I love Brodie's heart. It's like no other I've ever known. Just a few examples...

The other night, I was cooking dinner and Brodie comes up to me and says "Mom, we need to go check on John." My response "I know honey, we want to..we've just been so busy lately." Brodie "We can't just leave him out there." You probably don't know about John but he is a homeless man we've tried to help and stay in contact with. It's been weeks since we've gone by to see him or take him anything and Brodie said this out of nowhere. Tommy wrote about how we met John, on his blog at www.tommyaltman.blogspot.com. Another occasion recently, Brodie asked for ice cream. I told him there was only a little bit left but probably enough for him. He immediately turned to Daddy and said "you can have it Daddy." When Daddy told him that he didn't want it and it was ok for him to have it, he turned to me and said "You can have it mommy." I again told him no, he could have it. He responds with "yall can have it later!." Really? I ended up fixing it for him and he ate it, but sometimes I wish my heart and attitude was more like he showed here. I could give you more examples but I'll move on now.

2-I love Tristan's scrunched up grin. It's tough to catch on camera but it makes me smile every time. Actually, Tommy and I usually find ourselves cracking up together when he does it. He will scrunch up his nose and grin at the same time. It's even more adorable with his 2 little teeth on the bottom. I love it.

3-I love how Tommy loves me like no other. Seriously. This man of mine has shown me love like I've never known or seen. Here's a small example from just the other day. We were on a date and were walking down the strip and through a few casinos. Of course I had on high heels. Well, If you know me you know that I walk pretty fast, so Tommy knew something was wrong when I was hardly keeping up with him. He asked what was wrong and I showed him the blister that was from my shoes. Soon after, I went into the bathroom in one of the casinos...I came out and he has a box of bandaids. My response "Seriously...we're in a casino! How much did those things cost?!!" "$7.00." Oh my. Smart or not...it didn't matter to him. He didn't want me to be in pain and would do whatever it took. I took my shoes off in the parking garage (I know, gross...but it hurt that bad), and he picked me up and carried me all the way to the car. I remember a conversation I had with my mom when I knew that Tommy was the man I wanted to marry. I remember her telling me "You'll never find someone who loves you the way he does". How very very true mom. He loves me even when I'm unlovable.

4-I love Brodie's warrior spirit. I know you've all seen the sword...but have you seen him use it? He's becoming a warrior. He's in a stage where he loves to pretend. He will tell me "Mom, pretend the bad guys are coming and tell me to come save you." So he comes to my rescue.

5-I love that Tristan is learning to do new things and will turn around to see if you're watching. I love his rasberries. I love his laugh. I love his arms and legs wrapped around me grasp, like he'll never let go. I love his arms stretched up, "pick me up" look. I love when I bring him down stairs in the morning he looks at Sugie and says "dog-dog".

6-I love that I still think Tommy is the most handsome man I've ever layed eyes on and that I would chose him again in a heart beat. I love that I get to go to bed and wake up with him next to me every morning.

7-I love hearing Brodie walk around or in the car, singing songs he heard our band sing at church.

8-I love to watch my babies sleeping. I love to rock and cuddle and scratch their backs as they fall alseep. And I love to check on them and stare at them while they look so peaceful and innocent and adorable, sleeping.

9-I love that Tommy is so sincere and passionate about God and leads our family in learning how to love God and love people.

10-I love my family and I love feeling like the luckiest girl in the world with 3 amazing guys in my life, who bring me undescribable joy every day. Thanks God.

Sleep over!

2010-08-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

So tonight is the first time Brodie has had a friend spend the night. Crazy to me, but I love it. I can't believe he's that big. What a fun night. :) Actually they've been together all day. We went to the free Regal movie for kids, "Tale Of Despereaux", this morning and had lunch and playtime at "DelTaco" with his family. After lunch, I brought the boys back to our house to play. The boys played and played...they played toy story, mr. potato head, scooter races, sword fights, transformers, you name it. Come time for dinner I wanted something kid friendly, so I made homemade mac n cheese and then did some bbq chicken and green beans. The boys cleared their plates so we had ice cream for dessert. :) We even got to go outside and play for a little bit. They came in, got baths and put their pjs on. I let them watch Nemo for a bit to wind down before bed. They were just too cute. I loved hearing their conversations. They are two sweet boys and are already best buds.:)

I'm also thankful for his momma, who has become a good friend of mine and is getting baptized on Monday! :) :)

Happy Anniversary!

2010-08-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

What a great night! Tommy and I didn't do gifts or anything for our anniversary but we wanted to plan a nice night out for us to have together. Since getting to Vegas it's been pretty crazy around here and of course being away from family, we don't get a sitter very often. So...after we put the kids to bed we had a friend from church come over and stay with the boys while we got to go out for a little bit. The first exciting part of the night for me was that we got to ride the Harley. Seriously...it's been like 2 years since I've been able to ride, due to being pregnant and all. So this was a treat. The weather couldn't have been better either.

We wanted to go to a nice romantic restaurant so we went to the "Eiffel Tower Restaurant", in Paris. (Yes, when you live in Vegas you can go anywhere in the world and it's only 10 minutes away) lol. The restaurant is like 1/2 way up the tower and our view was of the strip and the Bellagio fountains, which was perfect. Tommy ordered duck and I ordered the veal and we shared the asparagus. Wow, everything was sooo good. We finished with a chocolate soufle which was also amazing. Let me tell you...this was THE BEST meal I've ever had in my life. I could go on, but I think you get the point. lol.

We were going to go on the "ride" up to the top of the eiffel tower but we decided to wait until we had our camera with us so we could take pictures of the view. We did take the time to walk around and just hang out a bit and we walked through one of the casinos we hadn't been in yet. We went to do one of the gondola rides but it was closed when we got there. I was thankful for the time we had together and it was a great night. I loved the closeness and the night sky we enjoyed riding home on the Harley.

It was cool to celebrate our 9th anniversary here in Vegas, it's one I'll never forget. ;)

Taco Soup

2010-08-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

I'll be trying this recipe this week. It sounds like something we would like...and I love the idea of using my crockpot more! :)

Taco Soup

--2 cans of kindey beans

--2 cans of pinto beans

--2 cans of corn

--1 large can of diced tomatoes (I have no idea why the can wasn't in this picture. I know I put it in. This is a mystery.)

--1 can tomatoes and chiles

--1 packet taco seasoning

--1 packet ranch dressing mix

--1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional.)

--shredded cheese and sour cream for embelishment

The Directions:

--brown meat if you are going to use it

--drain fat and add to crockpot stoneware insert (the meat. not the fat.)

--sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat

--drain and rinse the beans and add

--add the ENTIRE contents of the corn and tomato cans
--stir.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5. I think the longer you cook soup, the better, so if you have the time, opt for cooking on low. Stir well, and serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

(This recipe came from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com)

9 Years

2010-08-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, August 5, Tommy and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. I have to say, it's been a wild ride, but I wouldn't change a thing. I was telling Tommy last night that it's funny when people say, "so where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?" If you know me, you know I'm indecisive anyway and that I am a realist so I'm focused on the here and now so I'm always like "I have no idea". Tommy, on the other hand, being the dreamer always has a huge vision of where he wants to be. So..that being said, I was thinking over the past 9 years and I'm blown away. I'm blown away at the experiences we've had together and the life changes that have happened in our lives and marriage.

So, 9 years ago we said "I do" and I moved from VA to TN, (Tommy was in the Air Force and stationed at Fort Cambell, KY) to be with the man of my dreams and start our life together. I just found a picture the other day of Tommy carrying me over the "threshold" to our new 1 bedroom apartment (after driving the 12 hours to get there). We started with nothing, but we had each other and we had God, so we felt like we had everything. I have to say, our years there were crucial and life changing for us and for our marriage. We were married in August 2001...and then September 11th happened...which changed everything. Tommy, being in the military, was soon deployed to Afghanistan that February. Whoa. Here I was, 19 years old, newly married, and now alone in a new place. I had a job and I was going to school, but that wasn't enough to keep me there. I decided to go home and be with my family while Tommy would be deployed for an unknown number of months. It ended up being 3, instead of the 6 they had anticipated. I remember those times of deployments and at times it was torturous and at the same time it also seemed to help create a foundation for our marriage that "if we can make it through this, we can make it through anything". In our time there, we found a great church, where our friends became like family and we bought our first home there, in KY, and we got our first dog, Sugar (which we still have today :) ). Tommy deployed again a year later to Iraq. This time, I stayed since we had established roots and relationships there and it had become "home". Tommy came home and bought his first Harley. (He took of advantage of the deployment situation...He came home and of course I was like "you can have anything you want!" lol). We joined a motorcycle club, which we miss to this day the experiences and relationships we had. So, we spent our first 4 1/2 years married there, at Fort Campbell (KY/TN). I had no idea how crucial this time would be for establishing the foundation for our marriage. It's amazing how close we became, having only each other, to depend on, run to, and experience life with. We made relationships there that we would have for a lifetime. What a time of learning for us!

When Tommy was discharged from the Air Force in December of 2004, we made the move back to Virginia (a U-haul, car-in tow, a truck, a motorcycle, and a dog) :). We moved back to Virginia to be apart of a church plant that our previous youth pastor was launching there. In our time there we were close to family and were able to establish relationships with old and new friends. We bought our second house, and started our family. In December 2005, I finished my bachelors degree in Business Management, from Austin Peay State University. We had our first son, Brodie, in October of 2006. In February 2007, I quit my job in banking to be a stay at home mom. Tommy changed jobs 3 times, but all in the area of training military in some area of combatives or shooting. In July, 2008, God told us to move to Las Vegas, to be apart of a church plant, to reach people far from Him. We experienced a loss like none other when we experienced the loss of our 2nd child mid pregnancy, at 17 weeks along, in November 2008. We then had our son, Tristan, in October of 2009. In May 2010 Tommy graduated from Regent University with his bachelors degree in Religious Studies and we moved our family across the country to Las Vegas to help start Verve and do a church planting "residency" for approximately 2 years.

As I look back I never could have tried to imagine all that we would have experienced and where we would be 9 years into our marriage. I'm so thankful that God blessed me with Tommy to go through this journey of life with. I can't imagine not having him by my side. He knows me like no other and loves me anyway. He loves me in ways that I feel I don't deserve. I respect and admire him more than any other man I've ever known. I'm a better me because of him. Our boys our so blessed to have a real man of God as an example to follow and to raise them to be warriors for Him. I love you Tommy and I'm thankful beyond words that for the years I've had with you and I'm excited about the years we have ahead of us, as we grow old together. :)

Man, I started this post to tell you about our night our for our anniversary, now I have to do another post to tell you about that! lol :)

My new hobby :)

2010-08-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

Cooking! Yes...I'm currently obsessed with finding and trying new recipes. I've been scouring the internet...in the little bit of time I have here and there and you'll see I've found a few baking blogs to follow as well. I cooked dry beans for the first time the other day and they were a success. So..I got another kind to do again. I enjoy cooking and baking but it's soo hard to find the time and money to do it! Anyway, I did a few easy ones today. I made a homemade coffee cake this morning and that turned out yummy. I made a chicken quesadilla casserole for dinner (thanks Gina ;), which we liked. And then made sweet potato cookies for dessert...which didn't seem to turn out all that great. I hope to here and there post some new recipes to share with you. And don't worry, I'm a simple kind of gal with 2 little ones, so they will be easy, with not crazy ingredients, and I especially love the ones that I already have the stuff for! lol.

Here's the few I tried today!

Breakfast Cake

1/4 cup veg oil

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Combine wet, mix dry ingredients and then add to wet. Mix well. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake 350* 25 - 30 minutes.

Topping: combine 2 T melted butter, 2 tsp flour, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/3 cup brown sugar

This one came from www.naptimejournal.blogspot.com

Chicken Quesadilla Casserole

1 1/2 lbs chicken, cooked and shredded
1 green pepper, chopped
1 Medium onion, chopped
1 Package flour tortillas
1/2 tablespoon Crushed red pepper shopping list
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tomato, chopped
3 Cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon chili powder

Cook and shred chicken. Mix spices and pour over chicken and toss until evenly coated. Rub the bottom side of tortillas with a little oil and place in a baking dish. Layer 1/3 of cheese on top of the tortillas, then 1/2 of the onion, 1/2 of the tomato, 1/2 of the green pepper, and 1/2 of the shredded chicken. Place another layer of tortillas, cheese, onion, tomatoes, green peppers and chicken. Place third layer of tortillas on top and rub top side with some oil, then sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover and backe at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes until cheese is melted and warmed through. May remove cover last few minutes to brown cheese slightly.

(This came from www.grouprecipes.com, passed on from my friend Gina :) )

Hope you enjoy them and please share any of your favorite or new recipes with me! :)

VERVE Happs

2010-08-03T22:34:00.001-07:00

Cool stuff happening at VERVE.

- Continuing our new series The Me I Want To Be where we're talking about HOW we grow spiritually. This week we talked about how making sacrifices plays into our spiritual growth.
- We have two Verve University courses: Verge and Verb running and people seem to be really getting a lot out of them.
- Lots of new volunteers are doing First Serves - a chance to kick the tires on a serving position in the church.
- Speaking of serving, we're getting ready for Serve Vegas, which is gonna be a cool day of serving those who serve.
- And we are getting excited for the return of our 11:35 service, August 22nd!

(From Vince's blog... www.vinceantonucci.com)

Behind the sword

2010-08-02T14:27:00.000-07:00

Any of you who have seen Brodie recently, like in the last 6 months, know that when you think of Brodie you think of......yes, his sword. You know that if you see Brodie, he most likely has his sword stuck in the back of his shirt and sometimes in the side of his shorts. Seriously. I know some of you are laughing, but it's true. I tell people, "some kids have security blankets...our son has a security sword". :) lol. You will very rarely catch him without it. We can go in a store, and when we go back they remember him as "the kid with the sword". When we were in VA for a couple weeks, Daddy built Brodie a weapon rack by his bed. So..when he goes to bed, the sword goes in the rack and when he wakes up...you guess it...it goes back in his shirt. (this was because of the marks on the wall from sleeping with the sword). The attachment to the sword started when Brodie found Daddy's ninja turtles from when he was a little boy. Brodie immediately fell in love with these "turtles and their weapons". He began getting some of the cartoon movies and weapons. For a little while, if you were to ask him his name he would tell you "I'm Leonardo". Like seriously...this is what he told kids in his new class at church. (Of course you know Leonardo is his favorite because he's the BLUE one, which is his favorite color). So, he carries the sword in his back because that's how the ninja turtles carry their weapons. If it's not in his back it will be stuck in the side of his shorts. Or, if he is in his underwear, as he likes to be around the house, it will be stuck through his underwear. I've told him they're getting stretched out from this. He also has a bruise on his side, from carrying it this way. He doesn't even notice and says it doesn't hurt...but this is how attached he is.

I have to say, I think it's kinda cute. I'm sure some people may think I'm crazy that I allow my 3 year old to carry this around. But..I love that right now, this is who he is. He's all boy and at times he's wild and crazy but he's also caring, loving and tender-hearted, which melts my heart. I can't imagine life any other way, I love my boys. :-)

Going, Going, Gone!

2010-07-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

Shortly after moving to Vegas Tristan began learning to crawl. Yes, we immediately began child proofing, having a baby on the move again. It didn't take long and he has now taken off...and quickly! He is soo on the move now! He crawls everywhere...he particularly loves to head for the dog dishes and the stairs! lol. He can go all the way up the entire stair case by himself! He also loves to follow Brodie around, and can get himself into the playroom on his own. He has recently began pulling or pushing himself up on things to stand. And just these last couple days he has been getting brave and letting go of those things to stand by himself. I think we will have a walker soon. I'm not sure Mommy and Daddy are ready for this!

We also have a teether! Tristan's first tooth broke thru last week (on the 20th, yes, at 9 months old). He may have had no teeth, but that didn't stop him from eating a thing. Tristan now boycotts baby food and wants our food, food that he can pick up and feed himself. Yes, every meal is very messy. ;) He is starting to know what he wants but can't express it to us (other than squealing), so we are teaching him a few words in sign language, as we did with Brodie.

Our little one is getting so big, right before our eyes. We are cherishing every moment...even the 5:45am wake up calls (Mommy's special snuggle time). ;) But, Mommy is thankful that he is now consistently sleeping fully through the night and can't really complain about 6am since the boys are in bed at 7:30pm. :) And...if you've been around Tristan lately you know he has become quite the Mommy's boy. He is very attached to Mommy...especially if she is in sight or reach. This sometimes makes things difficult but it also melts Mommy's heart.

It's late now, but I will post next on our other little warrior, Brodie and then some of what's been happening here in Vegas. Love yall! ;)

June 15th

2010-07-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've put off updating on here. On June 15th, one of my very best friends' dad passed away very unexpectedly. There are no words to express the pain this loss has brought their family and those around them. They are very near and dear to my heart and it pains deeply me to see them experience this. I immediately wanted to be there with them. I was able to go home, to Virginia, and spend a couple weeks and I'm thankful for the time I had with them. It was hard to leave them and come back to my new home so far away. Please continue to pray with me as they struggle daily with the realization of this loss of one they loved so dearly.

The UFC

2010-06-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

One of Tommy's jobs as a church planting resident is to start a ministry from nothing in an area he is passionate about. After brainstorming, praying and discussing with other staff members, they decided the UFC would be a perfect fit for Tommy. Serving the UFC is something that it seems Tommy has been prepared for with his background of the military and training and teaching combatives for so many years. Once that was decided Tommy again was praying about ways to go about this. Well, it just so happened there was a UFC fan expo here in Vegas that coming weekend. He decided to go, not really sure what to expect. The whole family went the first day. It was a cool experience. Lots of people, lots of fighters, lots of everything. We got some cool pics and got to meet Tommy's favorite fighter, Randy Couture. Upon entering the expo, there was a sign, to "twitter" Dana White (the head of the UFC), that you want to win tickets in his VIP section and backstage passes for the fight that weekend. I stopped and told Tommy to do it, as he grumbled that he never wins anything, lol. What was cool about the expo was you got to meet the fighters...they're not these crazy violent animals...they're awesome guys who are thankful for their fans and worked hard to get where they are. Most of them are very gracious and don't mind stopping to take time with you. Tommy went back to the expo the next day. There were even more people and it was even more crazy. He got to meet up with a distant cousin of mine, UFC fighter Matt Brown. Shortly after, as he was ready to head home, he got a text from the UFC asking that he contact them. After being sent around the expo, he finally met up with the right people and was told that he had won the VIP tickets to sit with Dana White and backstage passes at the UCF114 fight that night. Seriously...there were over 125,000 people at the expo and thousandssss who entered to win these tickets. To say we were shocked is an understatement. We knew it was God. Seriously. Tommy was interviewed by Mike Munoz about winning the contest. We quickly set up sitters for the kids and headed to the event that night. It was insane. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience for us. We were very thankful for the opportunity to meet the fighters and people and had the opportunity to share a little bit about Verve and why we moved to Vegas. Wow, thanks God. Tommy and I were sitting with celebrities like Paris Hilton, Mike Tyson, Sam Worthington, Forrest Whitaker, Snoop Dogg, David Spade, and of course Dana White and the fighters, with Kenny Florian next to me. We were escorted back stage and shown all the behind the scenes details and got to meet with Rampage before his big fight. So...I am now a UFC fan...and look forward to opportunities to serve them in the future. :-)

A disclaimer on the pictures...we were not allowed to take our 'professional' camera in so the only pics we have are from our iphone.

This was the view of the cage from our seats! 3rd row :)

Our family with Randy Couture...Tommy's favorite fighter.

Brodie was upset we had to turn in our ticket to see him...he wanted his ticket back. :(

Tommy and I with Dana White at UFC114

Me in a quick pic with fighter Tito Ortiz

Tommy and I backstage with Rampage right before the big fight!

Tommy with fighter Kenny Florian

Tommy and I with "Tapout" owners, "Skyscrape and Punkass"

Me with Sam Worthington (from Avatar and Clash of the Titans)

3 weeks in Vegas...

2010-06-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, it's been 3 weeks since our big move to Vegas. I would love to say that we're completely settled and unpacked and the house is perfect....but it's not. We're functional, but definitely not perfect. We're getting there, but the process is much slower with 2 little ones running around this place. Life here has been very busy so far and pretty crazy. I'm going to try to update here somewhat frequently because it's goes by so fast, I don't want to forget it!

Our first week here our friends Paul and Suzie Wirth came in town for their 20th anniversary. It was awesome getting to see them and hang out with them. They got to come check out Verve and loved it. We went to Hoover Dam with them and also got a deal on tickets to see the show "O" with backstage passes..thanks to our friend Jess, from Verve who is in the show.

Tommy's been working full time with Verve so we've been learning the balance of ministry and family life. I love seeing that he is doing what he was called to do and is so passionate about it. I know we're where God wants us...so I'm content. He's been so good and so evident in our lives even in the short time we've been here. Tommy's been stepping into some lead roles in different areas at Verve. One is a an organization created to serve the community, meeting the most unmet needs of the city. Having been overseas and seen some of the devastation of other countries, Tommy has a heart for those less fortunate than us, so that will be a part of this ministry. Another area of "ministry" Tommy is leading in is seeking to find ways to serve the UFC, here in Vegas. It all happened so fast, but I'll give you the short story in my next post :).

So, Sunday 13 people got baptized at Verve!! Awesome, huh? It's humbling that God has called us to be apart of this and it's awesome to see the lives that are being changed here, for Him! Tommy and I met a couple through friends, that came to Verve for the 1st time and loved it. They said it felt like "home" and it was totally God because it came at a time when they both needed it in their lives. Brodie and I also made some new friends. I took him to play at a local place here and it was just one other mom and her son there. We got to chatting and spent the day together. We exchanged information so we hope to get together with them again soon! We spent Memorial Day at some friends house for a cookout and pool time. :)

The weather here has been great. We actually just turned our AC on today...due to the expected temps of over 100 degrees this weekend. Oh, and I just got an outlet installed for my dryer (it was set up for gas and our dryer is electric)...so I'm catching up on 3 weeks worth of laundry. AND...We love skype!! It helps soo much with being so far away from family. Brodie now says..."I miss so-and-so, can we skype?". So...send us your skype name :).

Two handsome guys...I'm also loving the palm trees in the background. :)

The kids playing in the pool after the baptisms.

A view of the "O" Show

Boys doing boy things!

Tristan and I at the pool/cookout with friends!

Our growing boys :-)

2010-06-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am amazed daily at how fast time flies as we watch our children grow. Tristan is 7 1/2 months already. He's our blonde hair, blue eyed wonder and is constantly melting my heart with his smile, sweet tender hearted character and contagious laugh. We're looking for teeth any day but none yet! He's been rolling over for quite a while and can scoot and pull himself anywhere. He's right on the verge of full out crawling, but for now he'll get up on hands and knees but not fully crawling that way. For now he's pulling and scooting...but don't let that fool you, he can get anywhere...and quick! He's been learning to wave and will either wave his arm wildly or open and close his hand, then look at it curiously as if wondering how it's doing that. He's been eating baby food for a couple months now, but just this week he has started to choose "our food" over the baby food. He will refuse his baby food and only want bits and pieces of real food. So..this morning he had pancakes and strawberries. I am amazed as I watch him and Brodie together. First thing in the morning, they're looking for each other, wanting to know if the other one is awake yet. Tristan reacts to Brodie like no one else...he loves him! And I can't put into words how proud I am of Brodie for being such an awesome big brother. Brodie has taken this role like a champ from the very beginning. He's always willing to help whether it's diapers or feeding or entertaining. And it makes my heart smile how he's willing to share his toys, he'll bring toys out...1 for him and 1 for Tristan. Tristan is definitely looking up to Brodie...he can't wait to jump into the action of wrestling and sword fighting as he watches for now. So Brodie...my little warrior. He loves swords and weapons. He's definitely all boy...taking after his daddy. His favorite thing is to sword fight...I'm not sure how I feel about this. He loves his "ninja turtle sword" and you won't catch him without it. It will most likely be tucked away in the back of his shirt...and most likely a dagger stored in the side of his pants. You think I'm joking...but I'm not. lol. I love the conversations we have with Brodie and his tender heart...he's constantly melting mine. I cherish the time I have with my boys and am thankful I can stay home with them. Although, financially I'm not sure how long we can swing it...we're still in need of financial support for Tommy to be full time at Verve, doing ministry here in Vegas. Please be in prayer with us about that and if you feel led please contact us for more information on how you can help. My next post will be an update on life here in Vegas.

Above: Notice the 2 swords....haha :)

Below, #1:Yes this was moving in time...yet Tristan's still so happy :)

Below, #2:Our little warrior...heading to check mail :) haha

Best Buddies! :)

A week in Vegas....

2010-05-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

A week ago today our family flew to our new home in Vegas. It's weird to me that a week has passed already. I will blog more on it later...really I will, but for now I just want to share some quick thoughts on our first week here. We flew in really late last Tuesday night, May 11th. We flew in the evening mainly because of the heat risk with flying our dog, Sugar. Yes, we had 2 adults, a toddler, a baby, a dog, 5 suitcases, a stroller, and a carseat. Tommy got called by airport security for an "undisclosed weapon" in the suitcase, but other than that...the trip was pretty uneventful. The boys did great on the plane. Brodie was so excited and enjoyed the whole "adventure" and then both boys went to sleep. We were so thankful for our friend, Juli, who picked us up from the airport and brought us "home". Brodie woke up and was excited to tour the new house. We were all starving so we each had a bowl of "fruitloops", then crashed for the night. We got in at 1am Vegas time but 3am VA time...so we got about 3 hours of sleep. Wednesday we got up and went out for coffee and breakfast and Brodie went to play with friends while we did the big store run. Since then, we've been unpacking like crazy and just trying to get settled. The kitchen was first and is now functional and the playroom was the 2nd priority. I'm not liking this inbetween stage of not quite being settled but I know we'll get there. In the move, a bunch of our stuff got ruined by mold, so we still have some things we have to replace...like a couch. Our second night here Brodie got very sick. We had bathed the boys and went to get pjs out when we found a box of Brodie's clothes that had been ruined with mold. Brodie was in and out of the room as Tommy and I were trying to go through the clothes to see if there was anything to salvage...since it was all of Brodie's summer clothes. Anyway, we ended up spending most of the evening holding Brodie as he would get coughing and then have a difficult time trying to catch his breath. This was scary for us and we were debating whether to take him to the hospital. Fortunately it got better. The next day we cleared the house of any boxes (for any chance of mold) and sanitized and cleaned every single toy and we set up the playroom, which Brodie loves.

Some other news about Vegas....it's VERY DRY. Our second night here, I woke up during the night, with a nose bleed. The first time I used my curling iron here....it fried my hair...literally. I pulled it down and my hair was still in the curling iron...and the room smelled like burnt hair. Aweful.

All this said, life is good here. I was bathing Brodie last night and he says to me "I like it here, Mommy" I asked him "what do you mean?" He says, "I like our house and I like Vegas". This made me smile. I have to say I'm content, I'm happy, I know we're where God wants us. We went to Verve for the first time on Sunday and it was really good. Brodie ran into his class and came out at the end telling me about his new friends. If you've been to any church with us before you know it was usually a battle to get Brodie to go in or stay in his class. This blew my mind. I'm thankful. You always worry about your kids and how change will affect them...especially really big ones...but I also think God speaks through them. God says "Don't worry...I've got this". :-) God is good. I have to say, we do miss the awesome friends and family we left in VA, but I'm thankful we can still stay in touch...by phone, text, fb, email. I'm especially thankful for the long conversations I've had with Mom. Now that I've written a book, I better go. Next time I'll tell you about the time change. Night!

Little update..

2010-03-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm very bad at blogging...especially now that I have the iphone...I rarely get on the computer. I've had several blogs in my head over the last few weeks...but haven't had the time to get on and do them. I hope to, maybe even today. Here's a little update. The house is finally on the market. We had it ready the first week of February and we had a lady who wanted to buy it before we listed it. I will get into details later but we thought it was a God thing but it just didn't work out, and maybe that was a God thing too. We listed the house with a realtor February 15th and have had some action on it. Our realtor tells us 2 of them plan to make offers on the house but we don't have one in hand yet. Tommy's job ends March 30th so we're hoping everything falls into place at the same time so we can close on the house and move then too. I'm really at peace and just sitting back and trying to focus on God and know that His timing is perfect. So many times we want to do things ourselves and our way. I refuse to do that this time. My constant prayer is that this will be all God and not me.

The other night I was up feeding Tristan at about 1am. I was sitting in the rocker, staring out the window into the sky. The shades are normally closed but for some reason it was open. I was talking to God and just asked that he show me He was here and in all of this (like wanting him to talk to me but not really expecting him to). I then almost immediately saw the most amazing shooting star shoot across the sky. I knew it was meant just for me. I'm thankful. I will never forget it. (I told Tommy about this the next day and he told me it's rare to see a shooting star this time of year). I'm thankful God knows what I need and when I need it. I pray that I can follow Him wherever and however He leads, without doubt and without fear. Until next time....

Thanks God...

2010-01-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

So God and I had a chat yesterday and I'll share it with you. I'm a firm believer in being real and honest and transparent. I also believe that God allows us to go through things so that we can use them to reach others when "only someone else who has been there" can understand. Some of you may know, most of you probably don't know, but since having Tristan I've had some struggles dealing with some postpartum depression type stuff. I won't share everything on here now but I'm up for talking about it if you need someone to talk to who's "been there"...know that you're not alone. Anyway, about my chat with God. I walked into church yesterday and as we began to worship, God spoke straight to my heart and I know it was Him. He told me "your husband is a gift to you, from Me and you need to cherish him and treat him that way." My first thought was "Yes, I've been grumpy lately and we have a lot going on, but God, he knows I love him." I was overwhelmed with love and admiration for Tommy as God reminded me of all that he blessed me with in a husband. I know this post could go on forever but I'll keep it short. In our conversation, God told me that I view my children as gifts from Him and I cherish them but I don't always view my husband like that. I take him for granted and I have so much to learn from him. I'm selfish at times and he always gives to me. I'm grumpy and unloving at times, but he continues to love me (not only with words but with actions) no matter what. Thank you God, for the reminder. And Thank you God for one of the greatest gifts of all. I'm so in love and grateful and will forever treasure Tommy as a gift from You, to me. Thanks God.

Big Boy News!!

2010-01-16T08:44:00.001-08:00

Ok, so of course after having Tristan, Brodie has seemed like such a big boy. He amazes me every day with his big boy "conversations" and thoughts. He truly brings joy and laughter into every day for us. Brodie has recently taken 2 big steps as a big boy. January 2nd, he threw away his paci! Yes, he had a paci but only for naps and nighttime. Brodie threw his paci in the trash can in order to have his new "Cars" TV in his room. It's been gone ever since. Then...January 14th Brodie pooped on the potty! I know, kinda gross but if you're a parent you know what I mean. lol. Brodie has been peeing on the potty and been in big boy underwear since June but has refused to poop on the potty (he would ask for a diaper). I had found 2 presents in the garage that I had forgotten to give him for Christmas. I told Brodie that he could have them when he pooped on the potty. It worked. For 3 days in a row now he has pooped on the potty. We are so proud of him. I have to say, one thing about this boy is that he will not do something until he is ready (no matter how much pressure, bribery, etc)...but once he is ready he decides, does it and that's it. He has been this way with everything from peeing on the potty to the paci and now pooping on the potty. I think he gets this from his Daddy and I have to respect the fact the he never does things half way. When he makes the decision to do it, he sticks with it and never goes back. It seems like just yesterday he was our baby boy and it is such a blessing to watch him as he transitions to a big boy. Thank you God for allowing us to be a part of this and for the things you teach us through our kids!

Where did the time go?!?

Tristan's conversation with Daddy

2009-12-27T17:43:00.001-08:00

So Tristan has begun cooing and making noises trying to mimic us talking to him. I'm sorry this video is so dark, but just keep listening. I love my little munchkin. He's changing and growing so fast, we're trying to cherish every moment. He melts my heart. ;)

-Love, Mommy

Thumb sucker?

2009-12-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

I know, I have a lot of blogging to do to catch you up to date...but this is what I found this morning. :) Brodie was a paci baby, however Tristan, is not as attached. He will take it sometimes and then usually spit it out when he sleeps and is fine without it, but wants it here and there sometimes. He's only done this like twice, but we may have a thumb sucker on our hands! He's Momma's sweet boy...ok and Daddy's too :)

Santa Claus is coming to town!

2009-12-11T09:04:00.001-08:00

Brodie is sooo excited about Christmas this year. It started when we began talking about some of the ornaments we bought for him last year, to go on the Christmas tree. We've started a tradition that we try to get ornaments for the Christmas tree for him, for whatever he is into that year (ex: spider man, super man, batman, handy manny, little einsteins). So, even before Thanksgiving Brodie began asking to put up the Christmas tree. We finally convinced Daddy to get it out of the loft in the garage, so we could do it. Well...little did I know that to Brodie, putting up the Christmas tree meant that it was "Christmas time!". Let me explain...after the tree was up and decorated...Brodie says "So is it Christmas time...can I open my presents now?" lol. So yes...he asks this just about every day now. He began "finding" his presents around the house so I quickly had to wrap them and put them under the tree...not to mention they were taking over my house. We also got out the little people nativity scene I bought last year and we've talked about the Christmas story with him. We talk with him about the true meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate it. That is is Jesus' birthday and that this time of year is to celebrate Him. We have also decided to adopt a little 2 year old girl named "Dearia", to help her have a Christmas that she may not otherwise have. I'm excited to do this with Brodie, as we shop for her and teach Brodie that it is not about us, and that God blesses us so that we can help bless other people who need it more than we do. We may not can do much, but I'm excited that God may be able to use us in even a small way to minister to this family and little girl. We have been watching Christmas movies as a family, such as "Elf" and "The Grinch who Stole Christmas". Brodie has been excited to learn "Christmas songs", so far "Santa Claus is coming to town" is his favorite. Listen below...

Are we willing?

2009-11-16T08:47:00.001-08:00

This morning I told Brodie that Mommy was going to have some "quiet time" and he says "I'm gona have some LOUD time". haha. Anyway, I did get to have some quiet time with my Lord and it spoke right to my soul.

Psalms 123 talked about looking to God for mercy as well as God's leading. God is committed to us. He's committed to care and provide for us. I pray that we will trust him completely in this area, as we make this move to Vegas.

Lately our life has seemed full of trials and hardships, but as I read this I am reminded that we must continue to persevere and finish the race as God has called us, as the prize awaits us. (2 Tim 4:7, Heb 12:1)

Here is an excerpt I read from "Streams in the Desert".

"They overcame him by the blood of the lamb...;they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." Revelation 12:11

When James and John came to Christ with their mother, asking Him to give them the best place in His kingdom, He did not refuse their request. He told them that the place would be given to them if they could do His work, drink His cup, and be baptized with His baptism. (Mark 10:38)

Are we willing to compete for God's best, with the knowledge that the best things are always achieved by the most difficult paths? We must endure steep mountains, dense forests, and the Enemy's chariots of iron, since hardship is the price of the victor's coronation. Arches of triumph are made not of rose blossoms and strands of silk but of hard blows and bloody scars. The very hardships you are enduring in your life today have been given you by the Master, for the express purpose of enabling you to win your crown.

Therefore do not always look ahead to your tomorrows for some ideal situation, exotic difficulty, or faraway emergency in which to shine. Rise today to face the circumstances in which the providence of God has placed on you. Your crown of glory is hidden in the heart of these things--the hardships and trials pressing in on you this very hour, week, and month of your life. Yet the most difficult things are not those seen and known by the world but those deep within your soul, unseen, unknown by anyone except Jesus. It is in this secret place that you experience a little trial that you would never dare to mention to anyone else and that is more difficult for you to bear than martyrdom.

Beloved, your crown lies there. May God help you to overcome and to wear it.

It matters not how the battle goes,

The day how long;

Faint not! Fight on!

Tomorrow comes the song.

(Streams in the Desert-L.B.Cowman)

Some days....

2009-11-05T08:27:00.001-08:00

Some days are good and some days are tough. I have to admit, today is a tough one. We've had a lot going on lately and don't have much time for idle thinking. Which, is probably a good thing. Today I'm a bit emotional. The reality of having Tristan home, yesterday being the anniversary of the loss of our baby, and now, the reality of Vegas getting very close.

When I went to the doctor for my 2-week check up, actually, 3 week, she asked "Do you have days where you cry all day and want to drive off the James River Bridge?" I laughed and said "no, most days are good!". Well...today is one of those days. I can't say I want to drive off a bridge...I have too many blessings here for that...but I am a bit emotional...ok...a lot emotional.

When we lost the baby a year ago, I had nooo idea that God would decide for us to have Tristan less than a year later. Now, I can't imagine not having him and feel so blessed that God has given us him as our son. However...nothing takes the pain away. I'm thankful that God carries us when we need it...because some days I feel crippled.

I also have the reality that in 2 months we will be moving our family across the country to Las Vegas. To be honest, I'm scared to death. But..I'm also ready and excited to move on to the next part of this journey God has for us. Most days, I live in today and try not to get overwhelmed by the future. I know that God has called us to Vegas and that we have an incredible opportunity for Tommy to intern under Vince, and that our hearts are broken for the people there....God just may have to carry me some days.

Welcome Baby Tristan!!

2009-10-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Our new baby boy, Tristan Thomas Altman was born on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 8:30am, 8lbs.1oz 20 1/2 inches.

Brodie's "Real" Birthday

2009-10-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

As you know, we had Brodie's "Mickey Mouse Birthday Party" 2 weeks early this year since we were due with Tristan the day after Brodie's real birthday. I was actually surprised how well Brodie understood this...he kept saying "I'm not 3 yet...". He knew he wouldn't turn 3 until his "real birthday". He also knew that his little brother would be here around his birthday so he was also excited about that! So...when we got up that morning I told him it was his birthday, he was so excited...he said "Yay! I'm 3!!" (as he jumped up and down). We asked what he wanted for breakfast and he picked cinnamon rolls :). We went to Red Robin for lunch to celebrate with family and a couple friends.

The Birthday Boy :)

Our Family :)

Mommy made cupcakes and Red Robin brought a sundae...lucky boy :)

Brodie,

I can't believe our little boy is 3 today. My heart is full as I think of the joy you bring to our lives daily. It seems like yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital and now you have become our little boy who is full of life and laughter yet still with a sensitive heart, that melts mine. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and love you so much. We pray that you continue to grow and love Jesus with all our heart. You are so passionate, what a blessing it will be to see you as a big brother. :)

Love,

Mommy

Peanut Fest

2009-10-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

This was 2 days before Mommy's due date so luckily Aunt Dana was glad to ride the rides with Brodie. :)

Brodie was concentrating on driving...I think Aunt Dana was having the most fun. haha

Jesse and Hunter

Brodie playing the fishing game,,,he got 2 fish!

Brodie and Hunter playing with the swords they "won".

Boys being boys....

2009-10-07T22:59:00.000-07:00

My knights in shining armor....:)

I had a couple boxes and I jokingly wrapped one around Brodie and said "this can be your armor". Welll....Daddy got out the scissors and markers and you can see the rest...:)

Tristan's Nursery #2...

2009-10-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

The "rock n roll" paintings Daddy did for Tristan's nursery...

Tristan's Nursery

2009-10-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

I know you've been waiting....

Yes, we picked a name...Tristan Thomas Altman

Yes, the nursery is complete except for 2 pictures Daddy has painted that are going in there. (They are drying in the garage and will hopefully be ready to put in there tomorrow).

Here's a sneak peak≈

Mommy and Tristan in the nursery (39 weeks)

The "rock n roll" bedding...

Brodie's 1st trip to the Dentist

2009-10-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day of appointments. We had our 39 week doctors visit this morning for the baby. All was good, just waiting on little man to decide he's ready to meet the world. :) We then took Brodie to get a haircut. Finally, we had Brodie's 1st dentist appointment!

We took him to a pediatric dentist, at place called "Children's Dental World". It was very kid friendly, the dentist was very nice and Brodie did soo good. Today was just another reminder of how 'big' my little boy has gotten. Brodie immediately loved all of the "Incredibles" posters and picked out an orange toothbrush. They had headphones on the dentist chair and tv's on the ceiling so Brodie kicked back and watched some. He did great while she cleaned/brushed his teeth, then the dentist came in and gave a good report and answered any questions we had. Here's a few pic from today...

Brodie's 3rd Birthday Party :)

2009-09-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

Brodie will turn 3 in two weeks, on October 11th, but our due date for lil man is October 12th...so we decided to have Brodie's birthday party early.

We asked Brodie what kind of birthday he wanted to have and we for sure thought he would want a "Cars" birthday, since he is really into that right now...but he told us he wanted a "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cake!!" He loves to watch Mickey Mouse and it's so cute to hear him sing the songs and say the "magic words" with Mickey.."Meeska, Mooska, Mickey Mouse!". So after several conversations of what he wanted...we planned his "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" birthday party.

Starting with Brodie's 1st birthday we started a tradition of making his birthday cakes. Brodie loves this and it's always a big deal. (Grandma was here to help with the first 2 and we missed her this year). We got online and looked at pictures and he picked a cake that he liked and wanted us to make. So...Mommy, Daddy and Nana made him this Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake. Brodie absolutely looved it and of course that makes it all worth it! :)

We are thankful for so many great family and friends that came out to celebrate with us. We had about 40 kids and adults at the party. Brodie had a blast and we hope everyone else did too! Here are a few pics from the party...

Brodie loved everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to him. He was so cute to watch as he was all smiles and couldn't wait to blow out his candle!

The birthday boy, taking the first swing at the Mickey Pinata.

Jumping in the bounce house with Caden and Samuel.

Opening some presents. We thought he wouldn't last long with this but he did until he opened every single one! My big boy...can't believe how big he looks here...

Daniel's 30th Birthday

2009-09-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Daniel!! My brother, Daniel, turned 30 this week so we celebrated with family and friends this weekend. Here are a few pics...

Got to love the shirt Mom had made for him....haha :)

The cake Mom and I made.

The 4 of us...
The volleyball game, of course!
The kiddos. Brodie, Caden and Samuel.

Baby Shower

2009-08-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Tommy and I were given a baby shower by my mom and sister. We were grateful for all the friends and family and joined us in celebrating the expected arrival of our new little one.

Pregnancy Quiz-34 weeks...

2009-08-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

How far along are you? 34 weeks

Team Blue, Pink or Green? BLUE!

How much weight have you gained? hmmm....

How many inches has your waist line increased? no idea.

Linea Nigra (dark line) on tummy? No

Belly button- innie, outtie, or flattie? hm..innie but getting to be a flattie

Stretch Marks? no, thank goodness

Any swelling (rings still on)? just recently! by the end of the day I've got to put these puffy feet up...and rings came off yesterday too. :(

Biggest pregnancy complaint/discomfort? I really don't have much to complain about. I consider it a blessing to be carrying this little one.

Future Baby Shower plans? My wonderful sister did throw us a shower last week!

Pregnancy Extras Planned (3/4D U/S, Pregnancy Photos, Belly Cast, etc)? Tommy is doing a painting with my sillouette. :)

Approximately how many fetal movements do you feel per day? Not sure, but a lot! I count this as a blessing :).

Planning on have a drug-free birth or pain med assistance? Would like to do drug-free again...but no promises! lol

Favorite Baby Find? hmm..we have a few. :) Maybe I'll share next time.

What is the first thing you are going to eat/drink after baby is born? eggs over easy or sushi, lol.

Favorite memory this week: Well...little man has had the hiccups twice recently. Also Brodie, talking about his baby brother asks "Mommy, are we going to keep him?". It's sweet seeing his little mind working.

Happy 8th Anniversary Sweetheart!

2009-08-05T03:07:00.000-07:00

So we've had a crazy week and now I'm sick and haven't been able to do much planning for our anniversary but all I can think about is how amazing my husband is and how blessed I am to be celebrating 8 years of marriage with him.

I can't put into words the love, respect, and admiration I have for you honey, but I want to share just a few of the things I love about you.

I love the way know me and the way you love me...no matter what.
I love your heart and passion for God.
I love your desire to serve God and to share Him with the lost.
I love the joy and pride that you take in being "Daddy"...to see you in action makes my heart swell.
I love that you dream big...and follow them.
I love that you aren't afraid to try new things and you don't give up.
I love that you know who you are and aren't afraid to stand up for what is right, even when most people wouldn't.
I love that you only get stronger when the things of this world try to get you down.
I love that you will fight for me and our kids...even when I don't want you to ;).
I love that you're my safe place and being in your arms can make everything else fade away.
I love that I could go on forever about the things I love about you. I love the way you make me feel like 1 in a million and the way you make me laugh and the way you still make my heart melt and that our marriage continues to get stronger.

Happy Anniversary Baby! I look forward to many more with you. It's been an amazing journey these 8 years, to say the least...as you warned me it would be ;). Thank you for being my hero, my protector, my provider, my best friend, lover and so much more. I love you with all my heart today, forever and always....your sunshine :)

Happy Birthday Christi!!

2009-08-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister-in-law, Christi! I so wish we lived closer (maybe one day, right?), and that we could be there with you today. Christi, you are beautiful inside and out. I pray that you continue to serve Christ passionately with your life and not let anyone or anything hold you back. God has blessed you and is using you to touch people's lives for Him. In a world that has become so comfortable and content with what's easy, it's a breath of fresh air to have a sister-in-Christ not settle for the "luke-warm norm". I am so thankful for you. We love you so much and hope you enjoy your special day.

Updates...

2009-07-30T12:44:00.001-07:00

Wow, okay...I have so much blogging to catch up on. Sorry guys. Now if I can just find where to begin, I'll try to get you updated....

Pregnancy Quiz

2009-07-13T06:09:00.000-07:00

How far along are you? 27.5 weeks

Team Blue, Pink or Green? BLUE!

How much weight have you gained? hmmm....

How many inches has your waist line increased? no idea.

Linea Nigra (dark line) on tummy? No

Belly button- innie, outtie, or flattie? still an innie at this point

Stretch Marks? no, thank goodness

Any swelling (rings still on)? Not so far. Yes, rings on.

Biggest pregnancy complaint/discomfort? I really don't have much to complain about.

Future Baby Shower plans? Not sure if we'll have one this time around???

Pregnancy Extras Planned (3/4D U/S, Pregnancy Photos, Belly Cast, etc)? No probably not. We like to wait to see that little face when can hold him. :)

Approximately how many fetal movements do you feel per day? Not sure, but a lot! I count this as a blessing :).

Planning on have a drug-free birth or pain med assistance? Would like to do drug-free again...but no promises! lol

Favorite Baby Find? Haven't bought much yet but I'm excited about getting matching outfits for the boys and picking out an outfit for our little man to wear home. :)

What is the first thing you are going to eat/drink after baby is born? hmm...sushi?

Favorite memory this week: Brodie came up to me today and lifted my shirt so he could see my belly and said "I wana see my brother. ..I saw him move!!" lol

Please pray with us

2009-07-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this to ask for your prayer for some major decisions and changes coming up for our family. We want to be in the center of God's will and in His perfect timing. As most of you know, we are due October 13th with another little boy and also scheduled to move to Vegas in January. This makes things a little tricky. Please pray with us about...

-*When to to put the house up for sale

-Housing arrangements until we move (with a toddler and newborn)

-*Financial Support for Vegas

These are the major ones for now. Please pray that God will guide us clearly as we seek Him in all these things. I'm sure I will add to this list and also keep you updated as things progress. Thank you for your prayers.

ER??

2009-07-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

So we're still in the Outer Banks and fortunately everything has been great...until yesterday. We had a little trauma moment. We were doing a little shopping in the "Gap." Brodie was dancing around and fell back and hit his head on the corner of a table holding clothes. He got a small gash on the very back of his head and we debated on whether to take him to get stitches or not. Since the bleeding stopped we decided not to take him. Brodie was such a trooper.

We had caught a really good sale on some toys down here and were keeping them for a special occasion. Well...Daddy pulled out this "spiderman electric guitar" to help Brodie keep his mind off things. He hasn't stopped playing with it since...

OBX July 2009

2009-07-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Our family is blessed to be in the Outer Banks for 2 weeks. Tommy is down here for "work" but hasn't had to do any yet...however he is finishing his last week of school for this semester. The weather has been beautiful everyday and we're enjoying our time at the beach and as a family. God is good and it's so nice to get away sometimes and allow Him to speak to us in quiet moments and through His awesome creation. The beach, the sunrise and sunset are some of the most beautiful and we're enjoying them all. :)

This pregnancy...

2009-06-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm going to be very honest here. I'm not sure if it will actually even get posted or not. This pregnancy has been very different and sometimes difficult. I was sitting here thinking...I have taken no pictures, bought nothing, and hardly planned for this little one. It was so hard after having the miscarriage in November and then unexpectedly conceiving again. Honestly, we just weren't ready....but actually, I'm not sure we ever would have been. Let me explain. Events like finding out your pregnant change your life forever, you immediately begin planning your life around this new little one and what it will be like. When you lose something like that, like we did, it's so hard to put your whole heart out there again. Again, it changes your whole life forever, but in a very different way. You can never imagine unless you've been there. I feel so guilty but I would find myself not wanting to plan ahead or even think of names because I had the fear of "what if ....". So day by day God is teaching me and helping me. I can say that although I was afraid to "love" this little one, I love him dearly. From the very beginning of this pregnancy I have constantly had to draw closer to God and realize that this child is HIS. We tend to think that our children our 'ours', but they're not. God just gives them to us for a little while but they are His. We think we can protect them but He can protect them like no other. We really have control over nothing. So daily I thank God for the blessing of this child, and what a special blessing it is, that He chose to give us.

So on May 28Th we found out we're having another boy. Let me share with you some special things about having another boy. First off, Brodie has said since the beginning that he wanted a little brother. (The day we were finding out the sex I had told Brodie "We're going to find out if you're going to have a little brother or sister" and Brodie said "I'm having a brother Mommy".)

Also, since I haven't posted on this before my due date is October 13Th...2 days after Brodie's birthday. This is another special thing about having another boy. All of Brodie's clothes should be perfect for this 2ND little one. I already start to think of what fun it will be planning birthdays together. You always hear that everyone wants you to have a boy and a girl...but there's something special about 2 brothers or 2 sisters. :). I think they share a bond that is different. Of course all we know right now is boys, but I can't imagine it any other way. Brodie brings so much joy to our lives that we are thrilled to have another boy :). Also, I'm so blessed to be married to an incredibly awesome godly man that I think it's awesome that God has given us the privilege to raise warriors for HIM. I can think of no one better than their Daddy as a better example or father to raise them to be warriors for Christ.

What a blessing it is to feel this very active little man inside of me moving around so often. Our doctors visit yesterday was good; it's always precious to hear the healthy heartbeat again. Also, at our last ultrasound he was breach. Yes, there's still plenty of time and room for him to turn and we've been told they usually do so several times, and that there are ways to turn them if they don't on their own, but please pray that he doesn't stay in that position.

Thanks for reading as I've shared my heart. This was the first post on this pregnancy and we are 24 weeks along. I hope to now be more frequent on my updates to follow this pregnancy.

Summer Fun!

2009-06-18T13:41:00.002-07:00

Brodie loves playing outside in the backyard and loves the water. His friend Luke came over to play for a little while and I took a few pics.

I think Luke was squirting Brodie with the water gun....and Brodie's getting a kick out of getting him back. Luke was actually laughing.

I know, not the greatest...but they're boys, right? lol
Learning to ride the scooter Luke brought over.

Trip to Kentucky!

2009-06-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

So Memorial Day weekend Brodie, Mommy, Nana and Uncle Christian took a trip to Kentucky with Papa, Doris and (great) Uncle Wayne. Papa bought a new place there so we went to visit and we also went for the annual "Brown" reunion. It was a long trip but we knew it would mean a lot to Papa (and Daddy had lots of school work to catch up on while we were gone!).

Mommy, Brodie, Papa and Uncle Christian at the reunion

Papa with his brothers and sisters. (Carmel, Neola, Joanne, Laverne, and Billy)

Nana and Brodie

Brodie with Uncle Christian

Brodie and Papa swinging :)

Brodie checkin out the lizard the other kids caught in the cup.

Hangin out

Brodie playing cars with Carmel.

Brodie with his friend Aiden

The log roll race down the hill.....only in Kentucky, hahaha.

Papa playing corn-hole with Jean

The racoon that would come eat the cat food on Papa's porch every night.

These horses come down and eat right behind their house!

Krispy Kreme..Yum!

2009-06-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

As a special treat one Saturday morning Daddy took us to Krispy Kreme for breakfast. Of course Mommy, being pregnant and all, had been talking about it but it's a little drive so we hardly ever go. You've got to go when the "hot sign" is on and they just melt in your mouth. Man...I'm getting the craving again just talking about them! ;);)

The Strawberry Patch!

2009-06-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

Rock N Roll-Rockstar Videos!

2009-06-17T22:52:00.000-07:00

Our little Rockstar :). Brodie rockin out "Jesus Loves Me."

Slip N Slide!

2009-06-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

Christian's MBA Graduation

2009-06-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

Ringling Brothers "Zing Zang Zoom" Circus! April 2009

2009-06-17T21:36:00.001-07:00

Like Father-Like Son....

2009-06-17T21:26:00.002-07:00

Loved these...Daddy was working on his motorcycle and of course Brodie wanted to be just like Daddy. Brodie said he was "fixin his motorcycle like Daddy."

Brodie loves to cut the grass with Daddy....

Camping with the Dugans April 2009

2009-06-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Brodie walking back to the camper after the campfire
Krystal and Nora
Nora practicing for the "hula-hoop" contest
The guys playing corn-hole

The boys...Boche Ball

Brodie goin fishin!
Brodie and Ryland...Too cute!

Brodie and Caden!

2009-06-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Kangaroo Jacs! They were so cute together. They were always looking for and waiting for the other one. They loved this place :).

3 little chefs :)
Driving the "Choo-Choo Train"

Brodie and his buddy Luke :)

Brodie and Caden at Chuck-E-Cheese

Blog catch-up...coming soon!

2009-06-14T21:00:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I'm really bad at this blogging thing. I know...I have so much to update you on. Maybe we'll try to catch up some tomorrow? Then maybe I'll try to keep up! ...maybe....

Easter 2009

2009-04-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Brodie Easter morning telling the Easter story. We opened an egg each day for the 12 days leading up to Easter and inside each egg was something that told another piece of the Easter story. Brodie loved doing this and it amazed me at how much he remembered and still talks about pieces of the story. I love how tender their hearts are at this early age and how they take in everythinng.

Coloring Easter Eggs....

Brodie with his easter basket, Easter morning.

Daddy and Brodie with waterguns from Brodie's Easter basket.

Brodie and Caden heading out for the Easter Egg Hunt at Nana and Grandads...

Skateboarding with Aunt Michelle!
Our little skateboarder...isn't he cute?!
The big volleyball game!!
hmm...don't worry Dana and I really did play...not sure why we don't look "ready". :)

Moments with Grandma

2009-04-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

I love this pic of Grandma with her two boys :).

Grandma came in to visit for the Easter weekend! We all enjoyed our time with her while she was here and were sad to see her go. It's tough sometimes having family so far away but we're thankful for the moments we do get. Brodie warmed right up and was her buddy for the weekend :). Here are some moments we had while she was here.

I just love these precious pictures from Easter.

We took Brodie to an easter egg hunt Saturday morning.

At the park...

We went to Five Guys for lunch...Brodie would say his tummy hurt and ask Daddy to rub it, lol.
Coloring Easter eggs!!

We also all went to dinner with all of Grandma's family. Here's a couple group shots.
Daddy and Brodie with Gilly

All the boys!
Brodie with Grandma and Memaw
One last pic of Brodie and Grandma. We love you Grandma, come back soon. :)

The Zoo with friends :)

2009-04-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

We had some nice weather so we took a trip to the zoo with friends. I have so many pictures of the animals from previous trips that I didn't take many of them this time. Just the one of the lion because its always hard to get a good shot of them!

Brodie with one of his best buddies, Parker.

My cool little man :)

Brodie and Mason!
Friends! Kelly and Mason with Brodie and I..riding the train around the zoo!
Gina and little Bryce :)

Thomas and Friends LIVE!

2009-04-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

So Brodie really wanted to go see Thomas and we got a really good deal on some good seats, so we decided to go. It was good, definately better than I expected it to be...we really didn't know what to expect. Anyway, Brodie liked it and was adorable doing some of the motions along with the songs. He was also happy to have his popcorn :).

Thomas and Percy!!

Our Fam :)

Brodie rolling like the wheels on the choo-choo train.

Brodie with Mommy and Nana

Brodie loves his popcorn :) lol
Brodie and Daddy

Clapping to the song

Thomas and Percy with the circus train.

No idea why he was soo excited, I think he was just excited to stand up in his seat and jump, lol.

Thomas, Gordon, James and Percy!

Too cute~ :)

Motorcycle!!

2009-04-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

So...Brodie loooves motorcycles and anything with motorcycle on it. The other day I had on a shirt that just said "Harley Davidson"(with no motorcycles on it) and Brodie said "that your motorcycle shirt Mommy". lol. He has a bikeweek motorcycle shirt that he loves to wear.

So needless to say he has taken after his Daddy and Grandaddy on this love for motorcycles. Brodie was sooo excited to get his first "motorcycle"...Thank you Grandaddy! :)

He realized he needed a helmet so he got his "handy manny" helmet out, lol.

Daddy and Brodie putting it together...and then the finished product :).

Such a big boy!!

Fingerpainting...

2009-04-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

So we pulled out the fingerpaints! Brodie was cautious at first...starting with one finger, then a couple fingers, then one whole hand...and of course by the end it was both hands. lol. He loved it and he did a great job! We did one big one for home and we did a smaller one for Daddy to take to his office :).

Happy Birthday Tommy/Daddy!

2009-03-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Happy 28th Birthday Baby! We are so grateful for you and the amazing man that you are. It melts my heart to watch you as 'Daddy' and how Brodie wants to be just like you. I'm thankful for a godly husband with whom I'm so in love with and couldn't ask for more. You have so much to be proud of. We love you and hope you enjoy your special day.

Brodie was so excited about making and eating the cake, opening the presents, and singing "Happy Birthday Daddy!" allll day. It was too cute, I'll try to post a video if I can. It was a special blessing to have such beautiful weather all weekend. We got to hang out and have some family time as well as spend some time with friends.

It Snowed!!...well a little :)

2009-03-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

So it snowed...a little. This is the first snow day we've had that Brodie has been able to go out and play in it. He loooooved it! We went out first thing in the morning and then took a break to get warm and then went back out again. I would be freezing and Brodie would still say "I'm not cold"..haha...meaning he wasn't ready to come in. Daddy got to join us for a few minutes this morning before work. Sugar also loved it and Brodie had a blast laughing at her and throwing snowballs at her. I finally got him in by bribing him with some hot chocolate :).

I told Brodie to say "cheese" and this is the face I got..lol.

Sugie loved the snow too. :)

Brodie getting a snowball ready to get Daddy!

Daddy and Brodie making snowballs

Daddy made Brodie a big one..to throw at Sugar.

And another one...

Again...

Daddy and Brodie throwing snowballs.

My boys :)

Giving Daddy kisses before work.

Update #2

2009-03-01T18:36:00.001-08:00

So Tommy is home, thank goodness. And Brodie is now feeling better. I think the fever had to due with his 2-year molars coming in. Tommy threw me a surprise birthday party Friday night. (Yes, he pulled it off without me having a clue...crazy huh?). We went to an all day marriage conference Saturday, which was really good...I'll try to share more later. Just wanted to update you so in case you were wondering....

Small Update

2009-02-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

Just a small update today. Brodie woke at 5:30am this morning and was burning up with a fever of 101. He's been fine today and has no other symptoms, just can't kick the fever. It's ranging from around 100 to 103. Say a prayer our little man gets feeling better soon. Thanks.

So Tommy has been in Austin, Texas for a Church Planters Conference with ELI since Saturday. I know he has learned a lot and enjoyed being with some awesome christians and leaders but is also looking forward to coming home. Brodie and I are getting ready to head to the airport to pick him up. We Missed You Daddy!!! :)

Vegas #1!

2009-02-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hey! Dont have much time to blog right now, but here are a few pics from our trip. I promise to do more sooon! This is one of my favorite ones. I love the lights of the strip in the background night. We were actually on top of the parking garage at the Bellagio, watching some of the water show that was below. These couple pics were taken on the old strip downtown, Freemont St.

So..we went to the Coke place. Jen encouraged Tommy to "experience" the tasting of "16 cokes from around the world". You can tell by our faces...most of them were gross! It amazed us that they drink these drinks in their country like we drink "coke" in ours. Ew. Anyway, it was a fun experience.

Then the M&M World! Loved it :). You can see the wall of "m & m's". Of course we got Brodie "blue M&M's" :). This place was 4 levels!

Ok, so not a great pic...but this is Vegas. It is surrounded by mountains. More to come later!...

Broken...

2009-02-23T21:30:00.000-08:00

Ok...so I blogged and told you how Vegas started for me. Now I'll share with you about some life experience. On November 4, 2008 I was 17 weeks pregnant with our 2nd child. I went in for a regular visit only to find that they could no longer find the heartbeat of my baby. I think my heart stopped in that moment. Actually, I think it shattered. It was a pain I could never have imagined...and will never get over. This baby was already a part of our life, our dreams, our home. Gone in an instant...not a thing you can do to make it better or to go back and change it. Wishing you could wake up from this bad dream and go back to things as you remembered them the day before. Tommy and I held each other and cried...for days. We coped the best we knew how. We had so many emotions and so many questions. In times like these we want to blame God or question why...but we found that ultimately..He was the only place we found real comfort. To experience His peace...not that everything will be perfect...but that He will help us make it through it. I had to finally come to a point to say, ok...we experienced this...we would never choose it..but it happened...now what? So, how can God use it? For one, our marriage. We thought our marriage was good...even great. This experience took our marriage to another level, it bonded us like nothing ever before. Maybe this was part of the preparation for Vegas? Wow...to use it to help other people. God has already used this to allow us to help other people. To experience the brokeness and pain on that level. It's definately something you can never imagine, having never been there. So maybe how could we help people who are there if we had never been there? So one of the reasons we were going to Vegas was to help the hurting and broken people there...and now...we know what it feels like to be there. Although, we have Christ as our comfort and anchor. I can't imagine going through life or experiences without Him. So although it has been 3 months and 19 days, we are continuing to heal. As Tommy helped explain it...it is an open raw wound at first, then begins to scab over and eventually scars over. It will always be there and always be at a tender spot in our life. Sometimes the scab is ripped off and the wound reopens, but I pray that God will continue to use it to help others who are wounded and scarred.

A Call to Endure...

2009-02-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

So my brother Christian wrote this and I thought he was right on, so I stole it and thought I'd share it here with you.

Where’s your breaking point? Everyone has one...regardless of who you are. It’s that place where life becomes too much to handle. It’s that time when your circumstances encompass you and it becomes hard to breathe. It’s how you feel when you feel betrayed by everything you’ve ever known and you have no place to turn. The point in life, where you give in to the pressures of this world and your eyes swell with tears that you can’t seem to hold in any longer. The flood gates give way and everything comes crashing down on you. The front comes down…the walls you build tumbles to the floor… the happy, go lucky face you put on every morning suddenly seems pointless and not worthy of effort. It’s harder to get out of bed and your day seems to be filled with that one consuming thought that you can’t seem to get past. Your world collapses. Everything you’ve held on to suddenly vanishes with the blink of an eye. Your Identity is gone. You come to question everything. Everything you thought you knew and had figured out suddenly becomes a twisted ball of confusion and unanswered questions. This place you’ve come to…this moment in time…it’s come to be known as your breaking point.

Being that my childhood, consisted of blast doubles and Granby rolls, all I’ve ever known and been taught is that your body can handle much more than your mind allows. Pain, sweat, and tears are all apart of reaching your goals (in life and sports). To overcome these circumstances, that seem to testify against all that is good and pleasing, we must endure. We are called to endure. Regardless of the current trendy pop song lyrics or the cliché, life is not about rainbows and butterflies. Don’t get me wrong, good times and God’s creation contains indescribable joy and enticement that my words could never serve justice in attempts to describe. But, during these desert times…we are called to persevere. Paul encourages the Romans to actually rejoice in these times, in times of suffering and utter despair. Wow…that’s intense. He writes, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…” (Romans 5:2b-4).

Now, the question is: Why is it so hard for us to grasp the truth of these words? Our nature tells us the exact opposite of this statement. At the first site of pain or discomfort, we flee. We take off sprinting in the opposite direction, instead of rely on His peace and strength, which is more than enough and surpasses all understanding. However, Paul teaches us to endure these times because they make us stronger and prepare us for what lies ahead. It is a Call. A Call to Endure. We are Called to Endure hard times, times of utter despair and suffering, by rely not on our own strength, but His. I pray that I grow to fully understand this concept and that I endure (no matter the situation or circumstances), just as Christ endured on the Cross by taking on the sins of the world, because my Identity is in ChristOneLove. OneGod. OneWay.

Sometimes we need reminders...

2009-02-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

"Surely I am with you always" Matthew 28:20
"Never look ahead to the changes and challenges of this life in fear. Instead, as they arise look at them with full assurance that God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. Hasn't He kept you safe up to now? So hold His loving hand tightly, and He will lead you safely through all things. And when you cannot stand, He will carry you in His arms.
Do not look ahead to what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you His unwavering strength that you may bear it. Be at peace, then, and set aside all anxious thoughts and worries." Francis de Sales

"The Lord is my shepherd" Psalm 23:1
Not was, not may be, nor will be. "The Lord is my shepherd." He is on Sunday, on Monday, and through evey day of the week. He is in January, in December, and every month of the year. He is when I'm at home and in China. He is during peace or war, and in times of abuncance or poverty. J.Hudson Taylor

(excerpt from Streams in the Desert by L.B.Cowman)

Vegas...where it all started for me...

2009-02-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

I'm going to share a little bit of my heart with you and "why Vegas."

I can remember...we received the letter stating that Vince was going to be leaving Forefront and going to start a church on the strip. I thought "man that stinks, I liked them...but that's cool for them to go do that." For a second Tommy joked "maybe we could go with him". "Yeah right...God would never call us to do that" I thought. A few days later I read this...
(Below is an excerpt from our pastor, Vince Antonucci's blog for July 25th 2008)...

"...the Strip might be the most difficult place to start a church. Period. But it also may be the place with the greatest need. About 25 casinos dominate the four mile stretch of road called the Strip. About 300,000 people work on the Strip. Many of them are not only sinners, but their entire lives, even their livelihoods, are wrapped up in sin. Everywhere you go on the Strip there are offers for “Girls in your room in 20 minutes.” There are 10,000 strippers who call Vegas home. The area has the highest crime and suicide rates in the country. One author called the Strip, “a modern amalgamation of Sodom, Gomorrrah and Hell.” Later an area pastor (who knows me and believes me) said he couldn’t imagine how you could build a church over 15 people there. Another told me that starting a church there was a “suicide mission.” So why go against those odds? Well, two reasons. One, as the guy said on the phone, “Someone’s got to try it.” And, second, I recently preached on David vs. Goliath. And we talked about how while the other Israelite soldiers saw how big Goliath was, David could only see how big his God was. And while the other Israelite soldiers thought, “He’s so big, how could I win?” David thought, “He’s so big, how can I miss?” And how facing Goliath forces you to rely on God and see His power at work in your life. Yeah, that’s the second reason."

God stirred my heart and this brought me to tears...tears for the broken and hurting people and tears of acknowleding that God was going to use us to help. The sin, the hurt, the brokeness, the lost, on and on. Someone had to go. So..the next day or so we are driving to our small group and Tommy says "will you pray about going to Vegas" (he has no idea that I had even had the slightest thought or reaction to Vegas). I told him I had been praying about it(which of course surprised him...but I also knew God was telling us to go). So on the way to group that night we discussed why Vince or anyone would go to Vegas....it came down to, because that's where Jesus would go..today. So we got to group and our discussion was same conversation that we had in the car....Tommy and I looked at each other ...and just knew that it was God. So that night we asked Vince and our group to pray for us about going to Vegas. I was hoping I could talk God out of it, honestly..or that He would change His mind. So, anyway, over and over He has confirmed it to us....GO..people there need you. We know they don't need us...they need HIM. We are honored and priviledged that God might be able to use someone like us...that we can be a small part of making the difference in someones eternity.

Viva Las Vegas!!!

2009-02-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we leave tomorrow for Vegas. Please be in prayer for all of us as Brodie will be staying home with family and friends. I'm sure we will have lots to share with you when we return. Thanks :)

Brodie and Caden

2009-01-31T20:31:00.000-08:00

So Caden got to stay with us for a few days and we had such a good time. It's hard being so far away from cousins (Chas and Cherish too!). We cherish the times we get to have together.

These pics are from our trip to the childrens museum.

Trains!!

They did so good climbing...Daddy would be proud :)

and the slide...

Parker who is one of Brodie's best buddies was also there with us.

Brodie and Parker in the boat.

Caden sliding...

Caden in the firetruck! He loved this.

Brodie and Caden in the grocery store. This is so cool..the kids have their own little baskets and can go around the store and 'shop'.

It appears as though Brodie really likes bananas...lol.

Reading before bed at Nana's house. :)

Piggy Bank

2009-01-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

So Brodie looooves his Harley piggy bank from grandaddy. He gets so excited to put his money in...and he's doing a good job..I think we may need to take it to the bank soon..but he says no. Anyway, this is Daddy giving Brodie some money to put in his piggy bank.Brodie, pretending to listen to the lesson Daddy is teaching him on money..while he's really just trying to get his socks off. lol

So excited to put each one in. :)

He always shakes it after he finishes putting money in...I guess he wants to feel how heavy it is.

Daddy had him give the piggy a kiss.

The Childrens Museum

2009-01-31T12:04:00.000-08:00

We have the family pass to the children's museum so it's something we do somewhat often. These pics are when we went with our friends Trisha, Luke, Kelly and Mason (I believe that Gina, Parker and Bryce were there but had to leave a little earlier). Anyway, these are just a few pics of the boys.

This first one is Brodie and Luke jumping up and down on the bus.

The bubble room!

Kelly did it!

They love the blocks...of course being boys their favorite part is knocking them down! lol

The Aquarium...

2009-01-31T10:27:00.000-08:00

So Brodie and I got the opportunity to go to the VA Beach Aquarium with our friends Gina, Parker, Kelly and Mason :). This was back in Nov or December..yes I'm late.

Brodie and Parker looking at the first aquarium we came to.

Gina and Parker, Brodie, and Kelly and Mason all taking a look.

This was a man giving a presentation on this particular one. It was neat but we didn't watch too long due to busy little ones.

The cutest picture of Brodie and Mason! :)

The boys inside the "submarine" messing with all the controls.

Kelly with Brodie...he must be eating.

cool lion fish

Brodie and the BIG sea turtle!

Giving the sea turtle a kiss

Touching the sting rays...

Brodie would rather watch the stingrays through the glass than touch them.

What a fun trip. Brodie and I are grateful for the times we have with great friends.

Arms Open Wide

2009-01-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

So Brodie just comes running to me, with arms out and says "Hold me Mommy". (He does this all the time...but I still looove it). I dread the day that Brodie stops doing that..I hope he never stops. I can't help but think of how God feels with us. Like how He lovesssss for us to come running to Him and to scoop us up in His arms. I bet He hopes that we never get too big or too strong or too independent..so that we no longer run to Him as our "Daddy". I know we run to Him when we have problems or even sometimes to say thank you for a special blessing...but do you run to Him daily? Just to sit in His lap and tell Him about your day? Or to ask for His guidance? or just to say "I love you"? or just to listen? My how patient He is as He sits and waits for us to come running...arms open wide. Run to Him...tell Him you love Him....just rest in His arms.

My silly boy...

2009-01-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

Mommy: "Who got crumbs on the couch?" (just to see what he'd say)
Brodie: "Brodie did it Mommy....I brush it off Mommy, I brush it off"
(As he begins to brush it off to the floor. lol)

Just made me chuckle and thought I'd share. :)

Peanut Partyyyyyy!!!!!

2009-01-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, so let me tell you how this began. I was packing up Christmas stuff and was going to take down some pictures and pack them away in this box (full of packing peanuts). Brodie was soon to wake from his nap so I thought, "Hmm...he'd have fun with these. What's the worst that can happen?..just some peanuts on the floor, right?" Oh boy....I had noooo idea....I'll let you see for yourself :) haha. (You'll notice he gets more bold as it goes on). Definately a priceless moment.

"Hiding"

He told us he was "kateboarding"....

"Kateboarding" again..

Haha, Daddy came home and thought Momma had lost her mind....but definately joined in the fun! lolol Ohhh the mess we had to clean up....

Happy New Year 2009!!!

2009-01-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

So saying goodbye to 2008 and looking forward to a new one, 2009. We had a quiet evening at home to bring in the New Year. Brodie sleeping soundly with Benedryl to help the chickenpox. Tommy and I had some snacks and watched the ball drop. As I reflect on the last year, soo much has happened...some mountains and some vallies....overall we're thankful that our Lord is faithful no matter what.

Chickenpox...oh no!

2009-01-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we found out on New Years Eve, that our poor little Brodie has chickenpox. ugh. Of course as a Mom, I wish it could be me instead of him. Tommy and I were not expecting this at alllll. Yes, all New Years plans were cancelled but of course we were more worried about our little one. Tommy has been off with it being the holidays so it has been nice to have him home with us while we wait out the contagious period of the pox. Anyway, I'm very thankful that it has been a mild case. Brodie had the chickenpox shot at 12 months old. From what I've been told, the shot usually keeps kids from getting the virus, however if they do get it then it makes it so it is not as severe as it used to be. So, they say under thirty pox is normal for chickenpox, with having the shot. Brodie has about 15 right now. He itches occasionally or will say "hurt" and point to one. He's still been playing well and eating well...so I'm thankful for that. He has been such a trooper! We have a few more days to go and hopefully we'll be back to normal...you can pray we don't go stir crazy or get cabin fever while staying in. :) I'm posting some pics for you to see.

So we saw the first 2 dots on the back of his neck and 2 under his arm on Monday. Tommy thought they looked like spider bites so he went searching Brodie's been for a spider. We see one on his hand on Tuesday. We weren't sure if it was some sort of allergic reaction or a rash to something. So Wednesday...we see 2 more on the backside of his knee and another one on the side of his neck. I called the doctor, and after my communicating to them what was going on and them asking questions and giving me information....the doctor confirmed to us it was definately chickenpox.

His oatmeal bath....

Playing Catch up....

2009-01-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm sooo behind on here....I think I'll start with up to date and go backwards..lol. Sorry, hopefully now that all the craziness is over I will be able to keep up. Wait...is the craziness ever over? lol. Anyway, thanks for being patient....I'm working on it. :)

Christmas Season Pics

2008-12-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

These are a few Christmas season pics. This first one was an attempt at a family photo...lol..so that didn't quite work out. Brodie is definately a clown these days ( I know he must get this from his daddy). He is such a joy and keeps us laughing all the time.

Again...we're trying to take a picture and Brodie is thinking about those presents and which one he's going to open.lol.

These pics are when we took him to see Santa. He loved Santa this year and did not want to wait in line to see him. He kept saying "my turn".

Brodie definately wasn't into the family photo idea. lol
So he finally got to see Santa and he did great. He looked at him and talked to him but only smiled a little for the picture. I dont have it to upload but maybe I'll scan it later.

This was after he sat on Santa's lap. This is the polar express. That look looks a little mischievious to me...

Decorating for Christmas 2008

2008-12-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

So these are some pics of our family getting the tree up and decorated. Brodie was so excited and absolutely loved hanging the ornaments especially his. We also got out the nativity scene and Brodie's favorite is always "baby Jesus".

So this is Daddy putting our tree up. For right now we have a fake one..when Brodie is big enough and will get excited about going to pick out a real one we may do that. For now..this is good for us :). This is Brodie hanging one of the first ornaments. He chose "Lightening McQueen" from the Cars movie.

He then hung the rest of the cars characters. He was so excited and had his own little spot on the tree where he liked to hang "his ornaments".

Daddy and Brodie hanging some ornaments.

And then looking at them :)

Mommy and Daddy sneakin a kiss...look out for Brodie with the role of wrapping paper! lol

Brodie and Daddy dancin. looove it :)

Brodie putting out the Veggie Tales nativity.

Brodie's first wedding - Abbey and Derek Gaskill

2008-12-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

So we took Brodie to his first wedding (since kids were invited)..Abbey Pegram and Derek Gaskill got married in November. These pics are only from the reception and in some you will see he was getting sleepy but you will also see him tearing up the dance floor.lol.

We were grateful to celebrate this special day with Abbey and Derek as they begin their lives together. It is awesome to see the love they each share for the Lord and to now use that as they continue to serve Him together.
Family pic.
Us girls :)

Dana and Jesse
Mom and Dad

Dana and I

Dana and I with the beautiful bride..Abbey

Mom and I

Brodie on the dance floor...either break dancing or falling....

Daddy and Brodie...Brodie getting sleeeepy. (Hint: paci and ear)

Mommy and Daddy dancing...then Brodie jumped in.lol

Mommy and Brodie dancin

Handsome lil fella still dancin...

Tommy and I

Brodie, dancing with Mrs. Pegram..bride's mom. precious.

Brodie...dancing with the bride...being a ladies man with the girls. :) lol

Dad and I

Nana and Brodie

The beautiful couple. Abbey and Derek Gaskill :)