12/12/12

What a day this is! Today is Scott's 40th birthday.
12/12/12
What a fabulous date to celebrate such a big day!

40 years ago my husband was born. He doesn't look a day over 33, and most people's mouths gape open when they learn how "old" he is. 

40 years ago the husband to my children came into this world. It fascinates me to know that God knew that we would marry and have TWO more children than we would plan on having. God knew how wonderful of a daddy Scott would make.

 

40 years ago my soul mate was put on this earth. There were twists and turns in our lives that seemingly led in differing directions, but in the end they brought us to one another.

And I am so very blessed!!

True Love on Valentine's Day

I read this blog post and thought that it was absolutely perfect for Valentine's Day.

Enjoy.

http://wearethatfamily.com/2012/02/the-key-to-a-good-marriage-free-printable/

Multitudes on Monday

779. Scott being born 39 years ago today

780. so incredibly thankful that God brought our lives together

781. our THREE children that have been created by God through us

782. snuggling on the couch after the kiddos are in bed

783. sharing laughs

784. delicious birthday dinners

785. amazingly delicious birthday cupcakes :)

786. warm hugs

787. flirting

788. memories of our time before kids and with kids

789. Scott's generosity toward others

790. Scott's patience with Ella Beth's mood swings

791. Scott's ability to keep up with Landon's ALL-BOY-NEVER-ENDING-ENERGY

792. birthday surprises - even if they will be here a little late ;)

793. Scott's laid-back, easy-going, rarely-in-a-hurry attitude

794. the MOST WONDERFUL HUSBAND I could have ever have been given

Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God every time I remember you."

8 Wonderful Years

Today marks 8 years that I have been married to my best friend. I love that after 8 years, we are still in love - we still cuddle, tease each other, flirt, and enjoy being together.

I am truly blessed to be Scott's bride, and I look forward to many more years together. :)

We celebrated our anniversary on Monday because Scott didn't have to work all day. We saw the movie, The Lincoln Lawyer...it had a great plot, but the language was slightly atrocious. Afterward, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Rice, close to our house. We shared an appetizer (awww!) and each enjoyed a new item off the menu (which is a really big deal to me b/c I usually order the same thing everywhere I go).

Of course, we had our picture taken. And I just love that we still look so much alike. :)

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful man!!! I am SO proud to be his bride!

Marriage Questions

This is pretty darn silly, but it was fun to reminence. :) Thanks, Cherish, for these fun questions!

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How long have you been together? Married for 8 years next month, and started dating about a year before that

How long did you know each other before you started dating? A couple of months

Who asked who out? Well officially he asked me out, but I showed up on his doorstep first!

Did you go to the same school? Nope. We didn't meet until we taught together 

Who is the most sensitive? Definitely me, Scott calls me "Barney" sometimes

What about pets? Scott had a dog, Mandy, when we got married but she passed away; we tried having a cat (twice!)

Where do you eat out most as a couple? We really don't eat out much. Seriously.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? We led a missions trip to Haiti last year together

Who has the craziest exes? I'll say that I defintely had one, but that's a long time ago


Who has the worst temper? Neither of us really. He's more laid back, but neither of us has a hot temper

Who does the cooking? Both of us-we love to cook. But, I try to be a good stay-at-home wife and have meals ready when my hubby gets home since he works so hard to provide for us.


Who is more social? Definitely me. Scott is definitely a homebody


Who is the neat freak? OCD = me.


Who is the most stubborn? Scott. Hands down. And now he's seeing just how stubborn he really is b/c Landon is just like him!
Who hogs the bed? Scott. I don't move when I sleep, and he tosses and turns...and steals the covers!
Who wakes up earlier? Usually him, but only because he has to go to work and likes to leave early. I get up between 6:30-7 a.m.
Where was your first date? Georgio's Italian Restaurant...where I was introduced to people who had known Scott forever and had lots to tell. ;)
How long did it take to get serious? Not long. We both knew we'd found what we had been looking for 


Who eats more? Let's just say we both like to eat. A lot. But, healthy food, of course. Ahem, most of the time.


Who does the laundry? We both do. Don't be jealous, but Scott has always done his own laundry. He even does the kiddos' if I haven't gotten to it! I'm one lucky girl. :) 


Who drives when you are together? Always him, because he thinks it's the husbandly thing to do. I'm working on not being a passenger-seat-driver. :) 


Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong? That would be me. Always. And NO it's NOT because I am wrong more often! It's just b/c I'm sensitive, and if I've done something wrong I know it and can't live with it.
Who wears the pants in the relationship? Outsiders would think I do, but he really does. I like a man in control. I try to let him lead, and I do my best to follow. But we do make a good team when we put our heads together.


Who eats more sweets? When we got married, and for the first 5 years of our marriage, it would have been Scott - hands down. I never liked sweets, only salty foods. However, since having Landon my tastebuds have changed for the worst. Now we both have HUGE "sweet tooths." However, I can usually stop at one serving and Scott can't!

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Now it's your turn to be silly with me! Just copy the questions and have fun answering them! Come on, you know you want to. :)

Good Parenting Reminders

"A Child's 10 Commandments to Parents"

by Dr. Kevin Leman

1.
My hands are small; please don't expect perfection whenever I make a
bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow
down so that I can keep up with you.

2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely. Don't restrict me unnecessarily.

3.
Housework will always be there. I'm only little for a short time,
please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world and
do so willingly.

4. My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to
my needs. Don't nag me all day long. (You wouldn't want to be nagged
for your inquisitiveness). Treat me as you would like to be treated.

5.
I am a special gift from God; please treasure me as God intended you to
do, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live
by and disciplining me in a loving manner.

6. I need your encouragement to grow. Please go easy on the criticism.

7.
Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit
me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I'll be
prepared to make the kinds of decisions that life requires of me.

8.
Please don't do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my
efforts didn't quite measure up to your expectations. I know it's hard,
but please don't try to compare me to my brother or sister.

9.
Please don't be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need
vacations from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids.
Besides, it's a great way to show us kids that your marriage is very
special.

10. Please teach me about Jesus and take me to church
regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning
more about God.

Make Love a Verb

What do these words all have in common?

*Run

*Hop

*Skip

*Love

Give up?

These words are all VERBS. The definition of a Verb is: a word that denotes an action, an occurrence, or a state of being.

So, what's love got to do, got to do with it? (Thank you, Tina!)

Love is a verb. Love is something you do for someone else. Contrary to popular/cultural belief, it's not a feeling; it's an action.

Andy Stanley did a message series called Staying In Love about a year ago at Browns Bridge Community Church. This message series did more to bloom my marriage with Scott than any book, lesson, talk, etc. We are both very excited to go through the series again now with our small group. Hoping even more positive blooms come forth. The entire premise of Andy's message is that we need to MAKE LOVE...A VERB. Implication intended. :)

Andy concentrates on this passage of scripture:

Philippians 2:3-8"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!"

It's the first part of these verses that strikes me the most..."Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves..."

Wouldn't the world surely be a different place -- wouldn't our marriages be different -- if we all valued others above ourselves?

Last week in our small group, we had an amazing discussion about "mutual submission." Submission is such an ugly word in today's society, but it's quite the opposite in light of how God intended submission to be.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition." Don't do something to make sure you win, you get your way, you manipulate your spouse...hmmm.

"Do nothing out of vain conceit." Don't do something your spouse doesn't appreciate (or has asked you out right not to do) simply because you want to, you can, you think you have the right to...ouch.

"In humility value others above yourselves." Treat your spouse as though he is more important than you are. 

Sound too hard to do? Well, just imagine this:

How different would your marriage be if your husband treated YOU as if YOU were more important than him? Think about that for a minute...would you treat your husband better? would you be sweeter? more thoughtful? more intimate?

Turn that around one more time...if you treated your husband as if HE was more important - do you think he would treat you better? would he be sweeter? more thoughtful? more romantic?

Now, just imagine if you BOTH valued one another above the other. THAT is the jackpot! That is what mutual submission truly means.

It's worked for us :)

 

And, in the words of Andy Stanley...if you make love a verb, you'll make love more often. :)