Throw Away Your Magnifying Glass, It's Lying to You

In this world where we are encouraged to compare, to nit pick our imperfections and to feel inferior, it is easy to use a magnifying glass on ourselves and compare it to the small snap shots and keyhole peeks that we get of others.  We forget that when someone shares an amazing thing they did on Facebook or Instagram and esp. on their blog that this is only one small part of their life and who they really are as a person and that more than likely those picture perfect posts and photographs are perfectly staged and manipulated to show only the perfections while just beyond the cameras view or just outside of what was actually shared there lies a mess, a big mess, of one kind or another.


God may know us so intimately that He knows our every evil thought and sin but He has a perfect and eternal perspective that puts those things in their proper place, as part of the far more important whole of how you will learn and grow and become the amazing person that you already are in so many ways and will become fully if you allow them to be stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks.



Because we have a much more limited perspective we need to throw away our magnifying glass and focus only on the big picture.

Here are my guidelines for determining if I'm on the path to the person I want to be and see myself as:

Do people know that I care about them because I am generally loving and kind?
Am I usually doing the best I know how in the moment?
Am I always striving to know, do and be better?
Do I apologize when I know that I was in the wrong or hurt someone no matter how it happened?

If you are doing those four things then you aren't just doing okay, you are doing AWESOME and the details will take care of themselves.

Fishes and Loaves

This is from Bishop T.D. Jakes on the miracle of the loaves and fishes:

"You know the story as well as I do, that there was a little boy there with two fish and five loaves of bread and then the begins to occur.  And He took it and He blessed it.  Then I'd like to talk about that because He's blessing something that is not enough. Until you can be thankful for the thing that is not enough then what you have cannot be multiplied into what is more than enough.

We are certain that He had two fish and five loaves of bread when He blessed it, as He broke it that's where we lose count.  You understand then that the blessing is in the breaking.  That that refuses to be broken refuses to be blessed. It is the breaking of life that is the blessing of life.  Now I know that there are a lot of you don't understand that because you yourselves have refused to be broken but I have noticed in my life that the most blessed people I have met in my life have gone through something that broke them."

"His name, El Shaddai, means more than enough, why would a god whose name means more than enough stop at enough."

Angels Laughing

I'm typing this as Dylan and Lilly are playing in Lilly's crib together. I can hear Dylan making Lilly laugh over and over and it just melts my heart to hear it. I don't dare go in for fear of interrupting this beautiful exchange between such pure souls just really enjoying the happiness that they bring to each other. Who would have thought that one of the happiest moments of my life would be one that I wasn't apart of and couldn't even see.

The other day I brought Dylan his lunch and he immediately folded his arm and said "Heavenly Father (something I couldn't understand) Amen!" It was so sweet to see and I was so proud of him, it is so wonderful to see him grow and develop as a person.

I can't believe how blessed I am as a mother, wife, woman and human being, I am so very grateful for my life.

So much for blogging here everyday, I was really hoping that I would but I'll just have to do the best I can and keep working on it.

Dylan is doing forward rolls all over the place and keeps bonking his head at night after being put to bed because he does them on his bed then. I can barely believe that he taught himself how to do them, he started it when he saw a cartoon pig do a headstand and it wasn't long until he had them down pretty well. He learns things so quickly it's amazing, anything he decides he's interested in learning he usually has down in about a week.

Lilly is smiling all the time and the most at Dylan, which is so cute and sweet. It's too bad that Dylan is mostly oblivious to it but then he's two so what did I expect? She is so sweet I just adore her and Dylan, how could two children be so wonderful? Especially mine.

Greg has been so great lately with the kids, he's taken Dylan with him almost everywhere he goes when he runs errands and Dylan just loves it. Dylan loves everything about Greg, he just lights up and gets so excited everyday when Greg comes home from work.

Greg made taquitos for dinner last night at my request, it was so nice to have it taken care of and not have to go anywhere either. I've been trying really hard to get more done around the house and have been pretty good about keeping up with the dishes and the laundry. I know that it'll just keep getting better, Greg and Dylan are so helpful in their own ways, I love them so much.

Life is good.

My blessings

I'm sitting here typing with one hand while I nurse Lilly and Dylan is playing at my feet and I can't help but think about how grateful I am for my babies and the simple joys of life. Holding a tiny baby, getting an unexpected kiss from your little boy, and even just watching him play are all wonderful little gifts in my life. I never would have thought that it would be such little things that mean the most to me but when I see Greg holding Lilly or playing with Dylan there is just nothing better in the world. Lilly's is starting to smile a lot now and I just want to burst with joy with every one of them and then Dylan will come up and give her a kiss and it's even better.

I remember Dylan's first smiles and even before that when I saw Greg hold him for the first time just moments after I gave birth to him and how I loved Greg so much at that moment that I thought I would burst. Every time I think I couldn't love him more I'm proven wrong the next time I see him with his children, giving them a hug or playing, it's just the best.

Greg is such a wonderful husband, he is so patient with me and he is willing to stay up for hours talking if I'm really upset about something. He is a great provider and always makes sure that we have everything we need and then some and he is always willing to take over and give me a break when I ask for it. I love how he respects my thoughts and opinions about everything from the kids and our family to his work. He is truly my very best friend, my true love and my soul mate, I don't know what I'd do without him, he centers me like no one else can.

Dylan is such a joy to raise, he is such a cuddle bug, he loves to talk to me even though I don't understand half of what he says and he loves to learn and show off what he's learned. He already knows and recognizes most of his ABC's and the numbers 1-9, along with his shapes and he's getting [pretty good with his colors too. All of it he pretty well taught himself with one TV show or another because I didn't want to start teaching him his pre-K stuff until he was four but you can't stop a kid from learning if they really want to learn it.

Lilly is so sweet and tender, she's growing like a weed at 12 lbs now from 8 lbs at birth only 7 weeks ago. Her little smiles are so precious and she is even talking already and will smile when I imitate her and play with me like that for several minutes at a time. She sleeps so well and hardly ever cries.

I am amazed that I've been blessed with such wonderful and easy children, there is no way I did anything good enough to deserve such blessings. I'm am so grateful that Heavenly Father has honored me with the privilege of being Greg's wife and Dylan and Lilly's mother, I could never express my gratitude enough.