Elizabeth Ann's leg of the race . . .

Hebrews 12:1 is the heart of my blog.

It talks about this race we are running and the joy that is before us.

We are each in a different leg of the race, and I think it's amazing and encouraging to see and hear testimonies from others who run this race with us.

It may be the same leg you are in, one you have already completed,

or one that you will face in the future.

If you've ever run, biked, or whatever in a race,

you know the power there is in seeing the masses of people surrounding you,

all running towards the same goal, no matter how fast, how slow, or how you trained for it.

Let's do this thing together, as He desires it to be done.

Today,

I want you to meet Elizabeth Ann...she has become a sweet sweet friend and I know you will love her heart...and her recipes! :)

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Hi! I am Elizabeth Ann of Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box!

I love spending time in the kitchen, cooking and baking for others, and I ADORE home-cooked meals with lots of friends and family around the table!

I am so honored that Sarah asked me to share my heart with y'all today! She has been such a "blogging" blessing in my life this past year! :-)

My husband, Nate, and I got married a year and a half ago.

We are at a special "leg in the journey of life". .

A season of newlywed bliss!
I love to cater to Nate, whether that means breakfast in bed

or a large glass of sweet tea when he walks in the door!
He leaves our house each day knowing that he is loved, he is respected, and that no matter what happens during his day,

he is coming home to someone who absolutely adores him!

I want to cherish this sweet time together and not take it for granted!

Obviously, we look forward to parenthood at some point. . . but during this season . . . God has given us a special time in life just to enjoy each other!

I wanted to share a quick and easy snack I made Nate this week that will be a healthy hit with husbands and kids alike! :-)

Enjoy!

Energy Bites

recipe by: Smashed Peas and Carrots

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter

(or I use almond butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

(I omit the choc chips and add a little extra almond butter)

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything until thoroughly incorporated.

let chill in refrigerator for half an hour.

once chilled, roll into balls and Enjoy!

(store in airtight container for up to 1 week!)

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Thanks girl, love you!! :)

Jen's leg of the race: a guest post

Hebrews 12:1 is the heart of my blog.

(its over there on the left sidebar for you to read!)

It talks about this race we are running and the joy that is before us.

(hence, "Racing Towards Joy") :)

We are each in a different leg of the race, and I think it's amazing and encouraging to see and hear testimonies from others who run this race with us.

so starting today,

I am so excited to share some of the hearts I love with you...

I've asked several ladies to share

about the part of their RACE that God has them in right now.

It may be the same leg you are in, one you have already completed,

or one that you will face in the future.

If you've ever run, biked, or whatever in a race,

you know the power there is in seeing the masses of people surrounding you,

all running towards the same goal, no matter how fast, how slow, or how you trained for it.

Let's do this thing together, as He desires it to be done.

So let me introduce an amazing woman and mama to you...

Go bless her, check out her blog, and learn from her wisdom. :)

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Hi lovely readers! My name is Jen and I blog over at Just Like Heaven I was so excited when Sarah asked me to be a guest poster on her amazing blog!

I am a wife to a wonderful man and a mommy to six awesome little ones

and two fabulous weiner dogs. :)

My kids are: Ethan - 14 years, Kylie - 9 years, Blake - 8 years, Derek - 5 years, Jett - 3 years, and Lily Pearl - 2 years.

Oh my gosh, just typing that seems insane! Thats a lot of little ones!!!

I LOVE being a mom!

I had my first at nineteen years old and have either been pregnant or nursing ever since. I never imagined that I would have six kids, three sounded like a good number.

But here we are and I wouldn't change a thing.

My children make me happier than anything else on earth.

It is so hard sometimes and sometimes I feel like I need to be commited to a mental hospital. :)

But, then one of them gives me a sweet picture or a big hug and I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father trusted me to take care of them and love them.

After our last was born, I really struggled.

She was a really hard baby and we knew our family was definitely complete.

Balancing all of the demands of each individual child and making sure they get what they need is hard work and exausting.

When Lily was about eighteen months old, I started to feel a little bit sad that I was never going to have another baby.

I LOVED the baby stage! I realized that I would never give birth again or nurse a newborn.

At the same time, I was happy to not have to be up all night and to have a little more freedom because our Ethan babysits.

This is just another season of my life.

I get to watch all of these precious gifts from God grow up.

I get to cheer them on at their dance competitions and soccer games.

We can do more now that they are getting older.

Vacations are more fun, going to the pool is not as nuts, and I am finally getting to go back to the gym and take care of myself a little.

It is nice.

I am so blessed to have such a big crazy family and I pray everyday that I can be a great mom and that I will survive. :)

xoxoxo Jen

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Thanks Jen - love you and your heart.

What a beautiful family God has blessed you with,

I sincerely look forward to learning from you as my little family grows.

**check out Jen's blog here, and check her precious shop here**

some Love Day stats about us . . .

Happy Love Day...

Hope it's filled with blessings, and maybe some chocolates too!

Thought I'd share a few random pics with you,

of me and Parker over the last 9 years.

you know, some looooove pics. :)

{disclaimer: people in these pictures may be older than they appear}

and a few little facts about our love story too...

September 21st, 2002:

we met at a friend's house, he got my digits.

(we had "met" a year before, at a friend's wedding)

He was currently in law school in Norman, and I was in college in Waco.

October 12th, 2002:

our first date,

the A&M vs. Baylor game in Waco

(he drove down 4 1/2 hours to take me on our first date!)

this is also when he met my parents for the first time...wowzers!

November 2002:

I drove home to Dallas some random Wednesday night

and told my parents I was in love.

April 11th, 2003:

he asked, and I said yes!

August 9th, 2003:

we got hitched. :)

(yep, we were only engaged for almost 4 months!)

2003-present:

we have been on the ride of our lives,

enjoying as well as enduring

the crazy (good and bad) seasons the Lord has taken us through.

December 24th, 2009:

Abigail Joy was born!

January 4th, 2012:

Bethany Len was born!

February 14th, 2012 (today):

we are living in what we feel is a season of restoration

in our life, our marriage, our health, everything.

...and I'm so glad to be doing it with HIM.

He is my teacher, my best friend, my love, my better half.

We've been through a lot in our short 9 years together.

If you know us or know our story, you would agree.

But we wouldn't change what God has done in us.

He has shown His goodness in every season.

well, that's us. :)

Happy Valentine's baby,

I love you!

snow, poop, and peace

yep, we got to play in the snow today!

it was a small winter wonderland here in Oklahoma.

These pictures depict a beautiful day,

playing in the snow with my little girl.

However, it's one of those blog posts where the pictures posted

actually make me feel happier than the actual day did.

Just being real.

When it started snowing last night,

I decided I would keep Abigail home from Mother's Day Out today

so we could have a fun time making snow angels and snuggling indoors

watching movies by the fire.

I was so looking forward to it.

But Abigail's little toddler personality had different plans.

Don't get me wrong, we had *some* wonderful snow-filled moments,

but it was a day that had more whines and battles than smiles and snuggles.

if you have mothered a toddler, you know the days Im talking about.

oh and not to mention my little Bethany (5 weeks now)

seemed to have bad gas all day so she was not the happiest camper.

I'm seriously not trying to complain, my life is blessed.

But today was just one of the harder ones in my job as a mom.

When I finally got Abigail down for a

(much-anticipated-by-her-mother) nap,

I tried my best to get Bethany to calm down and sleep as well.

it took a while but she finally did.

During her screaming, I texted Parker and asked him to pray for me.

We do that a lot during the day with each other, when we are needing some intercession.

But right after I texted him,

I realized something.

I was asking Parker to pray for me (out of desperation),

yet i had not even prayed myself, asking the Lord to help me get through the day.

I think since Bethany was born,

I've been trying to do a lot of things in my own strength...simply just for the reason of making it through the day.

Adjusting to life with one baby was difficult for me,

and adjusting to two is even harder.

God really does give me grace, but I just forget to depend on it.

It's there for me to grab every moment of every day.

But sometimes the loudness of toddler tantrums or newborn cries

blocks out the quietness that I can receive from His strength.

The peace.

oh, how I need that peace, All. The. Time.

And when this (very long) day ended with a complete

"poop disaster" as I like to call it,

(all you need to know is lots of cleaning of

toddler, mommy, and clothing was involved)...

I sighed real big and grunted, and I'm sure my face was not loving and happy.

My soul's battle was revealed and it was evident to my precious daughter.

She sat on her little potty, looked up at me,

and said "sowwy mommy, no mad mommy".

my heart broke.

I'm so sad the heaviness in my heart was so evident to her,

to such an innocent little heart who is just struggling with her independence in toddlerhood.

wow, writing this all out is stirring up a lot in me.

But I guess what Im needing to process out loud right now is what I mentioned earlier...

That there is peace for me to walk in,

every. single. day.

And every single moment of every single day.

And i want it to be evident to Abigail.

It's there, it's real, it's powerful.

it surpasses all understanding.

It surpasses toddler fits and newborn fussies.

and even poop disasters.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:7

linking up here ...

go be blessed. :)

and

being real about this blog

I'm feeling overwhelmed about this blog lately.

overwhelmed in a good way.

I started this blog as a way to process out loud what the Lord is doing,

how I'm feeling, what I'm thinking, etc etc.

and like many of you, I have been so blessed by this blog and the friendships and community it has brought me.

but I feel like something is missing.

I feel like there's more to my story, more to God's story in my life, that needs to be shared.

more truth, more vulnerability, more thinking, more "processing out loud".

I feel like I've played it all a little safe, not just with you, but with myself.

I think God is trying to show me that there is more.

Im not saying that I havent been vulnerable, open, whatever on this blog.

But I think I get discouraged sometimes when I think about what the Lord is putting on my heart, or what I am dealing with emotionally, physically, or spiritually

... because I worry

that it may be TOO much to share. too much truth.

or because I fear judgment or rejection, even from close friends and family.

Now, I will clarify these thoughts and say that I have and will always stick to the conviction that if the Lord has not released me to share about something, then I wont.

if it is something that I believe is to remain between me and Him, then it will remain that way.

I dont want to speak out of turn if you will,

because a lot of times that only does more harm than good.

my desire is to bless, to encourage, to relate, to connect.

but also to be real, as the Lord leads.

Being real.

we all say it. we all want it. we all appreciate it.

but do we do it?

I knew a girl growing up who was abused in a horrific way.

I was one of the first people she told about it,

(in a close and safe setting with people who could help.)

The abuse had led to her hurting herself in a way that was becoming obvious to others.

I was young, but I remember being so hurt for her, so upset that this precious friend was suffering so much.

One of the people there asked her what could help her,

what her friends could do to make things better. (as much as we could).

Her answer: "be real with me".

Such a powerful and surprising request at such a young age.

She said that what hurt so much was that she was tired of saying that she was "fine"

if someone asked how she was doing.

because she wasnt fine.

But because noone else was being real and sharing what was really going on in their hearts and lives, she didnt feel like she could be...

and this led to a long battle within herself.

Im not trying to sit here and say that I don't feel like I can share or be real.

or that I haven't been already.

I just think I have held back a little.

I think there's more to my heart than what I've shared so far.

and its not like every day is going to be some deep blog post.

I still get excited to share crafts, fun topics, recipes (hmm, havent done one of those in a while), pictures, etc. and will keep doing that!

But I guess Im just ready to share more from the depths of me.

Like sharing more about the days Im not just "fine"

or about how being a full time mommy is hard for me some days,

or about how marriage is just hard sometimes,

Or about how fat I feel right now post-baby

or about how I fear losing my babies,

and how I am still sad about the one I did lose.

and not just being real about hard stuff...

but good stuff too that I am reluctant to share sometimes.

Like sharing with you how God healed me supernaturally

(through prayer and deliverance)

several times.

or about the supernatural (not of our doing) ways God had provided for us in our times of need.

All amazing testimonies, but things that I get weird about sharing sometimes because I'm afraid people wont understand and will judge.

I want to give up the fear of judgement or concern from others.

I am who I am...which is who HE made.

and why be real?

because it beings freedom for us to live fully as who God made us.

and it brings freedom to others who may need to hear your story.

I want to look back on this blog

(when I hopefully have it printed someday)

and when I give it to our children, as I plan to do...

I want them to see that I walked in who God made me to be,

putting fear aside.

Because I want them to do the same.

I want them to see that Mommy allowed God to speak and to work

on her heart in the midst of joy and also in the midst of hard days.

The title of this blog is "Racing Towards Joy"

(which needs to be a whole other blog post someday)...

because it is my desire to do this "race" with you,

looking towards the Joy set before us, the wholeness that only the Lord can give.

I want to do life with you,

the pretty and the messy.

linking up here to share our hearts.