Sunday Photo Shoots

My mom has been wanting a really large family picture to go above her fireplace for some time now. We tried at Thanksgiving but thanks to the sun, some squinty faces, and placement issues, it didn't turn out too cute. So, we decided to pick the coldest day of the year, venture outside, set up a tripod, and with fingers crossed that Brooklynn would behave since it would be during her nap time (and Sundays are long days for her). Sundays & holidays tend to be the only day our entire family can get together and look decent enough for pictures. Thank you, Mill Street, for being good to us yesterday. I think they turned out prett.ty.good.

The secret to getting Brooklynn to look "excited"? Everyone in the family sings the Doc McStuffins theme song. People probably think we have issues but it works like a charm.

Pictures were taken by the Culpepper camera & a tripod on Mill Street in Taylors across from Due South Coffee. 

Relationship Status // Week 2

Guarding your heart was the center of the message last night at Alive. We all have something to guard and it's also the most important thing about who you are. Your heart. If God died for it -- it should be worth guarding. It's time to be more intentional about what we let in our hearts.

There are two people who are battling for your heart -- God & the enemy. One is out to save you & the other is out to destroy you.

The reward for living in purity is extremely worth the fight it takes.

"Above all else, guard (continually) your heart for it is the wellspring of your life." Proverbs 4:23 (*this verse not only speaks towards relationships but sin in general)

When it comes to guarding our heart, we should play offense, not defense!

God will never ask you to do something that you can't fulfill.

God cares not only about your eternity but about your purity!

Sex is like fire. Beautiful when used in the context of marriage and kept within the confines of it. Disastrous when let outside of the parameter of marriage.

If they aren't ready to wait then they aren't ready to date.

Is your standard, "she's hot", or "he's hot."? (My husband did not say this but I will...They may be hot but so is hell. :-O

We are free to ignore the commands of God...but we aren't free to ignore the consequences. Your sin now not only affects you now. It will effect many people around you for years to come.

No guy/girl will complete you. The only one you can complete you is the one who created you.

When your heart is full of Jesus, you will go in the direction of Jesus.

Jesus died for your heart, protect it.

Brooklynn's 1st Birthday Party

This weekend we celebrated Brooklynn's birthday with our family. I wanted something fun but laid back seeing as how she will not remember anything that the pictures don't show. 

We celebrated with all things pink, gold & purple, chicken & waffle sliders, sausage wrapped pancakes on a stick, fruit, rice krispy treats, and cupcakes (my fave). 

I should have known that my child would try and destroy her high chair decor. She wasn't fond of the "O" so we went with "NE" instead.

Brooklynn's smash cake didn't really go as her daddy had planned. No, our sweet little cautious girly-girl picked the sprinkles off the top and ate those first. Then, she got a little more comfortable and went for the icing. Then, with dad's help, she smashed her hands into it and loved every bite. Thanks, dad ;)

I guess we have officially wrapped up Brooklynn's first year of "first holidays"! Here's to year 2!

P.S. It only took one whole year, but my child is on a nap schedule. Thank you for your prayers ;)

Oh, and her party dress? I snagged it for $8 at Nordstrom Rack. (I know, right? My family was there for proof.)

Relationship Status // week 1

This week we started a relationship series. I'm sure all the giddy boys and girls were excited about that ;) Haha! Here's what you missed if you missed it!

• We all have something that costs a lot and that doesn't belong to us -- our bodies. When we understand how much our bodies cost, we will take care of them. Our bodies weren't cheap so we shouldn't treat them like they are. 
• Your body has been given to you for one purpose: to be an instrument to glorify God with.

"How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word."Psalm 119:9 <--THIS is how we can live pure lives!

"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

• You realize the dignity of the body and the responsibility attached to when God lives in you.
• Whenever you sin sexually, you pollute God's temple. (e.g. You wouldn't dare think of doing something sexually in the church, so why would you do something sexual with someone, if Christ resides in you. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit!)
• Your body's a temple not a hotel. The Holy Spirit doesn't check in and check out whenever you want it to. 
• The most important thing you can do as a single person is WAIT!
• Jesus came to live in you not so that you would work for Him but so that you would be full of Him.  -John Piper
• God is the owner of your body!
• You may be doing things in private but God is always present! 
• Don't sell your body -- sell your heart!

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

• God could have easily bought you with money. He could have paid $1M for you and $5M for him, but instead He bought you with His life. We all are on equal playing ground.
• Don't take something impure into something pure. 
• We won't mind the cost of following Jesus when we compare it to the price He paid for us.

She's One Year Old

My Brooklynn girl is 1 year old today! As much as it seems like she's been here for forever, it also seems like I just had her. First of all, I'd just like to make a disclaimer. When I find out I was pregnant, it didn't hit me I was really having a baby. When I went into labor, it still didn't hit me I was having a baby. And when they put her on my chest, it still didn't hit me that I had had a baby. I think that every single person I've ever met that has had a baby had this reaction: "It was the best moment of my life."..."I cried with joy."...or "it was love at first sight." For me, I didn't experience any of those emotions. Honestly, when they gave her to me, I had no idea what to do. I wasn't emotional or over the moon. I really just didn't know what to do. We had never had babies in the family, I never babysat babies, never worked in the nursery, and didn't have friends who had babies. On a scale from 0-10 when it comes to knowing how to function with a baby, I was a 1 and that's only because I read an article or two before she was born. Saying that, know that I've always loved my child I just haven't always known how to love her. I've never questioned the Lord's plan in bringing her into our lives but I have questioned my ability to parent.

Brooklynn, you came into this world as a big surprise and you've put us on quite the ride. You've allowed the Lord to reveal things about Himself and also about myself that I never would have recognized had you not come into this world the way you did. You've taught me how to be patient, trust God's plan versus my own plan, be a little spontaneous and throw out schedules every now and then. You've shown me God's love for me and how He truly only wants what's best for His children, even when it can be painful for them. You've made me more compassionate and more merciful when I wasn't before. You've chipped away the rough edges of my heart and I love you more now than ever.  Thank you for showing me the love that the Lord has for His children. Happy Birthday, baby girl.

And one last monthly post for the books web.

Diaper size: 4 during the day & 5 at night

Clothing size: 18M

Weight: 24ish

Eye Color: Blue

Favorite Toy: She's loving books, her new "phone" from GiGi & Papa, and anything that she can shake.

Sleeping Habits: It only took one whole year but I think we may have a nap schedule down. She still goes down around 8PM and wakes around 9AM, goes for a nap from 10:30-12:30 then again from 2:30-4. 

Words: Mama, Baba (which I think she thinks is "dada" :)) 

Best Moments: Her fun personality is starting to bloom. She's so happy and very rarely fussy. Which is a complete 180 from where she's been in the past!

Hard Moments: When she doesn't get her naps. And also the fact she's growing at rapid speed :(

Fun info: Brooklynn LOVES food! She will eat anything (unless it's eggs or broccoli) She's getting in her top 2 teeth which will make 4 teeth! She moves FAST...don't blink! 

Make Noise // Final week!

Last week we rounded out "Make Noise" and I think it ranks up there with my top 3 series that we've ever done! I probably say that all the time. I hope you didn't miss it! In case you did, here's what you missed!

Just like it drives us crazy when we misplace things and our stuff gets lost, it should drive us more crazy when people are lost without Jesus. The world rejoices when someTHING gets found, but Heaven rejoices when someONE is found!

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:8

• Everybody is valuable to God. If you want to understand your value, look at the cross.
• You might be junk to someone else, but you're God's treasure.
• We can't delegate the search to someone else. We can't sit back and "let someone else tell someone else about Jesus" The search is ours to participate in! It's up to us!
• God cares just as much about one as He does about everyone.
• God never loses interest in you!
• The woman had to sweep through the mess to find her lost coin. Jesus came to us in our mess in order to find us. Sometimes we need to enter other people's messes in order to introduce them to Jesus!
• There are lost coins everywhere! If God thinks someone has value, then we should think the same thing! 

Oh, and someone met Jesus on Wednesday, so we had a PARTY!

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