Surrendering Control and Choosing Joy

Surrender. Control.

I have to be honest. I just want, desire and try to have control over every aspect of my life. Every time I surrender one area and find victory giving it to Jesus, I find myself clinging onto control in another. It’s frustrating - but dear Lord, thank you for being patient. Remember- God wants our details- every detail of my life. He wants me to surrender my daily worries, thoughts and dreams.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (ESV)

I keep playing the what if game…my favorite is "what if I could control this and make THIS happen. RIGHT NOW." I lose my joy when I stop trusting God's will and start trying to create a will of my own. I lose my joy when I start comparing myself to others and stop praising God for the now.

To be honest, I don't think I really want the control. I know my mind says yes- you got this- make it happen. But when I look at that many blessing that were out of my control and in God's control- HIS plan is WAY greater. To think what I would have MISSED if I had made things happen my way- I realize it's not about me.

For instance, going to Africa to meet my future husband only happened because 1) the job I had landed in Dallas had to postpone my start day by a year ( I was devastated), but I decided to use the time off to see another part of the world for Christ 2) the friend I wanted to go on the trip with me couldn't and my church didn't have any openings, so I randomly searched through Campus Crusade because I remember my aunt had loved being involved there 3) my future hunky monkey (Matthew Clem) wasn't interested in girls on that trip- he avoided me despite my cute feet but towards the end of the trip felt God's push to seek my heart 4) 5 months into our marriage we have an oops and find out we are pregnant  with the lil dood 6) Matt doesn't get the PhD program of his dreams yet gets offer a Masters program that is everything and more than we could imagine. The list goes on and on.

As a time of change approaches and my fleshly desire for control knocks on my door, I'm choosing today to seek joy despite circumstances.  

Psalm 118:24  "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (NIV)

This little dood with the blonde wings is probably the biggest blessing in disguise out of my control. 

Camera O' Trikes

Last night, this handsome man 

surprised this girl...

with a brand new DSLR Cannon Rebel (a.k.a. a SPIFFY CAMERA) !

 It was the Valentines/Birthday/Cute Wife gift of the year. 

So can you guess what I was doing first thing this morning after I got my buns kicked in bootcamp?

Ok give up?

Why TAKING PICTURES of the DOOD!

Him and I had trikes 'o fun! (pun intended)

Happy Friday! 

He could do this for hours......

Look at this Michael Jordan tongue of determination (I had to make the picture huge to emphasize the CUTENESS!)

Buddy with the sweet face needs a haircut, but mama doesn't want to part with the locks. 

 Until Next Time!

Utensils

Noah has shown interest in utensils this past week. It is very cute, but it is also very messy. We are going to continue to let him try it out, but it will be monitored closely. We are trying to teach him the technique of getting something on his spoon and in his mouth. A lot of times he stabs himself or drops it mid bite. I think over time he will perfect his skills- oh lord please. For now, it's just a lot of mess. Also, this week we are hearing a couple new words such as juice, milk, and cheese. Enjoy the pictures!

Little Dood's a Cowboy

Boot Scooting Boogie!

Get Down! 

Turn Around (kind of)

Go to Town!

Boot Scooting Boogie! 

Encouraging Growth

A sweet girl I went to Baylor with just found her husband has 3 brain tumors amongst other cancer he has been fighting since the fall. Bailey studied abroad with me while at Baylor almost 7 years ago (seems like yesterday). I remember going on a couple runs with her and loving her sweet spirit and joy for life. Her passion for Jesus challenged me.

Amidst trial, her blog provides so much encouragement and strength. Matt and I had some "come to Jesus talks if you will" about it yesterday that just really gave me the chills. You start putting life into perspective when you realize it can be so short. It's crazy how we agonize over the little things that don't really matter. Bailey's words inspire me - she HAS TO cling to the hope of Jesus. Today, I am praying over this family and wanted to share her blog with you. 

http://baileyheard.com/

Praying for a miracle!

Biker Buds

These are couple pictures from Friday. Matt sold my bike on Craigslist and made $10- WHOOPPPEEEE. (We both decided the bike wasn’t the right fit for me and it was just collecting dust-so we sold it). Don't worry. It's not going towards SNAX money; it's going towards a juicer. I will write a post on our food changes for this month soon.

 Anyway, to get the bike ready for the buyer, Matt pumped up the tires and tightened the seat. Noah had to help. The dood understands how to use the pump and it's hilarious. He made sure he was right in the midst of the action. I love these pictures. He is SUCH a little boy these days.

I'm amazed by how many words he has in his vocabulary. Not only that, but he understands so much. It's like a light bulb came on this month and he has understands words and what they mean. When I tell him it's time for a bath, he bee lines straight for his tub. He will even say BATH... He understands what I mean when I ask if he is hungry and will try to open the fridge. He took the milk out of the fridge last night and tried to poor himself a glass- luckily Matt caught it before it got too crazy.

I could go on and on BUT……I think my favorite thing is that while we pray over our dinner, he will grab my hand and at the end of the prayer say "AMEN." It is wonderful.

15 months is by far my favorite age. OK, so maybe I say that every month.

fRiDaY fUn!

Well my prediction was right- the truck was the first thing he grabbed Wednesday morning and the last thing he put down that night.

Why yes I'll take some truck with my bottle.

Noah had his 15 month checkup yesterday. He is 30% height, 60% weight, and 75% head circumference. I wasn't surprised about his head- his t-shirts without side snaps always have to be pulled tightly over that dome to get them to fit. 

Hellllllllloooo Mini Matt.

Little did Noah know that he was about to receive two shots, but he took it like a BOSS. (Have y'all seen the kid president pep talk youtube video?) Matt and I have watched every day for the past 3 days. LOVE!

He is also in love with these new sunglasses. He even figured out how to put them on his head correctly. BIG HEAD + BIG BRAIN = ADULT SUNGLASSES ACTUALLY KIND OF FIT.

His new favorite word of the week is KNEE. He says it and knows where his are and mine- it is too cute.

MAMA MIAAAAA

That's all. Happy Friday y'all!