Be Unto Your Name - by Travis Cottrell [Lyrics]

This is my heart......Thank you Lord for the gift of music that is worship unto your name!

Celebrating Brendan today......just because.

Being 8 1/2 years old is rather fun for Brendan. He learns new things every day in 2nd grade, at home, at churh, whether it be new spelling words, a new amazing piece of history about our state or our country, or a new Bible verse. I'm finding that parenting my eight year old boy is even more fun. He's "fun" to be with and be around....not that he wasn't before, but it's more engaging. He can be quite independent and just all around on the go boy, or he can be a little slower, very sweet, loving and pretty much...."momma's boy." :) I love that part. I thank the Lord that Brendan is growing up, and enjoying it along the way....he brings amazing "thinking" moments to our household, amazing love that never stops, he's a great helper and I believe one day, when his daddy is too old to be doing all of the "miscellaneous" stuff around the house, ....Brendan will gladly take that on!

We are back.....

Thought we should publish a post....Madisan just celebrated her 6th birthday and Brendan is still 8 and going strong! Madisan is loving Kindergarten and Brendan is doing well in 2nd grade. I love to volunteer at the school 2-3 times a week in the classrooms and be involved in any way I can at the school. I survived the Kids of the Kingdom Christmas musical in December and then had a relaxing time with Todd's parents who came from Idaho to celebrate Christmas and birthday with us for a week! Currently, I just finished recording/mixing our Church's Worship Cd with some fantastic vocalists and musicians! What an honor to be a part of that and to learn so much. I pray God is pleased and glorified through our time of worship/hours in the studio.

The New Year got off to a great start and now January is almost over? How can that be? The first part of January or so I went and helped lead worship at our 4th-6th grade Winter camp and it was a blast despite all of the rain!! Now looking forward to planning the next Kids of the Kingdom Christmas musical and getting together new music for Summer Camp and upcoming adult ensemble pieces to do throughout the year! Enjoying Medford and spending time with my husband watching our kids grow up!

We bought a house....

Well, it's been awhile since I've blogged, but we will be closing on our new home in East Medford, OR on May 28th. We sign our loan papers today and then we sign closing papers and snag our keys on May 28th. As often as we searched ourselves, we found nothing......however, when not searching, the Lord placed a very nice 3 bdrm, 2bthrm, 1700 sq. ft. home built in 1998 into our laps. It was quite shocking, but something we felt we weren't supposed to pass up. So after much prayer and support from our church family and friends all over the U.S.......:) we were able to purchase this. God has given us a real peace. Todd's job is going well and Brendan (after a little worrying and a few tears) is looking forward to starting at Kennedy Elem. in the fall for First Grade! So, on goes our journey in Medford. As soon as I get some good ones, I'll post pictures of the new house. The house has been bank owned for over a year and we were fearful of what it might look like when we took our first walk through.....but to our surprise we have brand new carpet, brand new paint, a brand new gas stove and a brand new microwave. Everything is in working order. Our big project will be getting the front and back yards in order. They are pretty rough right now, but we look forward to summer fun fixing up our yards.....this will be a great learning experience for us! ha! We are giving God all the glory for our home and thanking Him for his faithfulness daily!

Having fun teaching

So, I've been teaching the 4,5, and Kindergarten class at church on Saturday nights. It's been a little skimpy when it comes to how many kids i have. I usually have my two plus one or two more. It's been ....enlightening I guess I would say to see how kids learn in the classroom. It's been fun. I posted a picture of Brendan, Madisan and I getting ready for class. They are quite happy that I am teaching their class, so that makes me feel good. I was a little worried they wouldn't be as excited as I was! So, if you ever want a good challenge, a good laugh, and some very rewarding times with kids, volunteer to go and teach a 4 & 5 year old class. You'll be surprised at how much they know and how much they are willing to tell you! :)
Peace out my friends!

Almost forgot...the house we put an offer on fell through....

So, I forgot to update about the house. In September 2008, Todd and I felt that God was giving us a nudge to settle down here in Medford and stop renting. We've been waiting on the market for quite awhile now and a very nice home on our street went up for sale 8-10 months ago. We waited and waited and it eventually went to short sale. It looks exactly like the one we are in now, so we were happy with the floor plan and most of what we saw. Gradually, the price came down to where we liked it and we put an offer on it and waited 3 months for the bank to decide if they'd accept it or not. As far as we know, we were the only offer, so we were feeling good about it. Through much prayer, God began to give both Todd and I a serious peace about being content whether the deal went through or not. We have great Christian landlords that we rent from and so we are able to stay here for the time being....they have no plans to move back to Medford at the moment, so we are in a very good situation with little stress! whew! So, all to say, before we left for Idaho at Christmas time we got a phone call that the house and offer stuff could go through and be done in a week to 10 days, so we got all of our funds ready and we were ready to sign or fax anything we needed from Idaho. We never heard anything about it until New Year's Eve when we got a phone call that the bank countered with an amazingly RIDICULOUS OFFER and we immediately had our agent counter with our exact same offer. Needless to say, we heard back that the bank denied it and it will go BACK onto the market. So, nothing has changed. We continue to rely on the Lord for a house or more direction in what to do next. :) We will continue to look for this house and see if it goes back on the MLS and then depending on the price, we may make another offer. We'll just wait. We are content where we are at......I've had many people ask what the outcome was or where we stood with the house and I wanted to get an update on the blog! Thanks for holding us up in prayer!

Good memories from the big "4 year old"'s birthday......

This sums up a lot of the day...this smile never left

Ahh....brother and sister having fun in the snow...

Having more fun.....sledding

"The girls", cousins Stacia and Shianne at Maddie's party in Idaho

Present time!!!

Madisan, for those of you that know her well......is ...uh....well she can act and talk like she's 10 sometimes. (It's down right scary to me) She will warm your heart with her genuine hugs, genuine smiles, and grown up way about her (this little one just loves people); and then.......... she could talk to you like she owns you and it's all about her and you (although you are her friend) know nothing really ..in the next breath. Split personalities is what we call it....???
Maddie is our outgoing, bubbly, exuberant, princess-like, sporty, singing, dancing, acting, big-eyed, love bug. She has the Sanguine in her, with the Choleric in there too. She's outgoing, change your clothes for every occassion, fun type.....all the while, certain things have to be in certain order, a certain way, or someone said "such and such" and it hasn't happened yet, so we need to make it happen for them, otherwise, all is not right with the world...or there could be tears. Well, you get the picture. She is very proud to be 4, and our family would not be the same with out her! And, so starts my journey of no longer having a toddler, but a "kid"! :)

Trying to look younger........

This is me trying to look younger.......
This is not one of my favorite pictures I don't think, but I thought I could show off my attempt at putting my hair back and looking younger.....How do I rate??
I think I look older.....
Todd however will be older than I am come April 2nd and I have no problem with that! ha! Todd hits 37 this year, ...that much closer to 40-- and boy, I am wanting to make that a big party!!!!! Anyone want to come??
Brendan is doing well back at school. He has the best Kindergarten class, the best teacher and classmates. I was recently told how smart the whole class seems to be and how far ahead they are in the learning process! Exciting. Brendan comes home having learned something new everyday. He's all boy and occassionally likes loving on mom, dad, and Madisan. He loves to play the guitar and make up drum beats as often as he can......however his most beloved hobbies are drawing/coloring pictures or playing and creating things with his legos and K'nex. He's full of energy and loves to share it with us! He keeps us young! :)
Madisan is quite the little learner. Her and I love to stay at home and sing, read, play board games and work on her abc/123 workbooks. She is learning to write her name all by herself. We are very impressed. She remembers everything and is very attentive, not letting Todd or myself get away with anything. She loves to talk, skip around and just generally is a very happy girly girl! Our kids are such a blessing to us....and we wouldn't be the same without them!

Happy New Year 2009!

So here are a few pics from our last few weeks! We've had a great Christmas and New Years! Hope you all have too. Blessings to you and your families as you start a new year!

Snow, Snow, and more Snow for Christmas in Idaho

This Christmas year was so beautiful in Idaho with Todd's parents and family. We got dumped on with snow, rode the 4 wheelers, made snow angels, shoveled, snow blowed, and sat outside in the snow in the hot tub watching the pretty snow flakes fall. Brendan and Madisan truly had missed the snow! They were out every day in it; even in 10 degree weather. I'm always amazed at their diligence when out there playing in the snow! We had a very relaxing time with good food, good fellowship and God's peace!
Some updates on us: we are still waiting to see if our offer on the house has gone through with the bank. We thought maybe we would here something while we were gone, but not yet, so we hurry up and wait. It's good for us to wait on God's best for us. We would love to have this house, but we know that this is a huge decision!
Our 10 hour trip to Idaho from Medford was uneventful, but very fun. The kids were great and had plenty to do in the car while we drove.....definitely pretty countryside that we went through. The weather wasn't too bad, but we took our time through the snow and the traffic was scarce! It was great. Now the trip back was a little different, especially when you just want to "get home." The roads in Boise were really icy, but as soon as we hit Ontario, OR, they got better and then even better as we went on. About 30 min. past Burns we were on snow packed roads and hardly any traffic was on the road, but on our right side Todd and I could see a Doe shoot out from up on the hill and she bounded into a snow bank. As we started to try and slow down, she continued to dart out in front of us and we hit her square on....we didn't run over her, but hit her going about 45 mph. Every one is fine, but uh, little bambi didn't make it. It's frustrating......they have to have such good timing in order for you to hit them with your grill square on! They are like magnets! Todd and I were thankful it wasn't elk or a Moose, because we couldn't slow down anymore for fear of sliding and making it worse. So we are thankful to be home and now we'll pay out some $ to get our grill fixed on the Tahoe, but we are all safe!

God, as you speak, i want to listen.....

Last night at choir practice at church we ended our time together with prayer........as our worship pastor began to end his prayer, he was referring to our worship songs and no matter how small, or trivial, or "traditional" they may sound, they are nothing if God is not present. "Little is Much When God is in it" popped into my head. I haven't heard that song in a long long while. I remember singing it, possibly in a trio or ensemble of some sort, but i've always loved that song. At that moment it came into my head, all I could remember was the chorus and I started asking around in the choir if people remembered that song. Only a select few remembered it or had heard it, so I was on a mission to remember the verses. All I could recall was labor not....there is a crown and you can win it? Anyway, I was so blessed as I started my google search for the words and youtube search for any really good renditions of it. Wow! I wanted to share the words with you and invite you to let God quench your soul as He has mine today:

Little Is Much When God Is In It

In the Harvest field now ripened, there is work for all to do.
Hark, the Master's voice is calling, to the harvest, calling you

And does the place you're called to labor seem so small and little known?
It is great if our God is in it, for He will not forsake his own.

Little is much when God is in it, labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown and you can win it, if you go in Jesus' name!

And when the conflict here has ended, and our race on earth is run.
He will say if you've been faithful, WELCOME HOME, MY CHILD WELL DONE!



As our economy seems so crazy right now and this month seems to be one of the hardest months of the year for people, I am reminded that LITTLE is MUCH when God is in it. In this time where people are "losing" many things from money, to homes, to pensions, it's an encouragement to me that when the conflict here has ended and our race on earth is run, if you and I have been faithful, He will say, "Welcome Home, my child well done."
Does the place where you are at seem so small and little known by those around you?...it is Great if God is in it, for He will not forsake his own!
Thankful for God's Peace, as I know "I need thee every hour,"
Traci

p.s.....from my daughters mouth today, I wanted to share with you her words; "Mom, my heart is like Heaven, it looks like Heaven because that is where God lives!"......oh amen, my precious Joy!...very well said.

Morning morning snow delays school 2 hours.....

This is what we saw this morning at 6:30 am. Schools were delayed for 2 hours so Brendan got to sleep in and the kids played out in the snow a little before school at 10am! ha! It's pretty, but i wish there was more. Oh well, we'll see more in Idaho and get some sledding in and riding on the 4-wheelers, not to mention, getting in Nana and Papa's hot tub outside! (Mommy here, can't wait for that!!!!) As the kids get older and are able to do more things are their own, it's going to be more exciting to be able to watch them in the snow, play with their cousins, and be on their
own more! That way i don't have to be following behind, putting gloves on, or pulling up snow pants, i can actually play too and take pictures! yahoooo! I pray those of you here in Medford are safe on the roads and those of you in Alaska, try not to laugh too hard! If you are else where in the United States, I pray you are happy, healthy, safe, and feeling God's Peace and Joy this month!

Gingerbread house making! frosting couldn't keep it together though......

So this is our Gingerbread house we did. Took a lot of frosting to keep it together, :) and it did stay together for all of 10 minutes and then gave way! The kids and i weren't impressed with this houses candy decor, but it made for good eating.....just ask the kids!!!!!!!

So, today was a great Saturday. Wish I had taken pictures, but I am so not the huge "picture taker" type. We went to a birthday party for a 1 year old that we know from church and then we went to our Worship Pastor's house for a Christmas Party with Charades, and singing! Very fun to get to know more people. My Christmas cards are all sent and we did just a little Christmas decorating to the house this year as we won't be in Medford for Christmas. So, to MY disappointment, we didn't get a tree of any kind this year.....Todd of course doesn't mind because it's less work for him......this will be my very first Christmas ever without a tree, but i have to say it saves on a lot of extra work! ha! We are looking forward to seeing Christmas decorations at Nana and Papa's house next week! No baking this year either, just an attempt at doing a Gingerbread house with the kids which i failed at.......the frosting was too soft and of course i'm not patient enough to grab the powdered sugar and thicken it up!!!!! So, it was fun while it lasted, our little "mommy-kids" craft project....... Now, this week as Brendan is at school and Todd at work, Maddie and I have our work cut out for us to pack and make the house spic and span before we leave. We will have the car locked and loaded on Friday night so we can leave at O' dark 30 on Saturday morning the 20th. Then onto the New Year in 2009! I can't believe it.....older and older I get....time is marching on. wow! So, i'm off for now to get kids ready for bed.

Rain, Hail, and possibly snow coming to Medford tonight...

Well, today is one of the gloomiest days i've seen. Totally grey outside and right when we went to pick up Brendan from school, the wind started picking up, the rains came, and then a little hail mixed in.....very cold...and oh not so fun. So we whipped out our trusty Oregon umbrella to keep us semi dry.
Today is a stay inside, get out the blankets, and warm up with hot chocolate type of day......so....
that is what we are doing! :) Enjoying the indoors today. My daughter is napping and having a much needed rest and Brendan is unwinding from school with his beloved legos. I'm getting caught up on emails and facebook stuff. Happy December to everyone!

December in Medford......it's different

So, hello blog readers. I'm new to this, so this may take awhile....bear with me. This will be our 2nd December in Medford, Oregon and it's definitely different than what we are used to in Anchorage, AK......such as, we have no snow. However, i believe our temps are very similar at the moment. (Warm for Anchorage peeps, but cold for us Medfordities.
We are looking forward to Christmas and celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus. We just finished up our church's Kids' Choir program with a Christmas musical that turned out fantastic. It was fun to be involved in helping the cast in acting, the choir with motions, and words to the songs. I had a lot of fun.
This month also brings Madisan's 4th birthday, which is hard for me to fathom right now. Every year seems to go quicker and quicker and i feel older and older! She can't wait and we will be celebrating Christmas and her birthday in Boise, Idaho this year with Todd's family. Our 8-9 hour drive on Saturday the 20th of December will be our longest car ride yet, as a family! ha! Pray for us!!!!!!! :) It should be very pretty though and the snow should be on the ground as we head East of Medford. We are looking forward to seeing the snow and driving in it.....it's everyone else on the road that we are worried about!
I'll post pictures soon.........