What's up Wednesday: Date Night with my Boy!

What's up? Dates! Yes, I said Dates! Dates with our spouses are so important and wonderful!!! But having dates and one on one time with our children is important too! I remember being in High School and having my dad pick me up for lunch and taking me out. Just the two of us! I loved it! I was blessed to have tea and some other shopping, nails, or walks with my mom as well. I cherished the times I spent with them, and I looked forward to them each time. I loved the quality time I had with my parents and often it led to conversations that gave joy to me and or saved my soul from much trouble! I praise Jesus for these times and love to have the opportunity to do the same with our children. Tu and I want to teach them the importance of the gift of quality time, importance of family, the treasure of time with each other, they can come to us for advice and prayer, they can laugh with us, and most importantly that the Lord God loves them and wants to spend quality time (daily) with them. As our dates continue with our children I pray that the Lord would use it as a time to bind our hearts to His and our hearts together for HIM! This is our prayer!

Tre and I about to leave for our special time together!

Sis was so sad that she couldn't go, but this also was a teaching moment for her.

Her face was so sad I had to share it.

Tre was so excited! He couldn't stop smiling and I was eating it up!

Tre's Birthday is coming and so for apart of our special time together we took a trip to the party store to pick out some fun party supplies. He decided on Mickey Mouse Plates, cups, etc. It will just be the family so we only had to buy one set each, but he is so excited as you can see.

He tried this hat on just for fun!

Our next stop was a ice cream shop. He got to pick out his own ice cream and he picked chocolate with chocolate sprinkles. If you know us, you know that we try to limit the kids intake of sugar so this was a very special treat for him. Especially to get the whole scoop to himself. Well, mommy did ask for a few bites :) We both had a sweet time. he just smiled and talked, and talked, and talked. It was wonderful! We giggles and I loved just watching him glow.

Mommy and Tre together

Here is me and my little man! I love him and pray that the Lord allows Him to love and serve God with all His heart all the days of his life! I pray He is a man of integrity who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. That he would love the Lord Jesus with all his heart, mind, strength and soul! What a gift he is to us! Thank you Jesus for this sweet time together! Here is a little video if you care to check it out.

And Just for an amazing message on Parenting it so happens that our pastor from college is speaking on family and he spoke sunday on parenting. Check it out! You will be blessed! However it's only available free online until Sunday. After that you can always buy the series called " Family Matters" I am planning on doing that! You can buy it mp3 or cd etc.

http://www.harvestbiblechapel.org/Content.aspx?site_id=10424&content_id=232585

Blessings my friends!

~Jewels~

Weekend Adventures

There is something about experiencing life with those you love in the Joy of the Lord that makes life a adventure! This weekend we did more then then "norm" but it was such a sweet and exciting adventure! I thank the Lord for the oppertunity to live and experiance the richness of a life in Him!

~~~

Have I mentioned that Tu is on a 3 week break in his dr. program and

we are ecstatic! It has been such a blessing to have extra time together and he has been able to relax and enjoy life a little more without the pressure of weekly papers (sometimes 20 pagers) and discussions. Needless to say it has been WONDERFUL to have a break! So I will take this time to brag about my man...the man God has given me.

~~~

This man is amazing! Seriously he works so hard to provide for us and still comes home and makes intentional efforts to invest in me, our children, and our family. He is a true blessing!

~~~

So this weekend we enjoyed our time with a few things...

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We made Mickey Mouse Pancakes... The kids were so excited about it and we all had fun eating them. Yummy!

We loved on each other! The kids LOVE to hold Jaylin whenever they can!

Enjoyed some of the personality in our family!

Then on Saturday Tu took the kids to the school and let them run some energy off in the gym while Jaylin and I stayed home and got ready for the night.

~~~

Tu blessed me with a night out. He took me to a Mediterranean restaurant in the near by down town area, and then we went to see the musical 42 street put on by the school. It was a really fun and enjoyable night. We love trying new things and experiencing new adventures so this was a fun way to do that. It is such a blessing to get time out together. I love going out with my man, and I love spending quality time together... it's truly refreshing!

~~~

We have had Mediterranean food before, but this was a first time trying some new dishes.

~~~

Our complementary appetizer....

this appetizer was called Rihan... tomatoes, grilled egg plant, basil sauce, and feta cheese

It was very yummy!

Here is what Tu ordered... it's called Mansaf....a yogurt type sauce with lamb and rice.

And I tried a Vegetarian dish called M'shakaleh with grilled mushrooms, cauliflower, egg plant, and yogurt-tomatoes sauce.

It was a great adventure and a sweet treat to be out with my man for the evening!

To continue this sweet weekend I got to take my sweet son on a date with Mommy! It was such a sweet time with just the two of us! He was soooooooo excited! (More to come on this later this week, but here is a sneak peek...:)

Overall it was a really nice weekend! We feel very blessed to have had time together! I am praising Jesus for my amazing Husband and children. I love them all so much! Thank you Lord!

May you enjoy the gift of family the Lord has given you today!

Love in Jesus,

~Jewels~

No More KIDS Jumpin on the Bed

NO MORE !!!!

This is what we said right before putting the Kids to sleep last Wednesday night. A few minutes after they were in bed with the lights out. We heard a horrifying thud followed by a delayed scream. It was one of those you HATE to hear as a parent. My heart was racing with emotion as I entered the room. Tu had already grabbed Aaliyah and held her in his arms calmly. I was trying my best to have rule over my spirit as the Proverbs 16 says (definitely need more prayer on that), but all I kept thinking was how upset I was that she hit her head AGAIN. And that because these little monkey's were disobeying and messin around instead of going to bed one of them suffered pretty bad for it. So here is our sweet little girl's eye. She is bouncing back pretty well. Please pray for healing and protection for that same spot as she is a very ACTIVE girl. :)

Oh my poor baby! I feel for her, but then it's that balance of disciplining them (because Tre was definitely in need of discipline as well as our sweet little Sis) for disobedience while at the same time comforting Sis as she endured this ouchy while remaining calm. Although Sis received comfort first and discipline later. Having to comfort her, discipline Tre, and stay calm I was thankful that Tu was home! He handled it so well. Not my favorite part of parenting, but I thank God for His word and loving arms that teach us through every

day occurrences like these.

~~~

Oh how He challenged me that I need to be more like Him in these situations...Be slow to anger.... To control and have rule over my spirit. I want to be able to show intense and deep emotion without loosing control of my spirit. This is my prayer and my desire and I know that with Him all things are possible! He will give me the strength to be calm in the mist of these parenting storms. :) God is good and I praise Him that He handles me with such gentleness even when I am a silly child who keeps jumping on the bed after He has asked me to stop. He allows the exposure of my disobedience to bring about change in my life. Oh... THank you Lord! I my prayer is to handle my children with the same gentleness as God does me.

Proverbs 16:32

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty

and he who rules h is spirit than he who takes a city.

Philippians 4:13

I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me

Love in Jesus,

Jewels

Sweet and Simple Saturday

You know those Sweet and Simple things in life you wish people would share, but they either don't think about it or want to keep the goodness all to themselves (for obvious reasons). Well I want to share some of the Sweet and Simple things in my life. I am talking about the little things that God blesses us with to allow enjoyment or enrichment in our lives. Great pieces of advice or a sweet slice of a yummy home made treat; each a little treasure of sweetness. I will try to post something each saturday.... However Christ first, family second, Friends, and then blog time so if I drop the ball come back the following Saturday to check :). I just want to be able to share some sweet and simple things with ya' ll

So this Saturday I am sharing a sweet treat that is oh so sweet! It's yummy! yummy! yummy!

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So do you get a sweet tooth? I sure do! My worst sweet tooth cravings come when I am prego (no I am not prego again) and after the kids are in bed if Tu and I are just chillin and watchin a movie, or hangin out talkin it up. So this is our recent sweet and simple treat.

~PUMPKIN MUFFINS~

They are seriously delicious and easy. I bought this Pumpkin bread mix at Trader Joe's followed the directions and tweaked it a little to get these fluffy treats. So my tricks for these muffins are as follows...

The recipe on the box calls for 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.... instead use 1/3 cup olive oil (makes them healthier and soft, moist, and fluffy)

Add chocolate chips to the mix

Use purified water

Use brown eggs

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Top with Whip:

really you don't even need the whip cream, but it's delicious so we add it! :)

I just buy a small carton of heavy whipping cream and add sweetener to taste. It is so so yummy! This year was the first time I have ever made my own whip cream. I don't think I will ever go back to store bought. Unless of course I am in a hurry and in a bind :)

~~~

I hope this brings a little Simple and Sweet treat to your life. A great way to show the kindness of the Lord as you bake some and share them with your neighbors. You could even tag a verse to the plate as you take some muffins over. A simple and sweet way to enjoy life and bless others with enjoyment too!

~Much Love~

Jewels

P.S. If you have something Simple and Sweet to share... please do!

Daddy Peas NO more...

Jaylin had her first taste of Peas this week and here is what she thought...

Little scared....

Tried to give them back...

Not liking the second try

Pleas Daddy... NO MORE PEAS!

Not liking them so much! HUMMMM I think she is going to take after her sister on this one.

What's Up Wednesday: Marriage

What's up with Marriage? Sometimes it's wonderful and sometimes it's down right hard. So let's be real! Marriage is a serious blessing, but it takes WORK and at times it is very difficult! So this Wednesday What's up are some things the Lord has been teaching me (us) about Marriage. As I have shared in previous post our pastor is doing a study on Family (click here to view it through the end of this week) and I have been so challenged and encouraged about our marriage and each of our roles and how it affects our children and those around us. Through this study we have been able to set some time aside in our small group to discuss our marriage and the details of it in light of God's word. Using His word as a map to guide each of our decisions that effect our marriage and our family.

~~~

Early in our marriage we discovered how important it was for us to be in some type of marriage bible study and/or attend a Christian marriage conference each year. Since we married in 2004 we have made it a priority to either host or attend a marriage bible study. I can't begin to tell you how GREAT this has been for us. Each time God has used the studies to challenge, correct, and encourage us in our role to make our marriage what He (GOD) has intended it to be. It has brought Tu and I closer as we have sifted through goals, roles, expectations, love, respect, submission, hurts, pain, disappointments, mistakes, triumphs, victories, joys, unity and so much more. There have been times of tears and times of extreme joy, but through it God teaches us to be better stewards of the gift of marriage.

~~~

I am thanking the Lord today for our Marriage and that HE is working in and through marriage to teach us and mold us into His image. The refining process is not always pleasant, but it is good! That we may come forth as gold!

~~~

Here are a few questions we discussed last night at our small group that I just loved. We were able to discuss this as a couple alone. Great questions to provide insight into each other. The verses that accompanied our study last night were... Eph 5:21-33, Eph 4:29, Gen 2:18, Proverbs 31: 10-31, I Thess 2:7-8;2:11-12, Eph 6:4, Prov 9:10, Titus 2:1-8.

Hope you enjoy them. Let me know what's up? Would love to hear your thoughts...

~~~

Men, you go first. Ask your wife the following three questions. Then, ladies you ask the three questions of your husband.

¾¾When it comes to our marriage or family what are you most concerned about?

¾¾What do you desire to happen in this situation?

¾¾What are you personally willing to do?

Remember, ask the question and then listen until your spouse is completely finished talking. When everybody is finished talking, bring the group back together and pray for each couple to learn to communicate their hearts and desires to each other.

(For couples to do as homework this week)

List seven simple, loving, caring behaviors that are non-conflict producing and inexpensive that make you feel loved by your spouse.

To your spouse, I feel loved by you when…

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

In the next 24-48 hours, set aside an hour to share your “Care List” with each other. Then each day this week, take an item from your spouse’s “Care List” and act on it.

Blessings

Jewels

Exploring Sacramento

YEAH! My wonderful and HARD workin Man has a little break! Tu has been working so hard balancing school, work, the family, church, oh and a doctorate program :). But praise JESUS he gets a break, and he took us to explore. This past weekend we were blessed to be able to take a short little exploring trip to Sacramento. Tu has been working so diligently and is now on a 3 week break from his doctorate program, so we set out to celebrate and have some fun. It was a BEAUTIFUL drive as the hills of Northern Cali have a blanket of green grass covering them. The kids loved being able to see some of the animals (horses, cattle, hawks, sheep, etc) along the way too. Here are a few pics from our trip...

Tre and Aaliyah had a fun on the tour of the capitol building.

Tre and Sis pose in front of the California flag. Doesn't sis look happy :) lol

This bear is actually in front of the current Governor's office. The kids loved it and wanted to ride it, but fortunately they asked before they tried this time :) Although we were in the Capitol building for a while we did not see Gov. Gerry Brown. It was fun just to see the historical building revisit and learn a little more about California history.

Here we all are. The Price Family in the Capitol building.

It was beautiful and the architecture was unreal! Fun times!

While we were in Sacramento we were blessed to be able to meet Josh (uncle Josh) for dinner. We had a great time being able to see him and the kids loved it! They always love when they get to see family! Thanks Josh for meeting up with us! It was so wonderful!

Love this picture of the kids snuggling up together at the hotel.

So Tu and I got a snuggle pic too :)

It was a sweet time to hang with the family and enjoy Tu's time off! Thank you JESUS for breaks to refresh our soul and minds! Thanks babe for taking the time and money to explore with the family. Giving us all a time away and some adventure too! Your a wonderful leader!

Thank you Jesus for the opportunity!

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I can't help but to also share this thought... During this trip I was reflecting on the gift of time and life! Each day our gracious Lord gives us to LIVE. A true gift! With all that is going on in Japan my heart is aching for them as I am reminded to be thankful for each day we get with each other and to live for our LORD! Remember to thank the Lord today for NOW! For the moments He gives us with those we love! Live today for HIM and give Him glory! Tell someone they are loved by the HEAVENLY FATHER! John 3:16

Many blessings to you all!

She's been cut

So last week Sis got her first hair cut! Yep, I did it! Nope I have no training in cutting hair, but I didn't think it would take much to give our beautiful first daughter a trim.

It was pretty quick, painless, and actually kinda fun! Sis was in rare form as you can see here so it made for some giggles to go with it! Fun for us both!

Look at those beautiful curls the Lord has given her.

Many blessings!

How would Jesus respond to the Tsunami?

Check this video out...

Passey Lesson

bye bye Passey

Okay so last Saturday, mid day, my wonderful and amazing hubby turns to me while talking to Aaliyah (our recently turned 2yr old) and says, "Aaliyah, how about no more passey?" By her facial expression and body language he was not convincing her. To be honest he was not convincing me either.

~~~

You See I am a total planner, I want to discuss it before hand, construct a plan of attack, and pray over it/her. While I know my desire to plan is not bad, God is also teaching me that my way is not the only and always right way :). Plus the Lord has also been reminding us/me, through our pastors recent teachings, of the importance of the fathers role and involvement in the home and my role in respecting and submitting to my husband. However my first reaction to his idea last saturday was not so respectful. It went something like, "Your kidding...right?" "Don't you remember I just told you I thought we should wait until at least 2 1/2 or maybe 3?" He looked back at me and said "No, I am serious, I think today should be the end of her passey." He continued as I began to boil inside, and in the midst of my moment of frustration, fear, uncertainty, pride, and entitlement, I heard the spirit of the Lord in His still small voice say, "Trust him, submit to his idea."

~~~

It was so difficult for me especially considering I would be dealing with the whinny weaning 2yr old most of the week by myself. I think it was one of those moments where I truly could have convinced Tu to wait, but when I heard the Lord speak it was so clear and so gentle I let go (reluctantly) of my pride and said a quick prayer for our little girl to have His peace, and for the Lord's wisdom and strength for us. Tu continued (nothing like I would have done), and told Aaliyah that she was a big girl, asked her to throw her passey in the trash (which she did reluctantly), we all clapped and made a big deal of it. She started crying and Tu quickly grabbed her, praised her, and told her that he was going to take her on a date for throwing her passey away and becoming a big girl (this is something she has been looking forward to so she quickly stopped crying). Nap time came and that would be the true test, the one I was dreading, and the moment I feared to tell you the truth. BUT GOD....

~~~

is sooooo good! Seriously I can not tell you how amazing this transition was and has been. And all GLORY goes to JESUS! Aaliyah wined a little at her first nap, I rubbed her sweet little head and prayed with her while she dozed off. Sitting there rubbing her head and praying the Lord's peace over her was a wonderful moment for me that I pray I never forget. She fell asleep a few minutes after and had a decent nap. Her first night without her passey she did amazing! Waking once in the middle of the night, but falling back to sleep within reason. The next day at nap time it took her longer to fall asleep, but she did it without screaming/crying (as we experienced with Tre) and it has been a week now. She has asked a few times for it but no big or crazy crying fits, and she is doing great thanks to my hubby's discernment and God's amazing grace.

~~~

I share this to say THANK YOU JESUS! The Lord is truly amazing in the lessons He teaches. While I thought saying goodbye to the passey would be devastating and altering for Aaliyah, the Lord really used it to instruct and alter me! Thank you sweet Jesus!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path~ Proverbs 3:5&6

Tsunami Prayers

Tsunami Prayers

This morning while I was nursing my little one my phone rang. I ignored it the first time in order to try to have some peace to start the already early (6:30am) morning; although the second time it rang I figured it may be important. When I saw that the caller id was my best friend from SC I quickly picked it up. Sara knows we do not have TV so she was calling to tell me about the tragedy that occurred in Japan and the danger and warnings that were being issued all along the coast including areas closer to us. My heart sank and immediately my thoughts went to crying out to the Lord for help, protection, and then to family. My youngest brother is in Hawaii right now. So after making calls to hear that he and other family members were safe I sat back down with my baby girl and the wave of sorrow hit me. I was filled with a deep sadness for the people of Japan who have experienced this tragedy.

My prayer is that the Lord would meet each person in each circumstance were they are, that His spirit would be upon them, and that many would come to know the HOPE He gives. Oh Jesus please be with those who are hurting!

Psalm 38:15

for in You oh Lord, I hope

You will hear, O Lord my God

Psalm 34:17&18

The righteous cry out , and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a contrite spirit.

Psalm 27:13

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

What's Up Wednesday-Adventure and Venture

This Wonderful Wednesday I want to share the amazing story of how the Lord led us to our church. Thank you to those who have prayed for us and our transition here. We are feeling the Lord confirm this is where he wanted us, although we greatly miss family and friends from past towns. Thank you to those who have prayed for us to find a new home church, and to those who held us accountable... (I think my bro Danny (21yrs) asked me every couple times I talked with him if we had found a home church; awesome encouragement). We have truly been on an adventure, and we are thankful where God had taken us, and where He currently has us.

To share a part of our adventure, a "GOD" story....

when we first moved here we had just finished our Crown's study with our home group in Camarillo. Many people here were so nice to invite us and recommend som churches for us to attend. We were taking each invitation and we had visited about 8 to 10 churches before Jaylin was born. One of those weeks we visited this church called Venture and the head pastor was out of town. The guest speaker that day was the CEO of Crown's ministry speaking and elaborating on what God had taught us through our study in Camarillo. It was amazing and I remember tu and I just sitting in the church looking at each other in amazement. We were so floored and blessed by the message and the amazing timing of Jesus. After that we continued visiting other churches, great fellowships, but for some reason did not feel at home. We then had Jaylin, waited some weeks to try churches again, and continued the search. Praying through this time and striving to trust the Lord even when things seemed unclear. We decided to revisit Venture. This time the Pastor was teaching and we were blessed and challenged by his message. By the second Sunday we were driving away from church and Tu said, "I think we found our home church." I was overcome with Joy because I was feeling and thinking the same. Oh.... how good our GOD is! He has started a new adventure for us at Venture! :) We are so excited! What a gift to be apart of a body of believers. It is a true joy and we wake sunday excited and expectant to hear from the Lord and be with brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you Lord! I wanted to share this because our pastor is near the end of a series called House to Home. It has been such a blessing to us as he has started with the Marriage covenant, discussed each role, and will finish this week. We wanted to share it with you as it has blessed us. This week and next it will be available for download online for free so if you have time it would be a great one to listen to and even use for a future study or resource. It even comes with the notes. Here is the link.... http://www.venturechristian.org/sermons.php

May the Lord bless you all! Thanks for stopping in and please continue to pray for us the Lord leads us in this amazing adventure we call life!

~Blessings~

Little J is 6 Months

Little Baby J is 6 months!

Wow! Seriously where has the time gone?It feels like we just moved and sweet little Jaylin was just arriving. Here are a few pictures of her at 6 months and some things she is doing...

Jaylin you are such a sweet baby. Your smile lights up our life!

Your giggle is much like your big brother Tre's; simply joyful!

You are enjoying tummy time more now that you are able to get around,

and we are loving watching you change and grow.

Trying to take in the last moments of you being so little.

We want to treasure each moment given to us by Jesus.

You are up and moving now, crawling, well, mostly getting up on all

four and lunging for the toy of your desire. The crawling begins! Daddy and Mommy are torn as we are excited for this new stage in your life but hate to see this precious baby stage go. The reality of you becoming more independent faces us each day.

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As a side note you have started your crawling later then your big bro and sis, which is totally fine with us. This may just be a indicator of your kick back and easy going personality that we have seen thus far, or it may be that we have wood floors in the home we are living in and you have two "bigger" siblings and a over protective mommy who doesn't want to put you on the floor in risk of someone running you over. Either way we am thankful you waited longer to crawl then your siblings. You can take your time growing up...that is great for us!

We love you sweet Jaylin and we are so thankful to Jesus for the wonderful six months we have had with you. We pray that as you grow your would fall in love with JESUS and serve Him in all you do! We Love you! Happy 6 months of the precious gift we call life!

Sweetness!

After a week of battling spiritually and just having a rough week with disciplining the kids and feeling the that my joy was being attacked the Lord brought some release as he lifted the weight and this weekend was filled with some sweet times. Thank you Jesus that in You is JOY and that you fight for me, for Us!

~~~~~~~~~~

Here is the recent layout I did of Jaylin from a sketch of Personal Scrapper's member Lisa.

I was blessed to be able to get a layout done. Sweetness!

~~~~~~~~~

These are some flowers from my sweet little boy. Tre went into the store with his daddy and picked out these flowers for me. It made my day and I was so blessed by Tu and Tre's thoughtfulness and love. Love these two SWEETIES!!

p.s. When sis saw mommy got flowers she told daddy and the rest of us that she wanted "pink" flowers when she went on her date with daddy.

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Well Sis got her date with her daddy and her pink flower.

Tu took Aaliyah on her first date on Saturday...

Kissy face

~Daddy opening the door and showing sis

how a daughter of the King should be treated by sons of the King~

Sis with her "Pink" flower that daddy got for her on their date! She loved every minute of it and was so excited to show and tell me all she did with her daddy! Such a priceless moment!

Thank you Lord for this sweet time!

~~~~~~~~~~

~

~~~We made pizza with the kids tonight! You can check out more here. So fun!~~~

May the Lord bless your week. Thanks so much!

Lots of sweet moments of the Lord bringing Joy this weekend.

Thanks for stopping by. Here is how you can pray for us this week...

*Pray the Lord's peace would fill our hearts and our home

* Pray for wisdom and guidance as we deal with disciplining

our children and teaching them the ways of the Lord at such a young age.

*Pray for our Marriage that we would embrace and be content in our roles. That we would step up and into the role God designed for us each and we would have unity.

* Please pray for Tu as he continues to plug through

schooling while working and caring for all of us.

Thank you friends!