A Thorn Among Roses

even when you live close to family, it seems that getting every single person in one place is just hard. paige is always doing sports or chilling with her friends.  ryan travels.  i work and work out.  my parents travel a bit.  my brother work insane schedules.  my niece is only able to be with us twice a month, so gathering us together and then getting a picture...amazing feat. in the past year, we have all seen a variety of things happen.  but as i look at this picture, with my parents as the head, i am continuously reminded that they remain the same.  i mean, we are all getting older and our lives change and all that, but with the steadfast upbringing based on the foundation of God's amazing love for us through his Son, Jesus Christ, i am able to stand and look around and say, "i am blessed." i think sometimes that life was just simpler when i was a kid.  fewer distractions and more family time.  honestly, just less of us, too. ...

one of the deepest passions i have in life is serving the homeless.  it all started back in 2009 on a mission trip in NYC where we spent 10 days handing out water and snacks to people on the streets for nothing. people were so hardened they most often would choose to ignore it or refuse to accept a free gift...it's a very clear image of grace, actually.  god gives us his grace freely...it's just there, but we have to choose to accept it and act on it. when we all came home from NYC, the students started a not for profit called "the andy project"...and it's going wayyyy strong.  here we are 4 years later and every 2nd and 4th saturday, like 50 people head to indianapolis to love and serve the less fortunate. my student ministry, student impact of westfield, bring an entire trailer full of clothing, blankets, coats, hats and gloves for families...and we bring along students who just want to serve.   {and the fam comes along some of the time too!!  but always...

it's good old gymnastics time...well, in like 5 hours, but the girls are a little excited. they get on their leotards {sofia calls it her re-o-tard} as soon as they remember it's 'nastics time! i think they are pretty cute... {and yes, i do comb sofia's hair.  she's just a wild one.}

it's a new year...and we have had SNOW!!!!  sweetness...because the girlies love it and it means getting out of the house to play and have some good old fashioned fun!! sledding on the new sledding hill in town...which is uber awesome.  we watched them building this thing over the last year and there has been tons of anticipation of the first snow. and it was here!!! sofia insisted on carrying the sled in front of her...by the end, she has resolved that daddy did know what he was talking about. and then the snowman time started! check out miss jada's snowman...with arms!!! i love the "nose" building the snowman.  sooooo cute! and brooke built a snow fort with her friends...sweetness! and look at this...my brooke, with a HUGE smile on her face.  i mean, priceless! and check out the hours of fun...love winter break, by the way.  amazing times! happy 2012!!!