Ya Ya and the Easter Bunny!

Last week I took the girls to see the Easter Bunny. We decided to drive out to Plesenton and meet Sarah at the Mall. I always have huge anxiety right before my kids get their pictures taken just because you never know how its going to go but this was one of the easiest times yet. We got to the mall and found the Easter Bunny. There was no line so we walked right up. Peyton loved him and practically ran over to sit on his lap. Amber did great too! I think she is learning to follow her big sisters lead. Within 10 min we had our picture and its pretty cute too!

After seeing the Easter Bunny we decided to go to one of the many beautiful parks in the area. We found this one and it was pretty cool with huge slides and fun stuff to climb on, even a water park. We decided this is a great meeting place to hang out! Ya Ya of course had some surprises up her sleeves. She made us Easter cupcakes with fonda. Each cupcake had a pretty fonda flower on top. Peyton eat the flower off of five cupcakes and that is all she would eat of them, but she had fun!


Amber looking pretty in her Easter outfit.

Crazy Slides!!! Peyton wanted to go down them herself! She has no fear, it is scary!



Ya Ya went down the slide too... ;)

The last surprise was an Easter hat, gloves and purse for Peyton's growing dress up collection! She absolutely loved it and she looked pretty cute too!Thanks Ya Ya for making our day so fun! We will have to do it again soon!

The gold shoes incident

So it happened!!! One of my worse fears as a parent finally happened! My child tried to pick out her OWN outfit. I know I know....nothing to be this dramatic about but to me it hurt! I am one of those moms who loves picking out my kids outfits...I get a high out of it...its one of my favorite parts of the day. People have always told me "just wait for the day that she decides she gets to dress herself." and I always cringe at the thought of sending my child out of the house in mixed matched clothes. but I knew it was bound to happen and a necessary step into becoming the person she was made to be. I just thought I had a few more years. Well it happened a few days ago. I told Peyton to go get her shoes because we were going bye bye to the park. She ran into her room and came out super excited with her gold fancy shoes that went with her Christmas dress last year. Long story short...a few min later we were in the car with tennis shoes on and a tear stained face. This incident made me start thinking though...as a mom one of my jobs is to see the personality traits that God has given my children and allow them to develop so that they become their own person. I really really don't want to be that mom who's kids are in highschool and she is still laying their clothes out for them on their beds, but it is going to be hard to let it go. This is just one of the many many things I am going to have to let go of and I am beginning to realize just how difficult this is going to be. My Mom and Dad told me somthing once that I will never forget. They said that from the moment a child is born they instincly start to pull away from their moms starting with the seperation from her body to the day they move out of the house. Its natural, its all part of the plan. As moms we have to realize that our children are not ours they are Gods...He has given them to us to be nurtured and loved and to ultimatly be given away...but its so hard...a concept that I have to remind myself of daily. After the gold shoes incident I have begun this letting go process by realizing it starts with prayer. Before Peyton goes to bed at night I pray with her. Not just a ho hum repetitive prayer but a deep meaningful prayer about her life and the desires I believe God has for her that they would come to pass. And that she too would desire to be the person God has made her to be. Peyton sits quielty peeking out of one eye as I pray...I have no idea what she is thinking...but she always has a huge smile on her face when we both say Amen together. I hope one day she will begin to echo those prayers for herself and desire to become the person God made her to be.

Play Day Beach Day!

" I love Where I Live!" That's what I told my husband as I left the house this morning. We had a play date planned with our friends Rachel Caleb (2), Micah (1mo) and Jill, Jenna (2), Carlee (3mo). Trust me we got ALOT of attention walking the few blocks to the beach...three double strollers with one toddler and one infant is a sight to see. I feel so blessed to have these friends that I can share this stage of life with. here are few pictures from our day!

Peyton tickling Caleb with a Feather
Micah and Amber

Jenna and Carlee
Pretty cute couple huh?

Dear Peyton

Dear Peyton,

I just spent the day with you, much like I do everyday, but today as I watched you play with your friends at the park, ride your new bike, pick flowers in our yard and dance to your wiggles I was taken back by how big you are! how did you get to be so big! I found myself holding conversations with you and you understood me and I understood you...I am almost in tears just thinking of how fast your childhood is going to fly by and I feel like everyday that goes by is one less day to spend with you as my little girl and that makes me so sad.
When you were born I never dreamed that I would be blessed with such a beautiful, smart, funny, sweet little girl as you. Not even in my best dream could I have created you and that is why God is so cool! Before you were born your Dad and I talked about raising you and our biggest hope was that we would raise a daughter who was full of love. Love for all ,even those who are different or less fortunate than you. Today as you were picking flowers you told me that you were picking flowers for your aunt Laurie. As I watched you skip into Laurie's room and place your flowers on her bed I realized that our wish for you was already coming true because even though you are only two you made the day of a handicapped women and that meant a lot to me.
I hope that in the years to come your heart when only grow bigger for the "least of these." I look at your little face and I am convinced that you are going to change the world! I only hope that I do my part in raising you to use the gifts and talents that God has given you and when the time is right I will be able to let you go.

All my love,
Mommy

10 * 7 * 5

So I learned on Dr. Phil today that he has all his guests fill out something that is called 10 * 7 * 5 (10 Defining moments in your life, 7 critical choices you have made, 5 pivotal people that have written on the slate of who you are.) So I decided to go ahead and fill this out for myself. Who knows maybe I will learn something. So this is more for me than anyone else but if you care read on...
10 defining moments in my life
1. Going to a healing service when I was three and getting healed from a milk allergy. I know I was young but I remember this moment and I thank God for that memory because it was the first time I truly knew in my heart that Jesus was real!
2. Winning the Title of the best baton twirler in the region and realizing hard work and confidence pays off.
3. The first time I shared Christ with a homeless black man when I was 15 years old in the streets of Atlanta during the olympic games. The man rejected me and Christ and I was crushed. I sat in the street crying and realizing just how much I loved Jesus and how important it was to me that others did too!
4. Driving through the streets of Honduras and seeing poverty for the first time.
5. Meeting Josh Hunt during an open house for high school and falling in love at first site. That moment lead to an 8 year relationship that was truly heart wrenching.
6. Praying for a fellow team member to be healed while in Africa and she was!
7. Walking to a college class after spending the whole night studying with this squirrely little freshman named Brandon and realizing that I could not wipe the smile off my face. It was then that I knew I could love again.
8. All of brandon and I mentors laying hands on us and praying for us during our wedding ceremony and being moved to tears because I realized that everything I had ever dreamed of or hoped for was comng true!
9. Taking a pregnancy test and seeing that little pink line for the first time and coming to grips with the fact that my life as I knew it would never be the same.
10. waking up in the hospital the night after my baby was born in panic because I thought she wasn't breathing...it was that moment that I knew I was truly a mom!

7 critical choices I have made
1. Signing up to go on my first 3 month mission trip when I was 15 years old
2. Walking forward during an alter call to comite my life to full time ministry
3. choosing to go to Azusa Pacific University
4. Saying "Yes" to marry Brandon
5. closing my dance studio
6. Choosing to go ahead and try to have a 2nd child
7. making the decision to move to Santa Cruz

5 pivitol people who have written on the slate of who I am
1. My Father
2. My baton Coach who taught me to be the best I can be
3. Josh Hunt my first boyfriend
4. Rita My mission trip leader who was the first person to believe in me and the call God has on my life
5. Brandon

Happy Heart Day!

Last night at Life group we were talking about time management and how we are all just to darn busy! Blah blah blah heard it all before right!? Well Rachel's mom, who is not usually at life group but here because Rachel just had a baby, shared that when she looks back at being a young mom she wonders if she was really "Present" in her children's lifes or if she just got caught up doing life around them. I suddenly began to feel very convicted. I am totally guilty of doing life around my kids and not always necessarily with them. I often spend my days putting tv show after tv show on for Peyton, or plopping her in front of her coloring book or playdoe set hoping to buy just a few more quiet moments so that I can get that load of laundry done, or the dishes, or check my e-mail or maybe watch a tv show or two, and before you know it the day is over and I start the whole process over again. I guess I just realized that months had gone by and the moments that I actually was truely present with my child were few and far between. So today I decided to try out this new way of living and try to live life to the fullest with my child, and you know what?? it was one of the most fullfilling days I have had in along time! I decided to take the scary trek to the beach all by myself with the two girls...yes it took me two hours to get them ready and out the door...yes there were a few melt downs...yes their were messes to clean up and boo boo's to kiss but by the end of the day we were singing and laughing on our way home and I found myself completly and utterly satisfied! So today the house is a mess...I don't have dinner ready...and there is laundry to do but I have a happy kid and more importatly a happy heart and that is all that really matters!

Amber Hallel "Praise" Kertson

Amber was born January 13th at 4am. She came right on her due date and I couldn't be happier to not be pregnant anymore!! Yay! She has been a joy so far. We all came home from the hospital today and everything has gone alot smoother than I thought. Peyton has been so amazing and has fallen right into the big sister role like a champ. She is concerned when the baby cries and hands me anything I need for the baby. She loves her and it has been so fun to watch. I feel so happy and blessed to have two healthy girls...its amazing how adding one more to the mix makes you feel even more like a family. I continue to be amazed at how God chooses to bless us. There is nothing like a new born baby to make you realize how cool God is. :) Here are a few pictures of the hospital and going home day!