random funnies...

This is what happens when you have a 4 year old little girly girl & a 3 year old little all-boy boy...

Me: (to Simeon) Are you a superhero?

Simeon: I'm Anne of Green Skywalker.

Me & Andrew: laughing hysterically.

Tonight, at Flying Burrito, we were THAT family. You know the ones. You've probably been the ones. Here was our scene.

Me & Andrew trying to order in the buffet style line. Anna playing with candy machines and eating skittles off the floor. Madeline changing the thermostat above our table. Andrew sitting Simeon down & telling him to wait patiently. Several seconds later & with us several big feet away we hear Madeline crying and turn to see Simeon holding her in a very tight head lock. Her arms were flailing. It was not pretty. It was loud and ugly though. Great fun. Andrew proceeded to rush over there to have Simeon yell, and I mean entire restaurant hear it kind of yell, NO DADDY! Probably not visiting Flying Burrito again anytime soon. Good news though kids eat free so Flying Burrito got great entertainment and made very little money off of us. :) Happy Wednesday, folks.

ethiopia in my heart

I sat and shared with someone our story of Simeon today. It was sweet and fun. I don't normally tell the whole thing from the beginning. Everything about Simeon makes me smile and very happy so talking about him started my day off with lots of joy. Through talking I realized how perfectly God walked us through His path for us. I found myself saying over and over again that God's timing is perfect. We love looking back and seeing God provide over and over again and answer all our prayers. So thankful for our sweet little boy.

what we do for lent at the brill household...

Last year we (attempted) followed this little plan with our kiddos. I think I may have learned the most from it all. I love the Jesus Storybook Bible. In general, we try to read through these 5 stories each week and we usually teach the kids a new hymn...this year we are teaching them I Know that my Redeemer Lives. Then, on top of the devos, we focus on a specific verse & a couple words/ideas we want to intentionally teach the kids. The verses go for two weeks and it all repeats during Easter week. Keep in mind, we have a 4, 3, and 1 year old so we keep things pretty short, sweet, and simple. Sometimes, when I feel my creative juices flowing, I will add in a craft or game of some sort. This week I was beginning to talk about Lent with the kids and had small hope they'd remember some from last year. Sadly, consumerism has won out it our house apparently and when asked what we remember and celebrate on Easter I heard one "Easter eggs!" and one "JESUS!" and it wasn't Jesus like He was the reason it was Jesus like He is the general answer to things in our house. On a better note, it is incredibly sweet and fun to watch our kids listen and learn and worship Jesus as we teach them the truths that we pray they will believe and find their redemption through one day.

Weekly Night Devos-Jesus Storybook Bible

1. Washed with Tears-Mark 14, Luke 7, John 12

2. The Servant King, Last Supper-Mark 14, John 13-14

3. A Dark Night in the Garden-Luke 22, Mark 14, John 18

4. The Sun Stops Shining, Crucifixion-Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19

5. God’s Wonderful Surprise, Resurrection-Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20

Week of Sunday, February 19

Memory Verse: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5

Words to Know: Light, Darkness

Ideas: Jesus is the light, hiding

Week of Sunday, February 26

Memory Verse: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5

Words to Know: Sin, Holy

Ideas: Holy/sin (Clean vs. Dirty)

Week of Sunday, March 4

Memory Verse: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Words to Know: Remembrance, Repentance

Ideas: Last Supper

Week of Sunday, March 11

Memory Verse: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Words to Know: Crucifixion, Sacrifice

Ideas: Death, Suffering, Christ’s Sacrifice/Punishment

Week of Sunday, March 18

Memory Verse: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in me will live & not die.” John 11:25

Words to Know: Forgiveness, Resurrection

Idea: Crucifixion/Resurrection, Death/Life

Week of Sunday, March 25-Palm Sunday

Memory Verse: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in me will live and not die.” John 11:25

Words to Know: Salvation

Ideas: Salvation/Redemption, Savior/Rescuer

Thursday, March 29-Maundy Thursday

Words to Know: Remembrance, Repentance

Ideas: Last Supper

Friday, March 30--Good Friday

Words to Know: Crucifixion, Sacrifice

Ideas: Death, Suffering, Christ’s Sacrifice/Punishment

Sunday, April 1-Easter

Memory Verse: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in me will live & not die.” John 11:25

Words to Know: Forgiveness, Resurrection

Idea: Crucifixion/Resurrection, Death/Life, Rejoice

boo hiss

Reebok YourFlex Runclose

Aren't these so nice? For a long.while.now I've been need/wanting new shoes. I haven't had any new shoes in about 4 years. Which may seem short or long to you but either way it's been a while for me. So for the last several months I've thought, looked, bought & returned, done all the "normal" things I do before committing to a pair of tennis shoes. Finally, I landed. So happy for me. I kept them in the box for over a week and waited for the perfect day to bust them out in all their wonderfulness. Well folks, today was that day! Jeans, short sleeve tee, clean hair, and perfect little shoes. Day goes by just fine. Until the end. My sister-in-law & niece were over for a little dinner, the kids were playing, things were going relatively smoothly. Of course it only takes seconds to change that. And in those few seconds, standing in my kitchen, Madeline, poor girl, threw up. Yep, splashed right on my pretty clean new shoes. Boo. Hiss. I sucked it up like a good mama and tended to my sweetie but I couldn't quit staring at those spots on my shoes. Again, boo hiss. Thankfully, my shoes seem to have bounced right back & cleaned up rather well. However, in my head, I will always know. Andrew in such a sweet supportive husband way asked me what I thought I should learn from this (ha ha your sarcastic mocking comment is unwelcome) and I replied, sometimes you just need to quit and cry. So that is exactly what I did. Just kidding...didn't actually cry but probably could've if I'd let myself. I will still probably stare at those sad spots with great annoyance though for a while. And in case you are wondering, Madeline is totally fine.

daddy's girl

Andrew & I love getting one-on-one time with the kids. We all refer to these times as daddy/mama dates. They aren't always regular or extravagant but occasionally something will pop up that is worth a little extra. Our church has an annual Father Daughter Dance & last week Andrew took Madeline. It was so unbelievably precious & I will say I may have cried a tiny bit. The dinner and dance was held at Mermaids and Madeline was so sweetly excited to go. She got a new dress and wanted me to curl her hair. She looked so beautiful. Andrew dressed up as well and Madeline picked out his Star Wars tie. Not sure when that was last worn but whatever made her happy! She smiled so big the entire time they were getting ready to leave. I wish I could've been a fly on the wall to watch their night but at the same time I am so glad they have that memory to share just the two of them. She held his hand walking in, sat close by his side, and talked and danced to her little hearts content. Andrew is such an incredible daddy and I am so so thankful to watch him with his little girl-pray for her, teach her, cherish her, and be such an amazing example to her of love.

why I am who I am...our little love story

Before I begin, let me just say, this is my story of how God changed my life. I know that it is only by the grace of God that I have been redeemed and I am so so thankful that I get to spend my life with the person who was the means through which God changed me. So here it is...

Dear Andrew,

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

When we first meet I was fourteen. I was young, insecure, searching for approval, and I at least called myself a Christian. We shared first & second period together and your locker was right above mine. We had this funny, back & forth practical joke, ask each other what time it was kind of start. I liked you immediately. Although we remained "just friends" for about two years. And I am so so thankful for those two years because I had no idea what I was doing. I'm not sure you really did either, but you knew the manual. You walked your life in line with Jesus and measured everything up with Scripture. I had no idea what I was getting into but I sure was following. Because the truth is, at that point in my life, I would have followed anyone. It scares me to think about how easily easily easily I was influenced. And humbles me beyond measure with gratitude that God put you in my path. You showed me how Truth and Grace beautifully combine in my Savior. You showed me that my identity is in Christ alone. You showed me that there is a Friend for me that is closer than any brother. And all this while we were "just friends"!

Then one night you popped the question. Or in your case, made a statement in which you did not box yourself in at all but still put the ball in my court. :) It went something like this..."I don't really want to go to prom, but I'll take you if you want. Or we can just go out." How could I resist such charm? And so we went out. Rio Bravo and Life is Beautiful. You put your arm around me and I remember thinking, don't sob on your first date. Which was hard because that movie was supremely sad! And off we went.

For the next three years we dated. Really it was a sweet progression of our friendship building and growing and deepening. It definitely wasn't always easy. We had lots of rough patches and bumps in our road but it was surely all worth it. Through those years I went from following Jesus because I saw Him in you to following Him because I learned He was with me. God showed me His love through you. Those years of dating were so defining for us but maybe even more defining for me. I am who I am because of you. Because you pointed me to Christ, prayed for me, guarded my heart, led me, loved me with patience and a love that wasn't self-serving.

Fast forward five years and I am 19. You pop the BIG question in much more eloquent fashion and I say yes. Yes to my best friend. Yes to a life I couldn't even dream about. Yes to a future certain of only one thing. We will abide in the Love of our Savior, die to ourselves, and continue on the journey together. You will never know to the fullest how thankful I am for you. Because you were (and still are) the means through which God changed my life. I've said it before, and I will say it many more times I'm sure. I am who I am because of you. You love me as Christ commands, as He loves the Church, as Scripture teaches through 1 Corinthians 13. This journey we are on is always surprising me in the best of ways and I love walking it with you.

I love you, and thank you.

my idiot driving move

I am generally a pretty good driver. Never been in a wreck or gotten a ticket. Only been pulled over once and that was in a church vehicle for expired tags. So doesn't really even count. Between Andrew & I, he is definitely more prone to pulling up to far in a parking space and hitting the parking block, rounding a corner to tight and going over a curb, missing an exit until the last second and speeding off, etc. I just don't usually make many driving booboos.

Apparently, that has ended.

My smallish booboo: A few weeks ago Andrew bought a new mower (our first ever) and put it in our very small, barely enough room for my van, one car garage. So, with kids in tow, I am trying to back out ever so carefully so I don't run over this new toy of his and instead I whack the other side of the car into the edge of the garage. Basically tore up the side view mirror and felt like a big dummy. Plus, Andrew enjoyed mocking me about it ever so (un)lovingly.

That was enough for me but no. Here is my biggish booboo that I can barely even write about but here I go: Last week I was heading to my friend's house to pick up one of her daughters to come play. She had a sick son and just came home with their second daughter from Ukraine so they were up for a little outing for their little gal. When I got to her house her driveway was full and I was trying to figure out where to park to run in and get Hazel. Looking ahead to my right I saw a flat opening opposite of their house and whipped right over. And I mean whipped. Unfortunately for me, the flat opening didn't actually begin where I thought it did. It came several feet after a giant ditch. Which yes, I whipped my van into. I get out of the van to see the back left side of my van 100% in the air. Oh my, not fun. All my kiddos are in the car, I of course have no idea what do, and sweet Ginny comes running out asking if I am okay. Thankfully, we were all fine. But instead of being a big help to her afternoon I got all my kids out, added them into her house, and proceeded to spend the next hour and a half feeling slightly numb and acting as if I've never entertained children before by zoning in and out while she graciously and amazingly put crafts together, handed out snacks, and managed to take some pics to text her husband. It was insane. Praise the Lord for my husband having a flexible job that he could come figure it all out. Which basically meant calling triple AAA and having a tow truck man come (who took pictures as well because he said he'd never seen anything like it) and pull it out.

So there you have it. Let's hope that was the end of my idiot driving moves. And no, I don't have pictures. You know I don't want that documented! And anyway I know Andrew won't let me forget it...

me and them

Just realized I hadn't posted pics in a while...I have lots of envy of iphone picture posting abilities but every time I begin the attitude about not having one I remember, I get to go to HAWAII this year. Much much better than an iphone.

happy february!

It's Febraury 1...

big yea's going on around my house because Andrew is returning home tonight!

YEA!!