Disneyland!

It was the first of many (I hope!) Girls day to Disneyland with my sister in law and neice Mikaila. We had been waiting sooo long for this day and I think my sister in law and I were more excited than the girls.

The weather was perfect, the timing was perfect, the girls were perfect! It was such a magical day and full of memories. We got to see Minnie and Mickey and the girls made us ride the Winnie the Pooh ride 3 times in a row! We also got to ride the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

It was such a GREAT day!

Turning 6! (a little early!)

Mimi was actually born on April 2nd. I went into labor on April fools, but she didn't come until the 2nd. I must admit I was pretty happy about that.

Well this year we decided to celebrate her birthday a little early. We have a neice due any day and we didn't want Mimi's birthday or our neices birth to be in any competition.

So Mimi got to turn 6 with all her big girl friends and family a little early this year.

Mimi is such a sweet and fun girl. She is amazing with her brother Jack, and always has enough energy to want to do anything fun at any time. She is loved by all and we are so proud of our little princess. She is a jewel and unique in her own way. She can light up a room by just walking into it. We are so thankful for her and her life and can't wait to see how God continues to mold and shape her into His precious princess.

She had a Hello Kitty party and wanted to have craft stations. So we made coloring books, decorated cookies, and decorated vases. She had such a fun day!

Joshua is a treasure!

He is our oldest child. He is the oldest cousin. He is a leader. He is sensitive. He is kind. He is very unique. The Lord has made our Joshua with an amazing heart. I am his mom, so I am going to be bias, but he is one amazing boy.

Two weeks ago he was nominated and then selected for a character counts award at school. His reward was to have lunch with the principal and then to get a special t-shirt and go in front of the school to receive an award. His dad and I were so proud of him.

After his lunch with the principal, she called me and told me how much she enjoyed him and that there was definitely a special plan for hihs life. I couldn't agree with her more.

So here are a couple mommy brag photos.

Dirt, Dirt, Dirt

Oh my GOSH!!! This last weekend we spent friday thru sunday in Ocotillo Wells camping and riding dune buggys with some good friends. It was such a fun time and full of some extra adventure... Jack locked himself in the car, then the next day we locked our keys in the car, our little nephew cut his head open, and the wind blowing through your tent seems to keep kids asleep but parents awake...ALL NIGHT LONG!!! But we all had a blast! Talks and laughs around the camp fire are always memorable. We now personally know the fire station crew out there being that they visited camp twice and mommy got to rip it up on a quad and will never ride two wheels again. She has the quad addiction!

On a more serious note, it was wonderful to be with our family and have all distractions aside. It was great to deepen friendships and enjoy one anothers company, and it was amazing to relax in Gods creation. The moon both nights was unbelievable.

We can't wait for our next trip!

Today I’d like to welcome author and speaker, Jill Savage. Jill’s recent book Real Moms…Real Jesus, just released, and I wanted to ask her about her real mom moments..

Jill, tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
Mark and I have been married 25 years and we have five children. Anne is 24 and married to our wonderful son-in-love, Matt. Evan is 21 and married to our beautiful daughter-in-love, Julie. Erica is 18 and a college student at Heartland Community College. Kolya is 15 and in the 8th grade. We adopted Kolya at the age of 9 from Russia---the God story about his adoption is included in the Real Moms…Real Jesus book. And Austin is 12 and in the 7th grade.

Tell us about your newest book Real Moms...Real Jesus?
Real Moms…Real Jesus is a book designed to help moms understand that when Jesus lived on this earth he was fully God, yet fully man. We don’t often think about the fact that he was a human being and he lived the full human experience: pain, hunger, fatigue, frustration, betrayal, disappointment. He experienced it all!

There’s one verse in the Bible about Jesus that simply says “large crowds followed him everywhere he went.” Well, isn’t that the life of a mom? Large crowds follow her to the bathroom. They follow her to the kitchen. To the grocery store. She’s in high demand! And when Jesus lived on this earth, He was in high demand, too.

Why did you want to write this book?
Most of us long for a friend who understands. Yes, we need girlfriends who understand what our life is like. But we also need to understand that we have a friend who understands in Jesus. Too many of us think of God as being distant and unable to relate to our daily struggles. But nothing could be further from the truth! He understands and he wants us to build our friendship with Him. He wants to not only be our Savior, but also our Friend.

What do you hope your readers will gain from this book?
I hope that readers will gain a new perspective about their relationship with Jesus. I also hope to weave God’s truth into the daily life of a mom.

What unique elements will the reader find in Real Moms…Real Jesus?
Each chapter looks at some character trait in Jesus’ life that can help us in our life as a mom. In between the chapters are interactive vignettes that provide brief, refreshing glimpses into our real, messy, busy lives.

There are also questions at the end of the chapter for further consideration and suggested Bible reading in the book of Matthew. If the reader chooses to pursue the suggested reading, she will have read the book of Matthew completely by the end of the book!

There is also a leader’s guide in the back of the book so it can be used in a group setting.

This is a Hearts at Home book. What is Hearts at Home?
Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home encourages moms through annual conferences, our extensive website (www.hearts-at-home.org), a free bi-weekly electronic newsletter, a radio program, and an entire line of books designed to meet the needs of moms all over the world!


Any closing thoughts?
I am very excited about this book! I believe that if a mom can strengthen her relationship with Jesus Christ, she will feel more equipped to be the mom she wants to be. I’m also offering an online book discussion on my blog beginning Tuesday, April 7. If you’d like to join us, you can subscribe to my blog at www.jillsavage.org.

I’d love to hear a reader’s thoughts after they read the book, too! You can connect to me through my blog at www.jillsavage.org.

Thanks, Jill, for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your real mom, real Jesus moments with us.

You can purchase your own copy of Real Moms…Real Jesus by clicking here.

And be sure to check out Hearts at Home, their conferences for moms, and all their online resources here.