Martyrs, the Kids, & Military

I felt like I needed to share this today. Lately God has put it on my heart to pray for the many martyrs & missionaries across the world. This past Sunday, our pastor shared an incredible story of a woman who became a martyr for Christ back in 177 AD. I know it was literally many ages ago but the story of her strong, unwavering faith really convicted me. This young mother's faith was unmoved & she was killed because she refused to deny the Lord in front of the public (she was dragged in front of a crowd into a public arena and was gorged to death by a bull.) Doesn't paint a pretty picture, does it? But like I said, it convicted me. Lately I have been feeling extra selfish. We all get that way. It's easy to complain and completely forget about those suffering for Christ here in America or overseas. These people are willing to give their life for God. It IS their life to share the gospel. The least I could do for them is to PRAY hard for these families every day. They need our prayers. It really puts things & what is really important into perspective, doesn't it? We can't forget about them.

I haven't been posting much at all lately on this blog because it's just been so busy & I have been trying to step back from being on the internet as much, so I'll just keep this short & write a few new things. During my day, so many cute & new things happen with the kids/husband that I'll often think, "Oh! I should post this on facebook because it's so cute!" but I'm trying to just enjoy those moments just me and my family without making every little thing public.

A few things about Lilly:
- I've been continuing to teach her every day for at least an hour. It is seriously amazing how amazing kids' memories are. Their minds are sponges, soaking & holding onto everything. She LOVES anything to do with science (bugs, human body, the world.) She knows how to read a big handful of words now 'and', 'she', 'he', 'we', 'cat', 'can', 'boy', 'but', 'is', 'not', 'sad', 'little', 'boy', 'love', 'am'.....and a ton of others.) She is starting to write those words too. She knows how to write most of her numbers up to 10 and she knows how to write every letter, capitol & lower case. We are still working on other little things like seasons, months, etc.. But I can tell you that she LOVES to learn and school is fun for her, which makes my "job" easier, hehe.
- She has become my little helper throughout the day and is definitely so fun to talk with throughout the day. She is a little girl now, not even a toddler.
- Loves playing with her friends and going to church

A few things about Lar:
- LOVES his sister & loves playing with her BUT the personality is coming out and they both get jealous of having time with me! They LOVE their daddy too!
- He is always bringing me books to look at. He is so curious!
- Both my kids' favorite foods are hardboiled eggs, fruit, chips (UTZ brand, because of all the nutrients compared to other brands), noodles, & a new favorite of his is cream of wheat.

I was thinking last night how before I had Lar, I'd worry that I wouldn't love having two kids as much as how much I loved having just one. But now I can assure you that two kids is the best thing in the world. It's the perfect balance - they have each other and it's the best watching them grow together, protect each other, & play. And what's funny is now I don't even want to think about having another baby yet because it's perfect just with these two adorable kids!

School for my hardworking hubby will be starting up soon. I admire him & am proud of him. I think I posted this a while back but not sure, as some of you know, he is working on his Masters in religion to go back into the military as a chaplain. When we left the military, it was a relief yet a sadness at the same time. I loved the military yet feared it at the same time (deployments.) But the people you meet are amazing, more like family. So Rich has probably a little less than two years to complete his Masters then we'll see what happens. He is meeting today with a Navy captain to discuss his options. I am excited and nervous. =)