Family

Jorden Rae

Jonathan Darryl

Uriah Mark Vaughn

Me & My Love

Thanks to Voni Joy Photography for amazing pictures of our family! 

Jesus loves me always

This morning was a fabulous morning! Simple but just what I needed. I took Jonathan and Elijah to preschool and then decided to go to Prince Street Cafe for a little date with Uriah. I always worry a little bit about parking, especially on market days, and I rarely have cash on me for using the parking lots- which leaves me to finding street parking. When I turned the corner onto prince street there was a nice big open spot about 1/2 a block away from the cafe, I took it! I got out and went to put my cc in the kiosk to pay when someone behind me said, "The machine isn't working, it keeps spitting the money back out." I asked if anyone had tried and cc and he said no. So I decided that I would go ahead and try that since that was how I had intended to pay anyway. It didn't work either. So I decided to take my chances of getting a ticket and then having to fight it, over looking for another spot.

When we walked into the cafe it was warm and cozy, decorated beautifully for Christmas. We said hi to a few of our favorites ( uncle Kent & miss Crystal), ordered a cookie, fruit and yogurt parfait and a coffee. When we said hi to Kent I mentioned about the parking situation and said I was just hoping for the best :) Uriah and I cozied up at the couches with our yummies and books & toys. What a fun time playing dinosaurs, other toys and reading books. All while watching snow! It brought peace to my heart, spirit & mind. After about an hour we headed out.

As I was getting closer to the van I noticed that the three cars parked behind me all had tickets. I couldn't quite see the whole windshield on the van but I was sure I got a ticket too. However, when I got close enough I could see that there was no flapping piece of paper on my windshield! I said, Thank you, Thank you, Jesus. I don't know exactly what happened that I didn't get one, but I am just so thankful for not having the hassle of it! I got in the van and text Kent "The three cars behind me got tickets? But I didn't! Is it fair to say Jesus loves me :)" As I sent it I had these mixed feelings between, yes its totally fair to say Jesus loves me, because he does. But on the other hand I felt challenged to ask myself does Jesus love me just the same when I do get a ticket. Or when something else "bad" or "challenging" comes along or do I think he is giving me what I deserve or teaching me a lesson? Now don't get me wrong there are consequences for decisions I or you make at times and there definitely times when the Lord is using a tough situation to teach me something...but does it change his love for me? I know the answer is No it doesn't change- Jesus Loves Me Always. 

But it challenged me to consider my thoughts when things aren't going quite as wonderful as this morning went for me. It challenged me to learn to lean more into his love for me when I've made a poor decision or when a challenging situation comes my way. Instead of pushing it away. It challenged me to think about 1 Corinthians 13- 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. And it challenges me to think about the way I love or lack in love in my own relationships. 

I'm thankful for a lot right now, I look around and there is so much to be thankful for. But mostly I'm thankful today that - Jesus, He Loves Me Always. 

Redskins Game!

A couple of weeks ago Darryl and I were blessed to be invited to a redskins game! Darryl and I have been wanting to go to a game, so this was a dream fulfilled :) One of Darryl's friends Rob, from a singing school he went to several years ago, is a big Bengals fan! Him and his wife, April, live in Kentucky but are close to Cincinnati, hence the big Bengals fans :) One of Rob's goals is to see the Bengals play in all of the football stadiums. So when he saw they were playing in Washington DC, he called Darryl up and asked if we would want to join them at the game! Of course we were totally excited and blessed! It was a fun little 36 hr. getaway! Thanks Rob & April for inviting us to go with you! We had a great time seeing our team play and hanging out with you! Would have been great to see them win the game, but it was still a fun experience! 

It was fun walking down close to the field and see the players warming up! 

Our seats were row 20! Not bad! 

Our friends Rob & April!

Life happens

Quiet here on the blog, not because life has been quiet my any means, actually that's why the blog has been quiet. Life has been loud and happening the past month! But this afternoon is actually quiet. One napping and two playing nicely in their rooms! I'll take it! Especially after the full morning of breakfast eating, clean-uping, book reading, kid dressing, grocery shopping, and park playing that we had! I'm thankful though and my heart is full :)

We now have not one school kid but two! That's right we decided rather last minute to send Jonathan to preschool. I kept having the thought come back to me about sending him. We had decided that we were not going to send him this year because he still has a whole other year before Kindergarten, and we thought it might be a bit tight on the budget with sending Jorden to the UMS school this year. But I couldn't shake the thought, so with about a week til preschool was starting, I called around a couple places. I had to requirements: 1. That there would be an opening (kind of a given I know) and 2. That there would be some sort of scholarship or tuition assistance. I was ecstatic when I heard back from Willow Street Preschool that they had both! Actually they had only 1 spot left in the 3year old class, so for me that felt even more confirming that it was for Jonathan! We signed him up, went and visited, paid our registration fee and he started the next week! He loves it! I feel like it is a great fit for him. Not that I'm trying to make him grow up any faster then what he already is, but this definitely has him "all grown up". He is proud of his back pack, new sneakers and lunch box. You can tell he is happy to have some responsibility. He also goes the same days that Jorden is in school. So I enjoy the morning break with Uriah and either relax at home or more often then not take the opportunity to run some errands.

Jorden and I are getting into the swing of school. She loves the days she gets to ride the bus, play meow-meow at recess and bring home a new library book. She loves the days she gets to stay home and sleep in, go to the park and have lunch with daddy! She is a great student and our home school times have been good so far.

Uriah is 18 months going on 2. He is very opinionated and wants to do it all himself! But what a cutie! He steals my heart with his hugs and kisses. He is a ham and cheese ball all in one :) His latest interest is the potty. Is it that good you may ask? I'm not sure yet!!! He likes to sit on it, that is good! He will bring the potty seat and I'll sit him on it. What a cutie, sitting there smiling the whole time. On the other hand, we were at a friends house the other night and the kids were upstairs playing. They asked if Uriah was a potty player. We told him that he didn't hadn't found the potty upstairs yet but that if we heard it flushing a few times in a row we would know he's found it! He loves flushing the potty! I don't know if our water bill will love it as much!


 Well anyway, so much more to write about, but the quietness as slowly become loud :) and its time to start dinner!

But one random idea for you- did you know that if you put orange slices, a drop of vanilla and a small cinnamon stick in pot of water, bring to boil and then simmer it makes your house smell AMAZING! Ah, I hope Darryl isn't disappointed that its only that and not some other amazing treat when he comes home!

Happy Monday to you all!

Applesauce

Last wednesday my Mom, sister Jodi & I took the day to can and freeze applesauce. By taking the day I mean: I put in 12hrs and they put in at least 14hrs. We did 7 bushel's of apples!!!! I feel really blessed because I came home with most of it. They spent their whole day helping me really! It was fun to hang out together too, but by the time 8pm rolled around we were ready to call it quits! I didn't actually count how many containers we got from it, but it was alot. We did take a little lunch break so the kids could get some play time in with Maw-Maw and Aunt Jo! :) Riding the green tractor at Pa Pa and Maw-Maws is a favorite as well as the marble roller, sandbox, and airplane swing. They had a fun time and were really good sports about not getting all of Maw-Maws attention for the day! The big kids even helped turn the apples & uriah, well he just looked cute and made us smile! :)  It was a lot of work for sure, but I'm so pleased to have a freezer full & pantry full of applesauce for the winter, spring & summer :) Thanks Mom and Jodi for all your help! 

Its the best thing ever!!!

Entrust your loved ones to Me; release them into My protective care. They are much safer with Me than in your clinging hands...When you release loved ones to Me, you are free to cling to My hand. As you entrust others into My care, I am free to shower blessings on them. My Presence will go with them wherever they go and I will give them rest. This same Presence stays with you, as you relax and place your trust in Me. Watch to see what I will do. ~ Sarah Young 

A fitting devotional for our first two days of sending our first child to Kindergarten, don't you think? On Wednesday I set the alarm for 6am. Got up and ready then walked into Jorden's room at 6:45, quickly turned around burst into tears and said, "God can't I keep her just a little longer!!!" I felt his gentleness and peace in my heart so much, that it didn't take long to gather my composure and go in to wake her up. She woke up quickly and was excited to get moving for her first day of school! We read a couple books together, sat down for a hearty breakfast of Lucky Charms :) (don't tell the teacher!) and juice,  got dressed, checked the backpack, got the boys up and dressed, snapped some pictures of course and oh almost forgot the lunch- but dad remembered then we headed out the door! I am so thankful that Darryl was able to be apart of this first day! Off to the bus stop we went. The bus stop is one block away from our house. We feel completely blessed that our friends/neighbors Josh & Voni's daughter Sela is also going to the same school as Jorden and that they are able to ride the bus together! We met them at their house then walked down to the bus stop together. It was definitely a nice distraction for us all from the nervousness we were feeling! The bus comes around 7:38 am. So at around 7:40 with smiles and mixed feelings we waved to two very excited little girls! I had no idea how hard the next 20 mins were going to feel. As the bus pulled away my eyes welled up with tears.

For so many reasons. Entrusting my sweet girl to a big yellow bus full of middle and high school students with a bus driver who is very sweet but who I had never met and now had spent all of 45 seconds with. Realizing that Jorden is growing up, she is still a little girl no doubt, but she is turning into a little lady! There was definitely wondering if I/we prepared her enough for this day and etc. I know it all probably sounds a little extreme for just going to Kindergarten, but it's real feelings and thoughts. We walked home and sat down to eat breakfast. It was quieter then usual, but then Jonathan pipped up. He said, "mom, I bet Jorden is having fun right now." With tears filling my eyes again- both with sadness, but mostly comfort I said, "I think your right, bud." And on we went with the day! I thought and prayed for her often of course. We are blessed to already know the kindergarten teacher this year  because she was Jorden's preschool teacher last year. Later in the afternoon I got a knock on the door. It was Voni, smiling she said the girls missed the bus home! Haha! It was a mix up at the school and the girls hadn't gotten on the bus. Better that then getting on the wrong bus, right?  Darryl went to pick them up. Jorden was excited when she got home, but didn't really say too much then about her day at first. It wasn't until later in the evening that she kept remembering things and chatting all about her first day of school! It was fun to hear about it. Her favorite part is riding the bus. She says, "its the best thing ever!" I  love that because it reminds me that she is still little and she has a lot of life to live & experience! I am truly excited for her for this year! I'm so happy about the UMS program at Lancaster County Christian School (lccs). Basically she will go to school two days a week, I will homeschool two days a week with the curriculum sent home by the school, and one day is a free day! I feel like its the best thing ever for kindergarten :) And even though it can feel very hard to do...
 I think entrusting my Loved ones to Him, no matter where they go or what they do is the best thing ever.

Day Two and still smiling :) Its gonna be a great year! 

Family Day @ Dutch Wonderland

Last Friday we took the day and went to Dutch Wonderland!
Jonathan was along, but wasn't into having his picture taken!

The Carousel! Always a favorite! Uriah liked the idea in theory,
not as much in reality! It was still fun!

I LOVE this picture! At the fun slide Darryl and I watched Jorden grow up
right before our eyes! She was tall enough to do this ride herself and when she did
her confidence in her abilities soared! It was like she felt like she could conquer the world now!
It's awesome to see how it has carried into her starting school too! 

Bull dozers- not a favorite ride, but I liked the picture of the two of them! 

Daddy & Uriah :)

Doesn't it look like we should be on a brochure for Dutch Wonderland! :) 

What a ham! 

These two and monster trucks! 

We made a full, great, long day! Closed out the park at 8:30. 

Just in case your worried

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take a family night with some friends of ours and go to a Barnstormers game! This was a long anticipated event for Jonathan & Jorden. First I'll give you a little background information...The stadium is directly behind the parking lot of the YMCA, which we frequent about 3xs a week. So, every time we were at the gym they would ask about going to a Barnstormers game. Mostly they wanted to go to play at the "carnival"(a play area with climbing things and sliding boards as well as a couple bounce houses & a carousel). I assured them over and over that we would make it to a game. But that first we had to read some books!

That's right, read books. The Lancaster Library was offering free kids tickets to the Barnstormers for those who participated in the summer reading program.  So we read some books and were so excited a couple of weeks ago when we were ready to turn in the reading log and pick up our tickets! It was perfect because there was even a home game that night, that we could go to! But, when we picked up the tickets there were only certain evenings that the tickets could be used and it wasn't that evenings game. Oh, I was so disappointed.

Jorden and Annika two beauties

Now some people maybe thinking: Barnstormer tickets aren't that expensive just go and buy some for that night. And it's true they aren't that expensive, but when you thought you were only paying for two tickets and now you are thinking about paying for 4, well it was just a switch in my head to make. We knew we really  wanted to go that night so we decided we would just go and buy the tickets. All during that day, I kept thinking surely someone has to have some extra tickets for tonight's game. So I put out a request on fb for any extra tickets, but no one replied. Which was fine I was okay with paying for the tickets too.

When we got to the Stadium we were walking up to the box office to buy our tickets and a lady walked up to us and asked if we had bought tickets already, I told her no and she fanned out 4 tickets that she didn't need! I was shocked and totally not surprised all at the same time! It was like God you are so awesome and at the same time like thanks God I knew you would come through. Then right as we were getting ready to walk in to exchange them for actual seats some else handed us a ticket. I don't know if we needed that 5th ticket for Uriah or not, but it was like the Lord wanted to say, just in case your worried I've got it covered! We exchanged the tickets for seats and then walked in :) It was such a fun night! The kids had an absolute blast at the carnival! And Darryl and I had a good time talking with our friends.  And maybe what I love the most is that we can take them one more time with the tickets they earned from the reading program.

So just in case your worried about something,

He's already got it covered! 

Happy Monday! 

Skinny Chicken and a Whole Lot More

So you know all those yummy looking pintrest recipes that are out there? Well some I've tried have been TOTAL fails and some have been HUGE successes! One fail was the corn on the cob in the oven. Totally didn't work for me! Maybe I did it wrong or missed a direction or something but whatever it was...it didn't work! What a debacle that meal was! :) Well anyway this isn't supposed to be about my fails :) Two nights ago I decided to try out this: Skinny Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo. Now usually anything skinny, low fat, fat free, etc. I'm a little skeptical what the taste will actually be. Taste is important to me! 

Darryl and I have this discussion often. I grew up with eating being more of an event: live to eat not eat to live. My Mom always made yummy food, and often tried new recipes. Darryl grew up more on the side of eat to live not live to eat. Don't get me wrong Robin makes delicious meals, but she has more signature dishes, things she has perfected and is known for making really well. Also Darryl's family had a family business growing up and so dinner time was for eating, not for chit chat about the day, after all they'd been together all day. Even when Darryl was in school, he would come home and could go right to the "shop" with his dad for a few hours before dinner. And with owning their own business there was still some work left to do after dinner. Completely understandable. But totally different then how I grew up. My family was away from each other all day- my mom worked part time, dad worked full time and we were in school or with a sitter or other family. So when we came home and sat down to eat dinner it was the first time we were really getting to talk or see each other for the day. 

All of that being said we've had some compromises to make and some difference to overcome. :) But a discussion we still have (and often at that) is the taste of food. I try hard to make things that taste amazing! Darryl doesn't think so much about the taste of food. We've discussed many times about how much it would mean to me if he could try show some excitement about the taste of the food that I make, because it is important to me. 

So, one time shortly after we had this discussion I made Shepherds Pie. We sat down to eat and Darryl took one bite, looked up and said something like, "Kelley, this is so good. Kids you should really eat this because mommy did such a great job and it tastes really good." I mean he went on and on about it. What a great guy! I, however, started busting up laughing- like tears in my eyes laughing! 

Was it that I was so happy that finally I had created something that WOWED Darryl? I wish!!!! The shepherds pie recipe I made went like this: Open two cans of Dinty Moore beef stew pour into 9x13 pan. Prepare instant mashed potatoes and spread on top. Bake at 350 for 20 mins. HA HA! HA! We laughed for a good 15-20 mins straight after I stopped long enough to tell him why I was laughing! 

Anyway, Darryl thought the Skinny Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo was pretty good and I know I thought: YUMM! YUMM!  So here you go here's the recipe or you can click on the "this" link near the top of the page. 

Skinny Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

3 boneless skinless chicken breast grilled and cut into chunks ( about 2 cups)
2 cups roasted broccoli florets (i didn't roast mine, I steamed them)
8 ounces fettuccine (changed this one too...I used rotini)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup plain FAGE Total 0% Greek yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in the flour until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, Greek yogurt, milk, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly.
Lower the heat and simmer, stirring gently, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan.

Add cooked chicken and broccoli to sauce mixture, followed by the cooked pasta. Toss to combine and serve with more Parmesan, if desired.

Well I hope if you decide to try this pintrest recipe out you like it as much as WE did! :) 

gain some, loose some

Today I got up and went to the gym before Darryl left for work. It felt good to go and do something for myself and that is good for me :) I've been enjoying the gym so much! About a year ago, I got on this program called MyFitness Pal, it is a calorie counter. It helps you see what you are eating. It also helps you set goals and tracks your progress. It has been a really great resource for me and when I first started using it I saw results really fast. I found out that I was eating close to 3000 calories a day. And I definitely wasn't burning that many! So I cut my calorie count in half, because the truth is that was all my body needed to stay healthy & loose weight. It was amazing to see the amount of weight I lost in such a short (2 month) time period. But, somewhere around Christmas I realized  I was almost obsessed with it. So I decided to take a break from the counting of the calories and try out my self control. Honestly, I was surprised with how well I did making good choices on food & proportions. But a couple more months went by and I became more relaxed about it all and gained 10 of the 21 lbs I had lost. I felt like such a looser. I was still trying to make good eating choices but I wasn't exercising very much. I felt like crap really. Not that how I look should determine how I feel about myself, but it was more about the self control, or lack there of, that I was using. In June the Y was running a 3 month membership special & I decided it was time again! Time to get back at it! I wanted to be healthy, feel good & be fit. I've been loving it! Running on the treadmill isn't always my favorite, but I've been enjoying the challenge of running a little more each time, even if it's just 15 sec. longer then the time before. It feels good to challenge myself a little bit. And if I don't feel like doing that...there's ZUMBA! And I love doing ZUMBA! Plus I've meet with a trainer there and got set up on a weight lifting schedule. It feels good to know I'm getting stronger. I'm counting calories again but at a much more relaxed pace then the first time around. It's okay if I don't know the exact weight of that piece of chicken... :) I'm not as worried about the amount of weight I loose either, more focused on how I feel physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually. It really affects all those areas too. Physically, obviously because I'm doing physical work. Mentally & emotionally exercising helps you think clearer and make better decisions therefore cuts down on some of the emotional stress of life. And spiritually I will often listen to worship music or the bible on ipod while I'm running. A huge plus to all of this is that I'm able to take the kids too and they play in the child watch center. Its really great for those days (most days) when I'm not as ready to get moving at 6am! One of my favorite parts though of the whole experience is when I'm all done working out & before I get the kids, I pour myself a cup of complimentary coffee & browse the paper or catch a few minutes of the Today show! Just a glimpse into my day and my journey!

Understanding

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3: 5&6

I just want to understand....is exactly what I said to Darryl last night at least four or five times in the conversation we were having. In this case we were discussing finances and I just wanted to understand the best way to use them. I kept saying I just don't understand, I want to understand the Lords heart on money. Some people say this is the best way and others say no this is the best way. It gets really confusing and overwhelming sometimes trying to figure out the best way. Darryl thought maybe I was over reacting just a little bit and assured me were weren't doing nearly as bad with it as I was feeling. :) I believe this is true too, but it was just how I was feeling. This morning I got up and read from the devotional Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. The title was UNDERSTANDING. I thought to myself...finally some understanding :) but the words that followed didn't give me what I wanted...it gave me a whole lot more. This is the devotional I read this morning: 

Understanding will never bring you peace. That's why I have instructed you to trust in Me, not in your understanding. Human beings have a voracious appetite for trying to figure things out, i order to gain a sense of mastery over their lives. But the world presents you with an endless series of problems. As soon as you master one set, another pops up to challenge you. The relief you had anticipated in short-lived. Soon your mind is gearing up again: searching for understanding (mastery), instead of seeking Me (your master). The wisest of all men, Solomon, could never think his way through to Peace. His vast understanding resulted in feelings of futility, rather than in fulfillment...My Peace is not an elusive goal, hidden at the center of some complicated maze. Actually, you are always enveloped in Peace, which is inherent in My Presence. As you look to Me, you gain awareness of this precious Peace. 

So today I'll trust in My Father to lead us and guide us and not in my own understanding and there I will find peace. 

Now May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. -2 Thessalonians 3:16

just a thought

This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice & be glad in it.

It has been running through my head all day long. Everyday is a gift. Everyday I have choices. To rejoice in Lord...his love, grace, faithfulness & goodness. Or to complain about life. I can choose to be a blessing or a curse to my family, friends & neighbors. 

Beach Vacation

On the road & couldn't be more excited :)

Beach Bums or Lums? Both! 

This little fish face :) makes me smile

SO Proud she learned to swim underwater!

Yummy-o (and look at that cuteness in the back)

Oh.So.Good!

Friends :)

Photo Shoot with Miss Jorden Rae

Look mom found a sea shell

He's my Favorite :) 

They are too :) 

Fun surprise...fireworks on the beach!

Ready for the beach.

Storm rolling in.

JuMpInG jUmPiNg WavES

Sand Castle Time

love

Going home- and couldn't be sleepier!

What a great vacation we had! Spent 4 nights 5 days in Ocean City, Md. We were so thankful to be able to stay at a family friend's condo! It was a perfect place for us! The kids were so excited and so were we! Growing up both Darryl and I's families spent time at oc md. But our experiences were different so it was really fun to blend those together and do a few new things too! The kids were champs. Absolute champs! I was impressed and blessed to watch them conquer the waves and swim in the pool. What a gift of just spending time together! We can't wait to go back! :)