Isaiah 43:2

This morning my heart was heavy and the Lord spoke so gently and softly to me:

Isaiah 43:2- When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

Jesus be near.

Blessed

Have been particularly blessed by this song recently!

I can have as much of God, in this moment, as my heart can handle.

This is so encouraging that he will give himself freely to me and yet causes me to say increase my heart to handle more.

I am my Beloveds and He is Mine.

Big Week!

It's been a big week here in the Lum household! Just a quick rundown with more story to follow later!

Monday: We sold our van! Yes this is a good thing, a very good thing. Good lessons, good story, good neighbors and good riddance!

Tuesday: Darryl got a gym membership!

Wednesday: Found out Darryl has sick and personal days! This is a new benefit for him/us he has never had any before!

Thursday: Jorden slept in her room the whole night! This is a very big deal and calls for celebration!

Friday: Reminded of my need for a savior! And so thankful I have the one and only...Jesus! (it's so good to be reminded that I'm nothing...with out HIM!) I also made a very successful trip to market with all 3 kids in tow! This was my first time and something I've been wanting to do but hadn't worked up the courage until today! And Jonathan gave the potty try and we had success! Also a very big deal and called for a big dance party celebration as well as some gummies!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Ps.91:1

This verse struck a cord deep in my spirit tonight as I was reading the Word! It rang so loudly as truth within me! I love when the Lord speaks to me like that!

The Most High-dwelling with him- wow! Finding Rest with the Almighty! Yes! It will be a good night sleep tonight!

Life is Full!

Ah, its been a while. Life is so Full. The past um, 3 months have been nothing less then full. In September we welcomed Jesse into our Lapp Family and 1 month later we welcomed Kent into our family! Can anyone say wedding bells? I can! They were ringing quite often, actually it was the phone that was ringing, but it was usually about a wedding! I had so much fun helping plan with my sisters! Being the youngest of the three, I didn't do a lot of firsts...but this is one thing I did do first, so it was fun to help plan, bring perspective and remember my own wedding and the months...wait weeks & days leading up to the big day! Darryl was so awesome in his support of me, supporting them! He would say, "who's dress fitting is it?!" He was awesome! Anyway...weddings days have come and now gone, all are married and merry! :)

Speaking of Merry....um, Christmas, HELLO! That is coming up quick! But thats besides the point right now. So back to life and it being full. In case you didn't know: WE HAVE 3 KIDS! I could write that alone, never blog again and no one would think less of me! 3 is not a big number unless they are little people ages 4 and under! Life is full, busy & crazy...I wouldn't have it any other way! I love my little people all 3 of them! They make me so happy (and tired at times). Jorden, wow when the heck did she turn into a little lady? She is in preschool and loves it! There is a sweet little girl in her class that is just as shy as can be...Jorden has befriended her and it makes my heart sing! She LOVES art! I can't hardly keep enough art supplies around for her! I, of course now have an entire art collection for Jorden Rae art. I mean really how is a momma supposed to choose between so many amazing drawings! Fancy Nancy is a favorite book right now and of course Berenstien Bears. My sweet boy, Jonathan! ALL BOY...yes he has an older sister and may sometime dress up in princess clothes or use a pink or purple bowl, but he is ALL BOY! This kid, he loves to wrestle, box, throw ball, play basketball, ride bike, & throw anything! But ahhh, his sweet sweet heart! He is so caring and compassionate. Loves to sing and read books right now! He likes to read books to me, which of course I can't resist! And Uriah. ri, ri-guy, ri'sa-guysa, uria, you name it we call him it. He is 8 months old and cute as a button! He is crawling, pulling himself up, babbling....oh the babbling I just love it! He is so smiley! This is truly my favorite part of the baby stage! He is so interactive yet I can contain him to the pack and play with toys and he is still a happy camper! I don't feel like I get to spend as much time alone with him, probably because I don't, but there are times when he stays up a little bit later then the other two and I totally cherish the time! I give him kisses and hugs every chance I get!

There is so much more that is happening in life right now too that makes me feel full, but alas that will have to wait for another blog post!

Wedding Bells

Congrats Jesse and Jodi! We are so Happy for you!

It was a beautiful wedding! The rain held off and the breeze came at just the right time! Jesse and Jodi's Ceremony was a beautiful testimony to the Lords faithfulness and love toward us!

Happy Friday!

The Secret to a Happy Life

I came across this as a devotion excerpt in my bible yesterday morning. I've been mulling over it and reading it every so often to let it sink down deep. Hope it encourages & challenges you as it did me.

Have you, like Martha, sometimes found yourself asking, "Lord, don't you care?" Do your personal priorities threaten to take precedence over what is better?...

Our natural inclination when we're under pressure is to compete, to compare, to blame, to criticize, to demand, or to interrupt - ...Martha, no doubt, was wholeheartedly going about her business when she reached her stress limit. But Jesus didn't offer His sympathy. Instead, He offered a gentle rebuke.

Like Martha, our hearts are distracted and weighed down by many worthwhile things-concerns about family and friends, daily work responsibilities, church-related duties financial needs - as well as by our own ongoing thoughts, judgement, and self-talk. Looking to our LORD'S peace and inviting His love to reign in our hearts relieves hurt, eases weariness, and sets our feet back on solid ground. This is not an easy task by any means....but given the alternative, what kind of life...would you truly prefer?...

Yielding our heart and mind to the Holy Spirit's direction transforms our whole outlook. The more we pay attention to our Shepherd's gentle reproof and trustworthy guidance, the less we find ourselves worrying about the things that don't matter...

Taking time to slow down long enough to talk to God and delight in the joy of His sweet presence-wherever we are, regardless of what we are doing, whether it's doing the dishes or driving to the store or shuttling the school car pool or preparing for and important meeting-can quiet our hearts and minds like nothing else. This is where we fin the hidden strength that can never be taken away from us.

-by Debra Evans (from blessing your husband)

Family

Thanks Mark for taking these photos!

You can check his website out at www.hingework.blogspot.com

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life as WE know it

Me & My Love

Classic Jorden Rae: baby in hand

Banana Boy

Uriah love :)

Swim Time

So thankful for this beautiful life of mine!

Fathers Day

Darryl is an amazing daddy to our three kiddos! I love watching him play with them, teaching them things, taking care of their needs! The other day I was driving the van and Darryl was driving his motorcycle, Jorden asked if she could pray for daddy, she prayed the sweetest prayer for him, then proceeded to tell Jonathan who seemed a little concerned for daddy, that, "daddy will be safe jon, he is a good daddy so he will be safe for us." They think the world of their daddy and so do I!

Five Years Ago

Five years ago on June 16th I married my best friend! I loved him then & I love him even more now! I can't imagine how much more love I will have for him in 10, 20 more years! As I think back over the past 5 years I feel full! We've been blessed in so, so many ways. This week, Jorden & Jonathan are on vacation with their grandparents, so Darryl & I are getting to spend more time together then usual! It's been wonderful! We are rediscovering each other, things we loved about each other when we got married & enjoying who we've become over the past 5 years! Sometimes life feels like a roller coaster, generally I don't enjoy roller coasters, but this is one ride I'll ride forever! Darryl Vaughn, I love you, respect you, and look forward to many more anniversaries with you, babe!

Banana's Anyone?

So Cindy I were in the living room talking after lunch today...Jonathan found something to do to keep himself busy...

So what do you do with six open banana's...We gave one to daddy, when he came home for lunch, we threw 1 & 1/2 away because they were severely bruised and we used the rest to make Banana Chocolate Chip Bread!

Cookies & Expectations

Tonight Darryl and Jorden are on a Daddy Daughter Date! So me and the two little boys are making cookies! I love cookies, Choc. Chip are my favorite, and that's whats on the cookie menu tonight! I love making cookies. I am terrible at making them. My cookies never turn out how I envision them turning out and I am disappointed every time. This time is no exception! I mean the cookie dough, tasted perfect, maybe the best cookie dough ever.I was sure this time my cookies would come out looking like this:

I can't even tell you how much they did not turn out looking like that. I have NO idea what happened! I'm blaming it on the cookie trays or my baking soda! They look terrible, but taste Ok. Now what to do with an ugly batch of cookies!

There have been a few other things recently, that aren't turning out how I expect. For example:

The other day I had drs. appt scheduled for Uriah, written down in my planner. I arranged for a sitter for Jorden and Jonathan, dropped them off and headed for the drs. When I got there they informed me that his appt. wasn't until Thursday morning. Great, all the way to Strasburg and back. Okay, no big deal I'll just do a couple other errands that I need to get done. Pay the trash bill downtown, and return some library books. So downtown through the traffic to the police station to pay the bill. The drive through window is closed...arggg. Okay I'll pay it online when I get home. You've got to be kidding me a $2.00 convenience fee to pay the bill online. Not convenient at all. So I swing by the Library at 9:50am, and seriously they don't open until 10am. I felt like I spent my first 2 hours of the morning doing nothing! But then I realized after talking to a friend, that my first 2 hours weren't spent doing nothing, they were just spent differently then what I expected.

I feel like this is true in parenting right now too. The expectations I have of my self to be a perfect mom are ones that I can never live up to. So, I'm often, at the end of a day left feeling inadequate and like I've failed. I know that there are always ways to improve my parenting, but I'm not a failure! The Lord is in me and because of that I have all that I need to parent, my little loves, well! So raise a glass of milk to ugly cookies & to letting go of expectations.

P.S. Jonathan and I had a great time making the cookies, and that's what matters anyway!

Sweetness

Lovely Lum Ladies

I love ALL these beauties!

Monkey Bread

Tonight Jonathan is having a sleepover at Pa Pa and Ma- Maw's house so we are spending some special time with Jorden and Uriah! With all the wind and rain it just seemed like a monkey bread kind of night!

New Hair

Yesterday I went and got my hair cut at Pure Essence Organic Salon, in Leola. I LOVE it there! It was my first time, but what a great experience. I've never had a "hairdresser" or Salon that I consistently go to, but I decided yesterday that this place is it! This salon, has a great

atmosphere! It is small and owned by a mother & daughter! They open a year and half ago kinda on a whim and it's worked out great for them! They Love the LORD and are very personable. They use all organic products called Shear Miracles- by Robyn. The product line Shear Miracles is based out of Millersville. Generally I'm not that concerned with whether something is or organic or not. Not that I'm against Organic products or food, Quite honestly I just haven't done my research or know that much about Organic products other then that usually they cost more! Anyway, If you are interested in checking it out here is the website: pureessenceorganicsalon.com. I was given a 1/2 off hair cut coupon to give to a friend, so if anyone is interested just let me know. Well that's all for now! Have a lovely day!

Rainy Days

Sick Days Part II

If you didn't read my Sick Days Part I then scroll on down and check it out!

But I was thinking some more about sick days and why I "like" them. I was thinking about how I've been known on many occasions to sympathy puke with those that are sick! In other words I'm not so good on the front lines of the stomach bug. However I'm so thankful for this Man:

He is amazing, in so many ways, but he is great

at handling sickness! I like that when the kids are sick, again not saying I would ever choose for them to be sick, but since it seems to happen every now and again. I like that Darryl and I really come together as a team and work together! I don't know how I would do it with out him! But we really rally together to take care of our kids and I love that, and I really love him!

So the other night when the kids were sick we were doing the usual...me comforting the child while he cleans up the mess. ( now maybe that doesn't seem like teamwork to some out there, but for us it works :) ) Anyway Darryl starts laughing and from across

the room is holding something up for me to see. Of course I can't see anything because for one, its dark and for two I can't see anything without my glasses. So he brings it closer and this is what I see: What makes you giggle?

One of the kids book and of course every time I have read this book before it was just Elmo giggling. Well the picture on the cover took on a whole new meaning that night.

We both started busting up laughing! Actually for about the next half hour as we laid back down in bed we would randomly start laughing picturing Elmo!

So what I like about Sick Days is my Husband and how awesome he is! Of course he is awesome every other day too! I like that we pull through something together and have fun!

Sick Days

Ewww... I hate sick days or do I? No really I don't like being sick or having sick kids in this case, but I do feel like I learned to appreciate something about sick days this past weekend.

Okay first a little background information: We just had a baby one month ago and life has been good, full & busy, but good. Jorden is 3 1/2 and Jonathan just turned two. Jorden is a big helper, but is still adjusting in her own Jorden way. and Jonathan is 2, need i say more? So I've been busy with the kids and housework. Darryl's been busy with school, lifting, and our family. Sometimes as much as I think I have to manage I think he has even more! We've also been enjoying the company of friends for dinner on several evenings. Plus for the past 12 weeks on Wednesday nights we have been attending Financial Peace University, only one more week left! So all that to say that it's just been good, full & busy, but so good. HOWEVER, even with the good, full & busy schedule you still need a break!

So this weekend when the kids came down with a little stomach bug, I welcomed the slowed pace of our home! No, I would never pick having my kids be sick, so we can have a relaxed weekend, we CAN have a relaxed weekend anytime we CHOOSE to. But it was fun to curl up on the couch and watch Cinderella all together or just sit and hold my 2 year old who rarely sits still and I was even able to catch a couple naps.

So do I like sick days? Not really, but I feel like it did make us slow down a little bit, which feels like it was needed. Don't get me wrong I love full days and weeks but you gotta relax and re-energize sometimes too!

Family of Five

Jon, Jesus & Me

Tonight when I asked Jonathan to

pick up the blocks on the floor he replied, "No, I find Jesus."

I looked up and saw he had our bible and was flipping through the pages.

He then continued, "He is in here!"

What a good reminder of how awesome the WORD is. God reveals himself through his Word! My prayer is God I want know YOU more. Not what He wants from me or what I should do, or even what He can do for me. But just simply I want to know HIM more. What is on His heart, what is He like, how does He love? I want to know HIM more! I don't want to know what everyone else tells me about him ( although that is helpful and encouraging at times)

I want to know HIM !

Uriah Mark Vaughn Lum

Uriah was born on Wednesday, March 2nd at 1:50pm. He weighed 7lbs 14oz and was 21 inches long. we are so happy to have him here, and be a part of our family.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jonathan!

We celebrated Jonathan's 2nd birthday not only once, but prob. a total of 5 times! It was really fun! Partly it happened this way because it felt hard to know how to plan around everyone's schedule, including the due date of our new baby, which happened to be only three days after Jon's birthday. At first I felt kinda sad for him that he didn't get to just have one big party and all the presents and and attention at once, but as the week went on and we celebrated with different people I was glad that he got to be sung to so many times, and open a lot of presents not all at once, and eat cake 3 times instead of just 1. Mainly I just wanted him to know he was loved a lot and that we were celebrating his 2 amazing years of life! I think I he got the point!

Our first celebration was with Aunt Cindy & Kent. They came over for dinner and dessert. We had a fun time hanging out and eating some good food! Jonathan loved opening his presents. In the picture above, Jonathan just opened a new sippy cup, picked out by none other than Big Sister, Jorden- who clearly was very excited about it! Below Jon and Jorden are checking out Jon's new Big Boy car bed from Aunt Cindy & Kent! He wasn't quite sure about it the first night, but now he loves to show his race car bed to everyone!

Birthday Boy!

Although, I don't have any pictures from the night, on Wed. the week of his birthday! Jodi and Jesse came up and had dinner with us and celebrated Jon's birthday. We were also celebrating their return from DTS in the middle East. Aunt Jo gave Jonathan a stuffed animal camel that she brought back from Eygpt, however Jon well he really likes Jesse and he kept saying the Jesse gave him the Camel.

Below: On Thursday night we headed to Chuck E. Cheese's for some good family fun! We had a great time! Kevin, Lesley, and Kiddos joined us in the fun! The kids (and adults) had a great time playing all the games and eating pizza!

This is Jonathan with his new pickup truck from Pa Pa and Ma-Maw Lapp. We went to their house on sunday afternoon and evening, and had dinner together. Jonathan is also sporting a new hat he got from Pa Pa and Ma-Maw on their FL. trip.