Pictures from the Weekend Continued (see two posts below)

At the park...Drew loved the tire swing until he fell off. After that he told me to push him, "baby slow." He is so funny!
Kade on the slide..
After Drew fell off the swing, he was back up on it again in less than a minute. He has no fear!!! Okay... I know I am his mama, but that is the cutest face I have ever seen!!!

Ronnie's new truck!!! It is a dark stone/cocoa color. The interior is tan leather.

Pictures for the Post Below

Drew and Kade play in the entry all the time. They ride their cars around the plants I keep in their during the winter. Drew tells me that they are in the "jungle." One of the pots has a large root growing out of it...and Drew says it is a "snake".
The boys at the park!!!
Ronnie and Kade swinging!
Just for the record I was at the park...the camara woman is never in any pics.
The boys getting ready for bed. They both have to drink their milk and hold their babies. Drew's babies are Sissy and Baby Bear. Kade's baby is named Baby Puppy! We don't go anywhere without all three of them...

This isn't the best picture, but Kade loves his push toy. He pushes it everywhere. It starts first thing in the morning. He can really go fast, but he can't walk with his legs together...it the cutest little duck waddle.

Great Weekend

Wow!!! What a weekend. Our weekend started on Wednesday night. Nonni and Pa Pa came to keep the kiddos, and we went to the Tech vs. A&M Basketball game. As you guessed, the game wasn't great due to the fact we were smeared by Tech. We spent the night at the Quality Inn Suites that night and enjoyed sleeping in until 9 Thursday morning. Thursday morning we went truck shopping for Ronnie. His truck, a '99 extended cab Z71, had 147k miles and was knocking. We didn't find what we wanted in Lubbock, but found one on the Internet Thursday night in Odessa. Saturday morning Ronnie went to buy a '05 Supercrew Lariat in Odessa, and we love it. It has 30,000 miles, more room, and is super clean on the inside. The entire family went cruising Saturday night...we are so blessed. Sunday we had a wonderful lesson in Sunday school about making God our first true love. We talked about loving Him unashamedly and extravagantly like the women who kissed and poured perfume on his feet. That afternoon, I hosted a shower for my friend, Holly, who is due the 6th of February. We had 40+ people here, and it was wonderful. All my friends stayed to help clean-up, so Ronnie, the boys, and I were able to just lounge on Sunday night. Today Ronnie was home for MLK day. He took Drew out to our friend, Dustin's shop, and during nap time I got to go drive the new truck all by myself. I had NO KIDS...NO HUSBAND; it was SO nice and peaceful. I went to look at Holly's nursery and shopped at Bealls. When I got home we took the boys to the new park in town....they had a blast.

Ronnie and I remodeled our office bath. We used the paper sack technique; then we put a suede glaze over it. It was tedious, but I LOVE IT!!!

Up close picture of the wall.

New mirror and light when you first walk in the 1/2 bath
Up close picture of my new Pier 1 table. I still need to get a round candle to go on top and maybe one on the table to bring the eye down...????
Wall on the north side, above the toilet. I got the tin shelf at Hobby Lobby...it is a perfect match to the mirror (black w/ brownish accents)
Kade eating Ravioli. He loves to eat, and eat, and eat, and eat...This week I went in the kitchen and found him eating chocolate syrup out of the bottle. It was everywhere. Then he threw up and had potty problems because it was sugar free syrup. You know I guess Drew and Kade don't want me to ever be bored...sheesh!

Email Fun

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Stay-at-home mom (most challenging)
2.Pre-K and First Grade Teacher
3. Intern with Bryan Utilities (Energy Trader)
4. Student worker in the Agribusiness Department at A&M

Four Movies I would watch over and over:
1. Urban Cowboy
2. Grease
3. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
4. Pretty Woman

Four Places I have Lived:
1. Seminole, Texas
2. College Station, Texas
3. Paige, Texas
4. Pflugerville, Texas

Four TV Shows that I like to watch:
1. Friday Night Lights
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. Biggest Loser
4. American Idol

Four Places I have been :
1. Cozumel
2. Chicago
3. Branson
4. Las Vegas

Four people who e-mail me regularly:
1. Mom
2. Holly
3. Amanda
4. Charla

Four favorite things to eat:
1. Sugar Cookies
2. Hot Rolls/Biscuits
3. Good Hot Sauce
4. Nana's Banana Pudding (minus the bananas)
(I know I have a carb problem...)

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Anywhere on vacation with Ronnie
2. At an Aggie football game
3. Shopping with my favorite sister-in-law
4. Working outside with the boys on my parents place in Paige

Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. Getting healthy/in-shape
2. Taking the boys to Sea World
3. Working another Walk to Emmaus
4. My ten-year reunion

Four favorite books:
1. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (any of her books are wonderful)
2. Purpose Driven Life
3. Power of a Praying Wife/Parent
4. Marriage on the Rock

Four best memories (besides having my two boys):
1. Wrestling with my dad when I was little
2. Getting completely out of debt
3. Being baptized last Sunday
4. Giving my talk at the Walk to Emmaus

Four things I love most about Ronnie:
1. His ability to be a spiritual and financial leader in the family
2. His ability to fix ANYTHING
3. His eyes (especially the crows feet at the edges)
4. He is the best dad

Four things going on in the Jenkins house right now:
1. Remodeling our office half bath (pictures to come)
2. Ronnie is working a Kairos (prison ministry)
3. Ronnie and I are going to the Tech vs. A&M game on Wednesday
4. Ronnie and I are consumed with Fox News and the Republican debates

Four Things Drew says that I love:
1. "Hold you Mama"
2. His prayer (which goes like this) "Thank you Father. Thank you for this day. Thank you far, far away."
3. "Mama's so cute"
4. "I love you, Kaders."

I Like Mike

Mike Huckabee is a breath of fresh air. He stands up for his values, relates to the middle class, and is a man of God. Fox News is having a Republican debate Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. Watch and decide for yourself!!!

Happy Birthday Kade

Kade turned one January 2nd, 2008. The celebration included a huge snickerdoodle, two balloons, a few new toys, and Drew singing Happy Birthday. Kade was delivered on Janauary 2, 2007 at 5:02 p.m. He weighed in at a hefty 8 pounds 2 ounces despite the fact that he was 24 days early. As Ronnie and I waited for him to come out of the NICU for three days, I remember the pain and worry that filled my heart. Ronnie was so strong in his faith. It is one of the many reasons I love him so much. He prayed with me, and reminded me that God had Kade in His hands. We had hundreds of people praying for us, and today Kade is a healthy 24 pounds and 31 inches long. Glory to God!!! He loves to dance, eat, play cars with his brother, blow kisses, take baths, and has taken his first step. You can always find something in his hands because he is always carrying something around. He is so sweet!!! I am so thankful for two healthy boys!!!

"Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:7

I am reading the book by Beth Moore called Breaking Free. She asks for the reader to try to define God's glory. Can you define it? Ronnie and I tried but our attempts proved inadequate. Beth goes onto describe God's glory as indefinable. The Hebrew word for glory used in the Old Testament is "kavodh" which means "weight, honor, esteem". The word "kavodh" is also linked to another Hebrew word, "kavedh" which means "be renowned...to show oneself great or mighty." So God's glory is the way He makes himself known or shows Himself mighty. Beth says, "God's glory is how He shows who He is."

In the New Testament the Hebrew translation for glory is different, John 1:14 and John 2:11. The Hebrew word is doxa, "the true apprehension of God or things. The glory of God is ascribing Him His full recognition..."

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word..." Hebrews 1:3

Jesus is the glory of God the Father. God wants to make himself known to us by His glory and he wants to make himself known to others through us.

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

This was a total revelation to me. I then looked at another verse that God had put on my heart and it gave me chills...

"God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, WHICH IS CHRIST IN YOU, the HOPE OF GLORY."

When Christ is living in us we have the "hope" that God will be recognizable in us. We alone cannot bring glory to God because "we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 But when we are born-again we have the hope of bringing God glory in our day to day activities. The more Christ fills our hearts the more we radiate God's glory. How awesome is that?

Beth poses 4 questions for us to ask ourselves in evaluating how much our lives are reflecting God's glory.

1. Is my most important consideration in every undertaking whether or not God will be glorified? (1 Cor. 10:31)

2. Do I desire God's glory or my own? (John 8:50,54)

3. In my service to others, is my sincere hope that they will see God in me? (1 Peter 4:10-11)

4. When I am going through hardships, do I turn to God and try to cooperate with Him so He can use them for my good and for His glory? (1 Peter 4:12-13)

5. Am I sometimes able to accomplish things or withstand things only through the power of God? ( 2 Cor. 4:7)

When I think about Kade's first year of life I can see God's glory. I see how mighty He is. Looking to Isaiah 43:7, it is clear that Kade is God's creation. His babbling, his first step, his giggle, his smile, and his health are all a reflection of who God is. God is recognizable in all that Kade is/does. All I have to do is open my eyes and see THE GLORY!!! As I look to 2008, my prayer is that God will be more recognizable in my own life by growth in my faith, and that other's will see God's glory in all I do. Remember, "....faith comes from hearing the Message, and the Message is heard through the Word of Christ." Romans 10:17
Happy New Year!!!