Family.

Yesterday we celebrated three of my grandparents turning the big 7-0. 

It was a spur of the moment- hey! everyone's in town- kind of party.

Allow me to set the scene for you:

16 adults.

1 tween.

2 kids.

1 toddler.

1 infant.

4 dogs.

I should also mention we all seem to congregate in the kitchen.

 It was a full house.

Noisy, crowded, unorganized, and just a smidge chaotic.

 Ok...maybe more than a smidge.

Brayden decided to up the ante by introducing his eye to the bottom of the toilet.

 Cue tears, blood, and a nice little shiner.

The tears (and blood) quickly dried up as his cousins ran to his rescue, re- enacted the feat for those of us who missed his acrobatics, turned my little man's tears into smiles, and pretty soon the fits of laughter and squeals of excitement returned.

My dad grilled.

I got my Betty Crocker on and baked some delicious treats for everyone.

Umm by the way can we all say a quick Amen for fresh strawberries, homemade pound cake, and quite possibly the world's *BEST* recipe for Better Than Sex cake?! A special thanks to pinterest for that one.

I'm not even going to apologize to my waistline.

It. Was. Goooood.

We caught up on everything the kids have been up to, told work stories, discussed the latest developments on the construction projects (my family has a thing for simultaneously taking on large remodels), loved on my babies, lit candles, and sang a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday to three very special 70 year olds.

When the chaos finally died down and we said our goodbyes to everyone,

 I was left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude...and exhaustion if I'm keeping it real. Haha.

I am just so grateful to have had the

 opportunity to spend the last 27 years of my life 

calling these people my family. 

A family which is only growing as we introduce 

significant others, spouses, dogs (lol), and babies to the mix. 

A family that was created by four wonderful people-

 four people who I am lucky enough to call my grandparents. 

And I know that I didn't exactly plan on making

 them great grandparents when I did, but it is an absolute joy 

watching my children get to know them.

        I can't wait to watch Bella make cookies with her Great Grandma Sandy and play dolls and sing songs with her Great Grandma Barb just as I did when I was a child. I know that Brayden will have the best time ever when his Great Grandpa Wally teaches him how to fish,and I hope that his Great Grandpa Denny can one day share even the tiniest bit of his craftsmanship skills with my little ones. 

So thank you Lord

for bringing me into this family.

We may not always agree with one another.

We might not see one another as much as we should.

But we love each other. 

And despite the fact that we don't say this enough to one another, the love is there...

wherever our crazy bunch decides to gather.

A few older pictures of the fam:

 (I am now realizing I need to pull out the camera during gatherings a bit more)

I also want to mention that family isn't just those you are related to by blood...these three girls to my side are my sisters. For life. I love you all and am so blessed to include you in my family.

And the most recent one I took with my new camera... Doesn't it just melt your heart?!

Don't forget to celebrate your very own crazy bunch.

~ Kristin

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Thoughts on Faith.

I'm not too sure where to begin...there is so much that has been on my heart that I suppose any place will do.
 Forgive me if I start to ramble.

I believe.
Simple statement, right?
With every fiber of my being...I am a true believer of Jesus Christ.

I pray.
Each and every day...with my children. Alone. Out loud. Silently. Sometimes I get down on my knees. Other times I look to the heavens and just have myself a little conversation with the Lord.

Now I need to admit something. Before Easter Sunday, I had not been in a church in over 6 months.
I have your standard list of excuses:
 I'm busy.
It's difficult with a baby who naps in the morning.
Brett and I differ on where to worship.
We prefer jammies on the weekends.
The house looks like a toy tornado swept through.
Etc.

UGH.

And while I feel that it is important to have a personal relationship with the Lord on a regular basis, by not going to church I feel like I keep blowing off a friend who has invited me over. Every Sunday there is this invitation, and I can't seem to rsvp. It feels for lack of a better word...rude. 

 But the beauty of the Lord is that His invitation is always an open one. He doesn't close His doors.

Case and point: They were wide open this past weekend when we strolled in with our two kids.
Phew.
 He hasn't locked us out.
We are welcome.
You are welcome.
Anytime. Any day.

And ya know how it felt to be in church on Sunday?
Like a home away from home.
The fear that I would all of a sudden feel out of place, judged, shunned...it disappeared.
Instead the fear was replaced by His love.
It is constant and unconditional.
And I have missed it. Like crazy.

It didn't matter that this wasn't "my" church. Didn't matter that I struggled with remembering hymns, responses, prayers. All that mattered during that hour, was that we were there. In HIS presence.

I'm not entirely sure what I set out to accomplish by writing this post...all I know is that there has been this tugging on my heart lately, this voice saying "this isn't going to fill that void Kristin" and by stepping through that door this past weekend- I was sure that it was the Lord speaking to me. Bringing me to Him. He knows my heart. My desires. Fears. Struggles...He knows it all, and He had been telling me that all I needed to do was just come to Him. Bring it all to Him for He is the only one that can truly bring me peace.

All I need to do is trust in Him.

So maybe by writing this, I am trying to hold myself accountable. Publicly declare that I will do better to trust His plan for me. I need to stop trying to fill this void with material things and instead- let His love make me whole. I know I will make mistakes. I know that I probably won't be in church every Sunday.  But what is more- I KNOW that he will forgive. I am not perfect, but I am slowly learning that I am not expected to be.

He loves me despite my imperfections.
Just as I love my children.
Just as He loves them.

And I promise to make sure they see His love through my actions...that they come to know Him through me.

I promise.

Easter Sunday via my Instagram (follow at bsmama318):

~Kris

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