Easter....a little late!

Well, I know that I am a little late in posting some Easter photo's but we can't seem to escape our busy lifestyle. And since my last post we have added some home repairs to the long list of "to dos" and activities which has included a leak in the shower pan of Cody's shower. This leak was discovered only after our neighbors downstairs (we live in a high rise condo) reported that water was dripping from one of their smoke detectors. Oh, the joys of condo living! Cody's shower is now torn apart and we are awaiting the delivery of tile to get him back in business with regards to showering. Don't worry, he has been showering in our shower much to all of our relief. I am sure that life will continue to run at the speed of light for the next couple of months so I will post as often as I can for those who like to check in with us.

We are doing good and are looking forward to Spring Break next week. We have no plans other than to do some day trips to the local attractions and have lazy mornings. Cody is enjoying Upward Basketball and once again has an AWESOME coach and for the first year the boys seem to really be playing as a team. We are having a blast going to the games and they are really quite intense. Of course the girls love to play on the bleachers and socializing with all the parents. Grace is LOVING gymnastics and is doing amazingly well. We think that we have found her niche. Her balance is incredible and boy can this girl perform on the bar. I am envisioning lots of future hours at the gym and I can't wait. Emily is eager to join in on the gymnastics fun and given her flexibility she too will probably be a natural at gymnastics. We had a check up with her orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday and he said that her feet look absolutely fantastic. He couldn't be more pleased and said he didn't want to see us for another year...YAY!!!! Emily is just absolutely delightful. She brings such joy to everyone she meets. Just yesterday while we were ordering tile for Cody's bath she and Grace were entertaining everyone in the store including a large group of rough looking male tile installers with their singing, twirling and dazzling smiles. We left to waves and big smiles on everyones faces. Our sales lady told me that my girls had brought more happiness into their shop in one hour than she had felt in her 5 years of working there and thanked me for bring them in. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to share God's light with others through my children. I love it that they are beautiful examples of the miracle's of God and evidences of His love. I am continually amazed at how far Emily has come in the year that she has been with us. She had absolutely no reservations in engaging perfect strangers yesterday. And the love that she and Grace have for each other frequently brings tears to my eyes as I am reminded of how difficult the early months were for Grace. Emily's unique personality continues to blossom and become more refined and each day I look at her with thankfulness as I think of how she has blessed our family and how beautiful it is to see her become all that God wants her to be. I hope and pray that I always provide that fertile ground for all of my children to grow into God's perfect design.

I am posting some Easter pictures as well as some of Cody's BBall pictures, a picture of Grace just before we went to a fundraiser for a friend launching his campaign for our US Representative (love those chances for the girls to wear their flag dresses) and another picture of Emily twirling in a beautiful dress which was a gift from our neighbors. Easter was a little low key this year. I just didn't have much energy to "go all out" which was just fine in that we enjoyed the simplicity of celebrating Resurrection Day. I was late in searching for Easter dresses for the girls and was delighted to find some cute dresses at Target and much to Mike's happiness they were far less expensive than the ones I had wanted from Strasburg. Of course Easter service at church was packed but was a glorious celebration of Christ's Resurrection. We then enjoyed a wonderful late afternoon meal at my sister's house who by the way, is expecting her third child in July and we just found out that it is a GIRL YAY!!!! The kids enjoyed hunting Easter eggs and the adults had fun watching and of course the food was YUMMY! The weather was perfect as we relaxed around my sister's pool while having dessert. It was the perfect ending to a great day. I hope that you all enjoyed Happy Easter's and that you are looking forward to a wonderful Spring!

The Winds of Change

As the winds of our lives blow we often find that the strong air that wisks through will many times bring a change in direction. These winds can be unsettling and confusing but can be God's way of stirring our spirits to prompt us to move from one place to another. Sometimes it can be a spiritural change of direction while others can be more of an emotional re-location and then many times it can be of the physical type change when we are called upon to do something that is more of an outward change as opposed to an inward. Well, the winds of change have been blowing through our family recently. I feel as though the Lord has really been stirring us, shifting our foundations, calling us to step out of our comfort zones and trust Him. I hate stepping out of my comfort zone and dislike anything that resembles change but it seems as though the Lord has been working in my heart reassuring me that "change is good". As we have surrender our wills to Him, opened our hearts and minds to see what He might have on the horizon for our family, He has slowly impressed upon our hearts things that have caused us to re-evalulate many situations in the life of our family. As we have considered the incredible duty and honor of being a mom and dad to Cody, Grace and Emily we have felt an incredible sense that we could be doing more at building them up and equipping them to stand strong in the world in which we live. We have felt passionate about protecting them from things that they are not emotional ready to see and hear while giving them safety in questioning things that just don't make sense to their little hearts and minds. I believe that as a mom I have longed to have more of those "nighttime moments" when I get a window into the heart of my children. We have felt that we are missing so many teachable opportunities to cause them to consider who they are in the eyes of the Lord and it has been through these longings that we have felt a strong "calling" to homeschool the children next year. It has been such a BIG decision in that I had always said that "I would NEVER homeschool". I had always had such admiration for those families who did but never felt that I could do it and so when the Lord began prompting me with ideas of homeschool I quickly rejected them. He continued to prompt and it wasn't until I surrendered to His "call" that His peace fell upon us. So I just have to say...."be careful of what you say that you will "NEVER" do.

We are excited as well anxious about what next year will look like in the life of our family. Homeschooling is not an easy task and we know that there will certainly be challenges but I truly have been amazed at what is available to homeschooling families and think that it certainly will be a fun adventure which will give us the opportunity to soak up precious moments with our children. We have told both Cody and Grace and they have slowly warmed to the idea and although I know that they have a little anxiousness about the unknown ways of homeschooling they are growing in excitement as we explore curriculums, activities and all of the other options that we have available to us. We have also been slowing sharing our news with others and have been amazed at the reactions of people as we have announced our decision. Never would I have thought that the simple act of homeschooling could bring about such emotional responses from individuals. People really have strong opinions regarding how and where the education of children takes place which was very surprising to me because I have always felt that there advantages and disadvantages to all types of education and that what is good for one family or for that matter, one child may not be for another. Parents simply have to educate their children in the ways that they feel are best for their individual children. Fortunately, we have experienced encouragment from family as well as friends and although they may not fully understand the why's of our decision they are supporting us and many have applauded this change. I know that many families choose different paths of educating their children and am thankful that we live in a country that offers parents such a vast array of educational options. For this reason we have confidence in taking our homeschooling decision on a year to year basis. It is very possible that this change will only be for a season in the life of our family and then again it could be something that is more long term. But for however long the Lord directs us to have our children home we will be faithful to obey knowing that being in the center of HIS will is the best place to be for us and our kids.

Thanks to all of you who have encouraged us in our decision, provided information and resources and simply prayed for us as we have made this decision. As I said it will be an adventure that I am sure will stretch us and grow all of us in ways that only the Lord can.

1 Year Gotcha Day

I am catching up on some blogging this morning and have quite alot to say and lots of news to report but this will probably be my last post for today given that Cody and Grace are home from school today and we are going to try to dye and decorate some Easter Eggs. But before I sign off my computer for the day I wanted to write a quick post to note that on Feb.26 we celebrated our 1 year anniversary of Emily's Gotcha Day. Much to my disappointment the day passed without much celebration outwardly but deep in my heart I was rejoicing about how special that day was. It was a day in which the emotions that filled me will be imprinted upon my heart forever. I will never forget seeing Emily for the first time dressed in pink overalls. I will never lose the feeling of the moment I first felt her in my arms and the emotions that flooded my heart as we experienced the fulfillment of the miraculous events that brought her into our family. It was a day of quite reflection as I basked in the joy and knowledge that the blessings that have fallen upon me during this past year as a result of being Emily's mommy have been precious gifts from a God who longs to lavish me with His love. It has been a year of adjustments, challenges as well as incredible and indescribable joys and as I witness the flower which has bloomed within our daughter I see God's divine perfection in His plans. We can't always "see His hand but we can ALWAYS trust His heart". Emily has grown and blossomed into such a confident and secure little girl with such a witty and playful personality. And it just keeps getting better. But most of all she is FULL of love. Her constant verbal and physically expressions of love make my heart soar and bring such happiness into our days. What joy fills my heart that we were chosen to be her family.

Thank you, my precious Emily for teaching me how simple and beautiful deep love can be. For allowing me to see Jesus in you and for touching me in such a way that I will never be the same.
Thank you, my loving Cody, for allowing God to speak to your heart and directing our paths to the gift of Emily
Thank you, to my sweet Grace, for being patient and kind for taking the time to learn how to fall in love with your sister.
And most of all thank you, to my adoring Mike, for everything....your patience, your kindness, your love and willingness to lead us through the waters of life. For constantly seeking the Lord and being our provider and protector and for always being willing to listen to the voice of God no matter where it leads us.

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Miracles In Every Moment

WOW! Where does the time go? It truly seems as though life passes us by in the blink of an eye. The Minot's have been busy, busy, busy since I last posted. School events have literally swallowed us up during the past few months. From Winter Wonderland Celebrations to Valentines Day to International Children's Day and with teacher birthdays and a few sick days and the frequent trips to the orthodontist (for me) we have been swamped. I really detest being so active that life becomes a blur. When our lives are so full of "stuff" we lose the ability to soak in the "miracles of each moment", which is a phrase that I am borrowing from a song on my new favorite CD by Steven Curtis Chapman, "This Moment". I love how music can strengthen, empower and make one contemplate a vast array of emotions and the songs on this CD do just that. I have been challenged through listening to the CD to notice and enjoy each moment of life, to surrender all that I am to a God who treasures me and to know that I AM changing the world, a heartbeat at a time.

I do truly enjoy having moments to enjoy my husband and my kids. I find that when I stop, look and listen to them and cease all the "multi-tasking" I get a glimpse of just how wonderfully they are made and am delighted at their uniqueness and creativity. It is during those moments that I relish the fact that I am a MOM.

Well, as I said we have been busy in the recent months...so much that I am sad to say that I have lost some of those precious moments as I hurried Grace and Cody out the door for a day at school only to rush back in with an agenda that involved things like cleaning, straightening, folding etc.... This only was followed by another mad dash out the door to the school with a van full of supplies for the next event. It has been during these mad dashes that I have longed for quietness amidst the chaos. Night times have been treasured times as the quiet calm settles over our children and I listen to their hearts and try to soak in what is left of each day. God's word tells us that "children are a gift from the Lord" and I pray that you are having moments to treasure your gifts from the Lord each day. I am posting a some photos of our activities including Emily's first snow experience which she loved as well as Grace's Winter Wonderland Celebration and Emily riding her tricycle for the first time. I also included a photo of my handsome husband and good looking brother in law during a "guys trip" to Washington D.C. for the National Prayer Breakfast. It was a fun opportunity for them to get away and "have breakfast with the President". The photos posted a bit out of order but hope you enjoy them anyway.

I hope that you all are happy, well and enjoying life to the fullest.

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

I have been contemplating the benefits of laughter recently as we seem to have had quite a lot of it lately. I am not sure if it is the fact that Cody has entered into a stage of ULTRA silliness or if all of our children are just becoming little comedians. Emily’s command of the English language and her hilarious use of words keeps us in almost a constant state of giggling while Cody’s silliness has taken on a life of its own reaching new heights of creativity in comic relief. Grace’s dry sense of humor and witty use of words is equally as funny. I truly believe that laughter is the best medicine. I encourage you to think about how you feel after you have been overcome with a side-splitting laugh and how it lightens your heart from your daily burdens. A few days ago I was afforded one of those really good laughs as I overheard Cody preaching to Grace and Emily in his best T.D. Jakes voice. Cody wasn’t in anyway making fun of the very animated pastor but was imitating the style of a preacher to whom he enjoys listening. It was absolutely hilarious because of the fact that he has his T.D. Jakes impersonation perfected. I am not so sure that he got his message through to the girls who were involved in playing in the shower at the time but it really gave me a great laugh. It also took me back to my childhood when my sister, cousin and I would play church at my Nana and Granddaddys. We had such fun as children imitating our pastor and music minister and as I thought about those fun times as child I am thankful that there are men like T.D. Jakes that get my sons attention enough for him to want to imitate. An imitation that brought about so many emotions within me most of all laughter that left me feeling happy. When happiness fills a family it makes the world brighter. Our family has certainly had our dark days which is why when we laugh together during a TV show, movie or when the kids do something funny I thank God that sorrows don’t last forever and that "joy does come in the morning." I hope that you are having some laughter filled times in your life. If not I encourage you to look for them and enjoy them to the fullest. I am posting a few funny pictures because I know how much fun it is to look at blog pictures. There are a few of our pastor having fun with our girls and plastic Easter eggs and another shot of our silly girls (actually it's Grace who is being silly...Emily was just posing for the pic).

Hearing God Amidst The Noise

It is a gloomy Saturday. Our typically sunny skies have been filled with clouds all day and I have spent the day inside trying to catch up on some of my "keeper of the house" chores. I just finished folding my 5th load of laundry today and have about 7 more to go....UGH! I can't seem to understand how our family generates so much laundry and of course am often frustrated with the fact that the laundry baskets are never empty but nevertheless I trudge through the cycle of dirty/clean clothes. Well, enough about doing laundry. As I said it has been a rather gloomy day and as I was enjoying some peace and quiet this afternoon while Mike took the kids to the driving range I was thinking about hearing God. I have really needed to hear His voice this week and it has seemed as though He is silent. I know that sometimes God does remain silent but I often wonder, is He not speaking to me or is the noise in my life drowning out His still small voice. With three children my life is rather noisy and the clatter in my head even noisier sometimes. It is during these times when I long to hear my Heavenly Father's voice that I wish that He would send a burning bush my way. How I would not only long to hear His audible voice but simply to experience His presence as Moses did. And so knowing that a burning bush was probably not in my future I folded my laundry and was I was quiet hoping to hear but alas no voice and then I thought about the ways of the Lord. Most of the time the voice of God is heard through His Word and sometimes it is through the words of a friend. At other times His voice is felt through a strong emotion that moves us to action and then of course sometimes He is silent. It is during those silent times that He calls us to trust. He expands our faith drawing us closer to Him. And so I continue to listen and wait and if I am called to step out in faith like Abraham I will do so willingly knowing that as Corrie Ten Boom said "never be afraid to trust an unknown future to an known GOD."

WOW! 15 Years of Marriage

It was 15 years ago tommorow that I proudly became Mrs. Michael Minot. A day that began with a pouring rain gave way to a beautiful sunny afternoon as we celebrated at a beach side hotel with family and friends. Our wedding day was exactly as I had dreamed but most of all the man who I married was and is still the love of my life. I am as proud today to be his wife as I was 15 years ago when I voiced my wedding vows. During these past 15 years we have shared many joys as well as deep sorrow. We have laughed hysterically and held each other in the midst of anguishing grief. Mike has loved me through many difficult times and held me close physically and emotionally never letting me go. Forgiveness has always abounded in our relationship coupled with an incredible amount of patience. Mike’s commitment and devotion to me has never faded and is with me each and every day of my life. I absolutely never doubt the love of my husband. Through these years he has encouraged me to grow and has celebrated me as his wife and mommy to our 4 children. Over these years we have settled into a beautiful abiding love. A love that has deepened throughout our time as husband and wife. As beautiful, passionate and fresh as it was 15 years ago it is now just as beautiful in its simplicity. I delight in such small things in our marriage such as watching Mike play hide and seek with Grace and Emily or hearing him talk with Cody about something deep. I enjoy watching him read the newspaper and laugh at something funny. I love seeing what a devoted and passionate daddy he is and how valuable me and the kids are to him. He not only voices how important we are but he exemplifies it each and every day. One of the things made me fall in love with Mike was his passion for the Lord. And it is this passion and deep love for the God who saved him that continues to fuel my love for him. So it is on this day that we celebrate our marriage that I thank the Lord for orchestrating all of the events in my life that led me to this man I now call my husband. My earthly days are certainly glorious because he is by my side. I look forward to journeying into the future with the man who still "makes my heart sing"