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.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

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"

It's a New Year!

It is January 9th and Cody and Grace are back in school. Cody was looking forward to returning while Grace wanted to stay home. Although, I loved having them home during the break I was looking forward to some peaceful moments with them back in school. Peaceful moments haven't found me yet. The Holidays ended with Emily coming down with a nasty upper respiratory cold which turned into an ear infection. The last couple of days have been a little tough as she has not felt good and being sick heightens her clingliness and lack of sleep. Now that the antibiotic seems kicking in I am hoping to begin the mission of clean up and organization the messes from the holidays and then enjoying some peaceful mornings. I am determined with the start of the new year to return to an exercise schedule by getting out with the jogging stroller and returning to my morning jogs. January is such a great time to start new habits and like so many others I try to start the year with new goals. Some are physical, like exercising and eating better while others are more on the emotional side like being more patient with my children and taking time to enjoy them and not just merely "take care of their needs". I think that many moms struggle with simply enjoying their kids. We spend so much time making sure they eat right, brush their teeth, take baths etc....and we don't take the time to simply play with them. I really want try to play with my kids more. It really is hard in that there is always so much to get done but I am going to try. I hope that whatever your goals may be this year that you are enjoying a great beginning to the year. I thought I would share some cute pictures of Emily which I snapped just before Christmas. My sweet lady who helps me out around the house was ironing one day and Emily got her little iron and ironing board along with doll clothes and joined the ironing party. I thought it was so cute and was so amazed at how she knew exactly how to iron.

Emily's First Christmas

It is hard to believe that Christmas 2007 has come and gone. All the preparations, planning, decorating, shopping have culminated on one day and passed with what seems to be a blink of an eye. Our celebrations were numerous and filled with excitement. Sharing all of the festivities with Emily was filled with joy although I think that at times she was somewhat overwhelmed and not sure of how to react. Of all the things that she has had to absorb the past two days were probably some of the most difficult for her little mind to process. There was just so many stimulating activities. She followed the lead of her brother and sister by quickly learning the art of opening a present and has absolutely loved all of the tasty sweet treats associated with Christmas dining.

Our celebrating began on Christmas Eve with dinner and opening gifts with Mike's family at our condo. We enjoyed steak, potatoes and other yummy dishes and then opened our gifts one by one. Emily wasn't sure exactly what was going on with everyone opening gifts but quickly got the hang of it. She and Grace received a little girls make-up set which they loved. Emily also received a princess tiara and jewelry which she happily shared with her Grandpa who got lots of laughs when he tried them on. Cody received his most wanted gift, Roller Coast Tycoon III and an acoustical guitar. We said goodnight to everyone and after snuggling the kids in their beds (which took a while) I sneaked downstairs to our 4th floor condo which served as Santa's workshop during the past few weeks and brought up all of our Christmas morning gifts to be placed by the tree.

We awoke on Christmas morning to a rainy, balmy Florida day and enjoyed sharing the excitement of seeing the kids discover all of their Christmas morning gifts. Emily and Grace received My Twin Dolls which amazingly look like them and strollers to transport their dolls. Cody received games for his Wii and some lego sets but the favorite toy of all three kids was Emily's Little Tikes Whale Teeter Totter. After all of the gift opening we were hungry for breakfast and were joined by Mike's parents for tasty eggs, grits, bacon and grandmas biscuits. No sooner did we finish breakfast and it was off to my sisters to celebrate with my family.

My sister and brother in law are such gracious hosts and we enjoy a delicious lunch complete with all our family traditional favorites. After we were fully stuffed we enjoyed a time of opening gifts. Of course most of the opening was done by the kids and they all were completely thrilled. Emily loved her new tricycle and Grace enjoy just about everything that she got but she loved the accessories for her doll the most. Cody and my nephew received digital cameras and spent much of the afternoon snapping embarrassing shots of everyone. My brother in law did manage to get them outside for a little bit of football although the ground was rather wet from the rain. No snow here in Florida but hey, I can "dream". We completed the day with an afternoon of sampling desserts and drinking coffee while watching the kids play with their toys and watching some of my favorite movie, You've Got Mail.

After loading the van with all of the goodies we made our 10 minute trip home where I collapsed onto the sofa while Mike took the girls down to the hot tub to "swim" and then after an episode of Green Acres (Grace's favorite show) we bid adieu to yet another Christmas. As I closed my eyes before going to sleep I thought about the day and how thankful I am for my family and how I hope that amidst the craziness of eating and opening gifts and the rushing from house to house that my children were able to absorb the true reason we celebrate. Although small in comparison to all of the other "stuff" that we did to celebrate we did sing Happy Birthday to Jesus before our Christmas breakfast and we read the Christmas Story before we opened gifts on Christmas Day so I pray that these small reminders left an imprint of the hearts of my children of the meaning of why we celebrate Christmas. I pray that you enjoyed memorable celebrations with all the things and people you love.

Emily's First Christmas

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Chatty Girls Gift Exchange

May I begin by saying that today's technology is absolutely amazing. On Sunday evening my online group of girls got together via a telephone conference call and internet and held our first annual Chatty Girls Gift Exchange. We had drawn names and had a secret chatty sister of whom we did not know until we opened the gift on Sunday night. At 8:00 Emily, Grace and I sat in front of our computer and awaited the call to link us to all of our friend throughout the US. After a few technical difficulties we were able to connect but it was a little too late for Emily. With encouragement from her sister she already opened her gift which was from her secret chatty sister, Sara who lives in Oregon. She received a BOZ video and book. She LOVED it. Emily and Grace raced to the playroom and began watching the video while I chatted with the girls listening to them open their gifts. Emily's secret chatty sister was Bekah who lives in Ohio and we gave her puzzles and a CD. After the gifts were opened we all posted our pictures on our yahoo chat group website. Even though we live thousands of miles apart and are in different states throughout the US, it really felt like we were in the same room. As we all said goodnight we were reminded at just how special our group is and how wonderful it is to have such treasured friends. God brought us together and continues to keep us together. Each of us shared the next day about the warm feelings that filled us as we went to bed. I believe that throughout life we are blessed with a few friends that are like sisters. What a gift I have been given in these women and how fortunate we are that these friendships are able to be nutured and grown through todays technological advancements. I pray that each of you reading are fortunate to share a bond of friendship with someone you love. It will truly bring a richness to your life that cannot be captured in words.

Twas 2 Days before Christmas

I just had to post about the day that I have enjoyed with my girls. Well, my joy began yesterday when Cody, Mike and I traveled to Orlando to see a production of The Magician's Nephew. It was a wonderful performance and even more enjoyable was spending the afternoon with my two men. They both were so handsome and I was such a proud mama and wife to be with them. Then today I planned to bake some holiday goodies. For those of you who know me, I absolutely love to cook especially baking so today after church I donned my apron and invited Emily and Grace to help. What a treat it was sharing some recipes that have been given to me by family and dear friends. They were such great helpers and everything turned out delicious. What was so special was that as we were cooking each recipe I was able to tell them about the person who gave it to me. Doris's, snowball cookies, Tanni's chocolate chip cookies, Mee-Mee's peanut butter balls and Aunt Lissa's Mee-Mee's red velvet cake. We also baked pumpkin bread which is a traditional recipe that I have started. Of course I will be cooking some savory dishes tommorow which are my Nana's and my mother in law's cranberry salad and I am hoping to have help with those as well. It was an absolutely delightful afternoon and one that is a dream come true. Before we had children I had dreamed of having daughters to share time in the kitchen with me. I would imagine us doing exactly what we did today. I am a BLESSED woman. I hope that today finds you feeling blessed as well. As I end this post, I am reminded that as I shared a glorious afternoon with my precious daughters we have dear friends who are mourning losses of their father, wife, mother, grandmother and child. Just in the past 2 weeks we have dear friends and family members make their journey's to Heaven and my heart aches for them. May the Lord be near to them and bring them great comfort during what I know is a very sad time.

I now go to take my red velvet cake out of the oven and await a gift exchange between my "chatty girl friends". I have mentioned my online girlfriends before, friends who have become like sisters and like a family we drew names for our little china girls, purchased and mailed our gifts and we will be all opening our gifts while online tonight. It should be a blast. We are hoping to video tape the whole experience and I will try to post a video and well as pictures of my awesome chefs.

Merry Christmas to all!!!