'tis the season

Making cookies with the kids...going to school holiday programs and savoring their childhood. I know in a blink of an eye they will be grown and so I savor.......

Eleanor is bubbling in personality these days, she is 6 months old in a few days and thinks Creighton is hilarious! Every time she sees him...she laughs out loud. He is such a sweet big brother. He is growing up so very fast and even though he is only almost four he is wearing 5 ts and solid as a house. I know he will love playing ball, but he has already informed Michael that he doesn't want to block, but be the quarterback! He always ask daddy to watch football..especially if it's bed time! Marilyn is our little sunshine and always smiling. She just had her 5th birthday and loves going to school. She is a daisy/girl scout and takes it very seriously,but still with a huge smile on her face. Lydia is our little drama queen and hilarious. She is also a girl scout and enjoying her 2nd grade class, but still really misses her friends back at Fort Leavenworth.

I am so excited about Christmas morning...it's one of my favorite Mommy moments of the year. My favorite moment everyday, is when I wake them up to go to school and make them smile...I've always loved going to get them...even when they were in their cribs. Everymorning now...Eleanor is in her crib and when she sees me walk in the room...her legs start kicking and she rolls over and raises her arms for me to pick her up. I love her little smile as I sing some silly made up song. She is such a precious little person!

God is so good.

I was praying a few weeks back , asking God to help me be a better mommy to my children and I heard in my heart the Lord say loud and clear...they are NOT yours , they are mine. I was in awe at the thought and then I found peace in that. Knowing they are HIS first and HE has entrusted me with them placed such an amazement in my mind and thankfulness in my heart. He chose US! I feel so privileged and blessed.

Michael and I renewed our wedding vows this past week. It's almost been ten years since our happily ever after began. I am so thankful . Looking into his eyes and saying our vows again was like a dream. It was chaos before and after...when the violins began to play and we walked the isle again together...I felt like it was a dream. Hearing the words all over again and seeing the sincerity in his eyes made me weak in the knees and my cup runneth over!

God is Faithful!

I wanted to share a little something with you this morning… I shared it with a friend and decided to also share it on my blog. Praying God can use it to touch others.

I was missing Mama extra much this morning, remembering some funny moments we shared and some Mama/ daughter private jokes that we shared. I was trying to start my quiet time with the Lord and was overwhelmed by the sadness I was feeling and the aching I had in my heart as I missed my Mama. I was searching for what the Lord wanted to tell me today. I kept saying “Lord just show me your word, show me what you want me to know today” . So I sat here and listened. I felt led to get up, get out a Bible that belonged to my Grandmother, one that my mother had given her the year I was born.

I opened it and prayed “ what Lord, where Lord, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to pray, or what I’m looking for or from you today. Please Lord lead me” In that moment I found a tiny scrap of notebook paper written in my Grandmother’s handwriting that marked a page in the Bible, it read “ Romans 8: 26, 27.” So I looked at it in the word and it says :

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.

27 .And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because, he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

NIV-translation (²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.)

I had to share, for God is ever so faithful and when we are lost and don’t know the words to even pray…he makes intercession for us, when we cannot utter what should be said…HE does it for us as we search our hearts and asked to be filled with the Spirit. My prayer…LORD fill that void that I feel in my heart for Mama with more of your Spirit…fill me Lord today that I may poor out more of you!!!!!

Amen!

God is faithful!

Since my last post our beautiful baby girl Eleanor Sylvia Snyder was born and my precious Mama, Sylvia has gone to be with the Lord.

The arrival of Eleanor went smoothly, only about four hours of hard labor and then I was holding her in my arms, God truly blessed us with such a precious baby.

About 3 weeks after her birth, my Mama's health declined rapidly.

We left on Thursday evening, spent most of Friday with Mama, she died about twenty minutes after we left her house. She was buried on a Tuesday.

Even as a grown woman, the void in which the loss of your mother brings in your life is vast. I keep wanting to call her, just to chit-chat. The only thing I know to do, is when I have a "wave" of the deepest sorrow and sense of loss, I try to pour the love that I once shared with my Mama into my four beautiful children that God has entrusted us with. I hope to share with them the values, life lessons, faith, love and hope that my precious Mama always shared with me.

God gives me strength through music and through memories of my sweet Mama.

Multi-tasking

As Mommies many of us multi-task, but lately I feel my life has been on "multi-task overdrive". Moving to Alabama from Kansas at 35 weeks pregnant , facing the reality of my Mother's cancer as she is facing the end of her life and knowing another life is growing in my tummy and is about to begin and all happening while we maintain some sense of normal daily life.

We are settling in to our house here in Alabama, neighbors seem nice and friendly and it's nice to see people wave again. Dining room, living room and kitchen are pretty much set up and ready for Snyder family life, bedrooms hopefully will come together by the middle of next week. I'm hoping that I can get everything completed as much as possible before the baby gets here. We shall see if the "nesting" sets in and gets me through this move.

Lydia is enjoying her new school and has been able to make many new friends and hopefully to be playmates for the summer. My mother also gave us her piano, so I'm hoping to get Lydia signed up for summer piano lessons.

Marilyn has grown so much and is enjoying her new home and buddying around with her little brother Creighton. He is also growing up so very fast and showing his little personality more and more everyday.

We "paused" the moving process after our house hold goods were dropped off, to travel to Georgia and visit with Mom for Mother's day. It was a wonderful visit with her and family , but painful and sobering at the same time. To see my sweet mother in this state, was heart breaking and makes a person feel useless. I know that God is in control and I don't doubt that HE knows best, but as a person who likes to "do" to help...there isn't much I can do. I can only pray and encourage, comfort and love her. Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma is terminal and with chemotherapy a person's life can be extended, but for Mom, her body is just too week and her heart can't take the side effects and the strong chemotherapy. Hospice comes in to the house and my older sister Cindy is currently visiting and helping with home care. Our visit was short, but it was so nice to see the kids with her, I pray they remember and know what an amazing testimony she is and that her life has been. Even in the state she is in , she still managed to sing " No one ever cared for me , Like Jesus". It was beautiful.

We have truly been blessed to have a mother like Sylvia!

Please remember her in your prayers.

Catching UP!

I am the one of the worst bloggers I know...now if someone said that to me 20 years ago it wouldn't make any sense, but now days most people get that, especially any one who might read my blog. My last post the weather was warm the days were long and there wasn't a jacket in sight. These days it's warmed up to the 30's, dirty snow still lines the streets and our coat racks are overflowing with warm jackets.

Since my last post a lot has happened. We found out we are moving to North Alabama ( Florence). Michael will be the Professor of Military Science at the University of North Alabama. We will be stationed there from two to three years. Another big NEWs life changing event is also on our horizon, I am currently 19 weeks pregnant and we just found out this week that we will be having another precious girl. We are very excited and appreciate God's plan and wonderful surprises in our life. WE may make our plans , but HE will direct our steps!(Proverbs 16:9).

Over the Christmas Holiday we were blessed to go to Disney World and take avantage of the great deal they were offering military families this past year. We had a blast! on the way back we rented a car , drove to Georgia, spent 3 days with family and flew back into Kansas City by the 28th. It was a world wind tour, but a wonderful time!

I am preparing to host the second Love's Reach Art auction to benefit orphans on March 6th. (www.lovesreach.org )Please be in prayer over this event, that the Lord will anoint it , that it will raise awareness for the orphans and much needed funds. I'm excited and looking forward to the evening. Last year was such a blessing to all who attended and the orphanage that received the funds from the event . I know God used it.

I will try to be better about posting, hopefully I will be able to share my heart more and all the blessings with my "bloggy buddies".

www.artbymarianthe.homestead.com