A walk through Jerusalem

This past weekend, the church that Peyton goes to school at, had an Easter Egg Hunt and also a little mini Jerusalem for the kids to experience. They were given bubble gum coins when they walked in to pay to do the activities. Some of the activities included were learning about the spices back in the day when Jesus lived, they had a bakery where they got to make butter, a jewelry store to make a necklace, grocery store where they played matching games, a carpenter's shop where they got to hammer nails into a cross, etc. It was fun and the kids seemed to enjoy it. Here are some cute photos from it and of the kids being cute posing together. They are just getting so big!

A Rodeo in Florida

Peyton's preschool had a rodeo day last week. It was such a great idea. The director of his school is actually from Allen, Texas which is very close to Garland, where I am from. They split the classes up and they each had their own chance to be a part of the rodeo. Peyton's class got to do a little obstacle course where they roped a paper calf, ran and played a guitar around a campfire and had to sing a song, and then ran with the horse in between their legs around some buckets and passed off to the next classmate. It was such a riot! The also had to carry corn kernals in a little measuring cup across the grass and into a bucket on their teachers lap. He was such a great sport and really had a good time! His class made their cowboy hats and bandanas to where around their neck. Here are some memories from that day.

"Is he in there now?"

"Is he in there now?" That is what Peyton had just said to me. You see, every night I read out of this children's bible stories book. We read about one story a night and it comes with a bible story, questions at the end to make sure they got it, and then a verse for them to remember and recite. Tonight's story, "Jesus Loves Little Children". At the end, as we are going over the questions, the question comes. What should children do to know Jesus and have Jesus live in their heart? As I ask my children, it really sparks Peyton's interest and he decides to go deep on me. Ohhhh no, hold on. Am I going to say everything he needs to hear? Will it make sense to him? God help me in this moment to be a witness to my child....at the young, sweet, immature age of 4 1/2. He says to me, "What do I need to do to have Jesus in my heart?" I tell him that he has to ask Jesus to come into his heart and that he only comes from being invited in. As I continue I tell him that Daddy and Mommy have Jesus in our hearts. "Jesus is in yours and Daddy's hearts?" "Jesus is always with you once you ask him to be." "Okay Mommy, I am going to say a prayer by myself to Jesus and you and Elle say a prayer for the people."(He is speaking of the list of people, you know what I am talking about...the same list you go over every night when you are praying.) So here goes(with his sweet little hands together and his eyes closed), "Dear Jesus, please come into my heart". (Opens his eyes) "Mommy, is he in there now?" My goodness, as my eyes are filling with tears, I say to my precious little one, " Yes son, he is. As soon as you ask, he is there and he will always be there for you forever". I go on to tell him, "You know the best part about it?!! When you ask Jesus into your heart, you will go to Heaven when you die. And guess what? It is waaaaay cooler and so much more fun than Legoland. It is the coolest place ever!" He looks at me with this big blue eyes, so wanting to know more. He says, "So if my ear hurts, Jesus will make them better now?" I say to him, "Son, Jesus is the best doctor around! He can fix anything and as long as you pray to him and talk to him he will take care of you." I tell him that because Jesus is in him, he can always call on Jesus anytime he is scared, frightened, or in need of anything. He is there for him all the time! Seriously, it does not get any better than this! I kiss my little one on the head and tell him, "That was a really cool thing you did tonight and I am very proud of you". I know Jesus is looking down on me going, "Job well done". And for that, I am internally satisfied. He may not understand the complex idea of having his Jesus in his heart, but the way he understands it right now is on the right road to victory! To see his smile on his face tonight, and his real interest for the first time, I had a feeling of satisfaction. There is just something so sweet about it. There are no words to describe my feeling at that moment. My prayer for him is that he will continue to grow and to ask questions. God help him to want to know more. Amen.

Fun in Downtown Disney

Yesterday we got to go to Downtown Disney to celebrate Peyton's friend Braden's birthday. This was our gift to him to go to LegoLand, his and Peyton's FAVORITE place to go. They have this race track outside where kids can build their own racecars and race them down this track. Braden and Peyton literally spent about 3 hours playing at this place! They spent so much time on their little cars and took so much pride in their designs. Just look at the concentration on Peyton's face!





Of course the princess store is right next door, which I am sure Elle Millia will someday own. So, her and Mommy got to go over there for some fun!

There is something about the whole Disney atmosphere that is so magical! These kids live for Disney and LegoLand. So anyways, we had planned to be there during the afternoon and then found out that my aunt and cousin from Garland were going to be in Orlando for the evening on their way to their Disney cruise! We got to see them and go to the TRex restaurant that evening. It was a lot of fun. The inside of the restaurant was so neat. The kids got to dig up fossil bones after dinner, which they really liked.





It was so great getting to see my Aunt Donna, Cousin Jodi and her daughters Avery and Emma. It was nice to finally have some younger relatives for my kids to hang around! I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love living in Central Florida due to the fact that family and friends are always in the area and we get to meet up with them during their vacation stay. It's an easy way to meet up with family that you have not seen in ages! Good Bye fellow Texans!!

Wacky Wednesday

This month has had moments every day and I just wanted to share them with you. Peyton had a "Wacky Wednesday" at his school this past week and he really enjoyed making up this outfit. It was for Dr. Seuss's Birthday. The whole school went wacky, including my son. Here are some pictures to prove it...


As you can tell he thought he was going the be the coolest thing since sliced bread! He has this way about him. He just has the funniest personality. He told me that he wanted to have a haircut that looked sharp like a knife! So needless to say, he enjoyed school that day and has since asked for the hairstyle again. He is one day going to be class clown...I can promise you that! Here he is just being silly in the car with one of Elle's princess headbands...oh how I loooove this boy! His smile literally melts my heart every time!

He is my sugar pie honey bunch, my Lego maniac, and the best big brother Elle could ask for...one who is willing to put up with her hitting, scratching, biting sisterly love right now!

Playdates and Parties

On the other end of the spectrum is Little Miss Elle. She has been invited to a birthday party every single Saturday this month. She has been making friends and enjoying playdates and parties. She seems to enjoy going for the cupcakes at the parties as you can see below...

Fingernails and Dolls

She seems to have quite the personality! She is a girl who knows what she wants and is not afraid to say it! We have been working on potty training and we seem to have it down. We are down to very minimal accidents. The paci on the other hand, we are working through it! We have gotten it down only to "night night" time and the fits from wanting it during the day have faded. Thank you LORD! She is talking in sentences and always talks about starting Big Girl school in the fall. She has a couple of best girlfriends and she enjoys hanging out with them.Elle and her friend Carley love to have their nails painted by Mommy or Daddy!

Mommy Elle

Here are a few shots of Elle being a Mommy. This is one of her favorite things to do...take care of all of her babies in her princess attire.

Disney Character Breakfast

This month we also got invited to go to the character breakfast at Disney World's Polynesian Resort. This was their first time to go and they seemed to have a blast despite Peyton's fear of Stitch(see below!) Daddy seemed to enjoy it too!

A letter from Dubai

My husband sent this email to me to send out to our close family and friends to give an update on where our family is at in the process of moving. Since this letter, we have decided to set the date March 1, as our official moving date. This means that the kids and I will pack up and fly over there on that date. It is only 7 1/2 weeks away. We are just looking forward to being a family again!!


"2008 was a journey, roller coaster ride and adventure all rolled into one. And it started with a bang. No, really, I got hit by a car and totaled my nearly new 2006 Civic in January. As luck would have it, I walked away from the accident with no scratches and my eyes wide open. I quickly realized the necessity of a second job, especially with the mountain of debt we were facing. So I started working in construction on the side and off to the races it was. Which brings me to Dubai.

God has such great plans for us but the route he gives us is never direct. We cannot count how many times God has used this accident as a catalyst to start working in our lives. So many people have blessed us with opportunities and benefits that we could never have imagined. Even now as I sit in the Middle East, God has put me in contact with Christians here on a continual basis.

I have no idea the future that awaits us but am absolutely certain that:
1. God is looking out for me.
2. God has a plan for me and my family.
3. My wife, children and family love me.
4. That is all I need.

Unfortunately there is no pleasure without pain. Until I can become established here, it is best for Amber and the kids to stay in Orlando. I seriously miss my family and am going crazy trying to do what it takes to get them here. I will return to the America for Christmas but my joy will be fleeting. I return to the U.A.E. within 1 week. We hope it will only be a few more months before the wife and kids and move here.

This year Christmas will be so much more special. I will cherish every moment of it. I pray God will bless your Christmas the same."