We are on the count down!

That is right...4 more days and girls retreat is here. We have 136 (ish) women and girls coming to this retreat! Isn't it exciting!!!! I was so scared that girls were not going to sign up and now we are in over abundance! Praise God! I am starting to get to that can't sleep stage. I get this before every big event that I am in charge of. My brain kicks into over-drive and I stare in the dark going over my to-do list a million times. I ask myself, "What am I forgetting?" and even keep a pad of paper by the bed to jot things down. My poor husband keeps telling others that we are eating and breathing girls retreat at our house. Poor guy. He get's sucked into everything and I know he is ready for it to be here. This week Mae (Jonathan's sis) and Janet (Jonathan's mom) are splitting the week up taking care of Keegan so I can be at the church all day doing last minute things. It is so hard leaving in the morning and all day I wonder what Keeg's is up to. This weekend will be the first time for me to spend the night away from him. I hate it...but as CM puts it...it is good for me. (big sigh)

I know that there are million things happening in everyone's world, but if you think about it, pray for this girls retreat. Satan was on overdrive last week and I felt pounded to the ground. He is so crafty and deceiving. I barely saw him because he was THAT sneaky. I know that God has incredible things in store by witnessing the spiritual warfare that surrounds this event. God was so good to me because He brought me clarity... so that that I could separate things that were not of Him but instead were of the enemy. He is so faithful to me and He helped me see the truth. God is good. God defeats evil. God rises to the occasion. (always)

Girls Retreat in Two Weeks!

I can not believe that it is almost here! So much prayer, thought, and planning has taken place and we are about to see it unfold! Last year was simply amazing and I can not wait to see what the Lord does with adults and girls. We are talking about identity and I think that it was for me and for the girls! It is funny how the Lord walks you through your struggle in order to reach girls! Becoming a mom for sure rocks your world! Such a different life than before. I completely went through a "WHO AM I...and what happened to Michelle???" stage!

Preparing for this girls retreat has been a huge process for me. I am not sure what I was thinking 9 months ago when I signed on to this task. Of course, Keegan had not entered the world and I thought raising a baby was going to be so relaxing! HA! Was I wrong. So to say the least, planning this retreat was not at all easy, but God has brought be through it. My check off list has shrunk and I see the end in sight. In two weeks, I will be finally a full-time mom. I love that idea. LOVE IT! God is confirming for me more than ever that I could not have done ministry part time.

Please join me in praying for this retreat and that the girls sign up!

Happy Meals, Poop, Guitar Hero and More!

Since there are so many things to write about, I am going to take Amanda's approach and make a list.

1. Tuesday: First off I will start with the good news! :) JONATHAN GOT A NEW JOB!! To all of you Dallas people, the job is in Houston. (Dern..I know) However, He got a job with McDonalds. He will be a real estate manager for them and he is beside himself about this opportunity. He has finally broken free from the property tax world and an office of one (himself)! We thought there might be free Happy Meals for life...but you don't get discounts on the food. Oh well...we are still very excited. Happy Husband = Happy Wife.

2. Thursday: We got to experience Keegan's first bout with fever. He got his very first cold from the nursery on Sunday morning and it reared its ugly head on Thursday. Then, Mommy caught the cold and had a fever that night. I have to say that motherhood teaches you alot about not being selfish. It is amazing how God gives you the strength to make it through.

3. Both fevers broke...it starts getting better until that very next morning....

4. Friday: What I am about to write about is my favorite experience this week. (not really) I went to take Keegan's leg out of his pajamas and instead of getting a hold of his leg...that's right...I got a LOT of poop! Up until this point, changing his diaper was one of my favorite times with him because he is so funny on the changing table. This ruined it for me. The poop was everywhere! Up his back, on his leg, his foot, down his pant leg, EVERYWHERE!! The worst was he likes to reach for his feet and put them in his mouth. With poop all on my hands it was a slimy mess but I intercepted his feet and it never made it to his mouth. I think I would have died and thrown up everywhere. Half the wipes were empty when I was finished, and then we went straight for the bathtub! Jonathan was still asleep and he woke up with me scurrying to get the bathtub out. I said, "HE POOPED EVERYWHERE!" He laughed and called his parents to tell them it finally happened. I am still confused on why he was waiting for this to happen but I guess in the "guy" world it is a milestone in becoming a man!

5. That evening, Keegan started crying in the middle of the night. I walked in and his eyes were not open. I go back to bed because I think he is dreaming. He keeps on crying, so I look again, and his eyes are sealed shut with yellow goo. It was the sadest thing I have ever seen. We find out the next morning that he as pink eye. Isn't that fun?

6. Saturday: My parents and I teamed up to get Jonathan an early birthday gift. We bought him a playstation and guitar hero game. (which by the way is THE COOLEST game) We have made a monster! He is so addicted to it, that we might need an intervention.

7. Sunday: Jonathan ran the half-marathon this morning. I am so proud of him. He has run marathons for the last two years, but with Keegan, the training could not get in. 13 miles is still ALOT! GOOD JOB JONATHAN! Keegan and I could not see him finish or cheer him on because we were too snotty and did not feel good. So I did not get to take a picture. (just imagine him crossing the finish line)

8. My parents came in on Friday night to escape all the bad weather in Dallas, so they can come to Keegan's baby dedication which is right now as we speak. Unfortunately, I could not have Keegan sneezing and coughing (or myself for that matter) on all the other babies, so here we are still at home. My dad went back home and my sweet mom is staying this week. Keeegan might be a year old before he is dedicated!


So anyway, there you have it! Some victories and challenges...but we made it!

New Lid

That's right! We have a new lid. For those of you who are not up with modern lingo think of it as a cool hat or nifty helmet. I'm actually quite proud to have my son wearing the lid out in public. I think you will understand what I mean once you take a look at the pictures. We decided to have Keegan's lid painted by an artist in Humble. The artist actually does custom paint jobs on motorcycles. We had a chance to look at some of the other helmets he's completed and I have to tell you our design is rather simple. But simple is not a bad thing. Take a look and let us know what you think. If you don't like it, too bad, but you have to appreciate the fact that the entire helmet is hand painted.

After we visited with grandma and grandpa Sanders we ran over to Gymboree to return an item that was too small for Keegan. While waiting in line to pay, Michelle struck up a conversation with the lady in front of her. The lady turned around and looked at Keegan and his Lid, but it was not a pity look but an "oh my gosh he is so cute", look. I truely believe God placed that lady in line at that exact time so that she could say those exact words. It was our first time to be in public with Keegan wearing the lid and God made it a great experience. If I wasn't proud already, I was definitely walking taller when we left the store.

The doctor said Keegan will have to wear the helmet for two or three months. Not that long when you think about how fast this past year flew by. In my opinion, Keegan has always been an over-achiever and will be out of the lid in a couple months. I guess we will have to wait and see. Check back every week or so for an update and new pictures. Gig'em! - Jonathan

The Wait

There are so many times in life that we have to wait on His timing. His plans are so complex that our human minds can not even possibly understand all the details. But in the mean time we are left with "WHY"? We want to sit and analyze every bit of information and come up with an answer to all of life's questions. We sort through all the data to come up with our own theories, assumptions, and plans to make sense of it all. Why can't we just give up? Why can't we rest that God has every bit of our life mapped out and nothing we can do can change it? Why can't we leave it up to His will? Our desires our so great and overwhelming that sometimes our flesh does not want to put them on hold. If only he can make one dream happen, our life will be perfect. Or will it? Will we always have something to wait for? Then what is the purpose of "The Wait". Many reasons I know. I know I have experienced them before. He has come up with something far much grander than we could ever imagine....We learn in the process....We become closer to God and to our loved ones...we can minister to others in such a way that we never could before. Hindsight is 20/20. We see the perfect picture of God's plan (most of the time). Yeah, and the "most of the time" part gets me too...but our spirit needs to come to the point where we can rest in God's arms....understand His ways and know that our Father knows best. period. even if we may never know "WHY".

"The Wait" is resonating with friends, family and us right now. Waiting on God's direction for jobs, waiting to be a family again with same schedules, waiting on God's direction for our lives, waiting to get pregnant, waiting to bring home a baby from Taiwan, waiting for restoration, waiting for a house, waiting to graduate from college, waiting to be in love, waiting, waiting, waiting, and more waiting. God, breath over us a peace that will draw us more nearer to you...and rest.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchman waits for the... insert "wait" here. Psalm 130:5-6

Backtrack to Christmas

Christmas is my favorite holiday because we can spend time with the family. It was a joy to have to have Keegan added to the mix. Even at 6 months he knew how to have a good time with ribbons and paper. We spent Christmas Eve with Jonathan's family. Their tradition is a good meal at Guadalajara...which so happens to be my favorite mexican food in Houston... then we head back to house to open gifts. Grandpa found the perfect pair of baby Converse for Keegan. They are so cute! The next day we headed up to Mansfield for Christmas Day. It is a tradition at my house to open pj's on Christmas Eve..but the catch is that all the girls match and all the boys match. Obviously they did not make little pj's for Keegan that would match the boys, so mom made some for him! Mom is so creative and so thoughtful! Keegan got lots of attention through the holidays...and mom had lots of help! Great combination! Look below at some pics...

Keegan helping Aunt Leigh open her gift.


He loved his box..but only for one second.


My Aunt Carolyn and Cousin Johnnie...at their best. It is always fun when they are around!


You know you have grown up when your brother gets excited about getting a vacumn cleaner for Christmas!


All the boy's pj's match!


you can check out more pics on our smugmug website...sanderspics.smugmug.com.