Babys First Christmas

So, this year was different than last year due to the fact that it was not just the two of us. We had Reece and so our priorities for gifts seemed to shift. Most of what we bought was for Reece but for some reason she seems to be more mesmerized by the lights on the tree rather than the Texas Tech Pillow Pet that Santa dropped off for her. All in all, we had a very blessed Christmas. The best blessing we had was Reece. She is continuing to grow into the young girl that God desires het to be. Of course Mommy gets sad when I start talking about her getting bigger. Mommy wants her to stay a baby, but I want her to grow for selfish reasons. I want a full nights sleep on a consistent basis....
Anyway, Christmas was great. A new change for us and we continue to look toward the future.

Santa I love you!

So we took little Reecie Pie to go meet Santa. We figured it might be a welcomed treat for her since she has been cooped up in the house for a week with RSV. Reece has not been able to leave the house since right after her new little cousin Scarlett Grace came into the world on 12-8-11. I know that Scarlett, cousin Abigail and Reece are going to be thick as thieves! I can't wait to see how much trouble they try to give Ella Faith.


As you can see Reece had a great first impression of Santa Clause! She loves his fluffy belly and super soft beard. I think he liked her quite a bit too! God definantly answered our prayer for Reece. While I was pregnant we prayed that Reece would bring Joy to all people that know her or come in contact with her... And she does! And especially to her mommy and daddy!

Celebration Saturday

Today was a fun filled day of celebrating! First Ryan and I went to the Houston Ballet to see The Nutcracker. It was the first time for us both to see it. Ryan had given me the tickets for our anniversary. It was so much fun to get dressed up and go out on a date!

Then tonight we went as a family to Reece's very first Christmas party. As you can see the theme was "Tacky Christmas!" We had a great time at the party and loved spending time with the people of Genesis Church!!!

3 Months Old

Today our sweetie pie is 3 Months Old!!! And as you can see it is getting a little harder to get our monthly picture... I thought you all might enjoy the process that mommy went thru to get the picture this morning.

Thankful For Family

I hope that everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! I know that we did. This year was a little different. As usual we went to Dallas for Thanksgiving, but there were a few new faces and a few people missing. This year my step-mom Brenda did a wonderful thing and invited all the grandparents of the new grand babies in the family. This list included: Jennifer's in-laws Mr and Mrs. Ledezma, Ashley's in-laws Jo Anne Petersen and Mike King, my in-laws Sharon and Ron Cain & my mom and step-dad Tim and Janice Roten! We were all going to have a great time just loving on the babies... But life happened to everyone. Ashley, Chris and Ella were not able to come, because with Ashley being 36 weeks pregnant and on bed rest they were not able to travel. Then my mom and Tim were not able to make it because they were so busy at work. Needless to say, they were all missed very much!

Here is a picture of the cutest little Cowboy Fan!


This is Ryan, myself, Sharon and Ron Cain.


This is Ryan, Reece, myself, Brenda and my dad Anthony.


The Family picture.


This is my Amazing Aunt Rita with Reecie and I!


While we were in Dallas we drove up to Durant Oklahoma to introduce Reece to her Aunt Terry, Uncle Tom and Mammaw (Ron's mom). They just fell in love with her life all of the rest of us. I hope that we can get up there to see them again really soon!


This is Reece and Aunt Terry.


This is cousin Tommy and Reecie Pie.


Reecie also was able to play with her cutie cousin Abigail Marie!


Good this Abbey didn't mind sharing her mommy a little. Reece loves her JJ!

Getting big & Going to "School!"

Reece is finally starting to fill out a little bit. At her check up we were not surprised to hear that she was in the 14th percentile for weight, and the 71st percentile for height. She is already tall and skinney. I believe the grandparents are all hoping for a basketball player (and so is Ryan).


For those of you that don't know Reece has started going to daycare while I am at work. Here is a picture of Reece and her "Nanna." Reece loves her Nanna. She takes great care of her, and even spoils her a little (okay a lot)! We don't mind though because we just want to make sure that Reece is loved while she is away from mommy and daddy.

A Day at the Museum

This past weekend we all went to the museum with The Cain Family! We went with Poppa, Nonni, Tia B and Uncle Luke. This was Reece' first trip to a museum. We saw a film on "The Mayan Indian Prophecy." It was shown in the planetarium, and Reece loved looking up at the lights on the screen.

Afterward we walked through the museum and then went to dinner. We had a great "Cain Family Day of Fun!"

2 Months Old

Reecie Pie is 2 months old (actually 2 months and 4 days) (Mommy going back to work has had a little less time to update the blog)! We were able to celebrate her two months of life with a pumpkin outfit, because she is our little Pumpkin!


Here you will see that Beaux wanted to try on the outfit.


Bella wanted to try it on as well. Those crazy dogs. :-)


We are going to the doctor for her two month check up tomorrow. I will make sure I let you know how our little cutie is doing as soon as we get the report!

First Road Trip

This weekend we all piled in car and headed to Dallas to see Pappa A and Bibi. We also were able to spend some time with JJ, Moi and Abbs.

Friday night we went to dinner with a long time friend Staci. Staci and her fiancé Corbin are expecting their own little bundle of joy in May! Saturday morning some friends of mine from when I lived in Dallas came by to meet our little Reecie Pie! Joy, Liz and Courtney were all so sweet to come by for breakfast. Then JJ and Moi brought Abbs over to play with us. The girls had a great time "playing together" on their activity mats.

Finally, Saturday night Pappa A and Bibi got to Dallas and we spent the remainder of the weekend just hanging out. Thank you for a great weekend everyone for a great weekend!!!

Tummy Time

Is the Grass Really Greener on the Other Side?

Genesis 13
So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. 14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.


When I read the story of Abram, there are certain parts that stick out. For instance, did you catch the part when Abram gives the power to choose where to settle to Lot? When I read this as a child, the only parts of this story I could remember were Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt and Abraham almost sacrificing his son Isaac. Now as I am much older, I have a different perspective of the Scriptures. I see the Old Testament for so much more than what we have been portraying it in Sunday schools across the globe. The Old Testament points us toward Jesus. The entire Bible is about Jesus and to bring Him glory.

So now, after years of viewing the Bible through a tiny lens, my view has been expanded. This story is a story of God’s sovereign will. He set this in motion from the beginning. Lot chose that area to settle because God predestined it. Wait a minute, did I just say that? I did. And the reality is that it is true. It’s in there. You just have to search (Romans 9). I don’t fully understand it all, but knowing it is in there means I can’t take a sharpie and make out the tough parts of the Bible. They are there for us, to be studied by us, so that we may bring glory to God.

So the next question we should be asking is, where in this story is Jesus? If the Bible is about Jesus, then we should be able to find him on every page. Let’s look…

What I understand from what Jesus taught is that we (those that have been rescued from death to life by His choice) are given to Him by the Father. 'All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.' John 6:36-39

God’s ultimate plan was for Jesus to come to earth, to die a death that WE deserve, raise Himself from the grave, and draw those that have been predestined, to the Father. This was all accomplished through Jesus. The path started with Adam and Eve, then made its way to Abram and then through David. Abram was part of the story, but not THE story. That is where I think people get mixed up. Abram is not the story of Genesis, but part of the story. And by part of the story, I mean that he was part of the plan that God set in motion before the world ever came into existence that Jesus would become THE STORY. God did not somehow, after the fall of Adam and Eve, think, “great, now I have to come up with a plan ‘B’”. No, all along, God’s intent was for Jesus to come and rescue us. That is partly where we get mixed up with Genesis. We see the book of Genesis as the beginning of God’s plan, when the reality is that Genesis is way into the future of God’s plan.

So, back to the story of Abram and where we can find Jesus. Jesus was descended from Abram. God needed Abram in a place where he could use Abram and reveal a glimpse of what God had in store for Abram. He needed Lot to choose the land that was lush and pleasing to the eye. He needed Abram to go by faith in the direction that God was leading. Once there, God spoke to Abram to let him in on a part of His plan. He then proceeds to inform Abram that he would have many descendants. This was God’s sovereign plan. Now, what if Lot chose the other land, well, God would still have a plan for that as well. But the real question we should be thinking about is, which land that Abram would dwell in would give God more glory?

God has a way about Him that when He takes us out of our comfort zones and we have to trust Him, He is getting ready to teach us something. Not all the time is this ‘something’ exciting or neat, but sometimes it is tough and heart-wrenching. But, through it all, God is there.

So, Lot goes to Sodom and Gomorrah, and God rescues Lot in order to reveal His power, His wrath, and His grace. He didn’t have to save Lot, but He did. This is a God I want to know. This is a God I want to serve. This is a God, I am overwhelmed with because He saved me from death and He didn’t have to. He sent His Son to die for me, and He didn’t have to. But He did. That is where you find Jesus. Lot went away so that God could show His people that one day, He would send a rescuer above any other that would save His people from His wrath. That is where you see Jesus. That is Abrams story.

Learning

The last few weeks have been all about learning. Reece is learning to stay awake and explore the world, coo and awe at mommy and daddy & how to sleep for 5 hours (this is mommy's favorite new thing). Mommy is learning how to function on just a few hours of sleep, that routine is imperative when you have a new born & marriage is a lot more work when you have a newborn. Daddy is learning that Reece loves to listen to Blake Shelton to calm her down and put her to sleep, as well as, the fact that new mommies are a wee bit emotional when they don't get any sleep.

All in all we are learning what life looks like as our new little family unit. We are really enjoying it!!!

Going for a Walk

We have decided that it would be a really good idea to start walking in the evenings. The weather is finally not over 100 degrees every night, and we could all use the exercise after packing on the pounds all summer. There is also a few other bonus features:

1) It lets us exert a little of that puppy energy that our 1 year old springer spaniel Beaux has and...


2) It keeps little Miss Reece awake for an hour in hopes that she will sleep good once it is time to go to bed.

So far we are three days in, and it is going pretty well. Let's hope that will continue to be effective on all fronts.

1 Month Old

Our Little Lady is officially one month old today! We have been having the time of our lives with this little girl. She has started smiling (she even smiled directly at me once- not just gas). It has defiantly been a learning process for all three of us. Our lives have been forever changed by the gist of her life, and we hope you come to love her as much as we do.

The Beginning...

So, I guess you are wondering about the title of the blog? Well, it kind of came to me tonight as I am rocking my daughter to sleep. We started reading through the book of Genesis as a family tonight. I am fascinated by this book on so many levels. On the kid level, it is great because it is stories of people doing great things with the power of God manifested in their lives. This relates to all people and especially kids. They are the best kids stories. On a much deeper level, this book opens up so much of theology that makes you sit back and just stand in awe of our Creator. I remember as a child when reading stories of Moses parting the Red Sea and David defeating Goliath thinking how cool it must have been to be those guys. I mean, David, a little teenage boy, hears Goliath mocking his God, gets made fun of for being so small and then picks up a stone and kills a man. How cool! Seriously, what little boy doesn't read that story and think that they can be David and overcome giants in their life. I remember thinking those exact thoughts. "If David can defeat Goliath, I can...(fill in the blank)"

The sad part is, I believe we have been teaching our kids an incomplete truth of what these stories actually represent. David and Goliath is not about us overcoming giants, but the reality is that it is a foreshadowing of what Jesus was going to do. Jesus came and defeated sin and death. The issue is that we desire for it to be about us. We want our lives to have meaning, we want to know that we are here on this earth for a reason. That our lives make sense. And so, we teach kids that they too can overcome giants just like David. We do this all the time, and I have been guilty of it myself. I remember as I was moving into the role of being youth pastor, I was told to make the teaching times quick and light. Don’t go too deep or you will lose the kids. Don’t talk too long or they will become disengaged. Don’t teach the hard truths because they won’t understand. So, just before God moved me from being a youth pastor at the church I was a part of for over six years, to becoming a new member of a church plant, I went back and evaluated what I had done over the course of the three years of being a youth pastor. I saw that I was teaching the kids partial truths. The majority of what I was teaching was that God is Love and we are to love others. Even though this is true, there is so much more to who God is, and kids don’t want to try and understand a God that is Just to forgive and Just to punish. They want to be filled with the cotton candy Gospel that is all fluff, but no fillers. So what happens is we graduate these kids off as seniors, and send them to college where they soon discover that God is not just Love, or that somehow the tiny box I gave them to put God in busts open for them to see that there is so much more. This happened to me, and this is my beginning…

About 12 months ago, Alisha challenged me to take the youth I was leading through a book of the Bible. I thought that was peculiar because I had never heard of such a thing. I was taught that you pick a topic that you want to share with the kids, find some verses that support your topic, find a movie clip or song that can pull everything together and there is your lesson. I soon realized this was not the way to teach. I began listening to many podcasts and there are two that stick in my mind and heart that I hope I never forget. The first is by John Piper, where he is preaching to college students and is teaching from Acts 20:26-27. “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” I can only think of a couple of time that I taught the youth that they needed Jesus in order to be saved and that Jesus is the one that saves you. Not yourself or how good you think you are. I was very timid to do that, because I didn’t want to scare anyone off. These verses challenged me to take a whole new approach to youth ministry. From that moment on I would not stop letting the kids know that they needed Jesus. I could see God changing myself during this time. The next podcast the resonates in my ears continuously is one that I hears from C.J. Mahaney. It is entitled “The Pastor’s Charge.” He explains that we are to teach from the Bible, and that our points will come from the text we are going through and the text will support the points, as will the points support the text. This was a whole new concept to me. I didn’t know how to teach from the Bible and keep the kids attention, but I was going to be obedient to what God was teaching me. We spent five months going through the book of James. Where we uncovered some very hard truths. As I was teaching and preparing the kids I soon realized that the tiny box I placed God in burst open. This was the beginning of searching to find what I truly believe God to be saying through scripture, who I believe God to be and what my theological convictions are.

So, as I was reading through the story of creation to my little girl, I was imagining what questions I am going to have to answer someday. I don't want to mislead my daughter into thinking that she can put God in a box that she can understand, because the reality is that I don't believe we will ever fully understand or even comprehend the entirety of who God is. I want her to continue to search scriptures to grow closer to Jesus. That is what I desire. I want to point her to Truth and not just read her truth. I want her soul to be rescued by the Rescuer. I want her to fall in love with Jesus, because He will never fail her.

And so, as I read through the book of Genesis, I am reminded of Jesus. I am reminded of what He has done for me. He came to earth and became human. He subjected Himself to ridicule, humiliation and persecution. He was crucified by us, so that He could save us. Then, He raised Himself from the dead. No one has ever done that. No one has that power other than Him. He then took His rightful place at the Fathers right hand and has rescued me from death to life. I am no longer a slave to sin but a slave to righteousness. I am a new creation. And for that, I praise Him.

This is just the beginning...