Happy Halloween

I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!

Our Newest "Nephew"

One of my VERY BeSt FrIeNdS welcomed her Sweet #5 into the world!

Blade Thomas Cox

10lbs 8oz 21 1/4in

Born 10/25/2012 at 12:34pm

 While mom and dad were busy at the hospital Chris and I got to spend some quality time with his big brothers and sisters!

 We spent the afternoon hanging out at the house waiting for the "All-Clear" from dad to bring them up to meet their new little brother!

 We LOVE him!!!!

After our short visit the 6 of us headed back to our house for a sleepover! :) After a pizza picnic on the kitchen floor we snuggled up to watch some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before calling it a night!
You all have no idea how proud Chris was that the kiddos loved the old cartoons!

This brings us to grand total of 5 nieces and 4 nephews and we love them all to pieces!!!

Home

Over the summer Chris and I moved into our new house!
It is small but once we factored in the location and our awesome neighbors we couldn't turn it down! :)

 Here is a little tour of our new place!

Kitchen

Living Room

The long hallway

Guest Bathroom

Guest Bedroom

Master Bedroom 

 

Master Bathroom

 
Our Closet before we moved in . . . but there is no need to see it now ;)

**Notice there are no pictures of the yard!**
The yard is under some major reconstruction but it has also already come a LONG way! :)

So who are those awesome neighbors you might ask?!?!

Yep, that's right! My favorite set of quads (plus their new baby brother that will be here TODAY!!!!) and our best friends, their parents! :)

And on top of that my handsome nephew Levi and his mommy and daddy live about 5mins down the road!


There is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

P.S. If you didn't catch it, my newest "nephew" will be here today! Please say a little prayer for the Cox family!

A Heart for Kids . . .

pic by: Amy Horton Photography

Yep, that's me! I am one of the very few married young ladies at my church without kids and yet most of what I do revolves around the kids there! Their ages range from new born to high schoolers and I love each and every one of them like they were my own! 

For the past few years I have been in charge of our nursery program which at first glance it might seem like I get to sit and snuggle with babies every Sunday but the reality of it is I spend most of my time scheduling, rescheduling (sometimes rescheduling again), cleaning, & organizing. Believe me, I'm not complaining, I love it and I do sneak in every now and then to get my "baby fix" :) but with every ministry sometimes, even if it may seem obvious to me, people begin to take it for granted and you have to remind them why it is so important. 

My dad sent me this article and as I was reading it I thought, 

"Finally, someone gets it and he is even a man!"  :)

so I thought I would share it with y'all . . .

   

Seven Reason Why Your Church’s Nursery Is Vital to Your Church

Too often serving in the church nursery can seem like a thankless job, but it should not be that way. With that in mind, I offer these following seven reasons why ministering in the church nursery is important.

Reason #1 - God is in the church nursery. This may come as a shock, but the God’s Word has specific promises about God’s presence when children are welcomed and loved in Jesus’ name. (Mark 10:13-16)

Reason #2 - Your ministry in the church nursery allows church goers to focus on worship, rather than caring for their children’s needs for a little while. In a very real sense your ministry makes it possible for the pastor to fulfill his ministry. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

Reason #3 - The first (and sometimes lasting) feelings a child will have toward church is formed in the nursery.

Reason #4 - When you minister in the nursery, you are being entrusted with the most important (and vulnerable) members of the church family. There is no greater treasure on this side of heaven than the little ones God has given us. You must be someone special to have a job that is so important. (Psalm 127)

Reason #5 - Your ministry is essential for your own spiritual growth. You may have never looked at it this way, but a growing Christ Follower is always a serving Christ Follower. Jesus was known for putting others first, when you minister in the church nursery you are walking in His example. (John 13)

Reason #6 - The church nursery is the first contact young families will have with your church. Your friendly greeting and exceptional care for their children can make a great first impression for your church. If they don’t feel like their children are safe, they will not return - and rightly so. (Matthew 25:40, 45)

Reason #7 - Your ministry in the church nursery is a powerful opportunity for prayer. If every nursery worker would spend several minutes praying over the children in their care, imagine how God might begin to change this coming generation. There is no better way to create an environment of spiritual nurture than to pray while you serve in the nursery. (Titus 2:3-5)

Mark 10:13-16, “Some people were bringing little children to Him so He might touch them, but His disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me. Don't stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ After taking them in His arms, He laid His hands on them and blessed them.” (HCSB)

© 2008 Tony Kummer Ministry To Children - http://ministry-to-children.com Permission is granted for non-commercial use of this content.

If you attend a church (and especially if you attend my church) and you are not active in the church nursery,  
shame on you! 

Sorry, if that seems harsh but there really is NO excuse and believe me I've heard a lot of them! 

Man, women, young, old, parent or not I can and will find something for you to do if you are willing! There is always an opportunity! 
I pray that you seek out what God's plan is for you and the babies at your church! 

*I realize that I am being a little partial to the nursery ministry in this post so I want to end by saying, if you don't feel lead to serve in the nursery please find somewhere you feel God is calling you because I know without a doubt in my mind he's not call you to come in and sit in the pew!*

**And to those who are already serving in a ministry,  
THANK YOU!**

God Bless!