Congratulations Jess and Greg!

Last weekend my baby cousin ( who is also a twin) married her long time love Greg. It was b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.....there really isn't a way to describe how perfectly it all came together and how AMAZING all the food was. It was the first time Matt and I have been away from the boys and it was perfect. Thank you Jess and Greg for having us be a part of a memorable day. We love you so much and wish you a blessed future.

Mimi and Addy waiting for the bride( princess according to Addy) to appear. This little girl was so excited to be invited ....maybe this will be her first memory. How cool would that be!? A day with undivided attention from everyone in her family on a day celebrating love. She came equipped with her Elton John glasses. Only the best I tell ya.
Mom brought Jesus. Fairly certain He was already deeply connected to this love story, but Mom brought Him ( she brings Him everywhere) as her special date.
The dress was itchy. Go figure...left the tags inside. Only I would do something like this. My siblings thought I was doing it on purpose so I could return the dress and get my money back. Nope. I am really just that unaware of whats going on around me. Sleep deprivation can be source of a good laugh. Even if its at my expense :)
Very excited, emotional and nervous Greg. He is THE definition of a good catch. He is also a candy man. For real. He owns candy.com so if you ever have bulk orders of candy etc for an event he is your guy.
Mom and step Dad of the bride, aka ' Aunt Beth and Uncle Murray'. Aunt Beth is one of my mothers 6 siblings. Her and my mother have developed a beautiful relationship over the years and stood beside each other through many difficult obstacles. Their relationship has stood the test of time. Uncle Murray is Aunt B's love....its never too late to find it. They are living proof that love is possible if you are patient and wait on God.
Jess is about to make the short walk, with her Dad, to her husband to be. She is truly Gorgeous in every way. Inside and out.


Proud parents. She raised three cool and successful daughters.
Our little family getting ready to head to the reception.
A shot of the Beckler kids.
A normal shot of the Beckler kids.
Just the girls. Our family just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Will there be more girls?.....time will tell.
Like mother , like daughter.
Dancing for the first time as husband and wife. Real love can be beautiful. Real love stands the tests and trials of time. May this always be true for them.
My husband Matt and Mom dancing away. He looks like a giant next to my tiny mother. He looks like a giant next to most :) So handsome...just as kind.....just as much a pain in the rear xo.
First night out. Success. Thank you for sharing this very special occasion. We love you and will continue to pray for you in this interesting and joy filled journey together.

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Song of Solomon 8:6

Happy Birthday Uncle Ty Ty

Uncle Ty Ty is my baby brother. Hard to imagine, I know, when you see him as a grown man. He turned 23 yesterday and I feel very very old. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday and considering how horrible my memory is....it must of been a very special time. The day he was born I was ten years old. Mom and Dad caught the baby fever and started again. Dad always joked that they messed the first two up, older brother and I, so they decided to give it another try. Whether there is any truth to that, not sure, either way I am so glad they did. It didn't end there because two years after Ty we welcome baby sister Courteney so we were blessed again.

Last week Uncle Tyler surprised visited us. The kids love it when their family does this. The boys were able to get in some rumble and tumble time. Addy was able to get some well deserved silly filled attention. He is so good with them. You can see how deeply he loves them. He wears it well.

Looking at Ty's pics you can obviously tell that he is a real softy from his loving eyes and sweet smile. He is covered in tattoo's and often sporting Harley Davidson gear, but from my personal experience these are typically the kind hearted people, despite the rough edge we see.

After his guy time with the boys he took a hand in hand walk with his buddy Addison to a local restaurant. A very cute sight! He is going to make someone very happy someday and will be an outstanding father. I have been known to try and take on the role of matchmaker......If I happen to see a cute/ sweet young woman, I often inquire whether she is looking for love. This has resulted in some pretty fun stuff! lol. Always trying to find a special someone for him so he can hurry up and bring me some more nieces and nephews!



So here is to another 60 plus years growing old as siblings together. May your life be blessed more so around every corner. You are a stand up, loving and kind man. I am so very proud of you and wish you the best this side of heaven has to offer. We love our Ty Ty.


And this commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:21

Christian Dedication

And they were bringing children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, " Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs to the Kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." And He took them in His arms and blessed them, laying His hands on them. Mark 10:13-16

This scripture warms my heart. To picture God pulling my children closer to Him to embrace them. To see the smile on His face and the giggling smiles of my kids. Hopefully it would be followed with the good Lord looking into the eyes of my husband and I with the words, " Job well done". What a sight!

We had the children Dedicated at church on July the 10th. This is kind of like our version of an infant baptism. We believe that we first make this promise, dedication, to the Lord that we will raise our children in this faith until they can choose for themselves to commit. At that time they will do a full immersion Baptism and give their lives to the Lord. At this service Pastor Peter prayed over us all as a family and prayed for our children's Christian walk. It was beautiful. My husband and I hope that all three will grow to know the love of Christ and in turn raise their own families with God as the center. We look forward to the day they can declare in their own words and become Baptised.

My gorgeous children on our important day.

This is the arrangement we were presented with. Each flower represents a part of our life. One Representing God, one for my husband Matt, one for the presence of The Holy Spirit in our lives, one for me: the Mommy, then one for each child.

The boys all dressed in their Gregg boy attire. Its so funny to see them beginning to wear big boy clothes like their Daddy. Matt is a good sport and lets me have my fun when it comes to this :)

Love. Their futures are endless in possibilities...what a joy to sit back and watch it unfold. 6 Months ago these boys were inside my body. It still blows my mind.

The Gregg girls. Addy has a zest for life and real love for the Lord. She is known to comfort others in times of sadness with the simple reminder that God loves them. How beautiful to have truth at the core of who you are at only four years old.

May God continue to be a present guide in our lives and watch over us with a jealous love. We declare, "As for our home, we will serve the Lord!"

He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord. Psalms 113:9

Making a SPLASH!!!!

Addy made her first huge jump into the Greenville Town Pool at her recent swim lesson/session. Off the diving board!! Figures I was home with the boys and wasn't able to witness for myself, but thank goodness Nana caught the moment in action! It warmed my heart that she is able to trust in others and know that taking a giant leap is fun and not always something to be afraid of. Id like to think that part of that comes from how I raised her...but I'm thinking this child got this gift from God because I still get butterflies and hold my nose going off the diving board.

One of the many firsts I get to experience with my daughter. Being a parent is like being reborn. All the little moments you are too young to remember from your own childhood , you finally get to see first hand. God knew exactly what He was doing in our creation. Its flawless. Around every corner is something even more beautiful than the previous corner. I am enjoying this part of my life more so than any other. Life didn't begin until Addy took her first breath in front of me.

Today I am grateful for the little people I have been put in charge of. This lady is pretty darn lucky. So glad God has entrusted the awesome job of raising Addy, George and Andrew to me.

For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence. 

Psalm 71:5

Do the undone

How did you fill the dent of a horrible scar? How do you fix something with no pieces to put back together? How can you undo something that cannot be undone? This is how I feel today. This is how I have felt for weeks. Requesting prayers for a number of families today.

Praying for my dear friend Casey who lost her fiance Keegan,to complications from chemo treatments this past week. Pray for her daughter and for his grief full family. Pray that God welcomed him home with arms wide. Pray that God would lift up those hurting today and that this tragedy would bring about some goodness in the cracks of his loved ones broken hearts. May this bring people who don't know Christ, closer to Him.

Praying for my friends Shaun/ Kelly and the Maher family whose family member was murdered early this morning during a home invasion. May God continue to make His presence known to them and help to keep their eyes focused on the promise of a loving God.

Praying for some friends who are still wrestling with the sadness of losing their pregnancy. God is already in the works here but I pray that His will be shone brightly on the path ahead of them. Praying that this is not the end of this story.

Praying for another couple we know who is in the trenches trying to create life. May they continue to heal from their recent pregnancy loss and be healthy and ready to conceive once again. Praying for the doctors hands that they may guide them exactly through each step to get them the family they deeply desire. Praying that this trial brings them closer to Christ.

Praying for a local family who are about to come upon the one year anniversary of the husband/fathers passing. Praying their hearts are filled with wonderful memories instead of memories of terrible loss.

Praying for a neighbor who is counting the days till the reuniting of her family with the husband she has missed dearly. Please bring him safely home in the weeks ahead and keep them enjoying the days until the reunion instead of wishing time to pass.

Praying for a sweet old highschool friend who is going through a divorce and moving in a new direction. May God give her the heart and the tools to guide her children along in the difficult times ahead.

Praying for a loved one as he makes important life decisions. May he stumble upon Gods truth and learn to lean in...for him and for his children so that they can be guided by a God fearing upright father.

Praying for baby Oliver, that this very early birth would not affect his growth in his long lifetime ahead. May he grow to be a wonderful young man who continues to bless this wonderful family.

In the middle of all this praying there are beautiful things happening. Faith is being restored, friendships coming back together, love poured out freely and people giving their lives up to a God who weeps with them. Thats exactly what God is doing when your heart is breaking and you feel like just giving up. I pray the Lord gives me the strength to continue to encourage these people I love and that He would put the right words on my tongue in a time of sadness and unbelief.

 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.Romans 11:32

Your other half....

Even the most wonderful relationships have days in the ditch. My husband and I are no exception. Most of the time we are good friends...a great team. When work gets hectic and the kids moods worsen, then the financial woes get heavy, sometimes it takes a toll. Everything turns into a clash of words or deadening silence. Both don't sit well. Won't pretend to have a good answer or anecdote because I simply do not. I hold tight to the fact that we both want to be more like Christ in everything and every relationship we manage. We are eager to please God. Because of this, even in the deep angry void, I know that we will be ok. Even with the Truth we stand on there are times it takes a while to get back on track. Sometimes I just don't feel like doing what I need to make things right. Sometimes his mood will have to dive deeper for him to come out of it. We are not perfect.This week kind of followed this wave of 'ick'. When the sun started to set it began to lighten.

Last night I was cleaning the kids porch/ playroom and picked up junk I didn't even know existed. I was furious at the miscellaneous broken toys I found, food...a complete mess. This is my job...grrr. I started getting madder and madder thinking that dear husband was sitting on the swing outback with the kids while I once again cleaned something that had I not it would not EVER be done. Toy after toy I cleaned, placed back where they belonged. Amongst this joy ( insert sarcasm) I picked up dozens of bouncy balls. My heart lightened and it brought me back to what was important. Those bouncy balls were 6 years old. They went from our old rental to our home and eventually into the excited hands of my precious daughter.

My husband bought those bouncy balls for me years ago when he was head over heals. He would often do things to try and blow my mind. He knew as a kid I collected these bouncy balls and how I just got the greatest kick out of all the fun and devious things you could do with them and to make people laugh....even surprise them. He had a company deliver 2,500 of them to my home while we were dating. Imagine my surprise when this truck backed up and to open the boxes and laugh in shear delight. He had loved me more fully than any man before him.

So I had a smack upside the head. Was it God? This morning I went into the basement and gathered the bins they were bagged and dusty in. I dug my hands into them. I decided to incorporate these into our everyday lives. Put them someplace that would remind me of the uncountable blessings I have been given. We had an old water cooler jug floating around and I filled it. It will go nicely into our dining room for everyday viewing. Obviously there are at least a thousand more....it barely held half. It reminded me of Gods love. It fills me up and pours out. I simply cannot hold it all in. His love never ends . It never fails. It reminds me to pour that love and sometimes forgiveness into the relationships around me. Its my job. To think you can apply the principles written in His book to a small bouncing ball. Pretty awesome God we serve.

Is there someone in your life today who needs your forgiveness? Your compassion? Your love? God forgave us and loves us unconditionally. Its your turn.

For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6:14

Downer to Upper ...........

As I previously shared, its been a hard month. Yesterday turned my heart back upright ( at least we are the right direction). Its was Addison's third dance recital and I was on the go go go. Woke up with the boys way to early to mention the obscene time and didn't stop till bedtime which was far too late for a 4 year old....past ten! I was so tired on the ride home that I confessed my irrational fear to my husband, that I may have early on set dementia...driving the usual road at one point looked completely unfamiliar. I eventually stopped being a spaz and chalked it up to exhaustion. At the end of a typical day I feel like I lost my smarts....this day was an extreme version of that.

A huge thank you to all the family that made the trek over to see Addy perform. She was so excited and this Mama loves to share these momentous occasions with the ones I love. A heartfelt thank you to my Mom in law and father in law for opening their home to everyone afterwards. Certainly a day that will not be forgotten
( although I was relentlessly given a hard time and teased by my father and husband....mildly enjoyable..lol).

An even bigger thank you to the God that placed me where He did. I don't think He had any problem in His time of my creation, He knew I would be in good hands. He knew how the story would unfold and I am loving my part. My hope is that even in the fun and silly times I continue to bring Glory to His name.

Hope you enjoy these photos as much as I did experiencing this time. Here are some picture highlights to what turned out to be day wrapped in awesomeness ( yes...that is a word). Did I mention how after a long beautiful blessing filled day, I feel like a complete fool for thinking life terrible and dark? Maybe I just needed a wake up call. Enjoy xo

( I still cannot manage posts well so the pictures are not in pretty order...I was born way before technology became so difficult. Im pretty sure my daughter could figure it out before me)

Let your love be sincere ; hate what is evil , but hold fast to that which is good. 

Romans 12:9