Memorial Day Weekend

  Well this Memorial Day weekend has definitely been memorable so far...

  Friday the 27th was Brett & I's 11th anniversary! It is just crazy how quickly the time has gone by. I am so SO thankful that Brett chose me! I couldn't ask for a more perfect match...he is the strength to my weaknesses , the slow-down to my hurry-up, the unwind to my wound-up, the chill-out to my stay-busy. He brings much needed balance into my life. Life without Brett would be so boring. :) On Friday morning my post on Facebook said "Being married to Brett Curry has been quite an adventure...can't wait to see what the next 11 years bring!". Well, truer words have never been spoken. But adventure may not be a big enough word to describe what life is about to be...in 8 months that is. :) Yes, that's right, on Friday morning we found out that Curry baby #6 is on the way! AAAHHHHHH! Happy Anniversary to us!!! Oh, let me answer your questions before I continue: 1. No, this wasn't planned...by us. 2. Yes, we know how this happens. 3. Yes, we are thrilled. 4. Yes, we are crazy! :)  This came as quite a shock to both of us! Brett had really thought we were done with the 5 we have. I felt like we might have at least 1 more, but not for a while...and we've discussed foster care so I did think that it might be through adoption when the time came. But God had other plans. :) On Tuesday evening (before I knew I was pregnant) I sat down to read my Bible - it fell open to the Psalms and the verse on the page that immediately caught my eye (because it was highlighted and because God had a personal word for my heart) was Psalm 127:3 "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, and children are a reward from Him."  And I KNOW with absolute confidence that God was telling me that this baby is a gift from Him; it's His plan, His will, His blessing on our family!  I did have a bit of a melt-down when I told Brett the news...and I'm still a little bit nervous about having 6 kids and the challenge that will come with having a newborn when Maggie is only 15 months old...but after talking for a bit and remembering reading Psalm 127:3 and Brett reassuring me that God's plans ARE better than ours I began to get excited. At first I wanted to wait to share our news because I was afraid that some people might think we are irresponsible or crazy - but a very wise friend reminded that me through our conversation that God's blessings and life's joys are meant to be shared so we starting sharing! Last night we told our kiddos (I'll post the video on facebook so you can see their response) and they were beyond thrilled - especially Nathan who is so excited for another chance to possibly have a little brother! And this time, if I had to guess, I'd say I think it's a boy...and I think we might find out the gender this time for Nathan's sake (I'm sure many of you are breathing a sigh of relief!). Also, it looks like I may be due on January 28th which is Emma's 8th birthday! If you think of us please pray for God's hand to be on this baby. :)

  But wait, the weekend isn't quite over. Tomorrow is Nathan's 9th birthday and my 30TH birthday (my Golden Birthday:)!

First, how did my baby boy grow up so fast? Ugh, there are tears in my eyes as I type and think about how quickly he went from a snuggly newborn to a cautious toddler to a talkative & inquisitive little boy to...a very loving and knowledgeable (about reptiles at least:) big kid. And he just gets sweeter all the time. Last night I found a note that he wrote last week to someone special to him (not a little girl!!!) and his tender and loving heart shone through every kind word. I am so proud of the young man that he is becoming. I am so proud of his desire to be like Christ and like his Daddy - he can't go wrong if he follows in their footsteps! Happy Birthday Nate - I am your biggest fan!!!

Second, today is the last day of my 20s. And WOW have they been amazing!!! These have been some of the best (and most challenging) years of my life (and I had a wonderful childhood so that's saying alot)! We've had 5 children, lived through a month of bedrest during my 5th pregnancy (thanks to LOTS of help from friends & family),  bought our first home, made many lifelong friends, walked with those friends & family through life's ups and downs, started our homeschooling journey, and many more memorable occasions. It's been an adventure - that's for sure! So, tomorrow, as I step into my 30s (it seems more like a leap) I am looking forward to seeing all that God has planned for this next decade. Over the last few months He has been working in my heart...asking me to give Him more of myself...die to myself so that He can live through me. So I'm praying that God will help me to let go of my control on my life (or the thought that I have control - obviously I don't:), make the necessary sacrifices, lay down my pride. And if I do that then I know that I will have life even more abundantly and my 30s will far exceed my 20s!

Thanks for reading my jumbled up thoughts... :)

My thoughts on Bin Laden

Last night the President announced the death of Osama Bin Laden. And WOW - Facebook became a real live debate room! My facebook friend's opinions went from one extreme to the other. I've been thinking and praying and trying to decide where I stand on the topic. What's done has been done for a reason. This is not outside of God's knowledge nor his control. I'm not concerned about the facts. I'm absolutely NOT saying that I think it was wrong that he was killed...I'm not saying that at all. What I'm concerned about is my response to the news. Is my heart right? Has my heart become hard? So last night and this morning I've been soul-searching and digging through Scripture. Here is what I've come up with so far....

First let me say that I am VERY thankful to all the men and women of our Armed Forces who sacrifice daily for the benefit of US citizens and for the sake of people outside of our borders as well. I appreciate you and applaud your hard work and dedication.  I don't want anyone to think that I am ungrateful for the sacrifice our troops and their families have given over the last 10 years. You are truly HEROS!

Part of me is very glad to know that justice has been done where Bin Laden is concerned. But at the same time...what if I received what I deserved?  I have earned death and eternity apart from God. ONLY by GRACE have I been saved from that. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.".  That same grace was available to Bin Laden and anyone else who chooses to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, honestly, I hope that before he died Bin Laden chose to accept God's grace and forgiveness for his sins (yes, Christ would forgive even him). With our human eyes we see sin on 'levels', but in God's eyes sin is sin...period. A little white lie is just as much sin as the mass murder of thousands. Matthew 5:21-22 says "You have heard it said to those of old, You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgement. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement." I know for sure that I have been angry at someone for no real reason before (or maybe for a reason, but a selfish one) therefore I am in danger of judgement just as much as someone who has committed murder. The next paragraph says the same is true of adultery - someone who looks upon someone else with lust has already committed adultery in his/her heart. The differences in those sins are the consequences. The consequences of a little white lie probably won't affect as many people as a mass murder, but the end judgement is the same. The ONLY thing that will keep us from God's judgement is God's grace!

In Proverbs 24:17 it says "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.". It says in Ezekiel 18:23 "Do I take pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?".  At the same time the Bible is full of stories of God's wrath and judgement. But there are NO contradictions in the Bible!!! The truth is that God is LOVE and JUSTICE. Just studying the word 'justice' in my Bible I found LOTS of references to his justice and love both! Here are a few of them - Psalm 9:8, 9:16, 11:7. Get this - Zechariah 7:9 says " This is what the Lord Almighty says" 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another."! Isaiah 30:18 says " Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!". WOW - those 2 verses talks about both His compassion AND His justice. We have a really hard time reconciling those truths, but that doesn't make them any less true. :) We can't quite wrap our minds around it. But we don't have to nor do we need to. We won't fully understand WHO GOD IS until we meet Him face to face! If we could then what kind of God would He be? If He wasn't too big for us to fully understand then there would be no mystery, no reason for us to need to depend on Him. 

So...what should my response, as a Christian (not as an American), be to the news of Bin Laden's death? I believe it should be one of humility. I'm no better than he was...no less of a sinner. Yes, the consequences of his sin were vast and affected an entire country (world even), but God's grace was still available to him. I want my heart to reflect that of my Savior...

Those are my thoughts. :)  

HE is faithful!

I was so encouraged by my time in God's Word this morning that I just had to share!

2 Timothy 2:13 says "if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown himself."
Romans 3:3 says "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true and every man a liar.

Thank goodness that HE IS FAITHFUL no matter what I am!!! Lord, help me overcome my unbelief (and this my prayer for you today too)!

Spring Break

Well, it's spring break...and it actually feels like spring outside! I'm looking forward to a week of fun and also accomplishing the many things that have been being put off since Christmas break. Piles of stuff that keep getting bigger, Maggie's babybook, ordering prints of my last 6 months of photos, and cleaning out Brett's closet  (that one has been put off for 2 years - well actually, I left it for him to do because I thought he would like to choose what to get rid of, but he hasn't done it so I'm going to - I was told if I get rid of the 'sacred shirt' there would be serious repercussions - I ain't scared of him though...:)!

My kiddos are working hard at the moment to finish up all their chores so they can head outside and then they are begging for so wii-time (Mario) later today. Honestly they get more exercise playing wii Mario than they do playing wii tennis...it's HILARIOUS to watch them - every time they make their 'guy' jump they also jump and they are constantly swinging their arms around as they navigate through each level! So funny! I've had to ban them from the furniture while playing wii cause I found them standing and JUMPING on my couch!!! That is a big-time 'NO' in our home!

Well, I guess I'd better stop typing cause there is fun to be had (and work to do)! Have a great day!

Hmmmm....it's the weekend

Well, I don't have any profound thoughts or funny stories this morning. But I'm in a 'mood' so I thought maybe I should type as I eat my bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios...yum.

Weekends at the Curry house have a few different 'looks'.  Look #1 - an overstuffed closet - you open the door and get knocked off your feet by all the stuff that flies out (a good example of one of these would be last weekend when we had Awanas Olympics all day followed by a birthday party then on Sunday we had church, lunch, a short rest time at home, then back to church for a meeting after dropping the kids off at Awanas at a different church - Whew - I was ready for Monday so I could relax a bit!).  Look #2 - a very organized closet - you open the door and immediately find just what you were looking for and it feels good ( a good example of this would be...well...actually...I can't think of even one since we've had children - ok, who am I kidding...I can't think of one even before we had kids!).  Look #3 - a closet where everything fits, but barely - you open the door, move a few things, and finally find what you were hoping you hadn't throw away or lost completely (this would describe most weekends here - not nearly as orderly and productive as this TypeA mama would like, but we fit most of the 'important' stuff in and haven't completely lost our sense of adventure or our sanity.....yet).

 So that's me this morning...trying to remember what the 'important' stuff is and trying NOT to get frustrated over MY 'important' stuff that once again isn't going to get completely done...if any at all. Maybe I'll just skip the cleaning all together and work on Maggie's Baby book that has not even a single word written in it yet. :(  And order pictures to put it in (I have taken them, just not ordered prints). And play with my big kids. Those are the 'important' things in life...not the dirty floors or the still huge pile of laundry that I just couldn't get done yesterday...right? But what is clean to wear to church tomorrow...?

P.S. - Maggie slept from 12-6 IN HER OWN BED! I should feel so well rested and be in a great mood! Come on coffee, do your job!

Molly Faith

At this moment 3 years ago I was lying in my bed snuggling with my brand new baby girl! Molly Faith has been such a joy and a blessing to us. Also a reason for much laughter! She'll do about anything for a laugh and loves to entertain her siblings...especially during their school time (to my dismay and sometimes utter frustration!)! Everyone thought that she would be a boy so when she was a girl I was in shock...and completely delighted (I had wanted a girl...obviously God had placed that desire in my heart:)! Molly was a big-time mama's girl up until about 5 months ago when Maggie was born...Molly has since become quite attached to her Daddy as well. :) Her nickname is Moo - shortened from Moody - a more fitting nickname has never been placed on a baby I'm sure! She could go from a smile to a scowl in a few short seconds (starting at a very young age) and did often...it was hilarious! Thankfully most of her scowls are reserved for her joking now. :)


What an honor to be called Mama by this sweet little girl. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her future! I love you my little Molly Moo - keep smiling!

So of course this morning started off with our traditional chocolate chip pancake Birthday breakfast (with candles & singing too of course) followed by presents from Brett & I and siblings. We're playing around the house for now and next on the agenda is lunch at McD (healthy, I know:) and playing in the PlayPlace with her siblings and her best friend, Landon (her cousin whom she adores)! Then tonight cupcakes with all of our Life Group friends. I LOVE birthdays - celebrating the day I became a mama (to each one of my babies) is so much fun!!!  :) :) :)  

A New Day

I went to bed feeling discouraged and defeated. Life in general has just been overwhelming lately...I'm not complaining, just being honest.  So this morning I woke up to a text of encouragement from a sweet friend and then when I opened my Bible (intending to turn to Romans 5 - a passage recommended by my texting friend) it fell open to Psalm 91. I decided to read that first and BOY was I blessed! I love how God speaks so personally to each one of us. I've read Psalm 91 over and over in the past and it has always been a great passage, but today it was a note of encouragement straight from my God's heart to my own.  I hope you'll take the time to read it...it may not speak to you today like it did to me, but maybe God will put someone on your heart that needs to hear those words as I did....

Psalm 91 (NKJV)

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.  A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.   Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.  Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.

Psalm 91

I hope this spoke peace to your soul as it did to mine. Have a great day today and remember that His mercies are new every morning! :)