Ephesians 5

For the first time in a long time, I had a quiet time reading my Bible the past two mornings. Time and time again, I find myself drifting away from the Lord. I get so caught up in MY life and MY world that I forget about Him and spending time with HIM! It never fails that when I drift from the Lord, I open myself up to the attacks of the devil. I find myself under spiritual, mental, emotional, and even phyical attack. It's like swimming and playing out in the ocean. You get caught up fooling around or beating the waves, and before you know it, you've drifted and then you find yourself trying to stay afloat in the ocean and you struggle and struggle and can't understand why you are going through all this trouble and getting nowhere. The ocean is no longer fun. It's drowning you. Then, you realize, "Oh, yeah, just put your feet down on the Solid Rock, Shannon." When I take my eyes off the Lord, it doesn't take long before I'm struggling. My wonderful husband helps me realize that I've taken my eyes of the Lord and gets me back to the Solid Rock. Jay is my helpmate, my best friend. I am so thankful that the Lord gave him to me. Together, we help each other and grow in our marriage as we grow in the Lord.

So, I was reading Ephesian 5 today. What an awesome chapter! The 4 main topics are: Walk in Love, Walk in Light, Walk in Wisdom, and Marriage. It hit me how we are to walk in love....total unconditional love just as Jesus Christ has shown us. He died for MY sin in MY place so that I can accept the FREE gift of salvation from our Father in Heaven. He didn't have to do that. God's Word, the Bible, says that the cost of my sin is death. Every mistake I've made, every rule I've broken, every commandment I've broken... God says that the penalty is death. Yet, Jesus took my place, paid for my sin so that I can not only have everlasting life and get into heaven, but so that I can have a RELATIONSHIP with the Lord. So many people believe that just by going to church or believing in a god will get them to heaven, but that's not so. There's so much more than just filling a pew or seat on Sunday. It's about relationship. We are to love God and be imitators of Him. In Eph. 5, it says to be imitators of God as dear children. As I think about that and I look at Jadyn, I think how she so openly and willingly loves people. She is trusting, nonjudgemental, and happy. Whenever I don't feed her soon enough or change her diaper soon enough or even spend enough time in the day with her, she still greets me with a smile and open arms. It doesn't matter to her if I look nice or smell good or have done great things. She still loves me....unconditionally. That's how I'm supposed to imitate Christ.

The next part of Eph. 5 says to Walk in Light. Jesus is the Light of the World. We live in such a dark and fallen world...I can't even watch the news anymore without being disturbed of all the killings and robberies going on around us. "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light...finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." (Eph. 5: 8,10). Things we try to hide from the Lord by keeping them in the dark will become the next area of attack in our lives. When I have something bothering in me in the back of my mind and I don't deal with it, it continues to fester and grow and before I know it, at some point, it can become a stronghold in my life. "But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light." (Eph. 5:13). When I don't hide things from the Lord or even from my husband, for that matter, I don't leave room for darkness to grow. I turn it over to Him and where there once was darkness, the Light of Christ now shines. Not to say that the dark corner won't try to return, but as long as I turn it over to Christ, and then His Light will overcome. Think of how powerful a little match is when it is lit in a dark room...the Light of Lord is beyond measure of that! My mind cannot grasp that! Those who don't know the Lord, have not given their hearts to them, they walk in darkness. Many people don't even know it that they are walking in darkness...no hope, no light....they are a dead man walking. But Eph. 5:14 says "Awake you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light". It says He GIVES you light...no strings attached! It is a free gift! Praise God! How thankful I am for the Lord's Light in my life. I pray that His Light shines through me that when people look at me, it's not Shannon they see, but Jesus Christ shining through me....

Then there's Walk in Wisdom. Walk in the Wisdom of the Lord. He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us and give us wisdom. The days are evil, full of foolish men. We must be careful and walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, for the days are evil. "Redeeming the time".....How soon until the Lord's return? How much time do we have here on Earth. All you have to do is turn on the news and hear of global warming, wars, killings, robberies, earthquakes, fires, this and that and you wonder...how long do we really have? How long do I have to tell people that there is a God Who loves them and saves? Redeeming the time....

And as fear so often tries to set within my mind and heart, I know that I cannot live in fear. His word says in Eph. 5:20 "Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ". I thank Him that in the midst of this fallen world, in the midst of the darkness around me...I have Hope, I have the Light of the world...I have Jesus Christ living in me and the Holy Spirit guiding me. And I know that this world may fall away, but the kingdom of heaven will not! I know that when the Lord returns for His Bride, the church (all those who believe in Him), I will be ready! That leads into the last part of Eph. 5...Marriage. God compares the church as a bride preparing for her groom. Jesus is the Groom and He will be coming for His bride...the church. Eph. 5 talks about husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church, even giving Himself for her. And just as wives desire love, husbands desire respect. I need love and my husband needs my respect. I am to respect my husband. He is the spiritual leader of our family. Just as Christ deserves my respect as He is the Groom and I am part of the church, the Bride. I pray often that Jay will continue to seek the Lord and that the Lord will give him wisdom as he leads this family.

Eph. 5 has so much in it! I can chew and meditate on it for days and I think my mind would still be blown away at the Word of God. I know this is long, but it's my thoughts...jumbled as they are. I am thankful to the Lord for saving me. I am thankful that He is my Light and my Salvation. I'd be lost without Him....

Merry Christmas!

\]]We had a great time this Christmas spending time with our families. We woke up Christmas morning...surprisingly, before the kids! As we waited for the kids to stir (and the rest of the adults, for that matter, we enjoyed sitting around the table eating Christmas breakfast that Dad has made. For the first time in 8 years, all of the family woke up Christmas morning at my parents' house. It was a fun time.

Jadyn was all smiles as we began to gather in the living room! Before we began opening gifts, Dad said a prayer thanking the Lord for His Best Gift of all...His Son, Jesus Christ. We give gifts as we celebrate His precious Gift. Happy Birthday, Jesus....

















Rebekah and Josh, my neice and nephew, were very excited to start opening gifts!











Meet my brother and sister, John and Jennifer. John is 28 and a police officer and Jennifer is 23 and in culinary school. In this picture, neither look excited, but don't be fooled...they had a good time! :) I love my bro and sis and am so proud of each of them. It was great to get to spend Christmas with them.








My beloved husband...he never ceases to amaze me in his love and thoughtfulness. He was one of the best gifts the Lord's ever given to me! He is too cute! I love you, my one and only!









I love this picture of how Dad and Jadyn are looking at each other....You can see how much Dad just loves her and Jadyn finds him quite curious! :-) Love you, Papa!










I love the look of anticipation on her face as she starts tearing the present open. She didn't quite get fully unwrapping gifts this year, but she was definetely liking the sound of tearing paper! She got a cabbage patch in this present. It's a twin cabbage patch and her cousin, Rebekah, has the other twin. This is cool because each cousin has a twin cabbage patch AND they each have a twin mommy! :-)





The best part of Christmas is being with the ones you love...












I love this time of year!

Jadyn's officially walking!

Yesterday, Jadyn finally did what we've all been waiting for...she took off walking! We couldn't catch it on video until today. All of the sudden, she's decided she's done with crawling and walking's the way to go! It happened just like I thought it would...she would just decide to take off! And she has! Enjoy! We are very proud of her! :)

Hello again

Hello all our fans! It sure has been hard to find time to update this thing since going back to work! Sheesh! I miss blogging on a regular basis! :) Well, here's our update! I am now 12 weeks along in my pregnancy and am starting to feel better now that I'm at the end of my first trimester! Whew! 12 weeks already! I'm definetely wearing maternity clothes! At work, my students enjoy keeping track of baby Sappington's growth. Every couple of weeks, we measure out how much growth it has made. Everyday, several of them ask me how Baby Sapp is doing. It's very cute! :) We should find out around February whether Jadyn's getting a brother or a sister!

Speaking of Jadyn, she is such the cutie! Her newest achievement is saying, "Yuck--kee!" Haha! Jay taught her that! She says it for everything! We've learned that she is allergic to dairy....at least to milk. For the past 6 weeks, we've been trying to figure out what's going on with her. It started when she woke up on a Sunday six weeks ago today, covered head to toe in a rash. Her skin color was also turning an orangish yellow. After several weeks and a few different treatment approaches, we took her to another doc who had us take her off all dairy and carrots. In a matter of 2 weeks, her skin is completely cleared up except for a few patches of excema and her skin tone is not so yellowish-orange. We take her in tomorrow for bloodwork (per our request). We want to make sure there's nothing else going on internally, as she's still a bit yellow. We are also going to schedule her for allergy-testing to find out specifically what she's allergic too. In spite of it all, she still remains her happy, bright-eyed self! What a blessing she is! We love our Pigtail Pie!!!

On an annoying note...maybe someone out there has advice. Our cat, Gretta, is 3.5 years old. About 2 years ago, we got another cat, and Gretta began acting out by peeing on our futon. We thought it was Squared, our other cat. The peeing increased when Jadyn was born and has gone downhill since then. She pees on the carpet (futon's been gone since shortly after we got Squared). We figured out that it was Gretta when we caught her in the act!! All this time, we'd been blaming Squared. We have tried EVERYTHING we can think of! We changed the type of litter, we added another litter box, we've cleaned the litterboxes daily, we've tried different chemicals to clean the spots she's marked as well as to keep her from going back to there, we tried foil, we've moved her food to those spots, and so on. Our latest endeavor was buying the litter robot (very cool invention, by the way). It will eventually pay for itself by saving in cost of litter. It is on a timer and self-cleans every time it's used, so the litter stays fresh. We are going to have to replace the carpet, no doubt. Our house STINKS!!! It's horrible! Gretta won't use the new litterbox and now defecates on the floor. Every day, Jay's having to clean up poop and treat that area, in hopes she won't do it again. Gretta's a part of the family, and we are not wanting to get rid of her. Jay jokes that we need to get the cat whisperer here! :) We are going to start looking into bids on stained concrete to replace the carpet. It has to go. Our house smells bad, and defiled! Gross! Sooo, any other advice!!???

We are looking forward to Christmas break! After Christmas break, we're going to Phoenix to visit family! I can't wait to see all our family, especially my grandparents and Aunt Carol and Uncle Jim!! :) My aunt Dorothy's turning the big 5-0 while we are out there too! whoo hoo!

Well, there's more to write, no doubt, but presents need wrapping and Christmas cards need addressed! :) I hope to update a LOT more on my Christmas break!

Love you guys!

Life of a 1 year old...and other things....

Well, my week off from work is now over. It didn't go quite according to plan, but I can't complain. I still enjoyed being off. My plans of visiting friends, coffee with my twin sis, making hairbows, and blogging all went down the tube as Jadyn and I have been sick all week. Tuesday, we both woke up with colds and have been trying to get over them all week. Now, both of our colds have turned into infections. I'm now on antibiotics and I have a feeling she soon will be too. But, praise the Lord for medicine! :) And, I wouldn't trade this week off with her for anything. I am so thankful for my family and for this gift God has given Jay and I. Jadyn is such a joy and happy little girl. She definetely lights up our lives. I can only imagine what joy the next little Sappington growing inside of me will bring. Sometimes I can't imagine having so much love for more than one child...but, I hear it comes naturally. :) God is so good to us.

Here, Jadyn sports her new ride...she digs it. She seems to like facing forward. She can definetely see what's going on around her. The cool thing about this car seat is it's a 3-in-1...which means it eventually converts to a booster seat that she can be in til she's like 8-9 yrs old. AND, it has received great reviews. It's a Graco Nautilus, in case you are interested. :)

I didn't really get any good pictures of Jadyn on her birthday. Note to self...at birthday parties, designate someone to take pictures...otherwise, you aren't going to end up with many. So, I put her birthday bib on her and took a picture of her with her birthday balloon. She's such a happy 1 year old!

On another note...Jay and I went to put Jadyn to bed the other night and this is what we found! Looks like Jadyn's not the only one who uses the changing table. Seems Gretta has found a new place to relax. :)

Jay and I became offical participants of Black Friday. We got up at 3 a.m and were hitting our first store at 4 a.m.! It was a really fun time! We joined my dad, Sara, and Fidel and all the early bird shoppers catching GREAT deals! Suprisingly, customers and employees of every where we went were nice and even had a sense of humor. I was impressed. Now, I'm curious to know how it was by the end of the day. :) Jay and I were able to get most of our Christmas shopping all done. I am definetely hooked on Black Friday! It was sssssawwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Until next time...

Happy 1st Birthday, Jadyn!

Our Pigtail Pie is officially ONE! I can't believe it! This past year has flown by in the blink of an eye. I am so thankful to the Lord for this precious gift! Jadyn means "God has heard". The Lord heard my desire to be a mom, and He answered. I am blessed beyond measure! From the day I knew she was growing in me, I couldn't wait to meet this precious one. Then, finally, the day came when she made her entrance into this world...and she's had my heart eversince. I love her with all my heart. It's amazing how true it is that you would give your very life for your child. And then I think how the Lord God did that for us, His Children...He gave His Son so that we can have everlasting life...to have a relationship with Him. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my child. I am amazed at this little being that the Lord created. What plans does He have for her life? What does He have in store for her? What will she grow up to be? ("For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11)

I love watching my husband be a father to her. It's one of the most endearing qualities about him. I love how he prays over her and me in the mornings before leaving for work. For Jadyn's birthday, he brought her home a bouquet of flowers. Her face lit up when he said, "Here you go, Jadyn. Happy Birthday!" It was priceless! My husband is the sweetest, most caring man on this planet! :-)

For her party, Jadyn looked so cute in her little matching crown, onesie, and tutu. Surprisingly, she even kept the crown on for the most part! She didn't quite know what to do with the cake, but it didn't take her long to make a mess! :-








Jadyn, one year ago....

To Jadyn, now...

I love it when her face lights up in a smile...my little Bright Eyes. She can light up a whole room! I love you, Bright Eyes....Happy 1st Birthday, my love.

Love, Mommy.

Thank You, Lord, for this precious gift You've given me....

Melody Hope and Madison Joy

Our dear friends, Jason and Vanessa, welcomed and said goodbye to their precious twin baby girls this evening. For those of you who don't know the story, go check out their blog, Good Times Delgado Style. When Vanessa was approximately 20 weeks along in her pregnancy, they found out she was carrying conjoined twin girls. The girls shared a heart and a liver. Jason and Vanessa have been an AMAZING witness of the Lord through this entire journey. The outpour of support they have received and will continue to receive in the upcoming days to follow is a testament of God's love. Madison Hope and Melody Joy were born via c-section around 6:25 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2008. And they passed into Heaven a little after 7 p.m.

Tonight, as I held those precious baby girls who were no longer living on this earth, I was amazed at God's creations. Amazed at these perfect baby girls who were blessed to have such a loving family. I am in awe of God's sovereignty and am reminded of King David who pleaded before the Lord without ceasing to save his infant son from death. When the infant passed away, David rose up from the floor, cleaned himself off, and went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. (2 Samuel 12: 16-23) David continued to give praise to the Lord. Even though God had not given David the answer he had hoped for, the Lord had answered him nonetheless by taking the child to be with Him. God's answer may not always be what we want to hear, but He is faithful and He is Sovereign. He is our great Comforter and Healer. I find comfort in knowing that Melody and Madison are in the arms of Jesus and wait for their family and for the family in Christ to one day join them as we worship our Heavenly Father. They have forever touched my life...

A song that kept coming to mind throughout the afternoon and evening was this...
God is so good
God is so good
God is so good
He's so good to me

He answers prayer
He answers prayer
He answers prayer
He's so good to me

God is so good. I will praise Him at ALL times. His praise shall continually be on my lips. In all things, I will give thanks unto the Lord.
Thank you, Lord, for Melody and Madison. The love we have for them can't even compare to how much you love them... May Your comfort and peace envelope and surround Jason, Vanessa, Destiny, and all their families and loved ones...

In the words of our friends, the Delgados...to God be the glory. Amen.

Harvest Time

Well, it's been quite a while since I've even had TIME to update. I miss blogging....I find it rather relaxing. But, work keeps me so busy and first trimester pregnancy nauseau keeps me blah and tired all the time that I do good just getting Jadyn taken care of in the evenings. And even then, I have to rely on Jay a lot to even do that! I don't know what I'd do without my hubby. I sure am blessed! He keeps the house from being a total wreck. Nonetheless, all is going well here. We are enjoying watching Jadyn change and grow before our eyes. She never ceases to bring smiles to our faces! :-D Here's a little (or long) update on what's been going on in our world the past few weeks.







We had a great time going out to a local pumpkin patch on Oct. 18th. Jadyn had her first ever Pumpkin Patch experience. She got to share it with her good buddy, Drew. Go check out our Picasa website for pictures of our little Punkin' and her pumpkin patch experience.




October is a busy month for family birthdays! My (Shannon) brother turned 28, then came Dad's (Sappington) birthday a few days later. Then, it was time to celebrate Joel's (Jay's bro) birthday. But, wait! We aren't done! Jed's (also Jay's bro) birthday followed several days later! :-D Here is a pic of the Sappington brothers in order from oldest to youngest (funny too that Jay's the oldest yet the shortest :-D). Jay, Joel, and Jed.



We recently signed on a gas well lease (just in time, too). Using part of the money, we bought a new flat screen HD TV at a discount (said it was slightly damaged, yet we can find no problems... :-D). Here, Jay and Jadyn share a fun moment...I'm not sure if Jay's excited and celebrating his new 'toy' or if they actually had a funny moment. Who cares though, right? Nothing warms my heart when I see my husband play with his daughter. God is good...I am truly blessed.

















This past weekend, Jadyn and I tried out a waterbabies class at Emler Swim School. It was a free orientation class to see what they teach and how. I liked it....Jadyn loved it! She LOVES to be in the water! We are now deciding if we are going to take the plunge and enroll her in the spring semester. It goes from January to June, every Saturday, for 3o minutes. By the end of it, she should know basic water survival skills: know how to turn around and swim to the edge of the pool and hold on, if she were to fall in; hold her breath for up to 8 seconds; and did I mention how to swim?



One of Jadyn's latest accomplishments is standing for several seconds with no problem. In fact, I've even seen her go from a crawling position, to squating, on up to standing. She's even taken a few steps with coaxing! She's taken her first steps, but she has yet to put them all together and take off walking! But, that will all come in the Lord's timing. In fact, the day has already come when we look at her and say, 'How did you grow so fast?' Today, when I was at work, I put on my coat to go outside. When I did, I reached into my pockets, and with surprise, I pulled out one of Jadyn's pacies from last winter. It was so little! Just like she used to be! Where has the time gone? In just a few short days, our little bright eyes is turning one....what a blessing she is to us. She's brought such joy and happiness to my life. I am amazed at how one minute, she looks like her daddy, and then in an instant, I see resemblances of me. What an awesome creation the Lord has made!

Last for now, I am about 8 weeks along in my pregnancy. So far, it is very similar to how it was with Jadyn...all day nauseau, spicy food cravings.... Could this mean it's another girl??? :) Time will tell. I go for my first appt on Nov. 18th with the midwife. I'll be about 9 weeks then...maybe I'll get a sneak peak sono then??? We don't care either way if it's boy or girl...we just pray for a healthy, happy, beautiful, calm baby. ('For the Lord knit you together in my inmost being...before I ever knew you were there...' - found in the Psalms. When I get a chance and am more awake, I'll post that scripture. The Lord brings it to my mind so often during my pregnancies.... How faithful He is....

Well, it's past my bedtime. Another thing about being pregnant...I can't stay up late anymore and hang with the big dogs...too tired. :) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Until next time!

Love Never Fails

Jadyn has news!

To be fulfilled June 2009! :-D
Stay tuned for Sappington #4!

Heavy Heart

My heart is heavy this evening as I think about some things in life around me. You know how life has a tendency to change relationships over time and friends come and go? Whether the Lord moves them elsewhere or they feel drawn away, change happens. Sometimes it's immediate, and sometimes it's gradual and impending. Well, this has been happening in my life with some of my very close friends over the past couple of years, and it really bums me out, to be honest. I am not one to take change lightly or easily, and it really saddens my heart when I think about all of the 'gang' that used to hang out together, and it's not so anymore. There's a few of us that get together from time to time, and I really enjoy those times. I just wish sometimes that we could go back to yesterday... Life has become so busy, beliefs have changed, kids are a factor, as well as distance too. Why do things have to change? (Rhetorical, I know). Sometimes, I feel like I am looking around me and wondering, Where did my friends go? Now who will I play with, talk with, confide in, share with, shop with, laugh, cry, pray.....???? I am sure some of you are saying the same thing about me as I am always busy with work, family, house, life, etc. I know, I know...you are saying.. "We are right here. We haven't gone anywhere!" Truth is, I fear being alone (without friendship). I have my beloved husband who's my bestfriend and Godsend who is wonderful! I dread/grieve the day when my bud, Mandy, moves away. She's been one of my dear best buds these past several years. I can't imagine not having her around the corner anymore. I know, I know...I can't get swallowed up in the what-if's or self-pity parties or worry about bridges that are not yet here to be crossed. I guess I just needed to unload and be transparent for a minute... I need a hug....sniff!

Ok, now enough about me...

A much-needed change of subject, another reason why my heart is heavy....please pray for my dear friends, the Delgados. They are really going through it and I can't even imagine being in their shoes. Vanessa is just a few short weeks away from the end of her pregnancy and they struggle with what little time that means they could have left with feeling the life of their conjoined twins move within her. Please be in prayer for my dear friends. God is a BIG God...there is nothing too hard for Him. I know that the Lord will heal Melody and Madison...whether it's here on earth or in heaven. It is amazing how much these babies have touched so many lives out there through their story.

I pray for Jason and Vanessa, Lord, that Your hands of comfort and peace are wrapped around them right now. Lord, You are a God of comfort and You are Jehovah Jireh, my Provider, and Jehova Rapha, my Healer. I pray that You lay Your healing hands be upon Melody and Madison at this very moment...that you work a miracle. To You be praised....

God Answers Prayer

I know not by what methods rare.
But this I know, God answers prayer,
I know that He has given His Word,
Which tells me prayer is alwasy heard,
And will be answered soon or late,
And so I pray and calmly wait.

I know not if the blessing sought,
Will come in just the way I thought,
But leave my prayer with Him alone,
Who's will is wiser than my own.
Assured that He will grand my 'quest,
Or send some answer for more blest.
Author Unknown

Trip to the Fair - finally posting

A couple weekends ago, our bro, Jed, came to spend the weekend with us. He's never been to the Texas State Fair. So, on Saturday, we packed up the car and headed to Dallas. Jadyn was quite fascinated by her surroundings. She couldn't fall asleep because there was so much going on!

What's a trip to the fair without trying out their unique creations. Here, Jay tries out chocolate-covered strawberry waffle balls. It was literally a chocolate covered strawberry fried in waffle batter and sprinkled with powder sugar. It was really good! We also HAD to try fried oreos, a turkey leg, fried grilled cheese (tasted pretty much like a grilled cheese...), the aforementioned on the left, nachos, funnel cake, fried cheesecake (it was FABULOUS!) and fried pickles. I spent the whole night in search of fried twinkies and never found them! :( I later heard that my Vice Principal at school, Misty was there and she saw the fried twinky stand. Shucks! Everything we tried was fabulous! And, we left there with bellies aching from consuming fried food than we had in a year combined! Ok, maybe like 6 months...

Jadyn's new game!

Jadyn continues to amaze us with the 'new' tricks she is learning daily. This video is already a couple of weeks old! It's been so busy around here that it took me that long to get it edited and 'short' enough to fit on blogville. Her longest time to stand by herself was tonight at my school program. She stood for 10 seconds!!! All by herself! Tonight, after I had fed her dinner, I said "All done!" and showed her it in sign language. She picked that right up! Now, all I have to say is "All done!", and she immediately starts to sign it! She also knows 'please' in sign language. Right now, she's really only saying please at mealtimes, but we are working to extend that to any time she wants something.

Jadyn's officially11 months old. The other night, we were standing in the kitchen and I looked at Jay and said she was now that old. The loving and goal-setting father in him came out as he looked at her and said, "Now, Jadyn, you only have a month left to be walking by your first birthday. Come on. I know you can do it." It was quite humerous!

The Sapp household has been going nonstop, it seems, for many weeks. Jay's been hard at work, busier than he's ever been. School keeps me busy, as usual. As I mentioned before, the 3rd-4th grades Program was tonight at school. We had a combined program of about 200 kids (whew! wouldn't want to do that again!). Our theme was "Music Around the World". It went pretty well. The kids were very excited. They did a really good job. And the teachers are relieved it's over! :)

Jay and I recently signed on a gas lease (just in time, too) and used a portion of that money to buy a much needed new bed. The first mattress we bought about 2 weeks ago ended up being too firm, so we went back to the store and exchanged it for a different kind. Last night was our first night with the new mattress and we both slept much better! Praise God for providing the new mattress. We are also going to use another portion of the gas lease to get a much-need paint job and face lift on the exterior of our house. It has needed it for at least a couple of years now. Praise the Lord for always meeting our needs.

On another happy note...The Sapps are officially and totally credit card DEBT FREE!!! Praise be to God! It's been a work in progress for exactly 2 years. When we got married, and shortly after, we had built up quite a debt and were not good stewards of the money that the Lord has given us. With conviction and repentance, we began to follow the Dave Ramsey plan. Slowly, but surely, we began paying off each credit card one by one and closing them out once they were paid off. It hasn't been an easy two years, and we've had some fallbacks along the way, AND had a kiddo. But, God is faithful, and we continued to press forward. No more credit cards for us! We are FREE! I say all that to encourage you who are in the same boat of debt. You can google Dave Ramsey and find out about his financial plan. Crown Financial is another good one. My church has a ministry that teaches families to be better stewards of their money and get out of debt and encourages them along the way. Now, we can take that money that was once put towards credit card debt towards other things. Our next goal is to pay off the 4Runner, then my student loans, and so on.

Let's see...what else? It's been so long since I've been able to update! I miss getting to my blogs! Like I said, school has been so busy, even on weekends (I hate having to do school work on the weekends... :( I've made several attempts in the past 3 weeks to update this and haven't had a chance until now. I have new pics of Jadyn to post on our Picasa. I will try to do that this weekend.

Now that I've chatted your ear off :-D, I am going to head to bed and try that bed out again..... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh.....sigh.

Goodnight!

Weekend update

Jadyn's changing so much these days. She's losing the infancy look and is metamorphing into a toddler. We are daily amazed at God's precious gift! She'll be walking any day now!














Before we know it, we'll be celebrating her first birthday. Our little bright eyes...stealing our hearts and brightening our lives!















The Sappington's
September 28, 2008

(Me, a very pregnant Vanessa, Mandy, Kelly)

On Saturday, we celebrated Mandy's 30th birthday. She actually hit the big 3-0 in July, but we just now got around to celebrating (better late than never, right?). It was a fun day filled with clues, fun, relaxation, and smiles! The first part of the day was spent doing girl time with some of her closest friends! What better way to celebrate than over a light lunch? We then went to the nail salon where we got our nails dolled up and some of those pesky hairs waxed! :) While we enjoyed our girl time, the men single-handedly took care of the babies and even got in a football game! We met up with them for a delicious dinner at La Hacienda Ranch. We topped off the evening with some (slightly overdone) brownies and ice cream. I hope Mandy had a really good day. Good friends are a treasure...Mandy is one of those treasures. Happy Birthday, my dear friend.

Today has been a relaxing day overall. The message at church was really good. We are made new in Christ. When we walk with Him daily, He renews our minds, giving us peace, hope, and a sound mind. We spent the afternoon chillin'. Jay watched the Cowboys lose and I got to get out and hit up a few stores. Working on laundry, updating pictures, doing grades, and tending to Jadyn. And that wraps up this weekend. On that note...Jadyn is 'calling' from her high chair...ready to eat. Toodles...

We make you great deal!

Today, we are having a garage sale...you know...one man's junk is another man's treasure....at first, not a whole lot of people were convinced or at least seemed to realize this is treasure! Business has been increasing as time goes on, and overall, it's a perfect-weather Saturday. I keep trying to convince my husband to dress up in a gorilla suit and stand at the busy intersection and wave people in our direction. He's not going for it.

We advertised on Craigslist.com. We are wondering if we should have done the newspaper as well. But, we'll see what happens by the end of the day. Come and see us...we make you great deal! :-D

My brother, Jed!

Jay is the oldest of 3 boys...Jay, Joel, Jed (and all of them have the initials J.P.S....!) I love each of my brothers. In total, I have 4 of them (my side of the family and Jay's side of the family). This blog is dedicated to my brother, Jed. I love my brother, Jed. He came to stay the weekend with us. I always love it when I get to see him. I loved this kid before I even got to meet him face to face. Jay used to tell me stories of them growing up, and so once I finally got to meet Jed, I felt I had already developed a special place in my heart for him. He's not such a kid anymore...he's 16, soon to be 17 and wayyyyyyyyyy taller than me! :) He can always make me laugh and he's just one of those all-around good kids. I know the Lord has great plans for his life, and it's such an honor for me to get to see God's plan unfold in his life.

So, he's staying the weekend with us. Being that he's allergic to our cats, we locked them up in the office (our only spare room) and Jed slept on the air mattress in the living room. Anyways, I am minding my own business, putting a trashbag in the diaper champ, when I look up to see this! Jed is deflating the air mattress and sinking into it! LOL We had a good laugh over it and I had to snap a quick picture or two!















I go about my business of putting things away, and jed continues to deflate the air mattress. I go in my bedroom and come out to see this! LOL Doesn't he look like he's posing for a photo shoot with the wind blowing his hair? 'Where is the wind coming from?', you wonder...














Why, it's coming from the pump deflating the air mattress! He cracks me up. He was kind enough to pose a few times while I gave him an actual photoshoot!



I love you, Jed. Thanks for coming to stay the weekend with us. Our house is your house. We are always here for you....



Now get that homework done! ;)

Hairbow making - my new found hobby!

So, eversince I started buying bows for Jadyn, and forking over the money at the ridiculous (in my opinion) cost for them, I realized that I needed to learn how to make them myself! Really, people can sell them and make 90 % profit off of them! Ok, maybe I'm exaggarating, but still. Really, how hard can it be? So, I set out to the store, bought some ribbon (2 spools for HALF the cost of buying one bow!), hot glue gun, wire, hairclips, and off we go! I did my first bow (see blue one to the right) by comparing it to one of Jadyn's pre-made bows I had purchased. If you look closely enough and got very nitpicky, you'll notice that it's slightly uneven, but hey, it was my first bow! Excited with my new endeavors, I had Jay go buy me some pink ribbon, while I surfed the wide world web on directions to make a beautiful bow. I found a whole slew of directions for making all kinds of cool bows! Upon Jay's return, I eagerly snatched up the pink ribbon (by the way, good job, honey!) and went to work creating my new masterpieces! After 3 rounds of bowmaking and one burnt thumb later, I came out with 2 (yes, one bow didn't turn out and had to be disassimilated...) cute little pink bows. I eagerly put them in Jadyn's hair so she could relish and ooh and ahh over her newest beautiful treasures that now adorned her hair. Only...I couldn't get her to sit still long enough for her to even notice let alone coo and babble over them! When I asked Jay and Jed (our bro who is spending the weekend with us) what they thought... they thought that just maybe with the 3 bows in her hair it was just slightly over the top..... ok, so maybe they are right. But, ooo, I can't wait to make more bows! :)

Fun in the yard

This evening, we went to join daddy out in the yard. Jadyn has been VERY cranky these days in the evening. So, we decided to go for some fresh air in the yard. This was only her 2-3 time to be in the grass, so she's very fascinated with it. Her fussiness temporarily disappeared while she enjoyed exploring the outside world.







These days, she's constantly on the move! She has mastered the crawling business!











This picture here looks very familiar! I've seen this look before in Rebekah, my neice, and also in my twin sis. I think that somewhere in the records of our past photos as wee children, my parents have a picture or two of my twin and I with this same expression. When I saw Jadyn make this face (from looking up at the bright sky, and she was squinting), I was instantly reminded that she looked like Sara (my twin). Ironic as it is, I know Sara and I are twins, but it's weird for me to think of that face as my face...it reminds me of Sara, not of me. Funny, huh? Anyways...









My wonderful and handsome husband...hard at work in the yard!





The reason for Jadyn's crankiness these days is the breakthrough in teething! If you look closely enough in this picture, you can see the tooth on the bottom left, and she's getting her two top teeth...ALL at the SAME time!!! Needless to say, the teething cream business has increased in our household this past week, and we've invested in a couple of teethers...oh, and tissues! Nothing like having your little Bright Eyes bury her face in your shirt, smearing the ever-running nose and constantly drooling mouth all over you! Yet, when you look at this face, it's all worth it. :-D

Goodnight!

This and that

Well, we've been trodding along the past few weeks, and adjusting to mommy being back to work. I want to insert a little blurb right here about how wonderful my husband is. I am so blessed to have him as my better half. He reminds me to 'lighten up' and can make a remark that will make me bust out laughing. He's my lover, my support, my right-hand man, my best friend. I thank the Lord for the gift and companion He's given me. He is self-less and makes me feel like I am the most beautiful being he's ever seen. I love you, Honey!

So, Jay , my wonderful hubby, takes Jadyn to the sitter's, our dear friend, Mandy, in the morning and I usually pick her up. The days are flying by and it seems like every other day, Jadyn's doing a new thing. She's closing in on 10 months old. Where does the time go? Here are a few pics from the last couple of weeks. Enjoy!












Bath time is always fun! And now, it's gone to a whole new level! She's learned how to stand up in the tub AND as a result, she's discovered that there's another side to the bathtub and it's fun to drop toys over the side and watch them fall.



















Last night, we went to the wedding of a friend of ours, and were joined by some of our partners in crime, the Chaddywacks. We caught them in a cute, intimate pose, but by the time we snapped the pic, this is what we got:














We've been working to put Jadyn down to bed between 7-7:30 p.m. now that she has to get up at 7-7:30 a.m. to go to Mandy's. She will sleep a full 12 hours usually. Well, we took her with us to the wedding last night, and needless today, it was not even 8 p.m. that she got to go to bed. At 10:30 p.m., when we were getting her ready for bed, she was all smiles! We were relieved as there have been many times when we've put her to bed late and she's all but smiles. She was so cute, we had to snap a pic or two...


















Until next time... :-D