water

I'm giving water this year.

Are you?

Project 320 is back again!

Go HERE to learn how to give water, change lives and win free stuff.

Liquid gold

Yesterday was a happy day.

While my dad was cleaning out the cupboards in the garage he struck gold.

Liquid gold that is.

He came across a hidden bag of these bad boys we smuggled back from our last trip to Brazil.

They are the best. soda. ever.
And of course they are found only in Brazil.

But now we have them in our fridge where we will ration them and enjoy them for as long as possible.

Mmmmm...I can hardly wait.

Has anyone else ever had Guarana?

Friday Randoms

Here's a peek into our week through the camera lens of my phone.

Enjoy!

Mackenzie turned 4 years old!

She chose pancakes for breakfast and was so excited to get to use our "You are special today" plate.

And she had a blast at her Rapunzel party!

Then Aaron and I took her out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory and for a hot chocolate at Starbucks (she chose both spots) that night.

It was so fun to be able to spend the night with just our oldest and to give her all of our attention.

We put up a another (smaller) tree in the kids room.

They think it's the coolest thing ever.

We have been reading our Christmas book every night and then Daddy tells part of the advent story while the kids are tucked in bed.

Wesley is my little car lover

and sticker lover.

We went on our secret operation Saint Nicholas mission.

I did a little sewing for a friend.

We baked a zillion cookies and delivered them to our neighbors.

Aaron and I had our weekly game night and I won (again).

The kids got dressed in their Christmas clothes

and had a Christmas performance at our woman's Bible study.

It was the cutest thing ever.

Maddie keeps growing and getting cuter every day.

Mackenzie is my sleeper girl.

I had to send in Madelyn and Wesley to wake her up from her nap and she still wouldn't get out of bed!

My 3 crazy ones!

Daddy's girl.

Hope you guys had a great week!

Nativity sets for kids

I'm always on the lookout for creative ways to share the Gospel with my kids.

For tangible ways to explain the truth about who Jesus is and what he has done for them.

More than anything I want them to get it.

Especially at Christmas.

I want them to enjoy the presents and the decorations and even Santa Claus (or Saint Nicholas as we like to call him) but I want them to know, really know and understand, that it's all about Jesus.

That we give presents because Jesus is the greatest gift of all.

That we decorate with lights because He is the light of the world.

And that we think Saint Nicholas is cool because he shared the love of Jesus with others.

And I know that doesn't just happen.

It takes being intentional and talking about it with them. a lot.

Heck..I need to be reminded about it a lot too.

We have the Little People Nativity set which the kids love to play with

and last week my mom found this nativity that she made my brother and I when we were kids.

Then I was looking on Pinterest (oh how I love Pinterest) and found a bunch of other awesome nativity sets/ideas the kids would love. I thought I'd share them.

Enjoy!

recycled Nativity found here

yummy Nativity found here

watercolor and clothespin nativity found here

wooden doll nativity found here

wooden block nativity found here

thread spool nativity found here

What are some ways you teach your kids about Christ at Christmas?

What I Wore

So my hubby told me it's weird that I take pictures of myself every day.

So I thought about it and I think he's right.

It is kind of weird.

It has helped my getting dressed problem, but that's about it.

So I'm thinking about retiring my What I Wore Wednesdays posts.

What do you think?

Would you miss them or look forward to not seeing me and my outfits every week?

Be honest. You won't hurt my feelings :)

I have to be honest, I definitely wouldn't miss taking pictures of myself every day.

And I'm pretty sure I'd still get dressed everyday.

at least most days :)

While we are figuring this whole thing out, here are last week's pics (and a bit of the week before).

sweater- vintage

jeans- Levis

flats- Payless

belt- vintage

necklace- vintage

(When I say vintage I mean straight up from the 70's and stolen from my mom's closet. Yes she still have stuff from the 70s in there.)

dress- Mamaways

jeggings- Forever 21

cardigan- Target

boots- Cathy jean

sweater- Old Navy

jeggings- Target

necklace- Forever 21

belt- vintage

boots- Cathy Jean

top- Banana Republic

jeans- Citizen of Humanity

cardigan- Macy's

shoes- Macy's

sweater- Old Navy

jeans- Citizen of Humanity

flats- Macy's

tee- Old Navy

sweater- vintage (my mom saved a bunch of her favorite clothes from way back when in the attic. I'm not sure what she was saving them for but they ended up fitting me just perfectly. Thanks mom!)

jeans- Levis

flats- Macy's

*can u guess who helps me get dressed every morning?

top- Forever 21

nursing tank underneath- Target

jeans- Target

boots- Cathy Jean

necklace- vintage

the boy sporting his favorite shark boots that he wears e.v.e.r.y. day.

tee- Old Navy

cardigan- Forever 21

necklace- Forever 21

jeans- Citizen of Humanity

flats- vintage (this time from Aaron's step grandma)

sweater- gift from friend (Old Navy)

tank underneath- Old Navy

belt- vintage

jeans- Citizen of Humanity

sweater- Banana Republic

jeans- Citizen of Humanity

necklace- Forever 21

shoes- Payless

Kenzie's outfit- Naartjie (love their girl's clothes)

Wesley- Target

Operation Saint Nick

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

The Sellars kids l.o.v.e. this movie.

It's played so many times I think we all know every word in it.

Last year the movie (which tells the real story of Saint Nicholas) inspired us to secretly bless a family in need just like Saint Nicholas did.

We had so much fun playing Saint Nicholas last year that we have decided to do it again.

And this year the kids are totally in charge.

They picked the people, went shopping, and have set up the perfect secret drop off plan.

We are so excited to drop it off later tonight and to share the love of Jesus with others.

"I can love because God loves me, I can give because God gave. Jesus' love is why I'm smiling, why I'm giving every day." -Song from the movie

Guest Blogger: Sarah Fitzpatrick

I'm so excited to introduce my friend Sarah to you!

She is funny, real and down to earth.

Her blog makes me laugh and challenges me to be more like Jesus.

She is the momma of 4 little ones and is in the process of adopting a baby to add to the bunch.

I asked Sarah if she could share some of her adoption journey with us because, well...Aaron and I have thought a lot about adoption and I know a bunch of other people who have too

but Sarah and her family

are. actually. doing. it.

And I think that's cool. and inspiring.

Here's Sarah :)

Word is out that we are expanding the FitzFam once again!! This time by way of adoption, which is so unbelievable that we're here - doing this - for real.

Where do I begin?

After we had Addison we wanted to adopt but (BUT GOD) I found out I was pregnant with Troy. After Troy we wanted to adopt but (BUT GOD) I found out I was pregnant with Mia. This time around I've pretty much been whispering "adoption" in fear of getting pregnant again. But (BUT GOD) here we are, adopting, and I'm not pregnant.

I was all about international, really it's all I knew. My friends who've adopted have gone overseas, and I had huge fears wrapped up in doing a domestic adoption and having a birth mother to contend with. For some reason I thought for over seas adoptions - out of sight out of mind. (Clearly a naive and immature rationale.) But (BUT GOD) my mind was slowly changed and my heart grew softer and softer and all of the sudden domestic didn't seem crazy and fostering became, dare I say it?, beautiful.

Mark and I attended a meeting for people with hearts for orphan care on September 13th. (This is open to everyone! Next meeting is in January.) In the car on the way home we both said we should look into fost/adopt. Nothing magical was said at the meeting. Nothing specific happened, but (BUT GOD) at some point God spoke to both of us and confirmed this is what he wanted for us.

There have only been a few times in my walk with the Lord that I have felt I am exactly where he wants me to be, doing what he wants me to do. This is one of those times.

That night we got online and researched Olive Crest. We sent in the pre-application to find out more information and a week later received the Main Application in the mail. Two weeks after that we had our first in-home meeting that basically laid out all of the intricacies of Olive Crest fost/adopt program and we signed a commitment letter stating we are in this for realsies. They don't want to waste their time if many man hours of training and interviewing later we decide it's just not really for us.

This is really for us. For realsies.

Today we had our homestudy. It was basically a three hour marriage and family assessment. I think everyone should have a homestudy done! I love answering questions about my marriage and family! At one point - when I was struggling to find serious faults in Mark - Mark pointed out that I would've had no problem finding a plethora of faults a year ago. One year ago, in the thick of him working an insane amount of hours and me being in a new house with four very little children, we would've answered a lot of the questions very differently than we did today.

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:1-10

But God walked through the thick of it with us. He saw us tired and weak and knew it wasn't time. Then he moved us. And he reduced our stuff and increased our trust. I looked at our kids and was filled with a lovely fullness, but God said there is room for more.

I was a sinner, blind and lost, but God said he had room for more, and adopted me.

It is our joy to love sacrificially in the name of Jesus who so greatly sacrificed for us.

What are the "But God"'s in your life?