Jesus Said...

Jesus said a lot of things in the bible, but the most important thing he mentioned was LOVE.  Love the least of these, the widows, orphans, the broken, abused, the hungry, the poor, Gentile, Jew, neighbor, enemy, mother, father, prisoner, the lost.  And the list goes on and on.  Four years ago, I randomly stumbled across a Facebook posting about a ministry out of Waco and something began turning inside me.

Jesus Said Love was founded by Brett and Emily Bishop as a way to love on women in the strip club industry by bringing small gifts to open the door for conversation, friendship, and ultimately...sharing the love (and story) of Jesus.  For some, it has meant someone to walk beside them as they continue working in this industry and for others, JSL has been a resource to help start a new life away from the clubs.  Either way, our message is the same....LOVE.  No matter what.  From the JSL website, "Our purpose is to LOVE. It is not to "fix" women or convince them to leave or follow Christ. We show God's powerful and practical love and meet women right where they are at. In the context of real relationships, true love can be seen and experienced."

So I contacted JSL in 2009 and quickly found out I was not the person to pursue this on my own.  I needed to wait for God's timing.   I switched jobs, bought a house, had a second baby, but still continued praying that somewhere down the line the door would open for this ministry to come to San Antonio.  In 2010, I found out some people from our previous church were in fact pursuing just that.  Praise God.  I knew this was still where the Lord was leading me to serve.  I continued to pray that doors would open.

In 2012, I began serving on my current church's women's ministry team while still aching to be a part of JSL more than just a blog stalker and Twitter follower.  I knew I needed to step down though if I was going to pursue JSL whole-heartedly.  The night I resigned from this team was the night I heard from JSL.  I got word that two leaders had stepped up and our previous church was part of their financial support here in SA.  Joy, unspeakable joy!

Our first club outreach was December 21, 2012 at Rick's Cabaret.  We filled purple bags with everything from granola bars, cupcakes, make up, to handmade scarves and Christmas cards.  The women who went that night took the bags to the dressing rooms, met the girls, had conversations about kids, family, Christmas, and just life.  The girls were overjoyed that someone cared enough about them to visit them.  They asked us to come back...and don't you worry...we will! Currently, I am not going to the club outings since I am pregnant, but come April(ish), I will be.

Until then, please join me in praying for the lost.  No matter where you live.  Please pray that we, the body of Christ, can be the hands and feet of Jesus and meet physical and spiritual needs without judgment or assumption.  Please pray that we, the church, can better support those spreading the name of Jesus outside the church walls, again without judgment, but only with the love of Christ in mind.  Jesus Loves Strippers.  And He loves you too.  I hope and pray you know that friend.

Another good thing for my TCU peeps, all the Jesus Loves Strippers shirts are PURPLE!  You know you want one.  Go ahead and put this on your wish list or just buy it now!  I will be sporting mine around SA soon!  

Happy Fall Y'all!

October is my favorite month.  And October has been full of fun activities: National Night Out, getting costumes, buying pumpkins, inviting neighbors over for Halloween s'mores, and our godson's birthday!  This weekend we crossed off several items from that list.  

Originally Jane had planned an amazing Wheel of Fortune themed 1st birthday party for little Kai, but similar to our party plans, both Jane and Scott were sick the week and weekend of the original party date.  The rescheduled party fell so close to Halloween that they changed to theme to a Cupcake Costume party!  I somehow didn't get any pictures of Kai in his tiger costume at all...and Hudson threw his puppy dog ears off at every chance...and Maddy didn't want to wear her cat ears.  Man, I'm good at capturing details of events through pictures! 

Kai is so close to walking so Hudson chased him around while Kai scooted on the floor.  He did walk all the way across the kitchen after the party died down.  He didn't want to show off too much in front of his guests.  Happy birthday Kai!  You are now ONE and we love you! 

Today we were off to the Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch.  We invited neighbors, but it was just us in the end. Maddy and Hudson enjoyed every activity even though we have done the same thing every year, they still have a blast.  I love the picture of Maddy's scarecrow she dressed.  That outfit looks vaguely familiar.  

Hudson was a little unsure about everything at first, but warmed up to a baby goat soon after.  They were both the smallest kids around so I think they bonded over their short stature.  Kid....hahah.

2011

2012

This is my favorite.  I'm determined to one day get a good picture at the pumpkin patch of the two of them, but so far no luck.  Maybe if we didn't go when the sun was blaring so much, but then we couldn't beat the crowd.  I kinda like these pictures though.  Maddy is not a poser and I forsee Hudson following in her footsteps of fleeing the camera whenever I ask them to smile.  

We also carved a few pumpkins tonight with our neighbors, but I'll post more on that with pictures from Halloween.  Maddy is counting down the days.  I told her she couldn't have any treats until Wednesday because I know she is going to sneak way more than we allow her to eat.  Did I mention we just filled 3...yes 3 cavities for her on Monday? Yikes.  

Happy Fall Y'all! 

One, two, three

Things I have been doing lately: 

Going to lots of appointments: dermatologist to help with scalp and neck psorasis 

Setting goals at work: I've set hundreds of goals for my students, but never for myself. 

Making a Top 3 list: I read about making shorter to-do list of 3 important things to do at work instead of lots and lots of things and never finishing.  So far, it's been great.  

Attended a women's retreat last weekend

Playing outside and enjoying the fall.

Cleaning out closets and the garage for an upcoming garage sale.

Blogging less...boo! 

Cooking more...yeah! 

Inviting more people over to our house even though my house doesn't look perfect. 

Planning ahead...so far I've gotten a start on a few Christmas gifts.  This is so unlike me. I'm so excited! 

Reading my Bible and devotional more...Praise the Lord

And I need to because a few months ago God told me something big was coming my way.  I didn't know what so I mentally started planning for the worst...losing Logan.  Logan's dad died at such a young age so I have often wondered if it was me in that, would I be able to handle it with such amazing poise as Logan's mom did?  I don't know.  The amazing thing throughout this day dream/prayer time, God kept telling me, "you'll be ok."  With that came a positive pregnancy test on July 17th and our lives have not been the same since.  That's right, much to our surprise, a third little Fritts will be joining us around March 30th, 2013.  After the initial shock and confusion, we have come to a state of complete joy and peace.  God is so good and his plans are even better.  

And....it's a girl!  

Ainsley Jane Fritts  

Get excited...we are! 

Our Little Man!

Hudson, you are finally one.  Ok, you're actually 14 months so this post is a wee bit late.  Ok a lot late. Right now you're actually kicking or puling on the slats in your crib making a banging noise, but I just need a few more minutes so please continue banging away.  We had your first birthday party about a month ago because Daddy and I were sick sick sick when it was time for your originally scheduled party.  Good thing because I seriously think it would have been one cupcake and one balloon and I would have gone back to bed shortly after the first line of, "Happy Birthday to you..."....snooze.  I think I slept 14 hours a day that weekend.  Everyone loved the mustache/little man of your party. Especially the big boy neighbors (aka the boys next door).  We gobbled up man food including brisket, bow tie pasta, and chocolate mustaches.  You had an entire mustache cake all to yourself and LOVED every minute of eating as much as you could fit in your tiny little fists.  You weren't walking on your actual birthday, but by the time of your party you were leading your parade of followers from room to room.

***DISCLAIMER: Nothing you see here is of original thought.  I get every party idea now-a-days from Pinterest. Shoot, I forgot to take a picture of the bow tie napkins!  They were pretty cute.  This is a super easy and fun theme with so many great ideas already out there for you.  

  Our Little Man...Mister Hudson! 

Current stats:

Facts: 19 lbs, 3 words (Daddy, no, Maddy...no Mama), lots of curly blond hair

Food: You love to shake your head and say, "no!" when we try to give you things you don't like (veggies!).  Maddy helps you sign, "more," but you would rather grunt or clap your hands.  You are only taking one bottle at night (unless Daddy is around) and hopefully you will give this up completely in a few weeks.

Fun: You LOVE to play with footballs, soccer balls, small bouncy balls, huge beach balls....yes...balls. Son, you love 'em.  And what guy doesn't?  Too much? Ok, I'll stop.  But really, you love watching your friends next door throw the football and they love giving it to you as you run away.  You also love going into the street since this is where Daddy throws the football.  Maybe we need a leash!  Outside is your favorite place to be with friends and neighbors and "eee" for Zeke.  You also love throwing the bone for Zeke even though it goes less than a foot away from you.

I wish I were a foodie

Cooking has always been a part of my family.  For as long as I can remember, my family has gathered to feast for large and small events with enough food to feed an army.  Cookbooks fill many kitchens in my family along with cute little boxes of handwritten recipes from my great-grandparents.  I owe most of my cooking and food knowledge to three reliable sources: mom, Granny, and the interwebs/Food Network.  My mom battled a busy work schedule growing up so I took over cooking for my family at a young age, but she continues to tackle those large family gatherings with classic family favorites or an attempt to sneak in something new and different (my favorite).  Granny taught me a lot about the basics: how long to boil an egg (even though now I bake them!), how to set a table, how to be a good hostess, and to always serve the eldest first.  She's an amazing cook and truly an entertaining wizard.  I love cooking with her.  And good ole Food Network/internet food finds...well this has given me something to look forward to.  You see, I set off the fire alarm at least monthly and see that look of "well, it's good, but I won't be going for seconds anytime soon" on my husband's face at least once a week.  I'm constantly battling what the directions tell me to do in a recipe and my desire to use what I have....this is not always a good combination....as I have found.  I even made a goal this summer to cook through an entire cookbook.  Did I even look at a cookbook to cook through? NO!  Argh.  We did try E-meals for a good two weeks or so, but those looks I mentioned from Logan from before came up more than often so it's back to me making a menu and not relying on someone to do it for me.  I guess in some ways food also is a big enemy of mine because not only do I want to cook delicious amounts of it and be that mom who is a good cook, but I really try to be healthy.  Unfortunately, food has been a comfort of mine for many years and I know it can't be.  God is my comfort.  My strength, my shield.  So I was pretty excited when tonight I got lots of compliments from Mr. Logan about my meal choice.  Pioneer Woman's Lasagna!  It was delicious and I know it wasn't as healthy as I'd like, but it was good to know I made something right!  Thanks PW, you're the best...and I really think our families could be friends.  We both have a ranch, and cows, and like to cook?  You see the similarities.

If you want to teach me any secrets you're keeping to yourself about food or ordering well off a menu or planning a menu for a week or following directions on a recipe, then please share.  I need all the help I can get.

6 YEARS!

Today marks 6 years for us!  Our very good friend (and very talented photographer) Jamie Larson took this photo of us in March.  It's quite possibly my favorite picture of us next to our wedding photos.  We have VERY few pictures of the two of us and really need more.  Hmm, wonder why?  Couldn't possibly be because my sweet husband is allergic to cameras? And because I'm constantly taking pictures and not ever asking to get in the shot.  Let's put that on the to-do list.  Get in the picture...with Log! 

Anyway, back to my sappy love post to my husband! Six years ago today we were so happy to be done with wedding craziness.  Five years ago today we were getting ready for my second year of grad school.  Four years ago we had a one month old and three years ago you bought me a puppy!  Two years ago, we thought life had settled down (boy were we wrong!) and one year ago we were awaiting the arrival of our son.  God has been so good to us and we could not be more blessed no matter what life brings us.  I pray God continues to bring us closer together through challenges and blessings as we pursue the years to come.  I love you Logan!! 

NOLA

Maddy and Hudson had a great time in New Orleans on our way to Florida a few weeks ago.  We stayed for one night and slept well the kids slept well.  

We were so surprised to see so many people wearing all white with red scarves, but then we quickly learned there was an event going on called NOLA Running of the Bulls.  They were finished when we were out and about so one of the lovely "bulls" stopped for a photo with Maddy.  

After breakfast and walking around the French Quarter, we went to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.  We have been to four or five different aquariums and this one ranks near the middle.  Lots of great kids activities, but no dolphins like Corpus.  We heart Corpus.  

Petting stingrays.  Mostly pointing, not really petting.  

Logan didn't get the memo that you need to take the picture of the whole walrus in order for it to look like your face is actually a walrus.  

Hudson was there, like a good boy, in the brand new stroller Daddy went out a bought at 7:00 am that morning because we realized we forgot ours.  Good thing.  I'm glad we didn't have to haul him all over the place....although he is quite cuddly.  

I really want to go back someday and drink chicory and eat beignets at Cafe Du Monde.  But not for now.  We've got other things going on here.  Wouldn't you like to know. 

Baby is crying, better go!

Bunnies

Easter was busy around these parts.  We hosted a block party on Good Friday complete with an egg hunt, egg dying, and cascarones, of course.  (I had never heard of cascarones until we moved to San Antonio, but now you can't go anywhere during Easter/Fiesta without finding them on sale.  Also, we spent a good hour, maybe two cleaning that pesky confetti off of the driveway.)  The kids had a blast and it was great seeing neighbors come out to celebrate.  If you didn't know we're passionate about serving our neighbors.  It's a part of Logan's job, but it's become part of our life.  Having get-togethers has been only a small part of it, but we're excited to continue loving our neighbors well through prayer and service.  Do you know your neighbors?  I hope so.  I hope you pray for them, too and maybe even serve them sometime in the near future.

Poor Huddy had the pleasure of getting in the bunny suit.  I wasn't too thrilled about it when Maddy wore way back when, but for some reason when it came time or Hudson to wear it I was floored.  He was the cutest little bunny ever! 

And then a few weeks later we had another bunny.  Boy she was cute too!  Maddy had her first dance recital in the beginning of May.  Her class danced to a song about the Easter Bunny from December till May.  I was really glad to be done with the Easter Bunny when that recital was over.  I'd had a little much. 

Her teachers dressed up as bunnies in order to get the girls to dance on stage.  What dedication.  It looked about 100 degrees in those suits.  Thank you Kelly and Kelly for making our first season of dance a big success and a lot of fun.  I'm going to frame those cute ballet slippers to remember this young and fun time in Maddy's life.

Maddy was and still is the tallest in her class.  We took her for her 4 year-old appointment....95th%ile in height and weight!  What a big girl!

Elipses

I am...

running late

I am...

hungry

I am....

constantly in an inner battle of not wanting to let my kids watch too much TV, but in need of something for them to do while I clean/organize/attempt to cook

I am...

teaching a lot right now to get some extra cash

I am...

ready to paint some more walls in our house

I am...

a little sick of 100 degrees, especially at 7:00pm. C'mon FALL!

I am...

in awe of my amazing family.  I love them and want to squeeze them. 

I am...

missing my girlfriends and can not wait to see them in a month

I am...

quitting something today!

I am....

saved by grace! Amen! 

Candyland Birthday

I started thinking about Maddy's birthday a while ago and wanted something gender neutral since she has more boy friends this year.  So Candyland was the perfect theme to celebrate this little sweetie's 4th birthday.  I pinned all kinds of things to get me inspired and loved the way everything turned out.  Giant lollipops greeted our game contestants along with the Candyland trail.  No, I didn't make the colors exactly match the pattern of the board game.  It was too hot to get that detailed! 

I started buying candy a while back so when it came to the actual day of the party, I was shocked to see how much candy we actually had.  It was everywhere.  We could have eaten candy for three meals a day for about a month afterward.  I ended up throwing it away the other day because I just couldn't look at anymore candy (and we had had enough!).

The sign says, "Maddy's Candyland."  Confession, it's still up almost a month later.  Er, I mean I'm taking it down RIGHT NOW!

 I've discovered that if I want a picture with Maddy it has to be pre-party.  These were taken when we were all ready for her guests to arrive.  I wouldn't have been ready with so much time if it wasn't for my amazing parents who came to help set the stage for the festivities.  They wrangled the kids and helped us with every detail.  Thanks Mom and Dad!

The cake was homemade, but dried up completely by the time of the party.  Sometimes,  a box cake full of all those good preservatives is just better.  I need to work on perfecting the homemade recipe.  The decorations look difficult, but upclose you would have noticed how novice this cake was.  I just threw on some candy....seriously.  She loved it so that's all that mattered.

I didn't think about printing the arrows in different directions, so they are upside down.  Oh well! We had different stations of the board game around the house with different games or activities.  The first station was the Gingerbread Tree where they decorated foam gingerbread people.  

Next, the kiddos (mostly parents) guessed how many gumdrops were in a jar.  The kids' guesses ranged from 3-7.  Good try, kids.  Stay in school.  Kasen's mom guessed 130 and their were 140 so Kasen won! 

 Then Lord Licorice had them spell their name with licorice sticks. 

At Peanut Acres, the kiddos tossed peanut bean bags (old socks stuffed with rice) into a tub.  This game wasn't as successful as I thought it would be.  

Outside, kids decorated giant lollipops (paper plates glued to stir sticks) for the Lollipop Woods. 

Only a few brave souls attempted to paint with pudding with Gloppy.  This was on my bucket list for the summer so I decided it would be fun for the Chocolate Swamp. 

Our new playground was the perfect spot for the Kandy Kastle where the little sugars beat the piñata and played! This was the only picture I got of Maddy in her (almost Katy Perry-ish) cupcake dress from Marme.  It fit perfectly for the day and she loved it! 

Shhh... Maddy says at least twice a week that she is going to marry this handsome little guy next to her.  I love him so I'm glad we have a picture of both of them just in case they go to prom together or get married.   You never know! 

 On her actual birthday we attempted to go to the Ft. Sam Splash Pad, but it was broken.  So we splashed around at Maddy's friend Nathan's house in the backyard.  Thanks to everyone for making Maddy's birthday so SWEET!  She had an absolutely amazing time and it was such a blessing to share it with all of you!