Sometimes life lessons you think you are teaching your kids are really for you. Our son, who is so easy and wonderful, has been trying our patience the last couple of weeks. He is five now and seems to have hit the paranoid stage. He keeps getting out of the bed to check and see what we are doing....at all hours of the night! He is still awake when we come to bed, comes in our room at 3am, is awake when I leave for work at 6am... does this kid sleep? Anyway, he has been disobeying us by continually getting up. The first week, we took privileges of tv and games away, the second week he got spanked by me, the third week, he got his first ever daddy spanking. We believe that is the last resort, however, it didn't work. He still got up. Sooooo I will tell you what has made him stay in bed the last 2 nights as long as nobody calls social services! He kept saying he was scared, that's why he was getting up. Clearly, he was not and it was an excuse. So I told him since he was scared inside the house, he could sleep outside where he wasn't scared. It worked! He is totally freaked that I will drag his pillow and blanket out there.

After the night Trey spanked James, Trey was analyzing the problem when God spoke to him. Maybe this lesson is for him....to quit being paranoid and just relax and wait for answers. Stay where He has put us and stop worrying God so much with our doubt. I have been doing this Old Testament study and today I was reading about when the Israelites got impatient, after being freed from Egypt, waiting for Moses to return from the mountain where he was meeting with God. How quickly they forgot all the amazing works God had done for them when they didn't enter the promised land immediately. So much so that they built a golden calf as an idol! And wanted to go back to Egypt where they were slaves! I read this and think to myself, "stupid!"...but how many times have I done this? Questioned God while waiting for an answer or a fulfillment to a promise? Waiting is the devil's playground. In times like these, we get frustrated and impatient and forget to look back on all the "God-stones" (my word for milestones) that lead us to this place....doors only He could have opened to get you on your purpose path. It's so difficult when you have been given the dream and the vision but you aren't there yet. Instead of questioning God, relax and know He remembers His promise and knows the right time. I don't want to go back to Egypt, maybe I knew what eveyday would look like, but I wasn't free because I wasn't in Him, doing my purpose. One thing is for sure, I know He is the same God today and He may prolong my entrance to the fulfilment if I doubt and forget His majesty. I have personally done a soul check and made sure there are no golden calfs in this heart.....I vow to continue to wait on Him, even if its in the wilderness that I don't understand.

Yay! So glad to have the blog back up and running! It's funny because it seems like since the blog was down I had sooo much to talk about and had no where to put it. Anyway, what a full couple of weeks it has been. I think the last time I posted was on Good Friday. So, what have the LeBlanc's been up to since then...well...let's see...

1. We took Lacey to see the Easter Bunny at the mall. We figured that since it was her first Easter that she needed to meet the Easter Bunny. The little girl in front of us got up there and freaked out and ran away. We took Lacey up there and she just sat and smiled. It was so precious! However, when we saw how much they charge you for a picture with the Easter Bunny we decided it will probably be the only time we do this. It might be cheaper for Josh to put on a Bunny suit and surprise Lacey. LOL

2. Easter. Josh ended up having to work on Easter Sunday morning with his production company. They had a load in for the opera at Kennesaw State University. So, Lacey and I went to my parents church to see their Easter production that they put on every year. And actually, Lacey made her acting debut in the play this year. The very first scene of the play talked about the birth of Jesus. And yes, she did play baby Jesus! She was so cute! They did such a great job. I was so proud of my momma for producing such a good play! After church my parents, Lacey Gracie Bear and I went over to my in-laws house where Josh met us. My mother-in-law Trisha made a wonderful lunch. She also made a precious bunny cake. Then of course we took a bunch of Easter pictures. That's tradition. :-)

3. I bought some cute sandals with my birthday money that I had gotten. Both pairs were so cute! I wore one pair and loved them. Then the other sandals I wore to work and had only had them on for maybe an hour and realized how much I hated them! So I ended up taking them back. Thank you Kohl's for taking them back with no problems.

4. Saturday Lacey and I were able to go to EA's show over in Loganville at Greystone Church. It was a long haul (a little over an hour away). And the funny thing is that I was using my GPS. Well, apparently the address isn't in the GPS yet and it took me into this huge public park and said I reached my destination. LOL...um no I hadn't! Thankfully, Josh and the guys at the church were able to direct me in the right way. I was only like 7 minutes away. Also, I hadn't been feeling well and as the night went on the worse I started to feel. So, the drive home just seemed like it took forever.

5. I took Lacey to her doctor's appointment today. I'm so glad that Josh was able to go with me. I was so nervous because I didn't know how Lacey's weight was going to be. As you know, she has real bad reflux and has been underweight since about 2 months. We haven't been back to the GI specialist in a month because he said she was doing well. So, anyway, I was really nervous. As a mommy you want everything to be perfect and do everything perfectly for your child. And I have felt really bad about this thinking it was my fault...even though I know it wasn't my fault. Anyway, we saw the pediatrician today and she was really pleased with Lacey's development. She's still on the small side only weighing 11 pounds 5 ounces. But, she said she thinks that a big part of it is that Lacey is just going to be a petite little girl. I was soooo relieved! She said that we were doing a good job and that just made me breathe a sigh of relief!
I'm so thankful for a good report! Lacey also ended up having to get more vaccinations today. Now she's sleeping it off. LOL.

Tomorrow we are taking Lacey to a modeling audition. There is a certain baby brand that is looking for baby models around Lacey's age and she was asked to go. So, we shall see. I'll let you know how that goes. Should be interesting!

SOOOOO we are up and running again! Yay!!! The problem we were having was actually because of you guys the fans!!! We were getting too much traffic for the bandwidth allowed by the blog! That is an awesome problem to have and we are so thankful to all of you who read our blog and keep us in your prayers. We have truly stayed afloat because you lift us up.

Here is what happened in the last 10 days in the Heffinger household.....We went for a tour of our son's new school. He will be starting Kindergarten in August. I can not believe it!!!! He is so big and so ready for this step and I am so weak and not ready. His school is public and is very nice. It is only about 6 years old. We would have loved to have had the option to send him to private school (we have some very nice ones oh so close to us) but it is just not in the finance cards for us. But we really liked the school and have peace about it. He is so excited. He likes the gym the best of course. Trey liked the art room and music room and I really liked the interactive learning equipment.

Easter Sunday was great. I was invited to sing at Liberty Hill and had a blast. It was such a blessing for me. Trey was actually singing at another church! But we did meet for lunch with family at my aunt's house. We always have so much fun.

Last week was my precious mom's birthday. We had a surprise party for her this past Saturday. My sister and I planned this months ago and she was sooooo shocked. A lot of friends and family came, even from out of town! She is such a wonderful person and it was a blessing to honor her. Next weekend we are sending she and my dad on a mountain getaway. They deserve it. They have been married 40 years this month!!!! Their example, and Christ, is the foundation my marriage is based on. Thank you both for loving the Lord and each other!!!

Thank you all for making this BLOG a success. Keep following and tell all your friends. Stay tuned, because the BLOG is going to get a facelift.

I have always been so proud of Josh and the guys of Echoing Angels. But, today I realized how proud of them I really am! It's always so awesome to watch the guys when they are at a show or a meet and greet and how they interact with their fans. Today, I learned first hand that not all artists are like that and that is really sad. Josh and the guys are so good at talking to people and being sure to ask what their name is and really listen to them when they are talking...especially when they are telling them how a song has touched them. We met a guy tonight from a band who's song really helped me through my miscarriages and through the fear during the early part of my pregnancy with Lacey. I really felt like I needed to tell him how much it meant to me and to thank him because I know that it encourages EA when they hear stories like that. Well, although he was somewhat nice, he never asked me my name, didn't really seem interested and then said that he needed to go out into the park to ride rides with his family. Now, don't get me wrong, I totally understand family time and how that time is precious. But, it was just a little rude and abrupt. Even Josh said, did he even ask you what your name was? It just really made me proud of our guys and how genuine they are. I still love the song and it doesn't change my feelings toward that...and not really the group. But, I would hope that more artists would really take the time to be genuine with their fans. After all, they are the ones buying their music. So Josh, Trey, JP, Shannon and Neil...thank you for being you and for loving your fans! Thank you for being so genuine and caring. You truly are the real deal! I love you all!

Read Matthew 26/Mark 14 or Luke 27

Maundy Thursday is today, the Thursday before Easter. It is the day we remember the Last Supper that Christ had with His disciples. It was passover and Jesus and the disciples ate the Passover meal together. Jesus breaks bread saying, "This is my body, broken for you." After, He poured wine for everyone saying, "this is my blood of the new covenant for you." The 12 disciples probably didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Christ was about to be betrayed by Judas and handed over to the soldiers for crucifixion. But even more awesome was that the New Covenant, the fulfillment of God's laws that they religiously practiced was standing there in the same room! Christ was the law, the ultimate sacrifice, the atonement for the all the world. We no longer have to follow the strenuous laws of the old testament because Jesus set us free! We no longer have to offer an animal sacrifice to atone for our sins because Christ came and is our sacrifice! But that doesn't mean we shouldn't study and learn and even celebrate the old law. The more we know about it, the more intimately we know Jesus and it's all the more exciting to read the new testament because He is the old testament in the flesh!
During this last supper, the first communion, the bread represented Christ's broken body on the cross and wine the blood. But there is more to it! It's not just about what Christ did on the cross, it's about the old covenant being broken and the ushering in of the new covenant between God and his people. That's a reason the celebrate today!

I feel like I struggle with this thought a lot. I am a very black and white person and I don't do well with gray areas or things that I have no control over. So, this is why I struggle with faith. As you know, a HUGE part of what EA does is based on faith. Faith that they will have shows booked, faith in the people that work for them, faith that radio stations will play their music, faith that people will buy their music, faith that some way, some how their bills will get paid during slow times. The past two to three years has been a real faith tester for me. I will say though God has NEVER forsaken me nor let me down. There have been so many times when I know it was God that brought us through or opened up a door. However, I still have many questions, concerns, and worries. Why? I guess it is part of who I am. By completely living on faith, you constantly stay in a gray area- always wondering, or at least I do.