What is Your Value?

I love watching as Owen discovers new things.

This time, it was a ladybug!

I'm currently reading Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey. There's a section in Chapter 3 titled, What is Your Value? Here's an old saying I came across in my reading: "Measure your wealth not by the things you have, but by the things for which you would not take money." The above pictures are an example of why am so rich. What a treat it is to watch a child grow-it is truly priceless.

WONDERful!

A couple weeks ago, Owen and I went to The Wonder Place with Jake and Kristin. The boys had a great time. Here are a few photos from the day.

Owen liked playing in the water. Notice he's wearing a protective apron-it's their attempt to keep the kids from getting soaking wet. It worked pretty well!

Jake also enjoyed the water.

Owen goes on another cave exploration.

Owen loves trucks. They have a huge table full of roads and trucks-it is fantastic!

Fuzzy Caterpillar...

When we went to visit Nana, Grandpa David and Uncle Cade last week, Owen discovered caterpillars! He was pretty amazed at these little creatures.

I love his face in this one. He loves bugs.

Fun at the ZOO!

Owen and I went to the Little Rock Zoo today with the Mommy and Me group from church. The weather was perfect! Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

We went on a train ride, and, despite the serious look on his face, Owen loved it! He even made some "choo choo" sounds of his own.

Jake and Owen were pretty fascinated by the big elephant.

Owen likes to get up close and personal with the animals. Here he is petting a miniature pony.

Flamingos! Aren't they neat? Owen thought so.

We had a great day! It's so much fun to watch Owen discover new things and have new experiences. Being his mom is a blast!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Hey, Dad-

For your birthday, I think you should roll around on the ground. It's fun and you should have fun on your birthday.

Love you,
Owen

Owen Loves Nana

Last week, Owen and I traveled to Dardanelle to help my mom celebrate her birthday. He loves visiting Nana because she takes him outside and helps him explore all kinds of new and interesting things. We hope you had a great birthday, Nana! We love you!

Pucker Up!

Tonight we were able to talk to Joe and Amberley on Skype. It was fun to see them. Owen really liked seeing them. He was talking to them and giving them kisses-it was pretty cute! Technology is great!

Happy Birthday, Nana!
We're on our way to see you!

Easter Fun!

Meme and Papa brought Owen some Easter goodies this afternoon. He was very happy to see them!

Owen had a good time hunting for Easter eggs.

However, he was mostly interested in the treasures he found inside the eggs. So much candy, so little time!

It is a GOOD Friday!

Easter is all about Jesus and how He willingly gave His life to pay for our sins; a debt He did not owe. In the spirit of "debt payment," I wanted to steal a post and write about the Hill family's financial journey. I believe when something has changed your life, it is necessary to share it with others. This is good stuff, so here goes.

A few years ago, Jacob and I participated in a Crown Financial Study. It's a 10-week course that teaches you what the Bible says about money. In the study we learned that God owns everything- we are merely stewards of what He's entrusted to us (1 Chronicles 29:11). We decided we needed to be better managers, so we started making some changes in the way we handled our finances. For example, we stopped using credit cards and started paying off our debts. About a year later, we got pregnant, welcomed Owen into our lives, and I quit my full-time job. The Hill family expanded and our income decreased, but God is good and He provided for us. We continued to reduce our debt even though we were missing my salary. Like I said, God is good and so faithful.

Last Fall, Jacob and I attended Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover event hosted by our church. For those of you who haven't heard of Dave Ramsey, check out his site. He is a personal money management expert, radio personality, TV host, and author of The Total Money Makeover, Financial Peace and More than Enough. Through his plan, Dave Ramsey helps people eliminate debt and credit cards, learn to budget, build wealth, and find financial peace. After learning about his plan, we became "gazelle intense" (Proverbs 6:4-5) and kicked our debt repayment into high gear.

God had changed our hearts about money during our Crown Financial Study, but Dave Ramsey motivated us to finish what we had started years ago. Dave's advice is extremely practical and very motivational-he outlines 7 Baby Steps. We are now on Baby Step 3! Today, we paid our last debt (excluding our home mortgage-that's step 6). Right now, we are living like no one else, so later we can live like no one else. This journey requires sacrifice and patience, but we are so excited about our future as a family. A future free from being a "slave to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7)- a future focused on nurturing our family, building relationships, and ministering to others.

We wanted to share this with you because these two ministries have changed our lives. We want your lives to be transformed, too. This process has strengthened our marriage and given us a definite, common goal. We recognize that God is the owner of all things; we are merely stewards/managers of what He has given to us. We want to honor God with our finances. Crown Financial Ministries and Dave Ramsey have helped teach us how we can do that. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We are truly passionate about helping others find the road to financial freedom. God is so good!

We would also like to encourage our friends and family who are "gazelle intense" to keep it up! You can do it! You all have been such a blessing and encouragement to us-thank you! May God richly bless you all on this Good Friday.

They Made It!

My brother and sister-in-law left for South Asia on Monday afternoon and I'm happy to report that they arrived safely and all their luggage made it, too! They will spend the next year and 9 months learning a new language, building relationships and sharing the good news. We are so excited for them and can't wait to hear about all their adventures. We love you, Joe and Amberley!

My Little Construction Worker

He looks like he's taking his lunch break after working hard all morning.

He has his hat on and he's ready to get back to work!