Robbie loves reading the bible (Daniel calls it the "Jesus" book) to his little brother - another nightly ritual at the Maloney's! Pretty soon, Sammy will be in the mix. They really do love each other!

My boys are officially garbage truck lovers. This is where I found them on Friday after they heard Mr. Garbage Man coming down our street. Their excitement over such little things never ceases to amaze me!

Our nightly ritual ... 3 little boys in the bathtub is such fun! Hey, its a great way to save money with such expensive water bills! I think my fellow Lake Monticello friends know what I mean! =)

So many reasons to be thankful ...

On this chilly October morning, I can't help but count my blessings. I have been blessed with life, God as my father, 3 healthy boys (even though I'm still waiting on #2 son to poop out the coin he swallowed 3 days ago), an amazing husband and a warm home in which to live. I don't want for anything! When I think of the hundreds of families all around us who don't have such blessings in their lives, I can't help but want to thank my heavenly Father for all that he has given me. In the busy and often times hectic day-to-day life of motherhood, I find that I too often forget to be thankful. I get so caught up in the tasks at hand for the day, that I literally forget about my daily blessings, and there are hundreds of them ... truly. Lately, things have been different though. I've been devoting a lot more time to reading my bible, more time to prayer, more time to teaching my boys about what we value, our faith, and truly being thankful. Homeschooling has really helped bring about this change and the massive responsibility I have felt recently in my desire to raise both smart and God-fearing kids. I have been so blessed as a result of spending each and every day with 3 little boys who want to be just like their Mommy and Daddy. My days are certainly not all perfect and peaceful, but what an honor it is to be with them on a daily basis and to know everything that is entering their minds. I feel blessed and I'm learning to seek the Lord first in my life, not last. One of my daily prayers is to glorify Him in both my words and actions. I don't always live up to that, believe me, but how grateful I am for God's grace. We are all sinners, right?! My oldest son is filled with questions for us ... and often times, they are deep and meaningful. He has a heart for Jesus and he's really beginning to understand that there are lots of little boys and girls out there who don't have what he has. He is learning to be grateful for all that he has ... I can almost see his heart growing. He has also recently learned of the deaths of some young boys in our community. Hard thing to explain to a 4-yr old, but of course, simplicity is best, right?! He was really really sad, but he understood where they went and that someday, he will be with God forever, too. He will frequently tell us that "Jesus died on the cross for me so that I can live forever with Him." He even carries around a small rock (that he received at church) with a cross on it. The faith of a small child is priceless and something we should all desire. I just love their simplicity and have really begun to desire that simple life myself ... a life of faith, a life of devotion, a life of giving. I'm not sure if any of you have ever heard of the 5 love languages ... mine is acts of service. I'm not always the greatest at expressing my emotions to others, but I'm a doer! Is that even a word? I love to do things for others that will bless them in some small way. Probably one of the reasons God has placed this ministry on my heart. I not only desire to take pictures of families, but I also desire to pray with them (if they allow me) and to continue to pray for them. Prayer is so so powerful and I'm convinced that God hears all prayers, even when they're not always answered in our perfect time. Isn't God amazing?! How blessed we are to be Christians! I think that word is taken so lightly sometimes ... I often times like to say that my family and I are followers of Jesus Christ. 
Just thought I'd share a little of what was on my heart this morning ...  hope you all have a blessed and fruitful weekend! Oh, and Happy Halloween!!!! Enjoy the time with your little ghosts and goblins ... for us, it will be a 4-yr old Superman, a 2-yr old Spiderman, and an adorable 1-yr old lion. They're all superheros in my eyes!

I love to capture special and fun memories of my boys with their Daddy. He is their hero! Here are a few of my favorites ...

I rarely get in pictures since I'm always the one behind the camera. I treasure the rarely taken family shot and feel so blessed to have a dear friend who is a professional photographer. This was taken during our recent trip to Atlanta.

Coming from a family of all girls, I never dreamed I'd be a mom of all boys. I couldn't imagine it any other way. God has blessed me!

Our little guy, Sammy, has brought so much extra love and joy into our home. We love him to pieces!

My middle child, Daniel, is full of spunk, silliness, and energy. He is also full of expressing his love for his brothers and family. He is such a blessing!

My oldest son, Robbie, or better yet, Superman! I just started homeschooling him and he's amazing us in so many ways. He adores his little brothers and he loves Jesus, too.

God's will for me

God has laid something pretty big on both mine and my husband's hearts recently. I am both excited and nervous, yet wanting to embrace it. Not wanting to get in over my head was my first fear, but after praying about it and asking the Lord for HIS will (not mine), I received some pretty straight-forward answers the very next day. Phew! Amazing how quickly God answers prayers sometimes. I love to describe myself as a mommy to 3 very sweet and adorable little boys and a wife to a wonderful Christian man, but I think the best way to describe myself is a Christian who desires to glorify Him. I don't live up to that description often enough, but Christ IS the One whom I desire to be most like and He is the Center of our home. I have been so blessed with the husband and children I have and I don't take the responsibilities I have been given lightly.

I am a New Jersey native, and have been living in the beautiful state of VA on and off since 2001. I moved to Georgia in '04 after meeting my husband in a non-conventional kinda way, but after trusting God completely (and I mean completely), I have been blessed beyond measure. We married in April of 2005 and had our first baby 1 year later. Four months following, we moved to VA to be closer to our family and havn't left since. We love raising our family of boys here amongst our dearly loved family, friends and church congegration. 

Photography has become a great hobby of mine since I have had my own children. Though I can remember as far back as my elementary years where I really enjoyed taking pictures of family, friends, even the dogs. Today, its all about the kids ... my own kids, friends, church, family. One frequently doesn't see me without my camera in hand. I love candid photography and I so enjoy capturing memories in nearly everything we do. My goal in this new venture of mine is to photograph children/families/loved ones who are truly in need and unable to afford professional photography. I will not be charging anything. However, if someone desires to give something, I would ask them to donate to Calvary Chapel Fluvanna ... our church fellowship which is constantly giving and serving our community ... or a ministry of your choice. I am not a pro by any means, but I have a great DSLR camera that takes wonderful photos and I am also learning to express my creativity through photography. I am still learning and growing in my talent and will continue to as the years pass. My prayer is that I am able to provide lasting memories to families and be a blessing to those in need.