Mother's Day 2012

Happy Mother's Day!  I pray that all of you have had an amazing and blessed day with your families.  I am so thankful for my children - my reason for being able to celebrate today with such joy.  The three of them make being a mom easy, joyful and blessed.  Being a mom has been the hardest, most rewarding and best thing I ever did with my life, other than give it to God and get married...  =)

In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to share a few quotes - from my kids and from the internet - that you may understand or appreciate or that will just make you laugh!  Enjoy!

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You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool Mom.
- Unknown

"Mother, can you please ground me from video games and movies until I get my room cleaned up?" - Caleb, age 12

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"Train up a child in the way he should go;  even when he is old he will not depart from it." -Proverbs 22:6

"When I grow up, I just want to be a mom like you." - Holly and MaKenna (from ages 4 til now)

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No influence is so powerful as that of the mother.
- Sarah Josepha Hale

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:" - Proverbs 31:28

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"Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love."
- Mildred B. Vermont

From all of us to you... Happy Mother's Day!

Relay for Life

This past weekend, our kids had a great opportunity to practice their musical talents at a local Relay for Life event.  Four weeks ago, their lessons changed from being taken alone to merging with a group of similarly leveled students to make small ensembles and prepare them for a recital.  It has been an exciting experience for all of the kids, not to mention the adults involved!

When we first got there, MaKenna got together with her group... Charlotte, another violinist and Christina, a pianist... to practice and warm up - on the bleachers!

The girls, ready to play:

Meanwhile, Caleb's group met on the stage to tune up, set up, and look like the cool band that they are!  What a neat experience for these young men. 

 

  

  

The guys are:  Zach on drums, Donald on Keys, Caleb on Bass/Acoustic and David on Electric.

  

Tuning, almost ready to play.  James (our music minister and the kids instructor) makes the final adjustments:

  

 

The girls ready to go:

 

After their set, the girls relaxed:

Then, Holly, Kenna and I enjoyed a walk to the top of the bleachers - which my kids have never done!  We were able to watch the sun set, feel the cool breeze and listen to more great music.

I am so thankful that my kids have the opportunity to express themselves musically and for the people who invest in their lives to help them on their journeys as God leads the way. 

Happy Sweet 16 MaKenna!

16 years ago today, Mark and I welcomed little MaKenna into the family.  She made Holly a big sister and since then, I have watched them over the years squabble, argue, laugh, giggle, play, and become the best friends they are today.

MaKenna - you are an amazing part of our family!!!  Our lives are better because of your kindness, your Godliness, your dedication, your laughter, your silliness, your passion, your uniqueness, your craftiness, your messiness, your CDO-ness, your awesomeness!!!!  You have always had the ability to bring a smile to my face.  I am so thankful that of all the people in the world, Jesus picked daddy and I to be your parents.

I love you sweet girl and hope that you had the best birthday ever with many more to come.

{Birthday party info and pictures to come, but here's a teaser...}

Unusual...

Do you notice anything unusual in the picture below??

How long did it take you to notice the tp in the fridge?  Well, in my family, it takes 2 days to notice it!  Someone accidentally put in here when they were unloading the groceries.  I noticed it the first time I opened the door, but decided to leave it and just see what happened.   And no one noticed for 2 days!  Two days!  HeHe!!

Anyway, just thought I would share the latest little mishap from our home with you.  Hope it made you smile!

On My Heart Today - Is Jesus with Us?

I am doing a study with Caleb right now on Obedience - ways to be obedient, the true definition of it, the rewards for it and the consequences for not.  While we were doing our study today, we were instructed to read from Luke chapter 2, which we obeyed =)

At the end of that chapter, we find Mary, Joseph and Jesus in Jerusalem for the Passover.  The group heads home after their feast, but that night, Mary and Joseph are unable to locate Jesus with family or friends.  Quickly, they turn around and head back to Jerusalem, worried about their son.  It takes 3 days before they actually locate him - in the temple with the teachers.

I went through and had my discussion with Caleb for his lesson - Jesus' attitude toward his parents, his not arguing back, his willingness to return home with his parents and the blessings that came with that obedience.  (Read this section of scripture to see the benefits of obeying, even if you think you are doing a good thing.)  It was a great lesson and we had an amazing talk.

However, as we moved on to his next subject, I couldn't stop thinking about those verses.  How could Jesus' parents leave their young son behind and not even notice for a whole day?  Why did they not make sure he was with them before they left the city?  Then I wondered, were they so busy - in their lives, their trip home, their 'to-do' list - that their son's absence easily went unnoticed?  How did they not know that Jesus was not with them - why were they not communicating with him along the way?

Then, I wondered... How often am I so busy that I forget to pay attention to whether or not Jesus is with me?  Have I ever gotten caught up in my life - the to-do lists, the schedules, the daily routines - that I haven't noticed that He is not with me?  How often have I not made the time to be in His presence, ensuring that He is with me wherever I go?  I don't want to be so busy that I am able to continue to operate even if He is not with me.  I need daily, moment by moment fellowship with my Lord that ensures that close walk with my Saviour!

My daily time with Jesus is the most important part of my day - it is the part that ensures He walks with me as I go!  I never want to forget that priority or think that I can get through a day without Him.

Psalm 63:1:  O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Psalm 34:10:  The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

Psalm 22:26:  The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

Psalm 27:8:  When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

1 Chronicles 16:1:  Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

May you be encouraged today on your walk to make sure that Jesus is with you as you go.  It will make all the difference if He is!

May - Part 3

Saturday evening, after getting cleaned up, we went to watch the sun set on the beach.  If you have never seen the sun set on the gulf, you just don't know what you are missing!  It is breathtaking...

While waiting, the kids had fun playing in the sand:

My two favorite boys, hanging out for the 'ball to drop':

My two favorite girls, doing their share of waiting:

Mark and I - pictures just don't do it justice!

Beauty:

So peaceful:

Fun running on the cool sand:

Silly girls, making memories and having fun:

The next day was Mother's Day.  My family decided to take me on a boat ride to see dolphins.  However, you know me... we had to find some coupons and a good deal!  So, we did some research, found some coupons and headed out.  Oh, did I mention that we had to talk them into letting us take Maggie on board??  We had her with us and couldn't just leave her in the hot van.  After talking to the captain, showing him our backpack carrier for her and convincing him that she would be amazing to take along, he agreed to it.  She was so sweet on the boat and even liked it, somewhat:

Then, sometimes she would hide her face in Holly's arm!

All of us on the boat.  I love being their mom and his wife!

Mark and I - We were married on Mother's Day 20 years ago!!!

The views were amazing as we sailed around the bay:

Not to mention, the dolphins:

Later, before heading home, we found this great beach area, off the beaten path, with this lovely cluster of trees:

Inside the trees:

Loved the boat just sitting there, waiting...

We had such a nice weekend just being together. Family time is so important to us and every sacrifice made was worth the memories created with each other.

When life hands you lemons...

All plans for the evening fell through when major storms came through our area and we were told to stay at home if at all possible.  So, when the radar looks like this:

You do this:

 
We had a great night of playing game after game and never even noticed the storm raging around us!  That's the stuff great memories are made of!  Praying that everyone was safe through it all and that you were able to make some memories in spite of the storm, too.

Holly's 17th

The older my children get, the easier it is for me to remember being their age.  I mean, I was just 17 like, what, about 2 years ago???!!!  It feels like it anyway!  Well, what a special day we have had celebrating Holly and the beautiful young lady she is becoming.  I remember before she was born all of the hopes and dreams we had for her - all of the prayers that we prayed for the kind of young lady she would grow up to be.  Everyday, I watch with amazement as those prayers are fulfilled in her.  

So, what did we do today?  Well, around here you get to pick your meals for your birthday.  Holly chose Lemon Blueberry Scones for breakfast.  Ummm, can you say YUMMY??  These were the most amazing scones - very flavorful, moist and delicious.

Oh, we topped them with just a dollop of lemon curd, to make them even more lemony than they were!  WOW!

Then, we talked, worked on some school for a little while and had a pleasant morning.  For lunch, Holly asked for my Corn Chowder and Spinach Quiche.  Sorry, no picture, but just take my word for it - amazing!

After lunch, we ran some errands and got home in time for her chosen dinner - my special meatballs, mashed potatoes and baby carrots.  Again, no picture but boy did they taste good!

Thursday night is Ladies prayer night and so that's where we spent the evening.  What a great way for her to welcome 17 - with 2 amazing ladies (and none were me!) with a heart for our young girls who prayed with my girls and spent time with them in God's presence.  I am thankful for their dedication and burden.

After prayer, we came home to have dessert - Banana Split Pie.  Holly is good at picking out  great food to celebrate her day!  I do have a picture of this one:

 Yummy homemade graham cracker crust topped with a special layer of goodness, bananas, crushed pineapple, chopped walnuts, cool whip and a cherry on top!  What a special way to end her special day.

I have to say, that even in my greatest imaginings when Holly was born, I couldn't have asked for a better daughter than the daughter that God has given to us.   I love you Holly and pray God's greatest blessings on your life!