Farewell Summer!

*Warning, I'm playing catch-up so this is long! :)

The last days of Summer are here. On Monday morning we will set our alarm clocks, rise with the dawn and begin a new season once again.

I can hardly believe that Jake will be in the third grade. How has it gone so fast? I know all moms feel that way, but I guess sometimes the days seem so long that when this feeling rises up within me, it often surprises me. It literally feels like yesterday that it was just the two of us playing toys, reading books, singing songs, fixing snacks-and yet, 8 1/2 years have past! I kid with him sometimes and tell him I'm not letting him go into third grade, and that he can't grow any bigger, not one more inch-but inevitably he keeps growing! :) I am so proud of the young boy he has become. Even at such a young age, he has a passion for God's Word and a compassion for others that I know comes from the Lord. B and I are praying that this year the Lord will increase that passion and love for others and that Jake will begin to use these gifts to "minister" to others-other kids in his class, or on his Baseball team, teacher, or anyone for that matter! (Eph. 5:1-2) Jake is a special little guy, and even though I really am going to miss him during the day, I am really excited to see him grow, and to see what the Lord has in store for him.

Now, don't get me started on Trent Carter! My buddy is off to Kindergarten! My little entertainer is off to "entertain" his new teacher and classmates. And what a show it will be! I'm not sure what Ellie and I will do without our Star Wars reenactments, Bibleman shows, our afternoon Longhorn football, baseball, basketball games, and the countless other shows he comes up with. :) I am going to miss that little boy so much-but he is ready. He is so ready! Our prayer for Trent is that even though he is young, that he will indeed set an example for others in everything he does. (1 Tim. 4:12) Being the younger brother is tough sometimes, Jake (from Trent's perspective) seems to get a lot of attention and praise, and of course everyone knows that Jake gets to do EVERYTHING-but we are praying that God will show Trent that he is special and unique in his own way and that He has a tailor-made plan for his life, that will fit him perfectly.

And to top all of this off, Ellie is going to start "KK" two days a week! That is just crazy! She is as excited as she can be-for not really knowing what she is getting herself into! She has her "pack-pack" all ready, with her "name on it", and every time we drive by her school she yells out "Ellie's schoooool"! One of her best little friends is going to be in her class, and really they are more like sisters, (being only 9 weeks a part), they have been together, literally, their whole lives. Shannon and I are praying extra hard for their teacher! We have a feeling it won't take her long to figure out that Ellie and Kate already know each other and have been in a few "scraps" over toys before! :) Good luck with that! B and I are really enjoying Ellie. She is a firecracker, to say the least. She is FULL of joy and personality. Our prayer for her is that as she grows, God will continue to shape and mold her into the woman He has called her to be, and that one day she will be like a "pillar carved to adorn a palace" (Ps. 144 :12) full of His beauty and strength.

So that's my farewell to Summer....but before I close, (I sound like I am preaching a sermon) I'll share a few (ha! more like 12!) of my favorite pics of the Summer!

Sweet girlfriends.


Sword fights!


Summer Camp!


Craziness...


Older brothers'influence:


The older brothers!


Two of a kind!


Best lookin' 8 year old in town!


You got me!


A little girltalk.


Glow sticks rock!


Pure Joy!
Here's to a great Summer!

If you have a second...

Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters over at their blog "Girl Talk", are doing a week long series on Homemaking, and how to instill in our daughters a love for home and family. If you have a sec go check it out, it will be well worth your time.

Healer

A few weeks ago, I came across a new song on Hillsong's latest cd, and I have not been able to get over it. The story behind the song is very moving, and I think that is what initially captured my attention, however, the lyrics are so powerful, that the more I've listened to it, the more I am realizing that it is exactly what my heart is crying out for.

Healing.

I know that God is asking me to let go of something that I've held onto for many years-something that I don't even like about myself, yet somehow have found myself defaulting to over and over again. I want to let it go-I need to let it go-it has to go. But as much as I want it gone, I am afraid. Afraid that I can't let it go-afraid of what it will take to let it go. Tonight as I was doing my Bible study, the author (Kelly Minter) was talking about the difference between surrender and trust, and how surrender is more of an issue of our wills, but trust is an issue of the heart. It hit me like a ton of bricks, that while most of my life (I say most, because I know I still have areas that I haven't completely surrendered to Him) is surrendered to Christ, I don't trust Him in this particular area that He is asking me to let go of. This lack of trust is one of the things that has kept me bound to this for so many years. But tonight, I am choosing to trust Him. I am choosing to believe that HIS ways are right, and that He is good-and just like my mother said to me today (talking about a totally different subject) whenever He asks us to surrender or let go of something, somehow He always replaces it with something far better than we could have ever imagined...ultimately, HIMSELF.

You hold my every moment,
You calm my raging seas.
You walk with me through fire,
and heal all my disease.

I trust in You,
I trust in You.

I believe You're my Healer,
I believe You are all I need.
I believe You're my portion,
I believe You're more than enough for me.
Jesus, You're all I need.

Playing Catch-up

Oh my, I can't believe how long it has been since I've posted. I don't even know where to begin! This Summer has been wonderful-and it's gone by soooo fast. Only a few weeks left before school starts!
Speaking of school, it dawned on me the other day, that these last few weeks of Summer will be the last that I will have all 3 kids home for a while! With Trent starting Kindergarten and Ellie starting KK, 2 days a week, I am on the verge of a new season of life. Isn't that how it goes? Right when you get the hang of one season-used to the "climate", get the hang of the routine, a fresh wind blows in with a weather change! But as always, God remains faithful and constant through it all and He will bring us through this change, just as He has all the others!
But before I get too ahead of myself, here are a few pics of what's been going on these past few weeks!

For starters, Ellie got her first haircut! She has beautiful hair, but it was becoming a bit unruly, so we decided to cut a little off. She did great, and she looked so big after she was done! I am thinking we are going to go even shorter next time. I've always been a sucker for little girls with cute bobs!







The boys enjoyed a day of golf with Daddy! They had a BLAST! It was hotter than hot out there, but they didn't care! They had Daddy all to themselves and they loved every minute of it! Here they are getting ready to go...



We also attended our dear friends, the Bryans' commissioning service. They are hoping to move to Quito, Ecuador soon to work with a mission agency down there. It was a sweet service, and although we are sad to see them go, we are excited to see what God has planned for them. After the service some of us gathered over here and hung out for a while. It was crazy with all of our children running around, but it was also very sweet to see how God has grown our families! Whew!

FOURTEEN CRAZY KIDS = FIVE CRAZY MOMS!!!



And last but not least, B and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary! We had a wonderful 24 hours away at the Four Seasons, and a fun and delicious dinner with the Thedfords and the Bryans and we even enjoyed a full moon!! ha! I love you B!

Okay, so that's it for now...sorry it was so long. I'll try to post some pics of our family trip soon! Have a great Thursday!!

I Love America!

I am a bit slow getting this post up, but slow is our pace we try to keep during the Summer! We had a great Fourth of July! Lots of food, fun and family! We didn't have all of our family together this year, which made it a little quieter! ha ha! We did miss you Mom and Dad, BT and Kdog! Here a few pics from our day! Thanks to "Uncie" Donnie!! You were a great boat driver! The kids had a blast on your new tube!

All loaded up and ready to go!! This was Ellie first time out on the boat this Summer, and even though she was nervous at first, she ended up LOVING it!


Cousins are so much fun!!


Sparklers always take me back to my childhood!


Okay, y'all...I can't EVEN believe I am posting this hideous picture of me,(note to self, put on a hat after the boat ride!ugh!) but I wanted you to see this nasty catfish I caught! YUCK! We were fishing for brim, but this beast ended up on my line and almost broke my sad little pole! Thankfully, B was there to save the day and get set him free, 'cause there was no WAY I was touching him!


I wasn't the only one who got lucky that day! :)


I love this picture! Ellie is so blessed to have such a sweet Daddy!

All and all it was a fun day! Thanks MeMe and Poppy for letting us use your lakehouse and boat while you were away!

The Honeymoon is Over

No, I am not talking about my marriage...:), instead I am talking about our three weeks of "honeymoon" that we have had this Summer.

You know, I knew it was coming, but MAN-I still wasn't prepared! I have said more than once, here on this blog, and to people I know, that I am loving this Summer and how great things were going and how the boys were playing together so nicely, and really that was the truth...but today, we are in a different place. We've had one too many late nights and WAY too many early mornings, a LOT of togetherness and the nerves are wearing thin.

So today, we are in a new phase of Summer-I'd like to call it "We've been together a lot lately and I still love you to pieces but I need a break" phase. The boys are currently in their room for their second session of "reading/room time", which is code for "your fighting again and Mommy can't take it anymore, so everyone go to their own rooms and take a break"...me included. :) Ellie is in her room napping, so for a moment, things are quiet...for a moment at least. :)

But as I sit here and type this, I am reminded that this calling (homemaking) is not for the faint of heart, or selfish. And the latter is what I struggle with the most. It's on these days, when nothing goes as planned, and everyone is grumpy that I have to depend on my Lord to love THROUGH me when frankly, I'd rather not. I wish I could say I my track record of depending on Him was great, but really it's not. Most days, I usually jump on the grumpy train and then the rest of the day goes down hill. Ugh...will I ever get it? However, there is hope. He who began a good work in me, WILL be faithful to complete it. So, today, I think I'll jump on the hope train, and believe that He will get me through this day! :)

Time For A Change

Okay, so I really have nothing of interest to post, but I was so sick of clicking on this blog and hearing High School Musical that I had to post something so I could change the music! I guess I could have just changed it without posting, but it would mess up the system of trying to match the music with the post! :)

So, we are really busy, but not really...does that make sense? We have nothing that we have to do, but we are doing a lot- of playing, swimming, hanging out, having Wii tournaments, and enjoying the moment. Have I mentioned that I am really enjoying the Summer so far??

I started the Summer Siesta Bible Study Tuesday night, and it was great. All of the girls in my group are great and I am looking forward to getting to know them. The study seems really good. I have only done day one, but when you are already convicted on day one...I'm thinking it's going to be a good one.

Tonight B and I have a date night - yessssss! I am pumped! I am loving these kiddos being home, but it's making me appreciate this date night all the more!

So, that's about it. Told ya I didn't have anything to say! :)
Enjoy the 80's flashback via Howard Jones!