Catching Up

My parents came up to visit a couple of weeks ago and they brought Ms. Fran with them. Ms. Fran is a sweet, old woman (she's almost 85!) from their church in Georgia. She is widowed and doesn't have any children or much other family. We usually try to go to lunch with her when we're down there visiting, and I thought it may be fun for her to come up and visit sometime.

She spent the night at Brian's parents house while she was here so she could have her own space. (Hey -even I was jealous of that!) We loved having her here. She loved on all of our kids and they all loved on her. It was such a blessing for us to be able to spend time with her although we kept her pretty busy.

We went out to lunch, shopped at Sam's, went to Jamestown and Yorktown - all in just 3 days!

This is the ferry to Jamestown.

Here is Ms. Fran with all the kids!

Mimi and Mac at one of the ships.

Everyone 'helping' lift something. Which is comical, because we all know that Mimi doesn't sweat, at least not intentionally. So I'm sure Brian is the only one doing the 'lifting'!

Ms. Fran with Brian's parents - who fixed us a wonderful rib dinner after our long day at Jamestown and Yorktown!!

Thanks for indulging all the pictures lately. If you're interested in some blogging that will make you think, go here.

First Day of School!

Today was our first official day of school! We had a great morning and then went to a cook-out with some other homeschooling friends. It was a great way to start the year!
Coleman - 2nd grade

Emmie - 1st grade

Calvin - preschool

Everyone for circle time (yes, Larry Boy visited with us today - what's funny is that Larry Boy is bigger than Ellerie)!

Happy Birthday Emmie!

Last week was Emmie's 6th Birthday! She's so grown up now. She wanted to have a pool party and a Star Wars cake. (At least her favorite characters are Princess Leia and Padme)!
The sweet birthday girl!

The Star Wars cake (notice the princess figures in front)!

Fun in the pool!

Opening presents.

Playing in the Big Sand Pit.



It was fun to celebrate her special day with family and friends who are like family! Thank you guys for loving on her and making her day special!

Family Pictures

Oh yeah - I have a blog don't I?

Well, we had a family picture made this past week. It was a lot of fun (right Granny and PawPaw)? Here are some of the shots.

The entire family

Jenn and Brian

The Kids

Coleman

Emmie

Calvin

Ellerie

My Calling...

This morning I was reading the latest ejournal publication from 9marks. The topic for this journal is marriage.

A pastor's wife was sharing what she has learned in her role of being a pastor's wife. "My call to be my husband's helper means I'm called to help protect his reputation by cultivating my own character. What an unexpected blessing it has been to be held accountable in such a sobering way. This high calling is sobering, yes, but it is also a kindness from the Lord to my sinful heart, because I need the extra accountability! When I meet with other women, I need to be able to say in good conscience how I spend my time and how I'm redeeming the time. It's not only for my reputation, but most importantly for my husband's and the Lord's!" (Laurie is the wife of Paul Alexander, pastor of Fox Valley Bible Church in St. Charles, Illinois.)

Wow! This truth applies to all wives, whether our husbands are in ministry or not. How do I spend my time? Am I cultivating my character in the situations I face each day? Much to think about from this quote!

My Goal

Brian preached a sermon a few weeks ago on Psalm 100 and I just found my notes while I was cleaning. I was looking over them and was reminded of the richness found in just the first verse: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

All the earth, including little ole me, is commanded to praise the LORD. I am commanded to make a noise, and not just any noise, but a joyful one. That's where it gets me. I can make noise, in fact, I can make a lot of noise (just ask those around me) - but can I make a joyful noise? Those who find their delight in the LORD are those that can make a joyful noise.

There are times when I don't delight and that is when I am reminded to get in the Word, to get on my knees and to pray for that delight. We praise what we enjoy - my desire is to enjoy the LORD and to make a joyful noise to Him through that enjoyment.

How can we do that? Well, Brian pointed to 4 affirmations for us to stand on when obeying this command:
Know that the LORD is God
Know that He made us
Know that the LORD is good
Know that the LORD is faithful

So - let's make some joyful noise!

Yumm-O!

Most of my friends know that I love to bake. Part of the fun of baking is licking the bowl, spoons, beaters, etc. Well, guess what I found at Wal-Mart the other night? Ben and Jerry have a new ice cream flavor - and it is called "Cake Batter."! Here's the description: yellow cake batter ice cream with a chocolate frosting swirl!

Oh my - it is yummy indeed!!

Sweetness!

Well, I finally got Ellerie's 1-year pictures done (good thing since she's already 15 months old - but technically she's still 1)! Here are the results:

Love those little curls!

This one is my favorite! I love black and whites and her expression is so Ellerie!

This is Daddy's favorite - he thinks she looks like the Precious Moments girl.