School Picnic!

Friday night was the annual school picnic at Gracie's school - Dove. It was so much fun! It was at the park located next to the school and was so laid back with lots to do . . . hamburgers/hotdogs, dunking booth, music with d.j., glow sticks, sno cones, popcorn, playground, lots of area for football and tag!


We had a great time aside from losing Wes a couple of times! Thankfully, they block the whole area off with plastic fencing and since it's put on completely by the Dove's Dad Club (AMAZING group that I'm proud Greg has joined!!), they set security at all the openings with dads. The dads cook, dj, serve - everything! I feel so blessed to be a part!

Above, Gracie has joined just about all the kids there doing a dance to a song they learned in music class! It's sorta the new electric slide - I forgot the title, but the kids were so cute!

See below for a video!

A Day of Rest

Today I had few obligations. Both kids had school (for at least half the day!). Greg was home (part of the time). And I was able to work on that never-leaving, always-looming cloud of to-dos following me around day after day. I of course did not finish the list, but at least I was able to take care of things I usually don't get to do, or feel I don't have time to do.

Thursdays have always been my big "day of rest" personally. At church, our Wednesday night activities are, . . . how shall I say . . . overwhelming, a bit chaotic, & full of kids running (literally) on sugar and bent-up steam. So Thursdays are my day of peace and recovery. And I thank the Lord that after my Wednesdays, He gives me restful Thursdays to recoup.

I pray my friends who head-up and join me in those activities also give in to their desire and need of rest on the following day. Sometimes, especially us moms, feel a bit guilty if we take the time to just sit and read or catch a TV show, or indulge a bit on our enjoyments that get pushed aside for all the demands on us. I will say this, though. There is no refreshing like the refreshment of time spent with the Savior. He is our Rock, our Redeemer, our Deliverer.

Nothing else can take its place, even though sometimes its nice to take a "brain-break." I am thankful for my ever-faithful Lord who knows just what I need, and when I need it.

"The Lord will give strength to His people;

The Lord will bless His People with peace."

Psalm 29:11

The Second Tooth!

We lost our second tooth this week! After trying to pull it before, a squeamish Greg tried again earlier this week and succeeded. Yes, I said Greg, the paramedic, was squeamish. He can handle seeing dead people on a weekly basis (you can only imagine when that includes motorcycles, guns, ropes, bridges, . . . sorry to be so gruesome!), but a loose tooth in the mouth of a 5 year old he can't hardly handle . . .

Anyway, it came out easily because no one around here had the guts to yank, and here she is! A whole new look with each pull!

The Glue

Well, I missed it, but I'm doing it anyway. This week I am thanking the Lord for my girlfriends. In considering who that entails, I feel very blessed. I had the priviledge of spending time with several of those sweet people this week. In a prayer to bless the food, one of those friends said,"Thank you for friends and being the glue that holds us together." She hit the nail on the head.

I am blessed to have two distinct sets of lifelong friends by my side. The first are the girlfriends I grew up with at First Baptist in Abilene. One of them I was in the preschool class together on up (and have the picture to prove it!). The rest came along in middle sschool. Who would have dreamed those nights in the cabin at camp when we were 16,17,18, talking about what our lives would be like in 20 years would continue on today; still keeping in touch into our thirties. I am so thankful to still have them in my life, no matter how many years and states separate us. (We are now spread between Texas, Colorado, and Washington!)

And the friends that I get to see at least weekly I have made at my "new" church (of 9 years!) in Southlake. They, too, I know are lifelong, and we have been through so much together - children's births, marriage ups and downs, losing loved ones, sickness, near-death experiences, children issues, infertility - the list goes on!

And now the Lord is opening up a whole new world for me as I meet new people at Gracie's and Wes' schools. Being in the "Mom's in Touch" at her school has allowed me to open up to a group of women I barely know, and being the Room Mom in Wes' class will offer opportunities for developing more relationships. But the "glue" is what binds us. The Lord God Almighty is the steering force behind why we give any of our relationships a second thought. It's nice to have people to do things with and talk about school and fashion and have someone to sit with you at Starbuck's. But true friendship is bound by the Father, grown in the Father, and lasts through the Father.

There are many others I am blessed to call friend not included in the groups above, like my sister, mom, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, my friends from college, from high school, from the fire department and others along the way. For ALL of them, I am thankful to my Lord for giving me what I don't deserve in all these precious people. They are "Jesus in skin!"

"This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:12-13

What We've Lost

Though this is somewhat long (10 minutes), it is well worth the watch as not only another remembrance of 9/11, but also to stir the emotions of patriotism and unity, which our country so desparately needs right now.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=5374765553e6113a4b9e

We had unity, and now have such division. May this remind us of why we are where we are.

Remembering 9-11

So here we are, 7 years later. I can still remember what I was doing the moment I found out. I was in the middle of a writing exercise with my 4th graders at the time when my assistant principal came to the door to deliver the news - to me only. We didn't want the kids to know without their parents since many of them had moms and dads as flight attendants and pilots at the school. I still am amazed how the day unfolded. I remember thinking for a moment that this was it; that it was the end of America as we knew it. That was true in a sense, because we've never fully recovered to what we were before.

So today I am thankful for being an American, for being blessed to live in this great nation, for having all the freedoms that I truly, truly take for granted each and every day. The other night as I was falling asleep, a strange thought came to mind. I was so thankful that I could fall asleep peacefully, with my kids across the house, knowing that there were not possibilities of bombs or raids or even men in the streets with guns. I could just fall asleep with no worries.

So I will end with a tribute to why we have and will continue to have our freedom:

http://g.dwgsee.com/wake/index.htm

Take the time to watch.

Take the time to pray.

Take the time to remember.

Did you fly your flag today?

Wes' First Day

Well, here we are again with another "first" for the year. Wes had his first day of preschool today!





(The boys here are comparing underwear! ;) )



He was so excited and as we walked up he asked if he could go everyday! That makes my heart glad, and is such a flip reaction to Gracie's "I don't want to go to school!" every morning. (Still trying to figure where that is coming from since she has always loved school . . . I think it's her strong will not wanting to "do so much stuff.")

Wes' thoughts before school . . .


Just guess what was his favorite part . . .
(Those who know him best can easily guess!)



He has Gracie's former 3's teachers so I know he will LOVE it, plus he is so social! I must admit, though, that it was hard leaving him; I cried all the way home. Was it because I am still grieving Gracie's move to "real" school and the fact that the shelter Wes was going to be receiving was no longer with her? Was it knowing that I had an empty house to go back to? (Although how many times have I wished just for that very thing?!)



I know in my heart both will have good years and learn a lot. Both have great teachers who are loving and sensitive, although both in their own way. Both are more than ready to continue in their independence toward adulthood with a life built on the faith and trust in Jesus, which is the basic description of my and Greg's job as parents. But is still stinks. The cliche is true when we say they take a little piece of our heart with them everytime they go without us.



It also made me realize that truly, we will not take ANYthing to heaven and in the end, our faith in the Lord is all we have. If our life is built solely around our children, then we will become lost when they leave home (As they should if they marry! "For this reason a man shall leave his mother and father, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." Gen. 2:24) . If our life is built around our husband or wife, if something were to happen to them, then we will be lost. If we lose a job we love, a house and possessions to a fire, investments to a crash, it is all for not!

"But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."

Jude 1:20-21

The ONLY thing that will always be with us in every circumstance is Jesus and our faith in Him and our assurance of our place with Him in heaven when we leave this earth.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

1 John 2:15-17

So my job is clear now as stated in Deut. 6:6-7 :

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

I am to train up my children "in the way they should go" and pray that as the Bible promises "they will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). I'm still trying to figure that one out since I know people & friends who seemingly have departed from what their parent's taught them about the Lord. But God is faithful, so I too must be faithful, teach my children about Him, model as best I can how Jesus modeled, and pray, pray, pray!!

And learn to let go, no matter how my heart hurts.

SEPTEMBER OF THE 5TH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOP!
"September of the 5th" is how Polly's parents would describe her upcoming birthday day, so we all continue in that tradition to this day.

Happy Birthday to Greg's mom, my mother-in-law, and the kids' Mop!

Thankful Thursdays

OK, it's technically not Thursday, but let's just pretend this week and then I'll get it right next week . . .

So, I had a wonderful incident happen to me today that I wanted to share. It has spurred me in deciding to do a spin-off of my brother-in-law's "My Friday" blog. I have decided to start "Thankful Thursdays." Here's my first. Time will only tell if this will last . . .

Today I was doing my usual errand runs with Wes who was patiently sitting in the back seat, excited to have his turn in Gracie's seat while she was away at school. As I was pulling into my bank's ATM, a friend called to tell me all about her meeting on IVF,which she and her husband will be journeying into in a couple of weeks. This has been a long road for them and being one who had also dealt with infertility I always try to give my undivided attention (of course while depositing a check, driving, and tuning the radio at my 3 year-old's demands).

We continued our conversation, I asking questions and very excited about the possiblilty of seeing twins in 9 months ;), as I pulled out and drove down the access road. As I approached the light, I heard a honking to my left, of course still on the phone. As I look over to see why someone could possibly be honking while coming to a stop, I see a young African-American man in an old beat-up car waving my debit card and receipt at me in his hands!

Oh my gosh! How totally stupid and embarrassed I felt. But how totally grateful I was and in awe of this "random act of kindness" by this total stranger at the same time! We turned the corner, pulled over, and as he handed me the card and paper he said with a slight accent, "I know what a pain in the --- this can be," with a big smile on his face. I thanked him over and over again, and felt I should do more although I knew he didn't expect nor want anything else. He was dressed professionally and it was the end of the lunch hour, so he probably was hurried to get back to work.

"Wow," I thought. "What a complete blessing. God really took care of me just now." And from hearing the only words he spoke to me, I knew he may have not been a Christian. Interesting that God can use even those who don't realize it, or even have a relationship with Him, to do His kingdom work. Not sure that's theologically or Biblically correct, but it's the first time the thought came to mind, at least in a way that made a point.

Since then after thinking about all the details of it, I have realized that man had to of deserted his reasons for being at the bank, and then rushed to watch and track me down. I'm sure he also was taken off course of his planned route back to wherever he was headed. So what caused him to do it? What causes those without faith (again, just an assumption, but still true of some we know of as fact) to do the things Jesus taught out of pure unselfishness, generosity, and kindness; things many Christians themselves have difficulty with day to day?

Whatever the reasons, I am thankful. To him - thank you for putting my needs above your own. Thank you for thinking of another and realizing the "pain in the ---" (his words remember!) it would have been if I hadn't received it back. And it definitely would have been! Thank you for taking time out of your hurried day to make someone else's life easier. Thank you for being a model for all people, everywhere, Christian or not, of what it actually looks like to be Christian.

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

1 John 3:18