The Well

music has been blessing my soul lately.  over and over.  sometimes brooke says, "are we going to listen to this again?"  and then i hear faith's tiny voice singing.  praising.  and i smile.  yes, brooke.  again.and.again.

we have been listening to Third Day's Offering's I and II Worship CD's.  when we are not singing to third day, we have been listening to Casting Crown's new cd, "the well".  here are two of my favorite songs from it.

Celebrating Charlie

the rev3 team celebrated charlie's 32 birthday at sweetwater tonight! 

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

the girls.  ashley, me, jill, and krista

Nor stands in the path of sinners, 

 rev3 kids...andrew, bradley, and bryan. 

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

 nic and jenn

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

 pop-pop and eric

He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water, 

 greg and krista

That brings forth its fruit in its season, 

 kevin and christine

Whose leaf also shall not wither; 

 lj and eric

 Whatever he does shall prosper.

charlie's angel's...me, ashley, and krista:) 

-Psalm 1:1-3

happy birthday charlie! 

we love you
  xoxox 

Halloween 2011

...i'm back!

check out our halloween fun

~miss kim's annual halloween party~

how gross is this?  it's a BRAIN made out of jello. 

 

 and this is a heart made out of jello.  yuck!

 uncle gary. 

 (not really our "uncle" but we call him that anyways)

 that's alex under there.  scary costume

 thanks to bubba, beautiful brooke was an indian princess

 and lei-lei the dog...well, not sure what she is but she sure is cute!

SO GROSS!  there's a button you push and all this fake blood runs down his face. 

nasty. 

oh yeah, that's hunter under there.

 poor faith.  can you tell she is sick? 

she doesn't need a costume.  she's my angel can't you tell?

 and there's the neighborhood.  all piled in mr. david's trailor filled with hay. 

off we go!  happy halloween!



Don't Stop

i will post about my trip to cedar point soon.  time is short today.

iva, the sweet girl i had the priveledge to coach to the finish line yesterday, told me this quote while we were running.  oh, even at mile 18 of the run, i still loved hearing it:)

"you don't stop running because you grow old.  you grow old because you stop running."

that might be one of the best quotes i've ever heard!

Our Mornings

you all should be grateful i'm not showing you pic's of our mornings...unless you like scary things.

wow.  they are tough. 

i play music in the kitchen to wake them up around 6:30.  they get ready while i get breakfast and vitimins on the table and lunches out and in backpacks. 

religiously, brooke is the first one downstairs.  she's NOT a morning person.  that's all i should say about that at the moment. 

faith is the easiest.  she comes down next.  she NEVER complains about the clothes i picked out for her the night before.  she is silent, mostly, and loves to eat her pancakes.  especially when i pour lots of powered sugar on them. 

bryan comes down last, but always quiet.  he's not a talker in the mornings.  he gets downstairs with just enough time to eat 4 pancakes in 1.2 seconds, grab his backpack and fly out the door to meet us in the car...without brushing his teeth.  everyday.

he runs back into the house to brush them.  brooke yells because she doesn't want to be late.  and eventually we get to the bus stop.  on time.  only one day this week was it pulling away as i was flying in.  :)  i still count it as a success.  

but for now, they are all gone for the next 9 hours!

hooray! 

 

Psalm 19:14

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

-Psalm 19:14

First Day of School

if a picture is worth a thousand words...i will try to give you a thousand words instead- my camera was not charged last night.

the scene went like this in the morning:

i woke up.  fixed my coffee.  read briefly.

at 6:30 i blasted the worship music in the kitchen to wake them up.  praise God for uniforms.  makes getting ready in the mornings a dream!

brooke looked beautiful as always, but even more so, this morning.  last night she let me wash, dry, AND flat-iron her hair!  she looks more and more grown up each day.  and bryan, well, it was the first time he has tucked his shirt in and worn a belt in 3 months.  little faithie?  i SO wish i had a picture.  pre-schoolers don't wear uniforms.  she wore a pink shirt and leggings and her brown cowgirl boots.  

yes, i cryed when charlie brought them to the bus stop.  but you know, running in the rain is great.  raindrops and tears look the same:)

and the wrap up at the end of the day? 

...in a nutshell,

-bryan:  likes 4th grade "way better than 3rd grade", is excited because they will be studying birds in science, and kept asking me how psalm 19:14 went.  LOVE the fact mrs. phares is making them memorize that verse!

-brooke: loved playing with brooke w., loves mrs. summerall, and proceeded to give me a 20 minute dissertation on every aspect of heaven you can think of.  at least i know she is paying attention in class.

-faith: she took a nice nap, played with a friend, and wonders why there are boys in her class.

i am so blessed

 

Renew My Purpose

sometimes i wonder if what i do and the words i say ever sink into my little ones heads...or even make it to their ears.  

it has always been my heart's desire for my children to know God and to love Him with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

this has to be my purpose.  for each one of them.  every choice, every decision, reflects that purpose.  

that is the reason we choose to send our children to fresta valley christian school.  school starts tomorrow.   and tomorrow, while the kiddos are in school, i will be cooking dinner for a sweet friend of ours who is battling breast cancer. 

brooke and i were talking about her in the car and the dinner i will be making for her, and the fun little "back-to-school" gifts we are going to give her kids, and how brooke picked her out a sweet card that says "jesus saves", a devotional book for her to read...

and brooke says to me, "mom, instead of going to school, why don't i just take care of people who are sick and have diseases?"  oh. my. heart.  in that moment, she GOT IT!  

and at the same time, if my kids look to me, all they see is "conditional", like anger that flares up easily, patience that runs out fast, a love that fails them, unjustified frustrations, a body that gets tired, a mind that is forgetful...

i have to point them to Him.

i will always fail them.  no matter how hard i try.

but Jesus never will.  His love never fails.  His grace has no limits.  His mercies are new each morning.  He never grows weak or weary.  He is SO good.

and He "maketh our cup runneth over" if we will only ask Him to.  

so i'm asking, Lord, renew my purpose.   

     

My Biggest Need Right Now...Wisdom

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8
 
Heavenly Father, many times I take your grace for granted—I assume it. It’s always going to be there, like sunrise, taxes and holiday traffic. But this morning I don’t assume or presume upon your grace, I need your grace—fresh grace. Abounding grace would be great, but I’ll settle for sufficient grace.

Grant me the grace I need to settle down and be still. I’m restless—physically, because of a lack of good sleep and emotionally, because of no lack of upheaval around me. Though I’d love for storm cells to move on, as long as you give me peace in the midst of the squalls, I’ll be fine. Jesus, you are my eternal peace, be my present peace.

Grant me the grace I need for making good decisions. I’m tired, and when I get this way most of my decisions get directed towards giving me quick relief. But I’m sure my biggest need right now isn’t relief, it’s wisdom. Jesus you are my wisdom from God, be my wisdom in choices that I have to make soon.

Grant me the grace I need to be comfortable with not being in control. Now that may very well require “abounding grace.” I’m wary, and when I get this way I have a hard time trusting others. I start micro-managing my world. Jesus, you are my sovereign King, be my stability in my uncertainty.

Grant me the grace I need to love people I don’t presently like. I’m feeling fresh pain from old hurts, and when I get this way I tend to get quiet on the outside but loud on the inside. Jesus, you are my compassionate, merciful Savior, love through me to your glory.

Grant me the grace I need to wait upon you. I’m feeling hurried, and when that happens I tend to do things I regret later. Jesus, you are my Lord, I relinquish my timetable and agenda. Pace me, and make me a patient and present woman. So very Amen I pray, in your most loving name.

Scotty Smith

wow, it's like he read my heart.


Maine, Part 3: Shooting

he's learning from the BEST!  pop-pop!  how fun is this?  bryan learned to shoot 4 or 5 different types of guns this week.  i love the quality time he got to spend with pop-pop.  precious. 

 i'll be honest, i'm a bit jealous.  :)

not bad for a beginner. 

bryan came home from maine and talked a lot about everything he did and experienced.  he was almost like a different kid.  maybe he was extra tired.  but his favorite part of the whole trip was shooting all those guns.  not suprising.  after all, his pop-pop is an ex-army ranger.  and by the way, he's one tough dude.

i love you so pop-pop!

Maine, Part 2:Fishing

then Jesus said to His disciples, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

-matthew 4:19

they spent a lot of time fishing...

 patience.  teachable moments.

 skipping stones.

 i wonder what is going through his head? 

 he caught one!  i am amazed that he is touching it!

 oh my heart.  memories were made for a lifetime here.  so thankful they had this time together.  peaceful, sweet, beautiful moments. 

 together. 

 

Maine, August 2011

it will take several posts to recap the whole maine experience.  first and foremost, i prayed they would experience the beauty of God's creation.  God is so good.  look what He did for them!

a double rainbow!  see how it illuminates their campsite?  amazing!  it is like He is proclaiming, "here I am!  look at Me!" 

"the heavens proclaim the glory of God;  the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
-psalm 19:1

i think they caught a glimpse of God this week.  

Back-to-School Shopping

yes, it is almost that time again.  bryan, brookie, and little faith go back to school next tuesday!  oh, not so sure how i feel about that right now:)

we are so blessed to send our kids to fresta valley christain school out in beautiful marshal, virginia.  they must wear uniforms to school everyday, so back-to-school clothes shopping doesn't exist for me.  thank the Lord!  do you know how MUCH money we save?  remember brooke is our daughter.

BUT, i still had to buy all of their school supplies today.  yes, i spent over an hour in staples, by myself, not accomplishing anything!  it was a headache!  those crazy lists.  for 3 kids.  back-and-forth from page to page, from grade-to-grade.  can't they consolidate those things? 

and how many boxes of tissues does a class of 14 students actually need?  and no, i only need 2 glue sticks, not a box of 6, but i'll take it anyway because its a glue stick.  and why do you have to check papers with only purple and green pens?  where do i find those?  what happend to the old fashion red and blue checking pens?  see why i didn't accomplish anything? 

can you believe i was actually a teacher 10 years ago? 

those staple employees are super friendly though.  they must be able to spot the "shopping impaired" parents from a mile away.  i declined the assistance the first 4 times.  as the minutes ticked on, i decided not to pretend anymore.

i searched out a nice employee.  she did everything but push the cart for me!  200 dollars later, i left...and threw the list in the trashcan on the way out the door:)   

Starry Nights Await

they are off! 

bryan, charlie, pop-pop, uncle paul, cousin sam, chris, and sam left on a week long camping trip to upstate maine early this morning.  days of fly fishing and nights of campfires and marshmellows awaits them.  the guns are packed, sling-shots are ready, bug spray, mosquito netting, and itch-relief cream are in plentiful supply.

memories are in the making.  there will be no cell phones, lap-tops, tvs, or playstations where they are going.  highly unusual for this group of guys, but they will be unplugged and "wireless" for the week.  

rushing rivers, starry nights, wildlife, and still, quiet moments before the sun rises.  may Jesus captivate them with His Creation and shower them with His Perfect Peace.

will you join with me in praying for them this week?    

For My Friend

i read this the other day and thought of you, sweet friend.  

praying you through this trial.   

love you.

"Thank Me for the conditions that are requiring you to be still.  Do not spoil these quiet hours by wishing them away, waiting impatiently to be active again.  Some of the greatest works in My kingdom have been done from sick beds and prision cells.  Instead of resenting the limitations of a weakened body, search for My way in the midst of these very circumstances.  Limitations can be very liberating when your strongest desire is living close to Me.

Quietness and trust enhance your awareness of My Presence with you.  Do not despise these simple ways of serving Me.  Although you feel cut off from the activity of the world, your quiet trust makes a powerful statement in spiritual realms.  My Strength and Power show themselves most effective in weakness."

-taken from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Colossal Creations

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
-Genesis 1:1

the girls went to camp this week at fresta valley!  oh, they both had so much fun!  mrs. beals was their teacher.  she is so sweet.  this is a picture of their class.  look, no boys!   

today they put on a play about God's great creation.  brookie was one of the readers.  and faithie was a sheep.  yesterday they went on a picnic at rady park in warrenton.  i have no pictures, but the girls came home with bags full of "nature stuff" from their scavenger hunt. 

they worked on these quilts all week.  how awesome is this?  it's a quilt showing the order that God created everything.  read genesis chapter 1 and try to match the words with the quilt pictures.  mrs. beals is so creative!

brookie made a paper mache pick unicorn and faith made a brown horse.  not sure where it went though.  :)

next week the girls are doing the "wild west" camp up there.  faith is sooo excited.  horses and cowgirls are right up her alley.  and brooke, she doesn't care what camp it is, she just enjoys the fellowship with the other girls.  thankful for these blessings this week! 

 



All-Stars

 here are some pic's charlie took of bryan at all-stars this morning.

 these are some of the boys he swam against.  really?  that boy behind him CAN'T be 9-10.  he's a giant! 

 that smile melts my heart. 

i love you so b-man!!

Funny

charlie sent me this email today.  so funny!  

This was a conversation between Bryan and Hunter today while Bryan was searching for pictures of Ryan Locthe

Hunter:  EEwwwww
Bryan:  That's Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte
Hunter:  I know, but..... (Bryan cut's him off)
Bryan: Dude, those are speedo's and it makes them go fast
Hunter: I know, but don't you think they are a bit ridiculous?
Bryan: A little, that's why I wear the lazer jammers, they feel like paper kind of.
Hunter: They are all sweaty
Bryan:  I know, but look at their ab's, they are like a statue.

The picture they were talking about is attatched

i have to agree with him...love those ab's:)

Saying Good-bye

after almost one year of living in our basement...nana and granddad moved into their new house in fredricksburg.  oh, what a sad day for us!

nana and granddad,

we were blessed by your presence everyday.  how can we say thank-you? 

for countless loads of laundry washed and folded, floors vacuumed, dinners made, dishes washed, and dogs fed. 

for kids watched, basketball games played, tears wiped, noses blown, and boo-boos kissed. 

 

for literally hundreds of lunches packed, last-minute bus-stop pick ups, groceries bought, and after swim practice pancakes. 

for stories read, and games and puzzles played.

for bedtime songs, kisses, and prayers.

we are eternally grateful. 

you are so missed, deeply loved, and incredibly appreciated.

how did i ever do all this on my own? 

help!!

Friends

guess who came to play with us yesterday?

 

brooke and annie! 

the girls took a bike ride down to the pond to throw rocks in the water.

 all done.  running back to their bikes.

these two are hilarious.  they rode like this the whole time.

eating lunch

and the day won't be complete without changing into jammies in the middle of the afternoon to watch a movie.  well, at least 10 minutes worth of a movie:) 

they all have sleepy eyes after lunch.

i love these girls.  and this one right here, brooke w, she has the sweetest smile in the whole world.