My Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend!! I must admit, though, it took a few minutes! I cried for about the first 30 minutes of my drive, then Deana B and Sara called which cheered me up a bit! As I drove to the airport to pick up Jen, it was just like old times. I used to drop her off and pick her up at the Nashville airport when we were in college. It was almost surreal. We quickly headed off on our first adventure - lunch. And, I still felt a bit like I was in a dream. I was walking around with a purse over my shoulder (as opposed to a diaper bag) and there was no entourage following behind me. I was simply one person, and Jen was one person, and we were eating and talking. And, aside from an occasional text message or cell phone call our lunchtime conversation was completely uninterrupted!!! By dinner I had completely adjusted to being just one person, and I was thoroughly enjoying myself!!

The rest of the weekend was simply perfect! We went to two great church services! One on Saturday night and one on Sunday morning. We couldn't decide where to go, so we just went to both. Our goal at one church was to hear Christy Nockels (our favorite) lead worship, but she lead worship the week before, so we missed her! But, in her place, was Jeremy Deibler from FFH, so that was a fun treat! Our goal at the other church was to hear Scotty Smith preach and to catch a glimpse of Stephen Curtis Chapman and his family! We did get to hear an incredible sermon by Scotty, but we didn't get to see the sweet Chapman family!

Spending time with Jen was wonderfully fun! We drank lots of coffee, ate lots of sweets, shopped at lots of stores, and talked about lots of heart stirring topics!! I could not have asked for a better getaway!

Here are a few pics from our weekend!

Our B&B. . .

The B & B's beautiful driveway. . .

The barn out back. . .

(We saw several deer leap across the hills in the backyard as we sipped ice water and talked one evening!)

This is a picture of us after breakfast one morning! Jen is 15 weeks pregnant with her fourth, and I am 30 weeks pregnant with my fourth, as well! I had to include this picture which features our blossoming bellies - mine a bit more ripe than hers!




Our fun little room!


We took a picture of the potty for our husbands' sake. We knew that they would not approve of the lack of leg room!


One of our favorite places to eat!!



One of the reasons that this is one of our favorite places to eat. . .

Note the desserts on the table! The strawberry cake was amazing!!!

We stopped by a friend's house to meet her baby for the first time! Oh. my. goodness. She was soooooo cute!!! I fell in love! An absolute dollbaby!! She did the cutest thing with her lips! Here is a pic. . .

How cute is that!! Is there anything cuter than 6 months old, I ask you? I think not. . .

Except for maybe 14 months old - because that is how old my darling baby is!! And, I still cannot get over how much all of my boys grew while I was away for four days!!! Seriously, they all like shot up 3 inches or something!

It was a great trip, but it is good, really good to be home!!

Home-maker

I'll never forget watching my mom fill out paperwork in a doctor's office when I was young. I watched as she carefully penned each answer. When she came to the question about her occupation, she did not hesitate. In the cursive that I have come to love, she wrote. . .


Homemaker.


And, what an amazing homemaker she was. And, it had nothing to do with how well she kept house. She was a home-maker. To put it simply, she made our home. She was home. The two were so intertwined I couldn't tell you where one ended and the other began. Home was mommy. Mommy was home. And, I loved Mommy, and I loved home. I loved being at home more than I liked being anywhere else. I liked being with Mommy more than I liked being with anyone else. And, I don't just mean when I was 4. I mean when I was 14, 18, and 22!



Mommy was comfort, encouragement, a warm welcome after a long day, a fresh, hot batch of cookies, a warm bath after a long gymnastics practice, bedtime prayers, long talks at night, lots of laughter, cold ice cream for my aching throat, and bright, happy praise music. She was the one that I could call on when I was afraid at night (because I was afraid a lot as a child), and she would come and lay down with me. Always involved in the minute details of our lives, bringing cupcakes to my classes, the faithful chaperone, the volunteer of volunteers, and she was our nurse (our very own personal RN.) She helped with research, with projects, and with papers. If I had something due the next day, and I had procrastinated, I didn't have to stay up alone. She kept the lamp burning and sat beside me, helping me. Is there any question why growing up I considered her my best friend? When I was in high school, my favorite ritual was cheese dip and quesadillas at Chili's with my mom. We would go alone, after shopping for hours, and talk and laugh. My goodness, I love you, Mom.


She didn't think about herself, getting "her time," or if she did, I never knew about it. We were her life. Some would say that was wrong. That she did too much for us. That she should have taken more time away from us, more time for herself. That she needed to be her own person, not just our mother and Daddy's wife. But, I feel certain that she would disagree. I don't think she feels that she gave up anything. She is now in her 60s, and if you asked her, she would tell you that hers has been a blessed life. She literally gave her life for Daddy and us, and we were so much better for it.


Our home, made by mom, was a place we all loved to be. It wasn't immaculate. It wasn't decorated perfectly, but it was cozy. And, it was warm. And, it was inviting. And, I couldn't wait to get there. After a long day at school or after a long semester at college. . . I just couldn't wait to be home. It always felt so good to walk in the door. Home. I want that for my boys. I really want that for my boys.

So, lately I have been thinking. How do I do that? What is the key?

This is what I am thinking. . . .

Simply it is to be like Christ. My mom's goal each day was to be like Christ, to act like Him and walk like Him, and talk like Him.

Jesus loves children. As a child, He loved me through my mom, and He wants to love my boys through me. When they are sick, He wants to use my hands to comfort them. When they are hurting, He wants to use my voice to soothe them. When their hearts are broken, He wants to use me to help mend them. He wants to love them through me. He wants to use me to teach them about Himself, about His faithfulness, His character, and His love.

Home is the place where children should feel Christ's love most purely. The place where they are loved as close to unconditionally as is possible on this side of heaven. A place where they are loved, cared for, treasured, adored, smiled at, encouraged, lifted up, disciplined, and shown grace. In many ways this is very easy for me, but in many ways this can be very hard for me, too.

But, I can honestly say that I love home. I love my husband and children so much. Home is my boys (big and small), and my boys are home. The two are so intertwined that I can't tell where one ends and the other begins. I'd rather be home than anywhere, and I'd rather be with my boys than with anyone. And, that is a start.

Christmas 2007 Recap

Unfortunately, we did not make a special trip to the mall to visit Santa this year. But, thanks to Joshua and his creative mind, the boys got to visit Santa in our very own family room!



For the first time ever we spent Christmas at home - just our family of 5!! The big boys came downstairs and crawled into bed with us just a little after seven on Christmas morning!! We had a slow, relaxing, lazy Christmas morning, and then we enjoyed a delicious Christmas dinner at Sean and Deana's. Thanks, Mrs. Diane and Deana B., for a wonderful, wonderful meal!!

I must mention,so I won't forget, that I took the boys shopping at Wal-Mart to pick out whatever they wanted to give Daddy. What did they choose? A kickball and the game Hungry, hungry hippos! Merry Christmas, Baby!

Then, on the 26th we headed to my parent's home. My sister, her husband, and their 8 children met us there! Talk about alot of fun and activity!!!!!

The first thing we did is a family tradition for my brother, sister, and I. My Dad reads the Christmas story and the children act it out. We've come along way since the days when Kristin, Kelly, and I acted out all the parts!

My Daddy reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke.


This is a picture of the angels, and JCT and I are shepherds - sore afraid!


And, now the three kings. . .


A picture of my sweet king and me!


After the Christmas pagent, it was time to open presents!!

Joshua's favorite gift. . . He is still carrying Larry the pirate around! Notice his shirt!


Kase and Joshua seemed to have bonded sweetly over this holiday. . .


My Daddy and a few of the kiddos. . .


A little friendly competition. . .


My sweet, sweet sister. . . She looks so comfortable with a baby in her arms! Wonder why?


Then, my sister's family went home for one of her son's basketball games, and my brother's family came! Whew!

My sister and Cecilia are both past the "baby stage." They are glad about that fact, but they both still love to hold babies. So, I basically hand off Elijah to either Kristin or Cecilia at every family gathering. And, Peyton, oh, sweet Peyton, she loves babies, too. She gave my 'Lijah so much love!!!! I love that girl and her sweet sister, too!!!



And, a holiday with my brother, Kelly, is never boring! If I tried to explain how much fun he is, my words would not do him justice! He is so sweet, so funny, so great!!!!!! I may be 30+, but I still believe that my big brother hung the moon. . . and the stars. . . and anything else that hangs up high!!! And, here he is with Avery and JCT!


This was really a nice Christmas - so much fun! It was a holiday of sipping coffee in pjs with people I love tremendously.

A Sweet Baptism for a Sweet Girl

My brother's oldest daughter recently made the decision to give her life to Christ. This past Sunday she was baptized by her Daddy in a lake near their home. Peyton is a special girl. And, I am not just saying that because she is my niece. She truly is a precious young lady - selfless and beautiful inside & out. And, I love her with all my heart. She loves hard like her Daddy. And, she loves my boys, really loves them. She is so sweet with them. I am thankful for her life, and I am even more thankful that she has chosen to give that sweet life of hers to Jesus. A little girl's life that will never be the same. A great journey has begun, and that is worth celebrating. Now here are some pics of the act that symbolizes that life change. . .

Kelly asking Peyton about her decision to follow Jesus. . .

Cecilia read scripture. . .

Friends and family. Mom is videoing the baptism. . .

Daddy, also, said a few words and stood with Kelly as he baptized his little girl.

Sweet Cecilia. . .

Peyton with her friends and sweet little sister on the left edge of the picture.

What a year my brother's sweet family has had! God has been more than faithful. Their family is truly a testimony of the strength that Jesus provides during trials. From breast cancer to melanoma, God has been good. And, he has brought them through it all. Kelly and Cecilia are modeling a living, active, and real faith for their little girls.

Jesus, bless this family and bless this sweet little girl.

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

Philippians 1:3-6