)))):)Forgot the Eyes:))))

There is probably nothing more invigorating to me then waking up to a crisp quiet morning, sipping a cup of coffee and having my Bible and prayer journal nearby. The saying from our kids is, "Mommy, when it gets dark (meaning early morning when they wake up) when you have your quiet time...." I've told them how important it is to me and that it helps me be a better mommy. They seem to like that:) and it's all the explanation they need.:) Right now there is a 3yr old lil' miss snuggled beside me as I type...she notices and comments on the smiley faces and when she sees a parenthesis she notices the missing eyes. Gotta luv their innocent eyesight into things and their honest perspective! I was sorta thinking that's how it is in my relationship with God...I am on eye level with problematic circumstances that crop up in my life and I notice the i's God forgot to dot, the t's He forgot to cross , or the smiley faces without the eyes. But what I  fail to realize in that moment is that God is actually sooo big and He can literally grasp my difficult problem in His hand. He has the power to squash it or the power to let it do a purifying work in my life. My heart says "Yes!" God has absolutely, without a doubt, been the best thing that has ever happened in Mike and my life. He turned our marriage into a blissful earthly haven and it sure makes a happy place to raise kids! Sometime I'd like to share with you our before and  after picture of our love story and the life changing power of Jesus Christ that promises us a happily ever after....:)

"Celebrating Life"



A kind ole gent from a nearby table graciously took this picture of our family
 celebrating Bartholomew's new birth in Jesus Christ.
(You can barely make out lil Branson's baby carrier between daddy and me,
 but he's there with us:).



Bud wanted to try crab legs so Red Lobster was the choice
restaurant.  What a celebration! February 24,2012
 is the awesome date!

Our two "Royal Red" Plates. The first one,
 the one daddy brought home a few years ago, is the one on the left.



Cameron chose Bob Evans as his place to celebrate!



Cameron's awesome date celebrating his new life in Christ is
May 22,2012!



Daddy took the picture of all of us at Bob Evans:).

 I sit here with the wafting aroma of a pie pumpkin cooking in the oven....maybe we will actually get the pumpkin pie made and the pumpkin pie spices and homemade pie crust will send it's savory smell throughout our house also.:) We woke up to a crisp morning and the first of window opening season for us! The kids have and still are absolutely enjoying this verrrry fall day.:) They have been busy in between school studies, converting a playhouse to a mini workshop:). Life with rough and tumble boys have added such dimensions to my outlook and have definitely stretched me beyond my comfort zone at times. The boys are quick to remind me to let them be boys and that is definitely my hearts desire to cater to that masculine restless stirring toward ambitious leadership that is hinted at in their risky boy mentality.:) In my journal last week I recorded as follows: ".....I've enjoyed immensely the joy of being mama to so many rambunctious boys, future leaders.:) I've been blessed to experience the joy of gracing this family with a gentle beautiful bundle of future lovely femininity-our Alaythia." So...we get to enjoy the best of both worlds~that of little boys and little girls!:) That of, "Snakes and snails (literally) and puppy dog tails! Sugar and spice and all that's nice!"  Except that miniature bundle of femininity likes many of the same things as her brothers such as trucks and camo stuff except she wants hers pink!!  Lol! Such a joy our kids are! But I am always very humbled at the real reason we experience this deep joy and peace that passeth all understanding and it is the Lord Jesus Christ. He has been our all in all. The very Solid Rock we stand on and rely upon, as sometimes life's circumstances causes us to walk a life on the edge. We accept by faith that God is already in every tomorrow and already knows and has conquered that path for us. This past year holds some verrry precious milestones. Our two oldest sons have both asked Jesus to personally live within their hearts. They are as Jesus describes in  John chapter 3 as being born again. There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was confused by that statement and questioned Jesus about it...Jesus answered him in verse 5, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God....." So we are really excited to have witnessed their physical birth as our babies and now their Spiritual birth in Jesus Christ.:) A special family tradition we began is their Spiritual birthday party!! So each boy was given the honor of choosing a restaurant of their choice. :) That went over very well with them! So Bartholomew chose "Red Lobster" and Cameron on his turn tho't he might like "Crab Lobster" too! But later chose "Bob Evans".:) So life has been interesting:).... A couple years back Daddy dear came home one day with a " Uniquely special red plate". He explained to our lil family that we will honor each other by having each one eat off this awesome plate on milestone occasions. Well needless to say, that is one popular plate! They have never tired whenever their turn has come around. We've had it for birthday's, achievement testing days, Father's day, Mother's day, baby shower dinners, just because we love you, and now for Spiritual birthday dinners etc.....Well, now we have two plates.....because we sadly forgot our special plate when we arrived at Bob Evans for Cameron. It wasn't till he came over as we were waiting for a table and whispered in my ear that we didn't bring the "Red plate". Can you imagine the heart brokenness we experienced as our minds scrambled for what to do?  We live way too far to have went back home sooo.....? I mentioned the Belles in the same plaza and wondered if they might have a "red plate"....I checked in the store...praying nearly the whole time  for a special red plate! I wasn't having any success till~there on the clearance shelf was a stack of handsome "red plates" that would do perfectly:). So Jesus not only provided us with a red plate but at an awesome price!:) :) So now we have two red plates and Cameron is tickled cause his and mommy's birthdays are on the exact same day and we always had to share by turns "The red plate":).  

" A Toddler on an Outdoor Excursion"

October already! My, how time flies! The other day we bought our first lil" pumpkin with pumpkin pie in mind. Our sweet lil guy Cameron gave us this intriguing mouthwatering idea!! So for our first autumn treat, we owe a big "Thank you " to Cameron!!:) We notice fall in a few subtle changes...the slant of the sun and sometimes it's like you can even just "smell" fall :). Another treat is, some days carry a bit of coolness even tho' it's still hot. Guess you gotta be a southerner to notice it!!:) Our lil Branson is really taking off on his toddling. So sweet....:) Today I took him out to the porches and we walked back and forth...back and forth... As I matched my steps to his and just slowed my whole pace down it gave me Spiritual eye opening contemplation. So like my Heavenly Papa. He gently holds my hand, not too tight. Just lightly enough to give me a sense of freedom that I'm on my own. But His great Hand holding mine doesn't let me stray. After our excursion of walking back and forth I decided it would be nice to let the lil' guy experience the tickling feel of walking barefoot on the grass...Now our porch is up 3 steps. I could have lifted him up and place him safely on the ground, but the tho't occurred to me that since he will be walking more and more on his own, he needs to learn how to get off the porch safely on his own...So I led him to the steps and helped him back around and crawl down the proper way ( for a baby that is.:) We really enjoyed our mini stroll...after a bit I gave him the lead with his hand still safely tucked in mind... I was surprised to noticed we only walked in small circles...Wow~ I do that in my Spiritual walk sometimes...Just stay within the realm of what I comfortingly know. Never choosing to stretch myself to involve more. I gently encouraged lil Branson to walk outside his little 3x3 comfort zone..So like the Father, as He takes me further on my Spiritual journey. The same way I was on the lookout for ants or anything poky that might hurt my lil one; I know God has me covered too. Yes, sometimes the terrain is uneven and I stumble, but God's comforting Hand is always in reach of mine..And He already sees what's ahead. .It's only if "I" stubbornly push Him away that I really hurt myself. Even then I believe He's still there..watching ...and ready to warmly grasp my small hand in His.