A Heart Toward Home

"...But as for me and my house, we will serve (worship) the LORD."
Joshua 24:15

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Cowboys!

Elijah

Isaac


When I was expecting Isaac, for my baby shower, my mother-in-law gave me some of Bryan's clothes from when he was a kid. I thought this was the sweetest thing! One of those outfits was this cowboy outfit. If any of you know Isaac and have known him you know that when he was younger he was CRAZY about cowboys and horses. Every time you saw him he had on his cowboy hat and boots. It was so cute. Well finally when he was 3 years old he was big enough to wear "Dad's" cowboy outfit. The other day I got out this outfit for Elijah and it fit him so well...I was glad I didn't wait any longer! So thought I would share with you all my little cowboys in their Daddy's cowboy outfit. I know that Bryan was just as cute when he wore it...right Joan! I also thought you could see how Isaac and Elijah look alike and not alike (Isaac is 3 in the picture and Elijah is 2 1/2). Now when Timothy gets old enough to wear it I will have to do another post!

Happy New Year to you all!!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Christmas 2009

Timothy's 1st Christmas!

Elijah had fun playing with everyone's things!

Isaac is opening some books that we got him.

Isaac and Bryan with Isaac's tools.

Sarah got some cooking sets!

Sarah's doll house...

We had a very fun and great Christmas! It is so hard to believe that last Christmas I was pregnant with Timothy! He had a really nice 1st Christmas! Elijah got all kinds of fun things and really did enjoy playing with Sarah, Isaac and Timothy's things! Isaac got a set of "lil helper" tools. They are real tools just a smaller version! Sarah got a Barbie doll house, the one pictured above. That actually was the barbie doll house my Dad made me when I was little. We got it and Bryan worked really hard at cleaning it up and putting new flooring in it, new back board, new roof and new wall paper in it and it looks so good! After we opened our presents my parents came over and we had Christmas with them...

My Dad opening the gifts we got for him!

My Mom loved the things she got!

This is two peas in a pod!

I am an only child and so my parents only have one stop to make on Christmas Day! They have come for breakfast on Christmas morning for the past few years and then after breakfast we exchange presents with my parents. The kids always have so much fun with Paw and Maw. Isaac thinks my Dad is great and Isaac just loves to be with my Dad. So the picture of Dad and Isaac is for them! We ended the day with a Birthday Party for Jesus...

This is the Birthday Cake we made and shared.

This year we went to our friend's house, The Oehrig's, and did our Happy Birthday Party. We ate supper with them and got to meet their families and then we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and ate cake, cookies and ice cream. What a great way to end an awesome day!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas with our families!

My grandmother feeding one of her great grandbabies!!

Aunt Sheila and Ashton (my Mom's sister-n-law and neice)

My Uncle Eddie (my Mom's brother)

my cousin Rebecca and her hubby and youngest girl (my Mom's Sister's daughter)

Bryan and Isaac opening gifts (while Isaac is watching a football game)

my Aunt Joline and my cousin Dakoda (my Mom's sister and my uncle Eddie's son)

my Dad and Timothy (my dad thinks his role is to get Timothy to sleep and he usually does)

my Mother!

Sarah opening presents!

Sarah reading to Abbie (my cousin Rebecca's oldest child) I tought this was adorable!

The Camp's Christmas...
Gigi loving on Timothy!

Craig and Mia

The girls (Seirra, Peyton and Sarah)

Candice and Jameson

Isaac and Riley

Rusty opening a gift

Bryan and I helping Elijah open his gift

Stephanie

Aaron

Pop (Bud)

Isn't he so cute!!


This past Saturday was a very busy day for our family but a very good one! We headed to my Grandmother's house for lunch with my Mom's family. There was such delicious food and then so much fun to see and be with those that we hardly ever get to see and visit with. Our children were so very blessed with many gifts and lots of love!! It was like Christmas morning...and then again on Saturday night. After we got the kids home and down for a nap it was time to go again! Late Saturday afternoon we headed to Bryan's older brothers home for Christmas with Bryan's family. Once everyone had arrived we opened presents and once again we were so blessed by our family and their generosity. As always Stephanie out did herself with the food...thanks Steph. Then we just hung out and enjoyed being together. Needless to say my family crashed when we got home and went to bed! It was such a good day filled with family and being with one another. My prayer is that in the middle of all the gifts that my family doesn't forget the TRUE meaning of Christmas...JESUS!!!

Merry Christmas to all of you and may Jesus be the center of your Christmas!!
Love- The Camp's

Friday, December 18, 2009

Sarah...






Sarah has asked to take piano lessons for over a year and I would just brush it off...but after a year I began to think maybe this is something she really wants to do. So back in September she began taking lessons and...she LOVES it!! We found a really great teacher for her. Mrs. Beth works so good with children. Sarah remembers to practice without me having to remind her...WOW! The pictures I posted are from her going to the Baptist Children's Home and playing for their open house. (Can you see Elijah "helping" in the last picture? That extra hand on the piano belongs to him.) She played a couple of Christmas songs and then last Sunday night before our church service she played those Christmas songs. She is learning so much and we are so proud of her. Our desire is that God would use her piano playing to bring Him honor and be a source of Worship of God for her. Keep up the good work Sarah!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Christmas Tree!










This is what our family did on Thanksgiving morning! I will tell you a brief story about Christmas Trees.....Bryan and I purchased a Christmas Tree our first Christmas we were married and had the best time putting up the tree and even making homemade ornaments together to go on the tree. Well after a couple of years we decided it was more of a hassle to put up the tree and take it down and we even had a cat that we had to try and keep out of the tree, so we didn't have a Christmas Tree for about 3+ years! Everyone thought we were "weird" but we saw it as a time saver and knew that one day when we had children we would do the Christmas Tree thing again. Well when we did start putting that tree up again the kids really enjoyed it. Last year when we put the tree up and took it down it was shedding really bad (it was 12 years old). So after Christmas we took advantage of a sale and bought us a new pre-lit tree!!!! O how nice it was to just 1-2-3 and it was put up and with lights on it!!! WOW what a time saver! This year I decided that I would let the kids put on the ornaments (not the meaningful ones) while I put the nice ones on the top. Through God's changing me I actually have not fretted about the "looks" of our tree. All the ornaments are on the front and we have more in some spots than others but the fact is the kids had a blast decorating the tree and that is what matters. If you know me any you know that I am a perfectionist and like things done "right" but God has brought me a long way! Praise God that I am learning that some things are just not that important. I will say though that I haven't wrapped the first present because I just assumed that with Tinothy I would have to rewrap them, so there are no presents under the tree....yet! I just love my family and love making memories with them. I feel so blessed to have so many helpers around the house!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

A nugget of God's truth...

Saturday night my mother, Sarah and I attended a "Cookie Exchange" and really enjoyed ourselves. There were so many different kinds of cookies and yet each one delicious. Everyone that attneded brought a plate full of cookies to share with everyone else. The home that we went to was so beautifully decorated and looked so "Christmasy". As I share that with you I am reminded that our heart is God's home and we must make sure that it is fit for a King....the King of Kings. The Bible tells us that it is God that takes out our heart of stone and puts in us a new heart...a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26&27). So in preparing our hearts for our King I invite you to a "Scripture Exchange". Here is how it works...I have shared with you on occasions passages of scripture that God has used to speak to my heart (those are labeled "A nugget of God's truth..."), so now I ask that you share a passage of scripture and how God has used it to speak to your heart. After all have shared I will compile them and post them (with your permission). This way we can all "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8. If you follow my blog and can not post then please feel free to email me your scripture. I will give everyone a week to reply. I am looking forward to hearing how God is at work in your lives through His Word! My prayer is that you and I will receive a blessing, encouragement and be challenged by one another.

Friday, December 4, 2009

From our Kitchen to yours

Before I post this recipe let me tell you a couple of things. First of all I am an avid Mom of reading aloud to our children! Back in October I attended a Homeschool Conference and purchased a set of readers for the kids and I. We quickly began reading the first in the set titled "Summer with the Moody's". It is an awesome set of books and I would highly recommend them. In the book the Moody kids were going to cook supper for their parents and they made biscuit pizza's. So my children and I thought that was a neat idea....so we decided we would try to make them one day. Last Friday night we kept our friends children for them to have a date. Guess what we had for supper?....your right....biscuit pizza's! And we had so much fun making them and they tasted GREAT too!

Biscuit Pizza's
1 Can of biscuits
shredded motzerella (I think I misspelled that) cheese
your choice of toppings
pizza sauce

Roll flat your biscuits on floured surface (we actually just worked with them til they were flat). Put sauce on your biscuit and top with your choice of toppings and cheese. Place on greased baking dish and bake at tempature on can of biscuits for 8-10 minutes or until done. You might want to keep your eye on them so they don't get too done on the bottom.

Hope this is as fun for you as it was for us. If you have any questions please let me know.

P.S. If you haven't noticed...on the right side bar is a player of some of Bryan's sermons, pleae feel free to listen and comment if you'd like.

Friday, November 27, 2009

1989-2009

Isaac and Sarah playing at the park.


Elijah stops for a break....


The three BIG kids pose on the bridge at the park!


Timothy is ready to go!

The front of the school...

The classmates who attended the Picnic/Park time.


Clay County Panthers!!


The Governor's mansion!!


The center piece on the food table....


The cake had their Senior class picture on it.


Those who attended the Governor's mansion time.
I love that man!!

In November we celebrated Bryan's 20 year high school class reunion! I can not believe he has been out of high school for 20 years! It seems like yesterday we were celebrating his 10 year reunion. What is wild is that at his 10 year reunion we had 0 kids....and at his 20 year reunion we have 4....and out of the ones that attended we were the ones with the most kids. How things change. Our day started out at the Ashland Park for apicnic with our families. It was great to see everyones children and give the kiddos a chance to play together on the playgrounds. Then after a picnic and some socialization we all loaded up and went to the High School. There we got to go through the school and see what things had changed and what had not. By this time my kids ( and me) were in much need of a nap! So my family headed to my in-laws for some down time. After a nice rest Bryan and I got ready and headed to Montgomery for the last part of the reunion. My mom and Bryan's mom had agreed to keep the kids and to manage with Timothy (I have never left him yet). Let me explain why we were going to Montgomery....you see the Governor's daughter graduated with Bryan so we were invited to the Governor's mansion. WOW!! It was so nice to be with just the adults for awhile. I know Bryan enjoyed getting to visit with his classmates. The mansion was very nice and Mrs. Riley was very hospitable. This is one of those once in a lifetime things for Bryan and I. Something I will definately have to share with the grandkids. And Timothy did very well without me...Thanks so very much to our Mom's and Dad's (They are so helpful and such a blessing)!!