Our first night at our new home.

I should have already posted this but better late than never!! We had gathered all that we could and tried to have all that we needed for a couple of days into a few boxes. Some men from the church had come to help Bryan move some big things so we decided to move as many big things as we could while we had the help. After a long day of packing and moving we all were exhausted! I think each one of us said that we were wanting something refreshing. With my sweet hubby around that was all he needed to hear and off he went to the closest store (I think it was the Piggly Wiggly) and bought a huge thing of ice cream and we all enjoyed every bite!! No, we didn't eat the whole thing of ice cream but the scoop or two we did have was so nice. It was like a fun ending to a crazy day. As you can see all we had was plastic cups and spoons, have you ever tried scooping ice cream with a plastic spoon? Not easy! I think we washed and used those plastic cups that whole first week. If you have ever moved you know what I mean when I say you "ruff it" for a week or two til you get all those boxes to the new house and then eventually find which box has what in it when you need it. It has been crazy for us the past few weeks and I look forward to getting settled and using our home for times of fellowship with friends. I have to share something....God's word tells us that when we commit our ways to Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts. I remember when we moved to our home in Alabama and were painting. I had thought I would love for something to be brown. Never expressed that because really just thought that would be alot of trouble. Here we are in our new home....every wall is brown except for the kitchen!! Is that not hilarious!! Thought that was too funny and wanted to share with you some of my crazy world. :)

Please pray for our family as we do get settled into our new home and as we feel that God has called us to this neighborhood. I see this as a great opportunity to share with our new neighbors all that God has done in my life and be a living testimony to them of a Great and Awesome God!! This is like our mission field.

Movie Night & Pregnancy Update

We had our first Family Movie Night at our new home this past Friday night. The kids loved it! Timothy is now wanting to be a part. He loves the popcorn and milkshake part the best! We usually do just one or the other but this time Daddy spoiled us and the kids got popcorn and then a milkshake. My dear hubby did so well at making me rest and enjoy the evening. All I see every day is the MANY boxes that need to be unpacked but he made sure that I didn't touch one box and that I enjoyed sitting back and drinking my milkshake! Thank you sweetie! Do you see our "popcorn" bowls? The kids love yogurt so we save the bowls to use later, as you can see they do come in handy. We use to have movie and milkshake night every Monday night but since football has come along that has not happened often. We were way over due. My prayer is these are the moments that will make memories for our children, the time we spend together.

On the pregnancy note: I went to the Dr. this past Thursday and had a great check up. This Wednesday I will be 28 weeks, that is 6 1/2 months. I had my glucose test at this visit and that come back great! The baby's heartbeat was in the 150's and very active! My Dr. also shared with me that she is expecting and is about 17 weeks. This will be her first baby and they are very excited!! Also there is a couple that has been visiting our church and she is expecting and come to find out we are using the same Dr. Isn't that neat!! Actually including me and that lady there are 7 of us at the church that are pregnant!! It is always fun to have someone else going through pregnancy with you. With Isaac there was another girl pregnant that I became good friends with and we were due 1 day apart. And then with the others there just seems to always be someone else that is pregnant too and we can stay in touch. Actually with Isaac, Bryan's older brother and his wife were expecting too. This time, Bryan's youngest brother and his wife are expecting...Fun!! We are so excited!

All is well here. Hope you all have a great week. Hope to post again after our Hallelujah Fest at church on Saturday!

Our New Home

Man, have things been busy here! I can't remember the last time I was able to get on the computer. Anyway we are in full swing at moving in our New Home! We absolutely love it!! We have been sleeping there since last Friday night! The kids are excited and very happy! We have enjoyed being there and look forward to being fully moved in. That may take some time. :) I just wanted to post a quick one to give you all an update and let you know that I haven't drowned in the sea of boxes!!! Hope to post again over the weekend, I go to the Dr. on Thursday and would love to give an update about that! Hope you all have a great week and weekend!

The Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday the kids and I went to a pumpkin patch with some other homeschool families in our church. It was a great field trip for us to do. When we got there they let the kids feed the calves a bottle. Sarah and Elijah loved that. Then we got to see a rabbit, goats and a turkey. Then we headed over to the hay maze. The boys loved jumping over the bales of hay. I took Timothy and Elijah to play in the corn. That was fun because it was this huge feeding trough full of corn and the kids could play in that with shovels and buckets, just right for Elijah and Timothy!! Next we took a Hay Ride that was 2 miles long and had a ton of scarecrows all along the path. Those were some of the cutest scarecrows. There was even some that were "real". Next we got to pick out a pumpkin to take home and then it was time for lunch. After we ate lunch one of the "real" scarecrows came over to the picnic area and he was on stilts, it was neat. When lunch was done my two little ones were hot and tired, so we headed for home. We all had such a great time being with our friends and enjoying the day that God had provided for us. I was so thankful for the Mom's who helped me with Timothy and the stroller, they were a BIG help!! Although Elijah had a couple of melt downs the kids and I had a great day! We all were exhausted when we got home so after so much fun we all crashed for a nap. Thank you Lord for naps!! :)

New House update: Yesterday we moved some of the attic stuff, like boxes of clothes and Christmas stuff. The greatest thing was that a Lady from the church offered to clean the house for me!! I get so emotional thinking about it. I feel so humbled and grateful that she offered to do this. She went yesterday and worked ALL day to clean our new home for us and now it is ready for us to move in! I pray blessing on this dear lady, she has truly blessed me beyond anything I could have ever asked for. I had really wondered how was I going to be able to get the house cleaned with being pregnant and 4 children, it would have taken me a while. Today Bryan's parents are coming to help us do a few things, that will be great! Hopefully next weekend we can get the majority of our stuff moved and be closer to being fully there. Oh, we are so excited and can't wait to use our home to glorify God!!

A new Home!

Many of you have been praying that our house in Anniston would sell and so have we. God has provided us with a family to rent that house and we are so thankful. With that house being rented we prayed and asked God what we should do here. Should we continue to rent the house we are in or buy a home. Through a lot of prayer and with God's leadership He has allowed us to purchase a home. We have been looking at and going through the paper work on a house for about a month. Yesterday we signed the final paper work and received the key today! We are so excited!! Bryan and I know that God has provided this home for us and we are thankful! We have continued to pray that if this was the home God had for us then all the right doors would open and if this was not the home then the doors would slam shut. God has faithfully opened each door and has carried us through. We are doing a few small things before we move in but hoping that we will begin moving in this weekend and be completely moved in by the end of the month. The kids are excited also. It will be some change for us and a few things to prepare for the new baby's arrival. We are so blessed and are humbled that God would be so good to us. I will try and post some pictures along the way. If it is a while before my next post, you will know why. Please pray that we can get everything moved and that with every step we will praise and glorify Him who has been soooooo good to us!

Until next time.....

Water and Jesus

When Bryan and I first got married we decided to drink less sodas and tea and to drink more water. We did this for several reasons, 1) being newly married we wanted to know how to pinch our pennies and once we figured up the cost we realized just how much we would save. Especially drinking water when we went out to eat. 2) Water is much healthier for you. WOW of all the health benefits of drinking water! I admit this was a huge change for us both. I hardly remember drinking water growing up, it was mostly tea and sodas. Over the years (14) it has gotten much easier to not have a soda or tea. When we go out to eat we have no problem ordering water, it just is the natural thing for us to do. We have gotten to where when we do drink tea or soda it is a special thing. We make tea or have sodas when we have company or sometimes when we go somewhere to eat. Now it is more of a treat than a necessity.

While we were on vacation I realized something, I feel that God showed me something to relate this to. I did have a soda or two on our vacation, but as soon as I was done drinking that drink I was still thirsty. Almost as if I could not get enough. Finally I would fix myself a glass of ice water and I was satisfied. That was it, just what I needed to cure that thirst I had. God showed me that life with Him is like that. See it is not that tea or sodas are sinful for me to drink, but they don't satisfy me like water does. There are things in my life that are not sinful but they don't satisfy me like Jesus does. Jesus is the water and these other things that I think will satisfy me just don't. Think about it a little further....with Jesus it is the healthiest and wisest choice for us. I know that these other things cost me valuable time, money, energy and are not as satisfying. When I put Jesus first and go to Him to satisfy me I will not be wasting anything and I will be greatly satisfied. Although these other things in my life are not sinful why waste one moment on them when I can go to the One thing that is the GREATEST!!

My prayer is that God will NEVER let me forget this lesson He has taught me and every time I drink a glass of water I will be reminded that Jesus is my water and every time I drink a glass of tea or a soda I will be reminded that those other things in my life are NOT going to satisfy me!

Some verses that come to my mind...

"...but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." John 6:35

Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat. Revelation 7:16

My challenge to you is for you to look up those verses and read them in context. Meditate on these verses and get to KNOW Him who satisfies!

Is Jesus your water?

Tending to a nation

Today was beautiful and we got to go outside and enjoy some of it. I let Isaac and Sarah do some school outside while the little boys played. They had so much fun and enjoyed every minute of it!

I receive this magazine called Above Rubies and inserted in the issue was a letter that I actually just found yesterday. As I read it I felt God encourage me and challenge me. I wanted to share with you what it said...

"May God's love fill your home. Don't forget who you are--an Arrow Polisher

( Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.

Psalm 127:4),

a Nation Builder

(But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9) ,

a Director of Home Affairs, and of coarse you proudly bear the name of Mother. As a home-loving, home-keeping, home-nursing, home-cooking, home-working, home-training and home advocating mother, you are the most important asset in this nation! Your life may often seem overwhelmingly busy, but what else can you expect when you have the most important job in the nation?" (Mrs. Nancy Campbell)

Thank you Lord for reminding me that every day I am taking care of the nation. She was right, I think every day I feel overwhelmingly busy, but now I know why. God reminded me that my children are the future of this nation. If Jesus tarries and my children live a long life then how I train them now will matter in the future. God has entrusted me with these arrows and it is my job to teach them the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:5-9

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.).

My prayer is that God would not let me forget "who I am". I must go now, I need to tend to the nation.