To Kiss or Not to Kiss?

Interesting article found on www.reformation21.org.
http://reformation21.org/Counterpoints/Counterpoints/234/vobId__3713/

Memories

I traveled back into my picture archives and found this. Thought some of you would like to see what we looked like three years ago when we gathered for a celebration. Oh, college days....they were grand! Love you all!

Top Row: Mary, Malisa, Bree and Heather
Bottom Row: me, Cory, Audra and Libby (with Annie)

Girl's Night Out

Only a few weeks until Mary gets married. We love to get together so this gave us another reason to get away. We left responsibility at home (except I brought Luke with me) and got a hotel room so we could sit up until the wee hours laughing, chatting, eating, and reminiscing about our fun college days as roommates. Pictured from left to right: Libby, Mary, Heather, and me. Many adjectives come to mind when I think of my three best friends.....of course, my list could be longer but I haven't the room or time to list them all!

Libby = structured, organized, clean-freak, smart, personable, loyal, funny, and kind.
Mary = crazy, hysterical, laid-back, friendly, compassionate, and fun to be around
Heather = faithful, patient, encouraging, sweet, down-to-earth, germ-freak, and tidy.

What did you do this weekend?

We took a few walks, watched the rain through the window, bandaged some boo-boos, attended a birthday party, played in the sprinkler, went to church, bowled for the first time, ate cookies, had guests over for Sunday lunch, painted a wall hanging, sweated, felt the strong wind against our faces, went to Wal-Mart, bought a stuffed toy lobster, played on the playground, ate at McDonald's, gave lots of hugs and kisses, called grandparents, watched VeggieTales, fingerpainted, decorated with stickers, jumped on a trampoline, sang songs, played the piano at church, went barefoot almost everyday, killed a bug and then flushed it down the potty, visited friends, took naps, and much much more. These pictures captured a few of these moments.

It's Mary's time

After being a bridesmaid in everyone's wedding, it's now Mary's turn to wear white. My college roommate and sweet friend, Mary, is tying the knot. How blissful! Darien sounds like a wonderful man and I'm so happy the Lord brought them together. Mary, it's your time! Mark the date and pray for them (they're having a small, intimate wedding with family only)....Friday, September 8th, 2006.

Leash law

I love dogs....I really do. I used to want to be a veterinarian until I realized all the math, chemistry, and anatomy classes they had to take. I had dogs as pets growing up and I loved them all; especially my mutt, Nikki. She was with me from grade school until college. I'm not a dog expert on the breeds so I'm not sure exactly how each breed of dog is supposed to be "wired", but I do know that some dogs are scarier than others.

Usually, the bigger the dog, the scarier the dog. I haven't always been aware of their size, or frightened to an extreme by the large breeds....until I had children. I would like to think that I can go into my own fenced-in-backyard and not have to worry about the safety of my children; but, this morning, as Andrew was playing in the sprinkler and Luke sitting on my hip, I heard a deep grunt and then a growl. I immediately knew what the sound was but couldn't place the location of the dog. I then turned to my right and saw two HUGE dogs on the other side of the fence. This fence is a simple chain-link that is lower than it should be due to the erosion of the soil...therefore, instead of it standing at its full heigth, it is only half as tall as it should be. The dogs could have easily jumped it and attacked if they wanted. Andrew was about 30 feet away from me but our eyes met each as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. I looked him sternly in the eye as I slowly walked toward him, took his hand, turned toward the house and said, "Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk." It took forever to get to the back door, but we made it safely. I looked back to see the dogs still staring at us and slowly pacing back and forth against the fence.

This was MY territory, though...why should the dogs feel threatened by me? Well, maybe it's because one had some Pit Bull in him and the other looked like a Great Dane. It's just scary to think back on all those times when I've been in the outside laundry room while Andrew has played in the driveway, just a few feet away, without a fence to protect him. Or, when we were in the front yard this past Saturday washing my van and I turned my back to turn on the waterhose. Anyway, I'm just using this space to vent......if you are a dog owner, whether it be a small or large dog, please keep your dog on a leash or behind a secure fence. They may be friendly with you, or when you're around, but they're still animals that can be scary to those with whom they're not familiar.

I would type some sort of spiritual application here, relating the fear of dogs to the safety of God, but I'm too angry at the moment.
Ok, I feel better now.

At the car wash!

"Helping Mommy wash the car isn't all that hard.....especially when she does all the work and I get to goof, oops...I meant, cool off (*wink, wink*)!"

Pirates, Roly-Polies, and stuff

Just took some cute pictures that I wanted to share.

Andrew loves to hunt for Roly Polies....especially when the grass is wet and they ermerge from the soil. I'm trying to teach him to be gentle when he picks them up and transfers them from fingers to bowl, for they are easily crushed. He is learning but a few always end up dead in the process. This is the largest his collection has ever been!

I'm convinced that Chick-Fil-A has the best toys in their kid's meals than any other fast food joint; however, I must say that McDonald's gave out a winner this go round. They are promoting the new movie sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean (which we haven't seen yet but will soon, for sure, thanks to Chad and Chrissy), and gave pirate bandanas in their happy meals. Andrew has been wearing it around the house but Luke wanted to give piracy a try.

No comment.

Cousins playing

"My cousin, Emma, came over to play with me yesterday. Isn't she pretty? It was so hot outside that Mom let us have popsicles to cool us off. Anyway, I really like hanging out with Emma. I hope she comes over again soon so I can take her for another ride in my jeep."

That's hilarious!

I think this picture is so funny. Can you spot Andrew? He's in the middle of the photo, smack dab between all the girls. What a player.

More pictures to share

I love taking pictures and love sharing them even more!

How was your holiday?

We celebrated July 4 by going to visit my mother and extended family. We grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, and ate loads of Lays potato chips. My cousins from Mississippi were also present for the food and fun. We made it home last night in time to watch the city-wide fireworks with Mitch's sister and her family. Today, after getting my root canal (what a relief!), we pretty much stayed inside since it was so hot! Andrew wanted to color, stick, and paint so he got busy at the kitchen table while Luke chilled out in the high chair.

Strolling my blues away

It's so hot! Too hot to even play outside unless it involves getting wet. After it rained a little and cooled off, I took the boys for a stroll around the block while Mitch mowed the front yard. Andrew loves sitting next to Luke in the jogger and Luke simply likes being outside, out of the house. A change of scenery is always nice for us all. I've got another root canal appointment this week so I'm all doped up on the "magic pills" to keep my pain away until it can be taken care of. Every dentist/endodentist in town is on vacation for the long holiday weekend so I'm relying on the wonder of medicine. We're taking advantage of the holiday as well....we're leaving after church tomorrow to visit my mother. I haven't been "home" in a while so it's due time. I love going to her house! My sister and her family will be there, too, so it will be two full days of laughter, eating, visiting, and playing. Hope you have a happy July 4th!

The King is Coming!

What a promise God has made! The King is surely coming! The children were so excited to hear about God's covenant that his Son would one day return. It's a promise that I, as an adult, need to claim and hold on to as I struggle with life and my own sin. VBS was a huge success with over 70 children in attendance! The workers were great....whether they were serving the children in the classroom, on the playground, in crafts, making snack plates (yummy!), playing games, telling mission stories, or taking them to the potty - fun was had by all. The Gospel rings true!

Katie and Kat make crafts with their class.

I think Katie (in the green) is having more fun than anyone!

No, wait...is that Dot waving her hands in the air, acting like she just don't care? What a hoot!

I enjoyed directing this huge project with Leslie and couldn't have done it without her.

Bath time and high places

Luke loves taking a sink bath. Can't you tell?


Andrew loved sitting on the balcony edge with his Daddy when in Atlanta last week for our week long stay at the Hyatt.
He pointed out every MARTA bus in sight!

VBS week

This is the week of VBS....and I'm in charge. This would be the reason why the blogging has been light and the pictures are few. I've got my hands full of 65 other children besides my own. Today went well and the kids and teachers seemed to have had a blast. Our theme is THE KING IS COMING, with a medieval motiff. It's been fun making shields, crests, banners, and all that other fun celtic stuff. I'm taking lots of pictures but need to locate (or purchase another) my USB cord so I can upload them all. Until then......

General Assembly

We are having fun here in Atlanta at the PCA General Assembly. It's my first time coming with Mitch and I'm so glad I did. Friends are everywhere and it's been good to see their faces and chat with them. There have been some fantastic speakers, preachers, and musicians. It's amazing to sit in the grand hall with 1000 other voices, lifting praise to God as we sing in unison the lyrics to "What Wondrous Love Is This", "And Can It Be", "Holy, Holy, Holy", and many more hymns (as well as some newer contemporary tunes). What was neat was to see Andrew's face light up when we started singing "And Can It Be", because he recognized it. We sing that to him every night as we put him to bed. How neat that the tune has been planted into his head and that we can trust that the Lord will plant the words into his heart. The exhibit hall has been overwhelming but fun to walk through. I found some great books that I want to read but will probably struggle to find the time to devote to (sometimes it's hard not to end a sentence with a preposition). While the boys were in the nursery, I visited the ladies in the craft room and made two fun whimsical items. I'll post pics of the result products later. It's midnight and I'm sitting in the lobby of the Hyatt. The free internet service provided by the PCA doesn't reach my floor so I had to come down here, leaving all three of my men in the room. I can't wait to possibly go to GA next year (Memphis!). I've made a neat friend named Anne, who has been in both crafts with me as well as traveled with me to pick up our children in the nursery. Tomorrow we venture to the new aquarium. Can't wait!

Baseball fans

Here's a picture of us and Jennifer and John Ed (minus Chrissy and Chad, who took this picture) at the Braves game this past Saturday....before the beer was spilt down our backs. That would be Red Sox fans to the rear and to our left. There were some in front of us, too. We were surrounded by them!

It's hard for me to say "I'm Sorry"

Remember that song by the group, Chicago, "It's Hard For Me to Say I'm Sorry"? Gosh, it's so hard to admit wrong doing. I see this denial all the time in myself. My sin sitting right in front of me yet I don't want to confess, repent, or believe. I doubt God. What a horrible sin! God has made his forgiveness so freeing and easy but all I want to do is wallow. How pitiful. No, I'm not being too hard on myself, as some of my friends might tell me. I'm glad the Father exposes my dirt, even when I don't want to acknowledge it. My sin bothers me. I loathe it. My sin makes me sad. My sin makes the Father sad. He loves me despite my sin...that's called grace. It's amazing.

Adults are much better at hiding their sin and pretending that everything is OK. However, a two year old is an excellent example of the total depravity of man. I sat on the floor with my sweet little boy yesterday, playing with some of his toys. We've instructed him several times that it's NOT ok to throw your toys, no matter if it's in fun, frustration, or anger. He's two. He got excited about playing and had a moment of forgetfulness. With a strong overhand, he threw the thick wooden train whistle straight toward me. It hit my face and chest hard. So hard that it drew tears to my eyes. My little boy was immediately concerned for my well being but he was also confused as to what was going on. He came to me and wrapped his arms around my neck, asking, "You otay?". Through my tears, I smiled at him and showed him my boo-boo. He kissed my hurts and continued to comfort me. Once things calmed down, Mitch and I talked to him about his wrong-doing and encouraged him to SAY he was sorry. Boy, that was hard for him to do. Of course, I told him how I loved it when he showed his concern for me earlier and even kissed my hurts but I wanted him to seek reconciliation and ask for forgiveness. Wow.....that was hard for even a two year old to do! How can anyone say that there is anything good in man? The only way that good can ever come from man is because of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus. Sure, children are innocent in many ways but their heart isn't one of them. Today, I referred to my son as "a little sinner" when in conversation with another adult. After telling him NO to his request, he began throwing a tantrum. She asked, "Why is he acting that way?". Because he's a sinner......and so am I. And God wants me to parent this child? I need you, Father!

Great blog to read by Justin Taylor

Ok, my husband has me hooked on a blog that I just can't get enough of. It's written by Justin Taylor, an excellent writer and godly man. I can spend hours reading his archives. He used to work alongside John Piper as the director of Desiring God Ministries but has recently taken a new position in Chicago as editor for the new ESV Study Bible , due sometime next year. Anyway, you should really read some of his posts, if not all of them! You can visit his blog by clicking here.