...He's up so high

so today, during our family devotions, i was reiterating to the boys the importance of obedience. something that we remind the boys of is that God always blesses obedience. riley asked how God did that. i said, well...in different ways. sometimes He can make you feel really happy, sometimes He can give you a real gift. ry said..."how can He give me a gift when He's up so high? will He drop it down?" i thought that was so cute, and if you know how cute his little voice is, it would make this story even better! anyways, a little later, aj was going through the laundry (that seems to always be clean, folded, and just NOT put away!!!)he found his lakers shirt that we got at a yard sale last week. he said "my lakers shirt!!! i have everything!"
i loved that. and i wish that i would be able to look at the things that i have and really be able to feel and say "i have everything" becuase i DO, right? i can be satisfied in Christ. i just need to choose that. i am so thankful to have boys that aren't afraid to ask honest questions, and boys that are thankful for what they have. i can learn a lot from them, and so can YOU :)

fishing

today my amazing parents took all SEVEN of the grandkids on a little fishing trip! it was the first time for my boys, and they were very excited. it was a beautiful, sunny day, and all the kids caught 2 fish each! (AJ caught the biggest! :))
they all had a picnic lunch, then fished, and then my parents took them all out for ice cream. i am so blessed to have godly family, and great parents who are willing to spend time with all the kiddies. i am blessed and God is good!

sentimental

i am feeling a little bit sentimental right now. i have a headache, and i can't get to sleep, so i started looking at the pictures on my computer. i found all the pictures from our missions trip to the dominican republic from last summer. it's weird how time can make you sort of forget things. you can kind of get so busy with whatever "life" is that you forget about what is really important. i remember how incredibly hot it was. i wish that there was a WAY stronger word for "hot" because it was like an oven. and i remember watching my little 6-year-old aj, playing basketball with the little orphan boys, and my little 4-year-old dealing with all the girls wanting to pick him up and hold him. they never one time complained about the heat. they did not complain about the fact that we had rice with every meal. taking their malaria pills was a little challanging, but we got through it! it amazes me still what an incredible trip it was. my boys are such a gift, and so adaptable to so many circumstances. we have so many different ministries during the week. mondays, wednesdays (and fridays during the school year) are always late nights with the boys not getting to bed until well after 10:00 some nights. God has worked things out so we can do these ministries together as a family, and i am so thankful for the kids attitudes. this summer, i am so excited to be planning a trip to haiti. this year will be a lot different than last year. we will be going with my grandfather, my parents, some adults from church and only 3 teenagers! i am getting excited as i look back at all the pictures from last summer, and remember the different culture, and the amazing way that God used us. i thought that i would post a few pictures to give you an idea of where we were...for those of you who haven't seen them. so here's my deep, sentimental thought for the day. don't get so busy living your life that you forget to remember who you're living your life for. :)

thursday

i kept saying "you have laid your hand upon me" over and over as i was in the dentist chair for over an hour!! i would rather go through just about ANYTHING than being at the dentist. but i survived, and i really could sense God with me.
also, i got a haircut last night, so here is a picture...i had just gotten it cut, so i hadn't really played with it or anything. adam likes short hair better, and it will be much cooler for the summer. i was getting sick of it being so long anyways!
here is a before and after picture...ok, i put the pictures backwards. i guess it is a after and before picture! :)

Being Content

i was thinking back to about 2 years ago, and remembering where i was in life. me and adam were a little discouraged about finances, and we were trying to make a desicion. we had the opportunity to move from nh to florida. when we wrote everything out on paper, it seemed to make sense. it is much cheaper to live, we could buy a nice house, it is warmer, we could send the boys to a christian school, and adam would have a job. i remember even asking a friend of mine her thoughts. we both have similar passions - our children. (but she has 2 girls, i have 2 boys!) she said that we needed to think about what was best for our children -first. and i totally agree, but there was something in us that was telling us to stay. we didn't hear a loud, booming voice from the sky, but there was a definate still, small voice! it would have been so easy and practical to make this decision, but there are times that God calls you to walk the harder path. what i mean by that, is that nh is a cold place, and a HUGE mission field. i have to admit that sometimes i get frustrated when i hear about great, christian families moving to a foreign country to be missionaries. don't misunderstand me - i am all for foreign missions! i have great friends who are doing that, and i greatly respect them. it's just that sometimes i think it is harder to stay here and minister to people who are so cold and unreceptive to the Gospel! that is what we were facing. we felt that God needed us here. of course, we could've gotten involved in ministry in florida, and God is not thrown off by our good or bad decisions. he can use us inspite of ourselves! but i have personally led 5 people to Christ, and been part of and seen about 5 others just in the last year in our church here in the remote state of NH!! i am constantly amazed at what God is doing. i am sitting here right now, in my living room - which is about 7x12. and i am totally and completely thankful, content, and overwhelmed by God's goodness, and the way HE leads our family. he is such a good GOD!! i was talking to the boys the other day about a house we saw, and they said "ours is much bigger and better. it's way funner" wow. it's all about perspective! our house is NOT bigger than much, but when you are where God wants you it is the best place to be. i love psalm 16:6 "Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me. Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful." i am amazed by God's grace, by his love and his plan. i love watching the young adults in our group share the verses that God is speaking to them. i love watching teenagers change their lives, and i love watching God work. i just read this verse today - "You hem me in, behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me." i love that picture. His hand is upon me. I will rest in that today. no matter how big my house is, God is holding on to me!!

proud mommy

for some reason, when it comes to putting the kids to bed, i have a hard time being the tough and stern mommy. it's weird because when i am not home and adam puts them to bed, they stay in bed and go to sleep. when i am home and put them to bed, they get up a million times. riley has such a cute little voice, and after i say "stay in bed" he will say "but what if i really need you?" so i just allow it. i know that i could put a stop to it, and could get serious...but i get really sentimental for some reason. if you have heard the song i wrote for the boys (you can hear it and watch a slide show of pictures on the side of my blog) there's a verse that talks about if this was the last time i would see them, and the things i would enjoy. one thing, was i would "keep you up at night for just a while". so i get that way. anyways...last night i gave the boys each a piece of paper and said they had one pass. they could use it to get up, but only one time.

ry just came walking out, and it struck me as so cute that he was holding the little "pass" in his hand, and told me that he could barely even hear the music playing. (i always have christian worship music playing when they go to sleep, always have since i brought aj home from the hospital!) so, of course i got up and turned it up a little. i don't know, it was just precious. so, i know i just went through this whole entire nonsensical story to just say that i think ry looked so cute holding his pass. i could have just said that. but that would not be me. hey- at least you don't have to be with me, because i would be acting it out!! that's just how i am.

i am so thankful that i have had the Bible to raise my kids with. i am so seeing the benefits of following it!! it seemed so hard when they were 2 and 3 and i felt like my main job description was "spanker" and i may have had a day or two when i wondered if it was really making a difference. wow. it did. my kids aren't perfect, but they are already a blessing to their mommy when i see the way they act. they both just memorized psalm 119:9. "how can a young man keep his way pure? by living according to your word". that is my prayer for them tonight. keep living according to God's Word, boys! God will always bless your obedience!!!