Thankful Thursdays

My friend, Rachel, has started a new weekly column called, you guessed it, Thankful Thursdays. She encouraged her fellow bloggers to play along. And since I need to be much better at focusing on my blessings in life, I thought this would be a great tool to help me with that.

Today just happens to be my birthday, and so today I am thankful for 31 years of life. It has been a full life, with great times, hard times, and in-between times; with love, laughter, and tears. The Bible says that God has written our days in His book, so the only reason I have had these 31 years, and all the blessings that came with them, is because He willed it. I am thankful that He thought I was worth creating, that He felt the world was missing something, and so He created me to fill that particular void. The Bible also tells us that He created us for "such a time as this." So, I am also thankful that He does have a purpose and a plan for me. I am thankful that I know I am walking in His will and have some idea as to what that purpose is - that's a great feeling!

I am thankful that I know I have eternal life - not in this world, but in one far, far better than anyone can imagine. I am extremely thankful that Jesus Christ died on the Cross - for ME - to give me that eternal life and a relationship with Him in this world. I am thankful that He loves me that much.

I am thankful for my mother, who is the best mom anyone could have. I am thankful that she had the faith to wait on me when it took her a while to get pregnant, and that she had the faith and boldness to ask God for a girl with red hair. I am thankful for how she raised me from the start to obey and love God. My mom was always my biggest supporter and encourager. She loved me when I was difficult to love, and she never stopped believing in God's best for me. She has always been quick to love and quick to speak the Truth in love. And even though she was always my mom first, she has also been my best friend. I am thankful for her and the awesome relationship we have.

And that is my thankful Thursday thought for this week!

A Lesson from the Hummingbird

I have always been fascinated with hummingbirds. I love how they flap their wings so fast, their cute little size, the pretty flowers they drink out of, etc. However, until recently it seemed that I rarely saw hummingbirds. My mom talked about seeing them all the time at her house, but she has a feeder for them. Yet when I would go to her house, I would always just miss them when one of them would come up to feed. A little over a year ago, Preston and I took a trip to the mountains. I was relaxing on the deck of our chalet when all of a sudden I heard this very loud buzzing noise. I was alarmed, thinking somewhere near me is a HUGE bug, but when I looked in the direction of the noise, instead of a bug, it was a pretty little hummingbird - not more than 4 feet from me!
The other day my mom gave us a hummingbird feeder and even hung it up for us, right outside our kitchen window by our table. I was skeptical. It seems very late in the season for hummingbirds to find new sources of food, and I never see them around here anyway, I thought. Imagine my surprise when that same afternoon we had our first hummingbird visit our feeder! Since then, we have one every several minutes come up to the feeder, even while we are all sitting right there at the window!
Now that I have had several days to get to know these amazing creatures a little better, I am much better at recognizing them. Before, I could be sitting at my kitchen table, see something dart past outside from the corner of my eye, and I assumed it was a large bug (a very fast bug, I often wondered just what kind of bug was it that could fly that fast.) I would also sometimes see a tree branch move suddenly, without any seeming reason. Now that I have gotten to know the hummingbirds better - how they move and fly, what they look like better than I did before, etc. - I can see them all over the place. I now know that thing I saw zooming past my window was a hummingbird, when that branch starts to move, I can now see the hummingbird that just landed on it. Because I spent time getting to know the hummingbird, I can see it more easily and enjoy its presence more often.
The same is true of our walk with God. There are so many times when we want to "see" God, to see Him working around us. If we are seeking His will for something, we keep an eye out, hoping to find the path He wants for us, and getting frustrated and confused when it seems that He isn't showing us that path or speaking to us. Maybe it's because we are not spending enough time with Him. He wants us to spend time at His window (the Bible), so that we can learn more about His character, and how He moves and acts. When we do, we will suddenly realize that it's much easier to see Him moving around us. We will recognize His movements and be able to discern what He is showing us. When "weird" things happen, things that don't seem to have an explanation, we will recognize that it was God orchestrating something. Before, some things looked ugly and undesirable (like the giant bugs I thought I was seeing), but after we sit at that Window, we will recognize that it is God moving - just in a way we weren't expecting. I know I need to spend more time at that Window, sitting and watching the way God moves throughout Scriptures. Because when I do, I will recognize Him more easily and enjoy His presence more often.

The Gospel According to a Three-Year-Old

Today after picking Harris up from school, we went to get the boys' hair cut. They were way past needing it. I don't normally go with them, because my father-in-law always takes them. It's a treat the boys always look forward to. I was with them today because we went straight after picking Harris up from school and eating lunch.
David went first today. I could hear his sweet voice, but wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying until I heard, "But I'll miss my house when I get to Heaven." It cracked me up. I am so glad he couldn't see me, because I try hard not to laugh when they are saying something very serious to them but hilarious to me. I decided I should listen a little closer. The rest of what I heard went something like this. (I never heard Mr. Linn respond. He wasn't talking as loudly as David was.) "Do you know how to get to Heaven? You have to believe in the Cross that Jesus died on. I have Jesus in my heart." He was witnessing to this man cutting his hair!!!! How adorable and amazing!! I was so proud and so convicted. I am not nearly as quick to share the Gospel as I should be, but I was just like David when I was little. I witnessed to everyone I saw.

Lord, help not to be ashamed of the Gospel, "for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." Help me to see the divine appointments you set for me, and give me the courage to speak boldly of you. Just as I speak about my husband or kids to anyone and everyone who will listen, give me the same kind of passion when it comes to speaking about you. And please don't let David lose that boldness he had today when talking about You. To God be the Glory. Amen.

Kindergarten Orientation and the First Day of School!

So yesterday was Kindergarten orientation day! We have been SO excited about this day! Harris has been ready to start school since he was three. (Takes after his mommy. I was the nerdy kid who loved school - at least most of the time.) My mom came and stayed with the two little ones, so it was just Harris, daddy, and mommy. He rarely gets us all to himself, so that alone was a treat! At orientation, we learned who Harris' teacher would be - Mrs. Cvacho, who seems very sweet. Our first impressions of her are wonderful! She took the students and parents to her classroom (which happened to be the same classroom I had in Kindergarten!), where she gave instructions and helpful info to the parents while the kids had a snack and colored a picture. Then there were a lot of things to sign up for and forms to fill out. (Now, I'm kinda nerdy and LOVE filling out forms, but it was a bit much even for me. However, I was sitting in the back of a very crowded room filled with excited kids and anxious parents, which made it less than ideal.) Before we knew it, it was time to go home. Harris was a little disappointed that it was over so soon. I assured him that the next day would last longer.

One thing I was a little nervous about was the fact that we didn't know any of the kids or parents. I knew I would get to know them over the course of the year, but it would have been nice to have started out knowing at least one person. But God arranged a meeting that only He could have. After we left the school, we took Harris to Chik-Fil-A for lunch. Another vehicle pulled into the parking lot as we did, and out came two girls not just from Kindergarten, but from Harris' class! Both of the girls moms were with them. We sat next to them and over the course of the conversation, I found out that one of the moms grew up in Bessemer, like me, and now lives in McCalla, like my brother. The other mom uses the same doctor for her OB/GYN as I do! How cool is that?! Harris and the 2 girls had a little bit harder time hitting it off, but they warmed up to each other by the end of lunch.



Today was the potentially hard day. The day I would have to leave Harris at school. I wasn't worried about him, but I wasn't sure I would be able to just drop him off and drive away without getting emotional. Harris bounded out of the car, and into the capable care of the teachers who were working the carpool line, and I drove off. My heart was pounding, but I didn't break down. Instead of going home and dwelling on my baby being in school, I ran errands with David and Amy Beth. Did you know that there are no crowds at Wal-Mart at 8:30 in the morning, and none at the Galleria at 10 am? It was awesome! I could get used to that. Before I knew it, it was time to pick up Harris. He came bounding out of the building with a huge smile on his face. One of the carpool teachers said, "I think Harris had a GREAT first day today!" Over lunch, he told me all about the day. His favorite part was playing on the playground. His second favorite part was going on a tour of the whole school building - especially the library!! He made some new friends, enjoyed the snack I had packed for him, and he likes his teacher. You just can't ask for a better first day! Praise the Lord!

A Sign of the Times

When I was a kid, there were certain things that I took for granted that my parents had not had when they were kids - air conditioning, cable TV, microwaves, etc. And now that I am an adult, I realized that there were things my kids take for granted that I did not have as a child - internet, cell phones, digital cameras, phones that double as cameras, etc. However, yesterday I was taken aback by one thing my kids apparently take for granted. In the interest of trying to not look and feel like a pack mule, I was not bringing the boys' drink bottles with us to church. David (my 3-yr-old) noticed and protested. I told him that he didn't need his juice because the teachers would have water to drink for them at church. He said he didn't like water. I said, "Don't be silly. You love water." In his MOST indignant voice, he said, "But Mommy, at church, they make us drink SINK water!"

And that is what they call a generation gap, and a sign that I am now officially old!

Tag, You're It!

This is a game of blog tag. I have been tagged by my friend, Meredith. Her blog is Strength in the Struggle.

Here are the rules:


1) Link to the person who tagged you.


2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).


3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).


4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.


5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.


6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.


6 Random things about me:


1) I kept my middle name when I got married. Why? Because I love my middle name, Hope, and the story behind it, and because my maiden name and married name sound creepy together - Jennifer Webb Weed


2) I can touch my nose with my tongue.


3) I wanted to marry Jon Spain....in K-5.


4) I never wanted to have kids until I started dating Preston.


5) I LOVE Steven Curtis Chapman!!!!! I listen to him almost exclusively.


6) I am having a hard time typing this because I have a baby in my lap whose favorite game lately is kicking anything within reach of her feet, which at the moment, are my hands and the keyboard. (She just woke up from a nap.) - Hey, it may not be interesting, but it is random!


I am going to tag:
Rachel

Amanda C

Jaci

Tim

Greta

Jarrod

Sun and Suds at the Weed Wash

As anyone who lives in Alabama knows, August is a miserably hot month - hot and humid. The past few days the boys have been staying indoors most of the time because they couldn't stand being outside for long. As a result, they have been going stir crazy and jumping off the walls - or at least the furniture and each other. We have been trying to do fun outings - that take us places in doors - like the McWane Center. However, it takes gas money to go places, and it's a challenge to get the baby out and about all the time.

Today was no different. The heat index for today was 108 degrees F. The boys wanted to go out and play, but they couldn't stand it for long. Inside, they were loud, rambuctious, and wanting to spend way too much time on the computer or watching TV. So, what's a mom to do? I put them in their swim shorts and Crocs, and sent them outside to play in the water hose. Well, that lasted all of 10 minutes before they were saying, "What else can we do with this besides just spray each other?" Hmmmm.....

My eyes landed on all their dump trucks, riding toys, and stuff sitting against the house. I have been wanting to clean them for quite some time, but alas, it hasn't happened yet. (It's all I can do to clean the stuff inside the house, forget about the outside stuff.) So, I said - in my most excited voice. "How about I fill a bucket up with water and sudsy soap, and y'all can have a car wash for all your toys!" They thought I had just suggested the most awesome thing ever, and so the Weed Wash was started. So I got out the bucket, filled it with water and "Thomas the Train" bubble bath soap (so as to get the most bubble for our buck and to keep any eyes from burning should they get some soap in their eyes), gave them both a rag, and let them have at it. We set all the vehicles/toys up in the shade, and after each one was washed and rinsed, they would push them out into the sun to dry. They spent the next 2-3 hours out there, and were worn out when they finally came in. Mission Accomplished!!!!! And, as a bonus, the toys are now (somewhat) clean! Little did they know that what I had really done was put them to work.

Harris gets the tricycle good and clean


David rinses it off.


Harris and David wash one of their cars.

They even washed their lawn mower.

Most (not all) of the vehicles washed at the Weed Wash.

After washing the cars, they thought they should wash themselves.

And yes, in case you're wondering, that really is our back yard. Isn't it awesome?

Summer Fun = Water Ballon Fights

This is for an entry that 5 Minutes for Mom is having. This photo marks the beginning of a new family tradition. We went to Grandma's house (my mom's) for a cookout - and a water balloon fight broke out! As you can see from the photo, the boys had a blast, so we decided this is what we will do every year for the 4th of July.