Overwhelmed with Joy

Sunday, May 4 - First Time out on the
Vizena's boat this Season!  So fun! 

Ronald challenged Clay to five minutes in the cool water.
As you can see,  Clay was more than happy to take the challenge and accept the $5 reward.

Each Month (at least this is the goal), Caleb and I go out for Pie at Village Inn.
We have been doing this for over a year now.  It is such a wonderful time together.  I look so forward to it.  Just yesterday, Caleb told me that he wanted to have monthly pie nights with me for as long as I live.  I recently started a gluten free diet, but no upset tummy is keeping me away from this special time with my son :) 

I also have a Monthly Mommy Night with Clay.  It usually starts with his favorite restaurant,
"The Chinese place" in the Mall :)  Then he likes to some type of fun activity.  Last night, we played laser tag at Fast Lane.  We had the whole course to ourselves.  It was so fun!  Love this boy!

Last Sunday, May 4, was the Annual RA Pinewood Derby Race.
Clay came in last the previous year, so when he came in Second Overall this year (Brigham came in First),
we were so excited.  As you can see, Richard and Travis, the car making assistants :) were thrilled as well.

Caleb came in 4th overall, just shy of a Trophy; we were so happy for both boys.

Richard read the most amazing book call, "How to Make a Modern Day Knight."  It encourages Fathers's to make special time with the Sons to discuss important Biblical matters while also making it fun.
This weekend, Richard is taking the boys to a NASCAR race in Kansas City.  I know it will be a special time that they will always remember.  I love these boys so very much.

On Friday, May 8, the Richard and the boys had the opportunity to tour the Military Base in Ft. Smith.
They were so impressed.  We are so proud of our Military and the sacrifice they make for our Freedom.  

At Elm Tree, Mom's get to have a Mother's Day Tea when their child is in First Grade.  These two photo's are the drawings Clay and Caleb made of me for the Tea.  Clay's is the red dress and Caleb's is the purple shirt with PTO on it.  It appears that I have aged and increased in size over the past couple of years and my hair as changed color and thinned a little.  My how telling a drawing can be :)
It was such a special time!

As I look at these photos, I just feel so overwhelmed with JOY.  

JOY for the life my Lord and Savior has blessed me with. 

JOY for my husband, who I do not deserve.  He loves me so unconditionally, which is not easy, and he forgives me so effortlessly when I act like a crazy hormonal teenage girl.  

JOY for my two sons, Clay and Caleb.  I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to be a mother, and when I look at their beautiful faces so full of happiness and life, my heart is just so full!

JOY for my parents who have always been there for me.  I am so grateful for there every present love and support.

JOY for my church.

JOY for friendships that are deeper than the ocean floor.

JOY for my home, that although may not be massive in square footage, it is massage in laughter, happiness, and love.

I wish you all, especially all of the Mother's out there, a week filled with overwhelming joy!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!  I love you!

Isaiah 12:6 (NIV) Shout aloud and sing for you, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel amount you."

Easter 2014 Fun in the Son

Bubba Lee at Bogle Park 

Looking good in their Sunday Shoes :)

Funny Friends

 Easter Baskets Make Great Hats

Caleb's Special Bedtime Verse

Wasn't it an absolutely amazing Easter 2014!  Our family was so blessed to attend a beautiful Easter Service at our church where the Lord moved in a mighty way.  Pastor Junior Hill preached a simple yet powerful sermon about God's grace and His Free gift of salvation!  What a joy it was to see many of God's precious children (young and older) walk down front Sunday morning, professing their new Faith in Jesus Christ!  Wow!  God is so good!  All the time!

After church, the Binns Family headed to Bogle Park for a Family photo opportunity.  I am amazed   how this park just gets more and more beautiful.   I have so enjoyed having my little boys photographed there year after year.  So many great memories.

The Easter Day just continued to bring happiness and cheer as several of our friends from our Sunday school class came over for a Pot Luck.   It was like Thanksgiving!  My belly is still full.  I sure have some friends who know how to cook.  However, I wouldn't recommend their delicacies if you are on a diet.  Ha!

After lunch, the parents (and Luke V. :) hid eggs while the kids played football, hide and seek, and other games.  I love how well all the kids got along and just had fun being kids.  

In honor of Jesus' Resurrection, I hid one EMPTY Egg.  The hunter who found this egg would be the winner of the hunt and would get a prize.  I wanted the kids to have lots of fun finding eggs, but I also wanted them to realize that Easter is about so much more than eggs and candy.  (I was really impacted by Barbara Rainey's podcast this Easter season.  Her husband is the leader of Family Life Today.)  It was just so much fun watching the kids get so excited as they ran about our property.  It made me want to be little again, wearing my PJ's outside while carrying my large wicker basket, my hair in sponge rollers (so it would be curled for church), and racing my brothers to the many eggs hidden in my yard.  More great memories.

It was just such a great day of Celebration!  Our Lord is Risen!!  How can we not celebrate such a mighty miracle.  I pray if you are reading this post that you know HIM.  If you don't or if you would like more information on how to know our Lord and Savior, please don't wait another minute.  Just ASK me and I will do my best to help answer your questions.  

Luke 24:6-7

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' "

PS

I posted the photo of Psalm 4:8 because Caleb recently discovered this verse in his Bible and he has been reading it every night.  It was in bed with him tonight when I went in to check on him.  The really amazing thing is that Caleb is afraid of the dark.  Just a few days ago he called me over to him and wanted to show me the verse that he found when we opened up his Bible to the middle.  He was in awe of this verse.  Since finding this verse and reading it regularly, his fear of the dark and of going into his room by himself has greatly diminished.  I love how God worked in such a powerful way to teach a 7 year old boy that we can dwell in safety with our Lord and we can have peace, even in the dark moments of our life.  God is just so amazing and I am so grateful for His love.

The Children (and dog) were nested all snug in MY bed!

Mommy, Can I get in bed with you?

No room in the bed, that's ok.  The floor will do.

Make room for me!

Twas the night before Benchmark testing and all through the house, 

not a creature was stirring, not even a.....

Who am I kidding...no one was resting at the Binns house last night.  Especially Daddy, who (not pictured) is hanging off of our Queen Size Bed.

Recently, at least one child has been sneaking his way into our room and into our bed.  Due to some minimal neck and back pain (caused by flailing arms and legs) and difficulty getting up in the morning (due to lack of real sleep), we sat the boys down and informed them, that as much as we love and adore them, we needed them to sleep in their beds at least Monday-Thursday.  They listened and tried to understand why Mommy and Daddy would want the room to themselves.  They proceeded to ask "if they were really scared, could they still come in?"  And of course, I said yes.

As you can see, my boys were "really scared" AGAIN last night.

But can I be honest, despite the fact that it is almost 10am and I am still moving slowly around my house in my PJ's, I kind of like the nestled feeling of my little boys in the middle of the night.    It takes me back to those precious days of late night feedings when all was peaceful and all you could hear was the sound of the baby breathing and taking in his milk.  I loved that time and actually miss it (sometimes).

I treasure these special times with my boys and I keep telling myself that when they are older they will no longer want to come and see me in the middle of the night.  

However, out of respect for Richard, who cannot remain in his PJ's while meeting with clients or sleep during his conference calls, we need to get a handle on our sleeping situation.

I would love any suggestions on how to help our children sleep in their beds and feel good about it.  I also need help dealing with the guilt of saying they need to stay in their beds.  I think I just like that during these sleepless nights when they come to our room, I know they need me and want me. And look how cute they are??  Could you say "No" to Caleb with a face like that or to Clay who just drags in his pillow and Super Hero blanket and plops down.

Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated.  

Your Having Trouble Letting Go Mom, 

Berkli

PS

Regarding our dog Taco, he will remain a permanent fixture in either our bed or the boys.  You should see the eyes he gives us each night as he waits patiently by the bed asking us to say "up." You couldn't say "No" either.  Fortunately for him, he is small enough not to evoke pain or cause restlessness to Richard or myself during the night :)  Spoiled dog I know.

You Might Be a Redneck if....

Target Practice:  What you can't see are the Mt. Dew Cans hanging from our Oak Tree.

The snow melted and oh, yes...found this outside on our back porch just a few days ago.

With the help of Clay telling Caleb when to push the button...
We hit the jackpot!  1000 tickets! 

Caleb was one HAPPY little boy.

Ready for some Lazar Tag Fun!

Since moving into our cozy little cottage almost 1 year ago, I went from a semi-sofistacated lady married to a fairly sophisticated man, to a semi-redneck woman married to a very redneck man.  Richard trades in his suit when we gets home from work for a cowboy hat and camouflage and have you seen his new TRUCK!  Whoa!! :)  Can't help but love him though.

I tried for years to get Richard to help me with my landscaping at our former home, but it took only a few months on this property for Richard to build a fire pit, make a bench out of a downed tree, bulldoze, with the help of a friend, an Air Soft Course and hang cans from a tree for a BB Gun Range.   Man, my boys are so lucky to have Richard as their dad.  Can we say this home is 100% Made for Boys, especially Binns Boys.

I am adjusting much better than I thought I would to life with my laundry room in my kitchen, Remote Control Race Cars, Bike helmets, and Cowboy hats on top of my cabinets, Bikes in my living room (because we have no garage anymore) and ONE BATHROOM for the four of us.  Thank goodness I have boys and 5 acres :)  Lots of yellow snow this winter (TMI, sorry).  Oh, I have to share that I never dreamed that the most repeated phrase at my house would be, "I call bathroom first!" What a memory.

Honestly, I have grown a lot over the past year and have been greatly humbled by all God has been teaching me about my life, my needs vs. my wants, and my pride.  God really does do so much more than all we could every ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21)   I will post more about that at a later time.

The Boys and I have had a relaxing and fun filled Spring Break.  As you can see by the photo's above, we had a blast at Fast Lane in Rogers today.  I love spending time with them.  

Well, its after 11pm now, so I best call it a night.  I am excited to be blogging again.  I spent a while just looking back at some of my former post.  I love reflecting on the many blessings of my past.  I am excited to see what God has planned for me and my family over the next 365 days.  It's going to be an adventure i am sure.

Taking a Minute, 

Berkli