New Family Photo

Traditions

I recently read a wonderful book recomended by my friend, Debra.  The book is called Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper.  This book really gave me some great insight on everyday traditions and special occasion traditions to do in our family.  This year, I really wanted to focus on the meaning of Easter and not just the Easter egg as I have been so prone to do in the past.  We have been teaching our girls the Easter story by using Resurrection eggs.  I bought them at Family Christian store for $12.99 and they were worth every penny.  The girls remember the details of the story and retell it back to each other using the eggs. 

Today is Palm Sunday.  We sang a beautiful song in church today as we watched a video of people getting baptized.  What a way to celebrate Palm Sunday by watching lives changed because of what He did!  As a family, we read Matthew 21: 1-11.

"Now when they drew near to Jeursalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you,you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once.  This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, "Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, you kind is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden." The disciples went and did a sJesus had directed them.  THey brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.  Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up saying, Who is this?  And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." 

We got to talk to our girls tonight about what Hosanna means. It means "Save us." Save us from our sins. Oh how thankful I am that he chose to ride into Jerusalem on a humble donkey to be broken for my sins, to save me from my sins. Then we did this:

The Going Ons Around Here

I am a bad blogger.  I know this.  I have 3 little ones and would rather spend my time with them than blogging.  BUT, someday, I would like to be  able to look back at my blog and reminisce.  I do not want to forget these FUN times.  Or BUSY times. Or LAUGHTER FILLED times.  Because who would want to forget?  As Ava nears the age of 5, I am very aware that these times are FLYING by.  I am not ready for them too!  Some are wanting their kiddos to go off to school for more free time I guess.  Not me.  There is no one else I would love to spend my days with than these three precious girls.  Knowing where I was 10 years ago, I know to be very THANKFUL for what I have.  God's GRACE!!! 

Ava is enjoying a good 'ole snowball fight w/Sophia and Coby.

They loved having their daddy home for a few days during our winter weather storm.

Sophia is preparing to attack!

Sisters!  They love each other!

I am not quite ready for Cora to be this big.  But she is and I can't do anything about it.  She will always be my baby!!  And my monkey!!

The girls are learning about the solar system w/playdough.  Sometimes we get creative.  And Sophia would not dare learn about the solar system w/o her pearls.  ( We realize that some of our planets are out of proportion.  It is weird to me to only make 8 planets.  I taught a 9 planet solar system for 10 years, but the scientists have since changed the status of Pluto, which is no longer considered a planet.)  But to me it will always be a My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas kindof a solar system! 



Thirsty

I am trying to find the words to write this post and know that I will not adequately convey what is on my heart.  This season I am emotional and raw.  I am happy.  I am amazed.  I am rejoicing like no other Christmas season before.  He has put a song in my heart.  I feel like the woman in Luke 7.  I've been forgiven so much and he has filled my heart with so much love.  I've learned a lot this year.  It's been a year of abundance, but not in the worldly sense.  He has given me more of Him than I could've ever asked for or imagined.  He has opened the floodgates so much that I do not have room for all of the blessings.  Yes, they are overflowing.  But to get to this place, there has also been pain.  I have been chiseled by his grace.  He has surfaced ugly sin in my life.  It has not been pretty and I have not surrendered easily.  But now I am so thankful that He loves me enough to change me and shape my heart.  My whole life I have unknowingly made everything about me.  He is showing me that it is not about me but about him.  Even when reading my Bible,  I want to know what it says to my particular circumstances instead of what I can learn about my Father's love and character.  Selfish. me. Changed me. Covered in grace me.

This week, something unbelievable and beautiful has happened.  Coby went to Sudan in May of this past year.  When he came back, he told me that he wanted me and him to start saving to purchase a water well in Sudan for $2500.  The people in Sudan do not have access to clean water unless it comes from a water well.  They drink muddy water.  Their young children get dysentery, cholera, and other diseases from drinking this dirty water.  Water Harvest International goes into Southern Sudan and drills wells into aquifers near the mango trees where churches are being planted. They also have evangelists to share the gospel where they are drilling.  People not only have their physical needs met but more importantly their spiritual needs met.  So Coby and I started saving not very intentionally and have several hundred dollars.

Our Bible Fellowship teacher asked us if we had any ideas about what we could raise money for from our Christmas party.  Last year, we raised $900.  So Coby  suggested a water well in Sudan.  Our friend, Trog, had a friend that wanted to donate $1500.  So we thought, well, there you go.  Our class can raise enough money for one water well with the donation of Trog's friend.  Trog, however, called us out.  "That is what you can do, Coby.  Why not ask God to provide 3 or 5 wells."  So we prayed and decided to get together a campaign.  The campaign never got together due to our household of 5 getting very sick over the course of 2 weeks.  We drove to our Christmas party defeated feeling like we let God down b/c we didn't do our part.  But we quickly learned that this campaign had nothing to do with us but God and the unity of the church.  Our class Christmas party raised $2500 and then a member matched that. So right there, you have 2 wells.  We had $1800 going toward another well and another donation came in for $1500 - $2500 (to be determined).  The guy that donated the $1500 has decided to have the same kind of Christmas party with his community group and they are going to raise money for this campaign.  So right now, we have money for exactly 3 wells with commitments to possibly 5 wells and we are praying for 6, or 7, or 10.  Contact us if you are interested in being a part. 

What has amazed me about all of this is that this is what it means in Romans 12:3-5 , "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.  For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith, if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness."

Thank you Father for using the different gifts that you gave each of us and allowing us to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves.  But also showing us that you will do what you set out to do whether we are a part or not.  Thank you for loving the people of Sudan and giving us an abundance that we can give to them.  I pray for more wells.  Do something exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask for or even imagine!

"Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them, the Lord has done great things for us, we are glad."  Psalm 126: 2-3

Ava Learns to Ski

Coby taught Ava to ski.  It was such an exciting time for us.  My sweet little girl made me proud b/c even though she was scared at times, she persevered with a positive attitude. 



We love soccer!

Ava's first soccer game was last Saturday and we loved it!  Ava had one really good run down the field and just missed the goal.  After that, she was all about following the rest of the crew up and down the field.  She didn't care that she was in the back of the pack!  She just knew that she was playing soccer with her team.  Every now and again, Ava would turn and wave really big to Coby and I.  She was so proud!



My Baby

She turns one on Saturday and I'm going to cry.  She has only added tremendous joy to our family.  Cora is giving kisses, standing on her on, playing patty cake and peek a boo, yelling "Daddy!!", and many other things.  She sleeps with paci and Lamb.  They are her best friends, well, besides her sisters. 

Aunt JuJu has become quite the photographer and captured my little girl in these beautiful pictures.  Cora's sweet spirit shines through!