June 24 to 30

3051. Laughter
3052. Life
3053. Waking mostly rested with little sleep
3054. Getting to pray
3055. Getting to read several chapters in my Bible
3056. Jim doing school
3057. The kids responding well to his teaching
3058. Reuben getting good at doing puzzles
3059. Jamey doing well with his book work
3060. Grocery shopping with Noemi
3061. Spending way less than I normally do at the grocery store but with enough food for the week!
3062. Gabriel's giant smiles
3063. Seeing Gabriel starting to come into his own face
3064. Trying Uncle Maddio's for lunch
3065. Good price for lunch
3066. Quiet afternoon
3067. L, R and G all napping at the same time!
3068. Stimulating theological conversation
3069. Jamey playing well by himself
3070. Seeing Jamey's imagination grow
3071. Jamey's building skills improving
3072. Learning to make Romanian food
3073. Learning more things in theology
3074. Friends who are always challenging you
3075. Mamaliga with stew!
3076. Jamey eating 2 bowls of Mamaliga
3077. Finding out I like chicken gizzards
3078. Romanian sweets
3079. Kids who love to communicate
3080. Getting Home Alone 2 for $5
3081. Watching Home Alone 2
3082. Being able to enjoy a funny movie while also evaluating it
3083. Smooth bed time even with naps today
3084. Being able to enjoy life now
3085. Gabriel's laughs and talking
3086. Noemi making dinner
3087. Jim doing school again
3088. Kids responding well to Jim doing school
3089. Productive morning
3090. Jamey getting a lot of school work done (that boy loves to work)
3091. Great time at playgroup
3092. Hanging out with Erin, Amir and Adam
3093. Gabriel swinging at the park
3094. Hanging out with Esther, Jude and Haddie
3095. Hanging out with Margaret, Max and Sloan
3096. Being asked about the development of the childbirth class
3097. Finding out about cute, modest swimwear (still not quite what I'm looking for though, so if you know about modest swimwear pass along your knowledge)
3098. Reuben handling confrontation well
3099. Reuben going to play with friends from church in the water and coming back when they left
3100. Jamey getting a lot of language arts work done
3101. Lauren being able to babysit for us
3102. Great time at CG
3103. Being able to discuss God's wrath in a loving way
3104. Learning more about God's wrath
3105. Stimulating conversation
3106. Full house at CG
3107. Super yummy watermelon
3108. Yummy coffee
3109. Lots of laughs with Brothers and Sisters
3110. Making Salam de biscuit
3111. Walking along the river with Noemi
3112. Real conversation
3113. Introducing Noemi to Kale and Quinoa Quiche (she has never had any of them)
3114. Really good quiche
3115. Learning to make Romanian chicken and rice
3116. Getting a little nap
3117. All 4 kids napping
3118. Learning with Noemi
3119. Deep conversations on eschatology
3120. Supporting and challenging each other
3121. Kids eating well
3122. Going to a prayer meeting
3123. Hearing people pray mightily for God to move
3124. Seeing Marie
3125. Being able to give Marie a ride home
3126. God letting up the storm long enough for us to get to the prayer meeting just as I had prayed at dinner
3127. Having more than one door to get in the house with our strange set up
3128. Gabriel sitting up on his own!
3129. Learning how to make meringue
3130. Kids going to bed well
3131. Sleeping in!
3132. Going to the seminary to play
3133. Going to the Fishers for lunch
3134. Noemi being very go with the flow
3135. Noemi being able to stay a couple extra days to help with the kids while Jim was in class
3136. Super yummy Shepherds pie
3137. Kids playing well with other kids
3138. Reuben and Gabriel doing well with little sleep
3139. Learning to make sarmale
3140. Talking about home school
3141. Being able to help and encourage others
3142. Finding out more friends want to work overseas or with internationals
3143. God providing in mysterious ways
3144. Reuben's gigantic hugs
3145. Jamey reading part of 1 Corinthians 13 with little help!
3146. Kids who already desire to pray
3147. Taking pictures with Noemi
3148. Kids being pretty flexible
3149. Kids missing Noemi as soon as she left
3150. Flexibility of homeschooling
3151. Making it through the Story about Mr. Tod (that thing was way too long!)
3152. Finishing a Russian unit
3153. Nice rest time
3154. Taking a nap
3155. Pizza!
3156. Jim getting his midterm completed
3157. Smooth bed time
3158. The Avengers being on netflix
3159. Watching The Avengers with Jim
3160. God not letting tension go
3161. Talking with Jim
3162. Great sleep
3163. Kids sleeping until after 6 am
3164. Jamey staying dry over night all week!
3165. Jamey sleeping in normal underwear
3166. Kids growing up
3167. Starting to teach more lessons that involve abstract concepts
3168. Running errands in a timely manner
3169. Getting more pens to better color code my calendar for free!
3170. Lemon Liberte Greek Yogurt on sale!
3171. Running into Hanell at the library
3172. Hearing more hearts for the nations
3173. Talking home school options
3174. Discussing evaluating school by year
3175. Getting another book from the library for research for childbirth class/book
3176. Leftover lunch
3177. Getting emails sent for women's prayer
3178. Friendship
3179. Being called to serve workers and be a part of their work
3180. Reuben asking to pray
3181. Playing Wii fit as a family
3182. The kids loving to play Wii fit
3183. Smooth bed time
3184. Seeing Jamey's imagination come out
3185. Having a relaxed morning but still getting ready for church on time
3186. Getting to pray and read my Bible this morning
3187. Learning about the passionate love of God
3188. Studying the "Prodigal Son" in a new light
3189. Seeing God's extraordinary love for me
3190. Celebrating baptisms!
3191. Seeing the amazing work of God's grace
3192. Ending corporate worship with a "dance party"
3193. Seeing Melanie and sitting with her in church
3194. Finding out people from CG are having a girl!
3195. Seeing Stephanie
3196. Finally meeting Rebekah
3197. Rebekah hopefully being able to come to Women's prayer
3198. Finalizing dinner plans for Monday with the Allen's
3199. Working out time for the Fisher family to come over
3200. Finding out 2 families will definitely be coming to Women's Prayer
3201. Being reminded that following God's call even when it is time consuming and challenging is so important and really matters
3202. Being encouraged to continue where we are led
3203. God continually opening doors
3203. Great conversation at lunch
3204. Hearing Truth come out of my kids' mouths
3205. Jamey verbalizing the Trinity in his own words accurately!
3206. Being challenged as a parent every day
3207. Reuben wanting to read
3208. Making cookies from scratch
3209. Jamey and Reuben reading a magazine together
3210. Jamey teaching Reuben
3211. Having children
3212. Meeting our new neighbors
3213. Finding out our neighbors are also nurses!
3214. Kids doing well while talking to the neighbors
3215. Hearing other people had invited/recommended Sojourn to our neighbors
3216. Playing outside
3217. Beautiful weather
3218. Eating leftovers
3219. Hearing kids speak Truth
3220. Jamey's imagination going full speed ahead with his Legos
3221. Getting meal planning and grocery list done in a fairly short amount of time
3222. Getting bag cleaned out and coupons sorted
3223. Having family time
3224. Finding out Ladybugs is on Netflix
3225. Gabriel wanting to look outside
3226. Gabriel beginning to communicate more clearly
3227. The garden growing and looking beautiful
3228. God blessing our efforts
3229. Rain watering our garden on several evenings
3230. God's goodness to us

June 17 to 23

2851. Gabriel sleeping until 6 (moving in the right direction)
2852. Getting a lot accomplished during school time
2853. Reuben really engaging during school
2854. Getting several Russian lessons done
2855. The kids doing really well with the Russian lessons
2856. Jamey already being able to translate a little both ways
2857. Going on a lunch date with Jim
2858. Trying a new place
2859. Getting 1 of our meals free!
2860. Talking some about the future
2861. Looking at lots of possibilities
2862. Getting excited about where God may take us (there are so many possibilities)
2863. Getting lots of work done in the living room
2864. Kids helping to clean
2865. Going through toys and doing some purging and reorganizing
2866. Getting a bag of stuff together for giveaway/sell
2867. Only being tempted once to turn the TV on
2868. Remembering that having the TV on would distract me from what I was attempting to accomplish
2869. All the kids resting well for 2 hours!
2870. Gabriel hugging so strong and not wanting to let go
2871. Reuben's kisses
2872. Reuben communicating so much more (I LOVE IT!)
2873. Having an impromptu sing session with Becca
2874. Yummy black bean burgers
2875. Organizing the books downstairs
2876. Knowing that God's grace extends to my back and forthness
2877. Skyping with a friend
2878. Learning more about God's work around the world
2879. Gabriel's giant smile and bright eyes even at 9 pm
2880. Jamey and Lillian both straying dry all night!!!!!
2881. Getting close to catching up on my Bible reading
2882. Nice time of prayer
2883. Getting a few more things done during school than I expected
2884. Jamey wanting to do book work
2885. Reuben starting to put puzzles together and fit shapes together
2886. Loving to learn languages
2887. Walking to playgroup
2888. Jamey playing really hard and with other kids! (This is seriously a huge praise)
2889. Reuben playing with 2 other boys his age
2890. Finishing most of what needed to be done in the living room (the rest can wait until our next major clean :) )
2891. Gabriel trying to sit up and play with toys
2892. 4 napping children!
2893. Great deals at McDonald's
2894. Having a moment to sit
2895. Opportunities to serve in different ways coming up
2896. Writing a blog post
2897. Getting back on My Fitness Pal
2898. Being able to wear dresses out again
2899. Going to community group
2900. Meeting a new Sister at CG
2901. Having a full house
2902. Talking about the Trinity
2903. Sharing about the Holy Spirit
2904. Being in a group that discusses things well and thoroughly with grace
2905. Officially being under apprenticeship for CG
2906. Learning more about where there is need in Shelby Park
2907. Being stretched and grown
2908. Ice cream!
2909. Everyone sleeping until after 6
2910. Time to pray and read
2911. Being led by the Spirit to pray
2912. Gabriel joining us for school for a while
2913. Jim reading during school time
2914. Doing another week of Language Arts
2915. Getting some organizing done in the office
2916. Finding more things to purge
2917. Kids playing outside for 2 hours
2918. Jamey reading well
2919. Lillian's spunky personality
2920. Lillian helping Reuben
2921. Reuben examining the garden with me
2922. Reuben trying to say "Gabriel"
2923. Reuben saying lettuce
2924. Gabriel's giant hugs and not wanting to let go (so sweet)
2925. Gabriel having a gigglefest for about 10 minutes
2926. Reuben loving on Gabriel
2927. Learning more about myself and areas that really need to be improved
2928. Getting blog posts written
2929. Getting an important email written
2930. Lots of laughs at dinner tonight
2931. Lillian taking a nice long nap
2932. Reuben repeating Genesis 1:1 during Family worship!
2933. Reuben responding to questions from the Bible
2934. Dreaming of where God will take the children He has given me
2935. Going to our first CG sync meeting
2936. Walking to and from church
2937. Lillian being so excited to go to church with Daddy and Mama by herself
2938. Pizza!
2939. Talking about what God is doing around us
2940. Planning a Sojourn picnic in the park
2941. Talking about reaching our neighbors
2942. Seeing our neighbor out on the walk home
2943. Having 4 wonderful kids
2944. Having people around us who care about the little things
2945. Being reminded we are created for community bc God lives in community
2946. Beginning to get motivated to be more healthy
2947. Desiring to live a healthy lifestyle for God's glory
2948. Seeking what a healthy lifestyle looks like on a budget
2949. Lillian's smile and passion for living life
2950. Everyone sleeping until after 6:30 with slow get out of bed time
2951. A relaxed morning
2952. Yummy breakfast!
2953. Becca making said yummy breakfast
2954. Reading God's Word
2955. Praying to a personal God who loves and cares for me
2956. Spontaneous blog post
2957. Productive school time
2958. Reuben becoming more engaged
2959. Jim helping with school
2960. Lillian reading a couple of new words with little help!
2961. Jamey making all kinds of connections
2962. Getting the closet in the school room organized so I know what's in there
2963. Purging more stuff
2964. Going through gift bags, sheets and toys
2965. Teaching the kids geography during lunch
2966. Garden growing more everyday
2967. Jamey's imagination growing
2968. Jim and Jamey building an amazing train out of all the duplos we own
2969. Lillian helping a lot
2970. The kids cleaning both bathrooms (with some help from Aunt Bec-bec)
2971. Gabriel eating more and beginning to sleep more
2972. Starting to feel more rested
2973. Getting an important email written
2974. Getting encouragement from people I have not seen in a while
2945. Batch cooking quinoa chili!
2946. Family movie night
2947. Spending time together as a family
2948. Smooth bedtime
2949. Getting some stuff done with email
2950. Realizing I don't have to do surveys even when I think I should
2951. Being convicted of not keeping my priorities the last couple of days
2952. God's grace and gentle reminder of being called to more when I fall into my lazy patterns
2953. A slight resurgence of milk!
2954. Waking with time to pray and read extra this morning 
2955. Being reminded of the fleetingness of life
2956. Having a place to hang things outside to dry in a desperate situation (or seemingly desperate :) )
2957. Jim doing all of school this morning
2958. Getting errands run before meeting for a playgroup
2959. My contacts being ready for pick up while on that side of town
2960. Discovering a new playground
2961. Reconnecting with Gina
2962. Finding out there is a homeschool co-op that you can use box tops to help pay for it
2963. Jamey playing with other kids
2964. Lillian playing with other kids
2965. Lots of activity
2966. Encouraging and uplifting conversation
2967. Beautiful weather
2968. Washing my hair
2969. More time to pray
2970. Getting another important email written
2971. Working on childbirth information
2972. Getting emails read
2973. Taking a couple of surveys
2974. Reading an encouraging blog post
2975. Being reminded it's a blessing and a privilege to be a stay at home mom
2976. Very smooth bed time
2977. Helping out with dinner 
2978. Jamey napping
2979. Hearing from Karey
2980. More connections between friends
2981. Hearing good news from a friend who moved away
2982. Wrestling with God
2983. Being reminded God is sovereign over all things even when I do not understand
2984. God is God and I am not
2985. Getting a good workout on Wii fit
2986. Feeling sore 
2987. Weight coming back down (I'm fluctuating a lot right now)
2988. Feeling more alert
2989. Being able to pray and read even with the kids running around
2990. Being able to pray
2991. Not being super sore when I woke up this morning
2992. Still feeling the effects of exercise
2993. Listening to Lillian count backwards
2994. Jamey and Lillian eager to help with Gabriel
2995. Snuggle time with the kids
2996. Being stretched and grown even more
2997. No show for writing group again
2998. Hearing from Asmaa!!!
2999. Time to journal and read
3000. God's timing and the time He gives me
3001. Hearing great truths and insight from a Sister's book
3002. Great breakfast and coffee
3003. God's goodness
3004. Seeking to pray more in the Spirit again.
3005. Nick arriving in Louisville safely
3006. Getting some house work done with the kids
3007. Embracing teaching moments
3008. Stealing a few moments with Gabriel
3009. Praying over Gabriel and speaking Truth to him
3010. Praying over Reuben
3011. Kids growing in their love for playing outside
3012. Learning to pray without ceasing
3013. Learning to trust God more everyday
3014. Jamey voicing he had sinned against God! (I love these little moments where we see Truth coming out of His mouth. Praying they will penetrate his heart.)
3015. Noemi getting here safely
3016. The kids greeting Noemi very warmly with lots of hugs
3017. Relaxing evening
3018. Smooth bedtime
3019. Talking with Noemi
3020. Being able to just chill and have uplifting conversation
3021. Getting little sleep but still feeling refreshed (amazing what a difference in evening does)
3022. Nice morning 
3023. Getting to read and pray
3024. Kids playing outside
3025. An amazing time of worship
3026. Learning about God's wrath
3027. Learning that anger and love actually go hand in hand not opposites
3028. Seeing people that we don't get to see much
3029. Worshiping with people from CG
3030. Jamey loving his class
3031. Seeing Karey and getting dinner worked out
3032. Cookout with Community in Shelby park
3033. All of the kids playing out in the rain
3034. Reuben really enjoying the rain and exploring the park
3035. Jamey and Lillian not freaking out about water falling on their heads!
3036. Hot dogs and fellowship
3037. Meeting new people at the park
3038. Potential relationships to build
3039. Seeing our neighbors outside
3040. God's meetings
3041. God is Holy!
3042. Jamey and Lillian asking to play Wii Fit (their current favorite video game :) )
3043. Praying with Brothers for our workers
3044. Being in an environment to share many requests
3045. Being filled with the Spirit to pray
3046. Encouragement through prayer
3047. Coming together for a common purpose in the Body
3048. Getting meal plans done with Jim and Noemi
3049. Anticipating eating Romanian food this week
3050. True deep God given friendships

How Bad Can I Be?

"How bad can I be? I'm just doing what comes naturally."

This is the chorus of one of the songs in The Lorax that has given me a great amount of thought. I have walked around singing the catchy tune, as have my kids, and it hit me what we were singing about. It is our fallen human nature. Seriously. Think about it. Is this not what we say when we are trying to justify sin? I know I have. And I have heard it when talking about society in general. If we are just doing what comes naturally how can it be bad?

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."

Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25

The Bible speaks clearly to this and it is repeated. Any time something is repeated you know it is important. Our sinful nature seems right because it is what the flesh says is right, but our sin leads us to death. Our sin separates us from God. 

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you once walked, following the course of this world" Ephesians 2:1-2a

So how bad can it be doing what comes naturally? Deadly!

But thanks be to God that He has provided His Son, Jesus Christ, to take our place if we will respond to His grace and turn from our sin, turn away from what comes naturally to our flesh, and cling to His ways. 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

Romans 6:23

So instead of asking "how bad can I be?" lets say, "Lord I am bad but I want to be good. Jesus help me to do what is right, following God's ways."

Dinner Tonight

Jamey: How do you spell "possum"
Jim: It's a weird word. It's o
Jamey: No it's not O, possum starts with P. Puh, puh, puh, puh, P. Puh, Puh, Puh, Puh, P. It's P. Puh, Puh, puh, P.
Jim: No Jamey it's O
Jamey: No Puh, puh, puh, P
(and this continued for a couple of minutes)


During Bible Reading after the J and L had said their Psalms, Jamey says: "Reuben's turn to say 'Excellent Wife'."
Reuben with the look of Who Me?

The Lorax

I seriously dislike Dr. Seuss, especially the movies that I have seen based on his books. But The Lorax the movie, I seriously cannot get enough of! And neither can the rest of my family. I don't even know the book so I have no idea how accurate it is, but the movie is so much fun. It's like a non-musical musical if you catch my drift. The music is catchy and we all walk around singing it. It is clean but has a clear problem and solution that is easy to understand. I love it! And it's funny, really funny, but clean funny. When we first found it on Netflix we watched it about twice a week! (Since we are striving to limit the TV more this has seriously decreased, but it is still our first pick for movie night.) I like that it is a great go to movie also if you just want something on during a chill-out day. If you are looking for a fun family movie I really recommend it.

What's In A Name?

I am a lazy person. I have always struggled with being lazy and doing things half-halfheartedly or not putting forth my best effort. Recently God has really been convicting me about my laziness. Last week he brought to mind my name: Emily Elizabeth. Her reminded me of what my names mean.

Emily- Industrious; To strive, excel or rival

Elizabeth- God is my oath

As I reflect on the meaning of my name I am blown away as God reminds me of who I am in Christ. My sinful nature is lazy, VERY lazy. But God has created me to do His work and excel in what He has called me to do.

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" Colossians 3:23

I have realized that much of what I do has been for men and it is never enough. Therefore since it is not enough why bother trying or giving my best. As long as it gets done that sufficient right?

God says, No! He wants my best. He demands my best. And in Christ I have the ability and the responsibility to do my best.

This kind of leads me to my middle name (I'm going to pretend it does anyway). This one has been more tricky for me to grab hold of because of different meanings of the oath. The one that comes to my mind first is promise.

God is my Promise

Because God is my Promise I should desire to be industrious. God is industrious and created work for us to do. 

Another aspect of oath is an affirmation. God is my affirmation. In Christ I am affirmed by God as His child. Since my work is affirmed by God in Christ I can do my best work and it is good enough no matter what any person says about my work. 

What a relief!

So instead of being lazy and just not doing anything, I can work for God's glory. I can put my best foot forward. And when I fail to do my best or fall back into the pattern of laziness, I can repent and come back to my Father who leads me into industrious work under His rule.

June 10 to 16

2331. Getting up at 6:30
2332. Spending time in prayer and extra Bible reading
2333. Being able to teach my kids at home
2334. Beginning to learn the difference between childish mistakes and willfulness (seriously seeking God's wisdom and guidance in knowing the difference)
2335. Time to reflect on what I'm learning
2336. Going to the grocery store
2337. Even more sprouts!
2338. Yummy lunch
2339. Coming back down in weight
2340. Going through surveys
2341. Working on outline for Childbirth book/class
2342. Getting pictures completely uploaded
2343. Jim getting a lot of reading done
2344. Great rest time
2345. Wearing a pair of non maternity shorts I already owned!
2346. Gabriel's big hugs
2347. All the older kids helping with Gabriel
2348. Jamey and Lillian sharing popcorn with me
2349. Jamey and Lillian playing together nicely for more than 2 minutes
2350. Jamey teaching Reuben
2351. Jamey reading to Lillian
2352. Kids playing school
2353. Jamey reading to himself of his own volition
2354. No TV until Wheel
2355. Kids excited to read the Bible
2356. Kids wanting to say all the passages they know
2357. Reuben wanting to say verses
2358. Reuben communicating much more (I love hearing him talk!)
2359. Slushies
2360. Reuben wanting to read books
2361. Reuben learning to climb the ladder
2362. God's beauty around us
2363. Waking up early again!
2364. Great time of prayer
2365. Getting 2 days of Bible reading done!
2366. Good school time
2367. God's grace to stay calm and still be firm
2368. Getting a Russian lesson done
2369. Playgroup
2370. Spending time with Sisters
2371. Lunch in the park
2372. Jamey and Reuben playing in the sprayground
2373. Kids eating well
2374. Finding my photo back up flash drive!
2375. Getting some emails written
2376. Making more connections
2377. God's ordination of things
2378. Katie willing to write a portion of childbirth book!
2379. Getting 2 packages I was waiting for!
2380. Getting more school stuff (so ready to plan next year)
2381. Getting excited about school next year
2382. Have 2 of the 4 memory boxes
2383. Playing games with J and L
2384. Being overwhelmed at what God has given my children the ability to do
2385. Seeing how far we have come this year
2386. Gabriel growing quickly again
2387. Exercising with the kids
2388. Lillian encouraging everyone in everything they do (perhaps the spiritual gift of exhortation in the making?)
2389. Losing what I had gained back
2390. Reuben's big bear hugs
2391. Wii Fit
2392. More sprouts everyday
2393. Planning for next years garden
2394. Seeing so many blessings in the everyday
2395. Finding a Piper book at a serious discount
2396. Small community group time
2397. Discussing what an eternal perspective may look like
2398. Learning to see things in light of eternity with others
2399. Sgt. Bilko
2400. Lemon pie ice cream (It's from Turkey Hill. You should try some. Seriously!)
2401. Celebrating 9 Years of marriage! I love you Jim!
2402. Having a king sized bed when 3 of your kids want to join you in the morning
2403. Getting 2 days of Bible reading done
2404. Spending extra time on school this morning
2405. Lillian wanting to do school so badly
2406. More Russian! (I love learning languages!)
2407. Jamey saying he wants to learn languages
2408. Hanging out with Brothers and Sisters to celebrate life!
2409. Jamey and Lillian cleaning all of our baseboards, door frames and kitchen cabinet doors and still asking what else they could clean
2410. All 3 kids pretending to clean Andy and Shannon's house
2411. Reconnecting with people
2412. Fun conversations
2413. Kids doing well with a late outing
2414. Ice cream party
2415. Everyone sleeping until 7!
2416. Yummy breakfast
2417. Realizing there is so much I still need to figure out
2418. Good school time
2419. The whole family doing school together
2420. Lillian wanting to learn
2421. Reuben wanting to learn
2422. More Russian lessons
2423. Getting connected with a Brother who is also interested in Eastern Europe
2424. More sprouts
2425. Sprouts beginning to flourish
2426. Lettuce ready to eat
2427. Nice weather
2428. Lillian singing Bible verses and praise songs
2429. Playing catch with Reuben
2430. Scheduling a time to Skype with a friend
2431. All kids taking a nap this afternoon!
2432. Reuben eating the head off of a bug (yes I count this as a blessing since it is potential prep for overseas work. Got to be able to eat anything. :) )
2433. Working on my fiction book (got 4 handwritten pages done!)
2434. Jim getting school work done
2435. Hearing from Dawn
2436. Getting to email Dawn
2437. Arranging to meet with Mrs. Carlson
2438. Getting contacts ordered
2439. Listening to worship music all day
2440. Being led by the Holy Spirit
2441. Night out with Jim
2442. Eating Indian food
2443. Perusing Barnes and Nobel for awhile
2444. Seeing that it is possible to get published
2445. Menchie's Frozen Yogurt that tasted just like an ice cream sandwich (so yummy!)
2446. Talking about possibilities for the future
2447. Talking about opening doors
2448. Seeing more needs
2449. Being encouraged in prayer
2450. Learning how to communicate better
2451. Getting another email written
2452. Rediscovering my love for writing letters
2453. Sleeping all night
2454. Waking more refreshed than I have in a while
2455. Getting some extended prayer time and extra Bible reading
2456. Spending time with the Lord
2457. Learning about God's wisdom
2458. Desiring to be diligent and seeking how to do that
2459. God not leaving us where we are, but guiding and disciplining His children to be more like Christ
2460. Jim and Jamey wrestling
2461. Gabriel's gigantic hugs
2462. Reuben joining the boy play
2463. Jim getting out an email to a Brother
2464. Praying together
2465. Laughter
2466. Lillian being mostly toilet trained!
2467. Reuben telling us when he needs a new diaper
2468. More encouragement
2469. Seeing Mrs. Carlson
2470. Getting a bigger car seat for Gabriel (going to need it soon)
2471. Playing at the playground
2472. Seeing Ashley and her crew
2473. Meeting new Sisters
2474. Running into Melanie and Emma
2475. A big nice playground with a spray park
2476. Reuben playing in the water
2477. Jamey not being shy and meeting people at the park
2478. Jamey being somewhat adventurous on the playground
2479. Picnic lunch
2480. Eating sandwiches with lettuce on them from our garden!
2481. God continuing to bless our garden
2482. Nice rest time
2483. Getting more read
2484. Working on cleaning out my overloaded inbox
2485. Some free e-books that I have been wanting (now to read)
2486. Learning to just go ahead and discard emails I know are not important and I'm not going to read
2487. Realizing some of the stuff I am reading is causing more harm than good for my soul
2488. Realizing everyone is called to different things and it will never look the same for anyone
2489. Smooth bed time
2490. Reuben playing peek-a-boo
2491. Watching the boys build together
2492. "Sleeping" until 8:30
2493. Lillian sleeping until 9
2494. Running errands all together
2495. Having school on Saturday (Have I ever mentioned I love the flexibility of home school?)
2496. Outside time
2497. Gabriel beginning to explore the world
2498. Reading my Bible!
2499. Rest time movie with J and L
2500. Watching Jamey build and wondering what God will do with it
2501. Jamey wanting to say Scripture
2502. Getting some thoughts out for childbirth class and book
2503. Early bed time with little fuss
2504. Having a laid back yet productive Saturday
2505. Finally going through all of my emails! (need a practical system to stay on top of it all)
2506. Sleep
2507. Gabriel sleeping until 5:30!
2508. Jamey staying dry all night
2509. Lillian using the toilet on her own!!!!!
2510. Church
2511. Jamey learning to help with the baby
2512. Helping prepare the sanctuary
2513. Listening to the band practice
2514. Remembering the fun of a jam session (lots of nostalgia today)
2515. Connecting with Heather
2516. Seeing Rebekah and her crew! (Miss that girl so much)
2517. Catching up with Ann
2518. Meeting Mandy's dad and step-mom
2519. Learning about the Trinity! (Really good sermon and practical in understanding more of God)
2520. Learning more of what it means to be a part of God's family
2521. Learning about blessing others (really desire to get better at this!)
2522. Seeing Jeremiah and Darlene before they move
2523. Learning to drive ungodly thoughts from my mind
2524. Worshiping the Lord
2525. Hearing from Dawn twice in one week!
2526. Reuben's smile
2527. Kids devouring their lunch (seriously huge blessing. Usually struggling to them to eat recently)
2528. Jim calling his dad
2529. Needed email written
2530. Experiencing being a part of God's family
2531. Yummy lunch for Father's day
2532. Anticipating what God is doing and getting excited
2533. Seeing Jimmy and Emily!
2534. Planning for friends' visit
2535. Watching Jamey and Lillian play soccer together
2536. Working on planning for the fall
2837. Talking about forming good routines/habits for our home
2838. Smooth meal planning time
2839. Getting 2 bottles of loratadine and 2 half gallons of Blue Bell ice cream for less than $20 without coupons!
2840. Gabriel holding his own bottle
2841. Reuben helping Gabriel with his bottle
2842. Planning out the week more thoroughly
2843. J and L playing outside for 2 hours!
2844. Almost clearing our fridge of leftovers
2845. Organizing my purse
2846. Jamey building the "Temple"
2847. Reuben beginning to build with duplos
2848. Seeing imagination come out in my kids
2849. Smooth bed time
2850. Being alive

9 Years

Today Jim and I are celebrating 9 years of marriage! Sometimes it is hard to believe it has been that long. Other times it feels like we have been married all of our lives. Today is amazing in remembering where the past 9 years have brought us. We have had ups and downs and many big life changes but God has seen us through it all. When we wed we had no idea that God would move us out of our home town of Smyrna, GA to Louisville, KY with the ultimate goal of serving Him in another country. We had no idea we would be blessed with four beautiful children in four years. We had no idea how much God would work in our lives and change us. All we knew was that He has brought us together and that we were to do life together under His rule.

I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a husband who loves God, loves me, loves our kids and seeks God's best for us. I am blessed to have a husband who loves to cook and is good at it. I am thankful that Jim is patient with me as I learn how to manage a home and be a Godly wife and mother. Jim truly is a gift from God and I cannot thank God enough for Him. 

9 years down and hopefully many many more to go by God's grace. He is so good to us and I cannot wait to see where He leads us next.

June 3 to 9

2221. Gabriel sleeping until almost 6! (This is the first time he has made it 12 hours in about a week)
2222. Time to pray and read my Bible this morning
2223. Good breakfast
2224. Taking the whole family to the pool
2225. Jamey trying to swim some in the pool
2226. Stealing a few moments alone with Reuben in the water
2227. Jamey going along the wall by himself
2228. Gabriel enjoying the pool
2229. Hot Tub!
2230. Leftovers for lunch (YAY for cleaning out some of the fridge)
2231. Playing outside
2232. More garden work
2233. School in the afternoon
2234. Getting 3 days done in 1
2235. Jamey paying attention
2236. Seeing the excitement of learning
2237. Reuben saying "I love you" to me
2238. Reuben helping Gabriel drink his bottle
2239. Lillian's mothering nature coming out in feeding and changing Gabriel
2240. Jamey feeding Gabriel
2241. Jamey playing with Gabriel and making him laugh
2242. Reuben making Gabriel laugh
2243. Lillian staying dry most of the day
2244. Lillian pooping in the toilet!
2245. Playgroup
2246. Lunch at the park
2247. Fellowship
2248. Learning more about different schooling options
2249. Getting geared up for school next year
2250. Getting 2 weeks of Language Arts done
2251. Meeting 3 new people at community group
2252. Meeting a couple from Georgia (looking forward to getting to know them better)
2253. CG in the park
2254. Discussing our community and ways to serve
2255. Prayer walking
2256. Hearing from Sisters around the world
2257. Great post-op visit for Jamey
2258. Learning to rely on God fully for my strength and rest
2259. Reading more as a family
2260. Not using the TV much!
2261. Working outside
2262. Getting tomato plants from Melanie!
2263. Getting plants in the ground
2264. More growth in the garden
2265. Getting more seeds planted
2266. Being able to trust God even when we see injustice
2267. Talking about God's attributes
2268. Great conversations
2269. Having a God who is personable
2270. Some time to pray and cry out to God
2271. Reuben wanting to learn (cannot wait to start schooling him more formally in August!)
2272. Learning to embrace where God has brought me and what He has called me to do
2273. Playing outside as a family
2274. Fun school time
2275. Jamey continuing to learn and wanting to do more of the "creative writing"
2276. Dinner with friends
2277. Seeing more of God's path for us here
2278. More opportunities to learn and grow
2279. Great time of women's prayer
2280. Hearing about a Sister's coming work
2281. Finding out Noemi is coming to visit!!!!!
2282. Learning that Pastor Nathan is CANCER FREE!!!!!
2283. Having the privilege of praying
2284. Being part of an eternal Family
2285. Nice rest time
2286. Getting a review written
2287. Being encouraged by books
2288. Realizing more of what it will take to write
2289. Consistently being reminded of what's most important
2290. God never leaving me
2291. God never giving up on me
2292. Gabriel sleeping until after 6!
2293. Spending some time outside
2294. A whole row of cucumbers sprouting!
2295. Taking pictures with Becca of our yard
2296. My creative artsy side coming out
2297. Taking some pics of Gabriel
2298. God blessing our garden
2299. Doing some Russian
2300. Napping a little
2301. Resting with Jamey and Lillian
2302. Realizing it's worth bug bites and sweat to watch your kids learn and explore
2303. Yummy dinner
2304. Hearing the kids say their memory verses with confidence
2305. Lillian cheering on her brothers
2306. Lillian staying dry all day
2307. Kids all going to bed early
2308. Little issue with going to bed
2309. Getting a project ready to tackle
2310. Getting pictures uploaded
2311. Getting up and ready in a timely fashion with only 3 adults again
2312. Gabriel getting his first tooth
2313. Getting to know Heather a little better
2314. Meeting Nate (the other half of the couple who desire to go to Eastern Europe)
2315. Connecting with people at church
2316. Spending a couple hours outside
2317. God blessing our gardening efforts (we have so many sprouts right now! God is so good)
2318. Learning about the eternality of God
2319. Hearing that there is no right to privacy, God knows everything
2320. Being encouraged to view life in light of eternity
2321. Spending time thinking about what right now should look like in light of eternity
2322. Exploring outside with my kids
2323. Talking with Becca (so thankful she lives with us)
2324. Uploading most of our pictures
2325. More coupons for printing stuff
2326. Family movie night
2327. Going to bed semi early
2328. Talking
2329. God' gift of life and growth
2330. God being eternal

You Are A Writer by Jeff Goins

I am so thankful I read this book. This book is a great, too the point, yet personal approach to getting started as a writer. As someone who has considered myself a writer of sorts for for at least 15 years, it was such an encouragement. I love the idea of calling yourself a writer even if you are not published. (I have already begun to practice this.) Having struggled for quite some time this concept is essential for writers to grasp and it is well covered and encouraged in this book.
Goins spends a lot of time explaining the writing and publishing process. I am thankful for the reminder that writing is work. To be a writer that publishes regularly and sells it is a full-time job. He really help to explain the process and discuss ways to get your name and work out there. He gives a good outline of what it takes to be a writer in our culture today.
The honesty and straightforwardness is very refreshing. The style is easy to read and is like having a conversation with Jeff Goins. If you are a writer or think you want to be one, this book is a great resource and I highly recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book from Story Cartel for review.

May 27 to June 2

After our recent sermons about God's goodness and faithfulness I wanted to write a reminder to myself and others about why I write these lists. These are to remind me of God's blessings and to let others see God's goodness in the every day goings of life. We live in a hard world, but God is good and faithful to His people. These are longs lists and I honestly do not expect people to read everyone, but to me it's worth recording God's blessings and give Him praise for His goodness everyday.

2111. Everyone getting up and ready early this morning
2112. Starting school by 7am
2113. Great discussion after one of our stories
2114. Getting a little more work done than I had anticipated during school
2115. Everyone going to the grocery store
2116. Jamey and Lillian playing well together in the car grocery cart
2117. Meeting a Sister at the grocery store
2118. Getting to help a Sister prepare for Labor and childbirth!
2119. Learning more of what people want to know about labor and childbirth
2120. Practicing teaching and explaining
2121. Being given the privilege of praying for a Sister and her family
2122. Gabriel doing very well during our time of teaching and learning
2123. Yummy Sandwiches
2124. Working on cataloging kids books
2125. Kids going through puzzles
2126. Lillian cheering on her brothers
2127. Lillian being in a great mood most of the day
2128. Seeing God's grace at work
2129. Jamey saving the last bite of banana for Lillian
2130. Gabriel eating a few bites of banana
2131. All of our kids liking bath time
2132. Family movie night
2133. Homemade kettle corn
2134. Lillian being funny: Climbing on Jim's back she says "The horse is dead. Let's ride the zebra."
2135. Relaxing evening
2136. Reuben saying, "In Jesus Name, Amen"!
2137. Gabriel sleeping 12 hours again!
2138. Gabriel turning 6 months!
2139. Eggs and oatmeal for breakfast
2140. Good school time
2141. Jamey growing in reading
2142. Jamey loving to draw
2143. Lillian growing in loving to learn
2144. Teaching the kids to listen
2145. Playgroup
2146. Seeing Yvonne, Apple and Zane
2147. Learning about Montessori
2148. Eating lunch at the park
2149. Making potato salad as a family
2150. Jamey and Lillian wanting to play outside after coming home from the park
2151. Playing a game with Jim
2152. Enjoying being together
2153. Jim having a productive morning
2154. Water Aerobics
2155. Seeing several friends that I have not seen in awhile
2156. Hot tub!
2157. Getting info to find out possibilities for class
2158. JIM TURNING 30!
2159. CG in the park
2160. Meeting new people
2161. Encouraging conversations
2162. Fun pictures
2163. Ice cream cake
2164. Whole family going to CG
2165. Great day!
2166. Everyone sleeping later this morning
2167. Free Chick-fil-A breakfast!
2168. Great check-up for Gabriel
2169. Seeing Ashley at Target
2170. Pulling off birthday surprises :)
2171. Gabriel not losing weight
2172. BBQ Ribs and Baked potatoes
2173. Yummy cake
2174. Going away alone with Jim!
2175. Seeing the beautiful country side
2176. Seeing a vineyard
2177. Yummy cheese tray with crackers
2178. Beautiful view from our room
2179. Nice lodge
2180. Comfy bed
2181. Yummy breakfast
2182. Nice weather
2183. Having my sisters here to stay with the kids so we can go away
2184. Gabriel doing relatively well with the bottles
2185. Pumps
2186. Family morning at the pool
2187. Gabriel mostly loving the water
2188. Reuben hanging out in the pool
2189. Reuben trying to swim
2190. Lillian jumping off the stairs and going under the water
2191. Lillian trying to swim
2192. Jamey jumping off the side
2193. All splashing and playing in the kiddie pool together
2194. Stealing a few moments with Jim in the hot tub
2195. Chick-fil-A
2196. Kids resting
2197. Getting our school room much more organized
2198. Getting all of our books cataloged
2199. No one coming to writing group
2200. Having time to sit, journal and pray for an hour
2201. Really good breakfast
2202. Getting school stuff organized by category
2203. Jim able to sleep all day
2204. Getting emails written
2205. Daddy and Mom getting here safely
2206. Jamey singing Psalm 23, 67 and 1 to his own tune (perhaps a song writer in the making?)
2207. Walking to church
2208. Beautiful weather
2209. Watching the kids discover and play with "rolly pollies"
2210. Learning about God's justice
2211. Hearing a new original song by Chad Lewis on his new Scarlet Hope album
2212. Yummy Mexican lunch
2213. Being out in the yard working as a family
2214. Getting more emails sent
2215. Quiet rest time
2216. Pizza!
2217. Cake!
2218. Lying with Lillian while she went to sleep
2219. Talking about writing with Kalina
2220.Gabriel doing well with a bottle