BELLA ROSE WAS BORN TODAY AROUND 12:30 P.M. SHE WEIGHED IN AT 7LB 10 OZ AND 20.5 IN. LONG. I AM TOLD THAT SHE HAS A HEAD FULL OF BLACK HAIR AND SHE HAS DIMPLES.
BOTH MOTHER AND DAUGHTER ARE DOING GREAT AND SABRINA HAD A VERY EASY AND QUICK DELIVERY. I WILL POST A PICTURE AS SOON AS MY WONDERFUL SISTER IN LAW SENDS ME ONE--HINT! HINT!
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HER!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Good-bye warm fall days
As the cold days set in and we prepare for winter...let me take a second to pout over those beautiful warm fall days that we have enjoyed over the past month or two. This picture is of one such a day when the sun was out and it was softly sprinkling all day long...the perfect day to play outside with an umbrella.
Ecclesiastes 3:1--There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
Briley's Soccer
Briley is all boy at heart, which makes his daddy so happy, so naturally, he loves EVERY sport. This fall we signed him up for soccer at the YMCA and he also played home school soccer, so he was getting plenty of practice time. He was in his element and practiced at every free moment, with the ultimate goal of ....scoring a goal in the game.
Game one was good, but we quickly realized that a bigger 6 year old on our team named Nick was going to be the star...no joke, he would stand at the opposite end of the field and kick the ball and score. And believe me when I say, you better get out of the way of that ball because there was some power behind it.
This scenario repeated for game 2, 3, and 4, but on game 5....the "B man" came alive and scored not 1, not 2, not 3, 4, or 5 goals, but 6 goals!!! I thought Mark was going to lose his head he was so excited... and I have to admit that I was a tad bit excited too. There may have been talk at the dinner table about a showdown with David Beckham, but we were afraid to embarrass him in front of the world.
Game one was good, but we quickly realized that a bigger 6 year old on our team named Nick was going to be the star...no joke, he would stand at the opposite end of the field and kick the ball and score. And believe me when I say, you better get out of the way of that ball because there was some power behind it.
This scenario repeated for game 2, 3, and 4, but on game 5....the "B man" came alive and scored not 1, not 2, not 3, 4, or 5 goals, but 6 goals!!! I thought Mark was going to lose his head he was so excited... and I have to admit that I was a tad bit excited too. There may have been talk at the dinner table about a showdown with David Beckham, but we were afraid to embarrass him in front of the world.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Greek Olympics
In our serious study of Greek culture, we joined other scholars to advance our psychological and physiological ability in this field.
Awwwh, who are we kidding? We don't care about advanced knowledge on Greece, we just wanted to have fun--AND FUN WE HAD!!!
Let me introduce the chariot...
Awwwh, who are we kidding? We don't care about advanced knowledge on Greece, we just wanted to have fun--AND FUN WE HAD!!!
Let me introduce the chariot...
It took a lot of teamwork to build such a fine specimen... all hands were on deck...Emma, Hannah, and Seviann were in charge of design...
Briley and Samuel were in charge of... Wii?
And Sabree was in charge of Benjamin, whom she nearly injured by leaving him on the couch...good thing Momma was close by.
These Olympians are serious athletes and the determination shows on their faces.
They are advanced both physically and mentally...as shown in the placement of the sign.
They are confident in their ability and unwavering in their determination.
Is he really serious with all that Incredible Hulk type posing...please.
Discus---she is a pro
The fearless competition
We bad...ya, we bad.
And a little crazy
Shot Put---see the concentration...feel the determination...
This pouty look is the first of what Kim would call the "determining factor"
I'll take her place..this is how it's done.
DA JUDGES
Le Chariot Race
Onward to victory, noble steeds.
The end of the foot race
The beginning of the foot race (I told you we were backwards)
Awards Ceremony
Hey, look at my medal...I thought we were supposed to get head dresses.
The aftermath of the Chariot crash.
The middle of the chariot race (yes, I downloaded them backwards.)
Let me have some of this Greek food.
The spread, look at Kim's blog for the exact names.
We were treated to a show of authentic Greek dance (at least one authentic thing for the day)
The "real" Greek dancing costumes of today
It was such a fun day. I am so glad to have such wonderful friends to celebrate history with, we really enjoyed ourselves, even Sabree. You inspire me, Kim.
Are you ready to have a Roman court?
Friday, November 14, 2008
Girl's Night
Last night was Sabree's first night to stay up late and have girl's night with Seviann and me. We put it on the calendar a week ago and each day she has excitedly told me how many days until "the big night". Her excitement was contagious and we all could not help getting worked up and excited when we talked about it.
Her excitement steadily climbed to the boiling point yesterday, and periodically she would let out a squeal of delight, hop up on her tippy toes and squeeze her hands together--she honestly could not contain herself and it was amusing Seviann, who was an old hat at girl's night and did not see what was the "big deal."
So, Sabree explained to her that the excitement she felt for girl's night was 1/10 (she is doing fractions in math) the excitement she would feel when she got to heaven and would get to see Jesus, so maybe Seviann should just think of it like that. But, she further explained that if Seviann did not like this much excitement, she better look out when they get to heaven because she would "explode" with joy.
So, I post this to give us all hope today, in that one day we will all "explode" with joy when we see Jesus. Let's let that excitement and enthusiasm build here on earth to the point of boiling.
Her excitement steadily climbed to the boiling point yesterday, and periodically she would let out a squeal of delight, hop up on her tippy toes and squeeze her hands together--she honestly could not contain herself and it was amusing Seviann, who was an old hat at girl's night and did not see what was the "big deal."
So, Sabree explained to her that the excitement she felt for girl's night was 1/10 (she is doing fractions in math) the excitement she would feel when she got to heaven and would get to see Jesus, so maybe Seviann should just think of it like that. But, she further explained that if Seviann did not like this much excitement, she better look out when they get to heaven because she would "explode" with joy.
So, I post this to give us all hope today, in that one day we will all "explode" with joy when we see Jesus. Let's let that excitement and enthusiasm build here on earth to the point of boiling.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Salt and Light
We had a rare opportunity tonight to witness to a person that we know "doesn't believe in God". This person came right up to me and asked me point blank to show them something in the Bible--wow! Immediately prayers went up for God to guide my words and hands as I flipped through scripture to verify God's truth, it took my breath away to see the armor that had been blinding this person's vision slowly crumble away.
This would have been an even more amazing moment if my children had not interrupted our conversation 10 times about VERY trivial things. Now, don't get me wrong--I love my kids and everything they say is important to me--but they know that God is first and if he is being glorified ==then that is not the appropriate time to interrupt. Can you wait 5 minutes to tell me that you saw a red ladybug or that you wonder if we are going to see "friend" this weekend?
Alas, the moment was lost and the person kindly bowed out of the conversation and walked away, leaving me disheartened and a little irritated at the kids. But, God is good and his mercy endures forever and he saw fit to give me some time to reflect before I talked with the kids about what happened.
Conversation before bed:
Kids why do you think we should have good manners and be polite and respectful to people?
Because you told us we should.
It is so much more than that. Mom and Dad tell you to be kind and have good manners and be respectful because these things set us apart from the world. When people who don't know us see children who are polite and respectful and joyful, they see something that is different from most of society. We set ourselves apart from the usual indifferent, intolerant youth, and when you set yourselves apart people will question why you are different. They will come up and ask why are you so happy or ask you what makes you so joyful. Then you can tell them that you are happy because Jesus is in your heart. God gets the glory, not man. If we behave disrespectfully and disobedient, then people look at us and they don't see anything. But, God designed us to desire to worship him and we can do that even through something as insignificant as a "please and thank you".
Colossians 4:5-6--Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
This would have been an even more amazing moment if my children had not interrupted our conversation 10 times about VERY trivial things. Now, don't get me wrong--I love my kids and everything they say is important to me--but they know that God is first and if he is being glorified ==then that is not the appropriate time to interrupt. Can you wait 5 minutes to tell me that you saw a red ladybug or that you wonder if we are going to see "friend" this weekend?
Alas, the moment was lost and the person kindly bowed out of the conversation and walked away, leaving me disheartened and a little irritated at the kids. But, God is good and his mercy endures forever and he saw fit to give me some time to reflect before I talked with the kids about what happened.
Conversation before bed:
Kids why do you think we should have good manners and be polite and respectful to people?
Because you told us we should.
It is so much more than that. Mom and Dad tell you to be kind and have good manners and be respectful because these things set us apart from the world. When people who don't know us see children who are polite and respectful and joyful, they see something that is different from most of society. We set ourselves apart from the usual indifferent, intolerant youth, and when you set yourselves apart people will question why you are different. They will come up and ask why are you so happy or ask you what makes you so joyful. Then you can tell them that you are happy because Jesus is in your heart. God gets the glory, not man. If we behave disrespectfully and disobedient, then people look at us and they don't see anything. But, God designed us to desire to worship him and we can do that even through something as insignificant as a "please and thank you".
Colossians 4:5-6--Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Suzanne's Birthday
Today we celebrated my youngest sister's 30th birthday with her. It was a sweet time to get together and talk and laugh. She and George took us to the cutest little restaurant I have ever seen in my life--it was a 1940's gas station that had been made into a restaurant in Batesville, VA.
Picture this tiny little old town, covered in ivy, and a tattered old white gas station with a front door and screen. As you walk in, there are tables of every size and shape that look like they all came out of some little old lady's kitchen, old artwork and signs all over the walls, and a deli counter with the absolute best tasting chicken salad IN THE WORLD!!! The town folk knit and crochet hats and scarves that are for sale on one of the back tables (but beware, you may have to donate a kidney to pay for a scarf--$50 per scarf-=cough, choke). Towards the front of the store, there is a little child size rocking chair and tables with old time toys to play with and a table and chairs set up for chess or checkers.
The owner was a plump friendly fellow who knew everyone by name and would recommend a dish he thought you might like just by sizing you up--he was dead on right with us. Some of the menu includes home made pizza, macaroni and cheese, BBQ, chicken salad, BLT's, pasta salad, and home made ice cream--yummy! This place even runs a tab for the locals--it was like Mayberry. Every friday they have a local artist come in and sing, display artwork, or whatever their specialty is and the town folk all gather and have a big party. Don't you just want to be part of that?
We love our Suzanne--Happy Birthday.
Picture this tiny little old town, covered in ivy, and a tattered old white gas station with a front door and screen. As you walk in, there are tables of every size and shape that look like they all came out of some little old lady's kitchen, old artwork and signs all over the walls, and a deli counter with the absolute best tasting chicken salad IN THE WORLD!!! The town folk knit and crochet hats and scarves that are for sale on one of the back tables (but beware, you may have to donate a kidney to pay for a scarf--$50 per scarf-=cough, choke). Towards the front of the store, there is a little child size rocking chair and tables with old time toys to play with and a table and chairs set up for chess or checkers.
The owner was a plump friendly fellow who knew everyone by name and would recommend a dish he thought you might like just by sizing you up--he was dead on right with us. Some of the menu includes home made pizza, macaroni and cheese, BBQ, chicken salad, BLT's, pasta salad, and home made ice cream--yummy! This place even runs a tab for the locals--it was like Mayberry. Every friday they have a local artist come in and sing, display artwork, or whatever their specialty is and the town folk all gather and have a big party. Don't you just want to be part of that?
We love our Suzanne--Happy Birthday.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
MOVING FORWARD
The election is over, and although it did not go the way our family had hoped, we must move forward. Our home was a very sad house this morning and there were many tears shed in fear of what may come with our newly elected president---but God is sovereign, and he put Barack Obama in the role of president for a reason. This is a reason we must not question--for his ways are not our ways.
Romans 13:1-2--Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
So, we will delight in that which God has ordained and rejoice in his holy name knowing that all things are for him.
Romans 13:1-2--Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
So, we will delight in that which God has ordained and rejoice in his holy name knowing that all things are for him.
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