A Lifetime of Love

Father’s Day, in my opinion, was a nice day, although it didn’t start out as such. The night before we went to a friend’s house to swim, eat, and hang out. We didn’t get home until after midnight, and by the time the boys were in bed, it was almost 1AM before I got to sleep. I set my alarm to go off at 6:15AM so I could wake before TJ and make breakfast. I did wake first, and prepared eggs, sausage (his pick!), hash browns, and French toast for him. I had the food ready, the table set, and his surprise gift (a calendar entitled “Our Life in Pictures”) waiting in his spot. When he woke, he wasn’t feeling well and barely ate. Now, I really don’t like sausage. It’s not just the taste, but everything about it grosses me out! The smell while it’s cooking is more than I can tolerate! TJ felt really, really bad about not eating, especially because he knows how much I despise sausage. It’s the thought that counts, right? We were out late the night before, and the kids didn’t get a bath before ...

I am so thankful for the often small, seemingly insignificant reminders the Lord uses to encourage me throughout the day. Th said something yesterday that has been on my mind since. When we were leaving VBS yesterday afternoon, he ran ahead and opened the door for me (I was pushing T.G. in her stroller and holding everybody’s “stuff”, along with Ta toddling behind). As I walked through the door, he said, “I am in training to be a godly man, and a godly man holds the door.” Can you believe he said that! When I correct the boys, I always tell them they are in training to be a godly man. My job (and TJ’s) is to show them how to act and behave in a godly manner. I was really touched that Th said that- it reveals his heart, and God’s Word says that out of the heart come our thoughts and intents (see Hebrews 4:12). Th's little comment revealed to me that he has a desire to love and serve the Lord, and second to salvation, is the most important decision he can ever make! I didn’t decid...

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” It has been a tiring week. I relied upon the above verse because I was feeling very overwhelmed with all of my commitments. As usual, I was being pulled in several directions and was having difficulty in prioritizing them. The reality of Vacation Bible School didn’t hit me until last Thursday evening. I met with the other teacher in the class to talk about our plan for the week. I left her house feeling both excited and panicked- I hadn’t prepared for the upcoming week through prayer as well as I should, and I had only myself to blame. The weekend didn’t provide much relief so I prayed every opportunity I had. We had our T-n-T campout last Friday, attended 2 birthday parties on Saturday, picked up my brother from the airport Saturday evening, and made final preparations for VBS on Sunday. The VBS kick-off was Sunday e...

I have added some pictures from various life events in which we've recently participated. T.G. is getting to be such a big girl, not just physically, but in every way. She never did take to a bottle, and put up a fight against the spoon, but now she loves to eat! She gets so angry if I eat something and don't share it- even if it's a burger! I have to pinch off a piece of everything for her to try. She eats pretty much anything she can get in her mouth. I was worried that she wasn't getting enough iron since she fought against eating infant cereal, but she's quickly made up for that! She eats the cereal, any type of baby food, plus whatever I can mash up enough to give her. She still doesn't have any teeth so I can't give her pieces too large. She eats regular bananas just fine, so that's a money saver! She also likes applesauce and sweet potatoes, plus toast and graham crackers. She's been sitting up by herself for a few weeks now, so that help...

I am very excited. . . I found out my sister is expecting her first child. She and her boyfriend Paul were going to get married anyway; the pregnancy sort of sped things up a bit. Nevertheless, I am very happy for her. Plus, her due date is my birthday, so that makes it more exciting! She really wants a boy. In fact, she already has a name picked out- Noah James. I love it! I would love for her to have a boy because I know how cool it is to have a boy first. I would also love for her to have a girl because her baby and T.G. will only be about a year apart. I told TJ last night I want to go and stay with her when she has the baby. I haven’t decided if I’ll go the same time as my mom or wait until after my mom leaves. He told me we have plenty of time to work out the details- I guess he’s right! Her husband is a Marine and she told me today that he is due to deploy to Iraq in March, when the baby is about 2 months old. He’s already been there at least once (I think twice) so I encourage...

I have had such a great morning despite the bickering between the boys. We went over to a friend’s house from church so I could get some godly parenting advice and tips. This woman also has 2 boys who are 2 years apart, and since they are older than mine, she knows exactly what I’m dealing with because she has experienced it with her own children. Additionally, she just recently resigned as the nursery coordinator for our church, so she knows my children extremely well and was able to provide me with some sound advice based on their personalities. I wrote before that I am doing a personal Bible study, and I have been convicted of my sins as a parent since the first page. She did the same study and encouraged me to keep going. She was such a huge blessing to me today, and I am so thankful to have such godly influences in my life. As I was leaving her house, I told her how much I appreciated her time. I honestly have already begun to put into practice some of what I learned today, and I ...

1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." Today was a bad day for me as a mother. I can’t even say I “lost” my patience because that would imply I had patience to begin with- I didn ’t. I was immediately convicted as soon as my mouth shut. I apologized for all the times I angrily lost my self-control, but I know words hurt the heart more than anything. While waiting for TJ to get home, the kids and I were playing in the backyard as usual. We heard sirens, and I looked at my watch and noticed it was 5:30. Bad thoughts and panic set in, and I frantically began calling TJ on his cell phone. No answer, of course! I waited 5 more minutes before calling again. During that time, I prayed that God would forgive me for my bad attitude today, especially toward my children. I sometimes need moments like this to help me gain my perspective back. It’s funny- I was thinking if something horrible did happen to TJ on the way home, I wa...