Overwhelmed by God's Grace

I had the privilege this evening of hugging my dripping wet daughter as she exited the baptismal waters. Words really just can't express the incredible joy of seeing God's grace working in her life at that moment. We are so thankful for her faith in Christ and her desire to testify of that through baptism.

Two other girls were baptized along with Hannah this evening, and all three girls were so excited ... (albeit a wee bit nervous.) :o) (Two young men were baptized this evening as well.)

Our Pastor needed to accomodate heights ranging from under 4 feet this evening to over 6, so he helped Hannah float from the steps to a cinder block he had placed in the water for her.

We've been privileged to be a part of our church since before we were married, so our Pastor has known Hannah since she was born, making it an extra special blessing now for him to help her testify of her new birth in Christ.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing;

it is the gift of God,

not a result of works,

so that no one may boast.

:::

Ephesians 2:8-9

Thank You, Father God, for your incredible gift of grace in our lives.

This Moment ~ Waiting for Grandma and Grandpa

We are so glad G&G M were able to come down to share in Hannah's baptism with us!

Let there be red ...

A red rose for Hannah ...
Red roses for Mommy ...

Red hair (pre-trimming) for Monkey ...

A red (rather than pinkish) dog house for Toby ...

Red paint (1/3 gallon) for the bugs ...

AND ....

A red shed for all of us!!!

With our able assistants ...

We took advantage of a beautiful, unseasonably warm Saturday and turned our mismatched shed into this:

Black trim paint and a replacement door are coming, but we're definitely rejoicing in the improvement already! :o) (And also encouraged by how much help our growing crew was able to provide!)

This Moment ~ T(r)uckered Out

Giggles ... 25 cents

Baby giggles are positively addicting! And since Matthew is incredibly ticklish, we figure we could probably pay off our home mortgage if we charged for giggles ... J/K! :o) But feel free to come on by if you'd like to enjoy them regardless!

It's hard to believe we're in the double-digits already. We'll be celebrating Matthew's 1st birthday in just two months! As you can see, Monkey is standing ... not walking (or quite crawling), but standing very well.

"So, Mommy, how do I pick that up AND hold onto the tree?"

"Yep, I'm a big boy!"

"Do you think I can touch my nose?"

Notice my lovely photoshoot assistant ... :o)

Gotta feel those new teeth ... (two more poked through in the last couple days, so he's up to seven.)

He loves bath time!

And is as happy and cheerful as ever!

He's still doing the tummy slide for the most part, but getting really close to crawling. (I'm thinking the next week we're going mobile ...)

His major milestone for this month is that he's finally eating solid foods! Just in the last week he has decided that solid foods are an excellent addition to this complete meal plan, and he's gone from 2-3 bites to 2-3 servings! "Bananas, cheerios, lentil soup, peaches, squash, peas, green beans ... I'm not fussy, Mommy, just give me lots!" We're already starting to enjoy the benefits of having him on a meal time schedule similar to the rest of the family's. :o)

Happy 10 Months, Monkey!

We love you!

A Valentine's Moment ~ Sweetheart

A lovely breakfast, compliments of Daddy. :o)

I only wish I had caught her smile when she first saw her very own rose from Daddy ... very excited. :o)

From our hearts to yours ...

To family and friends, near and far, ...

Happy Valentine's Day!

(And for the record ... I did NOT manage to have all three children in matching Sunday outfits with pleasant moods ALL day and then forget about taking a special Valentine's picture until after they had changed into their jammies for bed. Nope. Not me. I'm far too organized for that!) ;o)

Jesting aside, we are thankful Valentine's Day is not about studio-worthy pictures. We are thankful for the love of God, shown to us through the incredible gift of His Son.

:::

For God so loved the world,

that He gave His only Son,

that whoever believes in Him

should not perish

but have eternal life.

John 3:16

:::

It's mind boggling to comprehend God's love. Just this week we've faced some difficult things as a family. It's really hard to see your child hurting. To hold them as they cry. But God did that. For us. And He chose it. I did not choose to bring circumstances into my child's life that would hurt them. And I really can't imagine doing that. But God did. He gave us His Son--knowing it would mean His death--so that we could live. Thank you, Father God. Thank you.

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star,

And reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled

And pardoned from his sin.

When years of time shall pass away

And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;

When men who here refuse to pray,

On rocks and hills and mountains call;

God's love, so sure, shall still endure,

All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam's race--

The saints' and angels' song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Tho' stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure,

The saints' and angels' song.

Frederick Lehman

This Moment ~ Dinner for Twelve

Thankful

In no particular order, I am thankful today ...

1. that sickness struck at daybreak, allowing us a full night's sleep
2. that Mommy and Daddy's sickness didn't coincide, allowing us each to help each other recover
3. that children sleep when they're sick and it helps them get better
4. for Tigger balloons
5. for Pedialyte
6. that at three years old, this is the first time Peter has ever had the stomach bug
7. for Sprite
8. for fresh bananas
9. for returning strength
10. for homemade chicken noodle soup
11. for hot showers
12. for warm blankets
13. for comfortable beds
14. for comfortable couches
15. that Matthew and Hannah have thus far been spared "the bug"
16. for the miracle of an evening's milk supply for my littlest one on a day when I had eaten one banana, five bites of soup, 1/4 cup of Sprite, and maybe one cup of water since 10:00 a.m.
17. for sunshine
18. for crockpots
19. for my Bible
20. for my husband
21. for the wonderful good health we so regularly enjoy

Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks;
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
:::
I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Mama Goats

What a blessing it is to have friends who are willing to share their farm with us! :o) This past weekend we enjoyed visiting their very expectant mama goats ...

This mama was a little jealous for the attention Peter was giving to the chickens ...

And Matthew ...

enjoyed snoozing with Daddy! :o)

We're hoping to be able to see the babies born, which will be really cool! :o)

:::

(Did you know that during the winter, goats always give birth between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m., so that their babies can be born during the heat of the day? Pretty incredible to see how God planned for even the smallest details in His creation!)

This Moment ~ Proud of Myself

I changed my mind.

When we moved into our current home, we were scrambling to finish some major renovation projects. (Removing a chimney from the middle of the kitchen was just a small part of it!) We had remodeled the kitchen in our previous home, and since I really liked that one, I basically copied it the second time around. Including white appliances. Well, a second-hand white fridge and a new white dishwasher.

To facilitate cash flow, however, we salvaged the stove from the original kitchen. It wasn't pretty, but it was quite functional. And it happened to be black.

And after living here for two years, I decided that I really liked black appliances better than white appliances.

So when I found a very good deal on a set of almost-new second-hand black appliances, my very gracious husband was willing to go to the trouble with me of swapping out the fridge as well.

Don't they look nice? :o) I am very excited! It was a very good deal regardless, but Lord willing, once we resell the old ones, we'll have come out for a little less than it would have cost us to buy a new stove. (Which my hubby had been investigating over Christmas!)

I'm keeping my eyes open for a black dishwasher as well, but I'm going to be picky since I really like the model I have. :o) I can wait. :o)

And to add to the fun, we visited our local park for a "Mystery Adventure" with the kids on our way to get the appliances. It's been a while! :o)

So what have you changed your mind about? :o)