By His Grace Alone

Monday, October 17, 2011

Special Visitors

A week ago Sunday we had some special visitors. Darin's aunt & uncle, cousin & wife and their 4 week old baby were passing through Richmond on their way home from a wedding.

Darin's sister, husband and their three children came from Crozet to enjoy the celebration too.

We were so excited for our guests so we made some signs.

It was a gorgeous day to have all the windows open and for the kids to run around in the yard.
They had a wonderful time together.

It didn't look pretty, but the apple cake was yummy!

The boys loved admiring their tiny and handsome second cousin.

It was such a special treat to have this time with family that we only get to see once a year at Christmas. So glad we'll see them again in only two short months.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Last week, the boys and I worked together to make a "Thankful Journal." Together, we looked through magazines and catalogs and cut out pictures of things for which we are thankful. Then we decoupaged them to a composition notebook. I'm thankful that the boys embraced this idea and were very focused. (With the exception of Aaron who got into some fish oil pills... which he squeezed until the nice smelling oils were all over his hands... which he then thought would be fun to wipe on doorknobs and other various things...pew! I was so focused with the other two I didn't realize what was going on. And no, he didn't put it in his mouth this time because he had already tried that once before and knew it tasted gross! oh my!)

Here is the front. They are thankful for truck tracks in the sand, cars, roads,

pumpkins, the sun, tropical island paradise, chocolate chip cookies and truth and love.

Here is the back: They are thankful for animals, bouncy places, adventures, apples, airplanes, tacos and food, dogs, beds, goldfish and rainbows and colors, roller coasters and legos.

We read the verses:

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever." Psalm 136:1

And then we launched in to making a list of all the things we are thankful for. It's become our habit to stop and add to the list at meal times. So three times a day we are intentionally being mindful of God's blessings. It's been a wonderful exercise for both me and the boys. We're numbering our list and this really excites them. They want to fill the whole book! Slowly, it seems to be catching on and capturing our attitudes. Sometimes the things they add to the list blow me away. Other times it's just sweet little things that are important to them. It thrills me when they randomly say, "hey I have something to add to our thankful list."

Here are a few in their words:

1. we don't have to sleep outside in the wilderness

3. for birds chirping

9. God created animals

11. fruit grows on trees

14. God created seasons

15. moms even get to have children

31. eyes to see

35. green grass

38. blueberries

46. oceans

50. Bible

58. butterflies

A friend gave me the idea to read scripture with the boys and then use the contents of that scripture to add to our thankful list. Maybe attributes of God that we see in a certain passage? We haven't tried it yet, but I love the idea.

It has certainly been a challenging school year for us. Between my sin and their sin and the many challenges we face living together as sinners. However, it is by God's grace alone that He led us to this activity and that I get to see glimpses of Him at work in them. My prayer is that it will change us and give us much joy!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Gala

You're going to have to use your imagination. Imagine Darin in this nice charcoal suit, white shirt and red tie. Imagine me wearing this lovely black and white dress. This is what we looked like on Saturday evening. Our photos from the night didn't turn out and I haven't convinced Darin to get dressed up again and take more pictures... yet. **wink** So I'm glad you have a good imagination. :)

On Saturday evening, Darin and I had the privilege of attending the Family Foundation's Annual Gala at the Richmond Convention Center. It was such a treat! I loved dressing up (something I rarely do). I loved seeing Darin dressed up (something he rarely does). I loved leaving the boys in the hands of our very competent sitter. I loved that the boys were so excited for Allison to come. I loved going on a date with my husband of 13 years (something we don't do nearly as often as we both would like).

I think it was the first time that I was at a non-church event where Jesus' name was proclaimed. It sort of felt shocking... like, "Are they allowed to say that out loud and in public?" It was so refreshing! We've known about the Family Foundation for a while now and are very supportive. Or at least my husband is and I jump on the bandwagon. The main guest speaker was Herman Cain. It had been a busy and tiring day and I was afraid that my short attention span and fatigue would leave me asleep in my dinner plate. Totally not the case! His talk was exciting, inspiring and had many on their feet. You could literally feel the energy in the room.

All in all a fabulous date! Yeah! So thankful for many blessings.