Happy Summer!

Well, Mom requested that I take a picture of the kids so she could have an updated one in her frame. I think she forgot that I'm the farthest thing from a photographer...and that my youngest child would rather do anything but cooperate when I need him to. Bless him. :) So, for a little humor, here are the shots I managed to snap.

Moments

This is my first non-child-related post. Ever...
Everyone goes through the peaks and valleys of spirituality. Sometimes, it takes God putting certain people in your life to say specific things to you to pull you out of a valley. I have recently engaged in two conversations with four very different people. Each conversation addressed something that had been heavy on my heart. Talking with these brothers and sisters really convicted me and gave me some strength that was much needed.
I say this for two reasons. First, I learned that often when my prayer life is struggling, it's because I have a fear that the devil is feeding. Sometimes I completely forget to go to God, trying to conquer it on my own. Other times, I am too ashamed/afraid to go to God b/c I feel that He has better things to do than to deal with my petty issues. And let's face it: I'm a perfectionist who is sometimes too proud to even realize that I should be humbling myself before God for help. Thanks to C.S. Lewis and "The Screwtape Letters", I've discovered that two of my weaknesses--fear and insecurity--are often used by the devil to separate me from God. When I finally come to the realization that my "valley" was Satan's dark ploy, I immediately revert to a childish tactic. I call him a dumb, stupid, idiot. (Long story, but I wasn't allowed to say those words about anyone as a child...except the devil. So if I ever got angry, I'd yell at him until I felt better. ha!) The scary thing is, he is none of those. He is smart. Thankfully, he is not as smart as our awesome God...so I'm thankful to Him for sending me people to pull me out of the pit when necessary!! :)
Secondly, praise God for those who are living their lives to please Him and get to heaven. I encourage you (if you are reading this) to remember this every day. You never know what you may say to a friend to give him/her just the spiritual boost he/she may need. Be prayerful about this. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Examine yourself and decide if you are being that light that will draw others closer to Him. Then pray hard. And while you're at it, please pray that I will remember to pray more, too. :)

More swimming

She's got it! Now if we can just keep her from walking on the bottom. Her swim teacher, Mark, kept telling her that she wasn't taking walking lessons because she kept walking due to her height!

Little Fish

We haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

Yes, I recognize that I haven't updated in ages, but here's what's gone on as of late.

Have I mentioned that these two love to color?

Or that our son is not lacking in spunk and personality. It doesn't just ooze out of him...there's so much that it gushes out.

Look at that face. Do you think he likes Elmo?

Somehow this ended up sideways. This is Ava in her big girl bed (our amazing Craig's List find that was brand new). She thinks she is hot stuff, let me tell you.

The goat farm down the street from Mama and Daddy. She has a love for animals like no others. She says she wants to be a "betenawian."

The cute little man hunting eggs with his 3 inch legs. The kid got a double dose of the "long upper body, short leg" gene...from Kyle and Daddy. haha

Spiderman is serious business...and so is that beloved blanket.

My precious little chocolate face who loves to swim but hates swimming lessons. She is quite possibly the most affectionate 3 1/2 year old I've ever known. And it brings so much joy to my heart. I'm trying to stock up b/c I know the middle school years will be here before we know it. haha

Easter morning. The only way we could get a decent shot was to let each of them hold one of their favorite things. If you know them very well, this picture will speak volumes.

Prayers, please

I have a dear friend named Brandi. She and I have been best pals since the first day of kindergarten. She, along with her husband and two kids, are missionaries in Chiquimula, Guatemala. The past few days they have gotten more rain than usual. They are in a mountainous area. Parts of the mountain have collapsed and homes are falling. Here is her latest blog post. www.eyeswideopenministries.blogspot.com

Please pray for the people there. It's catastrophic events like this that make me realize that all of our belongings are temporal, and the condition of our souls is most important. It also reminds me of how physically blessed I am. Thanks!!

Ava's "favorite things" to do