Encouraged

"Mommy, take a picture of me standing on this big rock!!" - Chloe with her big leaf she found. "Mommy, make it stop!!" - Chloe, who freaks out when the swing moves too much...(which Maya was making it do) It's just a sensory issue Chloe has... She will cry to the point of hysterics until the swing stops moving, and it's quite strange, but sad to me, at the same time.

There was an airplane in the sky. :)

Swinging, on the last warm day of the season...

Trying to climb the swingset to get to the slide... an impossible task since Daddy never finished installing the wooden steps.

I'm sorry I don't get a chance to update very often... And there's so much going on that when I finally do sit down, my mind goes blank and I can't even think of all I've been doing that's been taking up ALL my time!

So what I can remember is that it was quite a long weekend... All 3 of my kids were sick (that includes my husband:) The girls were both coughing & having nose issues and Chris got a sore throat and was sneezing & had nose problems and I was the blessed healthy one who God appointed to take care of them all! Nice! I am glad to be healthy, but it's a tough job taking care of 3 sick kids, believe me! I felt like I should be titled a 'professional nose-wiper' come Sunday night. So, we didn't go to Church on Sunday - Chris only got out of bed for breakfast & lunch. I looked forward to going to the grocery store later in the day, since that always happens on Sunday's, but Chris took a shower before dinner and got up the energy to venture out to the store on his own. Gee thanks, I thought... I realllly could've used a break at that point!

So Sunday was soo long that Monday felt like Tuesday and I was just worn out in every way by Monday afternoon... I greatly looked forward to a Church group I'm a part of, which would meet for dinner & discussion on Monday night. It was wonderful - Since my friend Erin and I are co-leaders of the Fellowship Board, we are both part of this discipleship group together, along with one of our Pastor's, his wife, and another guy who is really awesome. I seem to be the one who opens up the most, so therefore I have shared about my spiritual life & my personal struggles alot and when I shared how my walk with God is doing lately (much better in the past week or so - Amen!) - the one guy in our group said he got tears in his eyes when I was talking, because he's been praying for me ever since I shared about my struggles one month ago at our last meeting! So that was pretty cool - to see how God has answered his prayers and mine. God has given me the strength and the discipline lately to sit down every night before bed & read and pray. It has totally amazed me how this simple time of prayer has had an effect on me as well as my husband. (I've been reading my "Power of a Praying Wife" book each night.) It isn't just all about focusing on praying for Chris, though, it is life-changing for the wife who reads it, as well. So yes, I praise God for that... He is moving in my life and even though I mess up so bad still, when it comes to being a Godly example to my children & my husband (with both I get easily impatient), God is working in me and I can see Him answering the specific prayers I'm praying each night. I am encouraged and I keep reading & praying and learning and I'm grateful for that.

As for the rest of my world, my children are such a handful, but lately there's been many times that I just sit back & watch them interact & play together and I just take it all in and I'm so thankful. I see them growing up and growing closer to each other & it's just so sweet. Chloe tries really hard to play with Maya lately and it's cute.. She'll say "Come on, Maya!" and they run around together and take the cushions off the chairs & couch and hop around together and it reminds me of when my sister & I were little and did things like that. And I think it was probably the same way, me being the little sister being bossed around all the time by the big sister. :) But I still wanted to play with her all the time and be right by her side, which I'm sure annoyed her quite a bit, just like it does Chloe sometimes, with Maya always wanting to be doing whatever she's doing. :)

On a different note, I'm interested to know if anyone who reads this has went & seen "Fireproof" like I recommended! If you have, leave me a comment or send an e-mail, as I would love to hear your reaction to it. :)

Well, it's time to get ready for bed... Remember... "God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him."