So I have once again been on a bit of a "blogging" spree, trying to get caught up on all the things we have been up to. So, if you don't want to miss any of the fascinating details of our lives keep going back until you hit my post on The Magic House. You might also have missed these older posts I finally completed.
So, I feel like lately my posts have been a lot more about what we are doing and a lot less about how I am seeing God in our everyday lives. I think that is mainly due to two reasons.
1. I have declared this year- THE YEAR OF FUN! I am starting to see how Grace going to school next year is really going to change how we do life around here. No more mid week road trips, fun activities during the day with all three kids, etc. And I am completely dreading it! So, I have decided to seize every opportunity to make memories and totally enjoy it while it lasts. (For those of you who are quick to offer the advantages of school age children I'm not interested in listening right now- but come Labor Day I will call you. I will be the crying one you can't quite understand. Take pity on me, even though you tried to tell me...)
2. Don't worry we aren't just having a big party and too busy to see what God is doing. God has totally had our family under construction this past year and he is really cleaning house, so to speak. Our revival this fall was on repentance, dealing with anger, and lots of other similar "popular" topics. (that was said with a bit of sarcasm if you didn't catch it) It really hit home... It led Jeremy and I to a 12 week Bible study to apply what God was challenging us with. And God isn't done yet. I hope to share in the future all we are learning, but for now we are still in the super personal processing stage.
But, for now I wanted to share a teaching moment the Lord brought me in a very unexpected way. Last week I hosted a Pampered Chef party. My friend Heather came and it was the first time she had been to our home. At one point she shared that her and her husband had looked at our house in 2006. Her husband really wanted this house, but he was leaving on a 2 week mission trip to China. So they decided to wait until he returned and if the house was still on the market they would put in an offer. When he returned the house was sold, and they were a bit disappointed. Well, we were the family that bought "their" house. I have shared many many times how the Lord "hand picked" this house for our family. It was in a much safer, quieter neighborhood than our price range normally afforded. It had a finished basement perfect for entertaining the youth group, it had a swing set included, etc. It was priced just above our firm price range, but the sellers had already bought another house motivating them to sell. We were able to purchase it for just the right price for our budget. If there had been another offer it just wouldn't have worked.
My family's blessing was another family's disappointment. I'm so thankful God brought Heather and I together in friendship so I could have this teachable moment. The next time something happens and God's plan isn't my plan I am going to remember my "disappointment" could be another family's special blessing, their answered prayer. Just another reminder its just not all about me and my family. God's plans are so much bigger than that.
Here Grace is adding feathers to our turkey.
We did a water table with a "gravy" theme. The kids had fun playing in the water with ladels, measuring cups, & even a turkey baster.
We did a thankfulness tree where the kids traced their hand and then wrote something they were thankful for. Grace really got into this one. She made most of the "hands" pictured.
We moved to a bigger room because our group has been growing.
The craft project was making a place setting. The girls loved this and we ended up with at least 4 of them...
Titus gets in on the action playing with our "Mayflower" (a.k.a. Little People Pirate Ship)
