ANNIVERSARY!!

Today is the 27th anniversary of our marriage.  It has been a wonderful amazing 27 years - we have been richly blessed!  God is so good!

I just realized today that I have none of our camping photos on here.  I might have to set up a separate tab just for those.  We have been camping since the kids were small (Ben 3, Becca 5) and I am a camera freak - so I'm sure I can scrounge up some photos and maybe jot down a few details =D.  For now - I've posted some of the photos of SOME of the things we cook while camping (yes - cooking while camping is still a passion!).  Enjoy!

PARENTING

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

Parenting is the ultimate blessing from God.  It is His gift, and children are His children, as are we all, but He has given them to you as a parent to raise.  What a powerful thing.


I do not and never have professed to be a good parent.  I have and continue to parent with God's guidance.  I thank God daily for our children, and for filling in the many gaps when our  parenting fails.  Both of our children know that we love them, but our love can never match the love that God has for them - and they know this.  We have been blessed with amazing children.  We strive to raise them as such a blessing, and in turn as a thanksgiving to God for allowing us to be their parents.

WHERE GRACE LIVES

You can tell where grace lives because:

     All the neighborhood kids want to hang out at the house where grace lives. There is more dirt to be swept, there are     more snacks to be made, and the grass doesn't grow outside   the back door or under the swing. But kids show up, hang     out, and get loved where grace lives.

    

The dust may be a little thicker on top of the TV, and the    closets a bit cluttered, but hearts have been tended where   grace lives. Family management has become the tool instead     of the goal. Schedules matter, but souls matter more.

     There is always enough for one more where grace lives, one more for dinner, one more to sleep over, one more hug, one more    kiss.

    

The lights are on late where grace lives. Grace stays up to listen, hug in the dark, and wipe away tears of disappointment and pain. You can see people dancing where grace lives, because moms hang up the phone, turn up the music, and dance over the victories of their children. Sometimes the children just watch from behind their cereal and "catch" the grace of a silly mom.

       

You can hear things like "Please forgive me, I was wrong, I'm disappointed, but I love you You are my treasure You are my blessing Let me pray for you." The eyes of the children where grace lives shine with joy and anticipation. They have not been wounded by impossible expectations. They have not

     been distanced by rejection. They have been embraced and accepted and loved.

    

The moms at the house where grace lives are just regular,      everyday moms, but God lives inside them. By His power, they are becoming holy and righteous and good. They stumble but    recover quickly. They make mistakes but say, "I'm sorry."   They get blown by the winds of heartache and adversity, but      their hearts remain tender toward God.

Psalm  103:8-14 :

       The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,  abounding in love. He will not always           accuse, nor will he harbor his  anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay

us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are  above the earth, so great is his          love for those who fear him; as  far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our

transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has                    compassion on those who fear him; for  he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are             dust.

Busy weekend ahead (October always seems to be a busy month).  The mother-in-law came into town last night - game Friday night, shopping Saturday, church and fair on Sunday and wedding anniversary for my sweet baby girl!  One year as of Sunday!  AND - as a topper Monday is a holiday - yeah!  Woo hoo!  Love watching God work in our lives <3