Another attempt at pics...

Seth in the pumpkins..


Here's Alex holding on for dear life in the tunnel slide.

Alex & Nate with the BIG Pumpkins


Cow train ride... Nate LOVED this part! Seth took his nap.




Nate & Alex doing duck races and Nate in the corn crib

Weeeekend Recap

We had a really good weekend.

Friday we took the boys for our annual pumpkin farm trip. They loved it. We got to play in a corn crib, pet animals, slide down a big tunnel slide, go on a cow-train ride, see pig races, and go on a hayride! It was so much fun after such a rough start.

We got to the farm at 1:30 after a struggle to get out the door. I mean a STRUGGLE! Kids kickin' & screamin' everywhere. Well, the stinking sign told us they didn't open til 3. Geez... so we rode around in back-country for 1.5 hours til they opened. Alex & Nate ended up catnapping. Seth was wide awake so I knew he'd have a melt down moment once we got to the farm. But, actually, he was pretty good.

Saturday was Nate's last ball game. Then we came home & worked in the yard all day long. Got a birthday party coming up this weekend, gotta get ready for the festivities.

Then Sunday, we enjoyed a nice lunch with our sunday school group at Seth & Chasidy's house. It was so nice. After that we went to Allan's sisters 40th BD party!

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY DEBERA!!

Here's some pumpkin farm pics... we had such a good time.

So, blogger is giving me fits about uploading pics. So, I'll post more later in another post... still have many to share.

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!

Happy Birthday Stanley!

If my Uncle Stanley were still alive, today would have been his birthday. I miss his hilarious sense of humor, all his jokes & I really miss that sarcasm!! Stanley was one who could really tell you a joke & you'd buy into it hook, line & sinker.
He is missed by so many people. Although, he left this world in a terrible car accident, Stanley had been battling a horrible sickness, cancer. Today's RBC devotion relates to sickness. I truly believe The Great Physician has healed Stanley's body. His body is new and without pain. In our grief and anger we ask why God allows his children to suffer and be sick. But, think about it, if there were no sickness or suffering, would we ever fully trust & rely on God? Romans 5:3-4 also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope.
As much as I would love to have Stanley back here, I want him to be cancer free and pain free. And with Jesus, he is enjoying his new cancer free & pain free body! And, I'm sure when we see each other again, he's going to have so much to fill us in on since we last saw one another. And, it's going to be a great story!


The Great Physician
He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. —Matthew 8:17
In reflecting on his deteriorating health, John Donne (1572–1631) described his feelings as physicians examined him to find "the root and occasion" of a serious illness. In hushed tones, they discussed their conclusions outside his room.
At first Donne was afraid, but in time he saw compassion in their faces and began to trust them. Their concern reminded Donne that he could trust the Great Physician. As he read the Gospels, he saw God the Father’s face in the tender, compassionate face of Jesus.
Many of us struggle with our thoughts about God, especially during illness. Perhaps we grew up attending a church that portrayed an angry God who inflicted sickness on us. Can we trust Him? Like Donne, we turn to the Gospels for our reason to trust God. And we find it in His Son Jesus, who was unfailingly compassionate toward those who were afflicted, regardless of the reason.
So we pray as Donne prayed, "Deliver me, therefore, O my God, from these vain imaginations"—the belief that by our sin we have forfeited God’s goodness and mercy. As Donne wisely said, the Great Physician "knows our natural infirmities, for He had them, and knows the weight of our sins, for He paid a dear price for them."

Pics from today

Here's a couple more from his mini-birthday celebration.



Sweet Baby Seth with his homemade crown!


It's MY Birthday!!


Cupcakes Mommy made especially for me!


And, man, are they yummmmyyyyy!!!


It was a great day today!! I could get used to this birthday business!!

Happy First Birthday, Baby "Say"!!

So, one year ago today, Elijah Seth entered this world at 11:19 AM. What a chunky monkey he was at 9 pounds (3 weeks early)!! I remember bringing him home & Nate being very protective of him. Didn't want anyone holding him & proudly announcing that was HIS baby brother. Alex, well, he was a little less enthused. Now, I can see that Nate still has a protective instinct about him. Alex is his fight partner. I can see Alex starting to realize that Seth will be on the receiving end of whatever it is he wants to dish out. And, I see Nate scolding Alex when he's being ugly to Seth. Never mind Nate just did that to Alex 2 seconds prior!!

I can not believe how this past year has just flown by. Little milestones he has hit, all the firsts... wow, our baby boy is on his way to being a little boy now. Does that mean it's time for another?? LOL! Ya just never know! We'll keep ya'll guessing on that one! ;-)

I have to reminice a bit with pictures.

3 days old

6 months

He Reigns

I really enjoyed this video montage someone put together with this song. Helps me to know I have brothers & sisters in Christ all over the globe!

Nate Nate is sick... AGAIN!

I just can not get Nate well. Beginning of Sept he had a sinus infection. Then by Oct. 1st it had turned into bronchitis and now today he has an ear infection! It seems like he's been on antibiotics for 2 months solid.
Funny thing is the docs always tell me he's not contagious. So, to take him OR not to take him to church?? Quite the predicament since Allan & I teach. We have about 14 kids who depend on us to be there each Sunday. Not really sure what we'll do tomorrow.

Seth is nice & snotty today, too. He just got finished throwing a mini-fit. For whatever reason I don't know. I gave him some milk and he threw it down & proceeded to scream and cry for 10 mins. I guess he finally realized I wasn't going to cave in and baby him. So, he picked up the milk & is happy. Mr. Attitude! Guess he figures since Monday is his birthday that he can cry if he wants to!

Finally, GA is having some fall weather. It was nice & cool, so last night, I went & bought a firepit. We built a fire & roasted hotdogs & marshmallows and stayed outside til about 11 PM. The Johnsons came over the boys all had a blast running around outside with flashlights. Then, Nate was up at 4:30 AM complaining & crying that his ear was hurting. So, off we went to the doc this morning. Hopefully, he'll feel better soon. Poor kid. I really felt bad for him. This is the first time he's been able to really tell us when something hurts him in re: to sickness.

I'm cooking some Cheesy Chicken Corn soup right now & it's smelling good. I made some for a couple in our Sunday school class since they just had a baby & decided it sounded good for us, too. Nothing like good, cheesy soup w/ some warm chewy bread to dunk in it while watching the Bulldogs!

Off to finish dinner before the Dawgs get fired up!!

Do you & I give with the right attitude?

I really liked this devotion today. I have been known to enjoy raffle ticket style fundraisers more so than giving money. Never really thought of it as a something for me/something for you kind of donation. But, I guess that's what it really is.

Why Do We Give?

When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. —Matthew 6:3

Whatever happened to the notion of giving for the sake of giving?" asked Tim Harford, columnist for FinancialTimes. "The closer you look at charitable giving, the less charitable it appears to be." A study of door-to-door fund-raising campaigns, for instance, found that organizations earned far more by selling lottery tickets than by asking for donations.
"This hardly suggests a world populated by altruists seeking to do the maximum good with their charitable cash," says Harford. At least for some people, there’s a something-for-me/something-for-you approach to giving.
Jesus also dealt with the issue of motives in giving. When He said not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, He was teaching that our motives for giving to God and to others must be pure. Our giving should be in response to God’s love. To encourage pure motives, Jesus instructs people to give and to do good deeds in secret with no thought of themselves. God, who sees everything, will reward them (Matt. 6:3-4).
Our generosity should be God-centered—not to make us look good, but to please the Lord. With your next good deed, ask yourself: If I knew that no one would ever find out that I did this, would I still do it? —Marvin Williams

God sees the giver as well as the gift; the heart as well as the hand.

Cheers & Jeers

So, today's been a great day, despite Nate's antics at school that resulted in his clip getting moved to Yellow!! Apparently, he likes to look under the bathroom stalls. We need to work on this little behavior! Good grief! And, he was talking too loud in the halls at school. He thinks his echoing voice is the greatest thing since PB&Js. He loves to do it in Sams Club, too.

CHEERS
So, this morning, I went to a chain hair salon. Anyone who knows me, knows that I generally do not have good luck at these places. I've had mullets & gapped hair as results from these places. But, today, I was tired of fighting the mop on my head & on a whim, decided to go after I dropped Nate & Alex off at school. For once, I was actually pleased with a $13 haircut! Even if the place wreaked of cigarette smoke! GROSS! The guy was pretty weird, too. I need to find a good beautician who I can afford. Why can't there be tons of fabulous stylists for $25 and under, close to my house?? When you have short hair, $40+ haircuts gets pretty pricey when you're going every 5-6 weeks!

JEERS
I went to Wal-Mart again, today. I can't seem to figure out why I can't go in there and not spend less than $100. I can literally, on one hand, count the number of times I've gone in & spent less than $100. I need to steer clear of Wal-Mart for a few days! Geez!

Almost One Year Ago

WOW!

This picture was taken just shy of one year ago! I can still remember just how MISERABLE I was...waddling around with that massive watermelon in my tummy. But, what a huge blessing from God my "little" watermelon is! James 1:17- Every good & perfect gift is from above! I didn't even realize how big I was until I looked back at pictures. It's so hard to believe how massive I was! No wonder Seth was a 9 pound baby... 3 weeks EARLY!

Just one week from today my lil' Seth will be ONE year old!! I'll have to post pics on his birthday to reminisce.

No Excuses

WOW!
I have to share today's RBC devotional!!
It has such good points in it! There really are 'No Excuses'. I squirm to think about judgement day of those who have rejected him. Judgement day IS coming. I hope & pray everyone is ready when the LORD says it's time!

Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. —Romans 10:13

People have many different reasons for rejecting the gospel. A common one is to blame Christians for something they did or did not do. These critics say, "I know a Christian who treated me poorly." Or, "I went to church, and no one talked to me."

Indeed, Christians aren’t perfect, and many can be bad examples. But blaming others doesn’t remove one’s accountability to God.

The truth of the gospel does not depend on the way others live out their faith. Salvation is about Jesus alone. Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Some people may use Christians as an excuse to reject the gospel. But they certainly can’t point a finger of blame at Jesus. He is sinless and perfect in every way. Pilate said of Him, "I have found no fault in this Man" (Luke 23:14). And Jesus did what no one else could do—He suffered death on a cross to provide salvation for all who believe in Him. That makes it tough for someone to say, "I’m not going to become a Christian because I don’t like what Jesus did."
Don’t get sidetracked by looking at the faults of others. Look to Jesus. He alone is the way to heaven.

There is no excuse for saying "No" to Christ.
He is the Way, the Truth, the Life—That One whose name is Jesus;There is no other name on earthThat has the power to save us. —Sper

Brothers... Together Forever

Took this sweet picture of two brothers who are absolutely lost without one another. I hope & pray that they always remain as close as they are now. I know each of them will develop their own likes/dislikes but I don't want the bond they share to be broken. Seth is now beginning to join them, too. Nate thinks it's great that Seth is crawling and follows them around the house where ever they go. Our sweet little munchkins!!

Little Seth all wet & slimy. He's had an icky nose & he's drooling something mad! Must have more teeth coming in!

Sad Story

This is a very sad story. People like this just amaze me with their actions. I can not even begin to imagine their frame of mind when doing something like this to a child.

GLENDALE, Wis. -- A Wisconsin couple said they couldn't afford a baby sitter, so they strapped their 14-month-old son in his stroller at home while they went out, police alleged, according to WISN-TV in Milwaukee.
Rachel Anderson and her live-in boyfriend, Mitch Laputka, both of Glendale, Wis., were ordered to stand trial Thursday on charges they neglected their son, Gabriel, so badly that his body was covered with diaper rash, his body temperature was 12 degrees below normal and he stopped breathing, requiring 21 minutes of CPR to revive him.
Police said the couple admitted to leaving the boy home alone because they wanted to party.
The couple recently got jobs at Pizza Hut, police said Anderson told them, and they used the money for drinking parties. Police said Anderson told them that she often left Gabriel strapped in his stroller when the couple went out or to work, and that she changed Gabriel's diaper once per day. Police said Laputka told them that he didn't do diapers because that was Anderson's job.
Dennis Ogilvie is a neighbor of the couple and said he's saddened by the allegations. He has a daughter the same age as Gabriel.
"I knew they had a baby, but I never saw them with him," Ogilvie said.
Both parents pleaded not guilty Thursday, and they remain in custody in the Milwaukee County Jail on $5,000 bail each. They're due back in court in October to set a trial schedule.
The Bureau of Child Welfare is overseeing the boy's care but said privacy rules prevent it from commenting on children in its care, except to say that Gabriel is safe.

Blah

Got a case of the blah's today. Weather is now gloomy gus & I went to my best friend's brother's funeral today. I would have never guessed that just 2 months after I post the lyrics to "Cry Out to Jesus", that I would be suggesting that song for his funeral. But, that's one of the first songs that popped in my head when I was asked for suggestions. It just goes to show that we never know when the LORD will call us home. We just need to be sure we are set on go when He's ready. MD was a great, loving person & will be missed by many! I pray for comfort, strength & peace for the family & children he left behind. But, I know he's in a much better place than this world! And, I find great comfort & peace in knowing he doesn't have to navigate this sinful world any longer! He's with his Maker... where there's nothing but grace, mercy, and love.
Pray the words to Praise You In This Storm, SJ. He will help you during this difficult time! Allan & I love you bunches. You know if you need anything we're here for ya!

Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns
I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen and it's still raining as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. Chorus: And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to Youand raised me up again my strength is almost gone how can I carry on if I can't find You and as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you"and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away Chorus I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth Chorus

Our Sweet Boys

Yesterday, Alex came home w/ a set of Listening Ears he made in school. I thought they were too cute. Too bad they don't really work!! ;)






Then, last night I got a sweet picture of Seth. It's so hard to believe in about 19 days our BABY will be ONE YEAR OLD! Geez... before I know it, they'll all be graduating high school & off to college!

And, I can't put up Alex & Seth pics without adding a sweet picture of our NateBug!! Our Turbo... is definitely a TURBO now, but for some reason now that he's actually earned that name, we don't call him that anymore! Hmm, maybe we should.