Longing for Heaven

     Let's go now….to heaven that is. I've been longing for heaven lately and I think it was all sparked by a conversation I had with 2 1/2 year old Cooper. We were baking cookies…something we do a lot around here, and I was attempting to use that time to talk about the most important things, not ABCs or 123s, but Jesus, His Kingdom and our love for Him. So we talked about Jesus, how He loves us and how He died and rose again to save us from our sins so we can go to heaven. Then I told Cooper that Jesus and God live in heaven  and we will go be with them one day. He then asked where heaven was. I told him it was very far away above the clouds. He cocked his little head for just a second, looked at me and said, very matter of factly "Mom, I want to go to heaven," like he was ready to grab Horsey and get in the car.

     Of course my heart melted and my eyes filled with tears because my heart's desire is for Him to want this for as long as he lives, and for that wanting to grow and grow as he gets older and knows Christ. I told him that we'd go to heaven but not now. I told him that heaven is wonderful because that's where Jesus is and when we get there we can worship, play with, sing and love Him forever. To this Cooper responded "I want to play my drums for Jesus." Again, heart swell and tears well. About that time the cookies were done and we moved on to other things, but that conversation has stuck with me.

     And since I've began my Bible studies and have been digging deeper into the Word daily, the longing has grown and grown inside me. I'm ready to go now. I want Jesus to come back now so we can be with Him forever! As I study about Him more I long to see His face, to look into the compassionate eyes that always saw into the depths of man and never looked away from a hurting soul, to hold the hands that healed so many and are reaching out waiting for more to come to Him, to hear the voice that calmed the storm, cast out demons, instructed disciples, prayed to the Father and calls to me in my soul, to lean on the shoulder that held the weight of the world's sin and conquered it, to see His smile when He sees me because He knows I love Him above all else.

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ." Philippians 3:7-8

     The world is such a tricky place. It can so easily entangle me and distract me from Him. I've heard before that satan isn't worried about convincing us that God doesn't exist, he just wants to keep us so distracted with our earthly lives, pleasures, pursuits, anxieties, that we don't put Him first and don't pursue a relationship with Jesus. I think this is the most clear to us when we are pursuing Jesus. Lately it seems that the inward battle in my soul is at a high point.

     On the one hand I want a big house someday with land and a nice car and enough money to entertain people regularly and enough to go on vacations. I want to be free to have fun and pursue my dreams and interests and just relax for a little while from this 'Jesus thing' so I can forget about that Kingdom agenda and focus on mine and not worry about what I listen to or what I watch or how I interact with people. I want to spend money on expensive restaurants and clothes and be 'cool' (Though I know I'm not cool or designer savvy so I might be ok on that last one).

     But then there's another hand, Jesus's hand, that has reached out and touched my heart so that I have to stop and think about things again, and think about whose kingdom I'm serving, and adjust my wants to make sure I'm not serving myself. Don't get me wrong here, I am so blessed, much more than millions of people around the world and many here in America! I am not living a hard life, and I'm not saying that I don't have a fun life. I love my life, have plenty of fun and even just got back from a vacation. So I'm not complaining or trying to play the poor Christian. I'm just saying that at the bottom line of it all I'm having to decide which kingdom to serve and which agenda to pursue now and in the future. And I feel that this choosing will only get more difficult and easy at the same time. The more I let go of my selfish dreams and plans and let God take over, the easier it is to love what I have and be excited for what is to come. The less I want what the world says is cool or in style. It's also more difficult because I'm realizing just how radical we're called to be for Christ and once you know the truth you can't turn your back on it and pretend like you aren't informed…you have to choose to follow it. Francis Chan had a great illustration about this battle of the world: if a person was on a desert island and read the NT then came to America, how would that person live and what would that person think of Christians here? Basically, am I truly living like the NT says to live.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me…What good is it for a man to gain the while world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" Luke 9:23,25

     So only now am I beginning to get a glimpse of why the writers of the New Testament and the many famous Christians before me have longed for heaven, have hated this world, have sought to do Jesus's work so that they can get to the glory of Him in person. When you are living as a friend of the world there's no reason to long for Jesus; what more could you have? Why go to heaven to sing to and worship Jesus all day? But when you are living in love with Jesus, there's no reason not to long for Him. There's nothing you wouldn't do to get nearer to Him. There's only one focus for you….to get to Him and help as many people do the same on your way.

"But our citezenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body." Philippians 3:20-21

     I've told Mom before that I'm ready for Jesus to come back. She replied that as great as that is, it's kinda selfish because when He comes it will be a great day but also a very very sad day. It will be the day that everyone acknowledges Him and all eyes are opened…..but so many will be eternally condemned. So, even though I can't stop…and don't want to stop….my longing to be with Jesus, I can do what so many before me have done. I need to get as many on board the life saving raft called Jesus as I can in my life. I have to get out there and get the word out, I have to help anyone who needs me, I have to actually DO something, not just wish something was getting done. This starts with my home, my children, my church, my town….

     Heaven is going to be wonderful, not because all hurt and pain will be gone, not because I'll get to see Grandma Myrna (even though that will be great), not because it's beautiful and has streets of gold, not because I'll finally get answers to all those questions I have about the Bible (what did Jesus write in the sand?) but because JESUS will be there. Because I'll get to see God in His infinite glory.
     Are you longing for heaven? If not, get in the Word and get to know Jesus! You don't know what you're missing.

"Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothes with our heavenly dwelling….we are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:2,8

Stock Show and Rodeo Time!

     Last weekend we went to the Ft Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, which has become an annual tradition for us, one I inherited when I married Dalton. We were really looking forward to it, thanks to a book we read called Goodnight Cowtown. It had a page about the stock show and about the rides at Midway. Each time we read the book I'd let Cooper know that we'd be going there and maybe we could ride the dragon ride.
    Saturday morning dawned and we headed out early (practice run for our trip tomorrow). We stopped at McDonalds for breakfast and potty break and then went on to Ft Worth and Academy. Dalton exchanged his tent for a better and unused one, and I found some shoes for myself. I have to tell you God knew I didn't have much time to try and decide and pick, so he made it clear as could be. The shoes that I like were on clearance, had one pair left that was in my size and were the right brand. Then as a bonus, a pair of shoes I'd seen at Christmas were on sale, one pair left and just my size. I wasn't too sure if I should get them, but once Ace spit up on them it sealed the deal.

Trying to get a peek at the goats

     Parking was crazy at the grounds, so we parked across the street and walked a little bit. Ace had fallen asleep and miraculously stayed asleep as I put him in the stroller and we walked around a bit. We saw show goats, baby animals and Cooper even got to hold a baby goat.

     Then we headed to the expo hall to look at the goods for sale and get a corndog (a must for me and Cooper). By this time Ace was awake so I put him on my back and he rode just fine.

     Even though there were toys galore, Cooper walked right past them. He was on a mission to find and sit on every full sized tractor there. And I think he accomplished his mission! He was in little boy paradise and it was hard to pull him away. Finally we managed to entice him with a corn dog and lemonade. So good!

"This is nice, but I want a green one."

     Before rodeo time we wanted to head to Midway, where the rides are. I had to see if the dragon ride was there….and it was! Popsey bought some tickets for us (thank you Popsey!) and Dalton, Cooper, Merann and I waited in line. When it was our turn Merann and I wound up in the front car with Dalton and Cooper behind us. I wanted to ride so I could get a picture of the boys during the ride. As we sat there waiting for the coaster to take off, Merann and I realized how silly we looked sitting side by side in a small roller coaster with no child. Oh, well! It was fun and Cooper really liked it.

 Wheeeeeee!

 After the dragon he rode a car ride, a tractor, and a flying dragon.

Pitcock, Cooper Pitcock

He was just mesmerized by all the fun and we had to carry him away to the rodeo.

Look at Dalton's face..priceless! He was attempting to put formula in a bottle for me and it was spilling all over his hand. The face says it all.

     We were sitting at the very top of the arena, so we had a nice bird's eye view. The rodeo was really good, especially since Ace did this the entire time….

     We saw Whiplash the cowboy monkey and the chuck wagon races (I only picked one winner), in addition to the normal events. After the rodeo we headed out and to the car. It was just about as great as it could have been; the boys behaved so well and the company was so nice. We finished the day with dinner at Papasitas…yum, and a quick run into Sam's for diapers and milk.

     Another great time at the Stock Show and Rodeo!! Now onto California…..

Just Chillin'

     So, I'm leading two Bible studies, wrangling two boys and trying to keep our house from staying in a constant state of disarray, which doesn't leave much time for blogging. But these boys are just so cute that I have to share a few pics and funnies.

 Giving Ace a pull

"You can't catch me!"

    Ace is walking really well now. He still stops, drops and crawls when he wants to get somewhere quick, but it's nice to see him toddling across the room to me.

 Peekaboo!! A favorite for both boys

     The weather has been nice and we've been outside a lot. Last weekend Dalton and Cooper worked on the garden and we all took turns riding horses. Cooper was full of funny quotes that day:

     When asked if he wanted to stop shoveling and ride Dandy, he responded, "No Mom, I've got a lot of work to do." And he just kept on shoveling.

    He watched Dalton work with Alice in the round pen and apparently sat in some cactus. Dalton took him to the house to work on what he called the cactus situation. Cooper came in and said, "Momma, I have a cactus situation."

    It was a dirty job, scooping chicken and horse poo to put in the garden. While the worker bees were working, Cooper looked at Dalton and said "I love poop." Hmmmm, maybe he meant he loved his job?

    And then there are the ever present reminders of what I say all the time. Dalton says that Cooper talks just like me. I'm sure you never hear me say…

"I love ______!"

"Amazing!!"

"Come on guys."

"Well that was fun." This one is particularly cute because any time we get in the car after visiting someone or doing something he sits back, buckles in and says that.

     Ace is a little climber. He climbs the slide outside now and basically leaps off of it into my arms. It's a little scary, but he loves it. He's also learned to climb up the back steps, not so great. But I've been working on teaching him how to climb down and amazingly he is picking that up really well. He's not ready to handle them solo, but I am a little less fearful about it.

 Tee pee and fort under the dining table

This weekend is the stock show in Ft Worth and next Thursday we leave for California, so I'm sure I'll have lots to share!!

"How can I repay the Lord for all His acts of kindness to me? I will celebrate my deliverance, and call on the name of the Lord." Psalm 116:12-13

Have Croup, Will Travel

     This past weekend we went to visit Garrett so that we could see his new house. Thursday night, before we were to leave Friday, Cooper came to our bed with a fever. The next morning he still had the fever and a cough, so I thought we'd have to cancel the trip. As the day went on, he seemed to be feeling better and by the afternoon was riding his tractor outside. "Ok, guess this means we should go," I thought. Plus, Garrett had gotten off work Saturday, so it seemed like it was meant to be.
     We loaded the boys and our gear up and headed out about 4. Now, for some reason Cooper didn't take a nap that afternoon, so I figured he'd sleep all the way. Not the case….both boys were awake as we drove through Stephenville, Hico and Hamilton. And they were taking turns coughing the whole time…Dalton and I kept looking at each other with "What are we doing?" looks. Finally I got in the back with them to try and entertain. Everything was going ok until we heard a weird pshshshhhhhh sound, followed by a louder sound which meant only one thing. We had a flat tire.
      Dalton pulled over and told us to watch the fastest manual tire change ever. I started to crack up because this was the last thing we needed, and yet it seemed so fitting. He changed the tire as cars whizzed past us, while the boys and I looked on. Then it was back on the road. Roughly 5 minutes later Cooper started coughing a lot and…you guessed it….threw up! Great. We pulled over once again and Dalton got him out of the seat and stripped him down. I threw him fresh clothes and we regrouped to head off again. At this point we were beginning to realize that it was probably not the best idea that we were going, but we weren't going to turn back now.
     In Lampassas we stopped for gas and a burger. Cooper wanted a corn dog and Dalton joked that he hoped we wouldn't see it again. He shouldn't have said that. After leaving that town Cooper coughed and said "my corn dog!" and then fell to sleep, then coughed and said that again. I knew it was coming so I grabbed a paper bag that the burgers came in and put it under his chin. Just as we were pulling through another town, he threw up again, but I caught it all in the bag.
     Dalton misunderstood me when I caught it in the bag; he took that to mean we didn't need to stop…he was wrong. After clearing that up with a firm "Pull over!" we ended up in a neighborhood parked in front of a house. I quickly held the full paper bag out my window while Dalton, once again, cleaned up Cooper. Then we face the dilemma of what to do with the bag. He started driving as I held it out the window and he told me to throw it in an upcoming trash dumpster….I chickened out because it was in front of a well lit house and the lid was closed. I'm embarrassed to say the bag wound up being dropped in a ditch as we pulled onto the main road. It was paper though…all biodegradable.
      Finally both boys fell asleep and we finished the trip without incident. We pulled up to Garrett's house and unloaded the, now obviously sick, boys. Cooper perked up for a bit and then started to crash. They didn't go to sleep easily and wound up being awake when Papa and GG got there. Then Cooper went to sleep and Ace, the maniac, stayed awake until 1! Don't get me wrong, I tried to put him down several times, but it was one of those weird nights/situations. That night was rough…no other way to put it. Ace woke up several times screaming and didn't quiet easily, and Cooper slept horribly due to the, now higher, fever.
    The next morning I kept going back and forth between feeling like the worst parent ever and thinking, oh well, it's a part of life better make the most of it. We got the boys ready and gave them some medicine and headed out to the farmer's market. We were almost there when Ace started coughing and then…threw up and projectile vomited onto Garrett and Dad in the front seat. I was in the back with Cooper, so I missed the event, but I saw the aftermath. It was everywhere! We pulled into a Walgreens and Mom went inside to get paper towels. Dalton cleaned up the boy (are you noticing that I've been in the right place each time so I didn't have to clean him up) and Garrett disgustedly removed his soaked pullover and wiped off his jeans. You have to understand that Garrett is grossed out by sonograms, even the least bit of spit up and diapers, so to have this happen was awful…but so funny. Thankfully he laughed too.

     We made it to the farmer's market and it was really neat; I bought some flavor infused whole wheat noodles and a couple of sweet lemons. Then we walked around downtown a little bit and wound up in a bakery. GG got Cooper a cookie and Dalton and I shared a creme puff.

    Then we loaded up and headed to Cabela's. Cooper was looking a little rough and we hoped he would sleep on the way…which he did. At Cabela's we saw the stuffed animals…so neat and looked at the fish. Then, had some lunch in the cafe. At that point both boys were past happy and healthy. Ace was wiping snot everywhere and coughing and spitting up. Cooper wouldn't eat anything or drink anything, which was not encouraging. After lunch Cooper practiced his shooting and then we made our way to the exit.

    By the time we made it back to Garrett's Cooper was in rough shape. He got into bed and slept the rest of the afternoon, and I started to get worried about him. With the flu going around I was worried that he might have that. So after taking a poll of all present and calling urgent care to see how expensive that would be, we decided to take him in. So at 7 pm, Dalt, Garrett, Coop, Ace and I pulled into Urgent Care. We were the only ones there, so it didn't take long. The doctor diagnosed Cooper with the Croup (which I didn't realize was an actual illness) and after hearing Ace cough said he probably had the same thing. The Ace spit/threw up and we tried to listen to the Dr.'s instructions as we wiped up the floor. The nurse gave Cooper some nausea meds, which he promptly threw up, and we left with prescriptions in hand.
     That night went much better and both boys slept relatively well. The next morning I really wanted to go to Garrett's church, so Mom and Dad offered to stay with the boys while we went. Church was great. It's a big church, so there were lots of people and pretty much a full band for worship. They sang my favorite songs and the message was good too. I left feeling a little jealous that Garrett has such a great, vibrant church home.
     We went back to the house, picked up the boys and GG and Papa and headed to Gruene for lunch. We ate at the Gristmill, and our eyes were bigger than our stomachs when we ordered the large onion rings. They were delicious, but we didn't eat them all. After we ate we walked around Gruene a little bit and headed back to pack up.

     On the way home we stopped by my friend's house for a quick visit. Of course it wouldn't have been a visit by us without messes. Ace spit up all over her kitchen floor, and Cooper had quite a bowl movement in the bathroom that required backup. Laughing through the embarrassment, we got ourselves together and headed out.
     We'd almost made it to Hico when Ace started getting really upset. I tried to console him but no go. He wound up throwing up a little, so I took him out and stripped him. We stopped in Hico to reassess….and tensions were rising at this point. I took over driving and let Dalton take over with Ace. Unfortunately he let him cry a little too much and he threw up again. We limped into Stephenville and cleaned up the seat and the boy. Then we faced the seat forward and put on a movie, in hopes that we could make it home. It worked! Whew.
    What an exhausting trip! Thankfully Cooper has recovered and Ace is on his way. Moral of the story? Not sure….even though it was probably not the wisest decision to go, I'm really glad that we did because we had such a great time, in spite of the sickness. Plus, it was nice having extra helpers around.

"The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health." Psalm 41:3

In the Last Thirty Minutes….

 

    It's Monday, too cold to play outside and has been for a while. This is a recipe for wildness and the other side affects of cooped up syndrome. In the last thirty minutes…

Cooper has bounced like an energizer bunny from the table to the door saying goodbye to Popsey. I didn't know anyone could hop that fast and that many times…Popsey was a little afraid as he tried to outrun him.

Ace has put several leaves and sticks in his mouth from the plants that have to be inside to save them from freezing….so I've fished these things out of his mouth which isn't as easy as it sounds, he clamps down hard on the finger.

Cooper has gotten empty water jugs and thrown them around the kitchen. He was going for full water bottles but Dalton stopped him before they left his hand. (after this, with amazed eyes, Dalt started gathering his stuff and preparing to leave the madness)

Ace has repeatedly tried to dig into the dirt of the aforementioned plants…we finally put the plant onto the freezer.

Cooper ran out onto the front porch and tee tee right off of it…at least he was taking initiative to go on his own.

Ace pulled out most of the plastic cups from the lower cabinet and slobbered on them.

Cooper piled up foam tiles beside a chair in the kitchen and jumped from the chair onto the pile, landing on his bottom. He cried, Dalt and I looked at him with wonder and a little confusion. (for the record this was not a sanctioned jump)

Ace pulled the dirty clothes out of the washer about as fast as I could get them into the washer, putting each piece into his mouth if I couldn't grab it fast enough.

And as I was re-inserting clothes into the washer Cooper appeared with a cantaloupe in hand saying he wanted to eat it. Dalt hadn't quite made it out the door yet, so with a chuckle, he took the cantaloupe back to the counter.

Whew!! Just had to share. Being a momma is the best. In what other lifestyle could I get to experience so much imagination, determination, perseverance and general fun. Seriously, it's these moments that make me smile the most because they are so real and kid-ish.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to get Cooper out of one of the cabinets and put these wild things down for a nap.

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song!" Psalm 28:7

Connecting the Dots

"I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands." Psalm 119:10    

     As I've mentioned before I love it when God brings the same scriptures or ideas to me more than once. It not only brings the scriptures to life more, but also leads me to learn and apply the verses. It's like God helps me connect the dots between scripture, sermons and life. Recently this has happened several times, bringing a few thing to mind for me to meditate on.

    The first is the idea of the cost of the Gospel and our response. I listened to a sermon by David Platt over Matthew 10, in which Jesus instructs the disciples before he sends them out. It's not the most encouraging text because it talks of the trials and hard times that await disciples of Jesus. We, as today's disciples, should expect to pay the cost of following Jesus also, which is to be hated by the world and an outcast. One thing that keeps being brought to me is the fact that the world is at odds with Jesus and so we should be at odds with the world. If we are friends of it then we are in trouble. I feel like I have to daily remind myself of that and assess my heart to make sure I'm not going along, getting along and leaving the Gospel at home in my Bible and at church in the pew. That doesn't mean I need to go around picking fights over Jesus, but I must share Jesus and His truth and love, without compromising for a second.

"All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." vs 22

      Then the chapter gives hope with Jesus telling them and us not to be afraid of the trials three times…when the Bible says something three times we should listen. Rather we should be afraid of God, who can punish us eternally. Any harm that we encounter here for His name is nothing compared to what will happen if we deny Him.

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." vs 28

    It's hard to read that verse and not feel a little offended, until we remind ourselves of how holy and righteous our God is, and how we would not even have a chance to get to heaven if not for Jesus. When I look at that and remember the characteristics of God, then I tremble in fear that I am not doing enough to share God and make Him known. The moment we lose fear of our great God is the moment we cease to understand the God we are involved with. He is love and He is mercy, but He is also holy and completely righteous in ALL His ways.

     The chapter concludes with Jesus saying he came to bring a sword and not peace, and that we will be turned against all those we love if necessary in order to live for the Gospel. He even says that we should love God more than our family. And that is something that is hard for our earthbound minds to get. We see our family, we are physically present with our family and so sometimes it is hard to love an unseen God. But that is where constant prayer and study comes in, and worship, I might add. The more we seek to know Him, the more He reveals Himself and the more we fall in love with Him. Personally, good worship music turned up loud is another way that I can really tap into the adoration more. And I just feel that He is up there smiling as we praise Him.

    Anyway, so after reading that text and hearing the sermon, which was so good, I prepared to go to bed and read my nightly devotional. When I opened it up, and let me add that it was originally written in the 1800s, the scripture that met me was "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34. And here is some of the commentary (it was really hard not to write the entire entry!).

"The Christian will be sure to make enemies. It will be one of his objects to make none; but if doing what is right and believing what is true should cause him to lose every earthly friend, he will regard it as a small loss, since his great Friend in heaven will be even more friendly and will reveal Himself to him more graciously than ever…..Where truth is, the lie must feel; or if it remains, there must be a stern conflict, for the truth cannot and will not lower its standard, and the lie must be trampled underfoot……He who has the friendship of the world is an enemy to God; but if you are true and faithful to the Most High, men will resent your uncompromising commitment, since it is a testimony against their iniquities. You must do right and not fear the consequences…..Better a brief warfare and eternal rest than false peace and everlasting torment." Charles H. Spurgeon

   Isn't that powerful? And isn't it amazing that God showed me that twice in the same day? I'll admit it's a little scary because it means I need to get out there and share! I need to not be the world's friend and I need to take up my cross. Most importantly I must never forget that I cannot do it…at all…unless the Spirit is working in me. God can do it through me.

     Then a couple of days later I listened to another Platt sermon (I'm addicted I know) and it was about John the Baptist being greater than any other man born of woman Matthew 11:11. This verse has always confused me, but Dr. Platt really helped me understand it. What Jesus is saying is that John the Baptist is the greatest and has the most privilege because he was the prophet who was able to see Jesus and announce that He was HERE. He was the one to baptize Him and usher in the kingdom of Jesus. Ohhhhh, I realized. What an honor. And you know the most mind-boggling and convicting part? We are even more privileged than John the Baptist (Matt 11:11) because we get to proclaim the good news that the kingdom has come..no more waiting, Jesus has came, died and RISEN for us!! Even as I write this I'm thinking how I should be shouting it out and sharing it all. God gave US the privilege to help Him bring people to Him. He doesn't need us, doesn't have to have us help, but He does. And yet I'm so quick to hush up and not say anything because I'm fearful or unsure?? Sounds pathetic doesn't it?

     Once again I turned to my nightly devotional and bam, it hit me again. "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight." Luke 3:4 The commentary talked of how we need to prepare the way in our own lives for Christ.

"Every valley must be exalted - low thoughts of God must be given up….every mountain and hill shall be laid low - proud creature-sufficiency and boastful self-righteousness but be leveled to make a highway for the King of Kings…..The crooked shall be made straight-the wavering heart must have a straight path of decision for God and holiness marked out for it…..the rough places shall be made smooth -stumbling blocks of sin must be removed, and thorns and briers of rebellion must be uprooted."   Spurgeon

     And lastly, as I was thinking about things of life and getting weighed down by the future and what will become of our lives and our country I was tempted to get a little depressed. I was thinking of all that could go wrong and then picked up my Jesus Calling and read that day's entry.

"Refresh yourself in the Peace of My Presence….Because I am your constant Companion, there should be a lightness to your step that is observable to others. Do not be weighed down with problems and unresolved issues, for I am your burden-bearer."

    What a great God we serve, that even though He is in charge of the cosmos and the big things of this world, He still takes time to connect the dots for me.

"I love those who love Me and those who seek Me find Me." Proverbs 8:17

"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." Psalm 34:10

Sweet Blessing of Family

    What a relaxing weekend we had. It seems like it's been a long time since we just hung out and enjoyed our blessings.

    Saturday we went Breckenridge so Dalton could get a new scope for his gun…his Christmas gift cards were burning a hole in his pocket. We treated ourselves to a Sonic drink and then stopped at the Breckenridge park for a little playtime. It was a bit colder than we thought it would be, so Dalt and Ace went back to the car pretty quick. It stuck it out with Cooper and played with him…I even went down a few slides. It was really fun and my new camera captured it wonderfully. It was nice to enjoy the simple pleasure of playing at the park. We appreciate it so much more since we don't have one too close.

 Wheeeee!!

He had to concentrate very hard to get across, 

and he was very proud when he made it.

 Watch out, here comes Daddy!

     That afternoon, while the boys slept, I went for a long ride on Dandy. It was great! Very relaxing, refreshing and addicting. I really want to ride more often. I'm always amazed at how beautiful the area we live in is. I told Dalt this morning that everything is more beautiful horseback too. Then I helped Coop haul some old cabbage plants to the chicken pens. He loved driving his tractor out of the yard and into the chicken pen, dumping the goods and backing out. He can really maneuver that thing well.

     We finished the evening with steak and sweet potato french fries, and Dalt and I watched Hunger Games after the kids went to bed. I had a few flashbacks of labor while we watched.
      Then the best part of the day happened…both boys slept all night in their beds until 7:30!! Unheard of in this household. I woke up this morning thinking this parenting thing is easy when they sleep all night; what a difference it makes.
     Today we went to church and then to Weatherford for more gun stuff. We ate lunch at CiCi's; a perfect place for families like us. It's loud enough to cover our noise and has pizza for everyone! As a bonus we went to Target so the boys could spend their Christmas gift cards from Aunt Rita. Cooper got a drum with lots of other noisemakers included. He walked around the store drumming and saying "March, march march march," and got lots of encouragement from other shoppers. Ace got diapers and baby food and he was very excited about it. The best part of the trip was that both boys did great the entire time. It may go down as the smoothest trip we've ever had.
     Thank you Lord for a wonderful weekend of family time. What a blessing it is to just enjoy the little things and the free things in our lives!

"Peace I live with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
(memory verse for this week)