Be Still and Know

I've been learning what it means to "be still and know." I don't like to sit still, and frankly, it's not really possible around here, but God has His ways and through circumstances that He's orchestrated, I'm learning. One thing I've learned, or maybe that I've known all along, is that we all have "seasons of life." Sometimes our circumstances restrict our activities. With one self-sufficient child, we could still do almost whatever we needed or wanted to do. But having three children now, especially young children, I'm learning our "season of life" has taken two giant steps back, and that's okay.

So right now, our "season of life" does not allow us to go out to eat very often, especially where we have to wait. It also doesn't allow us to shop for more than about 15 minutes or go out of town for a weekend getaway. We spend a lot of time just maintaining the cleanliness of our house inside and out, instead of changing out our flower beds with the season or cook meals that take more than 30 minutes. All of this will come eventually. The fingerprints on the refrigerator will get higher and higher until they're gone, and then our "season of life" will change once again.

Our "season of life," however, does not excuse us from doing what God has called us all to do. God still calls us to carry out the Great Commission, no matter your stage of life. And not just give money or pray for those going (which are GREAT things to do), He calls us to GO. After hearing the message this morning, it confirms what God has already been teaching me. And although this "season of life" may be the most difficult to pack up and go, He still wants us to be available. (And you're not available if you don't have a passport. CLICK HERE to apply online.)

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Happy Halloween!

The last several weeks in about 5 sentences...

Happy Halloween! Trying to explain the holiday is interesting. Why do we dress up, ring peoples doorbells, and ask for candy? I just don't know. But they caught on really quick and loved it. And now we have three children who don't like candy. Go figure. But I wonder where all the Reese's went...

Next, Jack's children's choir sang in church. Here's a snapshot from that.

Also, Ben's choir sang this past week. I haven't loaded up the pictures yet, but here's the link if you want to watch it. It's about 2 minutes right at the beginning. He did so great!!!

Random thoughts and I guess this post was more than 5 sentences...All 3 boys learned about Pilgrims and Indians this week. That only fueled rough play time. We just had to pray their Pilgrim hats and Indian feathers didn't get smashed. Eli's English has taken off this week. Watching kids learn a language is fascinating. They pick it up so quickly, and then plateau. Then spout off 50 new words and sentence structure falls into place, and then plateau. Anyway, he's doing great. Indoor play time, since it's been cooler and rainy, has gone well so far. The little boys can be entertained pretty easily, like with a balloon. A single balloon can bring at least an hour of fun. We've been explaining a lot of holidays lately. Those are some interesting conversations. Here are some examples: 1.) Why do Santa come in da fireplace? He so scary. 2.) If Christmas is Jesus' birthday, why do presents give to us? (Why do we give presents if it's His birthday?) 3.) I not like turkey. I want hamburger. 4.) I want Christmas tree for my birday (birthday). It so pretty.

I promise the next post will be slightly more interesting. As much as I want to remember the BIG milestones, the little ones can be just as important and funny! :)

Pumpkin Carving Contest 2011

First of all, look at these cuties. :)

Now to the contest. Since we had more little people this year, our pumpkin "carving" contest has been modified to the pumpkin "decorating" contest. Voting ends on October 31 at 5:00pm. Cast your vote at the poll to the right. Here are the contestants...

1. "It Just Doesn't Go Away"

2 "This Might Belong to Jack"

(who carved it all by himself)

3. "The Classy Crooked T"

4. "The Porcupine"

5. "The Slightly More Traditional"

6. "The Sea Turtle"

7. "The People Pleaser"

Caramel Apples

Another first. So much fun! :)

Santa Rosa Beach 2011

This year at the beach was much different than previous years for obvious reasons. Definitely busier, but much more fun. :)

Eli karate chopped or kicked every single wave that washed up. We couldn't keep him out of the water.

Ben built sandcastles the whole time. He'd get his feet wet and jump the waves, but he loved playing in the sand.

Jack went in between the water and the sand. The red flag and jellyfish kept us out of the water a little, but we're glad all three boys are beach bums like their parents.