This week is Vacation Bible School at church. Myself and a friend have been teaching Missions to the elementary aged students. We've had such a great time and I love being able to meet ALL of the kids involved in VBS. Our fearless leader, Ginger Debusk, has done an AWESOME job with coordinating VBS this year. And, as always, I'll have the songs stuck in my head until we do something new next year!!

Gavin enjoys a yummy donut before time to go to his class

A picture of Gavin with some of his friends in class. When I walk in the room, it's always nice to have him running to me saying, "Mommmmmyyyy!"

This is a picture of our hair for Silly Day. Morgan's hair was spiked and looked great! Ivey and I pulled our hair in 3 pigtails with bows. Also, Morgan was a "helper" this year for the first time. He did great and I was so proud!

This is Ivey singing her songs at Family Night. Before we left the house she said, "Oh, I can't wait!! I can't wait to sing my songs in front of hundreds of people!" Well, you go Ivey!

Muddy Buddy

Last year, Chris and one of our neighbors did a race called the Muddy Buddy. Well, this year they talked both of their WIVES into doing it with them! We all registered for the race a few weeks ago, went to REI last night to pick up our race packets and then had a very yummy dinner at Seasons 52 (I highly recommed it!) with our good friends, Nate and Kala.

I should also probably mention that the race started at 7:30 this morning in Conyers. So we were up bright and early to be there by 7:00 AM! Actually, it was still pretty dark.



The Muddy Buddy is a race that is 6 miles long, has 5 legs and is a combination of running and mountain biking. The runners and the bikers share the trail, so everyone has to be very careful. You and your "buddy" (i.e. partner) start out with one person riding the bike and the other running. At the end of each leg, you and your buddy each do an obstacle and then switch places - the one who rode the bike then takes off running and the person that was running takes off on the bike. And the end of all 5 legs, both partners crawl through a mud pit and then run to the finish line. It was a lot of fun but extremely challenging. It was much harder than I imagined it would be, but I like challenges and I don't give up easily. So, I did my very best and we had an awesome time. Here's a side view of the mudpit! You actually have to crawl under each set of flags to get to the end.



We ended up running into our friends from church at the end of the race and they were kind enough to take a picture of Chris and I. We weren't very muddy since we had already washed off a bit. I'm excited to see the other pictures of us during the race because there were photographers everywhere taking pictures of the participants as we were all running, mountain biking and gasping for air!




Chris and I have really enjoyed taking on the sport of running because it's something that both of us can do together. We've tried tennis and maybe golf, but neither of those really worked out for both of us. Running kind of "happened" to us by accident and since we're both so competitive, it's great for us to compete against ourselves and with each other (in a friendly sort of way!) Not only does it keep our competitive juices flowing, but is it great for our health and we have fun participating in all of these different kinds of races together. We aren't "serious" runners by any stretch of the imagination but it's challenging and something that we can spend time doing together which, I think, is a very important component of a successful marriage. We'll be doing the Peachtree Road Race in two weeks for the second time. We're excited about that and even more excited that our friends, Teri and Marc, will be doing it with us. Come on, friends, join in the fun!!!

Poor Charlie...

At the beginning of the week, I was petting Charlie's ears (because they're so soft and floppy) and realized that she had some sort of squishy, large, water-filled bubble in her ear flap. I asked Chris if he thought we should take her to the vet and he said yes. So, Monday, Ivey and I took her to the vet and the vet concluded that she had a hematoma in ear flap probably due to shaking her head or scratching her ears. He tried to use a needle to drain out some of the fluid, but apparently because of some fibrous tissue he wasn't able to drain it. According to the vet, surgery was in order to lance the hematoma, drain it, stitch it up and then flush out her ears. Tuesday morning we took her back to the vet for her surgery and left. She was nothing short of pitiful when Chris picked her up and brought her home later that afternoon. When all was said and done, we had a very large vet bill - yikes! But, she's like another baby to us, so we felt like we had to do it. Thanks to Dave Ramsey, we were able to work our finances so that we could pay for the visit although it definitely put a damper on our next month's budget!

Updates

Last week I was in Helen, GA with the youth from our church. While we were there, we partnered with Georgia Moutain Resort Ministries in ministering to a nearby trailer park and to the Unicoi Springs RV Park. The team I was on was assigned Pardue mobile home park and we did a kids camp in the mornings each day. The other team did the same at the RV park. In the afternoons we all helped with various service projects: helping clean up a nearby church, picking up trash along the river, etc. At night, we did a little program with singing, skits, balloon animals, face painting and testimonies at three different locations in Helen. One evening we were able to have some free time and went tubing down the river. It was fun for about the first 30 minutes and then I was over it! There were lots of rocks which we had to keep getting out and pulling ourselves over. Right at the very end, I got off my tube and was walking to the exit point and slammed my leg up against a rock in the water. I ended up with a huge gash on my right shin and pretty yellow bruise to go with it. All in all, it was an awesome week and it was a privelege to be able to share God's love and mercy with people that only live an hour away from us. Morgan and I had a blast. It was his first mission trip and he loved it! Here are a few pictures from our trip.

A group shot before leaving our church

Getting a game of ultimate frisbee going

My very first game of ultimate frisbee and it was a blast!

Teaching the bible story

Doing crafts with the kids

My team along with most of the kids that came to our camp at the mobile home park

Helping to scrape paint off of the old church so they can repaint

Facepainting in downtown Helen

I loved learning how to make balloon animals. I can now make a dog, sword, flower and hat!

A few of our kids singing worship songs for the patrons at Unicoi Spring RV park.

Doing a skit at Unicoi State Park during our program

Our group along with the team from Georgia Mountain Resort Ministries

A Day at the Lake

We've been to the lake several times this summer already, but here is our first tubing ride. Morgan loves to tube even though we go slowly due to the boat being a pontoon. Anyway, it was fun and we always love to spend time at the lake with family and friends. It's beautiful and relaxing and a great place to get away. The little kids love to watch and will get their turns soon. The water was so cold this particular day that none of the adults were willing to hop in with them! Below is Ivey and Gavin with cousins, John and Emma.

On Friday, we went on our first of many summer MOPS outings. This time it was to Cagle's Dairy Farm which is just down the road from our house. It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed it. At times there was a little more talking from the tour guides than preschoolers are willing to listen to, but they did great and had a good time. Here are a few pictures from our day at the dairy farm.

First we took the kids pictures with their life size measuring stick.

Then the kids got to pet and feed the baby calves who are being held in this barn to learn how to eat hay and feed.

In order to get the farmer to drive the tractor on our hay ride, we had to scream "Yee Haw" when it was time to go. See here, Gavin is screaming "Yee Haaawww!"

At the end of the tour, they gave each child their very own milk carton of white milk or chocolate milk straight from the dairy farm. We had a really good group of kids, but here are my nephew and neice along with Ivey and Gavin.

I feel that I should make a few clarifications about my tyrade on cosmetic surgery two posts ago. My intent was not to belittle or attack anyone that has had cosmetic surgery. I have several friends and family who have had "something" done, I love them dearly and I would never want them to think that I would ever think less of them. What I expressed in my blog were my convictions on the subject and I realize that those aren't the same convictions of others. This sort of subject is difficult because the Bible doesn't clearly and exactly address the issue of cosmetic surgery. However, I do believe that it clearly and exactly defines God's love for his children and how he made each one perfectly in their mother's womb. I would also like to take this chance to apologize to my friends and family who may have been hurt or insulted because of my post. I would really like for cosmetic surgery to not be the norm but rather organic bodies that God made. My wish and desire (and reason for the blog) was for women to see themselves through God's eyes instead of through the eyes of our world. And that's all.

My sister gave me an Amplified Bible for my birthday and I'm absolutely loving it! A friend of mine introduced me to it last year as she quoted a very rich and clarified version of a verse that I was already familiar with. The A.B. uses several English words to help translate even better the meaning and context of the orginal Greek and Hebrew language which are sometimes concealed in the traditional American-English translations. Honestly, I love it!! As I as reading and trying to memorize a verse, I continued reading and came upon this. I'll show you the traditional translation as well as the amplified translation....

Phillipians 4:6-7

Traditional translation: 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Amplified translation: 6Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
7And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Incredible isn't it?! I'm definitely hooked!

Invest in Your Looks Wisely

Seriously??? My heart sank as I saw the newest edition of our county magazine on the racks last week entitled "Invest in Your Looks Wisely." It's extremely sad, but true. This IS what our world has come to. It is now the norm. It has inundated and taken over the minds of women everywhere. Plastic surgery is something that I have thought about, struggled with, coveted and even planned on having at one point. I had consulted with the doctor, given my deposit, tried on my new boobs and even set a date for surgery. Until... I finally relinquished control of my life for a minute and decided to ask God what he thought. And then... I cancelled my appointment.

I kind of figured that may happen which is why I never bothered to ask Him earlier. This is something that I WANTED and that he WOULDN'T understand. And, then I decided to put myself in his shoes, if I could possibly even imagine being God.

How would I feel if my beautiful baby girl came up to me and said, "Mommy, I know you love me. I know I grew in your tummy and people say I look just like you. But, I wish I could look like my friend next door. She's prettier than me. She's taller and skinnier than me. Why couldn't you have made me like her?"

That would break my heart!! Now think how God feels, who loves each of us more than we could possibly ever love our own children and who made us with his very own hands, when we tell him that we want to change ourselves.

Oh, nevermind, God, I'll just fix it.

This particular topic is now something near and dear to my heart because I "get it". I understand what these women go through and how they want what God didn't give them. Certainly I should know what's best for my own body, right? No, you don't. Not according to the Bible. I am grieving the fact that so many Christians, including myself, have fallen into the trap of not being good enough. And, I don't care what anybody else tells you, the reason someone has plastic surgery is because they aren't finding their identity in Christ. THAT, my friends, is the bottom line. I know because I've been there. I could explain to anyone why I was getting cosmetic surgery, why it wasn't wrong, why it was MY choice. I could justify it all. day. long. Christian or not, if your sole identity is not in Christ, then you become like the world around you. And you want to BE like the world around you.

If I'm not confident in my own skin, then I'll change it. I really wish I had C-cup breasts instead of A-cup, so I'll change it. I really wish I had a flatter stomach, so I'll change it. I really wish my butt was smaller, my thighs didn't have dimples in them, my eyes are closer together, my nose didn't have a bend in it, I wish, I wish, I wish... SO I'LL CHANGE IT! This is the trap that countless women have fallen into, both Christian and non-Christian. However, what grieves my heart is that Christians aren't seeing themselves through God's eyes. They have forgotten who their first love is and WHOSE LOVE THEY ARE. They are forgetting that the maker of the universe made them, too. Just go out on a clear summer night and look straight up. The same person who made those stars, who put the earth into motion, who told the seas how far they could come and no farther, made YOU and ME! Christian women have forgotten who they really live for (again, I'm not leaving myself out of this.) Am I living for myself, for my neighbors down the street who are prettier than I am, for those women I see at the gym with big perky breasts and cut abs?? Or am I living for God? The author and perfector of my faith? The one who gave his Son for me? The one who MADE me?

Psalm 139:13, 15, 16

"For You (God) did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret and intricately and curiously wrought as if embroidered with various colors in the depths of the earth, a region of darkness and mystery. Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days of my life were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them."

I'm not sure if I'm getting my point across. No one may ever read this and, if they do, no one may ever agree with me. But, I can understand and empathize with the women who obsess over the idea of changing their bodies because they notice that other people have something "better" than they do. And, seriously, who doesn't want something that's "better"? This whole idea of "better" is man-made, not GOD-made. To God, what could be better than perfect?


The facts about breast augmentation that no one tells you:

**The average "life-span" of breasts implants is 10-15 years. So, if you're 30 when you get them then plan on having it done again when your 40, 50, 60 and 70. Sound good?

**It's not cheap and most people end up financing their implants.

**If ever you decide to have the implants removed, like when your 60 and don't want to have surgery again in 10 years, the breast tissue has changed and the results are less than desirable like puckering, dimpling and wrinkling. But, be prepared to finance that as well because you know surgery isn't cheap.

This morning was the 6th grade graduation at Morgan's school. I really didn't think I would be sad, but I did get a little teary-eyed as the 6th graders did the "Walk of Honor" around the school. I was fine until they turned on some sappy song and then I couldn't hold it in any longer. Chris made fun of me for crying, but I just couldn't help it! I tried to take some pictures and video footage of Morgan's last day as a 6th grader. He's leaving the elementary years behind and moving on to a new phase in life. I'm excited, but yet a little sad, that my baby is getting so big. He especially means so much to me because of all that we've been through together. He's such a great kid and I love him to pieces. I'm excited though for the upcoming years and I'm really praying that God will grab hold of his heart and never let go. My greatest wish for him is that God would mean more to him than anything or anyone else and that he can hold on to that relationship as he struggles in the adolescent years to come.

Morgan with his favorite teacher, Mr. Cowart, and his best buddy, Andrew.

Morgan gets ready for the awards ceremony.

My handsome guy poses for one last picture as a 6th grader.

Morgan's 6th Grade Graduation

This past Saturday Ivey had her dance recital. I think she wants to try gymnastics or something different in the Fall, so this could be our last dance recital. Here are a few pictures before and after the big performance. We did videotape her dance, but Chris is working on getting it saved from the video recorder to the computer so I don't have that yet.

The last two weeks have flown by. Last weekend, Chris and I had the whole weekend to ourselves while the kids were visiting with grandparents. We were celebrating my birthday and our 8th anniversary. We had a good time being together without the stress of kids (although I must admit that I did miss them a little bit), but I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to do what we had planned. We had hoped to go mountain bike riding or to go hiking up Kennesaw Mountain. However, both activities were canceled because of the threat of rain. So, on Friday, we did a little shopping, ate dinner at a sandwich shop and then went to the movie theatre and then we had a relaxing day at home and then went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant on Saturday.

This is the first week that the little kids didn't have school, so after a couple hours at home I'm ready to head out to do something. The first few days we have run errands, gone to the gym or played at the park, but, yesterday I was feeling brave so we took advantage of the Mommy and Me special at the Georgia Aquarium. I met two friends from MOPS there and we explored the aquarium with our little ones. The kids and I actually had a great time and we enjoyed being able to bring along our friend Jacob while his mommy ran errands and got a haircut (that's what friends are for, right!?) It was my first trip to the Georgia aquarium and I really enjoyed it - probably the best one I've ever been to. So, anyway, here's a few pictures from our last two weeks...

Ivey recieves her first Awana Cubbies award for finishing her first book.

Ivey (top row) sings with her class on the last day of preschool. Gavin's class didn't do a "show" since he's in the 2-yr old class.

Gavin's teacher made each child this beautiful quilt with a class picture, the child's name and a list of all the children in the class. In fact she made each quilt unique for each child with what he or she likes most. Gavin's was made of tractors and "diggers." It was precious and Gavin sleeps with his every night.

Here we are the aquarium. Ivey, Gavin and Jacob.

Here they are watching the jelly fish

They stop for a quick pose between whales and sharks.

The beluga whales

And this was the biggest crab I've ever seen. It was spider crab and probably measured about 2 feet tall and four feet wide. All I could think of was "that would be awesome with some drawn butter!"

Here are the little ones one last time. They were great and we'll definitely go back soon!

My heart is heavy for the family at my church's preschool who lost their youngest child of four Monday evening. Even though I don't know this family personally, I knew that the mother was very involved at the preschool and had heard of her on numerous occasions. I think what makes it so difficult for those of us with young children is that this hits very close to home. The fact is that it could have happened to any of us. The mom and kids were outside playing (like we do almost every day) and the youngest ran up beside the car of the dad as he was pulling into the garage. Unknowingly, the father's car hit the 18-month old child and the baby was pronounced dead at the hospital. I can't imagine what this family is going through right now. I just sit, wanting to pray for them, but not even knowing what words to use. The fact is, and sometimes we must use our brain in remembering the facts and promises of God instead of our hearts that are hurting and asking "Why?", that God knew this was going to happen. Before the child ever entered this world, God knew. All of his days were accounted for before he was so carefully knit in his mother's womb. I have faith that God will give this family the strength and grace they need to walk this journey. I pray that he will give them the peace that passeths all understanding as they bring their requests to Him. Lord, please have mercy on this family and many others who are hurting due to the death of a child. Although they will be forever changed, only you can bring healing, with time, to these families. My we always remember the words that we sing, "Blessed Be Your Name."

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord

He gives and takes away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be Your Name

I'm so mean

Well, a few weeks ago Morgan lost his glasses. He has two pair because the first pair got scratched within the first two weeks of owning them... no surprise there. So, we went back and got the second pair for $100 (with scratch-free lenses) and ended up with two pair. So, like I said, a few weeks ago Morgan lost his glasses (the 2nd pair.) I kept telling him to look for them but he continued to procrastinate and never would. Finally, one day last week I helped him look for the glasses. We looked everywhere and still couldn't find them. Morgan said that he looked at school and couldn't find them, so I figured they were behind or under or stuck in something at home and that they would eventually turn up. In the meantime, I explained to Morgan that he owed me $100 for the glasses. I printed out a calendar and wrote chores for him to do every day. For each chore, I would pay him a certain amount of money and after he saved $100 he had to repay me. Here comes the good part... when we were at church Sunday morning, Chris found Morgan's glasses in the room where he does puppets on Wednesdsay night. However, I didn't tell Morgan that we found them. I brought them home and hid them in a very safe spot. I decided that he still needed to earn the $100 to understand the value of what was given to him. So, it'll probably take him the rest of the summer to earn the money since I only pay him about $1-$3 per job... I know... child labor. :-) When he finally saves the $100 I'm going to give him back the glasses, but I have't decided if I'll let him keep the money!

Weeeellllll...

I think we may need to go back to "How to Put on Your Clothes 101".

Her poor husband...

The past few weeks have been usually busy. I have finally gotten my house back in order from the last week and a half. We decided that we would use some of our tax-return money to have the interior of our house painted. We've had the same builder-grade, boring-khaki color on it since we moved in 2 1/2 years ago and it was starting to depress me. So, we agreed to get the kitchen, two-story foyer and family room and the upstairs hallway painted last weekend. It looks so much better and is a very calming khaki-greenish color. I love it!

Also, last weekend, my husband was gracious enough to let me spend Friday night and Saturday at my parent's lake house with a few of my close friends. We had a great time just relaxing, talking and soaking up the sun. We laid out for about 5 hours on Saturday with the exception of lunch. It was like we were back in high school again. It was a very refreshing weekend and a much-needed time to get away with girlfriends. So, this week I've been trying to get my laundry done, clean the house, run errands, fill the cupboards and get the decorations put back on the walls.

Thank you, Lord, for my beautiful family and wonderful friends. Thank you for a healthy body, a nice home and a family that loves me. Help me to be kind and calm and to have a teaching heart towards my children. Give me wisdom in knowing how to discipline them and wisdom in setting my priorities. Help me to know how to show my family that I love them in ways that they will recognize. Thank you for your word and for your everlasting love, mercy and grace. I am so undeserving of you and your faithfulness. Help me to be faithful to you and, through faith, give me the power I need to follow you and to act according to your will. Amen.

As you may know, Chris and I are attending Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class at church. It only has a few more weeks left, but Chris and I have really enjoyed this class. We have not only learned about budgeting and spending wisely, but also about investments, retirement, saving for college, marketing and other aspects of financial "stuff." I wanted to tell you about a town hall meeting that Dave Ramsey is doing next week called "Town Hall for Hope." He will be in Oklahoma City, but the meeting will be shown LIVE throughout the United States via host churches and the internet. Right now, there are more than 5,000 churches across America hosting this event. The meeting will be held Thursday, April 23rd, at 8 PM and is free to everyone and free to any church that wants to host it. He will be talking about today's financial times and what we should be doing with our money during this time. Of course, if you can't find a way to attend a church event, you can always watch it on your computer. I am SO excited about this and can't wait to go!!! Just wanted to spread the word...

This past week was Spring Break for the kids and I. It turned out to be a great week although I didn't get to do some of the things that I wanted. I wanted to be able to take Morgan out one evening, but ended up doing other things and then he went to his dad's the last half of the week, so I'll definitely be sure to do that within the next week or two. We pretty much just stayed around the house, played and enjoyed time with family. Chris ad I did get one night and day to ourselves which is always really nice! We went out to eat and rented a movie and then the next day I spent cleaning the whole house while Chris was working. I know that may not sound exciting, but the days of my whole house being clean at one time are few and far between!

We enjoyed a great weekend with Chris' brother and his family who came down from Charleston. We went out to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Kani House, and the girls went shopping to help me find fabric to make curtains with and the guys played golf.

Easter was fabulous, but busy. We enjoyed our Easter morning at church and then came home to eat lunch and have an egg hunt for the kids. After everyone left, we cleaned up, watched the end of the Masters, fed the kids and then put them to bed early.

Here are a few pictures of our family on Easter...

Chris and I

Gavin hunts for eggs, but he didn't really get into it. He was fine with only 5 or 6.

My sweet girl.

My mom helps Ivey open her Easter eggs filled with goodies.

Morgan and Arden open their eggs, too, and have a great time catching up.