Roller Bladers

It's garage sale season!

We always love a good deal and boy did we get one! Josiah wanted roller blades. So we headed to this neighborhood garage sale and I was at one house and saw they were selling girls roller skates, I was paying for a game and a camping chair and just asked, "Ya'll don't have any roller blades do you?"  This jr. high aged kid said, "Oh yeah have some, they're not great, let me go get them, how about $2".  "$2.00? (I didn't wanted to sound too excited, but inside I was doing flips!) You have yourself a deal!" And $2.00 later he's one happy kid learning how to roller blade on what I think are great roller blades. I don't know if you have ever looked to buy roller blades new, but they are pretty pricey.  I found some for me the same day too for $5.00.  Josiah is thrilled that I get to roller blade with him! :-)  

Preschool Friends

These four had such a fun year doing preschool together.  I am thankful for each of these kids and the friendship with their mammas.  What a blessing to watch them grow from babies to toddlers to preschoolers.

September 2012

May 2013

2 Timothy 3:12-17

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted...But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

My baby girls

I'm finding Grace and Hannah were very different as babies. 

Hannah is pictured above at just a few days shy of 8 months

Here is Gracie Girl at 6 months old wearing the same outfit. 

above hannah is again just barely 8 months

It's a bit hard to tell, but Gracie's wearing the same outfit at 5 months old :-)

Love these two girls no matter how similar or different they may be!

And oh how we pray that they will grow up to have a sweet friendship as sisters.

Walking the Recesses of the Deep

I have talked to people who do not believe in a God that created this earth.  I often wonder if those people have ever been to an aquarium.  We recently visited the aquarium at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas.  This was my kids first time, but they were not the only ones in awe of the sea life surrounding them, I couldn't help but think about the awesomeness of God.

 To see sharks swim by so closely and get a good look at those rows of razor sharp teeth, made me feel very small (and very thankful for that thick glass that separated me from them).  I can not help but be moved by the creativeness of God.  Then my mind always goes to the book of Job in the Bible. Three of my favorite chapters in the Bible are Job 37, 38, 39.

Bad things happen to good people and Job understood that all too well.  God is having a conversation with Job and asking Job all sorts of questions, "Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? Do you give the horse his strength? Does the eagle soar at your command?  Have you journeyed the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep...?"

Being at an aquarium gives me a glimpse of the vastness that is the ocean. There is a whole world down there that I will never fully see.  Feeling as small as I did walking through the aquarium brought me comfort.  God is taking care of all His creatures.  Jesus says in Matthew 6 to "look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

A friend recently lost her baby girl during childbirth.  It was her first.  She has taken comfort in Job.  I'm thankful she knows that the sadness is not without purpose. The purpose may never be known this side of Heaven. The pain may never go away while on this earth, but God is still taking care of his creatures. And one day we will be with Him and there will be no more pain and no more tears! Praise God for the Hope that can only be found in Him.

Beach Day

May 6, 2013 Lake Coeur d'Alene

 Last Monday we spent the day at the beach.   I love the beach, my kids love the beach.  We had arrived home a week and a half earlier from Texas where we had spent time with our dear family on the beaches in Galveston. I wasn't quite ready to come home to the cooler spring weather we get up here. Were were all so thankful for the 84 degree weather that day and how it continued to be hot for the remainder of the week. So hot in fact I debated pulling out our AC window unit. Josiah even made the comment that it's hot here just like in Texas.  We did miss the ocean waves that you don't get on our lake beaches, but there's nothing like the views from these beautiful lakes in Washington State.  We really do love living in the Pacific Northwest.

And this little baby was a cute view sportin' her swimsuit and roly poly arms! :)

May

We are still here, using this little blog space to share our lives, however, our trip to Texas and this amazingly gorgeous weather we have been experiencing are keeping us busy with alot of activity.  I have so much catching up to do, but for now, here's a couple of our crew.

Hannah Highlights: she eats solids like a champ and now that we are done traveling shes again sleeping well! She loves to sit in her swing and work on the "D-D-D-D-D" sound.  Josiah and Grace can really get her laughing too!  She's a petite little thing and looks like she'll be just as blond as her sister.

Josiah helped dad get the garden planted today. I had grandiose plans of partaking in that, but having a 7 month old and 2 year old around I didn't help out too much.  

 It's official Gracie Girl is potty trained! We couldn't be happier, and she's pretty proud too!

Sweet old Martin even posed for the camera today.