Fall is here...

I can feel the change in the air. I can also see the daylight slipping away earlier and earlier each day. It's that time of year again. Time to wonder where the time went! I mean really, it's less than 100 days til Christmas! To be quite honest, it's only 8 weeks until our Children's Choir Christmas Musical! Yikes! Reality hits so hard! Yet in all of this reality, there is still this gentle reminder that God is not concerned with TIME. He never ponders it. He never stresses over it. Now TIMING, that's another lesson all together! God is ALWAYS concerned with timing. His TIMING is perfect. When will we ever learn. He has such great plans for our lives and perfect TIMING.............

Family Vacation

Yep, we are on it...Family Vacation and we are enjoying each other so much this week. The girls are having a great time. SC likes the pool while SJ likes the beach. Go figure! The weather is just beautiful! Our unit is on the 23rd floor so we have a fabulous view of the gulf. Dolphins and sting rays are also gracing us with their presence. The water is super clear and the temps are hovering in the mid 80's so it's not too hot. I just love coming to the beach this time of year. No crowds and no lines at the restaurants. We've not waited once since we've been here. I'll link some photos on this post and will post again later this week. Have a great week....

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

No, we've NOT dropped off the planet, we've just been super busy. Hi all! Glad to be back in the blog world. I need to sum up a month's worth of events and happenings so here goes...
1) We left for Nicaragua on August 1st and had a fabulous trip. We saw 114 decisions for Christ, cared for over 2500 people in the medical clinic, gave out approximately 500 pairs of glasses, pulled over 300 teeth , filled over 15,000 prescriptions and gave out over $100,000 worth of clothes, beans, rice and school supplies. It was a terrific trip. God was honored and He gets all the glory for all that was accomplished! It was a tiring trip due to the fact our clinic was approximately 1/4 mile from the Big White Tent (the preaching tent). We hiked up and down that 1/4 mile hill (or should I say small mountain), and I mean HIKED, 5 times each day. It was tiring and it was HOT! We left behind some very precious children who became a part of our family for 3 days. Each day, we saw them and loved on them and at the end, shared Christ with them. Please pray for Francisco, Yota, and Candida as well as the rest of the village of El Bonete.
2) Sunday, August 9th our church called a new Minister of Spiritual Development. Mike McDonough and his wife Amanda will be moving from Texas within the next few weeks and we are so excited to have them on staff! They will be a great addition to our church and we're excited about what God's doing in our church. Pray for them as they transition, sell a home, leave family and all those other issues that come with moving.
3) My girls are growing up! Sadie turns 2 a week from tomorrow! I simply cannot believe how time has flown. We will celebrate her birthday on Friday, September 4th due to the fact that we will be celebrating Shaoey's Birthday on Saturday, August 29th. Shaoey will be 5 and is just super excited about her party. Shaoey wanted a party with all her friends so because we leave for VACATION on Friday, September 5th, we decided to switch weekends for birthday parties. Sadie will have her party at Nai Nai and Yei Yei's house Friday before we leave for the beach on Saturday.
4) Speaking of VACATION.................I'm READY....It can't get here soon enough...........
5) Shaoey started 4 yr Old Kindergarten on Wednesday and she's pretty thrilled about it. She's still not completely used to the schedule and routine but that won't take long. She loves her teacher and is really loving picking out what she's gonna wear to school each day....alot like her MOM in the fashion department.
6) So with school in full swing, Sadie and I spend Monday's and Wednesday's at the park playing tennis and playing on the playground.
God is good and I am not worthy of any of these blessings I've just described. I've been reading a book by Hudson Taylor's son about his father, Hudson Taylor. I cannot tell you how pitiful I am and how far I have to go in the quest for the Exchanged Life. I do know that God ownes it all and is all I will ever need. I can completely trust Him in ALL things. Saying that and living that are two completely different attitudes.....from Hudson Taylor.....

"The Lord Jesus received is holiness begun; the Lord Jesus cherished is holiness adancing; the Lord Jesus counted upon as never absent is holiness complete...." "Abiding, not striving or struggling; looking off unto Him; trusting Him for present power;.....resting in the love of an almighty Saviour, in the joy of a complete salvation, "from all sin"....

Powerful stuff....God help me live the Exchanged Life!

Cupcakes for Breakfast...

Is it really awful to allow your kids to have cupcakes for breakfast? I hope not. I'm giving in this morning. At least SJ did eat some strawberries before the cupcake. What a beautiful Saturday! With nothing to do, I'm going to enjoy just sitting around loving on my girls. This week has been fast and furious. We entertained our staff from church last night and had a great time visiting and re-connecting after all the summer "road trips". CDP grilled some awesome Beef Tenderloin! Our family will be somewhat disconnected beginning next saturday as CDP and I will be sharing the gospel in Nicaragua while our girls spend some quality time with my parents. I'm always excited about the trips but the closer the departure date seems to get, the more apprehensive I become. I guess I just hate leaving my children for such a long time. They will be in great hands and I'm sure will NOT miss me one bit! Can anyone say spoiled rotten?
After Nicaragua, our family will then enjoy some MUCH NEEDED R&R in sunny PCB, FL. We anticipate a long week of absolutely nothing but sun, sand, water and lazy days. I'm really looking forward to some time with my family without schedules and interruptions.
Well, I'm about to go check to make sure my kitchen still stands. I'll blog again before we leave...Have a great Saturday, Ya'll!

A funny from SC this morning...

We were out late last night...I mean until 1am....UGH! Both girls were sacked out in their car seats and SC was, to say the least, not happy about having to sleep in the car. I figured this morning would be a "sleep in" morning but oh no...not my SC. She was up at 8am and ready to go. I fed her gave her a cup and headed to my room to make the bed and start my day. I noticed after a few minutes she had made her way into my room with "something" in her mouth. I was curious so I simply asked her, "What is in your mouth"? She replied, "candy". I then asked, "Who gave it to you?", she replied without hesitation, "Yei, Yei." I know that doesn't seem very humorous to you but you must know SC's Yei Yei. He is notorious for giving her candy. Not just suckers or hard candy but chocolate. SC loves chocolate! Anyway, here's to Yei Yei, the giver of all things "candy"! Have a great day!