A Fun Lunch

After church today we had a hankering for Mellow Mushroom. When we got downtown, though, we quickly realized the ACC baseball tournament was going on at the DBAP, and parking was crazy. We ended up parking near the Tobacco Road restaurant (or whatever it's called) and decided to eat there instead. They sat us outside (duh, we have 3 kids), and it was so nice. There were fans on, "misters" blowing, and the boys were easily entertained. We watched the game while we ate and made a somewhat unexpected memory.=) When we got home, though, everyone was tired, and we all laid down for over 2 hours. Tonight we went to the pool to conclude our fun Sunday. We are blessed to live in a city with so many fun things to do!

Riding Horses

This past weekend we went to graduation at UGCS. On Saturday morning, Jeremy's parents took us to the home of a family in their church who has horses, goats, etc. The boys loved it. They learned so many different things, and we all had a great time. It definitely brought back memories of my own childhood...love it!

Learning how to clean their hooves before riding

Caleb's first ride

Stephen "parking" the horse=)

Feeding the goats

A quick ride around the farm

Jonathan + Cake!

No words needed...He loved it!

When Cousins Come!!!

Yep, we had 6 boys at this house last weekend when Jeremy's brother and his wife, along with their 3 boys, came to visit. We had the BEST time! Chad and Dawn, we miss you tons! Can't wait to hang out again very, very soon!!!!

(Jonathan was too little to face the craziness!!)

Shepherding a Child's Heart...easy review!

This is a long time coming, but I finally finished Shepherding a Child's Heart. I've listened to some of it via CD and even watched parts via DVD, but until now, I never took the time to actually sit down and read it. Boy, was I missing out!

Basically, the book is awesome...kinda like everyone has always said it was. I'm in agreement. It's a must! Most of the book is highlighted but my absolute favorite part was:

"You must regard parenting as one of your most important tasks while you have children at home. This is your calling. You must raise your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. You cannot do so without investing yourself in a life of sensitive communication in which you help them understand life and God's world. There is nothing more important. You have only a brief season of life to invest yourself in this task. You have only one opportunity to do it. You cannot go back and do it over.

You live in a culture in which there are opportunities for you to do things unheard of in history. You are presented daily with scores of options for investing your life's energies and creativity. There is more than you could ever do. You must, therefore, prioritize.

Parenting is your primary calling. Parenting will mean that you can't do all the things that you could otherwise do. It will affect your golf handicap. It may mean your home does not look like a picture from Better Homes and Gardens. It will impact your career and ascent on the corporate ladder. It will alter the kind of friendships you will be available to pursue. It will influence the kind of ministry you are able to pursue. It will modify the amount of time you have for bowling, hunting, television, or how many book you read. It will mean that you can't develop every interest that comes along. The costs are high.

How can you measure the cost against the benefits? I have spent time with broken parents. I have seen the drawn faces of parents who have known the heartbreak of seeing their children fleeing a home in which they had not been understood or engaged by their parents. I have also known the joy of hearing children who have been biblically engaged by their parents say, 'Dad, I am amazed at how thoroughly I have been prepared for life. I will always be grateful for what you and Mom have given me.' What price tag can a parent place on that?

God calls you to invest yourself in this way with your children. This kind of communication is not just beneficial, it is mandated! It is the path of blessing because it is the path of obedience. Is this kind of communication expensive? Yes! But the benefits far exceed the cost."

Read it, Read it, Read it!!!!

Pillow-Boy

About 75% of today, Caleb has been walking around in his pillow. All you can see are his little feet, and he keeps running into things. Stephen and I have been laughing our heads off. He calls for me and then heads the opposite direction. Who knows what his little 2 year old mind is thinking? I know there are some days when I'd like to live in a pillow, though!=)

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's what Mother's Day looked like for us:

A rose from my little baseball player at Saturday's game

Strolling the Streets of Southpoint tonight while waiting for our table to be ready

Yummy outside dinner at Cheesecake Factory

My favorite cheesecake for dessert (When our waitress put the plate down, Jonathan immediately grabbed a handful...he's his Mommy's boy!)

Sweetest moment was probably when Jeremy asked Stephen what he wanted to thank Mommy for on Mother's Day, and he answered "For having babies for me to play with!." Ha! He then followed it up tonight by telling me he'd like to have about 100 brothers/ sisters! Whoa! That would be a crazy, happy mother's day!