Please pray

...for our sweet state of Alabama. Horrific damage and loss. Amazing stories of survival. Pray that God would draw near for comfort and healing! Pray for hope and faith for our friends, neighbors, and family whose lives will never be the same.

Friends who have called or sent messages, we are fine. Our house, family, and farm were completely unharmed. And our family in Birmingham came through without a scratch. Praise God.

He's in love

He rides this little vehicle for hours a day...in a circle around the patio/playground. He grins from ear to ear while he is with it. He is obsessed. It's pretty cute. We should give her a name. Maybe Juliet. We'll see.

Resurrection party at our farm

In Christ alone, My hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song.

This cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

My comforter, my all-in-all,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

There in the ground his body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain.

Then bursting forth in glorious day,

Up from the grave He rose again.

And as he stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me.

For I am His, and He is mine.

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me.

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can every pluck me from His hand.

'Til he returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I stand.

Teacher appreciation luncheon

We enjoyed helping some other ladies at our church host a luncheon for the teachers at the school. They are a fabulous group of ladies and men, and I am enjoying getting to know them. I happen to sit with the craziest, most hilarious group which was so fun. Especially thankful for the boys' teachers who have so willingly and enthusiastically loved the boys these last 6 or 7 weeks. We needed to delegate and they have more than surpassed our hopes and expectations! So grateful for this school!

Light view

"It is you who light my lamp;

the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness."

Proverbs 18: 28

"The Lord has to break us down at the strongest part of our self-life before He can have His own way of blessing with us."

Ann Voskamp quoting James H. McConkey in One Thousand Gifts

"If I am rejecting the joy that is hidden somewhere deep in this moment-am I not ultimately rejecting God? Whenever I am blind to joy's well, isn't it because I don't believe in God's care? That God cares enough about me to always offer me joy's water, wherever I am, regardless of circumstance. But if I don't believe God cares, if I don't want or seek the joy He definitely offers somewhere in this moment- I don't want God."

One Thousand Gifts

*Pictures from our front yard. So thankful for the sweet older man who used to live here. He loved to be in the garden and every day there is something new in bloom. It's like an outdoor treasure trove!

Farmhouse tour: Jack's room

We had a wonderful Sunday. Palm Sunday at church was lovely with a powerful message and beautiful hymns. Afterwards we went to a cousin's birthday party with my side of the family and then a church picnic with Andy's side of the family. Came home at bed time refreshed from good company and perfect weather. It was a beautiful day to be outside!

Ready to reveal another room. Jack's room is fun and colorful. The only toys in his room are the bucket of swords and toy guns, and a few Lego sets. He is starting to outgrow toys! It's hard to believe. Yesterday at the church picnic he didn't go in the bouncy house because he said it was for younger kids. Can't believe we are already at this phase! He also has a crush on a girl in school. When I asked him what that meant he said, "Nothing really. It just means you sit around and think she's pretty." Sounds harmless enough. He also added, "She's the only girl that has made me nervous cause she's so pretty since Ellie Memory in kindergarten." Darling boy. When he gets older, his wife will be the "luckiest" girl on the planet.

Here is how his room turned out:

Have a wonderful Easter week!!

Loveliest village

Wonderful day

A-day game at Auburn::Perfect weather::family time::shopping::meeting Aubie::Niffer's burgers

Field trips and surgery

The boys' classes both took field trips this week. I really enjoyed a change of pace and scenery with them. And it was nice to get to know their friends and the school families. This really is a sweet community that we have joined.

Josh started getting a sore throat on the way home from the zoo on Tuesday. (Meanwhile Jack was already at home with strep.) We decided to see a specialist this time (this is his third time to get strep throat since we moved a month ago). His tonsils looked horrible and he is scheduled for surgery in early June. Praying this will be the answer to our prayers for a healthy family again!

THE ZOO

OLD TOWN ALABAMA

Farmhouse tour: Josh's room

Josh had one request for his bedroom, and that was to incorporate the color red. He LOVES it, which is so unexpected because he is a quiet little guy. Not so much a vibrant, loud, red-lover kindof guy. My Dad loves red, too. Now my Dad...he has a red personality.

Josh really loves to play legos, board games, and build things in his room. He always got spooked in our old house after dark and loved sharing a room with his brother. But, by God's grace, he has not gotten scared or complained about being alone at night a single time! He seems to really enjoy his own space, especially when his sister is talking too much and he can retreat! :)

Josh's room is gray, navy and red. It showcases his art, building projects, and games.

Gardening and dating

Last night we met my parents and family for dinner at The Melting Pot in Birmingham. It was a fun celebration of both my parents' April birthdays. Wow, what a ton of yummy food! (Note: Chocolate all over Josh's gray shirt) It was prom night at a number of surrounding schools and the restaurant was full of groups of teenagers all decked out. The girls (and ladies) loved looking at their dresses. Afterward my brother and sister-in-law had all three of our children over to spend the night. We went to see a movie (the first in a long time that wasn't rated G)! We saw Source Code at the movie theatre and I highly recommend it. Then we enjoyed a quiet morning together, church, and a lunch date. My sweet husband turned down two offers to join church families for lunch. It really is rare that we are all alone and I appreciated that he guarded that time!

I am gearing up to plant some things in the yard this afternoon. For Alabama residents, has any one been to "Petals from the Past" at the Thorsby/Jemison exit off of I-65? If not, please go! It is the most amazing plant nursery I have ever seen. They have acres of beautiful rose gardens, an orchard, ponds, etc., not to mention the fabulous gift shop! I have never seen such an assortment of plants, trees, and shrubs. We had heard that it was amazing and we were not disappointed! We bought six Verbena bushes for the yard. They are pink, red, and purple and beautiful.

I have mentally divided the front and side yards into 8 areas. I hope to tackle one area per week over the course of the next couple of months. Then I will take the following 8 weeks to just maintain what we have. It will be too hot for heavy gardening, plus we will be busy harvesting and selling produce at several farmer's markets. Then in the fall I want to completely transform our "back yard". I am dreaming of trellises, benches, bird baths, and maybe a water fountain. That will be a huge project, and may just stay in the dream phase for a while. My Dad said last night that he was afraid one day he would arrive here to find a pink barn. :)

Hope everyone is finding this Sunday full of rest, fresh air, and worship time!

Farmhouse tour: Lydia's room

The children are all very proud to have their own rooms. So far, they love their rooms and were very sweet and thankful to come home to them after we moved. Their rooms are quite small, particularly Lydie's. But we're trying to make the best of our space!

Lydie's room:

Lydie's room is packed with toys! We are hoping to build a sun room off of the kitchen that will remedy that problem. The sun room will serve as a mudroom and a play room and will relieve her room of so much stuff! But for now, if she's happy I can be happy, too!

They spend more time in their rooms and with their toys than they have in a long time, especially Lydie. I knew they would respond well to the ranch-style house. I, for one, am loving have a one-level house. No more lugging toys either upstairs to their bedrooms or downstairs to the playroom. Hopefully their rooms will stay just like this for a while!