Thursday, March 31, 2011

Different Faces






To be quite honest I have really been challenged lately by a certain PRECIOUS little two year old in our family. This little doll has a very passionate personality. Can you tell from the pictures??? She is VERY HAPPY or VERY UNHAPPY and tends to alternate between those emotions very suddenly and dramatically. Matt and I have been worn slap out with all the training of this little person. She has been the most challenging two year old yet in terms of a strong will and passionate personality. We are wondering if she will ever learn, but for now we persevere in loving and training her through this season. She brings such incredible joy to us, and we trust the Lord has great plans for her. We hope she turns that strong emotion into a passion for the kingdom purposes of God.

Happy Tenth Birthday, Lauren!




I do not know how it is possible, but Lauren turned ten this month. That means I have been a Mama for a decade!!! How time flies. Here are some pictures from her little celebration at home. Her big present was a mother/daughter trip to Dallas and the American Girl Doll store. Hopefully I will get a post up on that soon.
The picture of Lauren and Gabriel warms my heart. Gabriel was at Target with me and saw that hummingbird garden decoration. He asked me if we could get it for Lauren's birthday. He knew she would love it for the garden she was planning. What a sweet brother!

Zoo Pictures Continued




Lauren and Gabriel had a fabulous time in the bird cage. It was so funny to see birds swarming around them and landing on their arms and heads. They REALLY liked the birds.

The Zoo




Thursday, March 10, 2011

Beatiful Flowers!





Here is a continuation of pictures from our trip to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. We had such fun seeing all the variety there. We could have spent longer, but it began to rain on us while we were on the nature trail. We must have been a sight running with two strollers and three children on foot. We made it before the down pour but I was really worried for a while. We were way out on the trail when we first felt sprinkles. Praise the Lord He helped us get back in time.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

San Antonio Botanical Gardens






As I said in my last post, the Lord gave us an unexpected opportunity to create some family memories. Due to the bat invasion, we decided to evacuate our home for five days. The question was, "Where to go?" Well, Daddy was already planning on leaving for a conference in San Antonio. We decided to just go with him. All seven of us were crammed in one hotel room, but we brought sleeping bags and made it work. The children and I spent one day at the zoo and one day at the botanical gardens. The gardens were so much fun! It was beautiful, and spring had not yet arrived. I would love to go back and see the beauty in the spring time. We had fun going on a nature trail, walking through different sorts of gardens and habitats, etc. There was even a log cabin along a nature trail. It was really fun. After all the walking we had lunch in their lunch room and then visited the gift shop.
I am not one who has experience going into an unfamiliar city and driving around. The Lord took care of everything, however, as Matt had just recently discovered my GPS on my phone. I was able to type in zoo or botanical gardens and have step by step directions.
After three nights in San Antonio we drove back to our home, met the bat people so they could treat the house, and then drove to East Tx for two more nights away from home. We were up and down the road, and let me just remind you that none of this was planned for. The Lord really carried us through all of the last minute decision making, packing, and even sustaining me in health as I was still recovering from the flu. His grace is sufficient in time of need.
Yesterday Lauren even wistfully said how she was missing San Antonio. We will have sweet memories of our unplanned for vacation. :)

Never a Dull Moment





Well, as we were recovering from viruses, poison ivy, and the flu we had a visitor arrive at our house. Would you believe this scary fellow got into the house while I was out grocery shopping and Matt was watching all five children? Not only that, but Matt was in the process of bathing the little girls when Lauren and Gabriel ran upstairs screaming the announcement of our visitor. Matt, my wonderful batman, corralled all the children to safety, got the bat locked up in the schoolroom and then proceeded to do business with him. Thankfully Matt won the battle. As a result of bats inhabiting our attic, our family of seven went on a last minute unplanned trip for five days. More about that in a future post................God uses all things for our good and His glory. Even in the midst of all the stress and exhaustion we had some fun unplanned for times during our time away.