Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Monday, July 23, 2012

Hello Monday { Barnstormers }

Hello Monday!
Hello to the week before we head to the beach! sooooo much to do!
Hello to school starting in 5 weeks!!!!
Hello to warm muggy weather...


Hello to the end of a great Sunday with the family...
My Husband was fortunate to win tickets to  Barnstormers baseball game... the boys had fun! Momma not so much.. Baseball is just not my thing... The one thing I was impressed by is all the seats had backs, I would LOVE to have seats like that in Beaver Stadium!




It was a great evening, the sun came out and was very warm HOT! all in all great baseball weather!


Connor had his glove with him and was very excited to catch a fowl ball... (none were hit our way much to his disappointment)


The boys had hot dogs, french fires and of course ice-cream... Riley was content while we were eating... other than that he was really fidgety... better than last year.. but still not quite ready to WATCH a game.


Hello to a crazy, crazy time to be a Penn State Football fan...


As for me... I am not upset about a statue being removed, after all it is just a statue, it is the memories that count.. the memories of tailgates with family... making friends with people around you... feeling the comradely with everyone watching and rooting for the same team to win... The time spent walking around State College and enjoying the fall... the warm games.. the FREEZING games... the games where it rained and everyone sat there anyhow...
These are my memories and why I enjoy Penn State football... Where does Joe fit into these memories, only because he helped the team win, the college kids with passion and excitement play the game of football... Joe Paterno was never the reason to watch the game, it was a football team that I was interested in...




But taking away a season?!?


Hello Monday everyone! Hope everyone has a great start to the week!




~Momma


Linking Up with Lisa Lenard

Friday, July 20, 2012

Thoughts from a Mother's heart: How to make boys into leaders

The other evening on my way to work I heard this song, maybe for the first time, maybe not. It was just the first time I actually heard it..





Love stories are my weakness... This song is a love story of a Husband and wife, Father and his children, and Son to his Father God. The lyrics in this song are amazing, truthful and honest...
Every day I am thankful for my husband.... I see strength in him, love, and patience...  I know he is our leader...

Oh, I can hear her saying

Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone


I want my boys to grow into men like this... I want them to be leaders of their family... I want them to know to go to God when times are tough... I want them to find women who are willing to be lead. I want their hearts to ache for the Lord...


So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh Father, show me the way
To lead them

Won't You lead me?


The lesson that I need to teach is a tough one, the world view of strength come from never asking for help, from taking care of yourself and only yourself. The truth in this song is man is only so strong alone... true strength comes from vulnerability and seeking the Lord.

Today's prayer:
{Dear Heavenly father let Connor and Riley find a wife who is worthy of respect, not a malicious talker but temperate and trustworthy in everything. Let her be willing to submit to her husband as to the Lord. 1 Timothy 3:11; Ephesians 5:22}

Monday, July 16, 2012

Hello Monday {Tranquility}

Hello Monday..
Hello sleepy Monday morning... even Koda slept in till 6:00!

Hello to being thankful for all the fun we had yesterday! 

As I am looking through these photo's from yesterday I am listing to Matt Redman's song: 10,000 Reasons
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name 

I found myself singing along and enjoying the pictures and praising the Lord...


Hello to Connor and Riley my little fishes... They were in the water as much as they could be... no fear splashing way every chance thye got...




Hello to Momma splashing everyone back...

Hello to just hanging out in the water...



Hello to my Riley, He got a little chilly, but it didn't keep him out of the water for long...

Hello to the glorious rain! we need it so much! It rained a little while we were swimming, not enough to ruin our day... it saved that for the drive home...


Hello to tubbing down the creek!....

Hello to Connor finding  water of one kind or another....

Hello to the kids at heart: Husband and uncle Richard helping the kiddo's catch a  bunch of crayfish...


Hello to a crayfish dinner... Sarah roasting up one for herself...


 Zach showing me how he was going to eat it...


It was so great for me to have Zach showing the boys how to be adventitious... I never thought about it til yesterday there really are no boys in our family for Connor and Riley to look up too...I know Connor enjoyed Zach he talked about him on the way home. 
Young men... be submissive to those who are older. All of you, cloth yourselves with humility toward one another. 1 Peter 5:5

Hello to me posing with my girls...


ugghhh.. Hannah is deceivingly heavy!




Hello Monday everyone!

Liking up with Lisa Leonard


~Momma


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Spontaneous Adventures with the Boys...


Spontaneity is awesome! 


TO be totally honest it was this morning shortly after breakfast when I thought to myself... I would like to go somewhere special with the kiddo's today ...
I immediately thought about North East Maryland Turkey point to go swimming...
It had been a long time (since maybe High school) since I had been there... I had to call my friend and check on how to get there...
I had a great conversation with my friend.. and I knew it was going to be a great day!
8:30 I started packing lunches and getting the swim stuff together
9:15 we were out the door

Connor was very excited he kept talking about the adventure we were going to have today... I was excited too I haven't been to the beach yet this year and I needed a chance to get away with the boys...

These are the pics form our adventure:
Today turned out to be a beautiful day 88 degrees and the beach was not crowded at all!


The water was warm and peaceful the boys went right in .. no looking back...

only when I called his name...

In the picture below I think he is telling me to come in the water.. the water is where I spent most of the day playing water tag, picking up clam shells off the bottom... looking at the water birds, seagulls and bald eagles... one bald eagle flew right over us over and over again I was really hoping to see him catch a fish, no such luck but still a great great day!



Connor was doing so great he is learning to trust himself in the water



If you have never been it is a great place for younger kids the water is shallow the whole way out to the bowie, great for the kids to play in and feel safe... although the water itself was gross and dirty...


Riley was brave... he was just as willing as Connor to go out in the deep water (if not more) and swim around and chase me...  He also enjoyed just sitting in the water. The day was so warm they never got too cold or blue lips.


I will end with a picture of my cutie pie! seriously how sweet is his face. Such a great day Connor asked if we could go again next Tuesday... why Tuesday? I am not sure it is just a date he had picked out. Love him.

we were in the car and headed home by 2:00 
home by 3:00 stopped and bought some local sweet corn and had a great dinner.
I think I will say it again what a great great day!



~Momma

Monday, July 9, 2012

Hello Monday

Hello to my new favorite song:

John Waller: As for me and My house
... check it out it is awesome!

Hello to a break in the heat wave..
Hello to my 2nd attempt at home made laundry detergent...


same recipe as before.. Just doubled and I added some purex crystals to boost the smell...


Hello to a thrifty project gone very very wrong...


I had the very best intentions to change my dingy old white sheets to new refreshing blue/gray...


NOT the result I was looking for... sigh...


Happy Monday everyone! Linking up with Lisa Leonard

~Momma

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Thoughts From a Mother's Heart: Sending your Child into the World Without Fear

Sending your child into the world without fear...

Kindergarten starts next month... August 27th to be exact...

I know he will do fine, but there is still something nagging at me... 
I am not sure what... but this little man that I love so dearly will be going out into the world by himself...
...the scary, mean, uncertain world ...

I read this verse today and I found some peace .. I know my Lord will take care of him, my Lord is greater and stronger and will love him more than I ever could...

He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
 Psalm 91:4-5

When he was little my prayer for him was that he would grow up strong in the Lord and seek him in everything that he does. I felt assured that when he left and was successful in life I would know I had done ok with him... I also felt that that would be a VERY long time until that happened.

sometimes when I watch him run and jump and play... being kind and using his imagination it takes my breath away... how can this be my little baby? when did he get so big?
the love I have for this little guy totally changed my life... He is my one true.. the one that I was willing to change for (and you all know how I hate change)
I feel like I am saying goodby to him... and I am... my baby is leaving me and my little man will be coming home..
Sometime I just want to go back and hold my baby again! for as much of a struggle it was getting him to sleep through the night... the walking, crawling, talking, talking back... I would trade almost anything to go back and do it all again...


 ...this next stage frightens me more than anything that has come before ...


This is where I  let go and let the Lord take care of him... I must trust, and that in itself is difficult pill to swallow.. I must trust that I have thought him well... that he will be polite, follow the rules... and most importantly seek the Lord.. at school with his friends... in everything he does...
My prayers for him will change and forever be changing ... I will include his teacher, and friends, and their families...
New problems will arise but one thing that will never change is my love for him, my untouchable and unchangeable love for my little boy that I have felt since the very first time I held him...


Time is flying by and today I have felt like I was moving in slow motion with everyone flying past me...
until I read Psalm 91:4-5 and felt a little more connected and reassured that we are all in his hands at every stage in our lives....
 
 
 
~Momma



Thursday, July 5, 2012

July 4th and Family Fun!

Happy 4th of July! we had a great day! Hope everyone else did too!
We hosted our family's 4th of July party this year...
it was a hot one! but a fun one!... It just wouldn't be the 4th without the heat of summer!

I love decorating in the summer beautiful flowers are easy to come by... My husband picked these beauties up at a road side stand.. I wish I was skilled enough to grow these myself! but for .10 and .20 cents each I will gladly enjoy these



I wanted to decorate, but I didn't want to spend much money... so I took some old picture frames and printed out some signs and hung them in the tree.... I also made some tissue paper poofs to decorate the tree's...
 

What really makes the party is the people and Food!





 Acacia and great Nanny and the dogs... Tipper and Koda

  
Great Nanny gave the boys some kazoos... who doesn't love noise makers for the fourth of July! the boys were using them all day!!


I saw and idea on Pinterest to freeze a giant ice-cube with some toys inside and they would spend hours trying to get the toys out... unfortunately it took my boys minuets to get the toys out... I think they still had fun. The dogs liked it also when the boys were done they laid in and ate the ice.



Riley ate grapes (and only grapes) for lunch and dinner...
 

Just spending time hanging out was perfect...
 




playing in the sprinkler was nice and refreshing on such a hot day!




our backyard fireworks totally impressed the boys!! In the evening we heard lots of better fireworks going off, but unfortunately we were unable to see them with all the tree's around our house.


We had a great holiday so thankful that everyone could come down and enjoy it with us!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

~Momma