Outside the Box

Well one of the big events of the summer was my birthday at the end of May. It was the first time I realized I am officially "outside the box" of 24 candles :(  I need 2 boxes of candles!!! This was a bit of a sad realization for me...  apparently this has been the situation for a while I just hadn't noticed.

Notice the blow torch in the top right corner that 29 candles creates. 

Clint, the arsonist, and Daniel watching the flame of age burn bright. 

  

Notice the haze of smoke as I try and blow out all those candles. 

And as always, Clint surprised me with a sweet display of birthday gifts that he wrapped himself. I thought he did a great job, don't you?

Perhaps my favorite part, a birthday wish from one of the cutest, sweetest gifts I have ever received. 

Really it was a sweet day. And while it was a bit of a shock that my age exceeds the number of candles in one box by about 5 years... Those five years have been the best of my life.  I found the greatest church in the greatest city, met my gorgeous husband, went to Paris, London, Mexico and China and had two of the most beautiful children I have EVER seen. So if that is what getting old has to offer, I welcome the next 5+ years, bags and sags. :) 

Praise the Lord for His Word and  His faithfulness to answer all His promises.

" To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness

That they may be called trees of righteousness

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

And they shall rebuild the old ruins,

they shall raise up the former desolations,

And they shall repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

Isaiah 61:3-4

what a great life!

The Many Faces of Abraham

The "I'm on vacation and I can't believe you're feeding me peas!" face. (Needless to say he didn't eat them)

This appears to be the "how about no pictures now" face.

This is the "catch ya later need my beauty rest" face.

The "what up now! automatic sprinkler!" face. (Which he totally was for the first few months... see the onesie)

This, maybe one of my favorites, is the " I'm only four months and my dad just fed me vanilla icing while my mom wasn't watching..." face.

So Happy Together

So many people have asked, "So how are the boys adjusting to each other?"

Well this explains it all. Sweet.

p.s. after a bit of googling I discovered that the song So Happy Together is by The Turtles, not The Beatles. They wrote it making fun of Penny Lane and it was the only chart topper they had. Interesting little tid bit.

Wet-n- Wild!

One of our favorite things to do this summer was going to the Zoo.  Louisville has a great zoo with a water park right in the center. So we spent a lot of time there over the past few months. My mom bought us zoo passes for Aslan's birthday and we put them to good use.

Aslan loved the water park. Also notice our new obsession: Spiderman!

We had Spiderman shoes, swim shorts and even band-aids.

Who ever said boys aren't as fun as much fun to dress as girls must not have had any boys. :)

Moma and son resting after a full day of playing.

Clint and Aslan had some good play time. This really was Aslan's favorite thing about the summer.

Abraham was really great on our little trips. He usually just slept in the stroller or rode in the snugggly. He is such an easy baby with a sweet disposition. Love him to pieces!

P.S.

I forgot to mention why we were out of power-ha!

We had a wind storm from Ike and it was crazy!

We had to light candles every night to see. Clint laughed while walking with the candle stick and kept saying we were "kickin' it pilgrim style!" (we missed you atwoods~we kept thinking of things Trevor would say and random Keva isms' like 'cinders and ashes! etc..)

Clint made me laugh... he is so good :) he makes everything fun!

Pilgrim Style

First things first, my baby boy is beautiful! He is growing so fast!! He is rolling over and sitting up and is eating solids once a day with nursing meals. He sleeps about 11-12 hours straight and is so happy and very sweet. I love him to pieces!!

Now....
It has been a long time since we have updated you and we are so sorry!! But what a great and wonderful summer to catch you up on. 

But for now, I will start with the fact that we, and about 250,000 people, have been without power since SUNDAY!! 

This means no stove cooking, hot showers, clean laundry and (perhaps the most devastating) NO COFFEE MAKER!

In all seriousness, it was a blast. Everyone came out and spent time together and cooked on their grills. It is interesting how many things you can actually make on the grill. One sweet neighbor brought me coffee every morning that she made on her camp stove. 

Oh and for the first time in my life, I fired up the grill yesterday and cooked for about 8-10 kids and 4 adults and then again last night for 6! WOOT! All our husbands were working so I decided to get real rugged and brave the fires of our gas grill! I had so much fun. 

We got power again last night around 8pm and I have to admit I was a little sad. I enjoyed the community, candles and creativity.

More to come soon on our amazing summer! Love you all~

Rest...

Not something I am getting a lot of these days. In all honesty, becoming the mother of two children is one of the hardest things I have ever done. 

When one is satisfied, the other is needy. 

I have been impatient, and at times- too many times- I have been less than merciful or kind. (Galatians 5:22)

I have been broken by my sin.

My heart has been broken over the... shall we say- less transformed or conformed areas of my life. (Romans 12:2)

 I have wept over my lack of rest.

And then, I have been reminded:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

" "... and I will give you rest" - that is, "I will sustain you, causing you to stand firm". He is not saying, "I will put you to bed, hold your hand and sing you to sleep". In essence, He is saying, "I will get you out of bed- out of your listlessness and exhaustion, and out of your condition of being half dead while you are still alive. I will penetrate you with the Spirit of life, and you will be sustained by the perfection of vital activity." Yet we become so weak and pitiful and talk about "suffering" the will of the Lord! Where is the majestic vitality and the power of the Son of God in that?"  (Oswald Chambers)

I am reminded that I must shine with the love of Christ, in order for my children to "shine as stars". (Philippians 2:15)

I am reminded that I must be filled by Him in order to do so. (Galatians 5:16)

And then, I am filled and revitalized by His presence and resurrection power. 

I am rested.

I am satisfied.

I am grateful to be the mother of two.

I am dependent, moment by moment, on His grace.