Thankful Thursday

Iris at Sting My Heart has asked us to think about relationships this week. I am so THANKFUL for the relationships God has blessed me with.

JESUS~

I am sooooo thankful for the relationship I enjoy with my Savior. I thank God that He reached down and SAVED me from myself, giving me a brand new life....a hope....a future.

I am thankful that He loves me "just the way I am, but too much to leave me this way." I am so grateful that He is patient with my shortcomings and failures. I am thankful that He woos me and whispers to me...and fills me with such love. I am thankful that NOTHING can separate me from the love I have in Christ Jesus.

Brian...the love of my life!

Lord, I am so thankful for this sweet man you have brought into m life. I am thankful for his patience with my shortcomings, as well. I am thankful for his caring heart....that he is a sweet daddy....that he makes a mean "camp breakfast" and that he can make me laugh so hard that I get stitches in my side.

My boys.....

There is such a special bond between boys and their "mamas." I love the relationship I share with my guys! Andrew is growing up, and I am thankful for a maturing relationship that allows us to talk about "deep" issues.

And, Aaron!!!!!! How, how he makes me LAUGH!!!! We still have a "snuggle" relationship (although he sometimes tells me he is getting too old to snuggle) and I am so thankful to be able to scoop him up cover him with hugs and kisses!

Girliezzzzzzzzz!

Dolls, dresses, tea parties, lip gloss..... I love IT! Lord, thank you so much for blessing me with girls to enjoy all of the girlie "things" with. They are "like" me~ I can understand them! LOL! They love to listen to stories of my childhood. They love to LISTEN to me (for the time being!!!!). I am sooooo thankful for this experience of both boys and girls!

And....Abigail!
Lord, we had NO idea that our family was NOT complete until this little pumpkin came along... I am so excited to see the young woman she will grow up to be. I know you have amazing plans for her and I can't wait to see them! Thank you that she wraps her arms tightly around my neck and covers me with wet kisses.

Spiritual Sisters!!!!!!!

Lord, I am SOOOOO thankful for the blessing of my "sisters"~ Through bible studies and blogging I have been so blessed to meet other women who LOVE You, Lord and are seeking to go deeper with You. I am so blessed by these relationships! I am grateful fo their passion and wisdom. I am thankful, Lord, that You, on purpose cross our paths, "planting" us in each other's lives to grow and to nourish and encourage one another.

Please visit Sting My Heart to be encouraged by more thankfulness!!!

Wordless Wednesday

WHAT IS THIS???????????????????

Can you guess what this is a picture of? HINT: Scroll down to vacation pics for a clue.

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Finally!!!!!!!!! Our Chicago trip!

Finally! Pictures from our Chicago trip a few weeks ago! I left my camera in our Illinois hometown when we stopped there on the way back to Iowa....and just got it back!!!

How I would love to post all 179 pictures, but I am sure you would eventually get bored! LOL!

And...

Oh, how I wish I could sit down with you over coffee and share all of the exciting details. So, I will do my best to highlight our favorite parts of the trip.

The American Girl Store....

Every little girl's dream come true!!!!! If you aren't familiar with this phenomena, it can be quite a shock to learn there is a 3 story department store full of dolls, clothes, hair salon, theater, restaurant. Just Google it and you will find all the info you will need!

Anyway, the $10 hairdo at the salon was WELL worth it!!!

Aly's 1st AG doll~ KIT! Smiles:priceless

Of course, the dolls came with us everywhere for the rest of the trip!

WALKING, WALKING, WALKING!!!!

The view from the TOP of the Ferris wheel...

at Navy Pier!

"Niki" likes the view, too! (Amazing view!!!)

Mommy and Aaron in the cart on TOP!

Well, if the girls get dolls, then the guys HAVE to go to the LEGO store!

Millennium Park

This place was AMAZING!!! This is the "Bean." It is a big mirror. Look closely and you can see people (me, too) taking pictures of their reflection....

THIS was so AWESOME! Digital images that spit on you!!! Kids loved it!

Get ready!
SPIT!

DOWNTOWN girls!

WALKING to the Buckingham Fountain...

Chicago skyline!

Field Museum..

Can you guess?

We had a blast! Hope you enjoyed the pics...

Amazing Grace....I'm over at Laced With Grace

“Amazing Grace”

You know the words.

“I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.”

What we don’t always realize as Believers, though, is that Grace is so much more than (just) being forgiven of sin. Grace is the power to be the women God has created us to be! Grace empowers us. God wants our hearts to be strengthened by Grace, as it says in Hebrews.

The Lord does not want us to be in bondage to failure. He does not want us to live defeated lives. He does not want us to believe and succumb to the lies of the enemy. He wants us to be free and full of joy....

Please click here to read the rest of this devotion at Laced With Grace!

At the Well....with boys

Welcome back to the well....

The topic today is so near and dear to me as mom of 2 boys (and 3 girls). Lori at All I Have to Give is hosting and poses these questions to us:

As a woman at the well, you'll be meeting women who are trying
to raise Godly men. These boys they are raising will grow up to marry your
daughters or become leaders in your community. What advice would you give to
them? If you are raising boys, what areas concern you most?
If don't have or
haven't raised boys, what is your concern for boys in today's culture?

Boys were new to me as a mom! Even though I had taught school, raising one was a bit foreign. I only have one sister, so roughhousing, war games, and legos were all new. I was used to dolls, reading in a quiet spot, dressing up....

When Andrew, our oldest was born, I was so excited. I always wanted our first-born to be a boy- a protector of any siblings to follow. But, as Andrew grew older, I was a bit concerned! I was NOT used to the jumping off furniture, the "battles" he and daddy loved, wrestling, "smooshing", and the love of toy guns and bow and arrows. My sweet husband, the middle child of 5 boys, continued to reassure me that these behaviors are all "normal," but until I read Dr. Dobson's "Bringing Up Boys," I didn't quite believe him!

Once I calmed down about the "wild" male behaviors (or at least decided to leave the room when the wrestling began), I began to enjoy my son so much! He is 12 and has been a joy. He has been my "little man." But, being the oldest, Andrew has learned how to help with household chores and take care of younger siblings. He is such a blessing to me. I have wanted him to grow in godly character with a kind, caring, and sensitive heart, aware of others and "loving" them.

My challenge has been within the last year as he has entered middle school. The pull of the "world" has become so much greater~ peer pressure, wanting to "fit it," to be "cool"... and girls! Oh, how I wish more parents of girls felt the same way I do about modesty, about boyfriend/girlfriend situations, about "pop culture." It has been a time of swimming upstream, really being a minority, which has caused battles with Andrew.

This has been the toughest part of parenting- being able to "back up" and explain to a middle schooler who is searching for answers and reasoning for reasoning and choices. I don't want to just say, "you aren't going to have a girlfriend- you are only in 6Th grade" (even though at times it has come the point of the dreaded "because I said so!"). I want him to understand that his choices in life are important. I don't want him to "awaken love before it's time" (Song of Songs). I want him to be secure in his relationship with Christ before he would even think of a relationship with the opposite sex. I want him to be secure in WHO he is Christ, otherwise, I know all too well, the temptation of searching for self-worth in the opinion of someone of the opposite sex. I want him to understand that giving away parts of his heart NOW would be giving away something that belongs to his future wife.

It is hard because in this culture, "love" and dating is pushed at our children at such a young age and it seems "normal" to have a girlfriend in 6Th grade and abnormal NOT to! In fact, an extended family member recently told Andrew, "What's the big deal? It's not like you are going to get married." Exactly. So, why even dabble? If kids are dabbling in 6Th grade, what will they being doing in 8Th? Have you seen the statistics of kids having oral sex in middle school? At school or events? At HOME???? As a culture, we are pushing kids into adulthood, not allowing them to be KIDS!

So, as a mom the first thing I need to do is pray!!!!!

Pray for protection.

Pray for wisdom for him and for us as parents.

Pray against temptation.

Pray for godly friends, teachers, mentors.

And, I for Andrew, as he battles against pop culture, I pray "that he will not conform to the patterns of the world, but that Andrew will be transformed b the renewing of his mind." (Romans 12:2)

The next thing I do is guard what the kids watch on TV, music, and movies. What ma seem innocent or "sweet," I take to God. I ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Do we really need to watch all of the Disney and Nick shows that promote love relationships? I talk to the kids about it. They don't always like that they can't watch the shows their friends can. Andrew certainly doesn't like that he "is the only one of his friends who doesn't have a girlfriend." It is hard sometimes. I feel like a "mean mom" sometimes. Lord, I ask that You give me strength.

We are "aliens and strangers" in this world. WE are to be different than "the world." We are supposed to look and act differently. Sometimes it is hard.

Please visit the well today form more advice and wisdom!

Blessings!