Sunday at Shiloh

Sunday afternoon, we decided to take an unplanned picnic to Shiloh Park.  Those of you who know me well, know that I just LOVE spontaneous activities! (NOT)  Luckily, God blessed me with a husband who does not plan for anything...and he often encourages me to forget my plans and have a little fun.  With the mid 60's temperature, we just had to get outside.  We had a nice home-cooked meal of Kentucky Fried chicken.  We attempted to fly a kite from Dollar Tree.  (note to self- not the best quality kite available).  We also played a game or two of football. Kevin and I beat the children by 1, and my legs are very sore today.

The weather was beautiful!

Well, we tried to fly the kite...

Ryan was pretty excited about the Junior Ranger badge that the park ranger gave him.  (Hunter and Andy- not so much)

They stopped to chase a couple of wild turkeys...yes, I'm very serious.

Andy trying to figure out if the canon can still fire.  Ryan should watch out!

Reading about the "Bloody Pond"

Ryan pretending to be a monument

Funny sibling rivalry

Just tonight, we were nagging Hunter and Andy about cleaning up the clothes in their floors, finishing their homework, etc.  We didn't realize that Ryan was quietly soaking it all in.  He finally started saying things like, "Am I the best kid?"  "I never get in trouble, do I?" "I'm always a helper!"  "Do you love me the most?"
Ahhh the joy of sibling rivalry!  Finally in a last ditch effort to prove that he must be the best, most-loved child, he ran to my bedroom with his little vaccuum cleaner.  He called me to the room and said, "Look Mom, I am the best because I am cleaning your room."  I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him vaccuuming my hardwood floor.

His actions tonight made me think about my relationship with God.  I often fall into this trap of trying so hard  to do things that make me think I can "earn" God's favor.  I always fall short, because I am human.  There is no way that I can do enough good to outweigh my many mistakes.  I must sound like a little child telling God, "Look, see what I did; Do you love me the most now?" Thankfully, I don't have to earn God's love.  That's where grace comes into the picture. (Eph. 2:8)  G.R.A.C.E. (God's redemption at Christ's expense)
Good works are just that...good, but they are not going to help us earn salvation or God's love.  It is a gift that we just have to embrace.  As I read the next verse from Ephesians, I  understand why.  If we could earn salvation through our good works, our human nature would be to pat ourselves on the back and marvel at how great we are. It is hard for me to imagine that God could love me just the way I am, imperfections and all, but the Bible tells me that he does.  God's love transcends any human definition of love.  When our lives are in tune with Him, and we are nurturing that love relationship that He longs to have with us, we will bear the fruit of good works that can only come from unpure motives. 

Ephesians 2:8,9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.  Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Colossians 1:10 "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."

The parents come to town

We received a nice little surprise visit from my parents (who live in North Carolina) last week.  They came to Birmingham to visit my little brother Wayne before he deploys to Iraq.  Since they were so close, they stopped by to stay with us (we really know they came to see the grandkids) for a few days. Although we didn't have much time together, we have learned to cherish the few moments that we do get.  It's always so much fun to get to spend time together.  I didn't take too many pictures, but I wanted to share the ones I did get.

This is dad "cherishing" the family time.  Haha!  He spent A LOT of time researching hotel rates for an upcoming conference.  Always the frugal one! 

This is mom cleaning up the dishes, as she always does when she visits.  This is Jonathan (Brenda's oldest son) with her.

This is Ryan at his favorite place...the center of attention.

I hope that one day we will all live closer together.  Until then, we will continue to squeeze in visits whenever possible. We enjoyed having you, Mom and Dad!

Monday Snow Day!

What a wonderful and unexpected surprise we had today!  When I woke up, Kevin said to be sure to check for snow outside.  He watches the weather regularly. (me, not so much)  I looked out and saw nothing.  I told him that it was not nice at all to play with my emotions on a Monday morning.  I took a shower, and while I was getting ready, he said you may want to check again. When I looked out, this is what I saw:

After a short phone call to confirm the "school's out" notice and a quick little happy dance, I rushed outside to take some pictures.  Ryan is still sleeping soundly, so I think I'm going to snuggle up with him.  Have a wonderful snow day!

Laura Beth comes to town (and Wayne and Lindsey)

Today I had the rare treat of getting to spend the entire day with my brother, sister, and their families.  We spent the early part of the afternoon watching Hunter and Andy play Upward basketball.  When we got back home, Lindsey (Wayne's wife) and Brenda (my sis) went on a little shopping trip.  They were supposed to be gone for about a half hour, which turned into about 2 hours.  Girls and shopping...it just happens like that sometimes.  Wayne and I spent our afternoon with ALL of the kids.  Count them, 1,2,3,4,5,and now 6!  My 3 boys, Brenda's 2, and our newest addition, Laura Beth, which is Wayne's daughter.  This was the first time that the kids got to spend much time with their new cousin, and they certainly had a blast. 
We decided to grill hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner.  Laura Beth is celebrating her first birthday in a few days, so of course we had to get her a cake.  She enjoyed the bright pink icing which stained her face, her clothes, and the bathtub!  She was so cute digging into her cake.
This was a special visit because my little bro Wayne, who is in the Army, is scheduled to leave for Iraq in another month.  I am so happy that we had a day to spend together before his long, overseas trip. We had a great visit.  So wonderful to see all of you, and we missed you Mom and Dad!  I am very blessed to be a part of such a close, loving family.

  

Laura Beth's birthday gift  

Laughing at Aunt Brenda

Loving that fire-red hair!

Trying out her birthday cake.

Brenda, Wayne, and Me

Getting ready to say goodbye

We tried, oh how we tried, to get a good picture of all the kids for Mom and Dad.  This is the best we could do...it's a long story. (haha)