Overflowing with Sweetness

"But now thus says the Lord,
He who created you, O Jacob,
He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, YOU ARE MINE.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,"
Isaiah 43: 1-4

Radio Flyer

Kenadi took her first ride in the wagon the other day and loved it! She was so cute - I think she really felt proud of herself ;)

Chase is 5!!!

Chase turned 5 yesterday!!! We're going to be celebrating tomorrow so I plan on taking lots of pictures then. As for yesterday, Chase woke up to a pancake breakfast, got to pick out a new Bionicle from Oma and Papa, and Grandma and Auntie Kristin came over with cupcakes.

I'll be back tomorrow with some shots of our day :)

My Little Cy-Guy

Can you resist this little guy?!? I love his playful ways. These pictures are from our trip to see the family this past summer. What a cutie!

Last Night

I finished up my bible study with these gorgeous, beautiful-hearted ladies last night. I am so thankful for all of the time, words and prayer they all poured into it. What an awesome time of growth it was :)

Cole's Seven!!!

I can't believe my baby Cole is seven years old!!! I threw a little family surprise party this year. Daddy took the boys out so I could set everything up.


We played the donut game (this video makes me laugh every time!)


Cy, after playing the donut game
. . . and we bobbed for apples


Happy Birthday Cole!!!

Pumpkin Patch

Yay for everyone looking and smiling at the camera at the same time!!! It even caught me by surprise ;)

I made Kenadi's little outfit! I made a little wrap around skirt and connected one of the shabby flowers at the top. It was also my first try at a little headband - I had to have something for her hair ;)

Kenadi

Kenadi's Favorites:

Thing to Say: da da da da

Thing to Eat: Wagon Wheels - aka - cookies

Thing to Crawl After: Dakota's bones and doorstops

Thing to Laugh At: Her brothers jumping up and down

Other Favs: Being pushed on her bike, singing, standing up, being outside :)

Pumpkin Carving

We dug all the goop out of our pumpkins Wednesday afternoon. Cole and Chase eventually liked getting all messy. Cy wanted nothing to do with it :)

We didn't actually carve our pumpkins till Halloween morning - of course, they were already starting to rot :( at least they smelled like it. . . we still had fun. Cole carved his pumpkin all by himself and helped Chase with his too - what a little man ;)

Halloween

Halloween night . . .

Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Batman and Catwoman

First stop: Mark and Sherry Bigham's

Cy loved the vampire fangs

We spent most of the night trick-or-treating in Mrs. Roni's neighborhood. Grandma, Auntie Kristin, Uncle Nick and Anthony all met up with us there.

It was a beautiful night and perfect weather (I wish I would have gotten more pictures!). I'm looking forward to next year - maybe we can do some Star Wars or The Wizard of Oz :)

Things I Need to Remember

A couple weeks ago Matt talked about the art of remembrance. These are things that I know I daily need to remind myself of in order to have the right perspective and therefore make better decisions.
The art of remembering either pushes us toward Christ or it inches us away

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead."
Philippians 3:13

Paul's not meaning forget everything but rather forget the things behind you that Christ has already paid for and that would hinder your relationship with Christ.

So, how you go about remembering and what are you supposed to go about remembering.

1. Remember what God has done
"I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old." Psalm 77:11

"Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered" Psalm 105:5

We’re going to remember how God has interacted with His people and behaved in the scriptures so that as our life plays out we can have the confidence that He delivers, that He saves that He’s in and around even the worst of circumstances.
Not only do we see it biblically but in our own lives He has shown us a thousand mercies. Some of us walk in a level of idolatry that everything that is good and right in our lives we take credit for and anything that goes wrong God gets blamed for. When everything goes right you’re the one that pulls it off and you let one thing go wrong and God’s the one that did this to you. You’re a blasphemer and you have a wicked heart and that’s why you respond that way.
No one in this room got up this morning and went, “Oh my God everything’s working!” But you let yourself get up tomorrow and have chronic pain that doesn’t go away for a year or two, maybe ever, you watch how quickly will go, “You tricked me, you betrayed me.”
We should be constantly overwhelmed that He’s given us these gifts but our flesh doesn’t allow most of us to think that way. We need the Holy Spirit to really do a work in our heart because we are not constantly aware of the wonderful gifts that God has given us.

2. Remember the resurrection of Christ
"Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel" 2 Timothy 2:8
Why this is so important: Because the scriptures say if Christ has been raised then we too will be raised.
I Cor. 15 - our physical, perishable bodies will give way to a new, PHYSICAL, touchable, moveable body that is imperishable. You, at your healthiest, are a shell of what is to come.
Don’t forget that there’s a resurrection coming. If you forget then you’re going to live as though this life is it.

3. Remember that at one time you were outside the covenant promises;
"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." Ephesians 2:11-12

and remember that you’re part of something much bigger and historic than you can fathom.

The metanarrative . . .
A creator God created all things. The fall occurred and breaks everything and then we’re isolated from God. But then God come to a man named Abram and He tells him, I’m going to create a people and through that line of people I’m going to raise up a Messiah and through that Messiah I’m going to reconcile all things to Myself and all nations on earth will be blessed because of it. He gives the law to Moses.
He gives the law not so that we would be perfect but to reveal to us that we cannot be perfect. He gives the law as the first blow to destroy and kill religion. It becomes evident that they can’t obey the law so He gives them a sacrificial system to show that God is righteous and sin will need to be atoned for; innocent blood will have to be shed to cover (propitiation), and then the sin will have to be taken away (exviation), and the whole sacrificial system is built around communicating to Israel that their sin costs. All the prophets and psalms testify to this. Christ shows up and says I am He. He lives the perfect, righteous life that was imparted/imputed to you and I; He dies our death on the cross. All of your sin, past, present and future, nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ, with Christ. God makes Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him; we become the righteousness of God, He becomes our sin, dies, is resurrected, ascends, makes intersession for us, sends the Holy Spirit, we become not only beneficiaries of the cross but agents of it, and this is the way we live our lives.

Our life has one purpose: the Name and the renown of Jesus Christ. Your money, your job, your house, your children, your hobbies - everything is about the gospel of Jesus Christ and God reconciling all things to Himself. The man who understands this lives out the epic. The man who gets the metanarrative lives life intentionally
Paul says, don’t forget what you’re caught up in. Don’t forget God’s been doing this thing a long, long time and that you have a part in pushing it forward.
Play your part well.

But above all and in all and through all,
4. Remember the cross – for without it you no longer have Christianity. Without the blood-splattered, wrath-absorbing cross of Jesus Christ you no longer have our faith.

"For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-25

What keeps us from being proud people? The cross. We’re an interesting dynamic because we are horrific, wicked sinners; so horrific and so wicked that Christ had to die for us and at the same time so loved by God that Christ was glad to die for us. So we don’t walk with a swagger but we don’t sniffle either. The cross is constantly in our hearts. When it’s not and you stumble about, you will run from Him and not to Him. If you understand that it’s His sacrifice that gives you right standing with God, when you stumble and fall, you can approach the throne of grace with confidence because you know it wasn’t your merit that got you in to begin with.

Remember.

A Parable . . .

"Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Matthew 18: 21-35

Restoration

You bring restoration,
You bring restoration,
You bring restoration to my soul.

You've taken my pain And you call me by a new name.
You've taken my shame And in its place you give my joy.

You take my mourning and turn it into dancing
You take my weeping and turn it into laughing
You take my mourning and turn it into dancing
You take my sadness and turn it into joy.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, You make all things new.

Written by: Audra Harke, Clay Edwards

Psalm 23:3 - He restores my soul.
Psalm 30:5 - Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Psalm 30:11-12 - You have turned my mourning into dancing, loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

This Year?

{Thoughtful Thursday}
This year? Seriously, where has it gone. I can't believe next week we'll be starting October. Then we'll be in the holiday season when things will really fly by.

Here is us at the beginning of this year (not the best background but that's what you get when fall lasts for three days here in Texas and you waited till the weekend to take pictures!!!):

How things have changed! And fast! The boys have grown up so much and Kenadi is no longer kicking the inside of my ribs! It just makes me wonder we're we'll be in a year from now, and a year from then, and so on. I love how no matter what can and will happen, God will always be reminding us that He remains the same and promises us things through who He is:

"I love you, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies."

Psalm 18: 1-3

"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

and He delivered them from their distress.

He sent out His Word and healed them,

and delivered them from their destruction.

Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love,

for His wondrous works to the children of men!

Psalm 107: 19-21

He makes the promise to always be our Strength, our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer, our Refuge, our Sheild, our Salvation, our Stronghold, our Healer, our Steadfast Love.

Fabric

{Transaction Tuesday}
So, I have some new fabric! So far I finished an order for another tie shirt (I love these - perfect way to feel like you dress your little man as cute as you did your little girl :) and a hooter hider.


Also, just in case you didn't know, we can make our flower hair clips into pins to attach to your shirt. I love it! I'm about to make some bigger ones with the new fabric so stay tune :)

Training?

{Inspiration Monday}
I haven't been thinking about it much but I know I've missed running/cycling/swimming when something little like this makes me want to get up and go work out!

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Soon and very soon! In the past I've trained for triathlons but have never actually competed. I think it's time to go for it!

Impossible???

{Family Friday}
(yes I know it's Saturday - I'm a little late)
So, whenever I tried to take pictures of the boys when it was just them, I thought I had a hard time trying to get a good picture. I eventually gave in to the fact that the pictures I got, though they may not be perfect, reflected where we were at/what things were like at that time. Well today I let it get to me AGAIN. All I want is some nice pictures for around the house of the kids all together; all LOOKING and SMILING at the camera. Of course this is a lot to ask with a six month old but I know I can get her to look at me and smile and every time I did someone else would be looking the other way or be giving me some crazy goofy smile. So again, I have to remind myself these turned out great because it shows us:us.

This is the best one of everyone together although that smile Kenadi has is not her real happy smile. It's an inbetween smile that actually turns into screaming crying in less than a second.

I'll try for some more later . . . trying to get a good pic can be exhausting :)

And yes Kenadi is getting 4 of her top teeth right now but you can really only see one in the pictures.