Summer wrap-up!

We have had a great summer. We went to Charleston for a week in June. We usually go to visit our dear friends the Beam's, however they were out of town (and graciously allowed us to stay in their house) so we did all the touristy stuff. Which was not cheep but I had my Mom with me who was determined to make it an "educational and cultural" trip so she helped out a lot. We saw Cypress Gardens where they filmed a scene from The Notebook. It was cool. We also went to Magnolia Plantation, there we did a swamp tour, a tour of the house, a trolley ride and walked in the gardens. My brother said the only way to see more of the plantation was to fly over it or tunnel under it. My brother moved to Charleston a few years ago and we don't see him often, we saw him everyday we were there. We also saw Transformers at the Hipadrome. We had so much fun, however next time we go I'm looking forward to seeing our real favorite attraction, The Beam Bunch.
We have also went hiking at South Mountain twice, Picnicked in the mountains, under the Peach in Gaffney and various other places, we have been to Kid Senses museum, rode our bikes in the driveway, Swam in various pools, played in sprinklers, and done yard work.
We have been sunburned, tanned, bug bitten, skinned knees, bit by a cat (ME), tortured our siblings (them), bit by ticks (EW!), caught frogs, spent the night everywhere (Katie and Emma), had people over to spend the night, watched movies, stayed up late, slept late, and learned one bible verse REALLY well. I'm exhausted!
As far as my summer goals. The kids did do their chores everyday, however reluctantly. Some days it took threats, and teeth pulling, but it did get done. We did not sit and eat breakfast together ever morning while having a devotion. However we did learn a bible verse Philippians 1:6 being confident of this that he who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. I hope it is hidden in their hearts. Katie finished a few chapter books and wrote me a few book reports, but she had to be threatened to not have anymore sleepovers until she finished Judy Moody saves the world. We did do a lot of free things but we also spent more money that I would have liked, mostly at Wal Mart. That place is dangerous for people on a budget.
I hope you have all had great summers and will enjoy your last two weeks of free time. We plan to do some fun things this week if they can remember how to act. Then next week getting back on school time sleep schedules. It is easier to be a zombie when they don't have school to deal with too. Wish me luck.

Let the games begin!

School is out. I feel at once excited and terrified by the idea. I hope to keep the house in order, have the kids exercise and not forget everything they have learned this school year. The kids and I will all have chores and bible study every day. They are also required to put on "day cloths" everyday. I have grand plans of doing a lot of free things with the kids this summer like hiking, picnics and the like. I must also maintain a very strict budget (thank you very much State of North Carolina). So all in all it is stacking up to be a pretty busy summer. I hope I can acomplish at least some of these things whilst not screaming at my kids or scaring them for life. *sigh* I better get busy. Hope you all have plans for wonderful summers. If any of you have any suggestions on the free stuff let me know.

My Little Man the Race fan.

Here are some pictures of Nathan enjoying his very first NASCAR race. We got really great tickets for the Sunday Coca-cola 600, thanks to Greg's girlfriend (thank you Krissy). Dad, Andy, Frank and I went on Sunday. We had so much fun, we had pit passes and they gave us cool free stuff, drinks and great food. Anyway the race was rained out on Sunday. Which was a bummer. So we scrambled around and tried to take days off to see the re-race on Monday. I was sick, so Andy decided to take Nathan. He was SO excited! He loves Cars and this was like Cars in real life. I showed him a video of Jeff Gordon winning Taladega on YouTube and he was jazzed. He had a wonderful time and was thoroughly tired out (as you can see). However when he got home I asked him how he liked the race, he said "It was bad" I was like "Why Son I thought you had a great time." He said "Well we had fun but we heard on the radio on the way home that some other guy than Jeff Gordon won the race, so it was a BAD race!" My dad is thrilled, we are not die hard race fans, and Dad loves Jeff Gordon so we were pulling for him by default. I guess Nate has taken it seriously.

Tired

Hello people. I hope you are all well and well rested. Nathan and Ian finished their last day of school yesterday. It was major busy last week and this with all the last minute things to do. Remember to bring apple slices for 35 for the end of the year party, don't forget carrots and goldfish for the graduation reception, bring home all changes of cloths, and art work. The kitchen table looks like I could start my OWN preschool. So today I'm here with two wild boys, and I just don't want to do anything. I'm hoping to muster some motivation and try to dig out from under the debris of the last week of school. Ian had an asthma attack the other night. It was so random and came out of nowhere. He is OK now but we are both kind of tired from middle of the night breathing treatments.

New Life.

Yesterday, Andy and I helped my Sister-in-law and her family move into their New/Old house. Emily has breathed new life into Grandma Gardner's old house. For those of you who don't know Andy's grandmother went into a nursing home a few months ago. Her house is a historic house in Shelby. It was built in 1886 and has been in the Gardner family that long. Once Grandma went into the nursing home and it was pretty clear she wouldn't be able to care for herself at home again, we started going through the house. It was sorely neglected, due to the fact that She just wasn't able to care for it in the last few years. Emily had a vision for it though and she started to work. She was the ONLY one of us who had the desire to revive this old place just because of the amount of work that would need to be put into it. She and my Mother-in-law have pretty much done it all. We cleared out as much as we could and its been re-carpeted, a/c installed, and painted. The counters have been changed all with the most careful attention to it's historic standing not just inside but outside as well. You wouldn't believe the difference in the house. It looks amazing! Emily and David have great taste. The antique furniture that remains will not look out of place in this new setting. The old door knobs are being restored and used. As well as the old doors. I admire Emily for having the vision and seeing it through. GOOD JOB!

Day seven.

I was reading in Genesis about creation last night and this is what I got.

Genesis 2:2-3 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating he had done.

What did God do on the seventh day? It says in v.2 he rested. Do you think God needed a nap? Nope, he wasn't even winded. Psalm 121:3-4 says, He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep(NIV). So what do you think he did with his day off?

I think he looked over the earth he created and took the time to reflect and admire. Much as a first time parent looks over the edge of the cradle in wonder as their child sleeps, at the miracle of life. Maybe he spent time thinking about the possibilities of the Earth and all the creatures on it. Did he see what would become of his creation? Did he smile about the good times, yet know there would be bad times for the earth and its creatures as well?

Picture this...He looked over the earth and his gaze fell on a majestic mountain with snow on its peak and a covering of green trees further down.The golden grassy planes and the sandy beaches and deserts. He saw the fluffy clouds move across the sky, and then he saw the sun sparkle in the Sea, that he had called into being. He lovingly watched as a pod of dolphins frolics in the waves and a whale spouts in the distance. As the sun sets orange and red in the water he sees a flock of sea gulls fly over the earth in the expanse of darkening sky. As he looks up the stars start to come out he knows how they will be used to determine the seasons and the days of the year. (Gen. 1:14) As he looked at the stars he didn't have to wonder, like we do, how many there were, HE KNEW, for he had lovingly put each in it's place.

As his eyes roamed over the Earth he had created I'm sure he saw the potential of its land, sea, and the living inhabitants of the earth. I hope when he looked into the future and saw me he was pleased with what he saw. The human race has been to the extremes of hatred and evil that is almost unimaginable. Yet, he loves us unconditionally. Matthew 10:29,30 it says, "And are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Wow, I don't know about you but I have some pretty thick hair. God really loves us, as much as we love our children, and our parents love us, it is hard to imagine that he loves us more than that, but he dose. I hope that is encouraging to you today. To think that God stood there on the seventh day, his day off, and as he surveyed his handy work he knew that one day there would be a you and a me. And after all that, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Gen. 1:31).

Be blessed.

BLESSED!

Tonight I received the most wonderful blessing that a Mother can have. My daughter is now not just my daughter but also my sister. Emma prayed to ask Jesus into her heart this evening. I had the incredible honor of being the one to lead her in prayer. I got to pray with both Katie and Paige when they got saved and I never thought I would be so blessed to get to do it again.
I knew that Emma was on the verge of something for the past few weeks. She keeps coming out with a lot of deep and challenging questions. Such as, "Why did God create the Satan if he knew he was going to be bad? Also my Dad's Aunt recently committed suicide and while it seemed to roll over the other three without many questions. She has been thinking about it for a few months. She and I had a conversation about it the other day. That one was HARD. I just told her that God created us and has a plan for our lives and when we accept Him as our savior we give up control, which means that if you take your own life you can't do what he has planned for you, and it's not yours to take once you surrender it to Jesus. I think I would have preferred to talk to her about sex.
We are in a time of great spiritual blessing around here. Katie is on a soccer team which has a huge rivalry with one other team. So I've been trying to talk to her about being a good sport and a good witness even if it means she can't go along with what her friends are saying. We started going through Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the mind for Kids last night. She is really getting it. She comes up with great insight and challenging conversation. She can even site examples from her daily life. It’s amazing. I get to teach my girls a bible study. I feel so blessed. My cup is running over.