Thursday, September 25, 2014

Thankful Thursday

This post has been a challenge in the making on a particularly trying day.  Despite all the fussiness of children today, the difficulty juggling several balls at once, the fatigue I've felt, the irritations I have experienced (and sometimes given into), the pain and swollen lip from a head bonk from my toddler, I have tried throughout the day to whisper thanks to the Lord for little blessings.  Here goes...

891.  Running water.  After last week's experience without it for nearly 24 hours, I am grateful everyday for this precious commodity, especially on a day like today when I spent a lot of time cooking!

892.  My wonderful husband who recognized my frustrations today and stepped in at lunch and dinner to help with the kiddos, to compliment and kiss me, and who even scrubbed a VERY dirty stove top just to bless me!  His little actions of love meant a lot to me today.

893.  My Facebook friends who offered words of encouragement

894.  The grace of God and the reminder that He is long-suffering and forgiving...and I should be too!

895.  My little boys who bring me so much joy, even on days when they try my patience something fierce! :)

896.  Frozen zucchini to soothe my swollen, throbbing lip

897.  A bit of rest during the boys' nap times

898.  Josiah's smiles and giggles and sweet baby smell

899.  A lovely walk in the cool of the evening

900.  The end of a long day and the opportunity for a fresh start tomorrow!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

They Grow So Fast!

Josiah learning to sit up in his Bumbo seat.

Not so sure about this...

Sucking on those fingers again...

Bright eyed and curious!

Hi, Mom!

Check out the rolls on our chunky monkey!

Isaac loves to hold his brother!

Josiah looks pretty happy with the arrangement too!

Fist bumps for all.

And kisses too!

Funny face.

Happy boys!

Watchin' more football with Daddy.

Isaac and his new friend, Lacey, whom we care for throughout the week.

These two love books!

Friday, September 19, 2014

Hannah's Prayer

On Wednesday nights, Nathan has been teaching the Bible in chronological order ever since we moved here.  We recently began the book of 1 Samuel, and this past Wednesday, he taught through Hannah's prayer.  I thought his outline was really good, so I am posting it here following the verses that contain Hannah's prayer:

1 Samuel 2:1-10

 And Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
My horn[a] is exalted in the Lord.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
“No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
“Talk no more so very proudly;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the Lord is the God of knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed.
“The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
And she who has many children has become feeble.
“The Lord kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and lifts up.
He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.
“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He has set the world upon them.
He will guard the feet of His saints,
But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.
“For by strength no man shall prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces;
From heaven He will thunder against them.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to His king,
And exalt the horn of His anointed.”

Hannah Recognized God:

1) For What He Does and Who He Is

2) Resists the Proud

3) Controls Eternity

4) Controls Prominence

5) Sustains

6) Wins

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Thankful Thursday

871.  Running water; not having had it for the past several hours due to a leak in town makes me so much more grateful for all those days and hours when we do!  At least I got the laundry done earlier before we ran out!

872.  The peace and quiet of evening when all the children are asleep in their beds (we now usually have three little ones due to a childcare job I've recently taken on for a single mom new to our church)

873.  A return to health for Isaac after struggling with a cold for a week (brought into our home by the little girl we now care for much of the week)

874.  A great start to our AWANA program for this school year!

875.  A fun trip to Albuquerque with Nathan during which time I was able to do a lot of much-needed shopping for a wardrobe update

876.  My friends, Joshua and Kelsie Steele, who are celebrating ten years of marriage today!

877.  The amazing offer of an all-expense paid trip to Israel next spring with my husband!

878.  Talking with my parents on Skype tonight

879.  Purple flowers adding a pop of color to the entrance of the park tonight

880.  Kisses with the husband in the kitchen :)

881.  The smell of my child's clean, wispy, toddler hair (wish I could bottle it up for the future!)

882.  Josiah's chuckles and giggles that bring a smile to my heart

883.  Isaac's ongoing hilarious antics that make me laugh

884.  The delight of children who are trained well from the beginning of life

885.  Trustworthy friends who care for my children in my absence when it's needed

886.  Energy and strength to juggle a lot of balls right now

887.  A six-hour stretch for Josiah between night-time feedings the other night!  That's a record!

888.  New pajamas that actually match!  (I know, it's the little things in life!)

889.  People who pray for us

890.  New recipes that turn out so tasty! (stay tuned for a post about some of them soon!)

Thursday, September 11, 2014

This and That

About twice a year I try to host a Ladies' Fellowship for the women at church.  At our recent "end-of-the-summer" get-together, we heard from one of our women in regards to a hip replacement surgery she was about to undergo, had a time of prayer for her, and crafted some bright, paper flowers for her hospital and rehab rooms!

The crafting bunch.  
(There were several other ladies present for the beginning of the night, but they had to leave before we got to the craft.)

Coffee filter flowers!
You can make them yourself by checking out these links (they're super easy!):

Cupcake liner flowers!

They turned out so pretty!

Josiah watching football with Daddy.

Impromtu photo-shoot of our happy boy in some adorable overalls:








This is Isaac's new shirt from Grandmommy.  When she was staying with us, they would take a walk nearly every evening and visit a lion, a giraffe, and an elephant in the window at the shop next door.  Isaac still remembers those excursions and asks to see the animals nearly every time we pass by the shop. This shirt has each of those creatures on it as well as an alligator.  He loves it!

Doing his lion roar.

Being a tall giraffe.

Isaac on the go!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

That She May Be Holy

Once upon a time...about seven years ago...I had the immense joy and privilege of co-leading with my dear friend, Tara, a weekend conference/retreat for young women called A Maiden's Quest.  Those of you who have read this blog for a long time now might remember those days.  They were days of hard work and great blessing as we coordinated these conferences multiple times a year for two years all over the country.  The goal of the conference was to provide encouragement and inspiration for teenage girls to love the Lord their God wholeheartedly and to pursue His best in their lives.

One of the young ladies who attended several of those retreats was deeply impacted by them and has the desire to keep the encouragement going.  She was 14 years old at that first conference; now she is 21.  Her name is Vanessa Lopez, and along with three of her cousins, she is organizing (for the second time!) a very similar girls' conference next month in Sugar Land, Texas called "That She May Be Holy."

I am thrilled to be returning to conference ministry as one of the speakers for this event!  The topics I will be sharing on include: "Set-Apart Singleness", "A Love Story Written By God", and "Missions in Motion: Real-Life Inspiration for Reaching Your World."  Other speakers will be addressing topics such as Reclaiming a Joyful Life, Guarding Your Heart in the Social Media, The High Cost of Free Love, and Living With Vision.

If you are a young lady reading this blog who would like some encouragement in your walk with the Lord, come join us at the conference!  Sometimes, we all just need a bit of refreshment.

You can get the details about the conference at: www.thatshemaybeholy.com
Also, here is the promotional video for That She May Be Holy:



(Just to be clear, I am not organizing this retreat; I am simply serving as an invited speaker.  While the setup will be very similar to A Maiden's Quest, it will have its own style in many ways, including a more contemporary worship environment, which some of you may or may not prefer.)

Friday, September 5, 2014

Thankful Thursday

I read this yesterday (on Thursday) and was so touched by the beauty of the words as they stated just what Christ has provided for us. I am truly thankful!  Had to share...


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

My Little Men

The many expressions of Josiah:









My happy toddler:



Fireman Isaac!


Mr. Smiley

Practicing for archery. :)

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

A Visit from Grandma and Grandpa

We recently had the privilege of hosting Nathan's parents and youngest brother for a week-long visit that was such a delight!  They came in town to meet Josiah, preach a Bible conference, and spend time with our family.  While they were here, Nathan's dad also ended up spending four solid days helping Nathan fix up a "new-to-us" van that we recently purchased.  His mom was a great help with meal preparation and clean-up, and Uncle Noah was Isaac's best friend while they were here!  I didn't take any pictures while they were here except for a few of Josiah smiling.  All these photos are courtesy of Mom Britton. :)

Grandma snuggles with Josiah.

He was cooing and smiling for her.

Grandpa put him right to sleep!

Isaac and his new buddy, Uncle Noah.

Riding his rocking horse before church.

At the park with Grandma!

Playing the music bars.

A little Nathan-look-alike in this picture!

Wading in the Rio Grande River.

It was definitely on the chilly side!

But Isaac didn't care...

he was having the time of his life throwing rocks!

After the four-day Bible conference at church, we took a two-day trip to Colorado Springs in the "new" van.

Isaac's first taste of a WodFamChocSod (World Famous Chocolate Soda) at Whit's End/Focus On The Family.  He loved it!

Playing in the toddler area.

The Air Force Academy Chapel

Taking time to stop and smell the flowers near our accommodations.

The new Britton Mobile!

Having fun being a giraffe at the Garden of the Gods.

Flying an airplane in Manitou Springs.

Josiah enjoying his stroller ride.

Tour of the Olympic Training Center.

These are the only pictures I managed to take of that time.  Josiah had just recently started smiling - and I really wanted to capture it on camera!