Princess Raegan Turns 4

Sisters are the best!!!

     Everyone that knows Raegan knows she has the biggest imagination!  She loves dress up, pretend, & singing!  She loves to preform at church and anywhere else if given the chance.  She'll make up a song and sing in a minute that makes you cry to tears.  She has a big heart and very loving.  Birthdays are her favorite.  We celebrated her big day with close family & friends.  Yes, she picked out her own dress!  Thanks Meme for the party!  You are the BEST!  Thanks EE for the beautiful cake!

SURPRISE

     With Nathan's birthday recently and mine yesterday, our church threw us a birthday surprise party after church last night!  Have I mentioned that our church is the greatest?!!!  We love each one so much!  They are so thoughtful!  His side of the cake was camo and mine was the beach.  Don't they know us so well?  The food was delicious!  The gifts, money, and cards were greatly appreciated!  Each one was just perfectly what we love!  We love y'all bunches & bunches!  Y'all are our heart!

Detour Ahead

 Lord, help us put our faith in You 

& feel Your presence near

Through each moment of uncertainty,

whatever we may fear.

Give us strength & understanding,

and the reassurance, too,

That You're always here beside us

when we put our trust in You.

Sometimes only God Himself

can help us understand

When life starts going differently 

from what we may have planned-

When things we used to count on

don't seem certain anymore,

Or when we're facing challenges

we've never known before.

Sometimes only God Himself

can put our hearts at rest

By showing that He loves us

and He always know what's best.

      Apparently this will be a year of change for us!  For years we have prayed, fasted, & begged God to lead us.  Maybe sometimes without really wanting to be led???  There is such a fleshly comfort in doing what you've always done.  There you know the road ahead & the challenges that are all too familiar.  This summer has been a real eye opener for us.  We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the church we pastor & know that this is God's will for us.  Several times during this watermelon season, it has been a work vs God's burden.  We were needed in both places at once.  For one, watermelons are a delicate, perishable produce that are ripe when they are ripe & must be moved quickly.  They don't wait on our convenience.  Another issue involved is that no one can feel or carry this burden that God places on our hearts.  This summer has seen a peak of a long battle.  We have been pleading with God for direction.  We became open to His will.  As always, He answers right on time!  Our hearts have been heavy with decisions basically because of debt.  We have felt trapped with no other option but to stay right in our situation.  The Bible is so true to expound that debt is a burden!!!  You become slave to the debt.  You cannot make your own choices.  You cannot live freely.  Be warned, you tie your future down by debt decisions you make today!  As soon as we were willing to obey God no matter the situation, God began working things out as He always does!  He is so faithful!  We are so thankful!  This year we faced the worst weather yet watermelons have made a great yield, sold higher & easier!  PTL!  Our carnal debt will be paid!  So in short, we will no longer be a part of the farm's LLC.  This is huge for us.  It has been our life for over 10 years!  However, the Lord has called us out of where we are.  He has made the way.  Please keep us in your thoughts & prayers as we follow Him.  We have countless decisions ahead of us.  We will eventually move from where we've always been & no, we don't have answers to many questions that obviously arise.  We are now awaiting His divine leadership for our lives.  Yes, we are excited!  God's ways are best!  There is a peace is knowing we're in His hands!    

St George Island

     We enjoyed an awesome vacation with my entire family at St George Island, FL.  It is a very non commercial place to go.  My parents rented a private beach house with a private pool for all of us to enjoy.  My parents & sister's family also went.  She has the twins boys that are 7.  Thanks Meme & Papa for the great time & always striving to keep your family close!  We all had a BLAST!  Even baby Graham enjoyed the sand & sun!

Under His Armor

     Every year our family participates in Calvary Holiness Youth Camp.  It is one of the highlights of our year!  It is held in June each summer.  Each day is busy with fun filled, spiritually filling activities!  It starts in the mornings with breakfast followed by chapel, VBS classes, lunch, choir, talent, games, supper, & nightly church services.  This year the theme was "Under His Armor."  Our kids LOVE it & so do we!!!  Here is a picture of the 13 and under choir singing in one the night services.  Marianna is standing on the front row on the right with the red flowers on her dress.  I can't seem to pick our Kaley out of the crowd.  Our 3 little ones were probably asleep on pallets in the floor.  They tuckered out most every service from having just too much fun!

Our Harvest is Plentiful

What you see here is one end of our garden~

mainly the cabbages & okra.

The other end is the squash, beans, & peas.  The sweet corn runs the entire length along the back.

The cucumbers are climbing their fence

higher & higher!

 

      The potatoes are almost all gone into our tummys!  The tomatoes are our favorite and just beginning to turn red.  Only 1 of our carrot plants survived.  Obviously we don't know how to grow carrots!  The onions are steady growing but not ready yet either.  Need I explain why I haven't blogged lately?  lol  We are busy picking, canning, packaging, & freezing veggies for the winter!  This is the most wonderful time of year!  We LOVE gardening!!!



Celebrating Motherhood

     Mothers are such a special blessing!  They set the tone for the entire family.  They work a lot of non-stop shifts.  Middle of the nights after a long, hard day are no match for a mother.  Cleaning up in circles & lots of laundry just comes along with the territory.  Some rock, some co-sleep, some breast feed, some bottle feed, some cook organic, some opt for take out & drive thrus, some homeschool, some make the best classroom mothers, some bring home mega bucks, some are over worked at home & way underpaid, some perfect their yards & houses, some sit & read for hours with their children, some are in super great shape, some are unselfish to a fault, some are stern, some are pushovers, some carpool & attend every event possible, while some prefer the comforts of their own home.  Motherhood doesn't come with a manual.  There's no right way or wrong way.  There's only mine & your way.  We are all different, but our kids unite us.  Next time you see a friend whose mothering totally drives you nuts, encourage her!  Motherhood can challenge us beyond belief & stress us to the max.  At the end of the day, we all have the same agenda~to raise the happiest, healthiest kids possible.  We are in charge of the future of this entire world!  Encourage one another!  We all could use more of that in our life.  Your words may make a difference in another's life & family.  United we stand!  Divided we fall!  If you would have told me years ago that Nathan & I would have 5 kids, I would have laughed & called your bluff!  You know what?  Yes, sometimes it gets hard, but we love every minute of it & wouldn't change it for the world!  Chances are, every mother feels that same love for her unique & special family.

     This Mother's Day, I would like to take the time to introduce you to my mother.  Her name must remain anonymous as to deter all kidnappers!  She is best known as Meme.  She is truly one of a kind!  As Daddy puts it, "She's not happy unless she is with one of her babies!"  She birthed 2 daughters, 5 years apart.  She is a very strong, hardworking person.  She taught 1st grade for 30 years & hardly ever missed a day.  She survived raising 2 hormonal teenage girls that were strong willed & knew better than her!  lol  My sister & I both got married in the same year, just 3 months apart to the guys we dated forever.  She has welcomed 7 grandkids with open arms.  Her jumping right in & helping is the biggest understatement ever.  She loves them more than words can express.  She is practically their other mother.  In fact, they probably prefer her over us due to her constant spoiling!  She is the most unselfish, giving person.  It's really so much so that it is to a fault!  She comes over, helps out, buys 99% of their clothes/toys, feeds her whole crew at least 3 times or more per week, shows up unannounced bringing loads of groceries to cook & help out for the day, attends most every single Dr visit & knows the grandkid's Dr by 1st name basis, takes all of us on fab vacations, hosts the best birthday & holiday celebrations, & so much more!  No, she isn't rich.  She's just completely involved.  If she had just $10 left to her name, she would spend it on us with no thought of herself.  She isn't just our mother, she is our everything.  Even our husbands think so for they will even call her or visit without us!  I wish we could afford to show her our appreciation by buying her some once in a lifetime present, but she knows we barely afford the normal gifts for each occasion.  She doesn't care though.  She just loves us, her family.  That's all she wants!  You know, surely everyone reading this is a free moral agent.  Time is a gift.  We spend it & our hard earned money on what matters most in our lives.  I'm honored that I'm a huge part of that in the life of my mother.  If I turn out half as great as her, I'll surely do!  My kids would love that any day!

Happy Mother's Day!  Have a blessed day!!!