Baby Graham is the BIG O~N~E

                            EE's famous creations!

 Pooped out in Uncle Matt's lap!

But the after party is usually the best...

Time to go home guys!

Kaley's 11

 

                           
      Kaley had a fun 11th birthday! It was her day...her choice.  We went to the mall, bowled, ate at Chic Fil A, & opened a few presents.  She was most excited about her new Bible!  The time together as a family is always the most fun!  We love this girl even though she is growing up way too fast!  Thanks again to EE for the beautiful day & all of you who made this day special for her!

Changes Underway

     Changes here are underway!  Excitement is an understatement!  For the first time in our life, we are now on our own~owning our own land & only operating our own businesses!  The time has come!  Our dreams have only just begun...12 years into our marriage & with 5 kids in tow!  lol  After MUCH prayer & many years of indecision, we have reached our limit with trying to "find our own way."  We have let go of the reigns & begged God for direction.
      First, He called Nathan to pastor.  That was definitely out of our plans & away from our comfort zone, yet has proved to be one of the greatest blessings in our lives!  After almost 2 years of being there, we still felt like there was more..more missing pieces & way too many unhappy circumstances that we were merely surviving through.  We began searching God's word & asking again for His leadership.  We have studied out debt & have been amazed at what God has opened our eyes to. 
     Second, we decided to begin our journey to being debt free.  That meant giving up plans to build (at least for now).  We have made several other steps in that direction, & God has richly blessed us for following Him!  This past watermelon season was a great success.  Yet after praying & fasting, Nathan felt led of the Lord to let go of the family LLC.  This made for a time of uncertainty for us.   This meant giving up a paycheck we depended on.  Farming was his life as far back as he can remember.  I have also really enjoyed learning & applying it to gardening.  It has been something we have both enjoyed together & as a family.  In just a few short weeks though, we have seen God's hand at work again in our lives!    
     Breaking the news that we would no longer be involved in the family's farm seemed so HUGE!  We didn't want to hurt anyone...especially at the expense of our own income.  Yet again, it has been a blessing to all involved!  With the money from this years watermelons & the extra from the LLC buyout, we will be completely out of debt & have extra $!!!  This is where the "dreams coming true beings!"  Plus, the two families remaining as part of the LLC will now be able to make more just splitting profits in half now.  I'm amazed!  God takes BIG situations & works them for our good!  JUST TRUST HIM!
     Now, we have purchased 4.94 acres from the farm.  This is the land we have always wanted!  It is a beautiful small pecan orchard with main highway frontage~no more dirt roads, no more living on land that is not our own!!!  Our dreams beginning today...

A new 48 x 40 shop!!!

     Our new plans~that his business will continue to increase with a better location & also opening an indoor vegetable & flower stand this coming spring!  This new shop will have 2 different sides to accommodate both businesses with a playroom/schoolroom in between for the kiddos.  We are TONS excited!  Progress is underway today!  We now have power & soon concrete!  After this project is completed, we will move our existing home here for now.  Yes, we could drain every penny & borrow more to build our dream home, but God has changed our hearts.  We couldn't be happier!  Yes, there has been opposition hurled our way.  Even just yesterday we were told, "We think y'all are making a bad decision" by some well meaning people.  This is our life, & we have finally come to terms that it's almost impossible to please people.  If we flop, we will flop together as a family.  We will dust one another off, believing God must have something better in store.  He hasn't let us down yet! 

     I have several more happenings to blog about soon~more birthdays, some wonderful books I have read!  We have weeded out some less important things in our lives to allow for the next few busy building & moving days ahead!  I'll try to make time for sharing all of it with you!



Marianna the Flower Girl

     Marianna & Cousin Heather

A Beautiful Day!

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!