Family Walk with Henry’s New Wagon

First Day of Spring–Happy Birthday Beautiful Niece!

Today is the first partial day of spring and it sure has felt like spring!  Especially now that we live in the mid-Atlantic states again!  The first day of spring is extra special in our family because a little flower was born that day six years ago.  Her name is Teagan Marie, but to her Aunt Rachael she is Tea-go-pher.  She has quite the imagination and is going to be an actress when she grows up.  Takes after her great aunt Molly.  Or her late Uncle Vinny in liking to be center stage.  At her class’ concert recently, she was in the center of the crowd singing facing the audience and she was the only student to take a bow after each song.  Such a little ticket!

Happy birthday, Teagopher!

Faith & Help

Today’s devotional from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers:

He went out, not knowing where he was going —Hebrews 11:8

In the Old Testament, a person’s relationship with God was seen by the degree of separation in that person’s life. This separation is exhibited in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and his family. When we think of separation today, we do not mean to be literally separated from those family members who do not have a personal relationship with God, but to be separated mentally and morally from their viewpoints. This is what Jesus Christ was referring to in Luke 14:26.

Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason—a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world.

The final stage in the life of faith is the attainment of character, and we encounter many changes in the process. We feel the presence of God around us when we pray, yet we are only momentarily changed. We tend to keep going back to our everyday ways and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, like soaring on eagles’ wings, but is a life of day—in and day—out consistency; a life of walking without fainting (see Isaiah 40:31). It is not even a question of the holiness of sanctification, but of something which comes much farther down the road. It is a faith that has been tried and proved and has withstood the test. Abraham is not a type or an example of the holiness of sanctification, but a type of the life of faith—a faith, tested and true, built on the true God. “Abraham believed God. . .” (Romans 4:3).

Love it! 

I was getting down on myself because I hadn’t learned the entire 1st chapter of James in less than two weeks and then I learned the Bible study I am doing gives you six months to memorize the book!  Wow!  I can definitely do that.  So excited.

This week’s memory verses:

James 1:22-27

New King James Version (NKJV)

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶ If anyone among you^[a] thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Here are the verses that are making a huge impact on my meditation the past week:

121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
² My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

My help comes from the Lord!  My help comes from the Lord!  My help comes from the Lord! 

James 1:20

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

 

Have a great week and remember the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.  So if I need help in a relationship or with ANY LITTLE THING – God created me, He created the earth, He created the other person – He is the go to PERSON for HELP!  Thank You, God!!

3rd Birthday Party was a Farm Success

Thank you to everyone who helped – Stacey, Johnny, Myriah, Tim, McKenzie, Molly, Amber, Karen, Beth, Jen and everyone else who did!  And all those who came to our Henry’s 3rd birthday on the farm.  We all had so much fun.  Unfortunately the setting on my camera go switched so 99% of my photos didn’t come out.  It was switched in the beginning of the party and I didn’t know until the end.  Such a bummer but more importantly it was a blast – egg hunt, horse-drawn hayride, food, cake & ice-cream, bonfire and presents!  Henry had a blast and his daddy is putting him to bed right now.

My friend Amber came to the rescue with some of her amazing photos, praise You, God!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Amber!

Hair-raising hayride!  And for a 3 year old birthday party.  That’s how Stacey rolls!

Sign Uncle (Aunt) Johnny made for Henry’s party.  They hooked the wagon Papa (my father) go for Henry’s birthday to the truck McKenzie got for him and Henry barely left it the whole party!  He’s in the back with the black hat on that Lauren (young woman who lives with Stacey) got him for his birthday.

My friend Amy’s daughter Emma having a blast with Sofina & Lucca, my friend Amber’s kids in the background near the pig pen.  These photos are courtesy of Amber!!

Ethan, my friend Amy’s son, and Henry having a blast playing with  the truck McKenzie gave Henry and the wagon my father gave him.

 

Sofina & Lucca

Sofina & Luc

My friends Jeff & Robin’s daughter Sarah in the egg shop with Tom-tom, my friend Amy’s son.

Henry opening gifts.  Landon, Jen’s son in red, Sofina, Lucca in gray, Brooklin in white with curly hair and the back of Emma’s head too.

Tom (held by mom Bernadette), Landon, me, Henry, Brooklin & Emma.

Some of the few that came out (a little – it was switched to manual mode and the light was never being adjusted) on my camera:

The only photo I have before the switch (I think).  The scene of the future egg hunt… two tractors with eggs for 4 and under.

Birthday boy arriving to the party.

Daddy, Henry, Kade & Rafe with the truck & wagon.

Daddy, Henry

Tractor Birthday Cake for My Three Year Old

Today is the birthday party at the farm for our three year old Henry.  I wanted him to have a cake that goes along with his farm theme party.  I decided on making the Gluten-free devil’s food cake from Betty Crocker (I had to make two boxes just to make a regular size cake) and frost it with chocolate frosting.   I couldn’t decide if I wanted to cut a tractor out of the cake or make a tractor design on the cake.  Since the cake boxes don’t yield much cake, I opted for the latter.  It’s very convenient that Easter candy fills every grocery store shelves right now.  The Starburst Jelly Beans made the job easy.

Here we are walking out of the National Aquarium last night.  Henry LOVED it.  He laughed his guts out at the dolphin show and seemed to really enjoy each exhibit.  He asked SEVERAL times to swim with the dolphins and when the show was finished, told us to follow them. 

And the 3rd Birthday Celebration Continues!

I don’t think there is anything sweeter than someone else who is loving to your child.  It just makes that person that much more endearing.  McKenzie has always been so sweet to Henry and it makes me love that girl.  She went over the top on his birthday and got him this battery powered truck!  She found it on her own and went and got it for him.  I think that is so thoughtful for anyone – especially a girl only in her junior year of high school!  She is one amazing and thoughtful person!

The super star of the farm – Henry Vincent!

My latest project thanks to my friend Beth giving me this dresser.  I tried a color combination that had been in my head for a while.  It’s not something I necessarily would have chosen for my own décor but I really wanted to try it.  So far it’s been my most popular piece on Pinterest! 

26 Weeks/ 6.5 Months–14 Weeks to Go

Feeling great this week.  I need to schedule my glucose test before my next appointment but keep putting it off.  Sleeping is getting a little more challenging.  I am tired but seem to have more energy than before.  It could all be in my head. 

Baby boy is still moving and kicking a lot!

Henry either has a cold or allergies.  I am thinking allergies since everything is in bloom.  Dave stays home with him on Wednesday nights if he doesn’t seem fit to go into the nursery because Dave is at Bible College three nights a week.  It was his birthday last night but I really wanted to go to church.  So glad I did.  Such a great message!  At one point during the service my notebook or Bible was laying up against my belly.  When baby boy kicked the booked moved forward.  It was so cute.

I am definitely showing now.  I think some people finally realize I am pregnant.  I wasn’t showing and then all of the sudden I am really showing.   Kind of shocking to general acquaintances.  Someone said to me yesterday she didn’t realize I was that far along.  Well… I have been pregnant for six months!  Almost in my 3rd trimester.

Here’s what Babycenter.com says about this week:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.