Baby Spence

I'm loving this little boy! He's just growing way too fast! He is starting to sit up which makes him seem so much older. He's doing better with his solids too. The video is him sitting up after bath time. (And the mo-hawk hairdo is for you Cayce!)

stats

This morning I took Lydia and Spencer for their well check doctor appointment. They both did really well. Here are Lydia's 3 year old stats:

Height: 37 inches - 50%
Weight: 33 pounds - 50%

Lydia has hung right at 50% since she was born. Good and average little girl. She was very brave. No shots, just a finger prick.

Here are Spencer's stats (he's about 6 1/2 months):

Length: 26.5 inches - 50%
Weight: 19 pounds 2 ounces - 60%
Head: 17.25 inches - 50%

Spencer has gained exactly 10 pounds since he was born. He did get 2 shots but was pretty tough. Glad it's over!

So thankful for healthy kids!

Happy Birthday Jeremy!

Today is my hubby's birthday! I am so blessed by this man and am more in love and more thankful for him with each year that passes. He is worthy to be celebrated! Because it's a busy Sunday we did some celebrating early. Friday night Papa & Nana joined us for a steak dinner to celebrate Jeremy's birthday. They also brought Jeremy's favorite strawberry cake from the sweetery.

I love you babe and am so thankful for your life and that God called me to walk beside you!

boys

another tooth gone

cousin time

We were thankful to have Leigh and the kids stay the night with us on Tuesday. They are church-planting in Boston so we don't get to see them very often. Leigh and the kids came down before Jon to visit family and friends. Jon will join them on Thursday. I'm so glad we got them for one night. It was crazy fun having our kids together and I enjoyed time with Leigh! Thanks again Leigh for making the effort to get time together. Love you guys!

We went on a couple walks to get this craziness out of their system;)

Spencer & Owen are almost 2 weeks apart. These are their matching outfits from Aunt Allyson. Could they be any cuter!?

all the kiddos

welcome back college students

This is always an exciting time of year in the little town of Clemson as the college students return for another year of school. A college town often feels like a ghost town in the summer and then it comes alive again by the end of August. Because Jeremy is the college pastor this time of year is busy for him. The kids and I enjoy going to some of the fun events this week and experiencing the excitement of a new school year. You can't walk on campus without feeling the anticipation of a new year. I look around at the freshmen with such wonder. I feel like I was a freshmen here at Clemson not that long ago....hard to believe its been 15 years!

I love that our church is serious about reaching college students and takes the initiative to invite students to church. On Monday was the Students Organization Fare on Bowman Field and then the Downtown Welcome Back. The kids and I joined Jeremy on Bowman and then walked downtown and had a picnic dinner by Bowman. Then we strolled around campus a little before joining up with the college students for an ice cream social on campus. It was fun to be on campus on such an exciting day.

Here is our church downtown serving snow cones. It was a good day for a snow cone!

Sweet Krystal with the girls

Downtown Clemson

Spencer was zonked out!

Picnic spot

Jeremy & Lydia in front of Tillman

The kids in front of Cooper Library and the Amphitheater

It was fun to watch our kids play on the amphitheater and walk on campus. I never would have imagined this day when I was a student at Clemson. It was fun to walk around and have so many memories come flooding back! Oh that was a sweet season!

Love These Men

Homeschooling

Not sure why I've never written about homeschooling on my blog. I just haven't felt compelled I guess. I've wondered lately though if maybe there are some "issues" I have that discourage me from sharing about homeschooling and our decisions. I never want our choice of schooling to be my banner or identity. I also never want schooling decisions to be divisive or to cause someone else to feel judged if their family has made a different decision. I can easily fear man in these areas and be overly sensitive to others' feelings. I want to, at the same time, be freed up to share our decisions freely and comfortably.

We never really talked about schooling decisions before we had kids. We probably just assumed they would go to public school like we both did. We both initially thought homeschooling was weird and that we would never do that! But when we were at seminary we began hearing more about homeschooling and our stereotypes about homeschoolers were challenged. We began to meet some people that made it look very attractive. Don't get me wrong, there were still the people around that "fit" the stereotype too and also those that are so pro-homeschool to a fault. Jeremy also took a class about christian education and in that class they discussed the pros and cons to public, private, and home school. At that time we both felt compelled to plan to give it a try, even though Carson was just a baby at the time. We felt like it could be one of those things we may regret not trying if we didn't.

So last year we officially started homeschooling Carson for kindergarten and now he is in 1st grade. For the most part we have really enjoyed it and feel good about our decision so far. I'm very much getting my feet wet and learning as I go. Some days I love it and other days I think I'm a crazy woman! I'm thankful that it's still just one kid and not all 4 of them yet. But even on the hard days and the moments when I would love a break from the kids I go back to why we made this decision and it helps me.

We do not think it is wrong or sinful to send your kids to public or private school. We believe every family needs to seek God for their family in this decision. For us, the main reason (among many) we were compelled to try homeschooling is all about time. It's really not about educational advancement or doing a certain schooling method or sheltering. It's so much more about the added time we have with our kids. When we think about how short the time is that we have them in our homes to know them and invest in them it motivates us to homeschool. I love that a school does not dictate our calendar and daily schedule (I would struggle with the mornings especially!). I love that when Daddy gets home we can be done with school and be together as a family. I love that we can "do school" as we go and spend longer in the things we are interested in. I love that I will get to see first hand how my kids learn and what they enjoy and where their gifts may be. I love that we can talk about God's Word in every subject and, by God's grace, give our kids a gospel-centered worldview.

Yes, there are days I want a break and I think I'm in over my head but then there are those moments of seeing Carson learn something new and ask questions that I get to answer and explore with him or I get to spend hours reading to my kids that I'm reminded why we chose to do this. I love the time that I get with my kids to build our relationship and prepare them to one day leave home and be ready to follow the Lord wherever He may lead each one of them.

So for this year we are continuing with homeschooling while it seems to work for our family. We aren't planning or making big decisions for the years down the road. We trust that God will make that clear when we get there. For now, I'm enjoying this time with my little ones that is so fleeting! They just grow up so fast!

Tara

This past week I had to say good-bye and end a very sweet season with my friend Tara. Tara and I initially met during a summer project in Slovakia. We then reconnected in August 2005 when we moved back to Clemson to help start Crosspoint Church. Tara was still a student at Clemson then and it didn't take long for our hearts to connect and we began a relationship that has become one of my sweetest treasures!

Upon graduating Tara took a step of faith and became our first generation link intern at Crosspoint. She was then hired full time to be Jeremy's assistant for college ministry and then generation link. She has labored joyfully in ministry to reach Clemson for Christ and assist Jeremy in His role at Crosspoint. She has been a huge blessing to our church and this community.

For the past 6 years I have watched this precious girl grow into a godly young woman! We have walked through some highs and lows together and witnessed God's faithfulness as He has conformed us more to the image of His Son! For the past 6 years we have met almost on a weekly basis to talk about life and God and what He is teaching us. I have been so encouraged and spurred on during our times together.

Last week Tara and her husband, Matt, moved up to the Raleigh area to finish their seminary degrees at Southeastern and start a new chapter of life there. They will be so missed here! I miss you already sweet friend! Looking forward to our next visit! Love you bunches!

The following are some pictures from the last 6 years. This first one is Tara serving in the nursery (just a room in the BCM) for our very first Crosspoint church gathering.

Tara with Carson and baby Bryn

Tara & I at a college retreat

this is one of my favorite memories....for Tara's birthday we went out on wave runners in Hilton Head and we saw dolphins swimming all around us. It was amazing and Tara and I squealed like crazy, such a fun experience together! Here we are reenacting our time on the wave runners.

Tara and I on her beautiful wedding day (and our anniversary...love that we share an anniversary!)

Tara & Spencer

I love you friend!

Thankful for Pastor Ken & Robin

new favorite parenting book

“So many Christian parents fall into the trap of asking the law to do in the hearts of their children what only grace can accomplish. Armed with threats, manipulation, and guilt, they attempt to create change that only the cross of Jesus Christ makes possible. It is so encouraging to read a parenting book that points parents to the grace of the cross and shows them how to be instruments of that grace in the lives of their children.”

—Paul Tripp, President, Paul Tripp Ministries; author, What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage

“In our human attempts to raise good and godly kids, we often forget that God extended his best grace to us. We are not full of grace on our own; we desperately need his grace. Elyse Fitzpatrick and her daughter, Jessica, provide a great tool to guide parents down the road of gracious parenting. I commend it to you.”
—James MacDonald, Senior Pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel, Chicagoland Area; radio teacher, Walk in the Word

“Elyse Fitzpatrick continues her never-ending quest to churn out grace-filled, Christ-centered, gospel-saturated books. And now she’s done it again with her daughter, Jessica, coauthoring this excellent parenting book! If you are a parent, get online and order your copy of Give Them Grace today!”
—Deepak Reju, Pastor of Biblical Counseling and Families, Capitol Hill Baptist Church

“The authors—mother and daughter—remind us that parenting is not only hard but also impossible. Yes, we need to nurture, teach, discipline, train, pray, and model, but we must not depend on our parenting skills to change the hearts of our children. Instead, they counsel parents to ‘rely on the faithfulness of Jesus, our great high priest, to change their hearts.’ Grace for both parents and children flows through the pages of this book; I only wish I had read it at the beginning of my parenting instead of the end.”
—Rose Marie Miller, missionary; speaker; author, From Fear to Freedom

“This is not just a book on parenting; this is deep training in the gospel. Elyse Fitzpatrick shows parents how to model themselves after the heavenly Father, who changed his children not by wrath and the law but by grace. A lot of books talk about gospel-centeredness in theory; this book shows you how to apply it to one of life’s most important relationships.”
—J. D. Greear, Senior Pastor, The Summit Church, Durham, North Carolina

Visiting Grandparents

This Friday we spent the morning visiting Jeremy's grandparents. We first went to see Mama Chasteen in the nursing home. It was good to see her. We visited for awhile and the kids sang her some songs that she enjoyed. We then went to Papa & Mama Simmons' house and ate lunch with them. They fixed salmon stew which we all love! Amy used to take the 3 kids to see grandparents most Fridays when she was here so they know the drill and know exactly how to fix their salmon stew.

Jeremy & Mama Chasteen

Getting ready to eat salmon stew with Papa & Mama Simmons

Babies at 6 months