Carson's 9 year old Birthday Questions

What is your favorite color? orange
What is your favorite toy? ipod
What is your favorite fruit? watermelon
What is your favorite TV show? star wars
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? tomato soup
What is your favorite outfit? Clemson jersey
What is your favorite game? football
What is your favorite snack? graham crackers
What is your favorite animal? cheetah
What is your favorite song? 10,000 reasons
What is your favorite book? The Boxcar Children
Who is our best friend? Will
What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go hunting
What is your favorite drink? Dr. Pepper
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? nothing
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? pancakes
What do you want for dinner on your birthday? crab legs
What do you want to be when you grow up? a missionary

Lydia's 5 year Birthday Questions

1.       What is your favorite color? Black and orange and blue and red

2.       What is your favorite toy? My ipod thing (electronic kid toy)

3.       What is your favorite fruit? Oranges and apples

4.       What is your favorite TV show? Ninjago

5.       What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter and Jelly

6.       What is your favorite outfit? T-shirts and pants

7.       What is your favorite game? Dominos

8.       What is your favorite snack? Trail mix

9.       What is your favorite animal? Cheetahs

10.   What is your favorite song? Dynamite

11.   What is your favorite book? The Wizard of Oz

12.   Who is your best friend? Molly

13.   What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon toast crunch

14.   What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike

15.   What is your favorite drink? Coke

16.   What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

17.   What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Bear

18.   What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cinnamon rolls

19.   What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza, grapes, and salad

20.   What do you want to be when you grow up? A star

Parade, Game Day, Hike & time with Grandpa & Grammy

 We drove home on Friday from our Charleston Getaway and picked up the kids from Papa & Nana then met my parents at the house and headed to Bowman Field for the First Friday Parade.  It's become a fun tradition to watch the parade at the same spot every year!

 Willow & Lydia

 I love my Momma!

 Spencer didn't know what to think!

 The boys & girls:)

 Game Day was at Clemson this weekend for the Clemson v Georgia game.  We headed to Bowman on Saturday to check it out. 

 On Monday, Labor Day, we went for a hike together.

We had a great visit with Mom & Dad!  Thank you for all your help and love!  We love you!

Jeremy's birthday getaway to Charleston

 My hubby is 40!!!!  Can I seriously be married to a 40 year old!  He's making me work harder to keep him young;)  I wanted to do something special for him to celebrate!  I landed on taking him to Charleston for a 3 night getaway!  He didn't know where we were going until a few days before so I planned the housing and restaurants and activities.  It was so fun for me!  We had a great time!  It's so good to get away alone and be refreshed in our marriage.  I'm SO thankful for this man!  God knew what He was doing when He blessed me with Jeremy years ago.  He is my best friend!  I respect him in his walk with the Lord, his leadership in our home, his ministry, and his character.  I count it a joy and privilege to partner with him in this life!  I love you bubs!  So glad you're mine!  

We are thankful for Papa & Nana watching the kids for us.  We met for a birthday lunch (above picture) and then left the kids with them and hit the road!  And here are some pictures of our sweet time together!

 I got a great discount at the Andrew Pinckney Inn (above).  It was perfect!  The location was fabulous, walking distance to everything!

 Jeremy striking the Lionel Richie pose in our room;)  Vacation is good!  Didn't take us long to relax and unwind! Seriously, this isn't real life, you have to soak it all up when you have the opportunity!

 We had some great food and dining experiences!  We enjoyed lots of strolling around Charleston. 

 We also enjoyed running together in the morning....

 ...and lingering at breakfast on the outside veranda.  So nice to go slow and at our own pace!

 We enjoyed strolling through the market.

 Jeremy's birthday lunch (above) and birthday dinner (below).

 

One day we took a walking tour with a women who is a tour guide and a photographer!  Such a genius idea!  So part of the tour around Charleston is her taking your picture and with the price of the tour you get 2 pictures from the tour.  The following 2 pictures are the ones we chose.  Sweet memento!  

 

 

It was a great getaway celebrating my man's 40 years of life!  

For his birthday I also compiled this book for him.  It's filled with special notes from some men in his life.  Thank you to all you men who contributed!  You are all a blessing to us!

Home Again

 After all our travels we returned home on August 6th!  It was good to be home!  It's true what they say, "There is no place like home!"  In many ways we hit the ground running because this begins a very busy season for college ministry.  

As much as I try to speak truth to myself and ease back into a little bit of "normal" life (whatever that is) it's still a challenging transition for me.  I come home very rusty in running my home and juggling everything.  I long for routine and control and yet the Lord graciously reminds me He is the only routine and He is in control!  

I've concluded that routine is overrated!  Yes, there is much to be said for planning, and discipline, and boundaries!  But I've found myself idolizing this phantom life that feels under control and is all things routine. Then I look at my reality and they don't match.  So, the Lord has been teaching me the freedom of letting go of that idol and instead to trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6) and keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).  I want to value pleasing God more than feeling in control of my days.  I want to be led by the Spirit more than get my to-do list completed.  My life is always screaming at me the things that need to get done.  But in the midst of the tasks I don't want to miss God and the precious people He has allowed me to do life with.  It's a daily fight of faith!  

Here are just a few pictures of our first few weeks home in August.   

Lydia enjoyed having birthday cards waiting for her!

My budding reader!

Fun India outfit from Aunt Amy

My (at times) neglected 4th child.  Poor thing fell asleep in his room one day...

 A big project accomplished was selling our beloved kidney school table and replacing it with some IKEA tables, chairs, and bookshelves. So glad Jen came with us for our IKEA run!

 Our new school room!  (If it only was as clean now as in these pictures!)

 Sometimes you just have to turn on a video!

 We stayed busy the first week of classes for Clemson students with all the first week activities.  We do love this place and this campus.  May God continue to raise up more and more followers of Christ from this place who would be faithful to Him and used for His glory!  Below is the ice cream social for college students during the first week.

 I've also started this Bible study on Philippians for women.  I've been doing year long bible reading plans for awhile (which are so great) but I've missed inductive study of one book.  So this has been a refreshment to my soul as I fight for joy and am reminded "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21)