The Chasteen Family

Valentine's Day

2012-02-15T11:14:00.005-05:00

For Valentine's Day we had a "fancy" dinner party at home. We brought out the fine china and crystal and I told the kids to dress up for the party. I let them pick out their own out outfits. Here is Lydia who came as a ballerina:) (please notice the shoes which are, of course, on backwards!)

Here is Bryn in her red dress (I'm pretty sure Carson picked out her dress for her)

My little stud muffin man:) He did this all by himself and came to the party so grown up and mature! I was impressed!

My Valentine and me!

My littlest valentine went to bed before the party....

standing up...no hands!

ambiance!!!!

some crazy (chocolate high) faces after dessert!

I'm so thankful for my valentines this Valentine's Day. Oh, and I presented to my family these coupon cards with fun little coupons to be redeemed in the future. It was a fun and free gift for them (just may cost me later). And yep, today Carson & Bryn are using the "no chores for one day" and all 3 are using the "afternoon at the ice cream shop." So to 3 Spoons after lunch!

Dance Recital

2012-02-14T21:07:00.004-05:00

Yesterday the girls had their dance recital. It was so cute! Ashley did a great job teaching the class and the girls really loved it! Because the recital was at the church many of the staff came over to watch the recital so it was fun for the girls to have an audience. They were all so cute, they could have just stood on stage and been adorable.

Sweet Daddy brought roses and chocolates for his girls (including me!!!) and a chocolate treat for Carson too:)

Bryn & Lydia with Ashley

Joint Party!

2012-02-14T16:20:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we met the Finley family for pizza for a joint birthday party for Nathan and Spencer. They are 1 week a part. It's hard to believe they are 1! It was fun to celebrate together and watch them dig in to their cupcakes. Sweet boys! What a blessing they are! We hope they grow up being good buddies;)

cute couple potential (don't tell them I said that!)

Basketball

2012-02-14T16:01:00.001-05:00

Carson just finished up his basketball season on Saturday. He did a great job and improved a lot in his basketball skill. We enjoyed watching him on Saturday mornings and cheering him on! Here are a few pictures from his last game. Go Carson!

20 Questions for Lydia - age 3

2012-02-10T15:27:00.002-05:00

1. What is your favorite color? green
2. What is your favorite toy? my dog play toy
3. What is your favorite fruit? grapes
4. What is your favorite TV show? I don't know...Diego
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? grapes
6. What is your favorite outfit? this outfit that I'm wearing (jeans with a long sleeve shirt)
7. What is your favorite game? Sorry
8. What is your favorite snack? gum
9. What is your favorite animal? monkey
10. What is your favorite song? Joy to the World
11. What is your favorite book? um...um...I don't know
12. Who is your best friend? Reese
13. What is your favorite cereal? fruit kind
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? ride bikes
15. What is your favorite drink? Sprite
16. What is your favorite holiday? my birthday
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my bear
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cereal
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? um...um...chicken and bread and um...and I don't know
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a Momma

Lydia had just woken up from her nap when I did this with her so she was in a little bit of a "mood." Oh, sweet Lydi!

20 Questions for Carson - age 7

2012-02-10T15:15:00.002-05:00

Here are Carson's answers. I have to admit it was hard not to question a couple of his answers but I did not allow myself to dispute...I wrote exactly what he said;)

1. What is your favorite color? orange
2. What is your favorite toy? Finn McMissile
3. What is your favorite fruit? plum
4. What is your favorite TV show? Star Wars
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni & Cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit? that blue one with the shirt that says Gap with the blue pants
7. What is your favorite game? Bingo
8. What is your favorite snack? plum
9. What is your favorite animal? Cheetah
10. What is your favorite song? Dynamite
11. What is your favorite book? Boxcar Children
12. Who is your best friend? Will
13. What is your favorite cereal? Captain Crunch
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? hunt
15. What is your favorite drink? orange crush
16. What is your favorite holiday? Easter
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? nothing
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Pastor or Police Officer

Love that kid!

20 Questions for Bryn - age 5

2012-02-10T15:00:00.003-05:00

I saw this recently and thought it was a sweet idea. The idea is to ask these 20 questions every year (starting at age 3) on your child's birthday and then see how their answers change over the years. I couldn't wait until next December so I started today with Bryn. It was so fun and her answers so reveal her personality. I hope to remember to do this over the years.

1. What is your favorite color? Pink and Purple
2. What is your favorite toy? Puppies
3. What is your favorite fruit? Apples...I mean bananas
4. What is your favorite TV show? Jake and the Neverland Pirates
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni and Cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit? My favorite outfit is dresses
7. What is your favorite game? playing on Mommy's ipod...I mean playing Bingo
8. What is your favorite snack? um...it is bananas
9. What is your favorite animal? um..it is a horse
10. What is your favorite song? Jingle Bells
11. What is your favorite book? Grandma and the Pirates
12. Who is your best friend? not cousin? could it be a cousin? Ainsley
13. What is your favorite cereal? the colorful cheerio one
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play with bikes
15. What is your favorite drink? grape drink
16. What is your favorite holiday? like Christmas?...Christmas! you know why Mama...because it means you can make snow things, and snow balls, ya know?
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? I don't do that...nothing
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? um....blueberry muffins and banana
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Macaroni & Cheese and Corn dog
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a Mommy

Happy Birthday Spencer!

2012-02-09T10:13:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe our baby boy is already a year old! Where did the time go!? He is just precious in every way and we are incredibly thankful for his life and this year we've had him in our family. He is a sweet boy and has such a sweet demeanor. It was fun to celebrate his life at the lake with family and then at home with just our family too. He did not know what to think about the singing and the candle but he sure did love his sweet treats!

Lydia's First Haircut

2012-02-08T10:53:00.002-05:00

Last night I took the plunge and cut my baby girl's hair! It was really long but I didn't want to lose the baby curls. I took off a couple of inches and she did so good sitting still like a big girl. I love it! Even this morning it looks so much healthier and thicker and still has good curls:)

This is the "after" picture (at the bottom is the "before" picture...sorry not in order)

I promised her an ice cream treat after the haircut.

the "before" pic

Bloodlines

2012-01-29T14:35:00.001-05:00

Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper from Crossway on Vimeo.

The Gospel

2012-01-25T11:10:00.002-05:00

Hair Cut

2012-01-20T20:41:00.002-05:00

I held out as long as I could but I began realizing that every time people saw Spencer they would make a comment about his hair....that was my cue...time for a hair cut! So, without even really planning it I grabbed my scissors and started snipping away. And now he looks like a really big boy! I can't believe he's almost one!

Dance Class

2012-01-20T20:23:00.002-05:00

Bryn and Lydia are taking a dance class up at the church with our friend Ashley Jones. There just isn't much cuter then little girls in leotards and tutus! A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!!

Week with Ethan

2012-01-15T20:14:00.002-05:00

When we came home from the lake after Christmas we brought our nephew, Ethan, home with us to spend a week. It was so fun to have Owen and then also Ethan separately for a visit in our home. I feel like I got to know them both much better in a different context. They are growing up so fast and it was fun to have this opportunity to have them to our home! Here are a couple pictures while Ethan was with us. We, of course, took him on a tour around Clemson and then out to lunch . Here is Ethan, Carson & Bryn in front of Death Valley! We love you Ethan and enjoyed having you!

Spencer is 11 months

2012-01-09T20:07:00.002-05:00

Reflections on 2011

2012-01-04T10:07:00.003-05:00

What a year! I think the word that comes to mind as I reflect on 2011 is FULL. Yes, it was a really full year with lots of extreme ups and downs for our family. I think we felt the full range of emotions this year. Here is a list of some of the things we experienced this year...

The birth of our nephew Owen Chasteen
The birth of our sweet Spencer
Finding out my sister was pregnant
Don's retirement
Traveling to Dallas and also Richmond for Amy's commissioning services
Saying goodbye to Amy
Going to India and spending time with Amy and the Gainor family
The death of Mama Chasteen
The death of Raggie
Don's heart attack
The birth of our nephews Henry & Riley Clarke

Yep, it's been a big one. I'm so thankful that in the midst of the ups and downs of life that God is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)! I'm so thankful that I can say with the Psalmist, "But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge." (Psalm 94:22)

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Happy Birthday Bryn!

2012-01-03T16:17:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Bryn's 5th birthday at the lake. Our little spunky girl is growing up! I've been pretty amazed by her maturity this year. That's not to say she doesn't put up a good fight here and there be she truly is becoming a delightful young girl. We are so proud of her and so thankful that she is ours! We love you Bryn!!!!!

We gave her a new 16 inch bike and she is rockn' it!

Smith Christmas

2012-01-03T13:22:00.005-05:00

We left home on Christmas Day for the lake to meet up with the Smith side. We were at the lake until Saturday with Grandpa & Grammy, Bryan & Andrea with their kids, Michael for a night, and GG (my grandpa!). It was a relaxing (except for the moments where we felt like we were in a zoo!) time together.

We gave all 3 (big) boys slingshots for Christmas. Thankfully there were no injuries;)

the (little) boys

It was so nice having GG there for the week. But oh how we all miss our Raggie!

We celebrated Bryn's 5th birthday (more on that later)

Grandpa & Grammy with all NINE grand kids

Dad keeps a stick at the lake to measure the growth of all the kids

Henry & Riley had already changed so much after not seeing them for 2 weeks. They were troopers at the lake, such sweeties!

And of course the hunting....Jeremy and Carson got this deer together. Pretty fun that Carson was there to watch.

And a bonfire...

Great week, thanks Mom and Dad for everything!

Christmas Morning at Home

2012-01-03T10:30:00.002-05:00

We left Papa & Nana's on Saturday afternoon and headed straight to our church for the Christmas Eve service. We enjoyed being home Christmas morning as a family but it was a crazy turnaround because we left late morning for Virginia to spend time with my family (more on that next). It's so not our desire to travel on Christmas Day but it's how it fell this year. Here are just a few pictures of our morning together.

Chasteen Christmas

2012-01-02T19:56:00.001-05:00

The Friday before Christmas we headed up the road to spend the night with Papa & Nana to celebrate Christmas with the Chasteen clan. We had a yummy dinner at the Elliotts on Friday night and then exchanged gifts at Papa & Nana's house on Saturday and Scarlet made a wonderful meal that afternoon. Papa & Mama Simmons, John & Cathy, Pat, Russell, Katie and their kids all came over for the meal. It was good to be together and we especially enjoyed being with Jon, Leigh & their kids. We try to soak up the time we get with them since we live far apart. We also loved skyping in Amy! She was on the big flat screen TV while we opened our gifts and she opened hers. It felt like she was (almost) in the room! She was VERY missed!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (GOD WITH US)." -Matthew 1:23

pictures by Miss Sammi Fife:)

Generation Link Mid-Year Retreat

2011-12-23T14:15:00.008-05:00

Last week our family spent 3 nights in Gatlinburg with all the Generation Link staff for the mid-year retreat. To learn more about Generation Link go here. This is always a fun time for our family. We all stay in a house together so it's very conducive for hanging out! I really love this group of G-linkers and could have spent another few days with them. They are a great group and I'm so encouraged by each of them!

One of the best parts of this retreat is the share time. Jeremy has everyone share throughout the retreat a personal and ministry update. After they've shared everyone else encourages them by sharing what evidences of God's grace they see in that persons life. It's such a healthy exercise and so encouraging to hear people share and seek to "love one another with brotherly affection & outdo one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:10). I really love Jeremy's job/ministry and that I get to join him on things like this. He does a great job leading these interns and I'm so proud of him. It's so fun for he and I to watch college students get involved at our church and grow in their faith and really become men and women right before our eyes! Some of the people on this years team have been involved at Crosspoint since they were freshmen at Clemson. We really have seen them mature and grow in so many ways! What an honor that is! Oh, I could go on and on....I just love the privilege of being around them and seeing life transformation!

One afternoon we went to Ober Gatlinburg and some ice skated and some of us did the Alpine Slide. Here are the girls with some of the staff girls. I'm SO thankful for how this group loves on our kids so well!

Carson and I on the chair lift up to the top to ride the Alpine Slide.

There goes Bailey and Savannah with Lydia down the slide.

Lauren & Bryn

The house was great! Here we are gathered singing and getting ready for one of our meetings.

Not a great picture...but that's Carson. He got to ride the slide all by himself!

Our kids are well-loved...

Singing at Church

2011-12-23T09:24:00.003-05:00

from Owen's visit

2011-12-22T11:59:00.002-05:00

We loved having Owen stay with us for awhile after his new baby brothers were born. Here are a few pictures from his time here. The one above is Jeremy taking Carson & Owen "Snipe Hunting" one night. If you're unfamiliar with Snipe Hunting then read below.

A snipe hunt, a form of wild-goose chase that is also known as a fool's errand, is a type of practical joke that involves experienced people making fun of credulous newcomers by giving them an impossible or imaginary task. The origin of the term is a practical joke where inexperienced campers are told about a bird or animal called the snipe as well as a usually preposterous method of catching it, such as running around the woods carrying a bag or making strange noises such as banging rocks together. Incidentally, the snipe (a family of shorebirds) is difficult to catch for experienced hunters, so much so that the word "sniper" is derived from it to refer to anyone skilled enough to shoot one.^[1]

Owen also helped us decorate our tree.

Here are the boys sleeping one night. So funny:) They did really good sharing a bed & room together. We love you Owen and loved having you in our home!

a boy???

2011-12-17T15:20:00.002-05:00

So, I was just going through some old pictures and found this one and held it up to Carson and Bryn to see if they could guess who it was. They both starting guessing BOYS in our family!

What!?

This is ME when I was 7 years old (Carson's age now). Does the huge bib collar not give it away!? I guess the short feathered-back hair doesn't help;)

12 years

2011-12-11T08:19:00.000-05:00

12 years ago I married my best friend! With each year that passes I realize more and more what a gift my husband is to me. He is a rarity! He loves me and his children well! He is a godly man who provides for and protects his family. He makes it easy to follow him. I look forward to the next 12 years with joy and excitement to see where the Lord leads us. I love you babe! Thank you for your faithfulness to me and our family. We adore you! I love being married to you!

Thank you Adam and Savannah for babysitting so that we could enjoy a nice anniversary dinner out! And thank you to the Finley CP group for providing this date (gift certificate and babysitters)...such a gift!

Clemson Christmas Parade

2011-12-10T20:03:00.002-05:00

Thursday night was the annual Clemson Christmas Parade. We headed out to enjoy this family friendly event. It's just the ride speed for our gang. We are thankful to have a week with our nephew Owen. He traveled back to SC with Spencer and I to spend some time with our family and hopefully make the Clarke house a little quieter. We are enjoying him being here! He and Carson are glued at the hip;)

Spencer is 10 months

2011-12-10T19:51:00.002-05:00

Oh he is such a love! I'm just smitten to the core with this boy! Thank you sweet Jesus for this precious gift!

My New Nephews!

2011-12-08T21:52:00.006-05:00

On December 1st at 10:08 and 10:09 a.m. my sweet little nephews were born to my sister Andrea and her husband Bryan. We were all in the waiting room during her cesarean and then finally Bryan came out with the news that it was 2 boys (see video below) and their names are Henry Misner and Riley Keith. They are perfect and such a long-awaited gift from our gracious Father! It was such a sweet gift for me to be there awaiting their arrival and then spend the first few days there with them. It was SO hard to leave my sister because it blessed me so much to be with her. I'm still in utter amazement that these sweet blessings are here. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week....not necessarily in the right order.

The proud daddy with his new boys!

The last picture of the Clarke family of 5 (ready to leave for the hospital)

big brother Ethan

Sleepy mommy with Henry (on left) & Riley (on right)

big sister Ainsley

Grammy with Henry & Riley

Grandpa with Riley

I brought a little craft with me to do with Ethan, Owen & Ainsley. I so enjoyed my time there with them without all my kids. I feel like we bonded in a way we can't when I have my whole gang with me. Here is Ainsley painting her birdhouse.

Owen painting his jet and Ethan building his race car

Welcome home sign & balloons at their house

home sweet home

I'm already trying to convert them to become Clemson Tiger fans!
This is Henry

This is Riley

big brother Owen

I miss them already! I can't wait to see them again. Please continue to pray for healing for my sister and for the health of these little blessings! We are so grateful!

Here are a couple videos on their birthday!

It's Time...

2011-11-29T14:18:00.003-05:00

I can't tell you how thrilled I am about what is happening this Thursday, December 1st 2011!!!! My sister is having twins!!!!!! Did I really just write that!? We don't yet know the gender of the babies or their names so we have big surprises awaiting us for Thursday morning! This truly is a dream come true for our family. God has been so good to create these 2 precious lives inside her and grow and sustain them for the last 37 weeks! We are so eager to meet them and stare at their sweet little faces.

Spencer and I are driving up to Virginia Wednesday to be there for the delivery and to help after they are born. Would you please join us in praying for a safe delivery? The c-section is scheduled for that morning. Pray for the doctors and nurses that will be caring for her and the babies. Pray that there wouldn't be any complications. Pray for a smooth and easy recovery and that the babies would nurse well. Please pray for the whole Clarke family as they welcome 2 more children into their home and become a family of 7! Pray for the rest of us to serve well as they make this transition. What an honor it is to be a part of this! I'm beside myself!

Oh, and also pray for Jeremy and the kids as he cares for them while I'm away. Thank you babe for allowing me this dream to be there with my sister and family as she has these babies! You are so good to me!

And by the way, my sister had her appointment today and the babies are weighing in at 7 lbs and 8 lbs 3 oz! I'd say God has been abundantly good! Amazing!

Look who wants to help unload the dishwasher...

2011-11-28T22:21:00.002-05:00

As I was cleaning up the kitchen from dinner tonight I turned around and found Spencer like this!

Surgery Update

2011-11-28T14:20:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much for praying for my father-in-law! Just got word that his double bypass surgery was successful. He will be in recovery for several hours. Praise God! Please continue to pray for speedy recovery!

Thanksgiving 2011 & Urgent Prayer Needed

2011-11-27T21:03:00.002-05:00

We've had a Thanksgiving week that won't be forgotten. The plan was for our family along with Jeremy's sister, Allyson, and her family to celebrate Thanksgiving at Jeremy's parent's new house in Boiling Springs. We were looking forward to that time together. Scarlet had cooked and prepared to have a house full.

On Wednesday Jeremy's dad, Don, had a mild heart attack. Thankfully they were able to get him to the hospital and he was admitted and on Friday morning they did a catherization. They did not do a stint because the blockage was in the main left artery and would take 2-3 stints. With him having colon cancer and having a colonoscopy every year it would present a problem because he would have to be on medicine the rest of his life and would have to go off blood thinning medicine to have any future surgeries or procedures. The doctors recommended bypass surgery.

His surgery is scheduled first thing Monday morning. Thankfully Jeremy will be there with his mom, sister, and brother. We are also praying for Amy as she is struggling not being able to be with family. Please pray for a smooth procedure and for God to restore Don's heart! We appreciate your prayers during this time.

I am so thankful that we know and trust the one true God who is good and in control! We hope in Him that He would restore Don and grant him many more years of life!

We appreciate your prayers so much!

Singing at Church

2011-11-23T12:03:00.002-05:00

Crazy Kid

2011-11-23T11:13:00.002-05:00

The other night we went in to look at Carson before going to bed and this is how we found him. His head is stuck in his pillow case! How does this happen?

My Boys

2011-11-23T11:00:00.005-05:00

I am so incredibly thankful for these two boys! Carson helped me "recreate" the picture of he and I with Spencer since he was wearing the same shirt. Feels like Carson was this age yesterday...where does the time go!?

Sweetness

2011-11-14T12:09:00.000-05:00

Lydia Counting

2011-11-13T20:25:00.002-05:00

Bonfire

2011-11-12T10:28:00.003-05:00

Thursday night Jeremy and Carson had their annual camp-out in the backyard. Thankfully the girls and I were invited to the bonfire in the fire pit;) We had fun watching the men build a great fire and we enjoyed some roasted marshmallows too.

Brilliant

2011-11-10T16:05:00.005-05:00

I just love the brilliant colors during this time of year. The beauty outside points to an amazingly briliant Creator! I love that the owner of the field (or meadow as my mom likes to call it) next to our house bails the hay this time of year too. We typically head over when the leaves have peaked and the bails are scattered around to get some pictures.

Love the beauty of Autumn...

Books of the Bible

2011-11-09T12:04:00.001-05:00

Part of Carson's 1st grade curriculum has been memorizing the books of the Bible and this week he finished! Bible history from Genesis to Revelation is the focus for the first grade and we have enjoyed reading all the Old Testament stories and seeing how they point to Christ, the promised Messiah! Because the curriculum drops off in material a little at this point we are adding these character studies from this blog. So thankful for time to teach these types of things to my son.

Spencer is 9 months

2011-11-08T11:52:00.002-05:00

It's just hard to believe our sweet baby is already 9 months old! He is such a blessing to us. He continues to be a laid back little man. The biggest changes from 8 months is that he is crawling around the house and putting everything in his mouth! I've had to pull out lots of little objects from his mouth (and shoes belonging to his siblings!). He now has 6 teeth and is enjoying feeding himself. He is such a little love!

Our babies at 9 months

2011-11-08T09:45:00.003-05:00

They are not in order...can you guess who is who?

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T10:10:00.001-04:00

Raggie

2011-10-28T15:06:00.004-04:00

Last Wednesday morning (about 4:30 am) I awoke to a phone call from my sister and mom that my grandmother, Raggie (her nickname given by yours truly and the name most people call her), had passed away. This was expected but still difficult. Thankfully she died peacefully in her sleep next to Grandpa. She was 92 and was an amazing woman! Spencer and I drove up to Virginia to be with family and attend the funeral on Monday morning. The following is what I shared at the funeral.

“Raggie”…just speaking her name conjures up so many deep and sweet emotions for all of us who love her. She was quite a woman! Life was always sweeter in the presence of Raggie. In the words of my mom, “she was tough and tender all at the same time.”

Because I grew up in a military family we moved around often so family was one of the only constant things over the years. And no matter where Dad was stationed in the military Grandpa and Raggie were there visiting often. As we’ve been looking through old photo albums the last few days it hasn’t been hard to find pictures of Grandpa and Raggie. Wherever we lived, they came!

Grandpa & Raggie are a beautiful example to all of us of marriage and oneness. Scripture says that, “…a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Grandpa and Raggie have been a living example of that one fleshness. They truly are a beautiful unit…it’s unclear where one stops and the other begins. I’m so thankful for the example of marriage they’ve given to me.

When I think about my 33 years of life I can’t think of a time or place where Raggie was not. She is weaved all the way through my life and she has left a huge mark. She was there from birthdays and potty training to graduations and wedding day. When I felt on the mountain top she was there cheering me on. When I was down trodden she was there giving counsel and tears. She knew how to laugh hard with you and yet she would be the first to cry with you when life was tough. She had a way of making you feel like you were her favorite….and yet you knew that we all felt that way. She could make an ordinary event or gathering spectacular just by being herself.

One of my favorite pastimes with Raggie is playing cards. She taught me to love games and I could always count on Raggie to pick up a deck of cards and go play for hours. During those card games we would talk about life…there was nothing that was off limits to discuss.

Raggie adored her family and would give her life to show help and support. This love and care for her children has not returned to her void. She raised a son and a daughter (and had 5 others that she never got to meet here on earth) who have cared for her so well in her last years. As my Uncle Bob (her son) said the other day, “we’ve been gradually losing Raggie in pieces over the last few years.” It has been hard and yet such an honor to watch my Uncle and my Mom care for their parents. My Mom has daily laid down her own life to selflessly care for her aging mother. I’m still amazed at how she did that. It has been such a picture of Jesus’ love for us in how He laid His life down for us on the Cross. I know that there will be great eternal reward for you Mom, you have yet again set a high example to us all.

On Thursday, September 22^nd I kissed my Raggie good-bye for the last time before driving back to South Carolina. The kids and I had been at the nursing home visiting and we were out in the foyer with Grandpa and I walked back to Raggie’s room alone to say good-bye to her. We had a very sweet moment together. It was one of those moments when God felt so near. God was so kind to give me this last moment with Raggie. We talked about dying and going to heaven. We talked about Jesus and how He is the way and the truth and the life. We talked about how salvation comes through Jesus and His death on the cross and not our good works. Just like I need to hear these truths often I reminded Raggie that it is by faith in Jesus that we are counted righteous before God and not by works. Left to ourselves none of us would be acceptable to God. And then I reminded her of what awaits those who know Jesus….that God himself “will wipe away every tear from your eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore!” What a great hope we have in Jesus. And to end I’d like to paraphrase Proverbs 31:28-29 “We rise up and call you blessed Raggie; Grandpa too, he praises you. Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”

Crawling

2011-10-12T16:51:00.003-04:00

Today I think we can officially say he's crawling! Not sure I'm ready for mobility...

Grace in the Moment

2011-10-11T11:32:00.001-04:00

I really needed this post today....

Grace in the Moment

October 11, 2011 By Joy

Raise your hand if you want to be a godly mama to your precious little ones. Me too! Raise your hand again if you ever struggle with getting frustrated with your kids when they mess up, even when you KNOW in your head that is not the right response. See my raised hand? I struggle with this, well, daily.

As a mother, I need so much grace as I go about my day. God is so unbelievably faithful to meet me where I am and encourage my heart. That is why I want to reflect His love and grace to my kids. Giving them grace in the moment is my goal.

If you struggle like me, here are some simple ways to give grace in the moment of frustration:

1. Take a deep breath. Take another one. Now 8 more.

2. Throw up a quick prayer. Simply saying HELP is a great one. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to pray without ceasing, and I think in the midst of a stressful situation is the perfect time to send up a “help me” prayer request!

3. Smile. Yes, smile. Smile at those cute little faces, even though you don’t feel like it. “A joyful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs17:22), and since your kiddos can’t see your heart, let them see it on your face.

4. Make eye contact. Get those little eyes to look at you full in the face.

5. Think logically. Try really hard. Was this offense intentional or is it the result of being careless and silly? While even if they were being careless and silly it could still warrant a consequence, it should be a different thing entirely than if they were intentionally sinning.

6. Give grace in your words. Speak of love, Christ’s atonement, and forgiveness. Giving grace doesn’t mean letting them off of the hook for the offense, it just means that you speak love to them in the moment. It means you explain to them that without Christ, not one of us can get it right.

7. Issue a consequence due the crime, NOT according to feelings. If I issued consequences based on my feelings it would be something like a lifetime in prison, gruel for breakfast, and toilet duty with a toothbrush. Instead, we need to think through the offense and come up with the appropriate consequence and communicate the “why” of our choice with the child.

8. Pray together and HUG. Always, always, always end a time of correction or training with prayer and a big ol’ hug. Making those connections in the teachable moment is SO important!

Yes, we will fail our precious children. We will get it wrong. Thankfully, though, the Lord will never give up on us and HE will give us the strength to give grace in the moment!

Blessings, Joy

Skytop Orchard

2011-10-11T10:41:00.005-04:00

This past Friday we headed up to Skytop Orchard to go apple picking. We had heard such good things about this place that we had to go check it out. It's so kid friendly and we had a great time. We picked apples (only my favorite...love fuji apples), looked at the animals, did the bamboo maze, played on the playground, had a picnic, ate the apple cider doughnuts, and came home. Good family outing.

Spencer is 8 months

2011-10-11T10:21:00.004-04:00

Such a sweetie this boy is! We are really enjoying his blooming personality lately. He is a delight! At 8 months he is taking 2 good naps a day and sleeping 12 hours a night. He nurses 4 times a day and is eating solids with 3 of those. He is mostly on table/finger food now which I love but the trade-off is the mess! He is sitting up well and very close to crawling. He does the backwards crawl and rocks on all fours but has moved forward a little. He has 3 teeth and is working on a few more that are close to breaking through. I love this little man!

Sweet Moment

2011-10-06T20:03:00.002-04:00

The other day I sent Carson off to do his reading in his chapter book while I worked with Bryn on some school. When we were done we noticed Carson and Lydia in the hammock like this. He was reading out loud to Lydia. I had to grab my camera and capture it.

Thankfulness Enrichecd by Relief

2011-10-05T15:07:00.003-04:00

Lately I've struggled with thankfulness. I've fallen into the temptation of focusing on certain circumstances which lead to feeling sorry for myself. I hate this battle. When I step back and take a good look at my life I am reminded how blessed I am. Yet, there are times when I can completely lose perspective and , because of my self-love if I'm honest, begin to focus on what I don't have or focus on what I wish I could change. With that said, my reading today in "A Gospel Primer for Christians" was exactly what I needed to hear. It was the sweet rebuke from God's Word I needed! May you be encouraged as well.

"The more absorbed I am in the gospel, the more grateful I become in the midst of my circumstances, whatever they may be. Viewing life's blessings as water in a drinking cup, I know that I could discontentedly focus on the half of the cup that seems empty, or I could gratefully focus on the half that is full. Certainly, the latter approach is the better of the two, yet the gospel cultivates within me a richer gratitude than this. The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath (Revelation 14:10; Psalm 75:8). This is the cup that would be mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day. With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude. If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me. That God, in fact, has given me a cup (Psalm 116:12-13; Psalm 23:5) that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ," (Ephesians 1:3) and this without the slightest admixture of wrath, leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy. As for my specific earthly circumstances of plenty or want, I can see them always as infinite improvements on the hell I deserve. When I look at any circumstance that God apportions me, I am first grateful for the wrath I am not receiving in that moment (The empty part of the cup never looked so good!). Second, I am grateful for the blessings that are given to me instead of His wrath. (Life's blessings, however small, always appear exceedingly precious when viewed against the backdrop of the wrath I deserve." This two-layered gratitude disposes my heart to give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and it also lends a certain intensity to my giving of thanks. Such a gospel-generated gratitude glorifies God, contributes to peace of mind (Philippians 4:6-7), and keeps my foot from the path of foolishness and ruin (Romans 1:21-29)."

Yes, it's typically all in our perspective. When my eyes get off of Jesus and the wonderful work He did on the cross for me then nothing is clear. Why would I ever trust myself!? This life, in the good times and bad, is always better then what I deserve! May that produce in us a grateful heart all throughout the day.

Happy Birthday Carson!

2011-09-28T20:20:00.003-04:00

We are so blessed by our sweet son Carson! It's so hard to believe that he is 7! Where has the time gone!? He has been such a delight to us and our family. I can't imagine life without him. We love you sweet boy and we are so proud of the young man you are growing to be. Happy 7th birthday!

So this year Carson had some specific requests about his birthday. He wanted to mainly celebrate at breakfast and open his gifts then so daddy could see (I think he's just smart and knew that would mean he could play with his new things all day!). He also had specific food requests for all 3 meals that day. So I took a picture of each plate so you can see what he ordered in from his "short order cook" mom for the day:)

For breakfast: pancakes, eggs & bacon

For lunch: he wanted a "brunch" with french toast sticks, sausage & cantaloupe (the boy loves some breakfast!)

For dinner: pizza hut pineapple & ham pizza and a salad.

And he wanted a Clemson cake! Done! I have a feeling the menu may get a little harder over the years;)

He got this hoodie from Amy! Thank you Amy!

A week in Virginia

2011-09-26T10:35:00.008-04:00

The kids and I were in Virginia for a week and had lots of fun visiting family! We headed out on a Friday morning and drove to my sister's house for 2 nights. A big reason for our trip was so I could go to my brother in law and sister's couples baby shower. Here is a review in (lots of) pictures from the week....

we got to go to Owen's soccer game (he's the one with the blue ball between his legs)

Mom, Andrea & I before the shower

Their friends, Joe & Jill, threw the shower and it was so nice! It was a great party!

The girls playing dress up (sorry my pics are out of order)

At the shower they had cute things around like this....here you were supposed to write down name ideas in the basket. Notice the fun napkins...love it!

...and these candles were the party favor

Jill & Andrea

On Sunday Mom, Dad, the Clarke family and us headed to The Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg for one night and 2 days at the indoor water park. It was SO fun! We are so thankful for this treat from Mom & Dad! Here are the boys at IHOP before going to the water park.

The hotel is very kid friendly. They have a coloring station that the kids loved.

At 8:00 pm they had pajama story time in the lobby

Carson got some early birthday gifts

After one night at Great Wolf Lodge the kids and I headed to Yorktown to stay for 4 nights with my parents. We had a good visit and enjoyed visits with GG & Raggie in the nursing home, getting to see Michael's new house, a date alone with Mom, and lunch date with Dad, and Mom took the kids and I to a fun Children's Museum in Portsmouth. Here are some pictures from the Children's Museum.

Carson in a giant bubble

Playing in the grocery store area

playing doctor

Mom and the girls at the park

GG & the kids

Raggie and I after a sweet moment together telling her good-bye. I love this woman and it's so hard to see her this frail.

oh...and at the children's museum they had this neat chair that made the kids shrink! Amazing!

Thanks for a great week Mom & Dad! We were blessed! And I'm SO thankful to have survived the 9 1/2 hour drive on Friday by myself with the kids! Whew, that was a doozy!

Mama Chasteen

2011-09-25T14:45:00.004-04:00

On September 13th Ellen Chasteen, Jeremy's grandmother and otherwise known as Mama Chasteen, went to be with the Lord. She will be very missed but the family is celebrating her faith in Christ and the comfort of knowing that she is with Jesus where there is no more sorrow or pain. Attending the funeral of a believer is so different because there is such peace and comfort knowing where she is. Jeremy was blessed by being able to be in the room with Mama Chasteen when she passed away. His mom, dad, sister and aunt were also there. It was a sweet time for them all. Here are a few pictures from the visitation and the funeral.

There was a slide show of Mama Chasteen with her family running at the funeral home for the visitation.

Kolson and Carson were asked to be honorary pallbearers. They walked in front of the casket and they both did a great job.

You might be a redneck if...

2011-09-24T21:00:00.004-04:00

A couple weeks ago we had gotten home from a fun double date with the Finleys and realized that an animal had gotten into our trash in the garage and Jeremy found it under the workbench in the garage. I had already gone inside to see Krystal (our amazing babysitter!!!!) when Jeremy came in to inform us that a possum was in the garage. We both came out and I got on my hands and knees to look under the workbench and saw a black furry tail and some white fur.....it was a SKUNK!!! That changed everything! Krystal and I hopped in the van which was parked in the garage to watch the entertainment because we were not willing to risk getting sprayed by a skunk. So we watched and watched as Jeremy tried to make that skunk move, to no avail. Krystal finally had to leave but we (meaning Jeremy....I was the photographer from the van) stayed at it. He lifted up the workbench to expose the skunk (see video 1). Then the skunk walked out of the workbench and went under the lawn mower (at this point Jeremy is on the workbench). Then my smart husband realizes he could push the lawnmower out with the skunk underneath. He had his shotgun on the rocking chair outside the garage ready to go once the skunk ran out. I was so glad to get it all on video (see video 2). It was entertainment for sure! He ran after that skunk but the gun misfired.

Game Day

2011-09-11T20:24:00.002-04:00

This Saturday we all went to the Clemson football game. I just love living in a college town especially on game day! It's so fun and festive! We were given 2 tickets and a parking pass from a couple in our church so we had to only needed to find 3 more tickets before the game. Jeremy is really good at this so I just followed behind and watched him work;) The kids have learned from Daddy & Aunt Amy how to hold up their fingers to let people know they need tickets. And it worked....right outside the gate we got 3 tickets for $10 so we all got into the game for $10! We had fun and the kids did better than I expected. This motivates me to go again.

Spencer's first football game

a few favs from the week...

2011-09-10T20:31:00.004-04:00

Bryn with Nathan & Spencer

snuggling with Bryn at bedtime

Lydia & Spencer having a snuggle moment on the counter. This moment made me wonder what their relationship will be like. I'm sure as Spencer gets older the dynamics in our family will change. I love watching their relationships with each other (most of the time...).

we've enjoyed a few rounds of Sorry lately....love that my kids are getting to an age where we can play boardgames!

Writing the ABCs on Little Hearts

2011-09-10T12:51:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to incorporate Bryn and Lydia into our "school time" lately and when I found these free downloads here I thought they would be great for us to do together. So each day we each color one of the pages. There is a character quality for each letter of the alphabet and then we hang them on the wall of the stairwell going to the bonus room.

Spencer is 7 months

2011-09-10T12:46:00.002-04:00

Fleeting

2011-09-08T20:59:00.002-04:00

Lately I've felt kind of nostalgic about life and the kids growing and changing so fast. I just feel keenly aware how they are growing up. It's so bitter sweet. I love it and hate it all at the same time. There are days I can't wait for the next season and then there are days I want to hit pause and stay here longer!

One of the reasons I blog is to have an archive of our life. Once I had more than one kid I couldn't keep scrapbooking so I started blogging. So this blog is like my scrapbook. I want to do better to take pictures and videos of the simple everyday things that I will miss about each season. I have a feeling when I'm older and look back over this blog of our life it will be those simple things that I'll want to see and remember. Like the video above, I will miss this...riding bikes in the driveway. I feel like they move from the stroller to trike to bike with training wheels to riding a bike so fast! Oh Lord help me savor this time and live each moment faithfully for Your glory!

"O Lord, make me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!"
Psalm 39:4

First Friday Parade

2011-09-04T14:02:00.005-04:00

big girl

2011-09-02T20:51:00.003-04:00

This week Bryn pretty much taught herself how to ride a bike without training wheels. This is fitting with how she learns any new skill. She does things with gusto when she is ready. It's pretty pointless to work with her to learn anything new until she's ready. This is how she has done most new things....potty training, brushing her teeth, getting herself dressed...etc. So we should not have been so surprised to walk outside and see her riding a bike without training wheels one day. But I was! I still can't believe how fast she went from not being able to do this to now riding a bike fast. She's a tough little girl. We are so proud of her!

Baby Spence

2011-08-30T13:52:00.003-04:00

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

2011-08-29T11:05:00.002-04:00

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!

2011-08-28T15:32:00.002-04:00

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

2011-08-28T15:30:00.001-04:00

another tooth gone

2011-08-28T10:21:00.000-04:00

cousin time

2011-08-24T21:39:00.004-04:00

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

2011-08-24T20:59:00.004-04:00

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

2011-08-24T20:57:00.002-04:00

Homeschooling

2011-08-17T20:56:00.002-04:00

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

2011-08-17T14:45:00.003-04:00

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

2011-08-16T13:45:00.003-04:00

new favorite parenting book

2011-08-16T13:22:00.004-04:00

“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

2011-08-13T16:07:00.002-04:00

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

2011-08-09T16:25:00.002-04:00

My Sister

2011-08-09T11:58:00.003-04:00

Growing up my sister was always "motherly" and was a natural with children. It has always been easy to envision her as a mom. We both got married in 1999 and after a few years she and Bryan started talking about having a baby. To all of our surprise they struggled to conceive. To this day it is a mystery why God did not allow them to conceive then. After much heartache and pain they joyfully moved forward with adoption. In 2003 they adopted their 2 boys, Ethan & Owen, from Kazakhstan and we were thrilled by their arrival! Then in 2008 they adopted their daughter, Ainsley, from China. My nephews and niece are a piece of that mystery revealed. We would not have them as ours if Andrea would have gotten pregnant right away as planned. We praise God often for their precious lives!

As God would have it, my sister found out she was pregnant in March of 2011!!!! And not only pregnant but expecting twins! They are due December 20th this year!

I'll never forget the day that I received a picture text of a positive pregnancy test from my sister. I never imagined that day happening. I couldn't stop screaming! I picked up the phone to call her so fast. I was in disbelief! What a dream come true and gift from God!

Given our different circumstances I believe Andrea and I have done well with loving each other through the joys and struggles in our lives. We both hate the pain and "wall" that was there as it related to pregnancy. But we have fought through it. I have prayed and dreamed for years now that she would get pregnant yet I'm humbled over my lack of faith now that it is reality. I couldn't imagine a day when we could freely talk about pregnancy, symptoms, registering for baby gear, labor, delivery, breastfeeding....and more. The flood gates are open and I want to hear every symptom she has! It's wonderful and I'm soaking it up! I could not be more thrilled about the lives inside her that God is knitting together and I can't wait to meet them. Thank you Jesus for this precious gift!

But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26

Family Size

2011-08-09T11:49:00.002-04:00

I just read this great post from Kevin DeYoung about the size of our families...an often "hot topic" among Christians. I was encouraged and challenged by it. It would be worth your time to read it no matter where you are in practice or theory of this issue. Here is the link.

Spencer is 6 months

2011-08-09T09:55:00.003-04:00

Our baby boy is growing too fast! I love this stage and I wish I could hit pause and stay here a little while. He really is a sweet and laid back boy.

I had to break down and start solids:( This is one of my least favorite stages....spoon feeding! I try to be in this stage as short as possible. I put it off as long as recommended and will be eager to get him to finger foods soon. So far he isn't real impressed with the rice cereal.

Vacation at the Lake

2011-08-08T11:18:00.007-04:00

After a very busy summer of traveling we ended the travels with a week at the lake! It was so refreshing and good to be there. We continue to be so thankful for a place to go that is fun for all of us! We got there on a Thursday night after enjoying a homemade feast at Papa & Nana's house on the way. Then we stopped at Walmart for a grocery run. My sister and her kids came up on Friday for the weekend and then Mom got in on Sunday and Dad and his mom (Grandma Smith) came in on Tuesday. It was a great week!

We celebrated Owen's 9th birthday and Lydia's 3rd birthday together on Sunday night.

Carson & Bryn both knee boarded for the first time. And they both got up on water skis! They didn't stay up long enough to call it skiing but they both got up!

It was good to spend time with Grandma Smith. She lives in Iowa so we don't get to see her very often. I'm so thankful she came to visit and that we got that time with her.

Thanks Mom & Dad for another great week at the lake!

Lydia is 3!

2011-08-08T11:02:00.002-04:00

Our sweet Lydia turned 3 on August 3rd while we were at the lake. It's just hard to believe that she is already 3. She has been such a joy and delight to our family. Here are some of my favorite things about Lydia at age 3:

Her tender heart.
Her love for her family.
Her quirkiness because this often means that she is fine doing things her own way in her own timing and not caring what people think.
Her sweet smile and giggle.
Her desire to please.

Dad brought back some yummy shrimp from Alaska and Mom cooked it up a couple different ways for Lydia's birthday dinner. We also had corn on the cob and caprese salad. It was so good!

Last of the India videos

2011-08-07T18:51:00.002-04:00

Potty Training

2011-07-23T10:03:00.003-04:00

Our sweet little Lydia has taken her time at most milestones and potty training has been no different. In part because she just hasn't been ready (and now having trained 3 kids I'm convinced they have to be ready!) and in part because the last year of our life hasn't been very conducive to potty training (bed rest, new baby, traveling...etc.). But this week we dove in and the combination of being home and her being ready has finally collided! Yeah! Starting Tuesday I put her in a pull-up and it's been a breeze! She has stayed dry during naps and through the night! I'm so proud of her! If she can stay dry through Tuesday then we'll pull out the panties and we will throw her a party! We've told her she needs to be potty trained by the time she turns 3....she's cutting it close!

A funny thing about the third child being potty trained is that she has lots of "help" in the bathroom! Carson and Bryn can both take her potty and help her get her pull-up back on. They are so excited for her too!

videos

2011-07-22T15:30:00.003-04:00

I took some videos while in India as well so I think I'll share a few a day to help give a better picture of our trip and what India is like. The still pictures just don't do it justice. This first one is just Spencer on Sharon's lap in the taxi ride to the hotel our first night. He is dilerious!

This clip is a quick one of Brandy driving.

India

2011-07-20T11:26:00.010-04:00

We are back home after a long journey to India! We had a great time there and we are so thankful we were given this opportunity to go and see the work going on there. We are so thankful for our time with the Gainors and with Amy! We really enjoyed the team we traveled with too, they were easy! It was also fun seeing the Summer Link group that is there. Here are some pictures from our trip. I shared all my pictures on facebook if you want to see those.

Pam & Lauren loving on Spencer in the airport....just getting started on our hike across the globe!

Made it to Delhi, getting taxis to go to the hotel.

After one night in Delhi we got back on an airplane and flew to Indore. I was SO excited about seeing Brandy! She (and her precious family) was a huge reason why I went to India. She is a dear friend of mine from college and it was SOOOOO good to see her face. I loved my time with her! This picture is right after we first saw each other. I just cried and cried when I saw her. What a blessing!

I loved being a part of Brandy's life there. We got out together one day to the grocery store. I loved following her around and watching her shop, speak Hindi, and drive! It was great! Here she is checking out at her favorite grocery store and she loves these girls that are checking her out.

So driving in India seems completely chaotic at first. You'll see in some of the pictures how there are cars, mopeds, motorcycles, bikes, people, and even cows all going down the road together. Every few seconds you think you're going to crash. The longer we were there the more I learned there is actually a method to the madness and rarely do they crash. Here I am in the front seat holding Spencer and Parks while Brandy is driving...never in America....I had to get a picture!

It was so fun being in the Gainor's house. It is beautiful! I love that I can now picture them there and imagine their life there a little better.

It was so good to finally meet Parks!

The poverty is a lot to take in. I kept thinking about how there you see the rich and the very poor all around, and it is very extreme. Whereas here in the States, for most of us, we are surrounded by people just like us and we don't have to be confronted with seeing those in different socioeconomic statuses than us. It was just heartbreaking to see the conditions that many of the people there live in. And to be approached by the children begging for money was really hard. Eye opening...

I was so glad that we got to go on a double date with Gray & Brandy one night. It was so fun! We had sweet fellowship together at a really fun restaurant!

One day we went to a university and it was a neat experience. They treated us like royalty (later learning that some may have been worshiping us as "visitor gods") and did a program for us about the different cultures in the regions of their country. Then some of the Americans shared about our culture. They also served us a traditional Indian lunch. That was an experience. I think our stomachs are still paying for that. This was also one of the most intense times with Spencer. All the people there wanted to hold Spencer and I felt so rude saying no over and over. So here is a picture of Jeremy holding him while they all took pictures and pinched his cheeks. It was crazy!

We had a great time on the trip with Sam & Sharon. Sharon was such a blessing to me as she knew just how to help with Spencer. I'm so glad she was there. Here we are crammed into a rickshaw together.

Gray took us to downtown Indore one day to walk around. That was an experience. I'm glad Jeremy wore Spencer on his back that day. I felt like I had to walk right behind him. I'm glad we did it but I can't say I was very relaxed during this time. It was busy, smelly, lots of beggars, and a lot to take in.

Right after this picture was taken a man kept following our group and taking our picture. He especially wanted Spencer's picture. The kid was a celebrity over there!

The cows are just everywhere! It's hilarious to see them just blend into the traffic and crowds of people.

This picture shows how many of the women ride side saddle on the back of the mopeds. Many time you'd also see them holding children as well.

I love this sweet picture of Sarala and Spencer.

After our time in Indore we flew back to Delhi to meet AMY!!!! We had 2 full days to see Delhi and Amy was our guide;) Let's just say we went to bed pooped both nights:) It was so good to get time with Amy those few days. It was hard to leave her in India!

Riding in a rickshaw

Jeremy and I on our bicycle rickshaw. This poor guy road us all around town, such hard work! It was an experience.

Out of the 4 long flights there and back we had a cot for Spencer on 3 of them. I was a little concerned about the leg that we didn't have the cot seat for him. Thankfully the flight attendant moved the guy next to us so we could have 3 seats and he did great sleeping in this seat. So thankful!

Have I mentioned what a blessing Sharon was?! The worst part of our trip was in Chicago waiting for our flight to Charlotte. Our plane was almost 2 hours delayed so it was brutal waiting and then getting in so late after traveling for like 30 hours! Whew! It was good to hit the pillow that night!

I still have a lot of processing to do about our time there. For now, I'm back into the throws of caring for our kiddos who we missed SO much! They were in good hands with Grandpa and Grammy. We are so thankful to them for watching our 3 kids for 11 days! I'm sure they are still recovering;)

Spencer is 5 months

2011-07-20T10:55:00.003-04:00

Spencer turned 5 months on the 8th of July while we were on our way to India. He also cut his first tooth while we were there! He is now cutting his second one. He is a sweet sweet boy!

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T21:40:00.007-04:00

We headed out to Clemson Fest on Sunday to celebrate the 4th of July and watch fireworks. This was our first time at Clemson Fest and we had a good time.

They had a fun live band there and Bryn asked Jeremy to dance and he did! I love these next two pictures, she is elated!

Ready for the fireworks!

On Monday we enjoyed a day at home playing outside and working around the house.

and did sparklers with the kids before bed!

Amy

2011-07-03T13:31:00.004-04:00

Last Tuesday Amy came by the house to tell the kiddos good-bye. I won't lie, it was pretty heart-wrenching to watch. Our kids adore their Aunt Amy and they are SO sad to see her go overseas. It's hard to believe that when she comes back (in 3 years for her first planned visit) they will be 9, 7, 5, and 3. Wow! I've told Amy many times that by her going she is having a bigger impact on her nieces and nephews as they see her example of following Christ. And it's already started. When Amy drove away the kids were all crying and yelling out "Amy" as we walked back inside. I sat down with them and we talked and prayed for Amy. It was a great opportunity to talk to them about the cost in following Jesus and being His disciple. See Amy, you are already being used of God as you model that to my children. We love you and miss you already! Jeremy, Spencer, and I are so excited about seeing you there soon!!!!

Here are some pictures of Amy with the kids when she came by to say good-bye.

Home

2011-06-27T15:05:00.003-04:00

After being away from home for 3 weeks it's so good to be home! I would love to have a week just to be home and have nothing on the calendar. Being away from home does make me appreciate the simple things about being home...our beds, the yard, my own kitchen, and being more in control of our schedule...to name a few. I've also really missed our church family. It was so good to worship together with them on Sunday and to hear the preaching of God's Word.

We have one more week at home and then Jeremy, Spencer and I are flying to India! I'm getting so excited as I think about packing and picking up some goodies for our dear friends we'll get to see there! I'm just beside myself excited to see the Gainor family in person and see their life there. God is so good to allow us this opportunity to go. Please be praying for our health, especially Spencer. He had his 4 month well check yesterday and lots of shots so he is pretty feverish and lethargic today. I hope he is in good health before we head out.

Here are Spencer's 4 month (really 4 1/2 since we were out of town when he was 4 months) stats:

weight - 17 lbs. oz. 75%

height - 25 inches 50%

head - 18 inches - 95%

And here are a few pictures of our little man. He has found his feet this past month and I think it is adorable when babies play with their feet, love it! He also is officially a finger sucker. He sucks his 2 middle fingers on the left hand. Pretty cute...

Beach Pics

2011-06-27T09:30:00.006-04:00

Myrtle Beach - Week 2

2011-06-26T13:45:00.003-04:00

After a week in Virginia visiting family we met up with Jeremy and his family in Richmond for Amy's commissioning service and then all drove down to Myrtle Beach for a week together. I'm glad it worked out for all of us (19 of us to be exact) to spend this week together before Amy leaves the country. Jeremy was also there to touch base with the summer link group so he was working some but we enjoyed time with family and at the beach and pool. Here are just a few photos from the week.

Spencer & Owen - Owen is 11 days older than Spencer

Time in Virginia

2011-06-25T21:15:00.006-04:00

In between our 2 weeks in Myrtle Beach, the kids and I spent a week in Virginia at my sister's house in Richmond and my parent's house in Yorktown. It's always good to get up there and visit family. It's also special to be able to visit Grandpa and Raggie in the nursing home.

We took Mom and Dad out to celebrate 40 years of marriage! I'm so thankful for parents who have stayed together and fought for their marriage. What a blessing!

Mom and I took the kids to Yorktown Beach area one day to stroll around.

I think Ainsley & Bryn played dress up the whole time they were together!

Busch Gardens

2011-06-16T15:27:00.007-04:00

The Saturday we were in Virginia we were able to go to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg with my parents and sister and 2 of her kids. We had a fun time! I love Busch Gardens! It was a new experience going with little kids and doing the park at their pace. I did get to ride the new roller coaster with Dad and that was super fun!

Here are the kids just inside the park. We missed Owen but he had a baseball game that morning.

Myrtle Beach - Week 1

2011-06-16T14:54:00.003-04:00

Our summers are typically pretty crazy with traveling and this summer is no different. But, instead of spending the usual 6 weeks away from home leading the Summer Link group at the beach, we will only be there for 2 weeks total. It was good to see the summer link group and those that were in for the seminary class that week. We enjoyed the fellowship and pool time.

My wonderful mother came down the last couple days so that she could help there and also ride back up to Virginia with the kids and I so I didn't have to travel alone with them. Huge help!

T-Ball

2011-06-16T14:43:00.002-04:00

This Spring Carson had the privilege of playing t-ball with some good buddies and he had a great coach too I might add;) It was fun meeting on the ball field twice a week with some friends. Not sure how in the world we'll do this when all the kids are in different activities.

Spencer is 4 months

2011-06-16T14:27:00.000-04:00

Our Babies at 4 months

2011-06-02T08:41:00.003-04:00