Trips!!!!!

I just have not made blogging a priority......my last post was last October. Hmmmm. I pretty much have given up on being a real blogger, but adding pictures is not so hard or time consuming so I am going to try to do better and at least load up pics more often! Olivia turned sweet sixteen on June 5th, and we surprised her and her sweet friend Lali Lopez who also turned 16 the last week of May with a party at the Zoe house! They were both really surprised. We have started this summer off with lots of travel! Memorial Day our family took a four day trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands! We had an amazing time, however the week before we left, Andrew fell off the monkey bars on the playground at school and broke his left arm. So.... we had to order a special waterproof cover so he could still go swimming. The DRY-PRO saved the day for him! What a beautiful place God created there! I have never seen water so blue or the sand so white. The kids got to snorkel for the first time and saw some awesome sea life so close in to the shore. The Sesame Street characters are there and the younger kids got a kick out of seeing them and getting their pictures with them. So cute! The first week of June Olivia and Caroline went to Zoe Camp and had a great experience with the Lord! They saw friends of theirs come to the Lord to be saved and rejoiced in what the Spirit was doing in their own lives as well. What a great blessing! As I write this, Olivia is on yet another trip to Costa Rica on a mission with a group from our church. I am praying that the Lord will give her some great experiences while she is there evangelizing. My little girl is growing up into a beautiful young woman, and even though it is hard to see her grow up before my eyes, I feel so truly blessed because the Lord so has His hand on her and is continuing to draw her closer to Him in so many ways. In about three more weeks we will all head out in the car again for our yearly trip to Morth Carolina. This year my parents are going to come down and stay with us the first week, and then Mark's parents and family are coming down the second week. We have so many great memories of North Carolina over the years, and the kids always look so forward to this time at the coast with family. After that, we will be home for a few weeks, and then believe it or not, school will be starting on August 15th for Olivia. Summer usually flies by so fast. I just cherish these times with my family. God has so blessed us and we are so grateful that we still both have our parents and the kids have their grandparents. Here's some pics from the last few months of our trips and all...........

Fall Fun!!!

Here's some pics from some of the fall fun we have had over the last month, including fieldtrips to Shaw Nature Preserve, a family trip to Eckert's for apple and pumpkin picking, football, cross country, soccer, volleyball, and then carving our jack-o-lanterns and trick or treat. Happy Harvest! (I really hate all the junk that goes with Halloween, but I love this colorful harvest time that is so full of wonderful sights, smells and tastes! And of course the chill in the air and the frost on the ground that starts the usher in of the change of seasons. I love God's variety and how it makes each season so special, and how we are always ready for the change!!! He could have just made the seasons change overnight and have the leaves fall off brown, but He chose to make it so beautiful just for us to enjoy!! He decided to paint us a masterpiece of color!!! What an awesome God we have!!

The more I seek you.........

This has been one of those times when I feel the Lord is growing me with patience, trust and perseverance. I have been doing a study with a group of about 10 girls in our women's Rejoice bible study, and it is called the Frazzled Female!! How fitting! So many days I feel very frazzled. Trying to balance my time seems to be the reoccurring struggle. How do we do that and still find time for our husbands, children, housework, errands, friends, and self??? And every mom knows that self almost always comes last. Well, God continues to show me that as long as I give HIm the first fruits of my day- and that means to get up at the crack of dawn -- even if it is just 10-15 minutes before the rest of the house begins to wake up, it will make a world of difference in how my attitude for the day will unravel. I have also learned that if I don't get that time in the morning, then I still try to focus on Him through out the day in my thoughts or with the music I listen to, or in my countenance with my family and friends. I have learned that the day will not be a total loss and I don't need to be ridden with guilt if I was not able to be alone in His Word in the morning. If I can find a quiet moment when it's nap time or while I am waiting in carpool line I can still have some time with the Lord in my thoughts and prayers. He has shown me that I don't have to be frazzled if I am focused on Him and how His Spirit is leading me. That has been so comforting. I just wanted to share that with who ever may be reading this. He is my everything, and without Him, I am nothing!!!

Yea for fall!!!

Here we go- one more week of fall sports to go and then we get a little break. Olivia has been running cross country, Caroline has been playing volleyball, Andrew has been playing football, and Lizzie has been playing soccer. Football and volleyball are two practices a week, soccer is one time a week, and cross country is every day after school. That is a lot of practices- and a lot of time in our car. Our car has become our home away from home. Movies, snacks, homework, soccer chairs, backpacks, coffees, more snacks, and lots of trash and crumbs line the floor of my truck right now. Then, of course there are the games every weekend on both Saturday and Sunday.I am so proud of them all for being so devoted with their practices and games, but we are ready to rest for a while and catch our breath!I am so ready for the weather to turn this year- today was the first day of cooler temps and it feels great!!! Fall at our home is birthday season too. I turned 43 on October 11th, Caroline just turned 13 on October 16th(I now have two teenagers), Andrew will be 10 on Nov. 15th and Hannah will be 5 on Nov. 20th!! It is so wild to have a daughter that will be learning to drive next semester, and to have a little guy running around in diapers yet! And I mean running!! Nathan is into everything!! He is so fast and determined!! Wow does he keep me on my toes!! here's some more pics to enjoy!!!