quick pic

Just a quick picture today of my "little sister," Lauren, in a tree. :) She rescued me yesterday and gave up spending the day with her best friend to come over and babysit for me so I could run over to see my mom, family, and friends for a little while. Thanks, Lauren!! :)

faithful servant

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Acts 20:24

And that is what my grandfather did. He was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a son, a brother, a friend, a doctor, a hero, a missionary, but first and always he was a servant of God. He brought glory to his Father in everything that he did. He was kind, gentle, loving, generous and so many more words that I could add.

My grandfather and me when I was 8(?) months old.

He always LOVED working outside. And he LOVED homegrown fruits and veggies! :) His tomatos were always the best. I would sometimes eat two whole tomatos just for a snack. Although, not when I was as little as I am in this picture. :)

He loved to laugh and try to make me laugh with him.

I love how he's holding my little hand here. :) I have no idea where this picture was taken...but I think it was from our trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Kenya, where they were missionaries.

Can you tell which of his four daughters is my mother? :)



He loved one woman more and more every day of the almost 67 years that he and my grandmother were married. When he first started getting alzheimer's he told my grandmother, "I don't know why you have to take care of me when all I've ever wanted to do is take care of you." Even after Alzeimer's had taken most of his memory, he still loved to sit and hold her hand or put his head on her shoulder. He was always a gentleman to her. He loved to plant gardents of fruits and veggies where ever they lived and always made sure to include a bed of sweet smelling roses for my grandmother at each of the 40+ houses they lived in over their lives together. (Ask my grandma and she will gladly tell you the exact number of houses and the location of each one! :)

My Grandma loved him back just as much. This is a peom she had written for him some time ago. It was on the front of the program for his funeral yesterday.




A Lasting Love

All our years together shine,
Each one a luminous star
Against the dark blue background of time.
How fine a thing -
Two lives knit in one,
God's plan -
Watching the leaves bud and fall;
Quiet dawns give way
To noontide's blaze -
Then suddenly evening's haze -
God's Hand.
Hearing the music of the other's soul;
Blending our songs in praise,
Embracing our days with gladness
Learning God's way;
Finding together high adventure
On the common road -
Knowing the deepening joy
Of a lasting love.

~ Virginia Brown

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:6-8


http://www.legacy.com/knoxnews/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=118682951

trip to the zoo

Tuesdays are my most…um…quiet days of the week. The girls have homeschool classes that day so it’s just the baby and me. Since we don’t go anywhere very often, I tend to get a little bored with just one kiddo to watch after! This past Tuesday though, we got to get out and go to the zoo, just the two of us! It was so much fun to be out with just my baby and he loved seeing all the animals. I let him out of the stroller most of the time and just let him run and wander his way around. I think he enjoyed all the leaves on the ground, the patch of painted pumpkins, and the signs and recycling bins along the paths that made great sounds when you bang on them, the most! :) I took my camera but forgot it in the car and decided not to go back out and get it once we were there which turned out just as well since my memory card was back here at home in my computer! At least I had my cell phone with me so I did get a couple pictures while we were there.

This was inside the new frog exhibit. There were all kinds of frogs and bugs and the biggest centipede/millipede/something along that line thing I had ever seen! Eww! Most of the time in this building was spent answering my baby's many "Wha's 'at??" questions. :)

It's a "lurlle"!! I love the way he says turtle. :) He loves turtles and points them out whenever he sees a picture of one, so he looved being able to see one this close up - and even sit on it! :)

The weather was so perfect for being out! I LOVE fall and it was fun to be out and see animals from God's creation that we don't see every day. :)

a very full weekend

Every October for the past several years, I have had Michael's nieces and nephew come stay with me while their parents go to a board meeting for the Christian camp they run during the summer. We all look forward to this weekend together and I enjoy planning fun things to do with the kids. This year, though, I had a bit of help planning the activities, as you will see! :)

Lauren has gotten to know the Brown kids over the past year so I borrowed her for the weekend to hang out with us. The four Brown kids came Friday morning, so for the day I had 8 kiddos! (The baby was asleep at this point.) The weather has been beautiful so we played outside all afternoon. Everyone got along well and the older kids helped out with the younger kids.

Friday night, Wendy and Dinny offered to have a bonfire in the back yard where we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. (yum!!) They also pulled the TV out on the back patio and we all watched Over the Hedge together. By the end, everyone was snuggled up under blankets, but it was a perfect fall evening activity and everyone loved it!

On Saturday, it has become tradition that Uncle Mike comes and hangs out with us for the day. We had been working on some plans to take the kids up to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlingburg area but our plans changed slightly with the gift of some free tickets thanks to my girls' dad having a vet clinic and knowing lots of people in the area! We kept everything a secret until we got to each place and the kids were properly excited at each stop. :)

First stop was the Ripley's Aquarium! Here are Emily, Claire, and Lauren going through the aquarium tunnel. This was probably their favorite part of the aquarium.

Next stop was an old time photo shop. They had so much fun dressing up in the old clothes! :) The man in charge kept calling me "Mama", Uncle Mike "Pops", Lauren "the Boss", and Evan "Little Man", which totally cracked the kids up! :)

Our final destination, and probably the biggest hit of the day was Dollywood!!! The Brown kids had never been there and couldn't believe we were getting to go! Here we are about to get on the River Rampage ride...where we all pretty much got thoroughly soaked!!

Ok, I LOVE this picture! :) It makes me laugh every time I look at it. This was a new ride. Lauren said she would ride it if Abby would. Michael said it was a little more intense than he thought it would be but he was too busy laughing at Lauren squealing and screaming to bother screaming himself! :) There were about 20 seats like this in a circle and it spun around while going back and forth on a structure shaped like an empty watermelon slice. (The only way I can think to describe it...)

After a fabulous time at Dollywood, complete with a treat of funnel cakes from Uncle Mike, we all came back to my place to order pizza. As an added bonus for me, one of my former roomates from college was in the area for our college's homecoming and spent the night with us! My little apartment was nice and packed with people everywhere! I loved it! :)

Anita, my roomate from my sophomore year of college. We always have a blast together! Her visit was way too short and we stayed up way too late just talking!

We had a very busy, action packed weekend but it was great to get to spend time with some of my favorite kiddos and it went by altogether too quickly!! Ok, and that being said...I am off to BED!!!

i love...

my baby!! :)

fairy

My friend, Mrs. T., has a blog and just the other day posted a picture of a fairy house that her girls had made outside, including a little pond made out of a leaf with little rocks surrounding it. It was so cute and I can't wait to tell my girls about fairy houses and help them make one of their own. But for now, Mrs. T, my oldest found a fairy to live in your fairy house! (I had just taken this picture the morning I read your blog!) :)

birthday girl

Yesterday was my middle child's birthday. She is now four years old. What a difference two and a half years make!! See for yourself...

This is the first picture I took of her. She was eating a cupcake and loved the icing! :) She was 16 months old. Still a baby, but I can see all the personality in her eyes! :)

This was her second birthday. She was growing so much and most definitely went through the "terrible two's" stage. For a while, it seemed she was sitting on the "naughty steps" several times a day. Some days she wore me out, but when she wasn't wearing me out, she was cracking me up!

This was from last year when she turned three. Her face was beginning to look not quite as babyish and she was no longer the baby in the family by this time.

Now she is four. She has reached so many milestones in the two and a half years that I have been here. She is a great big sister and loves her baby brother so much. She and her older sister are best friends and play together very well (ok, most of the time anyways!). :) She is still full of personality and still cracks me up, and thankfully, trips to the "naughty steps" are MUCH less frequent!

I love the way she is eager to "talk to Jesus" before every meal. The way she will sing songs from our "butterfly cd" (Steve Green's Hide'Em In Your Heart CD) while she's playing. The way she loves to dress up in her princess dresses and dance to SCC's Cinderella song. The way she wrinkles her nose when she grins her silly grin and how much expression she can convey in those big, blue eyes!

Middle child, you are growing so fast but for now, I will remember to enjoy giving you "daily squeezes" as you and your sister call them and reading books with you snuggled up on my lap. So happy birthday, my middle child! I'm so glad God has brought you into my life and I can't imagine not getting to see you every morning. I will always be praying that you will continue learning about Jesus and how much He loves you and that you will grow up to love Him and bring Him glory in all that you do. I love you! :)