New Place...Great Space!

Well, we are completely moved out of the old house and moved into the new one. We really, really love it! I'm pretty sure we have only had one night that we had no company, and if you know me well, you know I dig that. I tell ya...God has sure blessed us with some amazing friends all over this nation, but family is family!

The boys are having a wonderful time running between our house and Aunt Rebekah's, playing with their cousins.

In the morning, the cows in the pasture come up behind our house to eat. I can lay in my bed and watch them. Now, I never thought I would be into watching some cows graze, but there is something very calming about it!

OH! Pause for a funny story...we moved in on Saturday, and on Sunday morning, I hear this very shrill and strange sound. I think to myself, "Is this what cows sound like and I never knew?" So I come to the living room and see Alexander out on the back deck and Garrison inside laughing hysterically. Turns out, it was Alex trying to sound like a wolf to scare the cows away. Let me just say that he did not sound like what I think a wolf sounds like, and the cows didn't mind him much. We all got a nice gut-wrenching laugh out of it though!

So anyway, we are enjoying life here on the "prairie." Okay, well, it's the closest thing to it I've ever known! It's peaceful and beautiful, with great sunsets as I fix dinner. AND, we are still close to all the fun stuff.

We have our first houseguests right now...Wendy, Nicole, and Hunter from where we used to live. We always have loads of laughs together.

Laura has been down every weekend since we moved. I told her she doesn't count as a houseguest....she's family! Seriously, she has been such a blessing and help getting things settled, along with many family members and friends here. We were just so very thankful for all the people that showed up to help us move and settle things.

Tom's new company is another huge blessing. We see him so much now! He is much more relaxed and happy again! Where before we never knew if we were going to see him at night...now he is saying, "I gotta find some work to do today!" What a change that is!

We have been attending the church Tom's sister goes to about 30 minutes away. I'm thankful we didn't have to wait months to find a place. We prayed and fasted, and God has been confirming so many things with very specific words of knowledge. I love when He does that. Things that there is no way these people could have known...we just know the Lord is speaking to us through them and through His Word. We are right where we need to be, and we are learning a lot about many things. Mostly, the Lord is really delivering us from religious bondage and strongholds in our minds, as well as healing me from some very deep hurts.

The set-up of this church is different than any we have been to before. The kids over age five stay in the service with their parents. I thought this may be a problem at first, but my boys love it! The Pastor likes to present things in funny and creative ways and somehow it keeps the attention of all ages.

The mid-week get-togethers alternate between a home group and a seperate men's/women's/children's class. But, even at the home group, the children stay in and families participate together. It was a very neat experience! I love that the leaders have such a vision for entire families in the community. I'm very thankful for the changes and the new road ahead for us!

I continue to work on putting everything in its place and boy does that take some serious time! But, already, everything is shaping up very beautiful and inviting, and I look forward to many happy moments of nurturing here!

A sad note to update you all on little Brendon...our five-year-old friend from our previous church. In the early moments of yesterday, Brendon passed on. I cannot even fathom the gaping hole in his parent's heart right now. I try to imagine one of my boys no longer in my home and how I would possibly get up and get going each day...or try to imagine how two of my boys would make it without the third and I just cannot. They would be heartbroken and a piece of them just missing. The only comfort I find right now is that God knows EXACTLY what it is like to give up a son and He can, and I believe will, minister healing to them.

I know that no words can really comfort the hurt, but I pray continually that somehow God's peace would envelope this sweet family. Please pray in agreement with me.

Garrison's Shining Moment!

Okay...so I was looking back over the blog entries and noticed that Garrison hasn't gotten a lot of coverage on here! I'm sorry for that Garrison. I really am!

There's really no good excuse. The only legitimate reasons I can think of is that you talk correctly and you behave most all the time, so I don't really have a lot of stories on you Bub!

HOWEVER...I am going to stop the presses and make this a biggie!

I am going to brag on my awesome first-born...and this time, it's not because he is brilliant or caring...even though he is both of those things! Not because he is the most tender-hearted kid toward the Holy Spirit that I know.

No...I want the world to know how happy I am for my boy because last Saturday he scored a touchdown for his football team! BUT WAIT....not just any touchdown. He scored the ONLY one of the game and led his team to their first victory!!!


Now, what I am really sad to say is that his dad and I weren't even there to see it! We were away for the weekend, and Laura kept the boys for us. Thankfully, being the AWESOME big "sister" that she is, she had the camera ready!!!

Here is a picture of our star!

I guess they picked him up and everything! Man....I still can't believe I missed it!

It reminded me of when he was a baby, after I had been alone with him for months while his daddy was at sea...coaxing him to walk....what does he do???? He takes his first steps for his daddy while I am upstairs!

Oh well, there's always this Saturday, right!!!