Our Week in Pictures

Sunday~Lunch at Beto's

Monday~was our stay in our pjs and relax day. 

Tuesday~Supporting Joy

Wednesday~SpiderLucas NinjaTurtle 

Thursday~Thanksgiving 

Friday~Lucas is in the Christmas spirit!

Saturday~Lucas sack hopping with a trash bag. 

And Alabama won big in the Iron Bowl tonight! Up next is the SEC Championship! Roll Tide!!!!

Christmas Trees

     After Thanksgiving lunch, we put up and decorated our Christmas trees. We started with the boys' trees because they were extra excited about the new trees we had bought for them on Wednesday night. Lucas chose a teal tree, and Logan chose a blue tree. I really, really dislike "colored" Christmas trees. I think they should all be green, but Daddy said they could get whatever small tree they wanted. So I rolled with it. Honestly, now that they are decorated, they look a lot better than they did in Walmart and when we first took them out of the box. The boys love them and that is all that matters. They loved that Grammie and Pepaw helped them decorate their trees.

     Then my dad helped Joshua put our tree up in the den. We had to get a new tree for the den this year too. The boys and I decorated it. Joshua put the star on top. And then we started a fire and enjoyed the fire and Christmas lights. It was a beautiful end to Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving

     We had a nice, quiet, relaxing Thanksgiving at home yesterday. It's was just my dad, Joshua, the boys and I for most of the day. Although Grammie did get to spend a couple of hours with us. We were unable to talk to Uncle Josh yesterday, but he did call us this afternoon. The boys left a message for Aunt Calli, and they FaceTimed with Joshua's parents. I cooked the entire Thanksgiving dinner which was a first for me. I had never cooked a turkey or cornbread dressing before, but it all came out delicious. The only thing that flopped was my gravy. I hadn't planned on making gravy until my dad asked for it. I added some flour to the turkey dripping and salt and peppered it, but it was lumpy. My dad ate and said it good, but I doubt he would tell me it was bad even if it was the worst gravy he had ever tasted. My mission for next year is to be able to make good gravy. When we sat down to eat, we went around and said one thing we were thankful for. The boys both said they were thankful for the food. Joshua and Dad said they were thankful for our family. I said I was thankful for Logan's salvation. Then Lucas blessed our food, and we ate. The boys were super excited because I made cranberry pineapple punch, and I let them drink out of wine glasses.

     My day started in tears around 1:30am because I was missing our baby girl. Then I decided to just get up, so I wouldn't bother Joshua. I ended up doing some online black Friday shopping as the email adds popped up. I took a nap from 6:30 until 8:00. Then I got up, showered, dressed, and started cooking. I was sad throughout the day, but really I'm thankful we had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. Low key was really what I needed. This year has been hard, but the Lord has continually shown me that I have so many, many things to be thankful for.

     "Rejoice always, 

Pray continually.

Give thanks in all circumstances;

For this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

*Lucas is shooting his Spiderman webs in this picture. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Boys' Gratitude List

Logan is thankful for:

• God and Jesus
• I'm a Christian (Logan)
• my family
• my house
• food

Lucas is thankful for:

• Logan
• Mom and Dad
• Christmas tree
• Me (Lucas)
• my house

We Love Joy!

     We were excited last week when our Run for Joy shirts came in, and we were excited to wear them today. Joy's mom and dad along with some friends are running in a relay race to help raise money for Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. Joy has been one of their champion patients in the past. You can donate to Scottish Rite on Joy's behalf by clicking on this link. When you click the donate button, it will come up Scott Jeffries fund.

     Joy has been through some many medical things in her little life, but through it all she has lived up to her name. She is a true joy! Joy and her sisters, Grace and Lilly, are like sisters to my boys. They are friends that feel more like family, and we love them so much!

"The joy of the Lord is my strength." 

Nehemiah 8:10 

He is Not Surprised

     Honestly, I've been struggling again since that positive pregnancy test popped up on my TimeHop feed. And I've been dreading each major holiday since my due date because it would've been Liana's first Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc. The thirty days of thankfulness that I've been posting on Facebook has been so helpful for me. To focus on what I have, and try to not focus so much on the fact that I should have my baby girl right now, and I don't. I have been working so hard at staying in the Word, and giving my sorrow to the Lord.

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

I Peter 5:7 (NIV)

     When you hear something one than once, you know it's time to listen up. Yesterday in Sunday school, a couple was sharing their testimony of moving Texas and how things haven't worked out the way they thought. Then Brice said, "God was not surprised by those things. You were, but He wasn't." It brought tears to my eyes, and a few tears escaped during our closing prayer.

     Then this morning as I was reading Chapter 3 on the goodness of God in Max Lucado's Before Amen, and there it was again on the top of pp. 24. "He's never surprised. He has never, ever uttered the phrase 'How did that happen?'".

     That morning when we couldn't find Liana's heart beat, and then confirmed with a sonogram that her heart wasn't beating. I was surprised. Stunned. Blindsided.

     But God wasn't. He knew before time began that I would be sitting in that exam room when my world would fall apart. He knew the moment when her heart would stop beating. He knew exactly how much time we would have her.  He knew I would still be struggling all these months later. He wasn't surprised by the depths of my emotions or the immensity of my grief.

     He was good a year ago, when we were eagerly anticipating the arrival of our baby. He was good ten months ago, when I didn't hear my baby's heart beat. And He's still good today when I feel like I'll be swallowed whole by my sadness and grief.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

His faithful love endures forever."

Psalm 136:1 (NLT)

     There are a lot of things I am thankful for:

• my husband.
• my boys.
• God's goodness. 
• His faithfulness.
• my list could go on and on.

But, today, I am most thankful that He is never, ever surprised.

"Only I can tell you the future before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish."
Isaiah 46:10 (NLT)

Children's Choir Performance

     Today the children's choir sang two songs, The Great Commission and He is King. Logan had a duet with a friend on He is King. The choir was amazing as always! We appreciate Miss Karice and all her hard work with the kids!

Our Week in Pictures

Sunday~Lunch at Brooklyn's Best Pizza

Monday~Play time

Tuesday~First Fire 

Wednesday~rodeo night at AWANA

Thursday~play time with Cadence and Duncan 

Friday~Parents Night Out at Matthew Road Baptist Church 

The boys loved the Thanksgiving crafts! 

Saturday~pancakes and pjs to celebrate Avery's birthday

Lunch Date

     I had a lunch date with one of the cutest little boys I know today. We went to Chick-fil-A, and had chicken nuggets, waffle fries, and sweet tea. Lucas made a friend in the play area. He was a little younger than Lucas, but they played great together. He followed Lucas everywhere, and did what Lucas wanted to do. Lucas ate that up. Being the little brother, he normally does the following. When we left, Lucas went back to say goodbye and the little boy gave him the biggest hug. It was so sweet!

AWANA Rodeo Night

Lucas's Thanksgiving Feast

     This morning for the first time ever, I went to a school Thanksgiving Feast, and was able to focus solely on my child. It was so refreshing. Lucas told me all about his day as we were eating. And Lucas actually ate pretty well. He ate things he tells me are yucky at home. They made the cutest place mats that included words his teachers used to described him. Ms. Pat said Lucas is obedient, fun, good listener, hard worker, and friendly. Ms. Christy said Lucas is sweet, good listener, enthusiastic, courteous, and easy-going. After the feast, I brought Lucas home with me for a couple of hours together because Logan gets home. I'm thankful for my lil Lucas and our time together. I'm thankful for UME because they gave me this time back with my family.