A holy mission

The mom's bible study group I am in at church right now has been reading through Shepherding a Child's Heart  by Tedd Tripp. This is not the first time I have read this book. I remember reading it in college for one of my education classes and thought it was a good book, but not having kids then, I didn't have a way to apply what I was learning. So reading it this time around has been so helpful and I have been able to use what I am learning. This week has been a little more challenging with my precious/strong willed firstborn. Maybe it was because Ray was out of town for a few days, maybe because his routine was a little off, maybe just because he is a sinner...who knows, but anyway I have found myself diving deep into this book this week and what scripture says on how to discipline our children because I have desperately needed it. 

Just a few things I have learned that might help you too if you are in the midst of these parenting years. 

1. Discipline----a holy mission that God has me on. Wow, never thought it to be very holy, maybe because my attitude isn't always right when I am doing the disciplining. Do I ever react with unholy anger? Guilty here. 

2. God's agent--Ray and I are God's agents for Finley and Cohen. We didn't write our own job description for how we are to parent. God has defined the task, given the job description, and we are just to act on His behalf.  Genesis 18:19 "I have chosen him ( Abraham) , so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just."

3. Restoration---My goal as a parent should be to bring restoration to my child's life. Restoration with God because they have not sinned against me when they have done something wrong, but against a holy God. So when our kids step out of the circle of blessing and long life, it is our job as their parents to help restore them back into that circle. Proverbs 19:18 " The discipline of a child is a parent refusing to be a willing party to his child's death."

4. Goals---parents have all kinds of goals for their kids and therefore they put them in different situations in hope that those goals are achieved. I am praying right now about the short term and long term goals I want for my boys. I know that at the top though we will begin with this....

I want Finley and Cohen to GLORIFY GOD and ENJOY HIM FOREVER.

I am only on chapter 6 so I  know I will have a lot more to learn. So for now I will continue to be consistent, I won't give up or back down, and I will remember that I have been called to a HOLY MISSION. 

I highly recommend this book for parents of any age children and I invite you too to come to our bible study of moms. I would be glad to give you more information if you are interested!

His First Love

Do you ever stop and take time to thank your mother n law for all she did to raise your husband? When you think about the fact that she was the one who taught him about life, love, and Jesus you can't help but be overcome with thanks. Being a parent now of 2 little boys makes me think of how the daily disciplines and values that I am trying to teach them are so important. Because one day they are going to be the leader in the home of 2 precious girls and I want them to love their wives like Christ loves the church, like their daddy loves their mommy.I want them to be other's centered, serving their wives, making them feel like a princess...everyday, because that's how their daddy serves their mommy.And I know this didn't start with me, it started in home about 30 years ago when my in laws determined to raise a little boy that loved Jesus, love his family, love others. I just get to enjoy the benefits! So this thought encourages me and pushes me on the days when I am so tired of disciplining my boys and trying to be consistent with how we raise them, because I know one day there will be 2 girls that will be so thankful and this one will be too!
The mother n law/ daughter n law relationship can be tricky at first , after all she was his first love, but time and understanding makes you realize that there are 2 women on this planet that want was is best for that one man and would do anything to make him happy.And so this has helped me in my role in raising boys, to know that I am just preparing them to one day love another woman and to love her well!
So, Ginny as we celebrate your birthday this weekend I want you to know how thankful I am for you and for all you did to help mold Ray into the man he is today, the father to our boys, and my prince charming. I would marry him 1000 times over because he loves me so well!!!!! He is my dream come true and amazes me everyday with how he serves and takes care of his family. Ginny, when you look back on your life and think of the accomplishments and success you have had I hope you look at motherhood as your greatest :) ...and I know Ray Sr. had a part in it too :) make sure you read that to him!
Happy Birthday to the woman who raised my wonderful husband, who loves me as her first daughter, and spoils her grand kids...with candy! ha! Just kidding!
I love you! Glad we could celebrate YOU this weekend!

Birthday dinner...steak...yummy!

Dreams and Desires Refined

It was one year ago this month that God began charting a new path for me to take, and this week I have been thanking Him over and over again for allowing me to fulfill a dream of being a stay at home mom! Last night I was looking back at my calendar from last year( trying to figure out some info for taxes) I looked at March, April ,May, etc..and I thought how in the world did I keep up? and that was just it, I wasn't able to. I felt like I was failing at everything that I was involved in. A miserable feeling! So in June I started my new role of staying home with my boys ALL DAY! Transitions are always a little challenging, not only physically but also on the heart. But my sweet Jesus continued to work out all the details and we gradually slid into our new normal and have been sliding around in it ever since.
Sometimes I still can't believe that I get to wake up every morning and set a schedule for just me and my boys....such freedom! I don't ever want to take this for granted because I know very soon they will be in school and schedules will be shoved our way from all directions. So for now I will be thankful for our simple life playing with transformers, play dough  angry bird stuffed animals and mac and cheese for lunch- Finley:) and for Cohen , we are all about balls( and if it is round at all, then it must be a ball and he thinks he needs it) and lots of holding and rocking with " my bankie" Even though some days it feels like I am just being a referee because I am in the middle of some discipline years, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I will embrace this season and all its joys!

Micah 6:8 He has shown you O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.

My sweet sons, this is my prayer for you!

The tablet of his heart

"Perhaps our greatest parenting challenge is figuring out how to write on the tablet of our son's heart. I mean just how is that going to happen? Will our words be enough? Will our lives measure up to our teaching? What if we sabotage our own efforts through sin and mistakes? And how will we know that the ink with which we write is permanent ink? Won't the world try to erase all we put in there?

I pray that i might mold the soft, pliable, spirit of my son's and engrave their soul with the markings of kindness and love. My prevailing ambition is to teach them about goodness and have them embrace it as their own, to show them loyalty and watch them become loyal, to give them grace and watch as they , in turn, gives it to others, and to introduce them to my Savior and have them choose Jesus for themselves.

I'm not sure how this transfer will happen. I must claim the truth of Proverbs 3 for my life- I cannot lean on my own understanding. Instead, I will trust in You. In every decision I make, I will seek You. I believe You will write on the tables of our children' hearts, even those things that we, in our humanness, are not able to impart.

Sometimes, the enormity of our task scares me. Our precious children. A mold able character . Therefore, we entrust this most valuable treasure into Your hands. By your wisdom and from your leading, they will know righteousness all the days of their lives. In Jesus name I pray,Amen."

Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name int he sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:3-6

-Prayers for my baby boy

From Scratch

"A cake is simultaneously refined and down-home, and by its very construction, it towers above all the other desserts. It's no wonder why we put them on pedestals. And it's why cakes- more than cookies, more than pies, more than puddings or cobblers- are the ultimate expression of love and celebration. Cakes mark special occasions. Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, grand events. My grandmother made a cake nearly every Saturday. For her, all of life was a special occasion. The process, for anyone who cares to take it on, is still the same. Slow. Deliberate. But the result is always a masterpiece."

One summer between my college years I found myself working 2 jobs and baking cakes. I am not sure how I began to sell the cakes I was baking, but by the end of that summer I had made approximately 50 cakes. 3 kinds to choose from...cream cheese poundcake, lemon poundcake, chocolate poundcake. My dad said I was going to have to buy them a new oven with my money I was making because I was going to wear it out and mom was a little worried about her kitchen aid mixer:) But like all supportive parents they encouraged me all the way as I baked into the late hours of the night after I would get home from work. I learned so much that summer in the kitchen. It became my new classroom. Those poundcakes sparked a desire in me to have a bakery / coffee shop one day. My mom and I would dream about how I could decorate it...coffee mugs from various places. I remember going to one of the pottery shops that summer and looking at the coffee cups and thinking about which ones I would like to have in my shop. Just a few months ago I found a box that had been stored away at my parents filled with bundt pans, a sifter, and a card that said...my poundcake baker. All these items my mom had purchased at antique shops that summer and had given them to me for to use in my bakery one day. Well that has been about 10 years ago now and I have made some poundcakes since then...for birthdays and just everyday celebrations,but I haven't pursued the dream of my bakery. Who knows if I ever will? But it seems that everyone else that I read about started out small with just a desire, an idea, a dream, and then when they least expected it, it became a reality. So I might just have to do a little baking soon. Just to see if I still have it in me!

Feeling So Thankful...

It has been a while since I have posted anything and when I look back at the date of my last post I realize I became pregnant soon after that and I guess I just forgot about my ambitions to blog!!! who knows?!?! Oh well, I am back and hope to do a better job of keeping up with memories, thoughts, and journaling about my life with my boys.

Just feeling thankful tonight for these things...

My wonderful husband who loves me so much and works hard at work and at h0me. I am his biggest fan!! So thankful he is on my team!

My sweet Finley...he is growing up so fast and just amazes me at the things he knows and what he is learning.

My precious Cohen...6 months old already...his smile lights up the room!

My parents...who show up at my house with lunch on Sunday and say we will watch the boys, you go take a nap because you have been up all night with a teething baby. Wow! a wonderful surprise!

A crock pot...dinner is ready when I come home from work!
God's great power to heal broken hearts and "restore the years that locust have eaten."

a nephew that is on the way! I can't wait to be Aunt Nena:)

Friends..to share on this journey of life!

"every good and perfect gift is from above." What are you grateful for today?

Surprise Ray!

Ready for our 17 mile bike ride down the Virginia Creeper Trail

Here we come across the bridge!

time for a little stop to play on the rocks!

Finley, Gammy and Poppy at the Daniel Boone Inn in Boone, NC. We enjoyed a delicious lunch! Finley loved the mashed potatoes, green beans, corn and banana pudding!
A beautiful weekend in Blowing Rock. The weather was gorgeous. Finley, you enjoyed playing in the park in Blowing Rock.
Picnic in the park...we picked up supper from the Mellow Mushroom and enjoyed it in the park.
Finley, you are my favorite!!! I love you!

Happy Birthday Ray! This weekend had been planned for a long time and I was so glad that I was able to pull it off without you having a clue where we were going and that your parents were joining us. What a fun memory we made in Blowing Rock for your 28th birthday! I love you so much and so thankful for the wonderful husband God has blessed me with! I love to do things for you that make you happy and I am so glad that we were able to spend this weekend away and with your parents.