He made all thing new

It's been quite some time since my last post and to be honest with you, I haven't been inspired to write until now. I started this blog to keep my family and friends updated on our day to day news but Facebook came into the picture and has hogged most of my "blog" time. With today being Easter, I have spent a lot of the day reflecting. We watched The Passion of the Christ and there was something that 'Jesus' said, "I make all things new." What better time to start a dedication to blogging than today when Christ gave me a fresh start. It may sound corny but blogging was once a big part of my life and I have longed for the creative outlet that it had granted me. Therefor I am publicly announcing a re-commitment to blogging.

With that said...let me jump back to my reflecting that I was mentioning. My kids have asked me about the Trinity, how Jesus can be God and vice versa. I 'borrowed' what my former pastor, Chap. Brown said once about Jesus being a Son, just like he was someone's son and Him being the Father just like he (Lee) was a father. I have always liked that explanation but just today I came to the realization of a different kind.

Throughout the Old Testament it is written that God can not be looked upon (ie. The burning bush or hidden behind the temple curtain). Humans use their five senses to judge their surroundings. So for our human brains to fully grasp who God is, He had to engage our senses... sight, touch, hear. He became flesh. He put skin on so we could finally look upon His face. I know this is not a new concept but it's one that I myself, have just begun to understand. God wanted to personalize himself, to make himself more approachable, and so that a relationship with Him would be attainable. Like I said before, we're human, we need our senses to judge what is real. We have to fit our "reality" inside of a box and test it against those senses. The God of the Old Testament was out of reach, behind the curtain. When Jesus came it was like He said, "Here I am, See Me, Feel Me, Hear Me. I AM real and I'm here for YOU."

As I close this first post in many months, I want you to think of Jesus, God with skin on and what was the reason for his descent to the earth from His Heavenly throne. You.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27

Happy Thanksgiving!

My mom and RT came for a visit during Thanksgiving. It was a real treat to share our first turkey day back in the states with them. It was such an awesome day...very relaxing since I made most of the food a day ahead of time. I was able to enjoy the parade (YAY!) and made a scrumptious turkey. I'm so thankful for the many blessings I have and FAMILY is at the top of that list!

From white belt to yellow belt

Logan has graduated to a yellow belt in his karate class. We're very proud of him! He has shown tremendous growth in the 3 months that he's been attending. He has shown great focus and concentration in learning karate.

Fighting stance

His teacher, Mike Cassie, has been such a blessing. He is stern with the kids but it's what is needed when instructing them on how to protect themselves. They snap to attention like little soldiers at the sound of his voice. He teaches them discipline and respect for themselves and one another.

Logan and his buddy, Duke. They started the same day and made yellow belt at the same time. These guys are two peas in a pod who sometimes get into trouble because they try to make each other laugh all the time. Duke always has a smile on his face especially when the teacher requires him to look tough. It's the funniest thing!

Trunk or Treat!

Halloween night was our trunk or treat at church. What-a-crowd! It was a bit chilly out but I was happy to not sweat for once on Halloween! The boys enjoyed checking out their loot although for Ryland it was everytime that someone put it in his bucket. He thought he had to eat every piece right away! Our truck was decorate in a Navy theme. I carved 8 pumpkins! That's gotta be a record for one person, if not, than it's one for me!

A battleship in the moonlight

The Amys...hey that would be a great name for a rock band! Amy was my Navy cheerleader as she was wearing the traditional Navy colors of gold and blue. If you notice the pumpkin in the back that says Anchors Aweigh...I did not spell that wrong. I received a lot of comments about that but that's how it's spelled in the song....I swear!

I had to pry this child off of this ride. He kept trying to escape and run back to it. My guess is that he liked it....;-)

The kiddos had more fun passing out the candy than collecting their own. I had to keep a watch on Logan, his serving was a fistful and Tyler's was one piece.

Casting Crowns

Casting Crowns was one of the first Christian bands that I listened to when I became a Christian 5 years ago. I had the opportunity to see them when they were in Memphis thanks to my mother in law for buying the tickets AND my sister for watching the kids. It was an awesome concert and I received a renewing of my faith because of it. Listening to the music live was like being transported back in time to my "baby" Christian days. I'm so blessed to have had this experience. They will forever be one of my favorite bands.

A visit with family

My sister came to stay with us during the week of Logan's birthday. The cousins meshed so well together. The little ones followed each other everywhere and the big ones...well let's just say that Logan was the leader of the pack. We had the pleasure of taking them around Memphis to see the many fun spots that we have enjoyed such as the Children's Museum, the zoo and the Firehouse museum. We even had a chance to dress up in halloween costumes and attend the annual Zoo Boo. I think that they had more fun just being together and playing.

This is just a snippet of our week together. There are many more photos in the web album.

Wii party for Logan

Logan turns 7!!

We celebrated Logan's birthday with a Wii marathon. His cousins came all the way from NC and he was also joined by old and new friends to help him celebrate his special day. Who needs birthday games when a Wii is around? Not these kids! We couldn't pry them away from it for the cake!

Happy Birthday Logan!! We love you!!!