Sweet Summertime

July 3rd was my 31st birthday...and the day Judah turned 7 months old.

Thankful to share my birthday with this little man!

He is crawling...EVERYWHERE!

Hannah and Judah at the 4th of July neighborhood parade

Love these sweet smiles

Enjoying Shelby Farms Playground

Hold on tight!

The sand box at the Children's Museum is as close as we have come to the beach this summer...

Judah found out sand doesn't taste very good - YUCK!

Don't worry I let him wash it down with a snow cone

(Must be a third child - ha!)

At Andy B's waiting to bowl with friends

"Look at my muscles! I'm so strong!"

I love Reece's photo bomb in both these pictures!

2 Silly Peas in a Pod

Brothers playing legos together ((heart melting))

Sometimes I turn around and I can't believe how BIG he looks!

Hannah looks so big on her bike!

Judah loves chilling in the pool.

Thankful for gracious neighbors who let us come and swim any time!

"Mom, I need a nail to fix my treehouse."

When you don't live near a water park you make your own!

Benjamin pretending to be "captain of the ship"

I love his imagination!

Monkey See...Monkey Do

"I will call him...Legs"

"Judah...say 'cheese'!"

Jerry's snow cones with Nana and Pops

More sweet treats...Isn't that what grandparents are for?!

My parents came to visit 

It's always nice to have real "face time" with them : )

At the pool with Mimi

Grandy reading Benjamin the story of the Good Samaritan.

This was my favorite parable when I was a child 

Frank and I enjoyed a nice Bed and Breakfast in Mississippi for our 10 year wedding anniversary. Thanks mom and dad for watching the kiddos while we had a much needed getaway : )

We attempted to remake this wedding picture...

Frank nailed it...I tried - ha!

Benjamin enjoyed a fun week of zoo camp 

Thanks Nana and Pops!

This was right up his alley - he is such an animal lover!

It was so fun to hear all his new animal facts when he got home each day.

Meanwhile at home, Hannah and I played "tea party"

My Mom and I had a real tea party at the Peabody Hotel to celebrate her birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! 

We resumed our Kids Era Study and looked at the Exodus Era and the life of Moses. To find out more about resources I have put together including Pinterest Boards for each Era, check out my Kids Era Study blog HERE.

As we read about the Passover the kids painted the doorposts.

I'm sure our neighbors have been wondering what this means : )

Maybe we will have an opportunity to share

I also had the privilage of speaking at Iva May's Chronological Bible Teaching Conference. To hear the audio of my breakout session click HERE.

Our Foster Journey

Our family welcomed two precious foster children into our home from April - July. During this time I took a break from blogging as our family adjusted to a change of pace and maintained the kids' privacy. As a family we experienced triumphs and setbacks, joy and sorrow, passion and heartbreak, and everything in between.

God really spoke to my heart during this difficult season as my "pinterest-perfect" train was derailed...you know, the one that has a clean house, fun activities planned for the kids, healthy meals on the table, and a thriving marriage. I am an achiever, planner, and an organizer at my core. I like to always be in control and know what is coming next. Foster care stretched me and challenged me in ways I never thought possible. I learned that your "success" as a foster parent is not measured by your capacity to keep everything in order; it's determined by your ability to trust that even in the chaos Jesus is in control! 

We had the amazing privilege to teach these sweet kids about Jesus, read the Bible to them, sing songs to them about God's love, and pray over them each day. One even prayed to receive Christ and Frank got to baptize him in a private service at our church. They may not remember all the people who brought us meals, clothes, toys or helped us with childcare, housework, and lifted them up to our Heavenly Father...But I know they will never forget what it felt like to be loved on, cared for, and covered in prayer by the Church body. We are deeply grateful for each of you who were the hands and feet of Jesus to our family during this time! It was humbling to be on the receiving end of so much ministry knowing there is no way we could ever repay you for your kindness...but isn't that what the Gospel is all about?!

I can't say that foster care is for everyone...or that we are devoting the rest of our lives to this...or that all kids will do well with foster siblings...or that it is easy...or that I even have enough experience to say anything definitive on this topic! But I can say this: We are super impressed with how our kids responded. We are so proud of them and more in love with them than ever. We love how our whole family pulled together to serve as a team. 

Y'all, this parenting thing is hard and holy work. It tears us apart and puts us together again. I am not even close to being a perfect parent...but I can point my children the the only One who is! He is our good good Father : )