It was cow appreciation day at Chick-Fil-A last Friday so the kids and Aaron and I all dressed up and got free food! The Stewart's came along too. It was a great memory making night!(And a humbling one too!!) Left to Right: Jordan, Ben, James, Mea, Cecelia, Charlie and Savanna!
Jimmy turned two on July 14Th! I can't believe my baby is already two. I love each day with him. He is sweet and God's grace is being poured out on his life. Happy Birthday James. I love you to the moon and back! Each birthday morning daddy goes out and gets donuts for the kids. They love this tradition!

Aaron's mom wanted Jimmy to have a sand box for his birthday. So she sent Aaron the money and he built Jimmy a great sand box. He did such a great job and jimmy absolutely loves it! Thank you Gramma Dee-Dee! Since the John's are staying with us for several weeks this will come in very handy! They are already putting it to much use.

We celebrated with some cupcakes and ice cream. Jimmy loved blowing out his own candles.
Since the Johns are here there are 8 kids nine and under! Seven boys and only one girl!

After the party we headed off to Aaron's game. The kids had fun running around the empty fields. Daddy didn't have so much fun...they lost 19-9!

And finally big brother Charlie making sure Jimmy is safe walking through the parking lot! (actually I made them hold hands!)

Family Night

The kids loved family night last week. I used a friends chocolate fountain and the leftovers from a party and we had a little party of our own. Jimmy loved dipping his fruit in the chocolate. (We found several pieces that he dropped in on accident!) We also rented a cute movie and made a bed downstairs to cuddle while watching the movie! We are so blessed by our four little kiddos!

Pool fun in Sanibel

Here is some of the fun moments in Sanibel. Enjoy!

June

Aaron was trying to teach the kids what it means to repent and turn from our sins to God. He used the blue cup as God and the pink cup as Sin. The kids loved it. He used the little people boy to represent Charlie and Ben and the little people girl to represent Mea. It was fun.

Father's day craft with daddy!Mea and Charlie just finished vacation bible school. They loved daddy taking them each day.



Our Neighbor gave Jimmy a golf club from her garage sale...as you can see he absolutely loves it and won't go to bed without it!!

We have been loving the summer. Pool days and beach days have been so relaxing and fun. We are loving meeting friends at our pool and going to theirs as well. The kids are doing a great job swimming and Benners is of course crazy!! Jimmy plays on the steps and I've only had to make about 3 rescues so far - doin' good!!


We gave the boys their summer hair cuts! Before we finished Charlie's we left a Mohawk, as you can see he did not like it until Ben told him he had a stegosaurus hair cut then he loved it!


Cecelia and Ben
Jordan and James
Our neighbor Riley and Mea are becoming good friends.

Uncle Lou...

We Love you, we miss you...PLEASE COME VISIT!!

,

My Heart...

2Corinthians 12:9

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Since my camera won't upload photos onto my computer right now I will share what's been going on in my heart!! This verse has been a great source of encouragement to my soul this past week. In the kindness of God he has not let my sins of discontentment, selfishness, anger, grumbling and disrespect go on. Through the observations of my husband, God's word and the wonderful gift of the holy spirit, my sin's cannot be hidden. I was really struggling with feeling like I deserve to have what I want and when I didn't get my way my sins were exposed. (Not that those struggles have gone away, it is still a fight and I will keep fighting!!)I had built idols in my heart and began to worship them and not the risen Lord. I have been encouraged that God is my refuge and strength and that I need to run to him and find Joy in HIM and not in my idea of what is good for me. I am ungrateful, selfish, an idolater, and a sinner but more importantly I am a FORGIVEN ungrateful, selfish, idolater and sinner and I have been bought with the blood of Jesus. Nothing I did or will do can make God be more for he; He is 100% for me and will be when I fall again. Thank you God for saving me and for changing me...CHANGE ME LORD!!

I read this today...it was good for my soul.

Psalm 126:3 "The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad"

Some Christians are sadly prone to look on the dark side of everything and to dwell more on what they have gone through than on what God has done for them. Ask for their impression of the Christian life, and they will describe their continual conflicts, their deep afflictions, their sad adversities, and the sinfulness of their hearts with scarcely any allusion to the mercy and help which God has given them. But a christian whose soul is in a healthy state will come forward joyously and say, " I will speak, not about myself, but to the honor of my God. He brought me up out of a horrible pit and out of the miry clay. He set my feet on a rock and established my going. He put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God. The Lord has done great things for me, whereof I am glad." Such an abstract of experience as this is the very best that any child of God can present. It is true that we endure trials, but it is just as true that we are delivered out of them. In looking back, it would be wrong to deny that we have had trials, but it would be equally wicked to forget that we have been through them safely and profitably. The deeper our troubles, the louder our thanks to God who has led us through all and preserved us until now.

C.H. Spurgeon

GO RED WINGS!!

THE DEEEEEEEETROIT RED WINGS ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!