Hoppy

I took Jonesy to the lake Monday evening. We spent more time chasing grasshoppers than fishing and she soon became more interested in the insects than the fish. We came home with four in a plastic water bottle. (One for her, each of her sisters, and her mother.) I explained to her that they would probably die and we could just throw them away the next day and she was okay with that. Tuesday morning a couple of them were still alive. She took them to school to show her teacher.

Four days later and one of them is still alive. She has named him Hoppy. He's down to just 4 legs, but is spending the last days of his life being doted on and tortured by a sweet four year old little girl who loves him very much.

My Husband Rocks Friday

Why does Justin Rock?......hmmmmm......this is easy today! This week he cleaned out his drawers and papers, "cleaned up" our computer, straightened the garage, took Georgia to buy rain boots and took Jones to buy new shoes for school. Jones and I got our haircut this past Tuesday and he didn't complain about the cost, and he likes my haircut :). We were able to sit together last night on the couch and watch The Office. And today, he cleaned our house while we were at ladies class this morning and cooked us lunch today. Thank you very much for blessing me today and this past week. Justin, I really appreciate your servant heart and giving attitude. I love you!!

Obedience

Last week we heard that a boy in Jonesy’s class was being kicked out of the pre-school. Turns out this is the second school from which he has been expelled. A friend of ours who goes to church with the boy and his family told Leslie that his parents explained to the teacher that they have a very unstructured household. Not because of divorce or weird job hours, but apparently they believe in letting him have freedom to do what he wants and don’t want to hamper his developing personality with rules, demands, and consequences.

When Jones got home from school on Thursday we asked her if she knew a boy named Charlie. She said, “Yes. He’s in my class and he does everything wrong!” She explained how he didn’t obey the teachers and was always in trouble.

Leslie and I believe that our primary task as parents of young children is to teach them to obey. In the same way that our marriage here on earth reflects the marriage covenant between Christ and His church, I believe that if children learn to fear, love, and obey their earthly father they will better understand how to fear, love, and obey our heavenly Father.

Our kids aren’t perfect. We have our struggles and they don’t always obey, but we’ve done our best to let them know that God expects us to teach them to obey. I was proud that Jonesy made that connection this week. She expressed her understanding that because we had taught her to obey she had a lot more fun at school than Charlie.

I don’t doubt that this poor boy has parents who love him, but unfortunately they have done him a disservice. Our children will make plenty of friends throughout their lives. What they need now are parents who will provide boundaries, discipline, and structure. Not to turn them into robots, but to help guide them to a point in their lives where they will make good decisions, advancing in maturity from imposed discipline to self discipline.

p.s. His real name isn't Charlie.

Colossians 3: 20 " Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
Hebrews 10:35-36 "So do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised."

We must choose to believe that God will eventually reward our choices and efforts to raise a godly heritage for His glory. Being godly parents doesn't guarantee that our children will respond to all we have taught, but trusting God's timing, submitting to His design, and obeying His Word are always the right biblical choices for us to make. Justin and I place our hope in the unchanging character of God. That he will reward our efforts to obey him and that His Spirit will accomplish all we need to know and be.

Songs of Summer

I sat down to edit some of our summer video footage and realized that most of the best parts were of the girls singing and dancing. I decided to make a highlight film. Georgia is the least camera shy and usually sings her way through her days so she gets the most screen time. My favorite part occurs at about the 5:50 mark. Hopefully I'll have more video to share soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCfMRBhOiTo

My Husband Rocks

I know today is not Friday, but my husband is awesome and I need to brag today! We got back from vacation Sunday night. On Monday, he and Jones went to the store. They came home with flowers for me! They are orange, because that is Jonesys favorite color these days. You are an incredible dad for allowing Jones to pick out flowers and you are a terrific husband for buying them for me. I love you.

Granny

We went to Sherman to see my Granny and Aunt Linda. We went to lunch and then back to the house for a fantastic visit. I love my Granny!

Hotels,FT Worth Zoo and Rainforest Cafe

YES

Am I tall enough?
The question Georgia has been asking for months was finally answered! YES. Georgia is now tall enough to ride the Shamu Express roller coaster.







While Justin was having a miserable start to his vacation, we were having a great time at Sea World. Luis, Andrea, Mikayla, and Ethan went with us. It was a busy Sunday to go, but the girls and our cousins had a blast! I made a new friend at the Shamu show(Hi Paula) and Annie will now do her arms up and down and say AMU AMU.
Sea World is a happy place for me. I enjoy watching the animals, but most of all I enjoy watching my girls! God made incredible creatures(the animals and the girls)!

Vacation week

Sunday was the worst start to a vacation I've ever endured.
My vacation didn't officially start until Monday, but I had planned to travel to Lubbock for a couple of days of dove hunting with Nathan when I got in from work on Sunday morning. We've been hunting at his dad's place near Anton the first week of September for several years now. Much to my dismay I was lined up to go back to work around 9:30 pm, two and a half hours before my vacation was to start. I had to cancel my trip to Lubbock.
I spent the morning being mad. Then around 4:00, just before I was going to lay down for a nap to be rested for work, I was bumped from the job I was on. Turned out I could have made the trip, but had no way of knowing until then. I was doubly mad then. Mad because I wasn't hunting with Nathan and mad because now I wasn't going to get to make money either. So I went out near the lake on some public Corps of Engineers land to take out my frustrations on some dove, but pickings were slim. Only shot at one bird. I missed. Went home still mad.

Yesterday morning, Leslie heard that some of the guys from church were going out for a hunt. I hadn't heard anything about it because I was asleep on the couch instead of in church yesterday a.m. like I should have been. I called the guy putting it together and asked him about it. He said there should be about 15 guys, but that the place was big enough that 50 could hunt it. I've never been hunting with a group that big, but decided to go. He was right. It was a big place. Plenty of room for everyone. No idiots in the group. Shot a limit and used less than 2 boxes of shells. 12 hunters. We cleaned 112 birds.

Still wished I had been on the South Plains, but yesterday made me feel better.

We are headed to Ft Worth when Jonesy gets out of school, zoo tomorrow, see Leslie's Granny on Thursday, then probably to San Angelo for a day or two.

Bathtime Fun