Happy 3rd Birthday, Gabriel!

Gabriel is three years old today, which doesn't seem possible. I think all mothers say that and I'm sure I will continue to say it as the years go by. I thought it would be fun to post some pics from the day of his birth and one recent one. By him having his feet in the sink, it's a perfect picture of a child acting his age. It was a few weeks ago and Wayne was occupying Micah while I cooked supper. Somehow Gabriel was left unattended and we found him in the bathroom with the sink filled with water. It was one of the moments when you get frustrated but you just have to laugh.

I have mentioned to some about the story of Gabriel's birth, not that it is all that unusual but it was a bit comical and had some unexpected twists as he came quickly (similar to Micah's birth). There was no time for an epidural or any other pain relieving medication though I had already decided I didn't want any. I'm kind of crazy like that. Anyway, I'm going to attempt to link the post because I wrote all about it on this blog 3 years ago.

Fun weekend

Last weekend our dear friends Charley, Marianne, and Joshua came to visit for the weekend. We had so much fun! We went to eat tasty catfish on Friday night and Saturday afternoon we took the boys to the sprayground here in town. As you can tell from the pictures, Micah had a blast! He loves to go to this place and obviously doesn't even mind water sprayed right at his face or head. All three boys had so much fun. Sunday evening our church rented out a water park nearby so we all got to enjoy that as well. We enjoyed catching up with each other and Joshua and Gabriel had a great time playing with each other.

An attitude of gratitude

From "Plan B"

"What if we viewed our hardships and challenges as opportunities to be the men or women God has created us to be? What would happen if we stopped grabbing for what we're owed and tried to receive each moment with gratitude?"


"What are the triggers that remind you of God's faithfulness throughout your life? Without these reminders, you will always be tempted to doubt, push back, or even walk away when you find yourself at the wall."


When I played basketball in high school and we were traveling back from an away game, someone would usually start the chant "Attitude check" and everyone would respond "One, two, three, Praise the Lord!" I guess it was a way of keeping perspective whether we won or lost.

Someone else wrote that staying in an attitude of despair or discontentment keeps you from seeing God's blessings in your life.
It's easy to get prideful and focus on something not going the way I want. All it takes is a reminder of God's faithfulness and who He is to give me an attitude check.

Teaching him how to pray

This is the only photo I took at our Circle of Friends camp over Memorial Day weekend. We have some more that others took on a disc. I'll be posting some of those later in the week with some details about that weekend.

For now, I couldn't resist posting this photo. This prayer bench was outside our room in the hallway. Gabriel asked what it was so I told him it was one way you could pray to God and then I knelt down on it and showed him. So, he wanted to try it. Precious, isn't it?

Wild Things Farm Visit #2

The horse was a little too close for Gabriel's comfort
Hayride

Feeding the goats stale popcorn

Gabriel and his friend Isaac

Pig race

Proud of his strawberries

A couple of weeks ago Gabriel and I went to the Wild Things Farm with our MOPS group. We had so much fun. It was a perfect, cool, cloudy day and we enjoyed a hayride, picking strawberries, petting the animals (well, I didn't pet them!), having a picnic lunch with some other moms and kids, and homemade strawberry icecream just before we left.

Gabriel did a good job picking strawberries. I had to teach him to look for ones that were red and not too small. They were so tasty and only lasted in our house for about two days. The ones you buy in the store just don't compare!

Sometime I want to take Micah to this place; he has been in school both times we've gone. Blueberries are in season now...yum!!

God is working

Here are a few more gems from "Plan B":





"When our plans, dreams, and desires crumble, our faith tends to take a hit. We instantly feel let down and distant from our Heavenly Father. And yet the truth is that God is most powerfully present even when he seems most apparently absent. He's always working. Even when we can't see Him or feel Him, all the circumstantial evidence of our lives will testify to His presence."

"Just because God calls you to some venture, that doesn't guarantee the venture will succeed. Just because life doesn't turn out the way you thought that doesn't mean you missed God's will...it's as much about the person we're becoming as it is about where we're going."

"We think our suffering is a sign that we're getting something wrong, not evidence that God is at work to teach us and bring us blessing."

"In this life, many questions will not have answers....God will never change. This is why our faith must rest on his identity and not necessarily his activity."

Throughout the last few years, I occasionally wondered if we missed God's will or if we got something wrong because things didn't turn out the way we thought. I know it's distorted and wrong. He allowed everything to happen for a reason. I may never have answers as to why, but I do want to allow him to shape me and grow me.

John chapter 9 is a good reminder when we wonder if sin causes illness. A rabbi asks Jesus if the man born blind sinned or if his parents sinned. Jesus said "Neither this man sinned nor his parents." "This came about so that God's works might be displayed in him..."