Archives for September 2010

Football and Other Things

The three point stance!  Our lives described in four little words and all they encompass.

September and October are traditionally my family’s favorite months.  College football (Go Auburn!), cooler temperatures, camp fires and looking forward to the holidays all role into one  pumpkin of a good time.  My youngest son turns 9 in October, we traditionally watch Saturday football around the backyard camp fire and friends come to enjoy the fellowship and belly laughing that surrounds us like smoke.

But this year with a first grader at hand I’m struggling through teaching her to read.  I truly dread that part of school.  I really do.  I’m not good at it.  Someone please come help!  I want to run away!

And we’re still looking for a permanent home, separating from the one we had and grieving a home church struggling through growing pains.  I’m thankful for our heavenly coach.

Lots of things are up in the air with our family, but football keeps us grounded at times.  It’s consistent in an earthly sense.  Like my Jesus, it’s a part of our lives.  It’s what we do.

God has done some incredible things to release us from our former home where we felt nice and comfortable, as if wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket.  We’ve missed it, that favorite pair of jeans feeling, but He’s leading us into the lives He has planned for us now.  Not all of the experiences have been pleasant.  Life has been a white knuckled struggle, emotions running high at times, energy running low, patience is lacking and a sense of home is desperately needed.  God is teaching us to rest in today and today only.  Like a sweet smelling flower we breath in the essence of today, of the here and now.

Sometimes I feel as if I need the pads my son wears….the helmet too.  Spiritual warfare is tough work, even when resting in Him who fights for us.

Ready for action we sometimes crouch to pounce upon any earthly opponent, then remembering we fight not against any earthly object but an opponent ancient as the days themselves, we relax.  There are days the peace is overwhelming and other days it’s as fleeting as a shooting star.

Today we worked on school until 4:30.

I didn’t choose to homeschool to work that long.  As the boys get ready for football practice I am so thankful I made two pot roasts last night instead of one.  That and some organic mac and cheese and off we go again.

When ever does life slow down?


MOSH

MOSH?

Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville, FL.

Our field trip last week.  It was wonderful.  They have the Narnia exhibit which was so fascinating.  It felt as if we’d stepped into the movie.  The lamp post, the wardrobe, the clothes…..all combined to usher us into The Land of Narnia.

We were not allowed to take photos of the exhibit since the clothes were the original ones worn on the set of the movie but it was beautiful.  You’ll have to take my word for it.

I did get to take some other photos.

This is the entrance to the museum area with baby girl clinging to the lower jaw….

This is my baby girl in the life size replica of a whale who has given birth to something like 6 calves.  So sweet.  My womb hurts.

This is some of the sea life we got to wonder over God and his magnificant creation…….

We had a wonderful presentation about weather.

The kids loved it when our teacher made a storm cloud.

This is life at my house (yea right).

And there was a wonderful exhibit all about Jacksonville.  The St Johns River is just a few miles from where we live.  From Wikipedia:

The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles (500 km) long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state’s largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than 30 feet (9.1 m); like most Florida waterways, the St. Johns has a very slow flow rate at a third of a mile an hour (0.2 km/h), and is often described as “lazy”.[2] It is one of a small number of rivers in the United States to run north. Numerous lakes are formed by the river or flow into it, but as a river its widest point is 3 miles (4.8 km) across, spanning several miles between Palatka and Jacksonville, the latter being the largest urban area on the river. The narrowest point is in the headwaters, an unnavigable marsh in Indian River County. In all, 3.5 million people live within the various watersheds that feed into the St. Johns River.[3]

It was a wonderful “out of the classroom” day and we had such a wonderful time.  I’m so thankful for field trips!


Not just a football family any more!

We’ve been a football family for a long time.  Whether it has been flag football or the thump of pads during fall football season, we’ve been a football family since my oldest two were able to play.

Football, football, football.

But just as having our fourth-born being born as a girl has changed our lives from trucks, bodily function noises and wrestling, she is changing the face of sports in our family too.

Today, without a single practice because we signed up late, baby girl (sniff, sniff) played her first soccer game.

She sweated.  She ran.  And she was a trooper in 98 degree weather.

She played as a team.  She overcame her shyness very quickly.  She’d never met her coach or any of her team mates.

She cheered her team on!

She waved at me from the game and grinned when she did well.

We bought pink and black cleats, pink shin guards and a pink and black bag for it all to go in.  She was so  proud…..her own bag of sports stuff!!

And while I missed the older boys game today there was one big brother there to support her!

I bought him a Frog Togg for the hot weather.  I think he’s in love!

It was so much fun to see her trying something new, being a little scared but overcoming that fear, and enjoying herself and her team.  She kept telling me she wanted to stay in the game to help her team win.  I think my heart broke a little.  What character God is developing in her.

And after the game?  The tunnel!!!  The best part for all the kids!

So you go baby girl.  Be all God has for you to be and love him and chase him with all your heart!

FOREVER….

LOVE, mom


Our second game

Today, in what felt like 130 degree heat we sweated as we watched our boys lose their second game, but the first one of the season.

It was hard to watch.  They played so hard and it was so hot.

But such is football.  We win some.  We lose some.

On a good note Auburn won today.  We have lots of Auburn fans here this weekend.

Here’s a shot I took the other night at practice.

Night night.

julie


It's that time of year!

Not much time for talk but a few photos to share….

And the one who directs traffic….

More later!


Your best recipe?

My best-est friend (well, one of them – I have 5 – yep, I’m blessed!!) is having a little contest next week on her blog so I decided to answer her early.

I’m tired of the grumbling and fussing with dinner so from now on we’re eating these.

Found dead daily outside our house I think they will make a nutritious and protein filled meal.

Example #1

Example #2

Example #3

Example #4

I’m pretty certain after a couple rounds of these guys what I make for dinner will not be a problem!!!

It’s been a bad day, what can I say???


Why wouldn't I trust?

At the end of my last post I asked what things do you (I) stare at from the other side of the glass?  Things like Fred who is in the sewer drain AGAIN this morning and won’t come out.  He gets into trouble every time I let him out at night and I wonder if we’d be the same way if God allowed us out into the “wild blue yonder” on the other side of the glass?  What trouble would we get in to?  Would we be trapped having to be rescued each morning?  Would we go hungry?  Would we be overwhelmed by what’s been put in front of us?  I think the answer is a resounding “yes”.

I took these last night during football practice……..

And I wonder….if my God can paint a sky like this for me why, oh why do I not trust that He ALWAYS has my best interests at heart.

Thank you Jesus for speaking to me through your beautiful sunset.


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