A STORY IN PICTURES OF OUR DAY…
(and a few words)

After scaling great heights…

He takes the time to teach little sis how to play Tball

Then they explore underneath the neighbor's car to find the dog…

and chase the cat inside to the plant shelf….

after playing in the leaves on a gorgeous SC day…

and mom gets the “angelic” photo of her fuzzy headed baby girl


Blessed, blessed and beyond blessed.

Recently my 7 year old has gotten up at night and says he is scared.  When we inquire as to what he’s scared of he says he’s scared men will come in the house and get him.  After the usual soothing, then dishing out consequences for waking us up several times a night, then allowing him to sleep in the floor of our room my husband got up last night and read Scripture to him.  He seemed to be able to go back to sleep without too much trouble after that.

So today God gave me the idea to put scripture around his bed.  So as my husband looked up scripture on the computer I dug into the concordance.  And we came up with several that seemed to work.  I had my 7 Year old draw pictures on cardstock and I wrote the scripture below.  Then we taped them on his bed.  Here’s the finished result.  I hope this might give some of you who may struggle with the same thing a neat idea.  IN HIM…..Julie

Stars and “night time” picture to go with the Scripture

God watching over Joshua as he sleeps.

A face that's scared with a cross mark over it and pictures of birds for the scripture “Do not be afraid” and “He cares for us more than the birds” from Exodus and Luke.

Our really big angel with really big swords and big ole boots to stomp Satan.  Those yellow things on the side are wings.  And that little fuzzy looking thing on the bottom of the page with a really little sword is Satan.  I think this one was Luke 2:10 for those of you who wanted to know.

I actually caught them ALL together last night on our bed as we watched a documentary about trains on PBS.  Because my youngest train lover watches train videos he doesn't understand why the “movie” isn't on again this morning.  Well, off to do some school stuff……
Have a great day…..
Julie
PS I just had to come back and say we've finished school.  I've found the secret to getting my 5 year old to work….TBONE.  It's like rap Christian music and he loves it.  So I have to find my inner rap star and jam with him.  He gets scripture, writing and spelling done in no time flat.  Thank you Jesus!!!!!! (that's him lying on his tummy in the photo)

I visited my friends
The Expanding Robertses Website.  They recently gave birth to quads.  But Little Emily was only 19 days old when she went to live with Jesus.  Here's the web link for her memorial.  It's beautiful Emily's LIfe.  Then click on the Memorial Slideshow and you will see the memorial they mad on her behalf.  It's amazing.  Bring Kleenix.
julie

Well, I think I'm finally on the upside of this “YUCK” I've had.  Praise God.  I'm not pregnant.  That's a relief and also a “Oh, I love babies.”  It's also a confirmation that we heard God correctly when we decided we were done having babies.  I had a lot of babies in a short amount of time and my body needs to recover.

We started late….I was 32 when we first got pregnant and within the next few years we had four children under the age of six.  At one time we had three in diapers.  I know a lot of you with large families or children close together can relate. 

My first two are 13 months apart, then there is a 19 month gap between the second and third child and a 26 month gap between my third and fourth child. 

I love my kids.  I love babies.  And I am really looking forward to enjoying the growing time with my kids.  I was adopted so I'm open to that too.  I have visions of a sweet little bundle arriving on my doorstep one morning instead of the paper.  Silly, huh??

I do know that this ole body is tired.  I need to rebuild, replenish and enjoy what God has blessed me with.

So here's my youngest son and the always present trains around the house.  I think this one is Gordon. 

And here's the Conductor of the train and the photographer of Gordon……………(can you say Fake Cheese?)

And here's “baby girl” feeding herself and her baby some eggs this morning…..

Look at that red little thumb.  That's the one that sees lots of action in the mouth.  She loves sucking that thumb.

Thanks for all you who've prayed for me to feel better.  I think I'm finally feeling human again.

IN HIM
Julie

I'm always amazed at the kindness of others.  Being kind myself isn't always that difficult.  Well, sometimes it is.  But other times it just comes naturally out of the JESUS that lives within me. 

It's when others go out of their way to help me that I get to experience Christ.  These are the times I'm not in control, when I'm receiving, when I get blessed.

Michelle has been “Jesus with feet” to me as she has helped me tweek my webblog (yes, Nancy) and get some of the glitches out.  Thanks, Michelle for taking the time to be a blessing to me.

IN HIM,
Julie

I hate it when I finish an entire blog and then hit a button that erases it.  UGH.

Well, we're on Day 5 of The Funk.  May I just go on record as saying I'm tired of feeling sick?

And in an attempt to make myself feel like a human again I submitted to my Taco Bell craving and took “babygirl” with me to eat tonight.  And, no, I didn't feed her that junk.  We then went by my massage therapist office for a spin on the Chi Machine and a sit in the Infra Red Sauna in the attempt to rid my body of the toxins that are making me sick as well as get rid of that Taco Bell I just ate.  Then we came home to an empty home since the boys are all at Narnia again with their dad.  So I took a couple snapshots of today's hairdo called Crooked Ponytails.  They were just too cute to fix.

And I wanted to show you my favorite part of Danielle's room right now…..the top shelf of the book case.  I'm not sure why I like it as much as I do but it makes me feel happy inside.

Have a good weekend.
IN HIM
Julie
Isaiah 30:15….”in repentance and rest is your salvation.  is quietness and trust is your strength…”

Many of you know I have John Piper's website listed on my sidebar.  It's SO wonderful.  I just read this today: 
http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/2006/01/please_pray_for.html

First….this thing I thought was a virus is still here.  Queezy, wanna throw up, but don't…..food cravings…..and smells drive me nuts!  Does this sound familiar?  Did I mention my husband's had a vasectomy.  We're in the Waiting Place.  Too early to tell.

Now, for my TAG answers…..

1.  What's the one question you want to ask God when you get to heaven?  If he hasn't already said….”Did I do good daddy?”
2.  What the one question you think Jesus would ask you were He still here in bodily form?  Julie, do you Love me?
3.  What do you think heaven will be like?  Lots of awesome singing, lots of time with my Jesus, getting to say I love you to my two children that are already there, lots of wonderful, precious, joyful tears.
4.  Do you have a desire to be there now or a desire to stay here until the work if finished?  Call me nuts but I'm ready whenever He calls.  Heaven sounds a lot better than this place.  I hate the pain we cause one another.  I don't want children to suffer at the hands of adults.  I hate child abuse.  I think He's made a color just for me……I wonder what it is.

4 People I want to JOIN ME (in the tag and in heaven)
1.Nancy
2.Tony
3.Michele
4.Gayle

So I'll let you know if anything develops from the nausea.  Until then…..
Julie who wants to puke all the time now

Today at church a friend told me that my neighbor had been to the earlier service.
“My neighbor?  Which one?”
“Oh, that one across the street I don't particularly like.  That neighbor? “
“Oh, you mean the one I'VE lived across the street from for 5 years and never invited to church?”

Yes, it was that neighbor.

So here's my conversation with God after church today as I'm cleaning up the van.
Julie:  “Loving the unlovely…..hmm.
            God, why do you call us to love the unlovely? “
God:  “Well, Julie, you were once unlovely.”
Julie:  “I was?”  (I kinda think a little highly of myself, don't             you think?)
God:  “Yes, before I sent Jesus.  And…I loved you anyway.                  That's why I sent him.”
Julie:  “So, you call me to love the unlovely because it makes                 me more like Him?”
God:  “Yes.  And because you were once that way too.
Julie:  “Oh….I get it.  You're not asking me to do anything you                 haven't already done.”
God:  “Yes.”

I know I sometimes think of myself as unloveable but unlovely?  I also know I sometimes think too highly of myself.  But now the playing field has been leveled.  I too have been shown I was once unlovely.  We all were.

“Thank you God.
Julie”