Nothing But the Blood

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow.

No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Last May on a weeknight after school, Alli accepted Christ as her Saviour. She and Kevin took a ride in his truck to talk and pray. She came back and told me she had asked Jesus in her heart. What a blessed moment in the life of a mother!

Yesterday we were finally able to have Alli baptized. What a joyous occasion for us! Another blessing for us was knowing that our niece was being baptized in her church the same morning. Kevin's parents have had two blessings in less than a year--to know your grandchildren know Christ!

It's Basketball Time!

Even though there was a threat of frozen precipitation again this Saturday, the girls finally got to play the first game of the Upward Basktetball season. Of all the sports to choose from, basketball is my favorite. Then when you put my kids in the game, I can really get into it. I had a friend tell me at the game that I needed a nerve pill.

This was Alli's first game and she is learning a lot about how the game is played. I would love to step on the court and show her exactly where to go. She did so great for her first game. She scored a few baskets and would turn to us and look at us with her big toothless grin for our approval. By the way, she finally lost two of her teeth that have been sticking out at us since before Christmas. I pulled one and she let one of my friends pull the other. I think Alli is going to be one that enjoys whatever she is doing in life. This fact shows when she is dribbling the ball and giggles while doing it. This week we will talk about defense.

This is Hannah's third year to play basketball. I could really tell how much she has improved since last year. Her defense rocks! She had to guard a girl that is slightly taller and built bigger than she is. She guarded this girl a lot last year. Hannah stayed with her girl the whole time, with arms up. When Hannah first started playing, she was not very aggressive. I would get down on my knees to be on her level and make her try to take the ball from me. I know that sounds crazy, but I think it was effective. I could also tell that Hannah played with the team in mind and not just herself. I pray she will continue to play this way and remember this important lesson off the court as well.

While the girls played, Aaron hung out with his nana and mom. Most of the time, he had nana at the concession stand for something to eat.

I am sure I will have more to tell as the season goes on. I look forward to watching them grow spiritually and improving on their game.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Since I had to take Hannah to the eye doctor this afternoon, we were able to be home earlier than usual on a Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday afternoons are crazy because we usually don't get home till after 4 and we have to be at church by six. We are running around crazy trying to get showers, do homework and eat dinner. Well today was a nice surprise! Around four, as the kids were getting their showers, snowflakes began to fall. I called them out of the shower to see because I was afraid it wouldn't last long. Well, it's seven o'clock and it's still coming down. We didn't go to church. I am not up for driving in this mess after dark and the temperature is still dropping. After having a bowl of white chili, the kids went out and enjoyed the snow. This is Aaron's first snow to play in and he had so much fun. The girls enjoyed it just as much. Alli was not happy when I made her come inside. At some point, it's time to come in and get dry clothes on. They say this will all turn to rain after 1 am. We are still holding out for no school tomorrow! Thank you Lord for the snow!

The Dough Man

Aaron has an abundance of toys in his room. He occassionally goes in his room to play with them. Most of the time he enjoys playing with his big sister, Alli. We have learned that his most favorite item to play with is playdough. Someone gave him a cool caddy with lots of playdough for Christmas. I also added a Backyardigans playdough set to his collection as well. On Thursday I kept him home from preschool because he has had a terrible cough and didn't get much sleep Tuesday and Wednesday night. I think the playdough stayed out all day Thursday. He would play for a while and then go watch one of his favorite shows. After a while, he would be back at the table playing with his playdough. I don't think he ever gets bored with it. He is definitely in the stage of playing pretend. He has a wild imagination. We know this by the stories he likes to make up. Playing with playdough is a great tool for his imagination!

Back in the Swing of Things

The holidays didn't last long enough for us. We have quickly gotten back into school work and our usual activities. This Tuesday we began a new activity that comes every January--Upward Basketball! The girls had their first practices on Tuesday-Alli at 5:30 and Hannah at 7:30. It makes for a fun evening of trying to get homework done, eat dinner, take baths, and try to get them in bed at a decent hour. Trying to get this done while your husband is at work, makes it even more interesting. I am thanking the Lord for a good friend who let us come over and get Alli and Aaron a bath while we waited for Hannah's practice. The friend only lives 5 minutes from the church. I am looking forward to watching my girls learn more about basketball this year. Hannah gets better every year. This is Alli's first year and I know it will be a fun one with her. She giggles all the time, even while dribbling the basketball. This was a problem for her when she was learning to swim. She always took water down, because she was constantly laughing. I know our schedule is really getting busy because we have added this activity to it. However, when they walk away from Upward, they have learned more about Christ and how to play basketball in a Christlike manner.

As you can see in the picture, Aaron has finally learned how to wink. He usually closes both eyes. I was so excited when I actually caught his first wink, with one eye, on camera. At practice, Aaron ran around the gym numerous times and got rid of lots of energy. I look forward to Aaron getting to play basketball, too!

Pictures of His Grace

I have several friends that blog and enjoy reading their blogs. I love keeping up with their families this way. I am getting to see their kids grow through all the pictures they post. I have been wanting to start a blog for our family, but just couldn't decide for sure if I should do it and couldn't come up with a name for it. I thought this would be a great way for our family and friends who live two states away to see our kids on a regular basis. So, after almost two months of soul searching, I am finally beginning our blog. This is a perfect time to start since it's the beginning of a new year.

I think sometimes from the outside our family is seen as this perfect little family. I have been told several times that I have it all together and react calmly with my children. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of the time I feel like I fail miserably at being a mom and wife. I feel like my weaknesses haunt me. As I start dwelling on this, God reminds me of a verse in His word. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 No matter where I fall short, His grace is enough. He uses my weaknesses to bring glory to Him. So, with that said, anything that is shown or said on this blog, is a result of the grace He has poured out on us. We are truly, pictures of His grace!