"Treasures"

We had a pretty great end of the week.  Going into this week I will admit I was a little anxious knowing that Andy was only going to be home for 24 hours since he had travel the majority of the week.  In spite of my nervousness about this week, we really had a fun time. 

Andy and I went into this week fresh after having attended a marriage conference last weekend.  The teaching was really good!  We didn't have any earth shattering moments, but instead we felt like it was a time where solid, grounded in the Word truth was taught.  We had a lot of good talks this weekend as we prepared for being separated for most of this week.

At the conference, my friend Lexi was taking pictures and she grabbed us on our way out Saturday.  I'm so glad she did, so that we have these fun pictures to remember the weekend. :)

 



 

 

By the end of this week I was afraid I was going to be dragging, but instead, when Andy left again on Thursday I was feeling pretty good. :)

 

The littles had gymnastics that afternoon, which is always a good time.  It's so cute to watch Davis and Ellis.  I am so surprised at Ellis's ability to pick up on the skills.  I really signed her up just so she didn't feel left out, but she's been loving it!

 

Currently, my Thursday nights are spent with some ladies from my homeschool group as we are working through this Lysa Terkuerst book together.

 

 

I love these nights as the ladies come over and we share our hearts and struggles and encouragement with one another.

 

This week during our study there were several moments that stood out to me, but one of them I wanted to share was when we were talking about the responsibility we feel for our kids.  We can regularly fall into the trap of feeling like everything is up to us, and forget how God has his hand on each of our kids.  I can so often get the mind set (without even realizing it) that my kids' happiness, experiences, salvation, relationship with God all rest on my shoulders.  No wonder I feel exhausted! :)

 

So my friend shared how her daughter has a treasure box and was looking through it the other day.  What struck this mom is that only one of the objects she saw, she would have considered a "treasure".  In her opinion, all of the other items did not represent a great memory.  For example, she told us that one of the items was a hospital bracelet from when her sister's bunk bed fell on her head.  : )

 

We try so hard to create these wonderful moments for our children.  And we place such pressure on ourselves to create special memories for our kids, but we really have no idea what will stick out in their minds as a "treasure".

 

The Bible has much to say about "committing" our plans to Him.  How important it is for me to remember to "Commit to the Lord whatever I do..." (Prov. 16:3)  A big part of what I do is to parent, so I need to continually "commit" that to Him and trust that He will give them "treasures" to store in their hearts and minds.

 

I have a "treasure" memory story from Thursday night, that at first was NOT fun, but now I look back on it and smile for a few reasons.

 

When our bible study ended, two ladies stuck around and we hung out for awhile.  I walked them out when one of the moms needed to leave, but my other friend and I got to talking so we hung out on my porch for awhile, until we heard a noise.  It was all a blur, but the next thing I knew we had rushed inside and locked the door behind us.  So here we were trying to figure out what to do.  How were we supposed to get her to her car?  We verified with one another that we both heard what I thought sounded like footsteps and she described as rustling in the bushes.  Well, Andy's out of town and it was really late and we really didn't know what to do!  I even offered to let her spend the night, :) but she had groceries in her car in the cooler.  So we had to come up with a solution.  I thought of my neighbor across the street who gave me their phone numbers when we first moved in 9 years ago "in case of an emergency", so I tried to text them.   Apparently, after 9 years some people change their numbers, but I'm kind of glad because my message went something like this....

 

"Hey, it's your neighbor and I was wondering if you're still awake!"

 

As I was searching to see if I had another number for them, we watched their lights turn out.  Fail.  Then I offered to drive her to her car.  Which, by the way was out front, out of our line of sight, in front of some woods.  But, then my friend brought up the point that I would have to get back inside.  At this point we had verified about 5 times with each other that we heard a consistent noise and so no one wanted to step outside alone.  Then I said maybe I could put "911" in my phone and walk her out, which then brought up the idea of a cop.  Now, as I'm telling you all of this it seems pretty extreme, but it was very late and we were very scared!  So the idea of a police officer made me think of my friend whose brother is a cop.  So I texted him and asked him if he was on duty and he said he was! After I explained the situation, he said that would head on over.  Hallelujah!!  So he got there, and told me the first thing I should do is take my sign off of my door. : )

 

 

He walked my friend to the car and even took out his flashlight and looked around.   I was so thankful that he was able to come!

 

I feel like this story is a treasure because for one, I am still laughing about how I was "inviting the bad guy in".  Number two, I'm thankful for a friend who came as soon as we needed him.  I also laugh to myself as I think back to how my friend and I were trouble shooting and how neither of us seemed to have any idea what we were going to do.  We both just stood on either side of the door staring outside waiting for an idea to hit us.  : )  But, most importantly this night was a treasure because it helped me "feel" what one of my kids is struggling with.  He is terrified of storms and so we have been praying and reading verses on fear, but often times I just get impatient and tell him that there is nothing to be afraid of and he will be fine!  That night I felt fear and it made me have more compassion for what he feels when these storms come.

 

The next morning was a beautiful day, so we decided to pack up our books and drive out to our new neighborhood to do school at the community lake house. 

 

We brought some yummy donuts to enjoy!

 

 

 Here's Drew working on memory work with Ellis. :)

 

 

Knox was coloring in his science folder for class.

 

Knox working on his presentation for Monday.

 

Davis got tired, so Drew made him a bed and he rested for a little while.  He was up the night before coughing quite a bit, so he (and I) were both a little sleepy.

 

Ellis was helping Drew with his math.

 

Ellis began to pass out more napkins, because she thought if everyone had a napkin, that meant they were all getting another donut.  No such luck.  :)

 The kids spent a few minutes enjoying the lake before we had to pack up to head home.

 

 

The big boys decided they wanted to sketch the scenery.  They have never asked to do this before, and I thought it was neat to see how God's beautiful creation can evoke a desire to capture it.

 

As we packed up, I first put the littles in the car and went back to get all of our things, but Drew and Knox had taken it upon themselves to pack everything up and take it to the car.  Many times I think about how I try to train them to put others first, and I wonder if it's sinking in, and then, without being asked, they do something that they know will be a great help.  It makes my heart smile.  :)

 



 

The rest of our Friday included a trip to my favorite store, Target, and a trip to the mall where we ate dinner and played in the play area.

 

So my week goes back to my last post where I shared...

For me this verse was intended to remind me not to be anxious about all of the house decisions, but instead it's helped me to remember not to be anxious about Andy's travel and not to be anxious about being afraid (I kept repeating this verse as I went to bed Thursday night).

 

Once again I see that the Bible is ALIVE, and I can't place God and His Word in a box.  He will use His Word to encourage me in all areas of my life.

 

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend!

(Let's just not talk about college football) ;)