Breylon trying to roll over. Taken Monday, 3/23/09.

Childs Play in the Garden

Gene is diligently working to grow a pretty large garden this year and he's enlisted all of the girls to help him. This day, they worked almost all day, literally, on their hands and knees down each row plucking the Bermuda grass sprigs out of the loosened dirt. They were tired and dirty and never complained once all day. At the end of the day Gene turned on the sprinkler to water their seeds and the girls just couldn't resist. It was such a pleasure to watch them running through the water, laughing and playing with each other. I just had to share these.

Potty Training is hard work!

She must have planned on being there a while.

Enjoying the Spring weather...

I finally figured out how to take short videos with my digital camera, so today while we were outside enjoying the beautiful weather, I took some of Mercy on the swingset.

Faith, Worship, and Exercise...

I'm reading this book called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, by Eugene Peterson. There is a paragraph I read recently that I'd like to share. It's very simplistic really, but I just love how he puts it in this book. He is speaking of worship, and why Christians do it, or don't do it.

"I have put great emphasis on the fact that Christians worship because they want to, not because they are forced to. But I have never said that we worship because we feel like it. Feelings are great liars. If Christians worshiped only when they felt like it, there would be precious little worship. Feelings are unreliable in matters of faith.........We live in what one writer has called the "age of sensation." We think that if we don't feel something there can be no authenticity in doing it. But the wisdom of God says something different: that we can act ourselves into a new way of feeling much quicker than we can feel ourselves into a new way of acting. Worship is an act that develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God that is expressed in the act of worship. When we obey the command to praise God in worship, our deep, essential need to be in relationship with God is nurtured."

I know for myself, especially lately, I have not felt like going to church, but the act of doing it, makes me want to do it more. It makes me want more of God. Sometimes, I don't feel like getting my Bible out first thing in the morning to read and journal, but when I do, I am so glad. Sometimes I just can't stop reading. It makes me want more. If I were to listen to my feelings, over what I know is better than feelings, I'd miss so much. So for me, this authors words are true.

I was also thinking of how this concept of acts over feelings can apply to other areas of my life. For instance, I am part of a weightloss/healthy lifestyle accountability blog where a few ladies and I daily try to encourage each other to make healthy choices with our food and with exercise. Regularly my response to myself regarding walking on my treadmill or doing my exercise dvd is, "I just don't feel like it right now. I'll do it later." (in hopes of feeling like it then) Along with a million other "feelings" based excuses. This week I propose to make a better effort to "act myself into a new way of feeling" toward exercise based on the faith that it is best for me, rather than based on what I feel at any given moment, which is NEVER, "Oh, this is going to be fun, because I know how good this is going to be for me!", but rather, "Ugh! I just can't do this right now, I don't FEEL like it." And food choices.."I don't feel like eating salad or veggies today. I'll eat this pizza and tomorrow maybe I'll "feel" like eating healthier" See what I mean?

So, I challenge you all my friends, if you have areas of your life that need to be changed, whatever they may be, whether health related, or addictions, or attitudes, or time with God, or service to God's people, or money, or responsibilities, or whatever it is, I challenge you to "ACT yourself into a NEW way of FEELING", toward that thing. As God's word proclaims, With men this is impossible; but with God ALL things are possible. Matthew 19:26

Jordan World Circus (or something like that)

I know that's a strange title but I can't remember exactly what the name of the circus is. The girls and I (except Micayla) along with baby Breylon, Aaron Roberts, Lacy's best friend Heidi, Phebe and her boys, and Tanya and Haley all showed up to see our very own Lana Steeples and her family as they performed last Saturday afternoon at the Oil Palace in Tyler. For those of you who may not have met Lana and her children, she was a customer of mine at the bookstore for many years. As long as I've known her she and her family have made their living as "circus people". In the winter they have a couple of months off at home so this year she decided to get involved with some of us at the park and attending art classes. She as a son, Angelo, and a daughter, Isabelle. Lana was kind enough to get us into the circus for free and then give us a free staged picture with their bear, then after the show, took us backstage to meet the bear and take our own pictures. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home so I was at the mercy of Heidi, who was the only one with a real camera. She let me take a few shots. I was surprised that the bear was really soft. It's fur looked coarse but it wasn't at all. All the kids were thrilled to be able to pet it and get right up next to it. Phebe and I...weren't so thrilled, right Phebe?
The kids had a wonderful time at the circus. The show was great! They had everything you can imagine. Elephant and pony rides, cotton candy and popcorn, those flashing light toy thingees, snow cones, the works. The performances were great. They had some very talented people and animals. Lana's bear pushed Isabelle around the ring in a cart. Isabelle was a finely polished performer as she waved to the audience in her sparkly outfit. Angelo did an amazing sword act. At one point the sword was in his mouth, and on fire! Sorry I didn't get any pictures of any of the acts, but like I said, I forgot my camera. Mercy's favorite was anything with swing. She kept saying "I can do that!" I think most of the kids would say their favorite part was when during the elephant's performance, one of the elephants decided to relieve himself in the ring. I had no idea how much and elephant can pee at one time! Wow! The elephant never stopped performing though. Some crew people just swooped in behind him and started scooping and hauling it out of their. The show must go on, as they say.

Thank you Lana for a wonderful treat.

The Jordan World Circus will be back to Tyler in August. I encourage everyone to go see it if you get the chance.

Not Me Monday...

Ok, I've read enough of these to know that I am NOT writing my first one today. I'm NOT, I refuse to bore you to tears with my daily happenings.

I'm NOT sitting here blogging while my 7 year old continues to work on her math paper for 2nd hour and still has over half of it to go. She is now singing the "Hiney" song to her sister. I'm NOT sitting her doing nothing while she does this.

I did NOT just blow my nose 160 times (that's how many tissues were in the box)today due to an allergy attack.

I did NOT just let another day go by that I didn't either do my Jillian Michael's workout dvd or walk on my treadmill. The day is NOT completely over yet, so there's still hope, but NOT much.

I am NOT extremely jealous (but proud) that someone on my weightloss blog has posted that she lost 9 pounds this week! I really am NOT at all jealous, covetous, or envious of her. I truly AM VERY proud of her. Really I am.

I am NOT still sitting her in my pj's (from last night) typing this when I have to be at a soccer meeting in less than an hour.

I knew I shouldn't have done this. Now you know the truth. NOT.....