Have you had the chance to hear Steven Curtis Chapman’s new CD – Beauty Will Rise?  Oh. My. Stars. If you have not heard the songs or bought it on iTunes or at your local Christian Bookstore…Go. Now. Do not hesitate. It really is incredible.  I knew I wanted it when last October I heard him sing the song Heaven about the young daughter they lost because of a tragic accident at their house.  I had to pull over because of the tears!  Every song on the album was written out of their pain and relationship with Christ during that time since losing their daughter…I am telling you…you will worship! I believe that’s part of the reason for the songs…their love of Jesus and the outpouring of Love the Father showed them during that time.  In one of the songs, Beauty Will Rise, it says “I have seen the signs of Spring…just watch and see!” It was if the Lord was telling them…the signs of Spring are coming, wait and see!  What are the signs of Spring?  Do you see it first? Feel it? Smell it? Hear it?  I was thinking about it a lot lately because I love Spring.

The air turns just warm enough to put those sandals on.

The sun shines just a wee bit brighter.

I hear coughing and sneezing from my little ones.

I hear birds chirping outside my windows…early too…don’t they know to sleep in?

God, in all seasons of life, makes EVERYTHING new. He takes those dismal days of winter and turns them into rays of sun and shine in the next season. Not every season of our life is guaranteed to be rays of sunshine, however, no matter how you look at it, I think finding a little sun in the darkness is a GREAT thing….in fact, in my world, it’s a MUST! Life is just too short to live in dismal winter. 

Praise Him today for making All Things New!!!

In His Love-

Karen

O.M.Goodness…it’s been FOREVER. I so have missed blogging!!! And you have so missed the fact the Boo is in Kindergarten and Peanut is 19 months old….HOLY MOLY! I am back now and ready to get my fill with blogging and chatting with all of you.  I will post a recent pic so you can see how big my boys are now and I want to hear from you and how you are!!! I promise to come visit!

Just to catch you up on the last year…2009 was full of busy-ness and figuring out where we all belong.  Our pastor gave his notice for him and his wife to return to the mission field…exciting for everyone, but a grieving time as well.  We had an incredible interim pastor come in and it took about 9 months, but the search committee worked hard and the Lord led them to a great man of God who actually starts in about a week.  To God be the Glory! Last summer Jeremy and I got away for about 4 days without the kids and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Hilton Head Island. I fell in love and can’t wait to take the boys and my mom this coming summer.  In the fall we went to Ridgecrest in North Carolina and Boo and Peanut LOVED it there…so much that we are headed back there for Spring Break! Lots of traveling on the agenda for the year!  I began my third year of teaching preschool and this year I am in three year olds. I am loving that and my lead teacher is teaching me A LOT!  Boo is enjoying Kindergarten and Peanut enjoys mommy, mommy, and more mommy.   He is talking a lot and the boys both enjoy trying to make each other jealous when possible.  It’s a journey for sure….hold on tight for the ride, okay?

In His Love-

Karen

If this is the first time you have read this blog, then WELCOME!  It’s my birthday today and I am working on my new blog…it still has needs some tweaking…but it’s going good so far!   I love birthdays…always have since I was a little girl…and prayerfully, always will!!  So, it’s my birthday, and I am having a great, sunny day.  My big boy, Boo, got off the bus and gave me big hugs…he can’t wait till we have cake tonight!   Little boy, Peanut, is still asleep, and I am reveling in that fact.  Sweet hubby will be home soon and that, my friends, is the sweetest time of the day.  So, here’s my new blog, Mom in the Fishbowl…if it’s your first time, please feel free to read the previous posts from my old blog…I have been away about 9 months…so much has taken place, my boys have grown up so much, and my marriage and life in the ministry gets sweeter and sweeter.  Enjoy the Journey!

–Karen–

I have been dying to see my friend Amy since her and Jason had their baby boy, so last Friday I packed the boys up and drove to Hartwell, GA. I have never been to Hartwell and didn’t actually realize that I would practically be in South Carolina! The boys did so good in the car and Boo, well, he just couldn’t wait to see little Max and more importantly – Jason and the farm…no offense Amy.

We arrived, we loved on little Max, took pictures of the boys, had lunch and then headed to the dairy farm…cows, think lots and lots of cows. Boo “purchased” one and wants updates on it…ha ha.

Here are the pictures…

Here’s Max!!! Ain’t he full of cutness? I think so…him and Peanut are 7 weeks apart.

Peanut and Max together

All 3 of the boys…

Up close and personal….

One of several cool things…according to Boo. This is the feed machine. They mix the feed up for the cows and then place it on this machine which drops it into all of the troughs for the cows to eat it…pretty neat, huh? He totally had to figure out how it all worked.

Boo driving the tractor with Jason…the second highlight of his day most likely

Last but not least…the mommies…

May the Lord bless you today!

–Karen

Peanut is just shy of 4 months and I went ahead and started him on some rice cereal…Boo thought this was hilarious and wanted to get some shots of this momentous occasion. These are from two different days of feeding him.

Really soupy rice cereal…

Mmmm…yummy!! He likes holding on to the bowl!


Good stuff!!!

My sis-in-law came from Arkansas with her kids, one being our new niece, and we met them at Chuckie Cheese on a very rainy Atlanta day. Boo had a great time with his cousins and these are just a few shots to show you how sweet they are.

No, not twins, but my Boo with Peanut and Lydia (I think they are 2 weeks apart).Caleb, Joshua and Boo

Doesn’t Jeremy look good holding a little girl??

Nana and Papa with just a handful of grandkids…

Enjoy!

Karen

I must apologize for my lack of writing lately…juggling a newborn and busy 4 year old, well, it’s enough to wipe ya right out! I have written and thought about so many things in my head while resting or washing bottles or feeding, and with some time this morning, I figured I would finally get my words out.
I was thinking about distance and the old addage that the distance between two points is a straight line, and although on paper that might be true, it isn’t always the case in real life. I often imagine the image of a path God is leading us on and the twists and turns it takes to get to the destination…I must admit I don’t always like the twists and turns, but if I keep pressing on, moving forward, the destination is coming. I think I know what the destination is going to look like, but it sometimes turns out to be something completely different. Am I okay with that? Depends…depends where my eyesight is. Am I focused on the destination or the Deliverer who go us to the destination? Am I only focused on getting there or the road that leads up to getting there??? Come on, admit it, no one likes the twists, the turns, the bumps, but isn’t that part of getting to the destination? What if we changed our focus and learned to ride through the obstacles? Whether together or by yourself, you have to come to a point at some time where you choose to kick and scream and pout at the obstacles or embrace it. I am not saying your shouldn’t sometimes question the obstacles…for instance, I received an email this morning from a friend of mine who is stuck in a destination that she doesn’t want to be at, physically. She would prefer to be closer to home, to family, but God moved them some years ago and has proceeded not to move them back just yet. I, personally, think she has done her time and have pleaded to God to grant their hearts desires to return closer to home. With that being said, God may not be finished with them in that place yet…she knows that, she is wise beyond her years, but it’s still hard to swallow.
So, in light of all that, I have been pondering my own response while on this journey to the bumps, bruises, twists and turns of life…I need to be better about it, my husband needs to be better at it, we, as a couple, need to be better about it. It’s a long journey, and the ultimate destination with the Lord is better than any small destination of church or city or anything else.

I so enjoy making videos of the boys…this latest one shows Peanut’s personality so much!!!!