BUNCH OF ORANGES: "It's All About The FRUITS!!!!"

So it was a perfect running day in December and as usual I was clearing my head... letting whatever thoughts pop in my head... praying... planning...pondering....you can get so much accomplished on an outdoor running adventure. It was the strangest thing but I really felt like God spoke to me that day.

As parents we are constantly trying to get it right, aren't we? As christians and children of God... we are constantly trying to get it right... because...well... we weren't born perfect. We try this or that... sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't. We talk to our mom friends, we read books, we call mama for advice... but no matter what these "things" we experience while raising children or living in this world keep poppin up! Luckily our life came with an instruction book... we just have to use it. We have always taken our children to church and tried to teach them right from wrong, but let's face it... that's not enough. We have soo much more we can do and should do. No matter which kid is struggling, I always find myself begging God to help me. Well... for now His answer is FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT! I thought about it so much and how these are so CRUCIAL and need to be spoken of, taught, discussed everyday! So for my new year... I decided to do some of that with the kids. It's been a Precious experience thus far and in the first week of doing our first fruit (LOVE)... I was amazed how all of a sudden LOVE was EVERYWHERE around us! I can't even list them all but it's been pretty "mushy love" awesomeness! This was such a neat reassurance that God was speaking to me! Reassurance that it WORKS! His way works! We just need to be consistent and need MORE of it! :)

The first night we talked about what they were and read the verse.
Then everyone drew what Love was to them.

This would be our funny Noah...
Mom, Dad-Pucker, Smooch Someone else taking a picture laughing and someone else saying "this is going in the paper"

This one is mine :)

Jensie's

Gunner's

Emmie's

We did this on another night... 2 fingerprints each makes a heart :)

this would be my sweet husband's....

ok first off... he's obviously who Emmie gets her artistic ability from... second.... HONEY!!!! I'm dying over here... I'm seeing it all before my eyes as our family sits around the table together.... his wonderful, God loving parents have set the example for him... he knows what "real love" is and that is the first thing that came to his mind... his parents... that were leaving for Africa to help the orphanage. It's trickling down through them to him and now he's showing our children and they are showing us all what real love looks like. How can you not feel something here?

We talked a lot about Love... what it means... what the bible says it is... what does it look like? Not always colorful pictures huh? Sometimes love is hard... it's discipline... it's loving someone even if they don't love you. It's beautiful, it's sacrificing.... it's Jesus. How can we love like Jesus does? Well... we are gonna start with the fruits! So far it's been Love and Self Control... next up... Kindness :) Which fruit is easiest for you? Which is most difficult? I think sometimes we get a piece of rotten fruit..but that doesn't mean we never eat it again... we try to find a better one next time. Same with the fruits of the spirit... don't stop just because you were "rotten"... try again next time to find a better way to show and share the fruits. :)

To Africa they go... (They are back now :)

Bill was there for 1 month and Kaye for 2 weeks

Here is a little update from Africa:

That was cassava greens for our supper!! Will work for food, you know! Having a wonderful time - meeting up with folks who remember us - several who were just small children then but remember us well. Very touching to hear of their hard times in war and how they had no food or anything - barely survived, but the church is really strong and has grown a lot. Means a lot to have been a little part of the "seed planting". Treating lots of folks as word gets around that we brought medicines. Have evaluated and treated about 25 of the orphans and will make my way thru the total of 64. One orphan died early Saturday morning - only 3 months old, Came here at 9 days old because mother died in childbirth. Haviing hard time with that....could we have helped if here a few days earlier?? Only God knows but hard to filter, huh? Today Dad took medicine to an old man with joint pain. A few hrs later we got word that his son had died suddenly after snake bite. He was not quite 40. Seems death is everyday around us.
Dad wants ya'll to know that everyone tells him that even though he is old, he is still very "fit"!
We love you all so much and pray that everyone is well there. One of the housemothers gave me a new Liberian name - Welcoma. I think that's very sweet...
it means love. We are very humbled by their appreciation and acceptance of us. Dad is a big hit with the kids. They beg him to dance everytime we walk over to orphanage because music was playing one day and he broke out in a moon-walk - now when they see him they start dancing and asking him to dance - so cute! (the kids, I mean)!

The hospital they worked at when they were there many years ago.

I love this pic

Smashing some greens for supper

her security guard that kneels to show respect

Some of the children from the orphanage

Some pics of our "lovely" lately :)

Girls!

Boys!

Time to rake some leaves.... hard to do with a puppy... they like to bite the rake and the kids like to jump in the leaves..... can we start over tomorrow???

Lost another tooth!

The tooth fairy made her a fairy!

Rodeo Day at Preschool for Gunner

We need more warm bodies please

Cozy up when its cold....

Is there love in the air? I'm feeling soft and sweet today?

I'm real excited about throwing this ball....

A true princess knows how to smile with gum in her mouth.... we're still working on that! :)

I left the room to go get a diaper.... don't get distracted mom.... I'll get into your mascara and color my world and my TEETH BLACK!

Love is definitely in the air for Emmie while she was at school.... She loves: Blaine (cousin in Tennessee), Sonny (our dog), Nature, Friends, Mom and Dad, Fairies