Rock Solid Family

Elijah was singing today and this was just too cute of a video not to share.   In this video he is singing while plucking Hannah’s violin.  🙂  Enjoy!

My brother-in-law gave us a bag of ties.  Some of them were a little small for Scott and those he picked out to give to Joshua.   Now that Joshua has a set of “real” ties, that means that someone has to tie them.  The time had come for Joshua to learn how to tie his new ties.

Sunday afternoon the lessons commenced.  Of course, Joshua isn’t the only one that benefited from this lesson.  Scott got out ties for each of the older four children to try tying. 

 The first try wasn’t necessarily the prettiest job, but these are the pictures I took of each of them with their ties.   I thought they did pretty good.  Joshua kept on practicing and was finally starting to get a handle on the length. 

 Jonathan, I just thought was too cute.  He tied his tie himself.  Scott showed them all step by step and well, this was Jonathan’s final result.  I think he did pretty good with his modifications.  🙂 

 Now you may wonder why a girl would need to learn to tie a tie.  I told them that it might come in handy for them to one day.  They may decide to get married and have a dream that they have to tie their husbands tie before church. 

Yes, that happened to me once.  I learned to tie a tie from my Dad a long time ago.  One day after I was married to Scott we were driving to a preaching appointment and I fell asleep in the car.  Scott usually waited until he got to the church before tying his tie but for some reason I had a dream that we were late and he needed his tie tied.  I immediately woke up and started tying his tie.  He thought it was rather strange but he was sweet and wore it anyway.  Even though I didn’t tie it quite as pretty as he would have. 

 Hannah never did tie one.  I think she was determined that it was too hard.  And I guess at almost 6, I would have thought it too hard as well.  So Scott tied one for her but the whole point of tying a tie in her mind is so that you can pull it apart.  So I didn’t get a picture of her with her tie. 

Instead I thought I would put this picture of Hannah and Ruth matching.  They asked me to take this picture of them.  They both had a pink shirt and blue skirt and red shoes.  They love to dress alike when they get a chance.

And I don’t want to leave Elijah out so I wanted to show this picture of Elijah riding behind Jonathan on a bull dozer toy at our church.  He is growing up fast. He now has 6 teeth and knows how to use them. 

The challenge I am now having with Elijah is weaning.  Scott was fixing sandwiches in the car after karate class the other day and Elijah stopped nursing and wanted the sandwich.  I take that as a sign that we’re on the right track.

I never did get a video of Hannah and Jonathan singing.  Maybe I’ll be able to catch a really cute video soon.  Hope you don’t mind these pictures instead.  🙂

Ruth and Hannah had a friend over for a tea party last Saturday.  I pulled out our fancy tea set and baked a strawberry cake.  The girls chose Blueberry tea.  I also made some pudding for the party.

While Jonathan and I prepared the tea and cake in the kitchen the girls painted their fingernails.  Then they watched a Princess movie. 

After the movie was over we gathered around the table and had tea.  This was Amelia’s first tea party.  We have had tea parties before but this was our first time to entertain a guest for tea. 

We discussed the fact that the girls were princesses. And I mentioned that Jonathan could be a Prince.  He exclaimed, “No! I’m a boy!”

I tried to explain that a princess was a girl and that a prince was a boy.  He was still emphatically declaring himself just a boy.  So I told the girls, “Okay, y’all can be princesses and we’ll let Jonathan be just a boy for our tea party.”

The the evening ended with a grand ball.  The girls and Jonathan went into the hallway and entered into the livingroom with their names announced. 

Then they sat in chairs and then got up and danced to Baroque music. 

They danced all the way to the time Amelia’s parents came to pick her up and drop off Joshua who was visiting with Amelia’s brother.

Over all they had a wonderful time. 

We’ll need to do that again sometime.

Saturday morning, Joshua and Ruth earned their orange belts and Hannah has earned her yellow belt in karate class.

Scott and I will be testing in two months.  I enjoy participating in karate as a family.  It’s really neat to help each other reach our goals.

This coming Saturday will be the belt ceremony when the kids will actually receive their belts.  I’ll try to post pictures of that when the time comes.

Tuesday, we enjoyed karate class and ordered the kids sparring gear.  They have now reached a level where they are able to spar.

Wednesday, we had our Wednesday night Bible Study at our house.  I baked a loaf of raisin bread in our bread machine and we pulled out our tea set again.  This time we had Mixed Berry Zinger tea. 

Elijah hasn’t been feeling very well. I’m pretty sure it’s because of his teeth again. He now has 6 teeth and working on his 7th tooth. He’s been real drooly and running a slight fever. It’s never fun when their teething. He wanted to be held all day yesterday. He seems to be feeling a little bit better now.

It’s nice when you get a break between teething spells.  Elijah has sure been growing quick. 

Jonathan and Hannah have been working on a special for Sunday this week.  I tried to get a video of them but Jonathan quit singing as soon as I got the camera.  We’ll be practicing it again tomorrow and maybe I’ll have my camera out and ready a lot sooner.  He was really getting into the song he was singing.  He even had his eyes squinting like he was really concentrating on the song.    

I have learned so many lessons over the years and the one thing that I have truly learned from my grandparents is that ” ’til death do us part” is a standing commitment.

My Grandfather came home on furlough 64 years ago and asked if there were any girls left and I am so thankful that his friends mentioned my grandmother, Charlcye Taylor.   

After they were married, my grandfather started going to church with my grandmother and gave his life to Christ soon accepting the call to the ministry.   My grandmother followed him with their three daughters to whatever church the Lord called them to.  She stayed with him and loved him “for richer or poorer…”

 I know they must have had some pretty hard times.  Who doesn’t have the difficult days to go through.  I’m sure they even had rocky moments, what marriage doesn’t?  But they stayed together through “good times and bad…”

They were committed in their marriage.  Then my grandmother had health problems.  She had to retire from her job at Texas Baptist Institute.  Then after a time of being in and out of the hospital she was able to be home to care for Daddy Jim, who also began having major health problems.  They were committed to each other “in sickness and in health.”  

Have you noticed that they are still holding hands in these pictures?  Even when Daddy Jim was in the hospital bed they are still together.  Mema would stay with him in the hospital.  I know it wasn’t comfortable for her to be there but she wanted to be there.  That’s true commitment.

Then came the day, a little over a week ago, that Daddy Jim went home to be with the Lord.  And they kept their commitment for “as long as we both shall live.”

This last picture is Mema and Daddy Jim’s hands held over an open Bible.  Just like you would see in a wedding picture. 

I actually requested this picture to be taken a few years ago.  Because as a writer, I wanted a perfect illustration of marriage and how it’s suppose to be. 

This is how marriage should look.  I love my Mema and Daddy Jim.  Thanks for the legacy of commitment.

It’s been too long since I’ve blogged last and my dear mom checks my blog every day.  So I’m just going to post a couple of pictures of the kids here.  I have a lot to tell about that we’ve done this past month and I need to tell about what we plan to do this year.  But that will be in another blog.  I know I’m short changing y’all tonight but this blog is for my Mom. 

This first picture of the kids in between Big Kids and Adult Karate class.  We have an hour to spend waiting for the Adult class and we sometimes go into what the kids and I call the padded room to wait.

This second picture is of the kids all piled in the chair.  They called out, “Hey, Mom come take a picture of us!”  So here it is. 

Well, that is all I’m going to write for now.  I’m going to go spend some quality time with my husband.  I’ll write more about the month in my next blog.

I love you, Mom! 



Elijah’s First Christmas

  2010 was a very good year and I’m anticipating an even better 2011 with God right by our side as he was last year. 

We enjoyed Christmas with my parents.  We started off Christmas morning with Joshua reading Luke 2 and Ruth reading Matthew 2.

Then we passed out and opened presents.  The kids had fun playing some of their new games with their Papa and Nana.

Elijah enjoyed playing with the wrapping and boxes more than anything I believe. 
We headed home Christmas night to be back in time for Sunday’s services.

New Year’s Eve Game Night

 Then Friday, New Year’s Eve, we had game night at the church.  The kids (including some Big Kids) had fun shooting Nerf guns at each other for at least an hour.   Several of us ladies started a game of Uno.  While Scott started a game of Chess with another father after the Nerf gun fight ended. 

The kids’ all picked out different games to play as well.  It was a really good night.  As midnight rolled around we cleaned up and before we came home we gathered together and discussed some of our Memories of the Old Year and our hopes and goals for our church and ourselves for the year we’re entering.  Then we had prayer and everyone headed home.   We managed to get our kids’ to bed and get a few hours sleep before we headed to our karate class that morning.

Elijah Helping Daddy Kick.

Every year on New Year’s day our Karate class gets together at 10:00 a.m. to bring in the New Year with a thousand kicks. 

I asked our Sensei if the kicks we did while holding the Baby made up for any we might have missed.  For a part of the time Scott and I took turns holding Elijah while kicking. 

After the class, we enjoyed good food and fellowship with the other students in our karate class.  I really like the Christian atmosphere of our class.  You don’t find very many karate instructors that will use the Bible as they teach karate. 

I’ve been trying to work on some of my goals for this year.  Some of the things I’ve planned for this year are harder than others but I’m working at it.  Hopefully by the end of the year, I can look back and see how much I’ve grown.  God is so good!   

I remember in my younger years worrying over the future.  I used to worry that I would say or do something embarrassing.  I would worry about what bad things might happen.  It was a miserable state to be in, not knowing what was going to happen and worrying about it all.

It’s wonderful being able to start this New Year knowing that God is with us and no matter what we face this year it will still be good, because of Him.  I’m sure there will be hard times, and disappointing times ahead but I know that God will see us through it all.  I’m not worried a bit. 

  Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (26) Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (27) Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? (28) And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: (29) And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (30) Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? (31) Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (32) (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. (33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (34) Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

I pray that you have a happy, worry free New Year as well! 

A Birthday Cake for Jesus

 I mentioned in my previous post about the Birthday cake for Jesus that I made and presented.  I thought I would share with you how I make this special cake.

It is a four layer cake.  I make the bottom layer chocolate (I use a Devils food cake).  The layer on top of the chocolate is Red (I use a Red Velvet
cake mix).  The layer above that is green (I mix green food coloring in a yellow cake mix.)  Then the top layer is yellow (I use the other have of the yellow cake mix for the top layer.)  It is iced with white icing and has a star of David on the top. With a red candle on top of that.

The children at church are waiting patiently for me to cut the cake.



Elijah enjoying a small piece of yellow cake.







Scott and I eating out for our 14th anniversary at the Olive Garden.


 We had such a busy weekend.  Friday night, we went Christmas Caroling.  Saturday morning, we had karate class.  Saturday afternoon, we sang at two nursing homes followed by dress rehearsal for the skit our youth were putting on for our church. 
Then Saturday night I stayed up late baking and decorating a birthday cake for Jesus. 

Sunday everything went well.  The kids did well with their skit.  Scott presented a short sermon after skit and then I presented the Birthday cake for Jesus. 

Monday was my birthday and I had scheduled to take Elijah to his Doctor’s appointment and we planned to leave straight from his Doctor’s appointment to go visit my parents.  It was so busy and it’s easy to have my birthday forgotten.  Scott had taken the van into town that morning to fill it with gas and to get the van registered.



My Birthday Cake shows a true Texas Snow. All it needs is some brown leaves mixed in with the snow.

I then called Scott to let him know I was coming home.  He still never mentioned my birthday and sounded like he was in the middle of getting things together.  I felt a little sad driving home and thought how easy it would be to just forget my birthday myself. I had tried to pass it off thinking how I’m a grown up and don’t have to do anything special but I thought it would be nice to at least be noticed on my birthday. 

I arrived home and saw Jonathan’s face looking through the window.  As soon as I opened my car door he was yelling, “Hi, Mommy!”   I went up to the window and spoke with him and Hannah through the closed window.  Then I got Elijah and walked up the steps to our front door.  I opened the door and suddenly the kids and Scott hollerd, “SURPRISE!”    They had a Birthday cake and presents on my clean desk. (My desk is rarely clean.)  They had cleaned up the kitchen and the livingroom while I was gone.  I was speechless.  All I could say was, “Ah!  How sweet!”  

Scott said, “I bet you thought I forgot.”  And he was right, I did.   I think this was the biggest time I’ve been surprised on my Birthday.  Anyone with a late December birthday can probably relate to how easy it is to get so busy that your Birthday gets hidden in the holiday rush.  I had resigned myself to another uneventful birthday, only to find it to be one of the best.  The kids all made cards for me. I’ll post pictures of those cards at a later time.  

God has truly blessed me with a sweet, loving family. 



My Husband, Scott, holding Elijah

  It’s been almost a month since I’ve posted.  So much happend in November that I just never took time to post.  But one of the biggest things my dear husband, Scott and I celebrated this Thanksgiving was our 14th anniversary.

We were married Thanksgiving day November 28, 1996.  He has been one of the best gifts God has given me. 

He is a wonderful, kind, patient, loving, and supportive husband and father.  He loves our children.  He is an excellent teacher and pastor. He’s a hard worker. He’s my best friend!

I am so blessed to have him.  

So many people mention to me how that every time they see me, I’m always smiling.  That’s because I have so much to smile about.  I am very happy. 

But you know what?  I don’t have to be the only happy person out there.  You can be happy, too.  It does take a little work, but it is well worth the effort. 

Here is a passage from the best marriage manual available:

Eph 5:22-33 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (24) Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. (25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (28) So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (30) For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (31) For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (32) This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (33) Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

We need to be willing to give up our way of doing things and do it God’s way.  It really does work.