My husband and I just started taking dancing classes.  Wow, I don't think we will make it onto "Dancing With The Stars"  but we are having a great time.  There's something interesting about the class though.  The man has to lead and the woman has to follow.  Isn't that what God tells us to do?  The man is to do the right steps and the woman is merely to follow those steps.  Then we will move as one.   There will be a flow.   If each one is trying to do their own thing, going their own way, it will look messy.  And so it is with marriage.  If I can be obiedent to the Lord by allowing my husband to lead and I follow,  then there can be a flow , we can move as one.  If we can succeed,  then we will be stars.

We have one of those really smart mice.  The kind that won't go for the trap you set for him.  Not only that,  he likes to drive you crazy day and night scurrying around inside the walls.  For those of you who do not know,  sleep is a precious commodity around here.  Our 3 year old just started sleeping through the night.  I'm just praying that the mouse will show some mercy and go for the trap!

Today I start a new chapter in my life.  A lot of time people dread this time in their lives, but I am kind of excited about it.  I guess it something God has built into me.  I did question God about this because I never thought this was for me.  But as the years go by, I love it.  What is this, the new chapter in my life?  I am now , for the first time, the mother of a teenager!  I had at one time thought that I was to work with little kids, but God knew differently( He knows a I stink at crafts!).  He wanted me to work with the youth and I've really enjoyed it.  So now I start another phase of my life,  and I'm  looking forward to it.  Which brings me to the reason why.  Jessie.  Jessie, if you read this,  you may not remember, but you and I had a rough beginning (I have many witness!)  But now that you are older,  you are a joy to be with.  It has been great going shopping, going to the movies and hanging out with you in youth group.  And even though those things are fun,  I pray that I can be the mom you need me to be.  I thank God that He sent you into my and dad's lives.  We both love you and want to wish you a happy birthday.  If none of this rambling is making sence, know this.  It's hard to blog with a demanding three year whining behind you.  I've always said toddlers and teenagers are a lot alike!

I had one of those cool school moments the other day with my seven year old.  We we reading Psalm 1 and talking about how God delights in us when we meditate on His word day and night and that we are like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season.  We then finish reading out of the Bible and open up the science book.  Guess what the lesson was on?  That's right, trees and how they need water to survive (and I didn't plan that!).  I love when God makes those connections.  It's those little moments that make homeschooling so worth it.  God is good-all the time!

Recently Jessie and a couple of her friends tried out for a Christian cheerleading group.  I'll have to admit Christian cheerleading seemed a contridiction to me.  I grew up being on the outside of the popular cheerleading groups.  However, I do have a really good friend who was a cheerleader and her daughter now cheers (you go girl!).  But I never pictured myself being a mom of a cheerleader.  But let me tell you, this group, Cheerleaders For Christ, definately have their focus on higher things.  The main priority is their relationship with Christ and setting a good example to the community and they get to cheer for Christ.  I'm really excited to see how these girls are going to grow through this experience.  They are all number one in my book.  YOU GO GIRLS!

  

We just got back from the Outer Banks, NC.  Let's just say it was partially a wash out.  We got to go to the beach for half of the week,  but the a storm came in Wednesday night and flooded the roads.  Well ,  if you call them roads.  To get the beach house where stayed we had to drive on the beach so the roads were, well, beach.  When the first storm came in, the "roads" became flooded.  When Tropical Storm Ernesto came through then it really got interesting.  The most unnerving time is when we went to bed with the knowledge that there were tornado warnings in the area.  It was dark and out in the middle of no where.  None of us adults slept a wink.  My husband, Buster, stayed up all keeping up with weather info.  Needless to say the roads were even more flooded the next day.  We didn't get out til Saturday.  Good thing we had plenty of food for 13 people!  I'll have to say I'm glad I won't be getting a visit from Ernesto again.  (This photo shows our "roads")

Last night we had one of those talks with the kids about discipline.  You know the one,  we tell them that God has given us the responsibility to "train up a child in the way that he should go."   Well, one of ours was about to be disciplined,  crying , knowing his fate.  My husband told the kids that he was glad that his father disciplined him when he was a kid because it helped him later to be obedient to God.  Our three  old wanted to know, "Did you cry dad?"  Hopefully he'll think about that the next time he wants to disobey us.  Probably not!

Well here it is.  Isn't it cool?
Here I am learning to do my blog.