Merry Christmas :)

Yes, this is your Christmas card this year! ;)  I'll hopefully do better next year and get some cards sent, but I hope you'll be forgiving this year.  We've had a few things going on... :)

We are doing well.  For those of  you reading our blog for the first time, and for those of you who have been following us since I began the blog a few months ago, we want to thank you for reading and caring about us, especially since Joe's mom Angie went to be with Jesus last month.  It is hard to believe it's been almost a whole month since we said goodbye.  Her death has put eternity into a new perspective for us, and we love the Lord even more than ever after walking with her for as long as we could on her journey to eternity.

Angie was a Christian.  She was "born again," as we say in our church circles.  But you don't have to be in a church circle to understand what "born again" means.  In the Bible in John chapter 3, it talks about a man named Nicodemus who was a pharisee living 2000 or so years ago.  He had the incredible opportunity to be a Jew during the time Jesus lived and ministered on Earth, and his conversation with Jesus is documented here.  He spoke with Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, our Savior...face to face...and received the most incredible answer from the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.  If you were face to face with Jesus and could ask Him anything, just as Nicodemus did, have you ever thought about what would you ask Him?  His answer would be as it was for Nicodemus:  one of TRUTH, one leading to ETERNAL LIFE, and one showing you the WAY to attain that.  Through all of our lives' biggest questions, the real answers lie in the bigger picture and lead us to God's true intent for us:  fellowship with our Creator God and His Son Jesus Christ, and eternal fellowship with Him in Eternity.  Nicodemus' question for Jesus was basically, "Who are you?"  And, Jesus got right to the point.  He said that unless a person is "born again" he or she will not know the Kingdom of God and went on to explain one of the verses that is most memorized in all the Bible:  "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16)  When you look at what He said, it blows your mind!  And, kinda blows those other theories out of the water...  The idea that when we die, that's it, there is nothing else...  Or that everyone when they die will go to heaven...  Or that there is a holding tank until our loved ones pray us to eternal life...  Or that we will be our own gods...  The TRUTH told Nicodemus the truth and pointed him (and us) to these facts about eternity:  there is one...there are two choices -- eternal perishing or eternal LIFE...only through the Son of God can we receive LIFE in eternity...we cannot receive it unless we've been born again...and it's an invitation given to all of us.

In this world of fierce independence, it is sobering to realize that this is one thing I cannot do on my own.  In a world of codependence, it is terrifying to realize that no one can do this for me.  In a world of "rose colored glasses," it is awakening to realize that I can't just wait until tomorrow and everything will be okay.  In a world of pessimism, it is enlightening to realize that even in my criticisms it is still true.  It is true that our Creator God is Holy and perfect, and because we are not - the Bible says we've all sinned and fallen short of His glory - we cannot be in the presence of God. Our sin separates us ETERNALLY from God, and since there are two choices in eternity, life or perishing, that means we all perish.

Then enters Jesus.  He never sinned -- never lied, never cheated on the job, never lusted after a woman, never talked about someone behind their back, never envied what others had, never took the Lord's name in vain, never did anything selfishly, never made excuses, never became apathetic... He was sinless, holy, and perfect, and he was HUMAN LIKE US, tempted in all the same ways we are, the Bible says.  Which gave him full access to Eternal Life and the earned right to be there.  But He gave it up.  You know why?  Because He knew we couldn't do it on our own.  So He gave His right to us.  He died (through crucifixion), fulfilled every Old Testament prophesy on the books, and extended an invitation then and now:  be born again.

Put off your old self, and put on a new self.  One that is forgiven.  One that is "clothed in white."  One that has full access to a Holy God and Eternal Life.  One that accepts God's gift to you through Jesus Christ.

As we journeyed with Angie in her final days on earth, she was never alone.  The Lord sent Jesus to greet her.  He allowed her glimpses of where she was going.  She saw loved ones who had "crossed the river," as the Psalm says, before her.  And we experienced her experiencing unexplainable, unadulterated JOY.  For Angie to not experience sadness or grief or guilt over leaving the family she felt enormous responsibility and fierce, zealous love and protection for, she must have seen and known something way greater than I can explain.  But she didn't.

You can know that kind of peace and joy, too.  We have much to celebrate in the Birth of Christ.  He was and is the answer to everything.

Merry Christmas. :)

A tribute to my Mother-In-Law

This morning we celebrated my precious Mother-In-Law's entrance into Heaven.  Knowing her, I am sure she made a grand entrance.  :)  She had a list of questions to ask Jesus and many of our Biblical ancestors and was excited to fill in the gaps for so many of our earthly curiosities:  to Mary, what was it like to know she was pregnant with the Son of God and finally feel Him move inside of her belly?  to John:  fill me in on what you didn't say in Revelation!  to the blind man:  what was it like when you first saw your parents after being blind all your life?  These were a few of many questions she and I pondered over... :)

She's met my precious PaPa who went to be with Jesus 13 years ago...  She's been reunited to her husband who died 36 years ago...  She has a new body with no back pain, no cancer, and as she told Cody won't have to go to the bathroom anymore! :)  She is standing in the presence of glory.  And she is experiencing joys we can only imagine...  Good for her. :)

Romans 8:13 encourages us, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed in us." "We grieve, but not as those without hope,"  1 Thessalonians 4:13.  

Her funeral services will be Thursday, December 2 at 10:00 a.m. at Southside Baptist Church (Joe will be officiating) if you want to celebrate her life with us or in your prayers.  Thanks for loving her and for loving us.  She's left quite a legacy of love to continue after her.  I am glad I am a part of it... :)

Angels' Pillow Fight

I am sitting here at the computer, sipping my delicious indulgence (swiss chocolate mocha coffee) this morning, telling the Lord how much I need Him today and listening to Him tell me how He has supplied all my needs in Christ Jesus, even before I ever asked.  My handsome husband snores quietly in the bedroom;  Erin is snuggling up close beside him in our bed.  My little boy just said "Mommy" in his sleep.  Two cats have been silenced with their breakfast, and Peanut (my dog) has curled up in my lap.  And now, I look outside and the beautiful, soaking, drenching rain that the Lord sent us last night has just turned into gigantic snowflakes!  Let me now just imagine the crackling of a fireplace.  Ah, a perfect morning.  Thank You, Lord.

I love the snow.  Especially this kind of snow -- huge, white, fluffy flakes that look like the angels opened their down pillows from heaven and shared the splendor of their pillow fight.  But I don't love the cold.  My nose gets cold, like a puppy's. :)  And I've yet to find the solution for that besides wearing Erin's clown nose, and who who wants to do that all day?  It seems befitting of the Lord, though, that even though we live in a world that the Bible describes as "fallen" and we bear the consequences of our own sin and the sins of others, the Lord brings us blessings in the middle of the cold.  Each snowflake, like His blessings, created uniquely by our Amazing Creator.

Now, if someone would just volunteer to build me a fireplace... ;)

Boo

We are pleased to introduce our newest family member:  Boo Stepp. :)  On Halloween night, after our dress up time was over and our outreach at Church had finished, Bodie decided that he wanted to see the bumbins (pumpkins) again, so I took one for the team, braved the cold one last time, lit the pumpkins, and admired our work.  :)  When suddenly, out of the night, we heard the sweetest, loudest meow ever, almost as if he were across the street, saw us, and yelled, "Hey, wait for me!!!"  And out of the night, the most precious little cat came to greet us. 

I, being the sensible mother I am (yeah, right?), and of course not knowing if the cat was healthy or nice, (but oh, so cute!) immediately told the kids NOT TO TOUCH!!  So, I did...  You know, just to see if he was okay...  In the meantime, this little kitty won the heart of my little girl and gained her good graces.  I got a good look at -- uh hummm, obvisously a HIM, and he looked perfectly fine -- beautiful shiny coat, sweet, sweet, sweet demeanor, maybe a little skinny... After all it was Halloween, and he was hungry, and I have heard of awful things that horrible people do to cats on Halloween...  I never intended that he would make it into the house!  When I told the kids that we needed to come in from the cold, I guess I wasn't explicit about letting the cat continue to be warmed by the pumpkins because once I got a good look at my children when we were all warm back inside the house, my beautiful Snow White had put her prince to sweet sleep on her chest.  He didn't move for an hour and a half.  Neither did she.  She just started her quest to convince us that her prince deserved to have a family...

Her first move:  she named him Boo because he found us on Halloween.  Her next move:  "Don't you know that if you give an animal a name, you get to keep him?"  Then: "Mom, I think I have fallen in love with him."  And her final move:  tears.  Sigh...  Truth was I had fallen in love with the fact that he had chosen my daughter.  And, it's not like I don't love animals too...  We have a dog and a cat already, and they both are really MY animals.  They love me and pretty much no one else.  I have always wanted her to have that special, sweet relationship that comes from an animal choosing YOU above all others.

It was getting late, and I was cowering in my exhaustion, so we laid out our "fleece."  I told poor Erin that the kitty HAD to sleep outside that night -- after all, we didn't know if he had any shots and we owed it to our own pets to not get them sick -- but if he was still there in the morning, I'd talk to Daddy and see if he would take Erin and Boo to the vet to make him ours.  After a tearful and heartbreaking, "I'm gonna miss you, Boo..." and lots of boo hoo hoo, we put a blanket out for him, watched him scamper away, said a prayer, and went to bed.

The next morning when I woke, Joe told me excitedly that he had checked on the kitty at three in the morning, and he was laying on the blanket!  (guess he won Joe's heart, too!)  I took a peak, and sure enough, there he was!  Erin awoke not long afterwards, and immediately wanted to check on Boo.  She opened the door, he meowed an excited good morning greeting, and ran to her open arms.  Precious.  She closed her eyes, held him tightly, and said, "I knew you'd stay!"  She didn't put him down all morning. Joe got the appointment with the vet, and Boo's quest was successful.  He was adopted, complete with golden tag and our last name to prove it.  I sure have a happy girl. :)

It sure reminds me of the excitement and peace I experienced when I was adopted -- into the Family of God. In my search to find protection, security, and acceptance in my life, the Lord scooped me up, held me to His heart, gave me rest, stamped His Name on my heart, and called me His own. "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."  Romans 8: 15-17.

See you again in a week!  Thanks for reading!

A peak at our week

As you know from my prior posts, we are homeschooling Erin.  We started out with basic preschool stuff and have moved on to Kindergarten.  She is an eager, enthusiastic learner, is GREAT at math, and she is going to be a quick reader.  I got an idea from a homeschooling website, and after we tried it this past week, I love it.  We are focusing on Erin's school four days of the week (we can easily do that since she gets one-on-one time with her teacher all day, every day!!!) and focus on our toddler the other day. :)  The homeschool mom whose blog I was reading named hers "Toddler Tuesday."   But if you know me, I get a little OCD, and I can't imagine breaking our week up like that, so Bodie is going to have Fun Fridays. :)

We worked on the letter H this week, and I thought I'd share some of our work through the week.  This, of course, is not nearly all of it, but this is what I happened to remember to get pictures of!!!

Letter H, covered with Happy faces and Hearts. :)

Her number circle.  I downloaded these from Confessionsofahomeschooler.com and we really like them.  She counts the dots and clips the clothes pin with the correct number on it. :)

She is making words out of her vowel ladder.  She is working on "hat" and "hen" in this picture. :)

We made Haystacks for snacks. :)

And the timing fell perfectly -- H for Halloween. :)

We took Bodie and Erin to Jess and Doris' ranch and saw the Heifers. :)

 She LOVES to paint, so we painted pumkins, too, for Halloween. :)

These are a few of the highlights, with many, many more sweet spots in our week. :)  Here are our beautiful Snow White and Monkey for Halloween!  Have a blessed week, everyone!

Shared Prayers

I am so incredibly burdened for several dear families we know, and I wanted to share about them with you so you can join me in prayer for them.  So I'll do just a quick update on all of us today...  The kids and I have been battling sickness this last week but maybe, hopefully we are all on the mend.  I think Bodie grew an inch yesterday -- he just seems so big all of a sudden!!!  As for Erin, after five weeks of preschool, we decided that she is in Kindergarten, so I am restructuring, reorganizing, and replanning!!!  Joe has been crazy, wonderfully busy with ministry stuff.  And, I had my platelets tested today, and we'll have the results back next week, so keep you fingers crossed for me!  Mom got her second cataract surgery performed successfully with no anaphylactic shock (Praise God!);  and Angie continues to do well -- she has some infection in her leg now, but she's doing about the same other than that. :)

The sweetness of the Lord is shown so clearly in these families who need our prayers!  These families who are ministering through adoption and/or the mission field are heavy on my heart.  Will you pray with them with us?

* Friends of ours who are ministering in Pennsylvania are in the process of adopting a little boy from Ethiopia.  They are in the process of fundraising (because adoptions are very expensive) and doing all the paperwork required to "bring him home."  Pray for Joel Peoples, that this process will be smooth and that he'll be able to come home soon. :) 

* Pray also for our friends Heather and Bill who within the past week brought their little boy Samuel home from Korea after a year of the adoption process.  What a wonderful homecoming and gift he is.  Pray for their bonding and adjustment!  He's seven months old, and deliciously adorable!

* Another adoption prayer request - friends of ours who are also adopting from Ethiopia could meet their little guy for the first time any day now, and as you can imagine they are filled with joy and anticipation!  Pray for the Mullins as they prepare to travel and meet their son for the very first time. :)

* Also be in prayer for Jessica Hoover and her husband who will be leaving to Liberia in the next week to begin their mission work there.  We are so excited for them! :)

* Our precious friends the Nilsens have returned to the Dominican Republic after a few months of much needed rest in the States.  They are re-energized and their health has returned after their sabbatical,  and we are so very excited to see how the Lord will use them as they return to the work the Lord has called them to.

Thanks for joining us in prayer!  :)

God is Good

                       My handsome little man after I cut his hair!  His first haircut! :)

                         The four of us hiking up Sandia in Albuquerque, NM.

Have you ever experienced moments, days, weeks, years when the powerful presence of the Lord and His work around you was unmistakable?  When each time you turn, each place you explore, every person you talk to, every road you cross is filled with promises and protection of the Lord and His handiwork?  Our weeks have been full of Him.

Last week, we began receiving little gifts from people from our church.  It started with a card with some goodies in it;  then the next day a family brought us a gift;  the next day more goodies from another family...  Joe and I started putting it all together and realized it is Pastor's Appreciation Month and our church has adopted us for every day of the month!!!  We find ourselves feeling like little kids at Christmas, wondering what the day will bring. :) Our church is so wonderful!  What a gift from God!

Then we got to see the Lord at work with my mom. She had an anaphylactic reaction to the eye drops that were prescribed before her second cataract surgery -- you know, the whole NOT ABLE TO BREATHE THING.  My grandma "happened" to swing by Mom's house at that exact moment and was able to help her to the emergency room just before mom's situation became life-taking.  She had a pretty scary week after that, but she was able to have her second cataract surgery yesterday (with different antibiotic drops!) and she is doing well.  She is so resilient;  God is so faithful.  He makes no mistake.  My smile for the day:  yesterday when Erin and Bodie and I were almost ready to drive back to Perryton after leaving Mom's,  Erin told me that I was "cooler than camouflage."  I said, "That's so sweet, Erin.  What's camouflage?"  She responded, "I think it's some kind of food." :) 

We took some much needed "time away" last weekend, too.  Joe, Erin, Bodie, and I drove to Albuquerque, NM for the Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta and were awed at the surreal emotion we experienced as all the balloons inflated and lifted into the air -- amazing.  Even now when you say "balloon," Bodie looks up into the sky to see what he can see!  We explored a great science and learning museum geared for children called Explora, went to the zoo, aquarium, and botanical gardens, met up with some precious friends, swam at the hotel, hiked a trail up Sandia, and enjoyed some great Mexican food. :)  Funny story --  As we toured the zoo and were excited about each animal we saw, Erin would say, "Oh, Mom, look!  A ZEBRA!!!"  or something similar.  Bodie simultaneously searched the exhibit and would yell, "BALL!!!!  Ball-ball-ball-ball-BALL!!!"  :) We returned refreshed and excited.  Great trip -- thanks, God! :)

Then, Dad's shop was broken into.  Things were taken from two of the vehicles, one of which was Dad's pickup.  It was upsetting to them, to say the least, and Dad said it felt like he had been personally violated.  A thief going through your things -- not knowing what he/they saw, touched, took, said, etc. as they were rummaging through my dad's things.  I can see why Dad is so upset.  The last I heard, the police had suspicions and leads but we haven't heard anything definitive.  Our Protector God at work for Dad...  :)

And, I could stand it no longer...  I gave Bodie his first haircut this week. :)  He looks like a little boy.  I didn't cut it too short, though, and he still has some curls in the back.  Such a handsome little guy!  MUCH better! ;)

Pray for me in the coming week.  Since I am no longer working (out of the home) we have been trying to add me to Joe's insurance and they have declined me twice.  We've appealed it, and the insurance company wrote back saying that they'd further consider our appeal if current blood work revealed a normal platelet count.  I need your prayers that my body would be a platelet-making machine in the next week before my blood work is done. :)  And that our insurance will approve.  God cares about the details...

Look around; take a minute to notice.  I hope you see it, too -- God is at work around you, in you, and through you, too!  He loves you.  He cares about the details in your life.

So do we. :)

Good

Today is my precious Mom's birthday -- what an amazing blessing she's been in my life.  She's been a compass, an anchor, and one who has "taught me to fly."  She entered motherhood when she was very young, parented three young children alone while Dad was away in the Army, and stayed at home with us even though she and Dad could have certainly used some extra income.  She never took a parenting course, but she knew to set firm boundaries with us and held us to a high standard. She never pretended to have all the answers, but she also didn't let us pretend that we had them either!  She certainly defied all the odds in her life and been an example of God's faithfulness.  God brings good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.

Tomorrow is Dad's birthday as well!  I guess Dad got the better deal with birthdays because no one ever forgot his since it was the day after Mom's!  My Dad is strong, both physically and emotionally, and it was always his arms I ran to when I was hurting.  He worked hard his entire life to provide for Mom and us and was extremely generous, not just to us but to anyone in need.  He has taught me to run to the arms of my Heavenly Father when I am hurting and that my Father is constantly at work in my life.  Things weren't always easy, but he was always there.  God brings good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.

Thirty-six years ago this month, Joe's dad died.  I often wonder how his life would have been had his dad lived... The Lord teaches us so many things through our trials and difficulties.  Joe had to learn early on not to rely on an earthly father to fill his needs.  His family learned together how to cling to what matters most and to walk into the unknown without fear.  They learned that "stuff" doesn't matter nearly as much as people do.  They learned that God is faithful to provide all our needs in Christ Jesus. Their loss cultivated great strengths in their lives because in their weakness, God was strong.  God brings good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes.

It has been five months since Joe's mom was told that her cancer is terminal.  On that day, she told her children that it was going to be okay, and that she was not afraid;  if the Lord chose to take her Home, she was ready to go and okay with His will.  She began making preparations and getting her "affairs in order," so to speak, and has encouraged all of us through this process.  She shares untapped amounts of wisdom, sweet and precious stories of her life, and enormous pride and accomplishment in what the Lord has done in those she will leave behind.  God brings good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes.

No matter where you are in your life, I hope you are encouraged that as Romans 8:28 says, "All things work together for good to them that love God (and are) called according to His purpose."  Sometimes the circumstances in our lives are hard to understand.  Sometimes the burdens we carry are extremely difficult to bear.  He is with us.  He never forsakes us.  He is at work in us.  He brings us GOOD.  Blessings to you from the Stepps.

Blessed

Erin tickling Bodie's feet while they play in the laundry basket. :) :)

So far we are really enjoying our blog attempts. :)  What amazing blessings we received reading your replies to our email and at the end of our blog.  Thank you for sharing the joys and prayers of your lives, too!  I wonder how we ever stayed in touch before Facebook and blogs and Myspace and email!!!  I think I figured out that you have to either have a Yahoo account or a Google account to "follow" us, but (I think) if you follow us, Google will send you a message each time we post to our blog.  If you don't have a Yahoo or Google account, just add our blog to your bookmarks, and when you think of us, check out our blog from time to time.

It's been a busy week here, but aren't they all?  We have a new roof on our parsonage (thanks, Church!!!) and on the Church and Fellowship Hall as well!  They look amazing, and if you live here, drive by and admire it!  :)  We thank God for His provision and blessings.  Joe has taken lots and lots of pictures which I am sure he will post to the church website (www.southsideperryton.org) and to his facebook account.  He is teaching our church members how to study the Bible, teaching on the book of Amos, and just finished teaching about Jesus feeding the 5000 and the 4000 in the book of Matthew.  The more we learn, the more we want to know about Jesus.   We changed our service time from 11:00 a.m. on Sundays to 10:45 (making Sunday School begin at 9:30), and it seems to be working very well!  He also managed to fit in a few rounds of golf this week, so his week gets a thumbs up. :)


Erin worked on the letter Ii this week, and we made igloos out of marshmallows (well, Daddy and Mommy made them while Erin licked them), made homemade ice cream, ice cream cone cupcakes, and the cutest little iguana craft.  Her memory verse, Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," has ministered to us all week.  We are realizing that the phonics review is pretty unstimulating for her and that she is really just ready to read, so I am going to look into getting some kindergarten/1st grade readers (if you have any, let me know!).  She enjoyed her dance class so much this week and was so proud that we have to get her bigger tap and ballet shoes!  She spent her last gymnastics class with Mrs. Tammy for awhile -- please join us in prayer for Mrs. Tammy -- she is beginning cancer treatments next week.  Erin got a surprise visit from her "best friend Lisa" this week, and she is looking forward to her Good News Bible Club with her friend Hannah today.  Happiness. :)

Bodie man is a sick little guy today.  But he is all snuggles when he doesn't feel well, which warms this momma's heart.  Some Tylenol, a cool bath, a popsickle, and a tent full of balls have turned his whimpers into squeals of delight.  Joe (what a great man) sacrificed the plans for his day and went to help care for his mom so that hopefully she won't be exposed to whatever Bodie has.  At this moment Bodie is sitting in the middle of his tent throwing balls at his "DiDa" (that's Bodie talk for Sister).  He didn't greet me this morning with his usual "No-No," and he only told me "No-No" twice  yesterday, so maybe that stage is passing (please?).  I am really thinking I need to schedule his first haircut soon but I DON'T want to cut off all his precious little curls...  What to do??? :)

Joe's mom Angie is doing well.  It is an absolute joy to spend our days with her.  She has horrible, horrible swelling which makes her pretty uncomfortable, but her sweet demeanor ministers to us all day long.  She KNOWS that she will spend Eternity in Heaven if the Lord wills for her to die from this, and her love for Him only grows each day in spite of her circumstances.  She is amazing. Her brother, whom we affectionately call Hunkle Harold, is here for awhile too, and we are enjoying him. :)

My precious Momma has a 2nd eye surgery in October and will soon be facing ankle reconstruction and knee replacements in the coming months.  As you pray for us, please pray for her too;  she has a long couple of years in store, but there is relief in sight!  I'm hoping to convince Dad to let her stay with us some while she recovers after each surgery...  Maybe that's the biggest prayer need of all! ;)

I have decided to read my Bible from cover to cover for the first time ever.  I am enjoying that and am already feeling accomplished knowing it is a goal I will fulfill (especially since I haven't put a time limit on it!!!) -- there is nothing better than reading the living and breathing Word of God.  It is a fresh drink of water for this thirsty soul.  As I look at my life, I humbly realize how very much I have to be grateful for. 

Thanks for reading!  Many prayers for blessings to you and yours!

Beginning Blogger

I thought we'd give this whole blog thing a try!  We have several friends who blog frequently, and I enjoy checking in on them from time to time.  Joe LOVES to encourage others through scripture, and I LOVE to share about the things going on with our family, so I hope you will check in on us every now and then to see what is new with us and to be encouraged from the Word of God.  I don't imagine I'll be as diligent as some of you "bloggers," but I will try to update every week or so.

The Lord is certainly at work in our lives, every moment, every day.  His redeeming love in our lives is so precious and so evident.  It blesses my heart to watch my children grow, and I see the mercies of the Lord every day in them. We are homeschooling Erin in preschool this year, and she is the best student.  She is eager to learn and has an enthusiasm for life that inspires me as I teach her.  We began with the letter L this week, and I have received tremendous support from our home school community here and from several awesome blogs of other home school moms. She is very active and has a huge imagination.  And as long as Mommy is with her, she loves church, dance and gymnastics.  She has a sweet, sweet spirit, a huge heart for others, and a very strong will.  As we redirect her, it is a blessing to see her will soften, and she has a genuine desire to do well and to do right.  She is motherly and tender to little ones (besides her brother) and is enjoying helping me care for her "NeNe" (more about that later).

Bodie is fifteen months old.  In some ways he seems so much older than that.  In other ways, he is still so much a precious little baby. :)  He loves balls and cars and hammers and to bang things.  He loves to make messes, help clean them up, and wear peoples' shoes.  He's the "bull in the china cabinet" and climbs anything that seems a bit dangerous.  His fear instinct is either undeveloped or completely absent, and if he does not get what he wants, he communicates loudly and clearly!  He is also a cuddle bug, has the most adorable laugh, and is confident, smart, and funny.  He is a joy, a challenge, a blessing.

Joe is an amazing pastor and shepherd of our church, and his days and nights consist of all different forms of ministries.  He is passionate about the Lord, and he is passionate about teaching others about the Word of God.  He deserves the World's Greatest Father award, hands down, and our children adore him.  He has truly put the Word into practice with them.  When he has a chance, he still loves to go "hit the white ball" with friends to encourage and be encouraged by other men of God.  I am so grateful he has them in his life.

As for me, I love being a mom.  I love teaching my children.  I love teaching the children at church.  We have good days, we have bad days, and we have a lot of great days.  I rely on the Lord to make it through all of them.  I have the amazing privilege during the days to take care of Joe's precious mom who has terminal cancer.  Each morning, I just pack up the kiddos, school, snacks, and the things we'll need for the day and head over to her house, and we do all the things we would have done at home there.  I think she enjoys seeing the kids' school lessons and watching them play, and they enjoy spending time with her.  She has shown me how to die with grace, and I cherish -- savor -- embrace this sacred time we have with her.  Having this experience, I have learned that death, as difficult as it is, is a sacred and holy time and a time I have learned to be truly grateful for.  For the Christian, the Bible says there is no "sting" in death and there is nothing to fear;  only in death (because of Jesus) there is victory, completion, and perfection.  It's what we as Christians all strive for -- the Voice of the Father saying "Well done."

Thanks for reading;  thanks for caring;  thanks for loving us.  We love you, too. :)