Raiders

Our oldest boy..Marshall is a part of ROTC and the Raiders team. Their team made it to nationals a few weeks ago. Boy oh boy was I proud of him and the whole team. They did an amazing job! Here are a few pictures....hope they are not cut off like last time???
Marshall was 2nd in the nation for sit ups and pushups...he did 135 pushups in 2 min??? He is a FRESHMAN!!!
Lindsey and Hunter....AAAHHHH How cute!
The water was freezing!
Marshall and another kid helped everyone over and then jumped over themselves.
Very proud of him!!!!!

Speak Kind Words!!!

I wonder what it would be like if our words were recorded all day and then played back to us. It would not be pretty for me on some days. I have a feeling that I would listen...cringing...crying...at my tone, in many instances! I wonder how many times I have missed the opportunity to speak encouragement and kindness into my husband, my children and others because I was not thinking about the power of words! The Bible is FULL of verses about our words and their power! Here are a few.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Proverbs 12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Matthew 12:36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Lets start thinking about what we say...and how we say it!

One of those days!!!

Ever have one of those days??? the fence is falling down, the toilet is stopped up....the sewage pipe in the basement started leaking today....my dryer is taking 2 cycles to dry everything, the car we were blessed with last week went on the fritz yesterday.... and we have no money!!!!!

The Lord must be up to something big because that is usually what happens around a trial. Lord help me to have the attitude that would please you!!!!

Encouragement!

Are you encouraging your kids..and your husband for that matter...every day???? Sometimes we get so busy with "life" that we forget to give words of encouragement. This can be especially true if you have a really strong willed child. Look back on your day and ask yourself...Were my comments to my children mostly positive and uplifting or negative? Some mamas just seem to be so negative all the time.

A huge part of parenting is correcting...but if we are not extremely careful we will get so busy with that one aspect we forget the uplifting part. One of my kids was so trying..ALL THE TIME...those who know me know exactly which child:)...I spent many many hours praying, crying, begging the Lord for a break through with this child! I kid you not....this struggle went on for YEARS....I thought I had the one kid who could not be tamed. There were many days that I had to look really really hard to find positive uplifting things to say!

As I spent time in prayer..one of the things that the Lord showed me was to encourage this child with scripture and with the child's identity in Christ....so these were some of the statements that I used over and over with all my kids but it started with the one I struggled with.

Jesus loves you so very much! And so do I!!
The Bible says that the Lord knit you together in my womb...I love how He made you!
I can't wait to see the person you will grow up to be!
The Lord has an amazing plan for you!
I am so glad that the Lord gave you to me!
Did you know that Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life for you!
The Bible says that you are a very special blessing just for me!
I love you so much.....just because you are mine!


Look for ways to give praise...notice when your kids have good manners, speak kind words or lend a helping hand. Tell them that you are overjoyed to be their mama!

JROTC

Marshall is in JROTC this year. He tried out for the raiders team and made it...he loves it. His team is going to Nationals this weekend and Eric is going to get to share his testimony on Sunday morning with all the teams who are there. We still can't believe the opportunities that He keeps getting!! I am so proud of both my boys...Marshall and my main man!!! Here is a picture of Marshall and Lindsey at the last meet.
Below is a picture of Lindsey and Hunter....aaaahhhh aren't they so cute!