Ask and you shall receive...

Ryan has recently implemented family devotional time. We typically read one of the stories from the kids Bible and then discuss it, make sure they understand it, point out how miraculous God is, how powerful He is, etc...and then apply it to our life. Tonight after church, we decided to talk about prayer and forgiveness. Here's the conversation:


Ryan asked the kids, "If we tell a lie, how do we ask for forgiveness?"
Leah said, "We ask God to forgive us for lying."
Ryan said, with eyes closed as if praying, "God, I'm sorry for lying and sinning. Please forgive me for lying. Help me not want to lie anymore."
I said, "Lord, please change my heart so I don't want to sin anymore."
Logan said, "And please change my nose so It's not sick anymore."

Virus

Dragon/Castle Cake

Andrew and Logan discussing the dragon. So sweet!



What a great group of friends. Everyone got comfy on the floor for supper...and not one complaint!

We saw a little snow a few weeks ago...



I caught Leah reading to Jackson and Logan last week. All of the pictures were fuzzy, but I thought it was too sweet not to post. They love each other and i'm so thankful they're growing up together!

Fruits of the Spirit trees...when I catch the kids showing one of fruits of the Spirit, they get to choose that fruit and put it on their tree! It's been so fun so far!

Fruits of the Spirit bowl...

Being home full-time has lots of perks. The obvious are as follows...I get to be with my kids all day. I get to teach them. I get to snuggle them. I don't have to get a shower as soon as I wake up...I can use cleaning bathrooms or dusting as an excuse to wait a few hours to get to that chore. I get to eat what I want for lunch. Not like when I taught and packed my lunch the night before, and was stuck with whatever seemed good when I packed it. These are among the perks of being home full-time.
There are some challenges too. You've got your classic seclusion from everyday society, your hard work that doesn't look like it was really ever done, (didn't I just fold those 4 loads of laundry and why aren't they still in nice orderly piles on my bed? Oh yes, the kids were just jumping on that bed...that was also made up nicely this morning, next to my clean bathroom that mysteriously smells like urine...again! and that kitchen that was actually sparkling after breakfast this morning smells like bacon and the floor is sticky again. Sigh.) To offset some of the challenges, one of my outlets for conversation and interaction is the internet. Facebook. Blogs. E-mail. Skype with my mom.
This last week, sweet Jackson was at home sick. We gave him croup. I had it first and then I gave it to Logan. His turned into an ear-infection. Leah has it now...and so for the last 7 nights, all 4 of us have been camped out in mine and Ryan's bedroom overnight. No problem...jump online and chat with a friend or two, it'll take away the blah's... seems as though our computer contracted a ka-zillion viruses this last week! I spent over 4 hours on the phone yesterday trying to understand the dialect of the man giving me instructions over the phone...and it still wasn't fixed. Ryan took over that duty this morning and has everything working again.
So as the snot is seeming to dry up a bit, and our computer seems to be running smoothly again, I realize I've gone a week without the computer. And I have a few pictures to share. Some are from awhile ago and grandparents have been waiting to see. My apologies. Just a few pictures of what my being home full time allows me to enjoy with my family. I'm thankful and feel totally blessed to be here with my kids and husband. I'm even thankful for their sweet snot.

Mabee

Today is a big day for my brother and his wife. They're getting some results from her amniocentesis test. If you read my blog, you're either family, or as good as family. I wanted to put the link to their blog on here so that we can all be lifting them up in prayer today. www.mabeecolwell.weebly.com
I'm sure they're emotionally exhausted. Today I pray for energy. I'm sure they're tired of answering questions. I ask for clarity when they tell their findings on their blog. I'm sure they're nervous. I petition for peace. I'd imagine they're scared. I pray for rest. I know they're so in love with baby Mabee. We all are. I ask for some refreshing news to lift their spirits. I pray for a plan of action. I pray for healing. I pray for kind doctors and gentle delivery of news. I pray for a good nights sleep tonight.
Matthew 6:10 says,

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."

Father, please carry Stephen and Joy today as they listen to the doctors. Please give them ears to hear and hearts to receive your will. Please help us all be encouraging but not overbearing. Continue to shelter them and baby. Thank you for loving us and for always providing perfectly for our needs. We love you. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.

p.s. If you didn't receive my invitation on Facebook, please consider this your invitation. I'm collecting handwritten prayers for baby Mabee. Please write a short prayer and send it my way. I plan to put them all together for them as a gift. Thank you! Amy Davis
1026 Independence Dr.
Coppell, TX 75019

Colwell Christmas

A few pictures from the time we shared with the Colwell side of the family. We were lucky enough to cross paths with Stephen and Joy as they headed out to see her family for Christmas...it just so happened that Vanessa and Grant were in town...so my parents and Grandma decided to all come to our house and spend an afternoon and evening together sharing food and gifts and fellowship. We missed having Chris and Tim with us but realize that it was luck we got to see any of my side of the family this year! (It's worked out that my siblings and I are on the same schedule every other year with our in-laws for Christmas and every other year with our own family for Christmas. This was an in-law year so we were totally lucky it worked out this way.) We had a great time together and are getting excited for next Christmas already! (Lord willing, we'll all be in Montana together in a lodge my parents booked..)Here are a few pictures from this year.

Wisconsin Christmas

I'm so pathetically late in uploading pictures from Christmas this year. We were blessed to travel to Wisconsin this year and spend a week with Ryan's family and some friends. We had beautiful snow, plenty of rest, lots of snuggle time with grandparents and great grandparents, lots of great meals, and time to visit and catch up with the family. I'll let the pictures tell the story...we had a great time!