Justus' Thanksgiving Feast

Today we got to celebrate Justus' Thanksgiving Feast at Preschool. All the parents brought yummy food. The kids sang some super cute songs that they had learned and then Miss Kathy read the answers to the questions about what we do at Thanksgiving that she had asked the kids.

A great bonus was she had typed them all out and laminated them so the parents got to keep it. They also had made fabulous turkey hats to wear - so cute!! And they each made a candle and pumpkin that were used as the centerpieces for the tables. What a great time of togetherness, sharing and being thankful!

A Family Classic

Today I had the kids help me make Eskimo Cookies.

This is a very special (and yummy) recipe out of a cookbook that my mom got when she was 8 years old. Ive enjoyed making these cookies since I was a young girl and somewhere in my adulthood, my mom passed this cookbook down to me. Now I am privileged to share it with my kids. I love the the look of the cookbook and the classic 50s feel of it. It truly is special in many ways!

A family classic!

Take up your mat - its your responsibility

John chapter 5 talks about the "Healing at the Pool." Jesus goes up to a man who had been crippled for 38 years and asks if he wants to be healed. The man did not answer very decisively. But Jesus ready and eager to heal him said "Get up! Take up your mat and walk." The man did and was healed.

The part that really got me was the "take up your mat" part. The lady who gives the lectures for BSF said that taking up his mat was his responsibility. In essence it represented all that he was accountable for. So tonight Im sitting at church and it finally clicked. The Pastor said he spends time with the Lord through prayer and bible reading every day and has not missed a single day in like 8.5 years or something ridiculously long like that. He said it was his responsibility. Ok, I get it. Just like I pledged some 14 years ago to make my bed every morning because I wanted to be a lady of diligence (and Ive only missed a handful of times). That was my action to being responsible. But God is calling me to be responsible in a new way. I must spend time with him daily. It is my responsibility in Faith action. I must take up my mat and walk. Walk with Him.

He can write his name

Justus brought home this lovely piece of artwork the other day. I loved how he colored his picture, but what most caught my eye was his signature at the bottom. I love that he wrote his name. I know that is what he can do all by himself because his teacher told me. I think its all pretty impressive!

Tis the Season for Snot

I was so excited for Neil to come home after being out of town a lot the past month and a half. When he walked through the door last night you could see it on his face - he definitely was sick and needed to just rest. So this morning I was up with Neil and saw him blowing his nose so I went to go get a box of tissues to have in our room and I just thought - tis the season for snot! Ha! Justus just over got over his little cold and we have friends all around us that are sick. Thankfully those close to us just have colds.

So it begins....

Hidden In My Heart

Im claiming a victory for Justus. Since he was a brand-new baby in my arms Ive always prayed that "Justus would hide your (Gods) words in his heart that he might not sin against you (God)" That scripture is from ps 119:11. Im so thankful for my Husband. He has been teaching Justus scripture. So far Justus can readily say John 3:16, Ps 20:7 and Matt 4:4. This is without helps and you can ask him at any moment and he can recite them for you. Currently they are working on 1 Cor 13:4. I think this is pretty impressive for a 3 year old. But mostly, I think that God has honored my prayers and has give Justus a great aptitude for scripture memorization. Thank you Lord that Justus is hiding your words in his heart that he might not sin against you!!

Ranch Day

We had the privilege of visiting a Ranch today. One of the couples in our Sunday school class, his dad owns a Ranch. So we got to go out and visit the cows, chickens, water buffalo, dogs and puppies that they had. We also got to see the men round up some chickens with a net and hold them by their legs. Fun stuff! We grilled out hamburgers - which were totally yummy - old school charcoal grill, fresh cow meat (wonder where the meat came from??) - totally good stuff! Not to mention we have some great cooks/guac makers in our class and the food they bring is always delish!!

The boys LOVED playing in the dirt, running around, climbing the fence, picking up walnuts, sticks and whatever other treasures they could find. Haven LOVED her some puppies. She just loved and loved on them. She would just lay down next to them and talk softly to them. So super cute.

Then after we were all full from yummy food, we hoped on their "mule" which is a type of vehicle thing. If you dont know what that is, its like a glorified golf cart/ATV thing. So then we got to ride a bumpy fun ride thru the cow pastures and get up close and personal with the cows. So fun! Then home it was to baths and nap time. Gotta love Ranch day!