Sunday Snapshot {This season... special moments and thankfulness...}

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

It's hard to believe that our sweet Clara has been home a little over 2 months. What a blessing she is in our lives! These days are busy, adjustments for everyone and I haven't been a very good blogger in it all. We have had some colds and a little croup here and there just to add a little excitement as well! But in life's craziness, God is teaching me a lot thankfulness and treasuring the moments that the Lord blesses me with each day and challenging me to record them... and soon, this season will change and I promise to share more about life here, but for now... here are my thankful moments from the past 10 days...

Our sweet "Natey Bug" turned 5 in the last 10 days. What a blessing this boy is in our lives! 

The kids all loved celebrating with him...

I am thankful for sunny days, windy and clean laundry on the line...

Daddy was gone this week for meetings but he brought us back a special Texas treat...

Our first hard freeze came and we had to pull all the pumpkins from the back garden... the kids picked our 80 pumpkins! Needless to say, we have been sharing them with many people, decorating with them, I have been baking them down and freezing them (I'll share some of our favorite pumpkin recipes soon!)

I am thankful for many smiles and the sound of laughter I hear each day... 

for the sticky finger prints left behind on the sliding glass door...

fun in school as we study colonial America and try new foods like hard tack (my kids actually love this... so we made it a couple of times in the last week:), cranberry ice (a new favorite at our house... this is the way cranberries should be eaten!!!) and hasty pudding...

An afternoon hike in ranch country... Lots of picture to come in another post...

Fun making shadow shapes...

I love the leaves in fall too... and taking time to notice them...

"giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," Ephesians 5:20

from the lips of children....

Come, thou Fount of every blessing, 
 tune my heart to sing thy grace; 
 streams of mercy, never ceasing, 
 call for songs of loudest praise. 
 Teach me some melodious sonnet, 
 sung by flaming tongues above. 
 Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, 
 mount of thy redeeming love. 
        ~Robert Robinson, 1735-1790

 Last night while clearing the table, my sweet girls were humming this song... how I long for my children's hearts (and my own) to truly grasp the meaning of these beautiful words!

Happy Birthday {Sunday Snapshot}

Thanks for being a awesome daddy, an amazing husband and a faithful friend!
Happy Birthday!
We love you!

A tiny blessing...

as arrived!

Our newest nephew!

Mama and baby are doing well!

We are rejoicing with them!

 Raindrops in a dry and thirsty land...

It's beginning to truly feel like fall in our part of the country. It has been a long, hot, dry summer... discouraging in some ways to drive through the country side and see the lack of rain... both mornings this past weekend, we woke up to the sound of rain drops, one of the most beautiful sound I can think of... next to the sounds of praises to our Lord and laughter of children... 

How often our hearts experience drought in daily life... I can relate and I am sure you can as well. In the last few weeks, many things have happened that have reminded me of the importance to stop and linger in the special moments we are given...

to give thanks and enjoy the blessings...

So I hope each of you will take the time to sit with a cup of tea or coffee and reflect on the moments God has given you lately... take time to linger in them for often they pass to quickly. Don't rush through each day, missing the extra chance to hug your children, kiss your husband... and give thanks to the Lord.

This week I tried to capture some of those moments and record them here so we will remember...

The art work of two sister,beautiful drawn together on the whiteboard in the school room...

pumpkin dinner rolls, warm from the oven awaiting supper...

 Raindrops on the mums on my front porch, the first real rain we have had in months...

 Pumpkins on the front porch from our garden, what wonderful moments we have spent together working in all summer as a family...

 One of many pairs of muddy muck boots around the front porch....

I hope the rest of you week is full on tiny moments that you take time to linger in and give thanks for!

 

Stop by Stefanie's to check out some other Sunday snapshots.

National Calvary Competition

 I mentioned last Sunday that we had gone to the National US Calvary Competition in Oklahoma. I have just been slow about posting. Here are the rest of the pictures... There were 5 active duty Calvary teams that completed along with several others. You can read more about the Calvary Association here...

 

Pastor Stan announcing events. All of the competitors have to be dressed in US Calvary official uniforms from history or their active duty uniforms. Pastor Stan is in a military issued uniform for a Chapel from the 1800's here.

One of the horsemanship competitions is jumping.

The boys had a blast watching from the stands, the weather was windy but beautiful!

On Thursday evening was the Maj. Howze Mobility Test, all of the horseman gathers on the greens waiting instructions and the official start. This blog post describes the mobility test.

The mounted pistol competition....

We had a great time with Pastor Stan and Miss Marilyn and we were amazed watching all the riders! We also got some really good history lessons in along the way!

A giveaway!!!!

Hop over to my friend, Joanna's blog and drop her a note. She is giving away some cool salad tongs! She and her family live in the Solomon Islands where they are Bible translators. Take a moment to read some other posts, too! You will be blessed!

On Angel Wings...

This evening, Baby D went to be with Jesus, completely healed, just not the way many of us had hoped and prayed. I posted here about Baby D and his mama, they had surgery Sept. 23rd to repair his spina bifida in-untero. Things had seemed to go well, but this weekend, Baby D made his entrance to the world early. Many complications followed and today, he got his angel wings. Please pray for his family as they grieve.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

His Hands and Feet... {Sunday Snapshot}

We spent time this week with a couple who have been the Hands and Feet of Jesus to our children over the last few years. When they lived here in our little town, the loved on our kids, rough housed with them, took them horse back riding, told them about Jesus and His love and simply took time to listen to their stories or see what treasures our kids brought to show them. Our kids love them deeply and have missed them since God called them back to the military to serve 2 years ago and moved them across the ocean. Even from afar, they have sent pictures and written to our children and encouraged Shawn and I as parents. 

We have known for awhile that they were going to be coming to the States to visit, so the plans have been in the works to go meet up with them. What a blessing our time with Pastor Stan and Miss Marilyn was. Though it was brief, they loved on our kids and they encouraged us. We are so thankful they took time to be with us. We had a lot of tears when we had to say good bye, but also precious memories left with the finger prints of God all over them...

 

Lots of hugs and laughter...

 

Enjoying moments on the back of a horse together again...

 

 More hugs and snuggles...

 

Getting lots of love...

 When Eli ask Jesus to live in his heart, the first person he wanted to tell was Pastor Stan. When Eli needed a missionary to put in his Awana book, it was Pastor Stan because he has "the best job... he gets to tell people about Jesus and be a soldier!" Pastor Stan took time from his busy schedule to send Eli a letter back from Germany that this little boy still has tucked safely away...

Thanks Pastor Stan and Miss Marilyn! We are so thankful that God has placed you in our lives!

 We actually met up with them at the Bivouac and National US Calvary Competition at Fort Reno, Oklahoma. The kids loved watching the Calvary guys compete with their horses in mounted pistol and jumping competitions. All of the competitors wear historical US Calvary uniforms (even those who are currently on active duty with the military. ) Lots more picture to share of the activities and events tomorrow!

Stop by Stefanie's to check out some other Sunday Snapshots...