End of week and weekend happenings.

Noah, our beautiful song bird following her music program!

Grey and Jax getting ready for soccer season!

Happy Birthday, sweet Amanda!

I finally took a minute to post some of our happenings for the past few days. Friday was extremely busy. We attended a music program at Noah's school in the morning. Of course, Noah was like sunshine on the stage with her sweet smile and terrific singing! We bought Noah a bib when she was a baby that said "Little Miss Sunshine". That has truly been her personality since babyhood. She is rarely seen without a smile and stays pretty upbeat most of the time! Later on Friday, Jax and Grey reported for soccer practice for the first time. The weather was pretty blustery and cold but the boys soon got involved in some running drills and did a great job! We are looking forward to a fun soccer season!
Today we went to Alf's mom and dad's to celebrate Mandy's (Amanda) birthday! Her sweet husband, Jeff, brought in an awesome spread from Cracker Barrel for lunch and I provided the cake. It was a joyous celebration as Mandy was surrounded by her parents, two beautiful daughters, Rachel and Becca, her manly son, Jonathan, her terrific husband, Jeff, brother, Alf and myself. She was a flower girl in my wedding when she was five years old so she has been my little sister for a long time. We are all so proud of her Christian walk, her love and loyalty to her family, and her outstanding teaching ability! She teaches English at a Christian school in Nashville. We are hoping the coming year will be one of your best ever, Mandy! Love you!!!!

A day of discovery!

What will we discover?

Up in an actual "tree" house!

Grey drives us to the fire!

Groceries anyone?

Grey and Jax loved the train table!

Ashlyn traces a cat in the creative center!

The water center was a favorite for everyone!

All of us, but Noah, were out of school for spring break this week. Yesterday, we decided to take a day trip to the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun! I think Ashlyn would have enjoyed it a little more if Noah had been there, but she is really good about playing with the boys. We did go off on our own to the creation center. Ashlyn traced a cat and did a great job coloring it with markers! I did a little painting for fun. We went to McDonald's for lunch, then headed for home. Both boys took a nap, which is unusual nowadays. I guess all the excitement wore them out!

Milestones

"Look, everyone, no training wheels!" exclaimed Ashlyn.

Barney and Al just chilling.

Today was a big day! Ashlyn was out of school for spring break and when the sun warmed the day up a little, she, Jax, and Grey headed outside to ride. The bike with training wheels that Ashlyn usually rode had a blown back tire and the bike Noah usually rode without training wheels had a busted seat. Paw Paw took the seat off one bike and replaced the other and coaxed Ashlyn to try and ride with Grandma's help. I only ran with her twice and the third time I turned loose after a few steps. She rode half way down the drive and I called her name. She stopped, turned around, and was shocked that I was still standing close to where she began. I have rarely seen a bigger smile on her face. By the time she left today, she was riding like a pro and looking forward to getting rid of her training wheels at home. Of course, we went to Walmart after church and bought a helmet. There have been a lot of changes in Ashlyn's life already this year and we celebrate each new milestone reached.

Speaking of milestones, my husband has never been a cat lover but about eight years ago, he found an injured kitten under our chicken coop at the barn. He brought the poor little thing up to the house and put it in a box. We took it to the vet  the next day and Barney has been a part of the family since then. He and Al weren't fond of each other during the early years but Barney has become the best, loving cat I have ever seen. He loves the grands and has never offered to bite or scratch any of them. He always rests close by when any of us are outdoors as though he is guarding us. If another cat comes around, he chases it away. They say we all mellow with age. Maybe that is why the relationship between Barney and his "dad" is so sweet now.

Sunday sunshine and gymnastics.

Ashlyn's first gymnastics meet!

We woke up to a beautiful, sunny Sunday! We turned our clocks forward but, since we are usually early risers, it really didn't have a major impact. We always look forward to Sundays! Going to church, participating in worship and spending time with our church family is always an uplifting experience and today was no exception. We ate lunch with Jarrod, Blair, Noah, and Grey following services. We had fun and good food at Applebee's.

Our biggest afternoon activity was going to Ashlyn's first gymnastics meet. She had a big cheering section which included her mom, dad, and Jax, Nana and C. Y., Julie and Chris, Gigi and Gida, Paw Paw and me. We really enjoyed seeing all that she had learned. She was very graceful and did a great job in all her events! She received some cool medals and a trophy for her performance! Way to go, Ashlyn!

Warm, sunny day! Hmmmm, what to do?

Ready for a bike ride in the park!

Grey sticks with it as Noah leads the way.

The cutest monkeys ever!

The view outside my kitchen window.

Freshly picked daffodils and quince blossoms to bring spring inside.

Noah and Grey spent the night last night and we all woke up to a sunny, gorgeous day! As soon as it was warm enough, we were outside gathering flowers. Since Paw Paw had to mow the church yard, I packed a picnic lunch for the three of us, loaded the bicycles, and headed to a local park. After lunch, Noah led the way down the bike, jogging, or walking trail and Grey followed her lead. I brought up the rear, just walking, and gave Grey a nudge now and then when he would get stuck. They both rode quite a distance, admiring the scenery, and without complaint. We followed the ride with playground fun at the park and I coaxed them into a nearby tree for a picture. Their mom picked them up in the early afternoon and I arranged the flowers from the morning. As I was preparing dinner, I looked out the kitchen window over my sink and enjoyed the view. Spring is so amazing! It reminds me of God's faithfulness as each season comes, displaying such an unbelievably orchestrated plan! Nobody but our Creator could come up with such a plan! Thank you, Lord!

Thinking about and craving more time with the Holy One.

Though I do try to spend some time each day in devotional time and daily prayer is a major part of my life, I do long for more time spent in God's word as His voice is so strong through His message to us. It so boggles my mind that God came to earth as a human being and lived among us in the form of His Son! There is no feeling that I have or will have that is foreign to Him, no sorrow, no pain, nor any feelings of joy or gratitude that he has not shared in human form. Though He was beaten, berated, spat upon, and nailed to a cross, His self esteem did not suffer because He only cared about how He looked in the eyes of His Father. I am so challenged to do the same, to live my life with my sole concern being how I look in the eyes of my Heavenly Father. In this world of me, me, me, and mine, mine, mine, how I long to pour my life out as an offering to and for Him! Just as love is a daily decision in any relationship, spending time with God is a daily decision as well. I have been working on a corner of my home where I can spend quiet time with my Father, developing a deeper relationship with Him. Glory to His Name!

Ashlyn's love locks.

Waiting for hair cut.

Beautiful Ashlyn with her love locks!

When our grandaughter, Ashlyn was four years old, we were looking at a newspaper and saw a picture of a young girl that had cut her hair for "Locks of Love". When I read the caption, Ashlyn wanted to know what that meant and I told her that the girl had grown her hair long and had it cut to donate so sick children, who lost their hair from medicine they had to take, could have wigs made for them. Ashlyn said, "Grandma, I want to do that." From that moment it was her goal to donate her hair, which she did two years ago. She immediately started growing her hair out to donate again. She is six now and today marked her second donation. She has such a heart for others and demonstrates that love. How proud we are that she has such a compassionate heart! What a gift she is to her family and others! We love her so much! Our grandchildren never cease to bless our lives!