Happy Wednesday!

Be thankful!  After all, your head is not stuck in a toilet seat...  Can I get an "amen"?

Sartorial Inclinations

Caiden is only three, but even still, it has been a very long while since I have had much sway over her choice in wardrobe.  She has long since vocalized her opinion on what she should or should not wear and makes quite a fuss about selecting the right combination of clothing pieces.

Both of my kids like to bum about the house in their pajamas most of the time, so I always find it necessary to make an announcement, a good thirty minutes prior to any planned outing, that we will be going out and they need to get dressed.

This is the outfit that Caiden came out wearing today.  She was killing me with her cuteness and I just fell in love with her selections, as quirky as they may have been.  I took her into my room for a quick photo shoot before heading out the door and discovered even more richness in her attire: she was so thorough in her selections that she had even thought to wear an "underwear cover" to cover up her chonies and the cover also matched her pink boots and provided a "pop" of color whenever her dress splashed up.  Love it!

iPhone Journal: Crazies

Recently, the Lord has been giving me and my family lots of opportunities to grow in our faith in Him.  He is stretching us.  It is hilarious, because He sometimes allows us to get to the absolute end of everything we have before then filling our need.  The reason I think its funny, is not the situation itself, but in the ridiculous inclination I immediately have to try to explain away the provision as not from the hand of God.  We prayed and waited and prayed and waited and prayed all the way up until the very last possible day.  Then, day of, I find myself talking to the Lord and confessing my unbelief.  Telling Him of my fears of "what if You don't come through?"  And, day of, He totally comes through in a big way and I almost find myself telling Him, "Oh, wait, never mind, you don't need to help us.  Help came.  Phew, we're okay--false alarm."  Its ridiculous.  The Lord is teaching me thankfulness.  To thank Him for all the blessings He gives, big or small.  Because it is so easy to take them for granted and not see that they all come from His merciful hand.

James 1:16,17
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Matthew 6:31-34
Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?'
or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the
Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you
need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added
unto you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about its own things.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

iPhone Photo Journal: Part 1

{Caiden loves roasted cauliflower}

{a day at the park for a birthday}


{There comes a point when their sense of fashion may veer from your own. Try to embrace it... and not cringe too much!}

{ukulele}

We are still here--waiting.  Life seems to be stalled at the moment; we're waiting for the next step toward our move to Berkeley.  Meanwhile, we just keep plugging along.  Nothing much creative is happening at the moment, hence the lack of content here.  But lots of love is being had and shared at home as always (food, fellowship, and coffee as well).

We've also been really sick, which as you know, derails things quite a bit and can be a little discouraging.  But He is faithful to comfort and love us always.

I've been reading through the book of James with Elliott and something I've been mulling over, lately, is this:

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have its perfect work,
that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
who gives to all liberally and without reproach,
and it will be given to him."
James 1:2-5