Realizations

We've had a rough few weeks.... living in the "lows" is a reminder of Psalm 23 "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou are with me. Thy rod and staff protect me."

How do people live without faith? I find myself saying that often but what I realize is that I really mean "How do people live without a faith in Jesus Christ? A relationship with HIM?" I have found that many people think they have faith..... they have faith in goodness, their job, their family, their church, their friends, etc... However, those things can all fade away. Our economy has made it clear that jobs and money are fading; families all around me are breaking apart and parents are divorcing; churches are splitting or being led by arrogance; watch the news and it seems goodness is slipping; and friends come and go.

It is these realizations and tough times and changes that remind me to hold fast to my Savior who promises to "never leave or forsake me." I have been guilty of putting my faith in Keith. What the last few weeks has taught me (through Keith telling me) is that He can't possibly bear all of my burdens all of the time. I can't expect him to carry that load and he shouldn't have to. It's unfair to him and it's not in line with God's word. His word says "Cast all your cares on ME because I care about you." WOW....why then do I rely on man? Don't get me wrong...Keith has been wonderful to be my rock for 10 years. However, I think one reason for the valley we've been in for about 2 years is to teach me valuable moral lessons. Here are some I've learned. 1. Money doesn't bring happiness. Living in the moment and above what we can afford only brings pain later (when the bill comes :)) 2. Be careful who you call friend. No matter how strong I am, I can be brought down by ungodly friendships. 3. When God calls you to do something, He will give you the strength to carry it to completion. 4. I need to be an intentional parent. I can't expect the church to teach my children about Jesus. 5. Finally, I must rely on my Savior in every aspect of my life. He should be my rock. He should be my comfort. Certainly I need to be close with my friends and husband but ultimately God wants me to be in love with Him first!

Gosh, I didn't realize all had I have learned in the past 2 years until I typed it (LOL).

I'm not sure what the future hold for The Carlton family. I'm not sure when this seemingly forever valley will end and begin climbing to the mountaintop. What I am sure of is this: "All things work for the good TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD." God is in charge of my life. I don't know why we've had to endure all we have but there is a reason and there are always lessons to be learned.

Pizza and chocolate

Tonight, the girls and I, went to the Giles house for homemade pizza and fruit in the chocolate fountain. The pizza turned out yummy but the chocolate was a different story.....the chocolate was a little watery and burnt tasting and the fountain wouldn't flow. Nevertheless, Grace's comment afterwards was "this is the BEST night of my life!"

I'm trying to get pictures up but haven't figured out how to get them from snapfish to my blog; I'll keep trying!

Fun with Neighbors

So tonight we joined the Giles family for homemade pizza and chocolate fountain with fruit. It was loads of fun and yummy! The chocolate wasn't necessarily the greatest but (as you can tell from the photos) the kiddos had a blast. Grace even commented "this is the best night of my life!"

Fun times with great friends....that's what life is about.

What was I thinking?

So we are dog sitting for my sister, Jennifer. Smokey is fitting in beautifully and is absolutely NO TROUBLE. She's even fulfilling Madeline's dream of "I want a puppy to love me and sleep with me." Yes, she's slept with Madeline for two nights.

I will admit that I have been tossing around the idea of getting Miss Priss her "own dog." (I know, many of you are thinking I've lost my mind). What the past few days have made me realize though is that we DO NOT NEED A THIRD DOG IN THE MIX. It's just crazy around here with two silly kiddos and three puppies.

Needless to say, we will NOT be getting Madeline her own puppy any time soon!

Intentional parenting

I have had a book entitled "The Family Compass" for over a year now and haven't read it. Well, I was convicted to pick it up and begin reading several weeks ago and I am so glad I did. The premise of the book is to be an intentional parent and not leave the teaching of morals and salvation to the church.

As a result, Keith and I began "Family Fun Nights" last week. This is a time where we plan an activity around a biblical lesson with our children. The first night was "How do we know God is real when we can't see him?" Madeline answered "God is in heaven and we won't see Him until we get there." Grace answered "God is like the wind, you know it's real even though you can't see it." I was so impressed. The activity centered around a balloon race. The point was that "Just like air...God is there." We blew up balloons to illustrate the power of something not seen. It was an amazing night.

Last night (my 33rd birthday) Keith led the girls in Family Fun Night number 2. They had waited all week with much anticipation and excitement. We waited until it got dark and turned out all lights. Then Keith told the girls they had to go on a scavenger hunt around the house. Their job was to place the listed items into a bag and bring them back to us. They were scared at first, until we gave them light (a flashlight). After finished the scavenger hunt, they got a scoop of ice cream while we read scripture. We wanted the girls to see that we live in a world of sin (darkness). Without the light of Jesus, it's hard to find our way. However, when we accept the gift of light, He helps us find our way easier. Grace had a wonderful perception that even with Jesus' light, she still ran into things or stepped on things she couldn't see. I LOVED that. I was able to share with her that having a relationship with Jesus doesn't mean we will not encounter hard times or obstacles...it just makes it easier to walk through those times....

Intentional parenting....I've failed in my job as a parent by not teaching my kids scripture. The occassional prayer before eating or lesson when something comes up is important but not enough. Keith and I are committed to this and can already see the benefits for all of us! After Keith and I prayed last night, he even said "so, think we might could do 2 family fun nights a week instead of one???" I laughed becasue I had been thinking the same thing. It's fun for us too!!!