The Best Gifts

Kyle has been out of town and the morning conversations have been about Christmas, Santa, and when is school going to be out... This morning Garrett had a very special gift he was going to whisper to Santa so no one else would hear (me). For those of you who know me, you know i can't stand snakes (it is not a slight fear- i REALLY dislike slithery things!)

Our conversation went something like this:
Garrett: Grandmother Duke buys the best presents ever! (Grandmother Duke is Kyle's almost 90 year old grandmother)

Me: Oh really. Do you think she is going to buy you a Christmas present this year?

Garrett: Of course. She can buy me the ball python snake I want. (Grandmother Duke is a proper Southern women with the utmost dignity, kindness, and gentleness- not to mention the warmest most loving grandmother)

I am crying i am laughing so hard at Grandmother Duke with her walker at the pet store purchasing a snake...

Garrett: And i know...I can keep it at Mimi and Rocket's house since Dad won't let me have it here.

Ok- for those of you who know Donna (Mimi) this is even more hilarious that Garrett would even consider her with a snake. She had to learn to love Reveille when she lived with them for a summer. Of course, she did...for her son.

So poor Garrett is going to be terribly upset when he does not receive a ball python this year for Christmas. I love that God gave me 4 boys to raise - but i do not do snakes. i try my best to embrace the testerone by allowing wrestling in "designated" areas of the house, encouraging them to be what God has designed them to be....wild and brave. i laugh at how many times they have fought off the bad guys or trapped the wild bears in the backyard (Chili and Rio). I played Cabbage Patch Dolls and played soccer so i could get a uniform (running, no thanks!)

Merrry Christmas and Garrett can visit Shaeffer's snake.....

A Thankful Christmas?

ok, I have missed posting because we have been sick, busy, tired...so get ready i have been sitting on this one for a while. I promised in "Thankfulness or lack of it" several weeks ago that i was going to work on being more thankful- that is why the Graham family was going to base our devos on it for a full month (because I NEEDED it-funny how we intend these for our children and God has a different idea)

We are reading Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges with our community group (amazing book that is about examining the sin in my life that is subtle or even acceptable to me as opposed to concentrating on the obvious sins of others/society... it challenges me to deal with my "respectable" sins such as pride, discontentment, self control, and impatience with the same severity i do the flagrant sins of others). yeah- fun!

So.. one of our favorite verses was 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". I worked on being thankful by not (...trying not) to get irritated and frustrated when we are late. There are many other things throughout each day - toothpaste all over the sink upstairs EVERYDAY, children who don't want to sleep, wrestling....(all the things others do to ruin the plan i had for my day). Yeah, remember when I talked about my selfishness....ouch!

Right after our family devo was about thankfulness we read the chapter on unthankfulness (no coincidence, huh?) In this chapter he makes this amazing connection from 1 Thessalonians giving thanks in all circumstances even those i do not feel thankful about to Romans 8:28-29. Because in Romans Paul tells us, "We know that in all things God works for the good of all those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose." God directs the outcome of my circumstances for my good and His glory (even when i am angry, was unjustly treated, or wronged by another).


So in learning to be more thankful in all circumstances, I pray this season i will thank God when things go awry and do not go the way i had hoped. I pray i will, by faith, thank Him that He is transforming me into the likeness of His Son. When the Christmas card picture is not a picturesque scene of 4 boys living in harmony, our annual visit to the Arboretum is not defined by skipping gleefully down the winter wonderland, or someone tells grandma that is NOT what they wanted...i will thank Him for giving me the MANY chances to develop my Christian character and those of our boys. To rid our lives of being defined by what we get and not what we give (selfishness).

This season is not about my circumstances or selfish desires but thanking God for the gift of His Son/our Savior so my sin is washed away. My obvious sins and the ones i am just so used to i don't even recognize...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

i am among the living again! Where have i been? i even got an email from the Internet telling me how neglectful i have been. :) kyle was out of town, we hit thanksgiving, and i got sick...that is 3 weeks of my life. scary how fast it can go!

my favorite Christmas tradition is the Arboretum with the kids to visit santa. here is the Graham family review- my how fast we have grown! It just seems like yesterday we were going with just Mason! i will probably be that mom who makes 4 grown teenage boys go visit santa to get the annual "pic".

Hope your month is a celebration of how amazing our God is and what an amazing gift He sent!

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2007

Brotherly Insight Part 2

We were all driving in the car on a Friday afternoon after spending what felt like years at Northpark when Mason spoke very valuable words of wisdom to Garrett once again.

Garrett was complaining about never looking in time to see the cool thingy we are all talking about and Mason was ooing over the dead tree at the gas station. Garrett was really upset he "always misses everything!!!". Remember nothing could ever be fair enough in Garrett's world. Once again mason gave garrett the "life is not fair" speech and God has different blessings planned for each of us.

Mason then drives his point home with, "Garrett just be glad you have eyes, you could be deaf."

I thought kyle was going to drive off the road. After we picked ourselves up off the floor, we had a blind vs. deaf lesson.
I am so glad i have Mason because i don't have to say those ridiculous things my parents said to me when i was a child, Mason does it for me. By the way my mom's favorite was, "Eat your dinner there are starving children in Africa".

i love shin guards- part 2

ok- it's 4:45. soccer starts at 5:30. i have promised "extra" time playing at the park before practice so reed will actually "practice" soccer. the baby is hungry because he went to "school" today and ate 2 whole hours early (suckers). reed needs shin guards, socks, water, a ball, and transporation to practice- oh yeah and early playing time. ouch! where is dad? shin guards are evil.

and then............... i was actually practicing being thankful in ALL circumstances and sweet Garrett (g-muddy) steps in and just begins to "help" reed so he won't miss practice because at this point it is at least 5:15.

just a fun pic and thanks God for giving me each one of your precious children to raise but today i needed garrett. thanks!

a garrett funny- today at school it was ms. owens birthday and they made an announcement during the pledge about it. garrett asked his teacher (ms. lewis), "did ms. owens know it was her birthday?" man i love that kid!

Too cute!

Cutest skeleton ever! He is such a precious baby- and growing way TOO fast. It is such God's design to finally REALLY enjoy the good and bad times with the 4th child. It took 3 "trial" runs to just relax and "enjoy" even the 3am wake ups with kyle out of town!
miss you kg!

Implosion- of a building, not a child

This morning before church we woke the kids up really early and went to a building implosion on central south of royal. it was so awesome; we got to stand just behind a chain link fence and watch it go down. It was so loud and such a rush. it amazingly folded into a sandwiched pile of rubble without even a tree being harmed. Check it out! The boys LOVED every minute of it- except when they thought the birds would get blown up too, but they weren't even that concerned about them either.
http://www.wfaa.com/video/?nvid=301633

Thankfulness or lack of it...

Where have i been, why haven't i posted in a while?? I have been in a hole since the time changed last Sunday- i am exhausted and i have no idea why (no i am not pregnant for those of you with dirty minds...)

We have had sickness (babies and kids) that will knock you back several weeks and the general busyness that accompanies raising and feeding 4 boys. Well, I have been wondering what to write about (a little brain dead) and i always pray the Lord will encourage me to share with transparency what is going on with us so... here goes.

This month our family devos are about thankfulness and our verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." We have shared the cliche thankfulness statements..."our family, home, dogs, food..." But we had a family celebration (turning a sitter-less Saturday night into steaks and "family fun") and each boy got to share something their brother had done for them that they were thankful for. It amazed me how well they remember the times someone extended grace, a kind word, or encouragement.

Reed was thankful Mason threw the football with him. Garrett was thankful for our baby (surprise). But as i was thinking back on the week and sadness swept over me. True heart wrenching disappointment and just plain sorrow. The Lord has been nudging me all week to be thankful and do all things without complaining or arguing. ouch!! We are training (I mean attempting to train) our boys to run the race with greatness and i am standing at the starting line.

You know those moments when you have to wipe up Izze off the kitchen table (and it is VERY sticky) and when the baby poops AGAIN; I was not thankful. And when garrett cannot read a clock and comes down at 5:30am to tell you he is ready for breakfast or Mason is tired of Garrett copying him; i was NOT thankful. When mason has a full on asthma attack during flag football and Garrett has killed one of Shaeffer's snakes; i was not thankful. (see pic of the snake before Garrett accidently stepped on it with his cleates on) Does it really say ALL circumstances or just when the circumstances are convenient for me?

How selfish am I? The Lord shows me a million times a day His forgiveness, His mercy, His love, His sovereignty, His grace, His majesty, His wisdom....i could go on forever. And i complain about the circimstances of dirty dishes, piles or laundry, sinfulness in my family, and baby puke down my sweater sleeve. i have such a small perspective of God, i put Him in a box so that I can comprehend this world. God is bigger than world we'll leave!

I am thankful He is who He says He is, who He has given me to share my life with, who He gave me to be raised by, and where He is taking me. "I am blessed" seems such an inadequate way to describe my life. And i don't mean blessed because my life is comfortable; blessed because He is the God of second chances and has the power transform me - not just my circumstances.

Well, i guess that is why we are talking about thankfulness for a full month. Maybe his week I will get it a little more than last week.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday Coach Ames!!