Greetings from the BEACH!!!

We are having a blast on the beach. The weather has been great so far, even though I was more than a little concerned about it on the way over. We drove through rain most of the trip yesterday. Upon arrival, the skies were clear, so we "suited up" and hit the beach immediately.

Last night, we planned to get a quick bite to eat and purchase some groceries. We ended up getting soaked in the process, but it was fun.

We woke up to sunny skies this morning, so we stayed out and about ALL day. Well, most of us...Claire went down for a nap around 11:30 and finally woke up after three. I guess we wore her out.

Anyway, a couple of family members are totally responsible for us being able to come to the beach. A few others were thoughtful enough to even make sure the kids had ice cream money and souvenir shopping money. So, I thought the least I could do was to post some pictures so that it might FEEL like you are a part of the fun...






If you know Caleb well, then you are as surprised as I was to see him both deep in the ocean water AND deep in the sand. He hit the beach with a little more adventure than normal. AND, shortly after, he was nursing a jelly fish sting. Bummer! But, he went right back out after lunch. Thank goodness.

Collin, as usual, had BIG FUN in his own little world. I caught many eyes looking his way and grinning at what they saw.

Claire clung to ANYONE who would take her OUT into the ocean. She got more brave with the water as the day went on. But, she still wasn't comfortable walking out on her own. So, Mama and Daddy (mostly Daddy) have tired arms.





We are ready for more beach fun tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Claire...LATE!

Are you beginning to recognize a pattern? Tardiness is my new trend.

This past Sunday, we celebrated Claire's second birthday. TWO YEARS OLD! I know the phrase, "where did the time go" is very much over used. But, I can't think of any other phrase to express how I feel about our baby girl being 2 years old.

I found out that I was pregnant with Claire during Thanksgiving break of 2006. Caleb was almost four and Collin was a year and a half. My stomach tightens even as I type the words. This just happens to be around the time that Collin "came alive". He was a handful; and, actually, that is putting it mildly. So, I was more than overwhelmed (and more tired than I ever remember being) at the thought of adding another one to the mix.

Multiplying the insecurities, I was terrified to tell Scotty that we were having another baby. I can honestly say that I had no idea how he would react. So much so that I waited almost 2 whole weeks before I shared the news with him. He responded in genuine joy at the thought that God saw fit to bless us with another child. And, if you can imagine that it is possible, he also responded in very real depression. Sounds harsh, I know. But, we are only human.

We were more than ecstatic when the sonogram showed that we were having a girl. That truly calmed some of my nerves, because I was pretty certain that a two year old girl could not create the madness that two year old boys thrive in. (By the way, I'm paying for those thoughts now.) And, from the moment she arrived, we knew that our lives would be missing something BIG had she not been a part of them.

Today, she brings such joy to our home. She is definitely a "Ms. Priss" and I am positive the boys enjoy having that personality around as much as I do. I feel certain that if she had been the first, she would be much more dainty and sensitive than she is. But, her brothers (and her daddy) have made her tough with just enough sensitivity around the edges. If I began to list all of the differences between "our girl" and "our boys", I could type all day. But, one thing remains the same...LIFE SURE IS PRECIOUS...

young or old.

boy or girl.

planned or unplanned.

And, knowing that there are so many that would give anything for even one child to call their own, Scotty and I remain forever amazed that God chose to grant us three.







You bring such happiness, sweet girl! SO, Happy Birthday to You!!!

One Year

My sister sent me an email devotion the other day that was really good. I won't quote from the whole thing, but the last line has stuck with me.

"When you are gone, no one will remember all that you did. They will not remember all that you said. But, they will remember how you made them feel."

Profound. Tomorrow marks one year that this world has been without Jon Jason Weathers. No doubt about it, there are only positive words to describe how Jason made you feel. For the day, I am going to try to focus on how much better we are having enjoyed his presence even for a little while.


And, then, I will commit to pray and love Stephanie, Anna Lea, Jon Brent and Ally through another year without him. I would LOVE for you to join me in that cause.

PEACE

I knew it was coming. As soon as I rolled the calendar over to July, my stomach tightened at the thought of what was now just around the corner. Anniversaries are usually such a happy time. Except when the anniversary marks the death of someone close to you...a friend, a father, a husband, a son. July 12th is that kind of anniversary. That is the day that Jason Weathers went to heaven leaving my friend, Stephanie, and their three precious children.

I love it when God speaks to me in a VERY real way, yet very unexpected way. I went to KinderTOT camp with Collin today (at his request). While I watched, I did a little bit of my Bible study which is Beth Moore's study of the fruit of the Spirit. The week's lesson is on peace. Could that be any more perfect for this week? Peace. When life is good. Peace. When life is hard. Peace. When life is downright unbearable.

In the very first day's study, I was led through Job. What a perfect example of a life at peace even in the most difficult of circumstances. Beth Moore even stated that surely God gave us Job so that, no matter what we are going through, we can look at Job and say, "He had it so much worse than me, and he made it."

I was moving through the study as I always do. Reading passages, filling in blanks, etc. when I stumbled across a few verses that I honestly do not ever remember reading.

In the second or third chapter, Job is covered in sores, he's lost all of his possessions and his children. I read across everyone's most familiar portion of Job. His wife tells him to "curse God and die". Then, I read through few verses about Job's friends. They hear of his situation and come to visit him. The scriptures say that they could barely recognize him from a distance. But, as they got closer, they tore their clothes and wept for him because his grief was so great.

This is how I feel most days. I just want to sit down and cry for my friend, because her grief is so great. And not only that, the grief that she carries for her children is so great. I am not alone, either. Stephanie is surrounded by friends that are equally as affected as I have been by her situation. Job's friends, I read, sat with Job. They didn't really say anything to him. What can you say when you sit with someone who is experiencing unspeakable pain? BUT, they sat with him. Their presence said to Job, "We are with you...You will not face this alone."

I'm so thankful for friendships. For my own, but also for the many that God has given to Stephanie. Such friendships prove that God gives us exactly what we need/who we need to weather any storm handed to us. In my life, God has given me the testimony of Jason's life and death. As I face my own difficult times, I will be able to look at Stephanie's situation and know that what she has lived through has been so hard, but she survived it. I am so proud of her. She is not only surviving, but she is thriving. Her worst fears have come true, yet she is living in PEACE.

"His grace is sufficient for me for His power is made perfect in weakness."

State Champions

As most of you know, we have spent our summer playing and watching baseball. Lots of baseball!

Caleb made the 6 year old all star team and practice began 2 days after the regular season ended. I was so happy that he made the team because he LOVES it. I know that some would absolutely hate for their summer to be dictated by baseball, BUT I know that he would not completely enjoy a summer without it.

At first glimpse, I was a little concerned about our little team. O.K., if I'm honest, I was A LOT worried about this team. They could hit for sure, but defensively, no one was really sure what to do with the ball....IF they even got the ball.

Clearly, I didn't give our coaches enough credit. The past two weekends, something clicked for our boys. Everyone seemed to figure out what to do in their new positions. Caleb played pitcher for his regular season team, but he was short stop for this team. He had a lot of new things to learn as well as becoming "o.k." with throwing his whole body in front of baseballs moving QUICKLY. And, once he figured it out, he started to really enjoy it.

This past weekend, we made the trip to Hernando for the Dizzy Dean State championship and WE WON!!!!! They played some really good teams, but they played so well. In fact, the last three games were called in the fourth or fifth inning because we were so far ahead.

They worked hard, played well and we even had some fun together. Collin joined us for this trip while Claire went to MeMe Janet's. He did so well that we are pretty sure he thinks he is 6 just like the big boys. I didn't lose him any, he whined very little and functioned perfectly in the heat with no naps. He joined Caleb's team at the end for high fives and the huddle.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend together...



If I can brag momentarily, Caleb "smoked" the ball to the back fence EVERY time he hit it this weekend. I was nervous for him while he played short stop, but I never worried when he got up to bat. And, if you ask him, he will not hesitate in telling you how many home runs he hit. We are still working on the modesty thing. ALL OF US!!