Clothed in His Righteousness

"And Jesus said to them, 

'The cup that I drink you will drink, 

and with the baptism with which I am baptized, 

you will be baptized...'"

(Mark 10:39b)

My younger brother had the privilege of baptizing his precious wife 

- and sister in Christ - yesterday evening.

 “'John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.'”

(Acts 19:4)

I was so thankful that it worked out for our family to attend this service.

It was such a blessing.  

Christ was exalted. 

"And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption"

(1 Corinthians 1:30)

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God,

for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

He has covered me with the robe of righteousness . . . "

(Isaiah 61:10a)

Kameron faithfully preached the Gospel of Christ,

 clearly explaining the ordinance of baptism.

"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, 

the Spirit is life because of righteousness."

(Romans 8:10)

"....and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, 

but that which comes through faith in Christ, 

the righteousness from God that depends on faith..."

(Philippians 3:9)

"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

(Romans 6:4)

I was disappointed that my camera froze upon her rising from the water,

but it was a beautiful picture and glorious proclamation 

"of a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins"

(Mark 1:4)

I am so thankful for Kameron and Olivia and the ministry to which the Lord has called them. 

By God's grace, they are being ever faithful to that calling.

Scripture Memory Monday

"Overwhelming, deep-seated happiness"

is the definition that my husband just articulated to me for the term blessed in this verse.

Read and meditate on the following with that in mind.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

And whose hope is in the LORD."

Jeremiah 17:7 (NKJV)

Friday's Photo

Thursday's Thanksgivings

I am so thankful for John David's great accomplishments lately!

To help him overcome some of his recent challenges, 

we set up a point system.

Each time he reached a goal

like . . . 

-using the potty at school 

(he's been a bit "gun shy", which I don't count this a bad thing - it just makes for an uncomfortable morning at school and a pretty antsy "tee tee dance" come carpool time!)

- going to school like a big boy (without complaining, being brave, etc.)

- using good manners

- being kind and gentle with his sister
- obeying the first time, with a happy heart

(You get the idea!)

he would get a point.

Once he got a total of 30 points, he could get a prize . . . 

one that he's talked about for weeks now!

And today, after going to school (and using the potty there!) like a big boy,

he earned his last point.

This great accomplishment earned him what he's been waiting for . . . 

(drum roll, please)  

the long sought after -

 BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!  

Welcome to our home, Buzz!

(Woody's glad you're here too:)

This little boy sure worked hard to get you!

And I'm so thankful for his achievements in the mean time.

 I'm thankful for little Claire's behavior today, as well.

This is what you may get if you are friendly 

(or might I say "flirty" - yikes!)

with the guy bagging groceries in the checkout line. 

But honestly, I was thankful to see her being so "social."

(This is something we definitely celebrate in our house!)

He even said he got her one to match her outfit.

How nice. :) 

Also, I must admit I was excited about Claire's communication attempts today. 

(in addition, something that we celebrate!)

Now these things might not be a big deal to you; but for the sake of the record (and the grandparents!), I'd thought I'd share. :)

While in the store, Claire made the sign for "more" several times while in the produce section.  This girl loves some fruit!

We got home from the store and were heading to her room for nap time.  When passing a container of bubbles sitting on the counter, she swung her head back around in theirdirection and said "pop pop pop".  (She's also a huge fan of bubbles!)  Needless to say, we stepped outside for some pre-sleep "popping" :)

Claire uses the sign for "milk" a lot, and even sometimes when it's not meal time; I think she's just proud she can communicate something with meaning, that gets an immediate response, that I understand.  While she was waiting patiently (patience being a rare virtue exhibited by my strong-willed, opinionated little darling :) she saw a picture of a cow - her favorite animal, no doubt! - on a box atop the counter.  She proceeded to "mmmmm" (her version of "moo"), I think to hint to me, "Hurry it up, Mom!"

And she has also been seen enthusiastically signing "all done", particularly after a nail clipping or - due to her recent cold - a bulb suctioning of the nose! 

Thank You, Lord, for my children.

Thank You for the little things that we were able to celebrate today. . .

Before being blessed with my first child, 

I never knew little things could be such a BIG deal!

Eleven Months

We had a really fun day today celebrating baby Claire.

She and the boys had a great time at the pool.

I was thankful for some sweet cuddle time with her this morning,

thinking back to where I was 11 months ago today.  

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of our little girl.

It's hard to believe she's been with us for almost a year. 

Where does the time go?

Scripture Memory Monday

I was thinking about which verse to post today and had decided on one.  But I guess I'll save it for next week, for when I logged on to make the post, I noticed today's "Verse of the Day" on the sidebar.  Like many times, it seemed to speak exactly what the ears of my heart needed to hear.  I pray that you too are encouraged by these words from Isaiah.  Praise the Lord that we can meditate on amazing Truth like this!  

"The LORD of hosts has sworn: 

'As I have planned, so shall it be, 

and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.' "
Isaiah 14:24 (ESV)

Friday's Photo

Thursday's Thanksgivings

"Is it Fall?"  John David asked, peering out the window.

"Not yet," I reply with a bit of disappointment. 

"It's still Summer!" he says, in a not-so-dreary tone.  

"It's still Summer, " I affirm.  

(Don't get me wrong - I do love summertime and all of the fun that comes along with it.  And, praise the Lord, we've had a great one!  But this summer has just seemed so dreadfully hot.  As always by this time, I am more than ready for Fall.)


Since watching a movie about the seasons recently, this conversation above has become a pretty regular one between John David and me.  I often let him know that Fall is indeed my favorite season, and I'm very thankful that it is just around the corner.  He just as often informs me that Winter is his favorite because he's "gonna throw snowballs with his slingshot and hit Daddy." (David and Goliath style, of course!)  However, he too is excited about Fall drawing nigh, specifically because a trip to "The Pumpkin Patch" is on the agenda.  We talk about this upcoming outing frequently. :)   


I took a few photos of Claire the other day - it was during one of those times where we needed a little fresh air but could hardly stand it!  So here's my little girl . . . 

HOT

and TIRED

But thankfully, it was not quite so hot this evening.  We were able to enjoy some good, fun trampoline time for a bit longer than normal these days! 

  

After jumping, Claire and I headed in while the boys stayed outside.  John David has really gotten a kick out of the old Pink Panther cartoons lately.  While playing with his sidewalk chalk, I think his amusement with that lanky, pink cat went at bit too far. :) Though John David would be the first to tell you that "Pink is for girls!", he decided to color himself from head to toe (thankfully you it was just chalk) to look like his new animated friend.  

I am thankful for ALL the seasons, 

and that our Creator allows them to change in perfect time.

I am thankful that my children enjoyed playing together tonight.

I am thankful for the fun moments on the trampoline,

as John David chased Claire and me, pretended to be a Jack-in-the-box, 

and made his footprints in the puddles of rain that remained from earlier in the day.   I loved seeing the joy on Claire's face while bouncing - 

my girl loves adventure :)  

I am thankful for my son who enjoys life and all of those "little things" that are so endearing.

I am thankful for getting watch my husband play with my kids tonight and bring such joy to their faces.  (I'm saving a picture of that for tomorrow :)  

Rewind Wednesday : An Evening at the Park

Last Monday evening, we decided to have a picnic at the park in honor of our last official day of summer.  John David started school the next day, and we wanted to do something special.  


Well, it was almost too hot to really enjoy ourselves.  Due to ants, we quickly exchanged our picnic blanket for a park bench.  Then a host of flies felt welcome to join us for dinner.   And despite our continuos swatting and shooing, they never seemed to got the "on the contrary" message!


I am kind of glad I forgot the camera that night; it made for one less thing to have to tote.  


So today I thought that I would rewind back to early April and share a few photos from a most delightful evening at the park.


That particular night, I remember thinking John David's legs looked extra long to me.  Around that time, he had definitely hit a growth spurt.  Claire was also getting bigger and trying new things.  Wow, these little ones don't stay little long! 
  

Little boys and sticks...

sweetly sleeping on the stroll

I was glad for this evening at the park to enjoy my family and spring.  I always love summertime for many reasons, but the "punch you in the chest" kind of heat we've been experiencing is not one of them.  God is kind in creating seasons that bring new beauty and excitement and reminders of small things for which to be thankful . . . like the fact that it's not this hot ALL the time!  More on that tomorrow. :)