Last Post: Camping part three

I am remembering our camping trip as I gaze at these photos; and i miss the fresh air, the simple jobs of boiling water, washing dishes, and sweeping out tents, the happy-happy children who enjoy nothing more than being outside ALL THE TIME. ah. lovely. I am so thankful that God created trees, dirt, rocks and brilliant minds to think up "camping for fun". *sigh*

So, these photos have some stories to them. Mercy, laying happily on a "nest" of blankets... hmm... well, this is to remind me that in my extreme efficiency i TOTALLY for got to bring the "pack and play" bed that she usually sleeps in. haha. oops!! So Mercy learned to sleep in a "real bed" without walls on this journey. The experience went very well, i was happy with her flexibility and quick understanding. (our bags were only unpacked a couple times... hahaha, then i learned to make sure everything was tightly zippered before putting her to bed!!!) she is such a cutie - pie. Now that we are home, our friends have delivered us the third hand-me-down bed from their generous home. Mercy is truly a "big girl" now, sleeping adorably on this huge (for her) bed. sweet. Last night we found her on top of her pillow, completely on top of her pillow: hahaha. It was photo-worthy, but i didn't have the camera handy.

Sam: I find this sweet boy growing and changing every day. He has developed some independent skills over the last few months that make him seem so much older all of a sudden. He was very helpful on our camping trip, and when we needed to take everything down, apart, and pack up, he aided the process. I believe he will be a hard worker, once motivated by a deadline. Although Sam has given me some extra trouble this past week, I know we will get through it shortly (to be followed by another difficult time in the future.... life always goes this way, i'm getting used to the flow of difficult times, followed by a time of ease. KNowing that it will come and go doesn't make it much easier in the middle of a hard time though). My sweet boy needs a lot of direction, and it exhausts me. Constant guiding, leading, directing verbally. But in the end, it reaps a great reward. I am so blessed by a daughter (Julia) that is very responsible, reliable, and self motivated. a lot of these traits are in her personality, God really has something special for this dear girl. I really have to look to Julia as I slave away at the task of guiding Sam through social skills, proper treatment of siblings/parents/others, importance of kindness and love over his rights and wants, appropriate play, acceptable - and unacceptable pretend-violence (thank you "transformers" for bringing a whole new area of parental training into view... ug) --in the hopes that one day soon i will see the same reward of constant training (and PRAYER) in a lovely young man that honors his mom and dad, and seeks to protect and love his sisters.

that is the goal. More prayer time is in the agenda. I am just really bad at making that happen, and i think that is the cause of my bad week. My priorities are out of alignment and i can feel it in my heart.

lately I have been getting encouragement and hope from a blog that I read, and a devotional blog that i visit. Both sites remind me that it is my relationship with God that matters the most.(duh) He has redeemed me, i don't need to sit in my sorrow and guilt, worrying that i am a bad mom. He has forgiven me for my mistakes, and wants me to step into the new life He has made for me. One characterized by love and thanksgiving, not complaining and lecturing. ;)

Some quotes from the blog that encourages me weekly :

"The only explanation for the way we live, love and hope should be in God's divine power."~resolved2worship blog

"An unbalanced world (and unbalanced christians too) need to see the light and love of Christ and what it means to be centered completely on Christ and boasting in Him alone. I cannot do this - I cannot be this light that I so long to be, without coming back, without calling on Him and realigning myself - allowing God to realign my heart - and finding Christ to be the center of my life."~ resolved2worship blog

"Sometimes God tells us to follow Him into something that He has already shown us is going to be tough. Kind of like when Paul's friends warned him not to go to Rome. I'm sure it would have seemed like the right thing to do to follow the warnings." ~resolved2worship blog

""For my grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."
(grace takes on a whole new meaning in suffering. God's power is perfected in us when we respond correctly to our sufferings. When we do not understand God's purposes in suffering we do not have the power to endure or get through without bitterness and resentment towards God.)
2 Cor. 12:9" ~resolved2worship blog

anyway. that is enough of a rant for today.

Some of Susan's-thoughts-that-fell-out-onto-the-page.