One of the Greatest Posts I'll Ever Write

For a few months now, Kyndall has been asking questions about salvation.  Little things.  Tiny questions.  Justin and I have been very careful to only answer the questions she asks.  We did not want to volunteer any information or persuade her in any way.  Salvation at such an early age is a tenuous thread.

Last Sunday after church, as I was tucking her into bed, Kyndall asked me (again) what happens after you die.  I started with the superficial "You have a funeral and then you are buried..." but she wanted more.  I told her that some people go to Heaven and some go to Hell.  She reiterated to me the things she has heard over many years of being raised in church--that you must be saved to go to Heaven, that to be saved you have to ask Jesus into your heart, that Jesus forgives you of your sin.  And then she looked at me with confidence and said "Can I do it right now?"  And there, tucked in between her pink and purple sheets and all her stuffed animals, we prayed.

There were tears in both our eyes as she asked Him to come into her heart, to forgive him of her sins.

The next day, we met with our pastor.  He is the same man who baptized Justin and performed our marriage ceremony and I am so glad that God has given him such a strong part in our story.  He asked Kyndall several questions, all of which she could answer.  We set the date for her public confession of faith--her baptism.

This morning, at 10:30 a.m., she was baptized.  There is no greater feeling than to know that my big girl's future is secure.

Luke 18:17 I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
Matthew 18:3 Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

It's A Good Morning

This morning was rough.  My first-born child, the one who exists in her own world, who never cares about the opinions of others, who dances to the beat of her own drum and accepts anyone who wishes to dance with her… this child of mine was in a mood. 

I’m not sure what started it, but it ended with the two of us sitting on the floor—tears streaming down her face.  It showed itself as meanness—lashing out at her sister, at me, at the dog.  In the middle there was a spanking, a lecture, a fractured heart.

And then, in the midst of all that drama, we prayed.  We prayed that God would change her attitude.  We prayed that he would reach out and help her get out of that mood.  We asked Him to make today a good day—that all her friends would be kind, that she would be kind. We prayed for it to be a good day.

And even though I didn't know what started this mood, He did.  I couldn't see into her heart to know where this attitude was coming from, but He could.  I was the mother who was frustrated and rushed.  He was understanding and compassionate, and in the blink of an eye, He changed her attitude.

And then we got in the car and turned up Mandisa’s Good Morning as loud as it would go.  And we sang and we danced all the way to school.

Sometimes, even as adults, we wake up in a mood.  And the only thing we can do is pray.  We can’t change our attitudes, but God can.  And this morning, my beautiful first-born was my real-life example of His power to change us.   

Gentlemen....Start Your Engines! (Sort of...)

Our annual AWANA Grand Prix was last week.  All the kids create their own wooden stock cars and race them down the track.  There are winners in each age group and everyone has so much fun.  We have an official announcer, "pit crews" and everything!

 The Grand Prix is double elimination, so each racer gets to run twice.  The girls had to race against each other.  The announcer asked them who they thought would win, and they both were determined it would be themselves.  Libby's car was faster, so she won.

Libby ended up winning 2nd place overall.  She won this trophy, which she was super excited about!

 And then she was sweet enough to let K hold it for a picture ;)

This was so much fun and I'm so glad that our church participates in such a wonderful program.

And your chariot awaits...

I've been back to school 3 whole days and look what happens to my blog--it goes downhill.  It's embarassing, I tell ya!  Somehow, my brain can't wrap around work, and soccer, and shirt-making, and blogging all at the same time--it wants to just shut down and get on Pinterest! 

On Sunday, we celebrated the final night of the Girls of Grace class at church.  We surprised the girls and rented a limo to take them out to eat in.  They all ordered matching shirts from the Crafty Cookie Boutique.  So 25 sweet girls walked out of the church (expecting to climb into the church van, by the way) and the chariots awaited.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of their faces, but I'm the mama who brought the camera the first 7 weeks of class and forgot the camera on the BIGGEST night of the class! :( 

Here are our sweet girls after dining at the wonderful Casa Santiago, scarfing down cheese dip, enchiladas, and in some cases, chicken fingers.

I can say in all confidence that these girls had a blast.  They loved being able to walk around in the limo-- I think that was the most exciting part of all!!

And can I just say that it's a little sad-- Kyndall isn't even in the first grade yet and has already ridden in a limo TWICE!?! How am I ever going to top that? 

And I promise to get on some kind of schedule with blogging to keep a little more up-to-date.  Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of my marriage to my amazing husband and he sent me REAL flowers yall!  (The significance of that is another story for another day, but just say YAY!) 

Kyndall had her first soccer game last night and it was WONDERFUL! I didn't realize what a big soccer fan I was going to be.  This time, I did remember my camera, so I'll try to get those photos posted tonight..... or tomorrow....well, as soon as possible, anyway!

Gossipy Girls

Last night was Kyndall's Girls of Grace class at church.  The lesson was on gossiping, and how we need to use our mouths for good and not for bad.  I think it was a perfect lesson--I have been amazed lately at how early we females start critiquing each other!

Here is K with her friend, Madison.

Mrs. Emily taught the lesson, and as an example, she had the girls play "The Gossip Game."  She started a secret in the first girls' ear and it was passed all around to see what it came back as.  The original line was "Mrs. Courtney likes pink hair."  It came back as "God gives us love."  Somewhere along the way, one of our girls 'churched it up!' 

Obviously,  the point of the game was to see how quickly gossip can get twisted.  That worked!  Then, Mrs. Emily explained to the girls how we can't be inviting other people to church one second and dissin' on someone the next.  God expects us to use our mouths to spread good news and say nice things.  After the lesson, the girls all had their make-up done.  Here is Macy putting blush on K...

I didn't get any photos of the final look---we had cake right after this, so I was busy cutting and serving and eating :). 

Hands

In tonight's Girls of Grace class, Jess taught on the topic of hands.  She talked about using our hands to pray.  She gave the girls the illustration below about using your hand to help you remember what to pray for.  The thumb reminds you to pray for family and friends, the pointer for preachers, teachers, and directors, the middle finger for police, firemen, and government officials, the ring finger for sick people or those in trouble, and the pinky finger for yourself.

And after the lesson, all the girls had their fingernails painted.  All 21 of them!! That's 210 fingernails ladies and gentlemen! =)  The adult helpers set up a nail-painting assembly line.  There were people removing polish, people painting nails (as in this photo of K getting her nails done).

 There were those of us with hairdryers to speed up the drying process.

And we had a few teen helpers adding designs and a top coat.

Overall, I'd say tonight's lesson was a success.  All the girls went home with their own bottle of polish and a reminder to pray daily.

Brave

On Sunday, we went with a few of our favorite people to see the new movie, Brave.  It was super cute and had a great moral lesson--Don't be disrespecting your mama!! :)

These kids are so great at taking pictures--I guess they are somewhat used to it :)

Then, Sunday night, we started a new class at church for girls, grades K-4.  It's titled Girls of Grace, and we kicked it off with an old-fashioned tea party.  The girls dressed up and had a lesson on manners, biblical style.  I am so excited about this class!  Each week we will focus on a different topic--hands, feet, makeup--and explore biblical principles that go with that topic.  After a short lesson, the girls will have an activity to go with the topic.  For example, the lesson on hands could be about serving God and helping others, and the activity will be a mini-manicure.  Cool, huh?

The tea party went off without a hitch.  Below are a few photos:

Look who popped in all dressed up! My friend Lisa.