Tiny Truth’s Thursday….Don‘t leave me…..

It was a Wednesday afternoon and I had just dropped the 3 big kids off at Ski School. The snow was falling…it was freezing cold…and I was about to get my ski on with my great friend Tonya. We stood watching the kids at ski school and waited to see them go down the first hill. One by one they swooshed down the hill….Trenton; my friend's son (whom has no fear) led the way followed by Charlie. Shelby somehow made it down that hill and Addie was following behind. Addie was going slowly…making a perfect pizza…she truly is a girl after my own heart…I love a good snow plow.

Addie seemed nervous…scared that she was going to fall…get hurt…ski off the side of the mountain. She looked at me through her pink goggles…her eyes big as saucers…and she said "Mom…Don't leave me!" I looked at her and told her calmly…"Add…Mommy is not going to leave you…I'm right here" She made her way down the slope to the lift where I got conned into helping out the ski instructor. She had more kids than she could handle…and she asked me for help. I rode the lift up with Shelby and her friend Miles…and then we began the trek back down the mountain.

Addie was nervous…even though she was a good skier. She said to me again…"Mom..don't leave me". I reassured her once again and we skied on. About halfway down the mountain (which seriously took like 20 minutes because of Shelby) I looked up and the little girl that was so afraid that I was going to leave her had grown a little confidence and had skied ahead. She was doing great…but she kept looking back to see where I was and every once in a while would say…."Mom…don't leave me". I finally caught up with her because she had literally skied into a snow drift and was stuck. I helped her out…she got ready to take off and I looked at her and said…."Ski on down Addie…Mommy isn't going to leave you…I am right here watching you the whole time…I know you can do it! She looked at me for reassurance and I said "go on…catch up with those boys down there". Off she went and she did it with gusto!

Addie wanted me to be there the whole time…to watch her…be beside her. She was nervous that I would leave her, but once I reassured her 100 times that I wouldn't she finally got it and she skied…beautifully!

So many times in our lives things go wrong…stuff happens…we get nervous…fear sets in and we feel all alone! We want comfort and to know that someone is there. Sometimes we fear that God's not there... well boy, do I have news for you. God tells us in His word in Hebrews 13:5 "For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." HE will never leave you…NEVER! Just like I kept telling Addie that I was right there…the whole time…He is doing the same thing with us. He cheers us on and tell us "Go on…you can do it..I am right here watching you the whole time". He does this through His word…through His people…through His presence. He wants us to know that He is always here….just like a hovering Mom on the ski slope.

When Addie finally got it that I was right there and not leaving...she felt freedom. Freedom to go on down that mountain and ski to the best of her pizza making ability! When I realize that God is always here…that He will never leave me…I find freedom in that. Not freedom to sin…not freedom to live my life any way I want to, but freedom to live for Christ fully…out loud. Freedom to do BIG things for Him because of His promise to me….He is always there. I pray that you would know that today…and you would find freedom in that too!

Tiny Truth's for this Thursday~

~That Addie takes after her Momma skiing…snow plow away

~Addie needs reassurance

~So do we

~He will never leave us….EVER

~I find freedom in that...This is how it feels to be FREE...This is how it feels to know that I am forgiven!

Charlie the Brave.......

We went skiing last week and the kids were pumped to have their first experience on the slopes. They had no clue what to expect. Shelby thought she could already ski and I posted about it on Monday. Addie just didn't want to get cold......and Charlie, well he is my nervous first born that has to analyze everything.

He asked me about how big the hill's were....how high the lift's were.....how steep the drop offs were....he had to get the lay of the land you know! I thought for sure my cell would be ringing by noon....we dropped them off at 9 so I was gonna give him a few hours before he chickened out and wanted to quit.

I stopped by around lunch time and he was loving it. He thought skiing was way cool....way fun....and then I heard this.."Mom, when are they gonna let me get on the lift and go down a real hill?". I said....."who are you and what have you done with my son???" . My son...no, he won't even ride a roller coaster....won't do anything dangerous(except for using his machete)....hates heights...so my son is not gonna like the ski lift!!!

But I was wrong......he loved it and was great at skiing. He overcame a fear of his and for that I am super proud of him. I don't think he is ready for the big hills yet...the bunny slope will do...but he did it and that is huge in my book!!

Way to go Charlie...I am so glad you proved me wrong!!!!

"I know how to ski MOM".....

"I know how to ski Mom....you put these stick things on and move your feet...I don't have to go to SkiWee school 'cause I know how to ski Mom". This is what Shelby told me last week before we left to go to West Virginia to go skiing. She had the cute outfit...the goggles...gloves...and she already knew how to ski so what was SkiWee school for????

It was good for learning how to make pizza....with your ski's....

It was for looking cute in the ski outfit Dad found on ebay....

It was for being put in a group of kids that could go on lifts when you have NO business getting on a lift by herself(she's 4 people).....only to be rescued by overprotective Mom who was hovering nearby...thank the Lord I hovered or her and her buddy Miles would have been toast.....

It was for learning how to fall down with ski's on and get up with ski's on....which she did A LOT...

It was for teaching Shelby how to ski.....and so that she could tell me the other night as we were watching the Olympics...."Mom, that guy is not making a pizza!!"

Thank you SkiWee school for teaching my child how to make a pizza with her ski's....and for trying to put her on a lift by herself......and for taking a lot of money from us......and for giving her the time of her life! She loved every second of it!!!!

Tiny Truth's Thursday......First love......

Jesse is truly coming into his own. He is starting to get a voice and boy is he using it. He is making sentences...using "big" words...and really leaving the baby stage and heading into full toddler-hood!

Over Thanksgiving we took Jesse to a new place. A place I knew that he would love and somewhere that forever has changed him. We took him to the Air Force Museum in Warner Robins. Jesse had seen airplanes....but seeing real life airplanes...in the flesh(ok metal) sitting in front of him airplanes was enough to make this little boy giddy. He walked around that huge museum pointing and shouting "AIRPANE" every time he saw a new one....and just so you know there has got to be over a thousand there! Every time he saw one it was like it was the first time..."AIRPANE" pointing with his fat little finger.....two feet later "AIRPANE"! He just couldn't get over the excitement.

Here we are three months later and he still hasn't gotten over it. He makes his goldfish crackers airplanes....he plays with his little people airplane....he points them out in the sky(everyone of them)! It's truly his first love right now and I just think it is so cute! I love that my little boy has a passion for something...even though it is airplanes, it shows me that he can be serious about one thing!

All of that great story to say this....as a Christian, we should never get over what Christ did for us. We should never loose that excitement..that passion...that joy, that comes when Jesus changes us. I know that we use the excuse that life sometimes gets in the way ....but Jesus is still Jesus and that doesn't change...nope.. not one bit.

Jesse was introduced to airplanes 3 months ago and hasn't gotten over it......it's his first love now. I was introduced to Christ 15 years ago and I still haven't gotten over it....but I sometimes lack that zeal...that excitement...that passion that I first had and that makes me sad. I should look at life around me..my circumstances(good and bad)..the people around me, and instead of saying..."airpane", I should be saying "thank you Lord"...."yes Lord"...."Praise the Lord"...."I trust you Lord", because if we think about it folks....He is all around us...just like those airplanes were all around Jesse!

I pray that I would never loose my excitement over what he did for me!

Tiny Truth's for this Thursday~

-That Jesse is growing up way too fast

-That Jesse loves airplanes and loves to talk about them

-That he cracks me up when he makes his goldfish an airplane

-That I never want to get over what Christ did for me

-That I want to always bask in the joy of my first love

Habakkuk 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my Salvation.

It's the simple things.....

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner posted about Simple Pleasures today and it really got me thinking about the simple pleasures in my life. Now there really are far too many to write...because I do love simple things....but I will try and name just a few........

Oh....how I love thee.....

and you too....who needs Starbucks.....

Going on dates with this sweet man that I love dearly......

The cotton fields in Abbeville........can you hear the song "walking in high cotton....."

This little boys deep brown eyes......

This beautiful girls smile......

and the beautiful things that she draws for me......

This little boy's floppy ears that are just too soft for words.......

This little girls heart....and that she loves ranch dressing as much as I do......

These kids that have my heart......

Watching my kids sleep.....

The silence of snow falling.....too bad it's not at my house

Cotton Candy.....

Being loved by these people......

and these.......

feeling sand between my toes.....


and seeing God's wonder in a sunset.....

and knowing that in all these simple pleasures.....the greatest pleasure of all is just knowing I am HIS!

Ephesians 1:13 In Him you also [trusted], after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were SEALED with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Riding in cars with kids.......

I love to listen to my kids while I am driving in the car. If they are not fighting...which is 75% of the time.......then they are usually having some interesting conversations. Sometimes we sing...loud. Sometimes we watch Monsters vs. Aliens and listen to Jesse say "SUSAN" 100 times...he is seriously in love with Ginormica! Sometimes they just talk amongst themselves and that is when I love riding in cars with kids the most.

Charlie likes to ask me 1000 questions about things that are not even relevant....like "Mom, are there deer on the moon?". Addie likes to talk about her friends and all the fun they have...and "can so and so spend the night with me this weekend...cause I haven't had a friend spend the night with me in a long time"! Jesse likes to talk to himself and look for airplanes. He will be all quiet and then he will scream....."AIRPANE"! He seriously has eagle eyes!

Shelby....oh Shelby! She talks about funny stuff! Case in point....on the ride home from church Sunday morning Shelby told Addie that "if you don't give me my ring, then I am going to ground you"! Ric giggled and said "Shelby what does it mean to be grounded?". She said "it means you are put in a cave in the ground and you can't come out?" Now people, I promise you I don't put our kids in a cave when they get in trouble...but it is a grand idea! Ric asked her where she heard about said grounding....her reply..."I-Carly"! She's four people!

You learn a lot when your riding in cars with kids........

Riding in cars with dogs is a whole 'nother story.....

19 kids.....what a blessing.....

I enjoy watching TV. I don't get to watch a lot of it during the day because most of the time it is on PBS kids...and well, I love Sid the Science Kid and George and Word Girl...but these shows would not be my choice if I were the one doing the picking. The TV doesn't turn to a channel that I like until the kids are fast asleep, and then Ric and I usually catch up on the few shows that we do watch.

Last night I watched a show that I love....but that broke my heart. Can I tell you how much I love the Duggar Family?? Last night, the show centered around the circumstances that led up to Michelle delivering their 19th child prematurely. Her older children were doing mission work in El Salvador....the little ones were at home getting taken care of by family and friends...and she delivered this tiny child into the world.

In one segment of the show, the dad Jim Bob was filming himself and in the background you could see Michelle laying on the bed....her mouth moving and her eyes closed. She was praying.....praying I'm sure for her baby...for her health...for her children halfway around the world...for God's blessing on them all. It was a mother....pleading for the life of her unborn child! Of course it brought tears to my eyes and made me want to be a better Christian...and a better mother.

The sweet little baby(Josie...love her name) was born so tiny and fragile...clinging to life...and they took it all in stride! When all the kids got to come and see her at the hospital they couldn't believe how tiny she was and just stood there and Jim Bob said "Josie is perfect in every way" and boy was he right! God is the creator of life....and He doesn't make mistakes! Thank you Duggar Family for reminding this country about how precious life is...and for being a GODLY example to this world through your families life.

God bless this sweet precious family.....and sweet little Josie!