Our wonderful church hosted their annual Easter Eggstravangza this morning. The kids look forward to it every year and this year, it did not disappoint. We had a great time and the weather was fabulous. Each of the kids ended up with waaaaay too many eggs, but I have a feeling half of them will disappear, mysteriously, in the middle of the night.
It just wouldn't be right if they were all looking at the camera.
Riding a fun little ride.
Abigail hunted eggs with the 2yrs and younger crowd and she was all business picking up "balls".
Olivia offered to film Abigail's hunt and Maxwell pointed out the eggs to her.
Today, our sweet girl, our firstborn turned ten years old. She refused to allow anyone to tell her "Happy Birthday" until 8:08a.m. EST...and she was very specific...Eastern Standard Time! That's Olivia! She's a blessing to us and is the sweetest, smartest, kindest 10 yr old we know! We love you sweet girl!
We've had some very unusual weather around here. The kids, with the exception of Abigail, and the husband have loved it. It's so nice that these snow days always fall on the weekend, we had plenty of time to enjoy it all.
Maxwell, unaware of the impending snowball hit.
Olivia working on her snowman.
Abigail was a bit scared of the snow due to the depth of it.
The sun was so bright, Abigail needed some sunglasses.
I would be too. Olivia and I met Beth Moore todaaaaaaaaay! I was so excited to find out that she would be signing copies of her book "So Long Insecurity" at a bookstore a mere 15 mins from my house. My sweet husband got away from work early to help me with the kids. The thought of standing in a long line for an hour and a half with my three sweet cherubs was too much to bear. The time passed quickly and before I knew it, there was Mrs Beth! She was precious and sweet, gave me a big hug, and said, "thanks for coming sister!" She introduced herself to Olivia and signed our book after taking this picture. It was fast and a complete thrill to meet her, can't wait to dive into the book!
Btw, if you want to purchase the book, I suggest Amazon. They have the best deal, it was full price at Books A Million. Amazon has free shipping and no tax!
My heart has been heavy the last several days. I cannot even begin to fathom what it must be like in Haiti right now. There are reports that 100,000- 200,000 people have lost their lives. I think of all the mothers that have lost children, one story in particular of a mother who lost five. The grief must be overwhelming. And then to have to mourn such loses in unimaginable surroundings.
Our church, New Hope Baptist, supports an orphanage in Haiti, the Maison d’enfants miraculously sustained no damage! It is only 5 miles from the epicenter and yet is still intact. Thank you God!! Unfortunately, one of the children did not survive. The school building that he was in during the earthquake collapsed and he died. But the wonderful news is that he was a believer and he is now with our Savior!
Hudson and I have been "sponsoring" one of the children in the orphanage for the past year. Nadege is a sweet child who sends us the most beautiful lettters, pictures and drawings. We were so relieved to hear that she is okay. On the way home from church today, Hudson mentioned how he wished we (our entire church family) could bring all of the children from the orphanage to Fayetteville to live until Haiti is in better condition. I couldn't agree more! While that more than likely won't happen, I know that our God is bigger than all of this! He's bigger than the destruction and we continue to pray that He will bring peace to His children and that those who do not know Him, will turn to Him.
I'm so thankful to be a part of a church that has such a tender heart for missions! Take a look at this news story from Atlanta's 11Alive News concerning a New Hope member and her journey to get back to the U.S.
God is so good and He is providing! New Hope is sending resources to the orphanage but the logistics of getting it from the airport in Port au Prince to the children has been difficult. Please pray that God will open the doors to continue to provide food and water. Pray that the children will feel peace and security among all of the destruction. Also, please pray for my sweet friend, Rhodena. She is orchestrating all of the relief and logistics of helping our children at the orphanage. She has her hands full and is doing an amazing job! New Hope has a Haiti blog with updates on the children.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
Hudson and I met in 1995 while we were both students at Auburn. We married in the fall of 1996 and graduated in June of 1998. Two years later our daughter, Olivia was born. She's been a blessing to us ever since. Three years later we added to our family with the birth of our son, Maxwell. I never knew how sweet a son could be! The final addition to our family arrived in July 2008, Abigail is our little firecracker! We do our best to keep God in the center of our marriage and family. And we are thankful for His blessings and His gift of salvation.
