they got me wrapped around their little fingers!

Gross!

freedom

Galatians 5, verse 1:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

This one is for you!

There is something that really stands out about the first time "freedom" is used in that sentence...for me it's like a little bump in the sidewalk that I trip over every time I read it.

It is for freedom...for freedom...notice it is present tense.

When I was growing up we talked a lot about "Salvation" and "being saved." But in this verse it clearly talks about freedom. Some of us go through really rough patches when we don't feel free at all. I'm not talking about when we let the cares of life rob us of our peace, I'm talking about when we feel (and sincerely think we are)defeated, tried and convicted, unsalvageable, condemned.

Also, in the old days, we talked about the difference between conviction and condemnation. It's good to be reminded of the difference, because the last one does not come from Christ. So the next logical question is, if not from Christ, then who does this condemnation come from? Another question to ask is, who gets the glory from keeping me in this "stuck" holding pattern? (I think you know what I'm getting at) How do I know this? I know this simply because it is written:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

check this out!

vacation!

We had the absolute best time a family could have on vacation this past week. The first few days we spent IN THE SUN, in Williamsburg, VA where our niece was our tour guide through the wonders of our country's history there -- plus a great day at Busch Gardens a fast-paced amusement park that can give even Disney a run for their money!

Then we had the honor of exploring our nation's capitol as we spent the last two days of our trip sloshing through the rain in D.C. (Just preparing us for the rain we were about to return to!) We had a very enjoyable tour through the capitol building -- thanks to Alex (originally from Moscow!) from Representative Blumenauer's office; and ended our time in D.C. with a tour through the White House with Jeremy who has been working in Vice President Cheney's office. Our family really enjoyed being together and exploring together -- it was truly refreshing! Dave is gifted at planning a vacation and making it so fun!

livin' in survival mode

Lately I've had the privilege of caring for two sweet little baby twin girls, their four year old brother and my own three wild kids...so blogging has been a little low on the list!

It's been a good season, but also a reminder of how isolating it can be to parent young children even when everything is going great!

We're off on vacation in a couple days -- so we'll see if I can find a little R&R with my family on the East Coast!

Things That Are Green, a list by McKenzie

(I found this list in McKenzie's room & published it with her permission, all misspellings & punctuation left in for your enjoyment!)

1. The color green.
2. A frog
3. Some trees.
4. Some snakes.
5. Boggers [I think we all know what that was supposed to be;-]
6 Slugs
7 traffic lights
8 Moldie bread
9 Paper
10 Turtles
11 seaweed
12 Money
13 gass [I think this was supposed to be grass]
14 poop
15 Brocolie
16 Asparigas
17 Brussel sprouts
18 green peppers
19 perrots
20 Houses
21 paint
22 cars
23 crayons
24 Throw up