A day of blessings

This picture brought me to tears this morning.  We have three beautiful, healthy, wonderful children.  I am blessed beyond measure.  

Mother's Day always makes me reflect on the fact that before I became a mother I never wanted to be one.  I did not like other people's kids, or babies, and I did not want my own.  I'm ashamed of that fact now.  I love kids--mine and other people's.   Babies too.  They are all wonderful--especially mine.  ;)  I am SO thankful God changed my heart by way of these three!!!

They got up at 6:30 yesterday morning, and started going up and down the stairs as sneakily as they could to set up the table.  Such precious gifts they made for me!

Okay, I admit, this one makes me snicker...they had such good intentions... They made an envelope with scripture reference cards in it.  They even put a string on it so I could hang it if I want.  The funny part is that the scriptures are totally random.  I guess they just opened the Bible and pointed and wrote down the reference for whatever verse they saw first.  Jeremy grabbed his Bible and read a few, as we pulled the cards out...

The first one he read was Joel 2:4 -

 "They have the appearance of horses;   they gallop along like cavalry."

Then Isaiah 3:1 - 

"See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water."

Then 1 Samuel 14:6 - 

"Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”

Lastly, 1 Corinthians 13:1.  Jeremy read the whole chapter to us, noting that it was one of the scriptures read at our wedding (and many others).

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 

⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 

¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Annah had made a lovely card for me at school.  She loves (and has a talent for, I think) writing poetry, and wrote this haiku on the front:

Sylvia made this adorable bouquet of felt flowers at school.

And, she made this artwork from some of my scrapbook supplies I'd given her.  Also, she made a sweet card.  She's really good at repurposing scraps and leftover items others would throw away and making them into something meaningful.

Caeden made some Lego creations I just loved...

This one is his name.  I was supposed to put a string or ribbon on it and wear it as a necklace, but we decided it wouldn't stay together if we tried that.  So, we are just admiring it on display for a while.

Caeden also made a neat craft project for me at school.  It's a coffee can with this poem on it.  Inside are things that represent each line--wildflower seeds, a packet of tissues and a bandaid, an eraser, a paper ruler, and a wooden heart is glued to the top.  I love it.

Yesterday was  also Jeremy's and my 12th wedding anniversary.  He asked me if I could go back in time, knowing everything I know now, would I still marry him?  I said, "Of course!!"  And, I told him that the truth is, I had married him in my heart years before we actually got to have a wedding day.  No matter how many days and years we get to spend together, it never feels like it's long enough.  I love him so much, and am so grateful for all the time we have together!

I did dig out our wedding album yesterday morning, and we all 5 piled on our bed and looked through it.  

We didn't really feel like getting all dressed up to go wait for hours in a crowded restaurant for breakfast or lunch.  Jeremy and Sylvia decided to drive to Casey's and get some donuts.  We were all satisfied with that!  For lunch, Jeremy grilled some yummy burgers.  He also brought in some of our lovely lilacs for me to put in a vase.  They are so fragrant; they're smelling up the entire first floor of the house!

Caeden's instructional summer baseball league started yesterday too!  I took him to his first practice/game while Jeremy and the girls went to church.  Caeden is finally one of the "big kids," since this is his last year in instructional league.  He is doing much better with throwing and batting.  I heard him encouraging other kids several times.  We struggled a lot this week with the decision whether or not to let him play, since it will conflict with church for the next few weeks.  But, we really want to be involved with things in our school community, and baseball is very good for Caeden.  

What a blessed day!  Thank you, Lord, for this life we get to live!