This weekend we had the privilege of going to hear the author Tedd Tripp, speak on his well known book
Shepherding a Child's Heart. I've read the book a couple times over the past several years, and definitely had the privilege to see some very godly families around us truly live out it's principals. Though to hear the author speak himself with very personal examples, was so wonderful in really giving Casey and I a deeper vision of how we do want to raise up our children. We've had such great
conversation through this of how purposeful and
intentful all of our everyday life with them should be. We want to daily be intentional, not only in our formative instruction of the Gospel, but also all throughout the day in our informative instruction as well. One of Tedd's great points he stresses throughout the book and during this conference was how important it is to teach and train our children that by obeying they are within God's boundaries of blessings, meaning they are living a long life on the path toward
righteousness. But if they get out of that circle of blessing they are not obeying/honoring not just us their parents, but God Himself....therefore they are headed down the wrong path that leads to sin and death. I just loved that visual picture of the circle and it's been so exciting to share that picture, and talk about with Reed this week. We definitely walked away feeling we have attempted to implement some of these thoughts and principals, but that we also got a bigger picture of what we are doing and desire to do is impact our children for the purpose of the furthering God's Kingdom, in the hopes that they may also influence and impact all our future generations for the Kingdom as well! So may our gracious Father in Heaven continue to enable us and give us strength to teach and train our children in His great and marvelous truths, because I
certainly see that in trusting in my own strengths and abilities I fail time and time again. So all the glory be to Him!
Enjoying some lunch at the "little table"
The craziness of the day!
We've had lots of fun with the kitchen that Emery-Claire got for her birthday from Grandpa and Grandma. We saved it for this time, so it has been loads of fun for the two of them this week!
Today our girl is 2 weeks old! After a quiet and restful week last week, we have definitely entered into nonstop "go" all this week. As I'm just now getting around to posting, and holding a crying baby too! We are surviving this crazy season, though I'm definitely finding the down times are very far and few between---as if they weren't like that before, they are really even more sparse now. When the bigger two are sleeping, then Mary Etta is ready to eat and sometimes fussy. She has done well at night (at least going 3-4 hour stretches, and waking usually once to eat), but some nights she is settling easier than other nights. Which isn't the worst thing ever, but when the other two are up and ready to go at 7 a.m., then the loss of sleep really hits! But all in all we are here, getting by day by day. We know each and every one of these sweet little blessings are so precious, which makes it all worth it that the Lord would entrust them into our care. We are thankful for all 3 of them, and even though there hard moments we wouldn't trade it for anything!
