Day 59. "Faux"hawk.

My little guy LOVES for me to do his hair this way.  It fits his personality, I assure you.  He even requested this "do" for his first day of school.  Yikes!  I figured we might as well give his teachers an accurate first impression.  HA!  His hair is very much like his dad's (the exception being the color)... As soon as it gets any length on it, it waves.  Add product, and it CURLS.  Yesterday, when we attempted his faux hawk, this was our end result.  He said, "Mom, do I look like a girl?"  I said, "No, why would you ask that?"  He answered, "Because my hair looks like it has a bow!"  I explained that curls weren't for boys OR girls, and they looked nothing like bows.  He was then confident in his favorite look again.  Such a funny kid.

Day 58. Spring.

This little flower has grown in one of our front flower beds.  I don't know where it came from.  I don't know what kind it is.  We didn't plant it.  My middle child informed me, "Well, Mom... you know, the birds eat the seeds... Then, they 'do their business' and the seeds get replanted.  A bird probably planted it there for you."  Well, that may very well be exactly what happened!  And I'll thank the bird, because it's a pretty, little sign of spring.

A week before Easter, and this is how my guys are dressed... in sweaters.  Sheesh.  Well, they look handsome, at least!  And I was reminded just how thankful I should be, because I read on my sweet friend's FB profile this morning, that they have snow!  She lives in Romania, you see.  It's often cold there.  She considers it a bountiful blessing when the sun is shining, regardless of the temperature.  So, I should not complain that my boys are wearing sweaters, when at least, they're not wearing their snowboots!!!

Day 57. Faith.

This is my Bible.  Isn't that a great picture?  This is unedited, I want to mention.  I messed with the colors a bit, but that beautiful, blurry background is all the lens.  It has the ability to go all the way down to F1.8 in the aperture setting.  Mmmm, I LOVE it!  Anyway, that's all a side note. 

We went to church this morning, as we typically do every Sunday morning.  My husband's Sunday school lesson was about faith.  It was a good lesson.  He challenged us in evaluating ourselves, and how strong our faith is... not just our belief in something.  He referred to the story of Abraham, being willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac... a well known Bible story to those of us who grew up in church.  Just because Abraham had a belief in God, would NOT have been enough to carry out God's request of him.  It was Abraham's faith that set him on his journey that day.  As a mother, I cannot fathom the faith that Abraham possessed.  I often wonder if Sarah, Isaac's mother, knew of Abraham's plan ahead of time.  Wow.

Our pastor brought a wonderful message, as he always does.  This morning, he informed us that he was throwing out most of his prepared sermon notes.  He felt he needed to get very BASIC and speak about the gospel.  He talked about living RADICALLY for Jesus... and how so many of us who claim to be Christ-followers are so afraid to do that.  In previous weeks, he has challenged us to stop "playing church" and to OPEN our mouths and TELL people what we believe... WHO our faith is based upon!  I agree with my beloved pastor wholeheartedly.  And I am convicted.

Allow me to be very transparent for a moment.  I thought about how much I surround myself with people of "like mind."  I wondered how many people outside of that circle, truly know that my desire is to follow God's will for my life and for my family.  Do I just "believe it?"  Or is my faith strong enough to handle the REAL challenges that come my way?

You see, I don't struggle in having faith that Jesus is real.  I believe my Bible is true.  I believe it was inspired by God Himself.  I believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, are all equally GOD.  I was blessed to have a mother and father who taught me these things.  As I grew, I realized how near and dear to my heart, these beliefs truly are, and they became MY life... not just something that was taught to me.  I don't struggle with wondering how Noah built the ark, or how Jonah was swallowed by a whale.  I believe Jesus was truly God with skin, and that He came to the earth for the sole purpose of taking on the sin of the world, by dying on a cross, and giving us the option to just believe in Him, that we may have eternal life.  I believe He wants a relationship with ME.  I believe He loves ME... just as He loves every human being He has ordained to live on this earth.  This is NOT where I struggle in my faith.  I need more faith that He will give me the strength to be BOLD in living for Him.  I need more faith that He will give me the words to tell someone MORE than, "Yes, I go to church."  I live in a country where I can profess His name as Jesus, and how often do I take that for granted?  How long before it may be challenged?

Yes, I know there are those who think such things are nonsense.  I know that some folks actually believe that my way of thinking is weak.  I should find wholeness in myself... completion in who I am.  Some may even challenge that it takes someone uneducated to believe in something which has no proof!  And then, there are those who think that because I believe in Jesus, I must be some holy-rolling, radical, door-knocking, tract handing, think-I'm-so-much-better-than-you-cuz-I-go-to-church, kind of person.  Well, you couldn't be MORE wrong.  I can't MAKE you believe that God is real.  I can't "reason" with you, why science can't "prove it."  And I would NEVER tell you that I'm better than you or anyone else, because I know that I'm just as messed up as the next person. 

What I CAN tell you, is that I know how He has changed my life.  I don't have an emptiness that needs to be filled, because He has filled it.  I hope that when true struggles come my way, my faith in Him is what will carry me through.  He has proven to me time and time again, that He will never leave me, nor forsake me.  He has given me peace when I've asked Him for it.  He has told me "no" when I thought I knew better than He did.  He gave me grace when I didn't deserve it.  He loved me when I believed no one else could.  He is God.  He is my heavenly Father.  And I love Him.  It's not just what I believe.  It's WHO I AM. 

Day 56. Treasures.

My youngest child has started collecting pinecones to give to me.  Don't you love it when your children give you similar gifts?  Dandelions.  "Special" rocks.  Blades of grass.  :)  Artwork from school.  Chewing gum from the  bottom of their shoe  :)  ... if it's interesting to them, it's a very generous gesture that they willingly part with it to give it away as a gift.  I have an awful time throwing any such things away.  I started taking pictures after VBS weeks, of all the crafts and projects they come home with.  That way, I feel better about discarding them later.  But there are some things I will never ever part with... locks of hair from their first haircuts.  Sweet KG paintings.  Handmade Mother's Day cards.  Oh, they are precious treasures!  As we approach those precarious teenage years, I'll look back on these memories as a needed reminder that they once loved me!  :)

MC (middle child) wanted to take a photo, too, while I was "capturing" my pinecone memories.  As often as I can, I try to oblige them when they want to take pictures.  I encourage it, because I want them to ALWAYS take pictures.  It will mean a great deal to me when I'm a grandmother one day.  :)  His preferred subject was his mommy and our puppy.  Yes, she actually does love me.... she was just more interested in what was going on in the backyard, so I kind of headlocked her there for the moment.  Don't worry, it was an affectionate headlock.  She didn't mind.  She's a very snuggly dog.  We love her!

Day 55. Baby Chicks.

Another school project.  My son's class had an incubator with these eggs, for the kids to await the arrival of baby chicks.  Today, when I dropped him off at school, we entered the building to hear very LOUD chirping sounds coming from the sweet baby chicks who had hatched!  So cute!

Day 54. Homey.

This was a huge deal for me the day I received this in the mail!  I've had a hard time hunting it down!  Isn't it darling?  I love to save cards.  We are blessed to have family that sends us cards for just about any occasion.  My husbands parents, especially, make sure that my children always receive cards for anything from birthdays to Valentine's Day, to Thanksgiving!  :)  This is a great way to display those cards, and serve as a reminder of how many people LOVE us and send their thoughts our way.  :)

Day 53. Pretzel.

My son's class made these at school the other day.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE his school?  They do the coolest things.  He was very proud of this pretzel... even shared a  couple of bites with his siblings.  :)