Bent Low...Amazing

If you aren't already familiar with Kisses from Katie you are in for a humbling, sweet, and inspiring treat.  You need to read this young lady's story...how she, a twenty something year old single young woman has adopted several children in Uganda and lives there with them (it's much easier to adopt if you stay there in their own country).  Her life is a beautiful example of "real life"... just look at the picture at the top of her blog and you'll see it in her face...light and life.  I want to encourage you to read her post from June 3, 2011.  It begins with, "Around here, we live bent low."  Beautiful and real.  I hope you'll take a few minutes to visit her blog and read this post.  The life that is truly life being lived out.

http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

(photo by Tina Weir from kissesfrom katie blog)

Catching Up

Well, life is busy at the Dallas house, but I'm quite sure there will be a day that I miss all the hustle and bustle of  this season of life.  As I write this there are nerf gun bullets flying over my head as my 4 oldest boys and 4 of their boy cousins are in the middle of a very serious Nerf gun war!  It's that time of year again...Cousin Camp.  I'm truthfully not sure exactly how many years we've done this, but it's either the past 6 or 7 years.  Always a super fun time for the kids to get together...  Pictures to come, I'm sure!

A couple of weeks ago we got to go to Tennessee to visit friends and family, which was a great time, then we returned and a few days later Kenny, Jake, and Caleb left for their mission trip with Dogwood to Guyana.  It was Jake and Caleb's first mission trip out of the country, and I'm so glad they got to have that special experience with their daddy.  They got back Saturday night and the cousins came yesterday, so I thought I'd post this little family update, since I'm playing catch up a little bit!  I'm in the process of getting pictures from the Guyana trip from some others who went (since my hubby isn't the photographer of the family!), but I look forward to posting some of those and sharing some of their stories, too. 

Life is sweet...God is good.  More to come!

Lake Martin Vacation

Summer has been great so far...busy, yes, but great! (which is why I'm a bit behind posting vacation pics!)Some sweet friends allowed us to use their beautiful home on Lake Martin in Alabama to stay for the week for vacation this year!  What a blessing!  We had such a fun, relaxing time just getting away all together. Here are some of our most fun moments from the week!

**(Click on the collages to enlarge them)

Here are some fun moments from our week.  The boys were able to make bamboo fishing poles from the bamboo growing near the house, which was a first for them, but Elly and Zech were more entertained playing with the poor worms than fishing the first day!  Early the next morning was some good fish catching, but, unfortunately, I didn't have the camera out there then! Zech was a crazy man jumping in non-stop from the dock...little fearless!  Elly, a little less bold than little Z, had fun jumping in, swimming, and riding in the canoe going on "adventures"  with the family. The big boys loved kayaking, canoeing to the island, and swimming for hours. 

Here you see Joshua and David posing with their bamboo before making the poles, and the little ones enjoying some painting indoors.  One of my favorites is of Z painting at the easel...his apron goes past his toes!  Looks like a little Thomas Kinkade, don't you think?!

Here are a few closeups of each of our little crew from the week.  Makes me smile just looking at them! 

Jr. War Eagle Football Camp 2011




All the Dallas boys!!!  Great group of fellas!

 

Every year Kenny runs a kids' football camp at Landmark for a week during the summer, and with the help of his coaches and some of the varsity players they always have an incredible week.  Here are just a few shots from camp this year.

Zech...little coach! (with big brother Caleb)

Serious work!

Elly and Zech getting to play around some while the big guys take a break

All my big boys...Love these boys!!!

This is the whole crew this year

The Urgent Life-Kenny Speaking at Dogwood

Kenny has been a head varsity football coach for 15 years now.  He has done an amazing job coaching and has many accomplishments in football, but the reason he's made the impact he has is because as much as he loves football, he loves those boys more.  His heart is continually to teach them about Godly manhood and what it looks like to live a life that has meaning...eternally.  He has taught classes such as Christian Worldview, Apologetics, and New Testament all these years, too, and usually has the opportunity to speak at least a few times a year at churches, retreats, etc.  A couple of months ago our pastor asked him to speak at our church for the first message in a series on evangelism.  It's not often I get the chance to have a copy of Kenny speaking/preaching but this time I do.  I wanted to share it on my blog here for others to see.

Let me just say, that this man lives his life with great purpose every day.  That's really the heart of this message.  I want you to know that if you take the next half hour to sit down and listen to these words it will impact your life, and my prayer is that it helps you slow down and realize how short our time here really is...and what really matters.

(Remember:  you can mute/pause the music at the bottom of my blog page in order to hear the video)

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Mud Day and Family Fun!

Mud Day...aren't the most fun times usually not the ones we plan?  Last weekend we spent most of the day working in the yard, working on the garden, and just playing outside.  These mud pictures sord of sum up what the end of the day looked like!  This one of Z looking up at the camera is one of my all time favorites!  Love it! 

Jake and Caleb had already gone in and showered before the mud games started, or I'm quite sure they would have joined in, as well! Here are some more pics from mud day:

SO glad summer has arrived!  I added a collage below of some recent pictures from playing & and working outside, going to the park for lunch after church, and just hanging out together!  Looking forward to a great summer!  Life is sweet! (:

(P.S.-If you click on the collage it will enlarge it)

Life lately...Recent Pics

Just a simple post today...just wanted to post some sweet family life pics from the last few weeks...I love this precious crew!! 

Jake and Caleb at track meet (:



El and Zech...absolute sweetness!

 

With Kenny's guys in varsity spring practice,

and big brothers in middle school spring, the twins

had to pull out their pants for backyard practices!



Elly and Mommy...my sweet girlie!

Z and David...love this!

  Elly posing for the camera!

These two keep me laughing every single day!  Such fine fellas!

Ok, obviously he's giving me a hint...ya' think? (no, we haven't even begun to start potty training yet!) Just walked in the bathroom and found him this way!  Hee-hee! (just in case you can't tell, he is fully clothed sitting there!)

Smiley Zech man!

Elly surprised me and folded half of the clothes all by herself!  Precious!  Not too bad for 3 years old! Sweet little heart!

Precious David

Daddy with Joshua and Z playing out in the backyard