Of all things I should be doing

It should not be blogging. I need to be doing one of those bible studies, but I just have no desire to get off of my duff!! It is prolly those chocolates I just ate. So, I'll take a minute to let my body calm down from the... well, they were sugar free, but anyhow...

The kids are doing so well. Mark is doing good in school. His writing is coming along very well. He has a hard time with becoming easily frustrated (God, please make Him an overcomer like you did me!!) but is still very receptive to my instruction and really wants to do a good job most of the time. He is still very very compassionate and loves her sisters. He is such a sweet boy.



Lily is right there with brother and is like a sponge. She likes to have "school work" if he does and is becoming such a girlie girl and actually likes to be with me now. That is a change. She worried me there, I must admit, and kept to herself a lot and wouldn't give or receive affection, but OH! How different she is now! She'll let me hold her and give her a kiss and hold my hand and she'll come over and put her hand on my arm or my face and say "Come and look at this, MOM!" So fun. I often tell people that she would have just been lost as to how a little girl acts if it had not been for Elle, who practically come out with a nail file and lip gloss! Lily is really loving dressing up and playing barbie and I just think it's the cutest thing. She is so smart and imaginative, the words and things that she makes up keeps me in stitches!



Mind the hordes of trash back there...

Well, speaking of that baby, umm umm umm. I love her so good! She is such a momma's girl! She wants to be with me all the time but her and her bubba and slowly her sissy are starting to become playmates, which makes my heart happy. She talks VERY well and can pretty much articulate hurt, hungry, tired, cold, hot, too tight, sooo happy, and any preference of shoes, hairbows, and TV show she wants. She is just full of... herself, but words, too. She is still terribly defiant, but it keeps me humble and I won't lie, frazzled many times. I am glad to report (DeDe) that it appears that hitting and pushing as means of playing with other children is not as much of an issue and she actually likes to play chase tho most other kids her age just think she is playing "I took your stuff!" Well, I guess she kinds is... Anyway, she is so overflowing with joy, it's hard hard hard not to love her and snuggle her and give in to her every demand. Thank you Lord for the wisdom to send her third!



Daddy Mark continues to amaze me. He stays home on Tues morning to teach Mark his school work so that I can lead my bible study. He is a remarkable Sunday School teacher. The man was given a very GREAT brain, but I see his wisdom is from the Lord and it is so awesome to be under his authority. He is loving and kind and has a servant heart and for that, this family is truly blessed.



And me? Well I am still crazy and take ridiculous pictures of myself so that people can sit in their homes and laugh at my shenanigans. And that I might laugh at myself as well...



I also enjoy doing it with some of the most incredible women God has ever loved me through.

Phew. Now I see why I needed to write this blog. To be reminded of God's faithfulness in my life and that this cup is supernaturally overflowing!! Thank you, Lord. Thank you so much for saving me, sustaining me, providing for me, and blessing me. You are good. All the time. And all the time, YOU are good!!

Only time for pictures

Overflowing heart of thanks

My heart is so full after church these last couple of weeks. Being able to share my life with people who will publicly bare their soul and unveil the hidden hurt in their heart so that others may know Jesus and the hope that He offers is such an enormous blessing to me that "I thank my God every time I think of you."

If you need some hope, look at this video. So awesome. Thank you, Jesus, for such a blessing.

http://www.hunterstreet.org/media/ministry/churchwide/cardboard_testimonies/cardboard_testimonies_08-16-09.php

New Old friend

For the life of me, I am never just have one child! Yesterday a light shown from the heavens and Mark had to go to the doctor to have some tests done. Lily of course had to go to and so their very awesome daddy took them both and ALAS, there were just two ladies here at Casa de la Thomas. After a CVS run, we took some clothing back only to find out that my adorable friend, De-Dalicious was free, too!!! Hooray, I never get to hang out with D! And even better, our girls never get a chance to hang. So, we got to play, eat, and bargin shop, all in one afternoon! I swiped this pic from DeDe's blog, I thought it was SO cute!




Thank you, Dede, we had a great time! Glad you could look past the "rough" love!

Family Photos

We went Sat and had some pics made. Check them out if you get time! It's the Grethel Van Epps link on my blog roll or go to

www.gvephotography.com
and go to the clients section. Our password is oak


I love our sweet little photographer. She has a heart THIS big. She has been asking for prayer for one of her client's daughter. She is a three month old baby that is having a hard time because of a condition she was born with and has had surgery this weekend. Her name is Jane. If you think about it, go to her blog and let her know your praying.

Things I have struggled with today

vanity
too hard on my kids
didn't read my bible this morning
didn't feed my kids a good breakfast
let the kids watch too much tv while I was on the computer
haven't done schoolwork
haven't stayed on any kind of schedule
humility
I am not thankful enough
I am SOSOSOSOOOO tired
I am selfishly wanting to wake Mark up even though I know he is tired, too...

not realizing when to stop
thinking about myself... ALOT
realizing that people that are in a bible study with me are going to read this and wonder what on earth I am going leading anything..

wanting to go back through this and correct all the things that are capitalized and I don't want it to be

but then realizing if I do that and make it "perfect" that I will have wasted time, precious time spent doing something better like playing with the kids

not playing with the kids enough anymore

laying on the bed instead of cleaning up the wet clothes downstairs
trying to make this list longer
trying to make this list "spiritual"
NOT trying to make this list "spiritual"

I am so thankful that God loves me and does not care one tiddl-e-wink about making me perfect right now, but making me holy. Jesus is the only one who is perfect. I can't bear the burden. And I don't have to.

Blog Looser

I have been so lax on this bloggin. This summer I made a promise to myself that I would "do school" everyday that I could to see how long it would take and if I really would do it. The one thing I worried about, Mark's writing, is LARGELY based on his mood, but really is coming along and can write his name and wrote HIS the other day after we did sight words, all on his on! It brought me much joy and caused me to break into praise, which I think frightened him it was so laugh! :) The kids really seem to like it and many times ASK to do school work, but here lately (actually for the last two months), Mark has been complaining about his tummy hurting and it really has been affecting his mood. He isn't the same little boy here recently. I called the doctor AGAIN today, and I hate being mean momma, but if dem fools don't call me back tomorrow, I am'a gonna get mean. I need tests. I wanna look at that belly!! Please pray that it's something silly like he swallowed too much bubble gum and he needs an antacid... Seriously, pray.

Lily is such a brain and she is doing it right along side Mark. She counts and does her phonics, such a big girl. However, her new thing is that she never wants to get big, she wants to stay little. She makes me love her so much!

Elle is as mean as a rattle snake and as adorable as it gets. I don't how those two things reside in the same body, but she is a work of art. She sings, dances, jumps, throws, prays over her food without being prompted (tank ou Hesus, food. aaaaaaaaaaahhhhmen!), actually, she loves to pray, the singing one, at least. She has been telling me 'bless ou (you), momma!' when I cough. She gets largely ignored by the other two (mostly because of the hitting and taking), so she is my constant shadow. Especially with all the teeth coming in. And even tho you'll here me complain about her ALWAYS wanting nothing to do with anyone but me, I secretly love it.

We went to the dentist today and it was awful. Again, the dentist tried to talk me into sedating Lily to get her SIX cavity filled, and again I said no. She screamed bloody murder, but ten minutes after she was fine. I can't control her emotions/fears, but I sure as heck can control the risk of her being put under. I'll leave the rest to Jesus. Pray for her, too. She'll need about two or three more visits.

The bible study we are doing on Friday night is blessing me more than words on this blog can ever describe. Even if the study wasn't so wonderful, watching these women and being involved in their lives in... I dunno, I am humbled God would even let me. Praise You, God! I am going to be doing another one in August. It is Sheparding a Child's Heart (whoop whoop! God brought it to pass!!) and it starts on the 25th. Pray Pray PRAY for that, I am super excited and feel completely scared and not qualified.

Okay, we are having our pics made this Sat, so I am SO excited to post them!! Hopefully, I'll give this blog more of my time!