Happy Valentine's Day

For Valentine's this year . . . Kevin planned a date night out for us with his brother Richard & his wife, Sarah. It was great fun to get out for the night. Kevin spent all last week investigating places he might want to take me. He & his brother even asked their parents ahead of time if they would mind watching our kids on valentine's night! :) Sarah & I were very proud of their planning & preparing for our night out. We felt very special. We had an amazing dinner - the restaurant made their own bread, croutons, salad dressings, etc. It was so yummy!

This is Jaden(4), the kids cousin, & John Michael - the got matching shirts from Grandma & Grandpa for Valentines Day. They thought the racing car was pretty cool. I thought this pic turned out very cute of the 2 of them!

Spring is in the air!

I can't believe how strange the weather has been lately - warm, cold, windy, stormy, beautiful, & then back around again. We have tried to take advantage of all the warm weather by getting outside. The kids (especially JM) have been battling a cough/cold for more than a week, so their trips outside are short & sweet, but fresh air does a lot for the spirit & the body! The pictures I posted here were taken in about 45minutes of each other. You'll see in the 1st 2 - it is very sunny, but the last 2 show how the clouds rolled in quickly - & the temps cooled rapidly. It was bizarre.
I'm still waiting to see if we get one more snow . . . it's not out of the question! Despite the possibility of snow & cold, I am so excited for spring. I love the warm temps, the sun shining, the flowers blooming, the trees budding, the grass turning green, & the fresh smell of Spring! It is wonderful.

Isabelle created a new activity . . . spinning her scooter around & around jumping over it each time. She had lots of fun, & wore herself out!

A boy & his rocks - you just wondered what he's going to do with them.

Who Says Fresh Isn't Best?

Today is January 31st & I'm wondering where the first month of 2009 went & fast! I love the beginning of each year - a fresh start, or at least it seems in theory. A renewed sense of energy & purpose to make & attain goals of many kinds. There is something really exciting about a fresh start & yet so often I forget that my loving Father gives that to me daily. He says in His Word that "His mercies are new EVERY morning". Isn't that amazing . . . we don't have to wait until the first day of a week, or a month, or a year. He tells us that every morning, He has new mercies to greet us as we begin. I am so thankful that I can wake each morning & experience His mercies - a fresh start, forgiveness, grace, & peace. He is all I need to face each day. He is fully in control - even when things feel out of control. I need to STOP & BE STILL.

I just returned home from my Great Uncle Bill's funeral in Indiana. It was a sweet & touching time for me to ponder his life both earthly & eternal. My Great Aunt Fern (his wife) went to be with the Lord about 11 years ago. They were very special to me, having no children of their own, we were like grandchildren to them. I will miss them, but know that their frail bodies are no more & that they are experiencing the blessing of heaven - a great reward. My cousin, Benji, did the service for Uncle Bill - it was amazing. My Uncle Bill always said "Benj, Be Still!" (Well, he said it to all of us - but Benj was remembering all the times it was said to him.) Uncle Bill's words reminded him of a command given to us in Psalms to "Be Still & KNOW that I am God." Benj did a wonderful job of reminding all of us that it isn't enough to simple know about God, or go to church, or participate in "good" activities. We have to crave Him like we crave oxygen. We have to spend time with Him to know Him, but to also be known by Him. I am thankful that God has been teaching me about that for the last 5 years. If you are wondering what it means to crave Him - ask Him to reveal Himself to you through His Word. Get in the Word through your own study or a Bible study - He will be there & you will be forever changed. Thanks Benj, for a God glorifying tribute to Uncle Bill - God's message through you was powerful.

Here are the kids in our hotel doing their school work - Olivia wanted to work too, so she colored.

On a funny note, between the visitation & funeral we had an inch of ice & 11 inches of snow. We didn't even know if we would make it to the funeral. My sister spent an hour trying to warm up the car, scrap the thick ice & snow off the car & digging the car out of the parking spot. She was soaked & cold. I watched her from our hotel window & knocked so she would know I was thinking of her! :) After the funeral we headed for home, but not before stopping to visit Grandma Clare in Indianapolis. We so enjoyed our visit with her!

Getting back to my "fresh" theme . . . I have fresh peaches & blueberries put up in the freezer from this summer. Today, I made a fresh peach pie & blueberry cobbler. I've made the cobbler before - it is amazing, but today was my first attempt at a peach pie! It turned out SO good I had to take a picture of it. I am really excited about sharing it at our prayer group dinner tonight.

I pray that you are finding a fresh start in each day - taking time to BE STILL & KNOW that God is God each morning! As we approach Valentines, remember that God loves you so much. You are His precious Child - there is NO ONE like YOU. Valentine's Day is everyday in God's world - He wants to shower you with His love & He desires you to love Him too!

Check out www.fathersloveletter.com - you will be blessed.

"B.B.D." = Big Buck Down

In the last moments of daylight, of the last day of the season (& on the last day of 2008) - Kevin accomplished what he set out to do in Sept. - get a big buck! He saw this buck on Dec. 19th, but didn't have a shot. He got his second chance tonight! I think the kids might have been just as excited as he was. Kevin loves hunting. He loves being out in nature & hanging out with God in the quiet of a tree stand. As much as he enjoys the quiet & just "being out there", there is nothing like waiting patiently ALL season to reap the rewards! Next season, I hope to join him by getting my own buck! Stay tuned. . .

Merry Christmas (Part 5) - Grandparents

The Christmas season ended with a visit to each set of grandparents. We had such a great week of celebrating Jesus, opening presents, & eating. Many pictures to choose from, here are the highlights!

The kids enjoying their new chairs & stopping all law breakers at Nana & Papa's!

The 5 Redford Cousins put on the "Christmas Story". John Michael was Joseph & Isabelle was the angel. Jaden was the shepherd, Tyler was the narrator & Samantha was Mary. The kids were so cute when they opened their presents - they all sat in a line facing the tree while Grandma passed out the presents - then they quickly turned around for their parents to see them open.

So much fun was had by all - and now we saw HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Merry Christmas (Part 4) - @ home

We celebrated Christmas with the kids on Saturday. We had so much fun - the presents were open by 7:30am! Everyone was up early! :) After presents, we went up to a new donut shop close to our house - the first "food" place close to our house EVER! The kids enjoyed donuts & milk - it was so great. The rest of the day was full of games, laughter, & fun! Here are a few photos of our day. The kids exchanged their gifts. JM gave Isabelle a jump rope that counts for her & Isabelle gave JM a robot grabbing arm.

We sent the kids on a scavenger hunt to find this foosball table - it was a blast. This is one of their favorite gifts - ours too! Kevin came up with the great clues:
1. "To find this gift, you must find the clue that is in something blue." (Our bedroom)
2. "Wow, you are doing good so far. Now you need to hike to the kitchen to find the next clue in something that we pitch-in." (Trash Can)
3. "Awesome, now you need to proceed to the place in this house that receives the most play almost everyday." (Play room)

Merry Christmas (Part 3) - TREATS

Today Isabelle has a Christmas Party at school. We are bringing treats - I got this cute idea out of my family fun magazine . . . The kids had a blast making them. It was so easy for them to do on their own!