Race Day

 We joined some friends for another fun morning of racing at the Jiggle Butt Run.  As funny as the name sounds, this race for women and children benefitted Safe Haven of Tarrant County and New Missions in Haiti, and we were happy to run for a good cause.

We even added our own international flair by making signs in different languages.  Sarah is holding one that says "Run!" in Lavuklave.



 Katherine's sign was in English,

but this one is in Solomon Island's Pijin.  It says something like, "The Solomon team is number one!"

We're so thankful for this amazing family and the races we've gotten to enjoy together over the years.

The race finished just in time for the wind and rain to pick up as a cold front began to blow in.  Now, I'm listening to the rain pound and wishing we had rain tanks here to save all of this wonderful water...

Rainy Days

Yesterday, the Dallas area got several inches of much needed rain.  Not only are the downspouts overflowing, but my heart is overflowing with thankfulness.  The cool wet weather has been perfect for...

 

-steaming bowls of chili

 



 

-a coffee date at the White Rhino to catch up with a Solomon Island/Texas friend

 

-learning more about DNA structure

 



 

and having fun while learning

This morning while I was reading my Bible, I came across a passage familiar to many of us from a Sunday School song:  "The wise man built his house upon the rock..."

 

 

But this time I noticed the beginning of the passage: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." (Matthew 7:24).  What words of Jesus?  How had I NEVER noticed that this story comes right at the end of the Sermon on the Mount?!?

What a "coincidence" that our pastor is preaching through the book of Matthew and just reached the Beatitudes last Sunday.  So I grabbed Aaron's parallel Bible to give me a fresh perspective on a familiar passage and jumped in...

 

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope.  With less of you there is more of God and his rule."  Matthew 5:3 MSG

 

This is going to be exactly what I needed. Of course, the Lord knew I needed to be here today.

 

Well, it's that time again.  We have begun the doctors' visits leading to our return to the Solomon Islands this summer, which also means school in the waiting room.  So thankful for the amazing staff who give their time and energy toward the ILC clinic!  Not only do we enjoy enjoy the staff's sweet smiles and knowledge of life overseas, but they also do their best to give us fabulous medical care as inexpensively as possible.  I think we need to take some banana bread when we go back next week to begin our shots...

Subtraction

Math has never been so much fun to learn.



Even if it was a little loud,

many hands made Katherine's lesson in subtraction memorable.





Epiphany

Hard to believe the wise men have finally arrived!  We celebrated with Gift of the Magi bread for breakfast this morning, and we've almost finished our favorite puzzle to do this time of year (thanks to our friend, Sylvia, who gave us another "copy" of the puzzle since we left ours in the Solomon Islands).

 

We finished up our devotionals from "Celebrate Jesus at Christmas" and added more books to our basket:

 

Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti

Danny and the Kings by Susan Cooper

The Other Wise Man by Henry van Dyke

Hurray for Three Kings' Day by Lori Marie Carlson

 

 

A sweet family from church came over to share lunch with us today (again, we were having such a good time that I forgot to take pictures).  Sarah made us a yummy cake, hid a ceramic baby Jesus inside, and Olivia found him!

Texas Woman's Daybook

(Meant to post this days ago!)

Just for today...Tuesday, January 1

Outside my window...dark and cold and cloudy

Pondering these words..."Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him. A great number of Christian workers worship their work.  The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God." 
~ Oswald Chambers

A heart of thankfulness...for prayer warriors

Creating...our traveling schedule for the next several months

On my bookshelf..."Hurt Healer:  Reaching Out to a Broken World" by Tony Nolan (on loan from a friend, thanks for letting me raid your bookshelf!)

From the kitchen...the kids started the day with their Storytime Cocoa from Aaron's mom.  Now, I can smell supper simmering:  the collards and the black eyed peas and the cornbread and the ham all coming together to create that marvelous New Year's Day aroma.

Around the house...a pretty new flour sack dish towel from my mother, the wise men slowly making their way to see Jesus, our spiral of candles almost full leading up to Epiphany

Something I want to remember for later...when I walked in the door from grocery shopping and Katherine exclaimed, "Mama, I drew this rainbow for you because I love you and I want to make you happy!"

From the learning rooms...starting back to school tomorrow with the War of 1812 and Napoleon's defeat in Russia

One of my favorite things...the way the sunlight slants into my bedroom window late in the afternoon this time of year

A few plans for the rest of the week...blood work on Friday as we began preparing to go back to the Solomon Islands, celebrating Epiphany on Sunday

 

A peek into my corner of the world...oh, that snaggled-tooth grin!
 

Kindred Spirits

 

Every once in a while, God gives you a friend that you get to count as a kindred spirit.  My friend Ann falls in that category.

We finished up our Christmas 2012 Road Trip with some dear friends who are as crazy as we are. 

 

We played games...

 

read lots of books...

 

 

laughed, cried, watched football, laughed some more, stayed an extra night, enjoyed having God knit our hearts a little closer, exercised in the rain, and worshipped together at First Baptist Church in Almyra.

More Family

Last Friday, Katherine finally conquered her fears and got her ears pierced.  She's been asking for over a year, and in May she actually had the dots marked on her ears before she backed out.  Each of my girls has gotten her ears pierced with my mother, two sisters, and my sister-in-law cheering her on.  Katherine was missing one of her aunts, but she had a great team of family cheering her on.

 

Katherine loves the new little pink butterflies in her ears!

 



 

Saturday morning, we drove to visit my aunt and uncle.  They have moved since we visited them in June.  Twenty-three of us gathered in their beautiful new home, even though four of my generation (plus three spouses) were missing.  I love big families.  After the blessing of the food, the chaos began!

 

My cousins got a zipline for Christmas.  Of course, all of the adventurous ones had to try it out.  In this family, we have no shortage of adventure.

 



Lots of football helped keep people warm.

 



 





Watching all ages and stages play together just made my day!

 



We tried to take a nice normal family picture.  After all, it's just my mom's family and her brother's family.  But this gene pool runs strongly toward the wild and crazy.

 



 

And I think this picture is a much more accurate version of our true personalities!

Together

We returned last night from our nine-day Christmas 2012 Road Trip in time to do a little laundry, eat pizza, and go to bed (party animals, we are not).  After living overseas for the last four years, the theme of this trip was "together".


Thursday, December 27:  "Christmas Day" for the Williams family



One of my brothers had to work some while we gathered.  I found it funny that he chose to set up his computer underneath the mistletoe.  After I snapped the picture, I snuck up on him and gave him a big smooch on the cheek!

 



My beautiful sister-in-law getting some Katherine snuggles.

 



Sarah and her cousin waiting for the festivities to begin.

 



One of my talented sisters led us in Christmas carols, a Williams' family tradition, before we read the Christmas story and opened presents.

 



LOVE these mug cozies made by my sister-in-law for each of us.

 



Five of the six of us siblings (missed you, Daniel!).

 



 

My brother and grandmother with Katherine

 



The other brother and his awesome girlfriend hanging out with the Choate kids.

 

I think Olivia would have smuggled her cousin into her suitcase if she could have!

 



My grandparents came to spend the morning with us, even though they had been without electricity for several days.

 



 

Family recipes always make it to the table when we all get together.  My great-grandmother's coconut cake always disappears quickly.

As my sister said while trying to get her two-year-old to try a bite, "It's like cookies.  Only better."

 



 

We work together...

 



we play games together (my kids are beginning to win)...

 



 

we eat together at a restaurant full of family memories.

 

My favorite Christmas present this year?  The blessing of together.