Multitude Monday #1815 - #1835...

Joining with The Gratitude Community in my endless list of thanks...because it continues to transform me...

January 23rd...3 gifts found in Christ
...He redeems
...He is our peace
...He offers us wisdom

January 24th...3 things blue
...his "D" (blankie)
...my Nalgene bottle that reminds me to stay well hydrated
...my Bible

January 25th
one gift borrowed...the piano instructors yard for a good game of tag while he had his lesson
one gift found...time to study His word while he had Occupational Therapy
one gift inherited...how much Joshua reminds us all of Kelsey

January 26th
one gift before 9...an invitation to breakfast
one gift before 12...hearing the train whistle while we were playing outside, jumping in the car with the boys and catching the big CSX train
one gift after dark...Daddy playing with the boys and all of them laughing and wanting more




January 27th...3 gifts that might never have been
...this cross against a cloudy sky



...seeing Eli at his preschool chapel (Will actually sat and sang the songs)
...an incredible conversation about God with the boys while driving in the car

January 28th...3 graces found in your friends
...my husbands friendship that reminds me of Christ
...a friend that knows my story as well as I do
...a friend that wakes up for our early morning runs

January 29th
a song heard...Your Love Never Fails...it captures so much of my story and Will loves to sing and dance to this one
a soft word..."It's just amazing what God has done."
where I saw light...sun room light shining down as he demonstrated his multitasking capabilities

My Joy this Morning...

video: if you received this post via email...please visit www.ouradventurewithboys.com to view the video

Sweet Shot Tuesday...

This is Will's best buddy Cameron...

Multitude Monday # 1794 - #1814...

3gifts/day:1000gifts/year:JOY DARE!

January 16th...3 ways you witnessed happiness this morning
...Wes soaking up the minutes with Will as they sing and dance together
...Hearing Eli exclaim in the middle of the restaurant "God made everything and Jesus helped him...He made the cars, the trees and the road."
...Joshua adding "Yeah and Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that's how He made God happy."

January 17th
one gift that made me laugh...boys splashing in mud puddles




one gift that made me pray...an email from his teacher
one gift that made me quiet...this picture from his plane...Daddy was coming home early!




January 18th...3 gifts from God's word
...Psalm 71:5,6
"For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you."

...Habakkuk 3:19
"The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights."
the yellow sunlight streaming in the window

...Psalm 145:19
"He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them."

January 19th
a grace in the kitchen...homemade brownies
a grace in the weather...bright streams of sunlight



a grace that might never have been...afternoon conversation with a friend because of an impromptu playdate


January 20th...3 gifts you saw only when you got close-up
...his beautiful little hand



...an embrace from Micaiah
...how he called me close to show me the daffodils emerging from the ground

January 21st
one thing in the sky... the first snow of the winter



one thing from your memory...how moving toward gratitude rather than bitterness has transformed my life
one thing that's ugly-beautiful...the truth about the neighbors broken window and the important conversation that followed


January 22nd
one grace wrinkled...Will screaming as we left church because he wanted to go into the main congregation to "Sing, Sing"
one grace smoothed...how the boys erupted into a chorus of his favorite songs to help him calm down as we drove home
one grace unfolded...watching old home videos after "sundaes on Sunday"

Eli...

I love how his eyes tell a story in this picture and how the chocolate on his face tells another!

As he was playing outside...I couldn't stop staring at these curls emerging from the bottom of his hat...

Wow, look at those eyes!

This is classic Eli...

Finally...SNOW...

A Mud Puddle Break...

It had been a long day of rain...so when Wes got home I took the younger two on a walk around the block...













they bring such joy to rainy days!

Multitude Monday #1772 - #1793...

I have decided to take Ann's Joy Dare and capture three specific gifts each day...
3gifts/day:1000gifts/year: JOY DARE!
I've shared before how much this 1000 gift challenge has transformed my life and moved me from getting through my days with "the grim strength of gritting my teeth" to "the glory-strength God gives...that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy" (Colossians 1:9-12)


January 9th
a gift in my hand... my camera
a gift I walked by...brothers caring for one another
a gift I sat with...Eli sitting in my lap as we look through his "looking book"

January 10th
a gift that's sour...more difficult news about him
a gift that's sweet...my husband's gift of a fountain coke
a gift that's Just. Right...going to bed at a good time

January 11th...3 yellow things that strike you as fresh mercy
the yellow tulips in her vase that the little one points out to me and how he asks me to bend low and smell
the yellow mitten he chooses to lace up
the yellow sunlight streaming in the window

January 12th
gift above...the bright sun shining down today
gift below...baby saying "kiss"
gift beside...my husband as we sleep

January 13th...3 sounds you hear
wind rushing through the trees
Will singing "Sing, Sing, Sing" as he plays
boys coming home

January 14th...3 ways you glimpsed the startling grace of God
geese startled into flight
a trail run around the lake with my husband
conversation lingering long with him



January 15th
one thing I wore...brown riding boots
one thing I gave away...a copy of One Thousand Gifts
one thing I shared...thanks for a quiet weekend away just my husband and me

Eli's Heart...

Bad Hair Day...

Multitude Monday #1750 - #1771...

Joining with the Gratitude Community to give thanks for His everyday, ordinary gifts...

1750...boys running, laughing and playing together
1751...fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookies
1752...hearing Eli say "I love you all the way to the sun!"
1753...Will worshipping and teaching us all what it means to come to Him as a little child
1754...hearing Will say "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!"




1755...Psalm 55
1756...rock band with the boys
1757...how God is moving in the hearts of our boys
1758...my new running watch
1759...my Message Bible that stays in my purse for opportunities to catch a few minutes with Him
1760...time to catch up with my best friend
1761...hearing about how God prompted my heart to share this verse with them and how it confirmed something that was spoken over them months ago
1762...catching this glimpse of the moon



1763...and turning around and catching this glimpse of the sunset




1764...her encouraging text with Isaiah 50:4
1765...my husbands encouragement and help in following through with what God has called me to do
1766...dancing in the kitchen with Wes and Will
1767...watching my husband worship the Lord
1768...Geyser fun
1769...new basement carpet (again...yes, it's a long story)
1770...this reminder in Colossians 1:18-20
1771...the encouragement of another parent that shared...that her child came home and said "Mom, I want to learn to pray like Josh. He prays like a Mommy and a Daddy."

Will Singing...

Here is the video of Will singing Chris Tomlin's "Sing, Sing, Sing"...

Here are the lyrics so you can follow along...

"We will sing, sing, sing
And make music with the heavens
We will sing, sing, sing
Grateful that You hear us
When we shout your praise
Lift high the name of Jesus

What's not to love about You?
Heaven and earth adore You
Kings and kingdoms bow down
Son of God, You are the One
You are the One we're living for

You are the love that frees us
You are the light that leads us
Like a fire burning
Son of God, You are the one
You are the one we're living for"

Not bad for a 21 month old right?

video: If you received this video via email please visit www.ouradventurewithboys.com to view the video

Sweet Shot Tuesday...

Christmas Tree Decoration (the 2nd time around)...

So when my dad was here last week, he helped me take down the Christmas tree and we placed it outside. A little later, Eli went outside to play. My Dad called me to the window to see what Eli had been working on...



Eli had taken all of the various toys laying around the yard and "decorated" the tree in his own creative way. He even found a shovel and some standing water and watered the tree when he was finished.

Geyser Fun...

Multitude Monday #1722 - #1749...

Joining with the Gratitude Community to give thanks for His everyday, ordinary gifts...

...how he runs over with a pea in his hand and says..."Mommy I brought this to you because I know how much you love hearts."...and shows me how the pea looks like a heart

...reviewing these 20 questions with my husband on New Year's Eve

...hearing Will sing "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Chris Tomlin

...brothers racing

...bathtub curls

...his ability to focus

...brothers sharing Happy Napper rules

...brothers laughing

...his wide eyed excitement over ice crystals on the mulch

...cousins

...my husband with one on his back and pulling one along as we hike up the Appalachian Trail

...and the way he encouraged Joshua all the way

...his love of the outdoors

...cold water after hiking 2 1/2 miles all by himself up the Appalachian Trail

...a Christmas tree surprise deep in the woods

...a beauty of nature

...the kids delighting in a whirlpool in a small pond

...family

...natural steps

...how he carried a different one out of the woods

...brothers

...these sweet faces

...how happy he was to see the car after 5 miles on the trail

...how Wes and his brother clipped the cable on our van automatic door and made it into a manual door...which saved us a $1000 repair

...having Will worship with us on Sunday morning and seeing him raise his hands and sing

...a run around the neighborhood with my brother

...how God continues to pursue and show His love and care

...receiving a text with Joshua 1:9 from my brother