Something To Boast About

Psalm 44:8

In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

 

I have nothing to boast about except my God. He is the giver of all good things and nothing that we do or have or experience that is good and right is apart from Him.

He does things for us 

beyond what we ask 

or think! 

 

In this recent move He has done so many INCREDIBLE things for us. I mentioned in the last post about giving us some of our desires through the home He provided. 

 

Babe came home yesterday and told us about his day and how God just worked in this one area. Babe thought what was done was cool but what he was REALLY excited to see was God working in his life even in the small stuff. I just love those days that God's hand and love are especially apparent!

God is so good!

Our New Home

 July 6th we arrived at our new home! I packed a few decorations for the mantle to make the house feel more like home faster! We were all very glad to be done traveling and to put down some roots. We were tired and some may have been a bit cranky but we were HOME. As we walked around the house exploring R noticed a big stain on the ceiling in his room and then just a day or two later we woke up to water coming out of the ceiling! It ended up getting repaired 3 different times and then it had to go through a process of drying out and getting treated for mold and then it had to get repaired. LONG process and we were without that bedroom to put things in when our household goods arrived. It was definitely an inconvenience but the property manger was on top of it all and making sure it got done which was great.

 The day our household goods arrived it was very very hot and there was no point running the air conditioning with the door wide open all day. It was a long rough day but God's grace was sufficient!!! Also, we were moving from a much larger home to a smaller one so the logistics were a bit tough too but we made it. Above you see the twins making it through that long hot day and below you see one of our helpers G taking care of Baby B. We couldn't have done it without the big kids. They were a huge help to us that day.

The driver of the moving truck saw our home in Colorado and then here and thought we were crazy for leaving that home in Colorado. I thought about it and yes it does look a bit crazy but God calls us and that makes it a lot easier. It may seem illogical but really it is God's calling.  Our duty is to God and our country not to always perfect living situations. As a Navy wife you can't expect the same level of living at each new place. That is unrealistic. There are areas with different costs of living so your home size goes up and down, up and down. That is Navy life and that is our life. Our home here is still beautiful but a lot smaller and cozier. There is A LOT I like about it and the longer I live here the more I see God's Providence in having us live here which is such a blessing. We had been looking at houses with pools or by the water but they always fell through like God was trying to tell us He didn't want us with that stress or danger with the little ones but we found out the housing community has a free pool very close the house the kids enjoy! G has really wanted a pool table but there really isn't  room for a big pool table and we just found out the housing community center has one which made G happy! We wanted to live close to water so we could go kayaking and fishing. We just found out our housing community has it's own boat launch area! God is good and knows our needs and wants. I don't know when we'll be able to get kayaks but we know we have the option to use them now!! I love seeing how God blesses our lives and shows us He loves and cares for us.

 After our household goods arrived Baby C got pnuemonia and then Baby B and Little J got a nasty virus. Actually, right now Big C is sick.

 One of the neat things about our new house is the back patio. We eat dinner out there just about every night now and it is GREAT!!! We were so glad we had purchased the picnic table!!!

 Back in a Navy area which is neat. The kids got to see the beach one evening and enjoyed that. We want to go another evening to have sand play time!

 So many beautiful flowers here. Our street has beautiful flowering trees too!!

 Mowing a yard is new to us here since in Colorado that was not necessary up in the mountains! Babe found a mower off Craigslist and took G with him to go buy it. It was an elderly gentleman selling it and asked G if he was the one that was going to be doing the mowing and G said Yes. So, this man started teaching G about the mower and how to use it and had him start it and push it some at his house! G came home SOOOOO excited about the mower and his new job. He is done so well at it. Last week little J was so cute. He wanted to do just what big brother was doing!!!!

 What great team work!!

 Enjoying the pool.

 R encouraging Big C to venture out some. I expected this to end not so well but as you can see from the pictures below they had a great time and R proved to be quite trustworthy for Big C. Above right is Little J taking in this new experience of a pool.

Baby C having a fun time with Daddy at the pool.

Benefits to our new area:

I really enjoy walking outside in summer and not being cold.

I enjoy skin that is not dry and cracked since there is so much humidity here. My hands look like a different persons!! There are more benefits. I know we are going to enjoy all the history of the area but we just need to get moved in and settled some.

Babe had his first day of work today and he came back home quite happy. When the job was described to him today it really sounds like a dream job. I was thrilled to hear that!!!
God is good.

Next Stop: Grandma and Grandpa J's House!!

 We had a great time at my parents hanging out. The kids and I took off from Colorado a little early so we could spend more time with my parents. Babe wasn't able to leave until July 1st. We had a great time and my parents are such a help. Babe joined us at my parents on July 2nd and we were all thrilled to see him. Little J had been wondering where Daddy was and kept thinking he saw Daddy's car:-( The kids were ready to have Daddy back. July 4th was great . . . Earlier in the day Babe and I and the kids and my dad headed down to a greenway walking area that has a creek running next to it and the kids LOVE playing in that creek and catching minnows and crayfish! Little J enjoyed throwing rocks into the water. Later that day Babe and my Dad took the 4 oldest kids to a carnaval type thing with lots of fun things for the kids to do. They had a blast!! Then they stayed and watched the fireworks which were very close by. Big C wondered if they should back up some! My mom and I stayed home with the 3 youngest and we had gotten some Mexican take out before the others left. We enjoyed our evening at home. After the girls were asleep we watched some of the July 4th celebrations on TV. Little J got a huge kick out of one singer and just kept laughing and laughing as they sang. Mom and I got a kick out of him getting a kick out of the singer. Little J ended up in bed and Mom and I realized that there were fireworks that we could see by standing on their front side walk! We thought that was pretty cool and very unexpected! It was a fun night for us all. The next morning we got up very earlier to leave and continue on our journey to our new home. Leaving Grandma and Grandpa's isn't fun because they always make things so fun.

 Baby C and Baby B getting smarter by the minute at Grandma

and Grandpa J' house!! I love the picture below especially!!

 Grandpa teaching J how to eat corn on the cob.

 Above and Below: Grandma and Grandpa on bottle feeding duty:-)

 J being silly with Grandma J.

 Above: Fun with Grandpa J!

One day we took the kids to a fun center and rode the go carts. It was A's first time being tall enough to drive by herself! Watching her drive was one of the funniest and scariest things I had seen in awhile. The guy running the go carts was not one for much expression or happiness but even he got a kick out of watching A learn how to drive!!:-) She drove full throttle you could say! YIKES!! The second time she drove she did a  lot better and she knew what to expect.

Above: "A" going at "full throttle"!:-)

G above having a ball.

R wanted to ride with me. We had a grand time and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

R did get a bit nervous on our second time because we got a MUCH faster car which made for a very FAST ride!!

Then after go carts Babe strolled the twins around while the older kids and I went on the mini golf area. It was a BEAUTIFUL golf course. We were very blessed that day with uncharacteristic cooler temperatures otherwise I don't think it would have been to enjoyable. Little J loves to "hit ball".

 Gabriel wearing his favorite shirt. One of the people Babe worked with

knew Gabriel liked Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and bought

this for him!! He loves it!

Big C and Little J playing mini golf.

The mini golf crew.

The landscaping was sooo beautiful!!

When the kids come to Grandpa's they often like to help prune trees. One night most of us were out there in the evening. I gave Little J pliers so he could pretend he had pruning sheers although he ended up taking them over to "work" on the van too.

Some little outdoor treasure R found and wanted recorded with a picture.

He thought the inside was pretty.

Little J working on the car. He LOVES tools and "working" with Big people.

This was from July 4th down by the creek on the greenway area.

Love seeing the personalities displayed above!

Sweet Baby B! Sooo CUTE!!

Baby C with Grandpa.

A prize catch of a big crayfish.

Daddy and Big C in the go carts!!

Great time at Grandma and Grandpa's. They are a blessing to our family.