The Harvest is plentiful

About a month ago Matt and I were out running and we decided to stop and look at some blackberry bushes that were along the way.
The berries were still mostly green. A few red ones but over all very small and very green. We have been to this little honey hole about 4 times a week to harvest our berries and boy have we hit the mother load!!

The past couple of weeks we have really stored up the berries. We have a freezer full and have given away lots of them! I made a blackberry cobbler and we have eaten several!!:) They are sooo sweet and so yummy! The girls love going and it has been such a fun little family outing each week!! Matt an I stay scratched up from all the thorns! But it's worth it for these beauties!!:)

What a fun memory for Matt and I with our girls. We pray they will remember us spending time together as a family picking blackberries in the summer!!:).

Blissful weekend with amazing friends...

This past weekend some of our very best friends came to spend a few days with us!  We try to get together with Taylor and Meagan a couple times a year.  Once we go to their home, and then they come here in the fall for a Razorback football game.  This year, very last minute, we decided we could not wait any longer to see them so they booked a flight here from Virginia.  Boy did we have a blast!

The weekend was cut a little short because Tay and Meg had the "privilege" of staying the night in the DFW airport due to weather.  We picked them up a day late but that did not slow us down!  We began the weekend eating  lunch, and then we headed to the Lake.  If you have not been to Echo Canyon at lake Quachita you need to book yo-self a trip.  It is so relaxing.  The Restaurant is fabulous and has a super view.
We stayed at the house boat which is so relaxing.  We lounged on rafts, skiied, tubed, road the jet ski's, we laughed a lot, talked, got caught up and just had a blast.  It was so much fun.

We got up Sat morning and headed to breakfast with another friend!  We ate and shopped for a little bit.  Then we headed to our little "honey hole" (at the cemetery) and picked blackberries. It was so fun.  Matt and I have been picking blackberries every other day (we have had a ball checking on the berries) and we knew there would be lots to pick that day.   It was so fun to have them to help us!  I will never pick blackberries again without thinking about you guys!:)

Saturday afternoon was LAZY.   Meagan and I did a little couponing (scored some serious deals) at WAGS while the guys napped with the girls.  We got home and started whipping up all the fixins (yes I said "fixins") for the fish fry.  It.was. SO.GOOD!!

We got up Sunday and headed up the Hill to take them to the airport.  We hit up a pizza joint and the promenade and made our way to XNA.  It's always sad to see them leave again, but we are so thankful for a friendship that is so close that we pick up right where we left off!  Blessed to call them friends!

We are already looking forward to November when we will see them again!  This time we will travel to them!!:)

Love you guys and thanks for a wonderful weekend!!

 

Loving life...

Boy was I so excited for school to be out this year.  I missed my little girl every day and I have so loved having her home the past couple of weeks.  She has loved it too!

Girls day with my sweetie!

Silly Bella Grace. 

We are making the most of summer 2012.  We have been busy little bees.  Gotten to go to the lake several times, date nights, snow cones, bonfire roasting marshmallows and making smores, VBS, lunch dates with my sweeties, the park, picnics at home, painting, pintrest projects and much more.  So much fun already and summer has just begun.  I am soaking. In.every. second!

Here are a few pics of the last few weeks!  

Just a Saturday doing her babies hair.

A fun day at the lake.  In their happy place.

Date nights with my man.  Sure am thankful God chose us for to walk through this life together.
Sweet, sweet sisters.

Thanking God that His mercies are new every morning... and that a new sunrise brings a new day full of new blessings, new struggles, and lasting memories.  His faithfulness and His love cover me daily.  Blessed....

End of the year activities...

With Alyssa finishing up school a few weeks ago we have been on the go with activities and just pure fun-ness.  Yes I am fully aware that is most likely not a word!!:)

Alyssa started softball this year.  IF you know Matt and I at all, you know we are uber competitive.  I mean a little too the crazy degree.  We had to stop playing Co-Ed softball because it  just wasn't going to be good for our testimony. :) Well our daughter wanted to play softball this year (kind-of) so we signed her up!  Stoked could not explain my excitement.  I loved softball.  It was pretty much my life from the time I was 5 till I was in high school!  So I just  KNEW she was going to love it as much as I did.  HAHA!!
This was what she came out in for her first game!!:)  This picture sums up the year!:)

She finished the year and actually had a good time.  She was fully convinced her game tying RBI won them these awesome team trophy's!!  We didn't tell her any different!:)
I've never seen a child so excited to get a trophy and to finish up the season!

She also had a super fun end of the year swim party at school.  Instead of a program or graduation, her class had a luau swim party.  The kids loved it and I was miss emotional mom!:)

Alyssa LOVED kindergarten and adored her teacher!  We pray she has just as much fun in first grade and makes an impact for Jesus!

Yay for summer fun and having my baby back home for a few months! I sure missed her!

investments

I have been thinking about investing a lot lately.  Matt and I have made plans for our financial future through investments and savings.  But this past week, when I least expected God to speak, HE did!   I was just driving in the car by myself and it was as if God was asking me this question... what are you doing to invest in things that have much more of a life long impact?  A spiritual impact?

God has given us a great desire to make disciples of all the nations.  He has given us an unbelievable passion for Haiti.  The children of Haiti. The people of Haiti.  He has given us a love and desire for this country to know HIM and to praise HIM.  This project in Haiti is time consuming.  It is not something that is going to happen over night.  The people need Jesus and that is the bottom line.  But, things in Haiti don't just happen over night.  The Lord is working in the people of Haiti but we have to continue to be faithful to plant the seed of life in the lives of these people and wait for God to pour out His blessing on this investment.

God has given us 2 beautiful children of our own that we are required to pour our time, our energy, and our resources in to.  Our desire is to teach them everything we know about Christ.  Letting them see Him by the way we live, speak, and love others.  Boy do I fail.  I fail each and every day, but it's as if the Lord keeps telling me, "Sarah, it's worth messing up.  It's worth failing daily.  I am worth it.  It's worth it for them to know Me and know My ways. They are an investment."
Just like our resources are an investment for us and take much time to grow and mature.

They lose money along the way.  They gain money along the way.  Are children are much more of an investment.  Worth far more than any financial investment is the investment of our children.  They want our time.  But most of all they need our time.  They need mom and dad to sit down with them and read them God's word.  The need for us to be involved in their lives.  They need us to put all other things aside and just spend time with them doing things as a family. They need us to not over book our schedules so that we are not too exhausted to pour in to them.  They need us to get off facebook and off the internet to make sure we don't miss something important.  We can't afford to miss a teaching moment that could forever change their life.

Alyssa just finished kindergarten this year.  Whoah!
This is one thing I have learned.  Time flies when you have a child in school.  Each and every year pass by and before I know it she will be in middle school.  I don't want to miss a moment with her. With both our children.  Every day is a day we can't get back. This summer my goal is to send her off to school with a stronger knowledge of the Lord.  A greater strength as a little girl.  A deeper confidence that she is loved and that she is beautiful in God's eyes.  I want her to know we are a strong family that Loves Jesus, loves others, and that everything we do is for the Glory of the Lord!

I am thankful the Lord calls me out of my selfishness and ignites a passion in me that far out weighs my own desires.
I am grateful for  a God that loves me enough to not leave me in my idle state.

Slap right on the booty...

Yep that is exactly what I got today.  Not really, but a spiritual spanking I did receive.

If I am being honest, we expect a lot of our girls.  Sometimes I have to ask myself if we expect too much. I just want nothing more than for them to grow up fearing the Lord.  Loving the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind.  I want them to be leaders in this crazy world as children and as adults.  I want them to know the Lord in a way that brings Him Glory and Honor.  I want the absolute best for these sweet girls that God has trusted Matt and I with.

Our oldest child is one sweet blessing straight from above.  She has a heart of gold.  She loves the Lord.  She is a giver.  She is thoughtful.  She is timid.  She is shy.  She is goofy. She loves to make us proud.  She can be very quiet.  She is studious.  She is artistic.  She is loved by her mommy and daddy more than she will EVER know.  :)

I asked Alyssa to lead our morning prayer a few mornings ago.  She wasn't really feeling the greatest and simply said she did not want to.  I was a little sleepy(possibly cranky) and I insisted that she say the breakfast prayer.  She on the other hand got a tad emotional to which I could not understand.  I wish I could say I gracefully filled her heart with encouragement and confidence to ease her fear of not saying the "right" thing.  But that I did not do.  I was confused.  I was frustrated.  I couldn't understand why she had this fear or lack of desire to pray.  I felt like I/We had failed.  We had failed to help Alyssa understand prayer and that talking to God was something we should want to do.  Something we should desire.  Something He desires.

I dropped Alyssa off to school.  Talking to her the whole way there.  Hoping to give her some things to think about throughout the day.  I tried to encourage her with patience and with Hope that the Lord would stir her heart.  I know she is only 5.  But I don't want to miss a moment with her.  I don't want to miss a day that holds an opportunity to teach her.  To tell her and show her that Jesus loves her and that he wants to hear from her.  He has blessed her and as His child, she should be thankful for the relationship she has with Him, and should have a desire to love and know Him more.

I got home and opened my devotional and it was the topic of "Timely Gifts For Our Kids."  I actually laughed out loud.  Like... God you really ARE there!!:)  JK!  This is what I first read....

"You expect her to have the faith of a 44 year old when she's only 14!"

Ouch. My husband hit the nail on the head. I want our children to grasp hold of our faith, yet it is hard to know how to do this in a way they can receive. I often make the mistake of wanting our kids to understand and act on my faith like I do but, like my husband reminded me, they're only teenagers.

Then the word's of the Bible that are so true. Always right. Non-oppionated. Right on time.

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:6-7 

I love a good old fashioned whippin from the Lord. It shows me He cares enough about me to teach me. To take the time to talk to me. He's such a personal God and for that I am very thankful.

Seasons of life and HRCH.

This has been one amazing week in the weather category. It has been great for several other reasons as well. BUT this weather has been a gift from the Lord. I love the seasons. I pretty much love all 4 of them. I always enjoy them all (some more than others) and I always look forward to the next season. Seasons come and seasons go, but the Lord never changes and for that I am so thankful.

I feel like God has taught me/us so much in this season of our life. We have gone through some major changes in the Ward home. God has changed our hearts. He has changed our mindset. He has changed our wants and our desires. He has changed our attitudes. He has changed "our" plans. He has changed our priorities and our perspective.

I told Matt the other day I feel like God has/is calling us to live more simply so others could simply live. We have SO much. We are SO blessed. We need So little.

We just want to be in the middle of God's will for our life. I have no idea what that looks like for the future but one thing I am sure of is that at this very moment we are doing exactly what he has called us to do.

“There are no 'if's' in God's world. And no placess that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety - let us pray that we may always know it!”

― Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place

Matt is loving his job right now. He is heading up Hope Rising Children's Home in Haiti. This is a GOD size project. The to do list is continually growing. It has been and will continue to be a constant learning experience. God's hand has been in it all. His hand must be in it all or it simply will not happen.

Please check out our website HERE. It is AMAZING!!

There are so many ways you can help. (stay tuned as online giving and purchasing will be available soon) You can give monthly to help support a child. You can make a one time gift/donation to HRCH. You can wear your donation with one of our super cool tee's. 100% goes to HRCH. This will help with the building, maintaining, and operating of HRCH.

The world tells us to take care of ourselves. To look after me first. To build wealth for my personal gain. But God calls us to a life worth so much more. So much more than ourselves. So much more than our desires. A life willing to care for others and to seek out opportunities to bless another. God calls us to do something that will out live our life.

Because of your obedience (it's not a sacrifice when God clearly calls us to do it) a child will be fed, clothed, loved, and taught. Not only educationally, but most importantly spiritually. Taught about a God who loves them enough to die for them. A God who loves them enough to send His people to love and care for them. To nurture them and to show them what true love looks like. Through the eyes of the world these children are fatherless, but they will grow in the knowledge of the greatest father they will ever know. Their Heavenly Father.

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds everything, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:24-25

Please pray for HRCH and for the family that will be leaving shortly to begin their calling. Stay tuned to the website for new updates. You can also follow HRCH on Twitter and Facebook!