Friends

I just want to take a moment to give the Lord praise for answered prayers. Last spring, as Richard and I were deciding whether or not to homeschool Matthew for Kindergarten, although I really felt it was the right decision for our family, I was concerned that he wouldn't have regular play times with friends since most of his friends would now be in preschool or Kindergarten. I began really praying for the Lord to open up doors for us in this area, and as I was praying for him, I also began praying for myself, that I would meet other moms and develop meaningful, fun relationships with other women. It seems that the older you get, you have those long-term lasting friendships with college roomates or high school friends, but you don't get to see them often, and as our lives become busier with children, it's difficult to find time to develop new friendships and even to find time to maintain the old ones!

So.....fast forward to July....Matthew was in Kindermusik camp, and as usual, the mothers do the typical small talk for those few days during the week while the kids are in class. The last day, one of the mothers, Susan, who I had seen at church, but didn't know, asked if we wanted to come swimming at her neighborhood pool after class. The kids of course were thrilled, so we decided to go, and it was a really fun time for all of us. There are just some people who you immediately "click" with, and Susan is just one of those people. It's so nice to have friendships that are so easy, and where you feel so comfortable with the other person. We have had several other play dates since that time, and we were so excited to go to the Fireproof Premier with Susan and Tony a few weeks ago. We so enjoy spending time with them, and I am just so thankful the Lord brought Susan into my life for a new friendship to develop. It has been great getting to know her family, and I look forward to many more fun times with them.



A few weeks after meeting Susan, I was talking to our former neighbor who had moved out of her house last summer after she got married. She told me a family would be moving in next door....with 4 kids! Goodness! I wasn't quite sure what to think. However, from the first day we met Kathy, Aaron, and their four girls, we knew the Lord was continuing to answer our prayer for Matthew to have lots of playmates. They have 4 children...ages 4 (soon to be 5- Matthew's age), 3 (SB's age), 2 and 5 months. Aaron is the new chaplain at Shorter College, and they have served at various churches around the country before coming to Rome. I would describe Aaron as a "free spirit"- ALWAYS making the children laugh and have such a good time (recently he rigged a zipline in his backyard for the kids to play on, and even today, he brought out a bunch of pillows for the kids to have a pillowfight- they loved it!). Kathy is such a wonderful, nurturing Christian mother and wife, and has also become a good friend in the past month. We feel so blessed to have such great neighbors....and permanent playmates for our kids! Wow- the Lord certainly answered our prayers! Pictured below are the kids playing, and the bottom picture is the first day they moved in....we shared some popsicles with them as Mom and Dad were getting moved in!




Then, there are the friends who are just always there when you need them, and even at times when you don't know you need them.....Naomi, for example. What a godly example of a mother and wife she has been for me! She is my inspiration for homeschooling when I see what all she has accomplished with her daughter who is older than Matthew. My children love her daughter, Abbey- we have had TONS of playdates and fun times together. Naomi is about the most thoughtful, generous, kind and considerate person I have ever known (actually, there are two of those in my life...the other being my mother!). I have learned so much from Naomi, and I can always count on her for encouragement, advice, and prayer on the other end of the phone line when I am in the midst of a difficult time, or anything else (i.e....spending hours helping me decorate for a bday party or dressing up as a clown in 100 degree weather for a bday party!). I thank the Lord so much for Naomi's presence in my life.





Then there are those friends who have been with you through times of growing....such as the college years. I was able to visit with my college roommates a few weeks ago, and it was really nice (although not nearly enought time) to catch up on one another's lives. God has really blessed all of us- all together we have 9 children! I don't think any of us could have imagined how blessed we'd be 13 years after we graduated from Samford University. Kathryn, Leigh Ann, and Susie are precious women who love the Lord, and I was so fortunate to spend 4 years of my life with them.



I just wanted to share this answered prayer...the Lord really does know what we need when we need it. His timing is perfect and always right. He knows the people we need to have around us for our own growth, for friendship, even just for fun! I am honored and grateful to have these friends, as well as many others, in my life. Make sure to tell your friends how special they are to you! They need you as much as you need them!

Willy Wonka Party

Oh, what fun we had at our Willy Wonka party for Matthew and Sarah Beth. It was LOTS of work, but LOTS of fun for the kids. That's the point, right? Birthday parties are always a big deal in our family because we want our children to feel special and have great memories of their parties. This year was no exception.

Matthew and Sarah Beth have been watching the Chocolate Factory movie since we gave it to them for Valentine's Day this past year. They also love the new version, and often quote from the movie or sing the oompa loompa songs. They have enjoyed it so much, that Richard suggested that be the theme of their party this year- of course they loved that idea. So, creating that "paradise" in the movie where everything is edible was our goal. Of course, there's only so much you can do to a room to try to make it look like that. We did our best to create a chocolate waterfall/river, and had the chocolate fountain with lots of good things to dip in it. I think that was the favorite of the kids. Although, the cupcake decorating with all the different candies might have been a favorite, too. As the children came in, they were required to sign a "birthday fun" contract (like in the movie where they sign the contract before entering the factory). We had a huge screen with the movie playing during the entire party. After eating pizza, they settled down for a fun magic show, and the magician did balloon twisting for the kids throughout the party. Our games were rolling the blueberry to the juicing room and passing the golden egg. We had a fabulous turnout with about 25 kids, and I'm sure my little ones will never forget it!

A special thank you to Naomi and Abbey, who were truly our lifesavers in getting all the decorations up the day before, making us banana bread for our breakfast the day of the party, entertaining my kiddos, taking all the pictures, helping with clean up, and just about everything else that left my brain that day! I couldn't have done it all without them! Also, thank you to my mother who made all the cupcakes for us- that was a HUGE help!

As I said in the beginning....it was a LOT of work, but a LOT of fun! Until next year.....

FIREPROOF Movie Premier at the Fox Theater

Wow! What an event! We went to the Fireproof movie premier at the Fox Theater last Friday night with Tony and Susan, and we had such a good time. Tony works for Chick-fil-A, so we were honored to be their guests at the VIP reception before the movie. The picture of the ice sculpture doesn't do it justice- it was beautiful. Of course, the best part of the evening for me (other than spending a night out with my husband and great friends, of course!) was meeting Kirk Cameron- actually getting our picture made with him. He was much skinnier than I imagined, but still quite cute- he obviously looks a little older, but not a whole lot of change since the days of Growing Pains- my favorite show when I was a pre-teen. His testimony is just awesome, though. He wouldn't pose for a picture with a single female- it had to be with another person or a group- he has that much integrity! I, actually, would not have thought about it, but to hear him speak, you can just tell that he wants all of his words and actions to honor his Savior, Jesus Christ.

As for the movie- it exceeded my expectations. It is from the creators of "Facing the Giants," a movie created by a church in Albany, GA. However, Sony pictures and others got behind this, contributing the much needed funds to make it quite the production. It is such a relevant movie for the state of marriages these days. Anyone who is married MUST go see this movie. I was either crying or laughing the entire time. It was just very well done, and I know the Lord will bless it in our country, especially if we, as Christians, support it by going to see it opening weekend, Sept. 26. They say the movie is only as good as it's opening weekend, so make plans to go!!!