In His Grip: 2013

WARNING!!! This post is filled with many pictures and lots of ooey gooey sweetness!

It has been so very long since I took the time to really blog! I'm going to give you the "reader's digest version" of what we have been up to the last few months! (You know that means the condensed version!) I really hope to do better at sharing what's on my heart. My little blessings keep me so busy it's hard to find the time to do it. Lately I've struggled with feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. However, with God's help I am more than a conqueror and these pictures remind me of that!

At the beginning of December FBC hosted Carols by Candlelight which was organized by my sweet hubby. It's a great community outreach event that spreads the gospel message. Free meal, great music, great fellowship and presentation of the gospel. It just doesn't get much better than that. Here is a picture of the ensemble that sang this year. It was so much fun. We memorized all of the music. We were SO proud of ourselves!

Raymond and I were celebrity judges at Saint's Alive annual Christmas Karaoke. We had so much fun! Can you guess who Raymond was dressed up as? He was actually pretty good at it. Scary!

We were also invited to have Christmas dinner with Governor Jindal and his wife. They were very sweet and we really enjoyed talking with them. We got to visit for a long time because no one else realized they were in the room!!!! It was such a blessing to see the nativity proudly on display. I know you can't see it but it's behind us in this picture.

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas as a family. This was Merry's first Christmas. She seemed to really enjoy everything about it and even tried to open her presents. We always read the Christmas story together and pray before opening our gifts. This year Jake's prayer melted my heart. He prayed that God would help us to remember Christmas was about Him and not presents. WOW! My children are not perfect but it was such a blessing to hear that some of what I am doing with them is getting through.

We also really enjoyed spending time with our parents at Christmas. We are so thankful to be a part of a church that allows us and even encourages us to visit our families.

While visiting Raymond's Paw Paw aka Big Paw Paw we always like to pick satsumas. We discovered that Merry Ellen is a satsuma eating machine. Baby girl LOVES satsumas.

We were also blessed to be able to celebrate my hunky hubby's birthday with his parents. I'm so thankful to have a husband that seeks to honor God in every area of his life, even when it's not easy.

Our family has been very involved with Upward Basketball at our church. I'm so thankful to our children's minister, Abe Hodges, for bringing it to Rayville. It is a great Godly driven program that not only teaches our kids how to play basketball but also teaches them God's word and great sportsmanship. There's also cheerleading for girls who don't want to play basketball. Raymond is coaching Jared's team. The boys have both done well and scored a few buckets. Jake scored 8 points during his last game. :) Even Merry Ellen has the Upward team spirit.

Merry's own personal babysitter while at the games. :)

Just a few more pictures and then I'll be finished... I promise!

This is a picture of Jake's first piano lesson. He has begged me to teach him. Much to my surprise and delight he LOVES it. I can't keep him away from the piano.