A Beautiful Morning for Nana

photo: @SoulScripts

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love. Psalm 143:8

Today marks the one year anniversary of when Diane, my beloved mother-in-law, flew home to Jesus. We think about you a lot, Nana. Ryan and I like to share stories and memories of you often. We laugh at some of your "I love Lucy" tales and cry when the ache from missing you is stronger than we can bear. But you know something?  Ryan and I both have drawn closer to the Lord since a year ago. And the thing is, the closer we grow towards God, the closer we feel to you.

I have never seen anyone grieve as gracefully as I have witnessed my husband grieve for you. He has taught me so much about the beautiful balance of enjoying the wonders of this temporary world while investing all my treasures in the eternal. He has showed me how to find rest in God's comfort.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

We see Pops at least twice a week. During our time with him, there's no distractions. We have all learned to plan less and prioritize each other more. I cherish our time with Pops. As do Briggs and Kerigan. He's always in the present moment with them. They adore him. And as the kids are giggling or reciting their ABC's with Pops, in the back of our minds, I'm sure we're all thinking we wish Nana were here too. Although it pains our human hearts that she's not physically here, if we see with eternal eyes, she is. 

photo: @SoulScripts

My faith has been stretched and molded over and over again especially the last year.  I want to see the bigger picture. I want to desire Jesus and not the things of this world. I want to know there is good that comes of all things if we set our eyes on Christ. I recently came across a beautiful reminder. Here's an excerpt from one of my favorite bloggers (you can find her on IG @SoulScripts). 

Life can be rough. Just as we begin to get comfortable in cruise control, an unexpected detour almost always seems to follow, causing us to grip the wheel & slam on the breaks. Sometimes we can immediate see good in these unexpected places in which we praise God for His blessings. 

But more often than not His blessings are not the unexpected detours, but rather the RESULT of them. These twists & turns are just that- twists and turns. Trials. Challenges. Not easily navigated. In the midst of the detour, it can be unbelievably hard to see the purpose or the good that could possibly result. But it always does.

There is always a purpose to trials & suffering of every kind (James 1:2). Scripturally, there are 3 main reasons for suffering: 

1. Suffering is God's way of perfecting us.

2. Suffering is a means of spreading the Gospel.

3. In persevering through suffering, we see God.

So, whether our suffering perfects our faith, gives us the opportunity to identify with Christ & be His witness, or reveals the face of God & a deeper trust in Him, the trials we face bring beautiful gospel growth when it's all said and done. So why do we worry?

Remember this beautiful truth: when you are sifted, when you face great trials & temptations, Christ & the Holy Spirit intercede for you through prayer. You may grow in perseverance because each trial passes through Christ's prayer & the merciful hand of God. (Hebrews 7:25) 

So during our time of of any sufferings or heartache, Soul Scripts says:

Cling to Romans 8:28 

He works all things together for our good. 

My human comprehension is being challenged to try to understand this. And in stepping back, and really trying to digest the bigger picture, I begin to find peace and understanding.

Diane,

What an honor it has been to be your daughter. What a blessing it has been to learn from your love without boundaries. I am thankful I was able to witness you hold your first grand baby. And I will never forget the excitement in your voice when you found out you had a granddaughter. You may have been bound to a wheelchair the second half of your life. But I am bound by selfishness, pride & other curses of the flesh. And you loved me anyways. You taught me to be a better person. You taught me humility, grace and how to always carry the joy of the Lord. I am honored to be a part of your family and humbled to be taking part in raising your little legacies. You were the closest thing to an angel on earth that I have ever known. We will never stop teaching our babies about the love that you had for them and for others. 

Today is a new morning. Today is a new day. Let us take this day to arise & rejoice in His steadfast love just as you did. Let everyone know and believe what you did:

Let your life be made new.

Wrap yourself in His love.

You are so worth loving. 

Our July

July treated us well. It started off with beautiful 4th weather that allowed us to enjoy parades, barbecues, swimming and boating. Then we saw a lot of rain. But it didn't ruin our parade. We built lots of tents, visited every library in the county, did some puddle stompin' and watched movies. Mostly Madagascar. Briggs has been on a Madagascar kick all month. We have watched all three movies on rotation. This is why we've included "Firework" and "I like to Move it" songs in our video this month-the kid is obsessed :)

Some of the funny and sweet things the kids are doing these days:

• Briggs refers to Kerigan as "Baby" in the sweetest voice. "C'mon, baby" "Don't run, baby" "Dance, baby" Its seriously the cutest.
• Kerigan's maternal instincts are kicking in. She really loves baby dolls. She gives them bottles, takes them on walks, rocks them, etc. Even if she can't find a baby doll, she turns something into her baby, such as Minnie Mouse or even a bottle of sunscreen.
• Kerigan's really getting attached to Lola (our dog). She calls her "Whoa-wa" then hugs, pats and kisses her. Poor Lola is learning the skill of tolerance.
• Kerigan gives the best hugs! We call them her flying squirrel hugs. She starts from way back and revs up as she's running to you. I think there's some video evidence in our July video.
• Briggs is still obsessed with diving rings. He decorates them on trees, plays hide and seek with them, passes them out to friends and sleeps with them. Such a random toy to attach himself to.
• Kerigan loves to sing. I'm not quite sure what she's singing half the time, but its beautiful. She carries her little plastic microphone around all the time.
• Kerigan is on a cleaning kick. She finds baby wipes and helps me clean the whole house. She loves brooms and swiffer sweepers too. I think I remember Briggs going through a phase like that-I wish it stuck :) Here's hoping with Kerbear
• Kerigan's facial expressions are becoming even more dramatic. She over exaggerates when she blows on her food and her sassy face now is priceless! I can't help but laugh when she should be getting in trouble.
• We had our back patio redone towards the end of the month. Briggs is fascinated. He loves to see how things work! Engineer in the making.

We're not ready to see summer go yet! Thankfully the kids have another two weeks before they start preschool. We have been grateful for family and our late summer nights this July. Here's our video this month. Its a combination of photos and short clips with Briggy's favorite music this month. Enjoy and soak up the rest of the summer sunshine! 

Farms, Food & Ferris wheels

It's fair season! I love fairs. County, State, neighborhood....you name the fair & I'm there. When I was growing up, I used to pretend I too, was a farm girl when I would help my cousins (who actually are farm girls) prepare their 4-H pigs at the fair itself. I helped name them, feed them, brush them, etc. I loved everything about it-until I found out what happens to the 4-H piggies after their fair duties. But I also can't say that I stopped eating bacon after that, either. ;-) 

But now with kids, I love the  fair that much more. Briggs loves animals. I mean, he really loves them. He will choose animals over cars and trucks any day. So this is like his super bowl. On top of that, he was able to ride a ferris wheel for the first time. We waited in line for that stinkin' ferris wheel longer than we did in any line at Disney World...but we ended up leaving the good ole Hendricks Co. fair with the happiest (and sleepiest) boy in the world. 

This girl was a trooper for the whole six hours we were there. 

If anyone thinks taking a pic of three kids 3 and under is easy...you're lying to yourself.

Ready to go "up and up"!

Love the middle left double selfie on the carousel. :)

We're at the top! Two of the happiest boys I know.

And if you're looking for some extra entertainment today, watch the Briggy vs. Kerigan first ferris wheel ride.(The videos are loud, so may want to turn down you're volume for these)

The girl cracks me up. Juice anyone? 

Half birthday cupcakes

Did you all realize that we only have 18 birthdays to celebrate with our kids before they become an adult? My goal as a mom is to multiply those little celebrations...by two. I remember growing up, my mom always made a point to celebrate our half birthdays. It was nothing crazy. She would make us half of a cake or sometimes just a twinkie. She would stick a candle in it and the whole family would sing. One of my favorite memories about my childhood were those little celebrations. 

I am trying to carry on that tradition with our kids. For dinner, Briggs wanted pizza. Surprised? And after pizza, we celebrated with (yellow) cupcakes. He was ECSTATIC that it was his half birthday "party." He was jumping around, dancing and singing to himself. Pops, thankfully, was able to celebrate with us too. He usually eats dinner at our house once or twice a week- so glad he could come. Although, I'm not sure he could handle the dancing, wrestling and roaring that went on between the kids after all the sugar. ;-)

So proud of his cupcakes. He helped with the candles. 

Don't mind her...just taking a stroll

The Robinson boys

He got a minion water bottle, popcorn (his favorite) and a slinky. He and sis played with the slinky for the rest of the night. They were pretending it was a boat/train and he was the pilot. They went to Florida.

Treasuring this face.

Cake in the face. The best way to celebrate a half birthday. 

three and a half years

Three and a half years ago, God healed a broken heart. For years, I had been running and searching for joy in the wrong places. I filled my cup with things that were only temporary. Then all of a sudden, there was a baby boy. God's gift. My love language...motherhood.

This morning, my devotion started with a verse from 2 Corinthians:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

The day Briggs was born was the day I began to comprehend more of God's love. Wow. It brings me to tears just thinking about it. My love for my son. His love for His son. His love for me.  I am weak, I am broken, but I am His. The redirection was painful, don't get me wrong. But on January 20th, the sun broke out. And I began to understand that redirection. Not a day goes by, where I don't thank God for the scars, the growing pains and the road to healing.  I once heard someone say, "Every fall, every struggle, every broken ounce is used by God to shape you into His beautiful warrior"

God used a 7 pound 15 ounce baby boy to open my eyes and make me realize I was His humbled warrior. What an amazing thing.

Briggs Beto Robinson, 
You are well aware that I love you. Someday you may even begin to comprehend the depth of that love. But for now, I want to tell you, you are wise beyond your years. You have a gentle spirit, who already picks up on others' emotions. You are sweet and kind. You may not have picked up a love for sports yet, but you love to run, jump and play. You are actually quite brilliant. Your complex thinking and love for learning amazes me on a daily basis. You love your family and are always so concerned about them. You pray for all your loved ones on a daily basis. And the list gets longer every day. We have high expectations for you. When you need some redirection, it may hurt your feelings initially, but you quickly take it to heart and learn from it. You rarely make the same mistake twice. I am so proud of you. You are confident in your world and don't sway from it. For example, since the day you could speak, your favorite color has been yellow and your favorite animal has been a rhino. It's never changed despite daddy trying to sway you just to see if he could. 

You love country music and all things animals...and Mickey! You love it when your sister hugs you or tells you she loves you...and you let her know how much it means to you. You are always surrounded by girls (sister, cousin, friends) but you are so thoughtful and sweet to them . For example, you always call Kerigan and Kinsie "my girls" or "my two babies." Even when outnumbered though, you still stand up for yourself in a kind way. God gave you an adventurous heart. So when its time for you and the boys to hang out (such as daddy or your grandpas) you always come back to me sweaty, scraped up and deliriously happy. You are shy around new faces but once they earn your trust, you're their buddy for life (and they get added to the prayer list). I pray that your love for people always remains and that your love for Jesus grows stronger every day. Thank you sweet boy, for making these last three and a half years the best years of your mommy and daddy's life.
With more love than you could ever know,
Mommy.

Happy half birthday, my sunshine!

Freedom Fest 2015 edition

We had a very busy but very fun 4th weekend. We are so thankful for the beautiful weather all weekend. It allowed for great outdoor time with family and friends in town. The festivities began for us Thursday night in Carmel. We met up with best friends for a free summer concert. There was a lot of dancing. Not all with rhythm, but joyful dancing, nonetheless. 

Saturday morning, we woke up early and met our family at our town's parade. It's the best town parade. It's perfect for the kids. So many animals, costumes, floats and candy. Kerigan started out strong with helping rake in the candy. She quickly figured out that Briggs and Kinsie were doing the same thing. So she decided to sit back and let them do all the work :)

After the parade, we went to visit Ryan's college best friend, Cory and his family. Cory lives in Minnesota now so we only get to see him, his wife and two precious boys about twice a year. Every year, Cory's parents host a frisbee golf tourney on the 4th. The kids loved it. Briggs was so concerned that everyone had a frisbee that was their favorite color.

After the frisbee visit, we headed to the lake house that we often visit with Kara's in-laws. We rode the "Bev-o boat" a lot. We played with poppers & sparklers, played corn hole, fished, played with our best friends, Kinsie, Kennedy & Emery. One of our favorite things was to watch fireworks from the boat. Except for Briggs. He's never been a fan of fireworks. He stayed back at the dock and enjoyed them much better from there. It didn't hurt that he got to have Yaya and Papa to himself there either. 

Loved this weekend and love this age with the kids. Experiencing holidays with them makes it that much sweeter. We again took so many pictures and videos...so many of the memories made are at the bottom of this post in the video. We love America and are happy to pass on our traditions and patriotism to our babes. 

The three best friends at the parade. 

Our crazy girl on the "Bev-o Boat"

Sweet kissies for sissy

It's a party int he USA

One of our happy places is here, at the lake. And these are our people. So thankful for our freedom and the families who sacrifice to keep it. We hope you and your family had a fantastic holiday weekend. God Bless America!

Fellowship Friday: Prayers with our Preschoolers

But Jesus called to him and said "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these" Luke 18:16

photo courtesy of TPCC: Spring 2014

Ryan and I have been very blessed to find brothers and sisters in Christ over the course of our marriage. My last year in teaching, I was lucky enough to get to know one of these brothers and his families. Adam and Casie are two of the most loving and gracious people. They walk the walk.

After Briggs was born, I remember Adam telling me how he and his wife prayed with and over their children every night. With an infant son, I hadn't thought to start praying with him so early. He wouldn't understand. We'll start once he can communicate with us. But Adam and Casie's story made a huge impact. I felt God's whispers telling me,"Start it now. Pray over your son. Pray with him. Let him know I'm here. There should never be a day where he doesn't know me." 

So we began to pray over our baby. We prayed of course for his well being. We prayed for our family. We prayed for his future friends. We even prayed for his future wife. We prayed for her parents. To help guid and protect their own hearts so that they may raise a beautiful God-fearing young lady. We pray that together, they can impact this world for Christ. These are still the prayers Ryan and I send to the Lord. So now the question is...

How do we pray with our babies?

My dad taught me at a very young age a format to help structure my prayers using the acronym, ACTS. It has been around for decades but it truly helps you focus in your prayer. (Especially when learning how to pray as a little.) This model is something we've carried on with our kids. With Kerigan, we lead. But with Briggs, we make it a question and answer guide so that he is "leading" the prayer.

A-Adoration

How great is our God? How much does he love us? How big is God? How good is He?

C-Confession

We're sorry for ________ today. Please help us learn from our mistakes. Next time this comes up, help us handle it this way.

T-Thanksgiving

Thank you for....(family, friends, school,) whatever is on their little hearts to be thankful for that day. Sometimes its as simple as...popsicles.

S-Supplication

Please help us...(have a great day tomorrow, find a yellow shirt to wear, take care of all the zoo animals) you, know the things a three-year-old thinks up :)

I'm so thankful we are getting into the habit now to get them comfortable with talking to God. It's so sweet because even Kerigan knows when to say "Amen" during prayer. We bring it down to a preschool level. The two main things that are our focus now are: 

1. God loves them 

2. He is our friend. 

As the kids get older, I would like to implement prayer sticks and/or journals. One of my girlfriends uses Christmas cards she receives from friends. After Christmas, she and her children cut them out and glue them on popsicle sticks. Then they put them in a jar and pray for the someone they draw out that day. Awesome idea! 

When it comes to our minds and hearts, what goes "in" comes "out." If we raise our kids with prayer, conviction and compassion for others, that's what we are going to see when they become adults. I'm so thankful for our church community and the loved ones who not only influence my children but help Ryan and I become better parents and stewards of Christ. Happy Praying!