Zoo Day!

Spring came in a hurry and I may argue that it seemed more like summer at the zoo today! I've always heard that you should dress for the season, not for the weather; but our jeans were a little much in the 82 degree sunshine!





This was one tired goat! Garrett tried to give him a little boost, but the goat slept on!





Here is a monkey!



This is my SOOC shot, but I was a little distracted by the Annie's Bunnies in the shot!



Ahhh, much better!

Weeding

As spring approaches, I get the itch to get my hands dirty and grow something. Last week, I started thinking about my garden. "Dreading" is a more appropriate term. The winter was not kind to my little garden space and it was over-run with weeds and dead leaves.

One day, I decided it was time to clean it up and prepare the soil for the yummy veggies to come in a few weeks. The job seemed over-whelming at first; already new green weeds were taking over the old dead ones.

I slowly began to pull up weeds by the root; some more difficult than others. There are always those pesky ones that refuse to come up that required me digging up the soil around them before they give up their last attempt at holding on.

As soon as I thought I was close to done, I'd step back and see more than I thought I could handle. But I knew that in order to produce good veggies my ground had to be cleared of all weeds, clumps broken up, leaves removed.

Finally, I stepped back to survey my work to see beautiful, rich, dark soil prepped and ready for planting! Ready for good seed to take root because all the extra "stuff" was gone.

How God must feel when He looks at my life! It must be full of things that don't produce good fruits; full of things that had potential for growth, but that I never tended to. If only I would let Him weed out the things that don't belong, He could prepare my life for the great things He has for me!

What are you holding onto that God wants you to let go of? Your church you've been at for more than 8 years? Friendships you've had since you first got married? Hobbies that are poor uses of your time?

Matthew 13:3-9

"And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, "Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had not root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, come a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears let him hear."

Pete

I'm not sure when this started.

I certainly do not promote it.

We don't talk about other races in terms of color or any other differences.

PERIOD.

But somehow Garrett has picked up on some differences and has shared his take on the matter.


G: When I see people with brown faces, I call them Pete.

Me: Pete? What is Pete?

G: You know, like Stinky Pete from Toy Story?

Me: What? We don't call people Pete! I'm not sure what it means, but I don't think its good.

G: I'm still gonna call them Pete.


So, now every time we see someone with a brown face, Garrett says, "There's Pete!"

I don't know if its a bad thing or a negative viewpoint. I don't even know what it means!

Any suggestions on handling racial differences?

Mommas, lock your doors!

It has come to our attention recently that Garrett is somewhat of a ladies' man!

He has had a little thing for Ms. Brenda at school for a while. He tells me they have lunch together and he likes to tell her stories and hold her hand. (Although he told me that yesterday, one story involved someone tooting in the bathtub, so I'm not too worried!) He said last week, "Mommy, I know I'm your boy, but I'm also Ms. Brenda's boy too!"

But, watch out, Ms. Brenda, 'cause he also has a little something for his friend Kierston (not sure if that's how she spells it!) in his class. He told me yesterday that when they got big, they were getting married and going to be a mommy and daddy together! I even heard tale that they were linked arm-in-arm going to lunch!

He really likes to wink at the girls, too! I think he must have learned that from his Dad! Garrett can be spotted winking at all the cute girls (and his Momma too!) But we warned, Garrett does not like hair pulled back into a ponytail! He only likes it long and straight, or so he tells me! He often says, "You put your hair in a ponytail! You messed it up! Take it down right now!"

He has quite a way with words, too! He's really free with the words 'beautiful', 'princess', 'lovely', and 'snuggle'. So if he slips you the wink and tells you how nice your long, beautiful, straight hair is...WATCH OUT! 'Cause he's already got you hooked!

Choice

I've had the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young for a while now, but it never ceases to amaze me what God will bring out of that little book every day! It doesn't matter if I've read that day's devotion before, it always seems to fit perfectly into my life.

If you're not familiar with the book, it is written as if Jesus is speaking to you--and He usually does with this book!

Here is today's devotion:

"You need Me every moment. Your awareness of your constant need for Me is your greatest strength. Your neediness, properly handled, is a link to My Presence. However, there are pitfalls that you must be on guard against: self-pity, self-preoccupation, giving up. Your inadequacy presents you with a continual choice--deep dependence on Me, or despair. The emptiness you feel within will be filled either with problems or with My Presence. Make Me central in your consciousness by praying continually: simple, short prayers flowing out of the present moment. Use My Name liberally, to remind you of My Presence. Keep on asking and you will recieve, so that your gladness may be full and complete. "

I Thessalonians 5:17; John 16:24

It seems like here lately, I've been living in the "despair" category. I have all three of the pitfalls she warns against: self-pity, self-preoccupation, and giving up.

"God, help me to CHOOSE deep dependence on You instead of despair this day."

My Valentine Surprise

My Valentine surprise is coming a little late. It will be here tomorrow morning! I've waited almost a week for its arrival!

I'll give you a hint:

• Its shiny
• Its black
• Its larger than I am
• Everyone in the house will use it
• When you open the door, the light comes on
• It will hold most of my favorite things
• It will make my life a whole lot easier

Give up? Its not a new minivan!

Its a beautiful fridge!

Ours went out last week and is now stinking up my house! We have all the food we could salvage in coolers outside, so I'm sick of digging through ice every time the kids want a sip of milk!

I know what you're thinking: "That Randy Sapp is one romantic guy!"

It almost beats the new furnace I got for Christmas!

I hope my birthday turns out a little less costly!

In all honesty, Randy did well this year. He and the kids made me "We love you, Mommy" necklaces and bracelets! So sweet!!

Snowy Days

Its no secret: I HATE the snow! So, a few nights ago when it started snowing I knew something had to be done before the kiddos started asking to play out in it!

We made "snow men" indoors!

A few marshmellow, cloves, and toothpicks later:

Unfortunately, some snowmen lost their lives in the process!

Then, Randy caught on to my scheme and made me feel bad about trying to get out of playing outside in the freezing cold! So, we all played outside the next day! So much for staying warm!

Check out this beauty!

"Snow...YES!"

They got a new sled for Christmas, and this was the first chance they got to test it out!

I've brainwashed the kids! Once we got outside, Garrett said, "Are we going to get hot chocolate?" Why yes, of course!

That's the best part!