Shelter In Place Expires

Governor Abbott held a press conference and announced that Texas is going to reopen on May 1st.

It has been about 7 weeks under the "Stay at Home" order, and about 48 days for our family at home self-isolating.

As Texas reopens tomorrow, we pray for the health and safety of our community and fellow Texans. Our prayer is that phase 1 will be successful and our state and country will be able to continue moving forward.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust..."

Psalm 91

Week 7

Week 7 brought much of the same. We did our school work each day, along with our daily walks, bike rides, and/or jogs.  The boys' mowing business is going strong, so they mow several yards each week.

Baxter is enjoying us being home all day, everyday... most of the time!

It's the Weekend

Another shelter-in-place weekend has rolled around.

We spent the weekend getting closets cleaned out and the boys mowed several yards.  We ate pizza for dinner and enjoyed a family movie night.

 Sunday morning we woke to find another beautiful bloom.  The color on this one surprised us!

We are thankful for another online church service.  We are looking forward to getting to see our church family again though!

What To Say When You Don't Know What To Say

John 12:20-29

“Father, glorify your name!”

Why This Is Always The Right Thing To Say And Pray:

1. Because there is Security & Strength in that statement

We are placing our lives in the hands of one who

     - Cares

               - Is In Control

2. Because there is Submission & Surrender in that statement

3. Because there is Significance & Purpose in that statement

If you do this two things will happen

              -You will be Misunderstood by some

              - You will be Heard & Answered by the Father

After a delicious Sunday lunch (fajitas), we went to a nearby park to enjoy the beautiful day!

It was sunny with a slight breeze, just enough to keep it from getting too hot. We enjoyed the change of scenery and the fresh air.

It was a refreshing weekend, perfect for gearing us up for week 7 of quarantine!

Coronavirus Week 5 & 6

Weeks 5 and 6 were pretty much the same ole, same ole.

Well, with a few entertaining additions.

 Our church's youth leaders have been providing fun things for the youth to do at home to stay entertained and connected.  This particular day they were supposed to use things around the house to make their favorite superhero costume.  Blake added some entertainment to our day when we came downstairs in his selection!

You just never know what the day will bring over here!

 We love getting to be cozy at home during this time!

 Today we made Moon Dough.  It's a combination of cornstarch and hair conditioner.

 

 The sun is starting to shine more and more.

Today was slip n' slide day for PE!

 The kids worked hard on their sidewalk designs.

 They worked until we ran out of chalk.

We've had trouble finding sidewalk chalk in stock.

Barrett didn't quite get his finished.  We are hoping we can find more chalk so he can finish it soon!

 Foil creations today!

Brynn created Mary Poppins.

 We love the extra time at home to tend to our flowers.  Today we planted sunflowers.

 We look forward to seeing new iris blooms each morning.

Why Do We Serve God?

WHY DO WE SERVE GOD?  JOB 1:6-12 & SELECTED --

Will I Continue To Serve God --

 

1. IF MY LIFE SUDDENLY TURNS Tragic ?

2. IF I HAVE TO STAND Alone ?

What you feel when you have to stand alone:

·       Isolation

·       Loneliness

·       Bitterness and Anger

 

3. EVEN WHEN HE IS Silent ?

When God finally spoke – Here is what He told Job:

·       I have a Right

·       I have a Reason

·       I have a Reward

Governor Abbott announced that our schools will remain closed for the rest of this school year.  We weren't surprised, but disappointed.  The kids were hoping we would go back for a couple of weeks to wrap up the year.  We are especially disappointed for Barrett since this is his last year in elementary school.  We are sad to miss out on his 6th grade graduation, farewell parade, and end of year party.  We will celebrate him at home and we are hopeful that over the summer his 6th grade class will be able to have an informal celebration together.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Level 1 of reopening is beginning.  This coming week should provide us with more information on businesses that can reopen (with restrictions).

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend looked a little bit different than it normally does around here.

Friday morning we had a sweet family from church "egg" our yard.  They surprised the kids with a yard full of Easter eggs.   We had fun paying it forward to a couple of special families on Saturday morning.

 It was a fun way to add smiles to some little faces!

Since it was Good Friday, we didn't have any online lessons today.

 Happy Easter!

He is not here; he has risen!  Luke 24:6

 The kids looked at their Easter goodies, we FaceTimed with Gram and Papa, and then we settled in for our online Easter service.

I told the kids to grab something "springy" out of their closets for our annual Easter picture.

Taking the picture on our front porch this year was fitting since this is where we've worshipped and spent the last 5 weeks.

It was a beautiful day, so we spent a lot of time outside.

We ended the day with a big breakfast for dinner and streamed The Texas Country Boys live concert.

We missed our annual egg hunt with friends and spending the evening with our extended family.

We are thankful that even in the midst of this pandemic when our lives have been completely turned upside down, that we can still celebrate our Risen Savior and trust in His plan!

Happy Easter 2020!

Coronavirus Week 4

Week 4, here we go!

 Online learning is still going strong.  The kids are working hard and have good attitudes.  They are missing their friends more and more with each passing week.

 Kaleb looks forward to his daily Zoom call with his teacher and classmates.

 The weather was beautiful this week, so we spent a lot of time outside!

 I try to listen to the president's daily updates each afternoon at 4:45.  They get long, spanning the course of 2 hours or more. I usually just get to listen to portions of it, and then read updates each evening.

 My hairdresser left the ingredients and instructions for a root touchup on our porch.  Robert wasn't thrilled with his new duties, but #desperatetimes #COVID19

 Shelter-in-place day ????

 Kaleb's teacher left a plantable note on our doorstep. They have been learning about plants during our online learning, so this was a fun hands-on addition to our day.

 Our school load is lighter by the end of the week.  We added our own science experiment to the day.  Mentos in Cola!

We got a small geyser, not as big as we were hoping for.  It was still fun and we learned about why the Mentos cause a geyser when put in soda.

The number of cases continues to rise.

World - 1,503,900

U.S. - 432,554

Texas - 9,353

Doctors are researching and experimenting with different drugs that will fight the virus.

We continue to wait and trust...