Sunday, June 17, 2012

Dad

Throughout my life, by words, example and experience, I have formed my own personal meaning of the word Dad. At a retreat this weekend, one of the speakers played an amazing song about God being our Heavenly Father. He told a story of coming home from work to his two little girls and as he walked in the door they would run to him, raising their arms to be held. It created a beautiful picture of our Daddy in heaven. As the music played, I watched women after women grab tissues to catch the tears running down their face. However, I couldn't help but smile. As I reflected on the story and listened to the song, memories of my amazing earthly father took over my thoughts... all the softball games he coached, all the crazy drives we took, all the funny stories he told, all the pancake breakfasts that he made, all the powdered donuts he bought me, all the life he lived with me and continues to unceasingly. My smile was unstoppable when I thought of my Heavenly Father because of the amazing example of fatherly love He bestowed on me here on earth through my daddy. I can't even imagine being loved more!

My amazing Daddy with me and my 3 kids (Haley was still inside)


Later the same night, I sat next to the new daddy in my life... the daddy to my own children. We sat in a Father's Day sermon that talked about true love -

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor 13:13


Our pastor asked "What did your father give to you?" and went on to explain how dad's can give the three greatest gifts to their children: faith, hope, and love. I watched the amazing man I married... the one that changes diapers, helps clean my house, has catches with my son and doesn't miss a game, swings on the swing set, jumps on the trampoline, takes our family on bike rides, jumps in the pool, drives our minivan to near and far destinations for vacations, and tucks my babies into bed each night with a prayer, a hug, and a kiss... takes notes and ask "how can I do this better?" There are so many reasons I am thankful that Mark Daniel Rainwater is the Dad to my kids, but that one right there has to be in my top ten reasons. He is always willing to be better and do more to show the unfathomable love he has for his family. I am not sure if my kids understand, or ever will, the man of honor and integrity they get to call "Dad" every day, but I know they will never be the same because of it!


So, to the two Dad's in my life - Thank You! And I love you with all of me!


He truly gives thess kids the greatest gift - love!


SO thankful for how this amazing man loves on Caleb

Daniel is super glued to Daddy

Princess Haley had Daddy wrapped at her first breath


Thursday, June 7, 2012

Time to Box

Last night I had a visitor. I was in the middle of dream in which I was removing dirt from Daniel. I suddenly awoke to hear my door knob turn, so I questioned to see who was there, "Caleb?" "Yes, Mom. I'm scared!"
It's been a long time since we had a middle of the night visitor, and while exhaustion was keeping me from moving more than an inch or two, I shifted enough to pull him into bed for a few minutes of comfort.

We spoke about fear, our thought life, and the Prince of Peace. We talked about courage and how God promises to be with us always. I even squeezed a portion of the sermon I heard from Pastor Greg last night into our chat. And while I sometimes get eye rolling when sharing scripture after scripture with this preteen, when I thought he had a enough and stopped, he actually asked for 3 more scriptures. It's so amazing how much life is in God's Word... how much power is in it when spoken. We could all hear God so clearly as the rest of our hemisphere was quite and asleep. Mark and I prayed over Caleb and sent him back to bed.We laid in bed and continued to pray and pray for him until we fell back asleep ourselves.

This morning Caleb couldn't wait to share the rest of his night with us. After crawling back into bed, he fell asleep by changing his way of thinking... thinking on things that were true. Then he had a dream. He was in a boxing ring. In his opposite corner were all his fears. As the bell rang he went over to each one and with a one two, he would knock them out! In no time at all Caleb was the winner. What an amazing dream!

So, what fears are you in battle with right now? Is it time to put on your boxing gloves and get in the ring? You could have a K.O. with just one blow!


"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

 

 

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Lil Hands

We started our summer with a fun and easy craft project that will last forever.

Haley, Daniel, and Caleb's hands - Summer 2012


Supplies:
Paint
Brushes
Canvas
Contact paper
Scissors
Pencil
Little Hands

Directions:
  1. Trace hands on the back of the contact paper and cut them out. Peel the backing off the contact paper and place the hands in the desired location of your canvas.
  2. Allow your "little hands" to paint! (smocks suggested)
  3. Set your painted canvas in a safe location to dry for 24 hours.
  4. Peel off hands from canvas and enjoy!
  5. Optional: Take painted hands you peeled off the canvas and put them on card stock... perfect for a card for the Grandparents or someone special!

A special thanks to Carrie Courtney for the idea!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Summer Activities with Kids

Summer is here! Here is an extensive list of summer activities for Kids. Enjoy!


Summer Fun



Together
Free
Pool
Free Movies
Free Bowling
Picnic
Beach – ride the waves
Library – Summer Reading Program
Ride Bikes
Go Fishing
Go to VBS
 
Costs Money
Pottery
Mini Golf
Be a Tourist
Go to the Zoo
Go to a Museum
Go to Aquarium
House of Bounce
Go to a sporting event
Make a garden
Water Park

Alone (or Together)
Work on Scripture Memory
Bake
Have a playdate
Play a board game
Play cards
Practice a Sport
Work on Summer Scrapbook
Take some pictures
Make a picture
Draw with chalk
Make a card for someone
Write a letter
Write a poem
Write a song
Send an email to a relative or friend
Read a book or a chapter
Read to your siblings
Clean your room
Call a relative
Play a computer game
Play on Swing Set
Play on Trampoline
Give the dog a bath
Play Fetch with the dog
Wash the car
Build an indoor fort
Make something out of Recycle Bin
Playdough – make it & play with it
Ride your bike
Ride your scooter
Watch a TV show
Watch a DVD
Go on a treasure hunt in the backyard
Make a movie
Make a collage from old magazines
Play with your toys
Go on a virtual field trip
Make a Bucket List
Invent a new vacation destination
Write a book
Make a Comic Book
Do a science experiment
Plan the perfect vacation
Have a friend over
Slip and Slide or Spinkler
Make a Tic Tac Towel (Chalk)
Lemonade Stand

Help Mommy
(You can earn $.25 for each chore you complete thoroughly and with a good attitude)
Load dishwasher
Empty dishwasher
Vacuum
Swiffer
Do laundry
Fold laundry
Dust
Wash windows and mirror
Put away groceries




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