Time for an introduction

It is no secret...we are not great pet owners!  We have fallen prey to the cute little puppy face 4 times in our 10 year marriage.  Not to mention a bunny, a fish, and 2 kittens who unfortunately became food for the neighborhood fox.  We have given it our best shot.  There is no telling how many dog bowls and leashes we have bought over the years, only to end up giving them away when we realize that the sweet little puppy is just more than we bargained for!


However, this summer we realized that someone was stealing freon from our air conditioner.  It happened not once, not twice, but three times.  It was then that we started discussing the idea of a dog once again.  This time however we had some ground rules...

1. no puppies
2.  no wild and crazy hyper dogs
3.  must be house trained
4. must be good around small children

Armed with our rules we set for the pound.  My aunt and uncle have rescued several dogs and it has always been those rescue dogs that are just so good.  My uncle really believes that they are grateful...those dogs have experienced hard times and living in a prison so our their gratefulness they are just good dogs.  I am not sure I totally buy that but we figured it was better than what we had tried in the past.

So we walked around and looked at all of the dogs....but one furry guy just caught our eye.  Chacho was his name.  We brought him out and he seemed pretty calm.  We knew he was the dog for us when Kolson grabbed his tail and the dog just kept walking like it was no big deal.  So we loaded up Chacho and brought him home.

Isn't he just the cutest thing!?!

That was several months ago.  After our many failed pet attempts I am sure you can understand why I waited so long to introduce our new furry family member.  At this point he is totally a keeper...he has been on 2 road trips with us and you can find him every night curled up under the covers in Kaden's bed!

Kaden and Chacho are the best of friends!  A real "homeward bound" kind of friendship is what they have.  Chacho waits for him each afternoon and barks if Kaden doesn't come to play with him.  If Kaden goes outside without Chacho then he cries at the window.  They wrestle and play and believe it or not Chacho loves to jump on the trampoline with the boys.

While I will admit that he is not the world's best guard dog ( I think he could sleep through anything), we love having Chacho around!

Jump in

If you have ever driven by our house you know the truth...the leaves have taken over!  And being that Nathan and I were blessed with BLACK thumbs it shouldn't surprise you that we really haven't done much about the leaf take over!  Yes, in my dreams we have a beautiful yard with fresh cut grass and perfectly trimmed hedges...but this is real life, and at this busy stage with 3 little guys, the yard unfortunately is the thing that gets neglected.
On Friday afternoon however I had had enough!  Not sure what else to do I started up the blower and went to work.  I then borrowed a rake from our neighbor and began raking the leaves into piles...because that's what you are supposed to do, right?

Leaves in piles and 3 little boys plus 1 little boy friend can only lead to one thing....

Contemplating the jump...

 

And jump in!!

Can you find Hunter and Kaden??

Oh, how I love these little guys!

Let's run for it...Kolson you can have a head start!

What a fun time just playing and having fun!  I am so thankful for these precious moments in the middle of what seems like a pretty crazy, busy life most days.  Unfortunately the leaves are still in piles in our yard and now they are big wet piles thanks to some rain!  Maybe someday our yard will look perfectly perfect...but until then I am enjoying the small moments and the big smiles with my little guys!

To be like them...

Africa is never far from our hearts.  The fact that Nathan and I both traveled to the magical continent last summer coupled with the fact that our daughter is waiting for us in Uganda makes Africa the subject of many conversations in our home.

The boys in their little boy curiosity have had so many questions about Africa.  What does it look like?  How do they talk?  What games do they play?  Where do they sleep?  Are their pottys really just a hole in the ground?  What do they eat?  The questions go on and on.  We look through pictures and watch videos of our far away brothers and sisters and we pray for them often.  Many times while we are out on a walk (or an adventure as we like to call them) the boys pretend we are traveling to Africa.  I hear them in their room packing toys in buckets (their pretend suit cases) getting ready to go to Africa.
I love that our boys hearts are inclined toward Africa and toward thinking of others.  It is one of my greatest prayers that God will allow us as a complete family to visit and serve in Africa together at some point.

Pretend adventures to Africa and watching videos was not enough for Kaden.  He wanted to be like them...the boys and girls in Africa.  He told me one day that he was going to go the whole day without eating so he would know what it felt like to be hungry (I know...what a precious heart this kid has, it is all God...because all good things come from God!  I am so thankful that they Lord is working in his heart)...anyway, the no eating thing lasted until breakfast!:)  So I decided we would have a real African meal...beans and rice!  I made it once very soon after I returned from Africa and much to my surprise all 3 of my guys loved it.  So much so that Kaden has been begging for me to make it again!  This cold rainy night fit the bill perfectly.

A big pot of beans...

3 bowls ready to be served...although this is a big portion compared to the portion I saw some children getting while I was in Uganda.

3 little boys eating...Uganda style, no utensils necessary!

The difference between my boys and the children I saw in Africa?  My boys had the luxury of adding cheese if they wanted it.  My boys had a drink to go along with their food.  My boys have eaten this meal twice in 6 months. My boys were all allowed to get seconds.  The precious children in Africa rarely have a drink with their meal and I am not sure they have ever seen cheese, they have eaten this meal everyday, sometimes twice a day, for months even years and there is rarely a chance for seconds.  No...beans and rice are not bad and eating them everyday is not the end of the world...in fact I met so many children who were so thankful for any type of food.  It just serves as good reminded to me and my family that God has blessed us in excess and in turn He desires for us to open our hands and give freely out of those blessings...be it in Africa or next door.

Life together...and LSU!

One of the things that really struck me in Africa is the way they do life together! I spent a Sunday at an African church with a service much like we have here in America...the difference was that when the service ended everyone didn't just rush to get their own family and get back to life as usual! No those precious African believers know the value of good company, they understand that as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. So instead of rushing off we fellowshipped, we played games, we broke bread ( or beans;) together, we even danced together...it was a wonderful day just loving one another.

But it didn't end there! In Africa they continually do life together. They raise their children together, and work together, they eat meals together, and pray together. I miss that about Africa long for America to be more like it!

Our church family is really starting to get a hold of the idea as well! So last night we decided to do life together over some LSU football! The house was crowded and crazy and I am pretty sure every toy we own was out but I loved just sitting back and taking it in...watching a group of people become a family, watching new friendships form and encouragement happen! I loved watching our kids have a blast together and the sweet babies of the group just beginning to walk! We need to do more of this living together and sharpening one another!

Here are some pictures of our fun and festive night...

Transformed.......

While I do realize that today is in fact this 5th day of January, today marked the real beginning of the New Year in Lorick house.  Kaden went back to school and all of the Christmas decorations finally came down!

I am so thankful for a New Year, for a new start, for a God who's mercies are new EVERY morning.  I love the idea that we are literally looking at a blank canvas as we step into 2012.  So much can happen in a year, and yet if we are not careful to make the most of every moment this year could potentially slip right by leaving us exactly the same.

That is why it is important to set goals and resolutions for the New Year.  I can hear Nathan in my head right now saying "If you aim at nothing you will hit it everytime"!  We need something to aim for, something to focus on!

There are so many things I would like to aim for this year.  So many goals I could set for myself.  And while I do have a list of some specific areas I want to work on I just can't get past this one chapter in Romans that I have literally been reading for 3 weeks now and the way it has just grabbed my heart.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set your mind on the flesh is death but to set your mind on the Spirit is life and peace."  Romans 8:5-6


I was reminded as I read these words that we are TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).  If we continually set our minds on the things of our flesh we will never experience the life, the peace, and the transformation that we are all looking for. 

So above all this year my goal is that I will daily set my mind not on myself and the desires of my flesh but on Him and His desires. 

Will you join me this year in seeking to be truly transformed by the Spirit that offers the true promise of life and peace...who know how the other areas of our lives will be transformed when we allow Him to mold us and shape us!

Happy 2012!

Here are so pictures of our last day of Christmas break...the boys and I celebrated by going to Chuck E. Cheese...