Our sweet Hashakimana

We got this letter from our Compassion child that we sponsor right before Thanksgiving. It was a great reminder of how blessed I am, how ungrateful I can be and that there are so many people who love Jesus so much and are grateful for what they have even when they don’t have much.

“Hashakimana greets you in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is doing well. He is now in third term of his grade one. He needs your prayers to join another class next year.
At home they are greeting you so much. There is a lot of rainfall and it’s too cold most of the time. It’s hard to walk without a sweater or jacket.
At his place they are weeding crops like maize and beans. It’s hunger season. The only available food is greens and hot water. Beans are scare and difficult to get in the open market if you don’t have enough money so he needs your prayers. He, however, has hope that by November this year they will be testing some fresh beans and some Irish potatoes if the season and the weather are okay. He is preparing for his Christmas and New Year celebrations and he hopes you will share with him in faith to enjoy both Christmas and New Year.
Let the Lord be your guide in everything as they here are told to believe so in Sunday school that he enjoys so much.
God Bless you.”

Thanksgiving

The Maddry Thanksgiving was a wonderful one this year. Caleb and I have spent weeks getting ready for it and talking about it. We made napkin holders, place cards, table decorations and a centerpiece for the table. They all turned our adorable! Our best friends the Zeigler’s came and our Aunty Hannah flew in from Montana to spend time with us. We have MUCH to be grateful for and the people around my table were at the top of my list.

We are so thankful for our friends the Zeigler’s. It has been awesome having friends that have shared in the journey of marriage, kids, air force, and many moves. They have seen us through some of our hardest times and we have also laughed our way through vacations with kids, road trips while pregnant and many, many, many meals! They are an amazing family and I’m so excited at the thought of many more adventures & meals in the future. Our conversations are full of laughter and when we leave their presence we feel rejuvenated. Words cannot express how much we love them and how grateful we are for their friendship.

We are also thankful for our Aunt Hannah who has once again gone out of her way to make a long trek to spend time with us. It is a joy to have her around and watch her play with the boys. She has always been faithful in visiting us even though it’s not always convenient for her. Hannah is almost done with college and we are so proud of her. Not just for her accomplishments, but also for her servant’s heart and the quiet acts of love that she shares with others. You are amazing Hannah and we love you.

Caleb prayed at the table this year and thanked God for his family and the yummy turkey mommy made and then ended his prayer with thanking God that “Jesus died on the cross for us.” So many things and people to be thankful for but at the top of it all is Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Family! 

Joseph and his little sister Hannah with the boys! 

my cute little turkey 

my cute table! 

Here come the (future) bride and groom practicing walking down the aisle! 

Here are the table decorations that Caleb, Daddy and I made. These are the napkin holders and place cards. 

Daily Prayer

Dear God, for another day, for another minute, for another chance to live and serve you, I am grateful. Please keep me free from the fear of future, from anxiety about tomorrow, from bitterness towards anyone, from cowardice in the face of danger, from laziness in my daily work, from failure before opportunity, from weakness when your power is at hand. But fill me with love that knows no bounds, with sympathy that reaches all, with courage that cannot be shaken, with faith strong enough for the darkness, with strength sufficient for my tasks. Be with me for another day, and use me as you will. Amen.

~The Pilgrim's Prayer Book

Our Nana

One of the things that I love about my mom is how much Caleb loves her. She is a fun, crazy, silly grandma that is totally in love with her grandkids. Caleb loves to talk to his Nana on the phone because she tells crazy stories and makes him laugh hysterically. Here are a few pictures to document their relationship.

"My Nana tow (so) tunny (funny) mom" 

Luke Bear is thinking..."I wish I could talk to my Nana and hear what is so funny!" 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The word “love” has been so butchered in the English language. I’m working on a study of God’s love for us and one of the exercises was to rewrite 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and insert the phrase My heavenly Father in place of the word love and the word he in place of the word it. It was awesome to revisit Father’s agape love that he has for each one of his children. After doing this little exercise it reminded me how personal Father’s love is for my life. ~s

"My heavenly Father is patient, My heavenly Father is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. He is not rude, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs. My heavenly Father does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. My heavenly Father never fails."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Remembering what it's like to be a kid...

Below are some pictures of our leaf raking afternoon. One of the many things that I love about having kids is how you can live vicariously through them. Remember how much fun leaves were as a kid?!? I have never seen as big of a pile as we (or should I say Joseph) raked. Caleb really got into it this year and would run down the hill in from of our house and jump into the leaves. He had a blast! Luke Bear on the other hand wasn’t too fond of the leaves. I actually have a picture of Caleb when he had his first adventure in the leaves…it was pretty much the same response as his baby brother. We also got a chance to teach Caleb how we can share God’s love with others by raking leaves for the elderly lady next door. He actually got it too! I’m glad that my boys are helping me find ways to show God’s love to others.

My boys working together! 

Caleb thinking about it... 

running... 

And landing! 

Daddy takes a break to have some fun with Caleb 

Caleb wanted to make sure that Luke enjoyed his first experience 

After I snapped this happy shot Luke Bear sunk to the bottom of the pile and you couldn't see him anymore...you could only hear his muffled cries! 

And here is Caleb...enjoying his first experience in the leaves.  

Soccer season has ended

Caleb had his last day of soccer yesterday and got his FIRST trophy! Whoo-hoo about both of those things!!! He was so cute and waited so patiently for them to call his name. Another milestone reached and like all of them it was bittersweet. My baby is growing up. And with growing up comes growing pains. Yesterday morning and early afternoon was painful for both Caleb & I. He is 3 and demanding, delightful, defiant, & delicious! And I am a momma that is a slow learner, impatient, & demanding but trying to raise boys that love Jesus. Caleb and I butt heads all morning and then we went to soccer and I saw how small he is and how hard he is trying to grow up. He looked so little in a class of boys that are older than him, but he was also one of the most well-behaved. Seeing him in that setting was a great way to end such a hard day. I'm not doing the worst job ever and he isn't the worst kid ever. God's grace is so good and his timing is perfect. I needed to see a glimpse of his grace and he showed me that grace at soccer. It also reminded me that at the end of the day his grace is what I should be leaning on.

Jesus said, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'
~2 Corinthians 12:9

Caleb showing his trophy to his daddy 

Caleb's First Soccer Trophy! 

Ephesians 5:1-2

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

~The Message

Happy Birthday Lovey!

Today is my Joseph’s birthday!! As I was laying in bed this morning I was thinking about how blessed I am that God created Joseph for me. He is amazing and there are so many things that I love about my hubby. So many things!! I love that my husband loves Jesus and wants to model that for his boys. I love that my husband prays for me everyday & is always asking for new ideas on ways to show me he loves me. I love that my husband calls me throughout the day, will send me an e-card just because and leaves me prayer-notes all over the house. I love that my husband is so smart and knows how to do so many different things. I love that my husband reads, sings and prays with my boys every night. Okay, there isn’t a whole lot I don’t love about my husband---He’s a rockstar!! And I love him. And I pray that I am able to show him that on his special day.

Peace

Commentary written by Max Lucado based on James 3:17 - 4:3

'Want to see a miracle? Try this.
Take a seed the size of a freckle. Put it under several inches of dirt. Give it enough water, light, and fertilizer. And get ready. A mountain will be moved. It doesn’t matter that the ground is a zillion times the weight of the seed. The seed will push it back.
Every spring, dreamers around the world plant tiny hopes in overturned soil. And every spring, their hopes press against the impossible odds and blossom.
Never underestimate the power of a seed.
As far as I know, James, the epistle writer, wasn’t a farmer, but he knew the power of a seed sown in fertile soil.
“People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant good crop of right living.”
The principle for peace is the same as the principle for crops; never underestimate the power of a seed.
How good are you at sowing seeds of peace?
Pause for a moment and think about the people who make up your world. Take a stroll through the gallery of faces that are significant to you.
Want to see a miracle? Plant a word of love heartdeep in a person’s life. Nurture it with a smile and a prayer, and watch what happens…Never underestimate the power of a seed.'

~Written by Max Lucado in Experiencing the Heart of Jesus.

Happy Halloween

Here are the much anticipated pictures of our annual pumpkin patch visit as well as our Halloween activities. We went a couple of weekends ago to the Pumpkin Patch and had a wonderful time! There is an orchard 30 min. from our house that does a great festival with hay rides, ponies, bouncy castles, face painting and tons more. Caleb loved it and was so excited to be there and Luke – well, wasn’t as enthusiastic. It was his nap time. He did perk up while we were picking pumpkins and when we gave him a baby pumpkin to hold. Unfortunately he kept throwing it on the ground thinking it was a ball.
For Halloween this year Caleb was a Cowboy and Luke was an Indian. We had a Halloween party and trick or treating last week at Joseph’s school so it was fun to do a dress rehearsal. By the time we went out on Monday night Caleb was a pro at getting the candy and Luke was a pro at eating it. The weather here was perfect for trick or treating.

Joseph carved the pumpkins with our kiddo's 

I don't think that we ever gave Caleb candy at this age... 

'do we have to take another picture???' 

my first homemade costume! 

And this is Caleb's 'chasing indians' face! 

the cutest little cowboy! 

The trick or treatin' Indian