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A few weekends ago we were able to go to Knoxville and spend some time with the GP’s. It seems our time to visit our hometown are few are farther in between since our kids are in school and life is just….life.

I love Knoxville. Fall in Knoxville, by far is my fave.  There is something about a college town in the Fall, especially with the leaves turning and football starting…I just love it! But, alas, that was not the purpose of our trip. We were going to spend some time with Jason’s Dad and his wife, Beth. Our kids were so excited to see Grandad and Beth and were looking forward to going to the Lake.  I was also looking forward to going to the Lake!

On Friday night we met up with Grandad and Beth and they took us to eat at a cute little restaurant in Dandridge.

We had a yummy, barbeque dinner.

Here’s the kiddo with Grandad and Beth after we ate dinner.

Afterwards, we went back to Grandad’s house and had some homemade ice cream. It was a really fun, relaxing evening. The kiddos spent the night and Jason and I headed to a hotel.

Parker, Emery and Bradley were happy to see us go and get to spend the night without us around!

The next morning, we met up at the lake. It was looking CLOUDY. Uncle Matt met us there as well.

Exhibit #1- Cute kids with no inkling of sunshine to be found…

Exhibit #2- One cute kid with a non-essential visor on….

Sure enough, about 10 minutes into fishing off the pontoon boat, it started RAINING. HARD.  We rode until we found an empty covered boat dock.

We then waited about 2 hours for the rain to stop. We fished, ate lunch, got fussy, and FINALLY it cleared enough to do this…

Bradley is eagerly awaiting his turn…

So, when it was his turn, we took off and I think Uncle Matt took his foot off the gas, because the front of the tube did this….

which caused all three to shoot off the front! This attempt left one little boy doing this…

but willing to get back on.

Here is the last ride back in…the kiddos and Grandad.

Despite the rain delay, we had a great two days with Grandad, Beth and Uncle Matt. We can’t wait to do it again!

Today was our first day back at school.  But, it is also our first day at a NEW school.

The story is obviously long, detailed and one that is very personal. Jason and I take the education of our children very seriously. Therefore, the decisions we have made have not been easy or obvious. Our girls have been at an AMAZING school the last three years. We have no issues with their previous school and our plan, would also include them finishing out their entire education at this school.   Our girls were cared for, loved and taught so much more than how to read and write complete sentences. But, those wonderful benefits were not free! God has been so faithful to provide for our family these last three years. I have stand amazed many times and marveled at how HE has BLESSED us. We have many instances that went above and beyond what we had asked or imagined. He even did that for this next school year in a way that completely blew us away.

Yet, in the midst of this, we also saw many signs that pointed to us pulling our family and going in a different direction.  Our decision became more than just one on how we would educate our girls, but also included, our son. It became about how we prioritize things in our family, our ability to give and creating margin in our lives.  We went through every scenario, every possibility and still would come away unsure of what decision to make. I have watched my husband LEAD us, as he struggled, to discern what we were to do.  I have struggled to determine what God wants for our family at this season of our lives.  It has been difficult, hard and stressful. Mostly because we were effecting our children, changing their lives in a very real way.

After much prayer, discussion and then finally, just making a decision, we have moved on to a local school in our county.  There are so many positives to our new school.  Yes, we still grieve for what we have known, but, that is okay.  Sometimes, following Christ is hard.  That doesn’t make it any less of God’s plan, it just makes it…..hard.  I know that no matter where my children are educated, God is with them and we are fierce in our devotion to them.

My girls are doing well.  Telling them was grueling, I am not going to lie. Parker is sad and slower to warm up to change. She is nervous and today did little to diminish that, but I am praying for quick friends, an understanding teacher and for her attitude to be that of Christ, who for the joy set before Him, endured the Cross. Emery, on the other hand, loves a new adventure, change and takes on any challenge set before her. I am praying for quick friends, an understanding teacher and for her attitude to shine for Christ.  I am sad, But, in my fears, sadness, excitement and questions, I am CHOOSING to trust HIM.

Emery outside her new school

Parker and Emery

Parker and her Mrs. R

Emery and Mrs. C

This morning, Jason claimed and read Proverbs 3:5-6 for our family this next year. In all we do, we trust HIM.

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;  ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Last weekend, my precious aunt passed away and I traveled to Mississippi for the funeral.  My dad and mom have been making at LEAST monthly trips to help take care of her, stay with her in the hospital and move her into a nursing home since last summer. Needless to say, it has been a trying time for them, but I have been blessed watching my parents, especially my dad, SERVE his sister.  Even though they were exhausted, living out of suitcases, not at home, and mostly dealing with hospital stays, they served her WELL.

My sweet, godly Aunt Bobbie, was a jewel.  She was one of the most godly women I have ever known. She was fiery, passionate, kindhearted and a woman of the WORD. You couldn’t be in her presence and not hear about Jesus. She absolutely ADORED Him and His church.  She was simple, yet steadfast.  She worked hard and even though she never  had any children, she was everyone’s Aunt Bobbie! But, she was mine, for real! She was so ready, at 80 to be with Jesus in Eternity. She was ready to go home. She lived life well and I learned so much from her.  But, to know that she is with the LOVE of her life, worshipping Him, fills me with such joy because I have no doubt that she is right where she wants to be.

Our good pal, Ryan, has become quite the photographer and took some pics of the fam this past weekend. We met up at Miller’s Grocery and had a little photo shoot followed by some good eats! It was blazing hot, but we persevered and captured our family, in what I think, are some amazing shots.

Thanks, Ryan, Marty, Peyton and Mason for a fun evening, your great friendship and for capturing our family…..we are blessed.

Right before school got out last week, LuLu called to see if we wanted to skip the last half day and meet her at Myrtle Beach.

We didn’t have to think twice.

We took off after school on Wednesday and headed east. We drove to Columbia and got there about 1:30 am.

We were a little tired, but sooo ready to see the beach!

We had a great long weekend and stayed through Memorial Day.  We went to the same place we went to three years ago and had a great time visiting with “The cousins” which are LuLu’s amazing cousins. They are such precious people who love all over my kiddos and are just a pure joy to be around. You can see pictures from our last trip with them here.

We also got to spend some amazing time with our dear friends, the Swaffords. April called me on last Monday and said, “Guess where I am? The beach!” I said, “Which one?” and she replies, “Myrtle” to which I say, “SHUT UP, we are going to be there Thursday!!!!” I have no doubt God was all over this one in allowing our families much needed time together! We were phone tagging each other to figure out when we could do a weekend together this summer and low and behold….He already had it worked out!  April wrote about our time together, as well!

My precious girls. I am so proud of all they accomplished this past year. They are now a 3rd and 2nd grader!

Also, as my public service announcement, Landsend tugless bathing suits are AMAZING for girls! Modest, cute and no tugging!

Suits have been very hard to fit my girls and these worked great!

Bradley did a lot of this….

and this…

and he refuses to be left out of this….

I did a lot of this…..

Emery did a lot of this…..

and this….

and of course, this…

but, she really loves to do this….

Parker spent a lot of time doing this….

she also enjoys this….

and just being able to do this….

and this….

And, together they really love to…..

kid around…..

We were able to take some cleaned up beach pictures….

and I even got one with my man…..with whom I share a love of the beach…

This past weekend, Mom, Kim and I headed out to Atlanta for a little girls Get-A-Way.

It has been a while since it has been the original Bradley chicks, so it was high time to plan a trip.

We decided to go to the Beth Moore Simulcast which was being hosted at First Baptist Church Woodstock, GA and it was

just what we needed to plan around.

On Friday, the girls had Grandparents Day at school.  LuLu had come in for a few days and the girls LOVE being able to share their school

with their GP’s.  They show off some cool things they have learned and enjoy time with them.  I love that our school does this, even if there is a push for the GP’s to

donate money!!

We left after eating lunch and headed south.  We rolled into our swanky Embassy Suites and were pleasantly surprised with our cool suite.

We dropped our stuff and headed to the Ballard outlet and  you know it….IKEA.

We pause for a moment of silence to honor my most favorite place to buy stuff for our home….

Now, we spent a few mindless hours walking around and a few hundred dollars later, exited.

I bought these for our hallway project….more to come on that at a later date.

I also got this and this for outside.  They are a lot larger than they appear. Excited about all the things I can do with these.

We then went to eat at Pappasito’s. I adore this place.  Their tortillas are hands down, the best I have ever had.  It was fun to take Mom and Kim.

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We were up bright and early and headed out.

It was POURING…so we stopped to get an umbrella.

Thank the good Lord for Navigation….that’s all I am saying.

We were early birds.  Seriously early birds.  That is the way we roll for some members of my family.  While I am not ALWAYS late, some members of my family like to point out that I am not ALWAYS on time, either. Some members of my family, on the other hand, are especially fond of punctuality.

Trust me, I am reminded A LOT that I don’t always arrive on time.

Anywho, we were at the Beth Moore Simulcast for her new book

So Long Insecurity.  I have not read the book, but I am a big fan of kissing insecurity goodbye.

I am a girl.

I have insecurities.

Shocking, I know.

Let’s just say, I sooo needed to hear this.  She talked about 6 Signs of A Secure Woman.  She based most of it out of Ephesians 4 and looking at the demon that is insecurity.  Insecurity is, in its most basic form, making it all about OURSELVES.  Insecurity keeps us chronically self-aware…and honestly….how gross is that?

We are caught in the Am I’s….

Am I smart enough, cool enough, skinny enough, Am I witty enough, Am I saying the right thing.

Yet, a life controlled by the Spirit curves out to serve others, love others, forgive others…to Magnify His Glory.  We are so esteemed by our Creator that we don’t focus on ourselves, but rather on Him.

There was so much meat that I can’t wait to read her book, look at myself through His Word and be transformed.

Because it matters to me, my faith and my ministry.

But it also matters for my girls.

To raise them SECURE in His love, His Grace, His AMAZING journey for them.

It matters to every woman, to every mom.

This is a battle we ALL face and I am so sick and tired of being told what I am supposed to be as a woman, a mom, a daughter, a wife by our twisted culture.

The only measuring stick I am to hold to is that of Christ.

I could be the skinniest, most beautiful, talented, confident, witty, woman on planet Earth, but I would still be a quaking mess of fears without recognizing who I am as a Daughter of the King.

I am WORTH it to HIM.

I am PRECIOUS to HIM.

I am BEAUTIFUL to HIM.

I am IMPORTANT to HIM.

I am DESTINED for An ABUNDANT LIFE through HIM.

Needless to say, I could go on and on.  As someone who has worked with teenagers most of my adult life, these are things I have known and said for years, yet it is sooo good to be reminded that I can be enslaved to my own self and be hindered in by obedience to the life God ordained for me.

I don’t want to miss His plan.

After the simulcast, which over 300,000 women heard about finding their security in Christ alone, amazing, we headed to the hotel and then to a local mall and the Container Store.

To me the Container Store is the Pottery Barn of organization and IKEA is the Target…..I am more a Target girl myself.

We ate a Maggiano’s and picked up Cheesecake Factory for dessert.

I soo gained weight this weekend, but I am secure in the knowledge that my pounds do not determine my worth!

We relaxed at the hotel and the next morning headed back to IKEA to pick up a few last things and to Atlantic Station.

All in all, it was a refreshing, relaxing weekend.

And when I got home, I came home to a clean house, happy kids, folded laundry and homework done.

Can I get an amen??

My man is a-may-zing.

A perfect ending…..

We had a great Easter weekend. The weather was GORGE and we were able to get a few things done, hang out and spend time worshipping our Savior.

We are still working on our yard after the renovation. We, and by that I mean, Jason, has been getting our yard ready to plant grass seed.  We have learned after testing that Emery is EXtREMELY allergic to about every grass known to man and a lot of trees.  It was so bad at her testing that our allergist stated, “I rarely have seen reactions this bad.” GREAT, what every mother wants to hear!

She is such a trooper.  We are beginning allergy shots today and I hope that this will be a long term solution for her. I had to come home after getting Bradley from school to get her EpiPen since we are required to have it with us. Granted, I have no idea what to do with it, but, I will have it on hand.  Please pray for our girl. Shots are never fun.  EVER.  So taking them once a week are not going to be something she looks forward to. I know these may not be for every family, but we felt this was the best way to address her issues and give her a “normal” day to day existence.

After church on Sunday, which was amazing, we went to my parents and had lunch with the family.  After eating an abundance of easter goodness, we played four square outside.  Lots of fun. I think Jason is going to paint a four square court on our driveway along with a free throw line!

I would post pictures of the kids in their easter finery but I didn’t grab the camera and my sister took a few.  Hopefully, I will have some recorded memory of this holiday!

I am so thankful for the Cross and the debt Jesus paid for my sin. I will forever be in awe of His love and mercy on me. I rejoice in His Resurrection and am thankful that I worship the Living Savior!

I hope your Easter was blessed!

When you think of the word frantic, you come up with some really not so pleasant images.  Hurried, stressed, impatient, at the end of your rope!  When you pair that with your family, it becomes downright scary.

For those of you who know Jason, you know he is a strong leader and extremely strategic.  He likes things to have a purpose and objectives that help meet that purpose.  Obviously, that is one of his roles at church.  If you don’t want him to ask the Why? question, don’t invite him to the conversation!  This also manifests itself in our family.  Don’t get me wrong, we don’t outline everything we do and identify what our goal is and 5 subsequent objectives to meet that goal!  But, we are very future minded, in terms of our parenting, our finances and our faith.  We look at the end result, I guess you could say and work backwards.

Enter this book….

The author of this book is a business leadership guru and Jason had read all of his other books.  Then, this one came out geared toward the family.  The basis of the book is restoring sanity to your family.  Not really something that is gushy, lovey and warm fuzzy.  During our addition, we let a lot of things slide, so we were ready to restore some organization, time management and routine to our home.  One aspect that is seen in all of Lencioni books are that he tells a fictional story about a company or in this case, a family.  He also gives a lot of examples on how to apply the techniques to your family.  The book instructs you to ask your family 3 BIG QUESTIONS:

1. What makes our family unique?

Basically, this is a combination of a mission statement and description of your family.  When we started answering this question, I looked at him and said, “The fact that we are doing this, makes us unique.” (insert somewhat cynical voice.) We did end up having quite a lengthy discussion, though. We had to determine the distinction between who we ARE and who we WANT to be!  This is 3-4 sentences.  One of our lines is : We believe in strategic decisions that impact our family’s future, living out our strengths for God’s Glory, to display the joy of Christ, and join God’s heart for the nations.

The cool thing is there is no wrong answer.  Each family is wired differently and has different things that are important for them.  It could be being outdoors, sports, serving others…anything goes.

2. What is our top priority- rallying cry- right now?

This can be anything you are dealing with as a family that you want to address and intentionally focus on for the next few months.  It can be finances, a project, a child’s behavior, or planning for college.  Our rallying cry was to Re-Establish our Family Routine and Daily Strategy.  Next, you define your objectives to address your rallying cry.  One of ours was Family Nights two times a month and date nights two times a month.  So far, we are doing a decent job at this.  Then, you look at your standard objectives.  These are just the things you want to be addressing as a family in general.  For example, finances, exercise and faith were three of ours.

3.  How will we talk about and use the answers to these questions?

The book suggests meeting at least once a week to check in.  Jason and I check in on Sunday nights and give ourselves a “color” to grade how we are doing.  We also look at our budget. Red means needs a lot of work and green means doing well.  We also check in daily about the next day.  These are things that most couples probably do in some form or fashion.  This just gives structure and accountablity on seeing it through.

We have all of our quesitons answered and hanging on our fridge to remind us what we are rallying around right now.  For a girl who has struggled with being disciplined my whole life, this is really helpful.  This is really just a jumping off point for conversations that we need to be having as a couple and as parents.  In my times with the Lord and in the Word lately I keep coming back to living the abundant life.  I think great marriages and strong families don’t just happen.  We have to be intentional in creating those relationships. As a wife of one and the mom to three there are a lot of things that can fall through the cracks.  This is just helping us minimize those crack fallers!

The Stews have been quite busy lately.

Last weekend, we went to Knoxville to visit the grandparents and for me to have a visit with a family who are adopting.

About a year ago, I started working part time for an agency that completes a homestudy for families who are wanting to adopt. This is one of those things that God has
completely took be surprise. I was set on one path, but as usual, He has another plan! Needless to say, I am loving working with families who are
adopting. If you have any questions about adoption, please feel free to ask me. I would love to answer your questions!

So, while we were in, we had a blast. The reason I chose this weekend, was so my sweet man could go watch some VOL basketball. He LOVES UT basketball.
They were playing on Thursday night and Saturday afternoon, so we took the kids out of school and headed to Kville.
Jason was able to go to both games and I actually went with him on Saturday. It was so fun! It had been awhile since I had been to a game, so I was pumped.
They introduced the new football coach while we were there, Coach Derrek Dooley. His kids are just darling!
We won both games which made it even better!

Friday night we went to see the Harlem Globetrotters.

The kids had fun. They were funny, but it is sooo cheesy.  My favorite part, without a doubt was the mascot Big G.

It was really cute!

We also went to see Grandad at work. He is a bailiff for one of the judges and wanted us to come by! Bradley had a blast. He got to experiment with the xray machine and made many friends in the process!

Last night, I was able to take the girls to see 101 Dalmatians, The Musical.  Mom, Kim and I got season tickets to the Broadway series at TPAC.    They decided not to go for various reasons, so I took the girls. I will be honest, I was not looking forward to it.  It was raining, it started at their bedtime, I had to drive downtown and I was tired.  But, we persevered and they really enjoyed it.  Beauty and the Beast is coming in June and we are planning on taking all the girls!

Here are the 2 pictures we took before we left.  As you can see, I am taking my time in decorating the hallway!  I also have very few pictures of me with my offspring.  Ohh, the trials of motherhood…

fun times with my girls…

So there is a snapshot of what we have been up to…

I am planning a family night this week.  Anyone want to join me??

Dear Mr. UPS man,

I know that you are probably a very nice man. You have brought packages to us for over a year with promptness and a quick knock on my door.  You have been pleasant and quick with a wave.

Having said that, please STOP leaving me notes that say “bad dog” and not leaving my packages.

People I give you exhibit A:

My “bad dog” is named Knox.

Knox has experienced a little bit of freedom for the last 6 months due to his invisible fence line being cut while we were adding an addition to our home.  I am sure, Mr. UPS man, that you have seen all the work going on at our home.  It has been fairly obvious. We are planning to re-install his invisible fence, but with the finishing of our addition, the holidays, three kids, soccer games, and busy schedules, we have not gotten around to it yet.

Much to our surprise, Knox, has stayed close to home.  Now don’t get me wrong, he has gone “exploring” a few times, but has returned home and been content to lay in the sun.

Recently, Knox discovered he likes the front porch.

He has also become very FRIENDLY to those who drive up to our home, especially, those who are strangers to him.

He may bark at you.

He may lick you to death.

He may put a paw up for you to shake.

He will sniff you to see if you have any food on you.

I fear, Mr UPS man, that you have mistaken Knox’s protection of HIS home, his overt FRIENDLINESS and his large size, as signs that he will do you harm.   Unless you are another dog, who comes in our yard, ESPECIALLY when my children are about, you should be safe.  Now, if you try to approach my children, be forwarned, he will bark at you…..but isn’t that what a GOOD dog does?

Mr. UPS man, I would also like to point out, that Knox is 9 years old.  He is slow to get up and when it is cold, his joints get a little crickity.  I have no doubt that you can out run him since he is a senior citizen in the dog world.

Now don’t get me wrong, Mr. UPS man, Knox was a beast back in the day.  His puppy years were quite atrocious and there were times I called my husband crying letting him know that I hated our 3 month old yellow lab and that he was a “bad” dog.  Our trainer, who trains police dogs for the Metropolitan  Nashville Police Department, described Knox as “stubborn, strong-willed and not the sharpest crayon in the box.”  Our behavior challenged dog gave us many moments of stress, anger, and confusion of what to do.  He was not an easy dog nor one that we could allow others to be around.

He jumped.

He licked you to death.

He hit you with his tail like the force of a bat.

He snarled.

He jumped.

He would never be still.

He tore up all kinds of things.

He jumped.

But, then, he began to mellow around year 7.  He began to sit more.  He would lay around and let our kids pull his ears, step on him and even put necklaces on him.

He became the dog I  had always wanted.

So, Mr UPS man, excuse my mommy claws for coming out, but you are messing with my first “child.”

He is not “bad.”

He is loving.

He is old.

He is protective of his family.

He is ours…..so back off.

Sincerely,

Mrs. “Bad Dog” owner

P.S.  Happy 9th Birthday Knox