We had a great week at church!

First of all, we had an amazing VBS week.  I will admit, I am not great with kids.  I love them, but feel much more comfortable with teenagers.  Call me weird, but I do.  But, when you have kids, I think it is important to be a part of the things they are involved with, so I help out each year in VBS.  We began using a Group curriculum a few years back and I really love it.  It is so creative and truly brings the Word to Life!

This year, my pal, Ashley and I, were roped into, volunteered to coordinate our preschool workers.  We had around 100 preschool children, and that was just for our workers kids!  It went great and I think everyone had a wonderful experience, for the most part!

We also had almost 800 kids on campus all week, raised over $3000 to build 4 wells in India (our goal was 2) and had 44 children indicate they were following Christ for the first time!  I was able to counsel with two precious girls and I could barely hold back tears.  Baptisms do the same thing to me- get me all teary eyed, every time.

All in all, it was a a very exciting week.  Emery also was a part of the praise team and help lead out in worship.  She loves it and has already informed us that she wants to do it again.  Love that kid.  Completely different story, she also got her hair cut short and it is adorable if I say so.  B also got his summer buzz and it just about sends me over the edge because he looks way too old.  But, his daddy insists on buzzing that hair!

On Wednesday, Jason and Pat, were interviewed by Outreach magazine because Lifepoint made the 100 fastest growing churches in America.  Again, we are so thankful to be in a place where God is at work in the lives of people and that as a result, those who are far from God are entering our building each week and hearing what a life with Christ is about!  It is so not about the numbers but about God and His glory!  He alone is drawing and leading people to our church but more importantly to Himself and I pray we continue to be faithful to His leading.

We had a full week and one where I know the seeds of faith are being planted in our children.  Parker and Emery are both asking a lot of questions about being a Christ follower.  We did have a funny moment in the midst of a conversation. Jason was talking to the girls about having love in their heart and Parker interrupts with “How can you have love in your heart when it is a muscle?”  That kids is so logical and literal at times, it is scary.

Today, we spent some time together as a fam, at the pool.  It was hot as blazes, so it was a great way to spend the day!

We have had a great first week of summer, for the most part.  There is the normal adjustment of the kids getting in the groove of summer, being together all the time.  They did pretty good, but of course we had many a talks about watching your tone of voice, kind words or no words, think of the other person and love each other.  I love having the girls so close in age, but it makes for some interesting days at times!  We went to a wedding last Saturday of some of our old youth kids and I took the kids by myself.

BIG MISTAKE.

It was one of the most embarrassing hour of my parenting life.  I couldn’t carry on a conversation without yelling across the room for Bradley to stop running come here and for Parker and Emery to stop chasing him, all with a smile on my face and how are you.  Then they were climbing on the pews.  Nothing like trying to catch up with people you hardly ever see and having your kids run around like crazed monkeys!

Needless to say, we came home and didn’t go to the reception.  I’ll admit, I was not a happy camper.

Jason met us at the door and sent them to the table and we had a family discussion covering a multitude of topics such as being appropriate, first time obedience, thinking of others….

So that set us up for a decent week.

I don’t expect my kids to be perfect.  But, I do expect them to listen, follow instructions and be kind.  Not because I want people to look at us and think we have this parenting gig down pat, because as evidenced last week, we most certainly do not, but because I want to point them to a life of obedience to Christ.  I realize that their understanding of authority and love comes from Jason and I and man do I fail them at times.  I lose my patience, I use the mommy means business tone too much, I demand and don’t explain, I point out what they are not doing right yet forget to say all the great things they are doing and I forget that I set the atmosphere in our home.  I allow myself to focus on the behavior and not on the person behind the act.  I don’t take time to spend in the Word, in prayer and I feel the effects down to my very depths.  And, more often than not, my kids pay the price.

My prayer for every summer has been for this to be one where we spend time in the Word, strategically, have structured, yet not rigid schedule and make time to have fun.  Our goals for this summer are for the girls to spend time reading their bibles and a devotional each day, have a chore list with their first commission built in, and focus on first time obedience.  All this with trips to the pool, the library, the movies, the park, and Nana and LuLu camp!

This past week we did a lot of that!  I also learned that the kids are all about going and when we go, we leave a lot that needs to be done at the house, so I am going to have to rethink some of what we are doing!

What are your plans/goals for the summer?

So, obviously  our children are close in age which brings challenges, but also great blessings!  We were able to celebrate with Emery this past week for completing her Kindergarten year.  She has done so well and we are so proud of her.  She has shown herself to be a great reader and has gotten along well with all the kids in her class.  She has always been the social one, so that is no surprise!  This year each student had several lines to say during thier program.  The program was about Praise and boy did they shine their sweet little lights for the Lord.  They preached the Gospel and it was precious to see!  One technique in classical education is to start at an early age having students memorize and recite what they have learned in front of the class or in this case, the whole school, faculty and parents.  This helps develop them as speakers.  They all did so well and I loved it!

Here is Emery reciting that Jesus is our Redeemer.

We adore Mrs. B, who has been Parker and Emery’s teacher.  She has been such a blessing and is the picture of what a Kindergarten teacher should be!

We are praying Bradley is in her class as well, in a couple of years.  We hope….

Here she is proclaiming that He is our Eternal Father.

Sweet graduates!!

Emery’s Kindergarten class…. they made it!

Nana and Poppy came for Graduation and gave Emery her own purple Bible.

Emery Kate, we are so proud to be your parents.  We think you are an amazing little girl and are excited to see what first grade brings for you.  You have worked hard, been a helper to your teachers and have made some great new friends.  You have a joy of learning and we love how well you have done!

We are reminded, yet again, that our kids are where God wants them to be for school.  We are thankful for the example the teachers have set for them, the love and grace that has been extended to them and for a  faculty that truly cares for our girls.   We beleive that God leads each family to the school situation their kids are supposed to be in whether public, private or at home.  This was a leap of faith for us, and God has proven faithful over and over and we are forever grateful for His leading.

When we moved, you may recall that we inherited a garden that mostly had already ripened, but we did enjoy some tomatoes for  a while!  My dad asked if he could plant a garden this Spring, and I said, YOU  BET!  We are not the best of vegetable eaters, I will admit, so maybe easy access will make it easier!  I made the comment that we should plant an organic garden to Jason, to which he responds, “How much more organic does it get- it’s in your backyard.”  You can see we are as far from granola as they come, but hey, baby steps!

Last week, we finally had a clear, sunny day, to plant the garden, so Dad and the kiddos went to work.

Poppy telling them about planting.  Check out Emery’s winter gloves to work in.

Showing them how to cover it up…

Making rows.  Those are our tomato plants.

We ended up planting squash, zucchini, cucumbers, watermelon, canteloupe, radishes, ocra and the tomatoes.

Bro and Sister

I will be curious to see how this all comes out due to the experience of our farm workers….

Grow little plant, Grow…

Our neighbors, who also go to church with us, gave us their trampoline!  Their kids are much older and don’t use it anymore!  See, Recylcling at its best!

My 100 pound lab, Knox, even got in on the fun!

There you have it, the Stew family’s version of going green!

I can not believe that it is already May 12.  Seriously?  Almost half way gone is the month of May?

We, like many, have a crazy amount of things going on this month.  Most of it centers around end of the year school events. Throw in soccer, dance, dance recitials, birthday and you get the picture!

I wanted to share some pics of our month so far!

Emery and Jason going on a date for her birthday!  She wanted to wear a dress and for me to curl her hair. How cute is that?  She is already beginning

to understand what it means to be treated well by the men in her life because Jason has done such a great job of setting an example for her.  They went to IHOP to eat breakfast for their date, which is where she chose!

She loves to wear dresses and I picked this one up at Target for a big $3.74.  She went for her well child check on Friday and we found out her lung functioning is great so we can come off of her maintenance med for her restricted airways.  We then found out through some allergy testing that she is allergice to ALOT of things.  Many are environmental, dog, cat, and some food allergies.  So we are going to see an allergist to determine a good course of action for her.  She is such a trooper!

This is Bradley before church last Sunday.  He is wearing his Lion Chaser polo!  That is our desire for him- that he would be a leader, bold and fearless!  Right now, he has the fearless down pat, except when it comes to bugs or the Chick-fil-A cow!

This is Parker in her favorite dress! She instructed me on how to fix her hair as well!  She is such a unique girl and Jason and I are working through how to parent her in a way that champions her strengths and challenges her in her weaknesses.  She is so sweet and loving, yet has her moments of fierce stubborness and righteousness.  She wants to have the last word and when you are 7, that is not a good thing, at times!  We are really seeing her personality being shaped right before our eyes and it is amazing and overwhelming.

Earlier this week, she participated in the History Fair at her school.  Her class performed a play about the Liberty Bell.  This year, she has studied and learned all the Presidents in chronological order, American symbols, and states.  She has learned so much and we continue to feel blessed for them to be at their school.  We absolutely adore their teachers and are so thankful for how they speak Christ into their lives.

This was her first time to perform in front of a crowd and she was nervous.  She did good.  Notice the arms….

and again…..

and again…..

and again….

As a trained counselor, I will point out that this is a defensive, self preservation pose!

While I am airing all her dirty laundry, I wanted to share what I read in one of her many notebooks this week.  She wrote in her Troy Bolton diary which came with a lock, but has since been lost, so I did not feel I was invading her privacy, but honestly, I won’t bat at eye and breaking a lock, if I have too!

In the words of Parker, age 7:

“I love my mom and dad but sometime I can get frushtrated with them. But I will olwas love them.”

Back at you, Parker, back at you……

Here  are some pictures from Emery’s Birthday trip to Atlanta!  We had a great time, but she is totally complaining of wanting a birthday party!  Sorry sister, not gonna happen! Due to scheduling, we went before the birthday, which is Saturday, but we will have a few things up our sleeves!

We went to see the Hannah Montana movie.  It was actually pretty good.  I loved the booster seats for the girls!

Picking out what they want before going tooo……

the American Girl Boutique and Bistro!!!!

We spent a good hour and a half in this place!

Emery did so good.  She was decisive and knew what she wanted.  Parker on the other hand…

not so much!

She decided to get her doll’s hair done and her ears pierced. I let her decide because she

was spending her allotted amount of money!

It turned out cute and she has kept it fixed since then!

Parker decided to have her doll’s hair done, as well.  This is when I learned that she had cut her dolls hair in the past!

When the hair stylist informed me that it had been cut, I defended my oldest child and said, “No, we must have bought it that way!”  Then, I looked at Parker’s face and

she was sooo busted!

Emery and Nana doing a little shopping.  Emery still loves her Bitty Baby and chose some really

cute things for her baby.

Morgan is getting so old.  She does such a great job with her younger cousins!

We took a break before going to eat and went and rode the carousel.

We had a good time eating at the Bistro!  They had their dolls right beside them and were

surrounded by pink. Who could ask for anything more?

The one picture I got with the girls the whole weekend.

We even celebrated with a cake!

The trip had its moments of insanity, but I loved it, and more importantly, I think the girls did, as well.  I can’t wait to take many more girly weekends with this crew as they grow up!

I am officially returning to the land of blogging. I have been so inconsistent lately.  Writing my Africa posts took a lot of time and mental thought for me, so I took my sweet time doing it!  I have hardly posted anything about the family, so I am ready to get back to my fluff writing as opposed to my, in your face, go on a mission trip, share the Word, poverty stinks writing.

We have been busy, of course! The girls had two weeks of Spring Break, which was fun, tiring, and relaxing all rolled into one.  We were able to go see the grandparents in Kville and then went with our peeps, the Hales, to Chattanooga for  a couple of days.  We went to the Children’s Museum, an arcade, Coolidge Park, the Walking Bridge and swam in the indoor pool at our hotel.  It was so funny when we walked in, Parker asked, “Is this it?”  Yes, darling daughter, a one room hotel room is it for your one night away.  She is used to going to the beach and staying in a condo!  Funny.

I did have to jump in the pool with my clothes on (all my clothes, not just a bathing suit clothes) (I am not saying I swim in public places without clothes on normally) to save my daredevil son.  We were at the pool and we had taken his swimmies off (stupid parents) and he was in the hot tub with Jason and Nathaniel.  He, of course, hops on out and hops on into the pool.  I don’t normally freak out in these situations, but after the second drop, come up, gasp for air, I figured I should help the kid out.  Jason was on the other side of the pool, on his way in, but what can I say, I took one for the team and got soaked.  Swimming lessons are on the list for Bradley’s summer activities.

We have also started soccer! Parker is back with her pals, Evan and Peyton for another season.  We also have added Morgan, whom we know from church, to round it out!  Fun times.

Emery decided to give it another go.  She is also taking dance and we are normally a one activity at a time family, but we made an exception, because we so love sports.  We will see how she holds out!

Today the girls both had games and I would have pictures, but I am still not happy about the theft of our amazing camera and I am protesting by not using one at all.  Maturity is my middle name, in case you were wondering!  They both did really well and mixed it up!  They also both scored and played hard, so it was a great day for the Stew girls on the soccer field!  They are both on good teams, so it should bring up their game.  Bradley, of course was filthier than the girls were by the time we left the park.  He is such a boy….. and I love it.

We rounded out the day by going to sister’s house to celebrate Morgan’s birthday.  She is my niece and she turned a whopping 11.  I can’t believe how old she is getting.  She is a beautiful, fun, kind big cousin.  She does a great job of loving on Parker, Emery and Bradley.  I am so proud of her and the young lady she is growing in to.  She is a blessing and I am excited to see how God uses her for His Glory.

So, there is our life, in a brief synopsis.  Kids, school, church, soccer, dance……..

Thank you in advance for all the prayers you will lift up for my family over the next week.

We leave tomorrow for Guinea, Africa.

We will have internet (African Internet that is) so we will attempt to blog while we are gone.

Please check back, put a prayer request on your blog, tell your momma, your daddy, your cousin’s friend’s brother, to pray for the Maninka people.

We were able to have some time with the family tonight.  My sweet friend, Ashley, got us a cool world map, so we were able to mark out our trip for them.  We were able to pray with them with them and discuss the details of us being gone, lay down the law for great behavior, and talk about our trip.  It was really sweet.  I felt myself getting a little teary when I was putting Bradley to bed, but then he prayed for my hair.  He told God, “it not look good.”  Great comic relief.

SO, we are off tomorrow, and will land in Africa on Saturday evening.
Thank you again for your prayers.

If you have not visited before, Jason, will also be posting on his blog!  Great post today about how our week has gone!

Well we did it!

We had our first official Stew Family Night tonight!

Emery wanted to play Uno, so we went with a colors theme!

I decided to have pancakes with fruit for dinner and mixed it up a little by having green pancakes!
We had strawberries, scrambled eggs, blueberries and oranges. We also had bacon and sausage but that was just to eat not because it went with our colors theme!

During dinner we each told our favorite color:

Jason-blue
Bradley-red
Kelly-red
Parker- red (really pink, purple and blue but she chose an Uno card color)
Emery-blue

We focused on HONESTY for our virtue and Jason used Psalm 24:3-4 and Matthew 15:18-20. It was appropriate because our girls have a tendency to try and CHEAT at cards. We had to call one of them out a couple of times tonight for trying to sneak in a Draw 4! They may be 5 and 7 but it is on like Donkey Kong when we play a game!

It was a fun night! I am exhausted but so worth the effort. I was praying as I was preparing that God was use these nights to draw them each to Him, to create memories, to teach them about life and to point them a deeper walk with Jesus. One Uno game at a time…

Here is some pics of our night!

Here is our table- Nothing fancy but the kids pitched in and loved it!
Any ideas on painting my kitchen and breakfast area? Should I go with the same color?

We had green pancakes! Parker was at first leary until she realized it tastes the same!

We dressed in Uno colors and somehow the kids all ended up in red!

Love her dimples so much!

We interrupt this family night for an accident! Just when you think you are
almost there, he goes and has an accident! Don’t get me started
on going #2 in the potty- he is seriously afraid to go!

The girls got Hannah Montana Uno cards for Christmas (no we don’t
watch HM, but I thought this was picture worthy!)

Bradley did great! He sat and played the entire time!

Good times…

Read about some cool family nights here..

We had a sweet friend, Kate Nabors, an up and comer, photographer, come and take some quick pics of the fam. It was freezing outside, hence, the quick pictures! We were pleased with what she was able to get. Here are a few of our favs: