Turning 40

It's been approaching all year.  Sneaking up on me.  Sometimes quietly - sometimes loudly.  Mentioned often by my husband.  He's just excited that it finally came.  He's been jealous of my still being in the 30's for the last 3 years.  There is no stopping time.  It came.  I rolled into a new decade this past Saturday.

Russ allowed me to sleep late.  Because we all know that you need more sleep when you get older, right?



Then I had lunch with my best friend, Emily, who is moving away FOREVER.  But we won't go there yet.  Nope.  Not yet.  There will probably be a blog about that later - but not today.  Not ready to go there yet.

Anyway - we were only going to be gone a little while as they are moving after all and she left her husband home with the 4 kids and a list of things to do.

We were able to sit and talk almost uninterrupted for about 3 hours. We only received one phone call.  I won't tell you which husband it was - but I will tell you that it had something to do with not being able to find the list. 

But we forgive him because that's what us girls do. 

 I came home in time to change and get ready for dinner out with my wonderful hubby!

We took the kids to stay with Nana and Papa (a.k.a. Russell's parents) and we drove to St. Augustine for the evening.  One of our favorite places to escape to.

Russ took me to Creekside Dinery and the weather was so nice we were able to sit on the patio.  That NEVER happens for my birthday!  Florida - in JULY?  Hello?  Keep me in the a/c please.  I'm all dressed up and do not want to wilt.

But we had some rain during the day and it stayed overcast.  With the nice breeze coming off the creek - we had an enjoyable dinner outside - and didn't even get sticky!  That's awesome!!!

Not sure why this photo looks blurry.  I think the lens on my phone was smudged.  Russ thinks it's a filter.  Now that I'm 40 I need that Dorris Day thing to help me out.  Humph.  It does add a softness though, don't you think?

Ahem.....Continuing with my weekend - we went for a leisurely stroll through downtown St. Augustine.  Stopped and had dessert and drove home.

We eat out every Sunday.  Mainly because we are all the way at the beaches for church and it's silly to drive home and then back again for the evening activities.  So we just stay there.  Because it was my birthday - I got to choose.  I love Cruisers Grill.  Marinated Chicken Chunks.  That's all I have to say.  Love them.  I think they remind me of my mom.  Regardless that's what I wanted on Sunday.



Marc, Sam and Chloe joined us.  The other really fun thing about Cruisers is that they bring everyone Tootsie Pops when they bring you your bill.  How cool is that?

Loved this picture of Chloe enjoying her Tootsie Pop!  How cute is she????

We have a wonderful couple in our church who travel during the summer.  We miss them terribly when they are gone as they are always such a huge encouragement to both Russ and I.  Big supporters.  But they allow us to crash at their house on Sundays when they are away.  Russ can study - take a nap.  The kids and I enjoy the pool.

This past weekend - since it WAS my birthday - Marc, Sam and Chloe joined us at the pool.  Our schedules have been so crazy for the past several months that it had been a while since we were all able to hang out and enjoy one another.  It was so much fun!  And it created photos like this:

 This was an attempt to throw Jarod - he's just too big now.  LOL!

 

 Taking a break.  Love it - Russ is reading "Lord of the Rings" for the bazillionth time and Jarod is reading "The Hobbit"   That's my boys!!!!

I love hanging out with friends and family.  It was a nice weekend.  Many have made a big deal about "turning 40" but I have to say that it's been fun.  This past year has been a really great year for me.  I've learned a lot about myself.  My business has grown and so has my confidence.  I am somewhat content with my life.  I say somewhat because you can always be growing and learning.  I always want to be willing to do what God calls me to.  Being too content can be dangerous.  But I do feel as though I have "arrived".  Now please don't take that as an "I've got it all together" comment.  More like an "I'm on the verge of something really big and I'm ready to move forward" comment. Or an "I'm right where God wants me" comment.  I've let go of a lot of the "stuff" that has been keeping me from moving forward.  Besides, isn't 40 supposed to be the age of wisdom and experience in life? That's what Russ keep telling me. 

The last few years have been difficult.  Lot's of changes, lot's of busy-ness.  It took a big toll on me.  I often felt very out of control.  Once things calmed down and we found a good routine that fit our family, things started to fall into place.  Ya know, when you are running like that, it's very hard to hear God.  It's very hard to take your focus off the next thing.  You just keep doing the next thing and the next thing but then you find that none of it is getting done well because you are so busy and so focused on doing the next thing.  UGH!  It makes me tired to just think about it.  

Back in December, when God was really working in my life about Haiti and the ApParent Project, he was also working on getting me out of the "next thing" cycle.  Slowing down, making goals, looking beyond myself to the future.  He has humbled me in many areas, he has shown me life beyond me and my family again.   He helped me to find a balance. I set a goal then to loose 40 pounds by my Birthday and on Saturday when I got on the scale, it said 41 pounds were gone!  How awesome is that?

For the first time in a really long time - I like me.  I feel good about myself.  I feel confident as a person.  I know that God still has great plans for me.  He's not finished with me yet.  In some ways I feel like I'm just beginning.  I have experience and my "stepping stones of faith" behind me and I am ready to move forward to the next thing.  I have a wonderful marriage, an awesome husband, two beautiful children who know the Lord and a God who loves me beyond my understanding.  I feel like I am sitting on the edge of something great!  I don't know what or when or how - I only know that I don't want to miss out!  Being in God's plan is the absolute best place to be!  Turning 40 - BRING IT!!!!  I'm excited!

To The Praise of His Glorious Grace

"But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation." Psalm 13:5

Let's see if I can write this without tears.  I seriously doubt it.  But you don't know that - you are on that end, reading the finished product.  I sit hear thinking over my daughter's life and my answered prayers, and cannot help but weep.  But - that's me.  I'm her mom.  I'm supposed to be that way.

When you have your first child, you understand - a little more - God's great love for us.  You love this tiny life that has just been placed in your arms with a love that you never even comprehended until that moment.  You are overwhelmed by emotion and responsibility.  As a mom, this protective tigress comes out in you and you flip out over the craziest things.  You desire to love, nurture, protect, teach, and guide in a way you never have before.  But - you also pray in a way you never have before.  You realize very quickly how ill-equipped you are and how much you need God to help you look after this child that He has intrusted to you.  All of the responsibility that comes with being a parent is overwhelming.  And it never goes away.  I'm learning even now that I only thought it was difficult when they were babies.  God knew what he was doing when he gives them to you as infants and we have to work up to the hard stuff.

Anyway - for me - the absolute biggest prayer for both of my children has been for their salvation.  Knowing that they are safe in the Lord's protection - knowing that they love the Lord - knowing that they understand His authority in our lives.  Salvation is a process that takes place throughout our lives.  God is constantly growing us and changing us.  But that first moment of realization that you are a sinner and in desperate need of His grace - His salvation - that is where it begins.

For Jarod, that happened when he was 4 1/2.  Having been around the death of my mother, and Russell's sister,  he had hard eternal questions early and his faith was incredible.  He had been asking so many questions and Russ and I were very cautious as children are so easily influenced.  We wanted him to come into it on his own.  He was watching the Jesus Film for Children and at the end it tells about repenting of your sin and asking Jesus into your heart.  Jarod came running into our bedroom and shouted, "Mom! Did you know that all you have to do is ask God to forgive your sins and ask him into your heart and you will be a Christian and get to go to heaven?!"  I, of course, said yes and he shouted, "I'm going to go do that right now!" and he ran to his bedroom, knelt down and prayed.  I stood outside of his room and listened to a sweet, 4 1/2 year old boy receive Christ.  Russ and I stood there looking at each other dumbfounded.  What just happened?  We spoke with him further, watched him for a few days and noticed a heart change.  It was incredible!  Jarod's New Birthday was March 8, 2004. We waited a year or so and Jarod was baptized on Easter Sunday in 2005.

What a special day that was.  We have continued to watch him grow in his faith over the past several years.  We've even heard him share his faith with his friends at school.  We know that he is saved and that the Lord has great plans for him.

Anne has been a different story.  Fortunately, she has not been influenced by the death of family members so her understanding has been on a much different level.  Her journey has been similar in that a few years ago - when she was also 4, the kids stuck in the Jesus Film for Children again.  Anne watched it and also - by herself - prayed at the end of the movie.  She's been telling us all this time that she is saved and could not understand why she had not been baptized yet.  Again - this was done on her own (my kids are so independent!) and Russ and I did not want to influence anything so we have just been watching and listening over the past few years.  The talk of the beach baptism yesterday started a whole lot of conversation around here and we sat down with her yesterday before church to answer some questions and talk further about it.  Russ was able to pray with her and we were able to see her heart.  Whenever asked about salvation, she would go back to the time she prayed 2 years ago - she was adamant about it.  But yesterday after talking with us and praying with Daddy, she said, "Mommy - when I prayed before, I don't think I really felt anything - but today I did."  I asked her what she meant - what she felt.  She said, "I cannot explain it - but I think I felt Jesus come in my heart."  Then she rolled her eyes at me because I was crying!  :-)  I, of course, explained to her that they were happy tears because the biggest and most important prayer that mommy's and daddy's pray for their children is that they come to Christ and that God had answered my prayer.  She understood. 

We rejoiced with her and started making phone calls!  Our family rejoiced with us as well and she went forward during church yesterday to let everyone know.

A little nervous, of course - (Don't you love the VBS set up in the background? That started today)

Last night before the baptism - sharing her testimony.  So proud of her!

 

 

 What a special honor and privilege for Daddy

 

 

 

 

 Happy girl!  So proud of her!

 

Love this!

Marc, Sam and Chloe were able to join us for the celebration!  What an awesome day!!!

Anne's New Birthday is July 10, 2011.  I cannot wait to see all that God is going to do in her life.  The journey will be hard - God never promised us it would be easy.  But He did promise to be with us.  I know that God has awesome plans for both of my children.  He has already been very busy in preparing them for it. It is so incredible to know that your children know and love the Lord.  I'm also very thankful to have the peace in knowing that they will spend eternity with us in Heaven.  What more could a mom ask for?

If you are reading this and have any questions about salvation and knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior - please contact us!  We would be more than happy to help you!  Franklin4@truevine.net

Until next time......

Another Adoption Day for the Bennetts

In order to have all of the back story on this post - read my original post here:

Adoption Day for the Bennetts  (You will be blessed - I promise!)

Now - to bring you up to date......

This is Carter.  Isn't he adorable?  He came to the Emily and Bruce as a Foster child when he was just a few weeks old.

I'll admit - we thought they were crazy.  This made 4 boys in the house.  Their biological son, Zander, was 10, their adopted son, William, was 2 and they had another Foster child, Oliver, who was 18 months at the time.  Now they were adding an infant!  This was a busy house!

Carter was such a good and easy baby.  Russ and I had been fingerprinted so we could help them and would often go over and watch the boys so that Bruce and Emily could go to appointments or just have a night out. 

 
The boys all bonded very quickly.  William especially LOVED his baby brother!   As Carter grew, he fit right into the Bennett clan and kept up with Will and Ollie - no problem!

Ollie was officially adopted and made a Bennett in May of last year and they wanted to add Carter to the "official" list as well.  Last Fall, after a series of many God moments, Bruce was offered a new job in New Hampshire.  They knew that they were supposed to take the position but what about Carter?  They couldn't leave the state with him.  He was still a Foster Child and if they all moved, he would go back into the system.

After much prayer, Bruce accepted the job in New Hampshire and began work November 1.  He went ahead, leaving Emily and the four boys here in Florida.  At this time, things were working in their favor and it looked as if the adoption would be final by the first of the year.  Any of you who are familiar with adoption and the "system" know that that is not always the case.  Lots can happen to slow things down and get everything complicated.  Zander, their oldest, moved to New Hampshire with Bruce in January.  Things had been postponed again and they wanted to allow him to get into the school system during the Christmas Break.  At this point, they still thought the adoption would be late winter, early spring.

This left Emily here in Florida with the 3 babies.  3 boys - 3 and under in age.  Alone.  Need I say more??

This has been one incredibly long emotional roller coaster for them.  Emily and I have spent many hours on the phone talking through and processing all the crazy things that have happened.  Their family has been physically separated and undergone emotional stress and financial sacrifice for 9 long months in order to adopt Carter.

That is what I call unconditional love!  There were so many times when Emily was tired, lonely and just plain done.  There were even times that they wanted to give up because it became so very difficult.  But they knew that giving up meant giving up Carter all together and they simply could not do that.  There were times when it all seemed in vain - things were not going in their favor and he would be taken away anyway.  Was all of this sacrifice in vain?

I am proud to have the Bennett's as my friends.  This past year they have been an example of faith and unconditional love.  They have sacrificed and have thrown up their hands to God.  They have begged and pleaded and prayed and loved and let go.  They have willingly let go of their plans, their ideas, and their will. They have walked this journey and brought honor and glory to God.  They have continually worked to enhance His reputation - to let Him work.

I am so happy to say that yesterday - ALL of their prayers were answered.  ALL of their sacrifice was worth it!  All of their hardship is finally over.  After a few words from a kind judge, Carter is now officially Carter Ashton Bennett.

Russ and I again had the wonderful privilege of standing up with them and being a witness to the adoption yesterday.  What an honor it was.

William 4, Oliver 3 1/2, Carter 2

These 3 adopted boys will now grow up together in a loving, Christian home.  Each one has his own unique story about how he was loved and wanted deeply by Bruce and Emily.    

Adoption is such a beautiful process.  But it is not without pain and much sacrifice.  I look at the photo of these three and think of their stories.  Funny how God works to build our faith.  Will's adoption was private and very uneventful.  There was much prayer that went into it - but compared to the others, it was very easy.  Oliver's was a little harder.  A longer process - somewhat of a roller coaster - but mostly a waiting game.  But it didn't matter as much (looking at it now) because the family was all together.  Then there was Carter.  Much more of a fight - more of a roller coaster - more of a sacrifice because everyone was separated.  I can see each one as stepping stones of faith.  God working in each adoption - little things to prepare Bruce and Emily for the next.  New things each time to trust God with.  New things that were out of their control.  If Will's adoption would have been this difficult, I wonder if there would have been an Ollie and a Carter?

God is so good.  It has been amazing to watch Him work in this - to see Bruce and Emily's faith grow before my very eyes.  To watch them trust Him with things that were out of control and then to see God reward them so magnificently!  I have been able to be a close part of their lives as they went from Emily being a business woman - to her desire to stay home - then their desire to adopt a child - then two - then three.  God has used this to grow them and shape them.  What a wonderful testimony they have.  It has been a long journey.  5 years.  And I have to sit back and say, "What's next God?"  You have built this faith in them for a reason.  Everything has a purpose - everything builds on the next thing you have for us.  They have proven themselves to be faithful and obedient.  I am excited to see what is to come!  It won't be easy - but you have prepared them and you will continue to be with them.  

As an outsider, looking in - it's awesome to see a family who has completely trusted God, allowed Him to do his work - no matter how difficult - and then watched the outcome be so rewarding.  Please don't get me wrong - there have been tears, there has been anger, there has been frustration.  But - if all of us could have this kind of faith - this kind of stamina - this kind of willingness to allow God to do whatever he needs to do to grow and change our lives.  What an impact we could all have on the world.  He loves us - Oh how He loves us!

For now, their next journey is New Hampshire.  I'm not even going to attempt to go there right now.  My heart breaks at the thought. The movers are coming and they will be leaving in 2 weeks.  I am excited for them and the next chapter God has called them to - as a family of 6.

Scout Camp - Troop 650

Many of you helped Jarod raise his money to go to Scout Camp this year.  This was his first year and he was very excited.  Troop 650 went to Camp Rainey Mountain in North Georgia for 7 days.  Russ was asked to help chaperone and I don't know who was more excited!  I had to follow the week via Facebook - many thanks to Kevin Brown in keeping us up to date.  I thought I would share his week in photos......

All packed up and ready to go!

 Lunch stop

All fed and ready to go again!

Made it to camp!

Hiking Black Rock Mountain

Love this pic!

Home away from home for a week

Campfire

Breakfast

Working on his First Aid Merit Badge

Energy Merit Badge

Morning Flag Ceremony

Helping prepare dinner - love his face in this pic!

Russ and Mr. Haynes

Whittling

Last Flag Ceremony

Jarod, Issak, A.J. and Bryan Building a Bridge

Russ testing it out.

Great job guys!!!

Thanks to everyone who bought Camp Cards to Jarod raise the money to go.  It was an awesome week and he is looking forward to next year!

Until next time......