Fouts Farewell Cookout

At the start of August we traveled down to Bridgeport to visit family and attend a Bon Voyage cookout for Ben and Michaela. The Fouts' got married this May and enjoyed a couple of months in West Virginia before heading out West for Ben's new job. They are currently en route to Bakersfield, California. They left last Wednesday and are traveling cross-country for ten days or so, working toward their new home on the West Coast. Ben planned some great pit-stops along the way - a baseball game, the Grand Canyon, and visiting extended family was part of the agenda. What fun!

We love these two and are so excited for the adventure ahead of them. They share a love for serving Christ and loving others. We'll miss them, but we know God will use them in great ways in California.

Four Months!

Bruce is now four months old (can you believe it?!). We are cherishing every moment,  enjoying each small victory in development, and laughing a LOT!

Milestones:

1. I love to stand
2. I've taught myself to roll over from my front to my back. I don't do it anymore. I know that I can and I've decided it's overrated.
3. I've found my voice and I squeal in high pitches any chance I get
4. I'm fascinated by my big brother Emmitt
5. I've found my right ear and I like to flick it often with my right hand
6. I sit up on my own with my hands in front of me in a tri-pod position
7.  I LOVE to look at faces in the mirror
8. I reach and grab for things. I especially love my toy keys
9. I smile constantly
10. I'm in 6 months clothes these days

Happy Thursday :)

Family Beach Trip

We're back! I know its been almost 2 months since the last installment. No excuses, but as Zach would say, "It's about time!".  Here is the first of a few posts I will be publishing about our summer happenings. In the beginning of June we went to the Outer Banks with my family. The week was filled with a lot of relaxing that involved eating,  lounging by the beach or pool, cooking fun meals, and playing bananagrams!! One of the things I wanted to do that week was take some nice beach pictures - the typical family ones where each member wears white and khaki. That was our planned attire initially, however we Hillegi (pl. form, pronounced hill- uh- gai) are blue people and so we decided, Bruce and I that is, to wear blue and white instead. My mom played along happily and headed-up the photo shoot, while my dad and Jane assisted, keeping Emmitt distracted and making Bruce smile.

Our Photographer

Zach, "What kind of ice cream are you eating tonight at DQ?"

Me, "I dunno, maybe an Oreo blizzard." Brucie, "I'm either going to have milk or milk."

Bruce, "Do I look sophisticated with my fist resting on my chin like this?"

I love love LOVE this picture.

All joking aside, this night was absolutely stunning. My mama captured some beautiful family pictures; I'm thankful to have them and have already used them here at home in decorating. God's goodness was literally radiating over the deep through the brilliant pink, purple, and orange hues. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the sun set. 

Aging Biblically

Hey family and friends!

It has been quite a while since we blogged. I think that it is a combination of going on vacation and Kait going back to work. We hope to get back in the swing of things soon. I saw this video yesterday on what it means to age Biblically and wanted to pass it on. Let's not waste our lives.

Every good and every perfect gift

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17

I've been studying the book of James with a sweet friend in my neighborhood. We've been challenged and encouraged by this small book, dripping with promises and exhortations in regards to living daily life in the Lord. One promise I want to keep in the forefront of my mind is the one written above. Oh, how my mindset would change if I truly believed that every good thing is from God and that he grants me small blessings all day every day. Small or great, He blesses us with His perfect gifts, whether through difficult seasons or situations or a joyful time. Our Father of lights knows us intricately, knows what brings us joy, and knows exactly what we need. "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 Here are some gifts the Lord has given to us recently...

Getting to introduce Bruce to his great-grandmother!

Look, no hands! Bruce loves to stand and we have fun teaching him how to balance :)

Receiving a precious note of encouragement in the mail from a long-distance friend.

Gathering together with sisters in Christ to encourage and pray for my Sister-in-Law, Michaela, the morning of her wedding.

An unplanned, weekday visit from Bruce's Grammy!

Finding my two favorites snoozing on the couch together.

Appreciating that our 85 lb. dog still loves to snuggle :)

We got a surprise package of onesies in the mail with Bruce's name embroidered on them in different colors!

"Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make  joyful noise to him with songs of praise!" Psalm 95:2

A Good Reminder

I came across this article while I was on my lunch break, and it served as a little reminder to keep the main thing (the Gospel aka Jesus paid it all) the main thing. It is so easy to lose sight of the promises of Scripture, but we must battle against this struggle daily because it is worth it in the end!

The following is an excerpt from one of my favorite bloggers Tim Challies (http://www.challies.com/christian-living/i-chose-to-sin)

"I’ve often returned to Jerry Bridge’s description of how he goes about the practice of preaching the gospel to himself. It is just one way of reminding himself of truth, of reminding himself of who he is in Christ. It never loses its power, because it is the power of God. Here is how he does this:

Since the gospel is only for sinners, I begin each day with the realization that despite my being a saint, I still sin every day in thought, word, deed, and motive. If I am aware of any subtle, or not so subtle, sins in my life, I acknowledge those to God. Even if my conscience is not indicting me for conscious sins, I still acknowledge to God that I have not even come close to loving Him with all my being or loving my neighbor as myself. I repent of those sins, and then I apply specific Scriptures that assure me of God’s forgiveness to those sins I have just confessed.

I then generalize the Scripture’s promises of God’s forgiveness to all my life and say to God words to the effect that my only hope of a right standing with Him that day is Jesus’ blood shed for my sins, and His righteous life lived on my behalf. This reliance on the twofold work of Christ for me is beautifully captured by Edward Mote in his hymn “The Solid Rock” with his words, “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Almost every day, I find myself going to those words in addition to reflecting on the promises of forgiveness in the Bible.

What Scriptures do I use to preach the gospel to myself? Here are just a few I choose from each day:
As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. (Romans 4:7-8)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

There are many others, including Psalm 130:3-4; Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:19; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 8:12; and 10:17-18.

Whatever Scriptures we use to assure us of God’s forgiveness, we must realize that whether the passage explicitly states it or not, the only basis for God’s forgiveness is the blood of Christ shed on the cross for us. As the writer of Hebrews said, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (9:22), and the context makes it clear that it is Christ’s blood that provides the objective basis on which God forgives our sins.

 Happy Friday!

Our Peaceful Patio

We recently gave our back patio a makeover - hung flowers, potted plants, spread some mulch, ...etc. It was a fun project to work on together (my parents and sister helped too!) and we're so thankful for the extra living space. It's like we have one more room in our house.

Zach and I love sitting out here on pretty evenings. We'll play our favorite game, Bananagrams, or eat dinner. Sometimes we just do some leisure reading or talk a while. The most special part about the patio is that it's so peaceful. The flowers and plants,  the pretty chair pillows, the chirping birds and greenery provide the perfect ambiance for a calm evening. We especially love to entertain guests back here. 

We love to eat dinner out here. The atmosphere is absolutely perfect! Aren't the colors so welcoming?

My dad helped me paint this shabby table my favorite color (robin's egg blue). Notice the Bonnie's Plant Farm box? That's our compost and we acquired it for free! I love the look: a cute AND purposeful garden accessory :)

Zach bought me a sewing machine a month or so ago, but its been sitting just looking pretty since then. I've been sew excited :) to learn how to use the machine. I went to my friend Amanda's house last week and she taught me the basics. I'm so thankful! I sewed one pillow under her tutelage and the other at home. It felt good to work with my hands.  "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." Ecclesiastes 9:10

I love the end result, too!

I'm grateful that summer hasn't even begun and we have months of warm weather to enjoy our peaceful patio.

 Thanks for reading and stop by anytime for a warm visit out back :)