Family Togetherness

I don't want Happy

We all want to be happy.  Happiness is a much sought after feeling in our society.  I want to be happy.  Happy in my marriage.  Happy in my parenting.  Happy with my "job" as homemaker.  Happy in life.


But as much as we seek this feeling.  It escapes us.  Its a game of hide and seek that we play.  We seek after it.  Eventually after looking under several spots, we think we have found it.  But somehow, it escapes us again.  Why won't it stay and hang out for a while?


Happiness is not what we want.  What we are really seeking after is joy.  Joy is not a feeling.  It doesn't escape us.  It is a deep down from within state of being that comes even when things aren't great.  Everything doesn't have to be perfect in our lives with joy.  


Why?  Because joy doesn't come from a circumstance, but from the Lord.  He is the creator of joy, and only he can give it to us.  


I find I have sought after other things to bring me joy.  After all, I just want to enjoy life while I'm here.  


Sometimes I end up in this pit of dissatisfaction.  Things aren't what I thought they would be.  Something like a fun day, a good meal, a phone call from a friend, or a funny tv show can pick me up from that pit.  And I'm happy.  But eventually the cycle continues and I find myself worn out by the rise and fall of my emotions.  


I want a more stable emotional state.  When things are well, I want joy.  When things are bad, I want joy. Regardless, its still the same God in charge of it all.  And the same source of joy.  Him.  Not my circumstances.


So I don't want happy.  I want joy.  Joy in marriage.  Joy in parenting.  Joy in my job.  Joy in life.  Good or bad.  Joy.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  

Abide in my love.  

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, 

just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.  

These things I have spoken to you, 

that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

John 15:9-11

Superbowl Traditions

Around this house, we like the Superbowl.  We love it.  It doesn't matter that it has been 20, yes 20 years, since our team won the big game.  We still like it, and look forward to celebrating it every year.  

So it got me thinking about how we've celebrated in the past.  One of my earliest memories of the Superbowl was 20 years ago, when I was 11.  The Redskins were playing the Bills, and I went over my friend's house to celebrate.  And they won of course!  

In college, it was not so much fun.  I was the kind of girl that actually liked watching it.  However, Ed and all the guys would watch it together with their hall, and no girls were allowed.  So I was left hanging out with all the girlfriends, and we played games instead of watching it.  They were more interested in the commercials, you know.  I'm still a little bitter about it now, can you tell?

Some of my favorite memories were the Bevers' Superbowl parties during our seminary days.  All our seminary friends went, and we always had the best food!  

Since then, we have just done different things each year.  We often get together with Ed's brother George to watch it.  

Last year was A-MAZING!  We went away with the Dowdys (two shout outs in a row!) to Wintergreen for the best weekend ever!  

This year its looking like it may be a fun year again.  We are hanging out with our friends the McMurrays since they now live close to us!  Ed and Wes are calling it the Slumberbowl XLVI!  We are literally having a slumber party at their house.  Our kids will be able to play together, then go to sleep - yay!  We will hang out and not have to worry about driving home - yay!  

So I'm pretty excited, and the best part is right now I'm hanging out with some of my best girlfriends.  6 of us met up this weekend for a girls weekend.  So all in all, its a pretty good weekend for me!  Pray for my husband, aka Daddy-On-Duty.  

How about you?  Do you have any fun traditions for the Superbowl?

Ninjas

As my friend Emily says, I will never be as cool as my husband.  I can't compete.  What is it about dads that always have the coolest ideas that the kids absolutely love?  So I don't try to compete, I just love seeing what he comes up with!


This week, he made each of the kids ninja capes and headbands.  He took my extra fabric, cut it up, and drew on it with a paint marker.  Even Haleigh got in on the fun, and had a little ninja princess get up!  


They are the cutest bunch of ninjas I've ever seen!

Hello Spring!

Well apparently it's springtime!  And we are not complaining around here.  We are taking advantage of these warm days, and exploring our new city.  

The boys really enjoy having their daddy home.  Ed will often take the boys out riding bikes or going for a walk.  Yesterday they set up our tent in the back yard, had a picnic lunch, and played with their legos in the tent.  

Here's some pics from our hike...

We're back!

Well here I am!  Its been about a month since I have blogged, and it feels good to be back. Honestly, its just another step to getting back to normal after a big transition for us over the last two months.  So we are here, and settled for the most part.  Life is moving at a very past pace and we are trying to keep up.  


But with my husband home, it is a HUGE help.  We all have loved having him around each day.  But I will say, it is tricky learning how to do that all day, every day!  I am so used to going about my day without having any other adult around.  You know, no one to run things by or coordinate plans with or make you think twice about what you do when.  I'm just kind of being used to being the queen of the castle during the day.  So it takes some getting used to!


We are almost fully unpacked, except for the boxes that only I can do, and my husband would really like for me to get to them ASAP, sincerely a week ago!  So we are unpacked mostly, but that does not mean decorated.  And that is the part that drives me crazy!  I had everything in its place at the last house, and now, well, not everything fits.  Window treatments are off, colors are off, space is off.  So I have to refigure, replan, rebuy/remake things.  That is the part that overwhelms me because I want it done like yesterday, and it just takes time.  I hate that!


But we will get there!  I know that.  Probably the best part about our lived right now is just the massive amount of family time we have.  We have never had so much time together!  But our outings, game nights, wii nights, and wrestling nights have all been such a treasure.  With no grandparents around, we are learning to really enjoy time with our kids.  I think I need to learn this lesson so much more than Ed.


Anyway, we have a shortage of pictures recently, but I will leave you with this.  Ed had a Daddy Day with all the kids today.  He took each one out to do something special with him.  He took Haleigh out to breakfast, Caleb on an adventure to the lake, and Micah to play his first round of golf with his new clubs.  Here they are before they left...

And it Begins...