merry merry

it's been awhile... it seems... and sadly this is the best i can do for a group shot... the cobblers children have no shoes...
anyway, this is the fam after dinner at the gaylord on Christmas day... hooray for no turkey and dressing... no kitchen no sweating... happy new year people that i love...

did you bring your camera?

i can't believe how long it's been since i "blogged" you down with my thoughts... and i have no pictures. i was tempted to post pictures of some of the recent family shots i have take of other families, because, once i "shoot" you... i'm connected to you, you become like my family... just extra pages in my personal album. the time spent attempting to keep spirits up, smiles fresh and families in tact while capturing the moment in a crystallized appearance of love and joy are bonding times between the subjects and the photographer, in this case, me and many families this Christmas season. it is an honor to be chosen to immortalize the most valued treasure any person might have, especially the relationship between parents and children. it is humbly and gratefully that i go forward and focus, attempting to capture forever the twinkle that makes a mom catch her breath every time she sees the image. a composite that makes a father grateful that he could provide this permanent reminder for his family... what a great job... what a blessing...
next time i'll post pictures.

naughty or nice

as you can see, blaikie was not down with the santa thing... at all! everyone else was on their best behavior, though...hmmm, could it be because we were in front of santa? what if we could visibly see Jesus, would we be more likely to be on our best behavior, I wonder? I think I'm going to ponder that this Christmas season...
Merry Christmas to all of you... may you meet Jesus where you are.

state, baby

well... the PCA lions have roared victoriously at the state championship. what an exciting thing to experience! oh, how we love our school. if you wonder why... let me share this. while the fans were storming the field and the players were reveling in the victory... they were quick to come together for prayer... and then something i'm sure few have ever experienced in the wake of a great victory, these boys sang...
I am a hard fighting soldier, on the battlefield
I am a hard fighting soldier, on the battlefield
I am a hard fighting soldier, on the battlefield
I keep on bringin souls to Jesus
By the service that I give

I’ve got a helmet on my head, in my hand a sword and shield
I’ve got a helmet on my head, in my hand a sword and shield
I’ve got a helmet on my head, in my hand a sword and shield
I keep on bringin souls to Jesus
By the service that I give

You gotta walk right, talk right, sing right, pray right, on the battlefield
You gotta walk right, talk right, sing right, pray right, on the battlefield
You gotta walk right, talk right, sing right, pray right, on the battlefield
I keep on bringin souls to Jesus
By the service that I give

I am a hard fighting soldier, on the battlefield
I am a hard fighting soldier, on the battlefield
I am a hard fighting soldier, on the battlefield
I keep on bringin souls to Jesus
I keep bringin souls to Jesus
We keep bringin souls to Jesus
By the service that we give

Scriptural Reference:

"Put on the full armor of God." Ephesians 6:11
"With God we will gain the victory!" Psalm 60:12

The passion emmanating from these boys was overwhelming and extremely humbling. I'm certain the heavenly father was crying tears of joy as he watched the scene and blessed the team with a "well done, my good and faithful servants."

GO PCA LIONS, huh!
we are so grateful to be part of such an amazing school.

to mac or not to mac...

that is the question. well... my brand new lap top that you've read about in previous days, let's call her "Lemonhead", has gone back to the computer hospital in willow bend mall in the recesses of their IT department. it was with no small amount of aggravation that i discovered yet even more problems, for one, no sound... that required me to return to the scene with the aforementioned Lemonhead. As we are currently deep into Christmas card fever season, it could be potentially very debiiitating for me not to have a computer to edit photos and burn cds... all my non mac friends laugh an evil laugh of "i told you so" mixed with a little "you mac people", some just nod sympathetically... it's really pathetic...
i wonder what the lesson God has for me is in this? I'll let you know when I figure it out....

from disney to heaven

So... we had a great time at Disney. the smells and sounds were all familiar, but sweetened by the shared experience with our children. unlike me, the collins children enjoy the dressed up characters and were diligent to stand in line for autographs all over the park.
some highlights were when mom, dad, quint, jax and kavi stayed late at the magic kingdom and rode the thunder mountain roller coaster... when we ate kavi's birthday dinner at tony's (the Lady and the Tramp restaurant)... when Blaikie got down at the Bear and the Big blue house show... there are so many good memories, too many to count.
the aerosmith rockin' roller coaster was a bit intense, but daddy and quint got to ride on it twice.
grandmama and granddaddy were troopers the whole time and rode with us, took pictures of us, played with us... and made it home safely with us.

we had a sad detour to Birmingham for Mimi's funeral... but we are excited for her that she is in heaven now. she has missed her husband for 32 years and now she gets to be with him. her body had decided to quit working. Kavi asked, " why did Mimi have to die?" to which I replied, "Because Jesus was ready to have her with Him. It was time." Jackson said, "Oh, he must be done with her crown, you know, with the jewels and everything." "Yes, honey, that's probably it." Quint wanted to make sure I knew that she was going to be in heaven. He asked, "How do you know she'll be in heaven? Did you ask her? Did she know Jesus?" Fortunately I could tell him that yes, she knows Jesus, she asked him to be in her heart, and so she is in heaven with him now.... He's already started praying for Blaikie, since she hasn't had the opportunity yet to make the choice.

thought this was going to be short and pithy, but instead, it's humbly grateful... and thoughtful.

thanks for reading.

oh baby, i've got good news

davis james beard is home from the hospital. if you prayed for him, thank you. it means everything. his family has seen a "yes" from God and for this we are eternally grateful. hope you will be blessed for your part in the answer.

wonderful world of disney

so, the family is gearing up for a big amazing trip to walt disney world in orlando, fl. 20 hours each way... two vans... 4 kids... 4 adults... WOW! but, oh how i anticipate the memories we will create. as i excavated the disney site, and the corresponding "mommy" tips and links i began to get more and more excited. i can literally smell the place. i can feel the intensity of entering the crisp air of the monorail after sweltering on the loading dock. my senses are alive as i recall the feeling of standing in the first official kodak picture spot, looking over cinderella's castle, the ducks, the pond. my nostrils are literally flaring with the smells of the candy shop, ice cream shoppe, the tomorrow land restaurant... oh man, if these kids have half as much fun as i think they're going to have, they will be out of their minds. the bustle of the emporium as you pore over the souvenir options in a last minute rush to choose the best item. the intensity of actually getting concerned and tense in the line for the not so haunted mansion. knots in my stomach before boarding space mountain. singing along to the pirates... yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me... does it get any better than the magic of disney world? i love it. i can't wait to show those collins kids what it's all about. if anyone has any tips i might not have discovered in my google search... send them on.

the "not so hard" drive

Well... my nice big fancy new laptop... CRASH ah ah (sounds like Flash Gordon theme song)yes, folks, it got injured, injured bad.

would you believe that my new G4 is in the shop for 5-7 long days to get a new hard drive. it's abominable. why didn't i back up my files? why am i going to have to spend more time reshooting photos that were really great to begin with? not being prepared...

guess what this makes me think of... that's right, Christ. do i want to get caught off guard, or unprepared when He returns? am i storing up anything on my la cie external hard drive? there is no excuse not to. it's all spelled out for me so beautifully in my Bible, God's word to me.... I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against Him. that's my hard drive.

what are you storing up in yours?

peter peter pumpkin eater

...kids so cute you wanna eat her (and her and her and him)

wow! what fun the photo taking is, and this is definitely the season. as i gear up for christmas family portrait season... and hope for "client" i am reminded how blessed we are to have a Savior who loved us enough to die for us.... Makes life worthwhile.

truly grateful for each and every day... and that eternity is secure.

life with four kids is a festival

so, of course our kids went candy hopping last night... and adorable, they were
the sheer number of pieces of chocolate in our home are enough to put me into a sugar coma for weeks...
but, that's not the point. the point is we were able to keep up the tradition that was started four years ago. trick or treating with friends.
that leads me to a conversation about the importance of friends and how we can teach our children how important friends are...
hey, even Jesus had friends.

last night our church had a fall festival... let me share about that for a moment... because it certainly opened my eyes.
first of all, our church is diligent to be prayerful about everything... we walked the church in a prayer walk, we prayed allowed as a group, we were fortified by the prayers of pastors.... suffice it to say, I believe satan was bound from this place because of the prayers of God's people.
i watched ministers and volunteers toil tirelessly to ensure that every little kid had candy to eat, games to play and places to bounce their little heads off.
i saw sooo many people i did not know. the heart of the church is outreach and never is it more evident than the fall festival.
it reminded me of how when someone comes to your house and you either chat at the door, or you invite them in to play in your playroom, rest in your bedroom, eat at your table... after this you have an intimacy and commitment level to the relationship...
that's what prestonwood now has with all those from our community that donned the doors last night. what an honor to entertain the lost. what a privilege to represent Christ to those who've never even heard His name.
I have never been so proud to be a member of Prestonwood than I was on Oct. 31.

truly... wow

church softball isn't for wimps

as i watched my husband make stunning catch after stunning catch... and i myself, whiffed once and walked once... i was reminded again to be grateful for bodies that we can use. my team struggles, it seems, with staying pumped when we get down... and i am pretty sure they loathe my cheerful "hey guys.. it's a game" I hope they don't think i don't care, i'm just really really aware with "the big picture" right now.... but the lesson here for me is that sometimes, the "little picture" is important to others, so therefore needs to be taken seriously. i'll submit that my comments are all over the board right now, but i feel like i always need to have at least one clear point... hope this will do: life is good when you can watch your kids play together on the lawn and your husband tear it up on a ball field. i have no idea what the score was.

just say no ... i'll pray for you.

so, this week my kids are focusing on "just say no to drugs" in school. they have tied red ribbons, they have worn red shirts,
they have heard from their principal "just say no"... so, I wonder... will they? when it gets tough? when all the cool kids are doing it? when they are on their own, are they going to be able to really just say no? i think the parent's greatest tool is unquestionably prayer. nothing increases your prayerlife like a child... so, to all of us parents out there... be steadfast and longsuffering in our prayers, and ever watchful. if you ever see my kid on the verge of making the wrong choice, feel free to intervene. If i ever see your kid on the verge of making a bad choice, i promise you i will. we must all be ever vigilant as we protect our little people from the world around them.

perspective, baby

wow... so i'm thinking about life and how hard it is to be obedient, and diligent in growing my relationship with Christ, and i get an email from a friend who says "blog this! i'm in labor" she was six weeks early and her sac ruptured, fluid leaked, it was a mess, i tell ya... and they were concerned about infection.
sometime this afternoon davis james beard was born, weighing in at a hefty 5 lb. 7 oz. and infection free. the steroids they tried before birth didn't get the lungs quite ready for arrival so he is hanging out in an incubator while intubated in salt lake city... his parents are hopeful, but tired.
immediately, of course, i sent an email to my faithful praying friends... and then i thought about the honor and privilege that prayer is. this caused me to be a bit more aware of all the times even so far this morning, and afternoon of how many times i have prayed: praising him, asking him, thanking him, loving him. i hope that if you read this you will pray for baby davis, and you will remember to thank God for the privilege of coming to him.
I truly do not know what people do that do not have the freedom of life with Christ.

so, you say you're a stay at home mom

I guess the term stay-at-home-mom is about as oxymoronic as the 40-hour work week.
the more coined phrases i consider, the more i laugh aloud to myself...
but stay-at-home-mom might be the most absurd that i've ever heard...
there is essentially no such thing.
the SAH mom, we'll call her from now on, is never home. she fills up her gas tank 3 times a week, at least. she has changes of clothes for all seasons and all sizes in the back of her suv or minivan at all times. she is prepared at the drop of a hat to go... anywhere with anyone if it touches the life of her child. she spends virtually no time AT HOME, with the exception of the occasional day trip home to retrieve whatever may have been forgotten that morning in the mad dash to the carpool dropoff line...and then again at homework/dinner/bath time when she sweeps through the halls picking up various discarded debris littering the house in the form of dirty clothes, soccer cleats and portions of homework sheets.
the day winds down, she lovingly embraces the babies she guides through life, she kisses her husband with the passion of the newlywed years, and eventually becomes a true SAH mom... while she sleeps, until she wakes to start the whole stay-at-home thing all over again...
i think i'll go get ready for work....

blog? what's that?

in an effort to stay current... and able to communicate with the kids in our ministry... and in my home... i've decided to go "bloggy"

I will attempt to keep it interesting, honoring to God and family, and worth your time to read.

and away we go.....