Fair Fun!

Recently our family got to go to our annual fair! We had the best time! Thankfully, a friend told us how to get our children in and the rides would be for free! We have lived here for four years now but just found out this: If your children show three exhibits in the fair they get to get a ride wristband and ride all the rides for free!!! This is very important info that I am glad we found out this year! It is normally very expensive to go to the fair! In fact, we have always just avoided going because it is so expensive! My three kids really enjoyed making things though to put in the fair. Kyndal actually won third place in a picture that she put in the photography exhibit. Kaitlyn won third in a photography exhibit of birds. We were so proud of them! I can't wait until next year! Here are a few photos I snapped of all the fun!

The kids with the Q99 bear!

Hilton and Kyndal getting ready to be dropped!

I love Caleb's face in the background here! He loved every ride he was allowed to get on!

We all rode the ferris wheel and when we got to the top I snapped a pic of the view from where we lived! Ahh, beautiful scenery!

Kaitlyn riding the carousel! Is there anyway to stop her from growing up so fast??

Kaitlyn met up with two of her friends to go ride the rides together!

I have been definetly shown in the past few months just how blessed I am. I am reminded often just how short and precious life is. Our family has a very busy life, but I realized that some of the busyness is not important! I am in the process of eliminating the not so important things of life. The things that take up our precious time! I am replacing them with things that are important! I want to make memories every day with my family. One day when my kids look back at thier childhood I want them to be able to say that they remember me and thier dad always being there for them! I don't want to be remembered for having a clean house, or always being too busy for my children. My first mission field that God has called me to is to be a godly wife and then a mother. Sometimes as a mom we tend to think that we are "just stuck at home" and not out in the world winning souls to Christ. But, I realized a long time ago that praying for my husband and keeping the day to day activites of the house in order, that I am serving the Lord. It is frustrating to do chores, laundry, grocery shop, etc..but one day I heard a devotional that instead of being frustrated about having to mop the floor AGAIN, then start praising God for the floor you are mopping! I know it sounds funny, but we really are truly blessed! We are to do everything for the glory of the Lord. Laundry in my house is neverending! It can be so time consuming. Here recently when I am folding the laundry I say a little prayer for that person. Example, if I am folding Kaitlyn's shirt then I pray something for her that I know she needs prayer about or praise God for what joy she brings to the family. I promise you will see a different way of doing laundry.

Then I was so convicted one day about my true mission field! I was feeling down when my childrern were younger, and I guess having a pity party because I felt like I wasn't out there in the world doing "work" for the Lord. I wasn't visiting the sick, or delivering meals. I was at home! I was at home changing diapers, making meals, nursing a baby, pottty training, wiping noses! But then, I realized that there is a season for everything! That there would be a season where I could go out and visit, deliver food to the hungry....BUT...my first mission field are to my three little children. We are to train them up in the Lord. Just wanted to encourage the moms who feel like they don't have a purpose! You do...your children need you, because noone else is responsible to tell them about God and his love story to us...not thier sunday school teacher, the pastor, grandma or grandaddy... But as a mother or father we are the ones who are to tell them and encourage them to enter a relationship with our Creator!