Spring Break with my Children

Genesis 33:5-6

Esau looked up and saw the children.  "Who are these with you?"  he asked.   Jacob answered, "They are the children God has graciously given to me."

(If you cannot see the pictures, double click on the title of the blog.)

My children have been on spring break for the last 2 weeks!  This morning, they went back to school.   Sorry for my absence last week, but truly, I was spending time with "the children God has graciously given to me."

 Caroline, Demi, Dane and Will (niece and nephew in the middle) and a family friend posing in the middle!

The weather was so beautiful!  The first week, we went to a newly renovated park in Raleigh.  It was my favorite park as a child.

Then we went to the Dunkin Donuts near NC State University for a yummy treat!   

So sad State lost on Friday...

 My husband's sister's kids on the end:  Dane, Will, Caroline, and Demi

We went to a resort in Myrtle Beach, SC called Dunes Village Resort.  It was a huge indoor water park.  We brought along my nephew and niece.  The kids had a blast!  Tim and I loved sitting by the lazy river in the 80 degree sunshine!  What a treat.  

Putt-putt by the ocean!

Dane (dunking the ball) Will watching in the foreground.

Tim holding down Jake, our lab.  Payton, Caroline and Will

My kids had sleep-overs with their cousins.  Pictured here is Payton, my niece.  (Side note:  she is a total girly girl.  I love telling everyone she came from my end of the gene pool!) 

2 of my sister's children, Payton, Ashton, and Caroline

At the end of last week, my mom, sister and I took our children on a road trip - to Warsaw, NC.  It was the town where my mother grew up.  

The family homestead just recently sold and is set to close in April.  It's empty, so I wanted to visit one last time.  And I wanted to show my children part of their heritage.  It was a very emotional trip for me.

I have so many memories in this home.  It was a place that always represented unconditional love and acceptance, good food and sweet family memories.

In college, it was a retreat where I studied for exams, ate good food or cried from a broken heart on a shoulder that always understood. 

During Middle School, I spent weeks at a time here during the summers. 

My grandparents would take me swimming and golfing.  I would help "put up" vegetables that were grown in this HUGE garden my granddaddy kept. - Corn, butter beans, squash, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers... you name it - he had it.

 My grandfather was the Sheriff of Duplin County for 30 years.  Oh, the memories!  He would take my sister and I for rides in the squad car and allow us to turn on the siren!

He would take us to the jail and lock us up!  We loved it!

As I grew older, he would share some of his cases with me.  One that I recall was a murder case where the preacher was the killer.  Yep, "the preacher dun it."  

Incidentally, the victim ended up being one of our distant relatives.  Drama!

My granddaddy has been gone 9 years.  There are times I miss him so much that it hurts.  But I PRAISE GOD that one day - I WILL SEE HIM AGAIN.  He belonged to Jesus.  I asked to hear his testimony before his death - just to make sure - just to hear for myself that he had accepted Christ personally.  

Boy, I'm so glad I did.  The confident hope that we as believers have that we do not mourn as the rest of the world mourns.

I wanted my children to see where their great grandparents and their great-great grandparents lived and how they lived.  I wanted to show them where they are buried - in this nice, well-kept, small town cemetery.   I wanted them to hear about the death of their grandmother's sister - just 3 days after being born in 1949.  She too is buried here.

It was a day, that I pray, my children will never forget.  I know that I never will.

And finally,

One morning (the first week of our spring break) in my quiet time, God impressed upon my heart the necessity it to teach my children.  I spend so much time teaching others - I need to be careful that I'm not neglecting my own.  So last week, during the time that I normally post these blogs  - I spent the time with the children that God has graciously given me.

I began teaching them how to use this Journal along with their quiet time.  

 I wish I could say that it went beautifully - to be honest - they were irritated by it!  So was I!!!

But I'm doing it in obedience, KNOWING that God always blesses obedience!

Thanks for allowing me to share personally today.  Glad to be back with you!

Tomorrow:  

Video blog:  The Confession Section - 

Don't miss it!