NEW PUPPY

This is Aiden with Snow Ball. lol, Actually we had a white dog we called snow ball, so he calls this one snow ball too so we decided that was her name.

Children are so much fun, I should open up a daycare!!

LAUGHTER

Laughter is an audible expression or appearance of merriment or happiness or an inward feeling of joy and pleasure (laughing on the inside.)

The other day I took my two year old grandson over to mow the lawn on the riding lawn mower. I was just talking to him and telling him things and once in awhile I would holler yippee yi yeah if we hit a bump on something. The funny thing about it is how he would laugh, his little stomach was just bouncing from laughter and it made me laugh so he would laugh even harder!! It is so wonderful having a grandson.

I taught him to tell his mother this phrase...Huggin, Lovin, Laughin and Kissin is what you get at Gramma's house, We bake cookies, watch cartoons, and relax at gramma's house. It's the place to go to have fun!!! lol, it takes him a little coachin to get it all out but he will say it. I taught him to say a prayer at dinner the other night. He has been holding our hands, bowing his head and squeezing his eyes closed since he was a year old, but now he can say, Dear Jesus, Thanks for the food and bless it, Amen!!!

I think this is the most I have laughed and the most fun I have had in my whole life.

Children are So Impressionable!!

Here are my twin nephews, their names are Caden and Bladen, they are five years old and in between them is Aiden my grandson who is two years old.

Elijah Malachi Robles

Here is my three week old grandbaby! He is such an expressionist already!

Two Years Old

My grandson Aiden Skylar Thompson is 2 1/2 years old. He is just one of the many blessings God has given me.

QUIET TIMES

Recently I have been going thru the book of Genesis really slow. I have really been getting alot from it. The first thing I got from Genesis 1 in the first chapter, is every human is a special being. I mean we were created by the Master, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, that is pretty amazing and the second thing was that every human is a spiritual being, God breathed His spirit, His life into us. Just the fact that God singled out man and created Him with His own hands and gave Him special care shows us there is a vast difference between us and all the animals he created.

Then onto Chapter 2 we see the very first surgery. God took a rib from man and made a woman, then we see a marriage made in paradise. The very first wedding and God teaching man his first responsibility, his view of what a man and woman's relationship is. Here God shows man a three step process, to leave, to cleave and to become one.

Then in Chapter 3 we see man's greatest tragedy, but in the midst of this tragedy, we see man's greatest hope. He disobeys God, he plays the blame game, blaming the woman for his problems. God wanted Adam to admit his sin, instead he made excuses.

I am already into Chapter 18 and I have gotten some simple revelations this time that have really stuck with me. I have read Genesis many times, but this time, I am taking it slow, slow, slow. I want God to show me something, to speak to my heart. I want to know Him more, so I thought maybe I would start at the beginning.

The Paradox

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller building, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We learn how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inter space; we've cleaned up the air' but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of tall men and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.

It is a time when there is much in the show windows and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference or you can forward it.
~Author Unknown~

Collateral Damage

My nephew, Jimmy Del Aker hung himself this past week. I got the call from my sister, he was hanging from a tree in her backyard, she was screaming pray Dana, pray!! She was out of control.

Oh God, why?

If I had known he was this depressed I would have asked him if he wanted to stay with us for awhile and just get away. Jimmy was always a loving child, he was one of four of my sisters children. He left behind four boys, ages 17, 15, 13 and 10. I had talked to him alot this past month. I wish I would have reached out to him, I wish I would have had some idea what he was thinking, what he was going through.

Jimmy was the primary victim here, however it feels as if a bomb has went off in our family, the collateral damage is massive. There are numerous casualties. We are all changed. I still feel like I will wake up from this nightmare. I can't believe it.

Fitness for Life

I have been posting lately about letting go. So I have identified now three areas of stress in my life and now I am going about eliminating them. I mean some can't be elimanated completely, but they can be toned down alot. I have realized stress can be managed if it is identified and the cause is evaluated.

I think I sound like a shrink to me. Just jokin, but really I have been looking at the four major areas of my life, for instance, mentally, physically, spiritually and financially. I am evaluating those areas and I am making changes. I am looking at each deeply and being honest with me about things I can change, things I need to change and things I must change.

So mentally, what is it that I spend most of my day thinking about and why? What can I do to have a better thought life, better thought control, we concern ourselves with controlling our actions but what about our thoughts? Thoughts lead to actions. The bible says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."

Then there is the physical. I am taking better care of myself. Exercising, eating better and less, taking vitamins, drinking water, just breathing in and out. Sitting by the lake, taking it in, deep breathing, it's all good!.

Spiritual. Feeding my spirit on the Word, but really digging deep, looking intently in the Word, asking God to change me from the inside out, show me who I really am. Looking into the Ten Commandments, Do I love the Lord with all my heart? Is there anything that is keeping me from the feet of Jesus? What is it that takes my time? and so on..........I am not being legalistic, just evaluating, analyzing....

Financial...I am taking a series of financial classes and I have been amazed at what I have learned. I can see so much waste in my finances. I thought I was pretty conservative but there are things I do that I have to stop.

So this is my fitness test, my life fitness. How are you doing?