A FIRST FOR NATTY

"For this child we have prayed, and the Lord has granted our petition which we asked of Him. Therefore we also have given her to the Lord; as long as she lives she shall be given to the Lord..." I Samuel 1:27-28


Natty has had a lot of "Firsts" in her life, but this truly was a special one. Natty had her very first violin recital today.




Many of you know that Natty started taking violin lessons last September. She is quickly approaching her first year of the violin. One of our friends from church, Lisa White, began teaching Natty the violin.




Lisa gave Natty a strong foundational start to the violin. After the birth of her second little one, Lisa needed to stop teaching at the end of April 2008. Emmy and Natty both took from Lisa and then continued their lessons with Mrs. Joan Mulfinger who is currently retired from Bob Jones University. Mrs. Mulfinger is the daughter of a violin child prodigy. Her father was from England and very gifted at the violin. Mrs. Mulfinger continued on her violin heritage with her 11 children, and they in turn have continued on to their generation with the gift of music. Mrs. Mulfinger has a completely different teaching style and structure than Lisa had, but Natty has a warm heart to learn any way that she can. By the Lord's grace, Natty has continued to progress in her violin playing.



Emmy and Natty both performed their selected violin pieces at Bob Jones University, Fine Arts Building Rm 224 on Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 10:00 AM. Natty is currently the youngest violin student who takes from Mrs. Mulfinger. It was indeed a treat to see Natty perform before some of the older students of Mrs. Mulfinger. Natty played two pieces, Allegro by Suzuki, and Long, Long Ago by Bayly. Emmy performed the Waltz by Johannes Brahms.

Courtney accompanied Natty and Emmy on the piano and did a fantastic job by following their playing style. You can feel so much more at ease when Courtney is at the piano :).

What a gift from the Lord our precious Natty girl is! Andrew and I's prayer is that she will continue to grow in her love for the Lord Jesus. Our desire is that her music will be given only to the Lord all the days of her life.


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This segment of Emmy's violin piece got cut off by a few seconds on Dropshots upload so Blogger video was the next best option. It's a little smaller, but you get to see the whole video. Enjoy!


A scanned copy of the front and back of the recital program. Feel free to click on the picture to make it a bigger size so that you can read the wording.

A WELCOME HOME GIFT

Andrew, the Girls, and I returned home from a week's vacation in Florida, on Sunday, June 22, 2008. This was the sight that awaited
our return in our very own front yard. The video clip below captures our first reaction. My words expressed to Andrew were, "Get me the camera!"

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Rubber That Meets The Road

LARGER THAN LIFE TIRES

GOES WITH EVERYTHING PINK TOILET...SAVES TIME INSTEAD OF HAVING TO GO INSIDE TO USE THE RESTROOM FACILITIES...ACCORDING TO OUR NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE STREET

COMES COMPLETE WITH DEAD FLOWERS...
FLOWERS ARE ALWAYS A NICE TOUCH

SUCH ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

When Standing Straight UP, This Tire Was Actually Taller Than Andrew!

Yes, I have to admit the GENIUS of the scheme...Paul Valentine, a "former" friend, who lives down the road from us. He had help though, and according to his wife, Cheryll, it wasn't her. Unfortunately she is married to the man and must bear the consequence of his "SINFUL" action. We have heard from a very reliable source and our neighbors that a Mr. John Everett was an accomplice to this heinous crime. His wife, Jennifer, was also involved with the knowledge of this...and merely laughed at the action of it and told a dear neighbor of mine not to do ANYTHING about it.

I am also told that there were several others involved in regards to this being that this Pink Toilet has passed around our church family. I am also aware that a friend, who I thought was our friend, Mrs. Dayna Ice, was very aware of the situation and did nothing to stop it. Hence Forth, I have also been informed that the ICE family has not been "TANKED" yet.

Several of our neighbors at least had the "decency" to welcome us home with questions, wonder, and anxiousness. We put their fears to ease by telling them that the perpetrators who did this would not go unpunished. We have selected a Bible Verse fitting for the Valentine Family:

Leviticus 24:19-20 NASV

If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him:
fracture for fracture,
eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him.


AND SO PAYBACK CONTINUES!

P.S. ANYONE INTERESTED IN
MONSTER TRUCK TIRES,
PICK UP IS FREE IN FOUNTAIN INN, SC

A Special Father's Day Treat

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Colossians 3:1-5
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is our life appears,
then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire,and covetousness, which is idolatry."

Our family has been memorizing Colossians 3 to be our family's theme Bible chapter for this year. Natty and Marie have caught on very quickly thanks to hand motions. It really helps them to remember and Mommy too. We wanted to post the first five verses as a special Father's Day treat for Popop in Illinois. We have been so busy this week that we were unable to get a package in the mail. We thought that this would say our love for you so much better than any package :)!

We love you Popop!
Have a Most Wonderful Father's Day!

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Little Mercy Rose is ONE

Philippians 1:9-11 "And this WE pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere
and without offense till the day of Christ.
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness,
which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

On Monday, May 19, 2008, our little Mercy Rose had her ONE YEAR OLD Birthday. What a joyful celebration we had looking back over the first 12 months (plus 40 weeks in the womb if we are being particular :) ) of her precious life. She is indeed a treasured gift from the Lord.


We started off Mercy's birthday with a Vacation Bible School Work Day at the Church. She played and crawled all around the gym, of which she loved. We then took her to Sonic for lunch with several of our friends from church. It was a beautiful day to be outside. She then took a very long nap which was good because it would be a late night for all of us. When Daddy and Papa got off of work, we headed to Gatti Town where they have a Merry Go Round and lots of games you can play. Mercy enjoyed every minute of her birthday of which you can see for yourself by the videos and pictures. Mercy was a delight to us all. She was readily available to open her presents. She had a little help from her sisters, Natty and Marie, but seemed to catch on rather quickly. She loved her pizza supper and birthday cake. She especially enjoyed riding the carousal, and we loved riding it with her. How we cherish these precious times we have with our little Mercy. The Lord's "Mercies" are definitely "NEW" every morning.


As for Mercy, she doesn't have any teeth just yet...nothing feels to be cutting through either. She can "GUM" just about any type of food. She loves to EAT! She isn't walking or really trying to make any attempts to. She crawls at the speed of light, however, and she likes to stand up on her own. Mercy may be ONE, but she is still OUR Little BABY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MERCY ROSE! WE LOVE YOU!



Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo BooksOPENING THE BIG PRESENT

BLOW OUT THE CANDLE!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo BooksYUM! YUM!
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RIDE THE CAROUSAL
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AROUND AND AROUND
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THE BABIES

Psalm 100:5
"For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations."

The girls have been affectionately termed "THE BABIES" by Papa, Mama, Coco, and Emmy. I have been running slack on my blog updates, so we thought some smiles could be brought your way with a few of the latest pictures of "THE BABIES."

Yesterday, Natty surprised me by coming around the corner with Mercy sitting in a Little Tikes Grocery Buggy. She had picked her up and put her in the buggy all by herself. You'd be amazed where Mercy has been hauled to and in by her sisters. Mercy, of course, was squealing with delight. Natty pushed her in that buggy all around the house...and she LIVED!! What a precious blessing these little girls bring to our house each and every day. You can't help but love them...despite the messes they make. I probably should have been born with my back in the down right position...leaning over to pick up toys. It would have been more useful that way :).

On another note, we are off to pick up our dear COCO in just a few days. We are bringing her home from college in Wisconsin. She has finished her first year in college! JUST the girls are going...Mama, Myself, Emmy, Natty, Marie, and Mercy. The men folk are staying home to work and Andrew has his exams to take at Bob Jones. We are drawing closer to Andrew's graduation time with another semester coming to a close. What a DAY that will be for my beloved husband! As for the Wisconsin trip, we plan to stop in the Chicago area for a day to spend some time with Popop and Gumma-Gum (Andrew's Parents). We should arrive in Wisconsin on Tuesday to help Coco pack up her dorm room and bring her HOME!!! YARD SALES and PAR-TAY HERE WE COME!!! COCO is our number one Yard Saler and she loves the word, "PAR-TAY!"

How Good the Lord has been to help Courtney finish well in her first year. Lord willing, we will be home on Thursday to post some pictures of the adventures we have along the way. We look forward to what God has in store for each of us this summer. May we ALL be used by HIM in a MIGHTY WAY!





A SHORT VIDEO ENTITLED:
NATTY'S "GROCERY" SHOPPING FIND

HE IS RISEN

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here:
for He is Risen, as He said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

Have A Blessed Easter Remembering
Our Savior's Resurrection.

Thirty Means Respectability

PSALM 139:13-14 "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb (NASV). I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well (KJV)."

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY ANDREW AND BEN

This was indeed a birthday to remember! My dear friend, April, and I planned a surprise birthday getaway for our husbands to the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. Ben was to turn thirty on March 17th and Andrew on the 19th. We wanted to make it extra special and I believe we did!

April and I had been working on our plan for several months. We had initially thought to take them skiing, but the skiing season was coming to an end and the thought of being frozen in the snow was not appealing to either of us :(. We then began to discuss plans for visiting the Biltmore House. This was a much better option. Andrew had never been so it made it all the more worth while.

Every thing was perfectly thought out, but we were in the making for our own surprise when Ben was whisked off to San Diego on an unexpected business trip. This was very disheartening especially since April and I had already booked the hotel. We left it in the Lord's hands knowing that His way and thoughts are better than our own. April had to tell Ben that we had a surprise planned for his birthday, but she didn't say what. This did help to move things along in San Diego and Ben's boss allowed for him to come home right on time. Isn't God Good!

On Thursday night, March 13, April and I took our wonderful birthday men to a fantastic restaurant. Andrew and I had yet to go to this one. It was called the Melting Pot. It was a little pricey, but worth the fun and experience of tasting what we called..."FUN"DUE or the proper word, Fondue. Andrew was excited because he only believed us to be going out to eat with our friends for his birthday. Boy, was he in for a surprise...especially when we got in the car and kept driving instead of heading home. He was even more surprised when we pulled up to the hotel and I told him that we were staying until Saturday. It was a look that I will always have pasted on my memory. The confused, shocked, unbelievable look best fits the description. Ben did a great job in not giving anything away even though he knew we were going somewhere, but wasn't for sure where. He kept it a surprise for Andrew, and I truly thank him for it.




On Friday morning, we headed off for the Biltmore House and ate one of the best meals for lunch I have ever had. It was at the Deerpark Restaurant which was surrounded by glass windows, hanging vines, white colored lights, linen table cloths, a succulent buffet of wonderful food and fabulous desserts. Of course we were spoiled because we had no children to attend to. Thanks to Papa, Mama, Coco, Emmy, Granddaddy, and Nana for watching all the children while we were away.


We then continued on with our tour of the Biltmore House along with a special behind the scenes tour. After our adventures there, we headed back to the hotel for a night of fun, food, and fellowship. We brought Dairy Queen back for supper and Ben set up his two laptops along with Andrew's, so we could play 3 way Tetris. He beat all of us of course...several times. Just being together as friends and laughing together was a blessed time given to us by the Lord. He even gave us a great time of sharing devotions together around our FREE continental breakfast. What a treasure to have such wonderful and godly friends!


The next morning, April and I put our second surprise plan for our birthday boys into action. We went thrift store shopping around the Asheville area to deter the guys until about 3:30 or so. We had to be back to Papa and Mama's house by 5:30 because we had a surprise party with some of our friends waiting there for them. While we were out, we went to a great restaurant in Black Mountain, North Carolina, called Dr. Peppers. It had loads of Dr. Pepper memorabilia and good food...of course, we HAD to get a Dr. Pepper to drink while we were there.



April of course hit it big in the thrift stores. She found several board games that sell for pretty high on eBay. They might even cover the expense of the trip. I did not do so bad myself. My favorite item purchased on the trip though was something that cost me $3.00. It was a toy type penny whistle or tin whistle. Since I have been home, I have been playing every song I can think of on it. I told Andrew I wanted a real one when MY birthday comes around :).

Yes, April and I pulled off the birthday surprises. When we arrived back home, the guys could not believe that there was more in store for them. We had prepared a game show taken off from the Price is Right entitled the AGE is Right. We had to whip it together somewhat quickly, but it turned out pretty well.

We could not have done it without all the help of our friends and family. Thanks for your prayers, encouragement, gifts of sacrifice, time, and love. You indeed made a birthday or birthdays worth remembering.

I know April will concur with me on this when I say that I am so thankful for a humble and godly husband. What a special privilege I have to be married to my best friend. Happy Birthday to you, my wonderful Andrew...and April says the same for her Ben.

By the way, if you are wondering about the title, it's all about Andrew. Andrew is always saying, "I can't wait until I am thirty. It means people respect you more."
WELL, we shall see about that one! Hee Hee Hee!

We have a lot more pictures to post, but April and I have to sort through them all first. We want to leave no room for black mail! HA HA!
So keep checking back on this birthday blog!

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