First Day of School

grumpy & happy ready for school

Monday was our first day of school for Sarah Mae and Samuel. Sarah Mae started 1st grade and Samuel started Pre-School. We were very blessed this year:
Sarah Mae's teacher from last year moved to first grade and we get to have her for another year! We LOVE Mrs.C, she is a perfect fit for Sarah Mae. AND, school starts at 8:30am this year,(instead of 7:50am!!) which is soooo nice.
Samuel got in the pre-school class at Sarah Mae's school. This was a big deal because there is always a waiting list for their pre-school. I was unsure whether or not I wanted to send him to pre-k, but so far so good. He is not big on getting up early every morning but once he gets there, he loves it!! Tuesday, when I woke Samuel up to get ready, he said "aww mom, do I have to go to school again!" So cute.

Its been a busy week and I have my work cut out for me. We are going to have a great year!

sarah mae's backpack is bigger than she is

samuel wanted to be the leader

thumbs up means he's happy

mommy did not want to leave her boy

we love mrs.c

1st grade means no more tables, now its a desk for the big girl

my sweet girl

so glad daddy could come with us

tator tot is going to miss big sister and big brother

Platform

Ryan Hall - Beijing Olympics 2008, Men's Marathon

Galatians 6:4-5 – The Message
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

I am not sure how much you followed the Olympics this year, but I watched it quite a bit and I am amazed at the discipline of the athletes. Pictured above is Ryan Hall. He is the man! He is an incredible athlete and runner but most importantly he is a follower of Jesus Christ. He uses his platform of running to share the gospel. I love that! I recently read an article about him in Runner's World and I was so impressed. He said his bible was not there to collect dust, but a book he read daily with pen marks and notes to make an application to his life. There is also a video on God Tube (kind of like You Tube) explaining how his running glorifies God. He said he is using his gifts to make an eternal impact. This is where the verse from Galatians comes in. What are we doing with the gifts we have been given? What am I doing with the gifts I have been given? Ok, I admit it, sometimes I feel like my only gifts are changing diapers, doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen (AGAIN!!!), making numerous trips to Publix and baking pumpkin bread Sarah Mae's teacher. However, I know I can glorify God with anything and everything I do. I am a runner myself, but I am not Ryan Hall material. He can run a full marathon faster than I can run a half. However, I can still make an impact. Now right now I am not able to run as much due to a lovely sciatica pain that radiates from my backside (which is growing bigger everyday) all the way down my leg to my feet. My first choice is to whine and complain and be depressed. However, I know this will not do me any good. So, what will I do with this set back? Learn a creative way to cross-train and be thankful I still have two legs that function properly!! I have been so inspired by Ryan Hall's story in the way he glorifies God with his talents and uses his platform to share Jesus. While I may never be an elite runner, speaker to thousands or famous anything, I can impact my little tribe right here at the Beasley house. I would love to do one day go on another foreign mission trip. But, for right now I can minister to my neighbor across the street who is from India. I can share Jesus with my Russian friend at the bus stop. Its up to me what I do with my "platform." And while the seasons of my life will change,so will my platforms.
Lets cultivate our talents and use them to glorify God!

Red Shirt

Psalm 17:8 "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings"

If you are a fan of football at all you may know that while the team is practicing the quarterback wears a red jersey. Everyone else wears their team jersey. The idea is that the quarterback stand out. The other players are not allowed to touch him. They do not want him to get hurt. He is in the game. He still needs to practice but cannot risk getting injured. I thought of a great parallel for our christian life. We want to be better Christians. We want to be women of God, love our husbands, and raise our kids to love and serve Jesus. But we cannot do this by sitting on the side lines. We cannot improve if we do not practice. Sure, its easy to sit in your comfortable chair at home, with your bible, a great cup of coffee, a QUIET house and just enjoy one on one time with your Heavenly Father. But, we all know that we cannot stay there forever. There is work to be done. We have responsibilities. We have to get in the game. So, how does the red shirt play into this scenario? We are practicing, we are in the game, BUT we are protected!!! God is our protector. Sure we might get knocked down once in awhile. But, our overall well being is secure in our relationship with Jesus Christ. If we know Jesus as our Savior He is in charge of our life and will make sure we are taken care of. There are so many things coming at us. We have to practice or we will never improve. We have to be tested or we will not grow. Lets put on our red shirts and know that Jesus is our protector. Its time to get in the game!
I better get in the game and do some laundry!!!

Lost a tooth

 

Last Tuesday we were at the pool and Sarah Mae's front tooth was very loose and producing lots of blood. I gently pulled and out came the tooth. She cried. She was scared. Then when we assured her that the tooth fairy would come visit and she calmed down. So, the tooth went under her pillow that night. She wanted all the details on how the tooth fairy would enter the house, get in her room, could she fly, how does she fly, does she have a key to the house, will she wake me up when she leaves my money... She has already lost two other teeth. We tried to do the tooth fairy thing then but the idea scared her so we told her the tooth fairy was not real and that mommy and daddy put the money there. What a bummer. So this go around we were careful what we said. Her final response was... "mommy I know the tooth fairy is not real, that you put the money there, but we won't tell anyone because we don't want to ruin it for other kids."
She is so considerate. So, the next morning when she awoke there was $2 under her pillow. We then headed to our favorite store, Target and got a prize. Since that day she has made sure EVERYONE in North East Florida knows about her tooth.