Family, Friends....and the Loss of an Acquaintance

The Little "Emers"...

So I've spent the last few days in Waco babysitting my little two year old niece.....my sister, having just kept my own daughter for a few days, left me with 5 pages of hand-written notes about schedules, feeding, food ideas, entertainment ideas, directions (knowing me oh-so-well, all her directions started out with "go towards Target" or "go the opposite direction of Target").

Was she nervous? Not at all. In true Angela form, making sure everything was taken care of was her way of making my stay easier. BUT.....she didn't have a clue that while she was away....these cats would play!

I gave her fun things to play with....like a spoon.

I let her hug on perfect strangers as we rode the terror train ride.

I made her dress up like a tiger and forced her to do the "YMCA"

......no, seriously, she was a little angel and Grace got to experience what it's going to be like having a little sister or brother around. There was many a moments of me saying, "Grace, see? Having a little sister or brother is going to be a lot different than having your baby dolls," after she complained of Emerie messing with her stuff. I feel I'll have that conversation many times in the near future!

We did have a great time in Waco, and aside from me having to get used to buckling two kids in car seats, it was actually easier sometimes having two children around....Grace was always entertained, by someone other than me! How encouraging!

But a real blessing out of the week came from getting to have some 'hang out' time with a new friend, Keri and her family, who were visiting their own family in Waco, too. Part of my title had to do with the "loss of an acquaintance" (thank you spell check!). I say that, because I have "known" Keri for quite a while. We've gone to the same church for 5+ years and said our weekly "hello's" for 5+ years, but it was just this summer that we started to actually hang out together with our kiddos and ....like I said, it's so nice to lose an acquaintance and make a friend. She's a pretty down to earth gal with great kids, and well, it's nice to know that friendships still can be made even from behind those "niceties" we like to hide behind. I hope we all can think of at least one person who we can lose as an acquaintance! (BTW....that was Keri's daughter, not some random stranger, in the picture with Emers!). Here's a couple more pics from Waco.

Grace and Colton, flying high!

Grace, trying to convince me to enroll her in ballet....

Bible Journey: Genesis 18:1-Genesis 21:1
Oh, Sarah! How I've done exactly what you've done....just worse, and many times more. I was literally sighing to myself when I read the part where Sarah, after just hearing the Lord tell her and Abraham that at their old age they would be having a son, she scoffed at the thought. Then the Lord said, (this is great!), "Why did Sarah laugh....Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen 18:13) to which Sarah denied laughing. The Lord then said, "No, but you did laugh." (Gen 18:15).
It made me think....and remember...how many times I've denied my thoughts to the Lord. No, Lord, I didn't think that when I first saw that woman. No, Lord....I didn't secretly envy what she had!....No, Lord, I wasn't jealous!.....No, Lord....oh, the list could go on, and on, and on!
I love that the Lord didn't have some huge theological, cranial response. He just simply said, "No, but you did....".
He convicts us rather convincingly....doesn't he?