every captive thought

I guess to get caught up for over a year of slacking, I'll start at Christmas and work back.  All of our family was in town for Christmas which is a greater joy than anything else.  I treasure our time together.  We all attended church on Sunday.  That is one of my very favorite things.  There really is nothing like having every member of my family sitting on the pew together.  We have a new family member this year!  Wesley (far right) is Madison's husband of 6 months.  The kids are head over heels in love with him too. Every year my Dad used to get out his Santa hat at Christmas and wear it.  In honor of his wonderful sense of humor and sense of fun, we've started taking a picture with all of us wearing a Santa hat.  Mom is wearing his hat in this picture.  Oh how we miss him and his presence...every second of every day. And the other tradition we started last year is the Epic Nerf Gun Battle.  Last year my boys got n...

"Box Day" is like a homeschoolers Christmas.  It is the day when all of the new curriculum arrives and we get to open it up and see what exciting, wonderful things we get to learn this school year.  That day was today!!!  We basically attacked the poor FedEx guy when he pulled up.  We start school Monday and we are all so excited!

Daddy would've been 74 on August 25, 2018.  We commemorated the day by planting a tree for him and having his favorite meal.

Since I posted last, we had a sad last Christmas with Daddy, moved into a new home, lost my precious Daddy, lost my aunt, had cancer scares, a major wreck, a wonderful summer vacation, lost fair-weather friends, experienced deepened friendships, celebrated my grandmother's 100th birthday, and welcomed a new sweet puppy into our lives.  Through it all the grief we've experienced has been overwhelming and suffocating and almost more than we can stand.  I wish I could say that I had handled Daddy's passing graciously and that it was a faith-strengthening experience but I didn't, and it wasn't.  It has been the hardest thing I've ever gone through.  It is now 5 months later and there are days when I feel like I might just survive this and other days when I know for sure I won't.  I WILL trust the Lord through this process though.  I have to. What other choice is there? I just miss him and it hangs a dark cloud over every day.  If I don't keep my mind busy,...