The gift of July

It's been a full month and a surprisingly perfect balance of rest and busyness, being social and keeping to ourselves, procrastinating and actually getting stuff done. 

It's been a luxurious month and when I say that I don't mean that I have flown around the world, eaten the most expensive foods, or spent a bunch of money on clothes or what have you. I mean that I fully recognize this gift of staying home with my children and I fully take pleasure in getting to do what we get to do; staying up late, waking up late, eating toast and eggs together while reading a Bible devotion or the next chapter in our read aloud, jumping on the trampoline, splashing in the water, gardening, cleaning, having a garage sale, hanging out with friends, and the list goes on and on. 

My reading slowed way down this month. I have only read 1.4 books! I started a couple but couldn't get into them. I have found that July has been a month of hands on enjoyment of this beautiful earth. I didn't want to read. I have wanted to experience and explore, to get my hands dirty and get down on the floor with my kids and tickle and play. I needed to put together a garage sale in hopes of making a few bucks and getting rid of some things we no longer need. I enjoyed some much needed time with friends to just talk and live it up! We traveled just a bit to see family and celebrate freedom. Yes,  July has been luxurious! And I am so very thankful for it all.  

And on this last day of this wonderful month, we find out we have some people interested in renting our house. That's some exciting news for our little family but with that news comes a realization that a bunch of stuff has to happen within a very short amount of time. 

So farewell my luxurious and fun July and hello to you, my adventurous August! 

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Last week I wanted to focus on Grace turning 10 so I didn't post any of the boys. This week is nothing especially fancy photo wise, but as a Mama, these photos are precious to me.

Enjoying the summer in all it's fullness:

Weekend pondering - waiting for hope

Strive to be one of the few people who walk this earth with the ever present realization - every morning, noon, and night - that the unknown that people call heaven is directly behind those things that are visible. 
   
                                           - Streams in the Desert ~ July 26

The whole, short devotion is wonderfully encouraging. 

Here's another excerpt:

"Dear Lord, You have made waiting beautiful and patience divine. You have taught us that Your will should be accepted, simply because it is Your will. You have revealed to us that a person may see nothing but sorrow in his cup yet still be willing to drink it because of a conviction that Your eyes see further than his own." 

Is that not beautiful and oh so true, if we could but swallow it? 

Swallow the truth of accepting His will because that's what we believe right? That He is God and a good God. That He actually has a will and we are not just going from one thing to the next for no good reason. That even though there is sorrow, there also is peace and joy walking with God, who cares for each one of us more than we are able to comprehend. That He sees it all and all at once! He is God and has not the constrictions we have! 

Do you see the hope or is it hiding behind the visible? 

Look up! He is there! Ready to help! Ready to give peace and comfort to your soul! 

Happy Saturday. May you be dwelling upon the vastness of the Lord this last weekend of July.

Double digits.... whaaaaaa?

Our first born and only daughter Grace, AKA Katelyn, AKA Sister, has turned 10! 

We had a fun swimming party last week and some friends over for pizza and cake. 

I have wanted to take some pictures celebrating her big birthday (ten is a big one to me!), but hadn't made much time until I snapped these this afternoon. I bought a 20x28 inch black foam board while doing errands this morning and put it to use straight away. 

Loving the black background and LOVING this girl even more! 

She's silly and sweet and outdoorsy. She's a softy for her baby brother, a hard worker, and big dreamer. She's the spitting image of her Daddy, generous like her mama, and a bit ornery too! She also does not wear glasses! These have no glass in them! 

This is our daughter in a nutshell of a blog post. We sure are blessed to have her in our lives! 

Happy 10th birthday dear daughter! May the next 10 years be full of love, joy, growth, and more love. 

You will be jolly

Micheal comes home happy pretty much always (one of the many reasons I love the man!), but tonight I could tell a load had been lifted. 

He was at the bread depot after a long days work and one of the guys he works with told him to not even bother putting his truck up for sale, he would buy it.    !!!!!!!  

This has been one of the harder things we have been trying to figure out. He needs the truck until his last day of delivering, but we can't afford it after we sell the business, nor do we want a vehicle payment in general, but there won't be any more than a week to try and sell it before we move. What to do? What to do? 

He came home and told us all the news and we couldn't help but send praises up to God and thank Him for this small (but really big!) miracle! With the kids looking at us with huge smiles, we shared with them the joy of praising God when He does the unexpected, the amazing, the miraculous. 

"Every day you will see things and you have the choice to give praise to whom it is due, or not be moved and think it no big matter. But the more you see and realize that God is moving and working things out all the time and always making the sun rise and set, always giving us air to breathe, always making beautiful things, you will be jolly!" 

We both feel completely over our heads with this life. We don't have all the answers. We don't have all the money. We don't have all the connections. 

But we have life, because of Christ. We have the answers we need when we need them because of our God. We have all the money we need when we need it and not a moment before then, because of the provision of our Lord. We have all the connections we need, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. 

So we rest and know that all things will work out, in His timing and in His way. 

And we rejoice when God moves in our lives! 

How fun is it to live this life with Jesus?!! 

It's the best kind of fun I know!

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What we have done this week is what Summer is all about; 

swimming, parties, cold drinks, relaxing, sun kissed hair and eyelashes, exhaustion from too much fun.

We are thoroughly enjoying each and every day and while we may not be getting much done, we are soaking in the lazy days. Soon enough we will be back to a schedule and busy with books and chores. 

Seeing my kids smile and explore, try news things and getting better at what they already know is like a blind woman getting sight.

It's all exciting! 

Plot twist!

Four years ago Micheal sent a messenger hawk up to his Uncle's house carrying his resume, asking for a job. 

All these years, it has been circling up in the sky above their house and just a few weeks ago, it landed. 

Just about that time I was praying and telling God that things seem to be going quite well and that there really wasn't anything as of late that had tested my faith. You know, just having an honest conversation with my Maker. 

Hehe. I think God says, "Hehe." Yep, pretty sure He does. 

So here we are living in the desert, totally content - but let's continue with the honesty- always open for adventure, so long as God leads the journey and BAM! God opens up a new avenue. 

We started praying. Then the excitement mixed with doubt came. Then things started working out, one by one, and here we are; planning on moving to Garden Valley in September.  

Micheal will be going through a 4 year apprentice program to become an electrician while working with his Uncle. We are selling the bread business, selling our vehicles and the trailer, renting our house and renting/buying a teeny, tiny cabin in the woods. 970 square feet tiny. :) 

That's the short of it and we sure would appreciate your prayers for this upcoming change of pace for Team Thompson. 

Our new view. So long, desert! 

The long of it, if you choose to continue reading, is this:

Over a year ago we went to a couple's retreat and it was a really nice time together. What we came away with from our weekend getaway was that we just needed more time together. You see, Micheal goes to bed early and I stay up late. Our schedules are opposite and we don't have time for just the two of us. As a family it's wonderful but date night, even a stay at home date night, is basically never happening. That is just not okay. 

Add to that the amount of hours Micheal works and it just doesn't add up to a good quality of life for him. Now I know a lot of people work a lot of hours, but that is not our goal in life. We like to keep things simple and we value family over things. 

So obviously Micheal will be very busy with work and school a couple nights a week, but we should still have more time together and in the long run we feel like this is a great opportunity for our family. 

Bonuses are that we will be WAY closer to family, we get to live in a place that is GREEN, and we get the challenge and honor of trusting Christ with all things. Not that we technically haven't been doing that, but we were pretty comfortable if you know what I mean. This will be a lovely (and trying time) of growth, obedience and surrender to our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Down side is we love our church and the friends we have made and Micheal's Dad and Grandma live here so we will be missing all the wonderful people that make our life so grand here in southern Idaho. 

Specific prayer requests:

* To find a good, long term renter for our house.  
* To be able to buy the cabin in Garden Valley in a few months. 
* That Micheal would do well with school and the new line of work. 
* That the truck, van, trailer and random house things would sell. 
* That the business would sell and not take longer than a couple of months. 

God has us all in His hands and we are placing all our trust in Him. If all this doesn't work out, we take that as a hint that Christ has other plans for us and we are good with that.  
If He does work this all out, then we look forward to the years ahead in a mountainous country with long winters and slow summers. 

Commit your works to the LORD, 
    and your thoughts will be established. Proverbs 16:3

Commit your way to the LORD, 
   Trust also in Him,
     And He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5

And so we commit. 

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My four lovies. 'nough said. 

26/52

Big brothers share this week's photo and little brother gets two. Family unit working together to get the job done! ;) 

The year is half over. Just sayin'.