My First Pony...

...tail! I just pulled Viviane's hair up in a ponytail for the first time today! It wasn't easy, but we both made it through the trial. I can already tell that Mommy is going to have to develop better hairdressing skills or Viviane will always look like a character from the Flintstones (I'm showing my cartoon ignorance here...can't remember the character's name, but I know she had a ponytail sticking straight up off the top of her head.) Top of her head or not, straight or crooked, isn't she a cutey-pa-tooty?!

Refined by Trial

I'm still reading War of Words by Paul David Tripp, and I still highly recommend it. Among many other things, God has been revealing to me that my heart desires a life of ease, and He has been graciously showing me that that kind of life is not what He has called me to as His child (for which I am very grateful). Along those lines, the following quotation jumped out at me this morning and caused me to rejoice at the possibility of facing life's trials with joy from our great God.

We will be refined by trial. Life is not a resort, but a bumpy pathway that leads to conformity to Christ. We can face the bumps with genuine joy, knowing that every bump was placed in our path by a loving heavenly Father for our redemptive good (p. 97).

May the possibility of facing trials with joy become a reality in our lives.

Cousins

Viviane really enjoyed spending time with her cousins Ellie, Micah, and Anna last week! My brother-in-law Lance did a free photo shoot for us in his downstairs studio. Thanks, Lance...we love the pictures! Stay tuned for more pics from the same photo shoot.

Mother's Day

I was very thankful to get to spend part of Mother's Day with my Mom this year. We had a nice lunch together at my brother's house in Anderson, SC. Thanks, Nathan and April for hosting...we really enjoyed celebrating with you!

Vacation at Lake Jocassee

We had a wonderful couple of days last week at Devil's Fork State Park. Our cabin was beautiful and nicely situated right near Lake Jocassee. We enjoyed grilling out, hiking, game playing, sitting by the fire, roasting marshmallows, and visiting. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for renting the cabin and spending the time with us. We really enjoyed it!