Happy Resurrection Day!!!!

Today I received an email update from a family serving in Asia on the mission field that said Happy Easter was translated Happy Resurrection Day. I love it!

Our family is worshiping our risen Savior, and we pray you are doing the same with your family.

So, HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!!!!

Wes, Debra, Katherine, & Sebastian

As I Prepare

This week I am finishing preparations for the 1st & 2nd grade vbs class I will be leading for teachers at the Frisco Baptist Association Vacation Bible School Clinic to be held this Saturday, March 27th at FBC, Antlers.

This year several of the daily scripture verses are some of my favorites, and I've decided to share them with you. Here are the scriptures verses I've been focused on this week...

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

I will praise You, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. Psalm 139:14

Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

"For I know the plans I have for you" -this is the Lord's declaration- "plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5

And some people think vacation bible school is only for kids. God has been convicting me with these verses daily as I read and prepare. Oh how I thank Him! I hope you will be convicted and encouraged as well.

Weekend Fun With Dean

Friday night my brother, Dean, drove up to spend the weekend with us. We enjoyed his visit and here is some video of him playing with the kids.



Yes, they LOVE their Uncle Dean!

Draw Me Nearer

For your nearness Lord I hunger
For your nearness Lord I wait
Hold me ever closer Father
Such a love I can’t escape

For your nearness I am hoping
For your nearness Lord I long
Have no need of any other
I have found where I belong
Yes, I have found where I belong

So draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord
Draw me nearer Lord

In your nearness there is healing
What was broken now made whole
Restoration in its fullness
Lasting hope for all who come

In your nearness I take shelter
Where you are is where I’m home
I have need of only one thing
To be here before your throne
To be here before you throne

So draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord

So draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord
Draw me nearer Lord

And keep me here, keep me here
There’s nowhere else I rather be
So keep me here, keep me here
There’s nowhere else I rather be
There’s nowhere else I rather be

So draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord
Draw me nearer Lord
Draw me nearer my Lord
By Meredith Andrews from her album The Invitation

A Scripture for the day...

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, But emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVEY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 (New American Standard)

Sebastian Shares His Adventure

*UPDATED: Added pictures.

Last February Wes took Sebastian on a father/son day trip (known as Sebastian's Adventure) to the Dallas Auto Show. Sebastian probably had his best day ever, and since then he has been looking forward to going back to the auto show and taking his mom & sister. Yes, today's the day!

Katherine and I will be joining the guys this year to check out all the totally awesome and cool cars & trucks. Sebastian informed me that we could eat there too, which apparently is pretty important in his precious mind. I'm looking forward to it, and I think I've convinced Katherine that it will be fun too.

I'll try to snap a few photos & maybe some video.

* We had a GREAT time at the auto show.

Texas Independence Day

I am a native Texan and as a rule Texans are proud of their state. Today is Texas Independence Day (March 2, 1836).

Check out some of the fun blogs I read, who also happen to love Texas.

Vicki Courtney
In the Midst of It
Baby Bangs

Bow the Knee

There are moments on our journey following the Lord
When God illumines every step we take
There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us
As we try to understand each move He makes but
When the path grows dim
And our questions have no answers
Turn to Him

Bow the knee
Trust the heart of your Father
When the answer goes beyond what you can see
Bow the knee
Lift your eyes toward heaven
And believe the one who holds eternity
When you don't understand
The purpose of His plan
In the presence of your King
Bow the knee

There are days when clouds surround us
The rain begins to fall
And the cold and lonely winds won't cease to blow
There seems to be no reason
For the suffering we feel
We are tempted to believe God does not know
When the storms arise
Don't forget we live by faith
And not by sight

Bow the knee
Trust the heart of your Father
When the answer goes beyond what you can see
Bow the knee
Lift your eyes toward heaven
And believe the one who holds eternity
When you don't understand
The purpose of His plan
In the presence of your King
Bow the knee

Words & Music by Chris Machen & Mike Harland

* Bow the Knee has been a song I would listen to when I was ready to give up, because I didn't understand what or why I was dealing with all the things going on during the last year and a half. Every time I listened to this song I was reminded of something different, and I pray God will use these lyrics to draw you closer to Him today.

Check out the video to hear the song. The video is not about 9/11, so please don't let the picture keep you from watching the video & hearing the song. That's just a shot & a very small piece during the five minutes of the song. A warning though...it's powerful and you might want a tissue. Well, worth it!

Valentine's Day Party

Many of the kids decorated boxes or bags to collect their valentine cards from their friends. The older kids came in first and delivered their valentine cards then some of the younger ones did the same. Sebastian wasn't interested in passing out his valentine cards, so he diverted that job to his sister, which she was more than happy to accept.


Once the valentine cards had all been delivered it was time to eat!



After ingesting plenty of sugar (and all before lunch) it was time to check out the valentine loot!

Perspective on Kid Interruptions

On Sunday, while I was staying home with my allergy induced sick kids, I came across the story of Layla Grace and her family through a tweet on twitter. Layla Grace is a precious two year old who has stage 4 neuroblastoma. If you would like to read her story go here, but I wanted to share a section of what this mother wrote on February 16th in her blog entry Sleep, Valentine's Day, and Regrets.

Layla now spends most of her days sleeping. 30-45 minutes after she wakes up, she is ready to lay down and sleep again. Is this God’s way of preparing me for all the quiet time that is coming soon? The house is quiet. I am able to go through the motions of laundry, dishes, cooking and picking up without interruptions. But I WANT interruptions. I WANT Layla to be under my feet asking for cookies. I WANT to hear her playing with her toys. I WANT to take 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher because she keeps trying to help. For every time I uttered the words “I just can’t get anything done with these kids under my feet all day” I am eternally regretful. The days that I looked forward to naptime so I could get a grocery list made, or finally fold all the piles of laundry…I regret those days too. If I could do it all again, I’d enjoy EVERY SINGLE WAKING MOMENT I had with her. I would never wish for her to sit still or take a nap or go to bed early. I would never look forward to the days when she could sit through an entire episode of Dora silently. I would treasure every second with her.

So I’ve spent the last few days in a quiet house, able to do whatever my heart desires. But all I want to do is wake her up and hold her. She doesn’t really want to be held much anymore. She prefers to be rocked in her dark bedroom for a little while, then laid down in her bed. She gets easily overstimulated by the noise of the other children downstairs. She wants dark, silence, peace and sleep. So we give those things to her. As much as it breaks my heart to not be able to hold her all day, I know her little body needs peace and sleep.

There are so many times am I that mom that wishes my kids would leave me alone so I can clean or fold laundry. Oh how I wept over my selfishness. I got up from sitting at the computer and spent time treasuring my kids. I prayed and thanked God for blessing me with Katherine & Sebastian and allowing me the opportunity to be their mom. Oh how my perspective changed!

PLEASE, join me in praying for Layla Grace and her parents, Ryan & Shanna Marsh.

Still Here

Okay, I am a little behind on the blogging this month. My life has been crazy this month, plus I've enjoyed a few very lazy days in between the craziness. The kids are fighting allergies with the nutty weather changes. We loved the snow and warmer temperatures that followed; however, now it's cold again with warmer temps to follow, I'm sure. I'm looking forward to May when the weather finally seems to adjust to warm before it turns to really hot!

I still have pictures to post from our homeschooling group valentine's party, which I hope to get done by this weekend. No promises though! :-)

I am looking forward to spring when I hope to find a beautiful field of bluebonnets where I can take a few pictures of my kids. It's been a couple years since we took the kids picture in a field of bluebonnets, and I feel it is time for another one. Plus, it's been a while since I sent the grandparents some pictures, and I'm sure they would like a few newer pictures of their precious grand kids.

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!

Back to the craziness of my life!

New Look Equals A Work in Progress

Katherine picked out the new look for the blog. Can you tell?

It may take a couple days for me to get everything as I like it, so please pardon the blog mess in the mean time. I do appreciate it.

Thoughts for this Valentine's Day...

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4: 10-12

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Corinthhians 13:4-8

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

As a friend put it " Love God...Love Others...It's simple! Happy Valentine's Day!"

Rare Experience

It began snowing on Thursday and by Friday morning we had around 6 or 7 inches on the ground. We couldn't wait to get out and play in all the snow.

"Mmm, it's good!"




I SO LOVE this boy!!!!!

Building our own 'Frosty'.

Sebastian nails the mom and gets 10 points.

"Yes, we're having some fun!"


I SO LOVE this girl too!!! She noticed I was going to take a picture and stopped to pose. That's my girl!


My cute & precious kids. We had a blast playing in the snow today!
Check out the five minute video of our rare, but fun snow day.

Addiction

It is officially time for me to admit my addiction to the world. Are you ready?

I am addicted to Braum's Pomegranate Sherbet. I also have a lesser addiction with Dr Pepper.

It's FINALLY out in the open. Yes, I feel better! :-)

Enjoy the weekend!

Perplexed

In the fall of 2003 when ABC began airing Extreme Makeover: Home Edition I fell in love with the show. Yes, I was a fan of Ty Pennington and his days on TLC's Trading Spaces, but this new show was more than just another cool design show. It had a wonderful story about people. How could you not watch this show and not feel deep emotion. It touched my heart, and now that my kids are old enough to watch it with me it spawns great conversations. I loved it back in 2003 and I love it in 2010.

This last week I've come across several articles concerning families this show will be helping. I first read here about the show coming to Oklahoma. On Monday that family, Brain & Audra Skaggs, were surprised with a knock on their door. I later read here that the show would be making an appearance in East Texas, and then I found this article about a family in Tulsa who was having the big reveal today, Wednesday, February 3, 2010. It is this article's comment section that has me perplexed.

After reading the article I glanced down and saw there were sixty something comments. I began to skim over a couple of the comments. I don't normally even look at comments, but for some reason tonight I did. I noticed a couple people commenting about how previous families cannot afford to keep the nice new home that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition had built for them or pay the taxes on their new home. My first thought is "Why would you bring that up in the comment stream of an article about congratulating a family with a new home? " I mean, really, what is the point?

Thankfully most of the comments were congratulations for the Starkweather's instead of negative comments about the show or the show's recipients.

People. Sometimes I really don't get people.

Congratulations Katherine!

Wes, Sebastian, and I are very proud of Katherine, who on Saturday, January 30th, attended the Oklahoma Baptist Area Keyboard Festival held at Trinity Baptist Church in Idabel.

She was required to play one classical piece and one hymn or contemporary christian piece. She played Trumpet Concerto in E-flat by Franz Joseph Haydn arranged by Carol Matz and Seek Ye First by Karen Lafferty arranged by Carol Tornquist. She was required to memorize one and she memorized the classical piece.

This was the first time she's participated in a piano contest or festival, and she did great! We are very proud of her!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS KATHERINE!!!!!!!!!!

New Addition

On Friday evening we welcomed our new golden retriever, George W, into our home. George is eight weeks old and such a cutie! Currently, he's got us all wrapped around his little paw. He's adored and loved by all. He's just too cute!

The kids are absolutely thrilled to have a puppy. They have been great at helping take care of him already, and they love to play with him. We've already shared some funny moments playing with George, and I know there's many more to come.

All I can say is..."They are too cute?"

Enjoy the video taken shortly after George made his arrival on Friday evening.

The Chef

My wonderful daughter, Katherine, has taken to cooking. She's been helping me prepare some meals recently and she really enjoys it. The menu on Monday night called for Swedish meatballs. I wasn't feeling well that day and Wes offered to go pick up a pizza for dinner so I wouldn't have to cook. (What a sweet & thoughtful husband I have.)

Anyways, I had already thawed the beef and knew Katherine was really excited about the meatballs. She had ask me earlier if she could help make dinner, so I decided to let her actually make dinner for us that night. Now, there were a couple things I didn't let her do like cut & mince the garlic & onion or put the meatballs in the oven; however, she did do most everything else. She did an excellent job and it tasted great. (Well, I actually didn't eat any, but Wes said they were great!)

So tonight we were having meatloaf and Katherine was right in the kitchen making most of it. I think the only thing I did was the chopping and putting the pan in the oven. She said "Mom, can I pretend I'm the chef and you're helping me?"

She not pretending. She's doing great, and I'm so proud of her!

A Beautiful Promise

A reminder of one of God's promises.



Such a beautiful sight yesterday evening.