My Daddy...

If I ever go anywhere and a person doesn't know who I am, I can tell them where I live and my Daddy's name and they know him. They more then likely knew my GrandDaddy too. They know my GrandMother. My Daddy, GrandDaddy and GrandMother are such amazing people. GrandDaddy was born in 1914, the middle child of 11 children. He and his family were Share Croppers. They moved from farm to farm as a form of living. He went to bed hungry, he lost his mother at age 12, his father was a very gruff man, he had to except a new mother when he was 13 or 14. He and his brother's and sister's had to pick cotton for their family in order to survive and then pick other people's cotton and get payed in bales of cotton instead of money so they wouldn't have to move. Bales of cotton was how they were paying for their farm. They worked so hard so they could get out of share cropping. When he was 16 or 17, the age where boys just eat and eat, he only got 2 classes of milk, (one sweet milk and one butter milk) and two pieces of corn bread for supper after working so hard. And when I say "so hard" I HAVE NO IDEA how hard he worked.

At 26, in 1940, he and my grandmother got married. She was 19. They then had four children. Their first son after their first year of marriage, then 2 years later their daughter. Then 13 years later, Daddy came along and 5 1/2 years later came their last son. They raised up all their children with integrity, they taught them to be honest. They still work very hard! Daddy and Uncle Keith, his little brother, have a booming business together. And I think that one reason why they have done so well is because they have honored God in all that they do! And GrandDaddy and GrandMother taught them to do that. They taught them to serve God, to tithe because they COULD. In this recession Daddy's business has grown more then it ever has! They have been able to give two men full time jobs in these hard times!

GrandDaddy taught them these things and he of all people had every reason to be bitter! But he wasn't! He loved his family, served God, was always helping a neighbor! The fellowship at our church was dedicated to him because of how much he did for our church. In 1979 he had a heart attack sitting on his tractor after pulling someone's car out of a ditch. He died helping someone!

I could go on and on writing about my family, where they have came from, what they have done for me and how much they love me but I'l stop here and you will probably hear more later on. I just hope that I will treasure my family and all that they do and have done for me!

Thanks for stopping by!

God Bless you!

Leah-Joy.

J.Man and SunShine's first CHRISTmas!

WoWW! a lot has happened since my last post. Sorry I have been out of blogger world for a long time )it seems like every time i post i say i'm sorry i haven't posted in so long). We had an amazing time with Cousin's, a blessed CHRISTmas, and a fun time with an Aunt and Uncle ringing in the new year. I would to do this post about CHRISTmas morning and then another about the afternoon and then our visit with the cousins!

We got up at 8:00 and did the usual wake up call (stomping on the floor above Mama and Daddy's room to wake them up and caroling at the top of the stairs).

Then we came down stairs, took the annual "children on the stairs" CHRISTmas picture.
Before we opened the gifts, Daddy read the CHRISTmas story. It was so peaceful.

J. Man was so excited! He didn't know what to do with all his gifts!

Sunshine woke really fast when she saw her first very own doll house!
And just her Mother, she put as many tables in one room as possible!!!

IT was so awesome to see Little Man excited about getting books about animals!
He loves them!

It was amazing to my little big brother excited about getting his new Bible!
This morning it was awesome to sit with him in the foyer and read the Bible.

How many 13 year olds would do you know that would excited about getting a hard, all one, Narnia series?
MY SISTER!!!!! She is so insipiring!

I know, I. AM. CRAZY!
I was so excited to get a pretty apron!
Hope said that I picked out the loudest one!

Hope is so cute when she gets excited!
I got to help Mama do a lot of shopping for Hope! It was a lot of fun!

And MARIGRACE GOT A GUITAR!!!!!!
She was really excited and so were we!!

Thank you all for stopping by! I hope that you a have peace in your soul about the this new year that surpasses all understanding! God has blessed me beyond words and I am so grateful! Thank you again for stopping by!
God Bless,
Leah-Joy.

Picture Perfect (post 200)

Buddy is growing into such an amazing young man. He now has cows pigs, and this summer he had an amazing garden. He has become even more of an amazing older brother to J Man and Sunshine and I am now looking up to him. He works so hard and becoming everyday more like our Lord. It is wonderful to see him fill the chivalric code of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave,pure and reverent more and more.

Dear Father,
Thank you so much for my brother. Thank you for allowing to look up to him even though he is younger then me.

Our Babies are Home!!!!

On our way!!!

Looking and waiting

First sighting

J. Man is a little card even after being up for twentytwo hours

Sweet Pea went straight to her Daddy!

Our babies are home!!! I am completely out of words. He has been so good to us. He provided everything we needed and continues to do so, He gave us safe travels, and brand family members. They are such beautiful, amazing, well mannered children. They are so obedient, so loving and so smart! More pictures to come!

God Bless,
Joy.

While We Were in The Wilderness

While we were at the Wilderness we were able to have amazing Bible study time. Friday night our youth minister gave a sermon at the new chapel at the campground. It came from Numbers 14. Mr. Steve was talking about how God saved the Israelites from slavery; He saved us from the slavery of our sin. Then, the Isralites went to the dessert, but God had so much for them to have and experiece; God has so much more for us to have and experience. He doesn't just want to save us and then see us in heaven. He has something so awesome for us while we're still here on earth! He wants to have personal relationship with us! But to recieve that we must do hard things, get out of our comfort zones, obey His commands even when we are uncomfortable about doing whatever it is. The night before he talked about how, yes, God wants us to be comfortable but that isn't His main drive for us. He wants us to do His will for our lives and in doing that it will cause us to uncomfertable. But He will give us the strenth to do whatever it is. But, if we just want to be saved, go to heaven some day and not do what God as for us in the middle because we think that it will be to hard and that WE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO IT, we are just hangin out in the dessert. We are just like the Israelites who are always complaining and thinking that they couldn't take the promise land. While in the dessert we can't see what God is doing. Mr. Steve asked us if we were seeing "stuff' in our relationship with Him, were we looking for God in our Bible time and was He showing Himself to us. If no, be honest with yourself and admit that you are in the dessert! The more he preached the more I realized that I was in the dessert. God had saved my soul, He has forgiven me and forgives me everyday, but I was in the dessert; I wasn't doing His commands; I wasn't doing hard or seeking Him in my Bible time. I wasn't trying to learn something every time the doors were open at church and I HAD TO CHANGE!!! AND PRAISE GOD!!!!! HE HAS RESTORED TO ME THE JOY OF HIS SALVATION!!!!! I knew that I felt different but I wasn't sure if others would see it and I so hoped that they would. God gave me proof. When we came Saturday, Mama looked at me and said, "You just look so happy. You just have this peace and contentment about you." And that is exactly how I felt. Mr. Steve said he struggled with going back to the dessert and just telling God that he had it all under control because he is a minister. And he said exactly how I felt. My sister's, Mama and Daddy are all so godly and I would just be like, "Oh I'm one of them." And that night I realized that I need to live up to the bar that they have set and really be one of them!

Thank you all for reading and please pray that I will follow God's commands for me.

God Bless,

Joy.

Picture Perfect

To some, this man is,

• a logger
• a man who will talk your ears off
• a friend you can ALWAYS count on
• their boss
• their brother
• a very Godly man
• a man who thinks of others always before himself
• Someones only friend "in the whole wide world."
• One of the most hard working men you will ever meet
• And, I think one of my favorites, said by dear friends, "Completely RIPPED!"
• And said by a sweet little lady, "Just such a nice big guy."

To me, yes, he is all these things, but he is so much more. He is my father. He has taught me so much. I personly think that the funniest thing he has taught me and my sisters to do is argue, and now he can never win. He also taught us how to drive backwards with our mirrors before we went forwards. He is so patient, so loving, caring. He has never yelled at me or any of my siblings out of anger or frustration. Sometimes I wish that he would of just spanked me because having Daddy kneal down and look at you with his huge green eyes made you feel so small. But, with that, he taught to look at people in the eye, get on their level and to use self control in all that we do.

Thank you Daddy for working so hard so that we can stay at home!

Love you!

Your little girl,

JoyJoy.

PS. Listen to #8 on my playlist to the right. The last verse, I think puts Daddy into words very well!