Gifts of God: God's FAITHFULNESS in all things!

So.........I made it through the first week of my new job! Whew...I must admit, I am so glad the first week is behind me. It went really well! I felt God's hand of peace with me and now, looking back, see the many ways He was faithful in giving me what I needed for each day. It feels so good to be using my nursing skills in this type of setting. Dr. Presley and his whole staff have been so kind, gracious and encouraging as I learn. Caroline, you were teary towards the end of the week...it was a lot to take in, I believe. It was hard to leave as you cried on Friday, but made me realize how much we all had missed one another. Each week will get easier...I know it will!
I had to put these pictures in of "my birds". They have been such a reminder of the way God provides for all our needs over the last few weeks. We first noticed the mother bird about six weeks ago, making a nest in one of our new ferns. We have these hanging right outside the kitchen window on the porch, so we could see her progress every day. By the middle of the second week, there were five small eggs inside. Every few days, we would step outside and lift you girls up to check them out. The mother bird was never far. After about two and a half weeks, the baby birds hatched and we got to watch the mother bird come and feed them several times a day. They would make lots of chirping noises and open their mouths wide....just like I had always seen on TV or read about in books. Two weeks later, all five baby birds had learned to fly and had flown away. This picture is the last one of the babies and the bottom picture is of the empty nest.

Watching the six week process...all of which occurred before I started my job, was a constant reminder of God's provision and care for even the smallest of His creatures. Girls, He always knows exactly what we need and when, and He will guide us to take each new step He lays out for us.

Backtracking a few weeks... we ended school with a whirl of activity. Sweet Caroline, you ended up getting sick the last few days of school, but at least you got to attend some of Caitlyn's end of the year activities!!

Your Field Day was very different than I remember mine to be. No relay races, no ribbons...just all sorts of fun stations to enjoy. You and your partner, Bailee, jumped from one to the next with such joy! I was able to stop by for about an hour and snap some pictures.

The day before school let out, you had your Kindergarten Picnic on the front lawn and you got to play on the "big kid" playground. It was so nice. They parents sat on blankets under the trees and visited while you all played and played, stopping briefly to enjoy a popsicle and of course, a few pictures!!

Our precious Mrs. Adcox...we pray she hangs around for Caroline in another year!!! We truly could not have hand picked a better teacher, suited for you. I give her so much credit for helping you love school. She deserves more than we could ever give her!!!

At the first of the year, you were so nervous to meet new people and make new friends. Oh, how that has changed! You have become such a social light...even with the older kids at school. It has been so neat to watch. In fact, I could tell on multiple occasions during the last week of school, you held back tears. When you came out at dismissal on the last day, you ran to me and sobbed...so sad to be leaving all your new friends. You cried on and off all the way home and then went to your room to cry some more when we got home. It was bittersweet for me to watch....seeing how deeply you love and thinking about all the times in the future you will have to say goodbye to people. It just reassured me, though, that Lipscomb was a great choice for you and I can't wait to see what's to come in first grade!!