Wedding Dancing!!!

Bride and her dad!!!

Bride and bride's maids doing a fun dance for Chaney

Wedding party and friends dancing!

My girls!!!  Lashae and Charsie...gorgeous girls.

Beautiful girls!!!  I love each one of these girls sooooo much!!!!

Groom's men...having fun with the bride before the wedding!  Chaney had not even seen her yet.

More Wedding Memories

More wedding photos....some sweet....some cute....some funny.  I love these 2 more than anything and I'm so excited for their lives together and my heart feels like it might explode from joy and thanksgiving and love and.... heart ache...because my sweet girl is moving away.  Oh, this mom is going to miss her girl like none other.  As I type this...she is in her room packing with her 2 best girlfriends and they are laughing their heads off.  I AM GOING TO MISS THAT SOOOOOO MUCH!!!  It's one of my favorite sounds in the world!

Chaney served Lashae communion at their wedding as their first  "married act" together.  It was so sweet, and then they prayed together while Chaney's friend played, "In Christ Alone" on the fiddle....it was the sweetest moment.

Here is my man walking my daughter down the isle.  He was the sweetest dad....he had a very sweet moment with Lashae before they came down the isle....and when he was asked who gave this beautiful bride to this man....Charlie (my man) answers LOUDLY...."My smokin' hot wife and me".....only Charlie!!!!  Gotta love him.

Chaney bought Lashae these beautiful boots for her wedding day!!!

Fun picture....these bride's maids and groom's men were the best!!!  Each one was sweet and kind and supportive and extremely helpful!

Blessed beyond!!!! 

 That is all I can say at this point....I will have more pictures soon...but, I have to say, the wedding was one of the best days of my life...I was overwhelmed and still am with gratitude and blessings to my Lord, for my kids, and family and friends and beauty and love and warmth and joy and prayer and I could go on for days.  We had a glorious day from beginning to end.....it was beyond wonderful...we felt the Lord just smiling on us and enjoying the day right along with us...He loves when we glorify Him and fellowship with others and celebrate love and joy and commitment and marriage...He made all those things!  Thank you Lord for such a blessed day!!!

Happy Birthday Luke "10"

Happy Birthday Lukeeee!!!!  10 years old...double digits dude!!!

Luke is one awesome kid.  He can sit and play for hours...literally...HOURS...by himself with little tiny action figures.  He has an imagination that just won't quit.  Luke is fun, and thoughtful, and energetic and an athlete and always game to try new things.  

He takes his jobs VERY seriously...he has been water boy for the last couple of years for the Varsity football team and he is as much fun to watch as the players.  He takes his job serious and absolutely feels he is a vital part of the team...EVERY GAME.  He has even traveled with the team before, and had a little car sick problem on the bus....all those big 'ole football players handled it soooo well, it was as if a team member was sick..everyone just pitched in and helped the little guy.

Luke is flexible as anything...we have always nick-named him "Gumby".  So funny to watch him twist like a pretzel.

We love our "Lukey Dukey"!!!!!

We had a fun birthday party yesterday...Charlie and I took him to Jody's, his FAVORITE, for a hamburger, and then he and 3 of his friends and Lashae and Charsie and Kelsie went on a hike at Smith Rock, and then came home to swim and eat pizza and dessert.  Luke has been the typical "middle" child...kind of  flying under the radar these days...with weddings...and pregnancy and adoption...he's the quietest...therefore the easiest to not spend a lot of time and energy on...so we were determined to let this kid have his day, and oh man did he love it...he has very nice buddies and we had a good time.  Totally worth the extra effort to make him feel extra special!!!

Prayers and Blessings!

The last few days have been days of blessings and prayers....there's just a LOT going on around here with a lot of change and growing pains in our family and our friends...it's so good, but it's such a reminder to trust the Lord, because the minute I fool myself into thinking I have one ounce of control I panic, but if I remember to trust in the Lord then it's very good. 

Proverbs 3:3-5

The Message (MSG)

 ^3-4 Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.    Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.Earn a reputation for living well    in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.  ^5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;    don't try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;    he's the one who will keep you on track.Don't assume that you know it all.    Run to God! Run from evil!Your body will glow with health,    your very bones will vibrate with life!Honor God with everything you own;    give him the first and the best.Your barns will burst,    your wine vats will brim over.But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;    don't sulk under his loving correction.It's the child he loves that God corrects;    a father's delight is behind all this.

Prayers:

Lashae is getting married in 7 days!

Kole is away at a 2 wk camp and got hurt...had to go to hospital...quite minor, but I wasn't there and that makes a mom very anxious!

The Mckinnons, our friends, are in Uganda adopting their children and there are hurdles  that are frustrating.

The Buckners, our friends, are traveling far for National High School Rodeo finals...prayers for safety and a good rodeo.

Blessings:

Lashae is getting married in 7 days!   Our friends and family are amazing and spoiling her rotten.  We have so much help and contribution to their wedding it is amazing.  SUCH A BLESSING.

Kole got a full scholarship for this camp and it is good.  He is willing and able to step out of his comfort zone and do something "different", and unknown.  He got good care when he hurt himself.

The Mckinnons are enjoying their time with their kids and they are strong and focused and trusting the Lord.  

The farmers and people around here are working together and doing everything they can to take care of this hay for everyone the best they can...every tractor is running and people are just working wherever the need is at the moment.  It's so fun to watch these guys...they don't think twice about "sharing" or "time" it's just ...do what needs done, with what you have, for whoever needs it, until it is done.  BLESSING TO WATCH!!!

We were blessed AGAIN financially at a time when it was really really needed. God is soooo good, and just hears our every prayer and cry for help and He provides every time through His people and it is humbling and amazing.

Me and the girls were running "wedding errands" last night and stopped for dinner at our favorite place...and we were having the best time...probably last time before Lashae is Mrs. Bowen, and they lost our ticket so it took a bit longer than it should and they comped our meal.  We didn't even know it was taking long because we were just talking and enjoying each other's company so much...the manager came over and said, "Sorry this took so long, we lost your tkt and so dinner is on us"....whoa, what a blessing!!!  We had a good time and got it complimentary!!!

Continued Prayer!

The McKinnon Family!! 

 They are in Uganda to bring home their childen home.  They had a court date yesterday, and they will appear again today.  The judge needed one more thing.  This is fine, they are encouraged, they know God is in control, but they need our prayers.  They are a beautiful family with a lot of faith, and God has given them clear direction through this entire journey, but we must continue to hold them up in prayer and walk with them the entire way.  

Romans 5:1-5

New International Version (NIV)

Romans 5

Peace and Hope

 ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

God is soooo good to put this family together in their hearts....now it's time to put them together in their home!!!!  Pray!!!!!  Rejoice!!!!!  Pray!!!!!  Rejoice!!!!!

Join Me in Prayer and Praises!

Please join me in praying this family home with their 2 amazing Ugandan treasures. This is a family that has felt the call to adopt many years ago....and NOW God has done His mighty thing in His mighty way...and it is happening!!!  They are bringing home 2 children that Esther lived with at Redeemer House.  Is that not the coolest in the whole wide world...Esther will have some family from Uganda...right here in our small community...neighbors...friends.....AMAZING!!!!

They have court on the 13th. So join me in praying that the Lord just blazes this trail and lets everything go smooth so they can bring their children home and everyone can be in one house, under one roof, on the same side of the world and bond and love as families do.

They are already a family in their hearts....God has prepared them for this moment for years and years, and when they felt the time was right they took the step of faith to adopt their children and God has moved mountains, He has opened hearts and eyes, He has increased their love and their faith and what a joy to get to be a friend and a cheerleader!!!! This family has opened their hearts and their arms and we are entirely blessed by them in sooooo many ways. So, we miss them and we are ready to pray them home with all their chicks in one big crazy nest!!!

God is soooo good to put this family together in their hearts....now it's time to put them together in their home!!!!  Pray!!!!!  Rejoice!!!!!  Pray!!!!!  Rejoice!!!!!

Happy Birthday Charsie "14"

Happy 14th Birthday Charsie Lee Brewer!!!  

This is my girl...my third child, my biggest cheerleader, organizer, helper, prayer warrior.

This precious girl is goofy and funny as can be...but she's also deep deep.  She's just one of those people that "gets it"...everyone who has the privilege of knowing her LOVES her.  She is a friend...and a good friend.  She is friends with EVERY age...from young to old.  She is wonderful with older people and she is wonderful with young people, and everyone in between.

Charsie is an animal lover.  We call her the animal whisperer...she can do crazy things with animals.  She has trained her dog to play hide and go seek...not.even.kidding.  She can ride anything you put her on, and she's tough and gentle at the same time.

Charsie is always up for a good time....she loves games...she loves to swim...she loves to just be a part of anything she can.  She is the biggest support and cheerleader to everyone in this family.  She is a GIVER...of everything....herself...her time....her money....her heart....

She loves the Lord and she knows how to pray...sometimes during our adoption...I think she had a direct line that I was in awe over again and again...she would pray for something, and I would be a doubter, and tell her not to be disappointed if it didn't happen, and more times than not her prayers came true......her heart is pure and when she asks the Lord for something....I know He sees her heart.

Her and her sisters are close, and they love to dance!!!  They were teaching each other a dance here...Lashae and Charsie are teaching Esther western dances and Esther is teaching them Ugandan dancing...so fun!!

If it sounds like this girl is too good to be true....it is exactly as I said.  She is a dream and anyone who has the privilege of knowing her is BLESSED by her!!!

Happy Birthday Lashae "19"

Lashae Nicole Brewer....almost Lashae Nicole Bowen....I love you I am proud of you and I'm so blessed to have been allowed to raise you!!! (now it's up to Chaney...hehehe...after all, he is getting a teen bride)

 You are my first born...the one who has taught me the most about being a mom, and I love you more than words can express.  Your love for Jesus and others blesses my heart beyond words that I could ever express.

Thank you for your dedication to the Lord and to your man, and to your family and to your friends.  I can't believe you are only 19 and you have this pretty well figured out.

I am soooo excited about all your life ahead, and I  wouldn't have picked anything else out as good as what the Lord has done for you and in you and through you.

Thank you for being such a blessing to soooo many and doing it with complete joy.

You are absolutely present in everything you do and the people you are with, and that is such a gift because you are such a gift.  You have so much to offer and you give so freely from your heart.  NEVER lose that.  

Dad and I were laying in bed listening to you giggle with your friends last night...just like you did when you were little....blessed us clear to our toes....never never never lose that.

LOVE YOU BISSY.....LOVE YOU BIG!!!!!

My Driveway is a Freeway

My door is revolving and my driveway is a crazy freeway...which is actually a dusty dirty driveway.  There are days I just laugh....it is normal...I think...when you  have a large family that involves teenage drivers for the door to be swinging and the driveway to be busy.  But, it is a little crazier than that...there are literally days and nights when I have lost track of who has come and gone and how many times.  The funny thing is I totally enjoy it..I get a bit tired at times, but that is usually when I've decided to "control" the house or try to make things look a certain way and that all goes out the door when the 15th pair of shoes is sitting at the front door.  I enjoy it to pieces when I just give all that up and enjoy each person as they come through that door sometimes of a second and sometimes for several months stay.  We have a really bad squeak in our front door and I refuse to have Charlie fix it, because then at least I can sometimes hear the comings and goings and in the night it is very common to hear that door squeak at all hours...several times, and it actually gives me peace to know that "whoever" was out and about has made it home...I can't exactly require some adult people to check in with me when they arrive home....as I do my own children, so the squeak provides peace that one more chick has made it back to the nest.

I prayed a prayer as I was walking up my driveway/freeway a few years ago actually...it was when we knew things were going to get rougher and rougher to keep up our mortgage and live on this property and we were praying about what to do, and how to solve our problem, and I changed my prayer...I prayed that whatever God could use with us and this property that it would Glorify Him and that He could somehow use this place for His Glory....I didn't know if that meant selling. losing, or keeping it, but I was tired of trying to figure it out...so I just asked Him to do "whatever"...just make it "count" somehow.

He has NOT solved our mortgage issues yet, but I can tell you He is using this place...it's not a beautiful haven of calmness and meditation...quite the opposite, but it is a place that ANYONE can come ANYTIME and the door is open, and hopefully there are cookies in the cookie jar to share.  Everything we have has been given to us by God and so it is ours ONLY to share and be used.

I have been asked numerous times "how long" some of our guests are staying, and I never ask...I never know, and I don't care....they are here as long as they need to be and I never ask why they need a place to stay or try to figure out if they "qualify" for needing a place...we never talk about money, we never charge to stay here, but I can tell you, in every way... the blessing we receive from each of them FAR AND ABOVE outweigh any sacrifice we may be giving on our end.  The blessing comes in different forms and times from each of them, and it always is perfect and a huge unexpected blessing, they all have their own way of giving back.

With each guest they bring their gifts and their talents and as I sit here and type this I'm listening to a CD that was made by Catrina, one of our long-term house guests that has since moved on and I'm sooooo glad to know this talented young lady and I'm so thrilled that the Lord allowed us to be her family and her home while she needed one.  I could say the same thing about each of the folks that have stayed with us.

We have no idea how long we will be here at this place but for NOW...God has us here and He has brought many others HERE....so while we are all here we will just enjoy this place and one another and hopefully make a difference and use what has been given to us and Glorify our Lord.