Baby Gray/home

Home Bound

Posted on by Mrs Gray / 2 Comments
Well, here it is, another first day for teachers that I’m not headed back to work. It’s still a little weird to me. Mostly, though, it reminds me how grateful I am for the time I am able to have with my son. 
 Aggie Baby
If I had tried to plan this whole stay-at-home-thing out, it wouldn’t have worked. My fretting and worrying leading up to what needed to be my resignation date wasn’t helping at all. It was truly a plan implemented–in exactly perfect timing–by the Lord. He takes such good care of us. 
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” –Matthew 6:25-27
Baby Gray/Fashion Friday/independent/iPhone/toddler

Annnnnd, We’re Back!

Posted on by Mrs Gray / 1 Comment
(Here’s where the director points their finger and cues the post-commerical TV talk to begin again.) 

Fashion Friday is filled with goodies from all over the place this week–Ca Ca’s house, College Station, T-Paw’s office, Toots’ house, and more. This kid will wear anything.

FF11

FF10
Why, yes, those are jammers in the middle of the day over his regular clothes with flip flops. 

FF9

FF8

FF7

FF6

FF5

FF4

FF3

FF2

FF1

In related news, I hope the next iPhone I get has a little faster shutter speed. Baby Gray’s face sure looks crazy when I can’t get him to stand still for a photo.
2012/faith/life/love

What’s the Story?

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It’s been said that there are two sides to every story. Sometimes, though, stories are more multifaceted than that. Sometimes they are a complex set of tales that meet up somewhere in the middle.

The painful part is when your tale is seemingly unknown. When your story is suppressed and you fear no one knows what is in your heart. Even though you know that it doesn’t matter what people think, somehow you still want your side to be heard. That’s the hardest part of a multifaceted tale.

The thing is, Christ knows what’s in our heart. That’s what matters–that’s all that matters. He knows our innermost thoughts and emotions. He knows our intentions. He knows all that there is to know. He hurts when we hurt. He smiles when we smile. He cries when we cry. He knows all the details–down to the hairs on our head. 

Hair
Such cute hairs on his head.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. –Luke 12:7
2012/blessings/death/faith/friends/love/Mr. Gray/prayer

Love Well

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep on saying it. We are so amazingly well-loved. God has truly blessed us with amazing friends and family who step up big time when the going gets tough (they’re pretty great for day-to-day living as well).

As I’ve meandered through the last seven days, I’ve have friends do everything from care for Baby Gray to cry with me to cook us meals (thank goodness since last week’s grocery store trip merited ketchup and Instant Breakfast–huh?) and everything in between. Our friends have definitely taught us about Christ’s love through their care for us. They’re always willing to walk a mile in our shoes–or carry us so we don’t have to. 

Shoes

Thank you for loving us. Thank you for prayers, love, food, tears, laughs, texts, kind words, and all the little things that make each of you so special to us.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. –1 John 4:7
2012/death/faith/journal/memories/prayer

Good Will Come

Posted on by Mrs Gray / 2 Comments
My head and my heart are filled with words. Journals and iPad notes have been catching the overflow. I almost always have a need to write, but I haven’t had a need to actually hand-write things in a long time. I want memories to share with Baby Gray; I want testimonies of changed lives; I want the tugs of my heart; I want it all down. I want to remember the peace and the promises very specifically laid before me this week. Most importantly, I want to remember that none of this is of me or through me. It is the Lord. He brings goodness, grace, and mercy through all situations–even the tough ones. 

Since Tuesday, Philippians 1:6 has been impressed upon my heart, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” He who began a good work will see it to completion–we will see the goodness of the Lord. There will be good.

Mr. Gray/thoughtful/treats

Evening Treat

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Sometimes Mr. Gray stops to bring me something fabulous on his way home from work. Usually it’s something sweet, but sometimes it’s just something that makes him think of me. 
One evening in particular, he brought home these sweet potato tortilla chips. 
Sweet Potato
They were delicious! I can’t wait to get some more.
flip flops/fun mail/love/nephews

Snail Mail

Posted on by Mrs Gray / 2 Comments
If there’s one thing I love, it’s mail. Actual stamp on a package, tangible, mail. I happened across this post about happy mail one day, and I was in love. I couldn’t wait to start sending!
The flip flops seemed like a great place to start, so I sent my sister-in-law a text for the boys’ sizes. Baby Gray and I headed to Old Navy for the perfect flip flops.
Fun Mail1
We grabbed some camo flops (and bub shoes for Baby Gray) and attempted to figure out how on earth I was going to address them, stamp them, and all that jazz. The info in the blog looked pretty legit, so I went with that–four stamps, an address, and go. 
Fun Mail4
Then they came back. They needed more postage, and the post master wasn’t pumped about my address labels. 
Fun Mail2
I fixed all that and tried again.
Fun Mail3
Then I got this text: 
Fun Mail8
So, off went the match! 
Fun Mail5
Now, my only decision is to figure out what to mail next.
Baby Gray/parenting

Shift the Vision

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It doesn’t take much searching to find blogs, magazine articles, and status updates about the gloom and doom of parenting. Parenting an infant. Parenting a toddler. Parenting a school-aged child. Parenting a teenager.  Parenting a young adult. Gloom. Doom. 

Stop! 

Did it ever occur to those who are writing this stuff that maybe their attitude is wrong? 
Is parenting hard sometimes? Sure. 
Is it always hard? No. 
Are the hard times worth it? Absolutely! 

Happy Boy

Don’t write down every “bad” thing a child has done. Don’t post that for the record books. Unless it’s funny; then, by all means, share with the world! Record the good things. Train your brain to notice the good things–even if it takes some digging to get them out of the bad. Shift the vision.

I’m not talking fake it. I’m talking genuinely change the scope of things. See what a difference it might make as a family. Bad days, bad choices, and other “bad” moments will still occur. They’ll just be dressed a little differently.