January 2021 | Family Time

Virtual school at home, keeping Rocco entertained, trying not to go out of my mind using Google classroom, Google Docs, Google-ca-boogle, Google-ca-bam and Classroom Dojo for two kids in two very different grades! Just a few photographs of life lately that I wanted document for our family.

Rocco loves to be in the mix! From playing in the sink, to jumping in the kitchen, playing drums with my drink canisters, listening in on Olivia’s zoom call with her class and pushing his sweet cousin HaddieMae around on his scooter. Three is the best age evah!!

Oh and that fabulous photo of Trey on the floor searching for something in our tiny fridge! We still haven’t received all of our appliances yet due to COVID. Our fridge and freezer were due to be delivered on December 30th and still haven’t arrived. So, for now, we have this tiny little fridge/freezer that is doing the job for all five of us plus all of the entertaining we do!

It’s been an interesting month for sure! Our children were scheduled to start back school on January 6th but each week of this month that date has continued to be pushed back. We are now looking at starting back in person learning on January the 25th. We will see!! BUT, I’m not upset about it! The frustration only comes with the technology that I have no idea how to use and making sure each child has completed all of their assignments that I have no idea how to do. EEK! Other than that, I love being in our little bubble with our babes! This has got Trey and I dreaming up some ideas for a few little trips. Earlier this month we took the kids to Fernbank in Atlanta and they LOVED it! It’s inspired us to get out and start to explore more!

I’m so thankful for this time I get with our babies!

Robbins' Halloween | October 2020

What a fun night with these sweet babies! Even though it was far from normal, we had a wonderful Halloween! RyAnne had a hard time picking what she wanted to be this year. After a massive Amazon search, we found this hilarious alien kidnapping her! We got so many good laughs out of her costume! Olivia found a butterfly costume that she fell in love with and I added a fun eye makeup for her! We were going to use a hair stripper to get out that last bit of “wash out” purple hair color but she decided she wanted to wait until after Halloween because it matched her costume so well. This hair color just won’t wash out y’all!! If you have any suggestions, send them my way. We used a 30 day wash out hair color MONTHS ago with no luck on the wash out part!!

Also, this year we had to purchase new face paint! Last year, I painted their faces for Halloween and they spent three days with faces so swollen, I was afraid their throats would close up. RyAnne and Olivia both had horrible reactions to the face paint. Their little faces were so swollen their eyes were almost shut and Benadryl didn’t even touch it! Ugh, that was a hard session learned. It was a name brand makeup but I did find a hypoallergenic make up that thankfully didn’t harm her face.

Neither RyAnne or Rocco would let me take their photographs. Ugh, these babies! It’s getting so hard to get them in front of my camera! Olivia, well, that girl is just a little diva and I love it!! She will pose and come up with fun ideas for her photographs. LOVE it!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween, now, here, hold my candy corns. . .I’m about to go decorate my Christmas tree!! ;)

God is my Shepherd.

From all the tears that built up in my eyes and poured down my face, I wasn’t sure that any of these images would be in focus! Today was an incredible day for my sweet nephew, Taylor, and for our family, too. Today he showed the world that he has committed his life to Christ Jesus! Today we watched God answer our prayers!!

Nathan, our pastor, read Taylor’s testimony. Taylor laid it all down! He poured out his heart. . .

“What’s up everyone? My name is Taylor Robbins and I’m going public with my belief in the one true God today. Although my story isn’t pretty, it’s proof that God can save you no matter what. So, I grew up in church and I’d been baptized before when I was younger but didn’t really understand what it meant and never really had a relationship with Him. I stopped believing because someone that I was close to and that was teaching me about him passed away abruptly and then when my great grandfather passed it felt like that was the nail in the casket for my relationship with God. But it’s crazy how he works and brings you back to Him. You see after I stopped believing I was living a life full of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Basically just partying all the time looking for something to fill the void in my heart. But thanks to my family who I feel like have been praying for me for a long time, I found my way back to the light. I got invited to church one day by my little cousin and I made just about every excuse not to go but I woke up the next morning and I couldn’t fall back asleep so I was like ok I’ll go for her. I went and it felt like God was speaking right threw Nathan straight to me! It was everything I needed to hear and I could feel Him tugging on my heart. After that I went to Roots (college ministry) twice and after the second time me and Dillon had a very long talk outside. I asked Jesus to come into my heart and be apart of my life again. So I just want to say thank you to my family for not giving up hope and helping me find my way back. I was lost and now I’m found.”

We have been prayer warriors for my nephew for many, many years. We have watched him live a life of sin and we have watched him lose his faith in Jesus. A few months ago, when Taylor showed up at our home with a pillow, a blanket, his book bag and his xbox, we had no idea what to expect. Except, I could hear God telling us we needed to let him stay with us. We had no plan. We had no idea how long he would sleep on our couch. We just knew this was the right thing. This is what God needed us to do for Taylor.

By the way, this wasn’t easy for me. I pushed back against God. Even though He made it so clear to me what we needed to do, I was having a hard time with accepting it. We are living in a very small rental home as a family of five with three dogs and two cats, on a very tight budget as we are trying to restore our new home (the Broken House). How in the world could be take on another person? GOD!! That is how! God put me at ease! He provided Taylor a job with our company and God provided His income too!!

God put Taylor back in our lives and has worked through our family! He has restored our hearts and his too and given us an even stronger faith and our relationship with our Father has never been stronger. Through our surrender to Him, He has worked miracles!!

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
- Psalm 23:1

I had so much anxiety right before church today. Anxiety about whether or not my nephew knew what he was committing to today in front of our family and church. Anxiety about how we will be able to afford to finish the restoration of our home. Anxiety about how much longer we will have before we get to move in. Will we make it in our home before Thanksgiving, before I host my Christmas mini sessions? How will we afford this and that????? I was just SO anxious this morning! And then, during service, God was speaking so clearly through Nathan! He said,

“If I’m in want, then the LORD is NOT my shepherd.”

As soon as he said those words, I felt all of the anxiety leave me! Satan was attacking me and God made me aware of it. And, because I was aware, I immediately prayed. . .

“Father, please forgive me for putting things before You. You are my Shepherd! I delight in You and find peace and fulfillment in Your love. Please don’t let me be shepherded by Your blessings but instead let me be shepherded by You, Jesus. Make me aware of what I am idolizing and teach me how to pray so that I can push Satan back to hell through You, Jesus! In your name, Amen.”

Who is your shepherd?

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk though the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:1-6

It's never too late. . .

God’s on fire in our community! Today we witnessed a husband and wife, James and Devi Moon, step up to declare their faith in Jesus and be baptized. Although they have been saved for quite some time they were ready to show the world who they serve.

No matter what your age, if you’re alive, God has a plan for you!!

I love that even though they are older, they humbled themselves and let God have the glory! They are choosing to STAND FIRM and not let the world sway them or make them feel embarrassed about how they serve our God! They set it all aside.

They are allowing God Almighty to be the author of their life story.

Such a beautiful surrender. If you are reading this and you do not have a relationship with Christ Jesus, I pray that you will decide that today is the day you will trust in Him. For more info check this out!!

Father, please help me lay down my burdens and surrender to you. Heal my relationship with myself and show me what it’s like to be still in moments of frustration. Allow me to see Your guiding light and continually make me aware of Satan’s targets on me. Bless me with the ability to confess my sins to my community, repent and SHUT SATAN DOWN with prayer and petition and thanksgiving! In Jesus name, AMEN!

Rocco's Three Year Session | The Broken House, Social Circle, Ga.

Y’all, isn’t he so perfect! I know I phrased that as if it were a question but really, that’s a southern statement!! ;)

This Sunday, after 125 days of not attending church due to the virus, we made our way back. It was so wonderful to walk through those doors and be greeted by my friends! Honestly, it doesn’t seem like I’ve missed out on much - other than human contact of course. Our church has done such a great job of keeping everyone connected through our online service and our pastor reaching out to check on us. It felt like we picked up where we left off.

After service, we headed over to the “Broken House”. We changed Rocco’s clothes and handed him all his tools he got for his birthday. He didn’t skip a beat, or ask any questions, he got straight to work!

And, he knew exactly what to do!

He talks about the Broken House all he time! He actually calls it the “BOken House”. That “R” is no where to found yet. He talks about how he wants to fix it. Today, we are having insulation done, so we knew we had to get him over to the house to get some work done. It was the cutest, most adorable thing to watch our sweet baby boy work on the broken house. Trey and I followed him around and just let him do his thing all while snapping tons of photographs. I’m over sharing it all because, well, I just need to document how adorable he is!

His sweet little dirty face. Those cute little knuckle dimples. That crazy blonde hair. All that baby squish! I can’t get enough of it! And, I know it won’t last forever. In my last blog post (click here), I shared how I love to pray over our babies. Since then, it hit me. . .I need to pray that God will show Trey and I how to raise our babies so that we are supporting His needs for them in this world. I don’t want to interfere with God’s Will for our babies. I want to raise them in a way that supports God’s Will for their lives.

The past 18 years of my life have flown by. . .Trey and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary this past July 4th. 18 years. It’s crazy how fast that came! Before we know it, we will have an 18 year old. Lord, please let us hold on to these babies as long as we can and raise them in a way that pleases you!

Okay, I’m done being a gushy mommy! Well, maybe! Check out that adorable tool belt!