Carswell Family Happenings...LOL

Hi all! Just wanted to give you a little update on our life as of late....

This past week we had revival at our church with Bro. Rick Safriet. It was wonderful and refreshing and a meeting our church definitely needed. There was great singing and preaching and just an all around wonderful spirit. I feel very blessed to have been involved!

Sunday morning we were fortunate to be invited to our wonderful friends the Clemmens' church, Temple Baptist in Lenoir. They were honoring police officers, fireman, and any other civil servants. I don't know how many of you know this but after the controversy a few weeks ago with my hubby in the paper he definitely needed to be reminded that his job is important and appreciated. It also was an encouragement to get to hear from other police officers and such how they incorporate their Christian walk into their daily work environment. We heard a wonderful message from Bro. Joel Bixler and then shared in plenty of food and fellowship. I am so blessed to have a wonderful Christian husband who works so hard to provide for our family. I couldn't have handpicked a better soul mate than the one the Lord placed in front of me!

Today was my millionth doctor's appointment. LOL I am not complaining at least they are watching me closely and keeping the baby safe. My blood pressure was lower than it had been in awhile which was a blessing because I didn't have a chance to take my bp meds before I went. I was ecstatic. Plus I had finally gained one pound. Not that I mind losing weight but hitting the 20 pound mark was scaring me a little. I just think the bump needs to grow a little. : ) The baby's heartrate was 140 and it was the first time in weeks we have been able to find it with the doppler and not had to do an ultrasound so that was happy. We go back on June 8th for our big ultrasound. Billy is still praying for twin boys. LOL I am very afraid he is going to be disappointed.

Well now you are all caught up on the Carswell family. I hope that you all are having a blessed and wonderful week. Next week I will be on a blogging hiatus because we are having a mini/staycation. The beginning of the week will find us with our wonderful friends Jackie and Chris (yay!!!!) and then hopefully on Tuesday with Ron and Lauren!!!!! Then at the end of the week we will be working around the house on some much needed touchups to the paint and the kids bedrooms! I'll catch up again soon. :)

Desicions....

Hello lovely ladies! It is almost Mother's Day and I am so excited. I love being a mom, more than I ever imagined I could. My own mom holds such a special place in my heart so this is one holiday that I love celebrating! I hope that all of you mothers have a beautiful day, and remember how blessed we are to be caretakers to these precious little ones. And for those of you who aren't yet mothers I hope you remember how special you are to be a daughter of the King! : )

I was hoping to present a dilemma to you all and get an unbiased opinion from you...
I was raised by my mother and stepfather. My "dad" left when I was in kindergarten and besides a brief two week stay when I was in middle school I have probably only seen him three other times in all these years. Literally I mean my sister and I have probably spend more time with the tellers at the grocery store we frequent than we have him. (BTW He lives in Portland, OR.) A few weeks ago he called my big sis to say....guess what I am flying to Atlanta at the end of May and want to meet my grandchildren. Can we make that happen?
Here is my problem with all of this. #1 Although he claims to be an "ordained minister" (did you know you could get ordained online? LOL!) He is not the type of person we would normally have around any of our children. He drinks, smokes, talks vulgar, and is all around just different from the normal company we keep. #2 Neither my children and definitely not my sister's children have ever been exposed to divorce. In the sense that daddies sometimes just walk away and never look back ( or at least don't look back for 20 years or so!).....How do you explain that to a toddler? #3 I have a dad....I know that sounds callous....but I have someone who raised me, who taught me right from wrong, who listened to me cry and laughed with me, who paid for me to go to college and didn't say a word when I walked away from it, who walked me down the aisle and still helps my husband and I on a regular basis. PLUS He is my children's grandfather, the one who was there when they were born and loves them as unconditionally as if they were blood.
Sorry, I am beginning to ramble my point is this.....as a Christian will I be wrong if I refuse to see this person? I know that the Bible says to honor our parents.....and I am not disputing that....its just that I feel this sporadic trip is more of a fishing expedition because he has run out of people to sponge off of in OR. I am not angry at him for leaving...actually I am thankful....my life would have been so different had I been raised in a divided (unequally yoked) home. I just don't feel like he needs to be a part of mine or my children's lives. Does anyone have an opinion on what the Christian thing to do here is?

My Goal for May!

Hello wonderful ladies! Apparently I have been on blogging vacation. I love reading what all of you say, but have such a hard time thinking of something profound enough to say to you all. (LOL I know I am a huge dork.) Anyone on who has known me for more than a day can tell you that I never run out of things to say, but for some reason when I start typing I am just at a loss for words. There are so many things happening in my life and the lives of those around me that it seems just blogging about day to day stuff would be trivial. But isn't God in the day to day stuff? I think about how stressed out I am about the future and what may or may not happen and I wonder why it is so hard to remember that I serve a BIG God who is always in control of each and ever minute of my life. There are times in my life when I am unaware that the girls are doing something potentially dangerous, like I don't know, getting ahold of the superglue and using it as fingernail polish. But there is never a second that God loses track of me. He always knows what I am doing and when I am doing it and what is even more He knows what comes next.

25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow....

This passage is one I have heard since I was just a child, but I still haven't grasped it. I still haven't figured out that no matter what God is in control of my life. So that is my goal for the month of May. To just remember that God is in control of everything including (but not limited too) my petty day to day life.

I love you all and am praying for you and your families!