Blogworthy.

Over a month has past since my last post. ... and it's not that there haven't been happenings worth posting about in the Broome family:
* I traveled to Missouri and flew with all three kids. WITH the help of my 15 year old sister...yeah...I don't know if I'll be making that trip all by myself with all 3 in tow anytime soon. All three were really good and cooperative, but things just happen, ya know?!? Joshua had to go potty as we were taking off. Caleb had a blowout. The Atlanta airport is INSANE. You get the idea.
* While in St. Louis, I was able to see and hang out with family and dear friends...however as with every trip back to the midwest, I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to. Joshua had a really tough week which in turn, was exhausting for me. Everything was a battle. He's not a typically aggressive kid, but really was while we were there. I still don't know exactly why it was such a difficult week, but I know that part of it was being away from his daddy. I was reminded of how great it is to have a husband who loves me and loves our kids enough to be really involved in loving, correcting, and training them.
* Caleb is now 6 months old! How did that happen?!?! I have SO enjoyed the baby stage with him...much more than with the other two. I find myself savoring the fact that he can't crawl or eat food or do anything on his own yet. I'm so thankful for that. He is such a little ball of sweetness. He started clearly and deliberately saying "mama" about a month ago and it melts my heart! At his 6 month well-check he was 25th % weight and 90th % length!!! How did I get such a long baby?!!? ...Fred may get his bb star after all!!!

* We're having the outside of our house painted. It's not exactly how Fred and I would have liked to spend our money, but it needed to be done. And it looks SO good! The guys are almost finished and I'm amazed at what a fresh coat of paint does for the curb appeal.

* IBC's student camp was the first weekend in June and it was INCREDIBLE. This was the first year of doing our own camp, so Fred, the other student pastor and their administrative assistants put tons of work into making it all happen. God did some amazing things in students' lives and at least one became a follower of Christ! Praise be to GOd!!! I didn't go so Ash came and helped with the kids. I am so thankful that she did- it made those days while Fred was away so much easier and it was great to be able to hang out with her for those days. I'm already looking forward to getting to go next year!
* We had Xtreme Week at church last week (IBC's vbs). I taught 3k Bible study time. It was so fun getting to share Truth with those little guys and gals! We were worn out by 1:00 everyday, but it was so worth it!
* And now, for the source of motivation for this post: Check out this DISGUSTING critter that FLEW across our bedroom about an hour ago! ughhhhhhh!!!! Apparently, this is just part of living in the deep south. I guess this is the season for these beastly creatures to be seen and with all the windows open with the painters, this horrid thing got into our bedroom. ...SO that's why I'm posting well after midnight-- because WHO can go to bed after that nastiness is flying around your bed?!!??

THIS is what our bedroom looked like after tearing it apart trying to track the thing down! I have said since moving to Macon that there are A LOT of things I love about life here; our church family, our friends, southern culture, ... But there are 3 things that I HATE: the fire ants, the mosquittos, and the roaches!

A Week in Pictures

The past two weekends have been just absolutely fabulous. You know the kind, when you just step back and thank our God for life. Here are a few of the adventures the Broomies have experienced in the past week (or so...:))

We had a GREAT Mother's Day weekend at the beach! We went down to Jacksonville and visited my MiMi and PaPa (of which I did not get any pictures with because the camera battery died...ugh...) Joshua LOVED the water! I can't wait for Prosser family beach trip '09...Maddie and Joshua are gonna be SO fun! The picture of Anna Bell is a bit deceiving; she was quite the chicken anywhere near the water...she may be spending most of her vacation poolside:)


Just a couple pics of Caleb last week-- oh, how I love this little guy! He is so fun and sweet. He seems to be easygoing so far...of course we all thought that about AB at five months as well!







We visited one of our favorite May/Macon places on Friday; the Elliot Farms strawberry patch. (I think that this was our fourth trip this spring already!) It is one of the greatest places on earth for toddlers! Pick strawberries, eat some along the way, meet fun farm creatures (peacocks, goats, cows, chickens, roosters, and dogs all included) and eat amazing homemade strawberry ice cream. All that for about $7.00. You can't beat it.













On Saturday morning as we were sitting around finishing up breakfast, Fred and I decided that we wanted to get out with the kids again. We made our way to a great animal rescue/rehabilitation place called Daucet Trails. It's a free "zoo" filled with all kinds of cool animals and beautiful trails winding through forests and around a lake. There's another free zoo that we've been to a couple of times called Noah's Ark. This is somewhat similar, but we decided we liked it even better.
*Check out my three guys all sportin their Tarheel ball caps!:)



Caleb tried rice cereal for the first time on Saturday. He didn't love it. He didn't hate it. I don't know if I'll start into full swing with the whole baby food stage quite yet. It's just not my favorite milestone. We'll see.





Yeah...this is what happens when I think that unsupervised finger painting is a good idea while I'm trying to get dinner fixed. Mommy thought it was hilarious. Daddy was not so amused when he walked in the door. I wish that I could post a full-body shot of the aftermath of this activity, but it's just not right to post nude pictures of your 3 1/2 year old.



We actually took these a couple of weeks ago, but I had to stick them on here. We took our kite to a church park near our house. I love the church in the background...:)

Some Spring Pics

The egg hunt with church.

Caleb representing the best basketball team in the nation.

Our palm Sunday devotion. This went pretty well. The kids acted it out complete with palm branches.

Nothing to do with Easter...just enjoying push pops on a cold day:)

Joshua REALLY loves Caleb...he can't wait to share a room with him.

At one of our best buds, Lucy's house. Fred and Lucy's dad spent ALL day setting up their new swing set and the tire swing was a HUGE hit!

Luv Ya Ash:)

I ran out of clean athletic socks the other day and thankfully found this pair of beauties in my sock drawer. ...One of the many perks to having a cool 15 year old sister:)

I Have the Best "Job" in the World

I am a mom to three great kids and wife to an amazing student pastor. That makes for one crazy, but beyond-blessed Easter Sunday. Every Sunday morning is a battle. -To not get frustrated as I rush around the house for a solid hour and 30 minutes trying to get all three kids out the door and to church. I HATE it when my heart is more focused on affection (or disdain!) for my hair than for my Savior. I HATE it when I nag my children all morning to do as they're told rather than spend those moments teaching and modeling what it looks like to prepare for worship. ...and although we experienced these same struggles yesterday, God was beyond faithful. He is SO worthy of our worship! He is overwhelmingly wonderful and full of grace. He has the power and authority to conquer death! I had the awesome privilege to pray with a sweet 7th grade student yesterday as she asked Christ to be her Savior. It was so cool. I have been praying with and talking to this same girl for nearly a year as she has wrestled with doubt and fear that has kept her from Christ. And yesterday was the day of salvation for her. I am so thankful and humbled that God allowed me to be a part of it! Praise God!!! For He alone is the Giver of life and all things good!!! He uses us to glorify Himself and bring others to Him in spite of our sinfulness and inadequacy! Thank You, Lord!

3 Year Old Logic

Anna Bell had a check-up with the ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) Doctor this past Monday. And let's just say that our little girl is not a fan of doctors of any kind. (At her last well-check with the pediatrician, he broke out into a sweat just trying to check her ears and listen to her heart!) In order to prepare her (and myself!) for the visit, we talked quite a bit about what the doc would do and what it meant to be brave. We prayed with her, reminded her of the glorious sucker that she would receive after her visit, and practiced ear-looking while waiting in the room. One of the verses that Joshua has memorized is Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go." Our buddy Shelly taught Joshua a little song with that verse when she came to visit and I asked Joshua if he would sing it to Anna Bell as we waited in the room. This is what he sang:

"Be Strong!
Anna Bell 1:9!
Be Strong!
Anna Bell 1:9!
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified;
do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God is with you
wherever you go!"

...I LOVE it when we get little glimpses into their perceptions on life!!!

** We are celebrating Christ's ressurection intentionally this week with some special family devotion times. Pictures and stories soon to follow:) Our friends Josh and Tasha started this last year with their kiddos which encouraged us to do the same- check out their blogs for some great ideas as well!

Just Pictures...

I Love This Man...

Today is my wonderful husband's 30th Birthday!!!!

I am so thankful for him.

These are just 30 of the many reasons why...

1. He is the spiritual leader of our home.

2. He can always make me laugh...even when I'm in a cranky mood:)

3. There is no pretense about my husband...he is who he is- and who he is is pretty great!

4. He is the best preacher of the Word that I know.

5. He is creative.

6. He is a thorough and critical thinker.

7. He loves me so selflessly.

8. He loves students and their families.

9. He loves Jesus...with everything that he is.

10. He cares about and looks towards our future.

11. He is one incredible daddy.

12. He doesn't complain when the laundry isn't done or we eat mac-n-cheese for dinner.

13. He puts our family first.

14. He loves to share his hobbies with me.

15. He loves God's Word.

16. He is a reader.

17. Even at 30, he is one seriously handsome fella.

18. He is a learner.

19. He values my opinion- for our family and ministry.

20. He loves my family.

21. He is the most forgiving person I know.

22. He doesn't care much about the latest style or fad.

23. He dreams big.

24. His memory and retention of information is amazing.

25. He loves the Tarheels...and although I rarely have the attention span to watch an entire game on TV, I do too:)

26. He laughs at my attempt at humor...and i'm really not that funny.

27. He plays the guitar and has a great understanding of music.

28. He has the greatest color of blue eyes...that have been passed down to 3/3 of our kids.

29. He is very smart...but never pretends to be smarter than he is.

30. Fred Broome is the husband that God chose for me. And I couldn't be more grateful.

I love you, honey:) Happy Birthday.

Just a Thought...

As Fred and I were talking the other night, I had a thought that I've never considered before having to do with creation/the fall. I can assume that it's not an original idea, but it is to me and I'm wondering if anyone has any insight: In the account of Eve (and then Adam) being tempted and then sinning, there is no mention of them having children yet. And when God banished them from the Garden, I would think that if they had already birthed a child, that would have been said. Because there was not yet sin/sickness/pain/ and an overall "fallen" state of humanity, I would think that Adam and Eve would have quickly gotten pregnant once they were created. (...I know that this is a lot of speculation...but stick with me here- I have a point!) Therefore, it is reasonable to estimate that they lived in perfect fellowship with God in the Garden for less than a year. -That is, assuming that it would have taken no more than a few months to get pregnant...and Eve could have been very pregnant when they exited Eden. (Thus, the consequence of pain in childbirth would have been very real to her!) So here's my point: if this is all accurate-- that Adam and Eve only lived in Eden for less than a year, how astounding that they were not content with the perfect and sinless life that God had created in the Garden?!!? It may have taken them less than a year to fall into temptation. Can you imagine?!? Tasting life, a constant and uninhibited-by-sin relationship with God, and all of His beautiful creation only to look for "more" after a couple of months. I know that none of this can be proven and if it was really important to us, God would have told us how long they lived without sin. But still, it's something to think about...

Fun Times

Joshua pulled out a bunch of Fred's fishing worms last week and had a blast! He must have played with these things for an hour. He enjoyed sorting them by type and color and then taking them one-by-one to the sink for a "bath." Unfortunately, Fred did not have as fun of a time putting them away, so we kept out a little baggy full that are now just for Joshua to play with.

I think that Caleb is going to pass his
big sis up in size before we know it!

Nothing beats running by Sonic for a route 44 slushy
(only 99 cents before 11!) on our way to the park!

Caleb is one sweet, precious baby!!!