Pump or Geyser?

 "Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again...

...but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"

John 4:13-14

Are you drinking from a pump? 

Or being filled with a geyser?

Doe The Nexte Thynge

"From an old English parsonage down by the sea
There came in the twilight a message to me;
It’s quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
Hath, it seems to me, teaching from heaven.
And on through the hours the quiet words ring
Like a low inspiration: “DOE THE NEXTE THYNGE.”

"Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.
Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus, doe the nexte thynge.

"Do it immediately, do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,
Leave all resulting, doe the nexte thynge.

"Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
Working or suffering, be thy demeanor;
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
The light of His countenance be thy psalm,
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing.
Then, as he beckons thee, doe the nexte thynge."

 --Anonymous

The (last) Virginia Chronicles VIII

 Some final memories:

Ethan's 4th birthday! 

Notice his boots...he says they were from when he and his daddy were in the Marines.

 Another "fancy" tea party!

And a concert...we practiced these songs all week long!

Tiffany and Mackenzie on violins playing 

"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"

And then me on the piano, while the other girls sang 

"Compassion Hymn"

 As well as 2 other songs with 3 part harmony.

Singing got us through many dishes and chores throughout the week. And keeping little mouths busy singing seems to help keep little people from getting in trouble. :)

 AND, we used mirror crayons to print and illustrate the first verse of one of our songs on the girls' bathroom mirror as a surprise. 

His fingerprints in flakes of snow,

His breath upon this spinning globe.

He charts the eagle's flight;

Commands the newborn baby's cry.

 Sweet times and memories.

The Virginia Chronicles VII

 And what of #7 you ask?

Little Gabriel was born safe and sound on July 20th. 

The sweetest little baby boy! I'm so used to seeing baby girls in pink...it's been a LONG time since we've had a little boy in our home!!

We love babies!!!!!

By the way, I completely forgot to say that these pictures are taken by multiple people. Most are taken with Tiffany's (nice!) camera...but the photographers included Ryleigh, Mackenzie, Tiffany and myself. :)

The Virginia Chronicles VI

 Oh...and there was one other thing we did an awful lot of...

 And a good thing to remember when elbow-deep in soap suds:

The Virginia Chronicles V

 And what else did we do besides cook and eat?

WELL! 

We drank tea from big mugs.

 Scrubbed toilets.

 Took care of baby dolls.

 Built houses...
and train stations...
and then knocked them down.

 And drank tea from big mugs...did I already say that?

We also had some kitchen bloopers:

"Okay, Hannah, the rice is in the pot...could you watch it for me?"

"Umm, Tiffany?...this doesn't look right..."

"Barley? Short-grain rice? It must be short-grain rice!"

"I don't know...but it tastes okay..."

"Ohh GIRLS!!! Those were unground WHEAT BERRIES!!!"

Whoops.

Mexican Wheat anyone?

Removed door knobs from bathroom doors to rescue locked-in 4-year-olds...

"Miss Tiffany! Didn't you know there was a KEY!?!?!"

And ALL ended up speaking "southern."

Ethan, gazing into the open refrigerator:

"Praaaaise the Lord!! We got MEAT!!"

And sweet prayers said by same Mr. Ethan:

"Fank you fowr dis day, Fadder..."

But Tiffany can tell all those stories better than I can.

:)

The Virginia Chronicles IV

And was Daffodil's the only restaurant we were treated to?

By no means!

There was also un restaurante Mexicano that served the most excellent enchiladas!! And chips with all the dips and fixings!

 A tea house...

with the best quiche and scones to be had outside of England!

 And a Dutch eatery called Van Tulip's which served:

 Chicken Schnitzel

Honey Angel Hair

and Squash

Yummy fun. :)

The Virginia Chronicles III

 Welcome to Daffodil's Sidewalk Cafe!!

 This is Ryleigh your hostess...

 And Mackenzie, your waitress.

Come on in!!

 Just sign our guestbook, and we'll seat you in a moment.

 Today's special is spinach wraps and a side of carrot sticks...

 Cheerful service, delicious food.

Nobody's ever walked away from Daffodil's with anything less than a smile!

Please come see us again soon!

The Virginia Chronicles II

So the baby decided it was comfy inside and didn't want to come out. Never ones to hang around doing nothing, we went to a baby shower for him!

LOVED the cake!

G for Gabriel.

:)

 Little local cowboy.

 And the baby shower game was the BEST!!

Stuff a fully blown-up balloon under your shirt...

 ...and see who can put on their socks and shoes the fastest!!

 One of these ladies is not like the others...

Sweet times.

 And I got to hold a 2-week old!! 

Hooray for babies!!!

 After getting home, before everyone changed out of their matching attire, Tiffany decided to go for a photo shoot!

 Yay!!

 Love this family!