Thankfulness !

Why is it so hard to show thankfulness? I have spent countless hours teaching my little ones to say thank you ,but yet how many times do I say it? Telling some one thank you for the little things they do is so important, not just for that person,but for yourself. As we do go about our daily lives and when we do say thank you to someone,the one we always forget is God. He needs to hear thank you for the little things too! Have you ever made a list of the things your thankful for? Take the time to appreciate the little things in this life and tell those you know, how thankful you are to have them in your life!

My thankful list:
Thank you Jesus for loving me,encouraging me when I'm down,being patient with me when I'm slow to listen and obey, for providing all my needs,for saving my soul! Because of you I will never be the same and for that I will always be thankful.

Thank you Kelley for choosing me to be your wife. Thank you for encouraging me in my walk with the Lord. Thank you for working so hard,so that I can stay home with our children. Thank you for our many children! Thank you for being patient with me and loving me when I'm hard to live with.Thank you for remembering how many days we have been married, I think that is so romantic! Thank you for walking with me through the toughest times in our marriage. Thank you for loving my Jesus! I love you!

Thank you kids for letting me experience motherhood to the fullest! For being patient with me, even during those times when I'm not being patient with you. It's because of you 9 that I am the mom that I am. You have taught me so much about life and I will be eternally thankful. I can't imagine life without you and hope I never do. Seeing you all love Jesus is all that I hope for in you. When I see you share your faith in Him, I am blessed. When I watch you worship Him I am blessed. Thank you Holcombe Kids, I am proud to be your Mom!

Thank you mom for giving me life. It's because of you and your witness that I have a relationship with Jesus. I am so thankful that God chose you to be my mom. Thank you for being there when my babies were born,what a memory! Thank you for always being available when I need you, even when it might be inconvenient. Thank you for teaching me how to sew.Thank you mom, their is none like you!

To my Step Dad.... Thank you for loving my mom and for being the Godly husband she always prayed for. Thank you treating my sisters and I as your very own.Thank you for being a granddaddy to my children.Thank you for giving us 3 brothers and another sister, so I can truly say I come from a large family.Thank you for encouraging us to read God's word. Thank you for being a part of me meeting my husband, I'm glad I listened. Thanks Pop, I love you!

To my 3 sisters..... Thank you for all the laughs,crying ,anger frustration,drama,hormones and all that goes along with sisterhood. Thank you for all my nieces and nephews,I love them just as much as my own. Thank you for all the many minutes phone calls and emails,though we are many miles apart. I love you 3 very much,thank you for being my sisters!

To all my in laws....What can I say! This is the greatest family to have come into. You have excepted me as one of you,thank you. You are by far the funnest people to be around. Many years of laughter, joy and pain. Life that has made me laugh more than cry. Thank you for supporting me in all my many craft endeavors. Being part of this huge family , and I mean huge, is just to hard to describe. But once you have experienced it, you will never be the same. Thank you family, I love you!

To my grandparents... many of you have gone, many live miles away(Granddad and Grandma Cavender)(Grun) .Thank you for my parents. No mater how far away you are,you have always shown me love. Thank you! You have shown me what it is to be a grandparent and I can't wait to have that experience. I love you!

To all my friends....Thank you for your friendships. With out you life wouldn't be the same. Thank you for words of wisdom during times of need. Thank you for encouraging me when I have been unsure. Thank you for giving of yourself when I have needed help.Thank you for countless times of laughter. Thank you for calling on me for help,even though you thought I had my hands full. Thank you for being my friend!

Thank you to all my friends and family, have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Mother letters......

I have just run across a most awesome blog. There is a man who is going to surprise his wife with a book of letters sent to her ,via his blog,from other moms. It all started when they decided to forgo giving each other bought gifts this year and using that money to help friends in a village far away. You can read all about it and even send her your thoughts on being a mom. I hope she knows how blessed she is to have a husband do such a loving, most romantic act of gift giving.
The blog address is http://motherletter.blogspot.com/
All moms need encouragement from time to time. To get that from other moms is probably the only way to really be understood in this club we call MOTHERHOOD.
I am seeing what an impact this gift is having on other moms,just read some of the entries that have been sent.
Through just one families idea to sacrifice and bless others, a gift was born that will go on giving to a world called motherhood.
Karen

mckmama

Several months ago I heard about a blog that a very special family had. The mom was expecting her 4th baby and he wasn't expected to live. Well, God had other plans! Praise God this little blessing survived and has done above and beyond what anyone ever hoped for. We do serve a God of miracles!!!! And this blog and family have been a tool used to share God's goodness to people all over the world. What a story they will have to tell him when he's older. I have a link to the right, check it out. And the mom reminds me of myself many years ago with 4 babies under the age of 4. And she takes the most beautiful pictures too. The blog is http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Girls X 7 !

Being a mom to seven girls can be quite,let's just say hormonal at times. You never know what kind of mood they may be in. On another side they are very helpful,loving,passionate young ladies. My grandmother came from a family of 8 girls,no boys. I remember how her sisters and her would get together. They would be just like young girls laughing and having a grand old time.

I pray that my girls are just as close when they are older.

Our Sarah will graduate from high school this next May. This will make 4 graduates from JCCHS in our family. 4 down and 5 to go!!! She is our 4th child and I would say my easiest so far. I am so proud of her and her passion for the Lord.I can't wait to see how God uses her as she continues in her next phase of life. She has a real heart for abused kids and hopes to work in some field to mentor them. This year she has done cheering and cross country. I don't know where she gets her passion for running!

Our 5th child Jessica will be 15 in a few months. This past year she was on the JV competition and football cheer squad. I think she even surprised herself, following in her sisters footsteps. She has done wonderful and has worked really hard to do her best for the squad. But what she really does great is sing. God has given her a beautiful voice. She hopes to go into some sort of music career.

Emily and her Boyfriend. Emily is our oldest daughter. She is 20. She's a bright dependable role model for anyone. Emily can light up a room. Her and her boyfriend Eric are getting very serious. God only knows if he's the one, but we have hope:) We are very thankful she has a good relationship with Christ & that God blessed us with her in our life.

(written by Emily's sister Lindsey)

Chilling by the lake is how the Holcombe's
Do it. Jordan is our second oldest son.
He is 21 and very athletic.
He is always on the go with incredible
places to go and things to do.
He is amazing to be around and always a joy
to see him set a great example for his little sisters.

(written by Jordan's sister Lindsey)

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week the younger girls and I traveled to Florida with Kelley. Well, we were hoping to get in some beach time. But, this week has been their coldest week of the year. So much for the sand and sun! We did find a great zoo to hang out at for a few hours. They even rode a water log ride and thought that was the greatest.This was one plus for the cold weather. Over all it was a really nice day for being outside with a bunch of animals (I'm not referring to the kids!)
The resort here is beautiful.We were blessed with a really nice room. The girls even attempted to swim in the huge pool in spite of the cold. I think the hot tub helped! Friday we head back to reality and the rest of our kids. I think we need another trip to make up for having cold weather this week!!!!