So how are ya'll...

With summer coming to a close and everyone getting into a fall routine, we're running into friends we've missed seeing and the question "so how are ya'll" seems to be at the start of every conversation. So here is my photo answer/ update from the Vaughan household :-)

Luke turned 2 years old on August 12!

Caleb started PreK at PDS where his daddy went to school! He goes from 8-11am everyday and is loving it. This was the biggest change for us because it thrust us into a whole new routine! Here we are on his first day of school!

Here he is reading his new class rules. He is a total Type A!

They have a class puppy named Chocolate, and Caleb got to bring him home a couple of weeks ago. This confirmed he is destined to have a dog... as soon as he is big enough to take care of it!

Here is Caleb with his PreK class and wonderful teachers, Mrs. Kilgore and Mrs. Gruby. He is front row second from the right.

Luke started Parents Day Out once a week and loves wearing his new backpack like a big boy.

We recently went out to a friend's farm to see cows, horses, chickens, and tractors, and do a little fishing! Wide open spaces. Could not have been more fun!

Auburn football has started...

With slightly cooler weather, we've been spending lots of time outside...

Megan or "Mae Mae" (here with Jonathan at our neighborhood cove Labor Day party)has been living with us over a year now. She is a sweet blessing in our lives and undoubtedly simply part of our family.

Mothers and the Gospel

Jesus said,

"Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of ; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their crosss and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:37-39

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first." Matthew 19:29-30

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even their own life - such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26-27

I read these verses in college and can remembering discussing them with a friend who had just become a believer in Christ and dearly loved her family who were not Christians. She wanted to love them with the sacrificial, servant love of Christ that they might see Him in her. We talked about this passage and being willing to choose Christ over her family if necessary. To follow him whole heartedly no matter what her family may think or do, and even physically move away from her family should Christ call her elsewhere for the sake of the gospel.

I pray for my children, for their salvation,  for their spouses, for their character, for their hearts to love God and grasp the beauty of the gospel. My heart's desire is that they follow the Lord whole heartedly.  I must confess that I read a prayer the other day that shook me up as a mother. It reminded me of the above verses. Here is that prayer taken from Matt Friedeman's book, Discipleship in the Home. (He prays this and similar prayers with his kids)

And Lord, if you've got a tough place in the world and you don't know who you are ever going to get to go there, I've got this feeling that Hannah is going to be ready to go if you want her to be there. You've made her into that kind of girl - brave, bold, willing to go anywhere and do anything for Jesus.

And for that tough place in Eastern Europe that you need someone to sacrifice their life for - Elijah has been given that kind of courage. Just ask him to see what happens.

And Lord, my bet is there is some jungle in South America that needs a young man who will not turn back when the going gets tough. Caleb was a spy in the Old Testament that was worth his mettle - send the boy in this family who is a lot like him.

And for Joshua, my son who was named for one of the greatest leaders of all time... he's got what it takes to be a great leader anywhere you need him in our world. Alaska? China? Kenya? Mexico? Mississippi? Challenge my Joshua to be a leader. I think he's going to be willing to answer your call.

And Lord, for Isaiah and for Zeke, send them, and all my kids, on a great adventure for God. They want a challenge. Lord, an exciting life. Give it to them!

[This prayer] says something about our children, to our children: that they are brave and that their God and their daddy expect them to answer God's call no matter how challenging it may be.

I tried to pray, "God, should you call any of my sons to a difficult, even dangerous place for the sake of the gospel, no matter how far away, prepare my sons' hearts to answer the call and say send me." I literally could barely speak the words as I choked up over the thought of my boys possibly one day moving across the world, rarely seeing them, and perhaps even living in danger. Those thoughts were heavy on my heart and led me to ask, "Do I love Christ more than my children? Do I really trust God with my boys? Do I really believe He loves them more than I do and has a purpose for their lives? Am I raising them to go anywhere Christ should one day call?"

I pray God is gracious with me and helps me daily answer with a wholehearted resounding YES and raise my children in the light of it.

Neighborhood Boys

When we moved into our home about a year and a half ago, we knew the two brothers next door were older than Caleb and Luke by six years. You tend to think it would be ideal if your kids had next door neighbor friends close in age to grow up with, but now I wouldn't trade Will and Sam for any 2 and 4 year olds! To my surprise they have been one of the greatest blessings of moving into this house. They are kind, patient, polite, and genuinely love playing with Caleb and Luke. I don't quite understand but am thankful because it makes my boys feel so special.Just today, Will came knocking on our door asking if Caleb and Luke could come out to play! I'm reading Boys Should Be Boys by Dr. Meg Meeker and something she wrote made me think about our neighbor friends. She writes, "...what young boys need - and what they can get when they play on their own in the neighborhood - is a mixture of older boys and younger boys." I never thought much about it, but my boys are seeing older "peers" model kindness, leadership, initiative, respect, and a bunch of other great character qualities. I hope as they grow, they show the same kindness to small children that has been shown to them!

Cool Dudes

SUMMER IS HERE!!!!

Chillin in our shades...

Looking cool in our baseball hats...

Climbing trees...

Working our muscles...

Enjoying the patio breeze...

Jonathan's Dedication

This past Sunday at church was Jonathan's dedication, and it was a special time to ask for the Lord's hand and blessing on his life. Jonathan means "gift" and we believe that our third son is just that, a gift, not just to Kennon and I, but a gift to our family, and specifically to his brothers. Our prayer is that Jonathan, like his namesake in Scripture, would be both a fierce warrior, zealous for the Lord, and at the same time a trustworthy friend to his brothers, tender hearted and loving. Alexander is Kennon's middle name as well as that of his maternal grandfather, a man who Kennon often describes as one of the most gentle, wise, and Christlike men he's ever known.

Prov.17:17 "A friend loves at all times, and a brother in born for adversity." We thank God for the "gift" of Jonathan, and the special bond of friendship found among brothers.

Jonathan, Caleb, and Luke with their cousins, Elizabeth, Harrison, and Mary Paige

Time to be outside

Crash Pile

In the last chapter of Motherhood in the Trenches, Rachel talks about making a "crash pile" for her kids, and I totally borrowed the idea a few weeks ago when we were snowed in. The boys LOVED it! Here's how it works... you make a huge pile of pillows, comforters, throws, and any other miscellaneous soft blankets. Then show the kids their running route and tell them to take off!

Of course they are bound to get thirsty during all those sprints, so we set up a little refreshment table for between run thirst quenching. However Luke decided he needed a solid refreshment break.