Today is Jaimee’s 23rd birthday! We are all grateful for the sweetness and joy that Jaimee brings to our home. We pray God continues to bless her in this new year of her life.

birthday breakfast treat

opening presents… a new tea cup (and a new bracelet!)

this smells good – “delight” from Josh!

vanilla cream float for dessert

brother and sisters

A Poem for Jaimee on her 23rd Birthday
Jaimee today you are twenty-three
You are such a joy, it’s plain to see
The light of Christ shining forth in you
Touching others with your smile so true.

You’ve endured hardship and lots of pain
Trusting the Lord you seldom complain
Keeping your eyes on your Savior and King
Believing in Him His healing to bring.

We’re so proud of who you have become
To worldly ways you have not succumb
So God has blessed you in many a way
May you have an extra special birthday.

by your Dad, John Lavin

Our family flew one of the girls’ dear friends here from Colorado as a surprise for Jaimee’s 23rd birthday. We managed to keep it a secret and Jaimee was very much surprised!!

“discovering” Joelle in Dad’s office… Jaimee cried!

we took Joelle to Boerne- a great little town with many cute shops! Here we’re having fun trying on hats.

enjoying a wonderful lunch at the Peach Tree Kountry Kitchen

perching in front of Buy Buy Birdie

Joelle hand-delivered a special birthday treat from Meagan (her sister in law) and Cailan… all the ingredients to make a perfect tea party!

it was sweet!

We took Joelle to the famous Casa Rio Mexican food restaurant!

Jaimee was given a harp from a neighbor this year and was delighted to learn several tips from Joelle. We enjoyed hearing Joelle play for us as well!

We traveled over to New Braunfels to celebrate John’s parents’ birthdays. God has blessed them with long life – 94 and 89 years!

a picture from Sunday afternoon

opening some gifts

having way too much fun in the field!

it was the perfect day for playing frisbee

dear friends and sisters in Christ

saying a 5:45 AM good-bye at the airport.
Thank you for coming Joelle! You made Jaimee’s birthday so memorable and we enjoyed every minute with you! We are grateful for the sweet Godly friends the Lord has blessed us with.

This past Saturday, our family drove out near Hondo for John and Lynette’s Sunday School class picnic. We enjoyed fun fellowship with other families, croquet, horseshoes, shooting tin cans and clay pigeons, a hayride, and s’mores!

the whole family, ready for the hayride!

Pastor Si giving instructions

John and Joe

Josh is taking aim!

watch out for these women gunslingers – Lynette, Kay, and Pam

Pam the sharpshooter!

Our Sunday School teacher Joe with Lynette

the newlyweds ~ Bob and Charity

hayride

with Steve – the adopted member of our family for the night

sticky fingers, but oh, so good

yummy s’mores to end the day with!

...it was a very fun afternoon. So grateful for Christian fellowship!

Yesterday we had some friends over for a special girls gathering. We enjoyed having tea, watched Anne of Green Gables, and shared in dinner and fellowship.

Which one would you like to be – a teapot or a teacup? Mom shared some wonderful spiritual analogies relating to tea and our lives:
The teapot holds the tea; like the teapot, we too must be filled with good things that are pleasing in the Lord’s sight. Ephesians 3:19 – That you may really come to know [practically, and through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge; that you may be filled through all your being unto all the fullness of God and may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!
What is filling you? Do you have a hunger and thirst for God? We have to keep being filled or we will run dry. We’re to overflow with blessings to others and not be dry or stagnant. What is on the inside, JESUS, should flow out to bless, comfort, strengthen and encourage others. It comes with moment by moment dependence and by yielding to Christ and His Spirit.

On the other hand, a teacup only holds what is put into it – there is no outlet. We shouldn’t seek to be energy-takers, but energy-givers!
Fill my cup, Lord- I lift it up, Lord! Come and quench this thirsting of my soul; Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more- Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!
-R. Blanchard

smiles after a sweet afternoon and evening shared together

This week, the farmer up the road came to give our field one last cut before fall makes its way down south.

freshly cut hay bales

hard at work

a pretty sight!

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… He hath made every thing beautiful in His time. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11