Cousin Time

Caleb and Samuel with my wonderful nephew

We recently returned from a visit to my Mom's house to spend time with some of my family. Above is a photo my brother-in-law took of the male cousins. There should never be a question about God's anointing on him, he had 2 two year-olds not only facing the camera, but also smiling. at the same time. *grin*

I don't have a picture of the girl cousins yet. One exists, I just don't have a copy since my camera died the first day we were there. Truthfully, I copied this one off their website so that I could have it... Come on, it's a great picture!

My sister and her family were in town moving their stuff so they can begin training for their upcoming departure to do missions work in Eastern Europe. They will be part of a church planting team. So, we descended onto my mother's house to spend some time with them in between all their busyness.

I finally got to meet my niece who is so completely adorable and smells fantastic. Seriously, both my sister's kids have smelt the same and it's so fresh and clean. Not sure what she uses, but anyway...Its amazing to me how you can have such unconditional love for children that are not your own, truly a gift from God. My niece (4months) and nephew (2) bring me so much joy!

I'm thankful God provided this opportunity for us to spend this precious time with them and that the kids were able to bond a little more before they leave. I had to fight tears several times this weekend, but like I said before it is part of this strange mixture of sadness and overwhelming joy. It was also great to hear them share their hearts at home and in church and I am so excited to hear about what God accomplishes through them. We will miss them, but it's all for God! I would love to have the opportunity to go visit and serve with them while they are there.