Generations of Joy

About an hour before Mom, Aunt Joan and G&G Hillis
hit the road, we went up to the Billings Rims
to take a few fun pictures.

It was a cloudy and blustery day,
but we still got some great photos!

Can you find our house?

Cutie Pie

JUMP!

The term "Great Grandparents" is well earned!
You two TRULY are great!

Jacob with his Great Grandparents

Robbie with his Great Grandparents!

Taylor with her Great Grandparents!

Four Generations

Thanks for comin' guys!

Four Generations o' Joy!

And a quick lil' photo shoot for the
Hickles Five!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

We did a mini-celebration Saturday night as a family of five,
so we could include Daddy who has to work tomorrow.

So, in honor of our first big holiday at our new home
we took a FFF on our front steps!

(And Jacob noticed that the puppy from across the street
was out playing in her yard JUST as the camera took the picture)

So, of course, in the next photo
ALL THREE KIDS
are looking in the direction of the puppy across the street!

ha!

 

And we celebrated Easter
using our "new" handed-down dishes
with one of Daddy's favorite meals!
Pot Roast, carrots & potatoes, and fresh rolls.

 

While Daddy works tomorrow
the rest of us will celebrate Easter with family
at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Good times to be had by all.

Happy Easter!

[and yes, there's a hole in this blog-osphere,
but I thought I'd just start where we are
and see where we go from there!]

Good Friday Musings

Tonight we were reading about that blessed dark Friday as a family.
Here's a quote from our favorite Children's Bible:

"Jesus chose to stay there on the cross
and died to save all those who believe in Him.
No one could ever love as much as Jesus.
Then it happened: God poured all of His people's sin
– in the past, now, and forever –
into Jesus' heart.
'Father!' Jesus cried. 'Don't leave me!'
But God had to turn away from all the sin.
And Jesus felt all the dirt of sin
and all the anger of His Father that came with it.
But it wasn't His sin.
It was ours.
Jesus felt it and suffered for it
so that we would not have to."

- - -

Just after I read the part where Jesus cried "Don't leave me!"
Taylor winced and then sobbed aloud, "No! I don't want God to leave Him!!"

With my own tears in my eyes
I read the next line:
"But God had to turn away from all the sin."

My skin tingled and heart raced as we then discussed
how our hearts are naturally dirty
from our bad choices- from our sin!
But Jesus knew that if he stayed there
and let the people be mean to him,
  laugh at him,
  put a painful crown on him,
  whip him,
  hang him on that cross
  and then kill him-
he knew that all those people's sins,
  plus Adam and Eve's sin,
  plus Samson's sin,
  plus Mommy and Daddy's sin,
  plus Tay's own sin-
he knew that all this sin would be put on him
and he would feel God's anger
and would be so dirty
that God would have to turn away from him.

But BUT but
Jesus also knew that if he stayed there,
as God had planned for him to do,
then people who believe He is the Son of God
and ask for forgiveness for all their dirty sin-
these people can then have clean hearts and can be close to God!

Tay chose to pray a few minutes later
to say that she believed in Jesus,
and that she was sorry for all her bad choices
and that she wanted a clean heart too.

As I was tucking her into bed
she grinned from ear to ear
and proclaimed,
"Mom, when I had a dirty heart
and would make bad choices
I couldn't be close to God.
But now I am!
And if I make a bad choice
I can tell him I'm sorry
and He'll forgive me
and then we can be close again!"

AMEN?!?
AMEN!!!

I pray the reality of what He's done (and is doing)
is real to you this weekend
as we sit still long enough to remember
what He CHOSE to endure
in order to pay for all OUR sin
so that we can now go to the Father blameless!

And that's not the end of the story...