Kiawah Island , June 7-14

Sunrise at The Sanctuary

"Big Momma" Alligator and nest

Summer vacation has come and gone. Here are a couple pictures of our time spent at Kiawah, just south of Charleston, SC. The picture of the alligator was Kirk's mastermind, which won us first prize in the sand-sculpting contest.

Independence Day

Happy July 4th!! We celebrated early by painting the girls' nails in patriotic colors!

Thumper: The Prodigal Bunny

Here I am to tell a short story of God's answered prayers. Sunday we bought a cute hutch for our pet dwarf rabbit, Thumper. When we came home and readied his new abode, Thumper was nowhere to be found. After an hour of frantic searching, Kirk decided we needed to pray. We sat huddled in a weepy group, thinking the worst....was it the stray cat in the neighborhood or the pair of hawks that nested in our tall pine this spring?? Kirk prayed that we would quickly find Thumper safe and the children agreed. We set off in groups for a search and rescue that started with the woods behind our house. Kate and I headed up the fence line, calling and calling for "bunny". Two houses up, drenched from the afternoon rain, and hopping toward us was Thumper. We were so excited to see him and I think he was excited to see us too, after his wet hike in the woods. The children kept praising the Lord for helping us to find him. Kirk and I kept praising God that He really does care for the seemingly small things in life and really hears us when we pray. And we were all glad to welcome our little prodigal home.

Tis the season for pumpkins and fall decor.
Let's roast some pumpkin seeds and put a fall wreath on the door.
As Thanksgiving begins, for what will you be grateful?
Your health, your family, a fine meal on the table?
How about our children, strong, growing, and kind?
Or our neighbors and friends that make life divine?
I'll be thankful for these and so many more....
Will you join me in thanking our GRACIOUS LORD??

Check out the latest family photos of our visit to the pumpkin patch at Best Nursery and photos of Anna's and Kate's birthday parties at:
http://www.picasaweb.google.com/sarakolbie

THE HAIRCUT

Before the haircut.....

It's Time for a CHANGE!! I received a little more of a haircut than I expected last week. The now 30 year old Mom is ready for a something a little bolder, more reflective of the way I live. How do I live?? As a Mom to four munchkins and a wife of TEN years to my sweet, hardworking resident husband, my life could in no other way be described except with this word .....CHAOTIC!! I thought I would spend my 30's in quiet reflection of my accomplishments and pursuit of the greater good. Why didn't anyone tell me that my greatest good on an average day would be making it through a meal without someone's food on my shirt or biting my tongue when my 2 year old has colored on the wall with an orange marker-AGAIN!!

"How is this new haircut more reflective of you as a person?", I heard you ask.

• It's shorter, meaning I have less time to deal with bull-crap and fewer explanations for my 4 year-old's incessant "WHY'S".
• I had to thin it out three times in order for it to style with relative ease....MEANING I wish I could thin out my schedule as easily to make my life more manageable! Does anyone make thinning shears for that??
• It's quick to blow-dry. Does anyone else not enjoy spending 45 MINUTES under a sweltering blast of desert air as your make-up runs and your arm falls asleep holding up the 10-pound torch? Less-time blowdrying somehow balances out the fact that I got up 5 times last night checking on the children and somehow managed to get up only 15 minutes late, despite my pitiful 6 hours sleep.
• It shows off my face.......and my new lines around my eyes and mouth, the sun spots from Nevis, AND the lovely purple bags resting below my spectacles.
• Despite my protest at times, my hair decides it wants to FLIP-OUT in certain areas. At one time I believed I was a level-headed person. No more. Enough said.

It's easy. We've got a grilled piece of chicken in the fridge, along with a couple carrots and some pasta. Sounds like soup for supper tonight honey. What should I name it so it sounds good.....Ah, who cares! We're fed and that's what matters, right?

Enough about the hair. It's what's on the inside that counts. Or that's what my Dad always said, regardless of whether I was unmanageable, thinned out, or flipped out. Sometimes my insides don't count up to much. Sure glad I'm clothed in Christ. (Galatians 3:27)

(AFTER)