July happenings

So I am now trying to upload pics on here from Picasa and it is definitely faster, but I can't get it to let me type anywhere but at the bottom of the page?? If anyone has a fast way of putting pics on a blog, please share with me. So, July was a good month. I spent a week in Dandridge and we got to spend a lot of time with family and friends. We went to the splashpad, the zoo, and I had a girls day out with my roommates from college. We walked all over UT campus and relived all our great adventures! It was so fun. Layna turned 6 months old in July and we started baby food, as you can see from the pictures. She had already been eating rice cereal, but didn't care for it much. She likes the oatmeal much better. She has enjoyed all her veggies so far. We are just now starting some fruit. When we got back from the beach in June she really started rolling over a lot, and now she pretty much can get anywhere she wants by rolling and scooting. No crawling yet, but I'm sure it won't be long. I think Braelyn just has more fun with her everyday as she gets bigger and more interactive. Layna has made some progress in napping. There were two days last week that she napped for 2 hours!! And yesterday and today she napped for 1 and 1/2 hours in the afternoon!! that's progress for my 30-45 minute cat napper :)) There is hope!
I keep wanting to blog about things I am learning in my bible study at church and what God is teaching me in everyday walk, but usually there just isn't time. I do good to actually get my bible study done and/or have some quiet time to pray! I have realized it is of UTMOST importance that I make bible study and time in prayer a priority each day or else I am running on empty and feel powerless to handle the demands of taking care of my family. I am so often reminded that I have to be careful in how I spend my time each day bc this life that I have been given by God is a gift and the time here on earth is SO SHORT! But eternity is forever.........I want to invest my time in things that are of eternal value: relationships, family, friends, growing in my relationship with the Lord.
Last night at church, we were watching a Beth Moore video and she was talking about evaluating your walk with the Lord. She was saying that if you are a child of God then your relationship with the Lord needs to be growing. You need to feel like He is working on You, like He is showing you things that you need to change.....you should be able to look back and see how God is continuing to TRANSFORM you to make you more like Christ. I really liked that and totally agree....being a Christian is about being transformed by the power of God and living a surrendered life that's goal is to please the Lord in all things. I was talking with a friend just the other day about "life" and I shared with her how I try to keep in mind that there will be a day when I see Jesus face to face and at that moment I want to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant". I don't want to regret how I lived or how I spent the short time I was given on this earth. I hope you all feel the same way and realize that this earth is not our home, our houses are not our homes, our towns are not our homes......they are just temporary places that we live while we serve the Lord. Our true homes are in Heaven, with the Lord Jesus! That is what we should be living for and looking forward to......
These are the things I like to talk about.......thanks for listening :)