our sunday

As we were getting ready for church this morning, Ivy and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Ivy - Mom, today, I have a praise to say.
Mom - What would that be?
Ivy - God helped my Grandma and my Gramma get home safely.
Mom - Yes, He did! You prayed that God would give them a safe trip home, and God answered your prayer.
Ivy - Can I say that today? (Then, it dawned on me that she wanted to tell her praise to the church! Our Pastor usually asks how God has been working in our lives for that particular week or opens the floor for a time of praise to our Lord for what He has done the past week.)
Mom - Umm...you certainly can! (This is coming from a girl who is very shy when it comes to talking to and in front of a lot of people!)

(As we were driving home from church, I discovered that Ivy had apparently had that same conversation with her Daddy as well.)

I love that Ivy thought to do this all on her own. I love to see that Ivy has such a tenderness toward the Lord. I love to see that Ivy is recognizing that God hears and answers her prayers.

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At church, sure enough, Pastor Brian posed the question as to how God had been working in our lives this past week. A couple of people gave testimony to how the Lord has been working and answering prayer. Then, Ivy raised her hand. (Meanwhile, my heart was pounding out of my chest!) When called on, Ivy gave her praise report with all clarity, confidence, and loudness... "What my Grandma and Gramma made it home safely and what God helped them and answered her prayer that they would be safe." You go, girl!

Please know that I do not share this to boast about my child but to boast about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You see, I have been praying for Ivy and her shyness for such a long time (not that being shy is completely bad by any means). The Lord is showing me that He is hearing and answering my prayers! He never ceases to show me as a mother how much He is in charge and how much He is always working in our lives, especially in the lives of our children. God uses our kids to teach me sooooo much! I love that (for the most part...sometimes, the lessons I learn aren't as much fun for me as this one was)!

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On our way home from church, we stopped at our neighbors' yard sale. As I was getting out of the van, Ivy asked if she could come, too. She further asked as she was holding up a dollar that her Grandma had given her, "Can I go waste this? Because it really needs me to spend it." So funny! Later, she ended up buying something for each of her siblings with her own money. So generous too! Ivy's purchase, which I thought was very imaginative...she got stamps that could record the date on them so that she can check books out at her own library!

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To complete our Sunday, we enjoyed a late lunch, some afternoon rest, and then a visit to the playground where the kids (and sometimes Mommy and Daddy) slid down slides, swung on swings, teeter-tottered, listened to a local band perform, and ran through the water sprinklers. After drying off, we made our way to Old McDonald's for some ice cream and more fun at the playground there and where we got to visit with Mr. Don and Miss Marge from our old church.

Our Sunday was great!