Love, Love, Love

This month is proving to be quite a paradox. It's already been full of so many blessings, much goodness and overflowing love, but it has also had more than its fair share of discomfort, sadness and sacrifice. In this short entry, I'm going to memorialize the first half.....

There are the turkeys that I spend my days with....such an absolute hoot EVERY day!

Last nap in her crib....hard for me to believe my baby is getting so big

sweet, sleeping baby

My sweet mother, making one of her magical pies.

This boy holds a special place in the heart of his Pawpaw, and vice versa

First day of Mother's Day Out or "Big Girl School" as it is known at the Skow house!

He has such a sweet, sweet love for his baby sister

Best Brother EVER

Last weekend, we went back to the Kolache Festival in Caldwell. So, so yummy!

We got to see our favorite band again....The Hobo Shiner Band

We danced with the kids, and had so much fun!

Memaw treated the girls to some pony rides! So fun!

So fun, and so hot!

Caleb chose something a little more thrilling! He was so cute...Caleb told the guy in charge that this was on his bucket list!?! :)

Really important stuff....Hair update

The final moments.....straightened for the cut

The sawing off...seriously, Ashley had to make three or four cuts to make it through my crazy, thick ponytail

The new, short hair

The side view....just for documentation. :)

Dumb Hair

This is totally dumb. But I am scheduled to get my haircut tomorrow. This is the haircut that I've been working toward now for almost 2 years. I have been growing my hair out so I can donate it. My mom and sisters have all done this before, and I thought it was an admirable thing to do. But my hair is crazy. It is super thick, and frizzy, and huge! It's what earned me the nickname of "Chia pet" at youth camp. Ha! I had forgotten about that until just now.... Anyway, I finally decided to commit to this "project." I want to give a small part of myself, so that someone else can enjoy some "normalcy" that they might not have had otherwise.

Now that the haircut is looming, I'm feeling nervous. I'm almost sad....which is so dumb. It's only hair! And it grows back! I am almost embarrassed to admit these feelings, because they seem shallow and egotistical. But I am going to get over it. And to document, I wanted to have some "before" pictures, and then an "after"! That makes it kinda fun, right?

OK...so be nice. This is without ANY product in my hair....so it looks kinda.....yuck. But here is the back view...

The longest my hair has been since I was in 9th grade!

And it's 11pm, AND I have no make-up on...but wanted to document the front too. :/

I was feeling really stupid doing this....so I decided to make myself feel more normal.
And by the way, welcome to my bathroom!! :)

The Beauty of Generosity

Generosity is of God. He is the one who came up with the concept. And there is no greater act of generosity than God's gift of salvation from sin.

I feel so privileged to know many genuinely generous people. Beautiful people who give of themselves and of their resources, freely and sacrificially.

One of the coolest side effects of letting God use you, to give to others, is the effect it has, no just on the recipient of the gift, but on those who are on the sidelines. I have had the privilege of witnessing some extraordinary acts of generosity.... and I want to write down these incredible, faith-building experiences. The guilty shall remain nameless.....because I don't intend this to be for their glory, but for God's.

At one point last Fall, a family in our small group was in need of some financial help. They had been putting their own money toward God's purposes, but didn't quite have enough for their utility bill that particular month. So, at group, we asked everyone to pray and contribute what they could. We had some people give $20 or $40, even one couple gave $100. It was awesome! But then the next day, one of my, now, real-life heroes showed up at the door. I knew this particular person was struggling financially also. In fact, she was probably in the same boat as the other family and couldn't pay her own utility bill. But she had heard this other sweet family was in need, so she showed up at my doorstep with an envelope. The envelope had $7 inside. She said, "I know it's not much, but it's all I could scrape up."

It took all I had to not burst out in tears. It was a literal translation of the woman who gave her two small copper coins to the temple treasury in Mark 12. This woman didn't have much, but she gave all she had. Amazing. Beautiful generosity!

I also know a young family who, at one point recently, were down to one car. They had three small children, in three car seats, so the backseat was not a fun place. Their one car was reliable, but pretty worn. It fit the family of five, but barely. For this family, operating with one car was at the least inconvenient, and at the most, uncomfortable. When word of this situation came to an older Christian couple, they decided to fix up a mini-van they happened to have possession of and simply GIVE the van to this family. No payments, no conditions, no strings. Just a gift out of the godly generosity in their hearts. Wow. Major God-glorifying generosity.

Who gives cars away, anyway? I didn't think things like that happened in real life. But we happen to know several people who have done this!! Not just one person, but multiple people! Outrageous, right?!

And I have so many more examples.....i think this will have to be a series of entries.

My family and I have been the blessed recipients of many gifts of generosity. There is nothing sweeter, and more humbling, than to receive a gift from God, by the hands of one of His children.

These pictures might seem random, but when I was thinking about imagery associated with generosity....this came to mind. Grace is the purest form of generosity. This was over 2 years ago, but one of the best moments of my life. :)

This was a extraordinary moment....
try not to be distracted by the "ugly cry" going on in the back ground! :)

I think God has been telling me, "Be generous!" I heard this quote today from Saint Augustine and I love it. He said, "Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others."

BIG question

This one is going to be a little deep....you can choose now to bear with me, or move on. No guilt necessary for opting out. :) And let's me be clear--this entry is about ME. Not you. Not anyone but me.

First, I want to be clear that I love America. I am proud to live in such an extraordinary country.
I'm proud to be American, I'm proud to be Texan and I'm even proud to be half red-neck. And I'm very grateful for all the opportunities and privileges I've been blessed with.

But here's the big question that I've been wrestling with.... What does God think about the "American dream?"

I grew up with the expectation that I would live out the American Dream. I would go to college, marry the man of my dreams, get a good teaching job, buy a house, have a baby, buy new cars, have another baby, buy a bigger house, go out to eat, shop at Target, go on vacations, buy newer cars.....and on and on it would go. I thought this was how it was supposed to go.

But then God did something crazy in my life. He told me to quit teaching. He told me to give up my $34,000/year job and stay with my babies. Now, that's a whole story in and of itself, but the thing I'm really just now realizing, is that with that decision and the lifestyle change it brought, God started to doing something radical in my heart.

I started to see money in a different way. We became a family that was literally and directly dependent on God's provision through His church. It slowly dawned on us that every dollar we had came directly from God. We also had to start doing some yucky, grown-up things, like budgeting and re-prioritizing our money...God's money.

Now fast forward three years, to this morning, when Dawson and I are having our budget talk, and I'm crying at the dining room table. Crying about money. Again. Crying like a spoiled child, because I don't want to give up my cable, or my Sonic, or my clothing allowance to help build a church. Or to help feed and medicate orphans in Uganda.

Yep. That's what I said. Shameful, right? But that's basically what it boils down to. I thought God's plan for me included a nice brick home, a car I got to pick off a lot, trips to Target and going out to eat every Friday night. That's what He promises to good Christian girls who do their homework and pray every night, right?! Sacrificing my comforts and denying myself the joy of Target for the sake of meeting the needs of someone else!? What?!

But what if my expectations...my plan for the realization of the American Dream, was not what God ever intended for me? What if God never intended for me to have a 'nice house'? What if He never intended for me to have a new vehicle? Clothes from Gymboree? A vacation in Colorado?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that He didn't. He might have. But the newsflash is HE MIGHT NOT HAVE.

I DO KNOW that He intended for me to help the poor, the orphans and the widows. I DO KNOW that He intended me for me to help build His church. I DO KNOW that He intended for me to LOVE His people!

So, if these are the things I DO KNOW...the things He has expressly told me in His word. Then, why don't I START with these....make these my PRIORITY --BUDGET-- ITEMS. Then, I could ask Him what He wants me to do with the rest.

And as Christ-followers, why do we not teach our children to live their lives for these goals? To first seek His righteousness, and then, if there is time and opportunity, go to college. To FIRST, "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," and THEN find a job or career that you enjoy and that pleases God.

What if God never intended for me to have the American Dream? I'm not sure yet, but I'll be talking to Him a lot more about that.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Perfect End to a Near Perfect Summer

It's a total cliche, but it's true. I can't believe it's over! This was by far the fastest summer ever. It was also the busiest summer ever! It seemed like June was busy with wedding stuff and then our week of family vacation. Then July flew by with all sorts of little things, relaxed but still full of activity. And then before we knew it, it was August, time for our big trip to Colorado, and then back, with just enough time to buy school supplies and get ready for school!! Whew!

God was so gracious to us this weekend. I mean, He always is, but He just poured a little extra on this past Saturday. In fact, it was the perfect, "Last Saturday of Summer". We were just lounging around in the morning, eating breakfast and watching some Disney, and then a commercial came on. I don't remember exactly what it was about, but it said something about "enjoying the outdoors" and "going to the forest." And as obedient media consumers, we said, "Yea. We should go to the forest!" So we did! We got dressed, packed a picnic and headed to the nearest forest....which in our case, we thought that was Huntsville state park.

We had the best time there with the kids! And it wasn't really that hot?!? We had a nice breeze from the lake, and lots of shade from the beautiful pine trees. We ate our picnic, played an awesome family game of Hide n' Seek, played on the playground, climbed on the cool stumps, played some ball, then finally headed toward home. The ride home consisted of some cheap, cold, yummy ice cream--enjoyed by all, and then some quiet time for Mommy and Daddy to talk while the munchkins all slept. Perfect!

After we got home, all 5 of us got into our kiddie pool in the backyard! So redneck, but so fun!! And then we had a nice dinner of leftovers, no cooking necessary. And then we just relaxed and hung out. It was awesome! It was a day for the record books! So many blessings!!

Then, today, the day before THE DAY, we started with church--awesome, as always. And then we invited some of our small group family to come over and join us in praying for all of our kids as they start a new year. These people really are like our family. It was so incredible, to all sit together, gathered in a circle of prayer, united in the same spirit. God is so good.

And we ended the day with our own tradition of a family prayer circle. We have done this for three years now, and I hope and pray that we will continue to do this every year, for every kid, until all three of our babies are graduated.

Caleb loves it. He loves the attention and loves the special prayers and scriptures read just for him. This year was different though. We didn't have Aunt Lisa and Aunt Tracy here with us, so it was only Daddy, Ellie and me. We missed them very much, but it was still special! I am so grateful we have a God that loves us, and is attentive to our prayers.

To Heaven and Back

Don't we look so happy....

I have about 562 other things I should be doing right now....dirty dishes, piles of laundry, sweeping, mopping, cleaning my room, etc., which is EXACTLY why I am blogging instead. I am overwhelmed by the reality of my life right now, so I am going to linger in the recent memories of my glorious vacation instead! :)


Dawson and I got to spend three FABULOUS days in Estes Park, Colorado last week. We went as an early celebration of our 10 year anniversary that is coming up on August 25th. We went to Estes Park on our honeymoon, and enjoyed the town, and the beautiful surroundings. But this time, it was SO MUCH BETTER! I don't know if it is because we are older, and so much busier, so we could appreciate it so much more. Or, I don't know why? But it was the most incredible vacation from our real lives! The weather was PERFECT! Every day the High was 78 or 80 and the lows in the mornings and evenings were in the 50s! Heaven! And the mountains!!! I know that God created everything, the plains, the deserts, the oceans....even College Station, TX, but I have to say, that He must have used His brightest, most extraordinary efforts on the Rocky Mountains. They are just breath-taking!! Their majestic beauty moved me to tears more than once while we were there.


We stayed in a little cabin, originally built in 1895, named the "Bear Bottom cabin." It was perfect! It was recently renovated and redecorated, and it couldn't have been more cute and quaint! And it had an awesome HOT TUB!! So fun and relaxing!


We spent most of our two full days there in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We spent the majority of the first day doing a 2 mile hike up a mountain, to see three beautiful lakes. It was a challenging hike for me, but SO worth it! Other than my children's faces, I saw the most beautiful sights I have ever seen on that hike.

Our first lake, about 1/2 mile up...Nymph Lake. Had beautiful lily pads and yellow flowers floating on it...

All along the trail, we saw gorgeous rivers and streams....it felt like we were in a postcard

Our 2nd lake, and favorite lake, was appropriately named "Dream Lake." It was like a dream, feeling the cool breeze, looking into the clear, cold water and listening to the silence...

Another picturesque spot along the trail....and everything seemed even sweeter because I was there with my best friend

Our top lake, Emerald lake...it was awesome, and cold. Almost above the treeline, with snow around almost all sides...

The second full day, we took several shorter hikes and drove up the Fall River Road. This Fall River road is a one-way, dirt road that starts with a sign that says, "Sharp Switchbacks and Steep Drop-Offs, Beware!" So comforting, especially for an anxiety-prone freak, who is scared of heights!! There were definitely moments when I couldn't breath very well, and I was constantly gripping something...but the views were spectacular! And from the top--Wow!! We were constantly in awe of God's artwork.

Everything was just awesome! Every night we ate great food in Estes Park, and we walked around downtown. We just felt so footloose and responsibility-free!!

We ate and ate and ate...

and ate some more....

and we acted very mature the entire time!

I think I gained 10 pounds in 3 days!

not a great picture...but proof that we had a cool hot tub! :)

Ahh...if only it could've lasted a few more months..:) Honestly, I was ready to see my little hoodlums. As beautiful and wonderful as the mountains are, those sweet babies are still better!