Field Trip to the State Capitol

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His Name. 

Luke 1:46, 47, 49 

Truly, I am experiencing God's grace in very new ways. More about that and our Capitol field trip after the photo-show...

Front of the Capitol. MK's class is studying Texas history, as is AH. This is the only field trip we've taken this year, and it was the only one last year when EG was in third grade. The building itself and the grounds are quite lovely.

I've been there 4-5 times now, and I can never stop myself from trying to get a good photo of the dome - it's breathtaking!

  All my girls - taken facing the back of the Capitol

 Beautiful flowering trees on the grounds. There are also many very old live oaks - some of them are massive. We also saw a pretty rose garden while strolling the greens.

She represents the pioneer women who helped settle Texas.

 Well, look at that: CA diving, it seems, for a mud puddle. Yep, for real. At least it was at the end of our day there...

Just realized AH's eyes are closed here - too bad! This is great, though: we encountered a small group of Chinese tourists while walking the grounds. The ladies were over the moon about all the girls. They kept asking me if any were twins? If they were all mine? One born every year? Then they asked if we'd take pictures with them. It was so funny!! And sweet! We did several photos with their cameras, and then they went on their way, at which point I began kicking myself for not getting a shot with MY camera of them with us. What a neat blessing to run into them a bit later and take care of that!

This one's just to substantiate my claim that CJ does really have some hair. See? It's nearly-invisible blonde, and will be curly, I think!

Here are Mercies, mostly from our field trip, for He is always with me, attentive to my prayers and needs and this week He's constantly pointed my mind back to What Really Matters. I've been tempted often to cave in to fear or that overwhelmed feeling, and the Grace poured out amazes me, His voice whispering, This fear you feel tempted to embrace, it's not from Me. I will make you able to do what I intend for you to accomplish. That overwhelmed feeling? Focus on Jesus, focus on one thing, only the next thing...

And another thing, I am beginning to learn on a deeply personal level about going boldly before the throne of grace with confidence, so that I may receive mercy and grace to help in my time of need! He will grace me with needed wisdom, or a little extra rest, or 100 other little and big things, and then when I face the next hurdle, I've noticed I tend to withdraw from Him a bit. I realized this was coming from an attitude that said, He's already helped me so much. I can't ask Him for more...I should try to manage this, to work a little harder. But the Spirit speaks the opposite: Do ask for more. Come boldly.

Well, then. I think I will! And it's freedom to abandon the silly notion that I can manage "it" or that I even should, and with joy and gladness, I do ask Him: God, this one more grace, because I need Your help and power. Again. More, please, Lord. And He sends the graces, the mercies. What a good God we serve.

On to the list! I got sidetracked!

828 leaving in enough time for the Capitol trip, but finding rush hour slower than expected, concerned about missing our group when they started the tour, only to drive up and see someone else from school pulling up next to us in the parking deck! We followed them and thus made it in with the whole group

829 though I've been to the Capitol before I had my directions ready, they fell out of my diaper bag on the way out the door, and we still made it fine

830 there was a kind man who carried the stroller up the stairs of the first building we toured

831 there were moms who didn't mind keeping an eye on a few little people for me when I had to take the elevator at different points in the two tours, since everyone else took the stairs

832 text messaging: the guide told me to meet the group on a certain level of the Capitol. Got out of the elevator with the stroller and two of my girls, and could not find everyone...a quick text to another mom and we reconnected

833 amazing kind mama: one of the moms, a sweet lady who has done wonderful, generous things for us in the past, tipped our tour guide handsomely so that he would go meet up with me and get me back with the group

834 that all the girls, including CJ, did great on the whole field trip

835 another mom who watched the stroller and 5 kids while I took CA to the bathroom near the end of it all

836 the tipping mama, again: she saw, about the same time I did, that CA (who has always been a scary kid...she just moves so fast and is so fearless, often putting herself in danger) was climbing a railing...let's just say that what CA was doing was very dangerous...tipping mama pulled her down

837 walking the beautiful Capitol grounds at our own pace after the tours, under a blue sky

838 catching up with the Chinese tourists so we'd have our own photo to remember them by

839 safety all around


840 once home, me beyond tired, realizing I need a cat nap and that so.much.needed. to.be.done, including a bit of school and some housework...I laid down anyway, telling the girls we'd jump on all that when I got up....waking up to kids cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...AH's idea...grace of God, grace of God...I just can't get over the way He's taking care of me, of my heart...so undeserved and so wonderful...just when I am tempted to give in to fear or to that crushing overwhelming feeling that I know is not from the Lord, He steps in...and I am thanking Him...thanking Him when it's hard, because He is always good...and what a dear helper AH is!

841 a great conversation with BB late in the evening

842 going to bed, both of us, by 10pm last night