Instead of roses yesterday, I decided to smell the salt air. The "extra kids" were off of school for the holiday, so we headed to the beach for the day. It was a beautiful day, too. It was about 80 degrees, a gentle breeze, and lots of sun. The water was cool, but not numbing, and actually felt good to get in after the sunny sand. The boys played under the deck for a long time. They were digging "nests" and having battles. I think they were being crabs, but I didn't get the whole story. After the flies started biting them under the deck, they headed to the water. #2 found another kid to boogie board with for a while. Then they all dug for clams, built castles, and just plain got sandy.

This is the whole group together. They are like my own, and I love them all. #1 read a book for a while, and the others dug holes for his feet. There were quite a few people there, but empty scenes were easy to come by as well. God certainly displayed his artistic ability when he made the ocean.

We had to leave mid-afternoon to get the other kids back to their mom. It was a great day for a fall respite.

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A couple of weeks ago, Hubby was giving a series of sermons on scripture. One of the weeks was about memorizing scripture, and he suggested putting some verses on the mirror to look at each day. Before we went on the trip to Nashville, I was cleaning the boys' bathroom and saw a note on the mirror. It read, "Do not love the world or anything in the world.If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father, but from the world." 1 John 2:15-16

I knew right away why it was there, but asked #1 about it. He said he put it there to help him remember it. I asked why that particular verse, and he said because he has problems with pride. What a wonderful heart he has.