The Life and Times of the Watters Family

what have we been up to?

We painted the trim on our house, did some other random repairs, celebrated my Birthday and Aliza’s, spent time with family, started soccer, joined MP3, began school, I started a new bible study, we resumed small group, the boys started a book club, and we’ve tried to enjoy every second of summer sunshine that we can. There’s a nice run-on sentence for you!!

There’s so much more to say but I don’t have time!! I just posted a whole bunch of new pictures to Flickr. Go check them out if you’d like. I gotta put this thing (computer) away and get outside while the sunshine continues to grace us with it’s presence!

Happy 50th Birthday (tomorrow) Terri! I love you and think you are the best mother-in-law in the world.

a decade ago….

When Two People Marry

Helen Steiner Rice

Your hearts are filled with happiness
so great and overflowing
You cannot comprehend it,
for it’s far beyond all knowing
How any heart could hold such joy
or feel the fullness of
The wonder and the glory
and the ecstacy of love.
You wish that you could capture it
and never let it go
So you might walk forever
in its magic, radiant glow.
And love in all its ecstacy
is such a fragile thing,
Like gossamer in cloudless skies
or a hummingbird’s small wing.
And love that lasts forever
must be made of something strong-
The kind of strength that’s gathered
when the heart can hear no song.
When the sunshine of your wedding day
runs into stormy weather,
and hand in hand you brave the gale
and climb steep hills together,
And, clinging to each other
while the thunder rolls above,
You seek divine protection
in faith and hope and love.
For days of wine and roses
never make love’s dreams come true-
It takes sacrifice and teardrops
and problems shared by two.
To give true love its beauty,
its grandeur, and its finesse,
And to mold an earthly ecstasy
into heavenly diviness.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

summer, boys

We are trying to make the most of this stretch of beautiful summer weather! When it’s sunny and warm in Bellingham, there’s no other place on earth we’d rather be. We live in the most beautiful town. We have awesome parks and there are lots of fun (and mostly free) activities to participate in if you do some research. We enjoyed a concert at Elizabeth Park last night and will hopefully make it to a few more of those throughout the summer. On Saturday night we will be heading over to the Fairhaven Green to watch We are Marshall on the outdoor screen there.

As a family we are trying to be much more intentional about how we spend our time together. Days, weeks and months go by so quickly. The boys are growing up and we don’t want to take our time with them for granted.

There probably won’t be much posted here throughout the summer (except pictures, occasionally) because I plan on being outside more, using my computer less and playing with my kids. Hope you enjoy your summer!

picnic lunch at Boulevard park

hanging out at the beach, making sandcastles

dinner picnic and concert at Elizabeth Park

I just love him

more and more everyday.

Camp Firwood

At the very last minute (Saturday night) we decided the boys could go to Firwood this week. We packed Sunday morning after church and they were registered and ready to go at 1pm on Sunday afternoon. The boys were SO excited. Caleb was a bit nervous about taking the swim test but he did fine (he was happy to get the yellow bracelet that allowed him to do most things with a life jacket). The boys are in the same cabin, which is great and their counselors seemed like really nice guys. Cory is also at Firwood (he’s a CIT this summer) and the boys were thrilled to be able to go and spend some time with him there. The theme for this week is PIRATES! It couldn’t be more perfect for them!

When we took them out to camp we walked around and Cam showed the boys what cabin he stayed in when he was a CIT (13 years ago!). He shared with them the story of how God told him that he was supposed to marry me (while lying in his bunk, contemplating pursuing another girl!) We had been dating before camp but “broke up” a couple weeks before he left for the summer. God pretty clearly spoke to his heart that day and confirmed that we were “it” for each other. As we walked around and talked with the boys yesterday, I remembered visiting Cam at Firwood that summer. I knew I had taken him and our relationship for granted and I missed him SO much. It didn’t take long after camp before we figured our stuff out and resumed our relationship (shortly after that there was a lot of other drama but that’s another story…). As Cam and I talk about our history as a couple I am so grateful and amazed at how God brought us together. Through the hills and the valleys God had His hand on each of us and had a good plan for our life together. One important thing for us to remember, as parents, is not to freak out if one of our boys tells us he’s totally in love with a girl and God told him that she’s the “one” when he’s 17.

We miss our boys (Daddy most of all right now) but Cam and I are having a lot of fun together and are really thankful for this time for them and for us.

To see a few more pictures click the Flickr link (on the right).

learning

While the rest of Bellingham was taking spring break this week, we didn’t. We leave for Disneyland in six weeks and I want to be mostly done with school when we get back so we chose to not take a break this week. We have a lot going on right now and I imagine the next several weeks will just fly by. Spring sports season is a bit crazy for our family. Caleb has 1 soccer practice and 1 game each week and Sean has 2 baseball practices and 2 games each week. The boys both have games on Saturdays but that pretty much means we have something sports related every day of the week except Sunday (well, except for Sunday, the 20th when we’ll play a make-up soccer game). It is so much fun to watch them play and see them learn and improve in their athletic abilities.

The boys have accomplished so much in school this year! I am really thrilled at how far they have come and how excited they both continue to be about learning. Sean is finding Math to be a bit more difficult lately but I think it’s good. We changed Math curriculum a few weeks ago to give him something more challenging. He is now working on more complicated multiplication and division. We learned about ancient Greece in History this week and about how the Olympics came to be. Last Sunday the boys picked out some new books (thanks Grandma Terri) and they have been reading like crazy all week. Caleb is getting ready to take his standardized test on Monday (homeschoolers over the age of eight are required to take them each year). We have been practicing test taking skills and doing fill in the bubble practice tests. Sean will take his tests starting Monday, April 28th

A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place started on Wednesday. The homework is extensive and amazing. As always, I am really looking forward to where God and I will go together on this journey. Every Bible study I have done over the last few years has represented a new season and a new journey with God. It still amazes me that He pursues me and continues to reveal Himself in new, mind-blowing, and awesome ways. I am praying that God will open my mind and my heart to let His truth take root in my life through this study.

I have one week left of my training at WCPC. I can’t believe how fast these 6 weeks have gone by. The training has been very thorough but I wouldn’t say I feel like I am absolutely prepared. I am glad that we will be partnering with a more experienced counselor for several weeks. The Walk for Life is about a month away and I will be sharing information and encouraging women in my Bible study to get involved one way or another in a couple weeks. I am thankful for this opportunity and also humbled. I know this is where God wants me to be serving but I also feel inadequate. And the truth is, I am. I can’t succeed at anything without God’s help. My options are to rely completely on Him and give Him credit for it all or rely on myself and hold myself responsible for the success or failure that results. It seems like an clear and simple choice but I can’t seem to consistently figure this out.

I read this today and found it to be so exactly what I needed to hear. Here’s the portion that really spoke to me:

“Will-powered faith is the worst kind of faith. A relationship with God that is rooted in our ability or strength is doomed to fail for two reasons. First, a will-powered faith will result in self-loathing. We make commitments, try our hardest, give it our all, and fail. So we try again…and fail. And the only person we have to blame is ourselves. Some of us suffer from a spiritual depression because we have lived in a cycle between trying and failing for so long. Second, if our will-powered faith doesn’t end in self-loathing it is because it ended in self-righteousness. We make commitments, try our hardest, and we succeed. We congratulate ourselves on a job well done. Then we look around and notice that other people are not experiencing the same success we are. Why don’t they try as hard as me? Maybe they are just not as godly. Self-loathing or self-righteousness—God hates both.” Curtis Jones, LPM Blog

I definitely can relate to the self-loathing side of things. I struggle to honestly asses myself. I am highly critical and extend very little grace to myself. When I have operated at that critical level for a long period of time, I then justify giving myself a break by getting in a rebellious and entitled space– which is neither healthy or helpful spiritually or otherwise. I try too hard and then I just stop trying. I don’t know how to not operate by my own will-power. I feel weak and aimless. It’s a struggle for me to understand that my worth comes not from what I do (how I love, how I serve, how I spend my time, how I fail, how I disappoint) but from the one and only fact that I am a child of God in whom He delights and dearly loves. Continually I ask God to teach me how to rest in Him, to trust Him and to teach me how to have genuine faith, not “will-powered faith”. One day I hope to say that I have learned this lesson and then I can move on to the many other lessons on the list that need some attention.

I need to express my deepest gratitude to God for putting Cam in my life. Cam is supremely patient and at times the most selfless person I have ever known. Even in the midst of conflict with me (when I am being totally unreasonable) he can put aside his hurt feelings and reach out to me with words of encouragement and good counsel. I am blessed beyond measure to share life with Cam and I am sorry for everyday that I forget that fact. God has taught me so much through him. The relationship Cam and I share provides safety and stability and as a result I am much more responsive and receptive to God’s loving pursuit. So, thank you God for loving me so much that not only did you send your Son for my salvation but you sent Cameron to love me and save my heart.

thank you, thank you, thank you!

Cam,

Thank you for working your “magic” and making my Blog dreams come true!

I love you TONS (and not just because you are wicked smart and talented). Thanks for your patience and for everything you have taught me along the way.

You are my favorite.

Love,
Bets