Pictures from the 4th of July

This last weekend Tony and I were given a scholarship by our church and able to attend a two day marriage retreat in Southlake. And Ava got to have her first slumber party at Casey and Summers house (thanks again Shorts!). We had a great time at the retreat and as much as we love Ava, it was so nice to be able to have those 24 hours to ourselves and not have to think about nap times, or feeding times or diapers.

We learned a lot to and were really encouraged. Our pastor and his wife were the guest speakers for the retreat. Pastor Rick taught from the story of the woman with the bleeding who reached out and touched the hem of Jesus' garment. Not your typical passage for a teaching on marriage, but all of his teaching centered around the principles in this story. Namely, our great need, our great Savior and reaching out in faith for healing and grace for our lives. We can't have "good" marriages by our own strength or willpower, we can only have the marriage that God's wants us to have, the marriage that represents Him and His love for His church, by the power that God gives us through grace and walking by faith in that. It was a refreshing to hear again this message of grace, so much of what we hear on marriage and Christian living is "do this and don't do that" and this weekend was just centered on Jesus and what He can do in us.

Pastor Rick's wife Mercedes also taught a session for just the ladies and it was really good. The two main things the Lord showed me through her teaching was 1) I need to go to Jesus first more often with things that concern me or cause me to be discouraged. Not that I shouldn't share my struggles with Tony. But how much better if I can go to him after I have taken them to Jesus first. Then I can share not only what I was or still am struggling with, but how the Lord answered my prayers or what He is teaching me and be an encouragement to Tony. And 2) the Lord made me specifically for Tony and although we all need to grow and learn and change, I am perfect for him. I should not compare myself to other wives and wish I was more like them. They are perfect for their husbands, not mine. I can apply this to motherhood too. God gave me Ava and so I am the perfect mom for her. :o)

Anyway, the retreat was a blessing and we are so glad we were able to go. We also finished up on Sunday a teaching series we've been watching online by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle on marriage and the Song of Solomon. The series is called the Peasant Princess and I highly recommend it to married couples. If you want to check it out, go here www.marshillchurch.org/media/the-peasant-princess

OK enough all that. . . here's pictures of our 4th of July. Beth S., for the pictures of your fam, if you click on the pics they'll open up larger and you can save those and they'll be big enough and good enough to print out pretty much any size you want.

Watching fireworks at the Ferguson's

Apparently that little dump truck was full of water and he's about to dump it on his sister.


Gotta love those toes

This is her "I'm hamming it up for the camera face" It's well known at our house . . .

And you gotta love those chubby fingers too. .
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The Schwartz Family