all i want for christmas...

look what i found today under our christmas tree!!!! i thought it was pampered chef but i got a even better surprise!

a day in the life...

today consisted of a lot of messiness. i don't know how that happens but some days are just messier than others. to start the day we had a box of rice chex dumped all over the floor by a trying to be independent averie. the middle of the day was fairly clean but they were both in bed. the evening started with noodles everywhere from dinner, green goop from church crafts last night all over the table (shhhh even a tad bit on the floor) and all over cails hands, mommy's shirt and the bathroom sink. while i was cleaning up from dinner and getting p.j.'s i hear the frantic yells from the bathroom "mama averie pooped in the tub...MAMA!!!!" sure enough to my dismay poop in the bubbles. then (yes the messes go on) while i was cleaning up the poopy bubble shower and making messy chocolate rice crispy treats (they were yum by the way!!!) i turn around to see a puddle of wees on the floor from averie. i was really trying to let her go without a nappy for a teeny bit and kept telling her she needed to try and potty. not to mention she just went in the bathtub!!!!! once again while i was cleaning up the wees with a paper towel and my shoe and stirring the sticky marshmallow mess, i hear a tiny sweet little voice calling into the kitchen "poos mommy". i look over to see a worried looking averie pointing at the living room. cail ran to see and oh yes, more mess!!!!! needless to say it was time for a nappy right away and work on potty training another day. i won't tell you about the messy faces after chocolate rice crispy treats but you can imagine for yourselves. anyway there's a day in the life of mommy!!!!!

Psalm 127:3-5 The Message
Don't you see that children are God's best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior's fistful of arrows
are the children of a vigorous youth.
Oh, how blessed are you parents,
with your quivers full of children!
Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;
you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.

cail's princess party

we had to have one pirate because there was only one boy!!!!!! wow all those girls we need nathanael harkness from nz to come our way! go daddy with the pirate hat

what next...

for those of you checking in to see what is new with the bowlin's i just wanted to give you a fast update. a good word to describe what we are feeling now is perplexed. our funds are sitting at 47% we need 100% to leave by january. God does have a plan for our lives and a schedule He is following. He just hasn't told us what that is going to be yet!!! we have been traveling meeting new people and new churches for about 10 months now. God has blessed us with friends all over and has provided all we need all year. coming up on thanksgiving i guess this is appropriate to give thanks for all we have and i feel a bit sheepish for asking for more. we just need that final 50% to come through.
praising God some more we have had a few more on our south pacific teem ready to go at 100%. they are excitedly packing and ready to head out even before the holiday season is over. the georges are headed with their three children back to australia, steph is headed out the beginning of the year for north shore in new zealand and jessica will be heading out the first week of jan to be in new zealand for the youth camp. we just really want to be there with them celebrating too!!!!! we are looking forward to the holidays with family and friends though. i guess what i am asking you guys for is just a few more prayers our way.

pray that we will have the energy (and not get discouraged) to finish up our busy schedule before christmas.

pray that we will have safe travels and good health(we have all had a cough and cold this past week).

also pray we will get closer and closer to our 100% funded goal (for those family members reading this don't take this as a challenge to pray the opposite way to try and keep us home haha) and are amazed once again at how God works and plans our lives when we are not even aware of what He is doing.

thanks for all your faithful support of our family and for watching this blog to see what God has in store next for the bowlin family!!!!!


James 1:16-18 (The Message)

So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.

cail grayce is three

Make a Smilebox slideshow

photos from horseheads n.y.

captivating

this is a poem i found based on the book by john and stasi eldredge. very good to make you think about who you really are and what God has created you to be. i would really recommend reading it ladies!!!!!

beautiful new me

without me what would life be like?
the kids to bed late every night?

he'd want to stay home and just be a dad,
but, what would become of the bills that we had?

so daycare, is what it would be.
no more fun filled days at home without me.

my role is irreplaceable it's true,
not just a companion which a dog could do.

not just a helper like the hamburger kind.
but, "sustainer of life" is this role of mine.

i know this is a cheezey way to put this into words,
but how many of us think this job is so absurd.

anyone could do this
they wouldn't miss me.

all i do is worry about the cups of tea,
the dirty dishes afterwards,
the laundry too which comes back in herds.

every day the same old thing.
only remember "sustaining life" is what's happening.

molding clay, encouraging hearts.
being beautiful is playing my part.

tender, vulnerable, merciful and fierce.
we are following in the footsteps of those hands that were pierced.

Father help me be a picture of you.
shining light to your world as only i could do.

who is like me a woman saved by The Lord?
He is my Helper, my Glorious Sword.

with Him i will go into battle each day.
attacking the dishes, the diapers, my duties in a new way.

so help me let you be my Sustainer of life.
my Protector, my Shield, my Fortress in strife.

help it be Your love they see.
so they will know you're The Maker of this beautiful new me!!!

anonymous

more family photos...

this is josh and i with the girls at my cousins wedding in n.y. state. also in here is a picture of our r.v. it has been great for our family and wonderful to help feel a little more familiarity as we are always somewhere new. pray it makes it on our long trip next month to n.y. and south dakota.

new pics of the fam

my little princess

just a fun picture i snapped outside josh's aunt donna one afternoon. what a model!!!!!!

just one more post.....

this is a couple we have really gotten close to over the last few years. 'uncle tommy' and 'sissy' are pastors of a small but faithful congregation in hitchins kentucky. they love our babies and spoil all of us when we go to visit. thanks to them we have a few more percent of our budget raised and much encouragement throughout the year!!!! we love you guys!!!!!!!

new art bibs

these are some bibs i made to keep their clothes clean when we paint. i just used clear vinyl and bias tape. they work like a charm and cost me about 50 cents a piece. aren't they cutie pies wearing them too!!!!!

cail at her best

this is one of those pics that she will be shooting me for in a few years but i couldn't resist. she was getting ready for bed and found my hand bag and jandles. yes, folks that's all she's wearing. poor thing to have a mean mommy like me to post this on our blog for all to see!!!!!
the other one is today and she dressed herself. clothed from head to toe this time and looking so grown up, i just had to share!!!!!

get um' boys

sorry for all you animal lovers extreme but this week for the bowlin's has included much exterminating. my husband has had a couple of days to destress (or try to anyway in the midst of school work and headquarters work) and spend some time outside with friends!!!!! we had some amazingly tasty goose chili yesterday and a freezer stocked for a while with meat. we will be able to head to our home church this sunday. haven't been there for a month or two so it will be nice to catch up with the chapel pike folks. then next week we are off to new york, and then some more touring around indiana!!!!

fussner/bowlin reunion in marion

back home again in indiana. so sad to see the fussner's leave the south pacific but glad to see them on this side of the world. emily watched the girls for a bit while beth and i ran an errand and this is what became of my princesses. dress up time with emily her auntie and her grandma!!!!!

swamped

well once again another month has flown by and you have not heard much from the bowlin's. we have been trying out a new adventure( as if we need more adventure in out lives) that we think will really help us along the way!



o.k. so it is not nearly as shiny and new but we really love it so far. it is an 87' and kinda retro but we are fixing it up and making into a bowlin type home. we took it out to family camp this week and started working out the kinks. the water ran out, electricity went out, hot water heater stopped, and we had no idea that you have to shut the valves to the sewage as soon as possible after emptying. we almost got stunk out of the place and drove all our neighbors away but after closing the valves and spraying lots of air freshener we were all back to bed.

we are excited to say that because of this new addition our daughter cail is now potty trained (again!?). we have saved money on hotels and food already and have had better and more sleep than usual when traveling! help us in thanking the Lord for this blessing and pray our safe travels as we visit south bend, hitchins kentucky, e-town ky, new york, and the dakota's, within the next few months!!!!! we are at 43% of our needed funds to return to n.z. help us in praying for that as well. we need 100% of our funds to come in before jan. so we can get back to the field and continue this work God has planned for us to do!!!!

thanks as well for your prayer this week as josh starts his masters courses at the seminary at indiana wesleyan university. he will be in class from 8am-5pm every day and then have a book or two to read and papers to write every night. wow, i dont know how anyone can keep up with that schedule. he has already tested out of one class and written a page or two or five maybe and read about 6 books. look out world!!!!! josh is on his way!!!!!!

funny nz adds

check out stephenie's blog to find some funny videos of new zealand summertime adds.

missionaries

this is us with stephenie garey one of the missionaries preparing to head to new zealand. she will be working there as a youth pastor at shore grace wesleyan church in auckland. please pray her funds will continue to come in so she can get there and start the work the Lord has for her in new zealand.

fun times in kentucky!

these are some photos of our time in kentucky with the beland's (trinity wesleyan church). they are a great family and our children had so much fun playing together. the only complaint was that sonic was out of ice cream! that was a bummer. it was slushy for everyone not just our girls with allergies. we had a perfect stair step 14 months 18 months 2 yrs 4 yrs and 6 yrs (correct me if i am wrong beland's about your childrens ages). just some more of our wonderful team members taking the time to bless us with a place to stay in our travels. thanks guys!