Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A Visit with T
A surprise blessing midst many answered prayers: we got to spend a long weekend with Tristan!
Necklaces
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Currently
Ryan
- Has two top teeth (so cute!)
- Can inchworm crawl (so, so cute!)
- Loves avocados and mozzarella cheese
- Claps like a champion
Luke
- Can ride a big boy bike--so fast!
- Wears big boy underwear (Lightning McQueen)
- Sleeps in a big boy "bundle" (trundle) bed
- Is an amazing bear-crawler
Eli
- Dresses himself each morning (and picks his own "outfits")
- Loves kicking a soccer ball
- Is growing out of his shoes (and socks, and pants, and . . . )
- Eats. A lot.
Yep. They're all pretty special.
Fundraiser
Our crazy siblings are at it again. Biking, that is. This summer Rebekah and Rob will be riding with Venture to support the Just:Hope campaign. They'll be on different tours: Rob will cross the USA from Seattle to NYC, and Rebekah will be on a route from Nova Scotia to NYC. Just:Hope is a cause promoting justice for the oppressed, especially in southeast Asia. We're super proud of our younger sis and bro for getting educated and personally involved in an issue greater than themselves by seeking justice (Micah 6:8).
Both Rob and Rebekah have been fundraising in the past months, and I felt like our family needed to get involved. Sometimes it's too easy to write a check. Like Rob and Rebekah taking the effort to turn their bike wheels thousands of times a day, I wanted to go out of our way to participate in their journey.
So we had a garage sale last Saturday.
And, if our goal was to go out of our way and put in a lot of effort, I think we got there. Garage sales are a lot of work. Collecting, pricing, cleaning, selling, hauling away. . . Whew! I was pretty tired by Saturday evening. Rebekah and Rob spent the sale spinning by the "money table" so they could tell people about their summer trips. Our extended family was super helpful in sorting, hauling, and donating. It was a busy couple of days for a not-so-busy couple of hours during the sale.
I'm glad we did it. We accomplished our goal. But, next time, I'm writing a check.
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| We rigged up a trainer for Eli with phone books so he could spin with his aunt and uncle. |
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| Rebekah handed out these cool cards. |
Friday, May 4, 2012
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11
Eli got some old hand-me-down shin guards from his cousin last week. He loves them. He loves that he can strap the Velcro around his calves himself. He loves the knocking sound they make when he hits his fist against them. He loves the letters on the tag. He loves that he'll be able to wear them when the soccer field in our backyard is ready to go later this summer. He loves them so much that we had to make a second pair of shin guards for Luke so Luke could wear them around his little legs.
But, Eli's favorite part about his new shin guards, by far, is that they came from Tristan.
Eli loves his new shin guards, but he loves his cousin Tristan. He talks about him several times a day.
"Tristan is five."
"Tristan likes orange, I think."
"Does Tristan have ice skates?"
"Tristan is a big boy."
"Tristan can run really fast."
... and on, and on.
Eli's shin guards are special, but it's because they come from a special source.
The other night, Eli had his shin guards on while we were playing in the basement. Just as I was about it bear hug him and give him a well-deserved tickle he squealed, "You can't tickle me! I'm wearing shin guards!" He was convinced that the power of the shin guards would hold back my wiggling fingers.
I had the opportunity to study the book of Ephesians a few weeks ago. I especially enjoyed the second half of chapter six where it talks about the armor of God. The boys and I have worked on memorizing verse ten. ("Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty muscle," according to our Luke.) As Eli has been wearing around his shin guards, it's reminded me of the armor of God. It's great armor. Admittedly, there are no shin guards listed, but a belt and breastplate aren't bad. The armor is good, but it's the Source that really makes it special. As I consider Eli's enthusiasm, I'm faced with a couple of questions:
Am I convinced that the protection I've been given has special power because of it's Source?
Do adore my Lord with the same reckless abandon?
Everyday, parenting is bringing me new challenges. Everyday, the Word is applicable to my life. Everyday, I need to be strapping on my shin guards for the challenges that are ahead.
Eli got some old hand-me-down shin guards from his cousin last week. He loves them. He loves that he can strap the Velcro around his calves himself. He loves the knocking sound they make when he hits his fist against them. He loves the letters on the tag. He loves that he'll be able to wear them when the soccer field in our backyard is ready to go later this summer. He loves them so much that we had to make a second pair of shin guards for Luke so Luke could wear them around his little legs.
But, Eli's favorite part about his new shin guards, by far, is that they came from Tristan.
Eli loves his new shin guards, but he loves his cousin Tristan. He talks about him several times a day.
"Tristan is five."
"Tristan likes orange, I think."
"Does Tristan have ice skates?"
"Tristan is a big boy."
"Tristan can run really fast."
... and on, and on.
Eli's shin guards are special, but it's because they come from a special source.
The other night, Eli had his shin guards on while we were playing in the basement. Just as I was about it bear hug him and give him a well-deserved tickle he squealed, "You can't tickle me! I'm wearing shin guards!" He was convinced that the power of the shin guards would hold back my wiggling fingers.
I had the opportunity to study the book of Ephesians a few weeks ago. I especially enjoyed the second half of chapter six where it talks about the armor of God. The boys and I have worked on memorizing verse ten. ("Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty muscle," according to our Luke.) As Eli has been wearing around his shin guards, it's reminded me of the armor of God. It's great armor. Admittedly, there are no shin guards listed, but a belt and breastplate aren't bad. The armor is good, but it's the Source that really makes it special. As I consider Eli's enthusiasm, I'm faced with a couple of questions:
Am I convinced that the protection I've been given has special power because of it's Source?
Do adore my Lord with the same reckless abandon?
Everyday, parenting is bringing me new challenges. Everyday, the Word is applicable to my life. Everyday, I need to be strapping on my shin guards for the challenges that are ahead.