Conversation with Peter

Mama - "Peter, is your nose running?"

Peter - "No.  It's just sitting there."

There's nothing in the world like 3-year-olds!:)

Summer 2012 Recap

The very next week after Isaac's first birthday, our summer began with a very big event - at least it was a big event for this mama.  Alana went to summer camp for a whole week.  In case you're not getting it, that's a whole week without her mama!  Or actually, a whole week for this mama without her little girl.  Of course, Alana had a wonderful time.  She didn't go completely by herself, she had her good friend Bethanie with her.  Alana was ready to be home by the end of the week, which comforted me only slightly.  I guess I was a little disappointed that she wasn't heart-broken without her parents:)

It may seem like small potatoes in light of things like camp, but Mr. Isaac had a milestone too.  He switched to a forward-facing, big boy carseat.  And just like his brother, he hated it for the first few car rides.  He loves it now though. 

After Alana's camp, we had VBS at our church and the Fourth of July holiday the week after.  Then came one of the biggest surprises (for me at least) of our summer.  We all went to youth camp!  Tom has been the part-time Youth Minister at our church for a few months and we had planned for him to take the youth to camp. The surprise was for the whole family to get to go.  It was a bit of a last-minute decision and I had no idea what I was getting myself into - going to youth camp with 3 kids!  But it turned out to be great.  We had a wonderful time as a family, as well as with our youth.  It was definitely stretching in some areas.  For instance, the A/C in our room didn't work too well.  We felt like we were sweating for a solid week.  And we had to eat our meals outside on a picnic table (in the heat) - not the easiest way to feed a family of five for every meal with a picky 3 year old and a baby.  But we did it.  And it really boosted my confidence for what I can handle with three children. 

After youth camp, our summer was supposed to start winding down.  Alana had horse camp the week after we got home and then the Olympics were scheduled to start.  My plan was for us to watch the Olympics (we LOVE the Olympics - especially gymnastics) and then to start homeschool a week of two after that.  The Sunday morning after the Olympics opening ceremonies, I woke up at 4 a.m. to a very hot house.  We survived the next four days without A/C, but were delivered the news we would need a whole new A/C system.  This was a blow we had certainly not planned on.  Also, we new it would take some time to work out all the details for that so we ended up at my parents' house for a week.  

This is my new best friend:) 

Let me tell you, air conditioning is a luxury and I know people not all that long ago lived without it, but we spoiled people cannot.  We LOVE our cool house!

The day after we got our new A/C, these two boys came down with some kind of nasty virus (and high fevers) that caused three trips to the pediatrician, two antibiotics, and lots of Tylenol/Motrin.  They are finally better. 

And boy do they love each other!  That's been another of our changes this summer, watching this fun, brotherly relationship develop.  There is nothing like boys!

So, there is our summer in a nutshell.  It was busy, hard, fun and at times - HOT:)

Back to School! 2012/2013 School Year

I have been so neglectful of my poor little blog these last few months, but we have had a crazy-busy summer!  I knew it was going to be busy, but it turned out to be jamm-packed.  Gone are the quiet days of last summer when Isaac was a newborn and we just stayed home and hung out together as a family.  However, even though this summer was totally different and very busy, it was great.  I do plan to recap some of the highlights of our summer soon, but until then.....today is BACK TO SCHOOL!

I've seen this done on lots of homeschool blogs and I think it's a great way to document the beginning of a new school year.

Alana is starting 5th grade this year.  That is just ridiculous.

My sweet Peter is totally potty-trained - last year's curriculum:)  So this year, we are going to focus on learning letters (by recognition and sound) and counting to 10.

My precious Isaac has grown up SO MUCH this summer.  I knew that would happen.  He has dropped the morning nap (but takes a wonderfully long afternoon nap) and uses only sippy cups now - no more bottles.  However, he is still not walking at almost 15 months.  He is definitely interested and practices with his walking toys a lot.  He's even taken a few steps here and there, but he is not really walking yet.  Peter was the same way.  We had to really encourage him to get him walking.  Isaac's school year will be working on learning this skill.  By the end of the year, he'll probably be running everywhere and I'll miss the days of no walking:) 

 

My class!  The sweetest class of children in the whole world!

Just in case we forget what we're supposed to be doing (not likely), we taped our school year goals on the door. 

Happy back to school!  It is one of my most favorite times of the year.

July 2012 Devotional

Fret Not!

I recently spent a week meeting with the Lord in the comforting words of Psalm 37. If you’ve never read or studied this Psalm, I highly encourage you to do so. The theme of the entire Psalm is that the righteous will win in the end and those that do evil will lose. Read carefully the words of the first four verses:

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

The Psalm continues in that same truth for forty verses! The phrase “fret not” is repeated three times in the first eight verses.

I must confess that I was (unexpectedly) convicted upon studying this Psalm – actually, within studying the very first verse. I often fret because of evildoers. I fret about the evil being done in this country. I fret about evil being done to the church at large, as well as to our church. I fret about evil being done to my husband or to my children. But I must admit that I fret most often about evil being done to me. I am so inclined to give in to the urge of my flesh to get my eyes off the Lord and onto people. And people are oh, so sinful! Their sin affects me. So how do I respond? I fret.

The second phrase of the first verse goes on to say, “be not envious of wrongdoers!” Conviction upon conviction. I realized not only that I fret because of evildoers, but I am also often envious of wrongdoers. The realization of that truth crashed into my consciousness like a lightning rod. Not only do I fret, then I envy those that do wrong.

Jesus said that “in this world we would have trouble.” Trouble is a fact and often trouble is due to evildoers. We live in a sin-fallen world with sin-fallen people and we will encounter evildoers, often on a daily basis. We must remember that every single person is either surrendering to the Lordship of Christ, or pursuing the lust of their own flesh, which is evil. There are only two paths. Therefore, when those of us that are surrendering to Christ encounter those that are not, we are encountering those that do evil and often that evil is directed to us.

Tom and I are movie people. We love many different kinds of movies and Tom is constantly quoting lines from movies to me. One of his favorites is, “Good will overcome. Trust in that.” That is an accurate analysis of Psalm 37.

So, the next time you encounter an evildoer, what will be your response? What should be your response? Fret not!

Happy Independence Day (2012)

July 4, 2011

July 4, 2012 

I am very thankful for the freedom we have in this country.

But I am so much more thankful for the complete freedom we have because of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; His truth is marching on.

June 2012 Devotional

Fixed

We have had a lot of sickness passing through our house the last few weeks, nothing serious, just the typical for a family with little people. Because of that, Peter (age 3) has been doing a lot of talking about being “sick” and getting “fixed.” When Tom was having his turn with the stomach virus, Peter kept telling him to get fixed. He was very concerned that his daddy was sick.

Ever since Peter’s life hung in the balance when he was a newborn, I have known that if he lived, I would spend the rest of his life telling him about the miracle that he is, beginning with his earliest understanding. Sometimes at bedtime, Peter likes to talk with me for a few minutes and I’ve used the opportunity of having a household of sickness to share his story with him. I’ve kept it very basic with no details, just the facts that when he was a baby he was very sick and God healed him. I’ve only told him about this a couple of times because I’ve wanted to be careful not to lay something too heavy on him yet. It’s important for Peter to know his story, but also important that it be on a level he can understand.

Tonight, as we were having our usual few minutes of conversation at bedtime, Peter said, “I was sick and God fixed me.” No one has been sick for awhile and we haven’t talked about this in a few weeks, so obviously what I shared with him has stuck in his head. When he said those words, I was stunned – stunned that he understood so completely, stunned that he remembered, stunned that he has been thinking about it. Most of all though, I was filled with praise to God. To understand being sick and being fixed is basic to the good news of the gospel.

The same can be said of me. I was sick, actually dead – dead in my sins. And my sovereign God fixed me. He gave me new life in Christ.

How about you? Have you been fixed – really and truly fixed? Once dead and now alive in Christ? The course of your life changed completely?

We need the good news of the gospel in our lives every day. We constantly need to be reminded that we were dead in our sin, and then we have been fixed by Christ. This message is not just for the moment of conversion. This is the message that needs to sink deep into our souls. This is the message that makes life worth living. This is the message that should cause us to continue and carry on in faith. This is the message of hope and joy. We were once dead and now alive. Praise be to God!

Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved. – Ephesians 2:5

Scripture Memory - June 15, 2012

I'm running a bit behind, but better late than never....

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! - Psalm 37:1

I'm going to build on this verse for the next few weeks.

Isaac's Birthday - Cake

I don't think these pictures need any commentary!

Our little food-lover enjoyed EVERY SINGLE BITE of his first birthday cake!

Peter wanted me to take a picture of his "cake-face" too. 

I can't believe Isaac is one.

Isaac's Birthday - Entertainment

After Isaac observed us opening his birthday presents (all the while never letting go of the red balloon), we moved the party outside.  We spread out Isaac's pool on the ground and let him sit there with his red balloon and pack of 100 balls.  We didn't even blow up the pool or put any water in it!  He was quite happy to sit and watch Alana and Peter play with his new slip-n-slide:)

Isaac is quite easy to please.  (I adore those dimples!)

Isaac's Birthday Party - Presents

I went round and round with what to do for Isaac's birthday party.  I struggled because we did a "big" party for Alana and Peter for their first birthday parties, but Isaac is so content with just his family that I knew he could care less about a big party.  He has also been struggling with a cold/teething for the last couple of weeks and I knew that was likely to make for a grumpy first birthday.  I was right too.  Isaac grumped and whined all day yesterday while his nose ran continuously.  His mood improved greatly for his small party, but I'm so glad I kept it small and simple.

My parents came over and I made baked ziti (something Isaac loves).  We gave him this balloon first thing and Isaac was THRILLED!  We really didn't need to give him anything else.  He barely stopped holding it the whole night.

Knowing that anything we got for Isaac would probably be played with by all the kids, we decided to go with a blow-up pool.  Fun for everybody.  As you can see, Isaac was still captivated with the balloon. 

My parents got Isaac a bag of balls for the pool.  He did finally let go of the balloon for those balls.  He will have so much fun sitting in that pool on hot summer days with 100 balls surrounding him. 

All night, Isaac kept saying "ball" over and over and over and over.

More to come.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC!

One year ago today, this precious baby was born.  It may have been his birthday, but I was the one that got the present.  My sweet Isaac has been a blessing and pure delight since the day he came into the world.

Having had a miscarriage before Alana and another very difficult one when she was about three, Tom and I weren't sure we would be able to have any more children.  Then years later, I got pregnant with Peter.  We were thrilled!  However, Peter's life began with open-heart surgery at two months old and a long recovery from that and several other complications.  Because of that, I felt like I lost Peter's baby days.  His entire first year of life was a blessing because he was here and improving every day, but it was also stressful.  Peter was recovering from all he had been through, and so were we.  I was always sad that Peter's first year had been so hard, but my most prominent emotion was total gratitude that he was here and God had seen fit to spare his life.

How little did I know that God was not done blessing me in the area of family.  Because He is aware of every single emotion and thought of this mother's heart, He knew I missed something with Peter.  God gave Tom and me the surprise of our lives when we found out I was pregnant with Isaac.  We were shocked.  I love the look on my children's faces when we surprise them with something really special, and I'm guessing God does too when He surprises His children.  It took Tom and me every day of the nine months I was pregnant to adjust to the idea of three!

After an extremely pleasant (although painful) labor experience, Isaac was here and I was in love.  I am not normally a believer in "love at first sight," but that was certainly true with Isaac.  I loved him immediately and I love him so much more now.

Isaac's first year of life has been so fun and SO easy!  He ate like a champ right from the start and he still loves to eat.  He slept through the night early on and did it consistently from two months on.  Isaac transitioned easily from sleeping in our room to sleeping in a room with his brother when he was not even four months old.  I thought for sure that would be one of the most difficult things we would face, but like everything else where Isaac is concerned, it was a breeze.  He loves Peter and I couldn't separate them for anything now.

Here is Isaac on his birthday a year ago.

Here is Isaac today. 

At one, Isaac:

• has 8 teeth
• drinks from a sippy cup all day, but still takes one bottle at night before bed (which I'm going to hang onto for as LONG AS POSSIBLE)
• sleeps from about 8:30 to 7:30 - and wakes up partying with his brother in the morning:)
• still takes 2 naps a day - a morning nap of an hour and an afternoon nap of about 2 hours (although I don't think this will last for a whole lot longer)
• eats pretty much all regular food - graham crackers are his favorite!
• crawls everywhere, but is pulling up and walking along furniture - I think walking is still another month or two away for him
• plays VERY contentedly
• is happiest in his mama's arms

Isaac also LOVES balls - of any and every kind.  His first word (other than "Mama" and "Dada") is "ball" and he says it all the time.  It's funny because Peter has always been into vehicles (trucks, cars, trains, etc.) from the time he was a little baby, and Isaac seems to be into balls.  It will be funny to watch if these differences continue.

Isaac also loves these two people!  If I let Alana and Peter play outside while Isaac is awake, then he just crawls around and whines, or stand at the sliding back door and watches them.  Isaac is so funny because he doesn't have to be playing with them, but he wants them nearby always. 

We chose Isaac's name for two reasons.  One, because of the story of Isaac when Abraham was going to sacrifice him out of obedience and God provided a ram instead.  We could definitely relate to that experience after all we had went through with Peter, but also Abraham said, "The Lord provides" after that and provision from God is what we have learned to depend on in a whole new way ever since Peter was first diagnosed.  Financial provision, mental provision, emotional provision, but mostly "grace sufficient" provision.

The second reason is because the name Isaac literally means "laughter."  After a time of many tears, God brought us laughter.

We are so very blessed.



Isaac, we love you so much! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OUR PRECIOUS BOY!

May 2012 Devotional

Bonding

Before I had children, I heard other mothers talk about bonding with their babies. I didn’t exactly understand what they meant until I had children of my own. I bonded with all three of my babies in a different way and with a different timetable – sometimes it was gradual, sometimes it was instantaneous. But with each of them, there was a moment when I knew my heart was knit with theirs and theirs with mine. They are my children. I belong to them and they belong to me. Nothing would ever change that fact. Nothing.

I have yet to experience anything in this world quite like the bond between a mother and her baby. For instance, a few nights ago, Isaac was crying out in his sleep. I went in to check on him and he was tossing and turning and crying every few seconds without waking up. He was probably having bad dreams or maybe some discomfort from teething. I watched him for a minute to be sure he was still asleep and then I very gently laid my hand on his back. As soon as he felt my touch, his entire body instantly relaxed. I rubbed his back for a few minutes and he never moved or made another sound the rest of the night. Isaac never woke up. Even in an unconscious state, Isaac was immediately comforted by the touch of his mama.

As women, we are naturals at nurturing. It is part of our God-ordained calling to take care of those we love. We do it in different ways, but nurturing is part of our makeup. I wonder though, as we excel in nurturing and care-taking, do we practice being nurtured?

Part of the rhetoric of the culture and age in which we live is:

“Take care of yourself.”

“Make time for yourself.”

“Do what you enjoy doing.”

“Have some me time.”

Although I understand the sentiment behind some of these statements, they are in opposition to the truth that we cannot take care of ourselves. The need of a child to be parented doesn’t end with adulthood. We are still children needing the guidance, wisdom, leading and nurturing of our Heavenly Father.

That night, as I watched Isaac respond so completely to my touch, I wondered how many times do I toss and turn and cry out, and let’s face it, often whine, instead of turning to the tender touch of my Lord. I took great pleasure in being able to comfort my baby, so I know my perfect Father takes great pleasure in comforting me.

In the night when it is dark, and your mind is disturbed, turn to the Lord. He is waiting to say, “Shhh my child. I am here, even in the darkness. And I love you.” And the proof of that is in the touch of His hand – scarred by the nail that pierced through it.

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17

Scripture Memory - May 15, 2012

I know, I've been terribly slack in the blog world lately.  We've been dealing with a stomach virus that wasn't satisfied until it had passed through every member of the family (except Isaac fortunately) and a nasty cold that got ahold of all three kids.  None of it was too awful, just wearying on this mama.  Anyway, I have much to post so hopefully I'm back on the blogging wagon:)

I've started a Bible study in the Psalms, so I've decided to focus my Scripture memorization on a portion of the verses I'm studying:

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup,

You hold my lot. - Psalm 16:5

I love this verse.  It is a good succint statement of the way I want to live my life.

Happy May!

Easter 2012

I'm finally getting an Easter post done, even though it was almost two weeks ago.

Here are the kids on Easter Sunday morning. I didn't try to color-coordinate Alana and Isaac, but it worked out that way. Peter's expression cracks me up. So typical for a 3-year-old boy that doesn't want to stop for pictures.

This was much better, although clearly quite fake:)

My beautiful girl. I have some WONDERFUL pictures that my friend Nancy took of Alana that I'm going to share soon.

Alana and Peter with their Easter baskets from Nana and Grandpa. Isaac was far more interested in lunch to explore an Easter basket. Silly boy should realize that there's candy in there!

Our traditional sunflower cake for Easter. Super-easy, chocolate cake with Peeps around the edge and chocolate chips in the middle. This is the height of my cake-decorating skills, so enjoy it:)

We had a great Easter celebrating spring, new life and most of all the Risen Savior!

Scripture Memory - April 15, 2012

Oh my, I've been so negligent of my little blog lately. We've been unusually busy for several weeks and then last week Tom was off for spring break so I didn't do anything more than necessary.

It's time for our next verse:

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. - Exodus 20:12

I'm really going to try to post more this week.

Pretty Pictures

One evening last week, Isaac was really tired and fussy so I took him outside to distract him from his misery. It worked great and I got some beautiful pictures of my sweet baby.

I am no photographer, but I thought these were just gorgeous.

This may not seem like a good picture, but I love it because it shows the top of that sweet head that I kiss constantly, as well as the hair that is always going in every direction:)

Isaac - DON'T GROW UP!

Flashback Friday (3/23/09)

Three years ago today, we brought our sweet baby boy home from the hospital. I remember the details of that day so vividly. We didn't get discharged until the afternoon and I remember those hours at the hospital seemed like they would NEVER pass. Peter slept the whole way home and for several hours after. He also slept through the night for the first time that night.

That last week in the hospital, I had become convinced that Peter couldn't eat well because he couldn't sleep well. Sleep doesn't come easily in the hospital. Between vitals checks every few hours and administering medicine, poor Peter was messed with about every hour or two all throughout the day and night. With a God-given mother's intuition, I knew it was time to bring him home where he could relax and sleep, and then his eating would pick up. I was right. Tom and I felt like we could almost actually see Peter relax and he ate better than he ever had at the hospital with his first bottle at home. I don't know if it's possible for a three-month old that had spent the previous six weeks in the hospital, but Tom and I both felt like he remembered home.

What an analogy that is for us. No matter what we face or for how long, here in this sin-sick world, those of us in Christ Jesus will remember "home." The place where we can finally have rest.

Praise be to God for what He has done!

Outside Play - Isaac

With the beautiful weather these last two weeks, we've had lunch outside on the porch several times. Isaac seems to love it (although he seems to love eating anywhere) and he especially enjoys sitting in his high chair for awhile and watching his big sister and brother play out in the yard. We really need to figure out a way to rig up his baby swing on the porch so he can take part in the fun.

Isaac still loves his Johnny-Jump Up too, but I don't think he'll be able to use it a whole lot longer with as big as he is.

Sweet baby.