New Pics

I am actually on my husband's laptop, which has all our updated pictures on it, so I decided to take the opportunity to post a few new pics. Enjoy!

This is Dan and I on our recent trip to Chicago. Elijah stayed home, but we brought Alli.

These are Ebay finds! I bought the kitchen, thinking that if Elijah didn't like it, we could always use it for Alli, but I didn't have to worry. He is our little chef. The people I bought it from threw in the workshop, so he can build and fix things, just like Bob the Builder!
Allison has found her fist and thumb.

What kind of English do you speak?

I found this link (HT: Fundamentally Reformed) and as I am always a sucker for quizzes, couldn't resist taking this one. Take a moment to see what kind of English you speak! Here are my results:

Your Linguistic Profile:

80% General American English

5% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Have fun and have a great day!

Quiet Morning

This was a rare morning. I awoke around 7 expecting my daughter to wake to eat at any minute. I came downstairs (boy was it chilly!) and checked my email, put in a load of laundry, ate a bowl of cereal and the children were still sleeping! All of a sudden it dawned on me that I had been praying about finding a quiet time to spend in the Word. God was giving me precious quiet time and I was wasting it on email and breakfast, which I can do while the kids are awake. So, excitedly I sat down and read the first 3 chapters in I Corinthians and 5 Psalms. And I mean, really read. I reread portions and meditated on specific passages, just like a real devotional! These are hard to come by, I admit. Life with a 2 year old and a newborn is busier than I imagined.

So I thought I would share a passage that stood out to me this morning:

Psalm 3:3-6

But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill.
I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

What an amazing thought. God is my shield and the lifter of my head. I love that phrasing. I have experienced His holy hand lifting my head, and nothing is more satisfying.

After I had a chance to meditate on this, the kids awoke and the day became busy with a chiropracter appointment and a host of other errands. It was a good reminder, although, and a chance to give praise to God for being my shield, my sustainer, and the lifter of my head.

A Challenge to Women

I emailed this link to some friends some time ago, and was reminded of it by my sister-in-law this week. I went back to read it, this time printed it out, and decided it was worth linking to here. It is titled, "A Challenge to Women" written by John Piper, and it has been an encouragement to me when I feel like I don't have an "important" role in life, other than mixing up some chocolate milk for my oldest. I encourage you to read it and maybe print it out for yourself!

Precious Moments

We were out jumping on the trampoline tonight. It was a beautiful evening, perfect for some horseplay in the backyard. Sometimes when the big kids get on, Elijah gets a little scared, so I wasn't suprised when he came up to me, arms open wide, and said, "Mommy, hold me." I willingly wrapped my arms around him as he reciprocated, expecting to just cuddle while we gently bounced on the outer edges of the trampoline. So I was suprised when he said, "Now stand up." I promptly obeyed (you'd think this would be a lesson for him!) and he said, "Now jump real high!" I love seeing the dichotomy of little boy and little man. He was scared and needed his mommy, but at the same time wanted in on the "big kid" fun. These are precious momments.

We have been to the doctor's office a lot lately, between my chiropractic visits and Alli's well-baby appointments, and now Elijah's weird rash, so he is into playing doctor now. Tonight he walked around the yard with a stethescope around his neck diagnosing all the kids with "tummy aches." When he came to check me out, I asked him if I was sick and he replied, "No, you ok mommy. You just need bandaid."

Hope you enjoy the stories! Relish every precious moment you have!

The Rebelution

I found this post earlier today and was slightly awe-struck. How many teenagers do you know that can write like this? Let alone think this deeply! Anyway, it is a thought-provoking article that challenges society's acceptance of the mediocre. It also gives me hope that our children are not doomed to be typical teenagers. Let's quit making excuses for them!

The whole article is worth reading, but I particularly enjoyed this portion:

I constantly hear fellow young adults say things like, “You know, I did Algebra 1/2, but I’m just not a math person,” or “I’m a terrible speller, my brain just doesn’t work that way.” I’ve had other teens tell me, “I’m just a quiet person. I don’t like communicating much,” and “I’m such a compulsive shopper. If I see something I like I can’t help but buy it.” Or what about, “I’m just such a blonde!”

While I don’t doubt that many teens find math, spelling, communication, self-control and intelligence incredibly difficult, I find it very hard to accept that these difficulties should begin to define their personhood.

We would think it was crazy if a toddler said, “You know, I tried to get potty-trained, but I’m just not a toilet person.” But we sympathize with a fellow teenager who says that he’s “just not a people person.”

If a young child said, “I tried tying my own shoes, but my brain just doesn’t work that way,” we would not say, “That’s alright Johnny, we’ll just have someone else do it for you for the rest of your life.” But if we have trouble spelling we say, “It’s alright, I’ll just make sure I always use the spell checker.”

Low Expectations Strike Again
The fact is that as we get older we begin defining our limitations as what comes easily to us – and our rate of growth in competence and character slows and falters.

When we were children our limitations were not defined by difficulty. Our limitations were not defined by failure – even repeated failure. So what has changed? Why do babies, with inferior motor skills, reasoning ability, and general physical and mental strength, why do they have a nearly 100% success rate in overcoming their big challenges, while teenagers often falter and fail before theirs?

We Expect More of Babies Than We Do of Teens
The truth is that we are incredibly susceptible to cultural expectations and once we have satisfied our culture’s meager requirements we stop pushing ourselves.

Why does every healthy baby learn to walk while very few teenagers are sophisticated enough to have mastered the Waltz? One is expected, the other is not.

Why does every normal baby overcome communication barriers by learning to talk while very few teenagers overcome barriers between themselves and their parents by learning to communicate? One is expected, the other is not.

And why do we sympathize with the poor “non-math” teenager while we admonish the “non-toilet” six-year-old? Because using the toilet is a basic skill that is necessary for life, but unless they plan on becoming an engineer, most people never use Algebra.

We live in a culture that expects the basics, but nothing more. We live in a culture that expects for you to get by (i.e. be potty-trained), but not to thrive.

I am not saying this is only true for teenagers. I battle with this myself. It is too easy to give up these days, when you don't have a parent or a teacher breathing down your back. I realize that all too often external motivation is what keeps me going. It's something I need to work on . . .

Beware of bagged spinach

I don't usually succumb to these scare-tactic stories, but this one hit a little too close to home. Apparently, there have been multiple cases of ecoli coming from bagged spinach. One death has been reported, in Wisconsin, and 11 other cases of sickness in Milwaukee. Needless to say, the bag I have in my refrigerator is going straight into the garbage. This should make my mom really happy.
You can read the whole story on CNN.

Edit 12:22 PM
I now realize this story has been on all the news programs. This is what comes from a mother of 2 little ones: If the TV is on, it is on Barney or Bob the Builder. I don't get the luxery of watching news much anymore. I am lucky I get the chance to check a few websites every morning, and this is where I heard about the spinach. So you have probably already heard about bagged spinach, but in case this is one of a few sites you check while Barney is on, then now you know!

Forgiven

I've been thinking about forgiveness a lot lately and this article does an excellent job at portraying how foolish we act when God's forgiveness is not only available, but beyond our human comprehension. It is well worth it to read.

Picture This!

It seems all our photos are of the kids these days! Here is a rare pic of the 3 of us, ready for church. Elijah's hair didn't stay styled for very long and Alli's hat was off by the time we made it to Sunday School. At least we captured it on film!

Must read

Ok, my first official post is a link! This article exactly articulates the frustrations many feel having been reared in some fundamental circles. The first in the two part series is here and the second is worth reading, also.

Welcome!

Hi Everyone! In response to overwhelming demand to know the daily goings on in our family, I have created this blog. Ok, no one really demanded, but it seemed like the hip new way to keep people informed. And it gives me an outlet to bounce around some thoughts I've had and to give my opinion on certain matters. I'm new to this, so we will see how it goes!
I plan on posting pics of the kids, as well as stories about the oldest, as he is in that "I say cute things all the time" phase. There are certain blogs that I frequent, so when they have interesting articles, I will post a link. If you have the leisure time to read, it will be worth it. Feel free to come back and comment - you know I am always up for a good debate! I also plan on posting some of the things I am learning at church. We are constantly being challenged to think, and until now, I haven't had an outlet with which to write my thoughts. So this may also be like a spiritual diary for me. I hope it blesses your soul.
That's all for now. Visit frequently and let me know what you think of the site!