The Pook at Ten Months Old

Wow. This little boy is doing everything at once. In the last two weeks, he has gained his first two teeth. He has learned to "real" crawl instead of army crawl. He has started copying me when I say certain words like "Dada" and "ball" and "bye-bye." He started clapping and waving. He has begun to eat table food --and LOVES it! He has pulled himself up to standing a time or two.

I think that's it. But that's enough, isn't it? Man, that kid is growing up on us!!!!!!   :)  And he is still as sweet and precious and happy as ever....

I Don't Recall Seeing Anything Like This

Surely at some time in my life I've seen this. Surely! But I don't remember it. I recall nothing like it, in fact. Even with my visits to Colorado sometimes for skiing, I have no memory of the way the trees and the sky and the remaining snow look once the sun comes out and the melting begins.

Truly....it's possibly the most beautiful sight I've ever beheld in God's outdoor creation. I attempted to capture the magnificence of it on my camera, but, as was expected, it falls incredibly short. The trees decorated from head to toe with ice today appear as clear and pure and bright as newly-shined glass--glass off which the light from the sun bounces, illuminating everything it touches and doesn't touch.  These photographs I've taken are pretty, but they do not depict the most glorious part: the way the sun makes everything sparkle and glisten and shine like nothing else I've seen.

It's radiantly bright out from the combination of the sun's rays and the whiteness of the snow covering everything. We can open up the windows and do without electrical light today altogether in some rooms! I talked to the boys about how it will be this way in the new heavens and the new earth when Jesus is shown forth in all His splendor, and, therefore,  how we will have  no need then of the sun or moon to bring us light.

The magnitude of this beauty today is enormous. How much more gigantic will be the beauty and majesty of the light emanating from the spotless, holy, perfect Husband of our souls: Christ Jesus our Lord! I'm so grateful today for this God's picture which serves as a reminder and foretaste of that splendid, clear, pure, radiant eternity which awaits those whose trust in Him alone!

Our Big Snow

We've gotten 6-7 inches in the last couple of days. "Tis a bit frightful here, but that fire certainly is delightful! So are the fun times outside in the yard! And blessing of having people in our home who are without power brings us deep joy...

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Silly Story with Rhyming Words

Today Biggest and I (with Middle listening in) did a brief study of life in England in the Middle Ages. We tlaked about knights and castles and chivalry. This was all inspired by watching Prince Caspian as a family this last weekend, and now knights are Biggest's new thing. (He changes new things quite often!)  :)

Anyway, one of the things we did today was think of words that rhyme with the word moat. Then I  had Biggest make up a story using as many of those words as he could. Here's what he came up with....

"A goat got on a boat and went to a castle through the moat. He wrote a note to his grandma about the castle. And then she sent a coat to him. Then the grandma floated across the moat. "

He loved this, and I loved watching his delight and pride in his fun and silly creation of a story!

Helping to Save the Unborn--and their Mommies

This is so helpful to know about. If you are looking for a way to serve women and babies, you should consider being a part of this. Read the link below to find out more information on this great ministry.

http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/01/one-simple-practical-way-you-can-make.html

Our Funny, Funny Redhead

I have copied here Jim's words that describe some hilarious situations of the last week involving our cute second-born son.

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The other day we were having our "play toys with me" time, which happens every morning after breakfast. So Jed was still in his pajamas, and we went down to the basement to play. We usually make Jake go do something else so that Jed can have some one-on-one attention. (Jake tends to take over and Jed winds up sitting and watching). Well, before too long Jake joined us. He too was still in his pajamas. Both of them were wearing footed, fleece, zip up pajamas. Jake's pajamas were the black ones with brown gingerbread men on them.

So we're in the play room, and Jed gets out Jill's old cowboy boots and starts to put them on over his footed fleece pajamas, announcing, "I'm going to put these pirate boots on. I'm a pirate!"

Jake then says, "I'm a pirate, too!" as he raised up the plastic pirate sword from the toy bin.

Jed responds, "No, you're not a pirate. You just got gingerbreads on your jajamas."

[[Jed didn't mean it as a slam, though it sure sounded like one. Jed was just explaining that Jake wasn't wearing a pirate costume. But that phrase, "You're not a pirate. You just got gingerbreads on your jajamas" has had me laughing since he said it. . .]]

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This morning we're having play time again, and this time we had the bin that has all the match box cars in it. Jed likes to be in complete control of the situation. So as he is taking out cars and lining them up side by side, I began to pick up a car from the bin. He immediately grabbed it from my hand and said, "No!" I responded: "I don't get to play with the cars Jed? I'm supposed to just sit here and watch you play with the cars?"

Jed replies, "No, you can't play with cars right now. You can play with cars when you're older."

I said, "Jed, do you know what 'older' means?"

Jed: "Nope."

Too Many More of These, and I'll Be Ready

My sweet husband and I have talked about adoption since before we were even married, I believe. I've always thought it a precious, precious ministry that pictures and points to the love of  God for us and His salvation of us. Only He knows whether adoption is in His plan for our family, but I don't know how many more of these kinds of articles I can read before just saying aloud to my dear husband, "We've GOT to do it. Now is the time."

Here is the latest thing I read that spurs me to keep adoption in my mind as the days go by: Finding Jesus in a Russian Orphanage...

May God use this article to spur you, too, to ask the question of yourself, "How am I obeying God's clear command to care for orphans and widows?"

Cowboy and Indian

Another pic  just for smiles....Our redhead does not lack for enthusiasm, does he?



How they LOVE to dress up.

Inspired by Terra

Seeing pictures of my friend Terra's family today blessed me so greatly today that I was motivated to post more pics of my boys. I hope they make your heart happy, as seeing hers did for me.  :)



These pictures are from an art class that we started this week here at our local art museum. It's a fabulous class and perfect for our biggest who LOVES anything art-related. We look forward to all our future classes as the weeks go by!

The Good Life

I am thinking tonight. We just watched the movie Tuck Everlasting as a family this evening. If I had known it was not really a child's movie, then I would not have picked it out at the library, but I am very glad that I did. The movie is the reason I'm thinking. It comes at a good time in my life. A time when I look in the mirror and see some of the first effects of age and time. I now experience my first feelings of sadness that things are changing and that I am growing older. This movie explore the fallacies of the would-be goodness of eternal life on this earth. It's so easy to think something like, "If only we could live forever" or "if only my sweet children didn't have to grow up" or "I wish it could just always stay this good--like it is right now."

On a daily basis, I nurse my precious baby and dress him in his warm pajamas and give him his favorite blankie to snuggle and tuck him in bed. I have the amazing privilege of still  being allowed to hold my oldest boy. He will crawl into my lap and let me put my head on his, or he'll place his head in my lap or even still engage in a game of pat-a-cake. I put my arm around my adorable redheaded boy and then I scratch his back and tickle him until he's laughing and wiggling and kicking. I listen over and over and over and over to my husband tell me how beautiful I am and how grateful he is for me and how I am the best wife and mother in the world. It's so easy to think, "Does it get better than this?" Honestly, life this side of heaven probably does not.

The most astounding thing is that in reality--the reality of the supernatural world that we cannot see but that we know by faith--it does get better. Life after this life is more blissful and rewarding and fulfilling than anything we could ever experience on this earth or even dream of in our finite minds. We will one day stand before our Maker and then bow before Him and spend all of the rest of eternity singing His worth and beauty and majesty and sovereignty and strength and wisdom and power and on and on and on. We cannot conceive of it. I don't think it's humanly possible. But it is true. And that will be the good life....life as good as it gets.

"I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly...."  --Jesus.