Archive for June, 2007

June 30th, 2007 God and His Athletic Abilities

During lunchtime today, the children and I were discussing a passage from I Corinthians 1 [+/-]1 Corinthians 1 [1:1]Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, [2]To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: [3]Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [4]I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, [5]that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-- [6]even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-- [7]so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, [8]who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9]God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. [10]I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. [11]For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. [12]What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." [13]Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? [14]I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, [15]so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. [16](I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) [17]For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. [18]For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. [19]For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." [20]Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? [21]For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. [22]For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, [23]but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, [24]but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. [25]For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. [26]For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. [27]But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; [28]God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, [29]so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. [30]And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, [31]so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." (ESV)
, especially the last few verses:

“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’”

As we talked about what “boasting in the Lord” might mean, I gained some insight into my 6 1/2 year old’s concept of God:

Jonathan: “God can do anything.”

Mommy: “But one thing that God cannot do is sin.”

Jonathan: “Well, and he can’t play soccer either.”

June 30th, 2007 Rain, Swimming, and Stuff

We have had an amazing number of rain days so far this summer. I cannot recall a time in the last couple of weeks when it didn’t rain for at least part of the day. This article says we are seeing the second wettest June since records began in 1899 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with over 10.5 inches of rain. That is about an inch short of the previous record set in 1928. And in stark contrast to the drought we have experienced for the previous two years. So…Dallas is very grateful for the rain. Aside from the larger and more serious repurcussions to a city in the midst of a huge drought, this house we bought stood empty all last summer. As a result, nothing was watered, our yard saw lots of damage, and huge areas were missing grass. We are grateful for the huge blessing all the water has been to the city as a whole, and in a more personal way, to us too.

Our children have been a little discouraged that the weather has limited their time in the pool, but we have tried to sneak in a few swimming trips in between the thunder, lightening, and downpours. We joined our neighborhood pool this summer, and when we’ve been able to go, we’ve really appreciated how close to home it is, the relatively small numbers of people there, and the diligent and watchful lifeguards on duty.

This month, despite the rain, we have been taking swimming lessons with a lady who lives nearby and who teaches only three students at a time, both her and a helper. We shelled out a few more buckos this year than in previous years, but I feel as if we’ve received about three years’ worth of swimming progress in the short time we took. (Prior to this, Jonathan spent three summers in swim lessons with very little to show for our time and effort and expense.)

This year, Abigail, already a pretty decent swimmer, polished her strokes, strengthened her abilities considerably, and learned to dive quite beautifully for an 8 year old (in my humble opinion!). She spent only a week in lessons, but we put the boys in for two, and they have also made excellent progress. As of two weeks ago, neither Jonathan nor Nicolas were swimming on their own, but when we went to the pool in our neighborhood yesterday, there were no swim vests or other props used. They swam everywhere, jumped off the diving board into the deep end, and slid down the ten foot slide and into the water with no help or parental assistance. I was so very proud of them, and loved watching how much they’ve learned.

It is a really great feeling to know that now when I take four children to the pool with me, I have three who swim pretty well. A lot less stress is involved mentally, and physically speaking, I have only one little person who needs to hold onto me! Of course I know they all still need to be watched carefully, but overall it really is a much more enjoyable experience for everyone. We look forward to more swimming, weather permitting, during the remaining two months of summer vacation!!

June 19th, 2007 Scoop, Muck and Dizzy, and Roley TOO!

Here is the view out back of our house right now:

Our forty-plus-year-old alley is being dug up and repaved. The estimated completion date is February 29, 2008. Ahem, cough, cough. But, I shall refrain from sharing my thoughts on the overwhelmingly massive and huge length of time allotted for this project, and instead try to focus on the positive. So……yes! What a blessing this will be to all of us in the neighborhood once it is complete. Admittedly, it is more than a little bit inconvenient to go without the use of our garage (off the driveway, which now deadends into a massive valley of dirt!) in this Texas heat, but we anticipate the end result being worth the current frustration!

In the meantime, the children are quite fascinated by the exciting Bob the Builder action right here in our very own neighborhood. As an added bonus, they consider themselves to have gained a fantastically huge playroom - also known as the garage - where they now, even if it is raining, can jump rope, play ball, and have wild sword fights with Mommy’s blessing!!

June 18th, 2007 Not that way of matin’

A conversation at dinner that spun out of control…

Jonathan: Then you go to college? How long?

Jay: Usually for 4 years.

Jonathan: Do you live there?

Jay: Most people do.

Jonathan: Then what do you do? Do you look for a mate?

Chaos ensues.

Abigail: It’s not that way of matin’, like penguins.

June 18th, 2007 Refreshment

For the second time in a little over a month, I have spent a night away from home, sans children (well, almost sans: Abigail came along too for this latest trip). Kudos to my amazing and oh so capable husband who has lovingly and cheerfully held down the fort at home, and facilitated my two little getaways. It is VERY rare that I am away from my mommy duties at home, especially without my husband, and I have appreciated these little bits of refreshment so much.

The first took place in May, when I joined a few friends in the country for scrapbooking, which was lovely, and only somewhat impacted by my spiking a fever and falling ill during the second day!!

And the second was last weekend, a jaunt to College Station with the girls over at Casa de Clemmons (thanks for driving, S!) to help celebrate the impending arrival of my newest nephew, Isaac along with lots of family, and the lovely and gracious ladies of Westminster Presbyterian Church, who really know how to throw a wonderful baby shower!! What fun we had visiting with out of town friends and family, and what a treat for me to spend an entire day and night with just Abigail, and share some sweet times together.

Here is a picture of our little girls, such happy traveling buddies, all dressed up and ready for the shower:

Here is the gorgeous expectant Mama with various immediate, extended (and adopted!) family members present that day:

Totally cute cake - I had to include a picture:

It was a great time, and such a joy to be able to help join in the festiveness of preparing to welcome another baby into the family! We cannot wait to meet you, little Isaac!

June 16th, 2007 Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie Girl!

After her shower this morning, Abigail (the 8 1/2 year old) got herself dressed. As I glanced at the outfit she’d chosen: striped shirt and khaki shorts, it occurred to me that she was not wearing a pair of shorts that I recall ever buying for her. We checked the tag: “2T” is what it read. Somehow a pair of Josiah’s shorts ended up in her laundry pile the other day. Amazingly, they fit her perfectly. Wow.

June 15th, 2007 Plump it UP!!

If the bed pillows at your house are anything like ours, they grow flat and floppy over time. Washing and drying them only seems to make the problem worse, and often adds “bunchiness” to the poor pillow. Soon, those lovely, cushy pillows on the beds start looking sad and limp on account of the pillows that are inside them, and they are no longer very comforting to sleep on. What is a lady to do??

Well, a friend of mine has the most clever way of utilizing the worn-out pillows: she stuffs TWO limp pillows into each of her decorative bed shams, thereby making them look plump and luxurious. What a great way to reuse something that seems past its prime! I tried this new trick today with several shams on our master bed, and can honestly say the pillows have never looked nicer!

June 13th, 2007 Mumblings

I’m back home after a second weekend in a row of travelling. Hopefully I’ll have a post up about that soon.

It’s VBS week. I stuck to last year’s resolution, partly because I did not have a desire to put Josiah in the nursery for three hours each morning for a week, and partly due to a general sense of feeling overwhelmed. Instead of signing up to teach or help during the week, I opted for some administrative work prior to the actual event, which would still be a bit of help to those coordinating, but not put me at risk for having to back out again due to illness with children. And, it’s a good thing I did: Josiah has himself a very yucky cold, severe enough that he should not be around other wee ones. The two of us have cherished our little mornings together this week - he being the fourth child does not get as much one-on-one time with Mommy as perhaps his older siblings did. We even kidnapped a certain Grammy earlier today and enjoyed some breakfast with her.

Recently I relinquished a leadership role at church which I have held for some time - heading up our TLC (Tender Loving Care) Ministry, which provides meals to members and visitors going through times of hospitalization, illness, bereavement, welcoming a new baby, etc. This is a ministry I have always loved, and I have gladly served here, but recently opted to “give notice” due to a need to take a break. I have prayed for a few months for a replacement(s) and just today I received news that someone has stepped forward and asked to help serve this need in our church body. I am so very thankful for them, and for this answer to prayer.

Well, my messy house could use some of my attention, so I’m going to stop rambling, and start straightening!

June 12th, 2007 Same old stepping “on somebody’s neck”

This is a great quote, but it is not the greatest quote:

“I had looked around the plane for help, and all the younger guys had averted their eyes. When I asked the guy next to me if he was up to it, all he said was, ‘Retired captain. USMC.’ I said, ‘You’ll do,’ ” Hayden recalled. “So, basically, a couple of grandfathers took care of the situation.”

No, the greatest quote comes at the end of the article:

Hayden’s wife of 42 years, Katie, who was also on the flight, was less impressed. Even as her husband struggled with the agitated passenger, she barely looked up from “The Richest Man in Babylon,” the book she was reading.

“The woman sitting in front of us was very upset and asked me how I could just sit there reading,” Katie Hayden said. “Bob’s been shot at. He’s been stabbed. He’s taken knives away. He knows how to handle those situations. I figured he would go up there and step on somebody’s neck, and that would be the end of it. I knew how that situation would end. I didn’t know how the book would end.”

June 9th, 2007 Sort of bluish putty-colored

At lunch, I gave each of the boys a Trix yogurt, which have a couple colors/flavors in a single cup. Jonathan and Nicolas each stirred theirs into a single bluish putty-colored mass. At which point 6 year old Jonathan pipes up with:

“Look Nicolas, it’s sort of an indigo cerulean.”

Indigo what???

I had to look up the proper spelling for this entry.

June 6th, 2007 He did look pretty enough in the movies to be wearing makeup

Our children are becoming familiar with the epic that is Lord of the Rings. In addition to Jonathan’s current reading of the Hobbit, the three older children are enjoying segmented, slow screenings of Peter Jackson’s three LotR movies with their Daddy. One can witness their fascination with the story as they play together, though obviously one of them is still a bit mixed up over a few of the characters. This morning, they were all in the boys’ room, constructing bows and arrows from K’nex, and putting on their dress-up armor in preparation for a great battle.

“I am going to be the elf-princess, Arwen,” declared Abigail. Jonathan, ready to fight, said he wasn’t exactly sure which elf he wanted to be, but that he was certainly going to win the war. Nicolas however, confidently stated, “Well, I am going to be LipGloss*!”

* For those not as familiar with the LotR trilogy, we’re pretty sure he meant Legolas.

June 5th, 2007 Deer Lake

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I just finished a 67,000 word entry on our long weekend at Deer Lake.