Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Rain!
God just gave us 2 straight hours of rain! What a blessing! (see next post for how much we've needed it!)
Family News - August 2007
I haven't posted any KidNews for awhile, since it seemed such a daunting task to pick photos and get them ready to include in a post. But I guess anything is better than nothing, so here's a non-photo post, though I may upload photos later.
Katherine turned 3 at the end of May. She's getting more outgoing, at least to some extent. Some things she likes at the moment are
- dressing and undressing dolls
- cutting and gluing her scraps of construction paper together
- the toy "piano" that plays various snippets of songs when you push the keys (though she has figured out how to abort each musical phrase after it begins to make it more quickly cycle through to the song she likes best)
- doing Saxon "kindergarten" math with Mommy (well, it says Saxon K, but it's simple enough for a 3-year-old to enjoy and comprehend most of it; all done with manipulatives (e.g. plastic teddy bears) rather than worksheets)
She also likes to try to trace letters on some wipe-off pages, and do dot-to-dots. She likes to string beads and buttons on wires and make "necklaces". She loves to be outside, though we haven't been out much lately due to the hot weather, and the mosquitoes.
Emily just turned 1. She is just now taking off walking, more so every day, and getting steadier on her feet. She loves to hold a stuffed animal (or other item that she thinks is meant to be snuggled, even a plastic doll) up to her face and saying "awwww" (which is what I used to say when introducing a stuffed animal to her). She has a sense of humor and likes to laugh. She smiles at our camera when we want to take a picture of her, though she doesn't seem to realize that other people's cameras are also things to smile for.
She likes to take off her bib (that has a stretchy neck-hole), and so tries to take off her shirt when undressing too. She likes to take apart Duplos, though putting them back together isn't happening yet.
She says "Mommy", "no", and "ah-dah" ("all done"), claps her hands to say "please", and waves good-bye. (And those few things get her a long way!)
She's a very snuggly kid and likes to be held, though she doesn't demand it (thankfully!). She's very laid-back about things, but also has a determined spirit and usually doesn't give up quickly. She also likes to pull out her own hair so she can suck on it with her thumb... so her hair is not very long at the moment. I hope she'll outgrow that before too long.
The girls do seem to like each other, for which I thank God. I pray they will grow up to be good friends rather than rivals.
In other news...
We went to beach as a family (with David's family) in June and had a nice time (Outer Banks of NC). Almost all of David's family got to come be together for a week; an aunt and uncle from Canada came too.
Then a month later, at the end of July, Katherine, Emily, and I did "the Georgia Trip" which I've tried to do every year, to take the girls to see their cousins on the Peters side. We stayed with Matthew & Jolene (and their girls Anna and Rachel) in Augusta for a few days, then stopped to see Elizabeth and her four kids for an afternoon south of Atlanta, before going on to Chattanooga. We stayed with my Mom for a couple of days, and then she came with us back to NC and stayed for a week with us here before flying home.
While Mom was here, David's Grandad from Canada died (after a long, slow decline), so he flew up there for a couple of days for the funeral.
Sometimes it's nice to finally be home for awhile. We thank God for safe travels there and back all summer.
It's been really, really hot and dry here. We've had a drought this summer, as is not uncommon in recent years, but this year seems worse. Maybe it's because of the heat. We've hit 100 degrees fairly often this summer, which we don't often do (I think once last year). Our current drought status is only "severe" (level 3 out of 5 drought levels), but it seems more damaging than other years.
It's only mid-August, but there are trees losing their leaves as if it is fall already - only not turning color first, only turning brown. Things are dying. Trees are dying. We try to water sometimes, but it's hard to know how much good it does. We haven't had rain for several weeks now, and are praying for hurricanes to come our way (well, merciful ones at least, that dump rain without causing too much damage).
We are thankful to have air conditioning, and running water - things which make life pleasant inside, even if outside is almost suffocatingly hot (though I hear that in Iraq, when the temperatures go down to 100 degrees at night, it feels cool - so I can't complain about temps going up to 100 for a few hours during the heat of the day).
David is still at his current job for now, though it's possible that he won't have that job next year. His company was bought out by another company earlier in the year, and they are keeping on some of the old staff (including him) till the end of the year, at which point they'll see if their skills are needed in the new company or not. He stays busy doing church-related computer projects when he has time, including maintaining the website (www.grbc.net).
Katherine turned 3 at the end of May. She's getting more outgoing, at least to some extent. Some things she likes at the moment are
- dressing and undressing dolls
- cutting and gluing her scraps of construction paper together
- the toy "piano" that plays various snippets of songs when you push the keys (though she has figured out how to abort each musical phrase after it begins to make it more quickly cycle through to the song she likes best)
- doing Saxon "kindergarten" math with Mommy (well, it says Saxon K, but it's simple enough for a 3-year-old to enjoy and comprehend most of it; all done with manipulatives (e.g. plastic teddy bears) rather than worksheets)
She also likes to try to trace letters on some wipe-off pages, and do dot-to-dots. She likes to string beads and buttons on wires and make "necklaces". She loves to be outside, though we haven't been out much lately due to the hot weather, and the mosquitoes.
Emily just turned 1. She is just now taking off walking, more so every day, and getting steadier on her feet. She loves to hold a stuffed animal (or other item that she thinks is meant to be snuggled, even a plastic doll) up to her face and saying "awwww" (which is what I used to say when introducing a stuffed animal to her). She has a sense of humor and likes to laugh. She smiles at our camera when we want to take a picture of her, though she doesn't seem to realize that other people's cameras are also things to smile for.
She likes to take off her bib (that has a stretchy neck-hole), and so tries to take off her shirt when undressing too. She likes to take apart Duplos, though putting them back together isn't happening yet.
She says "Mommy", "no", and "ah-dah" ("all done"), claps her hands to say "please", and waves good-bye. (And those few things get her a long way!)
She's a very snuggly kid and likes to be held, though she doesn't demand it (thankfully!). She's very laid-back about things, but also has a determined spirit and usually doesn't give up quickly. She also likes to pull out her own hair so she can suck on it with her thumb... so her hair is not very long at the moment. I hope she'll outgrow that before too long.
The girls do seem to like each other, for which I thank God. I pray they will grow up to be good friends rather than rivals.
In other news...
We went to beach as a family (with David's family) in June and had a nice time (Outer Banks of NC). Almost all of David's family got to come be together for a week; an aunt and uncle from Canada came too.
Then a month later, at the end of July, Katherine, Emily, and I did "the Georgia Trip" which I've tried to do every year, to take the girls to see their cousins on the Peters side. We stayed with Matthew & Jolene (and their girls Anna and Rachel) in Augusta for a few days, then stopped to see Elizabeth and her four kids for an afternoon south of Atlanta, before going on to Chattanooga. We stayed with my Mom for a couple of days, and then she came with us back to NC and stayed for a week with us here before flying home.
While Mom was here, David's Grandad from Canada died (after a long, slow decline), so he flew up there for a couple of days for the funeral.
Sometimes it's nice to finally be home for awhile. We thank God for safe travels there and back all summer.
It's been really, really hot and dry here. We've had a drought this summer, as is not uncommon in recent years, but this year seems worse. Maybe it's because of the heat. We've hit 100 degrees fairly often this summer, which we don't often do (I think once last year). Our current drought status is only "severe" (level 3 out of 5 drought levels), but it seems more damaging than other years.
It's only mid-August, but there are trees losing their leaves as if it is fall already - only not turning color first, only turning brown. Things are dying. Trees are dying. We try to water sometimes, but it's hard to know how much good it does. We haven't had rain for several weeks now, and are praying for hurricanes to come our way (well, merciful ones at least, that dump rain without causing too much damage).
We are thankful to have air conditioning, and running water - things which make life pleasant inside, even if outside is almost suffocatingly hot (though I hear that in Iraq, when the temperatures go down to 100 degrees at night, it feels cool - so I can't complain about temps going up to 100 for a few hours during the heat of the day).
David is still at his current job for now, though it's possible that he won't have that job next year. His company was bought out by another company earlier in the year, and they are keeping on some of the old staff (including him) till the end of the year, at which point they'll see if their skills are needed in the new company or not. He stays busy doing church-related computer projects when he has time, including maintaining the website (www.grbc.net).
Monday, August 20, 2007
He is your life
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 - "... I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days..."
He is your life.
Every blessing is found in God Himself.
Every blessing is given by Him.
Every good thing that I would seek after, if sought apart from God, will not be enjoyed to its fullest; for He gives good things, not that we might revel in the things themselves, but that we might revel in the Giver.
Yes, He "sends rain on the just and on the unjust", and showers many blessings on those who care nothing for Him. But these will be witnesses against them in the last day, that though they received so many good things from the God of Heaven, they neither glorified Him for them, nor were thankful. (Matt.5:45. Rom.1:21).
What is it your heart longs for?
Only God can truly be "your life". That which utterly satisfies the human soul.
Every longing, every dream, pursued apart from the Source of all good things, will only disappoint us in the end.
Seek first the God who made you - for He made you for Himself.
Nothing else is able to fill His place in you.
If you have Him - only will then every blessing be truly enjoyed as He meant it to be.
He is your life.
He is your life.
Every blessing is found in God Himself.
Every blessing is given by Him.
Every good thing that I would seek after, if sought apart from God, will not be enjoyed to its fullest; for He gives good things, not that we might revel in the things themselves, but that we might revel in the Giver.
Yes, He "sends rain on the just and on the unjust", and showers many blessings on those who care nothing for Him. But these will be witnesses against them in the last day, that though they received so many good things from the God of Heaven, they neither glorified Him for them, nor were thankful. (Matt.5:45. Rom.1:21).
What is it your heart longs for?
Only God can truly be "your life". That which utterly satisfies the human soul.
Every longing, every dream, pursued apart from the Source of all good things, will only disappoint us in the end.
Seek first the God who made you - for He made you for Himself.
Nothing else is able to fill His place in you.
If you have Him - only will then every blessing be truly enjoyed as He meant it to be.
He is your life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)