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.
Friday, July 20, 2007
sacrifice
"You shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter..." (Deut.16:11).
Israel in the Old Testament could come to worship God, and He commanded them to come and "rejoice before the LORD your God." They could rejoice, not because they were good enough to please Him, nor for anything in themselves - but because when they worshiped, they brought the sacrifice commanded by God.
Something outside themselves, to atone for their own sin. There was no thinking they were pleasing God by their moral lives, or their charitable deeds. Coming with only good works would not make them accepted. And without acceptance, there can be no rejoicing before God, for He is angry with those break His laws.
Is this not a picture of true religion today? We cannot rejoice before God based on our own merits, hoping "the goods outweigh the bads", and that that will be enough for God. Perfect justice demands punishment for all law-breaking. We can only rejoice before God the same way that Israel did: by trusting in the sacrifice of Another - in Jesus Christ who died to atone for our sins, to appease the wrath of a just God.
This is surely the only way to "rejoice before God" when we come to worship. To come trusting in the Sacrifice of something outside ourselves, as that by which God will accept us and our worship - that by which God will rejoice over us, and therefore we can also rejoice in Him!
Israel in the Old Testament could come to worship God, and He commanded them to come and "rejoice before the LORD your God." They could rejoice, not because they were good enough to please Him, nor for anything in themselves - but because when they worshiped, they brought the sacrifice commanded by God.
Something outside themselves, to atone for their own sin. There was no thinking they were pleasing God by their moral lives, or their charitable deeds. Coming with only good works would not make them accepted. And without acceptance, there can be no rejoicing before God, for He is angry with those break His laws.
Is this not a picture of true religion today? We cannot rejoice before God based on our own merits, hoping "the goods outweigh the bads", and that that will be enough for God. Perfect justice demands punishment for all law-breaking. We can only rejoice before God the same way that Israel did: by trusting in the sacrifice of Another - in Jesus Christ who died to atone for our sins, to appease the wrath of a just God.
This is surely the only way to "rejoice before God" when we come to worship. To come trusting in the Sacrifice of something outside ourselves, as that by which God will accept us and our worship - that by which God will rejoice over us, and therefore we can also rejoice in Him!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
baby steps
Emily just keeps doing new things. A few days ago she actually stood up by herself for a few seconds (both hands were busy holding something).
She also started saying "please" (well, the clap-your-hands sign for please) when she wants something. It started as just "please" for "I want a drink" and has expanded, today, to "please" meaning "more of what we were just doing", like "more tickles".
Today she successfully got herself OFF the Vitalizer (exercise trampoline) by getting on her stomach and backing up - without my doing or saying anything to prompt it. She likes to get on there and try to bounce herself up and down while she's sitting on it.
Her first "words" were not mama, dada - but "ta, ta" while pointing at something she wasn't to touch, meaning "don't touch!" Now she says "nyoh, nyoh" or "noh, noh" when pointing and things she knows not to touch (though she often goes ahead and touches them anyway).
She likes to wander down the hall into Katherine's room to wake her up from a nap (to Katherine's, and sometimes Mommy's, chagrin). She loves her big sister!
She likes to make a mess too. To take the clean clothes out of the laundry basket and toss them on the floor one by one. Or pull everything off the little table next to the couch (needless to say, we don't leave much on there on a regular basis).
She keeps being able to reach higher and higher to grab magnets off the fridge - especially Katherine's foam letter magnets, which if Emily gets, she loves to put in her mouth and "gum" them for awhile, till Mommy notices and fishes them out.
"Babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow..." yet at the same time, it would be more sorrowful if they didn't progress in ability. So thank you, Lord, for normalcy, and for a fun little girl who is growing so fast!
She also started saying "please" (well, the clap-your-hands sign for please) when she wants something. It started as just "please" for "I want a drink" and has expanded, today, to "please" meaning "more of what we were just doing", like "more tickles".
Today she successfully got herself OFF the Vitalizer (exercise trampoline) by getting on her stomach and backing up - without my doing or saying anything to prompt it. She likes to get on there and try to bounce herself up and down while she's sitting on it.
Her first "words" were not mama, dada - but "ta, ta" while pointing at something she wasn't to touch, meaning "don't touch!" Now she says "nyoh, nyoh" or "noh, noh" when pointing and things she knows not to touch (though she often goes ahead and touches them anyway).
She likes to wander down the hall into Katherine's room to wake her up from a nap (to Katherine's, and sometimes Mommy's, chagrin). She loves her big sister!
She likes to make a mess too. To take the clean clothes out of the laundry basket and toss them on the floor one by one. Or pull everything off the little table next to the couch (needless to say, we don't leave much on there on a regular basis).
She keeps being able to reach higher and higher to grab magnets off the fridge - especially Katherine's foam letter magnets, which if Emily gets, she loves to put in her mouth and "gum" them for awhile, till Mommy notices and fishes them out.
"Babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow..." yet at the same time, it would be more sorrowful if they didn't progress in ability. So thank you, Lord, for normalcy, and for a fun little girl who is growing so fast!
Fear Not
We so easily worry over many things - things that we fear will happen; and we fear that if they happen... well, we don't know what, but surely it will be a bad thing, if they happen. Unknown situations that we have not been in before, and how will we handle them? Or we fear that if a current situation that is uncomfortable is not resolved soon, then we won't be able to keep dealing with it.
We think that for us to have joy or peace or stability, we "must have" that job that is so needed, or that child we desperately long for, or restored health; or we fear that we will lose the job that we have, or the health of the present, or that the child we do have will be taken from us.
But we aren't supposed to know ahead of time, what exactly will happen in our lives, and how we will handle it. God decides that. Instead we are to rest in knowing Jesus. Knowing that He who "loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood", still loves us and is waiting for us in the unknown future, to walk with us there as He does in the present.
God knows, and we usually forget, that this world is but His training ground for the real Life to come. That what is seen is not lasting reality, but what is unseen. That the development of our souls is what matters more than that job, or that child, or our health. For those who love Him, He is their loving Father who truly does have their good in the works.
Yet even when we remember that He "works all together for good to those who love Him", we think we need to worry anyway, because we don't trust that His plans will be what we want, and we fear that He will put things in our lives that we don't like. We think we know better than He does, what is good for us.
But if we really love Him who died to save us from His own wrath over our sin, who by His death brought us peace with God (how amazing!), then we will have peace in leaving our unknowns in His hand too. We will believe that He who did the greatest thing - giving up His life - will surely do the lesser things for us too; that He really does love us and desire our ultimate good, even when we cannot see how the present (or the feared future) could possibly do us good. We will rest in that love of Jesus toward us.
And is He not enough? To have Jesus, the One who loves us and makes us able to come to God without fear (though with godly fear) - this is greater than poor health, or unfulfilled longings, or meager finances. When Jesus is everything to me, then I can sing with Habakkuk, that though all my circumstances seem to be against me and I cannot see a way out,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength...
... and He would have me rest and rejoice in Him. "Perfect love casts out fear."
(verses quoted: Rev.1:5. Rom.8:28. Hab.3:17-19. 1Jn.4:18.)
We think that for us to have joy or peace or stability, we "must have" that job that is so needed, or that child we desperately long for, or restored health; or we fear that we will lose the job that we have, or the health of the present, or that the child we do have will be taken from us.
But we aren't supposed to know ahead of time, what exactly will happen in our lives, and how we will handle it. God decides that. Instead we are to rest in knowing Jesus. Knowing that He who "loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood", still loves us and is waiting for us in the unknown future, to walk with us there as He does in the present.
God knows, and we usually forget, that this world is but His training ground for the real Life to come. That what is seen is not lasting reality, but what is unseen. That the development of our souls is what matters more than that job, or that child, or our health. For those who love Him, He is their loving Father who truly does have their good in the works.
Yet even when we remember that He "works all together for good to those who love Him", we think we need to worry anyway, because we don't trust that His plans will be what we want, and we fear that He will put things in our lives that we don't like. We think we know better than He does, what is good for us.
But if we really love Him who died to save us from His own wrath over our sin, who by His death brought us peace with God (how amazing!), then we will have peace in leaving our unknowns in His hand too. We will believe that He who did the greatest thing - giving up His life - will surely do the lesser things for us too; that He really does love us and desire our ultimate good, even when we cannot see how the present (or the feared future) could possibly do us good. We will rest in that love of Jesus toward us.
And is He not enough? To have Jesus, the One who loves us and makes us able to come to God without fear (though with godly fear) - this is greater than poor health, or unfulfilled longings, or meager finances. When Jesus is everything to me, then I can sing with Habakkuk, that though all my circumstances seem to be against me and I cannot see a way out,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength...
... and He would have me rest and rejoice in Him. "Perfect love casts out fear."
(verses quoted: Rev.1:5. Rom.8:28. Hab.3:17-19. 1Jn.4:18.)
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Kid News - May 2007
May has flown by!
Katherine: turned 3 on the 28th.
Current favorite things: the old Fisher Price "Chatterphone". Silly Putty (birthday present). Still enjoys TuxPaint, but not Starfall as much. Still likes her "Eye-Block", though it's no longer as prominent in her playing. Still likes the Carl books (we currently have borrowed "Carl's Birthday" from the library). Oh, and she likes putting money in the "moffering" at church. It's very cute.
Emily: almost 10 months old.
She likes to stand up and "cruise" around, though she's not standing or walking independently yet. She loves to eat food (except too much sweet potato), and her top two front teeth are finally coming in.
Though easy-going as far as not fussing over odd things happening, she's also very determined and slightly stubborn, not quickly sidetracked from whatever she had set her mind on doing at the time.
Some kids carry around a blankie... some carry around a stack of square Duplo blocks (preferably blue and red - or at least, a stack with no yellow in it)
Emily likes to be bounced
Posing with Daddy
Looking at the goats at a strawberry farm
Sitting in the grass
Strawberry picking at another farm. Katherine most liked playing with the flag instead (flags marked where people had stopped picking on a given row).
Guess what, Mom? I do like strawberries!
We celebrated Katherine's 3rd birthday at a family dinner when her cousin Collin was in town.
Carrot cake, at her request - though she really ate more ice cream than cake.
Trying to open presents
Jessica and Collin
Grandma and Emily
Daddy helping Katherine try out her new talking globe (thanks to Aunt Julia who found it at the thrift shop!)... I think Daddy and Mommy enjoy it more than she does, though she likes to make it play music from different countries.
making a face... probably impatient to be fed
Then at the end of May, we got to go visit Krista (Deutschmann) Albee, who just had her 2nd baby. She and her family live about 30 minutes from us.
Emily eating an animal cookie that she stole from Katherine's cup
Krista and Jack (who just woke up) posing with Katherine
Katherine with Emily-dog (who mostly tried to escape toddler affection)
Not so sure about Madschen...
... but still trying to play with her
Katherine: turned 3 on the 28th.
Current favorite things: the old Fisher Price "Chatterphone". Silly Putty (birthday present). Still enjoys TuxPaint, but not Starfall as much. Still likes her "Eye-Block", though it's no longer as prominent in her playing. Still likes the Carl books (we currently have borrowed "Carl's Birthday" from the library). Oh, and she likes putting money in the "moffering" at church. It's very cute.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emily: almost 10 months old.
She likes to stand up and "cruise" around, though she's not standing or walking independently yet. She loves to eat food (except too much sweet potato), and her top two front teeth are finally coming in.
Though easy-going as far as not fussing over odd things happening, she's also very determined and slightly stubborn, not quickly sidetracked from whatever she had set her mind on doing at the time.
Some kids carry around a blankie... some carry around a stack of square Duplo blocks (preferably blue and red - or at least, a stack with no yellow in it)
Emily likes to be bounced
Posing with Daddy~~~~~~~~~~~~
In May we went strawberry picking several times, though the season ended at the end of the month when we got a spell of hotter weather.
In May we went strawberry picking several times, though the season ended at the end of the month when we got a spell of hotter weather.
Looking at the goats at a strawberry farm
Sitting in the grass
Strawberry picking at another farm. Katherine most liked playing with the flag instead (flags marked where people had stopped picking on a given row).
Guess what, Mom? I do like strawberries!We celebrated Katherine's 3rd birthday at a family dinner when her cousin Collin was in town.
Carrot cake, at her request - though she really ate more ice cream than cake.
Trying to open presents
Jessica and Collin
Grandma and Emily
Daddy helping Katherine try out her new talking globe (thanks to Aunt Julia who found it at the thrift shop!)... I think Daddy and Mommy enjoy it more than she does, though she likes to make it play music from different countries.
making a face... probably impatient to be fed
Emily eating an animal cookie that she stole from Katherine's cup
Krista and Jack (who just woke up) posing with Katherine
Katherine with Emily-dog (who mostly tried to escape toddler affection)
Not so sure about Madschen...
... but still trying to play with her
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)