I guess it's true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Just this afternoon, I overheard Sam telling Luke, "I am sorry. You can't play with my C3PO. It's not a toy, Luke, it's a work of art."
Luke lined up all of the alphabet magnets on the refrigerator while I was cooking dinner tonight. He paid careful attention to his work, lining them up very straight and evenly spaced. After he completed his masterpiece, he threw his arms up in the air and shouted, "TA DA!"
I love that God created parents to be madly in love with their children. I love that Brad and I are the most loyal fans and enthusiastic cheerleaders that our boys will have. I pray that our love gives them a glimpse of the Father's love for them...and trust that they come to His amazing love for themselves.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Favorite Foto Friday
Sweet little Matthew at 6 months old. I love the glimpse of his little baby fat rolls.Thursday, November 6, 2008
Pastor Jamie comes calling...
We are blessed to be part of a church family that truly values children as members of the Kingdom. The children's ministry is committed to helping us to grow our boys up in faith and love. Sam has several adult "friends" at church who really love him...and make him feel like he is so special. Just a wink from Mr. C.V. or a pat on the back from Miss Jean leaves Sam grinning from ear to ear. It's a given that Brad and I are NUTS about our boys - but, what a sweet thing it is to see someone else loving on your kiddos.
This afternoon, Sam was having his "quiet time" in our room while the little ones napped. He loves to look through books on our bed. :) Our pastor dropped by to give Sam a card. I thought this was sweet, but odd. Sam has never received a card from Pastor Jamie before, after all. :) Our Pastor and his wife were over for dinner last weekend. Apparently, Sam and Jamie had a conversation on the couch. Sam shared that he is concerned that he doesn't know everything about God. Pastor Jamie reassured Sam that he doesn't need to know everything. He told him that Jesus loves him and that is the most important thing to know. His card thanked Sam for sharing his heart with him and reminded him that Jesus loves him very much. I truly believe that our church loves children so dearly because our pastor does. Pastor Jamie models this love and it's contagious. Thank God for this church family!
This afternoon, Sam was having his "quiet time" in our room while the little ones napped. He loves to look through books on our bed. :) Our pastor dropped by to give Sam a card. I thought this was sweet, but odd. Sam has never received a card from Pastor Jamie before, after all. :) Our Pastor and his wife were over for dinner last weekend. Apparently, Sam and Jamie had a conversation on the couch. Sam shared that he is concerned that he doesn't know everything about God. Pastor Jamie reassured Sam that he doesn't need to know everything. He told him that Jesus loves him and that is the most important thing to know. His card thanked Sam for sharing his heart with him and reminded him that Jesus loves him very much. I truly believe that our church loves children so dearly because our pastor does. Pastor Jamie models this love and it's contagious. Thank God for this church family!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Numbers
I often feel like I have nothing to show for my work. You know, the kitchen is cleaned after breakfast only to be dirtied again at lunch time. The laundry is folded and put away, only to have another hamper full to wash again. The toys are picked up, only to have them scattered everywhere again. Some days, it feels like I am not productive at all - accomplishing nothing. So, I was "whining" to the Lord as I was mopping the kitchen this morning...suddenly, I began to think of all of the things I had done in just a few hours today. These numbers began to roll around in my head as God gently reminded me that I am getting things done:
4 little boys had breakfast
2 baby boys were bathed and dressed
3 diapers were changed
1 floor was swept and mopped
1 rug was vacuumed
4 loads of laundry were washed & dried
3 loads of laundry were put away
1 wrestling match with Sam and Luke
452 times I asked Sam to lower his voice while the babies were napping
1 telephone call from a friend
2 doors had sweet little fingerprints removed from them with the help of Windex
1 load of dishes unloaded from the dishwasher
1 yummy cup of coffee was enjoyed by the momma!
350 little boo-boo's were kissed as Caleb & Matthew pull-up on things and then fall down
8 pictures of my sweet boys were taken
1 game of chase and tickle was played with my big boys
7,420 fun stories were told by Sam
....and it's only 10:45 am. {{GRIN}}
4 little boys had breakfast
2 baby boys were bathed and dressed
3 diapers were changed
1 floor was swept and mopped
1 rug was vacuumed
4 loads of laundry were washed & dried
3 loads of laundry were put away
1 wrestling match with Sam and Luke
452 times I asked Sam to lower his voice while the babies were napping
1 telephone call from a friend
2 doors had sweet little fingerprints removed from them with the help of Windex
1 load of dishes unloaded from the dishwasher
1 yummy cup of coffee was enjoyed by the momma!
350 little boo-boo's were kissed as Caleb & Matthew pull-up on things and then fall down
8 pictures of my sweet boys were taken
1 game of chase and tickle was played with my big boys
7,420 fun stories were told by Sam
....and it's only 10:45 am. {{GRIN}}
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Madness Continues
By God's grace, we are mostly able to handle the day to day chaos that our life brings. I mean, really...four boys ages 5 and under can really stir up a ruckus! :) It's especially challenging now that Caleb and Matthew are crawling at the speed of light around our house. whew! You can always find toys on the floor, a stray sippy cup in the living room, some food crumbs on the table from lunch, and some laundry just begging to be put away - but, we manage. Balancing the busy life of raising boys, Brad working like mad to make his way through a PhD program with integrity, and one tired momma with a watchful eye on our home life(and our food supply) & homeschooling - it's a delicate balance to say the least. One unplanned event or unforeseen circumstance can cause us to cry, "UNCLE!" Read on for details... :)
Brad took the "big boys" (Sam, 5 and Luke, 2) to the park for some play time after dinner. I got busy cleaning the kitchen and readying the little guys (Caleb & Matthew, 9 months) for bedtime. Sam and Luke burst through the door with big stories of going down slides and learning to "pump" their legs on the swings. Brad shared a story of pushing Sam on the swing and not getting out of the way quickly enough while "faking Sam out" and standing in the path of his swing. Brad reached his hand out to stop the swing from hitting him and hurt his little finger on his left hand. He thought it was jammed. It looked awful - red and swollen -and hurt pretty badly. The next morning, he went to our local doc for an x-ray. He didn't see a break - but, wanted to send it on to a radiologist for a second look. In the meantime, Brad was to wear a splint on the injured finger. The babies thought it looked like a great teething toy! They were constantly trying to eat it. Fast forward nearly 3 weeks and the finger doesn't seem to be better. Brad was referred to an orthopaedist for an evaluation. This surgeon took one look at the x-ray and saw a break. ugh. Brad was to have surgery the following morning at 8:30 am.
We rustled up some babysitters for our kids. Thank God for our dear friends, Tricia and Mary, who each took two of our kiddos for the morning. Brad seems to be mending well and will follow up with the doc in two weeks to have the wires removed. OUCH. Poor guy. In the meantime, he is on the "disabled list" - no diaper changes, no lifting the boys, no washing dishes (as if {{grin}}), and no bathing the little ones, either. It's a challenge!
Thank goodness my parents were concerned enough for our well-being to come visit us over the weekend. :) What a blessing!
Brad took the "big boys" (Sam, 5 and Luke, 2) to the park for some play time after dinner. I got busy cleaning the kitchen and readying the little guys (Caleb & Matthew, 9 months) for bedtime. Sam and Luke burst through the door with big stories of going down slides and learning to "pump" their legs on the swings. Brad shared a story of pushing Sam on the swing and not getting out of the way quickly enough while "faking Sam out" and standing in the path of his swing. Brad reached his hand out to stop the swing from hitting him and hurt his little finger on his left hand. He thought it was jammed. It looked awful - red and swollen -and hurt pretty badly. The next morning, he went to our local doc for an x-ray. He didn't see a break - but, wanted to send it on to a radiologist for a second look. In the meantime, Brad was to wear a splint on the injured finger. The babies thought it looked like a great teething toy! They were constantly trying to eat it. Fast forward nearly 3 weeks and the finger doesn't seem to be better. Brad was referred to an orthopaedist for an evaluation. This surgeon took one look at the x-ray and saw a break. ugh. Brad was to have surgery the following morning at 8:30 am.
We rustled up some babysitters for our kids. Thank God for our dear friends, Tricia and Mary, who each took two of our kiddos for the morning. Brad seems to be mending well and will follow up with the doc in two weeks to have the wires removed. OUCH. Poor guy. In the meantime, he is on the "disabled list" - no diaper changes, no lifting the boys, no washing dishes (as if {{grin}}), and no bathing the little ones, either. It's a challenge!
Thank goodness my parents were concerned enough for our well-being to come visit us over the weekend. :) What a blessing!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Crawlers!
This is another of those posts i have been intending to write for weeks now. The babies are crawling everywhere!
Caleb began "scooting" several weeks ago - using his big toe on his right foot to propel himself forward. He got a taste of freedom and there was no stopping the boy! He traveled such distances that he now has a callous on his "propeller" toe. Within the past week, he has lifted his tummy off of the floor and is crawling the more traditional way. :) He grins from ear to ear and squeals with joy as he makes tracks all over the house. Too cute!
Matthew watched his brother's antics for a couple of weeks before getting in on the action. He wasted no time with improper techniques...and quickly mastered traditional way of crawling on hands and knees.
They are both so excited to be mobile...and we are all trying to keep from stepping on their little hands as we walk past them. Sam is thrilled when they crawl to his room for a "brother playdate." It's been especially fun to watch them interact with one another on their own terms now that they are able to move freely about. They are often found crawling over on another - sometimes getting stuck on top of one another.
**This just in...Caleb has begun to pull himself up on our ottoman and couch. EEK! Sam walked at 10 months old and Luke at 9 months - this isn't good! :)
Caleb began "scooting" several weeks ago - using his big toe on his right foot to propel himself forward. He got a taste of freedom and there was no stopping the boy! He traveled such distances that he now has a callous on his "propeller" toe. Within the past week, he has lifted his tummy off of the floor and is crawling the more traditional way. :) He grins from ear to ear and squeals with joy as he makes tracks all over the house. Too cute!
Matthew watched his brother's antics for a couple of weeks before getting in on the action. He wasted no time with improper techniques...and quickly mastered traditional way of crawling on hands and knees.
They are both so excited to be mobile...and we are all trying to keep from stepping on their little hands as we walk past them. Sam is thrilled when they crawl to his room for a "brother playdate." It's been especially fun to watch them interact with one another on their own terms now that they are able to move freely about. They are often found crawling over on another - sometimes getting stuck on top of one another.
**This just in...Caleb has begun to pull himself up on our ottoman and couch. EEK! Sam walked at 10 months old and Luke at 9 months - this isn't good! :)
Miss Nancy Comes to Kentucky
We have so much more than sweet memories from our years of youth ministry in Indiana...we have treasured friendships that have endured the passing of time and the many miles between us now. One of our dear friends, Nancy, came to visit us this week. Nancy and her family (hubby Ron, daughter Hollyn, and son Sam) were all a vital part of our weekly youth ministry program. They even invited Brad and I to stay with their kids while they were out of town several times...such big fun! When we we waiting for our own Sam to arrive, Nancy helped me "nest" and shared in our anticipation for our little bundle of joy! We have "lived life" with them...and we're better people because of it.
The past few years have brought many changes for both of our families. Hollyn and Sam are both college students now (eek! - Ron and Nanner are empty nesters) and we have added 3 more boys to our family. Nancy has a little more time and freedom these days...and she came to visit us! Our visit began when we met at the orchard on Sunday afternoon. It was time for the annual Johnson family pumpkin picking trip and the orchard happened to be on Nancy's route to our house. This plan worked out perfectly because we'd forgotten our stroller! What parent's of 4 children (2 of whom don't walk yet) forget an important tool like a stroller! :) agh! So, Nancy and Caleb become best buddies as she carried him all over the orchard.
She was able to stay until Tuesday afternoon...and it was fun-filled and fantastic! She and Sam had an extended "date" together - getting new training wheels for his bike, looking at every possible toy in Wal-Mart, having lunch at Sam's fav place - McD's, and even a little grocery shopping. She cooked a yumm-o dinner for us, brought a carload of treasures from Indiana for us, took the babies for a walk, she did the dishes repeatedly, she sat in on Brad's class, she read books and played 'pretend" with the big boys, she changed the diapers of the little ones, she gave me a knitting lesson, and she just loved on all of us. It was so fun and refreshing to have her around...a breath of fresh air. She encouraged us, affirmed us, loved us, and made us laugh. God is so good to show His love for us through the kind words and deeds of dear friends.
We were all a little sad when she left. As she pulled out of our driveway, Sam said, "I miss her already." I did, too. Thanks for the visit, Miss Nancy. When are you coming back?
The past few years have brought many changes for both of our families. Hollyn and Sam are both college students now (eek! - Ron and Nanner are empty nesters) and we have added 3 more boys to our family. Nancy has a little more time and freedom these days...and she came to visit us! Our visit began when we met at the orchard on Sunday afternoon. It was time for the annual Johnson family pumpkin picking trip and the orchard happened to be on Nancy's route to our house. This plan worked out perfectly because we'd forgotten our stroller! What parent's of 4 children (2 of whom don't walk yet) forget an important tool like a stroller! :) agh! So, Nancy and Caleb become best buddies as she carried him all over the orchard.
She was able to stay until Tuesday afternoon...and it was fun-filled and fantastic! She and Sam had an extended "date" together - getting new training wheels for his bike, looking at every possible toy in Wal-Mart, having lunch at Sam's fav place - McD's, and even a little grocery shopping. She cooked a yumm-o dinner for us, brought a carload of treasures from Indiana for us, took the babies for a walk, she did the dishes repeatedly, she sat in on Brad's class, she read books and played 'pretend" with the big boys, she changed the diapers of the little ones, she gave me a knitting lesson, and she just loved on all of us. It was so fun and refreshing to have her around...a breath of fresh air. She encouraged us, affirmed us, loved us, and made us laugh. God is so good to show His love for us through the kind words and deeds of dear friends.
We were all a little sad when she left. As she pulled out of our driveway, Sam said, "I miss her already." I did, too. Thanks for the visit, Miss Nancy. When are you coming back?
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