Favorite Foto Friday

I just uploaded several pictures from my digital camera...604 of them, to be exact! I have mentioned it on my blog before, I can't seem to find time to upload photos. It seems to be at the very bottom of my very long to-do list. So, I finally got around to it. Choosing a picture for "Favorite Foto Friday" this week was a bit of a challenge - so many to choose from. {grin}

After perusing the recently added photos, I decided that this little gem warmed my heart the most. It's not an especially attractive photo - the lighting isn't great and the angle of Sam's neck is a little odd. However, I think it captures the sweet relationship that Sam shares with his littlest brothers. Sam loves, loves, loves his little baby brothers! He loves to tickle them, chase them, help them read books, to carry them (although his mom thinks this is a bad idea and discourages it greatly!), he loves for them to sit on his lap, he loves to be the first to go into their room when he hears them waking, and he loves to sing to them. He really is a terrific big brother...I have to wonder if all of this "baby loving" isn't going to make him a better daddy one day.

Favorite Foto Friday...on Monday!

No need to adjust your computer screen, Luke really is upside down in this photo. At the tender age of three, he can do a headstand...with pretty good form, in my opinion. It was a little shocking when he first began "practicing" this skill in his crib after he awakened from his afternoon nap. In no time, he had perfected this move - and now he can be found on his head all over the place. Luke even did a headstand for our pediatrician at his 3 year old well-check. The pediatrician suggested we get Luke involved in a "high energy organized sport." {grin} He really is amazing little boy...very physically advanced. At one year old, he could do a somersault. At two, he could wink each eye independently. Now, at three he has mastered the headstand. Who knows what year four will bring?

My Husband is a Fine Fellow

It's no secret to all that know him, my hottie boy husband is one great guy. He is funny, hard-working, humble, loving, smart, witty, goofy, and manly. {grin} He is a Jesus-loving, wife-dating, diaper-changing, oil-changing, tire-rotating, little-boy-chasing, tummy tickling, recycling, garden composting, God-seeking kind of guy. I love that I love him more today than I did on that lovely September day in 1997. I remember vividly waiting for my dad to walk me down the aisle to begin my life as Brad's wife...and being certain that I would never be able to love him more deeply than I did at that moment. I couldn't conceive that my heart would be able to hold it. Many years, struggles, triumphs, sleepless nights, sick babies, times spent earnestly seeking God's will for our lives, belly laughs, and walking through life together have made me believe otherwise. I know him now more than I did then...I know his heart, his strengths, his weaknesses. He has made me feel safe in allowing myself to be known by him. We have accepted one another...and our love has grown. God is amazing. We are not perfect people, but we love one another and we love the Lord.

Yesterday, some other people acknowledged that my hottie boy is also a fine fellow. Several months ago, Brad applied for a scholarship. It was an in-depth application that required pages and pages of writing and lots of time to complete. He was then selected to be among the applicants to receive an interview by a committee. He flew to Dallas, TX and met with a group of people for a brief but thorough interview. Yesterday, the call came. Oddly enough, we were registering Sam for kindergarten and missed the call. {grin} Two of my favorite men and oppostie ends of the educational process...one beginning school and the other pursuing a PhD. He was awarded a scholarship and has been welcomed into this group called "John Wesley Fellows" - a group of scholars committed to teaching and living the way John Wesley did. This scholarship is a generous one. It means that Brad will be free from a bit of the load he has been carrying...providing for our family of 6 is no small task. He is diligently working as a teaching fellow (really ministering to and loving his students) and being a student...and it's a heavy load.

My husband is a fine fellow...and I am a proud wife.

Bedtime Chatter

After a long and weary day, I was reading bedtime stories with my freshly-bathed "big" boys. Sam and Luke were climbing onto the bed as I searched for the book and our children's Bible...and the following conversation occurred.

Sam: "Mom, are cockroaches real?"
Me: "Yes, they are. Maybe we could look on-line tomorrow for a picture of a real one."
Sam: "Are they part of the crustacean family?"

Can't even believe this kid!

Cup Full...and Running Over

Life is really getting in the way of my blogging lately. Well, then again, I guess I wouldn't have much to blog about if it weren't for my life. {grin}

It feels like our family is in one of those "spots" we find ourselves in from time to time. You know, the calendar is full, Brad's workload is tremendous, we've had lots of fun house guests, Brad travelled out of town overnight, and the list goes on and on.

In the midst of all of this activity, God has been doing something in my heart. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but, I am (kind of). {grin} I am usually a better listener when my life is quieter. This season of my life has been anything but quiet - quite loud, in fact. However, my God knew that my well was dry...and in His perfect timing, He is filling my cup. Lent has always been a special time for me...walking the path of suffering with Jesus and remembering how badly I need a Savior. That sort of love - sacrificial to the point of death - is so difficult for me to understand. However, I am so thankful that it isn't mine to comprehend...but, just to accept. So, I have spent several weeks being reminded of God's amazing love for me in spite of my rotten, sinful life. It's humbling and very overwhelming. My heart has been so full of gratitude for His grace that I have often found myself weeping through my daily Bible study, or during my prayers with my little men, or while a song is playing on my Ipod, or while I am driving down the road, or while singing a hymn at church....you get my point, my heart is full to overflowing and it is leaking out of my eyes! {grin}

On Good Friday, I was doing the bedtime routine with Sam (5) and Luke (3). Luke was overly tired and had difficulty listening. Sam, on the other hand, was totally drawn into the words and pictures of Jesus trial, suffering, and death. His eyes were brimming with tears as he shared that it made his heart sad that Jesus died. At one point, Sam said, "I sure hope this story gets better...it's making me sad." My tear-stained face broke into a smile as I thought of how thankful I am that it hurts his heart to know that Jesus died for him. We talked about why Jesus had to die, how He took our punishment (this concept was so foreign to Sam - he said he wouldn't dream of taking a "time out" for Luke), we talked about how much God loves us. It was a special moment that is forever etched into my heart and mind. A gift from the Father to me and my son. Sam, Luke, and I said our prayers and then I kissed them goodnight. Sweet.

I was so looking forward to celebrating Easter...Brad's brother was coming to visit us (always fun!), so it would be even more special. I had prepared some of our dinner on Saturday evening, filled some baskets with goodies for each boy, and then went to bed. I woke up the following morning covered in HIVES! Red, blotchy, incredibly itchy hives covered my body from head to toe. I was unable to go to worship and I was crushed. I really wanted to be there - to see the lilies, sing the songs, see the little ones in their Easter pastels, and to be with my church family on this special day. God had another plan. Our celebration was more intimate, more informal, more simple, and more dear to me. We ate a yummy dinner, we laughed, we played, we searched for eggs, we ate candy, we shared lots of hugs, and we remembered how good God had been to us.

Our dear friends (missionaries who once served in Ecuador) taught our family this sweet little song from my childhood in Spanish. My children all love to sing this song and it's dear to us. It sums up how I am feeling these days.

"Running over, running over

My cup is full and running over

Since the Lord saved me, I'm as happy as can be

My cup is full and running over"

Favorite Foto Friday

Sam was 10 months old when he got into this little bit of mischief. I turned my back long enough to put something away on the bookshelf a few feet away...and SHAZAM! He was "digging" in the soil that housed our ficus tree. Thankfully, I thought to grab the camera before the clean-up began. It was a major mess....requiring a bath & wardrobe change for Sam, a thorough cleaning with the Shop-Vac, and then a little carpet cleaning, as well. Whew! It's a good thing he was so cute! {grin}

Heard Around Here

My kiddos are always saying funny things. They are sometimes so funny that I double over in laughter -and I"m certain that I will never be able to forget them. Other times, the words are so sweet and precious that I can't imagine the day when they wouldn't be in my heart. However, I am old....and tired....and forgetful....and busy.....and my head is full of thoughts....and I am easily confused!
With that in mind, I wanted a more permanent record of the things that are heard around here these days.

Sam:
With a huge grin on his face, "You know what you are, Mom? A cruel woman."
--This comment was made after I told him he couldn't play with Play-Doh until his bed was made. Funny kid..

Luke:
Me: "You are being so silly this morning. Are you a silly boy?"
L: "No, I not silly boy...I Lukey-boy"
(this conversation is played out in many variations throughout the day)

Caleb:
"AAAAWWWW" said while hugging a stuffed animal.
"Da Da" said at any sighting of his beloved daddy.

Matthew:
"Ah-Dah" said while signing "all done"
"Ma Ma Ma Ma" said whenever he needs rescuing from his crib, high chair, his brother's clutches, etc...

There are a million more I need to record...but, right now I hear the laundry calling. {grin}