songbird

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:55:15 -0700

CLICK HERE to hear gabbi singing.
I know I am her mother- so I’m a little biased- but really, there is not much sweeter than this.

tumbleweed park

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:41:20 -0700

Eric has been gone a lot over the last couple of weeks so we were all cravin’ some daddy time. I took the kids to tumbleweed park last week for the first time and we had such a great time, we wanted to share it with Eric last Saturday evening. Everyone else in the Chandler area had the same idea so it was SUPER crowded, but we had a really great time and enjoyed some Joe’s Farm Grill afterward.

Here are some photos
and
Here are park videos

out of the mouth of zay

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:30:48 -0700

Isaiah and I were driving in the car to pick Eric up and Nathan had fallen asleep. The song “Feelin Alright” by Joe Cocker came on the radio. I knew he was enjoying listening- he was totally jamming out to it. As it was ending I stopped at a stop light and glanced back at him. “Mommy, this would be a song I would like to listen to while I’m flying” (yes, flying, like superman). I love it when he comes up with stuff like that. Of course to my adult brain, I’d consider that a great driving song, or a great song to clean to. But superheroes need good flying music.

_______
And...
Getting out of the bathtub: “Whew! I’m Clean as a Missile!”

Nater Speaks

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 12:50:36 -0700

Oh, three is a great age to be. Such funny things come out of this guys mouth. I know I haven’t caught them all, but here are a few:

- Do you know what a soldier would wear if he was going to be fighting on a lip? Camouflage that was ALL RED!

- The boys were running races with each other and Eric was shepherding them through wanting to be first place, wanting to be faster, etc. So after a little talk about how the goal in running is not always to be first, but to glorify God with our attitudes, be encouraging with our words to the other runners, etc. Eric asked Nathan, “So, Nathan, when we run, what is our goal?”
and Nathan replied “Second place.”

(I actually had a third nathan quote and I kept hoping I would remember it but, alas, it is gone. Sigh. So glad that I have SOME posted here on this blog or they’d be lost forever!)

Arizona girls- mark your calendars for an upcoming event

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:43:02 -0700

CHECK THIS OUT! and girls from GBC- look closely at the seminars that are being offered- you may see some familiar names.
 I’m going- are you?

Ohio Trip

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:35:26 -0700

We spent 10 days, including Thanksgiving, in Ohio.
It was a beautiful trip and we caught some great weather while we were there. Some days were in the mid 50’s, but on Thanksgiving night there was a snow storm and we woke up to a nice layer on the ground. Enough for a little playing outside and a small sled ride. Perfect!

One special thing about the trip was that we got to see all of Eric’s three grandparents. Life is fleeting for all of us, but they are in their 90’s and we know we are are not guaranteed much more time with them. It was precious to visit. Gabrielle’s middle name is Celeste, after Eric’s grandma, and they got to meet for the first time.

Other highlights?

Playing games with my in-laws, and Eric’s sister and brother in law after the kids went to bed, All the yummy (and weight watchers friendly) lunches- better than any salad bar in a restaurant, cramming together at the dinner table, hearing the air hockey table in the basement and people enjoying playing it- especially Isaiah, going on walks, visiting the Blueberry Patch (boutique), visiting a local church and being reminded of the sweetness of the Body, trying out a nearby restaurant that is made out of a real train, playing “marching band”, and seeing all three grandparents.

Thanks for hosting us Paul and Nancy- many memories were made! It was a great trip!

More Photos Here

Merry Christmas!

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:02:49 -0700

Enjoy your day with family and friends! And as you celebrate I pray you rejoice together that God and sinners are reconciled! Jesus was born that ‘no more may die’. Merry Christmas!

Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Lyrics by Charles Wesley
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings Ris'n with healing in His wings Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth Hark! The herald angels sing "Glory to the newborn King!"

Nater

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:01:12 -0700

Talking on a pretend phone on the way home from church, “Um, hi. Can you give me a fever?”

Took me a second til I realized he meant “can you do me a favor?” :)

parenting quote

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:32:16 -0700

I love this quote and it has been a great encouragement to me over the last couple of weeks. It is from Tedd and Margy Tripp’s book “Instructing a Child’s Heart” which directs parents on giving formative instruction (‘sowing’ in children’s hearts that happens all the time) that is biblical.

“The goal of formative instruction is so that we and our children and our grandchildren may fear the Lord and walk in his ways, enjoying a long life [Deuteronomy 6:1-9].

There is more at stake than just meeting the needs of the moment or getting a child to jump through our hoops. Simply solving the immediate problems will short circuit our labors. We will be too focused on getting the problem behind us and getting on with life.

Don’t think survival- think kingdom! Therefore we must instill a love for God and his ways in a six-year-old. We must delight our children with a taste of the joys of an unseen world. We are building a worldview that is whole and beautiful because we want our children and grandchildren to follow God. Our concern is focused on where our grandchildren will be fifty years from now.”

coziness or truth?

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:45:08 -0700

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end;
if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.
C. S. Lewis