KBR

Very thankful for my husband today. 

He works hard for our family, and points us towards Jesus.

Standing in one of our favorite spots- Grand Central Station in NYC

Just a few...

Just a few shots from our weekend trip to NYC. I took mainly phone pictures, but here are a few from my Nikon. My friend, Murph's, beautiful apartment...

These legs that I can't get enough of....

 Daddy lifting Baby...

My office for over four years...

30 Rock.

Our boy.

The church and people we love so.

Urban nature.

More to come.

Real Life

My sister trying to get a picture of us today ... 

You can see Jackson's enthusiasm and Caedmon's escape attempts. 

A perfectly posed smiling shot would definitely not be representative of our real life. 

This progression is much more accurate. 

And so is this. Must be what about 50% of our day looks like.

Donut, and a few other things

We are in NYC right now for a quick weekend visit to celebrate the wedding of two wonderful friends. So great.

I'll post more pics and such later, but right now I thought I should give a quick rundown of all that has gone into my mouth today.

Now most of these things were split with Kristian, but not all. It's been a real culinary party and I've loved every second...

Latte

Donut

Bagel and cream cheese

Egg and cheese sandwich

Lobster Roll

Eel Avocado sushi roll

Nutella Crepe

Chocolate covered pretzels

Bites of Cookie Butter

Sugar snap peas

Chips and hummus

Fried chicken

Mac and cheese

Biscuit with honey butter

Beans

Salad

Pecan Roll donut

Chocolate cake donut

Latte #2, decaf

5 peanut M&Ms

Another chocolate covered pretzel

That's a remarkable list. You would think we'd never been here before, much less lived here for four and a half years.

Will

"Your will be done..."

The good life is not found in the success of my will but in the submission of all things to God's will.

-Paul Tripp

Everyday Obedience

Neighbor's sprinklers.

Nearby playground.

And turtle watching.

My favorite find of the week: Sweet Firefly, an adorable ice cream shop.

We will be back often.

J's first bite of ice cream was a big hit.

The past week has been full, in good ways and in, hmm... tiring ways.

Uprooting from home and routines and friends and church will inevitably bring an adjustment period.

But I absolutely love my time with the boys and as Caedmon gets older I find so much enjoyment in exploring and learning and playing along with him.  With his age also comes training and correcting and disciplining, and we are definitely learning as we go in this regard.  Every part of their development is constant, never letting up. Talk about exhausting... and rewarding!

Afternoon activity fail. C was not a fan of the crazy sprinkler that shoots water every which way.

But Jackson loved getting wet and kept crawling into the line of fire.

As I've mentioned often here, I'm often trying to think of ways to love God by serving others along with my children, and for them to experience the heart of Jesus through seeing a life of sacrifice. I am not great at this, but I want to be and I'm praying that the Lord would give me creativity and guidance. That being said, I share a few of the small things we do here as a source of inspiration for anyone else who can relate to this struggle.

I understand that when we give and serve we are not to let the "left hand know what the right is doing", so hopefully anything I share will not be interpretted as boasting, but simply as encouragement in how we can all grow in these things together. I certainly am encouraged as I see other's lives around me, and again, I'm coming from the perspective of a beginner. If anyone else has fun ideas, please email me and share!

Here was one tiny thing that happened recently:
The other day Caedmon was having a rough time finishing his lunch (not because he was full, just distracted or something). We were able to talk for a minute about how there were children who didn't have food. I've never thought this was really an effective argument for getting kids to eat... simply finishing your dinner in no way helps the starving children in other countries, and I don't think it should be used as a guilt tactic.

BUT we were able to talk about how we don't want to throw away our food because we want to be able to use our money to be generous with the children who don't have enough food, not only to buy more food for ourselves.

Caedmon seemed really interested in this and kept talking about "the children whose tummies hurt because they don't have no food."

I had seen earlier in the day that the grocery store up the street was doing a food drive. So right after nap time we talked about the children again and walked up to the store to buy one of the bags.

The prices ranged from $5- $8 per bag.
Easy for us.
Helpful for others in our community.
Meaningful for our kids.
Obedient to the words of Jesus.

We talked after this about how Jesus loves us, so we are to love others. Again, this is small. But I think working these little things into our everyday life is just part of the life of obedience.

Mother's Day 2012

Mom and her girls out for coffee on Sunday. So nice.

Something I'm thankful for about my mom: She's never met a stranger. 

She's shown us how to lovingly embrace others without fear of what they may think. 

She's kind, gracious, and hospitable in her attitude towards others.

Thank you, Mom, for living a loving example.

(Also, thank you for basically living at my house for over a month last summer in preparation for Jackson's arrival! Your help and company were invaluable and I will always remember that wonderful time, especially the part where we tried to Zumba Jackson right out of me.)

..............................

To my Cubbie Bear and my Jacksie Boo:

God has used your little lives to change mine. I will never be the same.

Thank you for your patience with me as I learn along with you. 

Thank you for helping me understand God's love in a spectacular way.

You daily surprise me with new discoveries and make me laugh a lot.

You are both such unbelievable delights and I'm beyond thankful to be your Mommy.

I love you.

5 Day Challenge

I once took my son to a nursing home just to walk around and visit. It was remarkable to see the way the residents brightened up when they saw a toddling one year old walk past them. Smiles crossed confused and frustrated faces. It was as if upon seeing a child these people who spend their days confined, waiting, and wandering, were for a moment healed by the joy a baby brings.

One woman even claimed my son was her grandson and took us through the halls introducing us to her friends as her own relatives. She beamed with pride that her “family” had come to visit.

That morning I had prayed for God to use us, lead us, show us someone in need.

About an hour after I prayed, this “home” popped into my mind. Quite honestly, it was the last place I wanted to go. I thought it would be awkward. But I had a feeling the Lord knew better, so we went. And how thankful I am that I trusted. (Unfortunately, there have been many more times I have not followed those promptings.) I left that place overflowing.

Here’s the deal.

Jesus shows a preference in scripture for the poor and the broken. He loves them in a special way. We see explicit instruction throughout the Bible to care for, serve, and act justly on behalf of the poor and marginalized. 

As a mom, I’ve found this to be difficult. Any visions I had pre-kids of serving in a soup kitchen with babies strapped on my front and back quickly dissipated with the realities of naptimes, house keeping, and of course, safety.

But God requires obedience from us. 

And do you know what else he desires for us? Joy. 

Obedience and Joy: They cannot be divorced. They go hand in hand. Neither can be realized apart from the other. (Sound similar to anything you try and teach your kids?)

When we obey God we find our joy in him, and we cannot find fullness of joy in him without obedience.

Here’s a question: What kinds of things allow you to see with greater clarity the character of Jesus?

For me, it’s often a display of radical obedience for the sake of glorifying God and sharing the love of Christ. Less talk, more action.

When I see my husband discuss recovery options with a drug addict, research and draft new legislation proposals for prostituted women, or zip up a homeless man’s jacket because his hand is too crippled to do it on his own.

When I see my sister befriend and invest in an international student, eventually [leading to] the young woman’s surrender to Jesus.

When I hear of friends in another city housing a single mom and her three girls in their small apartment and working hard to help her get back on her feet.

I can’t read an adoption story without crying. 

I’m floored by the humility and self-denial I’ve seen in people who love Jesus, look at his life, and simply follow suit.

This is what I want my children to experience in their home. I want them to be moved and compelled by the character of Jesus through seeing their mother live as he lived. That’s the legacy I want to leave. 

So here’s the challenge. 

Over the next five days let’s make a simple commitment.

Each morning ask the Lord to direct you and your children to a person who needs to be loved or an area of brokenness in your neighborhood, city, or world that could be mended with the love of Christ. Ask God to expand your family’s vision of what it means to follow Jesus, a man who loved sinners, sick, lost and the poor with reckless abandon.

Ask him to break your heart for what breaks His.

Let’s see what happens in our hearts and in our days. Let’s glorify God, enjoying him through our obedience.

Let's start small and then pray for God’s guidance and direction as we take bigger steps in faith.

Here are a few ideas of ways to love, serve, and practice generosity alongside our children:

​Let's start small and then pray for God’s guidance and direction as we take bigger steps in faith. Here are a few ideas of ways to love, serve, and practice generosity alongside our children:

• Garage Sale: Sell stuff you don't need, and maybe even a thing or two you especially like. Have the kids contribute as well. Donate the proceeds to the cause or group of your family's choosing.
• Purge and Give: Spend a day going through toys, books and clothes and then drive the goods to a donation spot with your children. Or better yet, get to know some people who may be in need and ask what they could use. 
• Gardening: Children can be easily integrated into serving during a couple hours of morning yard work and landscape, and they love it. Call a local Senior Citizens Center, a shelter, or a charity. Typically they will be more than happy for you to come out and spruce things up.
• Fundraiser: Help your child set up a lemonade stand or bake sale where proceeds go towards a children’s home, a missionary, or an adoption savings fund.
• Expanding World View Through Photos: Simply pull up pictures on your computer of children in other countries who have less to play with and less to eat than your own, or print the pictures out and stick them on the fridge. Talk about and pray for them together.
• Bake and Take: Think of a neighbor who has a need or has lost a loved one. Bake a treat and walk it over with your children.
• Educate yourself on issues affecting the world around you. There are an endless number incredible books and websites out there. Tie this into daily conversations with your children.
• Birthday Gifts: Allow your child to join with all his friends in making a difference. Ask children to bring a donation of the birthday kid's choosing to the party in lieu of gifts.
• Gift Catalogs: Choose a holiday and then look through a World Vision or Compassion International (or similar organization) catalog and choose a gift for a family, possibly forfeiting a few extra treats for your own family. Discuss the joys of generosity with your children.

(Article from MomHeart.org)