Frosty the snowman

Frosty the Snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said let's run
And we'll have some fun
Now before I melt away...
Apparently, Frosty did not run fast enough. It warmed up fast!

Humility

I just finished reading Humility by CJ Mahaney for about the 4th time. I wish I could say that I have figured out how to be humble. But every time I read the book, I realize how proud I am. Here are a few humbling quotes:

• Those who know true joy in the midst of suffering are those who recognize that, in this life, our suffering is never as great or as serious as our sins. As Jonathan Edwards wrote, "How far less [are] the greatest afflictions that we meet with in this world...than we have deserved!" That's a divine perspective on suffering. Regardless of the severity of suffering we experience in this life, it will always be less than what we have deserved for our sin.
• "There is only one thing I know that crushes me to the ground and humiliates me to the dust, and that is to look at the Son of God, and especially contemplate the cross...Nothing but the cross can give us the spirit of humility." Martin Lloyd-Jones
• "Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to be saying to us, 'I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.' Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size." John Stott

May the Cross cut me down by His grace. The cross before me, the world behind me...

Must memorize!

Must focus! I guess I'm a task master when it comes to making the kids memorize. But Andrew is doing fabulous. He keeps going. Hebrews 13:16 is the latest.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Wait a second! Christmas? Isn't it almost April? Where did spring go?!We got hit with an ice storm last night and a little bit of snow today.














Andrew has been dreaming of building a snowman for over a year. Finally, he got his wish!Last week, Matt got to enjoy his "new" bike which Andrew was kind enough to break in for him these past two years.
Boys, dirt and a fist full of worms (I spared you the close-up worm shot). This is about as good as it gets this side of heaven for these two.

You ate WHAT?!

In the 9 months or so that we’ve been here we’ve learned that people in our church have had all sorts of culinary exploits that we have yet to encounter. I considered myself to be a fairly adventurous eater, until hearing what these people have eaten, eat… and actually enjoy. I’ve compiled a list of various types of meats that people have eaten and interesting facts about them. I wouldn't mind trying some of these culinary delights one day, but other I can live without, especially the first item on my list...

• Possum- Apparently, it’s not just road kill! Very greasy.
• Squirrel- takes two men to pull the skin off the meat, you can scrape out the skull and get some good stuff out of there too! Mmmmm…
• Rabbit (they’re everywhere here)- the skin comes right off and baby rabbit meat is oh so tender and tasty!
• Black bear- don’t ask
• Raccoon- but only for the very special occasion of Thanksgiving
• Beef tongue- OK, this isn’t SO weird but did you know it’s like eating filet mignon? (then why not just eat the filet?)
• Beef cheeks- supposedly also very tasty
• Pheasant
• Sparrow- yes, those cute little birds you feed fries to at McDonalds
• Turduken- it's not just a mythical food, it exists right here in Kansas!

Is this so hard?

The molars are out. So why isn't she sleeping?! Maybe it's the headband...

Hebrews 13:16

The boys and girl have gotten another verse down. I sincerely hope that as a family we can maintain this discipline for the next 10+ years. I think one of the best legacies I could ever pass on to the boys and girl would be 100's of verses of God's Word that would be useful for all eternity.

Hebrews 13:16 (short and cute version).

Hebrews 13:16 also (short and mumbly version).

Proverbs 28:13 (rock version).

Undeniable talent

Sometimes, I spend hours teaching the boys and girl something. Sometimes, the talent shines without any effort, like cream rising to the top.

There's nothing like air guitar talent. It cannot be denied.

Monkey see, monkey do. And yes, it's been that kind of day, the house is in shambles.

2 wheelin' it

Thanks to a friend, Andrew got a hand me down bike. We tried it out today and off he went!

I'm not sure if Andrew will be able to do anything but turn left...

The fun never ends with these 2.

Giving children a vision for the glory of God

I'm in the middle of Instructing a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. And I just finished chapter 8, Giving children a vision for the glory of God. When I first read that title, I thought - "It seems a bit abstract, how can I do that? This sounds like it's not going to be a good chapter." Boy was I wrong. Here are a few juicy quotes:

Your job is to help your children see the dazzling excellence of God. Children will never have right thoughts about themselves until they have right thoughts about God...The deepest, most profound joys are found in knowing God. Children's deceitful hearts will tell them that life is found in other places.

Psalm 145 - "One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty..They will tell of the power of your awesome works..They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." This sums up parenting. Commend the works of God.

Your children are trying to satisfy their appetites in lesser joys. You and I do it too. Have you found yourself tired, out of sorts, feeling on edge, standing at the open refrigerator door? What are you doing? You have already eaten. You are looking for comfort in some left-over fried chicken or a bowl of ice cream. Your children are casting about, looking for something to take the edge off their restlessness.

Your children are not likely to grow into adults who truly know God unless you provide them with a big God who is worthy of worship...If you want your children to have a reason to sing on Sunday, give them a glorious God. If you want your children to have a reason not to sin on Monday, give them a glorious God. If you want them to think of nobler things than the latest, mind-numbing video fantasy game, give them a glorious God. If you want them to dream grander dreams than illicit sex or more money or more stuff, give them a glorious God. If you want them to have a reason for confidence when life seems to spin out of control, give them a glorious God.

Where will the human hunger be satisfied? Rest in God alone. Isn't it amazing that Christ sacrificed himself for you and me? Lasting happiness is found in making much of God for eternity.

Tripp goes on and on. He also goes through several psalms and showed me the glories of God. I highly recommend this book already and I'm only half way through it!

Lefty

Andrew's grandfather is an excellent golfer. Hopefully, Andrew got his genes in the golf game from him and not me.

You can't see it, but the ball went far! Despite the unconventional form, maybe he could be the next Phil Mickelson, eh?...or not.

More CA trip updates

It was only 8 days, and I was at the Shepherds Conference for 3 of those days, but the family had lots of fun in CA.Matthew's favorite part was flying in an airplane.Don't let her fool you. The airplane was NOT Emery's favorite part of the trip.I think Chuck E. Cheese may become an annual tradition in our trip to CA. It doesn't hurt when you get free tokens either!

Cousins

The boys and girl love their cousins (and second cousins). So they had lots of fun with them.Boys will be boys. The poor girls just didn't understand. And the boys got new jerseys thanks to grandma and grandpa. Guess what they wore for 3 days (and nights) straight?The girls.And Micah being...Micah. He's got an independent streak.And Emery had some nice girl time with cousin Natalie at Cafe Ro.

On a separate note, happy birthday to both grandmas! Can you believe that both grandmas in our family have the same birthday? - today!

Home sweet home

Sorry for the long absence. I meant to blog before we left for CA advising of the upcoming blog silence, but things got a little crazy as you can imagine. Trying to prepare for a week long trip and packing food and entertainment for the boys and girl for our flight took a while. But after 10 hours of traveling, we made it to CA and had a VERY full schedule. It was non-stop for several days. But it was great to reconnect with friends and spend some good time with family. We even had a crab night!

And after the kids played with the crabs, we ate them!Also of note, Andrew had a big first. He lost his first baby tooth, literally. We tried to take pictures and preserve the tooth, but that didn't happen. I would take a picture now, but his adult tooth has filled the gap (and then some) quite quickly. Plenty more happened but that's enough for now. Suffice it to say, as nice it was to be in CA, it's better to be home.

When toddlers talk...

So the other day, Matt and Emery (who now have frequent mini-conversations) were talking sports:
Emery: Green is for KU.
Matt: No it's not Emery.
Emery: Yes it is.
Matt: Mom, is green for KU?
Mom: No, KU's colors are red and blue.
Matt: See Emery?
Emery: Well, green is for K-state then.
Matt: No it's not. Green is for Boston Celtics.
Emery: No. But, green is for Yoda. I cheer for Yoda.On a separate note:
Emery: Dad, when Matt grows up, he's going to be a daddy. And you're going to be a...nothing!

In the picture below, if you think Matt looks like he's about to fall out...
He did.