Home Free!

After 6 weeks in an uncomfortable and itchy cast, Andrew is finally free! The doctor said his arm looks perfect! He will go to physical therapy for 4 weeks and then see the Dr. one last time (hopefully).
There were many steps to taking off the cast. First, they used what looked like a mini circular saw. Bits of cast material flew all over. Then, some sort of clamp looking gadget to open the crack made. Finally, scissors were used to cut through the layers of gauze under the cast. Then out came the arm in all it's skinny glory! Thank you God for a well healed arm.

Father's Day

I have always looked forward to being a father. After 12 years, it is everything I hoped it would be and more.

I love playing with the boys and girl. I love playing cards, Yahtzee, Sorry, frisbee golf, soccer, and especially basketball.

It doesn't quite seem fair, but I try to get on their level. Actually, Matt plays tenacious defense even if he isn't very tall. I tell the boys that by 14, they should be better than me. If they work hard, it will be earlier.

But for now, the old man still has it going on! We had a great day at the park celebrating Father's day with a bbq. Sandy grilled up some fantastic steaks. Thanks babe.

And Emery made me one of my favorite desserts - lemon bars! She just started cooking, and I can't wait to eat more. Hopefully, she'll cook just as good as her mom.

But as much as I love playing with the boys and girl, and as much as I love going on trips with them, doing activities together, talking with them, working together, and so many other things, there's one that tops them all. I love talking about God's Word with them. I absolutely love our family Bible times at night.

We read the Scriptures together, talk about what they teach us about God and about how they apply to our lives. We also hide God's Word in our hearts so that we may learn the Words of life and that we may not sin against Him.

Being a father is harder than I ever knew it could be. I don't think I ever understood the magnitude of the burden that I would have to bear for the long-term decisions I have made that affected them so greatly. But I am so happy and thankful that God has allowed me to be the father to Andrew, Matt and Emery. What a privilege and what a joy!

12

Andrew turned 12 yesterday. It was a low key day. We will have more celebrations to come, but for now, he requested mom's killer homemade hamburgers with cake and ice cream.

Our little guy is now 5'5" tall and weighs 105 pounds. He grew 4 1/2 inches this year. His feet are as big as mine if not bigger and so are his hands. I think I only have about 1-2 years left at beating him in basketball and most other sports. Andrew still loves to read. I think he finished 4 books this week. He likes history the most, and basketball is his favorite hobby. He still likes Legos and video games. He has been caring about his hair and his clothes for a while now.

What happened to this little guy? Happy birthday Andrew.