Soccer Pro?!

It's quite possible I have a future soccer pro on my hands!  Take a look:

 She can dribble with no training!  :)

Zoo Trip

Today was BEAUTIFUL!  I decided to take the kids to the Zoo.  It's the perfect outdoor area, nice walking paths, fun things to see and do, and not usually very crowded in the winter.  The kids had a great time and did very well.  Before we go I let them each decide what animal they want to see that day.  Eli wanted to see the polar bears, and Sophia wanted to see any bear.  Great!  The polar bears were very active today, they got to see one of them swimming and he even dove off of a raised are into the water for them.  Isaac got about 3 feet away from the polar bear, but he didn't seem very interested in it.  This was the first Zoo trip where only Isaac rode in the stroller.  Sophia did a GREAT job walking. 

Here's a little video of the kids playing at the conservation house:

My Valentine

One of them, anyway.  Isaac loves monkeys right now, so it wasn't hard to convince him to put on these pajamas.  While I generally think Valentine's Day is just another fake holiday created to encourage consumers to spend money on stuff they don't need, the basic idea of it is sound.  We should let those we love know about it.  I have so many people in my life who I love, I am amazingly blessed.  I am also blessed to receive love from so many. 

This verse hangs on our wall.  It is perfect for today, and for every day.  There are so many false teachings on what love is.  It's good to stick to the truth of it and let that guide our actions.  A portion of this is very familiar, but the whole chapter is wonderful, and the familiar portion in light of the whole text makes so much sense.

I Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Our Experiences House Hunting

In the past week, we have looked at about a dozen houses.  All of them were close to where we are now.  They were all in the same price range.  But the variation in quality was AMAZING.  Several were foreclosures, which isn't necessarily a bad thing...unless they had cats.  Chris said that in his opinion, the domestic house cat was the worst thing that has happened to real estate. It's odd to go into somebody's house and try to imagine yourself living there.  Some of them were empty, but even then it seemed strange. 

We did end up making an offer on one of the houses.  It was nice, it will grow with us as we need it to as the kids get older.  The process of placing offers and waiting is stressful.  Hopefully we won't have anybody else trying to buy the same house.  If so, back to the drawing board.

Happy Birthday Chris!

Chris turns 31 today! Happy Birthday to a wonderful husband and loving father! We are very excited to celebrate with him tonight!