Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The Gifts of My Children: Part 1: Sophia

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I wanted to do some updates on my kids - on how they are growing and being formed into who they will be. Sometimes the simplest example can show a very deep truth.  Today, I want to share with you a little piece of Sophie's heart.  I believe this example shows some of the very core aspects of who she is:

(Sophie had just finished a funny joke, and I laughed.)
Me: Sophie, you are so funny!
Sophie: Thanks, Mommy.
Me: Sophie, do you think I'm funny?
(She looks at me very carefully, studying my face for a long time.)
Sophie: Do you think you're funny?
Me: No, not really.
Sophie: Well, I think you're a little bit funny!  Not really funny, but a little.

This girl has some wisdom in her.  The part that most impressed me was that she already knew her answer.  She doesn't think I'm funny.  (Which is fine, I'm really not.)  But instead of just launching off her answer, she stepped back, and thought through what was happening.  She had the wisdom (not her wisdom, by the way, she is only 5!) to know that answering that question could cause me harm.  She wasn't sure what I thought, so she probed a little deeper.  The other major character trait that this example highlights is that Sophia has a huge heart for other people.  She cares very deeply for others.  She has compassion, and is gentle in how she approaches others, because she knows words can hurt.

The name 'Sophia' means wisdom.  She was well named.


Here is Sophie (on the far right) with two of her favorite people, Reese and Ellie.  :)  I love these girls!


Sunday, November 24, 2013

She Wears Many Hats

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It's true - I wear many hats.  But this one I made myself!!! I'm super proud.  I have always started and stopped crochet projects, never finishing.  I started a blanket for Daniel LAST Thanksgiving, and finally finished it yesterday.  I decided to try my hand at making a hat.  Getting it started is complicated, but once I got past that part it was super easy and quick.  Chris requested I make him one!


I'm really thankful for youtube and all of the amazing tutorials there.  I would have driven somebody absolutely insane trying to teach me how to do this!  

In other news, we are a baby bottle free household!!!  Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!  I finally found a cup Daniel will drink out of that he can't figure out how to make a horrible mess with.  


Doesn't he look like he's trying to figure out how to dump milk all over the floor for the 7.8 millionth time?!  Guilty!  haha



Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Kathy's Kidney

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Kathy, with Isaac this summer.
Some questions have been directed at me about what is going on with Chris' mom, Kathy.  Here's a little post about how this all started, and what's happened so far.  A while ago, a friend of Kathy's was in need of a kidney.  Kathy volunteered to go through the screening process.  She did not end up being a match for her friend, and so agreed to go into a paired donation program.  That didn't work out either, as there was some difficulty finding a kidney for her friend.  (By the way, her friend did receive a kidney recently, praise God!)  Kathy felt strongly that God was calling her to continue in the donation process - that if she were willing to give this life-saving gift to a friend, she should be willing to give it to a stranger, too.  This morning, she became an anonymous kidney donor.  She knows her kidney is going to Iowa, but that's it.  

The surgery is over.  If you could continue to pray for Kathy as she recovers, and pray for her remaining kidney, that would be awesome!  Also pray for Chris' sister Emily, who is with her now, for another sister-in-law, Jillian, who will take over her care later this week, and for a good friend, Jill, who will be flying back with Kathy next week.  

As you can imagine, there has been a lot of concern about this.  We were all very worried about the surgery.  I want to share with you a piece of an email written by my brother-in-law, Todd:

"We are concerned for you because you are our mom/grandma/daughter/etc.  But we also know that this will have tremendous impact on another family.  Even though it’s a stranger, it’s a stranger who probably has a mom, dad, kids, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins who are praying and longing for a kidney match for their loved one.  God is using you as an answer to their prayers.  That’s a really great thing to be a part of.  So, we support you and we want to do whatever we can to help.  We will pray for you, and your health because we love you.  But we will also pray that somehow this would have a greater impact than we could ever know on this person’s life."

I do not doubt for one second that Kathy hears from God, and that this is what He has asked of her.  I pray for the recipient.  I pray they will receive this gift, this extension of their physical life.  But more than that, I pray that they will clearly see the hand of a living, loving God who has directly intervened in what seemed to be a hopeless situation.  I pray that if they do not already know about Jesus, and about the even greater sacrifice that he made, to provide an even more valuable life-saving gift for them, that this experience will open their eyes to the bigger picture, to the bigger sacrifice that has already been freely made.


Friday, November 15, 2013

Memory Verses

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I started working with the kids on memory verses this week.  In the past, I've let their classes at church dictate which verses they've learned, but I decided to start our own.  For me, memory verses are something I struggle to learn.  I know they are important, but I have a hard time with memorization in general.  Unless I really learn something, it doesn't stick.

Here is Isaac, sharing his verse with you:  (Please excuse all of the noise in the background [and foreground!], my house is LOUD!)



This is the verse from Matthew 22.  Today, we started on Micah 6:8.

So, which verses would you teach your children to equip them?  There are so many good ones - but I want to pick carefully.