Erin Nichole 10/31/02

By three months, we were beginning to wonder if there was some Sumo Wrestler in our bloodline.



One of my favorite pictures ever--around 9 months.




1 year




About 21 months




Erin didn't think it was so fun "being pregnant" either. (Mommy was very pregnant at the time.)




2 years. This was my favorite age. Yes, really!! She was as fun a two-year-old as I could have asked for! Obedient, happy, healthy--and hadn't developed an attitude yet!



On her third birthday.




Taken before her first "date" with daddy. Age 4




With cousin, Sadie. Erin is totally "in her element" in dress-up clothes. It is no exeggeration to say she spends as much, if not more, time in dress-ups than in her regular clothes. She is a girly girl, a princess at heart.




She can also hold her own playing with the boys. She's had to compromise at times and play cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, and such--since the boys aren't always willing to play princesses with her.



She is an absolute mother hen to her little brother. She takes care of him, literally leads him around the house sometimes, entertains him with tea parties, reads books to him, babies him when he's hurt, and above all, takes her responsibility of super-tattle-tale-big-sister VERY seriously!



I loved having her hair long, for a time. Any of you who know me, though, know that I am anything but high-maintenance. The long hair required too much attention on my part and most of it came off this summer.



I simply love this little girl. When at times I feel completely overwhelmed and incapable as a mother, she will come up to me, wrap her arms around my legs, and tell me how she loves me!! She can be so sweet at times that I feel like I just want to eat her up! She can also be extremely over-dramatic, oh-so emotional, whiniest of the whiny, and irritatingly habitual. (She spends literally 10 minutes at bedtime each night arranging her boatload of animals and dolls on her bed in JUST the right way.) She is overall very obedient, compliant, and sensible. However sometimes she surprises me with a lapse in judgment. (You all remember a certain hair-cutting incident not so long ago!) I suppose without these incidents, I might tend to favor her over the boys. So I guess God allows her just enough senselessness to prevent that!

I have thanked God many times that He chose to give us only one girl. For one, I'm not sure I could handle any more emotion in the house. But also, I love that she's my only one because it's almost like we have a little secret "girl-bond", just the two of us. Sometimes we just understand each other--when all the boys can do is look at us and roll their eyes.

Happy birthday, my sweet girl!

Elders at the North Pole?

As we were in the van this afternoon, headed to Dollar Tree with the mission of shopping to fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, I was only vaguely aware of the conversation going on between my three children in the backseat. I caught just bits and pieces of some discussion on Christmas, the North Pole, and whether or not children actually live there. Then Erin said something that got my attention:

"I know what an elder is", she said, in typical know-it-all fashion.

I was quite impressed that she had apparently been listening to the recent discussions Matt and I have had regarding church elders.

Then she went on, "They're the short guys who live at the North Pole....."

Sad Reality

Today I sat my oldest son down and explained to him one of the sad realities of the world we live in: abortion.

As we've been driving around lately he's noticed the different political signs posted in yards and has started asking questions: "Who is McCain?", "Who's Obama?", "Why does it matter who's President?" His questions have given me opportunity to explain to him some important matters.

I'll make a confession here. I'm one of those one-issue voters. I don't follow politics closely. I don't care a great deal about the matters of the economy, national security and defense, or education. I know I should care more about these things. It's just not where my heart is right now. However, I can not NOT care about a candidate's position on abortion. It's just imprinted on my heart; I can not support a candidate who does not value God's gift of human life. Regardless of whether or not a candidate's elected position would make decisions directly in the area of abortion, I can not and will never intentionally cast my vote for someone who calls themselves "pro-choice". To me, it just says something about one's character; something that MATTERS to me.

So, when Isaac has asked me WHY we need to pray that John McCain gets elected, I had to first explain to him the terrible reality of what abortion is. In a word, he was SHOCKED. "WHAT?????" "How could someone do THAT?" So I explained to him the "reasons" that lead some people to do "that", like pregnancy out of wedlock, and the fact that sometimes women just don't want to be pregnant. And as it came out of my mouth, it just broke my heart again to realize the state of our fallen world.

I know God is in control. I know he ALREADY knows the outcome of this election. I will not fear, even if Obama should win. But I must admit, I pray often that Jesus might return for us soon before things get any worse.

And yet another use for duct tape.........

Dads can really be quite ingenious sometimes. We've been trying forever to get Gabe to stop picking his nose. While I was gone this weekend, Matt came up with a solution.

Gabriel Benjamin 10/04/04

Four years ago today God gave us an unexpected little blue bundle. "Unexpected", because he was the only of our children we didn't "plan". Although there was not a moment when he wasn't "wanted". I loved him from the moment I knew about him. "Unexpected", also, because he was the only of our children who wasn't born healthy. Since most of my readers (I think I have a huge following of...........eight?) didn't know us back in the day, I'm posting a few pictures below to let you in on some of what you've missed of our Gabe.

Although by far the easiest labor and delivery of my three, that's where "easy" ended with Gabe, as it seems since then everything else has been harder, beginning shortly after birth. Then during his entire first year we had him in and out of the doc's office with all kinds of respiratory problems. To top it all off, he decided at about 6 months that a bottle nipple was his enemy, so until he was weaned he and I spent very little time apart.

His temperament is, well, PASSIONATE. (It's his birthday so I'll put a positive spin on it! :) When he's happy, he's ECSTATIC!! When he's angry, he is LIVID MAD! When he wants to be alone, by all means, LEAVE THE CHILD ALONE! But when he wants to cuddle, he is a TOTAL MUSH! One day, (I am sure of it) God will use this passion for His glory! We are so thankful for Gabe. And for as much as this road has been a challenge, all the more has it been a joy. (Listen to me talking like he's turning 18 or something!)



We spent Gabe's first five days of life at Children's in Dayton. Shortly after he was born at Wayne, his breathing became very labored and they feared pneumonia. It turned out his lungs were just slightly immature. ( Born at 38 weeks, this was a bit of a mystery?) But the experience, especially in the first 24 hours of "not knowing", surely taught us something about putting our baby in His hands. It was a hard time.


At about 4 weeks. We're so glad he's since grown into his nostrils.









At about 7 months.


Absolutely, positively, nothing sweeter.







Sometimes it's a joy when they tug at your pants.



Other times, not so much.



At age 2, we tried everything to keep the child out of stuff.



What's strange here is that Gabe doesn't yet know how to write letters. HMMMM?


The big accomplishment of this summer was Gabe's learning to ride his bike without training wheels!! But do you think I have a picture of him on the bike? Well, a picture of him wearing his helmet on the toilet is just as good, right?


I absolutely LOVE his smile!!! Happy birthday, my Gaby Baby!

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

I've tried and tried to "sum myself up" in a word or two--a blog title that would describe "ME". Frankly, I've had a bit of trouble keeping it short. I ended up with paragraphs; nothing resembling a short phrase which would be appropriate for a blog title.

So, I'm changing directions. Your suggestions were all good ones--many cute, profound, clever, and all appreciated. If nothing else, they got me thinking, "Who am I and what do I want to be known for?"

I've chosen Psalm 37:4 as a focus because, for me, it answers "THE" question. My life has been a struggle to find what satisfies. I have known Jesus for many years, but only recently have I recognized my ongoing battle with sin as the misdirected attempt to satisfy my own soul longing for still more of Him. The Jesus Storybook Bible sums up the condition beautifully, "And though they would forget him, and run from him, deep in their hearts, God's children would miss him always, and long for him--lost children yearning for their home."

It is a pet peeve of mine when Christians reference worldly movies to make a point. So having admitted that, I'm going to break my own rule now to make a point. :) Do you remember the "You complete me" scene in Jerry Maguire? If you've seen the movie, YOU REMEMBER. As sappy and romantic as the scene is, you know women love that stuff and it brings to the surface the deep longings of the human heart. I want to be "complete". But as much as I'd like to be able to tell my husband, in my deep romantic voice, "You complete me", it's not true; nor do my children complete me; nor a job or a home or a position; nor any other relationship. While it's true that my husband, my children, and other Godly relationships are truly blessings straight from the Lord, they are not and will never be ENOUGH to satisfy my soul. God knows I've wasted much time searching the wrong places, trying to feel "complete". All along, He has been whispering in my ear, "I AM your completion." "I AM your satisfaction." "The desire, the longing in you that you are trying so hard to fill is......ME."

When I truly find my delight in Him, every desire and longing of my heart will be satisfied. This brings me GREAT JOY as I wait for my glorification. Because truly, as long as I live here on this earth, in this fallen body, I know I won't fully be satisfied in Him. But, He faithfully continues to work on me. And one day He will release me from this frustrating life and allow me to experience the REWARD at last! SATISFACTION in every sense of the word; Eternity in the presence of my One True Love.

Until then I must work, (and often it truly is work) to delight in Him and Him only. So, look above at my new blog title. Honestly, when I asked for suggestions, I wasn't expecting it to be this big of deal. But whether or not it's catchy or clever doesn't really matter. It is my life's goal--to spend every minute "Delighting in Him".