I'm Back

I haven't posted here for about seven months. It has been a full, very full, seven months. I'm wondering if anybody is even still checking here. If you are, would you please leave some brief comment so I know if it is a waste of time to post anything meaningful? Thanks!

Sad News

I found out today that our baby has died. The ultrasound measurements indicate that the baby was seventeen weeks when death occurred. That was three weeks ago. I am in a dazed or weepy state of shock. It's just so sad, sad, sad. Anyway, tomorrow we are going to the hospital to induce labor. The drug they will be using scares me a little bit. It has some risk. Please pray for all of us as we figure out how to cope and how to accept this undesired reality.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

I really wanted to post pictures with very, very few words. That would be far more effective and poignant. Alas, it is not to be. It seems my computer doesn't like the high capacity card from my camera. Bryan, our computer savvy friend, told me how to upload from the card in an alternate way, but that's not working now either. Argh.

So, what I want you to know is that James - all by himself - gave me a dozen pink roses for Mother's Day. They are gorgeous, but you will have to imagine because a picture is not going to appear here today.

Also, John took a picture of Jason Sunday that we whole heartedly agreed should find its way to the blog. Not happenin' either. We had corn on the cob for lunch. Jason asked me to cut his corn off the cob - more than once. John hadn't heard his requests nor my dissent and suggested that Jason might need me to cut the corn off his cob. I asserted that maybe we should have him try and not baby his slight handicap. He ate that corn off the cob with the greatest of ease and efficiency. It's amazing how little things that we take for granted and all do are such victories for Jason. (Though he is blissfully unaware of that.) The picture - again - is much better than my story, but you will have to live without.

What I Think

It seems my thinking cap is stuck on my head. So many things go 'round and 'round in my mind as I sort through and try to discern wisdom and truth. Recent events send another wave of thoughts surging through, so I'm going to share...

I think that people (me too) should live cheerfully and with noble purpose.

I think complaining is destructive and depressing.

I think funerals and them that mourn are interesting and worthy of pondering.

I think we should really live like there's no tomorrow, not just say we should.

I think God's standards are perfect and full of peace.

I think friends aren't always "friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them," but they should be.

I think God said on purpose that children are a gift from Him, even an abundance of them.

I think that sin is sinister and creepy, slinking around inconspicuously, ruining lives and leaving the masses blaming something or someone else.

I think we should say sin more and not feel old fashioned or embarrassed about it.

I think we should hate sin passionately even when righteousness brings about greater (temporary) suffering.

I think I should live all the time like the dead people did whose loved ones go on and on and on about their impeccable character.

I think we should remember that nobody, not one person save Jesus, has been or ever will be perfect, even our beloved and cherished dead.

I think it's the pits to disagree with others.

I think it's equally the pits to be falsely accused and never given the chance for redemption.

I think I've probably contradicted myself.

I think God is simply and complexly wonderful and definitely worth enduring the waiting room we live in on earth.

I think my mom is a terrific person who doesn't get near enough credit for being so.

I think my dad is an amazing prayer warrior.

I think the Bible is fascinating and exciting, never dull and irrelevant.

I think we should do really hard things just for the character it produces.

I think that very few people are still reading this list =)

I think I should go to bed with a sincere prayer of thanksgiving on my mind.

The Little One

I was trying to think of a way to announce to any who read here that we are expecting a baby this coming fall. I decided to find a picture of a baby in utero to accompany the announcement. This picture gripped me because the baby is fourteen weeks, just the same gestation as our new, growing little one. We have an awesome Creator!

A Good Picture

Joshua took this picture of he and Jason. I thought it was sweet. John thought it "bloggable," so here you are.

The Fun

Some of the boys after finding their eggs...















































Nancy coming down the stairs Easter morning for the egg hunt...

Colored Eggs

We bought neon food coloring this year to color our eggs. They turned out very nice. Nature did her work too. Some were quite interesting with the patterns that nature manifested. You can see Jason's Spider Man egg. He was really excited about that.

Daredevil James

This is the video that I wanted to post when I posted bike/blade videos awhile back. I couldn't get this one to work then. Thanks to the help of a generous friend (you know who you are!) here it is now.

John's New Motorcycle

JW bought a new motorcycle. It's a 2001 Honda CBR. Nice looking bike.

Our New Driver

Joshua is taking a driving class today. The BMW 328i is what he's driving. The course is offered by the non-profit organization, Driver's Edge. The organization is run by a race car driver who was fed up with young driver statistics. Indeed, the number one killer of young people 16 - 2o is car crashes. The founder offers classes to young people which teach them skills to avoid a crash as well as controlling and minimizing a safety compromising situation. The classes are taught by race car drivers in controlled environments. (You can see the race track surrounding the car in the picture.) One skill Joshua is compelled to demonstrate today is the ability to create a skid and then correct it. I am hopeful that the class will equip him with the ability to drive safer and be accident free for life.

Make Me Like Jesus

I want to see myself and others as Jesus does...

Jesus looked at the demon possessed man and loved him. He did not fear the extreme violence before Him. He did not cower or feel repulsion. He loved him and extended His gift - freedom from his bondage.

Jesus looked at the children and loved them. He didn't see them as an interruption. He didn't see them as a nuisance. He didn't see them as walking germs. He touched them. Exalted them as a worthy example.

Jesus looked at the woman at the well and loved her. He didn't angrily reprimand her. He gently, ever so gently, exposed her sin and offered her hope of forgiveness - of new life. He risked His reputation to sit and talk with her.

Jesus looked at the man lowered before Him and loved him. He didn't see him as a disruption. He didn't see the "modification" to the house as destructive. He was glad to be sought. He healed the man and commended his faith.

Jesus encountered the woman caught in adultery and loved her. He was not disgusted by her. He was not indignant. He quieted her angry accusers and sent her away to a life of purity.

Jesus looked at the proud Pharisee praying his arrogant prayer. Quickly his gaze turned elsewhere. He looked at the man who had sinned and was thus grieved and loved him. He used him as an example of proper posture before God.

Jesus looked at the thief on the cross next to Him and loved Him. He didn't revel in his due consequences. He looked beyond and saw his humility - his honest desire for forgiveness and gave it.

Do I - do you - see people as Jesus sees them? Do we love them? Do we grieve for their lostness? Do we remain calm and composed as Jesus always did and create opportunities to lead people to Himself? Do we sit with the sinner and listen to him? Do we love him? Do we sacrifice sleep, a meal, our time to embellish the opportunity? Can we change course and leave our comfort zones to rescue a lost and suffering soul?

I am appalled at myself and at other Christians who lose our way. Our mooring is not fixed as it should be when we neglect to look through the eyes of our Lord at the masses - or the individual - and love them. Lost souls are never a nuisance, a thing to be gotten rid of. They are God's creation with a bit of His nature wrapped 'round.

It is easy to say, b-b-b-b-ut and seek to justify (like I have done), but we should be humble and remember the truth. The truth will set us free to behave as Jesus would and did. Oh that His mercy will extend forgiveness as we have erred.

Cute Picture

When we went to the mountains last weekend our friends brought their dog. The dog is a mastiff - a large breed. Jason just loved her. If ever Jason was "missing," we just had to look go see the dog.

Josiah Again

Nancy

Nancy started this school year with few basic skills. Writing/coloring were always very hard for her. She wasn't able to form any letter, let alone write her name. Coloring remotely in the lines was also an impossibility. She has worked hard at writing and as improved so much! Amazing. Just in the last week or two, she's been trying to write words by sounding them out. This week she was to make a shopping list. You see it here.














I have a video of her reading, but I cannot get it to upload to the computer (along with several other bloggable videos.)

James

A friend made ramps for the kids because he knows they've been interested in BMX, skateboarding and roller blading. They have worked on doing all kinds of stunts. This is James.

(Too bad he didn't land his vault from the loft this well. He might not now be in pain.)

What a shot!

Josiah has been doing round-offs over the ramps. James got this picture in the middle of one.











After I posted the above photo, I found this video. This was taken the first day he tried these. You can tell he's a bit timid - for Josiah anyway.

Misc Jason

As much as Jason doesn't like breathing treatments, he is resigned to them. He actually does it himself, and yes, often falls asleep during them.











This is another Spiderman impersonation. Anything that will cover his face and become a mask. So cute.

Jason

A lot of you know that Jason has been cycling through respiratory illness over the last seven months. Sunday he started displaying the first minor symptom which has been the beginning of each of the these cycles. Sure enough he eyes are very infected, his nose running and his lungs sounding croupy. I am discouraged by this recurrence and hope to be wise in caring for him. I would be so grateful for your prayers.

Every child, it seems, has to have a sleeping at the table picture. This was after lunch. Instead of getting down after eating, he just went to sleep.

















The first haircut happened last week. I don't like those, but the time comes. The adorable curls are gone and the boy looks almost 2, as he is. I have a before picture, but it's on John's phone which is not here. Will try to post it soon.

















Jason got his first (short) ride on the motorcycle recently. I wished during the whole thing that I could see his face. Can't really say if he like it or not.

"Piah-Mah"

Jason is very, very interested in Spider Man. He can find the movies on the movie shelf and then carries them around. He imitates sounds and movements. (The gyrations are adorable.) He bought a Spider Man backpack on wheels yesterday. Now we just need a trip to go with it =)

A Match

We discovered that 6 year old Josiah and 5 year old Sarah from church are at an identical stage of dental development. Here's proof.

Setting Things Straight

When someone asks the question, "Do the ten commandments still apply to us today?" I cringe. I know what's coming next - usually anyway. The common answer is, "All those that are repeated in the New Testament, so all but the Sabbath." That's just wrong.

Hebrews 4:9 says "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God" and further in vs. 11 "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest..."

The right answer, at least about the Sabbath, is yes, it most definitely does apply today. In fact, to think otherwise is an affront to the gift, the sacrifice, the suffering of Christ. Like so many other things from the Old Testament, the Sabbath is a shadow of things to come. In fact, a mighty powerful shadow it is. The Sabbath makes stark the reality of sin's entrance into the world and its resulting punishment. The reason there is need for the Sabbath under the old law is because sin creates harder, repetitive work for man. Resting from that work, reminds him of that.

Now, we have a spiritual rest, but it is very similar to the old rest. It is still sin that creates the need for spiritual rest. Jesus, the awe striking Savior, becomes our much needed Sabbath. Praise Him for that!

When someone utters the question about the validity of the ten commandments, we are given a great opportunity to remind and be reminded of what a gracious and generous God we serve and love by affirming the Sabbath as yet quite applicable. If it's not we are in grave trouble indeed.

Leslie and Brennan

Leslie, the wonderful friend that she is, brought supper for us Friday night. It was yummy lasagne, garlic bread, salad and an amazing red velvet cake. We talked her into holding the baby (for the first time, I think) and staying to visit. It was delightful.

It's True, I Promise!

I wanted to take a picture of Brennan with his quilt while sleeping in the bassinet. The first picture was the first take. It was a bit blurry, so I tried again. I snapped the picture just as his eyes did that newborn flutter and captured them open. Honest, he was sound asleep!

Brennan's Bath

I gave Brennan a bath while Haelley and Elizabeth watched. You can see Haelley chewing on Brennan's bulb syringe. You also see her with a Hitler mustache. She managed to rub soot from a candle onto her face while the bathing process made me oblivious. You would have thought, by the way, that I'd never bathed a newborn! I did a horribly nervous job. Elizabeth laughed at me, so she must not have been too worried. The last picture is the result of the bath. (He wore that outfit probably less than an hour because I, let's just say, diapered him poorly, allowing a little wet leak soon after. And I've had eleven children!)

Brennan in His Family

The second picture was one of several attempts to get a picture of Haelley kissing Brennan. She was always too quick for me, so I tried snapping one a bit ahead of the kiss and got the one you see here. I finally quit.

Brennan

Notice the hair in the last picture. I took this one to show how his hair sticks straight up. Very cute.

Brennan

I was able to return to Indiana this past weekend to see the new baby - my grandson, Brennan. My mom asked me to take pictures, so I did - lots of them.