Three weeks

I changed my blog background in honor of our upcoming vacation. I don't know if I'll post again soon, so I wanted to fill everyone in on our lives. We have a very busy three weeks ahead. God is so good, as all of the busy days are because of blessings. We are moving, wrapping up a great year of ministry and going on vacation.

When these three weeks are over, we will have packed, moved, painted and refloored our new home, held our end of the year celebration for our marriage ministry, and gone to Maui on vacation. We are very grateful for our vacation coming after our move and our ministry wrap-up! We will greatly need and enjoy our time on the beach and living at a Hawaiian pace for a bit.

So, hopefully I will be able to write again soon! I have several blog post ideas I've been crafting, but they will probably have to wait. Aloha, everyone!

Date Night!

Ryan and I lagged a little on the date nights last year, which is understandable with a newborn in the house. However, this year we made the decision to take turns planning our two date nights a month. In addition, we are trying to make the dates creative and not always turn to dinner and a movie on our night out. We've done some fun dates before: Disneyland, walk around the Montage and eat in Laguna Beach, Cirque de Soleil, hiking on a Saturday morning, quick tacos and then a nice dessert at a fondue restaurant, etc.

If you are married, date nights are vital. Whether you are like us, with small kids at home, or you have teenagers or no kids, it is important to get away from the daily grind and just have time to communicate, sit and talk with your spouse.

I thought it might be fun to get some creative ideas for dates. I know that some of you have been on or have heard about some great nights out. Share!

Carter is Four

What a crazy and BIG year for Carter! Two weeks before Micah arrived last year, we potty trained our little trooper. He went from being a baby in diapers to a very big boy. He welcomed Micah, not quite sure what this would mean for him. Now, he is a big fan of his brother, introducing him to everyone, "This is Micah."

Carter started preschool this year. We have seen him grow SO much in self control and the ability to focus for longer periods of time.

He saw his first official movie--Up--in the theater. That was the beginning of fun trips to see things with him in the movie theater. Micah attended that first movie too, but he sucked on my finger and fussed through most of it.

Carter grew leaps and bounds. Right after he turned three he shot up in height, and he was just a hair shy of 40 inches when he turned 4. As mommy and daddy promised, he got to go to Disneyland and ride all the "Big Boy" rides like Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain--a lot of mountain rides. : ) He was in heaven!

He now rides a bike without training wheels, he has a two wheel scooter, and he eats hamburgers.

Carter is still full of energy, and we always get comments about his joyful and happy disposition when he is excited about something. He bounces out of the car and hops all the way to class every time we go to preschool. He loves his teacher, Mrs. Balazs, and his classmates.

Daddy has a special place in Carter's heart, and it is fun seeing their bond grow stronger. He still likes mommy to hold him when he is hurt, tired or wanting a back scratch.

I love my little buddy. His sweet heart and curious mind are so fascinating to witness. I thank God for such a great year with him! Happy birthday, Carter! May your next year be just as amazing!

Micah is one

Micah,

I have to be honest that I don't remember very much clearly from when you first joined us. The doctor gave me medicine that made me very sleepy and weak, but I remember hearing you cry. I thanked God that you were healthy and breathing so well.

When I was in the hospital after having you, I would actually look forward to when I could feed you in the middle of the night. They would bring you back to our room and I would feed you. Then, I would snuggle with you for awhile. You'd rest next to me. In fact, for the first few months of your life, I loved to take little naps with you snuggling next to me. When you would stir, you'd open your eyes and see me lying right next to you, and you would peacefully go right back to sleep. I would sometimes just watch you and listen to your little baby snores.

You were a beautiful from the moment you were born. You had a head full of hair and pretty eyes. I was so proud of you when people met you. I was always told how handsome you were!

You've done everything at your own interesting pace this year. You took your first independent steps at 10 months and were walking at 11 months. You got your teeth at 6 months, but you always got two at a time, and never in any normal order. In fact, you had a full molar before your bottom front, side teeth came in. You certainly are taking your time with talking too!

Your favorite things were balls, crawling backward, the vaccum cleaner, eating paper (we had to hide all the trash cans on top of high objects), stuffed animals, hair--pulling it (ouch!), screaming--you had to be heard over Carter, avocados, Gerber puffs (you would have nothing to do with Cheerios), taking your socks off at any possible time, and throwing food.

We call you destructo because you like to . . . well, destroy things. Boy do I have to keep my eye on you! : )

I love you so much, buddy. I love how you laugh at doggies with a deep, belly laugh. I love how you pretend to talk to mommy on the phone. I love how you cuddle and smile when you see me in the morning. I love how you smile when you do something mischievous. I love how you wiggle out of any seat belt created. I love how you think clapping "Yaaaaay!" also means "all done."

I can already see gifts God has given you--boldness, affection for others, a sense of humor . . . and traits which you will need to ask God to help you contain--impatience and tempermentalism (you can thank mommy for that). I am already praying God may be the focus of your life, that your might belong to Him through repentance and faith, and that He might use you mightily!

You are a sweet, sweet boy--a gift from God to your daddy and me. You are more than worth every late night feeding, every stretch mark, every tired arm, every eaten piece of paper, and any inconvenience. I wouldn't trade your smiles, laughs, cuddles, hugs, kisses and love to change any of those things. We love you, Micah man. Happy first year to you, buddy. Thank you for the blessing you are!

Humility in Weakness

Mark 9: 21-25 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

This passage has always been a powerful one for me. This man/father does not have faith. He says, “if you can,” but he desperately wants to have belief in Jesus. He tells Him “Help my unbelief!” Jesus responds and helps because of this man’s desire to believe and his humility before Christ. Do we do the same when we are finding it hard to trust or obey? Do we cry out humbly, “Lord, I want to trust/obey. Help me overcome this sin that is entangling me!” Rather, I think we sometimes try to fix things first or push it back in our minds. We figure we are having a bad day, and we just need time. Our immediate action should always be to fall on our knees in prayer to ask repentance and seek God’s wisdom,strength and help. Would the One who provided Christ for us withhold the tools we need for sanctification and holiness? Thankfully, no. We are grateful!