Photographic Proof

A Great Quote

An optimist sees the glass as half full...
The pessimist sees it as half empty...
The realist sees it as just one more thing to wash.

A Bragging Post

I realize that I am seeing this through the biased eyes of a proud mommy, but I'll still brag about it.
Evangeline is only 5 1/2 months old and today she pulled herself up to a standing position and, with some interesting maneuvering, got a toy out of the toy box. Isn't my little girl something? She's always been strong so at this rate she'll be bench pressing her brother by the time she's a year old. My theory is that she's pushing herself to excel in mobility just so she can run away from Lily when she gets in her mothering moods.
I'm so proud of my baby.

Stress Diet

This was one of those forwarded emails, but it gave me a chuckle so I thought I'd pass it on.

This is a specially formulated diet designed to help women cope with the stress that builds during the day.

Breakfast

1 grapefruit

1 slice whole wheat toast

1 cup skim milk

Lunch

1 small portion lean, steamed chicken

1 cup spinach

1 cup herbal tea

1 Hershey's kiss

Afternoon Tea

The rest of the Hershey kisses in the bag

1 tub of Hagen-Daaz ice cream with chocolate chips

Dinner

4 glasses of wine (red or white)

2 loaves garlic bread

1 family size supreme pizza

3 Snickers Bars

Late Night Snack

1 whole Sarah Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from the freezer)

Happy Birthday, Seth!

Today is my oldest brother's birthday. He is turning 30 today! I could make some sort of obnoxious comment about how old he is, but I'm afraid that, in his senility, he wouldn't get any jokes I make. You know how old people can be.

Seth, thank you for being my big brother. For teaching me the joy of being a gamer, for letting me follow you around at school saying, "Hi, Big Guy!", for babysitting me when I was a brat, for reading Hitchhiker's Guide to me and most of all, for growing up to be my friend.
I love you, Big Guy.

Happy Birthday!

Questions I Wish I Didn't Have to Ask

"Where are your underpants?"

"Whose poopy is that?"

"What are you eating?!"

Helmet Art

Joshua and I have combined our talents to make his motorcycle helmet a work of art. I designed and drew the pattern then Joshua did the meticulous work of cutting out the stencil from masking tape. Then he put the tape stencil on the helmet (NOT as easy as it sounds! You try putting a flat thing on a round thing and see how well it goes.), taped off the rest of the helmet and spray painted it. Because of the camera flash the paint may look white in the pictures, but it's actually silver.

We're both really pleased with how it came out. We're probably going to paint something on the sides and when we do I'll post more pictures.
So what do you think? Not bad for our first helmet painting. Now we have to figure out what we'll do on my helmet.

Blindside

Throughout the five years that Joshua and I have been married we've discovered our opinions are not always identical when it comes to books, movies, music, etc. But one thing we've always had in common is our love of Blindside's music. Here are a few of my favorites.
(As always feel free to ignore the videos and just listen to the music.)

All of Us
Sleepwalking
Shekina I really like this one. If it seems like you can't understand what he's saying at certain points it's because he sings part of the song in Swedish. How cool is that?
After You're Gone This video is actually for some sort of wrestling thing, but this song is so good I thought I'd post it anyway.

Embarrassing Jonathan

I thought long and hard about whether I should post this picture. In the end, as you can see, I decided that it was too good to keep to myself. Not only did I snap this picture of my brother sucking his thumb, but I also managed to show off his increasing baldness.

Jonathan, despite my little sister meanness I really enjoyed seeing you a few weeks ago. I liked having you around to just hang out with and I liked hearing you laugh. I guess the only thing I didn't like about your visit is it reminded me of how much I miss having my brothers and sisters nearby. I love you, Jonathan.
(There, did that mushy part make up for the embarrassing picture?)

A Playground Sunset

My Beautiful Family

Sabbath Quote

"The day is brighter here with You
The night is lighter than its hue
Would lead me to believe
Which leads me to believe

(chorus)
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
What does that make me?"

---"Everything Glorious" by David Crowder Band
(You can hear the song here.)

My Peaceful Neighborhood

I'm feeling down. I'm having trouble exactly pinpointing why I'm feeling so bummed out, but I do know one thing that is contributing to this. Last night a man killed himself at the high school right behind our house. He called the police and when they got there he shot himself. (You can read the story here.)
The high school parking lot is like a second back yard to us. It's an ideal place to teach little people to ride bikes or rollerskate.

But now it is stained with blood.

I realize that this isn't a big deal compared to what happens in inner city areas everyday or even compared to the violence that has taken place at other high schools. But this happened in my back yard. And the next time we go for a relaxing Sunday afternoon walk we will walk on sidewalk that witnessed death.

And consider this: Where is that man now? Is he even now begging to be allowed to return to this life, which now seems a pleasant place when compared to the fury of hell? Or was he my brother in Christ that lost hope?

This used to be a peaceful neighborhood where nothing ever happened- or so I thought. I guess this is really the neighborhood I live in- a place where people hurt so much that death is a gift to them. So does this change who we need to be here? How are we to be Christians here? How do we shine in this dark place?

They Win

Well, I've finally conceded the match. My kids have me beat. I reached this conclusion after discovering that little, adorable 5-month-old Evangeline is fully mobile. She does this goofy belly flop thing that can move her across the floor at a shocking speed. So now I have a baby that can get into everything, a 4-year-old with a mouth and imagination running on overdrive and an almost 3-year-old that likes to eat light bulbs and thinks he's Spider-man.
So you see, it's hopeless. My daily life looks something like a circus. I could try to fight my children for my sanity or maybe I should just hang on and enjoy the ride.

Hey, Good Lookin'

Take a gander at my niece Olympia. She's a cutie, eh? She takes ballet (hence the tutu) and she was over here today for a photo shoot. I'm quite pleased with how the pictures turned out and whether their success was due to the photographer or the subject matter I couldn't say, but it 's a close call. ;o)

May I Introduce...

Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the newest addition to our household- a motorcycle!


This is a purely practical second vehicle for our family. Never mind the look of jubilant glee on Joshua's face and the very comfy second seat for yours truly. We got this bike for practical reasons only. Yep, that's right, no fun factor here at all. (And if you believe that I'll tell you another one...)

A Story

It’s another beautiful day. Of course, it’s always a beautiful day here. You might even call it heavenly. I often enjoy just being still, like I am now, and drinking in the glory of the endless day. I’ve been here for quite some time now (not that there’s anything such as time here) and I never cease to be amazed at the light of this place. It’s as if everything is shining with a brilliance of a thousand of earth’s suns. Hmm, how strange it is to think of the sun. I haven’t - what’s that? It sounds like quite a commotion. I’ll go check it out. There’s always a party of some kind going on here, I wonder what it is this time? It looks like it’s the angels making all the noise- oh! Great joy of all joys! Another brother has been reborn! Praise the King, He’s brought in one more to join our ranks! It’s sounds like it’s a pretty young one. Ah, it’s a teenager. He’s got a tough life ahead of him from what I hear his family is like. But I’ve seen young ones with worse families than his make it to the end. It’ll be rough going for him, but it was rough for all of us and we made it here by the grace of the King. I look forward to meeting him in person here someday.

I like the look of him. He reminds me of how my son looked at that age. Ah, my son. It won’t be long now until he’ll be showing up here. He makes me so proud! I could spend days (if there was such a thing, of course) just watching him living his life. He’s doing far better than I ever did, let me tell you. Sometimes, when I’m watching my son, I’ll see that the King is watching him, too. If I thought I loved my boy it’s nothing to the love that’s on the King’s face when He’s looking at my son.

I wonder if I’ll ever understand that love of the King’s. When I first got here and first saw the King face to face I plumb near dropped through the floor- well if I’d been standing on a floor I would have dropped through it. There was the smile that I’d tried to imagine for so many years- nothing like I imagined it for no imagination can comprehend such a smile. And then His eyes hit me. It’s like when you stare at a fire on earth and you keep staring until everything else seems to disappear and you feel like you’re falling into the fire and when you look away everything else seems so mundane and bland. But imagine never having to look away. That caught me off guard, that’s for sure! I frankly don’t know if I’ll ever get used to those eyes even after I’ve been here for a few millennia.

Well, His eyes are nothing compared to the Love that shines from every pore of His body. It makes Him so bright. What do you think is lighting this place after all? Hey! Something else is happening! Didn’t I tell you there’s always a party of some kind happening here? A new arrival! Here she comes now. Just look at the expression on her face, will you? Ah, now she’s meeting the King. That’s always a private event. There she goes crying now. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone arrive here and not start crying as soon as they met the King for the first time. I know I was blubbering like a baby when I got here. Not that I was sad obviously. What a thought! Being sad here! There she goes meeting and greeting now. Oh, and look at that reunion. That must have been her husband on earth. Come to think of it I do recall that man telling me of his wife. I’ll let them enjoy the moment and I’ll come back later to introduce myself to the newcomer.

I was in the middle of a thought a moment ago... oh, yes- I was thinking about being sad here. While it’s true that there’s no such thing as pain or grief here, I do still see the agonies that are happening on earth. I see children being murdered and fathers abandoning their families and cruel men killing my beloved siblings of the faith. What torments men devise for one another! And besides that I see our enemies from Hell piercing, wounding, and killing many and dragging off new prisoners to their endless torture.

I know the King sees this, too. It won’t be long now. He’s going to put an end to it once and for all. I can hardly wait for it! What glories will shine then as the King rides in with all His powers and defeats the Enemy for good! If you think there are some great celebrations here just wait until then! No words can describe it. Just thinking about it is thrilling! I know that- Oh look! Another new arrival! Hey- that was my next door neighbor on earth! Praise the King, he made it! If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some celebrating to do.

Our Trip to the Zoo (Part 3)

The last of the zoo pictures.
Have you ever seen giraffes run? It's so fun to watch! I still can't figure out how those thin legs can hold up that tall body.


The hippo is an amazing creature. It's an animal of enormous size, (reminding me of how I feel during the ninth month of pregnancy) but it moves with a gracefulness that is surprising. This hippo's name is Blacky and he's 57 years old.

Our Trip to the Zoo (Part 2)

For your viewing enjoyment: more zoo pictures!
This was definitely one of the coolest parts of the zoo. There was an exhibit where we could touch sting rays. (Their barbs had been trimmed so they were safe to touch.) We were supposed to put our hands in the water palms up and touch the bellies of the sting rays as they swam by. It was really amazing. They felt velvety and slimy at the same time. I won't forget that anytime soon.
Lily and Malachi watching the giraffes. The kids really enjoyed them.
This was Malachi's favorite animal. He really likes zebras so we made sure we visited them twice. Lily's favorite animals were the frogs and snakes. As much as I love her, we only saw those animals once.

Our Trip to the Zoo (Part 1)

We went to the Cleveland Zoo this weekend and we had such a good time! Here are just a few of the pictures we took.


The tank this shark was in was huge! We stood right next to the glass and the fish would swim right past us.
Malachi really enjoyed watching this gorilla eat. Every time he took a bite Malachi would laugh and laugh.

There was this really spiffy Dinosaur exhibit. The mechanical dinosaurs would move, roar and even spit! Malachi and Alyssa really enjoyed that, but Lily was a tad too scared.
More zoo pictures to come!

Odd But Spiffy

Some people have way too much time on their hands:

Unicycle Dance

Still, it is pretty spiffy.

Advent Thoughts #4

"Behold, the Lamb of God
Who takes away our sin
Behold the Lamb of God
The life and light of men
Behold the Lamb of God
Who died and rose again
Behold the Lamb of God who comes
To take away our sin"

Excerpt from “Behold the Lamb of God” by Andrew Peterson


I’ve enjoyed dwelling on Jesus’ first Advent with you all. Join me now in praising our God for the sacrifice He made to live and die as a man to save us. It is because He did this that we are now able to love, adore and serve Him. Hallelujah!

A Great Wodehouse Golf Quote

"Ah, well, non-golfers will marry- we can't help that. Not even at the risk of perpetuating one of Nature's greatest blunders."

--"Rodney Fails to Qualify" by P.G. Wodehouse

The Difference Between Boys and Girls

The great differences between my two eldest children were, once again, made very clear to me yesterday as we were eating lunch.

Lily: "Is this jelly on here? It is jelly? Mmm, I like jelly! This is special jelly! Is it honey? No, it's not? It's jelly? I like jelly!"

Malachi: (chew, chew)

Lily: "Yum! This is tasty! I like this! Look, Mommy I'm eating very quickly! Am I eating quickly? I am? Yeah, I'm eating quickly! Look, I'm eating very fast! I am? Yeah, I'm eating lunch very fast! I like special jelly!"

Malachi: (chew, chew)

Lily: When I'm done I'll get a snack? I will? Yeah, when I'm done eating I'll get a snack! I'm eating very quickly. I like this! This is special jelly!"

Malachi: (chew, chew)

Well, at least they come by it honestly.

Advent Thoughts #3

As “good Protestants” we try to not give to much attention to Mary so as to not make the same mistake as the Catholics and idolize her. But this woman was amazing. Joseph, too, endured much shame for his part in this story.

Imagine being pregnant and unmarried. Imagine walking into church on Sunday with a huge belly and watching your church family avert their eyes as you pass by. Or hear their forced casual comments as they try to be polite while trying to not mention the obvious. Your fiance walks in and then no one at all will speak to either of you for fear that your shame will somehow rub off on them. Add to that the fact that half the people there think you should be dragged off and stoned to death (Deut.22).

Joseph and Mary endured much for the glory of their God. And the Bible speaks nothing but praise of both of them. It’s no wonder God chose these two people to raise His only Son.

Andrew Peterson’s song, “Labor of Love” (sung by Jill Phillips) holds a very special place in my heart. I remember sitting with Gaby and listening to this song with tears running down my face a few short days after Evangeline was born . It is about what the labor and birth must have been like for Joseph and Mary and it's very, very beautiful. You can listen to it here (scroll down to "Behold the Lamb of God" and click on Open Player) or just read the lyrics:

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love

-"Labor of Love" by Andrew Peterson

Pool Time

It's been at least six posts since I've put up pictures of my adorable kids. Here's two out of three with a partial shot of Joshua thrown in as a bonus.

Advent Thoughts #2

Something that I think about sometimes is how real Jesus is. Far too often Bible stories are told as just that- stories. They are really history. When kids are taught about Christopher Columbus in school it is regarded as fact, but when we talk about Jesus it somehow ends up in a different category and doesn’t feel as real. There’s actual history and then there’s “Bible times” which sort of existed in a different dimension of quasi reality. No one actually says this, but you know that thought is there.
What a lie this is! What could be more real than the One who created everything real?

Jesus is God. Jesus is man. Jesus was a baby inside His mommy’s belly and he was born in a really gross and unappealing way (like all babies are) and he pooped and spit up and fell down a lot and got boo-boos and went through puberty and that awkward stage that we all go through (and some of us never get out of) and did everything that a real, normal person does (except sin.) He was and is real. He has a real body and everything just like I do. When I pray I am talking to a person. Sure, I can’t see that person, but does that make Him any less real?

The same Jesus that I pray to was born a very long time ago in a real stable to a real woman. He was real then and He is real now and someday I will see Him and then I will fully know how real He is.

Advent Thoughts #1

As some of you may know, we Gardners don’t celebrate Christmas. I should think, though, that it’s obvious by our words and actions that we certainly DO celebrate Jesus’ first Advent into this world and everything glorious that came from it. We are saved from death and wretchedness forever because Jesus was born and that is something to rejoice about!
I have some quotes and thoughts about the Advent that I’d like to share with you all. Most of these quotes and thoughts come from or are inspired by Andrew Peterson’s album, “Behold the Lamb of God.”
Let’s take some time to dwell on the marvelous truths that we know and adore: Jesus was born, He lived a perfect life, He was murdered and then He was raised from the dead and now reigns eternally in Heaven and on earth. Praise Jehovah!

****************

Where shall I begin this little Advent series? Well, it begins where it should- with a cry for help.

“Deliver us, deliver us
Oh Yahweh, hear our cry
And gather us beneath your wings tonight

Our sins they are more numerous than all the lambs we slay
These shackles they were made with our own hands
Our toil is our atonement and our freedom yours to give
So Yahweh, break your silence if you can

Deliver us, deliver us
Oh Yahweh, hear our cry
And gather us beneath your wings tonight”

Excerpt from “Deliver Us” by Andrew Peterson

Every creature on this earth is born into sin and misery. Our sin binds us in a vicious captivity. Then the Savior came to earth and shattered our chains with His life and death.
I am a vile sinner. Every morning when I wake up I feel the presence of my sin and every night when I go to sleep I can look back on the terrible things I’ve done throughout the day. I hate my sin. I yearn for the day when I will be finally and completely free from my sins. And that day will come because of what Jesus did. I am forgiven (what a glorious truth!) and my sin is no longer my master. Little by little my Jesus is changing me into the beautiful creature He wants me to be. And that is why He was born in a dirty little stable as the son of a lowly carpenter. To rescue me and to rescue you. To deliver us from captivity and bring us to freedom forever.

For Your Listening Enjoyment

This is one of those songs that I like for no real tangible reason. Enjoy!


P.S. The video is rather dumb so just listen to the song.

Our Latest Project

Before:

After:

Little Beauty

Alyssa

Sabbath Quote and Thought

"Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart."

Hymn by Jean Pi­gott

As we sang this hymn in church today I was moved to tears by this line:

"Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee."

Sometimes this world's shadows are so thick that I can barely see my way. But if I rest in Jesus then the shadows really do flee and I find hope again. What does it mean to rest in Jesus? To trust Him when He says," I love you, child, you are MINE. I am in control now and I always have been. I gave up my own life for you. Surely I will bring you through this, too."

Jesus has said that to me many times and yet I still doubt Him. Oh, foolish heart! How can I doubt the only One who has ever kept every promise that He has made to me? When will I be freed from my sin? Oh, Lord, keep me ever trusting, resting and fill me full with Thy grace.

Just Because It's Spiffy

Pretty neat, eh? The blur in the background is Malachi.

More Slugs & Bugs

As promised, more songs from Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame's children's CD, Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies:

God Made Me

God made slugs and bugs and rats and bats
And nasty bees that don't say please
They'll sting your elbows and your knees if you chase them

God made snakes and snails and killer whales
And if you were a baby seal
Then you would make a tasty meal for orcas.

But God made me like He made the sea
He filed it up with green and blue
He sent His Son, his only One
To fill me up and make me new.

God made everything that was or is
Or will be (what a crazy biz)
I can't believe that I am His forever

Now I listen very carefully
Because He lives inside of me
That could be gross, but it's not 'cause it's
Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior!

God made me like He made the sea
He filed it up with green and blue
He sent His Son, his only One
To fill me up and make me new.


Now on a more serious note (this is my favorite song on the album):

You Can Always Come Home

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy, and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

There once was a man who found him a treasure
Buried out under a tree
He sold all he had just to own it forever
The treasure is you, you see

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy, and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

There once were some sheep safe on the farm
And one little lamb got loose
The shepherd went out and carried it home
That little lamb is you

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy, and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

Pretty Much the Cutest Smile Ever

And I'm talking about Evangeline's smile, though Joshua's is pretty cute, too.

My Cute Little Man

This is Malachi wearing his "Dapper Dude Jacket" as he calls it.

Sabbath Quote

The Means by Which We Know God

• We know him by two means:

  First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20.

  All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse.

  Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for his glory and for the salvation of his own.

---From the Belgic Confession

A New Blog!

My niece Arianna and her friend Elsie have started a blog entitled "The Land of Fairytales." Arianna and I share a love of Fairies and we both seem to have excellent taste in blog templates.
Go check it out!

Four Cousins

Malachi, Alyssa, Lily & Evangeline

A Poem

Please take a moment to read this poem by John Piper. It is beautiful.

Happy Mother's Day

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining with all its brilliance, the sky was that shade of blue that makes you want to dance and the clouds were like puffs of pure white cotton hanging in the never ending blueness. I could feel the warm breeze on my face as I sped along on my trusty rollerblades.

I lifted my face to bask in the ethereal warmth when suddenly, from out of nowhere, a brick wall loomed up in front of me. I didn’t even have time to react. I couldn’t stop. I crashed into that solid wall going full speed, totally unprepared. The pain was blinding. I felt something shatter in my chest. It felt like shards of glass were exploding inside me, tearing holes in my veins and shredding my lungs to pieces. Breathing was impossible. Blackness. I had never known such pain.

That’s how I felt when my mom died.


Why do I write this?, you ask. First, believe it or not, it’s actually helpful for me. If I were to try to deny the existence of that pain then I would be a liar. If I forgot that pain then I would forget what I was rescued from.
Secondly, I hope to show you folks out there who still have your mom living on this earth what it was like to lose my mom so you can more fully appreciate your own mom.

When I change a yucky diaper I think about all my diapers that my mom changed. When I wake up in the middle of the night to care for a fussy baby I think about all the sleep my mom went without to care for me. When I’m exasperated at my children I think about what I must have put my mom through. And when I’m lonely during the day and ache for someone to talk to I remember how I could call my mom anytime to talk to her about anything and she would listen and understand.
Sure, my mom drove me crazy at times. It’s in the mother-daughter contract to get on each others nerves now and then. But she was my best friend and I loved her. And she loved me.

Imagine if your mom died today. Imagine never hearing her voice on the other end of the phone again. Imagine never again feeling her love for you. Is there something you would wish you had told her? Did you give her a hug the last time you saw her? Does she know that you truly appreciate everything she sacrificed for you? Does she know you love her?

Tell her. You never know if that brick wall will appear suddenly in front of you.

Bright Eyes

Kids Say the Cutest, (Darndest, Wisest, Adorable,) Things

I thought I had Lily trained pretty well: I’d ask her where she got her cuteness from and she’d smile and say: “From you!”
Smart kid, right? Well, it turns out that Malachi is trained even better. When asked where he got his cuteness from, without hesitating, he said, “God!”
Sigh. I guess I can’t argue with that one.
--------------------------

One Sunday afternoon I was doing some Catechism questions with Lily and Malachi.
“Who made you?” I asked.
“God!” they replied.
So far so good.
“What else did God make?”
“God made all things.”
I’m so proud of them.
“Where is God?”
“In Heaven,” Lily answers.
Close. Not too bad.
“Well, yes, but He’s also everywhere.”
Malachi didn’t seem to be paying attention to that one so I ask him again: “Where is God?”
“In there,” he says matter-of-factly, pointing to the Catechism. And to make sure I understand him fully, he clarifies: “In the book.”
Okay we’ll work on it.
----------------------

Yesterday at breakfast I was telling the kids how I had had a dream with snakes in it and that I was scared of the snakes. Lily said, “You don’t have to be scared.”
When I asked her why she replied, “Because Jesus will take care of you!”
How true. It’s good to be reminded of the great truths by a four-year-old.

Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies

Lily received from some some of her Illinois relatives (Thanks ya'll!) a CD of children's music by Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame entitled "Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies." It seems that these men have slightly Ben-Ezra-like senses of humor. Here's one of my favorite songs:

"Burp, burp, Chicken Wiggle, don't spit up. Don't spit up.
Come on, burp, burp, Chicken Wiggle don't spit up.

You've got bubbles down in your tummy,
And they'll be trouble if they don't rise
Well I know that milk is yummy,
But the doctor says no matter how that baby cries you've got to...

Burp, burp, Chicken Wiggle, don't spit up. Don't spit up...

You've got your bed, you've got your jammies,
You've been fed and pacified.
Got new Huggies down on your fanny
But there's only one more reason that a baby cries...

You've got to burp, burp, Chicken Wiggle, don't spit up. Don't spit up..."


More from this CD later! ;o)

Lily's Princess Party

We had Lily's birthday party on Saturday. It was a Princess party (of course) and we all had lots of fun. All the girls were princesses and got pretty wands and Malachi was a warrior prince so he got a sword.
Lily's princess cake.

Lily modeling some of her gifts from us- a new apron and a cute hat.

She got pretty Princess shoes from Gramma and Grampa Gardner (with lights!) and also a princess blanket and bed sheets.

And Grandpa B. gave her this spiffy bike.

A Sabbath Quote

"When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake."

Excerpt from "How Firm a Foundation"

Daddy and Evangeline

Our Trip to the Zoo

Yesterday was Lily's birthday so Joshua took the day off work and we went to the zoo. We had a great time and I got some spiffy pictures. Here's just a sample:


This is a particularly cute species of Four-Year-Old. Females of this species are often attracted to the color pink.




Poor guy, he's stuck with two tired and cranky women.

Yes, there is glass separating Malachi from that Cheetah. He wasn't scared a bit. Malachi was pretty brave, too.

A Sabbath Quote

"O quickly come, great King of all;
Reign all around us, and within;
Let sin no more our souls enthrall,
let pain and sorrow die with sin.
O quickly come, for Thou alone
Canst make Thy scattered people one.

O quickly come, true Life of all;
For death is mighty all around;
On every home his shadows fall,
On every heart his mark is found.
O quickly come, for grief and pain
Can never cloud Thy glorious reign."


----Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett

An Important Discovery

I have discovered an important truth: There is a limited amount of Cleanness in the world and each household is allotted a certain amount (some are given more than others.) I’ve found that I have just enough Cleanness for one room in my house to be Clean at a time- two if I spread it out pretty thinly. It doesn’t matter how hard I try to get my entire house clean, I will never succeed because I simply haven’t been allotted enough Cleanness.

Discovering this truth has made my life a lot easier. I now know that I’m not a failure at housekeeping- I’m just a victim of poor Cleanness distribution. I can relax now because really, who am I to try to defy the laws of Clean?

Someday It Will All Be Over

After the last tear falls
After the last secret's told
After the last bullet tears through flesh and bone
After the last child starves
And the last girl walks the boulevard
After the last year that's just too hard

There is love
Love, love, love

And in the end, the end is
Oceans and oceans
Of love and love again
We'll see how the tears that have fallen
Were caught in the palms
Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all
And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

Excerpt from "After the Last Tear Falls" by Andrew Peterson


Someday there really will be a final gunshot and then only peace will reign. When Jesus comes back.

Snapshots

Some cute moments in our family:

Lily showing her daddy the proper way to set the table.

Walking into Wal-Mart behind a balding man Lily comments loudly, "He doesn't have hair on top of his head!"

Evangeline smiling her toothless smile at her brother and him smiling back.

Eating something spicy, Lily opens her eyes as wide as she can, opens her mouth and sticks her tongue waaay out. "Aaaahhh!"

Lily and Malachi dubbing their picture books "Psalters" and singing Psalm 100 while their daddy plays guitar.

Lily nursing her baby doll and burping it. Malachi burping Chewy. ( He didn't even try to nurse him.)

Happy Birthday, Crystal!

Due to a recurring case of RLS (Real Life Syndrome) this birthday post is a few days late. My apologies to the birthday girl.

Saturday was my sister-in-law Crystal's birthday. I'd really like to write something to let her know how much I appreciate her, but my brain is a little muddled (as usual) so bear with me.

I think one of the main things I appreciate about Crystal is the work she does in her family. My brother is a happy man being married to her and he is flourishing because of her being a good helper to him. I love seeing my niece and nephews growing into beautiful (albeit slightly strange) little disciples of Christ. The S. Ben-Ezra family is creative and loving and a big reason for that is Crystal.

You're doing a good job, Crystal. I pray that you would see the fruit of your labors more and more with each passing year.

Happy Birthday!

Rules For Housekeeping with Little Kids

Here are just a few ways that having little kids can actually help give you that sparkling clean home you've always dreamed of. Just follow these simple steps and get ready to enjoy your clean home!

For a spotless dining room floor:

Step 1- Serve lunch to Toddler complete with cup of milk
Step 2- Watch as Toddler spills entire contents of cup on floor
Step 3- Wipe up milk that has somehow covered three quarters of the floor
Repeat daily.


For a delightfully fresh scented carpet:

Step 1- Leave Toddler unsupervised long enough for him to get into your tea supplies and scatter dried spearmint leaves all over living room carpet.
Step 2- Vacuum up spearmint leaves.
Now every time you vacuum the room will be filled with the scent of spearmint!
Repeat process after changing vacuum bag.

The Many Faces of Evangeline

A Dream Come True

This may come as a shock to some of you, but a little-known dream of ours has finally come true. We have long desired to quit suburbia and start a farm and now that dream has become a reality. We had heard of some land just outside of Corry for sale from a friend of a friend. The owner of this land is a Christian trying to raise some money to enable him and his family to become a missionaries and is therefore selling much of the land surrounding their current home (which is also for sale.) Since he heard we are Christians, too, he’s selling us this land for a very reasonable price and giving us plenty of time to sell our house.

Even though this is something we’ve been wanting for a while there is still some uncertainty ahead. Joshua will be quitting his job and will work making deliveries for a rental store in Warren while we’re setting up our farm. Money will be tight at first I’m sure, but I feel that it will be worth a little struggle to have our dream farm. As strange as it may sound, I’m actually looking forward to learning how to milk a cow and gather eggs from our own chickens.

Rejoice with us as we start this new adventure!

Fun Learning

This was part of school time today. Can anyone guess what animal we were learning about?

You Say It's Your Birthday- Well It's My Birthday, Too, Yeah

Well, here we are, less than an hour away from March 22, 2007- my 23rd birthday. It's strange to look over my life at the juncture. I am (almost) 23 years old, I'm married (to a wonderful man, by the way) I have three kids, a mortgage and a minivan. Sometimes I feel old beyond my years and sometimes I feel like I'm far too young to be a wife and mommy. It's amazing that the life I lead is exactly the life I wanted. That just goes to show that we don't always know what we're really asking for!

So, Happy Birthday to me! May my life be full of everyday adventures and may I never grow to old to enjoy them.