Little Princess

Charis' birthday is always in the midst of lots of celebrating so I don't always find time to blog about my sweet girl on her birthday so here are some belated birthday pictures and thoughts...

I found myself a bit melancholy as I took Charis to bed at the end of her third birth day. I held her close to my chest as I walked up the stairs giving extra kisses...trying to soak in the moment forever. When I try recall her as a baby, those moments seem less vivid than I'd like reminding me to cherish each moment God gives me. Yet I wouldn't trade the unique girl she is growing into. One thing that marks this year is her discovery of princesses and in particular Cinderella. The old book she found at my mom's and claimed has been read countless times so that she has it memorized word for word. So I figured this was the year to do a princess party. But more than fun princesses and dress up the things that characterize Charis are her sweet spirit, her love of books & learning ("mama teach me" is something I hear often), her laugh, her smile that lights up my day, and her sensitive soul that humbles me. What a gift she is to us!

EVEN a cup of cold water...

"And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Matthew 10:42 ESV

"Mama, I am thirsty" or "Mama, juicy, please" is something I must hear countless times in a day. Sometimes the requests come in not so polite forms "JUICE!!!" or with a baby's cry. And some days when I am weary or when I forget how much I prayed for these precious gifts, I am grumpy at any form of the request. I may not being healing people or moving mountains, but this small act of even handing water to my thirsty child is just as powerful and will not lose its reward. Yet if I don't do it "with love" and for my Savior, I am nothing (1 Cor 13:2). So as I read this today, I thought maybe it could be an encouragement to other moms, dads and caregivers as it was to me.

A New Prayer

I can't count how many times I have started a One Year Reading Plan. Needless to say, I have read Genesis 1 almost more than any passage of scripture except perhaps a few of my plumb lines. This January 1st, I asked God for something new as I read this well worn passage... and I got a new prayer.

As I read about God creating, He brought to mind bits of wonders I have gotten to see of His vast world so far. Then as I continued to read, the verse "Create in me a clean heart" came to mind. I usually think of this prayer by the Psalmist only as a request to be washed clean to have a fresh start. Or when reading the creation events, I get excited that God has the same power that He had at creation to change me. What struck me this time was the word "create" and the image we are given of God's creativity in Genesis 1. Everything was void, and God created this amazing world we live in with bright colorful flowers, sparkling stars, blue seas, lush mountains, white crunchy snow... This same creativity could happen in my heart! So this is my New Years Prayer:

Lord, I want you to create in my heart a clean heart. I want my heart to be pure. Please make something new. Create in my heart the way You did at creation. Separate the darkness and light in my heart. Fill me with Your light. Sprout new lush vegetation so that seeds grow and I bear juicy fruit. May the soil of my heart be soft. May I sprout colorful flowers that show Your work of creation. Most of all may I fulfill Your design of mankind to be "in your likeness". Make me a reflection of Your glory. May my life magnify You. Help this year not be about a bunch of to dos, but about magnifying You, abiding in You, seeking and knowing You even in the midst of life... in the midst of the dreaded mundane. May I reflect You to all those I meet this year. Create a new wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend that is full of Your creativity!

I pray this will be true for you too this year!

December is a time for celebrating...

Getting our Visas!

12 years of marriage

Charis turning 3...more to follow

Christ's Birth

The washer hums...then stops abruptly. It starts again going the opposite direction. All the while the clothes aren't going anywhere. As I stare mesmerized, it hits me if I were the clothes inside, it would drive me crazy . . . Then, s.l.o.w.l.y. I accept . . . I am those clothes. My task oriented side cringes. I like progress. I like completed tasks especially the ones unlike laundry that are completed - - - FOREVER! I don't like to have to go back to the store for something I forgot and much less do I like having to relearn a lesson. I feel like it is going backwards. I dislike backwards. This tiny energy efficient washer today fulfills a greater purpose than washing my family's clothing. As it spins its fastest it becomes God's tool to teach me, life most of the time is more like being inside of a washer machine than in a car going forward. In this process of life turning I pray I am becoming more and more like God's son, Jesus.

What has consumed my world...

“What are little boys made of?

What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails,

That's what little boys are made of.”

Gabriel turned 9 months on Sunday. I feel like each month flies by quicker than I want (except the sleepless nights). I hold him tight as if that will keep him a baby longer. His laughs and smiles fill our home. We all enjoy making him laugh, but I think Charis may be able to get him to laugh harder than anyone. Their relationship is precious. His eyes light up if he hears her voice or sees her. And she asks for him at times when she is sad. He loves people. People marvel at his smiles and friendliness.

Our little boy is full of energy and always on the go. He goes full force so that by nap or bed time his entire body and soul are begging for sleep. His adventurous spirit is the only thing that will cause him to slow down to inspect something which usually means putting it in his mouth. If he is not stopping to chew on something, he is crawling, pulling up, cruising, climbing or using his new little walking toys (my life savers right now). Gabriel celebrated turning nine months by letting go while standing. The next day he had numerous big falls as he attempted to get from one object to the next . Bathing him is like a work out for me to make sure he stays safe. He wiggles out of my hands so quick, pulls up on the sides of the bath tub or just dives face forward!

(caught eating a snail)

I recently went back and read what I blogged about Charis at this age, and I was struck with how unique God makes each child. Charis was just getting active and curious, but Gabriel has been an energizer bunny since 4 1/2 months. Charis said more words and sounds and did a lot of "tricks". Gabriel says only "dada" and "mama". He tries to say banana but only mouths it which probably won't change because he loves me laughing about it. His only "trick" is his piggy face. But the thing that made me laugh is that they both discovered at the same age somebody’s left over ice cream AND loved it!

Finding Sister's ice cream

(look close to see those top four teeth)