Josiah started preschool this fall and they have a music teacher that comes in twice each week. Here are some of the pictures from the most recent class- she said he sat still for 15 minutes! That is definitely a record!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Music time at preschool
Josiah started preschool this fall and they have a music teacher that comes in twice each week. Here are some of the pictures from the most recent class- she said he sat still for 15 minutes! That is definitely a record!
Something to ponder
So today at church we listen to a message about suffering and what could possibly be the reason for it. There were members of the congregation that shared their stories of being struck with cancer and the emotions that were swirling through their minds through that time. We looked at various principles found in the bible of the purposes of suffering. Having just finished reading the book of Job myself, I thought this was pretty good timing. One couple said that they had just finished having a discussion of how blessed they were and how God had only poured blessing on them so far, and hadn't really ever tested them- days later she found out she had breast cancer and it had spread to her lymph nodes. Ironic? Definitely. Coincidence? Probably not. Purposeful? of course. She said that this has given her a new joy, a new passion for life, and a new reason to share her faith. Of course, not everyone experiences healing, and for those that do not, what is the purpose then? Obviously this wouldn't fall into the category of displaying God's power and glory- if there is no miraculous healing it isn't much a display of the almighty power of God. Some die in tragic circumstances or after bouts of suffering. I found it odd that each of the four "stricken" members of this panel were all dealt the cancer card, and were all healed. What about those that are not healed? What about those that die and the ones they leave behind?
Suffering is an interesting phenomena. I truly believe that it is purposeful, and that God can use it for his purposes if we will allow him to do so. Why would God choose to allow someone to be stuck with a constant thorn in their side? Think of all the life lessons that could come from that.
The service ended with the story of the writer of the song "It is well with my soul". His only son had just died. He and his wife and 4 girls were to go to England for a trip. He got caught on business, so the wife and girls went ahead. The boat was struck by an iron liner and sank in minutes. Only the wife survived. She sent word to him, and immediately he traveled to England to bring her home. On the way there, he wrote this song. The song filled the sanctuary and I held back the watery eyes. It is amazing what God can do if you let him. To go through such suffering and still sing praise. On the other hand- if you are not a believer, how could you ever get through? Interesting things to ponder on this oddly dreary day.
We then proceeded to Home Depot where Josiah squealed "PIZZA!" at every box of floor tile we passed. I guess anything that comes in a flat cardboard box is now pizza and this is very exciting. A constant reminder of God's power right there in that squealing miracle of ours.
Suffering is an interesting phenomena. I truly believe that it is purposeful, and that God can use it for his purposes if we will allow him to do so. Why would God choose to allow someone to be stuck with a constant thorn in their side? Think of all the life lessons that could come from that.
The service ended with the story of the writer of the song "It is well with my soul". His only son had just died. He and his wife and 4 girls were to go to England for a trip. He got caught on business, so the wife and girls went ahead. The boat was struck by an iron liner and sank in minutes. Only the wife survived. She sent word to him, and immediately he traveled to England to bring her home. On the way there, he wrote this song. The song filled the sanctuary and I held back the watery eyes. It is amazing what God can do if you let him. To go through such suffering and still sing praise. On the other hand- if you are not a believer, how could you ever get through? Interesting things to ponder on this oddly dreary day.
We then proceeded to Home Depot where Josiah squealed "PIZZA!" at every box of floor tile we passed. I guess anything that comes in a flat cardboard box is now pizza and this is very exciting. A constant reminder of God's power right there in that squealing miracle of ours.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Jumping on the bandwagon..
I guess it is finally time to join the masses and start our very own blog. Will I keep up with it? Perhaps. Likely, I'll fall terribly behind and then have to spend my Saturday trying to catch you all up on the three new children and the winning lotto tickets, but I'll give it my best shot. Actually, if there was a winning lotto ticket, I wouldn't really bother with a blog, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Tonight was "Hurry up and clear the 2o bags worth of leaves off the grass before the neighbors turn us in to the authorities" night. I helped for about an hour, and thats pretty much the maximum that can be expected. Its hot out, good tv is on tonight, starting a blog was calling me, etc. Tried to put leaves in those cheesy pumpkin bags that I can't get over and each one of them ripped. I love Target, won't shop anywhere else, but their pumpkin bags are crap. Can you even say crap here? After the second one ripped, I figured I had Steve hooked on the whole "clean the lawn so we don't get kicked out of the neighborhood" thing, so I abandoned my post and left him to it. This has proven to be quite effective. I even told him he wouldn't have to sit through Grey's Anatomy with me tonight as a reward. Not that he can do much else since our basement is out of order. At any rate, this round of leaves is mulched and bagged, and we'll have a day or two before we need to do it again. I know the blasted red maple is pretty- you all oooh and ahhhh over it- but come on folks- its 40 bags of leaves to pick up! I say knock them all down and put out some fake ones. They would add a nice asthetic effect, and you could spray them with the scent of your choice. A much better option and hassle free.
I suppose I should mention Josiah, since 95% of you will only read this for updates on him... He continues to amaze us. Today he was wiped by 5pm and in bed shortly after 6. They had the music teacher at preschool today and he actually sat still for 15 whole minutes! I told her I may need proof of this, as it sounds like make-believe. He loved it though. He now does actions to 2 different Wiggles songs. We love the Wiggles. Steve gets a ton of funny looks when he does the actions while driving. Josiah is also obsessed with tractors, trucks and busses, but mostly tractors. Luckily for him, (and no one else) they tore down this huge flower shop across the street to make a new high-rise so there are tons of tractors working there daily. He squeals everytime we get close and knows they are coming. He's also starting to use his imagination, which is really fun to watch. He'll talk on his real-fake phone, and drive his bathtub trucks and trains and make noises, etc. Its great to watch him grow, but he definitely isn't losing any speed. We are exhausted each and every day.
To conclude this broad overview/update on everything pertaining to us, we are moving forward (while at a turtle pace) on the basement remodel. Luckily we haven't gotten any more water after the past 2 weeks of more rain. (Thanks to those that helped with the landscaping to fix that!). We priced out new flooring, measured, etc. And we are bringing in The Fireplace Guy; our happiness (mine) is hanging on his every word. We'll find out Monday if we are going to be able to accomplish our ultimate plans for that, or if we have to settle for plan "D". We are both excited for the work though- that kind of stuff is sort of fun. I'm sure my dad is excited to spend his free weekends showing us how to fix everything too.
Thats it for now. I need to get ready for the Office and then the tivo'd Grey's Anatomy. And yes, Steve will join me. He's a sucker for the soaps.
Tonight was "Hurry up and clear the 2o bags worth of leaves off the grass before the neighbors turn us in to the authorities" night. I helped for about an hour, and thats pretty much the maximum that can be expected. Its hot out, good tv is on tonight, starting a blog was calling me, etc. Tried to put leaves in those cheesy pumpkin bags that I can't get over and each one of them ripped. I love Target, won't shop anywhere else, but their pumpkin bags are crap. Can you even say crap here? After the second one ripped, I figured I had Steve hooked on the whole "clean the lawn so we don't get kicked out of the neighborhood" thing, so I abandoned my post and left him to it. This has proven to be quite effective. I even told him he wouldn't have to sit through Grey's Anatomy with me tonight as a reward. Not that he can do much else since our basement is out of order. At any rate, this round of leaves is mulched and bagged, and we'll have a day or two before we need to do it again. I know the blasted red maple is pretty- you all oooh and ahhhh over it- but come on folks- its 40 bags of leaves to pick up! I say knock them all down and put out some fake ones. They would add a nice asthetic effect, and you could spray them with the scent of your choice. A much better option and hassle free.
I suppose I should mention Josiah, since 95% of you will only read this for updates on him... He continues to amaze us. Today he was wiped by 5pm and in bed shortly after 6. They had the music teacher at preschool today and he actually sat still for 15 whole minutes! I told her I may need proof of this, as it sounds like make-believe. He loved it though. He now does actions to 2 different Wiggles songs. We love the Wiggles. Steve gets a ton of funny looks when he does the actions while driving. Josiah is also obsessed with tractors, trucks and busses, but mostly tractors. Luckily for him, (and no one else) they tore down this huge flower shop across the street to make a new high-rise so there are tons of tractors working there daily. He squeals everytime we get close and knows they are coming. He's also starting to use his imagination, which is really fun to watch. He'll talk on his real-fake phone, and drive his bathtub trucks and trains and make noises, etc. Its great to watch him grow, but he definitely isn't losing any speed. We are exhausted each and every day.
To conclude this broad overview/update on everything pertaining to us, we are moving forward (while at a turtle pace) on the basement remodel. Luckily we haven't gotten any more water after the past 2 weeks of more rain. (Thanks to those that helped with the landscaping to fix that!). We priced out new flooring, measured, etc. And we are bringing in The Fireplace Guy; our happiness (mine) is hanging on his every word. We'll find out Monday if we are going to be able to accomplish our ultimate plans for that, or if we have to settle for plan "D". We are both excited for the work though- that kind of stuff is sort of fun. I'm sure my dad is excited to spend his free weekends showing us how to fix everything too.
Thats it for now. I need to get ready for the Office and then the tivo'd Grey's Anatomy. And yes, Steve will join me. He's a sucker for the soaps.
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