High Tide

For starters we had planned a quiet afternoon Father's day/ Mommy's birthday party at La Jolla. Hmmm...we only forgot that there wouldn't be any shade left on Father's Day, 2008, in the same town that the US Open was in...We did find a lovely parking space after driving around for awhile. Joe and I enjoyed the ocean while our children enjoyed chasing the squirrels and pigeons. I had these visions of our calm children taking their naps on our special engagement blanket while we listened to the lapping of the waves.

To make a long story short, we decided to explore the cave. We found some crabs and enjoyed climbing on the rocks and picking up sea weed and squishing the sand between our toes. The tide began to come in so we decided to head back up, but first we wanted to look at the interesting formations in the cliffs on the south-east of us. After a few minutes we were ready to go up the steps because the tide was starting to really come in. We were nearly to the steps when I looked behind us and saw a HUGE wave coming in!!! Abbie was in front of me and she started running for the steps (which have a very high bottom step, maybe three feet from the sand floor) I lifted her up as quickly as I could and I had someone in my other arm and Tommies sandals and a hat in the hand that was helping Abbie. The wave hit us! I was completely soaked. I dropped a sandal and was so completely disoriented. I guess that Jonathan had gotten sucked under and then was able to come up. Joe hadn't seen where Abigail went. It was shocking.

Once we realized everyone was safe and with us, we realized that there was a sandal getting swept out to sea. Nobody cried when the wave hit us, but to watch that sandal in the water would make you think we were watching our pet dog drown. A diver was just coming in and he went to it's rescue, aided on by both cries of relief combined with continued cries of terror. When I was watching him I realized that my hair was dripping and I reached up and touched it and found it covered with sand. Also, the whole right side of my face was covered with sand. Tonight when I was nursing Elizabeth I had an itchy ear and found it was filled with sand!

What an adventure. It all happened so quickly. We were all a bit shaken by the suddenness. How thankful we are for God's protection. Jonathan was out on his own and how thankful we are that he had the swimming skills to not get sucked out. I am very surprised by how disoriented I was, I can't even tell you if I had Elizabeth or Thomas in my arms and Joe doesn't know who he had. We just felt this overwhelming blind panic to get everyone to safety.

I have thought about the Tsunami from 2006 and the cyclones which just hit in Myanmar, both the huge life tragedies that accompanied them. Life seems so predictable but to have an experience that helps you realize there are so many things that we can't predict or even expect and to know that there are so many people that don't have an assurance of Life. May our lives overflow with the powerful flow of God's truth so that those drowning may find salvation in the Lord Jesus.

Wrestling

There is so much that comes naturally in life--and then there are the things that I wish would come naturally...

As I wrestle with the vices in each of my precious children, I realize more starkly than ever the vices in my own life.

There is such a transformation that needs to happen.

"Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."

Anger, wrath, malice, jealousy, greed,lust impurity, these are embedded so deeply in the human heart that they threaten to cut off life-giving circulation.

As God's children we get to clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We get to bear with each other and forgive each other. We get to have these fruits bound together in love--not a "love-me love", but a "love is an action" love.

One thing is evident: as I wrestle with issues of the heart I must "Let the word of Christ dwell richly in me" In our home we have a great need for teaching and admonishing to be done in wisdom. How grateful I am to have a book that pulses with wisdom, insight, and eternity.

Yes, there is a lot to wrestle with, but, how thankful I am for the Lord Jesus Christ who can snip the ugly vices and allow the life-giving flow of His virtues to pulse through my veins.

The Gift of Motherhood

I am spending my seventh mother's day as a mother. My oldest will soon be seven, he was due on Mother's Day 2001 (and was 11 days late...) My Jonathan is up to my shoulder now, is full of zest when it comes to designing lego's and reading Tin Tin, and likes to give keen insight into life. He asks questions that I have to research before I can answer him. He is growing and maturing. What a gift it has been to be his mother.

My beautiful five-year old Abigail. She has so much she wants to do and so many things that her abilities are not at the same level as her desire.;) She is exact, nurturing and demanding with her siblings. Her eyes sparkle with delight over other people's achievments. She has a servant heart that carefully considers the tasks at hand. What a gift to be her mother.

My Thomas. He was made out of sugar and cream. He always has something to say and it is always a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!!! He loves to be exact with his drwaeing,nurturing with his "pets" and helpful with his mommy. He is always learning about legos from Jonathan and being wrapped in a blanket by Abigail and giggling over something funny with Elizabeth. What a gift to be his mother.

My 'lil Lizzie is my peaches and cream. She has these two eager eyes that are always looking up at me, before she takes off to explore the world. She is very confident and doesn't worry too much about where mommy is, because mommy will always be close! She rarely looks over her shoulder before she goes off on some expedition or climbs some high wall..she loves keeping me on my toes. She is potty trained--I am amazed and delighted to say. She knows how life works. She loves her brothers and sister and always wants to be with them. What a gift to be her mother.

These precious little one's are God's special gifts to me.I am thankful that with my dear husband we get to nurture these four children we get to guide them, we get to teach them discipline and honor. We get to teach them about a Creator that is real and cares about them--who knew them before the beginning of the world. Our God who demands righteousness and justice, while supplying his Son who alone can fulfill those demands. We get to teach our children about the Lord of truth and honesty, self control and love.

I so often look into myself and see such empty and void. How can I possiblt supply the demands of the day??? Then I know. God has given me this precious gift of motherhood, I get to impart His words and His ways to those beautiful eyes that look up at their mommy.

What a gift to be a mother!

Bonnie

I am going to s-l-o-w-l-y fill in the details of Easter week because we are having an extremely full and delightful week with Joe this week! :)

A few highlights to savor: Last night Bonnie Joy spent the night. Oh my. How to describe the delight and spontaneity of Bonnie? Let me give you slice into the evening:

We all went bowling. Everyone is in line and everyone around is gawking at us because we have 5 children 6 and younger. Abbie and Bonnie have their arms around each other and squeal every time they see someone roll the ball. Finally we get to go down to bowl. The lady next to us tells us that the children can NOT cross over a certain invisible line. The children seriously and focusedly learn the goal of getting the pins knocked down.

They had such a ball! Bonnie was so terrific to watch as her ball would roll slowly down the lane. If it missed some of the pins she would cross her adorable little arms-- and once she even layed down in the lane in utter dissapointment (not like throwing a fit, just sad that her ball didn't hit a pin). Part way through our bowling there were cheers of encouragement from everyone around us for our cute little people. The lady who had been so serious at the beginning came and told us that whatever we were doing, keep doing it, because our kids were terrific--they were. :)

We went out for frozen yogurt and some people told us they stayed to watch us instead of going home to watch TV. They said they hadn't been so entertained in a long time. Hmmmm, maybe that's why we don't watch TV. :)

Bonnie is the one who always likes to stand up, ask questions, must be holding a hand or, well, you just don't quite know where she is. Abbie followed her around saying "Aunt" and Joe would pick her up and look in her eyes and say "Little Sister" and she would eagerly want to see, do and think everything she was capable of. Bonnie is quite a delightful little person!!!

Palm Sunday

I have always loved the palm tree because it is such a perfect example of a godly man. No matter how severe a storm, how much drought, or even if it is burned, a palm tree will survive. In fierce winds, the palm tree was designed to bend with the wind, sometimes bending nearly in half, yet not snapping. In drought, the roots go so deep into the ground that the tree is able to tap into life-giving water. In fire, the outer fronds of a palm tree will burn, but it is so resilient that it is usually able to recover, even when it is charred black.

Historically we see the palm tree used to celebrate royalty. We think of Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans arrayed with big palm fronds being waved. They are regal and kingly.

When Jesus was on earth he was given a day of magnificent honor, fulfilling prophecy from hundreds of years before. On the day that we celebrate "Palm Sunday" we remember how Jesus was led into the city of Jerusalem on a young, unbroken donkey. As He rode into the city the streets were lined with people who had seen him heal their sick, defy the elements and fill their hunger. They saw One who was capable of being their conquering King.

"Hosanna, Hosanna to the Highest" The voices rang with enthusiasm and praise. These words were exactly what God had planned, in fact, if the people didn't shout them the rocks would cry out! This was a moment of honor and praise for our Lord.

Our family has a tradition of picking palm fronds the day before Palm Sunday and taking the fronds to Sunday school the next day so the children can wave them in the air and shout "Hosanna!"

I always love the honor and the delight that dances in the air as everyone celebrates the Lord. But I also always have a hesitancy in my heart as I think of how easy we give praise and excitement. How easy it is to give, yet how easy it is to curse and condemn.

I would think that there would have to be quite a lapse in time before someone could go from to praising to condemning. Unfortunately our frail humanness allows us to hail our King one week and condemn Him to death the next.

The palm tree is a beautiful example of having roots that are grounded deep in life-giving water. Jesus said, "He who drinks from me will never thirst." When storms come the palm tree has roots that are so deep that stability is there--even when it is blown nearly in half. Christians are not promised easy times--nor even good times. On the contrary we are exhorted to "Take up [our] cross and follow [Him]." What trials may be attached to that??? We are assured "In this world you will have tribulation." When fire comes to a palm tree it survives because it has water deep in its fibrous tissue.

In the midst of our trials, fires, and droughts where can we find assurance? Jesus words: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

May our intellect, emotion, and body drink deep from God's word. May God let His water quench our thirst, and may we come back again and again for more of His life-giving water so that our roots can deepen into the depths of His rich soil. May our lips be filled with praise. "Hosanna to the most High!!!"'

Preview

I have some very special stories and pictures from Easter, but I need to close down for the evening so here is a little peek:

Happenings...

Here are a few of our recent escapades...

Jonathan *finally* gets to pour the batter for the pancakes. He has been my right-hand pancake flipper for a while--at long last he gets to pour the pancakes. (I doubt we will have any of the more sedate single-round pancakes for a l.o.n.g. time--we get to have Cubbie, Mickey Mouse, and Sparky! And no pancakes ever tasted better!)



When Joe and I got married we were given a gift certificate to Costco and we purchased a sewing machine with it. We later picked up a second machine at our neighbors garage sale. I love the lovely stitches my new machine does and the dependability of the all-metal machine from our neighbor. Well, I've been doing a lot of sewing lately and we decided to plug both machines in so I could work with Jonathan and Abigail. I began by drawing straight lines down construction paper and graduated the difficulty to curved lines that Jonathan and Abigail would sew on top of. What a great way to gain control. Here is a very careful Abbie.



Thomas likes to wake up with a book. Here is my dear husband and two sons enjoying an early morning read.


Elizabeth likes to talk on anything that has the slightest potential of being a telephone. At violin she likes to "talk" on Miss Shirley's little electronic games, or her remote. In this picture she is at our house--talking on the calculator. :)

Yuki!

Last year my mom and dad had an exchange student from Japan who was the daughter of an exchange student that they had nearly thirty years ago! We had a special year together with Yuki. Joe and I had just found out that we were expecting Elizabeth when Yuki first came and she went home on December 26...four days before Elizabeth was born! So Yuki had to come back to visit so she could meet Elizabeth (probably to see a few other family members as well ;)

Here is Yuki, Elizabeth and me. Lizzie is serenading us with the harmonica--through the corner of her mouth. :)


Everyone on the teeter-totter.


Swinging (everyone is gnawing on pineapple cores).


We all enjoy doing origami,but the directions tend to be a bit baffling to us. Yuki reads them with ease and is such a great teacher. We made jumping frogs, boats, trees...


Yuki's masterpiece! The cube used six origami papers and the holder used three! We had such a special time with Yuki and look forward to more visits in the future.

The puppies are growing!

Bonnie Joy with a puppy


Any mother of a toddler knows what this is like...


Adorable.


Thomas James


Abigail Marie

Echo's of Eden...

My cup is very full. How thankful I am for the special moments that God gives me that are pungent with eternity...

Gazing into my husband's eyes and having a great conversation.

Being amazed at Elizabeth's understanding of how things work--and nursing her! ;)
Watching Thomas tell a joke--with his big eyes sparkling.

Having Abigail slip her hand in mine, just because.

Enjoying Jonathan's animation over--everything: lego's, reading, violin, origami, games, drawing...

What a delight to journey through life with these special people!!!


(I've been working on Easter dresses. Cute. Cute. Cute!)

Reality

How thankful I am for the sharpness of reality--yummy meals and dirty dishes, parks and scraped knees, learning and struggling. Our joys are so coupled with hardship. Sometimes when I tightly grasp my reality, my spirit cringes from the sharpness. Tonight Joe and I were going to bed and I was feeling so drained and soon he was sleeping and then...Lizzie woke up. I think she has been getting tummy aches at night because she doesn't settle down unless I walk her.

I am sitting, snuggling Elizabeth, while enjoying the beauty and peacefulness of the evening. These are moments that I don't enjoy during the day. Elizabeth's features are so precious. Her gentle breathing and twinkle eyes are so enchanting. I am thankful that God has given me this time of nurturing my baby.

I went to a funeral today with all four children, by myself. They did amazingly well. I was tense the whole time because there was only one open pew that I could sit in and an old man, whom I didn't know, was sitting on the outside. He graciously let us sit next to him and I found myself trapped in a church pew. Elizabeth didn't shriek and the other children sat around me and listened very well. I ended up leaving before the reception because Thomas started crying (and crying).

Thomas gets more delightful everyday to talk with. I never know what he will say next. When I was pushing him on the swing he said "Push me high, Mommy, I want to touch the roof of the clouds." Yesterday I went to the orthodontist for a quick visit and all the children were lined up watching me in the chair. When the Dr. came in Thomas told him that he got a "Dragon for his birthday, what were the teeth clips that they put around mommy, we were going to the zoo when we were finished and why does the dentist chair move?" He is REALLY into telling jokes right now (Why did the crocodile cross the road? To eat a marshmallow!??) So, he doesn't quite understand what makes a joke funny, but we always laugh so he loves to tell them.

Abigial has been going to her speech therapy sessions. At first there was resistance (I think Grammie's puppies sounded funner than "going to class"). But now she is enjoying her teacher and is really blossoming. I have found that I like to "do" things a lot with Abigail, pick flowers, clean, cook, have tea parties. Lately she has been wanting to just chat with me, which has been so sweet. Abbie is very focused, detailed and deliberate. She is the best sister, always aware of the others and (usually!) considerate of their needs.

Jonathan often makes me dizzy with his constant activity. He is always moving something and is so interested in his own world that I struggle to bring him back into ours. He loves to explore and act. We like to go on walks and act out different stories (one of our favorite's is to go to a little bridge by our house and act out the Three Billy Goats Gruff.) If I can't find him I only need to look by the Lego's or the K'nex. God has given him amazing building skills. Everything he makes is always symmetrical and interesting.

These are special, consuming parts of my reality. I want to grasp it tightly, even when it delights--even when it hurts.

Disneyland IV

Here are a few more highlights of our day:
Tommy finally got to meet Mickey. Only when we were actually in the room with him, Thomas was a bit...apprehensive. He was not interested in getting close, not even for a picture. He has been very happy with his Mickey Mouse shirt and hat, and is more in love with Mickey than ever. I think the knowledge that Mickey was so large was a bit much for him to take in during the 30 seconds he was given to process such important information.

Abbie loves letters and words. She will often write random words down, just because it's so special. She was so thrilled to have Mickey Mouse write in her book.


Abbie climbed this rope in the tree house with little effort. All these other children formed a line so they could climb it also. When she slid down they tried and quickly went on to other things. Not all people have the same climbing abilities. :)


Another highlight was the parade! It was sooo fun to watch all the Disney characters parade past us with amazing stunts, costumes and music. Thomas was so happy and even blew a few kisses. :)


Here is a fun group picture where we got to be with my cousin Daniel and his friend Olivia.

After dark we were going to watch the fireworks,but we ended up having our arms full of very tired children. So, we headed back to our hotel room where we had a huge jacuzzi tub (6'x4'!) where we all got into our swim suits and turned on the jets and enjoyed laughing, relaxing, and reminiscing together. We got out of the tub and watched the fireworks from our window and then sat down to Smores (we made them in the microwave :).


Since we've gotten home Thomas has been asking when we can go back to our Disneyland house. Here is Elizabeth enjoying every last detail. ;)

Disneyland III Where your dreams come true!

We finished our morning off with delightful wanderings and finally...lunch. :) We had brought snacks and a yummy lunch with us for all those hungry, park travelling tummies. :) We then had some children who had reached the bottom of the barrel and we took them back for a nice nap to re-charge all the batteries. :)

When we got back we went straight to the Jedi Training, where young boys in attendance are trained how to fight with a light saber. For real. Guess what??? Jonathan was chosen!!! He stood up on the stage with his brown cape and light saber learning the moves of the masters. All of a sudden, the floor raised and there was Darth Vader himself--with two storm troopers and his red-faced accomplice.


Jonathan had his moves so strong and fast that the storm troopers surrounded him and had their guns drawn. Jonathan was able to keep them back.


Here is one of the workers who passed out the light sabers and kept around 30 armed children in rapt attention.

After the "training academy" was over Jonathan received a certificate stating that he passed his training as a young Jedi.

We left the Jedi Training Academy with a boy who no longer walked on the ground. He walked on air.

We were all so excited. Then all of a sudden we noticed the sword in the stone. The boys were so happy and they were trying to pull it out when Merlin walks up behind them! He was getting ready for a show and asked us to exit the area. We did and quickly lined up to watch the presentation.

Well, who does Merlin chose to pull the sword out of the stone??? Joe!

But no matter how hard Joe pulled, the sword would not budge. So Merlin picked a little girl, who promptly began to cry and then he picked...our Jonathan!!! I was so excited watching Jonathan rush up to pull the sword out of the stone...

He did pulled it out with little effort. Do you see Joe in the background? Merlin had him stand like that, arms flexed, through the entire presentation. :)

Here is our family in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle. You can see Jonathan's special awards and a very happy family. ;)

Disneyland II

The first ride we went on was the Story Book cruise. It was fascinating to learn that Walt Disney himself had helped to plant and place the many different objects. There was even a bonsai that was over 200 years old! (It was over 150 years when Disney planted it!) After we went on the Story Book cruise we decided that the older children would go on a ride with daddy. Here is a picture of Abbie--notice the 35" criteria behind her? Notice also how much taller she is than that mark? Notice also that smile! :) Unfortunately, the ride was shut down just before it was our guys turn..so they took a spin on the Tea cups!Do you know how fast a brother and a sister can get one of these to spin???

When we began our journey again, Thomas needed to visit the "Prince's room." So Abbie, Elizabeth and I went into the princess area of the park as the boys took care of business. When they were coming back to meet us, whom should they meet???....
PETER PAN!!! They asked him for his autograph and he promptly ran away from them. When the boys finally caught up with him Joe asked Peter what it was like to fly, to which Peter replied, "Exactly like in your dreams, only 100 times better!" Wow.

Our children loved collecting autographs all day. I think that was one of Abbie's highlights. Any character you could ask for their autograph. We got Peter Pan, Lady Eloise, Mary Poppins, Bert, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse. We did not ask Cruella Deville for her autograph-- though we did see her!

This is where the girls had disappeared to as the boys were off chasing Peter Pan. There was an area that princesses taught you a simple dance and told delightful stories.

A May Pole that the children held ribbons and danced around together. Very sweet and very special.

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland for the first time as a family--and for me the first time in 16 years!!!

What a special time of enjoying castles, Disney characters, rides, talks, laughs and each other.

Our time began at the Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites--which is directly across the street from Disneyland (and very reasonably priced!). We arrived at around 9:00pm on Valentine's and went directly to downtown Disney after checking into our hotel. Fun, fun, fun!!!

Thomas had been so giddy in the days leading up to going about getting to meet Mickey Mouse. Now we were finally at Disneyland. We were stolling down the sidewalk with "It's a Small World" playing in the background. Tommy was looking everywhere for Mickey. All of a sudden he says, "I found him!!!!" There was Thomas kneeling down, in the dark, and there in the pavers were little, teeny, tiny Mickey's. He could have gone home then completely happy. :)


We began our Disneyland day with a continental breakfast at our hotel.


My brother's had shown us these larger-than-life cones in pictures from when they went to Disneyland. They called them "Woody cones." Another fun addition that filled the children's cups before they even went into the park. :)


Our picture outside the park. We got to spend some of the day with one of my cousins.


Shortly after we got into the Park Abbie saw "The Castle". Here are the knights of our family.


Since we've gotten home from Disneyland we've asked Thomas what his favorite thing at Disneyland was and he has said (more than once), "The dragon." "The dragon on the train ride?" "No. The dragon in the castle picture."

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is not just a walker now, she is a CLIMBER! If I want to find Elizabeth I just need to look...up! Here are a few fun Elizabeth photo's

Mommy and Elizabeth


Our little twinkle toes (we have bells on her shoes so we can hear her if we need to!)


Mutti and Elizabeth




Jonathan and Elizabeth, on an adventure together

Thomas is "free" at last!!! :)

Thomas celebrated being "free" last Monday. We have been so blessed by this special boy. We had a quiet day of celebration--donuts and presents for breakfast, a 'cooda (scooter), helping mommy make pizza, a penguin cake, Grammie and Papa and the Uncles and Auntie Emmie and Aunt Bonnie. We also always have the polls in our garage for the voting so they were setting up for voting the next day as we celebrated Thomas--which only added to the excitement and business.

At the three year-old's birthday breakfast!


Going for the first ride on his new scooter.


Grammie enjoying Thomas' antics after he blew out the candles.
(The clock in the background says 9:30--it wasn't quite that late--that is the clock that I used to teach Jonathan how to tell time with--which he is a pro at now!!!)


Papa with his daughter and granddaughter.