Driveway pictures...

We had the driveway poured a few weeks ago. It is Yosemite Brown and we love it! Here is the man who did the work, Tony,with Joe and Jonathan.

Mirrors

Today Joe and I were laughing about how our children are so much like us. Laughing tongue-in-cheek. Normally when you look in the mirror you smile, fix any blemishes, then go on your merry way. Any uncomfortable, inconvenient, irritable, or sinful attitudes can be glossed over and "normalized" as we jump into our busy day.

Not so with my children. If they are not feeling happy on the inside--boy do you know it! Crying, demanding, screaming. Ugh. Do they know that I have those feelings too??? The character that was supposed to be developed in my life just isn't there. I can't believe how the areas of my life that I struggle with the most I am supposed to help my children grow in.

I have been feeling alarmed with how little there is of me, when I need to have so much to guide my little family with throughout the day. I think I am entering into the second half of the sophomoric period of my life. (Greek words sophos, meaning "wise", and moros, meaning "fool").

There is a quote by Elisabeth Elliot that I find particularly applicable to how I am feeling at this stage:

"The process of shaping the child...shapes also the mother herself.
Reverence for her sacred burden calls her to all that is pure and good, that she
may teach primarily by her own humble, daily example."

Those are soothing words for me. I used to like to think that I was well on my way to being shaped--maybe I was even almost dry? But now, to see this process called motherhood unfold as I care for and mother my children, I have a greater need, a greater longing, to know God's pureness and goodness so that I can teach those to my children. No, don't look to me for the answers, I am very thin and weak. But thank God that He gives answers. May I look to Him in His word for that character when my "little mirrors" reflect the real me.

Abigail Marie

Our Abigail. What else do I need to say? Strength, diligence, thoughtfulness, she is a young girl in progress who God is preparing in a special way. I have never met another person who is so eager to help and is so aware of people's needs. At the end of last school year we went out to lunch with our pastor and Abigail did her normal Abbie things, getting napkins for everyone, a high chair for Tom, helping daddy get drinks. Well, Pastor Jim asked me how old she was (three at that time). He said that the servant heart that Abigail has at such a young age will be used in a special way. How wonderful to know this young daughter of mine.

A fun story that I just heard today from my Uncle Tony happened last Sunday at my Grandma McDonald's birthday party. Uncle Tony was in the back room playing with Thomas when Abbie and Bonnie came in with him to play and Abbie looks up at him and says, "I can watch the little kids now." Letting Uncle Tony know that there was another set of dependable eyes in the room. He said he asked her how old she was and choked on her answer of "4"!!!

Here is a picture that Auntie Emilie took of our Abigail.

Abigail is always eager to clean anything and everything. Do you see her feet???

Jonathan and Abigail in mommy and daddy's shoes!

Abigail, looking into the radar screen aboard the Midway.I know if we gave her one of these she would have every friend and foe identified and would probably be driving the aircraft carrier as well!

Here is a picture of Abigail sitting on her daddy's wall.

Thanksgiving Day 2007

We had a special day celebrating Thanksgiving this year. We delighted in the family we were with--enjoying feasting and celebrating. We all missed Melodie--different people were mistaken for her all throughout the day (Emilie, our cousin Tiffany, someone even thought Mom was Mellie!)

Here is a picture that Joe took from the foot of the 20' table. As a joke David called Joe's cell from the far end of the table!

(click on the picture for a full view of the feast...and the great smiles!)

Here is Grandma Barnes (picture by Abbie)

A FULL David! He is weaning off his diet and was able to eat all the turkey he wanted,which I believe was two slices of white meat and FIVE helpings of dark!!! :)
Samantha (picture by Abigail)
Grandma McDonald talking with my 96 year-old Great-Grandma Violet

(picture taken by Abigail)

10 Months

Here are some 10 month pictures of Elizabeth...

Let's Go Fly a Kite!!!!

Thomas is a very special little boy. He always has something interesting he's thinking about and is always doing something imaginative. This morning at breakfast we asked everyone, "If you could do anything for a day what would you do?" 6 year old Jonathan instantly answered, "Go bowling." 4 year-old Abigail said "Get a princess camera." Two year-old Tom says, "Be a doggie. No, a tiger, so I don't have to wear a leash.(!)"

We have been spending most of our days outside working on our project. The children have been carrying block, throwing cement into the truck and just doing a lot with us outside. Well, Joe and my brother Bennett had made their guide line for the pathway with a yellow rope. It was then laying on the side of the pathway...

I watched Thomas as he spotted the yellow twine and then run excitedly towards it crying out, "Let's go fly a kite!!!!" I ran for my camera and snapped these pictures of Thomas James flying his kite!!! :)

Notice that he's sitting in a bird bath!

One of our neighbor ladies across the street, Miss Jackie, told us the other day that she loves watching and hearing Thomas singing at the top of his lungs. Here he is singing "Wet's go fry a kite" :)

October 31, 1997

October 31st, 2007, marks a momentous 10 year mark in my life. Ten years ago I had just finished my freshman year of college and was helping out with a children's choir in south-San Diego. I was co-teaching this choir with a bearded young man, whom my family all thought looked like one of the brothers from "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." The young man's name was Joe Hinrichs. We had been in the college's chorale together during my freshman year so I knew who "Joe Hinrichs" was. He was very likeable: comfortable with people, always had great questions in class, was easy to talk with. I would see him having lunch with teachers or playing music in the courtyard. We had a few classes together so I saw him around.

Before I went to college I was home schooled. I had an avid love of both music and teaching and so I started teaching piano when I was 15. By the time I was 16 I had 15 students and by the time I started college at 18, I had 30 students. I dabbled with the idea of apprenticeship but was urged by some family friends to pursue college. I did, was accepted, and received full scholarships. I had prayed that God would clearly show me if I should go to college. I had grown up always hearing about apprenticeship and didn't know if college was where I wanted to spend my time. God's leading was clear.

Joe Hinrichs and I started to teach the "Highland Park Church Rainbow Choir" together June of 1997. It was the first big thing away from home that I had done. I enjoyed it immensely. The children were great to work with and the parents loved what we were doing. When a problem came up Joe was always able to resolve it. I really admired how he worked with people, he cared so genuinely and was always giving more of himself in order to make others successful.

Joe would come over for dinner or just hang out with my family when they came down to the campus to visit me. My younger siblings adored him. I didn't think romantically about him--there seemed to be such an age difference.

As the months went by we had some concerts with our children's choir. I could always follow Joe's direction and we both worked so well together. It was great to design signs and shirts and have fun thinking through the details. We attended a Filipino wedding together--with our whole children's choir! There were about 25 boys and girls, mostly under the age of 10! We took one pew, he sat at one end I sat at the other. I had two or three wiggly little ones and an older wiggly one next to my arm and I looked down the pew and he had two little ones on his lap and one on his leg. I loved it! That was a moment that started not just an admiration for Joseph Hinrichs, but also a deep delight in who he was.

On Oct 31st, 1997, there was a Harvest Festival at Highland Park Church. The choir was singing at it and Joe and I were helping with many other details for the Festival. We ran around all night, doing all the million things that needed to be done. It was late when we finished and we took one of the helpers home. I sat in the middle of the truck and Joe was on one side of me and this man was on the other. I had butterflies in my stomach sitting next to him.

Mom was still up when I got home. She knew it would be a late night and was waiting to hear about it. I remember her being cosy in the kitchen--maybe drinking tea?--Joe said good night to us both and shook our hands. I felt an electric shock all the way up my arm!!!

After Joe left I told Mom about the evening and I told her how I had felt with Joe and that I knew that I was starting to love him. Mom told me that it was a good, natural part of life and God would bring it to fruition if it was His way. But!!! It was not my place to be the initiator. I must be content in my singleness.

I had never loved a man with a womanly love. I decided to distance myself from Joe and not spend time with him at school because I didn't feel that I could go any deeper in our friendship without loving him. I knew I couldn't be content with where our friendship was--I had to back away. I prayed all the time for his future wife. I prayed that God would give me the grace to rejoice with him in the life God had for him. I worked at not building castles in the air with myself as Joe's queen. It was a time of deep struggle and surrender for me.

I loved my singleness and the mobility that came with it. I loved that I could spend hours reading my Bible and praying, visiting people, encouraging, helping out at home. I loved the scope of ministry God was opening up for me. I was convinced that if I was to marry I wanted to only marry someone whose giftings complimented mine in such a way that God's kingdom could be furthered because we were married.

That is all of my love story that I will share tonight...though the ending is not too hard to figure out seeing as my name is Mrs. Joseph Hinrichs!!!!!! :)