Playing Catch-up

I am behind posting pictures here for about 7 shoots, so here are an assortment from 5 of them to catch up a little... and there are A LOT more on the photography blog. :)

 

 

 

Just a Shout Out to My Peeps

 

This is just a random post with no organized thought whatsoever... 

 

This is Jack stuck on the tree fort.              This is Jack trying to put on Evan's soccer sock.

 

This is Jack being Jack; covered with dirt and scratches and spit.  Because he's a boy.

Speaking of boys, here they are; just chillin'.

Gotta love those sweet hands.  And I don't even make them do that!

I have so many pictures of E and M that make me smile from this day that I will have to save them for another post...

I can't wait till my Summer break, when I plan to edit, edit, edit my OWN pictures and post away!!  Shaun's been working on a new blog face for awhile now and he should be ready to switch it over in the next day or so.   Granted, the picture is from last summer and so a bit outdated now, but we'll just stay a year behind and no big deal, right?  Right.  Anything's better than staring at this pea green background any longer. 

(It's okay, you don't have to comment and say you liked it, we're on the same page.)  Pun intended.

House Guest

A few weeks ago we got a letter from Shaun's little sister, Molly.  Or Evan, Madalyn and Jack's Aunt, Molly... or my sister-in-law, Molly... (however you want to put it):

The reason we were delayed in recording and returning our activity list with Stanley was that he had jet lag and preferred to nap for the few days first.  We were NOT neglecting him in any way shape or form.  He did not, I repeat- DID NOT- spend an entire week on the ottoman on Shaun's side of the bed, buried under a tall stack of junk mail. Certainly not.  We would never treat our guests that way, (just in case you were wondering if we leave our guests under tall piles of junk mail because that's a perfectly normal thing to wonder about people like us.)

Anyway, after he caught up on rest we did these things:

Chilled in the pool.

(She wasn't exaggerating the flat part.)

Cooked with dirt and worms.

Ate lots of starches and yellow foods.

And had a makeover.

I think he particularly loved the Strawberry Shortcake Body Glitter.  (I know this because he sighed in ecstasy.)

(P.S. Sorry about the broken/dislocated/bent arm, Stanley.  Jack couldn't resist folding you.  You're very foldable, as flat as you are and everything.  I'm sure you understand.  And at least your nails look good.)            

My Savior Loves

 

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this song.  This is a song God has used to speak to me numerous times over the past year or so.  (Plus, Aaron Shust who sings/wrote it looks like he could be cast as any male Bible character you might name.) 

It's been a season of sifting for me.  I was in need of some serious discipline for the sake of being strengthened.  When I went to the Beth Moore conference three things really stood out to me:

1) Christianity is not for wimps.  We can't be convinced we're wimps!

2) It's suppose to be a chase.  The Lord leads, we follow and He calls, "come on, come on, keep running" and every now and then He turns around and we run smack into His chest!  But it would be a mistake to think we can stay there like that and go fetal on Him- soon it's back to running because...

3)  We were apprehended by Him because He has things/people/hearts specifically placed in our path for us to apprehend for Him.

Phew.

So back to the discipline.  I felt oppressed by the enemy, (with a tiny little e because that's how small he is in comparison to our God,) for the sake of discipline.  The Lord clearly wants to weed out some doubt that much needed weeding.  And I welcome the Lord's discipline- I don't enjoy it, but I choose to welcome it. 

I was thinking about that this morning- how you know when you're acting spoiled as a kid, when you're in need of some discipline.  And I was thinking of all the good, good things the Lord has given me and done for me and how spoiled and forgetful and ungrateful I can live... 'Lord, why do you spoil me,' I thought.  Then I realized He does and He doesn't. 

He lavishes me with love and good things, but He certainly disciplines me as well- what else has He been doing this season of doubt and questions??  

And when I get to the bottom of the barrel of questions and things I can't understand these lyrics are always where I land.  It's almost as if I'll drive here or there and think and think and then on cue, when I'm at rock bottom, He plays this over the radio for me:

I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands One who is my Savior

My Savior. Picture Mel Gibson dying in Braveheart to fight for freedom.  Then make Him Christ.  Then make yourself the girl (or guy) He's dying for...  wait, I guess you could picture him in The Passion of the Christ and that might make more sense... I'm real smart and inna-lectu-wall like that.  (And this is getting complicated, let's move on...)

I often find myself using repetition to get things to sink into the thick skulls that are my children's.  (And I say that with love, of course,) as the Lord works much the same with me, using repetition as a crow bar to pry open my thick skull.  He has repeated to me for months that I am not skilled to understand, but that He died for me and so how could He ever be anything but just and merciful and compassionate, not to mention passionate?  This world is not the happy ending, HELLO, Katie... the cross was the climax in the story but! we haven't reached the resolution this side of Heaven-  it's still to come, hallelujah!  (And hard to believe.) 

Still, the words wouldn't stay in my brain!  It was like they were written in washable marker and the first tragic thing I heard would wash it right away... till a week ago, when my pastor was talking about Jesus healing a blind man and how the only thing the Pharisees were worried about was not the desperate, hurting blind man, but their own theologies and theories. They asked, "Who sinned that this man is blind, him or his parents?"  And that really struck a chord with me, convicted me.  I saw myself in them:  Forget the baby who I just heard about on the radio, who was stolen from the hospital, (who You will return safely to his parents in less than thirty minutes,) forget any prayer I might pray over him- what I want to know is what these parents did to deserve this panic and how can I trust You when You let these things happen?  

Then our pastor quoted Spurgeon and that was like the seal on the letter: I would rather have one ounce of help than one pound of theory.

It was as if the Lord Himself said it to me, would you not rather have an ounce of my compassion and help than an entire TON of understanding, Katie?  Would you rather offer people your theories or your help in the name of Love?  And my heart cried out, "yes, Lord! Yes!!  Let me surrender the understanding, tell me where I can help carry Your love in this broken place!" 

That was the missing piece in my wrestle all these months, I think.  All my, oh, I'm such a saint because I am so burdened for these hurting people, and why are You so long suffering, Lord moments were really about me and my trust issues- not the hurting people I knew.  I mean, maybe it started as being about the girl in the headline, but then it became personal, festered, and turned to doubt. 

Certainly it's okay to ask the Lord why.  To be saddened and burdened for the things that burden Him.  But when it turns into this need to understand, it's time to surrender. 

Lord, let this last week's thoughts be the permanent marker I need so that we can leave this season behind. I know only You say when we can leave it, not me, and I thank You for it.  Thank You, Jesus- hallelujah and Amen to all You are, and to Your patience with a sinner like me!     

Aaron Shust's website quotes him as saying, “God reveals His existence and divinity so much that we have no excuse for not believing in Him. He whispers in the wind and shouts in the waves that He loves us and hears us.” 

AMEN?!

Sisters

These two pictures (above and below) are two of those that I have a feeling I will appreciate much more than any parent or anyone else.  I just love the mood of them.  I love her hair blowing just over her eye and the expression on her face and the way she's barely touching the flower.  I love the way she wrings her dress below.  So natural.  Isn't she a beautiful child?  Both of these sisters are.

 

 

MORE AT WWW.HOWIWONDERPHOTOGRAPHY.COM/BLOG

Feeding the Addiction

Jack loves trains.  This you know.  We always stopped by Barnes and Noble to let him play at the table there.  When his 2nd birthday was approaching, (which is July 3rd- so still approaching-) we knew we would want to get a train table since it's so difficult to think of new toy ideas for subsequent children.

Last time I was at B&N, I mentioned this to another mom and she said she knew someone selling their table... so this morning I went and got it.  Then we went to Toys R US and spent just as much purchasing some trains as we did on the table.  (Not to mention, it cost me NINETY DOLLARS to fill up my car this morning.)

Shaun laughs because another father joked to him about the whole Thomas thing being cult-like and it's so true:  "You're a very useful engine, Thomas of Sodor," and weird repetitive chants like that.  And Sir Toppom Hat, what's up with him ...and the whole shebang.  10-20 dollars for a tiny wooden box- that alone attests to the number of Sodor Converts, and, I mean, it's just scary.

Anyway, I picked Ethan and Evan up with the table in the back of the car, and we headed to Ethan's house to trade him out for Madalyn, who was having a play date.  From there, the kids anxiously glanced over the seats at the table till we got home, where they were BOUND AND DETERMINED to help me carry it inside and not wait for daddy to get home to help.  It was a rough ride in- for the table, I mean- but we made it  and dropped here in the foyer for now:

It was money well spent.  Jack hasn't said one word since. 

No.  No, that's not true.  I heard Madalyn say, "Oh noooo, I'm falling,"  (being a train,) and Jack yelled, "help!  help!" in response.

The older kids lost interest and are having their quiet times... but Jack plays on... sighing every now and then, as though the excitement of it all has just been too exhausting, but he will carry on if he must...

Happy Birthday, little boy.  We love you.