Playing on the bed with daddy
Monday, February 21, 2005
Moving Day
Well it looks like we're Lake Mary-bound! We're still sort of shell-shocked about the whole thing, but believe it's where God wants us for at least the next several months. Shaun's taken on a contract job there that will be full-time and then some, so we just can't imagine commuting for the six months it will require of him. He starts Wednesday.
The realtor came Saturday morning, we signed all of the marked lines, and she stuck a sign in our front yard. It's very strange. This was our first house and we've worked hard on it...painting and wiring, mowing, weeding, planting...so it'll be very weird to say goodbye. We're not sure what we'll do in Lake Mary...most likely we'll rent for six months until we figure out what God has next for us.
Shaun's been doing lots of contract work lately that pays his business, "Excellence in Software." This new contract job is for a company called "Del-air." It's a very large air-conditioning company that is very into technology. They have already been very successful with having GPS systems on all of their trucks, and now they want Shaun to write and install a Tablet PC program in each truck so that customers can sign electronically and it will go right into their systems. Del-air will pay EIS, also, and we won't be completely surprised if Shaun ends up permanently running his own company this way. It's been a dream of his for some time...to start his own business...but he's never felt the time was right to pursue it. Maybe it's still not--time will tell--but for now it's working out and he's pumped. When we have new phone numbers and our new address, I'll pass them on.
Evan has no idea what's really going on, even though we've tried to talk about it...but I can tell he senses something's up--he did not like our realtor being in our house at all...it was odd.
A few recent stories I can't resist...
Yesterday Shaun took Evan on his first trip to "Pep Boys" and explained to him where they were going. When they got there, Evan was very friendly with all of the girls behind the counter, and received many coos and comments, (as I'm sure was his goal.) When they were leaving the store, Evan turned to the girls and said, "Bye, bye, Pep Boys!" He doesn't really get the boy/girl thing, and so he thought he'd been entertaining a group of people known as "the Pep Boys."
Last night~
Shaun was outside helping a neighbor during dinner-time, so I sat at Evan's little table with him. He started pointing at me and laughing like he'd heard a joke, "Oh man, mommy!" He said. He must've heard us say this in some context? He was so tickled that we did it over and over at each other.
Yesterday afternoon~
He was playing the computer and putting clothes on Elmo for the appropriate seasons, he said, "Elmo looks so nice!" And when I walked in his room the other day he had his stuffed lion and was playing with his magna-doodle and looked up to tell me, "The lion's drawing a picture."
So to wrap this up fast,(I know I'm rambling--it's mostly for memory's sake--some day when they're all grown-up,) but anyway--there's nothing new to report for Madalyn--except that she's cutting her first tooth!! I found it poking through her lower gum yesterday!!
My baby's growing up! :(
Love to you all~
Katie
An Imagination at Work
We were in Ocala for a week and I'm still trying to get things back in gear from that trip, so it's been a while since I've updated.
I went to my first Bible study of Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" last night and talked with my friend Kim until midnight afterwards--thus, I'm doing well just to be up and functioning. I'd already done Beth's "Believing God" a couple of months ago and loved it, yet this study seems to have even more Scriptural depth for me, and so I'm loving it even more maybe.
Two of my favorite things she wrote in this week's lesson:
" Part of God's consistent character is wooing the captive to freedom." (see Isaiah 61:1-4)
and
"I believe God's hatred of pride expresses His love. Pride slights Him but it destroys us."
(see 2 Chronicles 26: 21-23 and Proverbs 8: 13.)
If you've never had a Beth Moore class, I strongly, strongly recommend them. They are so rewarding--such an indescribable blessing, at least to me. I was telling my friend Kim that her studies make me feel as if God is stripping me of my prideful heart and hanging it on the blackboard to say, "now just study this for a minute here."
It sounds aggressive described that way, but it brings such freedom, such a sigh of relief for Him to take on my burden, my Albatross.
I picture Evan in the deep hallways of my imagination, and I put him on a cross and see him beaten beyond human recognition, as Scripture says. In all his baby-innocence, I picture him there, taking on every sin ever committed so that God has to turn His face from him...has to forsake my tiny, pure baby!! It's enough send me to bed for a month! But here's the catch: Evan is sinful--born under a curse--but Jesus, (born under the same curse,) was sinless--perfect.
I look at Evan's youthful innocence and it's nothing in light of a lifetime of perfection lived by God's only son! I can't imagine the agony that put Him there--I can't imagine turning my face on my son and choosing for him to take on other people's sins--wretched, wretched sins of all kinds! But I did that to my Creator, the Lover of my soul. It is because of me that He chose to forsake His Son. It's for me. I can't even comprehend Him doing that for me; to atone for my sins. I can't comprehend my direct responsibility in his crucifixion, nor the burden He took upon Himself!
(see Isaiah 53)
As Beth often marvels, "Praise Him!"
Praise Him.
So I didn't mean to get into a sermon...as you can tell, I was just really touched last night.
On a lighter note...a kid update:
Madalyn (71/2 months) ~
Madalyn is a dancer. When we took her to Chuck E Cheese she was totally jamming in her highchair. Her belly keeps the rhythm and rocks the rest of her body to the beat, so that her head bobs up and down with each jerky motion. It is truly the funniest thing! Every time she hears music she starts up--even music on commercials.
She's also pulling-up a lot now. Stands in her bed constantly and tries to pull-up on me when I'm changing Evan's diaper on the floor next to her, which can make it hard to change the diaper.
She's developed an obssession with Evan's play-stroller. I couldn't figure out why she was trying to leap out of my arms and off of my hip and then saw she was reaching for it, where it was in the corner of our kitchen. So I held her down so she could hold the handles, her feet kicking several inches above the ground, and she was absolutely thrilled. I walked around like this, with her pushing/steering the stroller until my back couldn't take any more, and even then I couldn't get her to let go--she was holding it up off the ground and I had to pry her fingers away! Now whenever she sees it she tries to jump out of your arms to get to it. I think she just want to be like big brother.
Finger foods delight her, refuses anything pureed, and will not eat fruits or vegetables. What is it with my kids and eating?! I refuse to force anything this time, though, because I've learned that only makes it worse. She LOVES pizza and grilled cheese and will eat pasta and meat and Cheerios--those sorts of things. That's more than her brother, so who can complain? Still loves her bottle, as well...I love it, too, because she's so busy it's the only time I get to cuddle with her!
Big Brother (29 1/2 months) ~
Just when I thought Evan couldn't be more infatuated with his beloved "Doggy" he goes and surprises me more. He now likes to sit on our bathroom floor with hair gel, a brush and the water bottle and says "Here's some gel, Doggy. Now water...it's just water, it's okay, Doggy." Then he brushes some, then "Oh, you look so nice Doggy!" Then he runs to me..."Doggy looks so nice!" You can be sure I respond with the appropriate praise! He also like to give his teeny-tiny stuffed duck and kitty-cat a bath in a big tupperware tub. He opens the doors to the secretary's desk in our foyer and uses it as their house. He also tucks them into bed in a basket, tells me they're sleeping and says "I'll see you in the morning, Duck. I love you, Duck." I can't help but be jealous of his stuffed animals! I wish he'd say these things to me!! He also says prayers with them sometimes. I love watching his imagination at work!!
He just climbed up on the couch by me and leaned his head on my chest for a big hug and I'm melting.
I also love hearing his word-choice for things. It's amazing to hear his vocabulary expand by his word-choice. Shaun gave him a shower this morning and he was whining while getting his hair washed and he started saying "About done...we're about done!" I thought that was funny, instead of the usual "All done."
I don't mean to ever give the impression I think my kids are perfect. I was thinking about how we probably praise them too much and don't remind them enough where every good thing they do comes from. Even their gifts they must credit Him with...there's so much to teach, and yet I'm still such a student myself!!
A not-so-perfect story...
Evan put a purple crayon in the dishwasher before we left town, so I came back to purple dishes. I didn't even know what it was until Shaun found the other half of the crayon. I had to throw over half of Madalyn's bottles away! At least we use the cheap kind now :). He's also been very whiny lately, and we've learned the harm in giving him second chances. I once read that "If referees gave second chances in sports, the game would be a free-for-all, and it's the same thing with parenting." I thought that was super-insightful and we need to be better about acting immediately, even though it's challenging when our hands are already busy with somethings else, and we have to just drop it and respond. My sole prayer for my kids is that they love God from a young age and enjoy Him whole-heartedly all the days of their lives. What more could we ask or want?
In His Grace,
Katie
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Meeting a FOX Friend
The superbowl is in town, and therefore celebrities are in town. We heard a while ago that Brian Kilmeade from "FOX and Friends" would be doing a book signing for his book, "The Games do Count," and we decided to attend. After all, FOX is about the only channel shown in our home and so we thought we owed it to him :).
The line was long, it was cold, and I was dressed completely inappropriately and thought my hands or feet might fall off at any moment...but it was worth it. And Brian made small waves and faces to Madalyn through the window while we waited in line to meet him, and she smiled back, very pleased to be noticed. So that was cool. Evan even conned a tiny old lady into holding him in the line..."Hold you?" he asked her. She was more than willing but when I saw his legs almost touched the ground I told her she was too small and had to hand him back because I didn't want him to injure her. But she was very sweet and that helped time pass.
We were # 117, but when we finally reached him, Brian was really friendly and not at all rushed. He wrote a nice lengthy note when all he had to do was sign his name. We had seen him on tv interviewing Paula Abdul at The Landing earlier this morning, and she acted completely weird the whole time...he was making faces about it into the camera...so I had to ask--
"So...was Paula drunk this morning?"
And he said, (very Brian-like, with sarcasm--) "What do you think!"
It was funny. We laughed and then I said, "I guess everyone's been asking that, huh?"
And the lady helping said, "yes, but no one was that direct."
But he was really nice...told us he had a daughter Evan's age and commented on how you can never understand what they're saying to you. We also thought it was cool he went to a small store in Atlantic Beach to promote small business, instead of going to a big Borders downtown or something.
Oh...and I thought he was bigger than I expected. You know how people are always saying celebrities look smaller off camera...well I thought he looked bigger...(just in case you were wondering, which I'm sure you were.)
ALSO~Someone said Brad Pitt was at the restaurant we were waiting in line by, and I found myself trying to discreetly stare into the windows over people's tables, but to no avail. Maybe he'd already left. I thought of telling Brian Kilmeade that he should be very honored because Brad Pitt was supposed to be next door and I was standing in a line to meet him instead!
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So from now on I think I'll quit emailing everyone every time I update this. You can just check for yourself if at all interested. Of course if you want me to keep letting you know each time I update it, you can email me and tell me to do so.
Love and Blessings!!
~Katie
We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. -Psalm 78:4
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