boys and things that go

The only thing that this book is missing is a section on our boys, because they are definately things that go. As you can imagine, this is a favorite. What is it about little boys and "Things That Go?"

Thinking out Loud

In my attempt to gather my thoughts in regards to the election and the issues that are facing our country, I wrote this. I don’t have all the answers and this little blurb is certainly not exhaustive. It makes us ask more questions than solving problems. But I think people, especially young Christian people, want to give something and do something more, and we all know that there are millions out there that need something else than what’s before them. Let’s give them Jesus.

As I watch and listen to the election debates and pay attention to the media I’ve really started to realize that I don’t fit the mold of a Democrat or Republican. I think this is because my hope does not therein lie. My hope is in Jesus and the way he calls his people to live out his kingdom here and now. My hope is in the Church. What if the State is not the answer to providing health care or welfare? It leaves no room for the church to be The Church. What if I started giving my money away to those in need? Am I ready to do my part in providing shelter, or food, or health provision? I know I’m no doctor. No, we don’t make tons of money. But we do have more than we need, I can share what I do have, and share it with a hand of love and a relationship of genuine concern and care, I can share it with the love of Jesus, and this is more valuable than food stamps. And if the entire body of Christ started doing this, in their own capacity, I believe we would see doctors and lawyers and farmers and the wealthy come out of the shadows and start caring for one another, with a face, with personal care, with love, the Love of Christ. Imagine the magnitude of difference the body could make if we all started doing this. What kind of statement would we make to the world and to wall street if we all started giving our money away instead of hoarding it? This is a call to the church.

Jesus calls upon the people of God to be the people of God, to be the body of Christ caring for it’s members as family, as One. It calls them to live radically different, loving our neighbor in a real face – to – face, personal way and not in a detached way where you can feel good about doing your part for the common good because you get taxed by the Government. And your unwarranted taxed money gets sent to so-and-so with a check in the mail. When our government provides for the needs of the people it is not redeeming, it’s not love. This is not caring for our neighbor.

What’s healing is a face, a voice, a neighbor that prays with the hurting, eats with the hungry, clothes the naked, literally, so that you may truly give them something that will change their lives inwardly and spiritually, as well as physically. Jesus says that when we care for the least we care for Him. How do we care for the least? With our tax money? This is not where true healing takes place. When the Government provides, it’s not healing. It’s enabling, it’s handicapping, it’s making the outside of the pot beautiful while the inside is left to rot. This is a white washed tomb. The hungry may get food, the naked may get clothed, the sick may get health care, but what they are left with is a hungry, naked, and lonely soul. If they have not love they have nothing! If we give them our tax money but not in love we give them nothing. What we as human beings need more than all else is relationship, Relationship with our Creator and Redeemer ultimately….and Christians have the ability to share this relationship with our neighbor, seeing the needs of the people and doing something about it, personally, through love of God and love of neighbor, living out the greatest commandment! This will start to change the world. This is where my hope lies.This will start to show the world who Jesus is and what He has come to do in the here and now. I believe this is how we begin to fulfill what Jesus meant in the Lord’s Prayer when he says, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Here’s where my hope lies. Not in Obama. And not in McCain. As Christians our answer should not be the state. Our answer should be the church. Our answer should be the love of God that reaches out and saves the lost by caring for their needs through true relationship and love.

I’ll be honest, this is completely scary to me. I don’t have the answers. This post is more of a call to myself than anyone else. But I think it’s important for this generation of Christians to start using our imaginations, to start small, to start by discussing and brainstorming, and by stepping out of our comfortable boxes, seeking ways to love our neighbors, to start loving people and start doing something that makes me proud to be called a Christian. To start changing the world by bringing them the love that Jesus has shown for us.

I want to belong to a new mold for the common good, not of a democrat, not of a republican, but of a Christian, of the One Universal Church.

I’ll be the first to admit, this may be naïve. It doesn’t make sense. But since when did Jesus make sense? When did the call to lose our lives in order that we may find them ever make any sense? Call me crazy, but call me hopeful.

Grandpa: He's Gone Fishin'

Grandpa for a Day

Proof of my existence

All things boy

Yes, that's a snake in Colson's hands. He's just a little guy, but he was pretty cute. Colson and I especially liked it when he would stick his little pink tongue out. I can imagine snaky just loved being toted around in Colson's fist.

Colson carried him around like this until I made him put him put it down. He wanted to bring it home. That wasn't happenin' on my turf. It really helped my cause when we both realized that the snake had been pooping in Colson's hand.

Meanwhile, this one is getting inquisitive about all things. Lewis is 6 months old now! I can hardly believe it.

I'm not so sure I'm ready for this, but he's getting close to crawling. See how he's on his knees? It won't be long before his little army pull turns into turbo-crawling baby on the floor. And I think he thinks he's the Ogre, because he really does want to eat all things, including you or your little girl's baby doll's face (sorry Maggie).

Maggie the princess, Colson the Ogre

On Wednesdays we get to hang out with Maggie. She's tiny, in stature and volume. And Colson seems like an Ogre next to her.

Dictionary results for: Ogre
-noun
1. a monster in fairy tales and popular legend, usually represented as a hideous giant who feeds on human flesh.
2. a monstrously ugly, cruel, or barbarous person.

Yep, that sounds about right.

However, by the looks of what's currently going down right in front of me, I'd have to be lying to say that he resembles a hideous giant who feeds of human flesh. He's having a hard enough time with the dead bug. He found a bug and brought it to me. With a worried look on his face he told me it was dead. I told him to take it back outside. I overheard this:

"I don't want you to die. I'll never see you again. I don't want you to die anymore."

And then came his tears. So we had a good cry and then a good talk.

We finished reading "Charlotte's Web" today. (His first real book). And I re-read him the part where Wilbur finds out that Charlotte is going to die. It helped. He sat in my lap and we talked about death and friendship.
And then, true to form, he said, "Does a combine harvest wheat."

Yep, back to normal, and with a good lesson under his belt.

These are precious times.

Today

The weather is perfect, my babies are cheerful and there is much to smile about.

Let's Here it for the Boys

Here's to a Boy Full of Color and Rythm and Mischief!

Colson has been skipping naps. It has it's benefits, like this one night when he fell asleep in KC's arms reading a book. It was 5:30 and I thought I had died and gone to heaven to have a whole evening alone with my husband and a book...oh, and Lewis too. But he's an easy story (for now anyway).
The boy is full throttle. The teaching is non-stop. The instruction is constantly pouring out of me. Am I being redundant? Yes? Well, welcome to my life.
"Don't put your big toe in your mouth at the dinner table."
"Don't hover over your brother, you could fall on him."
"Your brother is not a drum set. Please don't bang on his back like that."
"Don't squeeze his fingers in that book. Colson, that could hurt him. Do you want to hurt people? We help, not hurt, others."
"Oh, No, we don't spit."

the list could (and does) go on
and on
and on...you get the idea.

(Reading this list makes me chuckle. It's good for me to step back and look in).

All of these commands must come off my tongue in a guarded manner, speaking calmly and with kindness. I don't ever want my LOUD VOICE to be a motivator of obedience. I don't want to coerce obedience because I'm bigger and meaner and louder!!!!

For awhile I was telling him to do things more than once. You can imagine how my commands we're quickly multiplying. It got exasperating and it was showing. I had to change that quick. It was a good lesson to require obedience the first time I asked. The key here was being ready to discipline if he didn't obey. And if I wasn't in a place to discipline, I wasn't in a place to ask anything of him. It's much easier this way on us both. I'm at a place of true dependence on God right now, needing an abundant amount of patience, endurance, and love. It's good for me to know I need the help of my Father in Heaven during these intensive training years. It keeps me on my knees, lest I become a self righteous mama.

Look at him snoozing in KC's arms. For the wife and mom, this picture kinda tips me over the top. It's death by cuteness.

And the following picture is too true to form. This is the expression on Colson's face noticing frost on the rooftops this morning. This is the first frost we've noticed of the year, and certainly, it won't be the last. Notice Colson's bedhead. It was early and he was out watching the garbage man, naturally.

Colson, the boy, the hero.

Something's happened to my sweet child. I think it's called boyhood. Take a look at this face, this is what I mean:

He found this bow in the grass a couple days back. Minus a string and an arrow, this bow is the real deal. And by the looks of things this business is very serious. Look at him pretending to pull the string back. Little does he know the bow is facing the wrong direction. But what's that matter when you have an imagination like this one has.

Yes, the era of boy is upon us, full force. Today he told me that an excavator wanted to scoop Lewis right out of the stroller. What a sigh of relief I had when he told me that he would have to crush that scooping monster instead of losing Lewis to it. Colson, the hero. He brings us such joy and adventure.

the Aftermath of Storm Preschool

This is what happens when you leave 2, 3-year-old boys together in a room for any number of minutes. Notice the lampshade on the bookshelf is tipped over? The broken light bulb is smashed into the carpet under the debris, and the lamppost earned it's spot in the garbage after it shocked/electrified my hand as I was assessing the damage.
***Note to self: When something breaks, if applicable, unplug from the electrical outlet before determining damage.***

All things must come to an end, and after breaking up a couple physical fights, refereeing some train races, and hearing lots of laughing, screaming, giggling, singing, and unintelligible gibberish, all is now quiet and still. I'm currently sitting down to a fresh cup of coffee with an extra measure of cream, and I'm taking a breather before I head in to pick out pieces of glass from the carpet. God gives me the grace I need to be a cheerful mom everytime Colson lays his busy little head down and closes his eyes.

Tricks and Sticks

Look at Lewis' new trick. He's able to sit up for a short time before he tumbles down. It's incredibly cute.

OOOOOooooooo, and those lips. Look at him poking them out like that. I think that means he wants me to kiss 'em. Yes, I'm sure it's what he means.

Oh, and then there's this one. Look at this boy. That face. He thinks he is such a warrior, real big and tough.

Grandpa polished this nice walking stick up for Colson and it came whenever we went into the forest. He told me he was looking out for monsters. The looks on his face, his posture, and the grip on his stick told me it was serious business.

Oregon '08

This is where I grew up. It's beautiful. I miss my backyard being a forest.

One of my favorite things about our time was getting to meet my nephew, Solomon. He and Lewis are less than a month apart.

He's a gorgeous baby with stunning blue eyes. See for yourself.

Here are the proud Daddys and their boys. KC is holding Solomon and Matt is holding Lewis.

Pardon my Absence...

I spent the week in Oregon to celebrate the joining of my oldest brother to the lovely Jessica.

Look at this shinning bride. Mitchell, count your blessings!

The afternoon wedding was awesome in a beautiful, wooded, Oregon setting.

And a great time to spend with family.