Big news and little tidbits from June 2014

This biggest news of the month is that we welcomed a PRECIOUS new niece into the family.  She's my husband's closest (in age) brother's daughter  This brother's two daughters are currently the bookends for the grandchildren with his firstborn being the oldest and his newest addition the youngest grandchild.  His first daughter is GORGEOUS, so we were not surprised by his newborn's breathtaking beauty. He's over the moon in love with her, and I cannot wait to meet her!  They decided to name her his and my husband's great-grandmother who passed away not long ago.  How fitting that she was born on Grandma Sophie's birthday!  Sophie Grace, you are such a miracle and a precious gift from God. (Gift #630)

We continue to adjust to our new town of residence and are making new friends.  Our daughter had a blast at a birthday party at the ice-skating rink with many of her favorite school friends. Since the rink was so far away, I took some work with me and decided to stay for the duration of the 3.5 hour party.  Fortunately, one of the other moms I admire for her strong faith and wisdom sat at the table with me, so instead of working, I got to know her better and exchange mutual encouragements in matters of faith and parenting.  What a blessing it was to have that unplanned time with her. (Gift #631)

Two of her closest friends are pictures with her at the lower left.  Giovanna is in China right now.  She is at the top of the class academically and was a great motivator for our daughter during her adjustment to the school. Syan's mom was an awesome T.A. for our son's class last year, and I have very high regard for her as well. .

I also enjoyed getting to know the birthday girl's mom.  She will have daughters in 12th grade, 5th grade, and kindergarten next year. She shared some amusing tales of parenting teens and gave me some helpful ideas.  Having her spend time with us was another unexpected blessing. (Gift #632)

This ice-skating rink lost money on this party.  Not only did they provide a party room, skate rental and 3 hours of skating, but they also supplied all the decorations, face painting, pizza, ice cream, drinks, favors, paper products, several hosts to assist, and clean-up.  It was awesome.  Our daughter's favorite prize was a light up mouth thing.  She scared a lot of people with that thing.

  
Now that the kids are out of school, the house isn't as quiet during the day, and I've enjoyed having company in the kitchen.  The kids are growing more independent and make their own breakfasts and lunches now (Gift #633), but they never seem to remember to clean up the mess they make in the process.  At least I don't have to cook as often as I once did!

Much of the kids' summer has been spent either at Tae Kwon Do or at the pool. The kids have also enjoyed other pools during playdates with friends living in the nearby capital city.

Our son racing 3 older girls at the Wises' community pool

We have so much to celebrate this Independence Day week!  Other big news on the national front is that the Supreme Court for issuing two huge rulings that upheld the Constitution and the freedoms that countless brave patriots have sacrificed so much to preserve.  (Gift #634)  Religious freedom was protected in the Hobby Lobby vs. Obamacare case (Kudos to Hobby Lobby for risking everything to stand for religious freedom!), and the abusive, economically destructive union power grab was finally pushed back in an Illinois health care workers vs. unions case. These rulings were close (5 to 4), so the American freedoms established by our founding fathers are still very much at risk, but we will celebrate the victories no matter how small or large.

The kids had a blast at Super Summer Adventure this past week.  SSA is our church's version of VBS, and the church does a fantastic job.  (Gift #635) We also host neighborhood SSA clubs around the community at church members' homes.  I volunteered in the kitchen with food service (which included long hours shopping at BJs for more food than I could fit in my fridge/freezer so I had to shuttle food across town to different fridge/freezers), so I did not get any pics of our kids enjoying all the fun activities.  I especially wish I had pics of them on the inflatables the last day.  Here is one photo collage of our son with one of his best friends from church and that friend's sister who is our daughter's age.  The boys are in a Y Guides tribe together this year, and Victoria was in our daughter's tribe for three years.  We have so much respect for this family.

Wes, husband to the food service director I served under and singer in the choir with my husband, was the drama director for SSA.  He took a 1/2 day off from work every day that week to serve at SSA and stayed up until 5 am some nights writing the script.  His family serves our church family tirelessly, and I count it a privilege to work under and alongside his wife at our kids' school. (Gift #636)  

Undercover Agent Wes at SSA

They live only 2.5 miles from our new house, so it was a such a blessing to find new neighbors who are also active (in many of the same ministry roles) at our church (especially since we live in a different town than most of our church members) who also send their kids to the same school where the mom teaches.  Connecting with them and having her recommend me for various jobs at the school has been such a clear display of God's hand leading us.  (Gift #637)

Our bunny has grown much more comfortable in our home.   She still doesn't like to be held, but she tolerates it and has developed the same desire to have her head scratched as her predecessor.  She seems more friendly and has some serious speed as she tears around the house or does her aerial acrobatics.

Since our daughter kept leaving us "Top 10 Reasons to Get a Dog" lists with one item being so she could take the dog on walks, we got the bunny a walking harness and leash instead. Our animal loving daughter spent a long time trying to wrangle the baby bunny into the harness while heaving many frustrated sighs. Once the bunny was finally in, we took these photos, and then the bunny hopped out of her arms. Before Miss Muffin (aka MC Fluffy) hit the floor, she was out of the harness!

Bunnies are binary creatures. They are either off or on. When they are on, they are full throttle. When they are off, they are out. Here is our Muffin before and after her HIIT Agility workout.

As with our previous bunny, my husband has a unique way of gaining first place in our pet's heart.  I love this series of photos showing the different moods Muffin may express in a five minute interval and how he wins her over with the head scratch.  I think the photo at top left looks like an album cover. They just need a guitar in there somewhere.  They could call themselves DJ (or DC for those who have read our love story) Jazzy Jeff and MC Fluffy.  Only those raised in the 70s & 80s would get that allusion I suppose.

A few quotes I came across this month that inspired and/or made me think (Gift #638):

"Don't believe everything you think." (Jerry Bridges)

"Glorify God by enjoying him - he is a truer and better award than the adulations of our children, of other women, and even of our own self approval." ( Gloria Furman)
 
"But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.
Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.
Though I fall I will rise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me." (Micah 7:8-9)

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses 

Helpful Links on Parenting & Cultural Issues:
I wrote a series of articles a few years ago about pool modesty justifying my points with Scripture, quotes from various men, and philosophical understandings about self esteem and the differences between how men and women think. But this video references specific Princeton research utilizing brain scans to show how immodest dress objectifies women while modest dress empowers and esteems women. It's worth the 9 minutes it takes to watch it. 

This concept of dads "dating" their daughter's boyfriend is absolutely brilliant. It's a must read for Christian dads with daughters.  Read the article here.


One of my biggest concerns with sending our kids to a private school was that a materialistic worldview of some false prosperity gospel may seep into their hearts.  Thankfully, the school is diverse, and materialism is not pervasive there.  Yet, it is important to keep leading our children to the truth that true blessedness is not in the form of possessions.  The Beatitudes teach quite to the contrary:

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵ “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  (Matthew 5: 1-12)

I love the way this concept is described in this article.