cubbie song

I believe the Bible
Is the Word of God

I believe in Jesus
Is the Son of God

You and I have sinned
And it makes God sad

Jesus died for sinners
He arose for me

Jesus Christ has risen
He arose for me

playing together

playing in the room

Peek-a-boo

Eating the birthday cake

Birthday party!

I made the cake-its a train, can you tell? The colors are dark, but they are purple, green and blue

I think he likes it!

He likes to hold the spoon, but he's still figuring that out...

Luke!

Thats gonna stain

Eating with two hands

I love the illusion of propriety here with the spoon

YUM!

Pictures are nice-but you really have to watch this video to really see how much he enjoyed his birthday cake!


Happy Birthday Joel!

Joel's Birthday Dinner

Joel's special birthday dinner-CULVER'S!! Luke gets a cheeseburger and fries, maybe a couple cheese curds, when he goes, but Joel gets a chicken dinner with a roll and two sides! He almost eats it all!

Praying for dinner

Gobbling it up!

All done!

Full and Happy.

Joel's birthday, more

Joel playing on his birthday, you can see him walking a bit, he has been walking since the beginning of December!

Now that Joel is 1 year old he can sit in his big boy car seat, front facing! He loves it.

Thankful Thursday

1) My husband's thoughtfulness:
He gave me beautiful roses.

2) My husband's example for our sons...

3) ...Luke gave me flowers.

4) This picture:

Luke fell asleep "reading" his Bible.

5) That my boys like to snuggle. Luke will say, "Lets have our family" and we'll all pile up on the bed or couch and snuggle.

6) Brotherhood.

I've showed this picture before, but I love it. Joel sitting with Luke during his time-out (for knocking him down, by the way). So sweet

Great quote

"I'll always say my prayers...and if God doesn't answer them at once I shall know it's because He's planning something better for me."
-Heidi

Joel turned 1 on Tuesday! We had a some little celebrations but we are waiting for the weekend to do our cake and gifts! Pictures will come-I haven't abandoned this blog I promise :)

To tide you over...

wait for it...

Happy B'day Joel, the morning

I LOVE this picture-so cute

Peek-a-boo

All those pictures were so cute and sweet, you'd think they played perfectly together always...but they don't. Right after those were taken, Luke knocked Joel down and needed to sit in a timeout...*but*...sweet, sweet: Joel climbed up in the chair next to him and sat with him for his timeout-see:

I love this.

Christmas, Part 1

Joel enjoying his Christmas morning pancakes

You can watch how much he really loves to eat as well as his "uh-oh" and hand guesture for "more"!

A Lesson in Timing

We know that when we pray God will always answer us. We are taught in Sunday School that He hears us and that He will always give us an answer-either a "yes", "no", or "wait".

Oh, the dreaded "wait". Don't we hate that? Have you ever wondered how long we are to "wait"? Do you ever feel that your "wait" had turned into an unequivocal "no"? I know I have!

But then,

I think on the story of the Prodigal Son.
Luke 15:11-32
In His story, Jesus never says how long it took the son to squander his money, or how much time he wasted debasing himself. I think that is very purposeful-I tend to think it was a long time...years. Years of prayers and heartache for the father, years God was working on the son's heart. And finally, the son came home to his waiting father's arms.
A faithful prayer answered.

I think of Elizabeth and Zacharias.
Luke 1:5-25, 57-80
They prayed and served and waited for a child. I think there must have been a moment, an age, when they felt it wasn't going to happen-that they had received a "no". God was preparing the world for his "forerunner" - timing. Then the unthinkable, a miracle-an angel comes and tells Zacharias they will have a son-John.
The answer to a long forgotten prayer.

And what about the crippled man that Peter healed?

Acts 3-4:31

He was there, at the temple, every day. People passed him by for years. He had been afflicted since his birth and when we meet him he is past 40! We see him asking for alms, but I'm sure he longed for healing. Can you imagine the years in Jesus' active ministry? When He was healing and preforming miracles, He was in and out of the temple-yet Jesus, who was very aware of his need, never healed this man. Why? Timing. Peter and John receive the Holy Spirit and burst onto the scene of an emotionally charged Jerusalem. They are approached by this man, as they probably had been before, and their response is healing-full, complete, healing.

An answer to a prayer possible unuttered.

I think about that "wait" answer...it can be so hard to wait. But we can rest! Because we have a great God who is perfect and outside of time and we can know that He has the "timing" perfect.