What do you see?
A laundry basket? Well, yes, but look closer. Is that a... a foot? There on the left!
Why, there's a baby underneath those clothes! (And a mighty cute one at that!)
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Laundry Day
Meg is going through a phase where she often doesn't like it when I leave her alone, even for a minute. This can make it difficult to do tasks like laundry, where I have to carry baskets of clothes up and down two flights of stairs--if Meg wants to be with me, then I double my trips, one with basket, one with baby. No fun. So I devised a more efficient (and amusing) way to get through laundry day. Good upper body workout, too.
What do you see?
A laundry basket? Well, yes, but look closer. Is that a... a foot? There on the left!
Why, there's a baby underneath those clothes! (And a mighty cute one at that!)
What do you see?
A laundry basket? Well, yes, but look closer. Is that a... a foot? There on the left!
Why, there's a baby underneath those clothes! (And a mighty cute one at that!)
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Why I'm Proud of My Daddy: #2
This is Meg writing, everyone, about why my Daddy is the best in the world and I am soooo proud of him. There are lots of reasons I could choose; for example, he plays the best games with me, he makes me laugh really hard, he's so gentle when he holds me, he prays for me every day, and he teaches me about God. But what I want to tell you about today is this: Daddy guards Date Nights.
Ever since Daddy and Momma got married they have had Date Night every Monday. Usually this means that they go out for dinner, and they often do something else before or afterward. My daddy plans Date Night every single week, taking time to think of a restaurant or an activity that will bless and refresh Mommy. (Last night they went bowling, which is a little bit strange, because Mom doesn't like many activities that involve balls. But she and Daddy figured out that she likes bowling because it's one of the few sports where the ball never comes toward her.) Daddy does Date Nights because he knows how important it is for him and Mom to have special time together on a regular basis. They need to be able to talk without interruption, think together, plan, laugh, have fun and remember all of the things that make them love each other so much.
It's not always easy for Daddy to make Date Night a priority. Sometimes someone needs him at work on Monday night, and he has to go out of his way to make sure that a volunteer can cover for him. And sometimes Daddy has a hard time finding the time or energy or creativity to plan Date Night. But he always does it anyway.
This makes me so proud of my daddy! Even though Date Night doesn't include me, it shows that Dad loves me very much. After all, if we are going to have a strong, happy family, he and Mommy need a strong, happy marriage. Date Night also shows how much my dad wants to obey God. He tries to show the whole world how much Jesus Christ loves His Church by showing how much he loves Mom. And that is just what the Bible tells him to do.
I love you, Daddy! Thank you for being such a great husband to Mommy. She loves the way you spend your Monday nights together, and you know what? I think God loves it too!
Ever since Daddy and Momma got married they have had Date Night every Monday. Usually this means that they go out for dinner, and they often do something else before or afterward. My daddy plans Date Night every single week, taking time to think of a restaurant or an activity that will bless and refresh Mommy. (Last night they went bowling, which is a little bit strange, because Mom doesn't like many activities that involve balls. But she and Daddy figured out that she likes bowling because it's one of the few sports where the ball never comes toward her.) Daddy does Date Nights because he knows how important it is for him and Mom to have special time together on a regular basis. They need to be able to talk without interruption, think together, plan, laugh, have fun and remember all of the things that make them love each other so much.
It's not always easy for Daddy to make Date Night a priority. Sometimes someone needs him at work on Monday night, and he has to go out of his way to make sure that a volunteer can cover for him. And sometimes Daddy has a hard time finding the time or energy or creativity to plan Date Night. But he always does it anyway.
This makes me so proud of my daddy! Even though Date Night doesn't include me, it shows that Dad loves me very much. After all, if we are going to have a strong, happy family, he and Mommy need a strong, happy marriage. Date Night also shows how much my dad wants to obey God. He tries to show the whole world how much Jesus Christ loves His Church by showing how much he loves Mom. And that is just what the Bible tells him to do.
I love you, Daddy! Thank you for being such a great husband to Mommy. She loves the way you spend your Monday nights together, and you know what? I think God loves it too!
Saturday, January 20, 2007
The Happiest Mama
Being Meg's mommy is one of the best things I have ever experienced--or ever hope to experience. This afternoon, the two of us were in the car on the way to Target. My little girl was sitting behind me in her car seat, happily talking to herself in her own wordless way. I glanced in the rear view mirror and caught sight of that bright little face--sparkling blue eyes, rosy cheeks, face shining with a recent coat of Vaseline (it helps with her eczema)--and I just knew, for about the fiftieth time this week, that I am the most blessed woman on the face of the planet. My heart exploded with praises to the God who made Meg and, for some reason, entrusted her to Dave and me.
My girl doesn't necessarily have to be acting sweet and contented to make me feel this way--fortunately, the Holy Spirit can break in to my thoughts at any time and make me realize how much He has given me. For example: earlier today, I ran upstairs for a moment while Meg was happily occupied in her play room. Suddenly, I heard a wail. This was not a, "Mommy, I miss you" wail; this was a bona fide "I'm in pain" wail. I raced downstairs to find Meg red-faced and crying, clearly hurt, although I couldn't determine what happened. I scooped her up and started the simple, silly mommy-soothing process that women seem to possess innately: "Shhhh, it's okay, Little Love. You're okay." (Kiss, kiss.) "You're okay. Shhhhhh. It's all right now." (Kiss.) She didn't stop crying immediately, but even as the tears continued, I thought, "I can't believe I get to do this. I can't believe I get to be the nurturer and comforter of this little person. I'm so grateful that God made me to do this."
Of course--of course--there are difficult moments as well. There are times when I am inconvenienced, or when my will is thwarted, or when my words are disobeyed. Because I am a sinner, what surfaces in my heart in these moments is not always humble gratitude, but irritation or anger.
Tuesday the 16th was my 27th birthday. That morning, I read the following in Spurgeon's Morning and Evening: "I am the One who helps you, declares the Lord." (Isaiah 41:14) "In helping you, I am giving you what I have bought for you already. If you had need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it to you; you require little compared with what I am prepared to give... you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of my all-sufficiency. I will help you."
I need God's help to love my little girl. I need it desperately. In the moments when I am angry or irritated, I need His help to repent. In the moments when being a mom seems to come so easily, I need His help to stay consciously dependent on Him. After all, it is God's help that makes those moments so sweet in the first place.
On Tuesday morning, I wrote the following in my journal: "Help me, my God, my All-Sufficient One, to be the most contented, most grateful, most humbled woman in the world, as I ought to be. Jesus, it would be more than enough if you had only given me Yourself, but You have done so much more. Therefore let me be every day awed--floored, stunned, shocked, scandalized--by Your amazing grace."
My girl doesn't necessarily have to be acting sweet and contented to make me feel this way--fortunately, the Holy Spirit can break in to my thoughts at any time and make me realize how much He has given me. For example: earlier today, I ran upstairs for a moment while Meg was happily occupied in her play room. Suddenly, I heard a wail. This was not a, "Mommy, I miss you" wail; this was a bona fide "I'm in pain" wail. I raced downstairs to find Meg red-faced and crying, clearly hurt, although I couldn't determine what happened. I scooped her up and started the simple, silly mommy-soothing process that women seem to possess innately: "Shhhh, it's okay, Little Love. You're okay." (Kiss, kiss.) "You're okay. Shhhhhh. It's all right now." (Kiss.) She didn't stop crying immediately, but even as the tears continued, I thought, "I can't believe I get to do this. I can't believe I get to be the nurturer and comforter of this little person. I'm so grateful that God made me to do this."
Of course--of course--there are difficult moments as well. There are times when I am inconvenienced, or when my will is thwarted, or when my words are disobeyed. Because I am a sinner, what surfaces in my heart in these moments is not always humble gratitude, but irritation or anger.
Tuesday the 16th was my 27th birthday. That morning, I read the following in Spurgeon's Morning and Evening: "I am the One who helps you, declares the Lord." (Isaiah 41:14) "In helping you, I am giving you what I have bought for you already. If you had need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it to you; you require little compared with what I am prepared to give... you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of my all-sufficiency. I will help you."
I need God's help to love my little girl. I need it desperately. In the moments when I am angry or irritated, I need His help to repent. In the moments when being a mom seems to come so easily, I need His help to stay consciously dependent on Him. After all, it is God's help that makes those moments so sweet in the first place.
On Tuesday morning, I wrote the following in my journal: "Help me, my God, my All-Sufficient One, to be the most contented, most grateful, most humbled woman in the world, as I ought to be. Jesus, it would be more than enough if you had only given me Yourself, but You have done so much more. Therefore let me be every day awed--floored, stunned, shocked, scandalized--by Your amazing grace."
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