let's go fly a kite

We were in a missions conference in the Outer Banks of NC. The church was on Nags Head, a beautiful long, narrow island mostly built up with beach homes, shops (including one incredible children's consignment shop - woohoo!), art galleries, and restaurants. We love the people there at Stillwaters Baptist Church. This was our second meeting with them, and they are voting on new missionaries next week, so please pray!

Caleb has been talking about flying a kite some day for months, so we thought this would be the perfect place to make his little dream come true. Because of the constant strong winds, the Outer Banks is where the Wright bros made their many flight attempts and finally succeeded (a real lesson in perseverance). We trekked through Jockey's Ridge and climbed the highest dune for our prime flying spot. It was worth walking through all that incredibly fine sand when our kite just leapt into flight on the first try! The facet of Creation we experienced up there was truly amazing. The dunes with their constant reshaping as though full of life, the pure fine sand, the wind in all its underestimated strength, the sparkling shore lining the island, the sky's expanse, the radiant sun, the clear rain pools that form at the base of the mounds, encircled with sturdy beach grasses - they all declare the glory and majesty of their Maker God.

Psalm 19:1-6

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

Day to day pours forth speech,

And night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;

Their voice is not heard.

Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their utterances to the end of the world.

In them He has placed a tent for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;

It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.

Its rising is from one end of the heavens,

And its circuit to the other end of them;

And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Maybe I'm just weird, but there is this awe inspiring connection with the sky you feel when you are holding one end of a string and the other end is pulling back at you from 500 feet up in the air. I have great memories flying kites with my dad as a little girl out in some empty fields near our home. It was kind of sad to see that place get built up with subdivisions, but it's not the place that we cherish in our memories as much as the special people that gave you those memories.
"Where's the kite, Lucy?"

"Up there!"

Caleb chose a mean looking shark kite at Kitty Hawk Kites.

What every little boy needs: lots of space to run.

I was trying to get a cute picture, but the kids were just

enjoying the way the wind felt in their mouths.

Lucy started it, and then they both would not stop. :o)

About to roll down the dune! From here on, I only got video and no stills, but it was tons of fun sliding/rolling/falling down the sand hill, making water-like ripples in the sand, and leaving a cloud of sand behind you. I think we took a whole dune-full of sand back with us in our clothes and shoes. The rest of the day we kept finding more and more sand everywhere!

good little travelers

We are very thankful for the grace God has given the kids to travel so well. Life on the road is almost all they have known, so they never had to adjust to traveling. We thank God for all the peaceful car trips and happy memories on the road.

Valentines Day sweethearts

We had a great time in Hampton, GA. It was our second meeting in that church so it was fun to see the friends we had made 2 1/2 yrs ago when we were there at the very beginning of deputation. It was a very long day, but it was worth it.

Caleb wishes Lucy Happy Valentines Day in their pretty outfits from Grammy and Grandpa.

And a few happy Monday morning moments.

Cowboy Caleb is full of surprises

Warning/Apology: this is long and a bit boastful, and may be boring to some.

We were able to go to our church Winter Fest Prairie Showdown (otherwise known to Caleb as the Cowby Party). Caleb really shocked me that night by coming out of himself in new ways. First of all, he got his face painted. Every other time he has had the opportunity to get his face painted, he has been absolutely opposed to the idea. He loves they way it looks and even asks for it, but when it comes to subjecting his face to the painter, he chickens out. But this time he marched right up and turned his cheek. The next surprise came during the program, when they had the preschool aged kids come up to the front and sing, "Old MacDonald had a Farm." At first Caleb wanted Daniel to go with him, but then on the way up, he turned around and said, "I can go by myself." And off he went, but not with the group of children. Instead he went straight up to the piano, climbed up on the bench, and watched the man giving the instructions, as if it was all planned for him be the piano player. And then, when the guitar and the children started the song, he "played" right along, even stopping and starting when the leader would stop and talk between verses of the song. I had such a mix of feelings watching my son up there stealing the show. First, a little embarrassed that he wasn't doing what every other child knew to do. Then amused. Amused at the irony that my quiet little boy who still turns and asks me to hold him in a crowd would get in front of everyone without hesitating a second; that my pensive son who thinks perhaps a bit too deeply for a three yr old would not over analyze the situation but jump right in with both feet; that my cautious Caleb who says "I can't" a lot more than I'd like would take the initiative and fill in on the piano with confidence. And amusement quickly turned to that motherly pride that sees past any shortcoming in her child and says, "My kid is so amazing!" And the last surprise of the day came when Caleb won the prize for the best costume in his category. This was special because his boots and vest had belonged to his uncle Sam as a child.

Caleb and Adeline wondering what they just got themselves into with the face painting.

the impromptu accompanist

Caleb and Micah having a shoot out in the back hallway when the skits got a little over their heads.

beautiful winter morning

It's almost all melted by now, but it sure was fun while it lasted! We almost had to cancel our meeting in Hampton, GA tomorrow, but it looks like we'll be able to make the 3 hour trip in the morning after all. We'll come home either right after church or wait till Monday morning, depending on the weather. I love meetings close to home!

"Watch out, Mommy!"

snow experiment

I went in to check on Lucy because she had been sleeping for over three and half hours, and I found her silently noticing the snow beginning to fall. She usually lets everyone know the minute she wakes up, so the view outside must have really amazed her enough to keep her quiet for who knows how long.

We put a pan out on the deck and caught some snow to play with after dark. Caleb filled the bowl with packed snow, and in the morning we checked to see how much water it melted down to, and if there was any dirt in the water. (Caleb hypothesized that the snow would melt down and fill less of the bowl than the packed snow, and that the water would have dirt in it.)
Lucy said the snow was hot, so we talked about the difference between hot and cold.
When she figured out what cold meant, she put on Caleb's winter hat. I thought that was pretty funny.

20 months old today!

My little Sparkle is growing up too fast!

Caleb's Creations

FYI, the kiddie table and chairs in this picture and an about-to-expire coupon are the reasons for the Cincinnati Babies r us visit. That was just to eliminate any false explanations like the one I caught wind of today at the young mom's fellowship. ;0)

Lucy was here...

and here...

and here.

sledding

Our city froze for two days with a "wintery mix." They boasted of outfitting seven plows just for the occasion. The snow was more like frozen slush, but it was enough to turn the road into a great sledding hill. (That tree didn't fall in the storm; it's just been laying there for years.)