my big girl

A few little Lucy moments for you today. I almost forgot about these pictures from Fort McClary, Maine. If you haven't noticed, we had a beautiful time in Maine.

I took the kids in for check-ups this week and found out Lucy is in the 81st percentile for height. Looks like she is going to be passing up her 4'11" mommy one day. I have to admit I was hoping she'd turn out short like me, but oh well. She's my girl for keeps. 

We're leaving tomorrow for one week. A couple of churches in IL plus a few days with my mom and dad in WI. After being home almost two whole weeks, I can honestly say I'm ready to get back into some churches! It's just what we need to be doing now. We are on a mission to get this support raised and get over to Germany, and there is nothing else we'd rather be doing right now. Better go get those suitcases out! 

four-year-old thoughts

Looking at an Olive Garden gift card with me, Caleb said, 

"Olive Garden is where I'm going to school when we get to Germany." 

Even Caleb threw his head back and laughed when he realized it was really Kindergarten he was thinking of. 

During his quiet time today, Caleb stuck a raisin on his book for a little doorknob and said of the raisin,

 "This object is a door option."

Last night while Daniel tucked him in bed...

Caleb: When I get married, I'm going to have an orange convertible to drive away in with my wife. I'll go to a car store and get the car. Then go to a gas station to get gas if I don't have any. I'll have to be really strong to carry the car to the gas station. 

a Prehistoric Party for my little Dino

We unearthed a dinosaur cake, fought a water war, and had an all-out roaring good time.

seven years

Daniel totally went all out this year and gave me a romantic dinner at The Melting Pot. We started with cheese fondue with bread, apples, and veggies for dipping. Then the amazing salads. Then the "Fondue Feast": Kiwi shrimp, Chili chicken, teriyaki steak, something tuna, and citrus pork along with potatoe chunks, broccoli, and mushroom caps and 7 different sauce options. All the meat is served to us raw and we cook each piece in our pot of oil and good stuff. It was a carnival of flavors! And of course we finished off the evening with dark chocolate fondue.

I'm so thankful to be married to the most lovable and loving man on earth!

Spinney Creek recreations

Daniel and Caleb took Uncle David and Aunt Karlene's kayak around the "creek" (like a small lake) behind their house. Lucy and Mommy rested on the dock and enjoyed the flowers. Whenever we are away for a few weeks or more, God always seems to give us these times of complete rest when we can be "re-made." Time apart from the regular events of deputation give us time to regroup as a family and let God refresh our minds so we can keep in focus our future calling to witness for Christ in Germany and our present calling to serve our hosting churches and friends as we go from place to place. Even though everything we do is all related to our missions plans in some way, it's so easy to forget what  we are doing! 

Maine Memories

We packed a picnic lunch and watched the Tall Ships parade into the harbor from Fort McClary in Kittery, Maine.  

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

When Caleb woke up this morning, I told him he was four years old today. He answered, "Oh! When I was sleeping I didn't know I was turning four!"

Caleb is curious, imaginative, sensitive, independent, creative. He loves words, books, music, role-playing, and building. He is good friend, a loving brother, and a grateful, obedient son. He is excited about moving his toys and bunk bed to Germany and going to a German school and learning German words and inviting his new friends over to play. Caleb makes his mother glad! 

the Jones' farm

Made you almost want to have animals. It's so good for kids to learn the responsibility of taking care of animals, you know where your food comes from, it's even therapeutic. Maybe someday - Maybe. When we drove down to ground zero we felt like country bumpkins cautiously poking our way through the mobs of pedestrians crossing intersections seemingly unaware of the oncoming traffic, and the next day we felt like such city people, gingerly attempting to milk a goat with three fingers extended away from the smelly udder. What are we anyway? I know we'll learn to adapt to change a little more when we get to Germany. At least we'll never have to milk goats twice a day. But I better not say never...

I lift my lamp beside the golden door

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breath free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless,
Tempest-tossed to me
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning,
And her name, Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome;
Her mild eyes command the air-bridged harbor
That twin cities frame.
"Keep, Ancient Lands, your storied pomp!"
Cries she with silent lips.

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breath free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless,
Tempest-tossed to me
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Words by Emma Lazarus

lyrics from the inscription on the Statue of Liberty

bronze life-size replicas of her face and foot

views from the top of the pedestal: looking down at the shadow and then up at the statue

ocean wonders

We took a little trip to the beach in NJ, not 15 minutes from where we were staying. All of the times we have been to the beach in nice warm weather, Caleb has been afraid to go near the water. This time it was freezing out, and he had the time of his life! Soaked from head to toe. I thought for sure he would get a fever, but not a sniffle!

Here he was running to tell me, "Germany is right over there across the ocean!" We've shown him maps and globes, and he's starting to get a small grasp on world geography, at least where Germany and the US are. I guess it all clicked for him right then, because it was one of the those high-energy, high-emotion lightbulb moments for a child. The kind of moments that usually make up our earliest memories.

What faith children have. He looked out and saw not a sand bar or a tree, but he remembered me telling him that Germany is out across the ocean, and that was all he needed to feel exuberant confidence that yes, Germany is indeed out there somewhere. I don't have to see it. I know it's there because someone I trust told me. Why can't we just that simply believe what our infinitely trustworthy God tells us?

"for we walk by faith, not by sight."

2 Cor 5:7

news and grace

If you are one of my faithful readers who have clicked on this blog over and over only to see the same old post, I apologize for the monotony. Two things can help with that: me posting more and you getting an RSS feed. At least you have been reminded to pray about the melanoma issue. Since that is were I left off last, I'll say that I've recovered from the surgery by now, and we're still thanking God that it was found so early. We are praying for a good dermatologist in Germany who can help us find any more of these that may come up in the future. I don't think I mentioned before that I have now had five melanomas in the last decade. Let's pray that there be no more. However, if God wants me to have more in His perfect plan, we want to have a good doctor over there who can "smell" a bad mole before it gets too deep. Please also pray that Daniel and I will think about what is truth about God and not worry about what is unknown (hence, not truth!) about the future. And pray that we will take this from His loving heart and honestly hope that He be glorified by our problems.

We've been in NJ and NH for meetings the past three weeks, and went up to see Daniel's dear Aunt Karlene and Uncle David in Maine several times between weekends. That was almost as nice as being home! Lot's of beautiful pictures from Maine to show you. We made some great new friends the Downey's in NJ, and I really think their church is going to support us. (And I don't even say that anymore, unless it's really for sure.) We took some time as a family and saw the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero, and went to a children's museum (the 10th one we've been to, I think?). We milked some goats at Pastor Jone's farm in Connecticut, and stayed in an old red one-room schoolhouse in rural NH. We ended at Dublin, NH. Maybe you've heard of their Christian boarding school.

And now we are home. The trip seemed more like two months than two weeks, honestly. Now that we are getting so close to the end of support-raising I feel the need for God's grace more than ever. Each of us has a cross God has given us to bear, and there is always enough grace to bear it with joyful endurance. This is my cross right now: packing, leaving home, traveling far away, meeting-greeting-answering-befriending-giving-listening-and-goodbying, and being in the presence of others most of the time. So there you have it! And for most of you, that sounded strange, because for you it would be an adventure, something different and exciting, new friends and new places with all their intrigue, and unexpected blessings around every corner. It would be such an opportunity for ministry! That's just how I have felt about it all too, but now it's just been so many trips, and so many churches, and so many people. So, as I said, I feel the need for a Savior more than ever. If you will let me preach to myself for a minute... I have a Savior! Because of His great sacrifice, God forgives my selfishness every single time. He has experienced all these very temptations in His own three years of public ministry, and even He Himself had to get apart and be with God. So He understands my infirmity. His grace is abundant to help me think of God and others rather than myself. And that's the part I feel the need for right now. Grace. You don't have it until you know you need it. You don't need it until you've failed. And then God's power is shown when He takes something bad and makes it good, something ugly and makes it beautiful, something weak, and makes it strong.

And he has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 12:9,10

two years old!

My little ray of sunshine is already two! Lucy Mae has brightened our hearts each day since she came into the world. She is silly, talkative, loves to sing, loves all things pink and girly, is afraid of strange noises coming from other rooms, is quick to say she's sorry, loves books, loves food, can count to ten (but always leaves out five), knows her colors, is passionate about what she wants, she loves to cuddle with Mommy, still asks me to feed her bottles of warm milk (and you know I do it), thinks her brother is the coolest person alive, and can't live without her Papa.

all the preparations...

the big sha-bang

Lucy is trying to hold up two fingers. It will take a little practice, but in the mean time "I two!" gets the point across just fine.

A strawberry cake for my strawberry girl

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I think Lucy is going to love cooking and baking. Maybe she won't have a choice. :o)