Fun Collages

I already posted these pictures individually from our trip to PA this summer. But my husband made these collages and I thought they were so cute so I wanted to share them again. That little Mr. Mister is just so fun.

Fall

It's here. Fall may have officially started a week ago, but today is the first day that it really feels like fall. The chilly morning air has stuck around all day. I wore a sweater and drank tea. And we had some friends over for lunch and ate soup in bread bowls. Mmm. So Fall. It was wonderful.

Patricia

Remember Katie, the 20 year old who lives in Uganda and is the mother to 13 children? Well, now it's 14. She just received another baby girl into her family and it is so worth checking out this post on her blog. It's a series of pictures showing Patricia on the first day she came and then throughout her first week with Katie. She's like a completely different girl after only a week.

I love the picture of redemption and restoration that this is. Katie is definitely living out God's heart for the poor and orphaned. The power of His love through her is visually evident in Patricia's second chance at life.

It makes me want to go.........

The Great Outdoors, Indoors.

It was raining tonight, so instead of playing outside we went to Bass Pro after dinner and played there. Who knew it could be so much fun? Mr. Mister sat on quads, watched the fish swim, went in all the tents that were set up, and ran around in joy as he saw different colored kayaks, huge bears on display, and a million other things that are fun for a 2 year old (or a 27 year old husband). He would run from one thing to the next saying things like, "Oh, bear! Roar!" "Oh! Boat!" "Oh! Paddle!" He gets so excited about everything. I love it.

We even made it out of there without buying anything, which is an accomplishment for this family. (If you told me 10 years ago that I would say that, I would have laughed).

Hugs and Kisses

Mr. Mister is in quite a lovey stage these days. He wants to hug and kiss every kid he sees and even some random adults passing in the parking lot, too. But he's been especially lovey with his mommy, which of course makes me very happy!

Here is a conversation that occurs pretty often:

Him: Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!
Me: What, Mr. Mister?
Him: Hi Mommy (with a sweet grin on his face). Mr. Mister kiss mommy?
Me: Of course! (which is then followed by a big kiss and smile).
Him: Mr. Mister hug mommy?
Me: Of course!
Him: Mr. Mister kiss mommy again?

And so it goes over and over. I get lots of hugs and kisses!

The Final Stretch

As I predicted, my blogging has slowed down as I've gotten into my final class. Only 6 more weeks to go. It reminds me of a vivid memory I have of my first half marathon. My friend and I were 1 mile from the finish line, which seemed so close after having run 12, but I still knew I had at least 9 minutes more to run (probably more at that point!), which felt like the longest mile of my life because I just wanted to be finished so badly.

That's where I am now with school. I am coming up on 3 years since I started this degree, having done most of it since Mr. Mister arrived. So I can't even express the relief I will feel when I'm finished. 6 weeks is nothing compared to 3 years, but it's still 6 weeks.

I have been enjoying my time in the elementary school, though. It's been a lot of fun to be back in the classroom. And it helps that my wonderful friend is taking such good care of Mr. Mister while I'm gone! He really likes her and has adjusted well to her coming over to play. However, this is now his prayer every night at dinner:

"Jesus, Mommy go bye bye, Beybeth hold Mr. Mister." It cracks me up every time.

Big Spoon

Mr. Mister insisted on eating his oatmeal with a big spoon the other day. I offered various sizes of spoons but he kept saying, "No, Mommy. BIG spoon." So this is what I gave him and it made him happy. He actually did really well eating with it, too!

New Bike

Papa and Grandma gave Mr. Mister a new bike for his birthday! He LOVES bikes and always wants to ride other kids' bikes, so he is super excited to have is own. Daddy and I gave him a matching helmet with elbow pads and knee pads. We think it would be a good idea if he wore the helmet all the time, just in case.

He still has a little ways to grow in order to be able to peddle, but for now we just push him. As you can see in these pictures, he got right to work fixing up his bike!

Another Mr. Mister Prayer

Mr. Mister now likes to pray before we eat dinner. Here was his prayer from tonight:

"Jesus, mommy daddy come over**
hot dog, bread, beans, corn,
ketchup, mustard, milk, water, daddy beer,
mommy daddy come over. Amen."

It is so cute - he literally scans the table and says everything he sees. We love it and listen for a while but usually end up interjecting the Amen to bring some closure.

**Here's the story behind him saying, "mommy daddy come over." Last Thursday night, we had a meeting to go to, so we told him before dinner that a babysitter would be coming. At dinner that night he prayed, "mommy daddy go bye bye." So now every night since then he has said, "mommy daddy come over" to mean "come home."

School is in Session

Yesterday I started the last class of my master's degree! I enjoyed my summer off so much....freedom to play and the ability to enjoy Mr. Mister's nap times without school work constantly hanging over my head. But the freedom is over for now. Only 8 WEEKS and I will be finished. Oh, it will feel so good to be done.

This class is a teaching practicum, so I will actually be in an ESL classroom 2 days a week. My friend (who is expecting her first baby in December - yay!) is watching Mr. Mister, which I am so thankful for.

So anyway, just wanted to let you know that the blog posts may slow down. I do have a few more pictures to post from different events at the end of the summer. I'll get there eventually!

A Day at the Ballpark

This past Monday, Daddy took the day off and we went to an afternoon baseball game downtown. It was Mr. Mister's first game and we actually made it through the whole thing. He liked yelling, "Hit the ball, man!"

It was a gorgeous day and so much fun to spend the afternoon there as a family. We were one of maybe 1000 people there at most. Here were all the highlights ....

• We moved from our nosebleed seats to 15 rows behind the dugout. The first hit we saw was a homerun and our team won the game when a guy stole home in the bottom of the 9th. It all happened right in front of us.
  

• Daddy and Mr. Mister got on the big screen during the "Dance Cam." Daddy was dancing with Mr. Mister on his shoulders. Mr. Mister just sucked his thumb the whole time...he didn't realize he was famous!

• Mr. Mister met both team mascots (who knew there were two?). He was scared of both.

• Mr. Mister charmed a lady in front of us into sharing her popcorn with him. That smile is going to get him places!

Mr. Mister's other favorite part - drinking out of the water fountains!

Real Life

I have a lot more cute pictures to post of Mr. Mister's other birthday party and a day at the baseball game. But I feel like I need to put those aside for a day and share what's been going on in the lives of three different people. These three very different experiences have all restored an eternal perspective in me. A reminder that life here on earth is not always as fun as birthday parties and baseball games. Life can be hard and real. And thankfully, this life is not all there is. In Jesus, there is HOPE in a life to come that has no more pain, tears, or suffering.

Kate McRae
She's 5 years old and is battling a brain tumor. I've been following her story on CaringBridge and have often cried as I read about the uphill battle her family is in. My heart breaks as her parents write about the experience of watching their daughter suffer while at the same time clinging to hope in Christ and in the Lord's power to heal Kate. Her story is a dose of reality, as she went from a spunky 5 year old girl enjoying summer days at the park and the pool to a weary chemo patient fighting for her life.

Heidi and David
These are two college students at Virginia Tech who were recently murdered at a state park near the campus. Heidi was also the roommate of my friend's sister. The police belive the shooting was random, which obviously turns the lives of many people upside down. The pain with which Heidi's roommate writes is heavy, and I can't imagine how much more so is the pain of their parents. They both loved Jesus and I am certain that they are with Him now for eternity because of their relationship with Him, but that makes the shock of it no less real.

Katie
She's 20 years old and lives in Uganda as a mother of 13. She left her family, the boyfriend she loves, and her comfortable life in the U.S. to live in Uganda where she loves and cares for orphans. She started a ministry that sends 400 destitutely poor children to school and feeds hundreds more. Her faith is incredible and her experiences will blow you away. What she does seems impossible, but she just trusts in Jesus and does what He asks her to do. The link I posted above is to a post on her blog that describes her journey to where she is now. Here is another link to a post that is heart-wrenching and challenging at the same time. I don't think you can read it and not be changed.

So there are the three experiences. Kate makes me remember that life can change at any minute. Heidi and David remind me that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. Katie reminds me to live for what matters and what lasts. I guarantee that even though her daily life is difficult and painful, it is fulfilling and satisfying.