Daisy

Our girlie is now 16 months.  I stopped the monthly updates when she turned one so I thought it was time to document some pictures and milestones before her childhood gets away from me.

A while back we started calling her Daisy, a nickname that started from how Mr. Newton originally said her name. It has stuck and I often wonder if she thinks she has two names.  So from here on out, she will be Daisy on the blog, too.

This little girl is growing up so fast.  She is beautiful and her personality is emerging....strongly!  Our peaceful one ends up to have a lot of spirit in her!  In a very loving way, she's a bruiser.  She thinks she's as big as her brothers and tries to keep up with them in activity and noise.  We always joke that we're working on getting our kids to express themselves a little more. Wonder where they get that from...



She is also fearless and already so adventurous.  It makes me a little nervous sometimes, like when she saw the pool for the first time and started backing right in without a second thought.  She stands on top of her little slide in the backyard without holding on, lets go of the handle bars when I'm pushing her on her bike (strapped in), giggles and kicks when the boys push her fast in her baby swing or little red car, stands on their skateboard and goes down the big slides at the park without hesitation. 

 

She is taking her time walking.  She went through a period of at least trying to walk most places but now is back to crawling.  I know she can do it but I think she likes to go faster crawling.  I'm in no rush though...once they walk, they run and that makes it harder to keep up with all three!

 

She is kind of a picky eater and I struggle to get healthy foods in her.  She loves her snacks (third born...started eating snacks way before the boys ever did).  She does not like meat (I'm secretly okay with that) but loves hummus and cheese so I feel like she does okay on protein.  Fruits and veggies are hit or miss but are getting better.  And I am making more smoothies for her so I can sneak good things in!

 

She may not be able to walk, but this girl can talk.  She has a lot of words and can imitate pretty much anything we ask her to day.  She recently started trying two word phrases like bye bye dada!  So sweet. 

 

This picture below is one of my favorites.  She has a new love for flipping through books (yay!).  Reading books is one of my favorite things to do with the kids and it makes me so happy to see them love reading.  I think she looks like such a big girl looking at her own book!

One of my favorite things about her is that as soon as she hears worship music, she puts her little hand up in the air and starts dancing.  It's not only cute, but I really believe God has already given her a heart for worship.  I love that.

She still adores her big bros and her Daddy, but she's never far from Mama's hip.
Love you, Daisy!

The Journey

We are calling this season of life The Journey of Trust.  I guess that is what all of life's journey really is.  But this time right now is a time when we are face to face with the reality that this world is broken and not the way God ever intended it to be. When it doesn't make sense and when circumstances tell us otherwise and and when our hearts are broken, we trust. And we cling tightly to His promises and we stand firmly on His truth. 

This summer, we have the amazing opportunity to live life alongside my husband's family and to daily walk with them this path that none of us expected to walk.  He gets to put aside work that once seemed so significant and instead pour into what really is significant as he spends the days with his dad...talking, praying, reading Scripture, encouraging, blessing, crying, receiving, loving, helping, serving, laughing, reminiscing...enjoying.  

We are so glad to be here, to live life alongside them and not from a distance. So thankful for all of the ways the Lord has orchestrated this to work. Things he set in motion long ago that would free us to be able to make this transition so smoothly.  All glory goes to Him.  He is so good.  His love is so real. 

My father-in-law has received somewhere around 50 cards in the past few days.  I sat tonight reading all of these cards, tears falling, overwhelmed by the love I read in the handwriting of people who have stepped into the pain of someone many of them have never met.  Thank you if one of those cards was from you.  You have no idea the encouragement that is in the words you have written and the scripture you have shared.  

I was also overwhelmed by the power and truth of God's Word.  As I read verse after verse in these cards, some repeated multiple times over, I could feel the Lord pressing them even deeper into my heart than they have ever been.  Just as the reality of life's brokenness is greater in this season, so is the reality of God's promises.  And those promises are many.  As one friend wrote, "We serve a trustworthy Lord who has not made one promise that will not be fulfilled completely."  And so when life feels too hard and the pain feels too consuming, we put all of our hope in the promises of our God who does not falter and does not fail.

Here is a glimpse of what I read tonight.  May the truth of His endless promises and the magnitude of His great love be real to you right now, no matter where you are in life.

Lamentations 3:22-23 - Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Deuteronomy 31:8 - The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.

Ephesians 3:20 - Now to Him who is able to do abundantly more than we could ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

Psalm 73:25-26 - Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire beside you.  My flesh and my heart faint but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Isaiah 41:10 - Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."

Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 8:14-16 - For all who are lead by the Spirit of God are children of God.  So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.  Instead, you received God's spirit when he adopted you as His own children.  Now we call Him Abba, Father.  For His spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children."

2 Cor. 12:9 - My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Psalm 145:18-19 - The Lord is close to all who call on Him - to all who  call on Him in truth.  He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him.  He will hear their cry and save them.

Romans 8:38-19 - For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Isaiah 46:4 - Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

Isaiah 58:11 - The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs.

Isaiah 30:15 - In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.

Isaiah 41:10 - Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you for I am your God. I will strengthen you...I will uphold you.

James 1:12 - Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, he will receive the crown of life God has promised to those who love him.

Isaiah 43:1-2, 5 - Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you; when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned...Do not be afraid, for I am with you."

2 Cor. 4:16 "Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal."

Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus 

John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

KR Graduation

This school year flew by.  I know it will only go faster from here.
Mr. Mister had a great year in his Kindergarten Readiness class (don't call it preschool or you will be corrected!).  It was a class for late five year olds and we ended up being very happy with our decision to send him here instead of kindergarten this year.

He did so well and my favorite report from his teacher was that he was always very kind and compassionate to the other students, aware of their needs and always willing to help.  Hooray!  That brings joy to my heart for a couple reasons.  He has always had a compassionate heart, but the intensity of his emotions has often interfered with acting kindly toward other kids.  He has come a very long way in his self control and I am so proud of him for how he has grown in this. 

Also, I would rather have every teacher praise his heart towards others before they praise his academic ability.  Yes, I want him to learn and flourish in knowledge.  But way more important to me is that other kids would see Jesus in him at school.  That's what we pray for every day on the way to school and is a huge factor in our choice to send him to public school.  This kid is a leader and an influencer, bold and confident.  We are praying that he uses those giftings for the good of the Kingdom.  That may sound like big vision for a five year old going into kindergarten but I am convinced that one of our greatest roles as parents is to see our kids as who they will become and call out life and lead them into that. 

That being said, here are cute pictures from his graduation with his teachers and friends. 
We were blessed with some great relationships this year.

 

 

  

 

And a picture of the last day of school ice cream treat!  This was a tradition Daddy and his dad had and one that will surely be carried on in our family.  I love the look on his face!

 

Memorial Day

Pictures from a very special Memorial Day weekend
with Grandma and Papa and the crew.

Walking in the parade
Hanging out at the lake
Catching lots of fish
Taking lots of tractor rides
And spending lots of time together.

The little things become a lot more significant in times like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer Please

So much is going on in life right now.  I have a lot of thoughts that I would love to blog about at some point, but it's just hard to find time to keep this blog updated with everything that I want to write.

The most important thing right now is a request for prayer for my father-in-law, who was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.  His name is Mark.  Please pray for him. 

We are daily encouraged and inspired by how he and his wife are trusting the Lord wholeheartedly in such a hard time.  The peace that they have is definitely the peace that transcends understanding (Phil. 4:7), which can only come from trusting the Father who loves us and has already rescued us.  All of this has given me a desperate reliance on the promises of God, which we can stand on and put all of our hope in.  Because He is love and He is good and He is faithful. Always.  

I could just keep going...the Word has become so alive to me and God has so many promises for us directly related to suffering. But it's almost midnight so I'll stop here for now.  Please pray for trust and for healing.

Also..this song by David Crowder has been playing over and over in our house and our cars throughout the past month as we have gone through this whirlwind.  In the face of hardship, the enemy shouts his lies, but we cling the the whispers of truth.  I love this song, which reminds me so powerfully of the truth of who God is and who we are in Him.

"Here's my heart, Lord.  Speak what is true."