Saturday, November 29, 2014
school days
I love that Chloe went to school this year. She loves to get ready in the morning on the days she gets to go. I love hearing both of them talk about their friends, what happened on the playground when they were together, and watch them compare their goody bags after holiday parties. This one particular morning they helped each other get ready and their voices were filled with excitement. They were chatting as Noah helped Chloe get her boots on for the first time. I wish I could freeze time sometimes.
online shopping...
can be a fun thing...
It's the returning part I dread. But we get to keep all the boxes :)
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Happy Birthday Daddy
Danny,
I am so blessed for unknown reasons why God selected you to be my husband. Today I feel so undeserved for the love you have shown me and our family. This past year you have poured out your life in caring for me during our transition to 3, pointing me to truth through your prayers and your emails. You have spent countless hours taking on my load. You do it joyfully and without one complaint. You come home ready to serve and care for our children. They love you so much and now genuinely miss you when you are gone. They love playing with you and being taught by you. They get excited about the things you are excited about. It brings me much joy to see their excitement in wanting to read their Bible stories with you and doing the "yellow book" of questions with you at dinner. They model where you sit and read your Bible. This is the foundation for why you are the way you are, and I am so grateful that the Lord saved you. The love of Christ shines through all that you do and you are a daily reminder exemplifying the living sacrifice God has called us to be. I love you so much and hope the Lord wills me to celebrate many more birthdays with you!
proudly painting for daddy
mini celebration
special celebration
Friday, November 7, 2014
grace
Tough days come and go, and sometimes they come and linger for a while. It's hard to believe that I am being effective in caring for my children when I feel I am struggling to breathe. I have whispered, and very often shouted my cries to the Lord for help. I know these rough times make for good training opportunities and this past week I was able to see that. I gave the kids cheese sticks for lunch, and Noah so kindly offered to help Chloe open hers. He really takes pride in all the little things he can do for himself these days. Well after a couples seconds of grunting and clenching his teeth, I hear him shout, "God, give me grace for this cheese stick!!"
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Our fall...
I just love the view from our kitchen
walked into the foyer and found her in these
We do extra bath times on cold rainy days
soccer practice with best buddies
Daddy's work party...
"Linkedin" and Tigger
social media gals
these BFF's make me laugh
An up close of the unbelievably adorable Rohwer's
Gaver Farm with the Sutton's...
I love Eli's belly hangin out
our favorite part: apple cider donuts
I just love all his curious & happy faces...
my Princess Belle
who let me do her hair!!!
(Another thing I looked forward to after I found out I was having a girl).
Lightening McQueen for the 3rd year in the row! (Per his request)
And we ended October trick or treating at our favorite neighbors house (and an ER visit for Noah with croup)...
Sweet boy, Jason, couldn't be depicted any better
Monday, October 13, 2014
a song in my head
The Lord always brings this song to mind, and if I could pick a song to keep on singing for eternity, it might be this one. It speaks to me regardless of what kind of day I've had, and I never tire of it. I sing it when I'm weighed down by my sin and need to be reminded that I am no longer enslaved to it, and I sing it when my heart is full of praise for what God has done for me. The Loftness's weren't home this evening, so I was singing extra loud :)
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Chloe turns 3
Chloe, Chloe, Chloe,
I repeat your name several times a day to either get your attention or make sure you aren't getting into anything. You are a very busy person. When the house is silent, something is up. When it is not silent, it is because you are talking. The other day we went to Tayta's house together. It's a 45 minute car ride and I tried to time the longest time frame you went with out talking. It was barely a minute! You are so curious and you ask a million questions. "Why is that man walking that way?, What is on that truck? Where are all the peoples going?" And then there are the follow up questions, "What are they going to do there? Are they going to get a shot at the doctors? And somewhere I want to include that the last word of all your statements and questions is a high pitched note. You have so much energy and sometimes I feel we all feed off of it and sometimes we are just weighed down by it. We started you in preschool a little early just to get you out of the house and interrogate someone new:) You really couldn't have been more ready. You love preschool. You always greet your teachers with a question, "What is that? Why are you wearing that necklace?" Oh and you love jewelry! You love to wear mommy's necklaces and then lose them. But back to school... You love circle time and a song we sing together, "My mother is a Baker". You also love "Good and Gracious', and "Give me Self Control." The other night you were singing yourself to sleep, "help me to be self-controlled." Mommy always needs to hear that song too!! You learned 2 memory verses this year, Romans 5:8 and Colossians 3:20. You are also now participating in our "highs and lows" conversation at dinner time. It's amazing how much a child transitions from 2 years to 3 years of age. It make me sad that you are becoming a big girl. You have become a big sister and love to take care of Eli. You also look up to Noah and learn a lot from him. You admire the things he gets to do, and always say thing like, "When I am tall like Noah, I can do that too!" You learned how to ride a bike like Noah this year too. This past year I painted your toes for the first time. I hope to start having mommy dates with you soon. Right now we get lots of special times when Noah is in school, and we typically play with play doh, puzzles and the matching game while we eat our veggie sticks. You have become such a good friend to Carly. You use to scare her with your overbearing hugs and now you welcome her, and share with her, and wear heels and necklaces with her. You are quite the character and you always make us laugh. This past weekend we went camping. My biggest fear was that you were going to fall in the fire, and with your ER record, it was very likely. Daddy and I always tell you what might happen if you get hurt because you are so fearless! So we introduced to you the reality of death. Of course, it means nothing to you right now. At the campsite we set up some chairs for you to walk BEHIND, so you don't get to close to the fire. Well, one time you forgot and ran across the front, and shaking-ly said, "Daddy, I almost die."
Chloe, I could talk about you for hours, and daddy and I are so blessed that we get to hear and see these things firsthand. We are so grateful to the Lord that you get to be our daughter. Last night, I was talking with Annie about what our prayers are for our children. My prayer is not that you would have all the things that the lies of this world will tell you that you need in order to be content and satisfied. Our biggest prayer is that you would have a dramatic testimony. A dramatic testimony, meaning the one where God pours out his grace and saves you at an early age. We desire for you to know the God that mommy and daddy know, the God who is more real to me each day as we parent our 3 kids, the God who has gives us wisdom in training you and is teaching us how to instruct you. We have learned about his unconditional love, his patience, his forgiveness, and his grace. We want you to be happy in the Lord and be satisfied in what he has accomplished for you, on your behalf, on the cross. We love you so much and happy 3 years old!
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I repeat your name several times a day to either get your attention or make sure you aren't getting into anything. You are a very busy person. When the house is silent, something is up. When it is not silent, it is because you are talking. The other day we went to Tayta's house together. It's a 45 minute car ride and I tried to time the longest time frame you went with out talking. It was barely a minute! You are so curious and you ask a million questions. "Why is that man walking that way?, What is on that truck? Where are all the peoples going?" And then there are the follow up questions, "What are they going to do there? Are they going to get a shot at the doctors? And somewhere I want to include that the last word of all your statements and questions is a high pitched note. You have so much energy and sometimes I feel we all feed off of it and sometimes we are just weighed down by it. We started you in preschool a little early just to get you out of the house and interrogate someone new:) You really couldn't have been more ready. You love preschool. You always greet your teachers with a question, "What is that? Why are you wearing that necklace?" Oh and you love jewelry! You love to wear mommy's necklaces and then lose them. But back to school... You love circle time and a song we sing together, "My mother is a Baker". You also love "Good and Gracious', and "Give me Self Control." The other night you were singing yourself to sleep, "help me to be self-controlled." Mommy always needs to hear that song too!! You learned 2 memory verses this year, Romans 5:8 and Colossians 3:20. You are also now participating in our "highs and lows" conversation at dinner time. It's amazing how much a child transitions from 2 years to 3 years of age. It make me sad that you are becoming a big girl. You have become a big sister and love to take care of Eli. You also look up to Noah and learn a lot from him. You admire the things he gets to do, and always say thing like, "When I am tall like Noah, I can do that too!" You learned how to ride a bike like Noah this year too. This past year I painted your toes for the first time. I hope to start having mommy dates with you soon. Right now we get lots of special times when Noah is in school, and we typically play with play doh, puzzles and the matching game while we eat our veggie sticks. You have become such a good friend to Carly. You use to scare her with your overbearing hugs and now you welcome her, and share with her, and wear heels and necklaces with her. You are quite the character and you always make us laugh. This past weekend we went camping. My biggest fear was that you were going to fall in the fire, and with your ER record, it was very likely. Daddy and I always tell you what might happen if you get hurt because you are so fearless! So we introduced to you the reality of death. Of course, it means nothing to you right now. At the campsite we set up some chairs for you to walk BEHIND, so you don't get to close to the fire. Well, one time you forgot and ran across the front, and shaking-ly said, "Daddy, I almost die."
Chloe, I could talk about you for hours, and daddy and I are so blessed that we get to hear and see these things firsthand. We are so grateful to the Lord that you get to be our daughter. Last night, I was talking with Annie about what our prayers are for our children. My prayer is not that you would have all the things that the lies of this world will tell you that you need in order to be content and satisfied. Our biggest prayer is that you would have a dramatic testimony. A dramatic testimony, meaning the one where God pours out his grace and saves you at an early age. We desire for you to know the God that mommy and daddy know, the God who is more real to me each day as we parent our 3 kids, the God who has gives us wisdom in training you and is teaching us how to instruct you. We have learned about his unconditional love, his patience, his forgiveness, and his grace. We want you to be happy in the Lord and be satisfied in what he has accomplished for you, on your behalf, on the cross. We love you so much and happy 3 years old!
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