Six Years

Happy Anniversary, Luke!

Okay, now that the rush of the day is done, I can add this: Six years ago, I married my very best friend. We talked this afternoon about how on that day, we could not have imagined this day. I am so thankful to my husband for his leadership, his service, and his care for me and for our children. I thank God for bringing us together when we were young, and pray that I will joyfully serve with him wherever God calls us in whatever He calls us to do.

Great Adventures II

I guess it's a family tradition that when Luke deploys, I take the kids on a long, cross-country road trip to my family's house in Massachusetts and stop along the way for a brother's wedding. Every time!

Here's where we're headed this time. I placed the markers from memory, so those of you better acquainted with Michigan geography can show me where Battle Creek actually is on your hands when I see you. (You know who you are!)

Hopefully I'll take the time to blog our trip. It should be a... well, an adventure.

Reminds me of... me

I found this when I was not going to sleep the other night.

Kids and Their Puppies

And this is the picture I'm going to pull out and show them when they're older and think they don't get along:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. There's no relationship quite like that between siblings.

I Get to See This Every Day

If We Don't Lose Heart

My mom passed along this tape of Bible verses put to music that we listened to when my little sister was about Ellie's age. It's still in pretty good condition, and although the songs are not all exactly to my taste, I find that it's much more difficult to lose my patience or become irritable with my kids when I've been singing Bible verses all morning long.

One of my favorite verses for this stage of my life is Galatians 6:9: "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." So much of life with little ones is about repetition. The cleaning, the diapers, the bedtime routine, the discipline. Consistency is the key when it comes to discipine, which for my daughter is all about obeying right away and having a joyful heart. It's easy to become discouraged as we talk about the same issues again and again and again, but this verse reminds me that I'm not parenting for short-term success or even short-term obedience. I'm cultivating these little people for God's kingdom, and by His grace and the work of the Holy Spirit, in due season I will see the fruits of this labor. My prayer is that I will take joy in the work God is giving me right now, that I will not grow weary of this work, and that in due season I will see my children confess Jesus as Lord.

The First Leg

Luke made it to his training in Germany without any travel problems. He's taking his class, meeting some of the folks he'll be working with, and enjoying good food and extra sleep while he can.

We are really thankful to all the people who advised us to try Skype. We've been able to talk several times and it really helps Ellie to be able to see Luke when she talks to him. I think it probably helps him, too.