busy boy

(At right: Not only does Josiah now have hair, given the right atmospheric conditions, it even curls!! This adds to the charm of his most innocent grin, which should never be trusted.)

Why Mommy is Tired at Night by Josiah

Today I

-tried to drink Baby Magic Baby Wash

-ran out of the yard through the gate Mommy thought was closed

-tested gravity using the floor lamp

-grabbed a cucumber off the counter and took a few bites

-completely emptied the diaper bag

-stuck garage sale tags all over my shirt

-found the dishwasher detergent absolutely irresistable after Mommy poured it in the dispenser

-rescued my last piece of watermelon from the garbage can and ate it

-learned how to do somersaults

-and that's what Mommy saw, I won't mention what she didn't see

By the way, yesterday I ate wet sand. It was really really tasty!!

I can't wait until tomorrow!!

A good book in hand is worth two on the shelf

(Inspired by Jared)

We are a family of readers. I like to joke that Micah and I have passive fights about who is reading the most books at once. Our books pile up on the endtables. He who owns the highest pile, wins. Most of the time, that's Micah. One of the first things I did when we moved was buy 3 baskets for our family room to hold books. It worked for a few days. Now once again the books are spilling out of the baskets onto the tables and all over the floor. I can't think of a better mess to have, I tell my order-craving self. (If you've seen our house, you'll know I have to have talks with my order-craving self quite often!)

One sign that life is returning to "normal" is that I find I am working on several books at once again. Here's a list of what is tickling my fancy right now.

When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper. Because sometimes the battle fills you with joy: when you see strongholds broken down, victories won, and lives changed. But sometimes you get battle weary and lose focus. Piper proves from scripture that joy is worth fighting for, and it's found in making Christ our Treasure.

90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper. Not to be confused in any way with the first author! Here's hoping those awakened by this book to the joys of heaven are further awakened to the absolute joy of the Savior who dwells there and has given us entrance. Most of the book is not about Piper's time in heaven but about his difficult recovery from a serious accident. In that, Don provides some good life lessons from his time of suffering. The fact that his still has joy after all he has endured is a testimony to his faith in God.

*John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitken. The author is a Chuck Colson of sorts from Great Britain. I've learned enough from the preface to see it will be worth the dive in.

Fullness of the Spirit by Andrew Murray. I've been very helped by Murray's teaching on the Holy Spirit in the past but find myself at odds with some of his doctrinal teaching in this book. Still, his principles on being filled with the Spirit are full of merit. Feel like I am dabbling and hope the same is not true of living my life in the Spirit.

A Woman of Contentment by Dee Brestin. The Bible study on Ecclesiastes I am working through this summer. Wonderful so far...OK, I've done one day.

Heart's Cry by Jill Briscoe. Her book on Ecclesiastes. How I love this woman. The accent helps. I got to meet her once and though at first I felt like just another lady in line, when I told her my kindergartner (Micah) missed hearing her program when he went to school, her face just lit up. Haven't delved into the book yet but I will.

*The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. Looks to be a compilation of essays on the subject. I'll get to it!!

The Single Shard by Linda Sue Parks. The Newbery Award book I chose to read for the ARKS program at the library (Adults Reading Kids Stuff). Good story, kind of predictable. Somewhat thought provoking although The Giver by Lois Lowry is tops from what I've read so far. (I'm not sure I'll get my ARKS completed but at least I've read enough for a free Steak and Shake milkshake. I've got my priorities, you know.)

*Recommended on the summer booklist by BSF. I've never been disappointed yet with a recommendation, though I have found myself in over my head at times. It's good to be stretched.

Cousins

Today was a beautiful day, in the middle of a beautiful week. We met our cousins at Miller Park to try out the new playground (a blast!!) and visit the zoo.


The meerkats are a favorite in the world of toddlers. Maybe because all that jumping and climbing looks so appealing at this age!!










Do not attempt to separate these two!!!













What should we look at next??













OK, jumping and climbing is appealing for the older boys, too!












This was just before Rachel started howling like a wolf. Be glad you can't see how high she really was!!!

cooking with Mom

This week my kids started day camp. Rachel is gone on Tuesday and Micah is gone on Thursday, which gives me some nice one on one time with each older child while Josiah naps. We had "recipe day" this week where each child picked a recipe we had never made before. We wondered if any cousins might like these so here they are to share!

Micah's Best Snickerdoodles Ever

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3 T. sugar
3 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, sugar, and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture. Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 min. in the fridge. Meanwhile, mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop 1 inch balls of dough into the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the mixture. Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 min. Remove from pan immediately.

(I did not keep my cookie sheets chilled throughout and the cookies still turned out great.)

Rachel's Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

1 box favorite cake mix and ingredients to make it
1-2 boxes of ice cream cones
1 can frosting or my favorite frosting recipe follows!

For frosting:
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/3 c. cocoa
1 stick melted margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. milk

Make cake batter according to instructions on box. Spoon 1/4 c. batter into each ice cream cone. Stand cones on cookie sheet. Bake cones until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 min. Cool. For frosting, mix above ingredients in mixer. Frost cupcakes and enjoy!! Store in refrigerator. Ice cream cone cupcakes are best eaten when fresh, so we made 12 ice cream cone cupcakes and the rest are cupcakes as usual. This was a favorite recipe from my childhood.

redefining normal

Ecc. 8:17 "No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it."

It used to be that when I faced a time of trial, I would buckle down in it, pull out my Bible, and search out what God was trying to teach me. As a Christian this is not an altogether wrong way to respond, with verses like James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-5, 8:28, and even Gen. 50:20 to lean on during difficult times.

Yet after recently facing an extended time of exhausting circumstances (I act as if only short trials should be required to refine my character), I began to suspect there was more to what God wanted me to know on this subject. Here's my earth-shattering discovery (drum roll, please!): life is hard because of the fall. Somehow I have forgotten the first 3 chapters of Genesis...that God made paradise on earth for man to live in, yet very quickly in rebellion, sin entered the world and life got really, really messed up. Somehow I expect from time to time that I ought to live in a perfect world, where everything gets resolved and every ending is happy (at least I don't expect a perfect world with no problems at all), but instead we have more heartache and difficulty than we could ever desire to live through.

During a long winter full of illnesses and other circumstances far beyond my ability to control, I cried out selfishly to God: "Please, can't I just have a normal week??" God brought 2 Cor. 4:8-11 to mind: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body." God was gently reminding me, "Leah, this IS normal. Your job is to simply glorify me in it."

Back to Normal

Just before our move, I was contemplating a good cry once the dust began to settle. Instead, I had an inexplicable feeling yesterday that things were beginning to feel rather normal, perhaps for the first time in a couple of years. It seems only fitting that the mail today brought a packet of information to welcome us to Normal. Yet I think with irony, we have been here all along.

Rite of Passage

Somehow, I am just as proud as when he took his first steps. Yet more teary-eyed!