james macdonald

our family visited Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, IL, this morning and were really blessed. we listen to James MacDonald, the pastor there, often on the radio and really enjoy his teaching. he's not afraid to speak the truth and does so in a way that is both convicting and edifying at the same time--i think this is a true gift. his radio ministry is called Walk in the Word. i will add the website to my links, because you can listen to whatever the most recent broadcast was for free.

plant a tree

i admit it. i'm a tree hugger. not to the extreme--i do take showers--but in the "mild" form, as my sister-in-laws tell me. i guess some of my pet peeves kind of give it away... allow me to list a few for you.

• it bothers me when people run the water on full force between rinsing their dishes or while they are brushing their teeth, as well as when people water their lawns in the middle of the day.

• i have an inner struggle every time i go to pour my coffee at church into a styrofoam cup.

• i have to admit that sometimes i get annoyed at matt when he lets the car run after we have arrived and parked at our destination. (but i must give him credit for riding his bike to work most days that he can.)

• matt also just informed me that i am a recycling freak. beware if you throw something recyclable into the garbage bin at our house!

• i also have to admit that i sometimes re-bag some of my groceries before leaving the store, because i can barely live with myself if i am carrying only one or two items in a plastic bag. and if i am only buying one or two things, i will usually leave the bag and just carry my stuff.

anyway, the whole reason for bringing this up is that i was at IKEA today--one of my all-time favorite stores that i only get to go to when we are visiting matt's family--and saw a sign directing me to this website. it can apply to you whether you shop at IKEA or not, and has some interesting information and links. check it out.

good quote

"A life of obedience is not a life of following a list of do's and don'ts, but it is allowing God to be original in our lives."

-Vonette Z. Bright

empty house & empty holes -- pt 1

i suddenly have a lot more time for thoughts to roll around in my head, now that my older two kids are gone to grandma & grandpa's for a few days! this is the second time we have been separated like this, and it always feels good and sad at the same time. it certainly is a lesson in letting go for me. it is so true that you "don't know what you got til it's gone" (cringing as i quote an 80's rock song, but it's a good line).

i have been taking this opportunity in part to clean the house up a bit more than usual. i often get so frustrated in day-to-day life trying to keep up with the housework and three kids at the same time. when i get a break like this, i remember how much easier it is to keep a tidy home when you don't have little hands coming along behind you undoing what you have just done! but i also realize how much i miss those little hands when they are not here.

it seems everywhere i go people are saying, "enjoy them while they're young... the time goes so fast... before you know it they'll be grown..." i am always so grateful for this reality check, because it is so easy to forget when i am in the midst of the baby who is overdue for a nap and a diaper change, the 3 year old having a tantrum, and the 5 year old whining because she's hungry. there are never-ending demands on my time and energy these days. and yet, even just looking back one year, i can see how much miriam and levi are growing up already. and time just keeps marching forward.

not only will they not stay little forever, but it is also so easy to forget that each day with them is a gift. nothing in this life is guaranteed. this is a lesson i learned from my brother, who left his life on this earth a few months into his 16th year. we re-lived similar feelings again after levi's birth when we thought we might lose him. i cannot even begin to try to describe with words the pain experienced throughout both of those ordeals, but one reason i am grateful for them is that it has become easier to see that though these children have been entrusted to me, they do not belong to me, and i do not know how long i have with them or what God may have in store. though i often still forget this, when i do remember, it makes it easier to trust that God is in control.

this leads me to another thought, which i will continue later...

my baby's crawling

sawyer began with the "army crawl" a few weeks ago, but a couple days ago he officially figured out how to get around on all fours! he kind of goes back and forth between his knees and his toes--it's really cute. and yes, that is our crispy, drought-fried lawn you see in the background. :)

here are a few more of my favorite shots taken of the kids the other day:

oh, to be little...

it was a really hot day today, and for part of the afternoon all my kids were running around top-less. that's still an option for guys when you grow up, but not so much for us girls. unless, of course, you live in some other part of the world, like where we used to live in australia... ah, yes, another australia memory... top-less beaches!! optional, of course. i'll let you guess which option i chose. :) our YWAM beach ministry events where always interesting...

time for some kid pictures!

today marks 8 years that matt and i have been married. a whole lot has taken place in those 8 years, including the additions of these three amazing little people to our brood...

Miriam Bethany, 5 Levi David, 3 Sawyer Isaac, 7 mo. (though this was taken over a month ago)

one last tux shot

yesterday was a momentous day. the last of matt's group of college buddies FINALLY got married!! :) and to think--to a girl he graduated from hope college with! yet just in the past year have they struck up this relationship. we, too, have known his new wife since college, so it's fun to see them together now. they are going to be great together. of course, ryan and jen didn't even make it into this picture yesterday, but maybe he'll post some of their wedding photos on his blog.

since this may be the last time all the guys will be in tuxes together, i just had to highlight the occassion, as well as to include their previous tux shots. the first here was taken 8 years ago at scott's (second from right) wedding, and the second was taken 7 years ago at ty's (second from right) wedding. (our wedding was a month after scott's, and no tuxes.)

matt has been so blessed to have this great group of guys who have stayed in touch through the years since their beginnings a decade ago-yikes-at hope college. looking forward to a couple of days at the cottage all together (minus the honeymooners) next weekend!

misty of chincoteague

i recently finished reading this book to miriam. it is a wonderful story, but the most exciting part for me was discovering throughout the course of reading that it is based on true facts. the island of Chincoteague really exists off the coast of Virginia/Maryland and its neighboring island, Assateague, still swarms with wild ponies, as the book depicts. "pony penning day", also described in the book, is still an annual event there. this destination is definitely going on our list of family vacations to take. i love how reading opens up new worlds right from your living room sofa.

computer wackiness

our computer has been whacked out for the past week or so, so for the two of you who actually check my blog regularly, sorry about that. :)