Vacation!

We thank the Lord for providing a vacation for us! Lou had two weeks off. We spent the first week in New Hampshire and the second week at home. We did day trips and stuff. Here is Rocky trying out the swings at a playground in New Hampshire. We met our friends, Craig and Tiffany Johnson and their family, there.

Here are Gracie and Rocky in the maze garden at Heritage Plantation. This is a little museum and garden area on Cape Cod. Gracie was trying to pat the giraffe topiary.

This is the windmill at Heritage Plantation. The grounds are really beautiful. We had fun just walking around with the kids and being outside!

Here is Gracie on her first carousel ride! Heritage Plantation has this hand-carved, 100 year old carousel; it's really beautiful! Gracie loved riding the horses!

Rocky is trying on a pirate hat in the pirate exhibit. Who knew Cape Cod had so much pirate history? I guess they found the remains of a pirate ship off the coast of the Cape a few years ago. The exhibit was really interesting, and kids enjoyed playing in the interactive sections.

Gracie looking out the window at the cottage in New Hampshire. The cottage is right on a pond, so Gracie loved watching all the birds and animals around the pond.

Gracie pretending to be a cow at the Cabot store.

This was the mist on the pond one morning in New Hampshire. God's creation is so beautiful! It's amazing how still the water is in the morning!

Gracie and Rocky ready to go out and play!

Here's Gracie on the swings at the playground! She loved it! We praise the Lord for so much family time together. Ministry life is very busy, and it was nice to be together and to have some great fellowship. We saw the Johnsons in New Hampshire, and we were also able to see Patrick and Sarah Slyman in Rockport, MA on our way up to New Hampshire. Patrick graduated from TMS with Lou. On the second Sunday of our vacation, we drove out to Bethlehem Bible Church and visited Mike Abendroth and his people. It was great to see what the Lord is doing in some of the other New England churches.

Well, I'm attempting to upload a video! Rocky got his second haircut last week while Lou was on vacation. We took a drive to see Lou's dad at work (he's a barber), and Rocky got a trim! Unfortunately, my camera card filled up right at the end of the video so we didn't catch Rocky's huge smile at the end of the haircut. (You'll notice it ends kind of abruptly).

Pajama Time!

Rocky hiding his lips; I think he looks so cute when he does this! Rocky got his first haircut on Monday. Lou's dad cut it. He's been a barber for over 35 years, and he cut Lou's hair all his life (still does!). Rocky is now entering into the tradition!

Gracie running around--look at all those curls! She certainly didn't get those from me!

Playing together on the floor (Gracie was clapping; she really isn't about to clobber Rocky)

Yes, this is Rocky leaning over to eat his toe! Such a crazy little guy!

Finally, a picture of them sitting together...see below photos for all we went through to get this!

This is just a cute one of Rocky from the other day. He has the sweetest little face! He's been giving kisses lately, but he doesn't fully get the concept. He'll just open his mouth and push it against your face. It's cute, but a bit messy. This week has been full of running around for us. We are most likely going to break down and buy a minivan tomorrow. We're getting ready to go on vacation next week and realized that once we put two strollers and two pack 'n plays in the trunk, we're out of room! Plus, we're hoping to have more kids eventually, so we'll be saying good-bye to our Camry soon. Praise the Lord, the van we're looking at is great! The price is good, and the Lord has allowed all the details to come together. That is such a blessing. Although getting a car is exciting, it's a lot of stress, too. Time for Rocky to get up from his nap...more news later!

Some Serious Silliness

Rocky loves to put his pacifier in the wrong way. In this picture, he looks like he's trying to be scary...rrrraaaaarrr!!!!

Gracie decided to join in on the fun!

Here the pacifier is upside down (it's kind of hard to tell)

And here's just a cute one of Daddy and Rocky! Praise the Lord! He has sustained us through another week, and we are all doing well. We're looking forward to going on vacation soon. We'll be heading up to New Hampshire where we've gone before. Our friends Craig and Tiffany Johnson are at a church there, and there's a couple in their church who have a cottage they let us stay in. It's wonderful; the cottage is on a lake, and it's just time to relax and hang out as a family.
This week the Lord has been reminding me that I need to trust Him and not hold on too tightly to my schedule/routine. It seems like something has come up each day this week that disrupts our normal flow of life. Thankfully, none of the disruptions have been bad; some have even been fun (we went into Boston on Monday and got pizza in the North End--the Italian district--that was yummy!). I guess I'm one of those people who likes to feel like they have things under control, but the Lord has His way of reminding me that although I might make my plans, the Lord will direct my steps. Praise the Lord that He loves me enough to help me learn these lessons!
The kids are doing well. Rocky is teething but handling it well. Gracie is singing more and more. She can sing the ABC song well enough for us to understand 95% of the letters, and she's working on "Jesus Loves Me". It's really cute; she'll sing the "Yes" in the chorus and "Bible". The rest is unintelligible. She also shocked us the other day by counting to ten! We've been over the numbers lots of times, but I didn't realize that she'd learned them. We really have to try to figure out youtube so we can post some of these little milestones. She's also starting to get more protective of her toys and not always wanting to share with Rocky, so we're working on that one. Any ideas???
Lou is keeping busy as ever. He's been busy studying Judges in addition to his regular studies as he's hoping to begin going through it after we return from vacation. He's been preaching through the gospel of John on Sunday mornings for a few months now, and that's been a blessing. Other than that, not too much news to report! I can't believe summer is almost over!

Day Trips with Daddy

We praise the Lord for bringing everything together for our "Pursuing God" conference last weekend. Our fellowship group pastor from California, Phil Johnson, came and taught. We had people from our church and from other churches in MA and even some from New Hampshire. It was a blessing for all of us to hear God's Word and to fellowship with one another. Phil and his wife Darlene stayed with us. Darlene really hit it off with Gracie and Rocky; she was a huge help with them. Gracie was a bit afraid of Phil despite all his efforts to get her to talk to him. After such a busy weekend, Lou and I decided to go to Falmouth, another town on the Cape, for a day trip. For lunch, we stopped at a 1950s diner where the above picture was taken. We just changed Rocky's car seat from an infant seat, so this was his first time in a high chair at a restaurant. He loved it! And Gracie did, too! (you can see she's reaching for him in the picture).

Here's the whole family after lunch at the diner

We love this picture even though it's blurry since it captures all of their enthusiasm!

Some scenic photos of Nobska Light in Falmouth. We're still thinking about trying to sell pictures online, so we've been taking a lot more scenic shots. It's so beautiful here!

What Is Really Important?

My friend Kim is pregnant with her second child, and she recently emailed to ask about life with two kids. As I shared with her some of the things the Lord had taught me, I was reminded of a time Rocky was about a week old. It was evening, and Gracie was crying because she wanted me to hold her. Rocky was crying because he was having trouble latching on for a feeding, and I was crying because I was feeling overwhelmed. I felt sad for Gracie because I knew she didn't understand why I couldn't hold her, and in my hormonal, post-pregnancy state-of-mind, I was afraid she would think I didn't love her anymore. Then, Lou gently reminded me that God was using all of this to help Gracie learn to share and not to be selfish. That helped me so much.
Recently, a young mom in our church asked me for some counsel. She had read many books and articles on how her kids needed time outside each day, and they needed play dates and so on and so on. She was overwhelmed and was having a hard time getting everything done. As we talked, I started thinking about what is really important. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great for kids to have time outside and time with other children, but is that really the most important thing? The world's wisdom is very child-focused and tells parents that we must do all these things for our children and give them all of these opportunities if they are to succeed. But God's Word talks about training our children "in the way they should go." We know that God would have us to teach our children about Him in all that we do, and in doing that, we are to teach them to be patient, to be kind, to be unselfish, to be content, to be obedient that they would glorify God in all they do. This is what is really important. So often I lose sight of that. I thought of this the last time we went out for ice cream. Gracie really enjoyed the ice cream, and she was sad when it was gone. Instead of trying to pacify her by diverting her attention, I tried to talk to her about being thankful for the ice cream and for being content with what God allowed us to have. Even though I know she's little and doesn't understand a lot of what I say, I think, in part, I say it for my own benefit, too. I need to be reminded to be thankful and content with what God provides for us. Isn't God good to teach us even as we seek to teach our children?

Making up for lost pictures?

After not having my camera the last time, I now have LOTS of pictures! Here is Rocky (very alert after naptime) with his basketball.

I love this picture of Gracie; she was saying, "Cheese!" Her hair is so curly! Especially now that it's summer, and the humidity is here.

Lou and Rocky being cute! I love that Rocky is trying to hold Lou's face, too.

My mom and dad got a small plastic pool for Gracie. She loves playing with the water, but she's not so sure about actually getting in and sitting down. Here she is with her fish watering can.

Rocky with the scrunched up face! Gracie used to make this face, too, but she made a sniffing sound along with it!

Rocky making funny faces

Gracie on her cell phone, babbling away. Note the pajamas, too. Diane, if you're reading this, these make me think of you every time she wears them!

Rocky sound asleep with Nana and Vovo (Lou's mom and dad)

Gracie with Grandma and Grandpa

Gracie with her stickers
She loves stickers on her hands lately, and the other day when Lou went to the store, he bought her some (I thought that was so sweet). Of course, notice what he bought for her. It's a sticker of a bear playing the drums!

Sunset at Paine's Creek...one more reason to come and visit us!

Sunset at Sesuit Harbor

We've been tossing around the idea of trying to sell Cape Cod photos online. Any thoughts? Lou and I certainly aren't professional photographers, but it's so beautiful here. It's kind of hard not to take a good picture. In other news, Lou is in Florida for a few days. His grandmother is not doing well, and the Lord may be calling her home any day now. We praise the Lord that she knows and loves Him, and He has blessed her with many years (she's 93). Please keep Lou and his family in prayer as they are in Miami this week. As for me and the kids, we're hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa for a few days. It's a blessing to have them close by.
The kids are doing well. Gracie has hit a stage where she is super curious and getting into everything! Suddenly, she's realized there are drawers she's never opened and things to climb on! The other morning, I left her and Rocky with Lou while I was getting ready. I came out to find Rocky and Lou snoozing on the couch, and Gracie systematically emptying our bookshelf of all of the books! Another time, we thought she was playing in her room, and when Lou went to check on her (it had only been a few minutes), she had climbed up on a chest in her room and pushed the screen out of the window! Praise the Lord, she didn't fall out! It's only a few feet off the ground, but she still could have been hurt. She is something. She is really learning so much these days. It seems like she knows a new word each day. Lately, she's fascinated with the alphabet. She can say the second part of the ABC song, "Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z." (You'd think she would learn the beginning first). She can name the letters H, Q, T, W, A, and sometimes Y (she mixes it up with V). I am amazed at what God makes little minds capable of. Rocky is doing well, too. He has found his lungs this weeks and loves to make loud noises! He says "ma, ma, ma" and "blah, blah, blah" a lot. He's a very happy baby except when it's time to eat. He makes sure we don't forget to feed him!

God's Grace

Sorry, no pictures on this post. I forgot my camera at home. (We don't have internet at home so I have to blog elsewhere). However, I still wanted to write and praise the Lord for His grace and mercy. My dad made it through his surgery (11 hours!!), and after a week in the hospital, he is now home and doing well considering all he's been through. God has blessed in so many ways through all of this. The doctor was terrific; he was one of the few doctors that actually came out to the waiting room periodically to tell us how it was going (most of the others just phone news in). My dad responded well to the surgery and is progressing well. Rocky, who spent the day with me in the waiting room, was great! No fussiness or anything! Praise the Lord! Two of the ladies from church, Cindy and Nancy, came to sit with my mom and me for a few hours. The Lord is so gracious! Thank you to all of you who have been praying!
As to our family, we are doing well. Gracie is saying more and more words. Her latest is "cado" for the avocado I let her try last night. (She didn't like it. She made quite a face, but tried to eat it anyway). We moved Rocky into Gracie's room this week. We'd been putting it off because he had been waking up early, but we finally decided we just had to do it. I thought it might be tough for Gracie because he might wake her up. I was wrong. She thought it was a party! When I went to get them on the first morning they were together, she was standing in her crib babbling away to him excitedly, and he was laughing at her. It was such a sweet moment to see them enjoying each other so much.
Gracie is becoming very helpful, too. She'll put Rocky's clothes in the laundry basket for me and get his pacifier for him when he drops it. She loves to have baby wipes; she tries to help me clean the table with them. She's a riot when I try to wipe her face after she eats. I'll wipe her face, and she'll say, "knee, knee" because she wants me to clean her knee, too. As Lou pointed out, she's like the apostle Peter when he doesn't want to the Lord to wash his feet and then decides he wants the Lord to wash his head, his hands, etc.
Rocky is getting more and more active, rolling a lot, and grabbing for toys...and hair (ouch!). We're still waiting for him to sit up. He's almost there; he's just such a big guy. He's got a lot of weight to support. He's almost ready to go to a bigger car seat (about a pound away). Lou and I are busy as usual. Lou's trying to keep up with all the duties of ministry, and I've been busy getting a going-away party together for Nancy, a lady in our church who is moving away. I'll try to remember my camera next time; the kids are changing so fast!