Genevieve turns 7

It's Vi's birthday week:
"Life flies by in seconds...you're not a baby Gracie you're my friend.  You'll be a lady soon but until then...you gotta do what I say."

I've loved Ben Folds ability to tell stories through song for years....this year his song "Gracie" is what immediately came to mind when I sat down to write this blog.    I think it's because this year I am starting to see more clearly the young lady Genevieve will become.   Small glimpses...but she is coming more into herself. 

She is fiercely driven.  Once she sets her mind to accomplishing something, she follows through with a perseverance that leaves me quite impressed.  She has started doing extra chores to earn money towards things she would like so she doesn't have to take money from her convertible savings.  I could take a few notes from her self-control and money management skills....

She loves nature.  Which...is definitely nurtured in our home.  She listens, she observes closely, explores, asks questions, and genuinely appreciates all nature has to offer.  She remarks on the colors of the sunset and wonders if God possibly loves pink and purple as much as she does.  She constantly asks me to bring the "nature cards" that Karlie got us whenever I mention going to the park.  She explores the textures around her, and gathers what she can to bring back to her space.

She is still as girly as they come.  This year she was prescribed glasses, she loved getting to pick out her new purple glasses, they made her look older, and are awfully adorable.  She loves dressing up, feeling pretty, and going on dates with her daddy.  This year she asked me for a braided headband and patiently sat throughout the week as I watched YouTube videos and attempted to do her hair for her.  She gave lots of encouragement and praise, and in the end, she was delighted to have her hair styled just the way she wanted for a special night out with her dad.

Her full array of emotions confuses us but is part of her loving, empathetic heart.  A few times this year we caught her crying and she had no reason other than "I just feel like crying".  You do you girl.  But she loves her family devotedly, that's for certain.  I'm amazed how she can play with her brother for HOURS with little to no bickering, they just want to have fun.

 She wanted a "creating and inventing" space, so she got a new desk where she sits for hours creating art or gluing and taping things together that end up being some kind of invented contraption.  Creating is her passion as of late, and it's fun to watch her imagination come to life.

As always, it's been a fun year that has flown by. She's grown socially, emotionally, academically, and physically and I am always amazed and in love with who she is and who she is becoming.

Broken Jars

We are all broken...but if we as Christians, show no difference, no light and hope in the midst of our brokenness...where do people see and desire after Jesus?  We as Christians seem so shocked and confused when bad things happen, but we still find Jesus there.  Because the Jesus that I know at least, is found in the midst of our humanity and brokenness.

Life isn't "easier" as Christians, we aren't exempt from the pains of loss and sorrow, from disappointments and failures.  I think Paul's life shows that being a Christian doesn't keep you 'safe'... in fact, it does the exact opposite...being a Christian for Paul was completely and utterly unsafe.   In fact, I can't think of a person in the Bible who led a "safe" life.  Christians are hurting and looking to the church in confusion because so often the "Christian machine"wants to focus on the joy of the Lord, and praises and His goodness, and heaven.  These are all truths, but we can't just put on blinders and make God fit into a box that He will NOT fit in.   I think what this creates is a community of Christians who just...can't.   They cling to the songs about goodness and joy and don't know how to even process their grief and pain.  We are crippling our own Christians instead of equipping them in power to continue on in our brokenness because in Him WE CAN.  That doesn't mean ignore your hurts or sufferings, we don't cover them up by halfheartedly singing church songs to try to force ourselves to be ok.   I think that the pain is part of God's story.  We endure, we press on, for the hope set before us.   Jesus suffered, he wept, he cried out in desperation.   We have to capture this moment on the cross to truly understand what suffering and sacrifice means.   In the midst of all His pain and agony was love for others.   This should be an important reminder to us... this isn't a call for those with the gift of evangelism... this is THE act of Jesus for us to receive...and to share. 

I have been hurting.  I have been hurt by those I love, I have been disappointed by people I thought were supposed to be different.  Yet none of that changes what Jesus has done for me, and none of that changes that in the midst of pain and betrayal...we can still act in love.  I want to allow Jesus to hold me in my hurts and despairs...to heal my broken heart, but remember that in His comfort is power.   The power to be used AS a broken vessel not yet a perfected one.                There's a relief in that, at least for me.   I have too many flaws and fleshly reactions that I am still working on to wait to be "good" to be of any use.  
So I for one will not tell you "I'm good because God's good", instead you might hear, "Life currently sucks, but God is good".   If you are struggling with something I probably won't spew the first verse I can think of and tell you to just believe it.  I'll try to listen, truly listen, and love you through it, connect with you, and if the Spirit leads me to encourage you with a verse I certainly will.   Many verses have encouraged me through the years, but where I have most felt the love of Jesus is through connection not conviction.    

“We now have this light shining in our hearts,
but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars
containing this great treasure.
This makes it clear that our great power
is from God, not from ourselves.”
~ 2 Corinthians 4:7

Ezekiel turns 4

So here we go, Ezekiel is turning 4.  I'm thankful to be leaving three's... can I just say... those potty training days are not my favorite.   That being said...hooray for four!  Three has been endearing and adventurous.  Ezekiel's vocabulary has grown tremendously this year, and it's only made him more entertaining.  

I love the twinkle in his eye when he is thinking about doing something adventurous....or when he is about to be a rascal.   Those are practically his two favorite things in life.   

He loves pretending...he will play by himself for hours building tracks and having trains go in circles or driving his Paw Patrol cars around on the floor.  His imagination is what I have always encouraged in children throughout the years and I love seeing his bloom and grow.   

He loves going outside by himself or with his sister.  I watch him from the window as he marches around with confidence as he defeats evil villains with his super powers.  He believes he is invincible, which leads him to decisions that cause my anxiety to skyrocket, while at the same time my heart to swell with pride.

Fighting is one of his favorite pastimes, he punches every guy he loves.   

He is still my cuddly child, I know that it won't last forever, and try to make it a point to sit and cuddle with him every day.  He is growing faster than I can handle, I can barely pick him up anymore..and for the sake of my back probably shouldn't.   

He is the joy giver in our family.  No matter what is going on, he will find a way to make us smile.  There is a song in his heart, singing comes from him and most the time I'm not even sure he notices it.  One of his favorites to sing with abandon while doing other things is "Mr. Sun".

He is a child of many expressions, and they're all my favorite.  

Genevieve turns 6

Tyler and I have been really struggling with this one.  Let's be honest, we struggle every year...but  Six?   6?!    (I won't say it again because then it turns this beautiful girl growing up into something else entirely...)

Every year we are amazed at how quickly a year goes and how much a child can change in that time. What is so different about six?  Well six is the end of the "small child" stage...the end of our preschooler.... now she is a KID.  Not sure if that makes sense..but it makes sense to us, and we are having to say goodbye.

This year she started gymnastics, and kindergarten.   She wants to be a robotics engineer when she grows up and she has all her money saved away for a purple convertible.   She has saved every penny she has received from birthdays and Christmas, and has only spent money from her piggy bank once and that was this year.   She counted out 8 dollars from her bank and bought her cousin Joelle a book for Christmas because she knew how much she loved to read.

Watching her grow in empathy this year has been amazing. She has always had a tender heart and sensitive spirit, and seeing that manifest into a heart for others full of care and concern has been beautiful.   As her parents we have seen her sensitive heart as something to be careful with, to nurture yet protect, and seeing the positives start to flourish after the care we have invested has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences we have had as her parents.

She is full of confidence, and my hope and prayer is that her confidence is also something we will continue to nurture and see flourish.  She loves learning, and she is proud of the knowledge she has.  She is proud to be FANCY, yet isn't afraid to get dirty.  She loves animals fiercely, and has thanked us almost every day for allowing her to get a guinea pig from Nana for her birthday.  She loves stories, and has been sad at the end of every chapter book that it had to end.   She is terrible at telling jokes but she thinks she is hilarious.

 We love her a lot, and are so thankful to be her parents.  Happy 6th birthday Genevieve!

Zeke turns 3

Ezekiel Gambit is turning 3, and it's been a tremendously fun year with this boy.  He changed, and grew in so many ways this year...but the most significant change this year... the HAIR. 

Early in this year we took away his binky... by 'we' I really mean Tyler...because I was afraid it would disrupt my perfect sleeper.   It did, my boy who would grab his blanket and binky and run for nap started fighting sleep the second we took it away.  He still fights it, but he's improving. 

 Zeke's long floppy hair seemed to be getting a little bit poofy, and we decided to cut it short for the hot summer months.  I was quite amazed how much I missed his long floppy hair, he looked so big to me, but I knew his hair would probably grow back quickly.    Also, this summer we went to Colorado and letting my "Wild Thing" toddler loose on the mountains was a really amazing thing.

He is a joy and his laughter is contagious.  I can't think of a day that goes by that he doesn't make us laugh out loud.   He enjoys the simple things in life, actually he enjoys almost everything in life.  

He has a love for all living things.  I love seeing his tender heart.  He just cares, and it's adorable.

He is extremely expressive, he has about a hundred thousand facial expressions and voices.  He likes singing loudly to Elmo or the tune of The Nutcracker.  He likes wearing his Superman cape with a Batman mask and...Vi's tutu.   He actually really loves tutus.   While I know Tyler doesn't love it, we love watching him mimic his big sister, because of course, he loves her probably most of all.

I can't really turn my back on him and expect to find him doing anything but being...adventurous.  We really try to encourage his adventurous side, so I guess we shouldn't expect any less...but sometimes it's hard to keep up with.  Most of the time when I'm not looking, I find him being extremely disgusting...usually something to do with his dirty diaper... but let's not go there, trying to focus on all these wonderful things about my son...not the disgusting.

I looked away and he started driving away in the golf cart at my grandparents farm!

I'm sitting here wrapping up this blog while Zeke is sitting on the edge of the couch pretending to punch himself and falling onto the cushions... a few minutes ago he was dancing quietly in a tutu to Beethoven.  That image sums up Zeke pretty well right now.