Encouragement for Parenting

A couple quotes from Tedd Tripp's "Shepherding a Child's Heart" were particularly helpful for me today regarding the importance of devoting myself to parenting:

"The cost is great. It requires being available and fully engaged in parenting.

You must regard parenting as one of your most important tasks while you have children at home. This is your calling. You must raise your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. You cannot do so without investing yourself in a life of sensitive communication in which you help them understand life and God's world. There is nothing more important. You have only a brief season of life to invest yourself in this task. You have only one opportunity to do it. You cannot go back and do it over." pg. 97

"Teaching your children to live for the glory of God must be your overarching objective. You must teach your children that for them, as for all of mankind, life is found in knowing and serving the true and living God. The only worthy goal for life is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." pg. 56

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My Favorite 2 Year Old

Tali is one of the most enjoyable people to be around that I've ever met. She really is just so cheerful, funny, sweet, kind, thoughtful, etc. (Don't get me wrong, she has her moments like we all do, but I'm talking the overall picture here!) Here's just a small snap-shot into what it's like to live with her...

This morning the kids were playing with the Strawberry Shortcakes in Tali's room. I was sitting in the chair relaxing a bit and just enjoying their conversation with each other. Here's a bit of it:

Owen: Can I pay Stah-bayree Soe-cakes?
Tali: Oh shuh, Owen. Owen, can I play too?
Owen: No.
Mommy: Yes, Owen, you need to share with Tali.
Tali: Owen, can I please have some of the Strawberry Shortcakes?
Owen: He-uh (handing over a couple of them).
Tali: Oh Owen! Thanks so much for giving me a couple of them. That was so kind of you, Owen! Did you know that? That was kind! Thank you!

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Door County Memories, pt. 1

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And We're Up!

As of this weekend, we are back upstairs again. We're freshly grateful for the blessing of our home and thanking God for our friends, the Maxims, all that God has taught us through this season.

I remember back in April when our friends moved in, having a conversation with my grandma who seemed a bit puzzled at what we were doing. "Hmm...that's interesting," she said.

So why did we do it? Let me assure you that it's not because we're super-human or the most Godly and hospitable people on the planet (we're not). It was challenging in some ways to share our home (mostly because of my sinful heart) but I'm grateful for what God's taught me through it. Why did we do this?

1. We want to live for Christ and not ourselves.
"And He died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sakes died and was raised." 2 Corinthians 5:15


"All things were created through Him and for Him..." Colossians 1:16

Our lives and our home aren't really ours anymore now that we have been "bought with a price." We want to view everything that we have as God's property to be used for His glory. In large part, this is why we chose this specific home over many others; we felt that it would position us best for the opportunity of having others live with us.

2. God loves us so lavishly, we want to reflect that same heart of love to others.
"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:10,11

Many times I have heard Josh tell people, "In light of all that God has done for us in Christ, sharing our home is a small thing." Jesus gave His life for us. Loving others by sharing our home is a way of reflecting that amazing love.

3. Our lives have been transformed through our own experiences of living with different families.

I could do a whole post on what we learned when I lived with the Muziks and then the Pronovosts, or about whenJosh lived with the Trainors, as well as a host of posts about what we learned when we lived with the Marescos. Suffice it to say that God radically used those times in our lives to teach us a lot about Himself. We saw first-hand from these families what it can look like practically to live life for Christ and not ourselves, to prioritize church and fellowship, to cultivate Godly marriages, to disciple and train children, to build relationships with unbelievers, how to manage a home, and so much more. Our lives are much different because of what God taught us through those we've lived with. Honestly, I wish that everyone had the opportunity to live with another family at some point in their lives. We want to keep learning from others and love the idea of being able to bless others in the ways that we have been blessed.

A bit on what I've learned coming soon...

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Some Owey Quotes

Our little sweet boy is full of words these days. He's just recently started speaking in sentences more than just small phrases. Here are a couple of my faves:

Oh Mommy! So cite-een! So cite-een! See gah-bidg man!

Whenever we ask him if he wants a snack or some food, he'll say with great excitement in his voice, "Oh yahs!"

Josh taught him what jazz music is and now Owen wants to listen to "Jas music." The first time Josh played a Duke Ellington cd for him, he listened for a bit and then shouted, "I LOVE it!" A couple minutes after Josh had turned it off, Owey sadly asked, "Pee-ah-no go? Dums?"

This one kind of shocks me but he's also started coming up to me at appropriate times and saying, "I poopy, Mommy. Change me."

I was chopping up some tomatoes for dinner tonight and Owey looked up and said, "What you cook-een, Mommy?" And then during dinner to Josh he broke out a question that I will often pose to my husband while we dine, "What you tink-een (thinking) bout?"

Every time I give him something to eat, whether it's one more strawberry or a plate-full of food, he always says, "Tank you, Mommy."

He's also started talking with Tali a lot more. If he sees her playing with something interesting, he'll often plop down on the floor beside her and say sweetly, "Can I pay, Tah-ee?"

And the phrases he says most often are:

No, peas (please), Mommy.

Have it!

Daddy, ware ah you, Daddy?

May pie (I) peas?

Go ow-side!

Have snack!

Go new van!

We head to Door County on Sunday. I can't wait to see what he has to say during our time there. And we can't help but think of Tali's famous phrases that emerged during our vacation there last year:

"What a bess-een!" and "I NEED finch-fyes!"

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Happy Birthday, Grammy!

Make a Smilebox greeting

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We're Still Here

I can't believe the last time I posted was in May. Then again, this has been a busy summer and my computer isn't in a location that's easily accessible (think very near Owen's crib).

Just wanted to let everyone know that we're still here and still grateful to God for each other and all of you wonderful friends and family!

Tali and Owen are growing like weeds and getting more funny each day. They play together a lot now, and are going through the hard lesson of learning to share. Often I hear, "Mommy! He's trying to take that from me!" And then a loud shriek from Owen, "Have it! Have it! Have it!" Despite the little sharing squabbles, they love each other a lot and are best buds.

We found out that we're having a baby girl, Lord willing, around November 20. We are so excited and have been throwing around lots of names. We have high hopes of naming this little one before she's born rather than the day of like Tali & Owen. Tali's so excited about having a sister and often comes over and pats my belly or talks to her sissy. Owen's oblivious. He and Tali have started referring to the baby as "LuLu." That's not really one of the names on our list!

We've been enjoying the summer with our friends, the Maxims, and are continuing to pray for their house search (I know they'd love prayers too!). I'm hoping to post some thoughts sometime about just exactly why we're doing this whole "shared living quarters" thing. We'll see if it ever happens!

God has been so good to us and we're grateful for His continued mercies. I've been especially struck lately at just how vast the love of God is, such that He loves us with a steadfast, unchanging love. It's just amazing to think about a love like that! It's so contrary to the way that I can tend to love.

Enjoy your Monday! Oh, and if you have some time, I cannot recommend my husband's message from Sunday highly enough. (It rocks.) If you've ever had a hard time hearing someones advice or input, thought you really don't need the help of others, didn't respond well to someone's advice or their help, or have wanted to just do this whole faith thing on your own (and isn't that all of us at times?) I can't recommend this message highly enough. I benefited so much from it. You can listen to it here.

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