Book Time

Tali is growing and changing so much. Her little mind is constantly going and she continues to crack us up with her humor and cheerfulness.

Yesterday I took the kids to the library and when we got home Tali had "Book Time." (While Owen takes his morning nap, Tali looks at books in her crib.) I came downstairs and saw that one of her books had been tossed out of the crib so I asked her about it.

"They wuh haveen bad add-ih-tudes, Mommy. I didn't like it! A man was angry and evweeone kept taking away the guls toys! It was not good and I did not like that book."

Immediately I knew which book she was talking about and started cracking up. "Rummage Sale" is the title. It's a book about various people who come to a little girl's rummage sale and buy her toys. It's kind of a cute book and has some good elements that make kids think. Anyway, I just loved that from looking at the pictures she had thought that it would be absolutely horrible (or "tara-bull" as she would say) to have people come and take your toys away. No wonder she didn't like it!

p.s.- I'm having trouble posting pictures. I'll try to add one later.

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12 Weeks and Thanking God

As of Saturday, I am now 12 weeks along.  And guess what? When the 12 week mark hit, the awful nausea left.  Praise the Lord!  I feel like a new person and so grateful to be able to eat without dread again.  I am so grateful to be feeling better and grateful for all of your prayers along the way.

Life has been very full lately (and really, when isn't it?). We've had the Maxims with us for about a month now and are still transitioning a bit into how to do life with 10 people in the house.  It's been a joy to see all of our kids enjoying one another, a blessing to have another lady around to talk with during the day, and a nice break to share meal prep & housework.  I've especially enjoyed simply being around friends who have sacrificed so much for the sake of the Gospel.  Their joy in serving the Savior is contagious and we're learning a lot just from seeing their lives more up-close and personal.

I know that some of you have asked how you can be praying for us during this season. Thank you so much for wanting to be our friends in that way!  A couple requests come to mind:

~ Wisdom for Josh and me as we seek to prioritize time together to talk even with me going to sleep early and having lots of other people around.

~ Grace for me to joyfully serve my kids, not complain, especially related to how inconsistent their sleep is right now. They've not adapted well to sleeping in the basement; Owen's getting up 2-5 times a night, Tali's waking up sometimes during the night, Owen's waking up for the day a couple hours earlier than he was upstairs.  We're tired but in light of eternity this isn't as big of a deal as I can make it be.

~ For me to find joy in the Gospel, first and foremost, not looking for it in my circumstances.  Routine, good sleep, feeling well, an organized room, peace and quiet, etc. can be tempting places for me to seek joy and then get angry when those things don't happen.  I so want to look for my joy in the only place where it will last-Christ!

Thanks, friends.  Enjoy your week!

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Owen at 16 Months

Tomorrow I turn 28 (I know, I'm a youngster!). On Friday, Owey will turn 16 (months old). Where did the time go? My baby is getting to be such a toddler and I can hardly believe it. So that I don't forget, here's a bit about what's going on with Owen right now.

New Words/Phrases or just my favorite things that he says: Have it, Daddy ah you (Daddy, where are you?), Mummy (Mommy), too (whenever he wants to do something too), shur (share), rob-bee (robin), skul (squirrel), Pay (pray), may-men (amen), owie hut (owie hurt), beece (please), wuhvul (shovel).

Favorite Foods: lunch meat, green beans, crackers, popcicles

Favorite Book: "I Love Trucks" by Philemon Sturges (His constant refrain around the house for this book is, "I Luh! I Luh! Beece!")

Favorite Toy: He loves playing with our flashlight (wite-wite), anything that's in the mayt-ment (basement), and anything that Tali is playing with.
Favorite Song: Ring Around the Rosy (he just started turning in circles on his own singing "Rin Ro"). Oh and for basically any music that he hears, he raises his hands high in the air to "worship." :) It could be "Jesus Loves Me" or "Bob the Builder" or even "The Wheels on the Bus," it doesn't matter to Owen. He will immediately put his hands in the air. I think we've got a charismatic on our hands. :)

Favorite People: Daddy, La-La (Tali), Mummy, Grandma, Papa, May-me (he talks about Aunt Amy a lot), Teak (Mr. Teak's been doing some awesome work for us and he is a hero with our kids), De-dub (Caleb).

Disposition: He is really sweet and a big snuggler. Often he'll just start sucking his thumb and walk over to me with hands held high. He'll sit on my lap with his head on my shoulder, sucking his thumb and rocking with me. He also has very little self-control right now and gets angry quickly when he doesn't get what he wants (pray for the Lord to help him here!). Overall though, he's a happy little guy.

Health: His reflux is GONE!!!!!!!! Praise the LORD! He's intolerant to dairy so if he eats something with dairy in it, he will spit up a ton. Otherwise, it looks like he is healed of that nasty stuff. What a relief for him and for us!

We love Owen so much and thank God for his life!

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Fenska News

Hi All.

Wanted to update you on some news around here. I had hopes of posting a cute video of Tali telling everyone but I'm too busy right now to be creative like that.

1)  Lord willing, we will be having baby #3 this November! We are grateful to God for this undeserved gift.  We'd love your prayers for a healthy baby and for grace as I've been feeling pretty sick this pregnancy.  I'll have an ultrasound in a couple weeks so I'll relay our actual due date and info like that when we find that out.

2)  Next Monday we will go from being a home of 4 to a home of 10!  Our dear friends, the Maxims, will be moving in with us until they find a home in our area.  Josh and I spent a year with Jamie & Angie when we were at the Pastor's College in Maryland.  In God's kindness, our church is bringing Jamie on staff to serve as a pastor with Tab & Josh!  We could not be more excited for all that the Lord has in store for our family and our church as we get to benefit from these humble, faithful servants of the Lord.  Please pray for their transition and for ours as we prepare for them to move in.  

Thank you!

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It's Rough Being a Little Brother

Owey's face pretty much says it all. His sister is constantly trying to brush his hair, give him hugs, have him eat her pretend meals, hold his hand, put clothes on him, have conversations with him, etc. This poor little guy is such a good sport, even when he doesn't always enjoy her attention.

Despite all that, Owen and Tali really are good buddies. I absolutely love it when they make each other laugh or when they play ring-around-the-rosy, or when they dance together. Tali's been trying to talk to Owen a lot lately, too. "Hi Owey! How's ya day ta-day, Owey? What chew do ta-day, Owey?" It's so sweet when she does this but I feel bad for her because she doesn't get why he's not responding to her. "Mama, he's not an-suh-een me! Why's he not talkin ta me?"

Also, Tali loves to "hold" Owen's hand in the car. Except her idea of "holding" his hand is really like squeezing the life out of his poor fingers. The other day we were in the car and I heard Owen say, "Han, han! Oh-wee!!! Oh-wee!" (Hand, Hand, Owie, Owie)

These kids are just so cute.

Oh, and today Tali colored all over the wood floor and I was explaining to her not to ever do it again. She said, "Yes, Mama. Mama? Will you fuh-give me?" She's too sweet for words...

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Thanking God for Cindy

This week a dear friend who we had the joy of being with at the Pastor's College went to be face to face with Jesus, her Savior. She had been battling cancer heroically, trusting in the Lord and joyfully putting all her faith and hope in Him despite much pain. Though most of you have probably never met Cindy, I wanted to give you the opportunity to benefit from her life like I have. God was glorified in her life and He is being glorified through her death. (And if you don't have time to read this long post, just skim to the end and read Cindy's own words. You'll be challenged and encouraged by the way the Gospel had affected her!)

There is much I can say about Cindy, but what I am most thanking God for tonight is the example she gave me of tenderly loving and cherishing her husband, faithfully caring for her kids on a spiritual level, and her deep love for the Gospel that enabled her to joyfully endure suffering with faith in God.

Cindy loved her husband so much. I never once heard her speak ill of him and always saw her close by him, smiling at him, enjoying him. It was so clear that she loved being with him and that they shared a deep and personal friendship. Even after being married for many years, she was still seeking to grow as a wife and wanting to keep blessing her husband. I am so thankful to God for her example.

Cindy loved her kids so much as well. Though her kids were grown and out of the house, Cindy still carried them on her heart and was faithfully investing in their lives while we were in Maryland. I remember one evening when she and her husband were asking Josh and me all about courtship, seeking to gain input on how to care for one of their children in that similar season. What struck me about that was that she was still very actively caring for her children spiritually, even though they were grown. But even more than that, I was struck by her humility. Josh and I had only been married for seven months when we met Paul and Cindy, yet they were asking us for input on a parenting matter! That shows great Christ-like humility.

While I learned much from Cindy from that year together, I have learned even more by watching from afar as she and her husband clung to the goodness of God shown in the cross, even as they faced her death. It was so clear that she loved Jesus Christ above this earthly life

I hope that her words in an email to the PC ladies back in October stirs your heart to behold the power of the cross even more deeply tonight:

"I'm doing well. My body seems fragile, but not my soul. I know that God is the only One wise enough to know what is best. I know He can speak a word and command cancer cells to begin to die, but I also rest completely in the fact that He has taken ownership of this situation and this cancer is now His servant to serve His good purposes. I know this affliction is momentary and light and I believe that every word of God is faithful and true...that it is far better to depart and be with Christ. I'm so thankful for the good news of the Gospel! The greatness of Jesus and His work on the cross in taking the wrath of God fully upon Himself becomes more and more precious to me. Being clothed in Jesus perfect righteousness is amazing! I'm not feeling so great these days, but I can still say I am receiving more than what is being taken away. There are tears, of course. I wish I could be at my children's weddings, or share in the joy of grandchildren being born. But here's where it's good to remember that I have been bought with a price and I do not belong to myself. How good to have an infinitely wise and loving Master and a forever future with Him!"
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Lord, please comfort Cindy's family and please continue to use her life for Your glory. Father, mold my heart to trust in You and love You the way that Cindy did.

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It Always Happens When Daddy Is Gone

Now seriously-when else would a little boy who always falls directly asleep wind up taking an hour of calming to finally hit the hay? When else would a little girl who has been doing an awesome job going to sleep happily suddenly scream and scream and scream for water? (Of course at the same time that her brother is screaming for his mama.) Only, and I repeat-ONLY when Daddy is gone and I am doing the bedtime thing by myself. It never fails. This sort of thing literally happens every single time that Josh has a meeting or something and can't help with putting them to bed. Am I the only one that has this issue? Do the children conspire together behind my back before I start attempting to put them to bed. I can just imagine...

Tali: Hey, Owey! I have an idea that's willy fun. Let's kye and kye and kye for mama. Maybe she'll give us a paw-sicle or somethin. Wuh-chew think?

Owey: La-la! Yah-s! (yes)

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