First Day

This week was Evan's first day of "school." Okay, so he's only 2 1/2 (3 in November), and it technically wasn't school but a Mom's Morning Out at a local church (Highland Pres.), but it was still a big deal in our house. This was the first time I've dropped him off somewhere and left the building. I'd say it went pretty well for the both of us. He didn't even want to leave when I went to pick him up (very good sign!). He'll be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays this school year. I'm sure there will be many fun adventures for him at "school" this year.

I couldn't resist a first day shot even though Evan's still not wild about pictures.

I'm sorry, but there's not much cuter than a little person wearing a book bag!

What a weekend!

This past weekend was a special one for our family. Levi was baptized at Redeemer's morning service on Sunday, and that evening was a special church service in honor of Ryan's ordination into the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) after a year long process of examination. The weekend was made extra special by having each of our families in town, as well as our former pastor and his wife, Dave and Jill Seifried.

Levi being baptized by our pastor, Mike Campbell

David, Holly, Gail, P.D. and Jill enjoying Sunday lunch

 

Our parents and us at Ryan's ordination reception

Evan totally adored his cousin Kyle!

Summer Fun in Hotlanta

It's been awhile since I've blogged...partly because we were out of town for two weeks, and partly because, well, I guess summer mode has kicked in and I've just gotten lazy about it!

Evan, Levi, and I had the priviledge of spending two weeks earlier this month in the Atlanta area visiting friends and fam while Ryan spent two weeks at the beach with the youth group (one week with junior high and one with the high schoolers). Now don't go thinking I braved the 6 hour drive all by myself. My sweet mom flew out to drive back with me (shout out to our family friends, the Thompsons, for providing her with a buddy pass!) so I wouldn't have to manage an infant and a preschooler on my own! The boys did great, but the trip there took 10 hours instead of 6! We paced ourselves to say the least.

Our time in Georgia was wonderful. We spent lots of time near the water since it was in the upper 90s and even got to pet some animals at the Yellow River Game Ranch (very fun!). Check out the fun below:

Levi loves his Aunt Erica & Uncle Matt
(looking tan back from their mission trip to Nicaragua!)

Celebrating Poppy's bday at Chili's

Evan showing some love to the bunnies
at Yellow River Game Ranch

Nana and Levi hanging out poolside

All the cousins enjoying the kiddie pool

Bob and Larry

Evan, like many preschoolers around, has a slight obsession with Veggie Tales. He even has two pint sized stuffed animals of Bob and Larry (thanks to Grammie) that sleep with him every night. So when we received a mailer of a Christian bookstore grand opening featuring an appearance by Bob and Larry, it sounded like the perfect family fun day activity. We were pretty sure our timid son would admire them from a far but be terrified up close. We were not disappointed.

Apparently pint sized stuffed animals is one thing, but a monster sized cucumber and tomato is something else entirely. Who can really blame him?

First Vacation

Levi took his first trip to Atlanta to visit family a little over a week ago. I was a little nervous about traveling 6 hours by car with a 2 1/2 year old and 12 week old, but the boys traveled surprisingly well! We first went to McDonough to stay with my parents for several days, then we spent the last bit of the week in Decatur with Ryan's side of the family. Because it was so hot, we made sure to spend as much time as we could near cool water! All in all, it was a very nice week with both sides of the family. Levi definitely enjoyed meeting many of his extended family for the first time.

Poppy & Evan, chillin' poolside

The awesome quilt mom made for Levi (her 1st one!)

Aunt Erica getting some laughs from Levi

Nana & Levi

Cousin Fun Time (Lydia, Kyle, & Evan)

Levi & Great-Grandma

Elusive Green Grass

Lately I've been struck by how easily I can slip into feelings of discontentment, despite how blessed I know I am. One minute I can be enjoying being home with my boys, thankful that I don't have to miss a minute of their rapidly changing lives, and the next, I find myself wishing I had an additional purpose in which I could interact with adults and be affirmed of my work. Both states of mind feel completely real and compelling to me at the time. How is it possible to swing from one perspective to the next so quickly and frequently? Am I suffering from a mommy-brain induced schizophrenia?

Deep down, I know the answers to these questions. It's not limited to the time and place of my life now. Honestly, this has always been a struggle for me. How often have I thought, "if only I had ___ (fill in the blank: more time, more friends, more money, a better class of students, a job, children, no job, etc.), then I would be happy"? I know this thought is a lie that the evil one uses to cripple us. The truth is that nothing satisfies my longings for happiness but an intimate relationship with the Lord.

So why do I still struggle with this when I know the truth? Ah, it is the age-old mystery of the battle of the flesh and the spirit. I know that because I am a believer of Christ, I am no longer bound by my sin, however since I am alive in this world, my old sin nature is still a temptation for me. So what's the cure? How can I possibly remain content in a world that is every moment telling me I need something else to be happy (all you've got to do is turn on the TV or read a magazine to see that, folks!)?

I was reminded this morning of the power of God's word through our pastor Mike Campbell's compelling sermon on 1 Peter 1:22-2:3. He gave a great illustration that really brought light to my struggle. He said that we often treat reading the word like we're eating Popeye's spinach. We want a BAM! experience in which we are instantly fit and ready to go. Instead, reading God's word is more like a healthy diet, it affects our lives slowly over time.

Thus, the solution for my tendency to become discontent is to faithfully remain in the word, reminding myself of what is true and constant, believing that His word is living and active and able to transform my life. The transformation will take time, unlike the promises of "3 easy steps to a new you" solutions the world tries to sell us. So if you struggle like me to remain at peace with where God has you right now, turn to God's word for a solid foundation. I'll end with a quote from Charles Spurgeon that my pastor used today. Pretty profound, I think:

The Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't.

Like a Weed

Our little Levi will be 10 weeks old on Monday, only, as it turns out, he's not so little! At his two month check up, he weighed 12 lbs. 12 oz, was 23 1/2 inches long, and measured in the 95th percentile for size (big difference from his 25th percentile older brother!). To get a better idea of the difference between the boys, the picture below shows Levi, at 9 weeks old, wearing the same outfit Evan wore for Easter at 5 months old. Looks like Levi might catch up with Evan before too long!

Levi, 9 weeks old

Evan, 5 months old