Afternoon at the beach

Lissy and Gwen do nails and make-up with a feather and a cupful of sand.

Madelyn leading the pack.

And it always comes to this.

this ain't no make-believe

Yesterday, Alyssa was playing in her room. She came into mine for a minute and said, "Jesus and I are playing in my room". A moment later she went back in, and I heard, "Hi Jesus, I'm back!"
And I thought. Of course He is. The King of the Universe is in her room with her. I had to just make sure she knew this was real. So I went in and told her that Jesus was in fact with her, and that he can hear when she talks to him, etc.
She sort of looked at me like I was stating the obvious.
Thats my girl.

Ye Olde Pioneers

This picture was taken at our church's family night last week. I hadn't planned out the sequence of activities too well. As you can see, we'd already hit the face painting station. So here we have a firearm-wielding puppy and a little a prairie girl with a butterfly on her cheek.

Undefined

Alyssa has frequently been asking what different words mean. And some of them are tricky. Like, "Mom, what does trust mean?" Or, "Mom, what does 'in Christ' mean?"

Yesterday, She said, "Caden, don't interrupt! That is not polite!"
I was very pleased and impressed... until she asked me a moment later what 'polite' means. And then of course, what 'rude' means (these are often used close together in this house).

I've been talking SO often about being polite, and now feel quite crestfallen that the whole time, she didn't understand what that IS. I told her that polite is thinking about others before yourself. Which isn't textbook, and probably isn't understandable to her. I don't think I explain things well on her level.

I suppose I need a children's dictionary on hand.

Drama

Yesterday afternoon, Caden (who hasn't napped much at all for the last year), declared,
"I am so angry that no one has let me take a nap today!"

My mom thinks that Caden will need a special woman.
Perhaps I should begin praying in earnest for this girl.

Hinkley Lake

Gwen, Caden, and Alyssa are being thing-finders in this creek at Hinkley Lake in Ohio on July 3rd.
Isaac would like to do that too...but for now, he contentedly looks on.

Caleb found many things for the thing-finders, mostly crawdads, which were of great interest and scariness.

It was This big!

Shann helps Alyssa get more comfortable.

Caden's body art.

Prima Gwendalina.

Rare resting moment.

I think I'd cut her off from drinking from the soda cans sitting about. You can tell Uncle Scott and Aunt Lynne feel bad for her.

Isaac enjoys the Grandma swing.

What a fun and relaxing day!

The Premillenialist in the backseat

It doesn't happen often. But when kids have deep discussions, it pays to stop everything and listen in.
I had the privilege of overhearing a debate on end times doctrine between my 9 year-old niece, Madelyn, her 5 year-old sister, Gwen, and Caden. I don't know how it started, but here is what I heard:
Madelyn: "Guys, Jesus is coming back to earth to reign for 1000 years. And we're coming back with him."
Caden: "No He isn't! And once we go up to heaven, we stay there!"
The bantering went back and forth a bit until I interjected that some things we won't know until they happen. But what moved me was that these young children are certain that when life is over here on earth, they'll be with Jesus.
How many adults are afraid of conversations like this? Or how many adults can say that they're certain they'll spend eternity with Jesus?
There is nothing as cool as little believers, don't you think?

Scenes from Avon Lake

While visiting my parents and my sibling's families in Ohio this past week, we made many memories, and here are a couple of them. Here are Caden, Alyssa, and their new cousin, Isaac. Aunt Lynne reads bedtime stories.
Breakfast: Caden and Alyssa eat pancakes. Gwen eats tuna.
Madelyn and her kitties.
The men relating.

the speck in your eye

My little niece, Gwen, does not love seatbelts. She feels greatly distressed when tightly and safely bound. Yesterday we were all in the van heading somewhere, when she was having difficulties. Caden said to her calmly, "just don't think about it, Gwen. I don't like it when you whine!" Then later he told her that she "shouldn't complain".
I wish, I wish, I wish that I could've gotten that on tape to play back to him when He is needing the gentle voice of exhortation.
Why are the faults of others So easy to point out?