Thursday, March 17, 2011

malachi is 5

one whole hand and then you become a boy. you look like a boy and your toddler tummy disappears and you ask questions i can't answer. you think legos are the best invention in the world and you plot and strategize about how you can get more legos. you are boy of few words at school and lots of analyse and thought. you love your brothers. our best conversations are at night when we are doing our blessing time. you are super competitive and your dad thinks he knows where you get it from... you are the tallest kid in your preschool and your feet are huge, size 2.5. you like picking out treats that are made with artificial colors because you know that i don't want to buy it. you love reading maps. you love playing with your friends and going over to other people's houses. you're a great helper. you still sleep with your favorite blue knitted blanket every night. you won't wear shirts with buttons and you would wear "running" shorts every day. you swim like a fish. super heroes are awesome, particularly batman. star wars provides your mind with hours of imaginative play. your little brain gets excited about math. you told me you were praying for a baby in my tummy, a girl, and now a month later we are pregnant with a baby. and today this is the conversation i heard between you abram when you thought i wasn't listening:

M: Abram you don't want to go to heaven?
A: no
M:If you love Jesus you can go to heaven and if you don't love Jesus you can't go to heaven.
A: I don't love Jesus because I don't want to go to heaven.
M: I think you're just teasing Abram. Did you know that in heaven there are more legos than you can imagine. Batman legos, Star Wars legos, power miner legos, city legos, power ranger legos. Its awesome. You don't have to worry Abram because heaven is a long way away. Its for when you are like 85.

Did you know Abram that this van is God's, this gun is God's, your shoes are God's and all the stuff we have is God's. He gave it to us to use.

A: No its not
M: It is Abram. Did you know that you can have no money, no place to live and nothing and you're still rich if you love Jesus. I learned that at school today.

He looks up. "Mom what are you talking about." (He can see me watching)

I say I'm talking with Annika, what are you talking about?

M: Nothing

Yup you have conversations like a teenager and you give me the teenage response. I love that you are 5!




Sunday, February 27, 2011

marco fun with the verwys family








































we celebrated christmas in marco island with the verwys' - what a treat to spend time with family for a mostly warm week. :) we enjoyed the boat and watching dolphins circle and play around us. we celebrated jesus birthday with cake and reflection on his gift to the world in coming to live among us. we dug in the sand and built amazing sand creations. we found beautiful shells along the water. we splashed in the pool and froze our buns off when we got out of the water. we played with cousins and we played with cousins some more (the girls even introduced barbie to the boys)!! had great game time and conversations with brothers and sisters. we loved having grandpa and grandma around to play, read, explore and give hugs to each day. what a great way to end 2010 with family and rest.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

11 years



"Friendship is a unity of souls that gives nobility and sincerity to love."
H. Nouwen

celebrated 11 years of marriage with dinner in santa ana and a walk through the art district's gallery tour. i am amazed at how the "unity of our souls" has grown over the last 11 years through our friendship and love. its amazing to share life with someone you respect and share deep convictions with about life. that i believe is what makes the work of marriage (the times when you have to dig deep to be gracious and not let your tongue spew something that stabs the heart) so fruitful and rewarding. so we work, we make choices each day to deepen our friendship, to love well, to forgive, to serve, to celebrate, to apologize, to laugh, to cry, to rest, to learn, to live, to be married for life. we are blessed by this gift we have in one another.

Monday, January 31, 2011

our christmas celebrations

melted snowman cookies for malachi's class
duplos and legos for hours of fun
good books from dirk
brothers loving each other
eagerly waiting for jesus birthday