Recent Tidbits

Medium Boy had his surgery eleven days ago. He has been such a brave trooper! I have enjoyed watching how the oldest really stepped up to help during this time. When Caleb was dizzy, Ethan held his hand and walked him to the bathroom. When Caleb was thirsty, Ethan ran to the kitchen to get him a juice box. If Caleb was crying, Ethan did all he could to comfort him. So precious to see sibling love carried out in servanthood.

Ethan has been reading his Bible each morning and writing about his readings. He told us yesterday that he feels like he's growing closer to God each day and loving Him more each day. Last night at church he came to the altar to lay hands on and pray for one of his teachers. Then on the way home he told me that something was urging him to take his baseball cap off in the sanctuary. (*We have never discussed that it's respectful to take of your hat in the house of God*) I told him that the urging he felt was God speaking to his heart and his whole face lit up in a smile. It's wonderful to see him developing a relationship with God independent of us!

On a completely different and somewhat random note, the way my boys play video games directly relates to their personalities. Ethan is methodical: defeating every enemy, collecting all coins, and finding each secret before finishing the level. Caleb is like a hurricane: Rushing through the level with his only goal being to finish. It makes me laugh!

The Retreat

Recently life has been flying by at warp speed. I actually took a photo of my May calendar and sent it to a dear friend with the caption "Welcome to my crazy." I'm not complaining (well, mostly). This is the life we were called to, this is the life we have chosen. But sometimes one just needs to step back for a moment and simply breathe. This past weekend we were given the opportunity to do that. Imagine a cozy, adorable house with a large deck that sits right next to a lake. Imagine a blue heron swooping down to catch it's breakfast while you are sitting on the deck in your pajamas eating yours. Imagine quiet, except for those three little cuties you brought with you! This was our retreat. Now imagine it was all free (true!). We fished, ate s'mores, blew bubbles, played games, and visited the camp playground. We rested. We prayed. We were refreshed. The first night we were there Caleb got up complaining of an earache. Caleb has had multiple ear infections over the past eight months. We have been told he needs to have tubes put in and that he will probably need his tonsils and adenoids out. Our thoughts immediately went to the possibility of finding a nearby hospital or urgent care facility. The house we were in had a dedicated prayer room across the hall from where the kids were sleeping. Caleb went in, threw himself down on the altar and cried out, "Jesus I love you! I have faith! Please heal me! Amen!" I was standing in the doorway with tears streaming down my face as I watched this. Precious. Within ten minutes all of his pain was gone and he slept peacefully through the night. Our God is awesome. Our God is powerful. Our God cares.