Summer Memories Part 1

This has been a summer to savor. Lots of sweet, quiet, beautiful days.

A few highlights.

 

Here was one last family adventure before Calvin's arrival... We began a new "goal sheet" project. Our 3-part aim was 1) to obey Mommy and Daddy right away, 2) to honor Mom and Dad, and 3) to be kind to one another. At the end of the day, if there were no "sad tags" on our board, the boys got a sticker, and after getting our goal sheet full of stickers, we got to ride on a double-decker train down to the stadium downtown!

We had our train adventure on a Friday evening, and we were catching the last train of the day. Arriving at the station 3 minutes before the train's departure, we had to run up 2 flights of stairs, across a skyway, and down 2 flights of stairs. 

At 39 weeks pregnant, that was more exertion than strictly comfortable, and I told Ben at the end of the evening that I thought this baby was coming soon, like this weekend. Happily enough, he did indeed make his arrival that Sunday! 

On our double-decker train. 

At this point I'm hoping the baby doesn't come before we get back to the station...

Here we are, ready to head home from the hospital with Mr. Calvin

Grammy and Grandad came to make the whole transition peaceful and smooth.  It was such a blessing to have Grammy for 2 whole weeks!

Our first car ride with 6!

Our next goal was accomplished at the very end of Grammy and Grandad's visit: go to the zoo! It was a dripping hot 90-something day, but that meant not too many people out, and we saw the lions being fed, giraffes fed romaine lettuce by hand, and lots of other fun animals.

Ready for a hot day at the zoo

The biggest highlight of the trip, though, was Grandad's treat of riding the train. The big boys loved it, and Elliot still speaks of that with great enthusiasm!

It has been a joy to see these big brothers welcome the newest member of the family.

Sweet baby Calvin. 

More frequently referred to as Elliot for the first several weeks of life.

(Sorry, 4th-born)

Funny Boys

Victor, after counting his "personal money" in his savings envelope: Joey, you really need to get your teeth falling out so you can get some coins.

Elliot, playing Rock-Paper-Scissors-(Shoot): Scissors ... rocket ... shoes!

Letter to My Boys

Dear boys,

There are many things in my heart for you that don't make it into everyday conversation. You little cowboys make every day an adventure, and I love it.

The days are also full of needs... The need for patience. The need for a kiss for a skinned knee. For mediation of squabbles over a ball. For reminders that we do not make rude jokes. For 3 meals, 2 snacks, and the supply of countless missing or empty water bottles. Need for naps, feedings, changed diapers, sweet kisses, wiped noses. Need for Bible stories, blessings before bedtime, snuggles under special blankets.

Some needs I can meet (not as many as I might think, though). But woven through all the needs are reminders of how much I am not capable of supplying for you. In fact, all of your deepest and truest needs are outside of the scope of my care. And each day's needs bring a reminder of my own needs. And in turn, they pile up and bear down until I am pressed to a decision: what will I do with all this need?

The inclination is to bear them. To carry and heft all the needs around, getting snippy with those who add an extra need to the pile and layering anxiety, frustration, and anger into the mix of them.

It's an inborn trait, but it is not the right way. God doesn't give us needs so that we will buckle down and work harder. That we will be the martyr, always giving and never filled. That we will cast about for someone to blame for the overwhelming need that seeps into every crack of day and night. All that mound of needs comes with a call to bring them to bigger shoulders, roll them onto the vast, caring hand of One who can do what I never can.

You'll face this place of need too, my sons. Your days will bring their own burdens. Your shoulders will feel their own load. And it is my great prayer for you that as the need grows, you will daily, habitually, constantly, faithfully roll that load into the hands of your tender Savior. I pray that you will move toward need, not in a self-important hero mentality, but with the confidence of one who knows the supreme Need Meeter and is not afraid of sinking His boat with your own desperate needs or those of others.

I pray that God might draw you to moment-by-moment conversation with Him, to know the right word to say in a heated moment, to release what worries you, to find an inner supply of joy that doesn't run dry even when circumstances take a sour turn.

We pray for lost books and missing toys. We pray for the fire trucks and ambulances that pass with sirens. We pray for sweet sleep at night and for help to show kindness to one another. We pray for help to put away grumbling and with God's help to have a cheerful heart.

How I pray that God will take these little prayers and weave them into your heart as fibers of habit and hope that will deepen and multiply as you grow.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Always in a time of need,
Your momma

2 Months Old!

2 months old!

1 month old

2 weeks old

Dear Calvin,

Look how you made up for last month's crying picture with a big happy smile! You sweet little peanut. You are growing generous with your smiles, especially while we are changing your diaper and you get a little sleeper-free wiggle time.

You may be wearing the same sleeper as last month, but that is due to the combined factors of 1) Momma hasn't had time to dig out the next size of clothing and 2) I'm slightly in denial that you are already in need of them. (Who needs to straighten their legs, anyway?)

You are weighing in at a solid 13-something pounds, as of a week ago. This gives Momma the special big-baby-upper-body-workout, which is always valuable for weight training and calisthenics.

As boy #4, you are nevertheless setting some fine records in our family:

- First baby to have some happy tummy time (thus, the big smile above). You seem to have a bit of torticollis (or at least a strong inclination to look only to the right when sleeping), so we're trying to stretch and strengthen your neck as much as we can. And you've acclimated to tummy time fairly calmly, which is a pleasure to see.

- First baby to hold your head up this early (probably due to the tummy time)

- First baby to start sleeping 8pm-4am at less than 2 months of age (what?! Total gift of God. Keep fearing that I might do something to ruin this beautiful thing, but it's been a pretty solid 2 weeks that you have kept up the trend.)

You normally eat at 4ish in the morning, then 7am, and then sleep a bit more until 8am. Then you'll be up for an hour, take a morning snooze, eat again around 10am and we'll pack up for errands or a trip to a park or something. You generally doze off and on until after lunch, eat at 1pm and take a solid snooze from roughly 1:30-4pm. Then you'll eat and be up for an hour or so, maybe take another little nap around our supper time, get a touch fussy in the early evening, and eat and head to bed between 7-8pm. Champ.

One reason you receive tummy time with favor is that you have begun finding that fascinating and delicious fist of yours and will gum it and drool on it quite happily.

You typically eat in 10-15 minutes now. Occasionally you will really stretch it out to 20-30 minutes, and every couple weeks something will burble unhappily, causing drenching waves of spits, but the majority of times you are a peaceful and fairly expeditious feeder.


I've been starting to memorize part of Psalm 33, because it landed so sweetly on me when I came across it in my Bible reading this week:

The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.

The king is not saved by a mighty army; a warrior is not delivered by great strength; a horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield, for our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.

Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You. (Psalm 33:13-22).

You know, my son, it is a strong temptation to put hope in visible, tangible supports. Savings in the bank, legs that are strong, military defenses, a secure vocation. This is such a natural bent of the human heart. But this psalm reminds us that there is no safety in human supports, whether it is an army, an impressive physique, or a fast ride.

When the storms of life come, I pray you will remember and turn to the one Help and Shield that will never fail. May your heart find its joy in the refuge and salvation of God alone.

How I love you, little Calvin.

Momma