Dedication

Dear Victor Albert,

Sometimes it feels like life starts rolling too quickly to keep up.  That has been the past week or so.

You came down with a cold last week.  Just a normal, run-of-the-mill, sniffly-nosed, coughing, sneezing, droopy variety, but it pressed us pretty hard.

You needed some extra snuggling, and I couldn't do much when you were awake.  You woke yourself up coughing, so naptime (i.e. work time) took a hit.

Grammy and Grandad were coming for the weekend, and they were going to keep you overnight on Friday so Daddy and I could go to a bed and breakfast.  But you started gagging and choking on the phlegm draining down your throat, so we stayed home to be sure your night wasn't too rough.

When you're sick, I feel like every muscle of my body tenses up, wanting to make you okay.  But even just a little cold shows that I'm not sufficient to protect you.

So it was a good weekend for your child dedication.

Together with your parents who love you dearly, and this people who care about the outcome of your faith, I dedicate you to God, surrendering together with them all worldly claims upon your life in the hope that you will belong wholly to Jesus Christ, forever.

It's our privilege and very precious joy to be your parents, Victor Albert.  And it's a high calling.

There are five promises we gave our "I do" to in front of the congregation:

1. Do you recognize these children as the gifts of God and give heartfelt thanks for God’s blessing?
2. Do you now dedicate your children to the Lord who gave them to you, surrendering all worldly claims upon their lives in the hope that they will belong wholly to Jesus Christ?
3. Do you pledge as parents that, with God’s fatherly help, you will bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, making every reasonable effort, with patience and love, to build the Word of God, the character of Christ and the joy of the Lord into their lives?
4. Do you promise to provide, through God’s blessing, for the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs of your children, looking to your own heavenly Father for the wisdom, love and strength to serve them and not use them?
5. Do you promise, God helping you, to make it your regular prayer that by God’s grace your children will come to trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and for the fulfillment of all his promises to them, even eternal life; and in this faith follow Jesus as Lord and obey his teachings?

We aren't sufficient for the task.  But we know the All-Sufficient One and put you in His hands, even as we put ourselves there again too.

May the LORD be your counselor all the days of your life.
Even in the night, may the LORD instruct your heart.
May you always set the LORD before you.
May the LORD always be at your right hand so that you will never be shaken.
May your heart be glad; your tongue rejoice; and your body rest secure.
May the LORD make known to you the path of life, fill you with joy in His presence, and give you pleasures at His right hand forever and ever. 

We love you, Victor Albert.

Momma and Daddy

Eager Beaver

Yep, working on teeth... 

9 Months!

9 months!

 
8 months

7 months

6 months

5 months old

4 months old

3 months old

2 months old

1 month old

2 weeks old

Dear Victor Albert,

What a big fellow you are!  You have been very busy these past days.

* Two teeth are prominently displayed now, on the bottom.  You put them to good use.  Preferred substances: wood, the edge of the pack-n-play, and Momma.  We need to have a serious heart-to-heart about that, son.

* You typically stay fairly close to me during the day.  When I'm ready to head to another room, I say, Come on, Victor, let's go!  And you generally drop what you're doing and crawl after me. 

* The crawling is accelerated by peek-a-boo around the doorway.  How you love playing peek-a-boo!  Almost nothing gets bigger chuckles than when we throw a towel over your head and pull it off with a flourish. 

* You are now quite an active bather.  You will try to haul yourself up by the hanging shower nozzle, lean over the side of your little blue bathtub to fish the drain cover off the bottom of the shower (gross!), and make crazy big splashes with arms and/or legs.  We appreciate the aerobic activity that this allows for the bath-giver.  You're keeping us sharp, son.

* We continue our daily constitutional walks.  The neighbors are getting pretty used to seeing us out, though the mode of transportation varies (umbrella stroller, ergo carrier, jogging stroller, arms). 

* You are a real good eater of solids, continuing to wolf down your cereal with any combination of fruits, veggies, or those oddly-textured meat/fruit combinations that Gerber makes.  You have just begun eating little puffs with greater dexterity, although Momma still breaks each little Cheerio-sized piece into 5 smaller fragments.

* Sleep.  How we savor these nights of fabulous, cry-less sleep!  You go down around 6:45pm and generally don't make a peep until sometime in the 5 o'clock hour (but we don't get you up til 6am).  Mom is feeling like a whole new woman, these days.  We think the secret was Grammy's new homemade snuggly sleep sack.

* We are beginning the challenging lesson of learning what "no touch" means.  Some days you do really great.  And sometimes you're a rascal.  But little by little, we'll get it.

*  You have been going to the nursery at church for a couple months now.  You always get a great report.  What's not to love, with all those toys and books and nice folks to play with, huh?  And we love having you along to help with tear-down.  You're good with those crates, buddy.

* Lately you have been giving the best snuggles.  You will wrap your arms around Momma's or Daddy's neck and just nestle in there for a big hug.  O, how I cherish those snuggles!  Don't ever outgrow that, okay, baby?

The challenge of parenting grows as you grow, and that sense of bewilderment and puzzled questions is not unusual these days.  But God is faithful, and we're trusting Him to help us train you and shepherd you and love you in all your growing and developing ways.

We love you, Victor Albert!

Momma and Daddy

With His Paper and a Pipe

Well, okay, no pipe.

 

Preparing for Marriage

If you're married, then you are married to the person that God wants you to be married to.

If you are not married, but considering getting married, then this might be a helpful tool in considering what person God wants you to be married to.

(And if you are married, it still might be good to look at and talk through.)

Preparing for Marriage
description

Preparing for Marriage
eBook as PDF

HT: Desiring God

Voter's guide

This isn’t meant to persuade you to vote like us, but just in case it’s helpful, here’s what “Ben’s ballot” looks like, after doing his best to research different candidates:

President/Vice President: Romney and Ryan

US Senator: Kurt Bills

US Representative District 2: John Kline

State Senator District 57: Pat Hall

State Representative District 57A: Tara Mack

Constitutional Amendment 1: Yes (marriage)

Constitutional Amendment 2: Yes (voting id)

County Commissioner District 7: Chris Gerlach

Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor District 1: Scott Holm

City Office Council Members (Apple Valley): Ruth Grendahl, either Nicholas Stepka (more conservative) or Tom Goodwin (more experience)

Supreme Court Chief Justice: Dan Griffith

Associate Justice 1: Barry Anderson

Associate Justice 4: Tim Tingelstad

(None selected for Court of Appeals Judge 6 and 7)

1^st District Court Judge 10: Diane Hanson

1^st District Court Judge 20: Kathryn Messerich

May the Lord appoint leaders for our country who will do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the LORD.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Brian!

(Sorry we're a day late!  And a dollar short?)