9 Years Old!

9 years old!

 

8 years old

 

7 years old

 

6 years old

 

5 years old

 

 

 4 years old

3 years old

2 years old

18 months old

1 year old

11 months old

10 months old

9 months old

8 months old

7 months old

6 months old

5 months

 4 months

3 months

2 months

 1 month

 2 weeks old

Dear Elliot,

Happy birthday, fine fellow! I'm so thankful God put you in our family! In the past year you have certainly shot up, and it's amazing to see you growing and changing so much.

Here are a few things you're up to:

- You've taken big steps forward in school this year, reading chapter books on your own, grappling with some much more complex math operations, and digging into some great new grammar practice and sentence diagrams! It is obvious that God has given you a good mind, and it is gaining increasing capabilities all the time.

- You are a very cheerful and willing assistant around the house. Whether I need someone to help unload the car, assist Jemima with her shoes or coat, or unload the dishwasher, you lend a hand with a ready smile and good effort that really blesses me. I pray that you will continue growing in your readiness to take responsibility and step into areas of service all through your life, as God enables you.

- You are wonderfully detailed and creative. You design incredible Lego machines, draw elaborate pictures, and have patience to construct very involved projects. You have a long attention span for these intricate activities!

- You have a total enjoyment of the goofy and slapstick, and you have a deep belly laugh which is contagious. Although sometimes you might need a reminder when humor is out of place, you bring a lot of joy and laughter to our home, and that is a reminder of God's great favor and pleasure in His purposes and plan.

- You've made great strides in your basketball skills this year! It's so fun to see you and your brothers outside shooting around and testing your dribbling skills, and you're enjoying another season of Upward as well. I'm thankful for the tenacity and endurance that you are learning even in tough games and the hard work of a sport.

- You are building a good habit of reading the Bible in the morning. I just love to hear what you remember from the Word, and I see your understanding of how the parts of the Bible fit together growing. It is also so encouraging to see you putting into practice the things we pray about regularly, like having self-control and kindness toward your siblings and being patient and faithful with your school work. May the Lord continue to bring evidences of His grace at work in your life!

- I'm thankful to see you growing in your peacemaker skills as well. Often if you have a dispute with your siblings (or if you're around when a couple of them are having a tousle over something), I hear you seeking to find a solution to the problem and a way that everyone's interests may be served. I pray the Lord continues to give you discernment and a heart that keeps God at the center so that you can help others to navigate troubled waters in their relationships.

- You really enjoyed studying your namesakes, Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, in history this year, and you clearly absorbed their story as Dad recounted it to you. I am thankful that one of Jim Elliot's quotes stuck with you, and you copied it in your notebook: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Indeed, may the Lord increase our faith and help us open our hands to His wise plan.

This spring, we were studying the first seven chapters of Romans in women's Bible study, and one of the beautiful and encouraging truths that stood out to me is that God has set us free from the power of sin in Christ. 

Romans 6:13-14 says, "Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

I just love that truth that God breaks the power of sin in our lives through Jesus, and our new life in Him includes a growing ability to actually reflect the righteousness of God, through His Spirit's enabling grace. What a privilege to offer ourselves to God for His use in His good purposes! How amazing that (even though we still sin and fall short) we can walk in a good path that will reflect Jesus and grow His kingdom.

Sin still has its hooks in our flesh, and it's a true, ongoing fight to put it to death. But what a hope-giving word that in Christ, sin will no longer rule (have dominion) over us. We have a better King and Master!

I pray you will be wholly Christ's and grow in the joy and life that are ours through His redeeming work.

I love you so much!

Momma 

11 Years Old!

11 years old!

 

10 years old

(and another graduate from the Blue Chair Club)

 

9 years old

 

8 years old

 

 7 years old

 

6 years old

 

5 years old

(4 year blue chair picture ???)

3 years old

2 1/2 years old

2 years old

18 months old

1 year old

11 months old

10 months old

9 months old

 8 months old

7 months old

6 months old

5 months old

4 months old

3 months old

2 months old

1 month old

2 weeks old

Dear Josiah,

Happy, happy birthday! Celebrating eleven years of your life is a pleasure, and you are a joy in our home! 

As we near the end of your 5th grade year, I see much growth in you. You're reading and assimilating lots of history knowledge, gaining much confidence in the more complex processes of your math, finding the words flow quite easily in writing, and enjoying lots of creative expression in art. We have been going through the same Grammar & Composition book that I used in middle school, which gives me a combination of nostalgia and satisfaction. Your workload took a major step up this year, and I'm really proud and thankful for how you have risen to the challenge, even though it makes for some long days of study.

It's been fun to watch you grow in interest in basketball, upgrade to a newer, bigger mountain bike, and generally eat your body weight at supper. You are big enough to wrangle with Victor, and you have an encyclopedia of animal knowledge packed away in your mind. 

Even though you're super physical and active, I also love to see you curled up on the couch with a Redwall book, a Tintin comic, or some volume of animal information. (And you are not impressed by animal books that start off with "50 million years ago, this creature evolved from...") Sometimes it's a whole cluster of you kids crowding around a Garfield book or car encyclopedia.

You began taking piano lessons last summer and played in two recitals, and this year you are also continuing in children's choir at church. You love to plunk around and improvise with music, and your piano teacher has told me she thinks you have a bit of a musical gift. I hope you'll continue to develop and grow those artistic skills for years ahead.

I see you being a good friend to others, enjoying lots of activities and imaginative games. It's also been fun to see some growing interest in board games, since Victor is always thrilled to have someone willing to take on a game of Risk or Tenpenny Parks or Cover Your Assets with him. You're quick to climb trees, dig in the dirt, and generally explore all the created world around you.

I also love to see how you are gaining in leadership skills. When you are the biggest kid at home, you are very kind and patient with your younger siblings. You are a willing helper, holding doors, hauling potting soil, vacuuming, and helping Jemima tidy her room.

I love your big belly laugh, your twinkling eyes, and your ready wit. You are an enthusiastic sharer of riddles and puns, and you always enjoy a good story. You also have a curious and active mind, ready to explore and investigate.

You are bearing fruit in your heart as well, beginning your day with time in the Bible and praying for friends that you think may still need to put their faith in Jesus. May the Lord continue to grow in you a relationship of abiding and trust in God and love for others.

This spring I've been studying the first half of Romans, and the last few weeks have given me such an encouraging reminder of one great fruit of the gospel in our lives: freedom from sin's slavery. Our memory verses last week were these:

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:22-23).

What an exchange, to go from the slave of sin ... that leads to death and condemnation, to become slaves of "righteousness leading to sanctification" (Romans 6:19). We have a new power at work in our hearts, giving us growth (sometimes slow!) in reflecting Jesus. We have a new desire in our lives, to love God and His ways. And we have a new destination, eternal life and joy in God's own presence. Nothing could outweigh those amazing gifts, bought for us by Jesus' death in our place!

I pray that you grow more and more aware of God's nearness, His Spirit, and the certainty of His promises. He is the one we were always made to belong to!

I love you so much and I'm so thankful for the young man you're growing into!

Mom

13 Years Old!

13 years old!

 

12 years old

11 years old

For nostalgia's sake...

 

10 years old

 9 years old

8 years old

 7 years old

 6 years old

5 years old

4 years old

3 years old

2 years old

18 months

One year old

11 months

10 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,

Happy birthday, teenager! Having already surpassed me in height (and Dad in shoe size), there is no question that you are growing up. And we are so pleased and thankful to see the ways that God is shaping you to be a delightful young man.

You've continued developing skills through your piano lessons, and Dad regularly comments on how enjoyable it is to hear you play. 

School has taken a big jump up in intensity this year, but you are faithfully digging away, and even though you still really love sleeping in on weekends, you also love chasing down stories, investigating deeper details, and reading a wide variety of genres. When we asked yesterday something you'd like to do in the year ahead, you said maybe learn a language!

When you have free time, especially with buddies, you are up for games of all kinds. Football, basketball, playing catch (now you have a baseball glove :) ), board games, card games, mind games... You, Dad, and Josiah got up at 6am on New Year's Day to start a 4.5-hour game of Risk! 

You are also generous with your spare time to love on your little sister and brothers. You are very patient and gentle with Jemima, and you've begun doing some babysitting for the crew on occasion so Dad and I can go out. You are responsible, conscientious, and considerate. We are very thankful for your dependable character.

We are also so thankful for your good friends, and as you grow we are also glad for opportunities to see you expressing your convictions. Sometimes it means challenging some remarks that were not made thoughtfully or wanting to look at the Bible with a friend. Strength of heart, even when it is unpopular, is something we pray will continue to grow as you gain more and more independence. 

At the same time, I am grateful for your openness to input. When things go wonky or decisions lack wisdom, you are receptive and humble to accept correction.

You are also taking on more responsibility in various areas. You and a buddy are starting to lead the kids in our small group with some small Bible lessons and other planned activities. It is so cool to see you guys invest your creativity and thoughtfulness in that.

You are a hard worker--not just with school but also with the little Katterson Kitchen business we have. You also show industry to make snacks for school or to share at youth group. You love tackling a project, or exploring creative ideas with cousins or friends. (This includes a recent endeavor to make a 5-star stuffed crust double-decker pizza and "Reese's Peanut Butter Oreos.")

I could go on, but I'll close with one last attribute that I appreciate about you. You are quick to express thanks, gracious when things don't work out quite as hoped, and a good encourager of others. Many times I have been blessed when you ask what's for supper and then respond, "YES!!!"

As you grow, gain responsibility, and explore new horizons, I pray that the Lord will always keep you anchored to the foundation. As our Comp 2 class has been memorizing together, 2 Timothy 2 charges:

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 

There is no greater legacy to receive or to pass on than the gift of the gospel, granted to us in Christ, and guaranteed to endure until the end, when Christ is revealed in all His glory. May you continue to grow in that grace and stand on that Word.

I love you!

Mom