4 Months Old!

4 months old!

3 months old

 2 months old

1 month old

2 weeks old

Dear Calvin,

I don't know how we got to 4 months, since it has only been about 3 days since you were 3 months old. But, this is the way of this season! Long days, at times, but very short months...

The past month has been eventful.

- You have been initiated to the wonderful world of head colds (having run through 2 rounds so far).

- I can't say how much you weigh, but you were over 16 lbs when we took you to the doc to see if you had an ear infection (you didn't, hurray!). And that was 3 weeks ago.



- You got a new job. Now you have physical therapy every other week for your neck to resolve some torticollis. Work includes tummy time, stretches, rolling over (assisted), and lots of time in the exersaucer.

- You love the exersaucer! This is a bonus for neck strengthening and also allows for a little more time for Momma to get a few things done when you are awake.

-  Oh my wonder-sleeper... what has happened? Obviously, colds have happened. And alas, we have not recovered the amazing 10-hour stretches of beauty sleep. We are muddling through with unpredictable, haphazard awakenings. Sometimes midnight, sometimes 3am. Sometimes 2am, 4am, and 6am (this morning). Momma is a little foggy, but I love you anyway.

- You have certainly grown generous with your smiles and you can tolerate the stretch of awake time between your morning and afternoon naps pretty well.


This month I have been studying John 4, preparing to teach in the women's Bible study. It is a chapter so full of the mercy of Jesus! Jesus stops for a conversation with someone by a well--a woman who wasn't a good woman. What did Jesus have to say to her? Not a lot of rules for her to follow. Not a plan for fixing her life. Not a snub for being too dirty for the righteous Messiah to be around.

No, He saw the trouble of her life and knew her biggest problem: she had a thirsty heart, one that would only be satisfied by what He could offer, real living water. And when this woman talked with Him, when she realized that He knew her life and nevertheless wanted to bring her to true worship of God, it changed her whole life! She had news so good that she left her bucket right there at the well to go and tell her neighbors about this Man and His good news.

Oh, little son, how we pray that you will come to Jesus like that! We pray that you will know what makes for a happy heart. Not a bunch of money in the bank or lots of friends to play with. Not the approval of people or success in your work. No, a happy heart is one that has been made new by Jesus. A happy heart is one that takes His great exchange, trusting that when He died on the cross He paid for our sin and gave us His record of goodness.

"Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14).

May your heart overflow with this happy, happy gift,

Momma

Sleep Deprivation, Strongholds, and Radical Spiritual Victory

I am all too aware of what horrible outbursts of flesh and sin are typical of the morning-after-a-terrible-night-of-sleep.

I don't need to reach far into the recesses of memory to see the snappish temper, the inward, sulky heart, impatience with others' childish demands, and a general sense of wounded entitlement, all nurtured within a bleary sense that I would be so much better if only so-and-so had not awakened me every 2 hours or such-and-such had not needed to feed so often.

Groaning, I squint at the digital clock face that demands I arise from bed, whatever kind of train wreck I may feel. I am like a ticking timebomb of discontentment, probably moments away from bursting in someone's face.

But of course, this general sense that the world is gloomy and there is no redemption for the  crumminess of life on such a tired morning is just one of the enemy's ploys.

Doubtless, he intends to triumph over us without even a struggle, if he can just start us off in despair and lead us gently into a day full of frustration, self-pity, and irritability.

What other darts does he employ? Of course, our cross temper typically multiplies into poor attitudes for all the little people around us. This can easily mushroom into angry outbursts (defended as "discipline") and all its ugly fallout.

Generally, he also sows thick seeds of bitterness toward one's spouse, who (regardless of how good or bad his own night of sleep may have been) cannot appreciate the full pain that one is laboring under at the start of this day.

Knowing (as we do) that God is sovereign in all the smallest details of life, we generally hold a grudge against Him for this tortuous entry into a day and the crud that continues to unfold in it, as the cherry on top of our enemy's tactics.

"We are not ignorant of his schemes" (2 Corinthians 2:11). So what does it look and feel like to face up to the enemy and walk in faith and grace in a morning such as this?

It probably doesn't feel very radical and victorious. It feels more like dying a hundred deaths before breakfast. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh" (2 Corinthians 10:3). Most of this war starts in the brain.

God is for me. He has tailor-made graces for the needs of this morning.

These little need-vessels (my children) are a gift.

The sin troubles of their own little hearts mirror my own, and the sacrifice of Jesus has made a way for us to find pardon and help.

There are reasons to laugh even when I'm blitzed.

No agenda for this day is more important than listening for God's quiet voice and receiving and reflecting His love.

Even if I don't check much off my to-do list today, it will be a day that honors God if I walk in Spirit-given kindness toward those around me.

I don't need an extra 15 minutes of sleep as much as I need a few minutes for God's truth to wash over my mind.

My husband is on my team (even if he looks perky and refreshed). He might even pray for me if I ask him.

There is not more joy in sleep than joy in Jesus. And by Jesus' grace, I will indeed (most likely) sleep again one day.


To us, these quiet shifts of heart are pretty insignificant and unimpressive. But I would not be surprised if such is the stuff of "divine [power] for the destruction of fortresses" (2 Corinthians 10:4). Radical Christianity is seen when faith in Jesus triumphs in a sleep deprived morning.

Beatitudes

First Day of School

Three big boys, heading off to our first day of co-op (last week).

Victor- 1st Grade
Josiah- Pre-K
Elliot- Nursery

Hurray for School Year 2018!

3 Months Old!

3 months old!

 2 months old

1 month old

2 weeks old

Dear Calvin,

Oh my goodness, I think you grew 6 inches since last month! Look how you stretch the whole way across the chair! (Er, that might just be because you can actually straighten your legs now that Mom broke out the 3-6 month clothes...)


You have officially doubled your birth weight, now at a hefty 15 lb 2.5 oz.

In other news of note:

- You have a real sweet little dimple near the right corner of your mouth, and I love to see it when you smile.

- You have moved from deep, vehement horror for your swing to general ambivalence and occasional stretches of calm and cheerful acceptance. These stretches happen most often when you're sitting in your swing watching your 3 crazy big brothers play.

- Fussy time starts around 6:30pm, and it has become a cherished routine to pack you into the Baby K'tan then and go for a walk until 7pm, when we start getting ready for bed. I'm going to be sad when it is too dark/cold to do that!

- You are still master champion at sleeping through the night. You pretty solidly go to bed at 7:30pm and wake up between 5 and 5:45am. And then you sleep until 8am. That makes for a pretty great morning for me, except for the occasions when you wake up at 4-something, and then I fall back asleep after feeding you and don't wake up until 6:30am, feeling like I have missed my chance to seize the day (such as this morning). But in general, you're fabulous.

- We are now doing some physical therapy exercises to help strengthen and stretch your neck. We had a good PT evaluation, and you're actually doing very well. It does make me remember the stretches we did with your big brother Josiah!


We have started a women's Bible study in the Gospel of John (I say "we," of course, because you are in there with me, albeit the evening study runs straight through your fussy time, past bedtime, into the meltdown zone).

Over and over, John points to Jesus and tells us, "This is the Son of God! This is the true Messiah!"

Tonight we will get to reflect on (in part) these words:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

When you start to get to know this world, and when you start to get to know your own heart, you will realize how utterly we need grace. Something good for us that we could not earn. A gift of favor that was totally outside of our own hands. Jesus is the One who brought that to us.

And truth? God's truth is for our life, little son. He tells us what really is, what our own blind heart cannot discover any other way. This is why we seek God in His word, because His truth is not something we can uncover on our own. Jesus brought that to us as well.

It is our greatest desire that as you grow you will also believe, and as you believe you will also receive all of Jesus with all of your heart to be your biggest joy and biggest guide and biggest love.

Asking God's grace and truth to be your great inheritance,

Momma

Summer Memories Part 3

Ah, August was lovely.

We started off the month with a week in Iowa, a whole posse of cousins together for lots of sweet time at parks, picnics, and many hours of fun playing.

Note that Momma was somehow thrust in among the jumpers when Elliot began boycotting... Graceful. Super graceful.

It was lots of fun to have our Canadian cousins in town as well!

One day involved a scavenger hunt at a park, with teams of cousins finding clues from photos taken at the park earlier.

We even came away with a sweet family photo! (Thanks, Bets!)

We got to tour a dairy farm, where my Uncle Arlan is now working (owned by my mom's cousins).

Lunch with Grandma Vaupel at Pizza Ranch was special as always!

The day after we returned home was the 8th grade "Day in Duluth" trip. It was fun to join in! We started with cinnamon or caramel rolls at Tobie's.

Victor and Josiah joined in for some of the hiking up the stream near Lester Park.

We also got to have some fun friends over for "super boy time" several mornings. The "6-boy" and "8-boy" playtime is a definite highlight for our boys!

We really enjoyed the Pastors & Families Lake Day.

Perhaps Momma took a little wild tubing ride there (complete with a violent exit from the tube halfway through). Man, it was fun!

Look who actually considers drinking from a bottle an acceptable form of nourishment! (Not that he's had a lot of practice, but it does provide the thrilling possibility of a date night or something crazy like that! Sons 2 and 3 never really took to that.)

Woohoo, the family room is completed!! What an answer to prayer and lovely gift from the Lord! (A separate post is due on that whole project.)

Victor had a super fun outing to a Twins game with the Lee boys. It rained, and he got back SUPER late (well, super late for him), and he had an absolutely fabulous time!

 

Ah yes, summer was full of refreshing, encouraging fun. The Lord is kind.

Summer Memories Part 2

The fun of July...

We had a fun family daytrip up to Duluth, partly in research for the upcoming Day at Duluth for the 8th graders.

Calvin grew in size and cuteness...

Some fun with cousins

Another "goal sheet" reached was to camp in the backyard with Dad!

Some s'mores began the evening...

... and tent time!

The big boys slept outside with Dad. All the way until 10:45pm.

Summer Wednesday Connections at Long Lake Park were another summer highlight.

The boys encouraging Calvin during his tummy time

Victor and Josiah had the honor of serving as ring bearers at a wedding! 

They did an excellent job in their role.

And the next day, we headed off for a week in Iowa with the Anderson clan.