Sand Hills

On our way home from Monahans, we stopped at a state park filled with sand dunes. We didn't stay long - just long enough to get our shoes filled with sand, look for pyramids which Johnathan was convinced must be around there somewhere, and play a little. It was a great place to burn some energy before another 8 hour ride home!

The day before was extremely windy, but this morning was warm, perfectly still, and we had the run of the dunes which had been untouched, covered in ripples from the wind.

Going up the hills was lots of work, but coming back down was even scarier at first. Daddy told Naomi he'd give her a dollar if she'd try running down the sand hill - and she discovered it was quite fun!

We left our mark with footprints and "We Love U Erwinna" written in the sand.

Family Fun

Since our move, family visits are becoming fewer and farther between. So it was very exciting for us that so many of Kevin's family from Colorado and beyond were able to meet in Monahans for the services. Besides Grandma and Grandpa Boaz, we got to see Kevin's sister Karen, Rudy, Ben, and Matthew; Kevin's brother Randy and Kayla; nieces Rachel (newly transplanted from California to Colorado) and Heather with baby Carolann from Oklahoma; Kevin's uncle Jim from Oregon, and cousins from Texas and New Mexico. We all stayed at the Best Western and soaked up two days of:

Eating! Lots of Texas BBQ and steak.

Hugs and kisses! Naomi and Kayla have always become permanently attached to each other whenever they get to visit. Carolanne got lots of kisses, too, although they weren't always welcome, unless they were coming from Matthew, who has a special way with babies, it seems!

Swimming! Everyone jumped in the pool at night to wear out the kids before bed. Baby Carolanne even fell asleep in the pool - she's sucha snuggle-bunny!

We are so thankful for the brief but wonderful time we had with everyone!

Family History

It was a special time to gather with the Boaz family to remember Grandmother McNabb's life of 94 years. The funeral service was held in Grand Falls, TX, in the little church that her family attended. It was a beautiful chapel with amazing stained glass.


Kevin's dad officiated at the service, during which her family shared many memories of Erwinna and how her faith touched them.


Kevin's mom shared her memories of her mother as well. We have been so thankful for the example she set in honoring her mother - over the last few years, she has taken care of Grandmother full-time at home.

They set up a table in the reception room containing memories of Grandmother. I will always remember how she taught me to crochet. The frame with blanket pictures contains a poem that Kevin wrote for her a few years ago about how she covered her great-grandchildren both with homemade blankets and with prayer.

After the service, we drove a few blocks away to see the house where Charlotte grew up with her parents and sister Nelda. Her father was the town sheriff, and a little two-cell jailhouse sits right next to their home. Charlotte remembers hearing drunks singing in the jail when her father let them sober up overnight there rather than be hauled off to Monahans and pay large fines in the county jail!

After that, Kevin was honored to officiate at the graveside in Monahans. Kevin's grandfather passed away years before he was born, and this was the first time he's been able to see where he was buried. Even though he never got to know his grandfather Charles McNabb, he's always felt a special connection with him. He, too, loved to fish, and they share the same birthday, July 24th.

We are so thankful to know that Grandmother McNabb is now safe at Home with both her husband, Charles and her Savior, Jesus.

What I learned from my pastor... 1/17 & 1/24/10

Over the next four weeks, Kevin will be preaching a series detailing the new vision statement for Zion Church of Kurten that the vision team developed. The mission statement (which is too long for me to remember off the top of my head!) is boiled down in the mandate, which is Ordinary people living, sharing, and showing the Gospel. Last week Kevin gave an overview of the new mission statement, mandate, and the four areas in which the church works to grow disciples.

The first area, which was the topic of today's sermon, is Equipping. The passage was Ephesians 4:11-16. I found it interesting that the word "equip" had dual meanings in the Greek of the New Testament; more common to our understanding is its first definition, "to prepare". But it was also used to mean "restore or mend" - like in Luke, used in referrence to mending fishing nets. The church is meant to be a place to prepare us to serve and glorify God, but it is also intended to be the place in which people can be restored to better and better reflect the image of God as we grow in Christ.

West Texas Road Trip

Last week we loaded up and drove 8 hours to the other side of Texas to be with Kevin's family for the funeral for Grandmother McNabb.

We left before dark on Tuesday morning, fueled by donuts and kolaches (a traditional Czech roll). When it comes to long car trips, we need just a few essentials to ensure a peaceful trip: Blankets, pillows, snacks, juice boxes, books and, everyone's favorite - DVDs! If we have those essentials, we're good to go!

Although Erwinna lived in Colorado in recent years, she raised her family in Grand Falls, Texas, a tiny town southwest of Odessa. We met the family in Monahans and had a wonderful two days remembering Grandmother and being together.

Throwing Pottery

Today Naomi and Johnathan got to throw pottery... And miraculously, we didn't break anything!



Our friend Rachel has a beautiful pottery studio called Joy Pottery, and she invited us to come and play with clay. They loved squishing it to make worms and race cars (I have to admit I couldn't resist the urge to squish it, too!).




Then we learned how to use the potter's wheel. Mrs. Rachel made it look so easy as she whipped out a pitcher in no time flat! She taught us how to prepare the clay (I think this was called wedging), center it on the wheel so it doesn't come out lopsided, and pull it up into something beautiful.

Naomi and Johnathan each took multiple turns throwing their own little pots. Johnathan prefered working with very tiny pieces of clay and swirling lines in them. Naomi loved making bowls and using the wire to cut them off the wheel. I had always wanted to try it, too, just to feel what it was like to have the clay mold beneath your hands. It was really cool - and not as easy as it looks (unless your goal is to make a lopsided bowl with a hole in the side, like mine!). Maybe some day I'll take a pottery class... I'll just add that to all the other things I want to learn, including knitting, scuba diving, and the penny whistle!

Mrs. Rachel travels all around with her potter's wheel, sharing her testimony and demonstrating how we are like clay and God is the potter. It was so neat to get a taste of all the illustrations how that verse is true. We pray for soft hearts that are like the wet clay - ready for God to mold into something beautiful!

Johnathan's "Workouts"

Johnathan had his first occupational therapy appointment on Wednesday morning while Naomi was at preschool. He was delighted to find that they had a fire truck toy - That's just about all he needs to be happy. So after playing with that, he did some swinging, listened to a CD to help with his auditory processing, and pulled himself up an incline on a scooter using a rope (he pretended he was a firefighter rescuing burning cars).



We also learned how to do a brushing and joint compression technique that should help his brain adjust to some of the sensory issues that bother him, and help him be aware of how his arms and legs are working. He had a lot of fun with all the new equipment to check out and play on!

Back to School

Our winter break from the preschool schedule was nice and relaxing - not driving 20 minutes back and forth for drop-offs and pick-ups. But Naomi was thrilled to go back today.

And, in a new development, a spot opened up in the Mother's Day Out program for Johnathan. So today he packed up his Broncos lunchbag and nap mat and joined Naomi at "school". He trotted into his 3's room as if he did this every day and picked up a crayon to start his coloring project. Mommy didn't even get a second look! He was quite excited to be a big boy with his big sister. He did great today and will go on Mondays several times a month. Hopefully this will give him a little "pre-preschool" fun and give Mommy a few days to catch her breath and get ready for the baby until school gets out in May.

Stretching

Johnathan has been sporting his AFO and night brace for over a month now, and for a three-year-old, he has quite the good attitude about it all! During the day, he wears this AFO under his shoe. Isn't it cool-looking, with all the race cars and helicopters and fire trucks? And we found the perfect socks to go under it - very comfortable (do you know how hard it is to find knee-high socks for boys? I can attest that you are highly unlikely to find them in any stores! Thanks goodness for online shopping!). The AFO keeps his right foot at a 90 degree angle, stretching out the tight heel cord, so he can't walk on his toes.

Here is his AFO - he can even take it off and on himself (when he wants too!).

And at night, when the AFO comes off, Johnathan's knee immobilizer goes on. It keeps his leg straight, which stretches out his tight right hamstring.

Sometimes all that stretching means that he wakes up in the middle of the night with leg cramps. But Johnathan's not a complainer - he'd rather curl up his legs when he sleeps, but he goes with the flow about all this new stuff. And the smile on his face and his sigh of contentment are priceless every morning when the knee brace comes off!