The Tractor Ride

Johnathan had a very exciting Monday - Mr. Bill, one of the church's trusty trustees, was working on a project and offered him a ride on the tractor!



He grabbed Mr. Bill's hand and marched right off to the rumbling tractor, hopped in, and buckled up! Johnathan reports that they "went somewhere else" and got some dirt "for the church".
He sure was proud of himself when he returned!! Thanks, Mr. Bill!

Children's Museum

We're looking for fun Friday activities that beat the heat these days, so this Friday we tried out the Children's Museum in Bryan. It was just right for our 3 and 5 year old, with activity centers including...



Puppets...




Grocery shopping...



Fill up that cart, Johnathan!



... and Johnathan's personal favorite, trains! To be accurate, Naomi tried everything (there were centers for art, music, books, and medical stuff, too). And, except for a brief "shopping trip" to buy ice cream, Johnathan stuck with what he knew he liked - trains, trains, and more trains. He's on a transportation kick right now. I think he discovered the thrill of Matchbox cars practically overnight, and now they are his pride and joy, including the special boxes in which he lovingly stores them!

Anyway, the museum was fun - a great place to play away a few hours on a hot day!

What I learned from my pastor... 8-2

Kevin's sermon this morning was entitled "Mighty to Save". From Jonah 3, we learned how God powerfully saved the people of Ninevah. With just 5 words from a prophet they had probably never heard of, the entire great city repented and were saved from judgment. God is never required to offer people second chances, yet in His love and mercy, He does. And given that the Ninevites worshipped a fish god, it is possible that Jonah was particularly well-prepared to have his message from the true God received. I want to be available to Him and prepared by Him to share His love as He gives opportunities.

On a less-spiritual note... Kevin and I had a chuckle thinking about all the cattle in Ninevah who were dressed in sackcloth. Read Jonah 3 - That's what it says! Anyone out there have any insight on why they felt like the cows needed to wear sackcloth?

Naomi's Bike

So when did this happen - my baby girl zipping around on a bike?



For Naomi's birthday, we gave her a bike - covered in pink, flowers, and princesses. She loves it. Complete with her princess helmet, she would spend most of the day riding it if we let her.
Below she's ready to ride in front of the "little church":



One of the bonuses of living here is that our home is surrounded by an extensive network of sidewalks around all the buildings, as well as two large parking lots. It's all relatively flat or only mildly sloped, so its perfect for Naomi to zip around on. Here's Kevin, Naomi and Johnathan (riding his tricycle) in the parking lot in front of the "big church":



Aaand now we're playing follow the leader in the parking lot behind the church:



Naomi took to riding like a pro (with the assistance of training wheels, of course!). The only thing she needs to learn is to stop talking and watch out for trees. She's so excited about her new skill, she can't stop talking about it! Many evenings you can now find us in the parking lots, tooling around and getting plenty of exercise.

What I learned from my pastor... 7-26

This morning we were in the belly of the whale. In his sermon entitled, "The Downward Spiral," Kevin pointed out how Jonah's physical journey mirrored his spiritual state: He descended the mountains of Gath-hepher to Joppa... Got in a boat and then went into the depths during the storm... and into the belly of the whale. Meanwhile, his spiritual state reflected a downward spiral of sin as well. Kevin took us to James 1:14-15, talking about the spiral of temptation, desire, sin and eventually rebellion.

But the good news for Jonah, and us, is that as long as we're alive, we have unlimited second chances. Just like Jonah, we were reminded that the first step out of the downward spiral is on our knees. More about second chances next week as Jonah gets spit up!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

Johnathan turned 3 this year. Naomi turned 5. Put them together, and what do you get?


Happy 35th birthday, Daddy!


Johnathan and Naomi helped Daddy open his birthday stocking. 'Cause it's hard work, you know?

Then Daddy and Naomi went for their second annual daddy/daughter birthday breakfast. (Baby doll Katie also went, along with her fully stocked new diaper bag.)


Kevin had (what I hope was) a relaxing day off, and he and I went out for a date that evening, during which we ate delicious fresh fish and enormous amounts of dessert.

We love our daddy and husband - He works so hard to take care of us, help us grow, and make us laugh. Happy Birthday, Kevin!!

To Naomi on your 5th birthday

It's been such a joy to see how much you've learned and grown this year, Naomi! You have an incredible enthusiasm for life - you get so excited and passionate about entertaining friends, learning things in school, and going on our little (and big!) family adventures. You make it so fun for everyone because your enthusiasm is contagious. And we've loved seeing your desire to learn about Jesus and use your first little Bible as you ask me to help you look up the book your'e learning from in Sunday School or that Daddy is preaching from. Never lose that appetite for Him, sweetie.

This year you made a big move from Casper to Kurten. It's been fun to watch you embrace all the new aspects of living here - Making new friends at church, chatting with people at the post office, running errands to Daddy's office, riding your scooter and new bike on the network of sidewalks... It's hard to believe you're growing up so fast.

We're looking forward to all the ways you'll grow and learn this year, Miss 5 year-old! Love you!