Thanks for letting us borrow your beautiful dress Megan!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Megan's Dress
Haven likes to wear dresses (to hide her big cloth diapers) wherever she goes.
Thanks for letting us borrow your beautiful dress Megan!
Thanks for letting us borrow your beautiful dress Megan!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Review: Devotions for Preschoolers 2
Title: The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers 2
by Carla Barnhill; illustrated by Elena Kucharik
Age range: 3-6 years old
Publisher: Tyndale
Price: $14.99 (hardcover)
This is a MamaBuzz review. This product was given to me by Tyndale for review.
What to say, what to say? Let me start with a random excerpt, entitled "Special Delivery", from this book.
"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. Jeremiah 1:5"
"Have your parents told you about the day you joined their family? About how excited they were when they held you for the very first time? And just think, God knew all about you even before your parents did! Before you took your first breath or cried your first tear, God loved you. He planned a wonderful life for you. And he'll be looking out for you forever."
Insert little summary ditty: "Before I was born, God knew about me. He's loved me forever and planned what I'll be."
Positive Critique: It is a really, really good thing to read the Bible. Reading to kids is great. Reading the Bible to your child is excellent. If the options are read this devotional to your kid or your child will never hear Bible stories, then definitely use this book.
Negative Critique: Now, you all know I love talking about anything that has to do with a womb. This Jeremiah passage has excellent things to teach us about God. Things which do not really include "He'll be looking out for you forever."
My main problem with the book is that it assumes that each child is saved. Each story says something like "God sent the Holy Spirit to live inside you" or "One day you'll live with God forever." These things are true but only if God has saved you. This book neglects to teach children about sin, and so in turn fails to teach children how great a Savior Jesus is.
My Recommendation: I feel that any children's Bible book would not pass my critique after having read The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. If I know you and you have a child, I have probably given you one of these books. I love, love, love it! My dear friend Haven sent me a copy and Elijah and I have devoured it, often reading "just one more." Why was it exciting to me? I certainly knew the stories...but I didn't know how each story told of Jesus. I was unable to see, much less explain to my toddler, how the Gospel was present in an Old Testament story. The cover of The Jesus Storybook Bible says "Every story whispers His name." This is clearly fleshed out, but not in an annoying or overdone way. Reading The Jesus Storybook Bible went along perfectly with our pastor's recent teaching on Gospelizing - basically a telling of how the Gospel impacts everything, not just one's salvaion. I had asked my pastor for case studies on actually applying the Gospel to everything; God gave me The Jesus Storybook Bible .
So, if you are looking for a good children's Bible, you now know my favorite one. I look forward to reading it again! (Oh, the ending was magnificent!)
Saturday, January 2, 2010
A Taste of California in South Carolina
What fun cousins are! Bella showed off her (then) new skill of crawling during our trip. She was all over the place and amazed me by entertaining herself for extended periods of time.
We were all in South Carolina to see Uncle John and Aunt Heather. It is a rare treat to see them, especially now that they live on the other side of the country. Uncle John gave Elijah some lessons in catching.
Elijah had a little trouble keeping his "eye on the ball" and using hand-eye coordination. If, however, you threw the ball directly into his outstretched arms, he would catch it and we would all applaud ~:-)
Aunt Heather played with the babies.
Bella read to Elijah.
Aunt Heather even let Elijah roll for her in Yahtzee! Elijah loved it.
Aunt Abigail also played catch with Elijah.
Sweet Haven loved being in PawPaw's arms. She even took a nap there!
A little strawberry outfit from Bella:
She is SO HAPPY when she sees Haven in her hand-me-downs!
Abigail and MawMaw set up their own movie theater in the study so they could watch some Shirley Temple. Aren't they cute?
Both babies often ended up in Heather's care. (Does anyone notice how Bella is putting Haven in a headlock?)
Aunt Heather didn't seem to mind the added responsibility; these two are a lot less stressful than her California job!
Bella likes to hang upside down and flip off furniture...just in case you ever hold her.
The Greats:
Four generations:
Cousins:
Uncle John was a thrill a minute on the new golf cart.
Notice Abigail hanging on for dear life, Bella enjoying her first ride in the Ergo, and Elijah driving in his pajamas.
Beautiful Sister:
John and Heather, we are so glad you guys came to visit!
We were all in South Carolina to see Uncle John and Aunt Heather. It is a rare treat to see them, especially now that they live on the other side of the country. Uncle John gave Elijah some lessons in catching.
Elijah had a little trouble keeping his "eye on the ball" and using hand-eye coordination. If, however, you threw the ball directly into his outstretched arms, he would catch it and we would all applaud ~:-)
Aunt Heather played with the babies.
Bella read to Elijah.
Aunt Heather even let Elijah roll for her in Yahtzee! Elijah loved it.
Aunt Abigail also played catch with Elijah.
Sweet Haven loved being in PawPaw's arms. She even took a nap there!
A little strawberry outfit from Bella:
She is SO HAPPY when she sees Haven in her hand-me-downs!
Abigail and MawMaw set up their own movie theater in the study so they could watch some Shirley Temple. Aren't they cute?
Both babies often ended up in Heather's care. (Does anyone notice how Bella is putting Haven in a headlock?)
Aunt Heather didn't seem to mind the added responsibility; these two are a lot less stressful than her California job!
Bella likes to hang upside down and flip off furniture...just in case you ever hold her.
The Greats:
Four generations:
Cousins:
Uncle John was a thrill a minute on the new golf cart.
Notice Abigail hanging on for dear life, Bella enjoying her first ride in the Ergo, and Elijah driving in his pajamas.
Beautiful Sister:
John and Heather, we are so glad you guys came to visit!
Mood Swings
Our friends Krista and Gracie came to play; we were trying to woo them into moving here! Krista made a fast friend by reading to Elijah. 
Thankfully, Elijah saved this little gem for after their visit. Imagine you are looking at a flip book...
My dear little boy can be quite a challenge especially with these episodes. I find myself wanting to say, "It doesn't even make sense that you are crying!!!!" or some similarly unhelpful phrase. I try to remember how, regardless of your age, we tend to think that what is going on in our lives is of ultimate importance. How do you teach your child that it isn't? How do *I* learn to see the big picture? {And, since we are talking about issues, how do I get this kid to stop whining????}
Despite the fits, I am thanking God that Elijah has improved by leaps and bounds in being kind to his sister. Haven, perhaps more than the rest of us~;-), is rejoicing.
Thankfully, Elijah saved this little gem for after their visit. Imagine you are looking at a flip book...
My dear little boy can be quite a challenge especially with these episodes. I find myself wanting to say, "It doesn't even make sense that you are crying!!!!" or some similarly unhelpful phrase. I try to remember how, regardless of your age, we tend to think that what is going on in our lives is of ultimate importance. How do you teach your child that it isn't? How do *I* learn to see the big picture? {And, since we are talking about issues, how do I get this kid to stop whining????}Despite the fits, I am thanking God that Elijah has improved by leaps and bounds in being kind to his sister. Haven, perhaps more than the rest of us~;-), is rejoicing.
Friday, January 1, 2010
A Taste of Madison
We heard about A Taste of Madison almost at the last minute. I thought it would be a fun and inexpensive way to get dinner and try out new restaurants. Eeek! It was crazy! There were SO MANY PEOPLE there that the restaurants kept running out of food. Everyone's greedy nature seemed to pop out and there were mad dashes for the food. I get really claustrophobic in this kind of environment and have to leave. Thankfully, the day was not a total waste because Good Pasture Christian School has a super fun playground. We enjoyed being outside and then headed home to play some more. This is definitely not an endorsement for the event...unless you are the type of person that loves Black Friday.
Lego Duplos
A favorite pre-bedtime Daddy activity, Lego Duplos have been a great source of entertainment for our family. Perhaps this is because Eric is constantly thinking of new things to create and new stories about the man and woman to go along with his creations. (I highly recommend purchasing a set which includes these two vital characters.) Elijah will often be heard reenacting the tale the next morning~:-)
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