A Walk in the Park

(When it rains it pours! I finally finished a roll of film and had it developed, hence all the pictures I've been posting. Expect another flood when I get the pictures developed from our trip to the circus today!) Just yesterday we went to the park with some friends. Chrissy sent out an e-mail with the subject line, "Prison Break!" and told everyone to meet at the park if they were free. We should have been doing school, but Katie's a little ahead of schedule and it was an absolutely beautiful day so we went! Jackson County schools are out this week, which means that Maysville Elementary School's new playground was available. The kids had a blast playing outside for a couple of hours, and we had lunch at Chick-Fil-A afterwards.

(Note: In order to view the bottom picture correctly, simply focus on the photo and touch your left ear to your left shoulder.)

Just Like Daddy!

For Christmas this year, our friends the Ariails gave Joe a shaving kit! Not a real one, of course, but it has a toy razor, soap "shaving cream", a comb, and a lather brush. Joseph knew immediately what it was -- when I handed him the razor he began "shaving" with it and exclaimed, "Like Daddy!" Could he BE any cuter?! (That's a rhetorical question, Professor!)

Happy (Late) Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day our homeschool group had a party at the Davis' house. Unfortunately, several of our families (including yours truly) were sick and couldn't come. But those who were well and able to make it had a lot of fun! There are about 9 families in our group, totaling about 19 children ranging from toddlers to teenagers. Despite being deeply disappointed about not being able to attend the party, Katie and Joe had lots of fun making Valentines for their friends. Joe drove a truck through black paint, then across a rectangle of paper. I wrote, "You're a 'wheel'-y good friend!" on them and we attached a foil covered chocolate racecar. Katie wrapped different fruits in tissue paper and tied them with ribbon. She attached corresponding cards that read, "I go bananas for you!" or "You're a 'grape' friend!" or "'Orange' you glad we're friends?" or "You're the apple of my eye!"

Joseph's Turn

Joe is at that adorable age where he is talking a lot, and asking lots of questions. I may have mentioned before that one of his favorite games is asking "Where's . . .?" We go through Katie, Daddy, Mommy, Daisy, etc. His favorite time to play this is when we're all in the car together, or when we've tucked him into bed. In fact, he has an elaborate stalling plan for bedtime. We usually manage to preempt his tactics but he tries anyway. (You have to imagine the following routine with the slight speech impediment of toddlers, and a sweetly entreating voice.) "I go potty!" "I want wa-wer." "Read me, peese!" "Sing song!" (Which song?) "Jesus world." (Jesus Loves the Little Children) during which we have to "Hold hands! Bof hands!" "Mommy, way down my piwow." "I want Chokwit!" (That's his teddy bear.) Followed of course by the "Where's. . .?" game.

More Katie-Joe Stories

I had a request today for more stories about the kids on the blog. I'm nothing if not obliging, so here goes! The first thing of note is that Katie's bottom front teeth are wiggling ever so slightly! Kait was very excited, and I cried. And now, a story from the future snaggletooth. She dictated this essay to me on October 24, 2006. Look out, Henry David Thoreau!

"I want to live in a log house, because I think it will be warm and cozy. My father will probably build it with a saw and other things. I want my room to be painted purple with flowers on the walls. The living room, I hope, will have a fireplace. I will have yummy food to eat, like deer meat. My kitchen won't have a refrigerator or a sink. We will get our water from a lake. I would like to drink fresh water from the lake."

Outdoorsmen's Ministry

In January of 2006, our church had a list of prayer concerns for the year, one of which was that the men of Maysville Baptist would experience a revival. We had been praying and determined to continue praying that our men would rise up as head of their homes, becoming godly men who loved the Lord and served others. Throughout the year God honored that request in many ways, most notably by leading the men of our church to begin an Outdoorsmen's Ministry. A business man in our church, knowing the lack of space we are struggling with, offered the use of his restaurant on Wednesday nights as a place for the men to meet. That was the last week of July. Between then and now, we have seen nearly 60 salvations as a direct result of that ministry. The men who already knew Christ as their savior began experiencing the revival we had been praying so earnestly for. At least 7 of the men who were saved had their wives or children follow them in trusting Christ. In 2005, we had a Sunday School challenge (Mission Impossible) of 250 people in Sunday School by October. This past Sunday, we had an attendance of 383! Last night our Outdoorsmen's Ministry hosted a Wild Game Dinner for the men in our church and community. The event quickly grew to the point that we had to move it to the civic center in a nearby town. Over 700 men attended! They were served deer, elk, wild boar, alligator, quail, squirrel, rabbit, turtle stew and yard bird (chicken). But as David Sharpton, our minister of education and evangelism, said last night, that was just the appetizer. Chris Pritchett, a pastor from Bowman, GA, served the main course of the Bread of Life. When the invitation was given, 49 men gave their lives over to Jesus Christ!

God is so good!

What a week we have had! I had a migraine Monday and Tuesday and then Tuesday night started developing a sore throat. Wednesday night, about 11, Katie wakes us up with symptoms of a urinary tract infection. Thursday we all truck to the doctor (pediatrics only, no adult treatment). I have a fever, I'm aching all over -- my head hurts and my throat hurts. (Did I mention we had an ice storm Wednesday night? It was cold and nasty on Thursday.) After Katie sees the pediatrician we learn we have to go to the hospital lab before we can go home. The kids are gone all day Friday and I sleep most of the day. Saturday we end up at the Quick Care clinic because Joe has a snotty nose and says his ear hurts and I'm not getting any better on my own! When we pull into the parking lot, Kaitlyn tells me it hurts when she swallows. I fill out all the paperwork in triplicate so we can be seen. After seeing the doctor and a trip to the pharmacy, I pull over in the parking lot and administer three doses of antibiotics -- Joe, Katie, Mommy. Now, you might be wondering what the heading on this message has to do with everyone being sick. Well, I left some things out. Thursday, my friend Chrissy brought us dinner. Thursday night, Jeff took the kids to his parents house for them to stay the next day. Friday, Chrissy brings me books and other goodies. Saturday, Ashley calls to see how I'm doing. Every day my mom calls to check in and empathize. Saturday, she orders Papa John's Pizza on-line to be delivered for our dinner. I call Judy about a commitment I know I can't fulfill the following day and she prays with me over the phone. Also on Saturday, unaware of my being sick, Lisa calls to chat and says, "You sound like Tinkerbell!" She tells me to make a list, and brings us groceries. This morning, Jeff's parents call to check on us and to see how we're doing. God is so good!