9 Months Old!

Andrew is almost 9 months old now and his new accomplishments include pulling up on anything and everything, and clapping. (as I type he is in the kitchen. he has found a small packet of cream cheese one of the girls dropped and he is intensely trying to get it open with his gums.) It was a cute moment when he first started clapping. We were in the car when the girls noticed he was clapping, and they were so proud of him. They were laughing and shouting "Good job Buddy!" Andrew's eyes have been changing since he was a newborn...and these days they have been looking more green than blue. It is fun to watch them change! Our sweet Buds is so mild tempered and happy. He fills our days with the cutest songs, smiles, giggles and cuddles. His sisters love him, sometimes too much. I often have to rescue him from the constant smothering he gets all day long. When he wakes up from a nap though, he is not contented until he sees his girls. He looks all around the house for them until he finds them. He loves them and they make him laugh constantly. I pray for our sweet little boy that he will continue to grow strong and healthy. He weaned from me earlier than I would have liked, but he has taken to a bottle and formula quite well. He loves to eat solid food, anything and everything. I always think about the analogy that the Bible uses when talking about "milk" and spiritual food. How a young or new believer needs milk, or simple, digestible theology. However, as we mature in our faith and knowledge of the Word and God, we begin eating "solid food" of Scripture. We crave and need to learn the real meaning of what the Bible says, and how to apply it rightly to our life. Unfortunately so many never progress past "milk" theology. I pray all my children progress from the easy digestible simplified milk of the word of God to intense "solid food" of complex theology and deep spiritual truth. May God be glorified as they wean spiritually from Justin and I as well. That they would grasp their own faith one day, apart from us, and understand how to study and find truth on their own. I pray they will love, serve and worship Him until they die. Hebrews 5:11-14 "About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." I love this last part "for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil" What a great verse for us as parents! This is our job, to "train our children by constant practice" so they will be able to distinguish good from evil. Lord give me strength through Christ! (1 Cor 3:2 and 1 Peter 2:2 reference this principal as well.)

Little Helper

I love that Kalena and Sara are old enough to help me feed Andrew!! My sweet little helpers!

Justin had a chance to go to Macedonia with a team of businessmen from our church. They worked with a missionary couple there, the Mangles. The Mangles are hard working church planters who are spreading the gospel in this country that has little to no gospel presence. Justin was so blessed by the time he spent there with these precious brothers and sisters!

Enjoying the Car

I was shocked at how much my sweet boy loved being at the controls in our car. It was a little scary... the immense joy he was having. He was making excited faces that I had never seen from him before. My girls have always had fun playing in the car, but as you can see this was more than fun for him. It was thrilling! Seriously... that face!!