Pajama Ride!

I thought I should document our first "Pajama Ride." It was stupendous. We are reading through Diciplines of a Godly Family by Kent Huges with our Community Group, and the book enlightened us to this fun idea for the family... called a Pajama Ride.  Here is how it goes. When all the kids are in their P.J.s and tucked into bed, mommy and daddy line all their shoes up at the front door (slip on ones are best).  The lights are all out, but you can hear whispering and you know no one is asleep. Then, mommy and daddy come running into the kids room with cheers of excitement yelling, "Pajama Ride!!" We flip on the lights, grab all the kids out of their beds, and rush out the door and into the car. We don't tell them were we are going but we end up at a place where we get something yummy to eat (yogurt, ice-cream... the book suggests a Fosters Freeze) Our kids thought this was the greatest thing in the world (and why wouldn't they!) It will be a good way to bond as a family and create fun memories several times a year. Here is the picture: Kalena and Sara are so excited they are screaming at the top of their lungs, Katelyn is still trying to figure out what is going on and why she is in the car instead of her bed and what all the screaming is about, and Andrew is just still trying to finish his bottle, although he was so pleased with the cryes of delight and joined in whole heartedly! Fun times!!

Sara Says...

Kalena: Singing a song over and over at the dinner table.
Sara: Kalena, I think God has some words for you.
Kalena: (puzzled) What are they?
Sara: You should ask Him. Just say "God what are your words for me?"
Kalena: God, what are your words for me?
(Silence)
Sara: (in a soft voice) He says that you should stop singing that song.

The New Bike!

When Justin got home from Kz, the Lord gave him a very special blessing. He went out to go on a bike ride... but came back to ask me where our bikes were. Alas... they had been stollen right out of our patio! Although this may seem like a weird blessing, it was actually an amazing act of God. Justin had been hinting, while training for the Kz bike tour, that he had the wrong type of bike for road cycling and that his bike was not technically the right size for him. However, sweetly he dismissed thoughts of getting a new bike because there was no way financially. Praise the Lord for renters insurance on our stolen bikes, Justin got money for his bike our baby bikes seats and parts, and my bike (which I bought for $20 at a garage sale and was way too big for me) and was able to buy a new bike. Also, in the Lord's providence, the only bike in town that was big enough for Justin was on sale at a bike store down the street from us. I was able to replace my bike with a cheap one from Craigslist (I don't foresee my self ever riding more than a few miles :). Now we both have bikes that fit our height and Justin has the nice new "hybrid" bike he was dreaming of (I didn't even know there was such a thing- it means you can ride it comfortably in dirt or on the road).  Because of Justin's height restrictions for a new bike, Kalena figured that daddy would have to settle for a black or grey bike. She was sad because she loved all the bright fun colors of the other bikes. Even though we took the teachable moment to combat materialism in her little heart, sure enough, the only bike that fit him had gold accent stripes around it. This was so exciting for her because her favorite color right now is shiny gold.

God is good to us and he gives us special blessings when we commit our ways to Him, love Him, and obey Him. 

Kz Tour

Justin was blessed this summer to be able to go visit partners we have in Kz.  There was a four day bike tour, that some of our partners host every year. They invited Justin to be a part of it. They coached Justin's training for about 4 months prior to the trip, going on rides of 20- 30 miles. His last ride was around Lake Tahoe during family camp, which is about  70 miles. He borrowed a bike while he was there, and went on the tour with the 15 other men (a few parnters and the rest Kz men).   He was able to encourage our partners, and build new fun friendships with some national Kz men. Justin had a great time... they they rode through rain and they even rode 100 miles one day!  Some of the wives and children followed them in vans with tents and food. They camped on the side of the road and the wives cooked for them. I was so proud of him because I am sure at times it was very hard! It is exciting to see the Lord working in this part of the unreached world. 

Praise God for the Kz Tour, our partners there who work so hard for the gospel there, and for the blessing of bike riding!!

Six Years Old!

Kalena is six today. When I kissed her goodnight, for the last time as a 5 year old, I pretended to cry. She laughed and thought it was funny...but the truth is that I was really fighting back tears.  Our pastor said recently that families with small children are in the best years of their lives. I believe it. We have so much fun everyday and are always so sad to say goodnight. Kalena fills our lives with sweetness, laughter, cuddles, fun and excitement. We praise God for this last year with her. So much has happened! She passed kindergarden (whew!), learned how to ride a bike, learned how to swim, and has now started to thrive in 1st grade.  She is writing sentences, reading long words, and is a wiz kid when it comes to memorizing her verses! She has such a sweet and tender heart when it comes to caring for Katelyn and Andrew and helping me around the house. I love this little girl with all my heart and having her gone all day in 1st grade is more than I can handle!! My heart breaks everyday she waves goodbye. I strive to pray for her constantly throughout my day. I pray that God will shape her and mold her into a woman who is pleasing to Him. I pray that she will honor and worship Jesus, and be able to point others towards Him.