My Faith and Joy… and Boys!

You know those moments that stop time and make you appreciate what you have?  Well, I had one of those moments yesterday.  I found out that my 90-year-old beloved Granddaddy suffered a fall and is apparently unlikely to make a full recovery.  None of us know what lies ahead, of course, and my Granddad has been known to prove the doctors wrong before (that’s an understatement!), but we are preparing to say goodbye to him in the near future.  Thinking about all the amazing times we’ve had together has been a beautiful walk down memory lane for me.  I haven’t gotten to see him nearly as much as I wanted in the past few years, but I was so blessed to have frequent visits with him and my Grandmother growing up.  Whenever they visited us in California, they always helped me redecorate or paint my room, which was so exciting.  I vividly remember sitting with my sister at the picture window at the front of our house, our eyes trained intently on the road, waiting with bated breath to see their Oldsmobile drive toward us.  It was like Christmas and Disneyland all wrapped up in one visit!  Their home in Washington State has always been one of my favorite places on earth.  I always wanted to live on a street like theirs, where the trees lining the street were so tall and mature that you could barely see the sky between.  And since I went to college near them, I even got to see more of them then.  I remember him driving me around his beloved hometown, giving me advice on school, helping me understand the importance of hard work and frugality.  And there was nothing that could warm my heart as much as a chuckle and smile from my Granddad! 

My Granddad has been a man of few words, but I’ve always known how much he loves his family.  It was such a joy when he got to see my kids when we all visited my aunt and uncle and cousins in North Carolina in 2011.  I’m so happy Becky, Susie and Jimmy got to meet their great-grandfather.  I don’t know whether Danny will ever have that privilege.  But I’ve got so many precious memories and stories to share with him so he will know all about my amazing Granddaddy.  

This hymn came to mind today while I was thinking about the importance of salvation, about how none of us can take tomorrow for granted.  Some of us may live to 90 or more, some of us may only have weeks to live…I’m just so thankful for my Redeemer.  

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.

I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant power I’ll tell,
How the victory He giveth
Over sin, and death, and hell.

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.

Danny: “I might be a handful at the library since I love to pull the books down, spread out all the puzzles, and climb the bookshelves…but I’m still cute…right?!”

Well, our Labor Day boating excursion turned out a little wetter than we expected.  But it was still a lot of fun (at least it was for me behind the windshield – I wasn’t the one getting pelted with rain at 30 mph on a tube)!  We had a few hours before the rain started to do some swimming and tubing.  We even got the boys out for a ride together.  Jimmy has been very fearful this summer of going on the tube, and we were relieved that he finally agreed to go for a ride with Jim and our friend Lauri.  And Danny tubed like he had been doing it his whole life!

Don’t the girls look thrilled to be boating in the rain? 

Actually, the kids had a wonderful time with all our friends on the boat.  Not even a rainstorm can dampen these little social butterflies’ wings!

Where did my baby go?  He’s a young man with blonde peach fuzz, a winning smile, and cheeks so deliciously squishy I can get lost in them.  He steals my heart every time he grins, which is often.  He has an infectious belly laugh, deep brown eyes that take in everything his siblings are doing (for better and for worse), and a gait that grows increasingly steady as he toddles around with his belly leading the way.  He loves to throw a ball, loves to play with trucks, loves to eat, loves to cuddle, loves to wave and clap, loves to fall asleep in his own bed, loves to have someone sing to him, loves to roll around on fluffy carpet, loves to put toys into and out of buckets, and loves to be outside.  He doesn’t like books yet, he doesn’t like to be put down when he’s feeling cuddly or clingy, doesn’t like to get dressed, doesn’t like to be left alone, and doesn’t like dessert to end (who does?).  He has 8 going on 11 teeth (he’s currently cutting three molars, poor kid!).  He drinks formula from a bottle three times a day after deciding he was done nursing about a month ago.  He takes a morning nap lasting around 1-2 hours and an afternoon nap lasting 1.5-2 hours and sleeps all night (usually).  His wake-up time is still a bit erratic, but usually falls between 6:30 and 7:30. We haven’t yet figured out whether he’s going to be a crazy, free-wheeling boy like his brother, or whether he’ll be more laid-back and easy-going.  He shows signs of both, so we’ll see this time next year what kind of a boy we have on our hands.  We’re so incredibly grateful for him and the joy he daily brings into our lives!