A New/Old Swing Set
One day I noticed the field across the street from our house had an old swing set in it. We inquired of the owners and they let us have it. Now the kids can enjoy playing in their own yard! I guess I don't really have a good picture of the swing set because this is the kid's favorite ride on it. They tend to fight over it even though two can ride it. :)
Two Injuries
Since my last post each child has had an injury. First of all, Carole decided to test to see if the burners on the stove were really hot. Her daddy told her not to touch, but when he turned his back she tested them out. The result... a very burned palm on her hand. I don't think she will ever EVER touch the stove top again. It is interesting how kids always have to learn the hard way.
The second injury was Andrew. It happened last Saturday the day before Easter. We were at the park (which is about a block from our house) and he was climbing and fell off backwards about 5 feet. The result... his teeth went completely through his lower lip. I have never seen so much blood in my life!!!
Here he is on Easter Sunday unable to smile at all. You can see the holes in his lower lip. The poor boy was miserable that day, but by Monday he was pretty much back to normal. I am amazed at how quickly kids can bounce back from something like that.Easter
On Saturday, before Andrew's injury, we dyed eggs. Andrew did the dying and Carole decorated with stickers.
Here are the kids on Easter morning.
Poor Andrew. :( An Important Decision
It was after supper this past Tuesday night when we were having family devotions, and Andrew asked why we don't let him have communion. Phil had his illustrated Bible out and he was going through it explaining the pictures of Adam and Eve and them sinning and being sent away from the garden. So he explained how sin is in our hearts and because of that God has to send us away. Phil then explained heaven and hell. He told Andrew that because of the bad things we do, God sent His one and only Son to earth to die on the cross for our sins but then was raised from the dead. All he had to do was believe that. This time we could really sense God helping Andrew focus and stay concentrated on what was being said.
Our boy then made up a prayer in his own words: "Jesus I need you to wash all my sins away", and since then he has been telling everyone, "This is my born-again birthday and Jesus washed all my sins away!" And now he is praying for his 3-year old sister to become a Christian too. He has been so different since then too. Very respectful and obedient which was NEVER an easy task for him. Last night he told me that he is being good now because Jesus changed his heart. :)
Baby Bunnies and An Awesome Phone Call
Yesterday it was SO beautiful out. Sunny and about 68 degrees. Perfect weather to be cleaning out the dead growth in the numerous flower beds around the parsonage. While I was raking out one of the several beds, little gray things shot out from underneath my rake. I screamed! At first glance I thought they were mice but after surviving my shock I noticed that I had upset a nest of baby bunnies. The poor things were running around the whole yard. Carole noticed and began to chase them while joyfully squealing "baby bunnies!"
While all this was happening my cell phone rang in my pocket. It was Carole's allergist informing me that her blood tests were back from Mayo Clinic and that they found 0% peanut allergy in her blood. Praise the Lord! He was stumped as well and said he wanted to consult with a few of his colleagues to see what the next plan of action should be. He thought that we should probably have a skin test done next. Then if that comes back negative she will have completely outgrown the peanut allergy!!
When I got off of the phone I quickly told Carole we were going to the park. I wanted to distract her from the poor bunnies. When we arrived home about 45 minutes later, the poor bunnies were still scattered throughout the yard shivering. I had Phil take the kids in the house while I tried to reconstruct their nest. Then I went on a bunny hunt and found 5 little bunnies and placed them back into their nest. I don't know if they will live or not, but at least I tried. I told Phil that I probably should have killed them since they will probably be responsible for eating my garden this summer. But what can I say, I have a soft heart, and they were SO cute!!!!
It was after supper this past Tuesday night when we were having family devotions, and Andrew asked why we don't let him have communion. Phil had his illustrated Bible out and he was going through it explaining the pictures of Adam and Eve and them sinning and being sent away from the garden. So he explained how sin is in our hearts and because of that God has to send us away. Phil then explained heaven and hell. He told Andrew that because of the bad things we do, God sent His one and only Son to earth to die on the cross for our sins but then was raised from the dead. All he had to do was believe that. This time we could really sense God helping Andrew focus and stay concentrated on what was being said.
Our boy then made up a prayer in his own words: "Jesus I need you to wash all my sins away", and since then he has been telling everyone, "This is my born-again birthday and Jesus washed all my sins away!" And now he is praying for his 3-year old sister to become a Christian too. He has been so different since then too. Very respectful and obedient which was NEVER an easy task for him. Last night he told me that he is being good now because Jesus changed his heart. :)
Baby Bunnies and An Awesome Phone Call
Yesterday it was SO beautiful out. Sunny and about 68 degrees. Perfect weather to be cleaning out the dead growth in the numerous flower beds around the parsonage. While I was raking out one of the several beds, little gray things shot out from underneath my rake. I screamed! At first glance I thought they were mice but after surviving my shock I noticed that I had upset a nest of baby bunnies. The poor things were running around the whole yard. Carole noticed and began to chase them while joyfully squealing "baby bunnies!"
While all this was happening my cell phone rang in my pocket. It was Carole's allergist informing me that her blood tests were back from Mayo Clinic and that they found 0% peanut allergy in her blood. Praise the Lord! He was stumped as well and said he wanted to consult with a few of his colleagues to see what the next plan of action should be. He thought that we should probably have a skin test done next. Then if that comes back negative she will have completely outgrown the peanut allergy!!
When I got off of the phone I quickly told Carole we were going to the park. I wanted to distract her from the poor bunnies. When we arrived home about 45 minutes later, the poor bunnies were still scattered throughout the yard shivering. I had Phil take the kids in the house while I tried to reconstruct their nest. Then I went on a bunny hunt and found 5 little bunnies and placed them back into their nest. I don't know if they will live or not, but at least I tried. I told Phil that I probably should have killed them since they will probably be responsible for eating my garden this summer. But what can I say, I have a soft heart, and they were SO cute!!!!
