Oh and here’s a funny for you. I took the kids out yesterday and showed them how to throw snowballs. So when Savannah finally got the courage to throw one, I said, “Throw it at my leg!”. She said, “No, I don’t want to.” I said, “Ok, throw it at my coat!” She said, “No, I want to throw it at your face!”. To protect myself, I told her that wasn’t very nice. :) Phew!

[View with PicLens]

It was a great weekend!!! The Lord blessed my sister with a wonderful baby shower, multiplying to her beyond what I could have hoped! Thank you friends and family! Thank you Target for great sales at the right time, and thank you Father, most of all!

And after 30 something years of watching the Saints, wonder of wonders, they made it to the Superbowl and WON!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!

So last night, I wondered…is it wrong to be excited about such a temporal thing? And of all things to actually pray that they would win? Well, I don’t know, but to God be the glory, may He shed His grace on New Orleans, and may it rise from the flood of sin and depression that has held it down and experience true revival. God is a God of miracles!

Mommy (pointing to the pile): Savannah, did you do that?

Savannah: Yes!

Mommy (very disappointedly): Oh, Savannah…

Savannah: Atchuawy, Bu-yee did it! (Actually, Buddy did it!)

The last few months have been among the most difficult in our lives as Savannah and Caleb were both very sick for two months, and in the midst of that, we lost our third child through a late term miscarriage on October 7.

I’ve thought about catching up on blogging about all the wonderful events of our year, Savannah’s second birthday and Caleb’s first, our travels and fun times, but for some reason I couldn’t do those until I shared about our difficult things…so with this comes a commitment of fun posts and pictures to come.

For now, I want to publicly bow my head before you and the Lord:

Thank you Lord for healing my children from the whooping cough. Thank you Lord for Your provision of grace and strength to be there for them in the sleepless nights, total exhaustion, and fearful inadequacy. Thank you Jesus for the prayers of friends and family. We felt them so keenly. Thank you for the meals, the gifts, the flowers, the words, the cards, the labors of love all heaped upon us as love gifts from You. Thank you Lord for our parents who stood by us to help and even are sick also because they stood by us.

Jesus, thank you for sharing our little Benjamin Riley with us, even for just 19 weeks. Thank you keeping him at your right hand. Thank you for loving children and receiving him. We can hardly wait to see him in your glory, and most of all, we can hardly wait to see You face to face. We praise You Lord for completing Your perfect will in us. Even though our little boy never walked on this earth, we thank you that you have made his life a testimony of Your love and grace. Thank you God that before he was formed in the womb, You knew him. Thank you that he is fearfully and wonderfully made, and fully alive in You for all eternity.

Here are some verses the Lord has given us and a song also. We love you all! Thank you for loving us!

“He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in His bosom [our Benjamin], and shall gently lead those that are with young [Chris and I]. Is. 40:11

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” Is. 40:31

Wordless Ones

In Your loving arms we lay
This wordless one so new
The incarnation of our love
We dedicate to You.

Hopeless yet so full of hope
We make a solemn vow,
Not knowing why his time has come,
Not even knowing how.
And though it seems we try and make
A promise that is true
We really only claim for him
The promise that is YOU.

The holy sleep that falls so deep,
A blessing from above,
Has now embraced our little one.
In simple trusting love
We offer You this little child
Who was ours for just awhile;
How could we keep him back from You
When you gave your only child?

Michael Card
Adapted by MKH

June 6 was a picture perfect day, a perfect day for a wedding! Sarah and Greg are very happily married and enjoying their honeymoon in Colorado. The wedding was a sweet and simple outdoor ceremony followed by an outdoor reception, all very Sarah. I thought you all would enjoy some pictures, since Sarah may not get around to posting any for a while.

We’re are so excited to have Greg for our brother, and have to agree with others who have said that Sarah must be the most prayed for bride of all time!!! Chris and I were just thinking last night, wow, my sister and his best friend. We have prayed for them so much individually and now they are married! Yay for the LORD! He is good!

Greg and Chris (best man, best friend, now brother-in-law!)

Sarah's new truck! Someone stuck a sticker on the back that says "Silly boys, trucks are for girls."

Mommy and Caleb

Savannah in her pretty little dress that Nana made.

The beautiful bride with her beautiful mom!

Sarah and her girls

All of us, looking lovely!

Sarah with Lena and Olivia, sweet flowergirls.

Dear Dad,

Happy 60th Birthday! For this special day, we wanted to let you and the world know that we are so blessed to have such a mighty man of God for our father.

Dad, your heart for Jesus is precious to us. Through your example, you have shown us what a loving and gracious Father our God is. You often talk of how Jesus said that if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. Well, Jesus radiates through your life, and so through you and through Him, we have seen the Father.

The greatest men on earth never truly know how great they are. They are clothed with humility, and never view themselves as much of anything. In their lives, they have “decreased” so that Christ may increase. Dad, this is you to us. You are one of those great men. You are a true disciple of Christ in every way.

Dad, you are not just our “father figure”. You have become our brother in Christ. You’ve striven to rest in Jesus and abide in Him and as you have, you’ve become our dear friend, our brother in Christ, and our ever loving daddy.

There are not many men who love their wives as you do yours. There are not many daughters who are friends with their dads as yours are to you, so much so that we covet your wisdom, counsel and prayers. There are not many father-in-laws who so embrace their new sons in love. And there are not many Pawpaw’s who love their grandchildren so sweetly.

We are so grateful to the Lord that we will be able to enjoy you for all eternity. We’re so grateful for a dad who is a true son of God.

We have no doubt that if you knew how the Lord has used you to bless us and so many others; you would weep tears of joy forever.

We love you very, very much!
Chris, Catherine, Savannah, and Caleb

P.S. Dad, here is a passage of Scripture for your birthday. It is for you. 

Psalm 112

Praise the LORD.
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.

His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.

Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.

He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor.

The wicked man will see and be vexed,
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.