Punkins

We had the opportunity to visit Jordan's sister, Sheila, and her family in Michigan this past weekend. We really enjoyed the time with family and the time away from home. I just love being an aunt, and I wish that I could have known my nieces and nephew when they were Kieran's age! Jordan's family has been a huge encouragement to me since I was "grafted in", and I am truly blessed to have such amazing in-laws.

The trip included a lot of firsts for Kieran:

• his first night away from home since he came home from the hospital,
• his first road trip (as well as our first extended car ride with a baby),
• his first visit to an orchard,
• and his first pumpkin!

And what a little punkin' he was!

We had the chance to pick out our own pumpkins and we saw fresh apple cider made from an antique cider press. We drank fresh apple cider and had homemade doughnuts--apple cinnamon and pumpkin spice--yum! It certainly was brisk outside, but it felt amazing to do something so autumnal. :)

We also stopped and visited our good friends, Scott and Janelle. Kieran definitely had fun playing with their son.

I strongly believe that it is important to make the effort to visit friends and family at their home. If you always expect someone to come to you, then they are experiencing your life, meeting your friends, and connecting with your world. At home, we are in our element and most comfortable to be ourselves--to share our lives. It is well worth the effort!

Running Away

I have read this story to Kieran a couple of times, and each time I can hardly get through it, I get so choked up. It might be the children's perspective that does me in. Or, it might be the fact that I now have a son, and I can empathize. But truly, I believe that hearing truth in a fresh, new way can reawaken your heart:

The story of the lost son, from Luke 15, as told in The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Jesus told this story about a boy who ran away:

Once upon a time, there was a boy and his dad. Now, one day, the boy gets to thinking, Maybe if I didn't have my dad around telling me what is good for me all the time, I'd be happier. He's spoiling my fun, he thinks. Does my dad really want me to be happy? Does my dad really love me? The son never thought of this before. But suddenly he doesn't know anymore.

So the son goes to his father and says, "Dad, I'm better off without you. I can look after myself. Just give me my share of your money."

His father is sad but he won't force his boy to stay. So he gives his son what he wants.

The son takes the money and goes on a long, long journey to a far off country.

And everything's wonderful and perfect--for awhile. He can go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants, be whoever he wants. He is the boss; he is free!

Sometimes he gets a strange, hungry, homesick feeling inside his heart, but then he just eats more, or drinks more, or buys more clothes, or goes to more parties until it goes away.

But soon his money runs out--and so do his friends. He ends up getting the only job he can find:  feeding pigs. One day, he is so hungry and so desperate he even tries some piggy food--"What am I doing?" he says suddenly, as if he has woken from a nightmare. He spits--YUCK!--all of it--ICK!--out of his mouth. "My father is rich, and here I am--in a pig sty, eating piggy food!"

He wipes his mouth and dusts himself off. "I'm going home!"

As he starts for home though, he begins to worry. Dad won't love me anymore. I've been too bad. he won't want me for his son anymore. So he practices his I'm-Sorry-Speech.

All this time, what he doesn't know is that, day after day, his dad has been standing on his porch, straining his eyes, looking into the distance, waiting for his son to come home. He just can't stop loving him. He longs for the sound of his boy's voice. He can't be happy until he gets him back.

The son is still a long way off, but his dad sees him coming.

What will the dad do? Fold his arms and frown? Shout, "That'll teach you!" And, "Just you wait, young man!"

No. That's not how this story goes.

The dad leaps off the porch, races down the hill, through the gap in the hedge, up the road. Before his son can even begin his I'm-Sorry-Speech, his dad runs to him, throws his arms around him, and can't stop kissing him.

"Let's have a party!" his dad shouts. "My boy's home. He ran away. I lost him--but now I have him back!"

Jesus told them, "God is like the dad who couldn't stop loving his boy. And people are like the son who said, 'Does my dad really want me to be happy?'"

Jesus told people this story to show them what God is like. And to show people what they are like. So they could know, however far they ran, however well they hid, however lost they were--it wouldn't matter. Because God's children could never run too far, or be too lost, for God to find them.

They Keep Growing and Growing and Growing

Seriously. He's like the Energizer bunny if that rabbit were in the business of growing, rather than "going." Here is some photo documentation of this fact.

I know, I know...it's been quite awhile since I have blogged. It's not like I don't have post ideas whirling around in my head. It's just finding the time and not being intimidated by the fact that I might not get to put as much into it as I usually would.

God is so good.

It has been a stretching experience for me to wait on the Lord as I work full time and try to be the best mommy and wife I can be--not to mention, daughter of God. Balance is always so hard, no matter what stage of life we are in. There are always new areas of selfishness to battle. I still struggle with leaving my baby behind so often, but I am grateful he gets to spend so much time with family and for how God is drawing me nearer to Him. I could write a dozen posts just about all the lessons I am learning: about God as a perfect Father, about prayer, about trust, about love and sacrifice, about giving everything my all--and getting up again when I fall.

I love my family so much! I can't imagine what our life would be like without our little man. No matter how long we get to have Kieran in our lives, he has changed us for the better. The husband I know now is not the same husband I knew six months ago. The woman I am now is not the same, either. So, I guess you could say that we also continue to grow and grow.

On a lighter note, the little man is rolling all over the place. He has the strength to be on his tummy a lot and do some "baby push-ups," but he's not ready to crawl, yet. I am amazed by how fast he can get from one point to the other just by rolling; although, it's usually in an arc pattern. He is still nursing, and we have decided to put off introducing cereal to him for a few more weeks. And, while he chews on absolutely everything in sight, there are still no tooth appearances! We have so much fun playing with and talking to Kieran, making him laugh, reading books to him, playing little hand games and hide-and-seek and peek-a-boo...watching him learn so much every week.

I try to count my blessings everyday. Like this one, for instance, when I nursed Kieran then gave him to Jordan to cuddle up with while I showered. I came out of the bathroom to find this adorable sight and stealthily snapped a picture of what I consider to be two of my greatest blessings.