Pretzels!

The girls' uncle came for a visit last week, bringing with him his sweet little girl and this sweet recipe for soft pretzels!  In fact, he did more than bring a recipe... he brought a nice, big batch of ready-made dough!

Once the girls had spent some good time playing with their cousin, we set to work on the pretzels.  Having played a lot with playdough lately, Kathleen was perfectly prepared for her tasks.

She carefully rolled the dough and (with her uncle's help) twisted it into a pretzel shape.  Once he'd dunked each pretzel into the baking soda bath, Kathleen painted it with an egg wash and sprinkled it with salt.

Madeline missed the first batch of pretzel making (she was at gymnastics!), but her uncle kindly saved some dough for her.  (You can see the delicious, finished pretzels in the background.)  She was thrilled.

Of course, we were all pretty thrilled when we got to eat fresh, hot, soft pretzels for lunch!  (We added some fresh fruit and cheese and veggies to the plate so that I didn't feel utterly irresponsible.  But we all knew: we were having a pretzel for lunch!)  

We had such a fun morning.  And we can't wait for another excuse to make  -- and, more importantly, eat -- soft pretzels.  Perhaps this fall we'll finally get around to throwing that Oktoberfest party we've always talked about...  

sisters

There are squabbles.  Misunderstandings.  Unkindnesses.  Tears.

But they are sisters.  Best friends.  Co-conspirators.  Kindred spirits.  They laugh together and pretend together and sing together.  All day long.  (And into the night, to be honest.)

They are writing their childhood memories together.  Neither can remember a time without the other.  We pray that it will always be so.

Could there be anything sweeter?

bubbly joy

Determined to make the most of the sparkling, sunny days this week, we met Daddy at school one evening.  And we brought bubbles.

Most graduate students don't show up at "the oval" at quarter to five on a weekday, excited children in tow, dripping bubbles behind them.  But then, Daddy's not most graduate students.  (And we're sure glad about that!)  We like to think we offered the serious academics a bit of bubbly joy.

 

Madeline loved the big bubble wand, but she was a little perplexed by the whole concept of blowing bubbles.

 

Mama helped out with a bit of a tutorial, and Madeline caught on in no time!

Kathleen, too, loved "dancing" with the bubble wand.

 

  

 We all got a big kick out of watching John David's reaction to the bubbles!

  

He was more than happy to sit on his little blanket and watch the rest of us blow bubbles and run around like happy fools.  (We were surprised that he didn't crawl off the blanket... because he's constant motion, friends.  But we're guessing that he wasn't so sure about all that green grass!)

 

I don't know about the "serious academics," but we were all smiling!

back in the backyard

With a break in the seemingly never-ending rain (we know, it was merely a few weeks of rain. . . real weather will be a cruel, cruel shock) we return to our backyard.

Suddenly, everything outside is new again! The girls rediscover every ball we own, testing the way they bounce. . . or not. They scoot around on the long-outgrown Winnie-the-Pooh ride-on toy. And they run and jump and (I'll admit it) yell a bit, just because they can. It's a relief for all of us, some of us having said, "Use your indoor voice, please," more times than we care to count.

We drag the playhouse onto the lawn, where little girls can pop in and out all day long. Sometimes they even use the door.

In just one afternoon, that playhouse is a house, a store, and a castle. Especially a castle. Here, the princess pauses on the way to her wedding. (Those bristle blocks? Her bridal bouquet.)

The girls aren't the only ones who want to play outside. John David watches his sisters longingly. And when he thinks his mama is distracted -- by laundry or supper or what-have-you -- he makes his move, crawling to the threshold of the door.

He wants so badly to be out there! But when we call his name, he turns back, his expression one of cheerful pleading. We can already fill in the dialogue, imagining him saying, "Hey! I should be out there, too, Mama!"

We relocate him to the living room, plying him with all sorts of fascinating (indoor) toys. And yet, the next thing we know, we're dragging him off the sandy pavement, peeling strawberry leaves from his chubby hands, brushing dirt from his knees and toes. Before we know it, he'll be bigger, toddling all over the backyard, too. Summer will be fun.

Valentine's Day

Our hearts have been happy today -- we've spent the day with the ones we love, eaten some foods we love, and worshiped the One who is love. I smile just thinking about it.

The girls' (well, John David's, too) day began with heart-shaped, whole wheat pancakes.

Kathleen and Madeline raced delightedly around church this morning, delivering bags of these homemade treats for their friends.

More hearts at lunch! (A cookie cutter made their favorite grilled cheese even better.)

Hearts and flowers. Gifts of love from my sweethearts, big and small.

And even more hearts for supper! (Thank you, costco, for making an at-home Valentine's dinner a snap. Heart shaped ravioli!)

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! We hope your day was filled with love, too.

The promise is for you and your children

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call. -- Acts 2:39

Two Sundays ago, we baptized John David. In doing so, we publicly declared our intention to raise him within the body of Christ and, as Kathleen explained just about two years ago, "welcome him into God's family."

We'd been meaning to baptize our not-so-little boy for quite some time, but our plans were thwarted again and again. To our delight, when we finally arranged the baptism, we shared the event with two other families from our community group. (There was a bit of a baby boom for our community group in 2009! Five families, four babies!) Kathleen and her best friend were thrilled to "bath-tize their babies" at the same time! It was a privilege and a joy to be able to share this special event with our friends and their little ones.

Speaking of little ones, between the families, we have a lot of children! There are seven children in this photograph... and that's not all of us!

When Luke (our congregation's musical minister and an ordained minister and, of course, our friend) began the baptism, he summed up our hopes and expectations for our son and for his little friends perfectly:

· That as these parents raise their children, assisted by the Body of Christ, that these kids will become men and women after God’s own heart.
· That these children would learn that salvation is found through Christ alone, and that they will be made alive in him.
· And that through faith, they will see that the promises of God—the ones that they are stepping into this morning—have been at work in their lives as they come to faith, and that the blessings of God would pour forth as blessing in the world.

During the baptism, parents affirm certain questions and promises on behalf of their children. This is normally a reasonably serious undertaking. However, as Luke asked,

Do you acknowledge you child's need of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, and the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit?

Madeline started scrambling over Jim's shoulder. It didn't go unnoticed, because when we answered (heartily), "we do!" the congregation burst out laughing.

Fortunately, the rest of the baptism went more smoothly. John David didn't cry at all when Luke sprinkled him with water and prayed.

I now: Baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May the blessings of God descend upon you, and remain with you now and forever, that you would be blessed as God’s beloved, and that you would become a man after God’s own heart.

John David, at nine months old and 26 pounds, didn't fit in the family christening gown. (Not that Jim was at all interested in having his first born son in a dress...) But I think it's pretty darling that he serendipitously matched Luke in a navy blue sweater vest!

We were glad to have John David's uncle (and godfather) Kevin, aunt Marie and cousin Nora with us for the service. Afterwards we joined our friends for an afternoon of food and fellowship. We rejoiced at the blessings of our sweet babes and of the friendships we share.

Madeline Shows Off

The week of Kathleen's "big show" was also a special week for Madeline. Though Madeline's little gymnastics class didn't prepare a "show", the class was open to guests. Mama and Daddy and Kathleen and John David all got to come! (Normally Mama and Daddy take turns going to class with Madeline. This was a big change!)

Madeline was thrilled. She loves her class to begin with -- have I told you that every single time she prays, she says, "Thank you God my dance class"? -- and she was delighted to share it with her brother and sister.

For logistical reasons, Mama and Kathleen and John David sort of hung back on the sideline while Madeline and Daddy ran and jumped and played -- at least at the beginning.

Some highlights... You can see that Madeline literally throws herself into it!

Eventually even Kathleen got in on some fun!

Indy got to explore, too, but all he really did was crawl around and drool. Still, he gave the experience high marks.

At the end of class, Madeline was awarded a ribbon. (She tried to put it around her neck, having seen Kathleen get a medal around her neck a few days earlier. ) She was rather proud.

Our spunky little gymnast put on quite a show!