Out of the Mouths of my Babes

Here are a few things heard in and around our home the last few days days.

Peregrine, breaking out in what he called a "Psalm" one morning:
Weep not with those who marvel!
(Uh, yeah, make sure you don't weep with those who marvel. Where on earth does this stuff come from!)

Poppy, praying in her special gravelly prayer voice:
Dear Lord, Help us to be good, and pleasant, and kind, and somefing. And thank you for this milk, and thank you for Mama, and thank you for Daddy, and thank you for Mommy, and for somefing.....
(And this went on and on and on, with a lot of "somefings" thrown in when no better word came to mind!)

And Peregrine ended his prayer this way:
And You are the heavenly king who loved us not with half Your love and not with most of Your love but with all Your love, and that makes me want to love You with all my heart too.

A few nights ago, on a walk to the river, after both kids had given up playing on the bank and plunged in fully clothed, I overheard Peregrine saying this:
Some men went out in a boat with way too much cargo; this is the sort of story Jesus might have wanted to tell His people. So this is what happens when you have too much cargo in your boat.
(And at this point, he dropped a stone from his hand and it sunk to the bottom of the river. That is what happens when you have too much cargo. Not good. There just may be some deeper spiritual meaning hidden here.... for him who has ears to hear.)

Great Grandpa

This morning my dear Mother-in-law sent an email I'd like to share. A few days ago her Dad, who lives in an assisted living home near us, took a fall and ended up in the hospital. Erik, the kids, and I visited him on Tuesday and of course we've been praying for him. From our prayers Peregrine picked up on the sad fact that Great Grandpa doesn't believe in Jesus and asked me about it. Last night Erik and Peregrine went to the hospital again and met. Erik's parents were also there, and this morning his mom shared this story with me:

Erik probably told you about Peregrine speaking to his Great Grandpa last night. It was truly remarkable as the day previous he (Grandpa) had talked a bit about death as I mentioned. I kept asking the Lord, "What can I do? What can I do", and then last night P. came up to me and said he wanted to whisper something in my ear. He said he wanted to tell GG about Jesus! He walked over to his bed and said something but my dad didn't hear him, so he walked away for a minute and looked out the window. He could have said, "Well, I tried" and done something else. No, he again stood by my dad and asked him in a louder voice, "Do you believe in Jesus?". My dad said oh yes, of course, there is much evidence that he lived, when he lived and that he did many good things (small "h" his emphasis). P. then said, "Another Jesus"! I could have fallen off my chair. Then he said in a clear loud voice, "He died on the Cross for our sins!". It was one of the first times I've seen my dad without something to say, and he looked like he had been struck by lightening. May the witness of a sweet small boy come to his mind and move his heart toward Heaven.

Will you join us in praying that the Lord will soften this man's heart? His name is Bruce, and we would greatly appreciate your prayers for him, and for us, that we would show him the love of Jesus. Thanks!

Giving Thanks

First, I want to thank each of you who has been praying for us and our baby. It means so much to us to know that we're not alone in this.
This morning I had my first appointment with the doctor. My midwife closed her practice nearly a year ago, and I wasn't happy with the other midwifery options in town, so decided to go to a doctor that was highly recommended by a few friends. Both Erik and I liked her a lot; she was friendly and professional, and spent lots of time talking with us. All he office staff seemed relaxed and friendly as well and the atmosphere was nice.
Most importantly, we got to see our tiny baby and were reassured that everything is happening as it should be! When the doctor pointed out the little heart beating I began to cry and said "There's really a baby in there?" Yes, there really is, and everything looks normal and good! Praise and thanks be to God!
We always pray together as a family before bed, thanking God for the day and praying about whatever is on our hearts. (Or, if you're Peregrine, thanking God for everything in sight. Yep, we're in that phase. It gets a bit long, but you can hardly tell your child to stop praying!) My frequent prayer recently has been that God will keep His hand on our little baby. The other day, out of the blue, Peregrine asked me "Mom, what does it mean for God to keep His hand on our baby? Does it mean that the baby has air in it, and if God takes His hand off, the baby would float up to heaven?" I love that boy, and the things that come out of his mind!
Thank You God, for keeping Your hand on us and on our baby!

God Has Heard

I'm feeling a bit on the green side these days. Not green as in uber-wealthy, or green as in "I'm more environmentally conscious that you", but green as in icky, urpy, nauseous. The reason, as you may be surmising, is that I'm pregnant! (You are so smart!)
Yes, you read that right. We're expecting again! I'm about six weeks along, and am once again getting used to the yucky feelings that tend to accompany this part of pregnancy. I've never before "announced" so early, but those of you who know me or who've been reading a while know that my last two pregnancies ended in miscarriage, one last September, and another in January. All that to say, many of you have shared our sorrows, encouraged us, and offered up a wealth of prayers on our behalf. Because of that, we want you to share our joy and ask that you join us in praying for this new little one God has entrusted to us.
I've run the gamut of emotions in the last few weeks. The first several days after we found out, I really struggled with, and often gave in to, fear and worry. I couldn't even let myself think that I'm actually going to have a baby. Pregnant? Yes. Going to have a baby? Doubtful. Erik asked me one night if I thought we will have a girl or a boy this time, and I tearfully said "I just want to have this one." I shared with him my fears, how a thousand times a day I thought about losing another baby, how letting myself get excited was just too painful. He gently exhorted me not to give in to fear, not to feed it, and helped me come up with a plan of action and of prayer to combat the worry.
Since then, by God's grace, I've been doing much better. Of course I still have concerns, but they're not robbing me of the joy I have in carrying a new life. I'm allowing myself to think about the pregnancy progressing and getting to hold this baby in my arms. I know there are no guarantees, but I'm feeling God's peace for today, and trying not to worry about what could happen in the future.
I asked Peregrine one day what he thought we should name this baby. Without hesitation he answered "We should call him Samuel." I asked him why and he said "Because it means God hears. God has heard out prayers!" He remembered that from the story of Samuel in the Bible, and of all the names he could have chosen, that was the one he said!
God has heard our prayers, and yours as well. We're so thankful for all of you who have walked with us and prayed for us the last year, and we ask that you don't stop now! Please continue to pray for us, and especially for this pregnancy to go well. Thanks so much!