For Papa

Cory loves the postcard!

The Garbage Men

Tuesdays and Fridays are practically holidays around our house. It all begins early in the morning, as the boys help Jeremy take out the trash. From then on, it's all pins and needles until the moment arrives. What moment, you ask? Have you ever lived in a house with two adorable little boys?

The moment when the garbage men come.

We hear the distant rumble of the diesel truck. Someone yells out, "The men!!" (or, if Cory hears them first, "EEEEEEeeeeee!!!") And the boys bolt for the window. They clamor onto the couch and wait, hearts racing...

The men drive up to the road in front of our house. The boys squeal and wave. The men yell, "Hello, little buddies!" and wave. The man in the truck honks and honks. Iain, still waving, starts yelling, "The men beeped at me!" (Never was there a greater understatement: garbage trucks do not "beep.") And the waving, squealing, and yelling persists until the men are out of sight.

What fun garbage men we have. Maybe I should make them some cookies.







So these videos seem to be making a liar out of me. So subdued. No screaming or squealing, and Iain said "honk" instead of "beep." This must have been an off-day. I promise, there's usually so much more energy! Just ask Jeremy; he'll back me up. :)

Quiet Moments

Rare but beautiful.

Dirt

They love it.

Cory in particular is drawn to dirt like a magnet; he can find a pocket of dirt anywhere and everywhere.





When he's not digging in the dirt, Iain likes to have me write people's names on the sidewalk - and he likes to wear his boots!

The Legendary Box

It's true: you really can get more hours and days of play out of a box than out of any toy.

First, it is a fort:




Then it becomes a lighthouse:



After that, it becomes a conquest - how hard must I pull to tear the flaps off?


And then, a ramp for cars.


Finally, it morphs into a slide. I had a video clip of Iain sliding down on bis belly - but I can't find it. Just close your eyes, think of a seal doing tricks, superimpose Iain's cute face on the seal, and you'll have the gist.

test

having trouble with the blog. This is a test to see if it's working.

And The Winner Is...

Number Three!



(You know I mean the winner of MY contest, not of the real Beautiful Baby contest, though hopefully we'll win that, too. Scrounging for college scholarship money can never start too early, right? :)


And some more winners:


Best Davey Rocker look-alike:



(He LOVES his Davey Rocker cd, and Jeremy and I like it, too - good because we hear it A LOT! Davey Rocker is my mom's cousin David, and his band played at our and Jenna and Curtis' weddings. If you have kiddos, get this cd - it's fun and funny: "Reach for the sky, carrot." Anyway, Iain calls this his Davey Rocker hat.)


Tied for Cutest Baby Playing With Own Head: Cory at 12.5 months, and Iain at 12 months:










Best Tattoos:



(Iain told me what names he wanted on his arms: Iain, Cory, Nan, Nona, Luke, John, Aunt Samantha.)

Beautiful Baby Contest

Yes, I am entering my beautiful baby in the beautiful baby contest. But which picture to choose? Vote now - I have to enter it in two days!

Number One:


Number Two:


Number Three:


Number Four:


Number Five:


Number Six:


Number Seven:


My word, is this boy cute!

The Fit (and other funny things)

Iain cracks me up. Today, as he was jumping on the trampoline, he decided to start throwing fits. He'd fling himself down, kick, scream, whine, fuss, and thrash around. Then he'd get up and jump some more. Then he'd have another fit attack. It was like the terrible twos in all their tantrumness would hit... and then he'd be done. It was bizarre! (Edited to add: he was having fun, not really mad. At least, I don't think he was. He's a good actor!) My mom got some hilarious pictures; when Iain saw them, he kept saying, "What is he doing? Why is he doing that?" He totally didn't get that it was HIM.





Some more funnies:

When we saw a woodpecker the other day, we watched for a while. Then it flew away. Iain's comment: He's scared of me. But I'm just an Iain!

When he dropped his plate on the floor, and I asked him what happened: I did it anyway because I'm not being careful though.

The newest way to ask why: (remember, he used to just say "Because..." and leave it up to you to fill in the blank. Now, half the time, this is what he says) You want to tell me why.

We go to story time at the library once a week. Every week, they do the same songs, and until last week, Iain refused to do the motions (Cory loves them, however). Last week, he told me he was going to do the frog song and the hokey pokey, and he did. This week, the day before story time, we were taking a walk. Here's the conversation.
Me: Iain, we're going to story time tomorrow.
Iain: I will do the motions. I will do the frog song and the hokey pokey.
Me: That's good. What about "open them, shut them?" Will you do that one?
Iain: Probably not.
Me: (stifling a laugh) Why not?
Iain: Because I don't like the way she does it!
Me: You have a point there. I don't like the way she does it either.

And then, after all that... story time was cancelled. So instead, the boys got to color on the little coloring table they have set out there. Iain would not share his crayons (There's a sermon illustration for you: someone who has both hands so full of crayons that he can't even color, and yet still refuses to share...). Anyway, eventually, I told him that we had to leave because he wouldn't share with Cory. So all the way down to the car, we talked about sharing, and why we were leaving, etc, etc, etc. Finally, as I was putting him in the car...
Me: Iain, do you know why we had to leave?
Iain: Because I wouldn't share and I was throwing a fit.
Me: That's right. Are you going to share next time?
Iain: Probably not.

At least he's honest!

Further Up and Further In!

(If you are getting this information twice - sorry about that!)

We just wanted to let you know the latest development in our lives: we're moving! (How many of you thought this was a we're-having-a-baby post?)

Here's the story: A few weeks ago (was it really only a few weeks?), I was looking at websites for churches from the Acts 29 Network. (Go here for more information about Acts 29) I found a church plant and it looked interesting. The church is quite young (under a year old officially), meeting in an elementary school, and has a vision to reach its city and the counties that surround it with the Gospel. The more we poked around on the church's website, the more intrigued we became. The purpose and vision of the church meshes so well with who we believe we as a family are called to be, and what we believe churches should be doing.

We've prayed and talked a lot, and then last weekend, we made a trip up there to go to the church and look at some real estate. The church was exceptional. We spent some good time with the pastor and others who are in leadership there, and we also had a meal with the congregation and got to see how their part of the Body of Christ works. Not only do we see this church as a good place to raise our family, but we are especially excited about the ways that we can help this church grow. We're looking forward to being a part of what God is doing at the church and in the city. We feel called to this.

The town we'll be living in is about half an hour to a big city, which means it has a small-town feel but with big-city proximity. As some of you know, our original plan was to eventually move somewhere in the country where we could have some land for our boys to run and play in. Recently Jeremy and I have both been convicted and convinced that we need to be in or near a big city: cities are where culture is made and where people are, and as Christians, we are called to influence the making of culture and share Jesus with those people! (Please don't see this as judgmental of those people who choose to live in the country. This is just where WE are called to be.)

We love the missional aspect of Acts 29 churches in general, and of this church in particular. The emphasis is understanding the culture, getting to know people, loving and serving as Jesus did, and generally seeing yourself as a missionary wherever God places you. Many of you have heard that phrase "We're all missionaries" many times before - Acts 29 churches put feet to the message in ways that show careful thought, prayer, and planning. Here is a quote from their website: "...our missional perspective flows out of a very high view of scripture on the one hand, and a total commitment to engage contemporary culture with the gospel on the other hand, using every effective means of communication. Therefore, most Acts 29 planters/pastors are biblically and theologically well-read. We study hard in the Bible because we believe a clear and orthodox understanding of the Gospel is critical. When it comes to the Gospel we do not innovate. When it comes to culture, however, we seek continually to be innovative in our means of communication. Understanding this distinction is key to understanding our missional perspective. It shapes the specific philosophy of ministry which any individual church plant will adopt. For this reason most Acts 29 pastors preach hard-hitting expository sermons through entire books of the Bible, speaking the unchanging Gospel directly into the ever-shifting winds of contemporary culture."

We are saddened to be leaving those of you nearby, that we love, but we are excited about this new adventure God has for our family. (And yes, I know the place we live in is a big city too, with many people who need to be reached. There's just something about this place and this church that we know is the right place and the right church. It is where we need to be.)

Our plans: We're going to be looking to sell or rent out our home in here. If any of you or anyone you know might be interested in buying or renting a 4/2 in a family-friendly neighborhood, please let me know! As soon as we can secure a buyer or renter, we will start heading North. We may rent an apartment for a while so we can house-hunt slowly and really get to know the area better, or we may land in the perfect house right off the bat. Our timetable right now is based on the renting/selling of our house here - we'd love to have your prayers in that area for us!

Thanks for reading this far! And remember, once we get a house, we'll have a guest room ready. :) All visitors welcome.

Love,
Allie for all of us.

P.S. Because this version of our newsletter is online for all the crazies to see (as well as all of you - no offense!), I kept it vague. If you want more information, email me, and I'll send you the real scoop. :)

On Pride

I thought this was a particularly thought-provoking description of pride and the damages it brings. Thoughts?

Cory's Birthday Party

I'm back in the swing of things, after a four-day trip to Georgia. I've got so many adorable pictures from the past month or and I feel way behind on this blog! Because I have to show you ALL the pictures I have. (Actually, you only see a few small selections.)

So here's the end of Cory's first birthday. These are from the actual day: Jeremy and Iain and I gave him this sandbox toy thing that both boys love. We gave it to him on his actual birthday - figured he'd be getting enough at his party a few days later that we should spread the wealth a little.









And the actual party. Here's the run-down, for those who are interested (i.e. me when I look back at this virtual baby book and wonder what we ate and who came).

Guests:
Nona, Kelsey, Haylee, Nan
Grammy and Papa
Lauren and Noah
Uncle Alex, Aleah, Grace, Jake

The cake:
A dirt cake airplane runway (in honour of Cory's uncanny ability to be the first one to hear or see planes and point them out to the rest of us), with a plane, a banner, and a helicopter.



Party time!
















(Sorry those last ones are all so small. I've been working on uploading to this post off and on for an hour now, and I'm done!)