Day after day

I woke up this mornig to hear about a horrific earthquke in New Zealand and that four maritime missionaries had been hijacked and killed. On days like this when the news seems overwhelmingly bad, songs like this offer reassurance.

Day After Day by Kristian Stanfill

Men will try to rule the world You made

But we know power is Your's alone to give and take

A day will come when every knee will bow

And every tongue confess that You are Lord both now and forever

Day after day our God is reigning

He's never shaken

My hope is in the Lord

Time after time our God is faithful

Trustworthy Savior

My hope is in the Lord

The fear of man and what they plan will fade

When we know you alone are God of everyday

Like the flowers man will rise and fall

But you are everlasting, never-ending, God eternal

Let the songs of adoration rise

Our god is reigning up on high

He's worthy to receive the praise and the glory

Enjoying self-discipline

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:12-13

This year I decided to attempt reading through the Bible in a year. I have tried this before but quit for whatever reason. Well, it's nearing the end of February, and I'm still going strong. I thought this would be a difficult exercise in spiritual self-discipline. But actually, I'm enjoying it immensely. The quiet time to by myself whenever the boys are having down time has been so peaceful. And I don't feel guilty spending some time alone because I'm doing something worthwhile and productive. I'm finding it very different than Bible studies I've done in the past, where you focus more in depth on one theme or book, or a few chapters or verses. I'm reading a greater quantity of scripture, but I'm still getting something out of each day. If I stay on course, by the end of the year I will have read the old testament once, the new testament twice, psalms several times, and proverbs twelve times. I'm looking forward to that accomplishment and to see what God teaches me through it.

Creativity

Isaiah loves anything artistic. Drawing, painting, coloring... and even playdough. Check out the Buzz Lightyear and Mr. Potato Head he made. Note also, the Toy Story shirt. Ha! They both LOVE Toy Story.

Painting with marbles

I saw this idea in FamilyFun magazine and had to try it with the boys. What a hit! We taped a piece of paper (we used thicker, sketch paper) to the bottom of a plastic container, squirted some paint around on the paper, then picked the container up to roll the two marbles around. This occupied the boys for AN HOUR AND A HALF. Miraculous. I only had one container, so they had to take turns. The paint was super easy to wash out in the sink in between paintings. Sam said he loved it so much he wanted to make twenty paintings. Eventually, after they lost interest, I got a turn to make one too. :)

Funny conversations with kids

Conversation #1
Isaiah: Grandma said she doesn't like her life.
Me: Grandma doesn't like her life? She told you this? (getting concerned...)
Isaiah: Yeah. (trying to convince me) Me and Sam don't like Grandma's life either. We like her apple jacks much better.

Conversation #2
Sam: Mason didn't get too many presents for his birthday.
Me: Sure he did! He got a transformer costume, a set of tools, and he got the gift card from us so he can go to BounceU.
Sam: I don't want Mason to bounce me.
Me: You're not going to be there. It's just for Mason to go to BounceU.
Sam: But I don't want Mason to bounce me.
Me: (realizing he thinks we're saying "bounce you"). Honey, that's just the name of the place, Bounce and the letter U. Mason's not going to bounce you.