Weekend Project

I painted this old endtable marigold and then glazed it in black.  More details to come!

Mission for Redemption

I found a quote I really like by George MacDonald in Elisabeth Elliot's The Shaping of a Christian Family regarding how Christian parents should see their enforcement of rules and principles in the home:

"What if God does not want me to have what I need at this moment?"

"If He does not want you to have something you value, it is to give you instead something He values."

"And if I do not want what He has given me?"

"If you are not willing that God should have His way with you, then, in the name of God, be miserable - until your misery drive you to the arms of the Father."

"Oh, but this is only about a mundane matter. I do trust Him in spiritual matters."

"Everything is an affair of the spirit.  If God has a  way of dealing with you in your life, it is the only way.  Every little thing in which you would have your own way has a mission for your redemption. And He will treat you as a willful little child until you take your Father's way for your own," (pg 136).

Just like Daddy...

Aidan is just like Daddy.

He wears his shoes.

 And he loves Westminster Cali.

Spring up North

Aidan, Leo, and I took a trip to my parent's house in Minnesota for spring break last week.

We had a blast.

I got to shop shop shop uninterrupted.

Aidan got to play play play outside.

Leo got to run run run with Jackson and Savvy (golden retrievers).

Aidan was also able to do things he isn't allowed to at home!

For example,

he was "helping" me with the dishes through the window!

Aidan loves water and will do anything to be near it.

He'd also try to climb off the dock and onto the watery ice. " WaaaTer," he'd say.

Aidan is loving animals so it was especially fun to take him to my aunt's hobby farm.

His favorite was the "Mooo".

My aunt was so sweet - she did everything she could to try to get her cow to talk (I wanted Aidan to hear a real "Mooo"), but even feeding Wild Thang didn't work.

Aidan wasn't too sure about the horses.

They are BIG!

Auntie Callie came for a visit too!

Unfortunately, the horses didn't talk either!

Yum - carrots!

Aidan was able to feed the goats too.

Aidan says, "Goak".

Thanks, Aunt Judy, for all the fun at your farm!

Aidan also has developed a love for machinery - everything is a "tractor".

He had fun exploring the four-wheeler.

He'd cry when it was running so he just spent a lot of time sitting on it and checking out all the buttons.

So big!

Grandma & Aidan

Grandpa, Aidan & Grandma

Thanks for all you did for us this weekend, Mom & Dad!  We love you!

We also got to spend time with my grandparents and aunt and uncle.  I'm bummed I didn't get any pictures of Aidan with them. Hopefully next time...

1980s

What are girls to do on cold, wintery Iowa nights?

dAnCe!

to 80s music.

Victoria organized an 80s ladies dance party!

We all dressed up.

The ladies.

Minus a few.

Our fabulous hostess, Vic, bustin' some moves.

She's so cute!

She lives on a rural farm with cows outside the window.

We gave those cows a fun show.

We even had a disco ball.

Megs & Jenn

They can really dance.

Megs showed us her Zumba moves; what a hip shaker she is!

I can never let loose enough to dance, but they convinced me to get on the dance floor by asking me to show them my aerobics moves.  Ha!

Here we're doing alternating knees forward. 

Not sure which aerobics move this is...

After that, I had no problem letting loose...

Thanks, Vic, for hosting such a fun evening!

I think we all went home totally sweaty and tired!

It was a good night.

Spring!

Last week I told the LORD I needed more grace or warm weather and sun;

He answered my prayers doubly.  He is so good.

Today it's 67 degrees.

And very sunny.

Love.

I had to take Aidan's hat off for a few shots of his new haircut!

"Aidan, show me your teeth!"

"See, Mom!  I only need a canine and another molar on the top left - then I'll have a mouthful!"

On his first birthday, he only had two bottom teeth.

He's worked very hard these last 8 months!

He so enjoys the slide behind the church.

Mommy is no longer needed at the end of the slide.

Mr. Independent made that very clear.

Mommy is no longer needed wanted at the top of the slide, either.

My boy is so BIG!

20 months.

I'm loving this stage.

He is such a talker.

Today, while climbing the stairs to the slide, he grabbed my hands and said, "Sideways." Sure enough, he turned to the side and went up the steps sideways.  I don't ever recall teaching him that word; it's amazing how much his little mind picks up and recalls.  I am thankful to the LORD for the wonderful mind he has given Aid.

******

The other night, Brian and Aidan were outside grilling steaks.

Here's what I saw when I peeked out:

********

Enjoy this warm weather!

Aidan, Leo and I are off to my parents for a few days.  Lent and Christmas are Brian's busiest seasons so we thought we'd get out of his hair and go see the grandparents!  We can't wait!

Christmas Present

One of Brian's gifts to me last Christmas was a coupon for a new blog header!

The pictures, left to right:

1. Aidan as ring-bearer in Uncle Andy & Auntie Callie's wedding

2. Brian & Aidan playing outside last fall

3. Aidan's one-year photo shoot

4. Leo's first day as a Lund

 

Unfortunately, I'm having some problems with Blogger.  It says that I have "exceeded your photo upload quota" and won't let me upload any more pictures unless I pay Google an annual fee.  Therefore, it also wouldn't allow my new header to be put in - so brilliant, techy Brian figured a way around that, but it's still not the full size.  We're researching if there's a way to solve this problem without having to pay a fee to use Picasa Web Albums.  Does anyone have any advice?