Thomas the Tooth Brush!

       Micaiah fights us "tooth" and nail every night when attempting to brush his teeth, to the point that his teeth starting turning yellow just below his gums. He would let us brush the front part of his teeth but trying to get to his molars was virtually impossible. The other night when grocery shopping my eye's fell upon this battery operated Thomas the Train tooth brush and I thought I would give it a try. The tip of the brush spins and the brush head is way too big for his mouth so I wasn't sure if he was even going to like it but I thought that it would be worth a try. Well, as you can see from the photo, he loves it. He actually gets excited when it is time to brush his teeth. He also does his own brushing once I have finished. Now he likes brushing his teeth and I have the peace of mind knowing that his teeth are getting the cleaning that they need.

      

My Amazin' Asian

   Amber has been working at a local Picture People photography studio for the past couple of months and though there is little room for photographic creativity there she has developed in so many ways in her photographic ability since being there. Below are a few images that she created while taking pictures of a good friend of ours at the Union Station in Kansas City. It is so awesome getting to see her express herself through things that she is passionate about. For the past 5 years she has given herself over to staying at home to raise our children, sacrificing doing the things that she really enjoys doing, and for that I owe her a lifetime of gratitude. It also makes it so much more valuable to me when she is given the opportunity to create something like what you will see below. I love you Amber Rich! You are truly my amazin' Asian :)

 

My Princess

    Anna is becoming more and more beautiful every day, both inside and out. She is becoming such an amazing little lady and it is pure joy watching her grow. I remember that it wasn't too long ago that we had to beg her to smile and to pose and even then she would only produce those forced and unnatural images. But this time she simply climbed up onto the chair and "lounged." With her natural beauty, though, it will be my goal to show and to teach her that true beauty ought to lie within her heart.

Micaiah's Second Birthday.

    The 24th of October was Micaiah's second birthday. What's really amazing about this little man's birthdate is that he was born one month early on the exact same date that Amber and I found out that Hosanna had died in Amber's womb. His birthday is a constant reminder of God's redemptive purposes. We spent the day singing happy birthday to him and ending it by letting  him attempt the blowing out of his birthday cake candles. We also took a trip to our local park to take a few 2 year old pictures of him. Since turning two he has started talking so much, using new words almost every day. It is a tremendous joy watching him grow into such a "little" big boy. We love you Micaiah!

The Agony of Love!

On October the 25th I walked out of Shawnee Mission Hospital with a little blue box that held all that was and all that would ever be of my son, Hosanna. I made my way to the car, tears rolling down my cheeks, my heart breaking more and more with every step. I noticed a new father embracing his newly born son, radiating with joy and hope at what was in store for him and his son. And it was at that moment that my heart could take the pain no longer. It cried out to God as loud as it could, "Why Father?" I wept and I prayed. It had felt as though part of me had been ripped out and had been taken forever, leaving me with this gaping hole of pain and sadness with no hope of comfort. I longed for my son. I ached to hear him cry, to see him smile, to hear him laugh, to see him take his first step and I knew that that day would never come. I wanted to see his eyes, to know what color they were. I wanted to comfort him and to love him. I regretted not having sung to him more while he grew in Amber's womb. I regretted not having spent more time with him. The pain of having taken life for granted had become my own. It was in this place of utter brokenness that the Lord began to speak to me and heal my heart. On the night of the 25th the Father put His arm around me and spoke to me this devotion which was written in exposition of Ruth 2:3.
"She gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech."

"Her hap was. Yes, it seemed nothing but an accident, but how divinely was it overruled! Ruth had gone forth with her mother's God, to humble but honorable toil, and the providence of God was guiding her every step. Little did she know that amid the sheaves she would find a husband, that he should make her the joint owner of all those broad acres, and that she a poor foreigner should become one of the progenitors of the great Messiah. God is very good to those who trust in Him, and often surprises them with unlooked for blessings. Little do we know what may happen to us tomorrow, but this sweet fact may cheer us, that no good thing shall be withheld. Chance is banished from the faith of Christians, for they see the hand of God in everything. The trivial events of today or tomorrow may involve consequences of the highest importance. O Lord, deal as graciously with Thy servants as Thou didst with Ruth.

How blessed would it be, if, in wandering in the field of meditation tonight, our hap should be to light upon the place where our next Kinsman will reveal Himself to us! O Spirit of God, guide us to Him. We would sooner glean in His field than bear away the whole harvest from any other. O for the footsteps of His flock, which may conduct us to the green pastures where He dwells! This is a weary world when Jesus is away – we could better do without sun and moon than without Him – but how divinely fair all things become in the glory of His presence! Our souls know the virtue which dwells in Jesus, and can never be content without Him. We will wait in prayer this night until our hap shall be to light on a part of the field belonging to Jesus wherein He will manifest Himself to us."

He reminded me that life does not consist of this current existence alone but that true life is that which shall endure forever. He encouraged me again to fix my eyes upon that which shall never fade and upon Himself who loves unrelentingly. I still long to know my other son but his life is a continual reminder to me of the fragility of this life and of the importance of living for something greater than that which shall surely whither and decay. I shall see you soon my son and there our eyes shall never close again.

1st Stitches

Today Micaiah received his first real head wound. He has never really been a coordinated little guy so we were never surprised when he ran into closed doors or fell off of chairs but today he surpassed all of our expectations. He performed a head dive off of our ottoman onto the patio door tracking slicing this gash into his forehead which required eight stitches to close. I must admit that I am not usually moved when Anna and Micaiah hurt themselves because that is just what kids do but this accident and Amber's reaction to it scared me. This was another one of those situations that reminded me how fragile this life is and of how little control I have over it.

Face in the soap!

My life has been chock full of random desires and pursuits lately. First I was consumed with all things photography. If I wasn't working I was either taking pictures or in front of the computer editing them. Than came the desire to be a master of graphic design with a focus on web site creation. Now it is fitness. I am consumed with exercising and healthy eating. My eyes are set upon earning a certificate in personal training so that I can begin encouraging and helping others live fit and healthy lifestyles while getting paid for it. I don't know why I am like this. I often go from one extreme to the other causing me to doubt my most recent "passion" assuming that it is just another one of my random fancies. Yet I think that this inherent flaw of mine stems from my utter lack in seeing anything through. I get excited about something, determine the cost that must be paid to accomplish it but then never take the first big step. Well, I must say that I have grown sick and tired of this trait and I believe that my Lord has as well. Amber informed me today that during lunch Anna spoke up and said, "Mamma, God told me that you and Pappa need to stop staying up at night to watch '24' and start reading the Bible together." In a moment the singleness of heart that I had once known came rushing back to the surface as if to say, "remember me?" There will always be things that I can find to do but I know now that I must determine those which I value and which are of significance to me and purpose in my heart to pursue only those. I must remember that this life is far too short to flit away with endless pursuits and begin again to live my life with passion and singleness of heart, thus pulling my face "out of the soap."

Pool or Water park?

(Micaiah has begun to squeal like Piglet when he gets excited.)

(Amber hates getting water up her nose:)

(In case you can't tell, Anna is behind that wall of water!)

Since living in Shawnee we have discovered that the local pools are much more than just pools. They are more like water parks than pools. The above pictures are taken from just one of the pools called, Splash Cove. It is a whole lot of fun to say the least. This particular location has a water playground for the kids (kids from 1 to 92 that is) that is equipped with slides, buckets of water that are constantly pouring down on you and a barrage of water canons shooting in every direction. There is also a wave pool that Anna believes to be the ocean, a 4 ft deep wading pool and an exciting water slide for the "bigger" people. We decided to buy a season pass to these pools and I am so glad that we did. We are determined to soak up as much of this summer as possible before the barrenness of winter creeps back in.

Got Smoothie?

So recently Amber and I have been on a "health" kick and we started drinking berry smoothies at night. Well, when Micaiah saw the smoothie being made he would not rest until he was allowed to try a sip. After that first sip he wouldn't let go of the cup and by the time that he did half of Amber's smoothie was gone. I grabbed our little point and shoot camera in time to capture this photo of him having just finished chugging his mama's smoothie. Let's just say that I am glad that Amber offered to let him try "some" of hers :)

Easter Egg Drop!

"The approaching helicopter held the bunny who then dumped the eggs onto the field below."

Well, here are photos from Anna's first easter egg hunt. We went to the Shawnee Egg Drop which was held at a church right up the street from where we live. I must admit, it was a lot of fun sharing in the moment with Anna. She is such an amazing girl and I have been overwhelmed recently by the joy in my heart that comes from being able to share in her adventure into adulthood. She is growing into such a wonderful person right in front of me and God has given me the ability to stop and behold her. It really is amazing. This easter was really fun. We, as a family, have never really participated in all of the easter festivities in the past because of the church's attempts to "sanctify" the holiday by making it about Christ's resurrection and yet hosting easter egg hunts and people dressed up as bunny's at the same time. I have finally come to the decision to just enjoy the holiday for what it is... an easter egg extravaganza, filled with chocolate crosses and jelly beans. I will seek to teach Anna and Micaiah about the magnitude of God's love for them revealed through the death and resurrection of Jesus apart from having to explain to them why men are dressed up in bunny costumes.

Boys will be boys

Micaiah absolutely loves being outside. Today the temperature was only in the 40's and yet he would have been content to stay out on our patio all afternoon. Maybe its the sense of adventure that he enjoys so much. Or maybe its just being outside. Either way it is a lot of fun watching him. He becomes so outgoing and lively when we allow him to freely play out there. We also finally got a picture of him doing "the monkey" as we call it (the last picture). While trying to get him to walk he will sometimes cheat and do "the monkey" as if trying to fool us. It is one of the cutest things he has done thus far.

Fatherhood

Recently I was reminded of the importance of the father's role in developing their children's identities. In conversation with a co-worker the other day he shared with me an excerpt from a book that he has been reading which states that children receive their identities through their fathers while they receive nurturing and compassion from their mothers. I guess I could say that I have known this for some time down in the recesses of my heart but I have not been relating to my children accordingly. The book states that daughters want to know that their beautiful and that they look to their fathers for that affirmation. It also states that sons want to know who they are and that they "learn" that primarily from their fathers as well. Having come from a fatherless home I can personally attest to this truth. I spent most of my adolescent years doing everything I could to find my "place", to find out who I was. That pursuit has had some very regrettable consequences but in the end I can't say that I would do anything differently. Nevertheless, I don't want my children to have to go through the same journey of trial and error if they don't have to. I have now determined to remind Anna each and every day through my words and actions that she is beautiful, both inside and out, to show her that she is lovely and desirable and to give to her an example of how the men in her future are to treat her. I have also determined to live in the conscious reality that Micaiah is constantly watching me to figure out for himself what it means to be a man, to be a son, a husband and ultimately a father. I must admit that the sobriety of this responsibility is great, yet the joy of it is far greater.

Photo shoot gone bad!

Amber had this awesome idea of getting Anna to pose in front of these really cool fountains the other week. We had just decided to rent a 16mm-35mm wide angle lens that day so I was sure the photo was going to look really cool. She had snapped a few off but then realized there was some guy in the background so she waited a little while for him to move on and then set up for one more. At that moment a gust of wind came though the courtyard we were in and produced the above image. Amber and Anna were soaked but poor Anna got the worst of it. I think the temperatures were only in the 30's that day. Thankfully I had taken Micaiah to the other side of the courtyard to look at something so we were able to remain dry :) I didn't realize how wet Anna had gotten until after she started whimpering and complaining that her hands were cold.

Weekend fun!

This past weekend I had the chance to meetup with a good friend of mine and take pictures of Gerber Daisies. It hadn't dawned on me how much I have changed over the years until my friend pointed out to us how odd it is that we not only take pictures of daisies in our "free" time but that we enjoy it. I must admit, I did have a lot of fun. Most of all though I love the finished product. I have always been jealous of people who were naturally gifted at creating art because I have never been one of them. I have always been too analytical to put the left side of my brain to sleep long enough to create something beautiful. Finally, in photography, I have found the best of both worlds.

Weekend fun (continued)

The celebration of spring

These pictures show how we welcomed the arrival of spring this year. The day before the temperatures were in the 60's and on Saturday, the 1st day of spring, the temperatures were in the 30's while 5 to 6 inches of snow fell to the ground. In the moment I was quite irritated but in looking back, I am thankful for the experience that I was able to have with my wonderful wife and children. This also happened to Micaiah's first experience in the snow.