christmas eve...

We went to Annapolis to spend Christmas Eve with Bill's family...  Always fun times!

 I have always loved walking into Mom's house during Christmas time and seeing ALL the presents under the tree.  It always seems very magical and so different from how I grew up.

 A visit with Mema would not be a visit without a book reading.  =)

 Mema found these red noses for the boys.  Only Josiah was game enough to try them on initially.  =)

 Usually, the older boy cousins hang out in the basement to play video games.  The boys wandered down there and found Chris' drums.  Chris was kind enough to let them have a go.

 Josiah went to town on them!

 These were the Jesus birthday cakes I made this year.

 Mema has a collection of Christmas teddy bears that she displays every year.  The boys had fun carrying them around with their new wheelbarrows.

need this pounded into my head...

I have been pondering this lately...  In care group, we've been going through Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, by Paul Tripp.  I wish I could plaster this in front of my face somehow so I could remember this.  Such great truth to be continually reminded of:

What should we do to be part of God's work in the lives of others?  Paul uses the word ambassadors to define what it means to live incarnationally.   

The job of an ambassador is to represent someone or something.  Everything he does and says must intentionally represent a leader who is not physically present.  His calling is not limited to forty hours a week, to certain state events, or to times of international crisis.  He is always the king's representative.  He stands in the place of the king (or the government of his country) wherever he is, whatever he is doing.  His relationships are not primarily driven by his own happiness.  He decides to go places and do things because they will help him to faithfully represent the king.  Thus the work of an ambassador is incarnational.  His actions, character, and words embody the king who is not present. 

Paul says that God has called us all to function as his ambassadors.  Our lives do not belong to us for our own fulfillment.  The primary issue is, "How can I best represent the King in this place, with this particular person?"  This is not a part-time calling; it is a lifestyle.  When an ambassador assumes his responsibilities, his life ceases to be his own.  Everything he says and does has import because of the king he represents.  Anything less is an affront to the king and a denial of the ambassadorial calling. 

What is God calling you to in your marriage?  To be an ambassador.  What is God calling you to as a parent?  To be an ambassador.  What is God calling you to regarding your friends and neighbors?  To be an ambassador.  What is God calling you to at work and in leisure?  To be an ambassador.  We represent God's purposes to the people he places in our lives.  This is much broader than a commitment to formal ministry occupying a portion of our schedule.  It acknowledges that our lives belong to the King.   

But this is where we get ourselves into trouble.  We don't really want to live as ambassadors.  We would rather live as mini-kings.  We know what we like and the people we want to be with.  We know the kind of house we'd like to own and the car we want to drive.  Without even recognizing it, we quickly fall into a "my desire, my will, and my way" lifestyle, where the things we say and do are driven by the cravings of our own hearts.  If we were honest, we would have to confess that the central prayer of our hearts is "my kingdom come" (p. 104-105). 

Why are we so good at turning moments of ministry into moments of anger?  Why are we so adept at personalizing what is not personal?  Why does it seem that people, things, and situations are in our way?  Why do we seldom go through a day without some experience of conflict?  The answer to all of these questions is that we think of our lives as our own, and we are more committed to the purposes of our own kingdom than we are to God's.  We need to recognize that the people in our way have been sent to us by a wise and sovereign King.  He never gets a wrong address and always chooses just the right moment to expose our hearts and realign them to his (p. 106-107).

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

~ Galatians 2:20 ~

qotd...

Our William gets so attached to things.  (We have been working through this.)  Bill told William that he would have to take off William's band-aid before William took his shower.

Bill:  Are you ready for your shower?
William:  Dada, can I just spend a little more time with my band-aid before I take a shower?

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William and I had a brief conversation about what qualities to look for in a girl he may want to marry...

Amy:  Do you marry a girl because she's pretty?
William:  No.
Amy:  Then what kind of a girl do you marry?
William:  When she's pregnant.

Uhhh... No!  Wrong answer!  Not quite what a parent wants to hear.  Needless to say, I extended that conversation a little.

care group pumpkin patch outing...

We decided to try Jumbo's Pumpkin Patch in Frederick this year instead of going to Butler's because it was significantly cheaper.  (Bill wasn't able to make it out because he hurt his toe.)  We had a great turnout despite it being a little farther out.  The day was a bit hot, but gorgeous!

 We went into the corn maze with the Erguetas and TOTALLY got lost!  We must have been wandering around in there for at least 45 mintues.  Jamil had a genius idea to just cut through the corn when we got to the edge of the maze.  Whew!  So glad we made it out!

 The boys enjoyed roaming through the patch and being able to pick their own pumpkins.

 Dave & Paul...

 All in all, a fun-tastic day!

claude moore colonial farm...

We are blessed to be a part of a field trip group, where a different mom will organize a field trip for the children to go on twice a month.  William and I went on our first field trip ever to Claude Moore Colonial Farm.  The farm mimicked what it would have been like to live in the 1770s.  The program that we were in not only allowed us to walk around the farm, but to also do some hands-on activities at various stations.  Some of the activities included pounding corn, carding wool, spinning with a drop spindle, dipping candles, and playing 18th century games.  William was hesitant at first to try anything, but was more willing after getting used to the new surroundings.  It was a wonderful experience for him to learn just a little of what life was like about 400 years ago.

 The first live turkey William has ever seen.  Maybe the first live turkey I've ever seen?

 Dried tobacco hanging from the rafters in a tobacco house.

 The tobacco house...

 Carding wool...  That was hard work!

 Spinning wool with a drop spindle.  William did great with twisting the spindle to turn the wool into thread!

 Pounding corn to make flour.

 Dipping wax to make a candle...

 This was the result after dipping for about 15 minutes.  Not very rewarding...  We decided to move on to something else.

 Here's some of the wool we carded and some of the thread that was spun on the drop spindle.

 Playing 18th century games... Bowling!!

 Riding the see-saw...

 Since we had already rotated through all the stations, we decided to go back to candle dipping since the program was almost over.

 And voila!  We were able to plump our candle up.  Not a very pretty candle, but it's all about the process, right?

 We are learning about the letter O, so I've been photographing when William sees the letter O.  I'm hoping to make an alphabet photo journal of our year, but we'll see if I can keep up with it.

 After the program, we stuck around with a few other families to explore the rest of the farm.

 We went to see an 18th century garden growing vegetables.

 Of course, every garden needs to be weeded.  William is learning a little about weeding, which is a common chore that children his age would have done.  Some of the people there dressed in period costume to answer questions and talk about what life was like back then.

 Looking for cows in the pasture, but to no avail.

Having fun running through the farm with some new friends!

We had a wonderful time learning and meeting other homeschooling families.  We pray that the Lord will continue to provide new opportunities to build into new friendships within our homschool community.

lancasater '11 (last day...)

Our last day in Lancaster, we visited a life-sized replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle.  I don't have any pics of the actual Tabernacle since we weren't really allowed to take any.  But here are some highlights from our last day in Lancaster.

 Josiah likes to pull his shirt up.

 Josiah with his shirt pulled up and lots of cheese...

 Back at the vacation rental, enjoying the "playground" for the last time...

 More cheese...  Josiah got his shiner from falling and hitting his head at the water park.

 The boys LOVE playing with Uncle Jimmy.

I think this was a soup of some kind that William made.  Yummy...

It's always such a blessing to be able to afford to get away as a family and make memories with my mom and brother.  Jimmy, thank you again for your love and generosity.  We are so indebted to you and love you dearly!

lancaster '11 (hershey park...)

The last big thing we did was spend a day at Hershey Park.  I was afraid that it would be filled with all things chocolate, but other than the name, we wouldn't have known we were at Hershey Park.  With William's dairy allergies, I thought it might be tempting to him to be surrounded by chocolate, but that wasn't the case at all.  They had a chocolate factory we could tour, but that was outside the park.  So we were grateful that William was able to enjoy himself without having to worry about his allergies.  =)

 Josiah's first time riding alone on a ride.  He did so well even though I'm sure he wasn't sure what to expect.  Up until this point, he hasn't really been on any rides before.

 Josiah cracked me up the more I watched him ride.  He typically would have this stoic expression, so we never really knew if he actually enjoyed the rides or just put up with them.

 William loved playing skeeball.

 Josiah had to have a try, of course.

 The "Frog Hopper" cracked me up.  It lifts them up in the air and drops them a little.  William would not try this ride for some reason.  He is very picky about the rides he will go on.  I was hoping William would go on with Josiah, but William was adamant about not going.  Josiah, on the other hand, was willing to try anything.  So he went on his own.  Again, he had his stoic expression, so we weren't sure how he was taking it all in.  

 Josiah sat next to a little girl who was FREAKING OUT the entire time, screaming her head off.  I was afraid Josiah might start crying because of her, but he just maintained his stoic face.  We weren't sure what he was thinking...

 But then he finally cracked a smile!  I was relieved that the terrified little girl next to him didn't phase him.  (You can disregard the older lady next to them, even though she obviously is very much enjoying the ride.  She seems unphased by the little girl as well.)

 Josiah liked it so much he wanted to go on again.

 And he cracked a smile much quicker this time.  =)

 Driving for the first time!  I love the expression on William's face.

Josiah having his turn at the wheel, too...