Handsome Couple, Don't You Think?

Oh, For Grace!

Before bedtime, Elizabeth prayed something like this: "In Jesus's name, I pray that we would all understand God more and know God more and that we would read the Bible more and pray like this and know Him better and He would help us be obedient and thank Him for our food."

When she finished, Isaac gently reminded her, "You know that prayer is talking to God, right?"

"Yes," she replied. "I was just telling God how life worked so He could maybe tell somebody to write it in another part of the Bible so that everyone would know."

Another Burden?

Sometimes I find myself chafing under the balance of so many hats: mother, wife, daughter, housekeeper, cook, exerciser, teacher, worshipper, etc. I feel like I can concentrate on a couple of areas and do them with excellence while ignoring others, or I can do a less-than-worthy job focusing on many areas at once.

Lately God has been showing me that His "burdens" (prayer time, Bible study, etc.) are not really burdens at all. He is not the burden-giver; He is the Burden Lightener. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. If He asks me to include Him in my day, it's for my benefit. He makes my day easier. He's not just one more thing to add into an already busy schedule; He's the reason for the schedule and the reason for my day.

I've committed to reading the book of Philippians every day for several weeks, and today (on my fifth time through in five days!) the phrase "Grace and peace to you from God the Father" at the beginning of the book jumped out at me. This phrase or something similar begins 13 books of the Bible in a row (from Romans to Philemon!) and it's been so easy to me for me to overlook it. But it reminds us that these letters are not simply more instructions and rules for us to obey, rebuke and correction for the things we do that are not according to God's Word. They are to fill us with grace and peace through these very activities!

Pretty cool, huh?

Only Amelie

You know how toddlers like to amuse themselves by taking individual items and putting them into other containers? Mine likes to play with my supply of feminine hygiene products. That's educational, right?

Farewell, Vikings

On the way to church yesterday morning, I asked Amelie if she could say "Vikings." She immediately threw her arms up in a the signal for a touchdown! Then as a family we spent several miles all throwing up our arms and yelling, "Touchdown, Vikings!" I hoped that was a good omen for the big game that night.

That night we prepared to party. I even wore the Vikings shirt I got at a thrift shop that's all stretched out and doesn't fit properly. We celebrated with Jello and bacon nacho potato skins.

Like many Vikings fans, I hadn't dared hope we'd really make it this far. All season I kept waiting for them to throw it away with penalties and turnovers. (I know. That's a really bad confession of faith in a team!) But last night, there were actually several points during the game that Isaac and I looked at each other and said we actually might make it to the Super Bowl.

Of course, we all know what happened in the fourth quarter and overtime. I got the penalties and turnovers I had expected all season. Still, it was a pretty fun ride. Until next season, Vikings. We'll keep practicing our touchdown signals just for you.

Elizabeth's Information Card

One of Elizabeth's favorite parts of church each Sunday is filling out the little information card they give out in the bulletin. This week was a classic. In addition to her name, address, etc, she had some great answers!

Children and ages: "No children. I am one"
My "next step" with God: "Be more obedient. Eat less candy"
Life's issues and needs: "My mom wont let me stay up"

So I guess she wants you all to pray that I'll give her a later bedtime!

New Vocabulary

Elizabeth to Grandpa: "Grandpa, are you at liberty to go swimming with me?"

Family Picture?

I didn't put a lot of effort into taking good pictures at Breezy. Here's the best family picture we got!

Fish - Finally!

I feel like we've spent five years trying to convince Elizabeth to enjoy playing in the water. She's always liked going swimming, but getting her to get her face wet or try something new was worse than pulling teeth. FINALLY she's turning into a fish. She enjoyed jumping into the pool over and over, and is now able to swim all the way across the pool. It is so much more fun to take her swimming now!

We didn't have to worry about Amelie so much! She's a natural fish. She's perfectly happy chilling in the water and doesn't mind getting her face wet or splashing.

Amelie just wanted to go down the water slide over and over and over again. The instant we'd get to the bottom, she'd sign "More." Her favorite part was the big splash at the end. She always opened her mouth wide hoping to taste some chlorine. I'm sure she went down the slide at least 200 times this week between going with Isaac, my dad, and me.

See You Later!

We are busy busy packing for our annual vacation to Breezy Point in Brainerd. Little kids need a lot of stuff! We plan to swim every day at least once, ice skate, do art projects, and hang out with family. I'll check back in next week!

Because She Can

Guess what drawer Amelie can open now.

Loving Extended Family

Isaac's grandma celebrated her 90th birthday with about 85 extended family members in early January. (Happy birthday, Nana!)

I remember sitting in a group of Isaac's extended family members early in our marriage (nine years ago!) and feeling so strange. I even asked my new father-in-law when his wife's family started feeling like his own.

Nine years later, I can honestly say that Isaac's extended family truly feels like my family. I look forward to seeing his grandmothers just like I look forward to seeing mine. I get excited when his aunts and uncles come in from out-of-town, and I love seeing Elizabeth run around with the pack of little cousins. This doesn't mean that I can correctly identify a Backstrom from a Lundberg yet, or tell what differentiates a second cousin from a cousin-once-removed, but give me another ten years of marriage and I'll get there! I've gone from feeling like a stranger and outsider at the family reunion nine years ago to feeling disappointed that we'll have to wait another year for the next one!

What caused the change? Probably many things. They're really nice, for one thing! I've known them for ten years now. I started taking ownership of some family communications and scheduling and visits, and I've gotten to develop relationships with them individually as well as in a large group. I'm guessing that the biggest thing, though, is that so many of them love and serve God. Unity in Christ is pretty special.

Here's a picture of Nana and 15 of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren!

Minnesota Warmth

The temperature reached 20 degrees (above zero!) for the first time in weeks, so Isaac and Elizabeth rushed out to finish the backyard snow fort they had started before the cold snap.

Amelie and I came out for pictures and a much briefer playtime. She cuddled Isaac in the fort and greatly improved on her own walking-upright-in-the-snow-without-falling-down record.

Our Amelie-Free Zone

I have completed work on the Amelie-Free Zone and we are very happy with it (Amelie isn't as happy as the rest of us, but that's the way the cookie crumbles). It is blocked off with a dresser and a baby gate. Isaac and I step over the baby gate. Elizabeth likes to vault over the dresser.

Elizabeth's craft table is tucked under the plant shelf (which is otherwise known as "Death Row").

We can work at the computer standing up if we just need a quick job, or we can sit in the pink chair and still leave it plugged in.

Amelie has claimed the old computer/printer table as her own space, so I guess she got something out of this deal too.

Matching Sisters!

Can you believe Amelie is 15 months old and this is the first time the girls have worn matching outfits? I'm so happy! Getting a picture of the two of them smiling at the same time, however, might have to wait another 15 months.

A No-Amelie Room

Amelie, as much as we dearly love her, seriously impedes non-toddler activities and daily life around our house. In this picture, poor Elizabeth is happy to have found a spot to read in which Amelie doesn't bother her.

Looks comfortable, doesn't it?

Hence, I decided that what our small house needs is not more storage space, or a playroom, or a room that is completely Amelie-proof. It needs a No-Amelie room. (Actually, it needs a dishwasher, a mudroom, and an office, but Isaac tells me that's currently not feasible!) Elizabeth needs to be able to do her crafts without Amelie pulling her scissors down from the dining room table, and to build a fort with her friends in a room without Amelie tearing it down. I need to be able to throw things away without finding them in Amelie's mouth. Isaac needs to be able to work on the computer without Amelie constantly reaching for it.

So we're attempting to turn that wasted space next to our dining room into a No-Amelie room. I've used a dresser and baby gate to block it off. Now we're working on adjusting it to our needs. I'll post pictures when (if?) I get it right!

Toddler, Anyone?

I was trying to sit and type a serious post about materialism or privacy. I kept getting interrupted by the teething toddler in our house. If she were just sad and in pain, I could deal with that and comfort her. But she's not! She's into EVERYTHING. But she's not into the nice box of toys I have out for her or one of the nice accessible cupboards she's allowed to explore. No. She's into the printer and opening drawers all over the house and eating Clementine peels from the garbage and the wet boots and the printer some more. AAAAGH!

Now I'm standing here typing one handed while holding a squirming toddler on one hip because it's far better for my sanity than letting her roam around the house. I would go, but concentrated attention is no less frustrating right now than this is.

Mmm... Snacks

Amelie loves to munch on the ice and snow that people track onto our rugs from outside. It sticks together in such nice clumps! Even better? Salt crystals!

One morning last week she ate a finger-full of Desitin (diaper cream) and a big bite of banana peel straight out of the garbage.

She's cutting three molars right now. What can you give a teething toddler other than snacks? She's not interested in teething toys or icy rings right now - just in whatever she can scrounge from around the house!

Out of It

Our hard drive collapsed this week. It's amazing how much we rely on our computer and how much we had stored on it. We lost almost everything, and now we're working on installing all our programs on the new hard drive and starting from scratch. It takes a long time.

Lesson learned: Back up all your files. Regularly.

Have you backed up your files lately? Just a friendly reminder!