14 is a lovely age

"14" now belongs to our lovely daughter! I am so thankful for this girl and that God has placed her in our family. May the Lord continue to grow her and show His love to her. We love you big sis!

We have an 8 year old!

Hooray! June 7th marked JP's 8th year of life. What a privilege it is to be his parents. We did a 8 day countdown beforehand in which he could pick out a different type of ice cream treat, and we marked it on this cake. (My personal favorite was day 3--look at the size of it! I couldn't accurately draw the creaminess either...)
How appropriate to get spider man jammies. On the night before JP was born, Patrick and I had gone to see the 9pm showing of Spider Man in the movie theatres. Then the castor oil kicked in and JP was born at 2AM. Oh my word! Fast and furious is an understatement. Praise God that I didn't chow on the movie popcorn that night! Ugh!
We took a special day trip down to the zoo. I love JP's expressions--he is a lover of life and his face always shows all of his emotions.
A new zoo friend/employee invited us back to see the animals up close...very close...probably TOO close. This lovely, dangerous hippo, a crocodile, and an elephant (that we petted). At the end of the "tour" I realized that he probably wasn't supposed to do this (especially jump into the crocodile display and try to get him to bite a stick! My boys were ready to jump in too when I reminded them that usually a gate in front means, "Don't go in!") but it was quite an adventure for our big boy! May the Lord give our little buddy much growth in wisdom and love for the Lord this year.

A thankful 40th birthday

We went to lunch at my favorite park and restaurant, about a 30 minute drive from our home. A lovely day, lush green grass, a precious family, and fresh air...perfect!

I love their salads--even the kids dig in!

A beef and prune tagine--finger-licking good!

Then we returned, had a worship service in our home with our English-speaking international friends, ate dinner, and then had a little party (pictured above). One gift was a beautiful green kaftan dress.
I'm so thankful for my dear husband who has been a rock for me. I'm also grateful to many of you who wrote kind birthday greetings that I read throughout the day (and cried! I miss you guys!). The Lord reminded me of his faithfulness since my childhood and because He doesn't change, it gives me great hope for the future.

Mice? Nice. Lice? Not nice.

The itching started Wednesday night and then we saw a bug on her forehead at breakfast on Thursday. Poor dear. So, she got a lice treatment and a combing to remove a lot of the critters and eggs that were accumulating. Hopefully the rest of us are clear (though we have been adding tea tree oil to our shampoo as a preventative) and our house will be rid of them in a few days. I don't think her golden locks have ever been so snarl-free!

Now...while lice are yucky..."I think mice are rather nice"

Thoughts from the roof

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night."

Psalm 92:1-2

I love our roof. The breezes, the view, the freedom--prayers just flow from that high perch. Maybe it's being closer to the heavens or the small, insignificant-looking humans below but my breath is often taken away after I climb there (it could be the stairs too, I guess!). Lately my prayers, as I'm putting clothes on the line, are deep felt sighs trusting the Spirit to intercede for me in my weakness. Feeling dependent on Him, I glance around. Will we be here tomorrow? Next week? In the fall? I don't know. I sigh again.

Then I remember that James tells us that we are but a mist, here for a short while and then gone. My tomorrows are in His hands even if we lived in a land with more freedom.

I took this picture from the roof when the day was done. I love Psalm 92 which says to declare His faithfulness at night. One way God has been faithful to me during this time is reminding me of His consistency to bring the sun the next day. Elementary, I know. The daily rhythm of the sun reminds me of His love and His faithfulness. When the sun makes it's morning appearance, we remember His steadfast love and that His mercies are new even that day. At it's setting, we remember His faithfulness, both in today and throughout history. What a faithful, sovereign, and loving God we know. Join with me in declaring His faithfulness tonight.

Favorite juice

Hands down, this is our favorite packaged juice here. As you can see, it's a nice blend of pineapple and coconut (and maybe some orange), which satisfies some thirsty kids and their parents. Last week I bought three of these and we drank all of them at one breakfast!
Maybe this funny translation explains why we can guzzle down so many in one sitting--"Fresh and Greedy." We laughed at this and still can't figure out what word choice it should have been. Fresh and fruity? Fresh and inviting? Maybe for this family, greedy is correct. Fill 'er up!

Comic relief

She always makes us smile!