Reflections on boredom

This week has been really hard with Bailey. I think coming off Beach Project and the whole summer in general where she was always with people and always had something fun to do or someone to play with has been an adjustment (I can relate). Especially the mornings are hard while Owen takes his nap. Playdoh, crayons and watercolors only get you so far and then she's bored again. Everytime she wants my attention and I am busy, or she can't do something she wants, she says that she doesn't feel good. I had (and still am a little) been struggling with her having to be bored, until I realized that our problem is alike and I do the same thing. When I am bored, I call someone to talk, or go run an errand I don't really need to run, or see if a friend wants to hang out (these are not necessarily bad things). I want something to fill me, and so does she. We both have the same void, and we both want to fill it by shoving something else but God in there so we'll feel better (it's just been hard because she wants that something to be me). As I was thinking about all this, I realized that not only do I have to let her be bored sometimes, but it is GOOD for her. How else will she understand that she has a hole in her heart that longs for something greater if I never let her feel it because I'm too busy keeping her entertained (and how can I talk to her about that feeling in a way she can understand when she is older if she is never allowed to feel it)? Anyway, these thoughts have helped me look at things differently, and even in talking to her about being bored sometimes.

Article by John Piper

I found this article that he wrote after the bridge fell in Minneapolis. Here's the link: (copy and paste) http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/Desiring_God/Article.asp?article_id=1548

Owen's birthday party

Doesn't Owen look excited about his birthday cake? I don't think he smiled at it once unless we made him. The party was kind of crazy, we had almost 20 adults and 8 kids! It was controlled chaos, but it was fun. Owen's been walking for about a week now and doing better every day. Everywhere he goes he has a big smile on his face. I think he's glad to see the world from a different viewpoint. It's hard to tell, but Owen got his first big boy haircut last week while were back at Beach Project (you can tell when you look at the picture below).

Bailey and Owen (1 year!) pics

He's growing up

It's hard to believe he'll be one year old in a few weeks!
P.S. I'll put more pictures of Bailey when I get a few good ones.

Summer family pic

God Our Sweet Provider

Last night while we had some friends over, the spring to our dishwasher door broke off (it's very old). I realized today that Bailey and Owen could get hurt badly if the door came down on them suddenly. I told Duane and we decided to go get a new one today . We walked into Lowe's and right away saw two couples we knew. Long story short, one of them had just replaced their appliances and had a white dishwasher (which matches our cabinets) sitting in their garage, and they gave it to us! What is so amazing is that just 15 minutes sooner or later, and we wouldn't have crossed paths. Can you imagine all that has to happen, all the things in the universe that have to line up so that we met at that exact moment? Owen went down for a much later nap than usual, we went to Home Depot first instead of Lowes, and stayed exactly the amount of time that we needed to, and even that our dishwasher broke last night and that they would have a desire THAT DAY to go look at grills at Lowes (and that is only a few of the many unseen things that had to line up that we know of). It is so unfathomable how God orchestrates our lives to provide for us in such supernatural ways! Only a God who is in control of ALL things could make it happen!