Cousin Pictures!

When Evelyn and I were in Colorado a few weeks ago, my Mom had pictures taken of all of her grandkids.  It was the last time they would all be together before the Buxmans moved to Missouri.  Here are some of the highlights...

Evelyn and Heidi are cracking me up on these next two...

This is one of my favorites...

So is this one...

If this face isn't ornery, I don't know what is!

And the Wisdom Broncos sign...this has become a tradition picture!

All photos courtesy of Emily Kline Photography.

Summertime Fun

These are the things that summer is about. 

Playing with water...

Getting water poured on your head...

Eating popcicles in your diaper outside...

Playing at the park...

Swinging with Mommy...

Now if only it wasn't "summer" for 10 months out of the year so it would be something out of the ordinary to experience...

And this is just a cute picture that Evelyn's nanny took.  They have breakfast with a group of high school girls that Amber mentors on Mondays - Evelyn was catching up on her emails this week while they ate.

Scary Buttons

Today we learned that pushing the buttons on this little white box is really scary.

It's our carbon monoxide detector.  We don't really have a plug in near the garage that isn't covered by furniture, so we have it in a small hallway just inside the house from the garage.  I was going to the restroom (TMI...sorry) and she was walking up and down this hall that is right next to our bathroom.  In the past, she has shown interest in this, but has never really touched it (mostly because we sweep her away saying no every time she gets close).  Well, since I was otherwise occupied, she took her chance to push the buttons and see what happens.  Unfortunately (for her) she pushed the one that sets it off, rather than the one that beeps once as a test.  So the detector is screeching, and she starts screaming and crying - just paralyzed sitting in front of it scared to death.  Poor thing.  On the upside, she'll probably stay away from it for a while now!

We recovered by getting distracted with puzzles.

The entire ordeal happened while she was toting her backpack around the house (a current favorite thing to do).  Apparently having your backpack on your back is more fun when you have a purse on your shoulder as well!

The Reading of His Word

I have been studying Nehemiah for the last few weeks and I have to be honest, when I started, I really wasn't expecting to get this much out of it!  It's kind of funny that I say that, because my big revelation today has to do with God's Word.  It starts in Nehemiah 8 - under Nehemiah's leadership, the Israelites had rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem and settled into the city once again.  They had gathered together for the first time, since the rebuilding of the wall, to read God's Word - the Book of the Law.  Anyone who could hear with understanding was there for this moment...

Ezra opened the book.  All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up.  Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!"  Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

(Nehemiah 8:5-6)

What hit me was the way the Israelites responded to the scribes being presented.  It's funny, because this week in Life Group, we talked about this...how the Israelites would stand and worship when the Word of the Lord was presented, clamoring for a chance to kiss the scroll.  They were so enthralled by the reading of the Word that they could not contain their excitement, and that excitement exploded into spontaneous worship.

And...now for the convicting part.  When was the last time I responded this way to God's word?  Ouch.  I live in an era where we have probably 8-10 bibles in our home, not counting the app on our phones/iPads that brings His word to my fingertips in seconds.  I have become desensitized to God's Word, and this saddens me.  This reality of God's Word being so available to me has bread a familiarity with the Word that has robbed me of this excitement.  As I sat and pondered this, I realized many ways in my life that I gloss over the Word.  Too many times when I read God's Word I treat it like the latest novel instead of pausing to realize, much like Moses, I am standing on holy ground.

So many facets of my life where the Word is present, but I fail to realize the life in it and be enthralled by it.  Kelly Minter, the author of the study I am doing, puts it this way:

I love that it was the simple opening of the Word that drew such a gathering and aroused such a dynamic response of worship.  Oh, the simplicity.  The Israelites weren't looking to be entertained, checking their watches to see if it'd hit noon yet.  They weren't critiquing the song selection, examining the children's program, or bummed that this week's drama didn't top the week before's.  

I am not taking a shot at any of the many wonderfully different ways we do church.  I'm just wondering how many of us would show up for only the reading of the Bible.  Is God's Word no longer enough?

I want to live in a reality where the truth of God's Word inspires zealous worship of Him.  I want the Lord to tenderize my heart toward His Word.  I want God's Word to be my daily bread, my every breath.

Daddy Daycare - Day 4

Today was the last day for Daddy Daycare.  It sounds like Daddy and Evelyn had a fun-filled day. 

I'll give you one guess where we are at...yummy mac & cheese, and Daddy has a sweet tea.

 Like my cheesy beard?

 Daddy took me to the mall - not to shop, but to play in the play area with the other kids.  Daddy didn't get a lot of pictures because he couldn't keep up with me because I was all over the place.  Poor Daddy doesn't know what's coming in a few years.

 After that, we walked around the mall, but I was drawn to the Build-A-Bear store and this guy was my favorite!  Daddy had to hold me back to keep me from giving him a bear hug.

 After that we went through one of those automated Ben washes* (don't worry, Daddy had the car in park when he took this photo).  I was totally entertained by the spraying water and rolling brushes.

Watching the car wash some more...

 Now I'm cheesing it up after it was over...

(look at those teeth!)

 One of my many ornery faces!

 When Daddy put my shoes away, he found this massager in the basket.  He gave it to me and it started shaking...

 Since it was shaking, I decided to shake it some more.

 I am trying to figure out how thing thing works.  Is there a little man inside it running around or something?

I came home to a very happy baby (and husband) tonight.  Always makes a mama's heart smile!  Capped off by a fun night at Life Group - 'twas a good day!

*A Ben wash is a car wash.  When my niece, Katie, was born, I flew home to be there and was helping my Mom take care of their oldest, Ben.  One night we were talking about car washes right around bed time and I told Ben (who was about 2 at the time) that I was going to take him to the Ben wash (i.e., a bath/shower).  Poor kid thought I was going to throw him into the car wash and was terrified of them for years.

Daddy Daycare - Day 3

Today and tomorrow are the last days (at least in the foreseeable future) of Daddy Daycare.  Amber will be back starting next week (and probably surprised at how much the little monkey is doing now!).  Here are today's pictures and stories...

Hi Mommy!

who doesn't love a cute puffy cheeks picture in the morning?!

 Daddy tried to do my hair.

It did not turn out quite like Mommy does it.

 Daddy and I ran to Falcon Park (well, Daddy ran and I sat and ate Teddy Grahams in the stroller).  He let me walk around a little bit and then he put me up on the big slide!  He helped me down, but I still went pretty fast!  I would get nervous at first and then I'd laugh about halfway down.  It was fun!

Mommy looks at this picture and wonders...was Daddy letting you walk around without shoes??!? :-)

 I wasn't kidding!  It's a big slide!

Another story from Daddy:  

I don't have a picture for this because she had my phone.  I put Kids Praise on Pandora and then shut it off so it still played the music.  I gave it to her while I was getting ready.  She carried it around everywhere with her in the bedroom and would walk with it in one hand and the other hand raised.  I know that she usually uses her hands out to keep her balance, but during the song, "I Will Sing of Your Love Forever," she had it straight up in the air.  I can't help but to think that she was praising Jesus.  Jesus is going to shine through this girl - big time.  The only time she put the phone down was to clap.  It was precious.

Amen, Daddy, Amen!

 Just having a fun play day pulling out all my toys.

P.S. Daddy made me an omeltte for lunch.  I kinda liked it.  I ate half an egg's worth.

I didn't see her in this picture at first....she's behind the activity table with the green legs...

 It took like 10 takes to do this right and get it recorded.  Every time I make a tower, she goes and tears it down and laughs.

Breaking animal crackers is fun!

(No animals were harmed in the filming of this video - just animal crackers.)

Another successful day at Daddy Daycare with Dan!

Roaring 20s

Tonight we went to a Roaring 20s party for one of our friends from church.  It was so much fun.  It reminded me of some of my years in Greeley with the wench parties we would have.  By wench parties, I mean parties thrown by wenches.  It's a long story.  W.  Anyway, the last time I dressed up in 20s gear was for Kari's (a wench) 30th birthday when we threw her a 20s party.  I scoured pictures tonight and could not find one of the 20s party (shame!)...but here are some other wench party pictures so you get the idea - we went all out!

70s party

 Toga party

(yes, yes...that is John Elway I am dancing with - he made many appearances at the wenchdome)

I do miss these wenchy girls - sigh - summer of fun, indeed.

So....tonight we celebrated our friend, Sara.  Here are some pictures of the fun.

 Evelyn dancing with Daddy

I got a flapper dress made for an American Girl doll and rigged the back so that it would (sort of) fit Evelyn.  Of course, it was way too short, so we put a black diaper cover on her and called it good!

 She loved the balloons!

 Chasing the balloons...

Evelyn and I in our flapper gear

About halfway through the night, my brilliant idea of the flapper dress for Evelyn was not working so well.  I had to use fabric glue to put the velcro on the back to make it fit her didn't work so well (you can see the flailing ribbons on her back in the picture above).  So, like any good diva, she had a wardrobe malfunction followed by a wardrobe change!

There are those fun balloons again!  

And now I have this star on a stick to help me keep my balance!

 She was walking all over the place - so much space to roam around!

 Daddy helped her take a shot at the pinata!

Tons of fun celebrating Sara tonight!  My feet hurt like crazy - I haven't worn real heels in about, oh, 2 years.  Poor feet.  And poor Evelyn, she was out within about 30 seconds of laying her down in her crib.  Poor girl tuckered herself out!