I love peaches!

Battle

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8.12-13

Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind. Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could; every covetous desire would be oppression, every thought of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head. Men may come to that, that sin may not be heard speaking a scandalous word in their hearts,--that is, provoking to any great sin with scandal in its mouth; but yet every rise of lust, might it have its course would come to the height of villany: it is like the grave, that is never satisfied.

And herein lies no small share of the deceitfulness of sin, by which it prevails to the hardening of men, and so to their ruin--Heb 3.13--it is modest, as it were, in its first motions and proposals, but having once got footing in the heart by them, it constantly makes good its ground, and presseth on to some farther degrees in the same kind. This new acting and pressing forward makes the soul take little notice of what an entrance to a falling off from God is already made; it thinks all is indifferent well if there be no farther progress; and so far as the soul is made insensible of any sin, --that is, as to such a sense as the gospel requireth,--so far it is hardened: but sin is still pressing forward, and that because it hath no bounds but utter relinquishment of God and opposition to him; that it proceeds towards its height by degrees, making good the ground it hath got by hardness, is not from its nature, but its deceitfulness.

Now nothing can prevent this but mortification; that withers the root and strikes at the head of sin every hour, so that whatever it aims at is crossed in. There is not the best saint in the world but, if he should give over this duty (of fighting sin), would fall into as many cursed sins as ever any did of his kind.

--John Owen

ZZZZZZ

After 4 teeth breaking through all at once; another ear infection, with diarrhea-causing antibiotics; a burning diaper rash; and a coughing, runny nose cold(...please let this image repeat itself through the night tonight!)....


...enough said.

Uh-Oh!

Can "Uh-Oh" be considered a first word? Even if it is just mimicking? (-:

Colorado Safari!

Samuel loves his animal books--but they grow old and tedious. He was ready for the real thing. So, last Saturday we went to the Denver Zoo. It was a good time. First, Samuel got to see how sea lions can wave, jump over rope, and eat A LOT of sardines. He seemed impressed, but after a while grew bored. So we went on to the giraffes. The giraffes were cool and all, but he'd already seen those in his Noah book--so a few times around and he was ready to move on.


The elephants were pretty fun, but the hippos were more exciting--and why wouldn't they be? Samuel was pretty keen on seeing where the next massive hippo would appear. This one seemed to be trained in the fine art of begging for food. To be honest, the hippos were dad's favorite too--as long as I have a 5 foot buffer of rocks!



Mom and dad liked the lions as well--but Samuel wasn't real impressed by the kings of the jungle. "Old hat, dad," I think I heard him mumble once or twice, "I've seen scarier in my bright animals book..." So it goes. There were two little cubs on display too--showing their youth in playing games with each other and nipping at their mother's legs to see her reaction.




All in all, it was a great day--a beautiful Colorado winter day (for once), lots of animals, and lots of fun. Judging by Samuel's enjoyment of the hippos in the water, zoology may not be too far into his future:)

It would be fun to try the aquarium next time--maybe he'll like the hammerhead sharks too. I always thought they were the neatest...

Here's the latest video we have of Samuel. It's his newest game, at least before he got sick:( Happy vacuuming!

Home

"God is the highest good of the reasonable creature; and the enjoyment of him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God , is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Father and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean. Therefore it becomes us to spend this life only as a journey towards heaven, as it becomes us to make the seeking of our highest end and proper good, the whole work of our lives; to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life. Why should we labour for, or set our hearts on, anything else, but that which is our proper end, and true happiness?"


--Jonathan Edwards

Happy Valentine's Day

HE touched me, so I live to know
That such a day, permitted so,
I groped upon his breast.
It was a boundless place to me,
And silenced, as the awful sea
Puts minor streams to rest.

And now, I ’m different from before,
As if I breathed superior air,
Or brushed a royal gown;
My feet, too, that had wandered so,
My gypsy face transfigured now
To tenderer renown.
Emily Dickinson

"The prayer preceding all prayers is 'May it be the real I who speaks. May it be the real Thou that I speak to.'" C.S. Lewis

These boots are made for walkin'...

Well, Samuel decided he was ready to disclose his newest trick to the world. Naturally, we agreed to do our part. He's been truly amazing his mom and dad with how much he is growing and maturing right before our eyes--even in the small things. It's amazing he's almost 10 1/2 months! It seems like just yesterday that we were hanging out between contractions, awaiting his arrival on the scene.

We thought we'd take a walk to the ol' DQ (Dairy Queen, for those with little knowledge of Hot Eats AND Cool Treats) today since it was so nice--midwesterners, skip this next line--IT WAS 65 DEGREES TODAY! So we took advantage of it, and got the big guy some fresh air.

He really enjoyed the few bites of blizzard he received, but we had to leave him wanting. It's tough being tough parents! Gotta hold the line, even when Samuel gestures(i.e. kicking the legs, waving the arms, arching the back, whining...) for more. FYI, we're still working on the clear method of baby talk. But it was a fun trip, and Samuel came home pretty wiped out. Mission accomplished!;)

Well, we'll write more details about our lives in later blogs. Without further ado--hhhheeeeerrrreee'sss Samuel! Enjoy!

Celebrate!

Two celebrations: First, Samuel didn't cry when Aaron dropped him off at day care today. Second, he is no longer afraid of the vacuum cleaner. Now, he chases it around the room!

Laughing!

There is no better way to improve a bad day than listening to Samuel laugh!