Proverbs 31 woman meets Mary

Several weeks ago I finished studying the book of Proverbs. I have been mulling that infamous last chapter over in my mind ever since. I think most women feel slightly discouraged after reading about the Proverbs 31 woman. Who can measure up to that? In my quest to answer that question, the Lord led me to a different Bible story, Luke 10:38-42. It is the story of two sisters: Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet, and Martha, who was busy serving. Jesus said that Mary had chosen the good part…the better part. It almost seems like Proverbs 31 and Luke 10 contradict one another, doesn’t it? As I prayed, I felt the Lord showing me how these two stories coincide. We are to care for our families, to provide for our households, to work diligently. But, we are also to spend time sitting at Jesus’ feet. The way we balance these two behaviors is by abiding with and listening to the Lord. We must dedicate our schedules to Him…day by day…moment by moment…praying it through each morning and committing it to the Lord each night. Our ears must be tuned into the Lord’s still, small voice…those gentle promptings that guide us through each day. Our hearts must look to and lean on the Holy Spirit. Our minds must choose to trust that God will lead us if we are willing to follow.

I am horrible at doing the above. Dedicating my schedule (and my life) to the Lord does not come naturally to me. But then again, complete dependence on the Holy Spirit does not come naturally to any of us here on earth. However, I am realizing it is the only way to have life and to have it abundantly. And that is what my heart truly longs for…abundant, passionate, God-glorifying life.

Garage sale

On Saturday our little hometown had a city-wide garage sale. With oodles of help from our families, Brian and I hosted one at our house. We had items belonging to both of our grandmas, Brian's sister, Brian's mom, and a few things of our own. If you have ever done a garage sale, you know they are LOTS of work! Thankfully, our crew was very energetic and industrious. We brought in over $300 total, so I think that can be considered a success! Most importantly, everyone got rid of their old junk. Hurray!

Brian's sister and mom

Sara, my dad, and Daniel hanging out.

Daniel had fun "shopping" around and trying out the merchandise.

Brian and I managed to do a little garage saling of our own. I found some really cute clothes for Daniel, and Brian got a few coffee mugs. Everyone took turns babysitting Daniel. He wanted to put his little hands on everything! It was a fun, but exhausting day.

Saturday in photos

On Saturday, Daniel had quite the day. We had visits from family, fun in the water, and lots of playing. Here it is in photos!

Daniel feeding Grandpa Roger's new little dog. She is a cutie!

Three generations! Brian's dad (Roger), Brian, and Daniel

Daniel checking out the swimming pool for the first time. He was a little hesitant!

Brian and Daniel blowing bubbles.

Daniel LOVED playing in the sprinkler.

We also walked to the park, played on the equipment, and ate supper outside. It was a very full day, but the little man still didn't sleep through the night. Oh mercy, what are we going to do?!?

Sick baby

Our little guy has been so sick this weekend. He made it through his first fifteen months without ever having a fever, but on Friday morning, he was burning hot. I was alarmed by how lethargic he was and how he refused to eat or drink anything. We took him to the doctor, and his throat was very red but the strep test came back negative. We headed home with instructions to just "treat the symptoms." So, we spent the whole weekend trying to make our little guy as comfortable as possible. This morning was the first day he seemed better.
We missed my ten year class reunion on Saturday and the zoo trip we had planned for Sunday. I was lamenting that Daniel had to be sick on a three-day weekend, but the flip side is that Brian was not at work and available to help me. Praise the Lord!

Back in the saddle again!

When Brian and I were first dating, he had a motorcycle. I loved riding on the back of that thing with him! He sold it before he moved to Washington, but on nice days we still often say, "This would be a great afternoon for a motorcycle ride!" Well, recently my brother bought a motorcycle, and he brought it home from college yesterday. Oh, Brian had such fun taking it for a spin! I also got to ride on it, but I must say, I have changed somewhat since my college days. I am so much more safety conscious. When Brian got going over 40 mph, I started yelling for him to slow down. You feel (and are) so much more vulnerable on a motorcycle than in a car. First of all, you are balanced on two narrow wheels instead of four. You are completely out in the open. And it only takes a little loose gravel or a squirrel in the wrong place at the wrong time for things to go awry. I kept mentioning helmets to my brother, but notice how I hopped right on without wearing one myself. Good grief.


Daniel just loved sitting on the motorcycle, and I am already beginning to pray about his future desire to have one of his own. Sigh.

I love this photo of my brother and Danny. Everyone says they look so much alike. They do have identical hair and eye color, but my baby photos look more like Daniel than Jonathan's do. And Daniel definitely has some of his daddy mixed in there too.

Fishing trip

On Sunday afternoon, Brian and I took Daniel on his first fishing trip. The weather was absolutely perfect...cool, sunny, nice breeze. We saw one snake (yuck), two skink, and a family of mice. Brian caught 4 or 5 fish, which Daniel found to be very entertaining. He carried one fish around for awhile, and when told to throw it back in the water, he walked to the edge and tossed it in perfectly. We stopped by my parent's house on the way home and saw some of their new baby kittens. Brian and Annie happened to unintentionally get too close to one kitten, and the mama cat attacked them both! Yikes! Other than that incident, we had a wonderful afternoon of "first" experiences for Daniel. I love this stage...wish we could get past the teething and sleeplessness, but I love this stage nonetheless!

Outdoor adventures

On Saturday morning Daniel awoke at 5:45 a.m. Evidently, he missed the memo saying that mom and dad would really like to sleep in a little . Oh well. Maybe when he is a teenager he will sleep later. Anyway, Daniel was off and running first thing. He went immediately to the back door and started pounding on it to go outside. Brian and I were still half asleep and would not fulfill his request. A couple hours later I said, "Daniel, should we go outside and feed the dog?" He immediately got his jacket and brought it to me. I put it on him, and then he disappeared again, this time coming back with a pair of sunglasses. I laughingly put those on him too, and we went outside. He looked so cute in his turtle pajamas, red jacket, and shades that I had to snap some photos.

One cool dude

Hangin' with the dog

Today we were outdoors planting geraniums and watering the new grass when we came across an earthworm. This was Daniel's first encounter with a worm, and he certainly enjoyed it.

This next photo shows him attempting to eat his new little friend. Luckily, Brian intercepted just in time.

And finally, here are some photos of Daniel in his new swing. He just loves being in it...for about two minutes. Then, he is ready to do something else. He especially likes when Annie runs around underneath him, barking and jumping at his feet!