Ok, Hey There. We are all still here. I promise. It's just been a bit crazy lately. But here are some updates.
Christmas
Before Christmas we took some time to visit the downtown trains at the Columbus Public Library, visited Easton Town Center, and then went to wild lights at the Columbus Zoo.
Here are the boys in front of the trains at the Columbus Library.
At Easton, we figured out a way to cram all 3 boys onto 1 stroller. Score!
Here's a video of our crew at Easton. It was COLD!!!
The highlight at Easton is the carriage ride.
Over Christmas break, we were away from home much less this year. We stayed at both parent homes about 3 days each. The celebrations on both sides were a bit more low key (read: less presents:) which made the whole thing much easier on our end.
Our Family Christmas this year was on December 22. We had a short teaching time where Daddy read the Christmas story from the children's Bible and then we talked about why we receive presents on Christmas. I think Joel could recite word for word "We get presents on Christmas because Jesus is the greatest present ever." However, of course, I'm not really sure he knows what it means.
They were pretty pumped to get snow toys, a book, and a couple stocking stuffers. I think the highlight, however, was getting to eat a few pieces of candy before breakfast!! Judah didn't waste any time and crammed in at least 4 Hershey kisses before we cut him off.
Joel III turns 4!
We had a great time celebrating Joel III's birthday on January 17. This year was the first year that Joel had something specific in mind for his birthday and it was a Buzz Lightyear. A few weeks before his birthday he actually whispered to me, "Mommy!" "Yes, son?" "For my birthday, I want a Buzz!" I know it doesn't sound like it, but the way he said it was actually very polite. We caved and got him the large, plastic, battery-sucking, non-educational toy. And, wow. He was excited. Here's a video below.
And here's a pic of Joel and Judah examining the new toy.
Other milestones this month: Not peeing in his pull up and not napping 2-3 times a week.
Judah
Judah is obsessed with coloring lately. He will color for a solid 20 minutes, and when I walk by he will say, "Caaa-ming Mommy!" to announce that he is "coloring, Mommy!" Very cute. Another one of his cute sayings is "Doin' Daddy?" for, "What are you doing, Daddy?" Oh man. This is such a cute stage. Joel and I are treasuring it, because, we know, soon enough he will be talking our ears off in sentences and it won't be as cute.
Luther
Luther has had a big 2 months! He finally got 2 teeth, said his first word, and started crawling. His first word, of course, was "Da Da." Here's a cute video of him saying it.
Lately we have had the privilege of getting to know his personality a little bit. Luther is pretty passionate about what he wants!! He can be very loud as well. When Luther wants a toy and you give him something else instead, he isn't tricked. He will put the replacement down and while yelling loudly and crawling quickly towards the forbidden object. He is a little stinker!! I have just started to smack his hand a bit to teach him not to touch certain things and to obey my voice when I say "no touch." It always makes Joel III very sad when I smack Luther's hand. He says, "Mommy, please don't smack Luther's hand, he's just a baby!" Its kinda sweet. I guess.
Daddy aka Joel
December and January are typically light months for our ministry. This December wasn't quite as light, and we needed to mail our supporters a couple of times, as well as prepare end of the year financials. Fortunately, the Lord gave Joel and Ryan some special encouragement during the month of December. There were a couple of concerts that were much higher attended than we all anticipated, as well as a couple of crowds that were just extremely attentive and seemed so interested in the gospel. These evenings were so encouraging for all of us and we are so thankful.
Joel had a challenging, but spiritually uplifting time recently while developing his sermon on Isaiah 43. He was invited to preach at his hometown church in Van Wert, First United Methodist Church. Joel was feeling just overwhelmed by the depth of this passage and just could not figure how to cram it all into 1 sermon. However, I had no problem telling him what to cut. :) Here's a video of his sermon. Scroll to 17:02 to see Joel!
Wow. He is just gifted, isn't he?
Mommy aka Bethany
Well, I"m not gonna lie. This last baby really kicked my b&*%. I have had a very very slow time recovering in many ways. I just recently started working with a Naturopath, and discovered that I have low vitamin D, abnormal cortisol levels, low progesterone, and poor digestive health. Also, my N.D. does not think my thyroid is functioning at an optimal level. Since working with her, I have felt much, much better. But, its a slower process than I prefer. My less than perfect body is a great reminder that this body nor this world are my home. What a humbling experience. I am thankful for times like this that remind me turn to Jesus for strength more often.
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