After C was born she had a hard time putting on weight. It took weeks and weeks before she was even back up to birth weight. It seemed like I was nursing around the clock, and we were supplementing with formula, but try as we may she just didn’t grow. At first the pediatrician wasn’t too concerned because she was otherwise very healthy, but after a few months he suggested we start adding cereal to her bottles. He said it would help her to put on weight more quickly. As new parents we did exactly as we were told and started adding the cereal as we had been instructed. And boy did it make her grow. Pretty soon she was the roly-poly baby of my dreams!

As the months went on, the doctor was happy with her weight gain, and he had never mentioned us stopping the cereal, but then again we never asked. So we kept feeding her cereal, and she kept growing. It wasn’t until people started commenting on her chunkiness that I started to think more about the cereal issue. Clearly we had overcome the weight gain hurdle, maybe we should cut back!

By then she was pretty squishy (and absolutely adorable, btw.) We took her off the cereal but it wasn’t until she started walking and running around that she started thinning down. (Which I know is normal for all babies.) It wasn’t until years later, when Tim and I look back at her pictures that we realized how chunky we let her get. We still smile over those massive baby cheeks!

I woke up this morning and made calzones for the family for today. Since I can’t have normal cheese, I cut the slots on the top of the calzones I’ll be eating differently than the normal cheese one so I can tell them apart after they are cooked. This morning that resulted in a hilarious outcome. Don’t worry, he was delicious.

Then I got the chance to get all dolled up for my day at the shop. It’s a far cry from my typical editing outfits (which are literally my pajamas.) What?!? Style and safety all in one convenient package?? Nope, just safety. No style here, folks, move along.Onto milestone news! I sanded an entire skid of panels on my own today, which is a first. We won’t mention that it was a small skid, or that I needed help moving a few of the panels because they were too big for me. We’ll just stick to the fact that I got it done. 🙂

All three of my kids are sleeping in the same twin bed this evening, and that’s the way they would sleep every night if I let them. C is on one end, and the boys are curled up together on the other. I always ask them if they have enough room and they always say yes, it’s how they want to sleep.

It always makes me smile when I see how much they love each other. Since we homeschool and they aren’t exposed to the vast number of kids that they would be if they were in public school, it’s really helpful that they get along so well.

I know one day (sooner than I want), C will be ready to move into her room and get away from the boys, and the boys will be happy to have a boy room, but until then I’ll enjoy these sweet moments between them!

Dear Baby E,

I can hardly call you a baby anymore. Today you turned five and I am still trying to grasp how that can possibly be. I still remember in vivid detail the day that you were born. You are a blessing and a gift to our dear family, and I have never met anyone as unique and interesting as you. I love the way that you see the world differently and you aren’t afraid to say it. I enjoy watching you march to your own drum. I pray you always keep your sense of individuality, your confidence, and your deep love for the people closest to you. You have so much to offer the world and I know you are going to do great things!

Happy Birthday, my dear sweet boy. We love you more than you can possibly imagine. May Christ watch over you and draw you ever closer to Him. Sweet dreams.

Love,

mommy

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Baby E has hated bread since the day he was born. Well, probably not that early, but since his very first bite. I can count on one hand the number of times he has actually eaten a slice of bread in his life because there isn’t one thing about bread that he finds redeeming.

With that in mind, this past year we discovered his absolute least favorite place in the world- Jimmy Johns. When you first step in you are hit with the overpowering smell of fresh baked bread- which most people find divine. But not Baby E. As soon as we walk in he sticks his fingers up his nose to negate any possibility of even the smallest whiff of baking bread stench to work its way into his nostrils. And there his fingers will remain until we walk outside and he can once again breathe life giving oxygen.

“Conventional wisdom masquerading as biblical truth.”

There’s a phrase I run across very often and every time I read it or see it or hear someone use it I cringe. I hear it frequently in the context of Christians (often in name only, but among believers as well) that are going through a difficult trial or trying to comfort someone who is.

Are you overwhelmed with your life?

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

Are you dealing with a wayward child?

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

Are you struggling emotionally or financially?

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

Are you heartbroken over the loss of a loved one or relationship?

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

I can’t find where this line of thinking is Biblical. The big tragedies of life, the earth shattering ones, by their very nature they are too big to handle. The doctrine of ‘God won’t give you more than you can handle’ is dangerous and disingenuous to the person that suffers. One of the main tenants of our relationship with a Holy God is the recognition that without him everything is too big to handle.

Trust me, when skyscrapers fall in your backyard it isn’t because God thinks you can handle it. When you miscarry your child it isn’t because God knows you are strong enough to pull through. When you are hit with the loss of a loved one, it has nothing at all to do with your strength.

I’ll repeat… It has nothing to do with your own ability or strength.

Bad things happen because we live in a sinful, broken, corrupt world where things like murder, disease, and genocide exist. We aren’t built to ‘handle’ those. Ask the Jews in Auschwitz and I think they would agree.

What then?

Christ. The answer is always Christ.

Are you overwhelmed with your life?

Walk through it with Jesus.

Are you dealing with a wayward child?

Walk through it with Jesus.

Are you struggling emotionally or financially?

Walk through it with Jesus.

Are you heartbroken over the loss of a loved one or a relationship?

Walk through it with Jesus.

God gives us strength to go through the things we can not handle, but we must first acknowledge that we are woefully unqualified in the absence of his grace. It is only through Him that those painful things don’t destroy us, but rather aid us on our journey of sanctification.

As believers, let us be wary of “conventional wisdom” that masquerades as biblical truth- and instead let us encourage one another and those around us that their strength is not in what they can handle, but rather in Christ who can handle it for them.

If you have a few minutes, take the time to read the article I linked to above.

Baby E has requested that we no longer refer to him by his real name, but rather we should address him by his superhero name… “Office Boy.”

I’m not exactly sure what his superpowers are, but I’m sure they will soon become evident.