fabulous fifth for our fabulous first!

Our very first grandchild reached a milestone of a birthday this week! Happy 5th Birthday, Micah Willem! Here is Micah at the beginning of the year, looking forward to all it had in store for him. Unfortunately, what it had in store for him did not begin well - moments after this photo was taken in Grandma and Grandpa's woods, our brave little boy was being rushed to the hospital for stitches in his tongue!


How I love Micah's tender heart and deep brown eyes.

Reminds me of his Mommy!

I also love Micah's approach to life - bring it on!!!
Reminds me of his Daddy!





Grandma had the privilege of spending the day with Micah and Elizabeth on Micah's 5th birthday (staying on for the 14-kid PARTY at the end of the day). I love this birthday picture for its subtle little glimpse into Micah's legendary sense of humour.

Micah Willem, Grandma & Grandpa are so proud of our beautiful boy!

utterly beautiful

Dearest Caitlin and Sharon, your wedding was utterly beautiful. You are utterly beautiful. Your Dad and I love you with all our hearts, and are so very proud of you both. Congratulations. May God light up your life together every single day of your lives, and because of you, may this world be a brighter place.
(Wedding photos to follow after you've had the chance to post pictures yourselves first. In the meantime, may your honeymoon be memorable beyond all expectations.)

countdown flashback

Flashback to August 21st. One month later (almost to the day) - next Saturday, September 22nd - this idyllic setting will be transformed into CELEBRATION! Caitlin and Sharon, we're counting down the days! This little collection of memories commemorates the "less than a week to go" milestone!

This photo reminds me of something I heard in theology class many years ago, that trying to do theology is like trying to paint a bird in flight - either you capture the motion, but can't see the bird, or you paint the bird, but can't see the motion. This photo tries to do both. I think I've come up with quite a creative excuse for this fuzzy photo, don't you?

Nathanael LOVED his time at Auntie Caitlin and Auntie Sharon's house - the state of his face and his clothes is the result of the greatest freedom he's probably ever had in his life. Fun-fun-fun!!!

And here are our lovely hostesses, Beatrice (above), elegantly attired in basic black, and Heidi (below), the beautiful birthday girl.

Congratulations

Thank you, Cara, for the amazing bridal shower! Thank you, Meghan, for the gorgeous tiara! Thank you, Caitlin and Sharon, for sharing your love and joy with us!!! What a beautiful couple! Blessings to you during the busy weeks to come, and blessings to you always, as you travel through life together!

pure intentions

Sleep-deprived and at the point of exhaustion, I allowed myself the luxury this morning of finishing a great book, "Marley & Me: life and love with the world's worst dog" by John Grogan. It's funny and heart-warming and real. It's also heart-breaking, so I spent the last few chapters in tears, especially when the author quoted these words that were sent to him by "Elaine" after Marley's death: "Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them." And here are some of Grogan's own reflections: "It was an amazing concept that I was only now, in the wake of his death, fully absorbing: Marley as mentor. As teacher and role model. Was it possible for a dog - any dog, but especially a nutty, wildly uncontrollable one like ours - to point humans to the things that really mattered in life? I believed it was. Loyalty. Courage. Devotion. Simplicity. Joy. And the things that did not matter, too. A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbols mean nothing to him. A water-logged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. ... Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see."

Cara Michelle

30 years plus 30 minutes ago, our first daughter was born.

JOY overwhelmed us.
Cara = joy (Greek), friend (Gaelic), love (Italian).
Cara, thank you that from the moment of your birth to this very day,

you have been all these things to your Dad and to me.

This past weekend Cara's little sisters again looked on as Cara blew out the candles on her (and Jon's) 30th-birthday cake - quite a blaze of glory compared with this twelfth-birthday cake (days after our arrival in Israel).

"Kindness opens in each heart a little heaven" - today's words on my desk calendar, and the perfect caption for Cara's life. As is this precious moment from Cara's wedding day 10 years ago. A little girl passing by, noticed by the beautiful bride, and made to feel so special. Thank you, dear Cara, for your legendary generosity, kindness, and thoughtfulness. Thank you for the difference you make in our lives and in the lives of everyone around you.

So many exciting things to celebrate these past few months: a move from apartment to house, a 10-year anniversary, Nathanael's adoption, and Cara and Jonathan's 30-year birthdays. Congratulations, dear little family, on all these milestones in your life together!

And finally, one more milestone - a dedication!!!

God bless Nathanael Josh James,

brother to Michaela Joy, son of Cara and Jonathan,

child of God!