Happy Halloween

We carved one of our giant pumpkins last night. Noelle got a handful of seeds into her mouth!

Little Legs

Noelle has started to push the walker around. At first she wanted to push it with one hand and have her other hand on me, but she is slowly getting more confidence. She pushed it all around the table this morning and then erupted into a pile of tears -- I think her little legs got tired!

Biblical Perspective for the Election

Psalm 33

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.

For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth- he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

Halloween Fun

The neighbors hosted a Halloween party today. I am sad that Julia is not in this picture. Julia and her Dad went to Bloomfield for Josh to bow hunt and Julia to hangout with her Grandparents. It was great weather today for 30 kids to be running wild outside in their costumes!

This is Macy and her friend decorating pumpkins.

And this is the scramble for candy when the pinata was broken! Caden didn't end up with very much in his sack (too bad!).

...or the mirror

The chair (see previous post) or the mirror are the top baby toys this week!

New Trick

Every chance she gets...this is wear she goes!

Update: Challenges for the Heart

Meatloaf and squash tasted so good at lunch today! I think Josh said "Mmmm" like 8 times! We took a heart challenge this week from our church and lived on a diet of rice and beans in an attempt to connect our hearts with the hungry people of the world. We went to bed hungry and woke up early hungry. We were never full or satisfied by food. We ate our meals only to cure the hunger pain but not for enjoyment or for it to be filling. On Wednesday, I ate only rice because the thought of another bean in my mouth made me gag. On Thursday, Josh said "I need some meat!". Thursday was a hard day. I broke down and added chicken and some garden vegetables to the rice and beans at supper and on Friday we cheated by adding some beef.

Amazing...really amazing how the people in Africa and Haiti live on such little food. We realized how mal-nurished their bodies have to be, how many choices we have for food and flavors, and how much time and energy we put into preparing food and enjoying it. Pray for the people of Haiti right now as they are suffering from a recent hurricane. There was a report given in church today from a missionary serving in Haiti that rice and beans is now a "treat" to the people, because of the hurricane damage. It is hard to go back to our regular eating habits, but it is also a good reminder to be thankful of how God meets our needs on a daily basis- whether that be a need for food or for something else-- we rarely have unmet needs!! Our kids rarely have unmet needs!! America is such a great place with opportunities and good soil and weather permittable for growing healthy food. God is faithful to those who chose to trust in Him. I encourage you to put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and to pray for those in the world who have unmet needs and who could also have their hunger satisfied with His Love. Thanks for reading :)

Weekend

We went to a Fall Fest party. We had a hayride, roasted marshmellows, and got to hang out with Reinbeck friends. It was a chilly evening, but the kids didn't even notice!

My friend Jamie from Dubuque came to Waterloo on Saturday. We met at Panera Bread. It was good to see her smiling face!

Caden wanted some Mommy time, so he joined us. He likes to hangout with me when I'm not taking care of a baby.

Flowers for Middy

Middy is now Midnights nickname. Middy is a miracle cat! We ran over her in the driveway backing up for church on Sunday. We had very sad and teary kids say goodbye to her, because we thought when we got home she would not be alive. However, she proved us wrong. She has been living in a box in the garage and improving day by day. We thought her back legs were broken, and yesterday she jumped out of her box in order to go to the bathroom in the corner of the garage. She has been trying to stand and wobble herself around. So we have no idea what happened, but we do know that God heard our simple little prayer in the driveway for her to heal. Macy picked her flowers today!

A Different Kind of Stock Market

I am involved in the middle school ministry called CHAOS (Christ Has All Our Solutions) on Wednesday nights at Orchard Hill Church in Grundy Center. Every week the leaders receive a devotion by email and this devotion came today. I wanted to share it with you.

By: Greg Stier

The situation is serious. Many IRAs are shrinking. People are losing their homes, their jobs...everything. And it could get worse before it gets better. Some people are talking recession. A few are even alluding to the "D" word, the great "D" word.Let's be honest.

It is a scary time right now, especially if your used to the American way of $ life.

Okay let me change the subject. Have you ever met a truly impoverished Christian in a 3rd world country? I have met several from India to El Salvador. It's hard for me to remember one of them that seemed truly sad. There they were in their barely-scrape-by daily lives with huge smiles on their faces. Dirt floors in their one room huts...huge smiles. One or maybe two "meals" per day...smiles. No Wii, cars, designer clothes or thriving 401 Ks...smiles.

What in the world were they smiling about? Maybe what many of the Old Testament saints were smiling about, check out Hebrews 11:13-16:
"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

If you are a believer in Christ you can smile when this side of eternity falls apart because you are saving up riches in a different country...a heavenly one. And in this heavenly country the stock market can never crash. Here's what Jesus said about it in Matthew 6:19-21:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Let's invest our treasure in the stock market that can never crash. Then let's smile, knowing our investment is safe!

Olivia was here!!

Olivia was here to play on Monday. She and my sister-in-law Jill came from Indianola to hang out for awhile. Olivia will be 1 in November. Her and Noelle wanted to play with the same things at the same time! Olivia's cheeks got many kisses and squeezes from Julia. Sorry, my computer would not let me upload a cute picture!

For more information...

...on Challenges for the Heart. See this website.
http://challengesfortheheart.blogspot.com/

A Challenge for the Heart

In the current Orchard Hill Church teaching series, the congergation is being challenged to identify with the under-resourced. We have food opportunities at every turn, but some 2.6 billion people in our world live on less than $2 a day and have scarce access to food. This week one challenge for the heart includes eating only rice and beans for part of or for the entire week. We kicked off the challenge today at our house with a Sunday lunch of rice and beans. The goal is for it to be Josh and my only food until next weekend, but we'll let the kids eat normally except for supper. Lunch today definately was not filling or satisfying. After two helpings, I told Josh that I'm still hungry but am going to stop eating because I was tired of the taste of it. I encourage you to jump into the challenge in order to connect your heart and mind with the people suffering in the world. God willing...we'll make it through the week!

Conversation with Macy

Macy: "We need to find out where the pet store is."

Mom: "Why?"
Macy: "Because I want to buy another dog!"

Mom: "We don't want to feed another animal. I'm sorry, but Dad and I have decided that this is not the time for us to buy another animal."

Macy: "I'm going to live on a farm when I grow up and have 7 dogs and 6 cats."

Mom: "Then you better marry a farmer."

Macy: "Oh No! I hope all the farmers aren't all married by the time I get to pick one!"

Mom: "I'm sure there will be a farmer for you to marry."

She's Up!

She is so adorable! I think I could eat her up! If you have ever been a parent of an 8 month old, you know what I mean!!!

Another day...

From the moment my feet hit the ground this morning, I was being "needed" by someone in the house and usually I handle these demands with ease. Today I could not shake off a heavy heart. A good friend led me to read Ecclesiastes, so I wanted to share the reading that lifted the burden from my heart.

Ecc 3: 12-13 "I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is the gift of God."
5: vs. 7b "...stand in awe of God."

9: vs 9 "Enjoy life with your spouse, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun.."

9: vs. 10 "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

12: vs. 13b "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

Caden asked for an October walk after supper, so we went to a nearby bridge and threw rocks into the water for the dog to fetch. Here we are! Josh thinks that I have the best job in the world!