My Ebenezer

Normally I'm not a big Dr. Seuss fan. Maybe it's the utter silliness of the predicaments featured. Maybe it's the crazy illustrations. Maybe it's the made-up words. Barring whatever it is though, I picked up a copy of Hop On Pop at a yard sale over the summer. Today we read it for the first time. Or I should say, Noah read it for the first time! It took him almost half an hour, but he successfully sounded out each and every featured word all by himself!! Okay, so he didn't read "Constantinople," which is actually in there, if you can believe it, but all the other ones he did! I was so proud of him!! Maybe there's a little bit of value in Dr. Seuss after all. I know of no other book that puts all those simple words into one (very silly) story.

Does every child feel the need to blow bubbles through the straw into his drink? step in puddles, walk a few steps, and then look back to see the wet footprints they've made? rebuke other people for opening their eyes during prayer? (this is truly foolish!) I was just wondering.

1. Your winning smile and laugh. They are infectious! 2. Hearing, "Mommy, I love you" when I least expect it. 3. Your little hands, still pudgy and dimpley. 4. The way your tongue sticks out when you're deep in concentration. 5. Your quick mind and love of learning. 6. Hearing you sing yourself to sleep at night. 7. Your expressive face; I never wonder what you're feeling! 8. Your desire to help, no matter what it is we're doing. 9. Hearing you pray. 10. Watching you learn and change as you grow.

When I first knew we would be putting Noah in preschool, and the prospect of a virtually endless expanse of time each morning stretched before me, I admit that visions of bon-bons and pedicures danced in my head. Why, with three whole kid-free hours to myself each and every morning, is there any limit to the possibilities? I could accomplish nothing or everything. Visions of bon-bons aside, I went with "accomplish everything." I can't help it; it's who I am. :) The prospect of three empty hours was pretty exciting until I realized that those three hours go very quickly, and are not exempt from normal everyday snags, like forgetting your coupons and having to run home to get them before you actually go to the store (hate it when that happens!). Or the fax machine sticking its tongue out at you and refusing to send the fax (it's occurred once or twice). However, snags and all, I must admit I'm getting spoiled with Noah in school. Don't misunderstand m

Noah got stung by a bee yesterday on his ear . Youch! Granted, he was beating bushes where bees are known to reside, so in that sense he had it coming, but that didn't prevent me from feeling compassion for him. I've only been stung twice in my life, and they were both experiences I never want to repeat. Poor Noah, this is already his second sting, and strangely enough, it's also the second time he's been stung on his ear! I can't quit looking at it. It's like a car accident; you just can't keep yourself from staring. He was stung on the upper lobe of his ear, but the whole thing has blown up and out to crazy proportions. He reminds me of Dopey from Snow White, bless his heart. Noah wanted me to take a video of him spinning around, so I did, but all I could see was that big ear. I hope the swelling goes down soon--I think he's picking up radio stations with that thing! :)

Was reading today, among other passages, 2 Corinthians 2 as part of my devotions. *slight rabbit trail* I've been reading my Bible using the McCheyne Bible Reading Plan. If you follow it, you will end up reading through the entire Old Testament one time per year, plus the New Testament and Psalms twice. It's a lot more reading than I used to do, but it's been a blessing! I like that I read from 4 different sections of Scripture at a time. That way, you tend to get the viewpoint of Scripture as a whole instead of camping out, say, in genealogies or ceremonial laws for weeks on end. :) Google "McCheyne bible reading" if you're interested. *anyways...* So here are some verses that grabbed me today: 2 Cor 2:14-15 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are per

In light of the beautiful weather, I took Noah to the playground yesterday. As you can see, he is working on conquering the final frontier in playground equipment: the monkey bars. All summer long, all he could do was hang from the first bar before letting go. Yesterday, though, I watched in amazement as Noah expertly took off across the bars, swinging like.....well.... a monkey! I had no idea he could do it! I guess they have monkey bars at preschool, and Noah had to have been practicing. I stood there with my mouth hanging open before I remembered to get out the camera. I asked him to go across again so I could take a video. He did, but we both started laughing, and he was already tired from the first time across, and so he fell. FYI, laughter is the arch enemy of monkey bars. Don't believe me? You try maneuvering your body across the monkey bars, dangling from your hands (a tough enough challenge!), and then have someone make you laugh. I tried it without laughing and

Gorgeous. Our weather this past week has been positively heavenly! Every time I go outside I find myself praising the Lord for such great-feeling air. June through August around here is Sauna Time, but September comes and usually the humidity dial is turned way down, which we all appreciate. This is our prize for making it through the heat of summer. What joy!

I've been reading a fiction book in my spare time, one by Jamie Langston Turner (a very good author--you should check her out!), and I love how she sees the hilarity of goofed grammar in the everyday speech of normal people. She wrote in one of her books of a well-meaning person who prayed aloud in church, asking the Lord to forgive all their "failures and falling shorts." I've had a lot of those recently, it seems. (The failures, not so much the falling shorts. :)) Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems like I'm having more than usual. I blow up and get really angry over something pretty minor. My patience wears thin. I allow my flesh to rule me. Selfishness smells up to high heaven. How thankful I am that the Lord forgives more than seven times! It seems I have to ask forgiveness for the same offense that many times in a single hour. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities Who heals all

My friend Carrie recently recommended a book to me called One Thousand Gifts , by Ann Voskamp. Read it. I had to say that right off the bat in case you skim the rest of my review and then move on to something else. You need to read this book! It will change the way you look at everything. It has taught me (and I'm still trying to learn it) to truly give thanks in everything, in everything to give thanks. Big things, small things, beautiful things, ugly things, all is grace from God, and all is to be given thanks for, because God has chosen everything in my life to be there on purpose, and He is all good all the time. See what I mean? You need to read this book. Here is a link to the trailer for One Thousand Gifts , which sums it up better than I could: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhOUaszMGvQ&feature=player_embedded Now go reserve a copy at the library!

As if we needed one more activity to add to August, we decided to sign Noah up for our community's fall season of Soccer. I had no idea that practices alone were so entertaining! The games must be a hoot! First game: Sept 10. Stay tuned for pics of that. Noah seems to be enjoying soccer so far. Josh and I enjoy the together time on the bench watching Noah practice. Really, it's win-win. If you'll excuse my lame humor. :)

I turned 31 in August, on the 16th actually. Trouble is, we were smack dab in the middle of one of the craziest months on record to really notice it. VBS week (with the added bonus of 5 house guests!). Noah starting soccer for the first time (hmm.. I need to post about that). Wilds Week. Everybody in our family has had a cold. Noah beginning preschool. Mom and Dad Rowley were here for 2 weeks. And! we have some more company coming tonight. The more the merrier around here. :) *slight disclaimer* Company is great! If you stayed in our home this month, we were so glad to have you! Please come again. I simply include you in my Craziness List because life is always a bit different with company in your house. But you already know that. Anyway, so now I'm 31 and it happened sometime during the week we were at the Wilds. Josh tried to take me out to dinner last Saturday to celebrate, but I wasn't feeling very well, so we had to postpone. Hopefully before my next bir