Learning

My new favorite toy of Lincoln's:

We have a similar "shapes" wooden puzzle that he got a while back and was able to QUICKLY learn the 8 major shapes. So when I saw the "ABC" puzzle at Target 3 weeks ago, I got it in hopes that it would help him learn his alphabet in the same manner.
Happy to report he LOVES this puzzle and since he has gotten it, has forgone all other puzzles. He does this one at least three times/day.
He can now do it in no time flat, so this week we have been working on the song. Maybe he would have learned this all without the puzzle (who knows) but I really think this little gadget has helped him learn this! He now knows almost every letter and can sing the first part and the last part of the song.
The other cool thing about the puzzle is that under each letter is a picture of an object that begins with the corresponding sound. Anyway - if your kid's at this age for learning, this puzzle gets an A+ from me!

They have a number's one, too that will be my next purchase. They only had it in pink last time I was there...so it might be a pink one. :)

And Noah? Well, he has mastered 2 signings: More and All Done. We're working on where his body parts are - just started this. Poor thing. I think I had already worked with Lincoln on these things. I need to get it out of my brain that Noah is an infant because he is NOT! Ha.

Have a good day. We're expecting thunderstorms - my most favorite weather of all time, so I'm excited. :)

Thoughts on Love

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
 I Peter 4:8

I wanted to share something that so powerfully pierced my heart yesterday in hopes that maybe you, too, can benefit from the amazing words a friend spoke.

Read the verse above.

Pretty familiar...right? I thought so at least.

Now read it again with the emphasis on the highlighted words:

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

My friend brought this rich word from God yesterday regarding how love covers sin. We are all called to love...above all things, love..right?

Through her words, she reminded me of how in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned against God, he did not let them go exposed to the world in their shame and guilt...

He covered them...He loved them...love covers.

And in contrast, when Christ showed His ultimate love for me...for you...by dying on a cross to save our sins, he was un-covered...fully exposed to the sin and darkness of the world, so that we may be covered...

Love covers.

For me this was so simplistic, yet amazingly powerful. Through meditating on this simple semantic in God's Word the past few days, I feel I have grown to a deeper understanding of Christ's love for me.

And Christ calls us to love this way...to love in a manner so powerful that it can actually cover sin.

I know in my own life, I am inclined to do just the opposite.

Like when Jason does something I don't like or a friend or family (not to mention the people I don't like!) - my first inclination is to expose the wrongdoings...to point them out...to dramatically demonstrate how it has affected me (i.e. pouting, passive aggression, gossiping...); sometimes it's to judge; to stand back and wait for that person's sin to eat them alive so I can think "I told you so...".

But love doesn't expose sin....

Love covers sin.

Oh how I have failed at this.

Rainy Day

Since it is raining outside, I'll give ya some bath pictures (of the kids). :)

Taking a bath ranks up there with going to church and the park in our house. If you mention the word, little Noah with start giggling and immediately take off toward our bathroom, chuckling the whole way. So here's how we do baths. :)

Note: I did not put things all over their heads. That would be Lincoln's handiwork.

****Also - why do the pictures show up grainy on posts when you upload them?? Anyone else experience this? They look a lot different on here than they do on my desktop. Hmmm....

Blah Blah Blah

Because of the snow days, there are lots of basketball games to be made up - all this week. So translated - LOTS of Tiger basketball for us this week (I'm actually looking forward to it!).

I took my camera to the game this past Friday, but really only got 2 pictures - surprising, I know. I had been playing at the park all day with the kids and was still in my beautiful yoga pants/workout shirt with a lovely nasty ponytail and minimal make-up at best. So there was no way I was getting in any shots. :)

So here's the funny part of the story:

At the game that night with about 3 minutes to start, Jason came and asked me if I'd sing the National Anthem b/c they didn't have anyone to do it. Now - I never pass up this opportunity because it's my absolute favorite song to sing and I haven't gotten to since college, BUT I really looked like trash people. I tried to stand behind the announcer and do it so no one could really see me but the guy made me get on the court. Fabulous. Then I got a link to an event photographer who was there and happened to get about 15 pictures of me in my beauty and put them on his NWA website. Ha. I just laughed at that point.

I'm singing it again for Senior Night next Saturday (with warning this time!) so I'll get a shower 2nd time around. :)

I figured out a trick (don't know why it took me so long): both my children fit in the single stroller. Find of the night.

 Somewhere around the third quarter, Bethany and I turned around to this handsome mess who had unknowingly made his way to in the animal cracker bag. Sweet thing. This kept him entertained for an entire quarter.

 Yesterday was GORGEOUS. Lincoln and Noah were at home taking naps and I loaded Lincoln up to go to the park. I forgot what it was like to take only one child - I loved this one-on-one time with him! And might I add (if you're NWA people) this park is the best park EVER. I was totally in awe of it. Absolutely gorgeous. It's the new one behind Krispy Cream by the Toyota dealership - amazing.

 
 
 
I know this is a random post...sorry. :)

Ouch

2 Tim. 3:1-5

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be:
lovers of themselves,
lovers of money,
boastful,
proud,
abusive,
disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful,
unholy,
without love,
unforgiving,
slanderous,
without self-control,
brutal,
not lovers of the good,
treacherous,
 rash,
conceited,
 lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
 having a form of godliness but denying its power.
Have nothing to do with such people."

When I was in Africa a few years back, I stumbled on this verse one day and camped on it pretty much the whole trip. The highlighted red part pierced me then, and it's still just as powerful to me today. I have written in my Bible from that day in Ndola "Humbling..." out to the side.

"having a form of godliness, but denying its POWER..."

That means the nice little heart-warming list that precedes it there...you know, the "selfish, treacherous, conceited, rash, lover of money, etc..." can be MASKED by having a form of godliness?? My conviction over this verse coincides with what I've been studying this past month...that the word "Power" can in turn be the Holy Spirit.

That we can have our form of godliness (i.e. going to church, praying, tithing, etc.) but if we do not daily surrender ourselves to the POWER of the Holy Spirit, we are powerless against the sinful list listed at the beginning of the verse.
We just somehow think our "form of godliness" will cancel it all out in the end.
Hmmm.
The last part of the verse warns to have NOTHING to do with such people.

How often have I been that "such person?"
(I'll answer it  - a LOT).

I go through that list and feel like I can "check..check...check..."
And then I realize again just how often I deny the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. I have Christ living within me, but GET WITH IT MELISSA - the God of the universe DESIRES to talk, guide, and defend you on an hourly basis and so often you say "No - I'm fine, thanks."

So I'm there...again. Humbled by the Word of God...it's a sweet place to be in.


Here's another version of the verse I like:

"You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!"

On Being a Coaches Wife...

This topic has recently come up in several conversations so I thought I'd write about it (why not...right?).

Point in case: I love it.

When people find out Jason's profession I typically get some sympathetic looks of "Oh poor dear you have to watch sports all the time!" or "He works from 7:30-7:30 or midnight during season??!" or "Yuck - do you have to go to all the games??"

Yes. His work schedule is crazy. Yes I go to all the games because I literally cannot STAND to sit at home and wonder what's happening, and we have our "system" on when sports get watched at our house (lucky for him I go to bed early and he's a night-owl). DVR's a friend of ours.

But perhaps my favorite part of his job is that I feel like it's mine, too. Yes - my husband has actually gotten out his drawing board for me to write out the plays and help me understand all they work on practice and try to execute in games! And I love him for that. :)
I enjoy getting to know the players and their families...part of why I love going to all the games is so I can actually discuss them with Jason and experience the high/low feelings he faces...I adore Lincoln's love of the team and how he knows almost all the players by name...I cherish the relationships and closeness that develops with the other coaches families...I love the level of influence I can watch my husband have over teenage boys...

I love it.

I get anticipatory for season to begin and sad when it's all over.

But with his job - obviously - can come intense pressure and hard lows. And oh my the lows can be low. But as Jason has often said - though you experience crazy lows, the highs are unbelievable and invigorating! And by the grace of God, we've been fortunate enough to experience such highs as well.

But you know what I've also seen? I've seen kids develop such close, trusting relationships with these coaches to the point where they trust them to lead them to Christ.

The highs don't get much higher than that.

Sunshine

This was last spring...

 And here we are today in spring-like weather!!!!

 So fun! We went for a little workout after a v-day date for lunch, then just played in the front yard for an hour or so. While we were outside, we made some new friends that were walking in the neighborhood! Love it!

Here's to more warm weather. :)

**On a side note, I've loved the emails and chatting with many of you about what God's doing in your lives and how he's working through you to further His Kingdom. This is a huge passion of mine and I've enjoyed EVERY word you've emailed/commented and cherish the discussions we've gotten in through this crazy blog stuff. It's encouraging, refreshing, and energizing!!