Jastef

I'm really sorry to do this to you all (again). I know how much this probably annoys you guys. I'll just be completely honest about this and just say, I miss blogspot, dreadfully. This website, though I think it looks awesome, has been really difficult for me to use, its not 100% ready yet and I don't have time at all to "learn" the ropes for the stuff that's incomplete. So, Jason's gonna work on fixing/completing the stuff that needs it and in the meantime, you can find me back at www.eatsleepandrun.blogspot.com

Please add it to your feeders, or you won't know when its been updated. :)

I'm working out some issues with posting photos to the site - I should have this fixed in the next day or so. Till then, it's my fault, not Stef's :)

Really appreciated Pastor Mark's take on this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnEF9_R1ctI&feature=related

The paper work from the insurance company arrived yesterday, I filed the police report last week, and on Thursday, everything will be sent back to the insurance company. Please pray this all goes as smoothly as they're acting like it will. Looks like we'll be reimbursed for the camera and we can just go get a new one.

Hoping we can post pictures on here SOON!

It amazes me sometimes, how God uses my conversations with E&R to remind me of how good His love is and how much He cares for ME.

Today we were driving to our friend's house in Tracy and we like to have lots of interesting conversations on long car rides. I made a comment about Jesus dying on the cross for us, so that we could live our lives to bring glory to Him and spend Eternity with Him, from sin, guilt and shame. Ethan thought about this for a while and then said "so... after Jesus died on the cross... what did you need to do for Him?" I wondered if he was asking me how I paid Him back, so I went down that path of explaining God's free gift. A few more minutes go by, while he sits in his seat thinking... "so then, He died for my sins and I don't need to give him a present?" :) I explain to Ethan that the way we thank God is by taking the free gift He's offered and loving and serving God with all of our heart, soul and mind.

I would say about 10 minutes goes by and this is his response to what I've told him. "Okay, so... Jesus died on the cross for me and then rose from the grave so I could live in eternal life with Him?" I'm thrilled he's getting it, so I quickly answer "yep!"

"and He doesn't want me to buy him anything, like a new Hot Wheels car or a coffee from Starbucks?" (ok, this made me laugh-out-loud)

When I replied with "that's right!" his answer is what got me.

"wow! that is like, the very best gift you could ever get on any birthday or ANY day, ever!!"

why can't I always see things so clearly?

I know I don't typically post about Kara until her new month of age arrives, but I just can't help myself.

This little sweetie-poo has captured our hearts in a major way. She is full of fun personality and life. I love that she has such a sense of humor at only 9 months of age! She shows total interest in things; often putting her eyebrows down to really concentrate and she's a big fan of watching something and then trying to copy it.
We're having to use that new word "no-no" on her and its so terribly cute to see how she responds to it. Thankfully she (so far) responds quite well.
She absolutely adores Ethan. I know I've said it lots of times, but I cannot tell you how very adorable it is. She thinks the world spins around him. When I bring her out first thing in the morning she sees him and her face lights up and she starts clapping her hands and kicking her feet, like she wants to jump up and down. Its super cute.
He loves that he's like magic to her, so he's often going out of his way to make her laugh/smile. He plays peek-a-boo with her many times a day, sings the alphabet to her, counts to 30 (he's convinced she can also count to 30) and recites his Bible verses to her - he's sure that she is now a Christian, because she listens and smiles. :)

I love watching my kids interact together. I love watching them learn basic values and life situations when dealing with each other. Ethan and Rachel have hit ages where there seems to be more fighting than getting along, so we're spending a lot of time learning to practice self control, kindness, gentleness and selflessness. Ethan is learning how important his role is, not only as the oldest, but as the big brother.
He seems to be doing great with his role with Kara, but he struggles with Rachel, since there's major competition there. :)
Rachel has learned to hold an opinion and in Ethan's world, his opinion is the only one that should be considered. So we're basically dealing with what it means to obey God's commands and to be Christ like. I taught the kids the What Would Jesus Do motto and they love it. This morning Rachel took some crackers from the kitchen and tried to sneak them into Ethan room (away from me) and I heard Ethan say "But Rache, what would Jesus want you to do?" and she said "He would not want me to sneak crackers and then he would die on the cross for me."
I had to laugh. ;)

I can't get over how fast these fun years are going by. I look forward to my kid's teen years, but I'm soaking these little years up, since they go so fast. I often find myself looking at parents of older kids and feeling envious. Those years, though hard in and of themselves, look like they are so exciting and rewarding! It will be fun to see some of our hard labor during these years, paying off in the future. :)

Oh, camera update: I'm filing a police report to send in to the insurance company so they will replace our camera for us. So stay tuned!