turning two!

Evangeline Joy turned two on Saturday. Hurray for two year olds!

Here are the top ten things of her past year, according to her mom:

1) Words! Sentences almost! It’s amusing to hear you speak. You can hold your own in a conversation. You say things with conviction. “Mom, look!” “Mom, outside!” “Mom, milk!” And, of course, the ne’er to oft spoke, “Peeeaase.”

2) You can run, but you especially like to gallop. Your Nana says you run but that your feet don’t touch the ground. It’s true, you’re very light on your feet. Speaking of feet, you love wearing other people’s shoes.

3) Swinging, ah, swinging! You follow in Elianna’s path in your love for swinging. You’re particular about how high you go. Come to think of it, you’re particular about a great many things.

4) You enjoy your cousin Johanna. Two weeks her senior, you act like it’s two years sometimes. You seem to enjoy being in charge. You’re also blessed with a few little friends who are less apt to let you take charge of them.

5) You like to sing and dance. You’ve got some mean moves. And your little voice is sweet and pleasant.

6) Your siblings are your best friends and the source of frequent consternation. Li-la (Eliza), La-na (Elianna), and Ses (Seth) meet your every need and are quick to give you what you want if you make a slight request. They are also able to do many things that you think you ought to be able to do, thus the consternation. Like, dressing yourself:

7) You have a ban-kee (blanket). Since you never took a nuk, it’s a bit of a relief for me that you have something that comforts you when you’re taking a nap or going to sleep.

8) Your favorite food is string cheese–at least when ice cream isn’t available. Here’s you with your first ponytail and string cheese. Bonus.

9) You turned a big corner about 8 months ago when you started being very good about going to the nursery at church. Prior to that I thought you might never go, it was so traumatic. But now, by all reports you do well. And you greet me with the biggest grin and excitement when I come to get you.

10) You love your daddy. You and he have a special bond. He delights in you and you in him. You love to call out his name when you wake up in the morning.

Dear Evangeline Joy, I’m so thankful for your life. You have been a gift through and through. Your life has brought such laughter and levity to our days. My prayer for you is that you will have a bond with your Father in heaven that goes deeper than any human bond. That you will seek Him and call His name each morning and that He will answer you out of His great kindness. May you make the name of Jesus known among the nations and the neighborhoods–I pray you would never be ashamed of our great God.

let me count the (40) ways

“How do I love thee? Let me count the (40) ways.” -William Shakespeare

photo credit: Heather Ford

On Tom’s 40th birthday it seemed fitting to do just that. I make no apologies for sappiness. If it bothers you, skip to the bottom, where you can add your part.

40 ways I love Tom, in no particular order, on this, his 40th birthday:

1) I love your dark hair.

2) I love that you truly believe my scrambled eggs to be superior to any other.

3) I love that you let the kids intrude on your Bible reading and make them apart of it.

4) I love that you have a need for speed that’s hard-wired.

5) I love your excitement over the most boring, repetitive meals. And how you model thankfulness for our kids toward the maker of those boring, repetitive meals.

6) I love your desire to redeem the time– to be productive and love people through serving them well with technology.

7) I love that you’ll take risks, but not stupidly so. You count the cost.

8) I love how you sacrificially carry the weight of being the provider for our family.

9) I love that you still take your (1980s) skateboard out for a ride in the driveway.

10) I love that you have great sense of style, but still double check with me.

11) I love that you like crispy bacon, not chewy.

12) I love that you’ll always share a bite of food off your plate. You’re not possessive of your food (like I can be).

13) I love that you lead our family to the Word most evenings and encourage and teach the kids.

14) I love that you wear funky socks.

15) I love that you have 5 guitars. And you need more.

16) I love that you’ll talk football strategy with me like I know what I’m talking about.

17) I love what a good dad of girls you are. They will never wonder whether their dad thinks they’re smart or beautiful or capable.

photo credit: Heather Ford

18) I love that I never have to wonder whether you think I’m smart or beautiful or capable.

19) I love that even though you have a good sense of style, you are first and foremost practical and down to earth.

20) I love that you love camping and hiking and can identify trees and plants and other outdoorsy stuff.

21) I love your keen eye of observation. The bugs and birds and everything else you notice enriches our lives.

22) I love that your passion and love for Jesus drive your worship and the music and notes flow from that, not the other way around.

23) I love that worship is your life, everyday. That you lead us in song and praise everyday by example. Sunday isn’t a show for you, it flows from every other day of the week.

24) I love that you take good advice. And you throw bad advice in the trash can.

25) I love that you embarrass us and yourself frequently enough to strip away any pretense we might have.

26) I love how you’ve grown in your confidence as a businessman in the last 9 years. You have an amazing ability to change and grow.

27) I love how you see potential in me and the kids that we may not see for ourselves. Possibilities are endless in your mind. You have vision for our family.

28) I love that you encourage me to serve others and use my giftings for the edification of the body, without complaining about what it costs you. Like me being gone the evening of your 40th bday to sing for the women’s conference.

29) I love that you want our children to excel in their education and you’ll listen to all their achievements with delight.

30) I love that you have guided us toward routine and schedules. Yet you still make room for my go-with-the-flow spontaneous bent.

31) I love that you are not guided by what’s familiar or comfortable, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

32) I love that you’ll let me talk politics at you. And you even dare to talk back.

33) I love that you value family and friendships. You sacrifice and follow-up and love and give and laugh and enjoy and take. Our relationships are richer because of you.

34) I love that you roll down the windows and yell when we drive through a tunnel.

35) I love your guitar playing skills. I love that you glorify God with spice and grit and clear tones.

36) I love that your life is a life of ministry of Jesus, the Word and the Gospel, even though it isn’t your job.

37) I love that you love having people in our home.

38) I love that you’ll watch The Lord of the Rings an infinite number of times with me. And that you’re watching Downton Abbey with me.

39) I love that your a great dad to our son. I love that he wants to be like you and you’re a man worth imitating.

photo credit: Heather Ford

40) I love that I’m already on #40 and I could have easily gone to 400.

This is such a small bit of thankfulness from me to you, dear. I love you mainly because you’re you. You’re made by God and you’re His child. And when we die, we will not marry or be given in marriage, but we will worship Him together forever. A continuation of what we’re doing now. I hope that when we’re seated around the throne, beholding His glory, that my seat will be by you, with our voices lifted to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

For the readers out there who know and love Tom, anything to add?

Eight-year-old Eliza

On this day, eight years ago, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Eliza Grace was born. She made me a mama. Her Daddy looked at her and proclaimed her to be “Eliza.” He named her well.

Here are the top ten things of her year 7, as told by her mom:

1) You like science. We joined a co-op this year and the science class is Botany, which is right up your alley. Not only do you enjoy learning about it, you’re great at reiterating what you’ve learned and replicating the projects that you’ve done in class. You’re a good teacher.

2) Hand in hand with your love of science is your continued love of nature and the outdoors, in general. You love to be outside in every season. Exploring, investigating, collecting, observing. Your attention span is endless in the outdoors.

3) Reading and being read to are greatly enjoyed by you. Right now we’re in the Chronicles of Narnia and every night you beg for one more chapter and often read a page or two ahead on your own, until I send you to bed. It’s a blessing to watch you enjoy reading.

4) You really love to sew. You get to sew in the “homeschool room” at church and have come home with some nice creations. You’d like a sewing machine very much, but for the time being have made use of your Nana’s on occasion.

5) Creativity abounds daily with you. This has been the theme since you were very little. You consume paper and art supplies like they were going out of style. Thankfully Mr. Jamison gave us that big box full of blank paper last year. Blank paper is your favorite.

6) You love to give gifts and are thoughtful in your giving. Most of your creativity is employed in the making of gifts and cards for other people. I have been abundantly blessed with your creations and artwork. You try to make the gifts meaningful for the recipient.

7) Any time you can help cook or prepare food is a happy time for you. Your older friend, Mary Jane was kind enough to give you a cooking lesson and make a cookbook for you. Cooking taps into your creative side and you love anything hands-on and messy.

8) You played soccer this summer. I dare say that soccer may not be your “thing.” But you enjoyed it nonetheless and your team ending up winning the whole shebang. I hope you hang in there and go for it again this summer. Swimming is more of a favorite for you.

9) Dance. Oh my, dance. You’ve started dance this past fall and just love it. And boy do you go for it. I’m impressed how you learn the routines quickly and your poise and confidence (nothing like your mom)!

10) You’re in choir and taking piano still. It’s a blast to watch you grow in these areas. I love watching my kids enjoy music, especially when they’re using it to praise the Lord. And you do praise Him, which makes my heart squeeze so tight it hurts, because I am so unspeakably thankful for it.

Eliza, somehow, somewhere along the line you’ve become God’s girl. It’s there in your desires and in your heart and it is a miracle. I want you to know, if you read this someday when you’re older, that it is truly the work of God and nothing else. He saves people, Eliza, by His finished work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. He’s given you the faith to know it and love it. Thank you, God, for Jesus, and for the Spirit, which blows life into dead hearts. Keep her Lord, consecrated forever to you.

Six-year-old Seth

A six-year-old son is what I have. I remember his birth on Martin Luther King Jr Day, six years ago. It was very cold and I was so so so happy to meet him. What a gift.

Here are the top ten things of Seth’s year 5, as told by his mom:

1) Football. Football, football, football. You talk about it, dream about it, watch it, give play-by-plays. You’ve started a football card collection. You even got to trade cards with some friends. You have declared that you will be a football player when you grow up. A Defensive End, like Jared Allen. Way to dream big, in the literal size sense!

2) Numbers. You love numbers. The time, the temperature, the score, the speed limit (bummer). Also, you just like to talk about numbers and add, subtract, and multiply whatever pops into your head. You’re a clock watcher like me and I’m sorry for that.

3) You like to be on the go, out and about. You really don’t like being bored. (I try not to allow the word “bored” into our vocab, but alas.) You really enjoy people and places (North Shore pic below). You also love having people over to our house. You pounce on any chance to play with cousins and friends.

4) You played soccer this summer. You had fun, were a good sport, showed some competitive spirit, made some friends and were a blast to watch. Hopefully a repeat will be in order this summer. You also like swimming and broomball on our pond. You’ve been practicing some football moves as well.

5) You’re a baby magnet. Oh how you love little babies. Evangeline is your favorite, of course (although she’s a bit beyond baby status).

6) You’re taking Kindergarten in stride. You are a motivated worker, plowing through your work and usually enjoying it. It’s a joy to watch you read and learn.

7) You are a reliable kid when it comes to chores. Although you aren’t always complaint-free, (wow, another similarity to your mom!) you are helpful and dutiful in your tasks and I really really appreciate it. Thanks, buddy!

8) You sing in the kids’ choir at church. You like it and I love it. Nothing better than kids and music! You especially liked the Baba Yetu song from our church’s big celebration. That song was belted out in our car more times than I can count.

9) You’re getting to be a good story teller. You’re often talkative and like to recount the details of the day, in a play-by-play sort of way. For having three sisters, you seem to have mastered getting your voice heard. Although, getting you to talk about how you’re feeling is a little trickier.

10) You’re intrigued by maps. There’s a map of the world on the wall in your room and most nights before bed you name all the countries that you can remember. You tell me what you know about them: if they have enough food, if they have Bibles, if it’s hot or cold.

My dear Seth, I love how God made you. Your mind is always working on something. I pray that as you grow, your mind and your heart will work together for the cause of Christ. I hope that you will experience such love from God, such forgiveness at the cross of Jesus that you will passionately and sacrificially give your life to loving and serving others.

Oh how He loves you, Seth!

our favorite four-year-old

A little over a week ago, our Elianna turned 4. She’s excited to be so. We celebrated accordingly.

We love her dearly and so, without further ado, here are the top 10 things of Elianna’s year 3, written to her, from her momma.

1) You have a zest for life by way of rising early and staying up late! You wake up hungry for breakfast and hungry for life to start. Speaking of breakfast, you often eat two: breakfast and second breakfast. You’re our little hobbit, minus the large hairy feet.

2) You’ve taken a special love for dancing this year. You dance around the house. You dance around the yard. You dance into the car. You have tutus galore.

3) You make life a musical production. Sometimes you’ll start the day off by singing everything instead of talking. So you’ll ask for your breakfast with great lyrical phrasing. I like living in a musical. The best is when you use your little vibrato. Very sweet.

4) You are making sure you’re in on school this year. You have a workbook that you’ve been delving into along with some other activities. It’s enjoyable watching you learn.

5) You are working on being brave. This summer you have advanced in swimming feats like going off the diving board and down the slide. Sometimes your Nana gives you “bravery gum” if you conquer something particularly difficult.

6) You’ve grown into the big sister role very much this past year. You really love your little sister and have taken on the responsibility of being an older sibling very well. Of course you’ll always be a younger sibling too. And you seem to have that down pat.

7) You’re quite possibly the most affectionate child ever. Hugs, kisses, and cuddles, oh my! I hope you always give hugs to me as freely as you do now.

8) You like people. You like having friendships and you like being out and about. You can be shy or embarrassed but it doesn’t last long. You can’t wait for Sunday school to start back up in the fall.

9) You love to be read to. Often I’m reading books out loud that are a bit too old for you in terms of typical 3 year-old fare–books for Eliza that you and Seth end up listening in on. You do well with them, but you truly love when we sit down and read a book of your choice. One with lots of great pictures.

10) You have a distinct personality, Elianna, and I greatly enjoy how God has made you. I love how you’re willing to laugh at everyone’s jokes. I love how you fit in our family.  Your heart seems soft towards the Lord and compassionate towards others and I am praying that would increase as you grow.

May Jesus be the true Treasure of your life. May you overflow with joy in Him and find all God’s promises to be yes in Christ Jesus. He died for you, He loves you so. And I love a million, baby girl.

year one, in review

I can’t believe that Evangeline is 1 year old! That was a fast year.

Here are the top ten things of her first year of life.

1) You were born. That’s basic, but big. You came fairly fast and were a joy to behold. I thought you looked like Eliza right off, but, you’re actually quite distinct. Aren’t you all?! When we saw you, it was love, but long before first sight.

2) You’ve had a reserved first year. You’re attached to my hip and I like it. You certainly have preferred me to anyone most of the time. Only recently have you come out of your shell a bit.

3) When you’re in your comfort zone, you’re pretty goofy. And smiley.

4) You’ve had three older siblings to get you every toy that your little hands could handle. They love you a lot. They truly delight in every tiny thing that you do.

5) You really like dogs. We don’t have one, of course. But other people’s dogs, you love. You are not the least bit afraid of them. But they should be afraid of you.

6) You eat food. Again, basic, but pretty big. Right now, I’d say your favorite thing to eat is oatmeal squares that have been soaked in milk. Come to think of it, that’s one of my favorite things to eat.

7) You love your dad and you give him hugs. It’s so funny to me that you know how to give hugs. You’ve been doing it since you were really little. Like 4 or 5 months. It’s cute and it melts our hearts on the coldest winter day. Which is good, because it has been a long, long winter.

8) Some people say you look like Shull baby. The Shulls are sort of rockstars, so definitely take it as a complement. I couldn’t see it at first, but now I do. Don’t even think about stowing away to join their family. I know they’ve got two dogs and everything, but just forget about it.

9) You’ve got blue eyes still. I’m surprised, since your dad and I don’t and neither do any of your grandparents. But Seth does, so maybe you’ll follow his footsteps. Er, um, eyeball tracks.

10) You love to dance and talk and your taking 5+ steps pretty consistently. I’m about to start saying that you can walk! Nice job.

To our dear Evangeline Joy, joy aptly describes what you bring to our family. Our love for you is deep and wide and we pray that as you grow through your toddler years, joy would mark your life. We pray that the infectious joy that comes from having a dear and precious Savior would capture you, even before you totally understand its meaning. We pray that seeds of the Gospel will be planted in you and that they would fall on good soil, so that you can take the Good News everywhere you go and bring joy to the nations.

a great man

That’s who I married.

And yesterday was his birthday. I couldn’t be more thankful for him. He helps me be better. He points me to God and he gives me the privilege of doing the same for him.

You’re a lion-hearted servant leader in our home, Tom, and I love you a million.

my 20′s: the story behind the story

I’ve had an eventful decade.

My 20′s are rapidly coming to a close and here’s my just-the-facts-ma’am recap of them:

age 20: Start dating Tom and get engaged to him. Begin attending BBC.

age 21: Become Mrs. Thomas Dodds, move into the house on Portland Ave.  Encourage Tom to start his own business. Start a small group in our home.

age 22: Graduate from Bethel College and begin (and end) my short stint at a pro-life organization.

Become pregnant and give birth to Eliza Grace. Become a mom to a baby girl. Practice life without an income.

age 23: Practice being a wife and mom. Start to see growth in Tom’s business. Say goodbye to my best friend who moves away.

age 24: Become pregnant. Move to the house on Grouse Hollow. Give birth to Seth Thomas. Become a mom to a baby boy.

age 25: Become pregnant for a third time. Keep practicing the wife and mom thing. Say goodbye to Tom’s Grandma Ione, who passed away.

age 26: Give birth to Elianna Faith. Become a mom to a baby girl, for the second time. Start another small group in our home.

age 27: Tom informs me I’m 90% of the way to 30 yrs old. Keep on keepin’ on with the wife and mom gig. Say goodbye to my Grandpa Rodney, who passed away. Live through a massive hail storm that caused damage to our home, narrowly avoid a tornado.

age 28: Become pregnant for the fourth time. Say goodbye to that little one in the summer due to miscarriage. Become pregnant for a fifth time.

age 29: Give birth to Evangeline Joy. Become a mom to a baby girl, for the third  time.

So, there are the facts of the matter. But there is a hidden story that’s missing from these facts. The story behind the story.

There is truth that is missing from these facts. And this truth is the most important part of my 20′s. It’s the true story that shows how God has kept me during this past decade. He really has kept me. He has hidden me in the shadow of His wing.

Here are a few of the ways He’s kept me, the story behind the story:

The Lord kept me through many great friendships, and, what felt like no friendships. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

The Lord kept me through years of no income and years of plentiful income. He is my Portion forever.

The Lord kept me through times of depression and times of joy. He is my Strength and the Lifter of my Head.

The Lord kept me through days of birth and days of death. He is the Good Giver and the Wise Taker.

The Lord kept me through doubts and confidence. He is my Comfort who is over all and in all and through all.

The Lord kept me through city life and suburb life. Nothing can separate me from His Love. Where can I hide from His presence?

The Lord kept me through single life and married life. He is the God who grants our participation in His mysterious metaphors.

The Lord kept me through mothering magic and mayhem. He gently leads those who are with young.

Ultimately, the Lord has kept me His own. He has caused me to persevere in every circumstance because He is the Good Shepherd and no one can snatch me out of His hand.  I persevere because of His faithfulness, not my own.

So, I have a great many hopes for my 30′s. I hope that I will be less weak. More steady. Less selfish. More selfless. Less fearful. More bold.

And at the core of my hope is Jesus. I hope in Him, because He is the One “who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.” I put my hope in “the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jude 1:24

So long 20′s.  It was a ride.

a super duper 7-year old!

These birthdays are relentless!  I can’t keep the kiddos from growing up, that’s for sure.  And today Eliza turns 7!

I remember well the morning she was born.  As I look at her now, I am so thankful that she is our firstborn.  She bears special responsibility and privilege.  Here are the top ten things of her 6th year as told by her mom:

1) Creativity has flourished this past year. Your creations are original, interesting, sometimes unusual, decorative, colorful, thoughtful, and, in my opinion, wonderful.  There is never enough paper, markers, tape, yarn, beads, hole punches, etc, for your liking.  The sheer amount of things you create boggles my mind.  You’ve even earned some money selling your scarves.  After loom knitting, you’ve moved onto knitting with needles, something I didn’t want to teach you, but you picked up in approximately 3 minutes.  You go girl.

2) Like Seth, you also learned to ride your bike minus training wheels. You did it first, to be clear. You decided you were going to do it and nothing could stop you. I had suggested it a number of times the summer before and you weren’t interested. But when you decided it was time, you were fearless. I like that about you.

3) You also tackled independent swimming in the deep end this past year.  Same story as the bike riding.  You decided you were going to do it, you jumped off the diving board in the deep end and swam to the side.  After that, you just kept going. All, summer, long. You earned the nickname, Brown bean.

4) Piano lessons are a new adventure this year. You are cheerful about practicing and enjoy the time at the lesson. Miss Liz says you have good rhythm. I concur. You get it from your dad.

5) You still love nature. You love being outside, whether it’s summer, winter, spring or fall. You like to get dirty and muddy. You like to look at the stars. You notice things outside: bugs, trees, birds, tracks, snowflakes, leaves. You’d rather be outside than inside, no matter how good the inside activity might be.

6) You continue to be a great helper. To be fair, you’re absentminded when it comes to tasks, but your heart is a thing of beauty, my girl.

7) School is a big part of life now. You seem to enjoy being a first grader and schooling at home. You like learning hands-on things. Everything is better if it has an accompanying activity. Your confidence waxes and wanes. Sometimes you’re unstoppable in your determination, other times you’re defeated before you begin. But, you’re moldable and the Lord is helping you find your confidence in Him, not in what you can or can’t do.

8) You’re great with your baby sister, Evangeline. You feed her bottles. She happily takes them from you, and rejects them from some adults. You’re a favorite of hers. You dance and sing and jump around to entertain her. You’re a good big sister to Seth and Elianna. They look up to you. You want us to have 10 kids in our family. I’d send you home with the Shulls, but I know it would only strengthen your resolve.

9) Your closest friend is your cousin, Norah. She’s a good friend to you and will probably be so for your whole life, I pray. You girls have lots of fun adventures together.

10) You are learning more about who God is and what His Word is about. You trust Him deeply. You got your own real Bible (not storybook) in the summer and you like being able to read the real words of the real Bible for yourself. You understand what a big deal that is. I can’t even begin to express how thankful I am that the Lord has made His mark on you.

Eliza, you are so dear to my heart. I feel utterly at a loss when I think of how God has brought you to be who you are thus far. I know I can’t take credit for how He’s claimed you, I am just incredibly thankful.

O Lord, keep Eliza hidden in the safe shadow of your wing.  Give her safety and security in knowing you and your Son, Jesus, so that she has nothing to fear in this world. Grant her eyes to see her eternity as lovingly secured in Jesus, so that she can be bold and courageous and confident in proclaiming your Word here on Earth. Make known to her the path of life, so that she can have joy in your presence and pleasures forevermore.

movin’ on up! the big year 5.

Hard to believe it, but Seth is 5 years old today.

My head and heart are full of love and memories of Seth from the past year.  Hopefully I can capture some of them in our yearly recap/highlights.  So, without further ado, the top ten things of Seth’s 4th year, written to Seth by mom.

1) One exciting development this year has been reading!  You’re doing well and enjoying it to boot.  I had a lot of apprehension about starting the process, for fear you wouldn’t delight in it, but it was all for naught.  So far, you like learning to read.  Yay!

2) This summer you learned to ride your bike without training wheels!  Wohoo!  Dad and I were so proud of you and how quickly you took off.  It came easily to you and many many hours were spent riding around.  You and Eliza enjoyed racing by each other all summer long.   You also love going for 4-wheeler rides.  The faster the better.

3) You’ve developed an interest in numbers.  You like to keep track of things, be it the time, the date, peoples’ ages, birthdays or anything else.  You like to compile information in numbers.  A future in statistics perhaps?

4) You still like puzzles and are good at them.  You also like legos.  But, the main activity of play this past year has been stuffed animals.  You and your sisters live in made-up worlds for hours each day.  You are often playing the role of Daddy or brother, via a stuffed animal.  Oh, and you like to play humdinger in the car.  Hmm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mmmmm.   A humming version of name-that-tune.

5) You notice where we go in the car.  You can tell if we’re on a “regular” route, like to church or Nana and Papa’s.  And if we take a varied route to a regular place, you want to know why and how the new route is getting us to where we are going.  You often point out roads we’ve never turned down and ask if we can go down them.

6) Your best friends are your cousins, Thad and Andy.  They are great friends.  You also love all the kids from small group.  You are blessed to have a solid group of boys around you.  I know you want a brother, but in leu of that, the Lord’s providing good things for you.

Also, you have had particular admiration for your Uncle Micah this year.  Or Philbert, as you like to call him.  :)  I’m pretty sure the admiration is mutual.

7) You have started quoting movies, which cracks me up.  Most famously Despicable Me (or Inspicable Me as you say), “Liiiightbuuuulb,” among other things.  You like movies.  You also like video games played on our phones or iPad.  Especially racing games.

8) Two phrases I frequently hear shouted from your mouth are, “INCOMING!” and “DEMOLITION!”  What can I say?  Three sisters and still all boy.

9) You’re cheerful in the morning.  Thank you for that.  And you’re affectionate.  You’re a wonderfully affectionate and loving kid.  You treat your sisters well (most of the time) and you love your newest baby sister, Evangeline.

10) You’re starting to know who God is.  You believe Him to be good and strong.  Stronger than Daddy and Uncle Micah and everyone.  You’re right.  He is.  He is good and strong and powerful and mighty.  He is also just and kind and loving and merciful.  You’re learning that, too.

Seth, you are so dear to my heart.  My heart feels squeezed just thinking about you and the gift you are.  I want so much for you to be strong in your faith.  To trust God with everything.  To live a life of reckless abandon to the cause of Christ.  I want you to do it because Jesus has so captured your attention and affection by His work on the cross that you can’t help but pour yourself out as a living sacrifice of worship.

O Lord, appoint Seth as your servant and son forever, to do many good works for your namesake and your glory.  Gather your sheep in your arms, Lord, and grant that Seth be gathered in as one of them.  Give us wisdom and strength as parents.  Cover over our sinfulness and help us lead Seth to a true knowledge of his Savior and Friend, Jesus.