Ethan is one bright, dear boy who has been loving and affectionate from birth! He loves to make people laugh and is always saying "you're so funny" while he waves his hand forward at you (mimicking the grown-ups). He's doing well in school and seems to really enjoy how fun his teachers make it for him. He actually works VERY hard for a 4 year old from 8:30-3 every weekday, but his school is great at making him think he's just playing most of the time. He continues to be very motivated and it is obvious to everyone that he really wants to talk, so this is a good thing! The cochlear implant in his left ear is working well, but the jury's still out on how quality the sound is that he's receiving. Only time will tell as he progresses in speech and auditory skills. Since his right ear is completely deaf, we are hopeful his left ear will provide enough clarity for him to communicate verbally. It's a long, hard road, so we are learning patience in the process.
Levi is now 3, and likes to tell everyone so! He's my big boy helper and is always telling me his aspirations for when he's "big like Papa"... things like flying to the moon, riding in a hot air balloon, and drinking coffee. His goals in life are either grandiose or menial which I find very amusing! When he finds stickers around with words on them (like on bananas at the store) or opens fortune cookies, he informs me that it says we're going to the park that day, or that we're going to eat fruit snacks and go to the library. Funny little guy...he came up with this idea of event planning all on his own.
Judah is a strong little 20-month old in every way. Very tough when it comes to boos boos, and determined to get his way in all things (which has called for a lot of training for a boy his age!). He is too cute and has somehow learned to use that quality to his advantage, so I often have to hide my smile from him when his stubborness comes across as cute. He has achieved his goal of keeping up with his big brothers pretty well. People are always surprised how well he gets around the playground at his age!
In May, Jeff became interim pastor at a small Baptist church nearby, and he also joined the Army National Guard as a chaplain. He just finished up his month-long "boot camp" and accomplished things he hasn't done since his early twenties... 65 push-ups immediately followed by 46 sit-ups and a 15 minute 2-mile run!! Since I can barely do one push-up and am gasping for air after jogging about 20 feet, I am impressed to say the least! I am so proud of him for pushing himself as hard as he's had to in order to do so well on the physical side of things. He also went to Haiti this past summer with his unit for a few weeks, which gave him unique opportunities for ministry. So, we are thankful for these ministries the Lord has provided and for the church's support of his chaplaincy.
I am staying busy learning how to love and serve my husband (who I am learning is God's greatest gift to me besides salvation) and my children. I am not naturally self-disciplined, organized, or a lot of other things I would like to be as a homemaker, so I am thankful for grace and sanctification to become...better. I enjoy serving in our church by helping with nursery, singing, helping Jeff administratively, and also participating in the ladies' ministry. I am hoping to start a study with the ladies on the book called Becoming God's True Woman edited by Nancy Leigh de Moss. I am excited for the challenges this will pose to us all to become more like Christ.
We are still renting a small apartment, so would love to find a place we can call home for a while during our time here. We are dreaming of a bit larger place with the main qualification being that it has a large backyard for the boys to play in! And a garage without 2 flights of stairs to get to it (with 3 little boys and gear in tow) would be a nice perk as well! So, we'll see...
1 comment:
Wow--they are really growing up!
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