Bethany and the boys traveled to North Carolina this week along with Sonya to visit Sonya’s brother, so I’m missing Samuel and Levi right now. I’m grateful for the Face Times we’ve had, but I’d rather play with them in person and give them belly zerbits. It sounds like they miss me almost as much as I miss them, but they’re having a blast.
Uncle Joel works at (and lives right next to) a golf resort, so he took the boys on a ride in his golf cart. I think they’re hooked. Aunt Donna had a massive spread of Thomas the Tank Engine trains for them to play with. So, they’re feeling all the love. In the meantime, I’m just getting caught up on some projects that have piled up during my recent speaking gigs. So is Micah. We pledged not to bother each other this week. We’re just two introverts meeting together in separate places. 😊
Levi’s birthday was last week, but my summer speaking schedule is crazy, so I’m just getting around to posting this photo dump. Since he loves Lion King and all its music, the theme of his party-in-the park this year was, “I Just Can’t wait TWO be king.” Yes, the terrific twos have begun. He’s a joy and a delight to my heart—nothing “terrible” about him at all. Enjoy the pics and vids.
I say the same thing about ice cream, cookies, and every other fun thing they like to nibble on at snack time.
And every time their smiling protest is the same: “No, yummy!”
Speaking of yucky, I had another little phrase I used to say to them on occasion, and they would always giggle disproportionately to what I thought the line deserved.
If I spilled something, or found a stain somewhere, or saw a wiggly worm in the driveway, I would say with a grin:
“Yucky Pooh Bear!”
And they would laugh. I mean, really laugh.
But I never understood why.
Until recently.
Turns out they thought I was saying, “Yucky poop air!”
So, now I get it. (The laughter, I mean.)
Little boys and their bodily functions—things they’ll always enjoy giggling about, I guess. It’s just nature running its course.
Now that I know what they think I’m saying, I still say it to them.
After we got home from our vacation to Myrtle Beach, I got right into a week-long speaking gig, so I’ve been slow to post. Sorry! But the beach was marvelous, the camp was exciting (with full altars every night and many powerful testimonies of God at work, including among the teens), and now I have a random picture dump of our two little munchkins. (I guess that’s redundant, huh?) They love the outdoors and all the activities that the summer weather allows.
On a totally unrelated note, my temples have started graying a little. Ugh! But it’s still not as pervasive as most guys my age. And I still feel pretty young. (Losing 65 lbs. helped.) Now it’s back to the grind and the disciplines. But even those can be joy-filled, too. Happy Independence Day, everyone!
Yes, I’m still on the planet. We just got consumed with VBS, several day trips with the boys, a few church facility improvement projects, and now a long-planned vacation to the beach. We leave right after the worship service tomorrow, and we’ll be meeting up with my brothers- and sisters-in-law for a no-rush, no-agenda getaway. My goal is to read and relax a whole lot…while talking to as few people as possible. 😊 Below are a few random shots of recent shenanigans.
Samuel and Levi enjoyed touring the local airport.Thomas the Tank Engine was waiting for us in Strasburg.Samuel loves choo-choo trains.Levi loves my sneakers.Our vegetable garden has started to erupt.After least year’s weed infestation, I thought I would try a new approach.Radishes, (late) onions, carrots, two kinds of green beans, two kinds of peppers, and four kinds of tomatoes.On the tire swing at the Pretzel Hut.
I was attacked by two bubble monsters on my own patio.
Alas, Samuel and I have only one more Saturday swim lesson together. But we may enroll him in future lessons so he can keep learning. Not only that, Levi keeps asking, “Levi’s turn?” We’re going to sign him up in the fall, so I get to do this all over again. Have I mentioned lately how much I’m enjoying this?
Our Friday pizza-movie night is always a highlight of the week, and tubby-time is often a highlight of pizza-movie night. The boys were filthy last night, especially their feet. They helped plant new flowers on the front side of the house, and it’s a wonder there’s any dirt left in the flowerbeds. But, oh what a terrific tubby time they had afterwards. Thank you, Samuel and Levi, for all the joy you bring to our lives.
Bonus
I just discovered a Coldplay concert on Amazon Prime and took a trip down memory lane.
Levi was dedicated to the Lord this past week at his home church. It was fitting that the occasion fell on Mother’s Day. During the ceremony, Samuel burped. And just in case anybody missed it, he smiled and said, “Burp!” At one point, Levi yawned, and the pastor said, “O.k., I’ll hurry up.” It was delightful to be there.
After church, we went out to eat and then hung out at our house for a bit. The video below shows Levi walking around with a doughnut, complete with icing on his nose. The first pic is from the dedication, and the other is from Saturday’s swim lesson with Samuel. Only three more sessions to go. Levi keeps asking when it will be his turn. I’m ready whenever they sign him up!
“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:3)
I just found out that I’ll be taking Samuel to Saturday morning swim lessons at our local YMCA. The 30-minute classes start later this month and go through early June. The best part is that I’m allowed to go in the water with him to help him work on his skills!
I’m beyond excited to spend some quality aqua-time with this little guy. He already loves the water with the protection of assistive flotation devices, but now it’s time for him to learn how to swim. Maybe someday he’ll take up the sport and swim competitively like yours truly. But whatever he and his brother get into, I’ll be in the stands cheering them on.
Below are a few recent pics. Some are from our church’s Easter Egg Hunt, some are from the birthday bash we had for Andrew last week, and some are from the current parking lot renovation project at our church. Enjoy!
Samuel and his daddy at the egg hunt.Samuel likes the fancy ones.Sonya helping Levi.“I can do it myself, Gaga.”Assessing the haul with daddy.Samuel won the top prize at his church’s egg hunt.The boys and I checking out the construction project. Do you like our matching Phillies hats?Let’s make it a picnic.Little boys love dirt.And little boys love construction vehicles.I tickled Samuel all night at Tino’s Texas Roadhouse birthday dinner.Did I mention that little boys love dirt?
Life with these little guys keeps getting better and better. They’re eager for warmer weather, but they enjoy the snow, too. It’s the bitter cold they can do without. (I’m guessing that’s genetic.) Samuel informed us a few weeks ago that we’ll be joining him and his brother Levi at the Outer Banks later this year. O.k., then. It’s a date!
Bonus
Here’s a rich and helpful song for those clinging to faith in the hard times. We just started singing it at our church.
The past month has been a flurry of hospitality at our house, so I haven’t had a lot of time to write blog posts. From the various Christmas parties and out-of-town guests we’ve hosted, to last week’s church Epiphany party at our place, I’m now ready for that long winter’s nap. Before collapsing, I thought I would share some random photos from the last several weeks. As always, the highlight was standing at the front of the church with the whole crew at the end of the Christmas Eve service, holding candles during “Silent Night,” “King of Kings,” and “Joy to the World.” Samuel took his role very seriously, holding his (battery-operated) candle high for Jesus. Alas, we don’t have a picture of that precious moment. Otherwise, Enjoy!
The Christmas table is set.The renovated kitchen made serving a breeze.Our guests seemed to like the beverage center, complete with the tea collection.By tradition, the boys “camp out” in their living room on Christmas Eve.Levi, our little star.Joyful Samuel getting ready for bed in his new PJs.Uncle Joel playing baseball with the boys in our backyard.Now batting, little Levi.Samuel had to show off his tree fort that Papa made him.Over Christmas, “Buddy” is the name of a dog, not an elf. Boom whackers were a hit for the cousins.Most of the new toys were a hit.Grown-ups playing Mexican Train, always a blast.Bundled up blessings.
We took the boys to Cabella’s to see the animal displays.Samuel and Papa on the footbridge.Little boys love their marbles.Cousins came and went……and posed for the annual picture when they were here.Feasting is fun. And messy.We got the boys a snow rocket, which they love (with or without snow).
Old Saint Nick may be jolly, but his lap is apparently terrifying to little boys. Samuel and Levi gave it a try last week, but it didn’t go very well. (I seem to remember responding in a similar way when I was their age.) I’m not sure how often such reactions take place this time of year, but I hope that guy behind the beard is properly compensated.
More to Levi’s liking is that cheery, campy little song, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” His brother was quite obsessed with it last year, and this year it’s Levi’s turn to get down with it. So, to demonstrate that Levi can get seasonally excited, too, below are some of his dance moves. Try not to smile.
When Sonya and I were doing our undergraduate work at West Virginia University, we had the privilege of writing a few songs with Jon Swerens, my college roommate from Ohio. He was a wonderful keyboardist, and he had a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer with a multi-track recorder on it. That device enabled him to orchestrate our songs right there in the dorm.
During the Advent season of our junior year, the three of us were thinking deeply about the mystery of the Incarnation. I was a relatively new believer at the time, but I was eager to study, learn, and “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Others who were in the faith before I was, including Jon, taught me a lot about Christian orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Those days in the dorm with Jon were magical, and I was blessed to serve as the best man in his wedding after graduation.
In November-December of our junior year, we wound up writing a Christmas song titled, “Fully Human, Fully God.” It was our best attempt to express all that we understood to be true of the enfleshment of God in Christ in Bethlehem two millennia ago. We tried to make the song as majestic as we could, pushing it to crescendo like most other power ballads of the day, something fit for a king. Something fit for the King.
The lyrics were thick, and the instrumentation was heavy. The message was lofty, and Sonya did it justice with her operatic pipes. Sandi Patty couldn’t have done it better. In the end, it wasn’t a great piece, but we thought it was a respectable effort for a couple of novice songwriters. We gave it B/B+.
The project wore us out. All that study. All that theology. All that writing and re-writing. All that struggle to capture the mystery and majesty of God becoming one of us in the person of Christ. We were physically and emotionally drained—right at the time we were supposed to be gearing up for finals.
One night as we were reflecting on the project, we quickly agreed that we had missed something. We were all a bit unsatisfied with what we had produced, and yet it was hard to put our finger on exactly why. At one point I said something along the lines of: “You know, for all that complex theology and soaring orchestration, we dare not ever miss the simplicity of Christmas—and the humble, childlike response we’re supposed to have to it.”
As it turns out, that was the missing piece. Jon quietly processed our postmortem, stilled himself before the Lord over the next few days, and then started writing again. After sharing with me his nascent thoughts and simple melody, I suggested a few lines and rhymes, along with a title for the new composition. We called it, “Nativity.”
Musically, Jon nailed it. It was so simple. So gentle. So light. So peaceful. Neither the instrumentation nor the theology was heavy or profound, but as Oswald Chambers once said, “Beware of posing as a profound person—God became a baby.” Quite significantly, we were much more satisfied with this second attempt. The first song touched our minds, but the second one touched our hearts.
I wish I still had the original soundtrack, but the recording is lost to history. I can reproduce the basic melody and chord structure on a keyboard, but Jon’s expert orchestration is gone, except in our memories. Consequently, I’ll just share the lyrics below. They came to mind last week while I was playing with Samuel and Levi.
Those beautiful boys make my heart overflow with love and gratitude on a regular basis—not unlike what happens to me when I ponder the Incarnation each December. They remind me of the childlike response we’re supposed to have to “Emmanual,” God with us—even after we’ve long since grown up.
Nativity
Let me be your angel singing loud and clear “Jesus Christ is born” Let me be your shepherd leaving flocks behind Just to see the Lord I owned an inn before I shrugged and closed the door Help me leave the world behind Let me worship you
Let me be your star burning bright and far For all to see Let me be your swaddling clothes Warm your heart in me O let me be that night When all was calm and bright Let me be your manger, Lord Come and rest in me
It’s been far too long since I’ve posted pictures of our munchkins, but these little guys continue to be a source of great joy and delight in my life. I’m beyond blessed to be able to watch them on Wednesdays and Friday nights (i.e., the pizza and sleepover night). A few shots below show their love of tractors and trains. You can also see their Trunk-or-Treat costumes—a firefighter and a Dalmatian, with Mom and Dad serving as the firetruck. Super adorable! My own “trunk” this year conveyed yet another post-season collapse by the Phillies. Only one word came to mind for the sign. 😊
Our little guys are gone this week. As summer hastens into fall—yay!—the family decided to head off to the Outer Banks for some final fun in the sun. Samuel and Levi are having the time of their little lives. Not only do they love swimming and building sandcastles, they’re learning to look for crabs at night. They’re having such a blast I’m not sure they’ll ever want to come home again. If not, I’m moving there myself.
