Swimming must be in the genes. Micah and Bethany took Samuel and Levi this past weekend to a hotel in Grantville, PA, one with an indoor swimming pool. They had a great time. Both boys enjoyed a couple days splashing around in the water and playing with their toys in the room, along with some cartoon watching. They also enjoyed a good “break-ey” Saturday morning featuring yummy pancakes and “milkies.” The joy on their faces almost makes up for our not getting to keep them overnight on Friday. Forecasts call for spring-like temperatures this week, so maybe we’ll get to take them to the park on Wednesday, provided it doesn’t rain. But, hey, since they like the water so much….
Samuel was caught reading a book by himself yesterday. If my math is correct, he’s only 26 months old. Yes, most of his articulation in this clip comes from memory, but he does know his letters and numbers already. My hope is that this will be the start of a lifelong journey of enjoying a good book and beverage as a way of life. Anyway, I just had to share this clip. It’s the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Below are also some other goodies, just because it’s Friday. Included is the new Billy Joel song. He hasn’t produced anything in decades, but this piece is quintessential Billy after a long hibernation. Moreover, the video shows—finally—a good use of AI: Billy at the piano over the years singing his latest song. Quite creative.
Samuel enjoying a homemade snow slide.Levi bundled up and braving the elements.We recently lit the fireplace, though the picture doesn’t do it justice.
A dear lady at church recently asked where all the pictures of my favorite little boys have been. It’s true, I haven’t posted in a while (though I’ve still been scanning all my favorite sites with their fun memes, captivating songs, and wonderful pics and vids). In any event, I suppose the answer to her question is threefold.
First, I wanted to take some time to grieve my mother-in-law. Her death came right before Christmas, and in my vocation, sometimes you just have to put your own emotions on hold for a while and get back to them later. Second, I just submitted another dissertation chapter. It was a fun one, but it was also complicated since it involved heavy doses of Sumerian and Akkadian, which required more concentration than usual. And third, I’ve spent the past couple months cleaning up some projects to better facilitate the “life adjustments” that will be coming soon. (More on that later, maybe.)
In any event, I’ll share some recent shots of the dear munchkins. Oh, how I adore these little guys and am blessed that they live so close. I’ll also try to get some sermon summaries posted soon, too.
Be blessed.
Bonus
Our kitchen renovation was completed last December, but I never posted any pictures of it. Here is one small part of it (hopefully with more snaps to come), shared here because yesterday’s Valentine’s Day gift included a few items to help organize the teas and sweeteners we have at our beverage station.
Move over, Billy Joel. There’s a new piano man in town. His name is Samuel White. Christmas made such an impression on him this year that he’s still singing holiday music. And playing it. It’s not easy to sing and play at the same time, but he’s going for it. His style is somewhere between Elton John and Jerry Lee Lewis. The first piece below is his own recollection of “Joy to the World,” verse 1. The second piece is Rend Collective’s version of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” Enjoy.
Below are more recent pics and clips of Samuel and Levi. They had a blast in the snowstorm last Saturday. Also included are some shots of the new Toy Room I made for them. Their great-grandmother’s bedroom has been repurposed in a way we think she would love. The long-term plan is to take out the inside wall of the addition and make the entire space a large primary bedroom suite, complete with a kitchenette, sizable bathroom, and massive walk-in closet. Emotionally speaking, we’re just not ready to do that yet. Besides, the boys will need a toy room for only so long, so now is the time to let them use it.
Samuel loves being outside in any kind of weather.Levi is not a big fan of the cold just yet.Do you want to build a snowman? Let’s go!Father and son working together.Samuel found a stick for one of the arms.Samuel gave up one of his cheese sticks for the nose.How does snow taste, anyway?
Brotherly love.
More brotherly love.The completed Toy Room.The fully stocked “toy castle.”Lots of options for a fun time.Toys for racing, riding, and jumping.
On the heels of the recent death in our family, I’m hopelessly behind in every area of life right now. What to do? Take a break and do something really fun—post pics and clips of my favorite munchkins. This entry is part 1, and I’ll try to get part 2 up shortly. These boys bring so much joy to my life. May God likewise grant them joy, health, and peace all the days of their lives.
The official Christmas 2023 Samuel picture.The official Christmas 2023 Levi picture.Christmas morning at our house.Samuel loves to play Hot Wheels.
Levi got a moving crab to help inspire him to crawl.
I want a hippopotamus for Christmas.Brothers in the Christmas spirit.Brothers couching at our house.Brothers couching at their house.We love Daddy!
We returned Sunday night from our trip to Hickory, North Carolina, where we conducted funeral services for my mother-in-law, Lorena Moore. It was good to re-connect with family, even on such a sad occasion. She is the second of 14 siblings to pass away, and most of her brothers and sisters came to bid her farewell. The outpouring of love and gratitude was both healing and refreshing. Here is a copy of the funeral bulletin:
Speaking of funerals, today is the tenth anniversary of the death of Dr. David A. Dorsey, my Old Testament professor who I adored. I may post later today the eulogy I gave at his funeral. I miss him a great deal, as do the rest of us on the seminary faculty. He had a high view of God, a high view of Scripture, and a high view of others, even while he himself was the humblest (and smartest) person I had ever met.
Christmas was a real joy, despite the death in our family. We kept our plans in place, and the immediate family gathered at our house for several days to celebrate. The kids, of course, were adorable. They were a bit overwhelmed at times by the sixteen people and two dogs who assembled under our roof. It’s a fairly large place, but when you have two 2-year-olds, one 1-year-old, and a 5-month-old in the midst of all that activity, you get a meltdown once in a while. That said, they were all fantastic and got along beautifully.
We were heavy on the gifts for our kids and their kids this year, but Sonya and I went light on each other. We decided that our newly renovated kitchen—which was completed two weeks ago—was sufficient. One of these days I may get motivated and post a few pictures of it. We’re thrilled with the results. Next up is converting the “Granny Flat” (as we called it) to a master bedroom. We’re not in a hurry, though. We need to grieve and discern what’s next in our lives before moving any walls or reconfiguring things. A few life changes are coming, and those changes could affect what we do with the space.
My sister-in-law got me the complete set of Harry Potter DVDs for Christmas, which totally took me by surprise. I had watched them online years ago just to see what all the fuss was about, but that was during a time when I was burning the candle at both ends, and I kept falling asleep. It will be good to fill in the gaps of what I missed the first time around. I remember them being quite charming and creative with wonderful cinematography and casting. The magical worlds of Narnia and Middle Earth always trip me into the boundless, and I suspect the same will happen with Hogwarts when I’m alert enough to follow the storyline.
There’s so much more to write, but I’ll leave it here for now.
’Tis the season to be grateful. Actually, gratitude is a year-round virtue, isn’t it? But it’s nice to have a special day of focus. Cicero, the Roman philosopher and statesman said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Orrin Woodward, NYT bestselling author on Leadershift, said, “Ingratitude produces pride while gratitude produces humility.” And G. K. Chesterton, the English writer, literary critic, and Christian apologist, said, “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” We have much to be thankful for, even though life has been challenging lately.
One. My mother-in-law continues her steady decline. She’s now on hospice, and we’ve had to learn how to use the equipment necessary to take care of her in (what appears to be) her final months. It’s been a real challenge, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve been so slow to post lately. I really do want to finish sharing those summaries on the book of Daniel. It was such a rich, encouraging, and eye-opening study, and it was hard for me to bring the series to a close. The book is timely as well as tremendous in its own right. I also have a backlog from the “Carved in Stone” series on the Ten Commandments. It just hasn’t been a good year to stay up on these kinds of tasks. I’m pretty sure my life is going to get a significant realignment in the New Year, as my health and sanity will require it.
Two. The boys continue to be a supreme blessing to me in these days. I never realized the joys of love could run this deep, but they do with these two munchkins! They are beyond adorable. When asked what the days of the week are, Samuel says, “Monday, Tuesday, Papa, Thursday….” (Yes, we keep the boys on Wednesday) 😊 That makes me want to melt into a puddle of gooey milk chocolate on a hot gas stove. Below are a few recent pics. We get to host them for Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday; otherwise, it’s a low-key weekend in our house, which is fine by me. Only after Thanksgiving do we start putting up Christmas decorations. That’s carved in stone, too. 😊 Next week we celebrate Samuel’s second birthday.
Three. Speaking of stove, our kitchen renovation project is nearly complete. We’re just waiting on one final cabinet and the new backsplash. The transformation has been amazing. I can’t remember if I mentioned this before, but by securing and managing the subcontractors ourselves, and helping where we can, we’re saving about $20,000 over the estimate we received a couple years ago when we first started kicking the tires on this idea. Given the horrendous inflation over the past several years, that probably translates to about $25,000 today. Happy dance. Even though I can’t dance.
Four. My yearly Advent sob-fest has begun already. This one took me by surprise. I was doing some worship planning recently and wound up listening to the Tabernacle Choir’s rendition of “Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming.” For some reason, it hit a tender spot, and the floodgates opened, perhaps because the load is quite heavy right now.
True man, yet very God, From sin and death He saves us, And lightens every load.
I’ll post the song below.
Five. COVID killed our wonderful choir, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it resurrected in due course, especially since our church is getting a new organ this week. (It’s a gently used though lovely Rodgers organ from Ephrata.) A few of us have been crawling around the organ chambers over the past several days, cleaning things out and getting ready for the new installation. We’re all a bit stiff and banged up from that venture, but I’m ecstatic that it will be operable in time for Advent and Christmas. I’ll also post our church’s Advent letter and lineup in case anyone is interested.
Six. My dissertation is trucking along, but it’s taking longer than it should. Even I—yes, I—am starting to drift into the “Let’s get this thing done, already,” mode. It’s just so tedious to write at this level and do a thorough job of engaging all the heavy hitters who’ve written on my topic over the past two millennia. At last count, I’ve gotten up to 19 languages, and that’s more than enough, don’t you think? Still, I love the research. It’s the academic writing (i.e., being precise, anticipating objections, making and defending an argument, documenting everything, etc., etc.) that’s so time consuming. All in good time, though, right?
Seven. By the time I publish this post, it will be November 22, 2023, the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I wasn’t born yet when that awful tragedy took place, but I became fascinated by all aspects of it when I was in elementary school. And, yes, I’ve done an awful lot of reading on this subject over the years, keeping up with old details and major developments in the case. I had hoped to write more extensively about it on this anniversary, but that’s just not possible this year. Maybe someday. What do I think happened? Let’s just say, “Things aren’t settled until they’re properly settled.” And this crime was never properly settled. Enough said?
Eight. In the spirit of JFK (who died on the same days as C. S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley), let’s end where we began—gratitude. It was President Kennedy who said, “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” In my case, that would take a whole lot of time. And it would include you, the readers of TNL. Thanks for stopping by.
Oddly enough, today I’m thinking about the death of another larger-than-life personality, Princess Diana. Last night I finished watching episode 3 of the final season of The Crown, so it’s fresh on my mind. And it’s stirring up in me the loathing I already had for the media. I’m sitting here wondering if the paparazzi have learned their lesson, or if they’re still greedy, corrupt, and dangerous.
Levi turns four months old today. He’s mostly a happy and peaceful guy, though today he’s under the weather. I look forward to seeing him every chance I get, and I miss him terribly when I don’t get to see him for a while. As is the case with his brother Samuel, we always have a blast together. His favorite games are, “Go See,” “Go Get ‘Em,” “Cheek Thing,” and “Belly Zerbits.” It’s time now to introduce him to the “Levi Sandwich” game!
Do you see any similarities to his brother?
Back to some Levi shots…
“Mom put us down for a nap. Are you planning on sleeping?”
The boys are coming over tonight. They’re crayons this year. Samuel is yellow, and Levi is green. (Micah is red, and Bethany is purple.) I can’t wait to sugar them up and send them home! 🙂
First, life has been a blur since I returned from teaching the latest doctoral residency out of state. This particular cohort has 15 students in it, and their nascent dissertation topics are fascinating. We had a good three days together and lots of laughs to go with all the intense study. Teaching is a blast, but residencies are grinding, all-day events, and traveling can be exhausting.
Second, speaking of dissertations, my second one is moving along nicely, but I had to slow down the writing process a bit to learn the basics of Sumerian and Akkadian. Cuneiform writing is interesting, to say the least. Let’s just say that our generation did not invent emojis. 😊 I should be able to get back on pace after finishing up about four or five more paragraphs on the etymology of a key word in my study.
Third, it was marvelous having the boys yesterday. I missed them terribly while I was away. Below are a few pictures of their continued adorableness. I got choked up putting Samuel down for a nap in the afternoon. He’s such a kind and happy little boy, and I love him to pieces. Levi is starting to roll over and get chattier. It’s fun to see his personality emerge. As the old saying goes, “I could eat him with a spoon.” I’ll see them again tomorrow for Friday Fun Day. We have a few new activities planned for the day.
Fourth, our kitchen remodeling project is going well. The items that have been installed so far are stunning. If my calculations are correct, we’re going to save about $23,000 by securing and managing the contractors ourselves. I may share some pictures later—after the project is finished.
Fifth, this Sunday I get to preach on Daniel 9 and his vision of the 70 weeks. It’s a challenging passage to decipher, but once again, we’ll be dealing with prophecy, eschatology, messiah, atonement, antichrist, and the end times. I claim no expertise on some of these matters, but I can’t think of a more important subject to teach on. We’re getting closer to the imminent return of Jesus, aren’t we? May we all be ready for that glorious moment.
Sixth, my mother-in-law continues to decline. She’s not ready for hospice care yet, but she does need round-the-clock skilled care, and we’re trying to manage all the personnel to make that happen. Sonya is determined to get her mom across the finish line in her own home, which is an apartment we added to our house a few years ago. Never has a mother had a more devoted daughter. Still, what an ordeal. Those panic attacks I had about 12 years ago are trying to make a comeback. Thankfully, so far I’ve been able to keep them at bay without meds. A real panic attack is horrible and horrendous when it happens. I do not want to start having them again. One idea in the works to eliminate one or two of my secondary jobs. Stay tuned.
Seventh, getting older might be one reason the MIL situation is such a challenge. These days I crave solitude and quiet for reflection, research, and writing, but that’s just not in the cards right now. Speaking of age, my college swim coach told me years ago that my knees would become arthritic one day because of hitting the walls so hard in flip turns as a sprinter. I’m wondering if that joyful dynamic has begun since my right knee feels mildly sore all the time, especially in the morning. We’ll see what the doctor has to say about it next week when I go to see him for a routine checkup. At least I’m not gray yet! (Actually, that’s kind of odd for someone my age.) Still, my hair has gotten a bit thinner in recent years, and the grays are trying to make an appearance at the temples. Since I’ll probably look a bit different in a year or two, anyway, I might just grow a goatee and see what happens. 😊
Eighth, the demise of the Phillies was hard to watch again this year. They had the league championship well in hand, and then they squandered it. That’s not a surprise. I’ve often said that the Phillies are always good enough to give you hope, and bad enough to break your heart. This year’s flameout was especially disappointing. Still, they’re my team, and I’ll never stop cheering for them. I attended eight games in person this year and watched most of the rest as opportunity allowed. Our next Opening Day is Thursday, March 28, 2024.
Ninth, speaking of the Phillies, I remember them playing “Viva La Vida” and some other Coldplay tunes during batting practice a few years ago. So, below are a few selections just for old time’s sake. And what would an update post be without a meme or two? Until next time, enjoy this glorious fall weather we’re having in Eastern Pennsylvania.
Between working on getting ready for the apologetics conference last week and digging into a few ancient Sumerian and Akkadian words this week, I’ve gotten behind in uploading pictures and videos of the boys as well as posting recent sermon summaries from our Daniel series. Thanks for your patience as I try to get caught up over the next several days. We’ve been having a blast in Daniel, especially its eschatological (end times) dimensions.
Enjoy these snaps and vids of my beloved munchkins. I’m especially delighted by Samuel’s euphoria when Levi tries to say hi to him. I’m not sure how much more adorableness I can take from these two. 😊
Levi turned two months old today. He celebrated by staying at our house from 8 to 4, along with his brother, Samuel. These two together are unbearably cute, and I love them to pieces. Levi and I had a good 20 minutes of just looking and smiling at each other. He’s in the cooing and pooing stage. 🙂 Samuel was his usual delightful self, charming us with his cheerful spirit. I think I read The Little Red Caboose to him four times today. He participates in some way on every single page (i.e., speaking, pointing, laughing, lunging, waving, etc.). Below are just a few scenes from Levi’s milestone.
💙 💚💙 💚💙 💚💙 💚
Levi at two months old.
Wait for it…Samuel (above) and Levi (below) at the same milestone.
Bonus:
Micah made a special step stool for Samuel so he could help with the dishes. He loves them both (climbing the stool and doing the dishes)!
What? A song about rain, and it’s not from Enya? Yes, and this one goes all the way back to 1980. Sheesh! There’s no real message to this song other than, well, “I love a rainy night.” 😊 That, and maybe the escapist notion of showers washing away the cares of the world, giving way to a sunnier day to come.
What I don’t love about rainy nights is how they sometimes wreak havoc on the neighborhood trees. A blast of wind sheared off the top of a tree in Micah and Bethany’s front yard, and it landed right across their driveway. Drew and I were able to run down and move it out of the way, no problem, before the kids got home.
Speaking of kids… 💙😊🩵😊💙
Levi getting to know his Poppi.Samuel making homemade pizza with his Mimi and his cousin.
Samuel and Levi are coming to our house tonight so Bethany and Micah can have a date night. We’re so excited to have them. Samuel is staying overnight, but Levi will need to go home for his feedings throughout the evening. Someday Levi will be able to stay overnight, too, which is great because the Friday night pizza/sleepover is becoming a thing, and I love it! Pancakes follow on Saturday morning. 😊
Last night we had a spontaneous rendezvous at the Fairlane Avenue Park here in Myerstown, followed by take-out dinner from Tosco’s, our local Italian restaurant. (Wherever I’ve lived, the Lord has made sure there’s a high-quality Italian place right down the street!) The weather was perfect, and we had a delightful time. I even had a “mush moment” at one point, quietly thanking God that our beautiful munchkins live so close that we get to see them often.
Oh, and fall is in the air. What could be better?
Have a lovely weekend. Be blessed.
💙 💚💙 💚💙 💚💙 💚
Levi has a laser focus, and he’s starting to smile at us.
Such a happy boy.Samuel loves to pick the garden. Unfortunately, he doesn’t like to eat most of what he picks.
He knows what he’s picking, too. It’s o.k. that he stumbles at okra. No one needs to know what okra is.
Learning to spell one’s name can be hazardous.
When you love your baby brother, you just have to say so.
The song is dated, but the chorus is iconic and has been adapted by several sports teams. Skip the raunch in the later verses.
