The Three Ring Bearers

My cousin asked if the boys would be ring bearers for his wedding this summer. I was honored and pleased to accept this responsibility, however soon I began to realize that I have three very shy boys and I have to admit I began to get nervous that they would be clinging to my leg and they would be with out a ring bearer at all for their wedding.
In God's sovereignty we had four weddings to attend this summer before the big event so we talked about it often, showed them who the ring bearers were in the other weddings, acted out what their job was, and then had them practice walking slowly while smiling. (without mommy or daddy next to them)

The day finally arrived. The bride was dressed elegantly, the groom was handsome and all smiles while he awaited his big day and the boys were dressed and ready for the "moment".

They waited patiently for their turn to walk, knowing just what to expect, until they saw all the people looking right at them, but even then they kept on walking just away from the crowd. I gently reminded them of the way they should go and they were brave little boys as they walked down the isle with confidence just like they had practiced. They were welcomed with a hug and kiss from their cousin Edye and they were very proud of their efforts.

I must say that I was relieved and pleased that it all went well. They boys enjoyed their treat while we enjoyed listening to the vows of the bride and groom.

After the wedding as we were driving home the boys had many questions. They wanted to know all about the bridesmaids, groomsmen, the pastor, the flowers, the bride, and the groom. They knew that getting married is a special moment in a person's life and they too wanted to be the groom someday. Their dad reminded them that first God will send them a woman that they will love and cherish deeply if it is in His will. Isaiah then asked to pray that God would bring him his wife. With a smile and a tear rolling down my cheek I realized the faith that my son had that God is the one who gives good gifts. Their dad prayed for each one of them and then Josiah wanted to pray too. How sweet it was to hear the voice of a three year old asking God to bring them their wife.

Strawberry Picking....YUM

We took the boys to a U-pick strawberry patch and they LOVED it! It was so fun to watch their excitement when they would find the "perfect" strawberry.

After we had picked for a while we had quite the load of strawberries. Micah wanted to eat all of them! The flavor was so much better than store bought strawberries.

I believe that this is a family tradition that we will have to continue. We got the best deal for the best price...unless we grew our own of course.

Wisdom

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 3:17-18

What Number Are You?

Now that we are finally having some sunny weather here, I got out the "summer box" of clothes. The boys were very pleased to find their "sports clothes" that their Aunt Rie from Japan sent them. They want to wear them all day long.....every day! They wore them yesterday and then wanted me to wash them last night so that they could wear them to soccer club today.

They like to ask people what their number is, since they obviously have numbers of their own now. :) What number are you?

Building Memories

A kind neighbor, Sandra, has supplied our family with many wooden blocks. After a few weeks of them sitting in our playroom practically untouched, Kenta thought the boys needed a little instruction of how to build with them. After the boys had gone to bed, I sat and watched Kenta enjoying himself sorting and carefully selecting blocks to make this wooden city. Earlier in the week he had been telling the boys stories about his childhood. They seemed particularly interested in his memories of building with blocks.
When the boys woke up in the morning they were surprised to find such a fortress waiting for them. They looked at it closely asking many questions about what each building was for. They enjoyed placing their animals in just the right positions.

It did not take long before the fortress was destroyed, but then little fortresses began to emerge. Their creativity has been ignited and they are off to building many memories with these blocks.

Thank you, Sandra, for supplying these blocks and thank you daddy for supplying the creativity.

Butterflies

The boys' Aunt and Uncle gave them a Butterfly Garden for their birthday. We waited until summer to order our larva and begin the process of watching the metamorphosis. It was unbelievable how quickly the caterpillars grew into big large caterpillars. They were "Very Hungry Caterpillars." We were gone a trip while each caterpillar made their chrysalis, but we returned just in time to anticipate the transformation into beautiful butterflies. We got to release four of them into our neighborhood after we watched them for a few days.

Next time I'll have to try and take pictures of the process as it was so interesting to watch. As a child we often tried to capture caterpillars so that we could witness this special event. But I don't recall ever being successful.

Thank you Auntie Joy and Uncle Rick for helping us to witness this amazing transformation with in God's amazing Creation. After watching the worm-like insect change into a intricately spectacular creature. I can't help but reflect upon the resemblance that this process has to the remarkable change that is happening with in my own life. So many times I catch myself being satisfied by the pleasures of the world neglecting the inner joys that are woven into the life of being a Christian. The word "transformed"comes from the Greek word metamorphoo (met-am-or-fo'-o), which means "to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure." The word "metamorphosis" is derived from this word, which we use to describe the process of a caterpillar changing into a butterfly. Why is it that I find myself crawling on the ground when I have already been changed in form into a "butterfly" and could soar above. May the Spirit of God continue to transform my soul that I would reflect the Lord's glory above all else.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Cor. 3:18

My Little Preacher Men

Over the past four to five months, the boys have adopted a small cabinet as their pulpit. Often they get their "preaching books" and stand behind the pulpit and preach away. This entails singing hymns, telling some sort of bible story (sometimes their own version, but they are trying) and prayer.

Sometimes they wear clothes...

sometimes they don't.Either way, it brings joy to my heart as they reflect upon what they have been learning. There are not many sweeter sounds than little voices singing worship to their God or saying prayers to the Almighty.
Sometimes they will get out their pretend bread and little cups to act out the communion service. They call it the bread and the blood...but they have the right idea. They try and talk about the bread being the body of Christ that was broken for us and the "blood" being Christ's blood that was shed for our sin. They always make sure that we all pretend to drink at the same time just like we do in church. I do not know what the Lord has in store for the future of my three little men, if they will be policemen, firemen, convertible drivers, or preachers, but I rest in knowing that they are children of God the Maker of heaven and earth. May their hearts continue to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.