summer fun

a father to the fatherless

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5

One day at school a couple years ago I got an urgent call from the music teacher. "Come get 'Mason'! I don't know what happened, but he's crawling under the furniture and crying." 'Mason' was a first grade friend of mine who came to visit me often. I brought him to my office and pulled out the play dough to help him distress from whatever had happened. Soon the story came out. The music teacher was having all the kids make cards for their dads. But you see, 'Mason's' dad had committed suicide when he was three. As you can imagine, while the teacher had great intentions, the assignment was quite traumatic for this little fatherless boy.

'Mason' was a 3rd grader this year, and for the first time, he didn't even once find his way into my office. Therapeutic miracle? Nope. His mother remarried, and he had a dad again. His history is not forgotten, but healing is taking place.

It's not at all uncommon to grow up without a dad in the US. An estimated 25 million (40 percent) children are growing up without fathers in the home. About 13 million (50 percent) children without fathers in the home have never even been in their fathers’ homes. (“American Agenda,” World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, December 13, 1994.)

But I am so thankful that Brett has his Daddy. Daddy has a lot of important things to teach him. Like how to be a committed packer fan. How to spit sunflower seeds. How to fix the dishwasher. How to treat a woman. How to grill the perfect steak. How to swing a bat. How to put faith and family first. And how to take the car to the mechanic. : )

Today, we were joking how before we know it, Brett will be looking down when he looks at his dad, as we anticipate Brett will be much taller than Bryan. When Bryan looks at Brett, he does not see his flesh and blood. But he absolutely positively sees his son.

John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis, is a strong advocate for adoption. Both the Lydia Fund (international adoption grants) and MICAH Fund (domestic African American adoption grants) originated and are primarily funded through his church. In his teachings and writings, he explains how the Bible teaches that God has adopted Christians into His family. He further teaches that "adoption at the horizontal level is rooted in adoption at the vertical level of God adopting us." According to Piper, adopting a child who needs a family exemplifies God's unconditional love and grace towards us who need a savior. He says it much better:

I must say in experiencing the adoption of our son, I have a much deeper understanding of my Heavenly Father's love for me!

growing babies

Brett weighs 18.5 pounds (average) and is 28 inches tall (90th percentile)! Number 2 weighs about 5 ounces and is about 5 inches long (according to babycenter.com)!

life changes

In less than 6 months we will be the proud parents of two little rugrats! And so the life changes begin...or should I say...continue. One of the biggest changes is we decided I would not renew my contract for the 08-09 school year. That comes with mixed emotions, since I really enjoy my work, but what a blessing it is it have the option to stay home! As it turns out, I will return for a short time in the fall, though. My replacement will be taking maternity leave, so I agreed to work the first 6 weeks of the school year.

And apparently 2 kiddos means Bryan has to sell all his toys. The scooter is sold, and his truck is next. That should cover a big part toward the purchase of another family friendly vehicle. Last year, when we were expecting Brett, we purchased a Toyota Matrix. We love it, with it's versitility and average 36 mpg! But, we didn't even get to Georgia before we figured out the thing was too small for a family car. Who knew babies took up so much room, with the pack'n'play, stroller, car seat and on and on? And now, double that! So, we're hoping to get a good deal on a gently used crossover - probably a Ford Freestyle (now Taurus X).

Speaking of gently used, I've been on the hunt for a bargain on a double stroller. (I know, it's early, but since I'm babysitting this summer, it will be put to use right away.) So, after doing some research and test driving, I had my heart set on a Combi Twin Savvy Double Stroller retailing to the tune of $350. Yikes! Well, we found this gently used one on craigslist for four Jacksons!