My baby’s 6 years old!

I can’t fathom that my “baby” has just turned 6. It doesn’t seem possible. But alas, time flies. It was a fun birthday. We celebrated with a family party on his birthday (the 23rd) and had his “big party” the next day with some friends. He wanted a superhero party. So all his superhero friends joined him: his brother (Batman), he of course was Robin, the 4 Reyes kids were the Fantastic 4, Collin & Hope Tumino were Superman and Supergirl, Josh Hendrickson was Spiderman, and Seth Hendrickson was the Incredible Hulk (you’d have to see him to know how perfectly typecast this character was for him). Mom, Dad, sister Hannah and the grandparents were the Incredibles. It was a joy-filled time of playing with symbiotic goo, playing pin the spider on Spidey’s face, and decorating cupcakes with superhero stuff (like Kryptonite, aka green sugar flakes, Spiderman gummies, and various other substances). A fun time was had by all and the kids had an incredible sugar high as they left.

Birthdays are a great time to reflect. We were pregnant and had Jonathan while attending the Pastors College in Gaithersburg, MD. So much has happened since then. A year living in Philly, planting a church in New York and living there for over 4 years, and now living in Ohio. My how God has been good! We have a wonderful life.

God has surrounded us with a great group of people and given us a great home to enjoy. The weather here would be the only possible complaint, only because winter seems to go on and on. But I like wearing sweaters and the kids love playing in the snow. How can that be bad?

So though my son having a birthday indicates that I also am getting older, it’s okay. I seem to be aging well. Though I did notice when I slipped in the ice the other day it took me several days to stop feeling it. My mortality is a reality. The body is a finite thing.

Yep. I’m rambling. Not an unusual occurrence. Just wanted to post something so I’d be faithful to write on this blog of mine (for the 2 or 3 people who may look at it occasionally). Here you go.

To summarize. My son is now 6 which means I’m getting older. But I’m a grateful Mom. So many rich memories and a good life. God has been SO kind to me, one undeserving sinner.

Date Nights again…finally!

I went on a date night Friday night.  Woohoo!  Our life has been all about packing and unpacking for so many weeks that I’ve forgotten how excited I get at the thought of going out with my husband…just me and him.  We didn’t do anything terribly exciting (till we got home of course), but just being out with him in an undistracted way was a blessing.  And to not have to take the kids anywhere for babysitting, knowing they were here and being cared for well by their grandparents was really cool.

Before we went out, I spent some time writing down all the things I’m grateful for in my husband so I could share it with him.  These were some of my thoughts:

How many husbands do you know who would willingly sacrifice financially, emotionally and physically so their inlaws could come live in their home?  In this culture that sometimes doesn’t value the older generation, I think it’s somewhat rare.  I’m sure there are other wonderful husbands that would do this, but I’m blessed mine is one who feels strongly about caring for them.  He’s made a lovely home for them to live in.  That’s so huge! 

Some other things (in no particular order): I love how well he cares for our kids’ souls, keeping watch as they grow in their understanding of their relationship with the Lord; I love his heart to serve and give all he does for the sake of the gospel (he isn’t unique in this – we are fortunate to observe this time and again in the group of churches we are privileged to be a part of); I love how he honors me, as weak and sinful as I am, always taking note of some evidence of grace he’s seeing; I love how much fun we have together – laughter is never very far off around our house; I love that he’s an excellent cook (even though my food pales in comparison to his and it makes it hard to go out and enjoy restaurant food); I love how generous and kind he is; I love hearing him preach with his warm, fatherly delivery – it leaves you feeling like you’re hanging out in a relaxed living room setting but with purposeful instruction and application being fed to you; and I love to see him in a context where he’s leading other men – it’s a joy to watch him extend care;. 

I could go on and on.  This list is not at all exhaustive.  I guess because he’s out of town it makes me appreciate him all the more.  I’m a lucky girl to have such a great husband!  I don’t deserve him but God has given me a good gift.

I’m glad I’ll be picking him up from the airport in another couple of hours.  It’ll be good to have him home.  And soon we’ll have another date night.  Woohoo again!