Creativity and Jello Salad

John has been in creative mode lately. It does his mama good to see him creating balloon creations and creations in the kitchen. Last evening, he made a jello salad. Now this may not seem like much, but it is not something I ever make. Dave actually makes fun of me because of how easy jello is, but yet I never make it. My mom makes yummy jello salads with fruit in them. So...John and I thought we'd try one last night. He did all the work. Yeah! It turned out and is yummy! Extra good with fresh strawberries that we picked.

His other project has been a unique "report" on Abraham Lincoln, one of his favorite people in history. He twisted balloons of various stages of Abe Lincoln's life. The first is Abraham as a baby:

The second phase is Abraham as a young boy with an ax in his hand:

And finally, John himself is dressed as a much older Abraham Lincoln with a wild black beard and a cane:

His own unique version of history.

Beach Time

What a nice week! We spent the last week at Dave's mom and step-dad's in Delaware. Five out of the seven days we were there we went to Ocean City, MD. The boys are old enough now to both go in the ocean by themselves and body surf and dive through the waves. They loved it. Dave and John could spend hours out in the ocean. Josiah likes it too, but also likes to spend a lot of time digging and building creations in the sand. In addition to swimming, laying in the sun, reading and just plain relaxing, we enjoyed walking the boardwalk and continuing our yearly skee-ball tournament. Josiah and I were the champs last year. This year, our title was taken away. Dave and John beat us 6 out of 7 games. Ouch! Think Josiah and I will sneak away to Chuck E's or the Coliseum to get some extra practice in before our trip back to DE next month. Hee hee hee...

Overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's

The boys and I just returned from an overnight visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was amazing to see the difference in my dad. Last time I saw him was the end of April. Now it is June, just two short months later. When I left, he was shuffling around, with his shoulders bent over. He was recovering from major abdominal surgery and was going to begin physical therapy. He has since finished his physical therapy and the change is drastic. He is now walking again--up to 1.5 miles/day at this point. My mom says she cannot keep up with him. He looks great and is joking around once again. It really makes me smile to think of how far he has come. Thanks for all of the prayers.

Long Time No Post

A brand new day...what a blessing to be able to begin again and experience God's mercies anew each day. The kids are finishing school in 2 short days. Wowza! Today Dave and I go into the 4th grade classes to do some ballooning. I will read the story while Dave twists balloons. Then we might teach them something simple to do on their own. The teachers and kids really seem to love this. And it is fun because we can take a book or story that the teachers want the kids to hear and make our own animation out of balloons. Today the kids will be seeing a chicken, a duck and a pig. We are reading "Chicks and Salsa". We also might read "Dogzilla". Cute book, but less creations that can be made from the story.

Last night was amazing. A very powerful storm went through our area at about 1:30 AM. I don't remember a storm hitting so close in a long time. The sky continued to flash repeatedly. The booms were loud. I expected the ground to shake and trees to begin falling around us. It made me stop and ask God if Jesus was returning right then. It was that kind of sobering storm. It reminded me of how powerful God is. It made me bow to Him and ask Him for forgiveness for forgetting how majestic He is. How can I get so caught up in life that I forget these things? We can be wiped off the face of this earth in an instant. I actually love to be reminded of that so that I am sent to my knees. And there I am reminded that through anything...anything at all...God is with me still. Even through death.

This morning I read Isaiah chapter 6. The storm last night allowed me to relate on a small scale to what Isaiah witnessed when he "saw the Lord". It says, "In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, ""Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!"" The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke." (Just like the thunder rumbled the ground and lightning lit up the sky)

Verse 5 shows Isaiah's response to this power. "Then I said, ""My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!""
Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, ""See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed and your sins are forgiven."
"Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?"
"And I said, ""Lord, I'll go! Send me."

What a blessing to see God in all His power. It is so easy to lose sight of how powerful He truly is. What an insult to our mighty Creator. What a gift when we are reminded of who He truly is and when we get to see more of Him. He is love...and He is power. I will bow to Him because He is God.