Spring is here

To begin with, here are a few photos of 3 going on 4 months!

This is Josh and Anna, the kids I babysit. They are fascinated by Ezekiel.

We've had a busy couple of weeks. Last week was Nathanael's birthday, and Dan and Robyn came to visit for a couple of days. They took us out to dinner on his birthday; Nathanael picked Mikuni, when neither of his parents are sushi eaters. But they were great sports! Nathanael spun the birthday wheel and got a free Mikuni t-shirt! All I got when I spun the wheel on my birthday was a lousy shot glass. :) Dan treated Ezekiel and I to our first El Pollo Loco experience, which was delightful, I must say. It far exceeded my expectations. For his birthday, Robyn gave Nathanael a quilt that he had been coveting for many years, and I don't think I've ever seen him so excited about a birthday gift. I got him Season 10 of America's Test Kitchen with the companion cookbook. A gift we both will enjoy, you might say.

As always, the Lord takes care of us in magnificent ways.

Tomorrow will be a big day in Santa Rosa. We'll be talking with them about an arrangement to possibly come to Santa Rosa on a more frequent basis. They've wanted to hire Nathanael for 2 years now, and we are just not yet ready or willing to move out there and make the full time commitment, and we may never be. But they may be interested in having Nathanael come every Sunday to preach. I'm looking forward to finding out more tomorrow. I'm very excited and anxious about the result. I've been praying so hard this week that my mind and heart be in the right place, and that we will make a wise and discerning decision, and that we will be able to set our own desires and wants aside and wholeheartedly seek God's will for us in this matter. Please pray that for us as well.

In other news, my mom is coming tonight! Hooray! She'll be here all next week, and boy, do I have big plans for us (her)! I'd really like to get started on spring weeding and planting. I've decided to try my hand at gardening; but starting small, so as not to get discouraged in my first attempt. I am thinking of trying cucumbers and beans, and a couple of flowers. I also have a few projects in mind for Ezekiel's room.

I worked at the law firm yesterday afternoon. Paulette Hawes watched Ezekiel for us, and then we went over there for dinner. They are delightful people, and I'd love to spend more time with them. In the morning, Michelle, Charlie, Ezekiel and I went to visit Sheryl Colvin. She had back surgery a month ago. It was a lovely visit, and I'm glad we did it. Michelle and I are thinking of making "visiting" an every Friday morning event for the 4 of us.

David and Carrie came to spend Sunday afternoon with us a couple of Sundays ago; we had a GREAT time! They are so much fun, and so encouraging, and I wish we could spend more time with them. They got to meet Ezekiel for the first time, and Carrie sure was excited!

We just found out this week that we'll be going to camp for sure this year. Yay! We're both really excited. The last couple of times that we have been at camp, I have longed to be able to bring a kid to camp. So this year will be something that I've been looking forward to for a long time.

What's going on in Ezekiel's world:

He's had a few firsts this week, some good, some stinky. He rolled (fell?) over from his stomach to his back. He is so close from rolling from his back to his stomach. I can tell he really wants to, he'll arch his back and try to get there, he just needs to get his leg over. He also had his first blowout diaper. Gross.

I've gotten out all of his 3-6 month clothing and washed it and put it in his closet. He has even more than he has of 0-3 month. He's right in the middle of the 2 sizes; some of the smaller stuff still fits him, and some of the bigger stuff does as well. It's fun to have lots of clothing to choose from.

He's purposefully batting at and occasionally grabbing onto toys now, mainly from his baby gym. He gets very intent on the little hanging yellow duck. It is mostly with his right hand, so I wonder if that means he'll be right handed.

Things like rattles and small toys and mirrors are of the utmost interest to him now. He will stare at them for long periods of time.

Just this last week, he has discovered his voice. It's as if one day he woke up and realized he could make all sorts of noises. So there's never a quiet moment around here. (Except for all the moments when he is sleeping, which is still a lot).

Sleep has been great! He sleeps like a champ at night, and is much better about napping in his own bed. I truly could not ask for a better sleeper.

Last Monday I went to my grandmas for lunch. After that, Ezekiel and I stopped by the cemetery. I had been intending to take Ezekiel there for some time now. It was a really nice day out, and we spent a little time sitting by Grandpa Jim's grave. It's a place that I plan for Ezekiel to be familiar with, as I am. I remember as a young girl going there and running around looking at other graves with my sisters. Some of them had pictures, and those were the most interesting ones to look at. As I was driving up to the cemetery, a familiar feeling came upon me; one of peace and comfort. This is a place that I have been coming to since I was 10 years old, and one of the few things in my life that I can count on never changing, except for the growth and seasonal change of the trees and other plant life. I know it is always the 3rd driveway that I drive into, and the stones of the old road are always uneven and cracked. I always pull up to the same spot under the big tree to park, and I always go and sit in the same spot. And perhaps it is because of the sameness of all these things, or perhaps it is because of the lack of life's distractions that I feel closest to my dad here. So I sat there with Ezekiel and watched him as he began getting familiar with his surroundings, and talked to him about his grandpa.