This was too precious not to share:

Yesterday and today I had some treasured conversations with my 3 year old son.

As he climbed around on my lap and feet during his sister's gymnastics class, he suddenly looked at me and said, "Can we pray for God to safe me?"

"What do you mean, Kiddo? You want to ask Him to keep you safe?"

"No, to safe me."

"To save you?"

"Yeah, so He'll pull me up to the sky when I die."

Wow, that came out of no where. We talked a bit, and then he wandered off to some other topic.



Today, again, he spontaneously asked me, "Mom, I want to pray now so that God will pull me up to the sky." I had too quickly forgotten the previous day's conversation and thought he wanted God to make him fly. After a little clarification I realized that his heart had a much more serious goal in mind.


We talked about his naughtiness and God's love and sacrifice. Obviously words like substitutionary atonement and justification did not enter the conversation, but those deep topics wove in and out of our questions and answers.


I asked if he had ever been naughty. He said, "Yes, when I pinched Faith." Yeah, he nailed that one, no explanation needed there. I explained that God was never naughty, and He can't let naughty people into heaven to live with Him forever.


He knew what I meant. He said he wanted to go though. And I let him in on a precious secret. He could go, God wants him there! God still had to punish someone though for his sins.


Nathan pipes up, "So, He decided to punish Himself for my naughties?"


"Why do you say that?"


"Well, Jesus died on the cross for my sins." A phrase that rolls so quickly off a Sunday Schooled tongue even at the tender age of three, but this time he savored the words as he fit them into our present conversation.


"So, what should you do now?"

"I think you should pray for me."

"Sorry, sweetheart, this is a prayer that you must say for yourself."

We talked about what he needed to understand and express to God in prayer, and boiled it down to three things:

- Tell God you know you are naughty
- Tell God you know He punished Jesus in your place when He died and rose again (he said, "turned back into a normal person.")
- Tell God you want Him to be in charge of your life now.


He prayed. In his own sweet, innocent words, He prayed. He acknowledged in that precious way that only a child can that he needed forgiveness. He prayed longer than he ever has for a meal or bedtime. He thanked God for all He had done for him, and thanked Him for promising to pull him up to the sky. After 'Amen' he gave me a big hug and said he was glad that he would be in heaven with me and Daddy forever, and get to see God and talk to Him for real.


That wasn't the end. It is only the beginning. Less than two hours later he argued with his sister, and I pulled him aside and reminded him that he said God was in charge now. He knew. He kept his hands to himself, for now.


I know many more conversations will follow, many questions, much growth. But, for now, I revel in the experience, and the tiny heart seeking real truth.


In other less significant news, Charles is helping me start a new website to compile resources for area homeschoolers. We are trying to track down as many support groups, co-ops, and field trip ideas that we can in the Chicagoland area. It is exciting to see it all come together, but it is also a LOT of work. Check it out if you get a chance, and if you know any homeschoolers in the Chicago area I would love if you shared the site with them, The Chicagoland Homeschool Network.

Aside from that, life is plugging along fairly peacefully right now. Enjoying the arrival of spring, finally, and the developing humor of our little ones.

If you hadn't heard, Flynn and Kristen ahd a little boy on May 1st, Presten. He's amazing, of course!

Paige and Faith spent the week at the Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan with my parents and had a great time, but most of all enjoyed staying in the motorhome and playing board games.  That's my girls.

It's that time of year . . . You know, when our to-do list takes up multiple single space pages and more items are added than removed each day. When simpler sounds better, but choosing what to eliminate seems to take more time than just doing it all (although I think I am skipping Christmas cards this year, is that too awful?)


 Need a little break? I probably took too long of one (10 days of forgetting absolutely everything that needed to be done back home in the next two weeks), but maybe a little relaxation would do you good.


God created an amazing world that brings so much peace when we sit and enjoy it. Here's your chance to relax with some images straight from God's art gallery.

Mountains, waves, beaches, flowers, and waterfalls. Ready to feel that sand between your toes?























Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Luke 12:27






If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! Luke 12:28

Our last sunset in Maui. It is amazing the crowds that gather just to watch the sunset. Wonder why?










To see the real thing, you'll have to head to Maui for yourself. Charles and I had an amazing time of just relaxing together (Blake was there, too, but not really with us). I was amazed how easily I forgot about EVERYTHING that needed doing back home and just relaxed in God's richness and in His blessing of marriage. Wow, what an investment!

I just arrived home from the grocery store and my children raced toward me as I came in the house. Then they raced right past me and out the door.


It took a second, then I realized what was going on. I rushed through our living room and into the kitchen. My husband turned around to see what the ruckus was about, saw that it was me and rushed out the kitchen door about the same time Blake was around to that door (having accidentally locked the front door behind himself on the way out) and tried to push past him to get back to me.

I brief struggle at the door as Charles grabbed him and restrained him long enough for Charles to get back in the door in front of him with the first snow ball of the season with my name on it. All it took was an 1/8 of an inch of snow.


Can't break tradition. Charles ALWAYS gets me with the first snowball of the year. Daddy is still king, Blake.