So Big!

More pics of the one-year-old to come--they're on the other computer.  

This one pretty much says it all though.

Amma on Loving Children

1 John 4:16--And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.  God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

What I specially want to bring you is this: Young children . . . have only one way of knowing how loving [our Lord] is.  They look at us.  If there be any flaw in our love, if we fail them at any point, we make it just so much the harder for them to see, to know, to apprehend, His love.  Do not let us fail our children.  "Love through me, Love of God."

August 14 entry in Edges of His Ways, a collection of daily devotional notes by Amy Carmichael

Celebrating Eight

Festivities started with the family party.  Grandpa McLeran's birthday cookie can be seen in this pic.  Eva, Cael, and good ol' Mom were included in the honorees for this bash as well. (More pics to come in a later post.)  So much to celebrate!

For the next event, Anna talked Daddy and her siblings into helping her make another pinata like they did for her birthday last year.  She enjoyed painting it, and everyone enjoyed bashing it.  The girls all had their line-up order planned out long before pinata time came!

The other big highlight of the birthday play was painting.  (Not to mention the sprinkler to keep everyone cool and the fire to roast their own hot dogs.)  If the level of fun is judged by the messy condition the children leave in, then it's pretty safe to say everyone had a blast. 

Ian the Clown

I'm waaaay behind on posting birthday pictures, but these self portrait shots of a non-birthday boy at one of our recent gala events make me smile too much not to put them up.  We'll get to the true stars of our recent shows shortly.

Motherhood and Identity: Comparison and the List You Need to Tape to Your Forehead

The title of this post is also the title for the July 7 post on the inspired to action blog linked below.  Couldn't do the copy and paste thing for the specific page for some odd reason.  I really do think it's worth a couple extra clicks, though.  She seems very balanced as she reminds us that it's easy as Moms to feel guilty for things we were not commanded by God to do.  Doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God is all that's required--and how that fleshes out will look different from mom to mom.

www.inspiredtoaction.com