jump

Hilliard Family + Miller Family + Dean Family = Fun.

almost like a honda odyssey

our new minivan arrived via fed-ex today.

snow much fun

little people have fun and we do too.

These little people are pretty special. Josh and Caleb had more fun with their friends, Annie and Ellie, than we've seen them experience in a long time. Don't be fooled, the IKEA kids section is feels limited after thirty minutes, getting lost in the kitchen section, two potty breaks, a hurt knee, four kids in a stroller while infant and car seat are in two other hands, and a broken ice-cream machine... but for the parents of these children, who might I say, also spent more time laughing and encouraging each other than normal, it was a great weekend as well. 

It's a rare thing (married people know this, and soon to be married people hope for this) when both the husbands|fathers and wives|mothers equally enjoy time together. So, when it does happen, it is a good thing. 

Yep, we are people-people, but I'll admit even people-people get a little peopled-out sometimes, but in this case, when the main thing, stays the main thing, the whole time, there is abundant Life that is obviously from Him. Rather than being peopled-out, our hope has been strengthened. 

Rob and Denise - thank you for a great weekend where our families could enjoy each other and be reminded of what is eternal, and what really matters. We are thankful for your friendship. And yes, baby Luke, did cry much of the way home, but then again, who really likes being strapped into a car seat for a long time? Good thing is, no car seats are needed in Hong Kong if you don't have a car. Patience Luke. Patience.  

And now dear children, continue to LIVE IN HIM, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed at His coming. 1 John 2:28

I love my mom.

No, it's not Mother's Day, or Grandmother's Day, but for sure
this is one great woman.

these people make me laugh.

Today for the most part is a day to do nothing, on purpose. It is so good to be around these little clowns. When Luke is old enough, I'm pretty sure the laughter will be multiplied all the more. It's days like this where its cool / rainy and we're forced to stay inside that random hilarious moments happen. 

i'm glad it's leather

Moments before this photo was taken, little Luke demonstrated impressive water pressure, arching a steady stream of baby pee (sterile of course) all over the couch. Come on over. I won't tell you which one. I'm glad it's leather.  Just when you think you know how to gauge whether or not to get the umbrella... yikes, wrong again. Now -- the littlest man is sleeping on my chest. I hear every little breath... and I'm watching "Feasting on Waves w/Alton Brown". 

the new normal in black and white.

The new normal is good. Really good. I've been reflecting more on "just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him" and another part of new life is the idea of delight. Eye to eye, little moments where you are quiet enough to hear someone else breathing, content enough to simply be there, and really just be... there. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you to desires of your heart." Ps 37:4 

my new normal.

Before, I was dead in my transgressions. Estranged from God. Alienated. 

Now, I have been rescued, redeemed, adopted into the family of God. 

Before, I was powerless to choose righteousness, enslaved to sin, consumed by my flesh.

Now, I have Christ in me, living in me, being my strength, enslaved to righteousness, and my flesh has been crucified. I am dead to sin. Alive to God. Sin lives in me. Wages war in me. 

But it is not me. I am His and He is my Father, my God, my Sustainer. 

The new normal for us as a family, means less sleep these days, lots of dirty little diapers, different schedules,more flexibility with each other, more intentionality with all three children and each other, more responsibility.

Life is different now. This is our new normal. 

Normal life this week is looking different than last week's normal life. 

Before Christ, the normal was death, sin, struggle. Normal. Expected. Now in Christ, the normal for every believer has to begin with living FROM a relationship with Christ, THROUGH daily dependence on Christ, for the glory (recognition, amplification, exaltation) of Christ. 

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live (your new normal) in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:3-7

My new normal is to walk in hope, to love with His love, to choose right with His strength, to resist my sinfulness by His grace, and to / live / walk / act / love / think in terms of who I am in Him (my new normal). 

grass.

I cut the grass on my John Deere riding mower, for probably the last time in a long time. It was a holy moment for me. Really. I think about how many fun hours I've had on the green machine -- almost every time I've used it, Caleb and Josh have been on my lap. It's what we do. We cut grass. 

As I rode the mower, I thanked Father for the many memories, a beautiful yard, and the adventure He is inviting us into. The journey is always the point until we reach our ultimate destination in eternity. It makes me all the more aware how invaluable it is for me to embrace and invest in the lives around me, whatever I'm doing. Cutting grass included. 

I realized something - there are moments in life where things are so amazing we'd never forget. No help needed. But the commonplace things in life, like cutting grass -- those are memories forged over time and repetition... and being intentional with people nearest you.  

28 days or one month or four crazy weeks

One month or 4 crazy weeks. 9 showings. 2 offers.

Sold today. The market is bad. God is good. 

When the time is right, it's a really cool story, one well worth sharing. 

In the mean time, one more step in our recent journey to downsize and de-clutter. 

One prayer: "Yes Lord, walking in the way of your truth, we eagerly wait for you, for your name and renown are the desire of our souls" Isaiah 26:8

the gift card road rally.

The gift card adventure:

Stop 1- starbucks $.55 iced caramel macchiato
Stop 2- Stein Mart $14.01- little outfit for baby luke
Stop 3- Motherhood Maternity -$3.23 Undisclosed April items
Stop 4- Belks $33.01 (actually old Parisians credit)
Stop 5- Dillards $31.09 - shoes for Josh.
Stop 6- johnny Carinos $26.33 - chopped salad and pizza for the family + tip.

Who knew we had more than $100 in credit lying around. It was a great day. 

Look for your old merchandise credits. It all adds up. 

why blueberries are expensive.

Now I know why blueberries are expensive. This saturday morning, we went "pickin" for these lovely little morsels of juicy goodness. 

Hot. 

Not to mention, April and I forgot shoes for Josh. What kind of parents are we? 

His feet were blackish blue from the fallen fruit. Nothing a couple baby wipes can't remove.

It was a good day. 

Caleb was in charge of water. 

We picked two gallons. 

happy birthday to my little fellas

yes. I do.

So - I just need to say, these two bring me great joy. So much of how I relate to our Father - is shaped by either my imperfections (in light of His perfection) or my inexpressible love for them (in light of His love for me) - and as I have enjoyed fathering these two boys this week, I am reminded what a privilege, blessing, and honor it is to be their father. 

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us - that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

more than acknowledgments

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor 4:16

And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists, and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

For many years of my life, my "faith" rested on what was seen, on information, and feelings. The turning point came when by grace my eyes were closed, and the eyes of my heart were opened (Eph1:17-23) to move beyond acknowledgments about God. I think about the difference between Josh and Caleb saying what I already know to be true (like - Yes, you are our father.) and what is happens because of them knowing the truth (like - yes, you are our dad, and all we want to do is what you are doing. You love us and we love you. Can we wrestle? ) 

This morning, I was leaving for work, and the boys were watching The Wonder Pets. We normally don't allow them to watch tv in the morning, but today was an exception. I was telling them goodbye, but truth be told, I was in their way... of the tv. All I got, was an acknowledgment... a courtesy nod, and then back to tv. 

I've been thinking about how often I give Him a courtesy nod. Hey God... and then move on with my day. But that verse in Hebrews 11:6 is getting to me. More than belief, He also wants me to treasure Him, confidently believing He is the best of everything I could ever know or experience. 

Most days, Josh and Caleb are passionately in pursuit of me, doing anything and everything they can to be with me, play with me, go with me, be around me, enjoy me ... to the point, where I (as a mere human father) reach my end. By the end of most days, I have given my everything (and loved it) and I'm on E. A good nights sleep, and I'll start all over again... 

But the point - The One who has redeemed me never grows tired, never reaches E, never has to dig deep and find more life - HE is LIFE, and He promises to reward me when I earnestly seek Him. So, for today, I am earnestly trying to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. 

life before luke.

When I got home today, I was attacked by two water-gun-wielding midgets. The war was on. Within moments Josh and Caleb were were soaking wet. They didn't realize I am an expert water gun assassin. In fairness to them, I was soaked as well. Tonight was one the nights where we packed a lot of things in before sunset. Water gun war. Riding "big red" in the woods looking for mud. We saw a hawk and deer tracks. We then went fishing. Caught nothing. Great times.  

Here are some things I don't want to forget about the past 24 hours.

1. April and I had a great visit with my parents last night. Very encouraging. 

2. Seeing Josh and Caleb sword-fight their "dee-dee" (my dad). 

3. Thinking about ISA 42, Phil 4:8 all day. 

4. Making pad-thai with April for dinner. 

5. Reading "Don't Worry Bear" and "The Tricky Fox" before their bedtime. 

6. Praying with J/C about snakes and frogs God made. 

7. Seeing plans for October's trip to HK come together. 

8. $1000 reminder God is committed to GCM (and paying for a Ugandan friend to join us this year)

9. Jon & Kate + 8 = Vomit episode. Was Jon really breathing that loud? 

10. Seeing adoption paperwork / updates go faster than expected. 

11. Catching a lightning bug with Josh. 

12. Asking Caleb what his favorite animal was? Green. 

grayton beach + us.

After being away from home for two weeks... it's great to be back. We spent the past week with family in Grayton Beach, FL. Here some of my favorite moments of the week. 

1. Dad and I trying (unsuccessfully) to collapse a portable shade tent. While following instructions, we somehow managed to sheer metal, screws, and disassemble what used to me a square-like canopy into a mangled mess of metal. 

2. PF Changs @ Sandestin. Two words: Hec-tic. 

3. "Fishing" via nets with April during low-tide. Perhaps a new hobby. We did yield about 11 small minnows. 

4. Basmati Asian Restaurant with April, Daniel and Lindsey. Great food, better conversation. 

5. Everyone in our family having fun on the beach. 

6. The Bucket List and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. 

7. Bike rides to Seaside with Dad, Josh, and Daniel. 

8. Reading to Josh about Mei-Mei and Happy Hens. Playing the flying hand game with Caleb. 

9. Breakfast with Dad, hearing about his parents, grand-parents, and childhood memories. Not to be forgotten, is the mason jar, Wilma, "special silverware", hong kong trivia, and really good bacon.  

10. Breakfast with April @ Another Broken Egg Cafe. Conversations about future plans. 

11. April got her best haircut ever. 

12. Mom saying, "I feel like we haven't really had a conversation..." Not yet at least. 

13. Losing my car keys. Driving home 4 hours and realizing I left my office keys there. Classic. 

14. The Wedding Ceremony of Pinky and Bluey by Rev. Josh Dean.

15. Low-Country Boil. 

NYC + us.

yep. 

central park west slide. 

museum of natural history with my little

best friend who loves dinosaurs. 

museum of natural history.

little guys in central park. fun.

manhattan childrens museum to be followed by

a great deli lunch with free pickles. 

our view for the week. crazy blessing on central park west. 

my favorite.

on the road again. rail actually. from bernardsville, nj

seeing family we love. 

times square, on the way to see the 10:20pm

showing (with children) to "Horton Hears A 

Who".

ruby foos.