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Oh, AWANA car races. If you are an AWANA parent, you’ve probably experienced the joys and agonies of receiving a block of wood and attempting to transform it into a snazzy race car that can beat all the other cars at the highly anticipated, annual “Pinewood Derby Car Race.” Judah was an AWANA Cubbie this year […]

Superheroes are pretty ridiculous. Sorry to offend all you superhero fans out there. But, seriously. Think about what they wear: tights with brightly colored underwear over it, silly masks, and capes that have no purpose but to flutter in the wind. Their superpowers are getting a little far-fetched as well. Banshee’s special power: his scream is really […]

It had been days since I put on any make-up. Or pants other than sweat pants. Or shoes. But today was the day! After weeks of sickness, the boys were finally well enough to leave our quarantine and venture out to one of our most favorite places — the library! We all dressed, packed some […]

Four years old seems so grown-up to me. That’s the age when they start learning real things… like reading and counting and chores. That’s the age when you can have an actual, meaningful conversation with them that revolves around more than just food and toys. Judah turned 4 last month, and in the busyness of road-trippin’, […]

I remember one of our teachers in training saying that America is “the land of options.” How true is that?!? Just go down the cereal aisle in the grocery store to find confirmation. Having lots of options can be a good thing. Or a confusing thing. Or an overwhelming thing. Or a I-just-wasted-2-hours-reading-reviews-on-Amazon-and-I-still-haven’t-decided-thing. Children’s Bibles […]

The picture stood in stark contrast to the other Christmas photos that flooded my Facebook news feed: pictures of carefully color-coordinated kids with a jolly Santa, of brightly lit and beautifully decorated Christmas trees, of serene snow-covered landscapes, of smiling children holding up their favorite presents, of colorful arrays of Christmas cookies and yummy treats. It […]

2 1/2 years ago, we moved out of our little red house in the woods, bought a van, named it Noah, packed it full, and drove from Nine Mile Falls, WA, to Roach, MO, with a 18-month-old Judah in the backseat and a watermelon-sized Elias in the womb. And now we’re packing up all our […]

Bedtime. I lay down next to Judah to cuddle. “Mama,” he said,”kann ich dir ein Lied singen?” Can I sing you a song? His sweet little voice reached my ear: “Maaaaaama, ich liiiiiiebe dich so sehr; Maaaaaaaama, du bist eine schoene Prinzessin; Maaaaaaaama, du bist die Beste…” Mama, I love you. Mama, you’re a beautiful […]

My 30th birthday will be quite special. I will have it twice. Let me explain that. I will board an airplane in Tanzania on the morning of my birthday in January. I will spend lots of hours on airplanes and in airports. And thanks to the time zones, I will land back in Spokane the […]