Tomatoes and Bells

Greetings friends and family,

The video of our "Power of Safety" message is online now so let me know if you want the URL. Our friend Betty and her daughter took several pics of us and I'm really glad she was able to capture the occasion.

When you teach, you learn.  That's the best result from our many hours of preparation and research and quality time together.  The response of people coming forward at the end to receive prayer and talk with us was overwhelming.  We spent the entire next week fielding phone calls, texts, and emails from people who are in the situation we were in.  The short version is that we are a miracle.  Our fulfillment of our marriage and family is only possible because of what God did through us and for us.

OK, so what's this have to do with the adventures with twins?  Well, the main thing the concept of "safe relationships" produced was a safe household.  By safe I mean a place where:


- Basic needs are met
- Love is given and received
- A person can grow towards maturity
- trust is given and received
- freedom to serve others
- emotions can be expressed
- relationships grow strong and healthy

Sounds like a great environment to raise kids for greatness, right?   The best part is that we don't have to be perfect, but we do have to work on this daily and learn from our mistakes.  Speaking of raising, guess who has tomato plants growing?   These two...

We water every day and just like the instructions said "after 7-10 days" we see the sprouts coming up.  Easton and Layla are amazed each time we go out by how quickly they are growing.  I got the idea from their green-thumb cousin farmer, Silas.

Easton has been chomping at the bit to get on the trail-a-bike with me.  He wanted to go straight to South Mountain to do some serious mountain biking, but I yielded to Kendra's advice and took him for a ride on the dirt path by the canal.  He was expressively cheering and screaming the whole time we rode.  The reward for his good riding skills was to share a frosty at Wendy's.  I told him to give his tough-guy look. After I took the picture he said, "I don't have a tough guy look!"  That's fine with me.

These are special bell flowers that bloom in our backyard. These are Layla's favorite of all the growing things in our yard.  She picks them off one by one, smells them, and gives them to me to put in my pocket.  I have the best smelling pink pockets of anybody thanks to this little girl.

She strolled into the den waiting on me to notice her.  As I looked up from my computer and placed it aside we had a lengthy conversation about here three babies.  That's right, she has triplets.  :)  I tell her regularly how wonderful of a mother she will be some day.  Some day far, far, far in the future because I just can't fathom the idea that Layla will ever not be in our house.

Easton and Layla are the perfect age right now.  My limited view on raising children suggests that probably age 5-7 will be the best years of parenting and then things will get a little more difficult.  Although with the right attitude and perspective every year will be delightful in its own way.

See you soon!