God Gives Us Rainbows

It's been a while since I last posted.  I miss blogging.  The reasons I haven't come here are numerous.  They have caused me to sit down to type and words either can't come or I am so honest what I say scares me.  It's been a hard past few months.

But when God brought this to our sky this morning I knew I had to share because His love and faithfulness simply overwhelmed me.

Because I prayed for this rainbow.  This exact rainbow.  I knew it was mine right when I saw it.

We read the story of Noah's Ark three days ago during night time devotions.  Charissa sighed when she saw the picture of the rainbow saying she missed seeing rainbows.  We haven't seen one since moving here to Cooke.  I prayed silently that God would give Charissa a rainbow.  I knew it was a little thing, there are so many more important things for Him to do.  But He gave us a rainbow this morning.  Charissa was excited, but I was so full of wonder it hurt.  God answered my prayer so quickly and right in our backyard.  I stood in my pajamas on the porch watching as the colors intensified and then split into a double rainbow.  I was spellbound.

Early this winter I struggled so much with my own inadequacy for what God has called me to as a wife, mother and our ministry.  I was stretched thin, filled with depression and guilt as my arms ached for the baby I would never hold. 

But God has only wooed me through His Word, His faithfulness, His love.  Now the bird's sing outside as a new little person flutters with life in my womb.

This rainbow reminded me to keep looking up with expectation.

I just saw this link up and I knew I had to share :-)

Happy Birthday, Man-oh!

I realize this is a week late but these were my thoughts on April 20^th.

**************

Sweet boy.  I sit by your crib on the last night you are one.  You hold my hand tightly through the rungs of your crib as I softly sing you hymns, my thumb smoothing your hand as I keep time to the rhythm.  I’ve kept time to your life Little Man, as well as I can.  But it can get so fast.  You will be two tomorrow.  

You were born on a quiet April evening.  That morning, I walked with your sister, Aunt Laurel and your Nana in the fresh morning air, feeling my body flex with the coming power of labor.  As the strength grew, I planted seedlings in the garden and waited knowing you would come in time.  The labor was fast.  I will never forget the moment you were laid on my chest.  You didn’t seem pleased by the chill around you but at the sound of my voice you immediately stopped fussing and opened your eyes wide.  I propped you in front of me and we stared at each other.  We all stared, your Daddy, Nana and me.  I don’t know how long we were like that - 20 minutes?  An hour?  It seemed like forever in a moment.  The miracle of you left us spellbound.  Now we are here with our eyes meeting again.  Yours blink with sleep.  Mine fill with tears as I remember that first time.  

You are such a joy to us.  I don’t know how you can be so different from your sister and yet just as sweet and wonderful.  You are all boy with a love for engine noises, buffalo, and outside.  We joke that if you were left outside with a sippy cup of milk and some goldfish crackers you’d live happily ‘til your dying day.  You do all things with your whole heart as you run, crash, play, and love.  Your strong hugs and kisses are a highlight of our lives.

Passion describes you.  Your name, Brandt, is the maiden name of your Daddy’s grandma a woman who always spoke the truth in love and thought the best of everyone.  She said her father, Alex Brandt, was passionate for the Gospel and was the godliest man she had ever known.  I’d say she gave her father reason to praise for her own passionate faith.  Brandt means “sword, fiery torch, or beacon”.  We pray you will be just that for God’s truth.

Your middle name is Andrew after my father, an amazing man who has passionately pursued the furtherance of the Gospel both in his work and raising his 13 children to be servants of the King.  Andrew means “manly” and that you are with your barrel chest and adventurous spirit.  In a culture were masculinity is losing its God-given strength, may you be a manly beacon pointing others upward to God’s design.  

I finish my song and bow my head whispering a prayer for you.  Your thick lashes close over chocolate brown eyes with a deep sigh of peace.  It is your last night being one.  We cannot wait to see what all your tomorrows have in store.

Happy birthday, Man-oh.  We love you - passionately.

Dry Dock, Wet Spring

Today after church, we joined some friends for their "Dry Dock Party". 

 Which means, there was a boat out of water that the kids could climb on :-)  

We played games and roasted hot dogs.

 Brandt discovered the joys of stick horse racing.

 Charissa played bean bag toss with Daddy 

and some friends.

And then, four of us strapped on snowshoes 

and headed out to see Bridal Falls.

"Are we there yet, Mama?"

This was her first time on snowshoes.

I was pretty proud of her!

 Bridal falls!  

They were frozen solid in the winter but now the water is running

 with a bridal veil of ice surrounding it.

 On the way back, a cow moose watched us from the creek.

 The snow is melting into mud and creeks everywhere.

Boy + toy truck + mud = bliss.

It was a fun day.  

Oh, and it was 60 degrees.  

It hasn't been 60 degrees for over six months.

Morning

Doug left early this morning to go ice fishing.  Spring appears to have arrived early so we're taking advantage of all the winter activities before the snow melts completely!

The kids and I had a leisurely breakfast of french toast and Nutella: the breakfast of champions.  The kids sure enjoyed being so messy.

(Please note that Brand hasn't started eating yet.)

Charissa would say "What-tella?"  And I'd say, "NUT-ella!"

I love having kids.

I crumbled an old piece of bread on our railing outside and we watched the Stellar Jays and Camp Robbers fight over the crumbs. 

"I wish I could fly like a bird, Charissa said wistfully.

I told her when her Papa (my Dad) was growing up on the island of Guam they would have hurricanes so Papa would make wings from cardboard and go outside to fly in the strong winds.

"Would you like to fly like Papa?"

"I don't know about that," she responded.

Well alrighty then.

 

(Note Nutella/fork tribal markings on forehead.  And orange marker in ear.)  

Breakfast was followed by a bubble bath to remove the gooey deliciousness.  It's 42 degrees now so we might skitter on outside to enjoy the weather.  The grizzlies are out but since the kids aren't covered in chocolate they should leave us alone.

I'll take bear spray just in case.

She Is Four

Four years, baby girl.

Four blessed years of curly hair, smiles, giggles,

 pink and princess-y things,

 intelligence, fun, games,

\

and always the nightly ritual of "rock and sing".

You astonish us with your ideas, 

your maturity, 

your thirst for knowledge, 

your blossoming faith.

We can't imagine life without our beautiful gift from God.

We love you.

Happy 4th Birthday!

Each snowflake comes,

a gift from above.

Droplets of water,

diamonds in winter.

Mounds of drifts,

I forget 

they are made 

of unique crystals.

Until

a wind blows,

the drifts become a cloud

of individual flakes

that dance in the sky.

Lives all around us,

gifts from above.

Hearts beating,

souls seeking.

Bunched into crowds,

I forget

they are individuals 

known and loved.

Until

a life ends,

and the crowds become people,

while a soul leaves

to dance in the sky.

Dedicated to the avalanche victim

This Life...

"This life, therefore,
is not righteousness 
      but growth in righteousness,
not health 
     but healing,
not being 
     but becoming,
not rest 
     but exercise.


We are not yet what we shall be
     but we are growing toward it.
The process is not yet finished 
     but it is going on.
This is not the end 
     but it is the road.
All does not yet gleam in glory
     but all is being purified."

                       ~ Martin Luther