Alora's First Cavity and Filling

I went with Alora this morning to the dentist because she had to have a cavity filled. This was her first filling, so she was a little nervous. On the way to the dentist office, Alora and I had the following conversation:

Me: Are you nervous?

Alora: I'm a little scared of the shot. Is it going to hurt a lot?

Me: Not too much. But it will hurt a little. Do you want us to pray together?

Alora: Of course.

After we prayed, we talked and made jokes for the rest of the time until we arrived at the dentist.

Me: We're here. Are you ready?

Alora: Yes. I feel much better now.

Me: Do you feel better because we prayed?

Alora: I like the prayer and the knock-knock jokes.

Alora's appointment went great. The Dentist and his assistant were so good with Alora. They did everything they could to help her be comfortable. Hopefully, we won't have to deal with any more cavities for a while--through all the candy from last weekend certainly doesn't help.

To My Wife

Since this is my blog, I guess I can blog about whatever comes to my mind. So, tonight, I've decided to take a moment and let everyone know that my wife is the greatest. If you know Amy, then this fact will come as no surprise to you. Amy loves Jesus. She loves me. She loves our girls. She is a constant source of encouragement. I am so blessed to have her as my wife. We've been married for 6+ years. I can still remember the first time that I met her at North Greenville--so beautiful and funny. And she's still beautiful and funny! She's not only a great wife, but also a great mother. Our daughter's adore her. On a daily basis she tells them about Jesus, instructs them in godly living, teaches them, encourages their creativity, and much, much more. Amy, when you make your way to my blog again, know that I love you. Always and forever.

Virginia is for Birthdays

Amy's sister Tiffany is turning 16, so we're going to be traveling to Virginia to celebrate her birthday and enjoy time with family. Unfortunately, since I have class in the morning, we'll be getting a late start on our trip. It usually takes us about 9 hours to make it there. Yet, when you are traveling with young children, trips can sometimes take longer than expected. On one occasion it took us 13 hours to make it home from Virginia! Lord willing, we'll have a quick (and safe!) trip.

Midnight Flight

Last Friday night Amy and I (along with others from Redeemer Church) ran in the Midnight Flight. We had a lot of fun running together. Thanks to Josh Hardy (www.joshuaworks.com) for taking these pictures for us.

On the Side of the Road

One van + three small children + hunger + rain - gasoline - cell phone = an opportunity to mature in Christ.

So, here's the story. The gas gauge on our van is broken, so we have to track our mileage in order to make sure that we don't run out of gas. (Usually, we try to refill at around 320 miles.) Unfortunately, on our way to pick up dinner our van decided to run out of gas at 290. As the van was sputtering to a stop the girls starting crying and saying, "What's happening? Why are we riding in the grass beside the road? Is our car going to blow up?" After we assured the girls that our lives were not in danger, they calmed down a bit.

To make the situation worse, I had accidentally left my cell phone at home. So, I had to pursue the only option available to us: walk to the nearest gas station. (Did I mentioned that it started raining shortly after we broke down on the side of the road? Plus, I was wearing flip-flops.). After a short walk down the street, crossing six lanes of traffic (Clemson Blvd.) and spending way too much for a gas can, I eventually made it back to the van.

While this certainly was not the way I had planned to spend my afternoon, these events gave Amy and I the opportunity to teach and pray with our girls. As Christians, we must continually remind ourselves (and others) that trials--no matter how large or small--give us an opportunity to mature in Christ as we learn to trust in Him for all things.

Alora's Poison Ivy Song

In my previous post, Family Worship and Alora's Song, I wrote about the song that Alora Grace made up and sang to Ann-Marie. Yet, she also sang another song about poison ivy. I'm not quite sure why she was thinking about poison ivy, but I thought that it was cute. So, here's the poison ivy song:

Never go near poison ivy.
You have to scratch it in the night,
And that is not good.
If you cannot get if off
You can die.
God's little children don't want to die.

Family Worship and Alora's Song

During our family worship time each morning we take time to sing songs, read/act out Bible stories (using this awesome children's Bible), and learning from the First Catechism for children. Amy and I always hope and pray that God's Word will sink into our girls hearts. So, when we see the girls applying God's Word to the circumstances of life we are overjoyed. And that's exactly what happened yesterday.

For some reason our youngest daughter Ann-Marie Joy was crying in her room. When our oldest girl Alora Grace heard Ann-Marie, she decided to try and calm her down by singing a song. The great thing about the song is that Alora made it up and it is filled with truth about God. Since my wife has already posted the song on her blog, take time to check out Alora's song on Amy's blog.

Taking Care of Business

Tiffany used her phone to take this cute picture of Adalynne Faith. Did you know that Adalynne knew how to read upside-down? I know, she's pretty amazing!

Beautiful Joy

It's hard for me to believe that Ann-Marie Joy is almost one. When parents say that children grow up so quickly, it is so true. That's why it is so important to cherish each day that we have with one another.

More Cakes

While we were in Virginia, Amy made two cakes for her moms. You can check them out here. I especially like the hot-tub cake.

Low Tech, Part-Time

Since our family is enjoying some time away for vacation, my blogging will be reduced over the next week. I usually try to go "low tech," so that I can avoid the things that often distract me: internet, cell phone, etc.

Easily Amazed

This afternoon, as I was finishing a paper for seminary, Alora came and sat beside me on the couch. She wanted to know what I was doing, so I showed her the paper that I was writing. After seeing the paper she said, "What in the world...that's amazing!" If she thinks that a three-page paper is amazing, maybe I should show her one of my 25 page papers. I better be careful though...she might pass out from amazement.

Papa's Open-Heart Surgery

My Grandpa went in for a valve replacement this morning at 7:00am. When asked how he felt about the surgery my grandfather said: "If I come out of surgery, I'll be good. If I don't come out of surgery, I'll be good." In his own way, my Grandpa was reminding us that his hope (and ours) is in the Lord. The first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism puts it this way:

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?
Answer 1. That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (a) am not my own, (b) but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; (c) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (d) and delivered me from all the power of the devil; (e) and so preserves me (f) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (h) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, (i) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. (j)

They began the open-heart surgery at 8:30am and finished at 11:30am. According to the doctor, everything went great. Praise the Lord! Please continue to pray for him as he recovers.

"Are you really married?"

Yesterday, Amy and I took the youth group to a water park in Simpsonville. While I was waiting in line for a ride, a younger boy started a conversation with me. He asked me where I lived, if I had riden the ride before, and other general questions. While we were talking, Amy was on the ride, so I yelled out, "Good job, baby!" The boy then asked, "Is that your girlfriend?" After I told him that Amy was my wife, a puzzled look came over his face. Then, he asked, "Are you really married?" It took a while, but I finally convinced him that Amy was my wife (of 6 years) and that I had three children. If the youth hadn't backed up my story, I'm not sure that the boy would have believed me.

Goodbye Tonsils and Adenoids

Adalynne just finished having her tonsils and adenoids removed. The surgery went great...she's already back at home, resting in her bed. The doctor said that it will be about two weeks before she can resume full activity. The good news for her is that she gets to eat pudding, jello, ice cream, and other yummy food for the next few days. (I'm sure that she won't complain about that!) Thanks to everyone who has taken time to pray for her.

Also, please remember my grandfather in prayer because he'll be having open-heart surgery on Thursday.

My Dad and Girls

My Dad celebrated his 50th birthday today. This picture (of my Dad and girls) is from our small, family get-together. You can see more pictures (as well as the cake Amy made) here.

Amy's Edible Art

Just in case you missed the link in my sidebar, I wanted to point out that my wife is blogging again. The web address is the same (www.amymashley.blogspot.com) but the name and theme have changed a bit: Amy's Edible Art - A beautiful collision of art, cake, family, and friends. Currently, she's posted pictures of two of her cakes, but there will be more to follow.

Friends and Cake

It's been a long time since I've posted any pictures of my family. The reason for this is because the pictures on our SD camera card were accidentally erased! Anyway, our friend Donna emailed us a few pictures from Daniel's birthday party.













Alora and her friend Jackson













Adalynne enjoying cake

Six Years

This past Sunday (May 24th), Amy and I celebrated our 6th anniversary! It is hard to believe that we have been married for that long. It seems like it was just yesterday when I first saw Amy's beautiful face on the campus of North Greenville College (now, University). I am so thankful that I asked her to smell my hemp key chain. (For those of you who are confused by the last sentence, if you'd like to know the whole story, I'd be glad to tell it over a cup of coffee sometime.)

Away with the Carpet

When our family moved into our home last April, we knew that the carpets would eventually have to be replaced. Thankfully, we were able do do away with the 10-year old carpets this weekend! (With three young girls, it didn't take long for the drink spills, dirt stains, pee-pee accidents, etc. to signal the demise of our carpets.) We replaced carpets with bamboo hardwood floors. (Do we get environmental brownie points?) Of course, we certainly didn't have the financial resources to replace the carpets, but the kind generosity of Amy's family made it possible. Chris, Theresa, and Keagan came to SC this weekend and helped us rip up carpet and install the new floors. If you ask me, I don't think the pros would have done a better job. Needless to say, our weekend was very busy and it will take a while longer before our house is back in order.

(I'll post pictures when our camera decides to cooperate.)