Luke's Birthday!

Today was my baby's 2nd birthday! I can't believe how the time has flown by!! We had a party for him last Saturday (I'll post some pictures soon!) and my friends were talking about how it seems like yesterday that they were holding him as a newborn! It really does feel like yesterday. And Luke really is growing out of his baby phase.

Luke is my mischievous child. If I haven't seen him or heard from him for a few minutes, I know that he's gotten himself into trouble! He is my child with no fear, no sense of danger and the most adorable smile that melts hearts. We have tried many forms of punishment and haven't found one that works with him. He doesn't care if you punish him and won't give you the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He isn't supposed to get out of his bed and does all the time! This morning I went to go and get the boys out of bed and as I was walking to their room I saw that someone was in the bathroom with the sink water running. I was so excited thinking that it was Caleb finally washing his hands after he goes to the bathroom. I went in to tell him how proud I was of him only to find Luke brushing his teeth! He looked at me with the biggest grin and said, "Hi mom!" So stinkin' cute and SO NAUGHTY!! He knows he's not supposed to get out of bed! Oh, my Luke...how I love you! I love your chubby cheeks, beautiful eyes and silly laugh. I love that you are so determined to keep up with big brother and that you have no problem making yourself known. I love how excited you get over lollipops, popsicles, and the forbidden fruit snacks. I love how you sing "twinkle little stars" at the top of your lungs in Target and wave at all the people who peer around the corner to find out what little creature is making so much noise. I love how you say Caleb's name and how you hold your arms behind you like a cape when you run! I love how when you are tired you go get your blankie and pacifier and climb in your bed. I LOVE how much you like to cuddle and soak up every minute because I know as quickly as you came to get a moment with me you will leave me just as quickly! One of my favorite parts of the day is before I go to sleep and I go into your room and watch you and big brother sleeping so sweetly after a day FULL of activity! I steal kisses from you and marvel at how blessed I am to be your mom!! I can't wait to see what kind of impact you will make for our Savior one day. Oh, my Luke, my little Light I pray that you will always shine brightly for God in this dark world. I pray that you will have strong roots with your family and in your faith. I pray that one day you are an oak of righteousness standing tall and bright - not because of what you look like or what you do, but because of the God you serve and the relationship you have with Him.

Happy Birthday my favorite 2 year old! You are such a joy and we love you so much!!

Isaiah 55:8-9

I read this and thought it was a great commentary on Isaiah 55:8-9

We ask for grace, only to find forgiveness offered. (How did you know I would sin?)
We ask for food, only to find provision already made. (How did you know I would be hungry?)
We ask for guidance, only to find answers in God’s ancient story. (How did you know I would ask?)
God dwells in a different realm. “The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25). He occupies another dimension. “My thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways are not like your ways. Just as the heaven is higher than earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Make special note of the word “like.” God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are they even like ours. We aren’t even in the same neighborhood. We are thinking, Preserve the body; he’s thinking Save the soul. We dream of a pay raise. He dreams of raising the dead. We avoid pain and seek peace. God uses pain to bring peace. “I’m going to live before I die,” we resolve. “Die, so you can live,” he instructs. We love what rusts. He loves what endures. We rejoice at our successes. He rejoices at our confession. We show our children the Mike star with the million-dollar smile and say, “Be like Mike.” God points to the crucified carpenter with bloody lips and a torn side and says, “Be like Christ.”
Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. Our ways are not like his ways. He has a different agenda. He dwells in a different dimension. He lives on another plane. And that plane is named in the first phrase of the Lord’s Prayer. “Our Father in Heaven.”
(from The Great House of God by Max Lucado)

Psalm 77:1-20

What are we to do when even our trust in God seems shaky? When answers are not immediate and God seems far away? When we do not know how to tap His help and are left to wait passively for Him to answer, wishing for some spectacular flurry of divine activity to deliver us? What are we to do when that rescue doesn’t come and unfulfilled expectations for help from Him turn our hearts toward doubt? When we begin to slip back to the “Whys?” – “Why me? Why not them? Why now?” – and tend to doubt his goodness and may even then doubt that He actually does love and care for us…
Before that happens, we must turn to the entity over which we exercise exclusive control, our wills, to the choices we have to think correctly and respond constructively…If we choose not to cultivate our hope in Him, where will we place our hope? Is there anything greater, more powerful, more reliable, more true than God? (From The Upside of Down by Joseph Stowell)

Caleb's Favorite Poem

I've been introducing new literature to Caleb and he really likes poems. He has a favorite one that cracks him up. He loved it so much he had me read it several times and then asked his Daddy to read it to him too. I laugh really hard but not because of the poem, but because Caleb's belly laugh is contagious!

Here is the poem:

My Tooth Ith Loothe

My tooth ith loothe! My tooth ith loothe!
I can't go to thcool, that'th my excuth.
I wath fine lath night when I went to bed,
But today it'th hanging by a thread!

My tooth ith loothe! My tooth ith loothe!
I'm telling you the honeth truth.
It maketh me want to jump and thout!
My toothe ith loothe...Oopth! Now it'th out!
-George Ulrich

I want to be in the light

I read this, this morning and thought that it was so convicting and worth posting. I pray that our candles burn brightly, today, in this dark world.


A few nights ago a particular thing happened.
An electrical storm caused a blackout in our neighborhood. When the lights went out, I felt my way through the darkness into the storage closet where we keep the candles for nights like this…I took my match and lit four of them…
I was turning to leave with the large candle in my hand when I heard a voice, “Now hold it right there.”
“Who said that?”
“I did.” The voice was near my hand.
“Who are you? What are you?”
“I’m a candle”
I lifted up the candle to take a closer look. You won’t believe what I saw. There was a tiny face in the wax…a moving, functioning, fleshlike face full of expression and life.
“Don’t take me out of here!”
“What?”
“I said don’t take me out of this room.”
“What do you mean? I have to take you out. You are a candle. It’s your job to give light. It’s dark out there.””But you can’t take me out. I’m not ready,” the candle explained with pleading eyes. “I need more preparation.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “More preparation?”
“Yeah, I’ve decided I need to research this job of light-giving so I won’t go out and make a bunch of mistakes. You’d be surprised how distorted the glow of an untrained candle can be…”
“All right then,” I said. “You’re not the only candle on the shelf. I’ll blow you out and take the others!”
But just as I got my cheeks full of air, I heard other voices.
“We aren’t going either!” I turned around and looked at the three other candles. ”You are candles and your job is to light the dark places!”
“Well, that may be what you think,” said the candle on the far left…”you may think that we have to go, but I’m busy…I’m meditating on the importance of light. It’s really enlightening…
“And you other two,” I asked, “are you going to stay in here as well?”
A short fat purple candle with plump cheeks that reminded me of Santa Claus spoke up. “I’m waiting to get my life together. I’m not stable enough.”
The last candle had a female voice, very pleasant to the ear. “I’d like to help,” she explained, “but lighting the darkness is not my gift…I’m a singer. I sing to other candles to encourage them to burn more brightly.” …She began a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine.”…The other three joined in, filling the storage room with singing…I took a step back and considered the absurdity of it all. Four perfectly healthy candles singing to each other about light but refusing to come out of the closet. (From God Came Near by Max Lucado)

A mystery called brothers

One of the things that I have noticed since having 2 boys is that there are many things that no one has to teach them one of which is this need to be the first, fastest, smartest, strongest, best, loudest and even fattest boy in this house. Recently Luke has started coming out of his baby phase and wants independence - BADLY! He doesn't want to be treated like a baby. He wants everything that Caleb has (and sometimes more?!) Luke has this need to prove himself and Caleb has this need to be the BIG brother and wants Luke to be the LITTLE brother. (Testosterone has taken over my house. At one point I thought that my estrogyn was so strong that it could overpower this male dominated house, but alas I am finding that I am losing!) My boys can often be found playing sweetly together, but I know that soon there will errupt a fight and it usually becomes physical. Then it is so funny how differently Daddy & I diffuse the situation - I use words (LOTS of them) and Joseph uses force (MUST be a boy thing! hmmm...)

I pray that my boys will always have a bond of family & God that keeps them best friends for life. I also pray that God teaches me how to mother these little sapplings to grow strong oaks. I also pray that we will someday get some more estrogyn in our little Maddry family (even if it is by way of daughters-in-law!)

2 little best friends! 

I got this cute picture right before they started arguing about who was going to sit on top of the basket! 

Oh, how I love these boys!!! 

here they are on top of the new swing set that Daddy was trying to build. 

happy and in love one minute... 

and this the next minute! 

A boy named Caleb

Caleb is... something! That child never stops talking, has a very vivid imagination, always wants to have the last word, asks deep questions, loves to dress up, is obsessed with animal planet, loves people and performing for guests we have at the house. He is a piece of work! So frustrating one minute and so loveable the next.

Caleb loves to toast with his glass. 

it is so hard to get him to smile sweetly for the camera! 

my little monkey! 

Luke in action..

Below are some pictures of Luke's cuteness in action! He will be 2 at the end of the month & I can hardly believe it! The time has flown by. What did we ever do without him? I can't imagine what life was like without that sweet face!

Luke likes his toothbrush and loves to eat toothpaste. He has his first Dentist appointment in a couple of months, so he better get those little teeth pearly white! 

I love that sweet face! 

Here is Luke full of naughtiness! He is in big brother's wallet and knows that he's not supposed to be! Luke cracks us up..he has a hat obsession these days. He will go into our closets where Joseph has his hats hanging and put one on backwards. He is always very particular about which one he wants to wear. Hats & shoes... 

My Luke is always in motion. It's so hard to snap a picture of him sitting looking into the camera. 

Rockstar practice

Here are my boys singing & playing the guitar together! One of Caleb's favorite songs right now is Seek ye First. Luke's favorite song is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and he sounds SO cute singing it!! I love to hear my husband singin praise songs to my kids, melt when my kids sing and love when we sing together as a family.

A day at the duck pond

One of the great finds that we have found here is a duck pond not far from our house. It has lots of ducks that are really gentle with the kids. Caleb loves to take bread there and feed them. The park is also nice because it has a playgroud where the kids can play. We go there so that the kids can play, feed the ducks and then have a picnic lunch. It's a great way to spend the morning before it gets too hot to be out!

My sweet boy loves to feed the ducks! 

Luke isn't into the ducks...at all! Probably because one actually ate right out of his hands and even though it was super gentle and didn't bite Luke he was freaked out by the ducks and kept a safe distance away! 

Caleb & his friends feeding the ducks. There are also little baby ducks at this pond too! 

Pirates of the Lonestar State!

We went to this super-fun indoor playground that had a nautical theme and pirate dress-up clothes for the kids. For Caleb, my child that dresses up everyday, it was heaven!


Are these not the two cutest pirates you've ever seen?!?