Our Love Affair ... and Adventures in Edwards-ville

Carlisle still takes a nap everyday. And not just any nap. A BIG nap. 3 hours. She's been a big napper since birth. Used to be more than 3 hours and more than once a day. Now, before her nap, and before bed at night, she has become a staller....'let's read', 'let's jump on the bed Evie!', 'tell me a story', 'did I brush my teeth?', 'can I have a sip of water?'...you get the deal. One of my personal favorites is the story-telling portion of our bedtime rituals. She is SO cute and clever and inquisitive. She has set some very super-cute ground rules. It must start with the words, 'Once upon a time'. If you forget, she reminds you. And it must be interesting. Must have animals or people in it. And it must end with 'The end'.

Sometimes it is about our kitties when they were little kittens. Often it is a fishing story when her Daddy was a boy. But my favorites are from the Bible. A recent story she loves hearing is the story about Zaccheus. I sing the song to her. 'Zaccheus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see'. remember that one?!???

She thinks the fact that he is a little man who has to climb up in a tree to see is always worth a chuckle. But then that he just wanted to SEE Jesus makes her very pensive. She asks cute questions. 'Mommy, Zaccheus was short and teeny-tiny?' 'He wanted to see...but he was teeny-tiny?' But what makes ME pensive is that he climbed up in the tree as one type of man and climbed out of the tree completely DIFFERENT. I can relate. Me before Jesus came into my life in 1999, and Jennie after 1999. Two completely and utterly DIFFERENT people.
Zaccheus was a narly dude. A tax collector, but not a sweet one. Sounds like he was also unfair in his business dealings. As soon as Jesus got ahold of his heart that day, he jumped out of that tree and said he was going to give half of his possessions to the poor and if he has cheated someone pay them back four times what he owed them. Wow. When Jesus saves us, we are never the same.

In the words of Jesus, right after Zaccheus' life changed he says:
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost. Luke 18:10

He seeks me. He seeks Carlisle. He gives us a brand new heart that loves Him and wants to obey Him. How cool to have that changed heart. And how cool for ME. My heart is constantly being challenged, changed, refined, turned, quieted, enlightened, encouraged, fulfilled by the Lord. He gives us the power to know Him and to obey Him. He has given us His Word. I love the rich inheritance that sharing these treasures has given me and now that I can share with Carlisle.

But to know Him, I have to dive into His Word.
I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

Myers is TWO!
Carlisle calls him 'my cousin Myers'. I'm not sure she's just said 'Myers' in MONTHS. He turned two last week. So we went to Charleston to celebrate him and their NEW GORGEOUS house they moved into. It's amazing.

After we all sang, he blew out the candles and said "AGAIN." So we did it again. The whole song, the candles, the whole bit.
It was so cute. HE'S so cute.

Take 2.

Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you.

Aunt Jen Jen, Uncle Bud, Evelyn and your biggest fan Carlisle.