The Righteous Nest

Matthew 6:33

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;

and all these things shall be added unto you."

A little girl in a little town had big thoughts about Jesus. She was always asking questions, and regularly offered simple yet poignant interpretations of favorite Bible stories. The parents and grandparents of this little girl loved to engage her in deep conversation about any and all things as, if nothing else, her theories provided a new perspective on "old" ideas.

Out of the blue one day, the little girl approached her grandmother, asking, "What is a righteous nest?" While questions were not uncommon, even ones that required a good deal of head scratching before a response could be summoned, this particular question seemed quite odd to the grandmother.

"What do you mean, a righteous nest? Where did you hear it?"

The little girl, as she was known to do, sighed with exasperation.

"It's in that song. The one where God has a righteous nest."

It was then that the grandmother (with some help from the grandfather) realized that she was asking about the concept of righteousness. A few good laughs and an equal number of side consultations later, the little girl had her answer.

But the answer itself is not the point of the story.

Many family members and friends were aware of the little girl's history with thought-provoking questions, and the grandmother was quick to share this new anecdote. The grandmother's sister (the little girl's great aunt) lived all the way in Washington D.C. and regularly shared the little girl's stories with her church friends. She often commented that the little girl's ministry spanned many states and communities. This time was no different and laughs were exchanged over such a funny comment.

Months later, however, one of the great aunt's long-time friends passed away. This passing was a great loss for many people, as passings tend to be. The great aunt prepared to travel a long distance for the friend's funeral. As she prepared for the comments she was asked to make at the service, she received a note from a friend. This note, surprisingly, referenced the little girl's long-ago words as inspiration for the great aunt's funeral task. In neat script, the note read:

"How wonderful and true it is for our friend. God DOES prepare a righteous nest for us in Heaven."

How often do we find that children teach us as much as we teach them? May your day, your week, your year, and your life be lived in God’s righteousness….aka his righteous nest.

Thank you, little Bailey, for being an inspiration to us all. I hope we all think of God's love in that way....as a righteous nest that cradles us in this life and the next. I am the president of your fan club.

My Little Valentines

Lots to report....where to start?

Valentine's Day Activities
Bailey was soooo excited to celebrate Valentine's Day at school. We made our little Valentines for the kids and, I have to admit, it took all I have to let her do them the way she wanted and not the way I wanted. She took control of the glitter glue, with Jason's help, and I came to peace with that. LOL!! Anyway, you can see her pride in the following picture. Also note her cute Valentine's dress Grandma Cox got her. She received some great jewelry from Aunt Susan, but we didn't get it until later that day, so sadly she's not wearing the necklace and bracelet here.

Vocabulary and Waxing Philosophic
Nolan is finally putting sounds together to make some "words." I use the quotations only because most of what he says doesn't really sound like the actual word. However, we know exactly what he's saying and he confirms his intent by going to the object or person he wants. I've provided an English-to-Nolan translation guide below:

Banana - na-na-na

Bailey - ay-ay

Grandma - ma-ma

Mama - ma-ma

Daddy - da-da

Bye Bye - da-da

Thank you - ya-ya

Hi - hi (we've only heard this once)

He's so funny these days because there are so many meanings to words, and yet everything is black and white to him. If you say, "Mama's gotta go bye bye" he runs to the door because he thinks he's going bye bye. If you use the word "chair" in any sentence, he thinks it's time for him to get into his high chair. It's fun to see all these connections, though. It's like he's a REAL BOY!!! LOL!

Bailey continues to crack us up with her insight and one-liners. Here area few of my recent favorites:

-I was saying a prayer one night and she let out a toot while I was talking. So, I immediately changed my course and said, "And, God, please forgive Bailey for disrupting this prayer with her toots." She got really upset and put her head in her hands and said (in her booming voice), "MAMA, I can't believe you told JESUS that I tooted. You can't do that!" I embarrassed her! Anyway, I told her that Jesus knows our actions even when we don't divulge them to him, which is why we should always act in such a way as to make Him proud. She's still mad at me for busting her.

-In a conversation with grandma about the weather, she noted "God is the sun." When Jeanne asked her why she would think that, she said, "Well, you say SON of God. And God makes the sun, so that means he IS the sun." She couldn't really argue with that! Bailey then asked why Jesus is invisible. Jeanne said we'd ask our pastor to explain it to her!! I think we're in for lots of difficult questions in years to come!

-She loves playing with a little neighborhood girl, Ella. Ella is 8, so they often clash just because of the age difference. Overall, though, they play together really well. Ella came over on Friday and ate dinner with us. Afterward, I heard them fighting in her room so I went to break it up. Bailey was very upset because Ella was holding Nolan. Bailey said, "I don't understand why everyone wants to try to be his sister when I'M his only sister." She loves him so much! And, he is starting to really want to be with her all the time. He goes into her room in the mornings when she's still asleep, yelling "Ay ay!" I love it.

As illustration of how close they are getting:

Haircut #57
While probably not actually his 57th haircut, Nolan did get his hair buzzed off again this weekend. I had a fleeting thought of taking him to a professional, but I decided that he probably wouldn't stay still enough for them at this age. So, Jason used his nifty clippers. While the top is always a little too short for my liking, I know it will grow quickly. But, we needed to do something as it was getting too shaggy. Now, I know some kids have way longer hair, but I've just never liked Nolan's long. I like to spike it up on top or do the mohawk thing, and it quickly gets too long for those styles.

Yes, I know his pants don't fit...this is our constant struggle. I either put him in 12 mos. and they sag down to the middle of his butt and, thus, drag the floor....or I put him in 9 mos. which fit his waist but then they are highwaters. So, he's sporting the gangsta look!

I think that's all I have to report right now. I hope everyone is doing well!!

K

Snow and Super Bowl

Before I share the pictures of our fun time in the snow and the Steelers glorious SB triumph over the Cardinals, I have to post a video. One of my favorite memories of Bailey as a little tot is of her great desire to jump long before she had any ability to do so. She would try so hard, and was so proud of herself, and yet her little feet never left the ground. These memories came flooding back this week as Nolan decided that he really wants to catch some air.



How cute is that?? I love me some baby jumpin'. We ventured outside for a short while last week during "ICE EMERGENCY 99" or whatever the media dubbed our few days of ice. I'm not saying it wasn't bad out, or that I'm not grateful for the ability to work from home on Tuesday due to the driving conditions. I'm just saying it's a little cheesy. But, that's their job, I suppose (by "that" I mean create mass hysteria).

But, I digress. Here are some pictures of Jason playing with the kids. Nolan only looks angry because he desperately wanted to go outside and the time it took us all to get bundled up was too much for him. He kept running to the back door and putting his head in his hands. Patience, little guy, patience. Despite the mad face, doesn't he look like a cute little E.T. in his big coat?!

Anyway, Bailey wanted to come in after 10 minutes or so, but Nolan insisted on going up and down the driveway in his little car about 500 times. He was NOT happy when we went inside. Kids are somehow immune to cold. Parents, not so much. Finally, while I've never considered myself a sports fanatic - or even all that warm to the concept, even (smile) - I honestly had a great time watching the Steelers win the Super Bowl. This has been Jason's team for as long as I can remember, and I've now been experienced 2 Steelers SBs with him. This one was amazing in every way, and I watched from start to finish. Bailey cheered. Nolan....well, he danced during Bruce Springsteen's performance. Here are a few pictures of our pre-game warm-up.



I hope everyone has a great week! K