The Best Toy Ever

Kids don't really need toys since it seems that everything they find becomes a toy. And our kids certainly have plenty of toys already, so they really don't need more. But with those important caveats out of the way, there really are some pretty cool toys on the market these days.

But which toy is the best? I like toys that are low-hassle, economical, don't break easily, and don't make those loud annoying noises that drive parents crazy. Sadly, many toys fail to meet these simple tests.

We purchased a Doodle Pro some time ago and unlike many other toys, it has has stood the test of time--meaning it has survived use and abuse from all five of our kids. Best of all, our kids still play with it quite regularly.

The Doodle Pro is even environmentally friendly. Prior to our purchase, Eliana was coloring through a ream of paper each day--or so it felt!

A few more caveats: I wouldn't necessarily say this particular model of the Doodle Pro is the best. This just happens to be the one we found at Wal-Mart. The magnet pieces at the top get misplaced quite often, so no need to spend extra for those.

Please note that no one paid me to write this post, nor will I receive a free Doodle Pro. I actually paid real American dollars to buy ours. I'm now even contemplating buying a travel size version like the one I recently saw a Lowery using at church.

Do you have a favorite kids' toy that has stood the test of time? If so, what is it?

Museum Day Zoo Photos

Dear Parents, Students and Staff: Haiti is the 51st state

A friend of Christina's who lives in New Jersey received a notice this week from her child's school regarding donations for Haiti.

The notice reads (emphasis added):

"Dear Parents, Students and Staff:

Haiti was hit by one of the powerful earthquakes in United States history. In order to raise money for the millions of people who were subject to the widespread destruction and devastation, we would appreciate if you would donate at least $1.00. Donations will be given to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Please place your donation in an envelope. Have your child give it to their teacher. They will be given a pink hibiscus flower cut-out to place on our Rogers cafeteria wall. The pink flower is symbolic because the hibiscus is the state flower for Haiti.

We will kindly be accepting donations from Monday January 25th - Friday January 29th.

The parent's reaction? "Wow, I did not realize that Haiti was part of the US and became one of our states. I am trusting my children's education to these people?!?!? UGHHHHHHHHH."

Happy Birthday, Selah Girl!!

So, you've been practicing for months, and now you've finally made it. You're two. And we couldn't love you more.

You're such a delightful part of our family, Sweet Selah. Your rambunctious personality... your twinkling eyes and mischievous grin. Your generous hugs and kisses... your sweet voice when you joyfully sing and the fact that when asked if you are Daddy's girl, you defiantly respond, "No! Mommy's girl!" (Okay. So Mommy likes that last part more than anyone else.)

And your big sister loves that fact that you are turning into a real girl -- eager to try all your clothes on at the same time. (Layers upon layers upon layers are still in, right?)

We love you and we're so glad that God gave you to us. We pray for you, that you would use all that cuteness for His glory... and that you would delight in Jesus. That He would protect you from the evil one and that you would have wisdom and love beyond your years.

Happy, happy birthday, Selah Joy!

What kind of people worship here?

Food for thought. From the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr.:

When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leader era; an too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows.

In spite of my shattered dreams, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand. But again I have been disappointed.

I have heard numerous southern religious leaders admonish their worshipers to comply with a desegregation decision because it is the law, but I have longed to hear white ministers declare: "Follow this decree because integration is morally right and because the Negro is your brother." In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious. irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: "Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern." And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, on Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular.

I have traveled the length and breadth of Alabama, Mississippi and all the other southern states. On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at the South's beautiful churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward. I have beheld the impressive outlines of her massive religious-education buildings. Over and over I have found myself asking: "What kind of people worship here? Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification? Where were they when Governor Wallace gave a clarion call for defiance and hatred? Where were their voices of support when bruised and weary Negro men and women decided to rise from the dark dungeons of complacency to the bright hills of creative protest?"

Yes, these questions are still in my mind. In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? l am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great-grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.

Family Photos

Courtesy of Eikon Photography

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Video: Happy New Year!

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Fun Year End Trivia

We did this two years ago, but unfortunately didn't get around to it last year. Far be it from us to drop the ball twice in a row!

Below are some random highlights and statistics from 2009, which was year three for our blog. We hope you find them interesting!

Average visits per day: 11.1

Blog posts with most comments: Full Van (14 comments), Samuel Joseph (10 comments)

E-mail subscribers: 8

Month with most posts: January 2009 and September 2009 (tie with 6 posts each month)

Month with least posts: June 2009 and July 2009 (tie with one post each month)

Most comments: Sharon and Joelle

Unique search keywords that found our blog: ebates scam (23 visits), rock zierman (17 visits), pattycake diapers (7 visits)

Technorati authority: 1

Top traffic sources: The Mitchells (578 visits), Shouts of Joy (328 visits) Facebook (244 visits)

We truly appreciate your continued readership. Please feel free to let us know what type of content you would appreciate most in 2010.

May God bless you with a very Happy New Year!

Christmas 2009 Photos

Our Family Christmas Letter

Dear friends and family:

This year has been an interesting one for us. By the grace of God, we walked through a very difficult situation with David's last job, and we joyfully watched God provide new work in a very bad economic climate for David and many others who stood for integrity. Though the specifics of what happened remain heart-breaking, we are truly grateful for how God has worked through the situation and in our lives. David is now back working in the Capitol building and is happy to be there.

At the same time, Christina's dad had some health issues that resulted in him having an emergency bypass surgery. He's been recovering well, but this has been a poignant reminder of how precious and fleeting life is, and how difficult it is to be so physically far away from loved ones.

On May 5, we welcomed Samuel Joseph, a whopping 8 lbs 10 ounces baby boy, into our family. He has been a delightful, sweet, joyful gift.

Eliana turned five in August and we entered the realm of parents with school-aged children (which makes us feel really old, by the way!) We're home-schooling Eliana with the assistance of a local charter school program, and we're loving the opportunity. Eliana LOVES doing her schoolwork and Mikey (4) and Danny (3) love "helping" her. It's so much fun to see them all learning in this way. Selah, who will be two in January, even exuberantly states that, "'A' says 'a, a, apple'!" Then again, she says that about "B," too.

We were able to make it out to Colorado in September to see much of Christina's family -- this was a delightful time for all, especially since the trip was a surprise for Christina's mom and we got to watch her squeal and jump up and down. One set of Christina's grandparents was there at the time, as well, and it was certainly wonderful to see them. David's sister, Danelle, came out for a visit in the beginning of November, and we really enjoyed our time with her, too.

We hope that 2009 has been a wonderful year for you, and that 2010 is an even better one!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

All our love,

David, Christina, Eliana, Michael, Daniel, Selah, Samuel, and the wee little one on the way

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God.

Luke 1:30-35

Good News Amidst Some Rambling...

I've been thinking lately about how it is sometimes difficult to love the unknown. It's much more difficult to care about the countless hungry in the world when we don't know anyone who is hungry. It's hard to concern ourselves with all the abuses in the world when we don't see it with our own eyes. And we're often far more concerned about the relatively mundane problems we face in our own lives than we are with the far more life-damaging persecutions that people face in other countries and cultures... or even down the street in the less "safe" areas of town.

This must be why the news media is so good at giving us names and faces to pair with the horrific headlines we read. It's hard to ignore the heart-wrenching realities of child prostitution, abuse and murder when you see the adorable face of the latest victim staring at you while you read the article. This must also be why those who thrive in the abortion industry don't want their clients to see the images of life projected on an ultrasound monitor.

That's why I'm so thankful for the Bible. In it, God reveals Himself to us. He might not use pictures, but the Book creates the most amazing of tapestries for us. In it, we see His glorious, all-knowing, all-powerful nature, the masterpiece of His creation, His purity and holiness. We see human nature and its depravity, and how even those who desire to do what is right fall short of the glory of God.

We see His will for our lives, and because we cannot in ourselves come close to fulfilling it, we see the painstaking love that He showed for each of us when He sent His Son -- Jesus -- to fulfill our obligations, and to be sacrificed on our behalf, overcoming and rising from the dead so that those who are granted faith in Him might delight in His glory for all eternity.

Through the Bible, God reveals His awesome design, and through the Holy Spirit, He enables us to trust Him in this wisp of a lifetime.

David's and my lives don't necessarily look much like we thought they would seven and a half years ago when we made our vows to each other. Heck, our lives don't even look much like we thought they would a year ago. But His ways are not our ways, and I can, for one, tell you how very thankful we are for that! He, most accurately, knows better than we do. And, though we don't deserve it, He is sweet to give us abundant grace, wisdom, joy, and hope along this path He has created for us.

I am so thankful for the husband God gave me. When I made my vows to him, I didn't know the depth of the character and love this man would reveal over time. I don't deserve him, but God in His sweet kindness, love, and wisdom, gave David to me anyway. I can see a bit more of the picture now, and I can love more fully because of it.

And I am thankful for our children. We didn't plan on having "so many, so quickly," but, as we've seen more of the character of God over the years, we've been able to, more and more, trust Him in His plan for us.

As I look at each of our adorable, but far from perfect, children, I am so thankful that His ways are not our ways, and He knows better than we do. It is with this picture that He has created for us that I have full confidence that we will love and treasure this next little one, that He has planted in my womb, just as much as we love and treasure the rest. Though we don't yet have a picture or a name to attribute to this precious one, I have a picture of his or her value when I look at any of our children. We don't deserve these children, but God in His sweet kindness, love, and wisdom, gave them to us anyway. Children truly are a gift from God and we pray that we would, by the grace of God, be faithful with these gifts.

Sharing this news is always bittersweet for me, as I have dear friends who long for husbands or children, but God has not yet blessed them in this way. I ache for these beloved friends and cry out to God, that He would pour out His blessings on them. And I'm reminded that His ways are not our ways... that He knows better than I do. I don't yet see the whole picture or His plans for each of our lives, but He does.

Sharing this news, also, typically brings its share of voices of disapproval from those who love us and worry about us and want what's best for us, and who think we are having too many, too quickly. We treasure and appreciate the love expressed, even though we view this area in our lives differently than they do.

I am also quite thankful for the "cheer-leading squad" that God has placed around us. Since we don't have a common view shared by many, it is sometimes difficult to face so much disapproval. But God has been so sweet to place in our lives some strong supporters... It is a delight to share this good news with you. (One of you even beat us to this announcement with such kind words!) Your joy and excitement for us bolsters us in so many ways, and most importantly, in our gratitude and joy in the Lord.

The Young and the Restless