Champions of Summer

In June, I pinned a great list entitled "100 things to do with your kids during the summer."  Including today, I think we've accomplished...um....let's just say, if these were the Pinterest Olympics, we'd be Albania. Nice people, good effort, just not much production. So, to prove we are worthy of our American birthright as champions of the summer, here is a list of the ten things we did that made our summer gold medal worthy.


1. Vacation Bible School!  Micah made his "big church" singing debut this year at Parent's Night. Did he really love VBS? Yes, yes he did. 

Be strong! Don't be afraid! God is with you always!

2.  MAX!!!  Sweet baby, Max showed our family, especially our kids, how mighty the prayers of the saints really are.  Thank you, Brooke, Richard, Ada, and Max for allowing our kids to be apart of your journey.

3. The Library.  I love the library year round, but the library during the summer has a certain magical quality to it. It says, "Come, find a book you are not required to read. Envelope yourself in a great story that you will be loathe to leave." (Yes, the library uses words like "loathe" and rhymes because it is a l-i-b-r-a-r-y. Sheesh.)

4.  The Beach. Sunscreen, lunchables, and family. Ahhhh.....

Really. Don't forget the sunscreen.

5.  Theme Parks!! Who doesn't love a theme park in Florida, in the summer?! Ok, probably lots of people, but not us! We were fortunate enough to go to two this summer: Legoland and Busch Gardens. Both were awesome and receive the "fall asleep in the stroller" seal of approval from Benjamin.

6. The Fourth of July.  We dig blowing stuff up. (and freedom)

Not sure why Benjamin looks like he just walked out of Compassion International commercial. We feed him.  I promise. Of course, if you want to send us $20 month to help....

7.  The Zoo.  We Our kids love the zoo. Even if just for a few hours, its fun to get out and see what the animals are up to.

8.  The Civil War I love that our kids are getting old enough to grasp history. Or grasp guns that are related to history.

Micah's Summation of the Civil War: "There were Americans and there were the bad guys."

9. New Fort!!  Thank you to the Liner family for outgrowing this amazing piece of outdoor play equipment and generously sharing it with us!

10.  Birthdays!!  Our family has three birthdays in July, which means loads of cake and ice cream and three special dinners. This year, Micah got to spend his birthday with grandma and grandpa in a hotel, no less. You can't ask for much more than that.

 What was your favorite part of your summer?

There is More to This Life

Tonight is the seventh anniversary of my dad's passing.  He suffered from a disease called Scleroderma, which, over a period of nine years, slowly hardened the tissue surrounding his lungs until they could no longer expand. When he was diagnosed in the summer of 1996, he and my mom prayed that he would be healed but if that wasn't to be, that he would live to see his grandchildren. God honored that request and he lived long enough to see Samuel's first year.  Thank you, Jesus. As time passed, a large part of the grieving process for me was tied up in Samuel.  It was my job to represent the grandpa he would never know. What aspects of his legacy did I want to emphasize?

My dad was a police officer with the city of Phoenix for almost 30 years, but he would have been the first to tell you that his position on the department did not define him. It was his job and one he loved and was good at, but it wasn't who he was. He was a deacon and Sunday School president, but that couldn't begin to measure his love for the Savior he chose to follow when he was 32.  He loved music, especially Johnny Cash, movie musicals, and history. He had dry sense of humor and the ability to tell the truth in love just when it was needed.  He taught us to understand and respect the political system and our duty as a responsible citizen. (I was seriously busted for not voting in a gubernatorial election right after I turned 18.) He wanted us to understand Scripture and why we believed the way we did. To ask the tough questions and not be afraid to dig deep into the mystery of faith. He married his high school sweetheart and stayed faithful to her for just shy of 31 years, teaching us the value of marriage vows fulfilled. He was wise, compassionate, and kind.  How could I begin to tell Samuel (and, later, his brothers) who their Grandpa Brad was?

A couple of months ago, I was asked to write something that would preface a song about Heaven for an upcoming church service.  I tried a few things, but, eventually, I wrote, for the first time, about my dad's last night.

The room was dimly lit and cold. Emanating from the machines and monitors was a droning mechanical symphony.  My dad’s body was still, but not at rest, his mind and heart fighting hard to remain, despite the mounting desire to go home.  Most of the family had left the ICU for a much needed respite, leaving myself and a family friend to witness the struggle. In the air was the anticipation of the inevitable. Even with assistance, his breathing was labored and raspy and, because of the apparatus pushing air in and out of his lungs, he hadn’t spoken in hours.  It was too much work just to breathe. Yet, in a brief moment of clarity and purpose, his hand reached up and removed the mask from his face.  Looking straight at the two of us and yet at no one, he said. “There’s more than this life.”  His hand, shaking with effort, placed the mask back over his face and he closed his eyes.

The last words I heard my dad speak were an encouragement and a reminder.  There’s more than this life. There’s more than the grief, the struggle, the pain. More than the joy, the ecstasy, or the adventure of living.  More than this life, because this life is but a shadow of things to come. This life is just the beginning.   Hebrews says that “people who say such things show they are looking for a country of their own....they [are] looking for a better country - a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”  A city “prepared like a bride adorned for her husband,” where “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” and “death will no longer exist.” A city illuminated by God’s glory and whose lamp is the Lamb. Heaven.

This is my dad's legacy.  A unrelenting focus on Jesus and what that meant for him here and, more importantly, there.  A belief, that no matter what life brought, it couldn't compare to the glory of the Savior, to the mercy of the cross, and the hope of eternity.  This is the grandpa I want my kids to know. This is the legacy I hope they see lived in me.

Mom and Dad with Samuel on his first Christmas morning.

New Name, New Look, New Post

Summer vacation is drawing to a close, which means that, in our house, its time to buy new things in preparation for the coming school year. I love this time of year, but it has little to do with leaves changing or impending cooler weather. I grew up in Arizona and live in Florida, so the idea of Fall as an actual season is abstract at best. Fall means less hot. What I love so desperately is that the beginning of the school year signals the start of something new and fresh. Its kind of a New Year's Day in the middle of the year.  I love buying school supplies and the oh so important first day of school outfit. That particular outing, however, is far less exciting with boys, one of whom is wearing a uniform, but, still, a new polo is a new polo and that makes me happy.
 

          I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.         

                                                  -You've Got Mail *sigh*

Alas, I'm not starting school again, so my brain has decided to start fresh in its own way.  When I started this blog almost two years ago, I thought the name was decidedly clever. Unfortunately, about a week after I started, it didn't seem so cute and after a month, it kind of annoyed me. I'd like to blame my lack of posting on the fact that my blog name struck me as silly, but really I'm just sort of lazy busy with three kids.  :) Somehow, though, things are settling down as the kids grow more independent of me (Benjamin got his own glass of water last night, which means he's practically in college), so I'm going to give it another go, as the Brits say, and a new name seemed appropriate.   Note for those who might choose to follow, (i.e. my mom): the address has changed as well...http://assemblethemins.blogspot.com (assembletheminions was taken so I had to get creative).

So, here's my new school year resolution, as it were: I promise to do my best to post with some form of regularity. To post things that are interesting to more people than just my family.  To not change my blog title again even if, after a week or so,  I find myself to be a lot less witty than I thought (high probability of this happening).  There you have it. You are now my blog accountability partners.  I thank you in advance! What about you? How do you celebrate the start of the new school year?