A glimpse inside

I always look forward to the 20 week ultrasound when I am pregnant. I love getting a sneak peak at what God is knitting together in my womb. Most of the ultrasound process is measurements and pictures of anatomy but at the end comes the profile. Baby 3 was not the most cooperative patient at Monday's ultrasound. Baby kept moving and kicking and wiggling so the tech was having a hard time getting what she needed. Baby was also turned facing my back which makes the profile near impossible. But, at the very end, Baby turned around and this mama shed a few tears at the sight of that precious profile. The pic is not great but you get the idea.

John's First Ride

Chris had predicted that by the end of summer John would be riding a two wheel bike.

He was right.

I predicted that while John might be capable of riding a two wheel bike he lacks the concentration to do so.

I was also right.

What do I have?

There are way too many things we love about living in South Dakota to list on this blog but one of them is the awe my boys have for the world around them. Each time we drive to Grandma's or to Sioux Falls or anywhere the boy's marvel at the tractors and the growing things in the fields. They love to ask, "What do I have?" They are so curious about what is growing out their windows. Elijah has gotten very good at telling the difference between corn and beans and John is very good at telling us whether the tractor is a John Deere or not.

It also amazes them to no end that Auntie Sara has a garden and that we get to eat what grows out of it. The other night, as we munched garden lettuce and the first green pepper, Elijah was so impressed that we were eating food grown right down the street.

It just makes me smile.

Top Ten from Black Hills visit

10. New lunch boxes with many treats thanks to Grandma Donna

9. Swimming in the warm pool with all of our friends

8. Learning to use our rock fist with Sky Collide

7. Taco Bell gives out toys?!

6. Many rocks thrown into Spearfish Creek

5. Putting feet into the very very cold Spearfish Creek with new friends Lily and

Louis

4. 4-wheeler rides with Daddy

3. Tractor rides with Grandpa

2. Elijah lost his first tooth!

1. Learning how to dig into the word of God with all our little friends at FCA Camp VBS while Mommy finished a book, did Bible study and got coffee with the moms!

My kid

It is an on-going argument in our house over whose kids is whose. I am certain John is Chris', not only because he looks like him, but because he behaves like him. I am certain Elijah is my mini-me. Elijah is sure this is not true but this week I saw it even more clearly.

My beautiful sister and her husband hosted Backyard Bible Club this past Monday through Thursday. Each day Elijah would sit towards the front (something his mom also tries to do, that is where all the learning takes place) and raise his hand patiently for each question. Now, it is a trait common in little people, they often raise their hands to answer questions they have no idea how to answer. Elijah, however, always has an answer, even if it was, "I have no idea." I too have a tendency to raise my hand or just offer my thoughts even if I have no idea; however I feign knowledge where I have none.

The first night Elijah was frustrated that he did not get called on to say the memory verse. He decided to remedy that problem by simply asking the teacher beforehand to call on him. The conversation went something like this: "Excuse me, Mrs. Ruth, could you please call on me first to say the verse? I really know it." Again this is me. I get frustrated when I am not noticed or acknowledged, especially when I actually do have the answer, for once.

I love both my boys so much but Elijah is so much like me. I hope that doesn't cause trouble in the future.