The Painted Isaiah

The little kids do a special project at Home Depot now and then, and these are the pictures from the last one.  The project was a wooden snowman that they got to paint--can you tell? 

These are a couple of my Bubba (Isaiah) pictures, rather grainy due to the lighting, but cute none the less.

Gibberish?

"De delo-dopper!" my 2-year-old brother yells, pointing out the window.  "De delo-dopper!" 

To most people, his words mean nothing.  But to me and the rest of my family, they mean exactly what Isaiah wants them to mean.  We understand the gibberish perfectly, and to us it sounds pretty much like our own language, though he's definitely not a master yet.  I can make out his carefully thought out speeches easily, but if it were another child, in a different family, I usually can't make heads or tails of the excited gabble.   The reason?  I'm not around the other youngsters 24/7.  The parents and older siblings of a toddler will almost always be able to tell you in perfectly translated, understandable, modern-day English what the child is saying.  They are around the child (or children!) all the time, and because of this are able to completely understand their needs and desires, and the words that come out of the toddler's mouth usually sound (to them, at least) near to their own words.  When we are around a certain child long enough we can understand what is repeated to us over and over. 

This reminds me of our relationship with other people—and God.  At times, we all become frustrated with the inability of other humans to "understand" us.  But this shouldn't be a surprise to us.  Those people aren't around us 24/7, only when we're at work, or come home from school, or when we go somewhere or do something with them.  People are not able to fully understand each other.  Maybe they can understand each other well (can translate the other person's "gibberish,") but to be able to perfectly and easily work together at all times is virtually impossible. 

God, however, is with us all the time.  He understands us totally, because not only is He with us 24/7, but He created us!  He knows what our likes and dislikes are, what we want, and what we need.  So the next time that you need help, are feeling misunderstood, or are looking for a friend who totally "gets it," go to God.  Chances are, He knows what you're talking about.

(And by the way—"De delo-dopper" can be translated as "The helicopter.")

The little things in life

As I look back over my pictures, I'm amazed to see so many seemingly little things that I love so dearly!

A full moon

Sitting around the fire with my family on a long summer's evening

Cute little brothers

 

The clouds during a sunset

Well-loved tractors

Apple pie

And though I never thought I'd say this... cornfields!

Sophia, the One and Only

Sophia loves pictures of herself, so it makes it extremely easy to make today's post!

This is Sophia's shadow.  I'm including it in her post simply because it's a pretty neat picture.  Plus, you hardly ever see her without it!

This is Sophia.  Complete with a "of course I don't know you're taking my picture!" smile.  Sophia's favorite activities include reading, playing with her siblings, and doing basically anything else her older sisters do.  She's a very outgoing person, always able to make a new friend.

Here's Sophia with the music harp on the couch.  She plays a little bit of piano (she's still learning), music harp, and hopes to play the real harp one day.

 That's about it when it comes to Sophia.  Based on her photogenic behavior (constantly getting in the way of the lens!), I'm sure that this isn't the last post about her!

Samuel

This is my four-year-old brother Samuel.  The sticker on the forehead is temporary.  So is the spiked hair.

Sam's one of the orderly kids in the house—my mom was so excited when he actually wanted to clean his room for the first time, or make sure that the napkins and forks are placed just right on the table.  He's the oldest boy in the house, and despite the spoiling he's gotten from his four older sisters, he's good at playing crash the car with Isaiah.

This is Samuel's "Baby Tractor" (a kid's John Deere Gator).  Sam's so fond of the thing that it's been replaced once when the old one (a hand-me-down from friends) broke down from the constant use.  Seeing Samuel outside in the summer without Baby Tractor is pretty close to seeing a pig fly.

  Samuel's a sweet little boy, a favorite among his family and friends.  One of his many talents is helping people out—something I'm sure he'll be known for a long time!

Introducing Isaiah

Today's post is about a certain member of my family.
Or, if you wish, a member of our circus. 
Or maybe it's a zoo.
No matter what it is, Isaiah is the center attraction. 

 

This is Isaiah, my one-year-old brother.  If any of us ends up in a full-body cast, it would be him.  He's almost always happy, mischievious, and full of energy. He's a dare devil, and even at his young, "innocent" age he has taught his older brother Samuel  (4 yrs old) things that Sam never would have dreamed of doing on his own. 

(One of Isaiah's most common offences—standing in the fridge.) 

Isaiah is a trouble maker, and like most trouble makers, he is amazingly cute.  The only problem is that he uses it...

  To his advantage. 

But he really is sweet. He can't help it.