Sam and Elisabeth are afraid of the dark, which has mostly just been a problem at night. Sam shares a room with Nate and Elisabeth sleeps with Catie. You would think this roommate situation would be enough to combat their fears. Nope. Even with a sibling sleeping inches away, both Sam and Elisabeth need the lights...Continue Reading
Last week, while preparing to lead a retreat for a group of wonderful women, I forgot everything I knew. I forgot the main points of the Bible studies I had been teaching for the past two months at my own church. I forgot how much I enjoy speaking at events. I forgot how warm and...Continue Reading
Today is my birthday. According to six-year-old wisdom, you should feel different on your birthday. On their birthday, both Sam and Elisabeth walked downstairs and separately demanded, “Today is my birthday! What’s wrong? Why don’t I feel different?!” Later that day, we went to LifeTime and both kids marched up to the tape measure on the...Continue Reading
Dear Catie… Remember how, the first time you put on this Westlake shirt, you stared at yourself in the mirror for a very long time? If seeing yourself in the uniform usually worn by your little brother and sister was strange for you, it was, perhaps, doubly strange for me. But you were unfazed. After...Continue Reading
(Ed. Note: No FAQs today as I’m writing the annual first-day-of-school letters to the kids. Here’s the first one, complete with tears and some extra pictures of the first day of school.) Dear Nate… You are full of surprises, kid. Daddy and I would have bet money the first day of school would be very...Continue Reading
In Subrubia, the good summer camps and VBSs fill up around Spring Break. This past April our summer calendar was still wide open, and I still hadn’t gotten around to signing the kids up for some activities. Just when it was time to panic, my friend Barb, the director of our old church, called. She...Continue Reading
Dear Elisabeth… The other day, when you went to Target with me, we talked about a lot of things. We talked about how much you love Rapunzel, about whether or not your friends would have fun at your slumber party, and about your “biggest dreams in the world.” You changed the subject, but there was...Continue Reading
So, we’re trying something new around here this year for Christmas. In an effort to fight the legalistic YOU BETTER BE GOOD OR NO PRESENTS vibe that is the exact opposite of what God intended Christ’s birth to be, we’re trying to teach our kids grace. Over and over and over and over we’ve asked...Continue Reading
