Sunday Mornings

The typical Sunday morning in our house is a well-timed, well-run, machine. Up we get with bright smiling faces, ready to start the day. The birds are chirping as the sun floods into our bedrooms, and if you listen really hard you can hear the sound of little girls giggling really quietly so they won't wake up their brother. We enjoy a leisurely breakfast as we discuss current events over our freshly bakes cinnamon rolls. Afterwards, my children get ready while singing, my hair always does exactly what I want it to, Elijah happily sits their and coos and smiles and never ever spits up on his "church clothes".....Okay, maybe not. Sunday mornings in our house probably more accurately resemble roping a calf at a rodeo, and chances are Elijah has caused me to change my outfit twice before I walk out the door. But in the moments between the chaos we review memory verses, prepare for what Naomi will be learning about in Sunday School, and thank God for our church family. I often think of our brothers and sisters in Christ.....when we get to church there are many whom we love who are beginning their worship gatherings as well, and when we are finishing ours, I know there are many more who are just beginning to worship together. What a beautiful bond we have. We may not have sung the same songs or heard the same passage in scripture, but we have worshipped the same God, we have read from the same Bible and we have been encouraged and challenged by the same Spirit and in 6 more days, if the Lord wills, we will do it again. "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care." - Psalm 95:6,7

Laughter

Today my son laughed. Not the little chuckle that young infants do but a hearty belly laugh. There is nothing like hearing your children laugh. This is something I thoroughly enjoy about our home, come by for a visit and it won't be long before you hear someone cracking up. Jeremy is quick to find the tickle bugs that seem to invade our children's beds. At the last book fair at school, Jerusha bought a knock-knock joke book (which I regretted almost immediately) and she is refining the art of skillfully telling a knock-knock joke. Elijah is enjoys a good game of peekaboo, Naomi loves to laugh at whatever tickles her funny bone and growing up in a family that laughs a lot together, I love every minute of it! So feel free to come on over, bring your best jokes and prepare to laugh!

Delightful

A delightful moment in a other-wise trying day...my daughter, Naomi, heard a song, put on a dress and twirled. "Mommy, I pretty?" "Naomi, you are absolutely beautiful". She happily continued to twirl and I enjoyed the dance recital. I think I caught an earthly glimpse of how my heavenly Father delights in me. It wasn't Naomi's elaborate dance steps that were so impressive, it wasn't her costume, it was the fact that she is my daughter and I love her. "I am my Beloved's and He is mine. His banner over me is love."

Happy Thanksgiving

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done....remember the wonders he has done..." Psalm 105 1 & 5

Today is the Sunday before Canadian Thanksgiving, and as any good Canadian family should, we cooked up a fine Thanksgiving feast. In the Stobbe family we have a tradition that at every major holiday one person is sick (it's not a great tradition) and this year Jerusha took that honour. Despite her croaky voice, we had a great meal and shared what we were thankful for. Our list got longer and longer as we thought of God's goodness to us this past year and what topped everyone's list was the arrival of Elijah, a blessing before we even asked but we are so thankful he is here. So to our Canadian friends and family...Happy Thanksgiving!

Won't This Be Fun?

When we first looked at the house that is now our home we knew it needed a little extra care and attention. It's been a great house to learn new skills on and with that in mind, as I was perusing the coupons from Costco, I came across a deal I couldn't pass up.....and Jeremy found himself committing a full weekend and some week nights to installing a new floor. Now, for those who haven't seen the old floor this isn't all that exciting, but trust me, linoleum looks pretty bad after 16 years of wear and tear. My dear husband did an excellent job and after 11 years of marriage we have an understanding, when I say, "won't this be fun?" he heads to the garage to get his tool-belt.

It's Been A While

Alright, let's pretend that it hasn't been over a year since I last wrote. How about I get everyone caught up and we'll continue? Since Jerusha's birthday last year........

Naomi turned 2 and then 3! She is such a sweet girl and everyone who comes in contact with can't help but smile. She's learning her alphabet and numbers and with Jerusha gone all day at school, she is thoroughly enjoying having full reign of the toys.

Jerusha turned 6 and has started the first grade! She rides the bus for about an hour and a half which I feel is a little long for a 6 year old. But she enjoys her commute....maybe I'll send the daily paper and a cup of coffee as she catches up on her current events! She enjoys school and loves reading. She has also started soccer and piano lessons, she's a busy girl!

Jeremy has been working very hard in seminary and this May he graduated with his Masters in Transformational Leadership. When I asked him what he was going to do with it when he grows up, he paused, shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know". I'm teasing :) Seminary has been a great experience for him and for myself as well as we both continue to grow in our faith and dig deep into scripture. I'm really proud of him for doing so well (he was elected into the "Who's Who of American Universities").

I've been keeping busy, teaching small groups for the senior high girls and taking on a leadership position in MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers) but what really keeps me up at night is our son. Around a year ago Jeremy and I were discussing whether we were really living by faith, and if not, we should start asking for the Lord's help to grow our faith. The next month we found out

we were expecting our third child....I'm not even kidding!

So, here he is.....Lloyd Elijah Taylor. Born on July 28, weighing 7lbs, 12oz. The name Lloyd is after his daddy (Lloyd Christopher Jeremy) and his Grand-dad (Lloyd Keith Taylor) and his Great-Grand-dad (Lloyd Taylor.....the original). We are honoured to give him the name and our prayer and desire is that he would follow in the steps of all of these men by loving the Lord deeply. He has a great legacy behind him!

Whew....that's almost a Christmas letter isn't it?