Mid-November

So much has been happening around here! I should have been updating all the way through but it just didn't happen. A few weeks ago we went to visit Tim's parents in Bismarck but when we came back our phones and internet were out. Qwest had to come out a few days later to fix the problem. Then, last week, my laptop got a virus and we're still waiting for the needed software to arrive. (I'm blogging on Tim's computer.) Meanwhile, school has been plugging along well and for the most part things are smooth sailing. The biggest adjustment is exhibited in the picture of Adam below:

Yes, a new arrival in our home will make Adam a big brother next May! We're very excited, and I'm almost 15 weeks along now, so anticipate a gender announcement coming in the next month or so! In the meantime, I posted some pictures so you can see how nicely the rest of the flock is growing...

Who Can Appease Eternal Wrath?

Question 13. Can we pay this debt ourselves?
Answer. Certainly not. Actually, we increase our debt every day.

Question 14. Can another creature any at all pay this debt for us?
Answer. No. God will not punish any other creature for what a human being has committed. Besides, no mere creature can bear the weight of God's eternal wrath against sin and release others from it.

Merciful, Righteous Judgement

Question 11. But isn't God merciful?
Answer. God is indeed merciful but also just. Divine justice demands that sin, committed against God's supreme majesty, be punished with the supreme penalty eternal punishment of body and soul.

Question 12. According to God's righteous judgement we deserve punishment both in this world and forever after: how then can we escape this punishment and return to God's favor?
Answer. God requires that divine justice be satisfied. Therefore the claims of this justice must be paid in full, either by ourselves or by another.

King Tut

Ok, they wouldn't let me take pictures at the museum so I had to bring a few non-artifact items home so we could have some record of the event on our blog. If I have more time soon, I'll share more later.

I think they're trying to be very serious and authentic.

Keeping the Law

Question 9. But doesn't God do us an injustice by requiring in the law what we are unable to do?
Answer. No. God created human beings with the ability to keep the law. They, however, tempted by the devil, in deliberate disobedience, robbed themselves and all their descendants of these gifts.

Question 10. Will God permit such disobedience and rebellion to go unpunished?
Answer. Certainly not. God is terribly angry about the sin we are born with as well as the sins we personally commit. As a just judge God punishes them now and in eternity. God has declared: "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law."

Pumpkin Time

This is a project that I wanted to complete last year, but never got around to it. These are designed to be just like Pottery Barn's Build-A-Pumpkin Kits, but for all 4 of mine for less than half of the price of 1 kit! I think the project cost us $3. Anyway, find instructions over here. We didn't make the skeleton (he's pretty ugly) so we made our 4th pumpkin (last one on the left) an homage to King Tut, whom we will meet next week!




Funny, I see 5 pumpkins in the picture. Hmmmm.

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation - Family Camp

This past August, we attended our church's family camp! For the last few summers, we'd added a couple little boys to our family, so we had been unable to participate with our family camp for quite a while. This year, however, seemed wide open to the possibility! We gathered our food and supplies, tents and sleeping bags and headed out into the "wilderness".

We camped at a state park so there were pavilions available to our group for meetings and devotions and bathhouses not too far from our campsite.

And there was a great field for the annual family olympic competitions.

We also visited a park nearby that had a wonderful volleyball area, playground for little kids and a fantastic water feature, which was the biggest hit for our kids.

Dabney is checking out the new space in her mouth.

We were so privileged to have Auntie Cait with us for our camping trip!

Wrestling with friends~ I LOVE this!

Tim, James, Josh, Adam, Cait, and I all slept in one really big tent (which I didn't manage to get a picture of) while Dabney and David slept in a tent David received for his last birthday.

And, boy, did we all sleep well at night!

Dabney the Nurturer

Poisoned Natures

Question 7. What is the source of this corruption of human nature?
Answer. The fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise. This fall has so poisoned our nature that we are all conceived and born in a sinful condition.

Question 8. But are we so corrupt that we are totally unable to do any good and inclined toward all evil?
Answer. Yes, unless we are born again by the Spirit of God.

Our Theological Heritage

(This post has been on my heart for months now. I'm only sorry that it has taken me so long to post it.)



I am an historical girl. I just love history. I love my family history, American history, world history, church history.

Maybe I love history because I live in Colorado which has practically no history; it only became a U.S. territory 149 years ago. I grew up in a small town in the rolling Pennsylvania farmland that is older than the American revolution. My parents used to drive half an hour away and show us where our nation was born- I wish I could do the same for my children. I miss learning about the old history that used to surround me. History is important because it tells us where we've come from and who we are.

Maybe I love history because I grew up learning from a dear pastor who taught us to value our theological heritage. I draw great comfort from learning about the Scottish Covenanters who were persecuted for their faith. They died not just for believing in Jesus, but for doctrinal truths from Scripture, like justification by faith alone, the solas of the reformation, bringing children into the covenant by baptism, and practices such as family worship and psalm singing. I would encourage you to read a few of these books to get you started learning about these great saints.


I believe that historic Biblical creeds, confessions, catechisms are very important as we grow in our faith and can meditate on weightier doctrines. The simple doctrines (like the Apostle's Creed) are crucial to know and understand and love, but after a while, theological meat is necessary to grow strong. Do we delve any deeper than pop culture Christianity? We have hundreds of years of Presbyterian history that we benefit from everyday. Are we taking advantage of this history? These ancient godly men searched the scriptures night and day and summarized biblical thoughts and doctrines for their children and congregants. This is our spiritual heritage. These men were persecuted for shaking up the status quo and doing and preaching what was biblical. Ministerial delegates in 1647 labored heavily and prayerfully as they drafted the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechism, a thorough exposition of Scripture heavily laden throughout with full proof texts for every word written. John Calvin after having fled to Basel, Switzerland in 1536, wrote his Institutes of the Christian Religion, a veritable handbook for reformed, newly protestant Christianity. Study for yourself and adopt the Canons of Dort in 1619 which defend the faith against the delinquent doctrine of Arminianism. Don't forget the puritan preachers and authors too, like Jeremiah Burroughs, Thomas Watson, Jonathan Edwards and Richard Baxter who thoroughly studied the Bible and wrote beautiful volumes about God's attributes and instructions on how to live a godly life. (I'd heartily recommend this one.) We must study these documents and learn about our church fathers. All of this is very important. There is a wealth that we cannot squander. These are the shoulders that we stand upon. We need to be mature enough in our faith to know why we believe what we believe.



A note to those who know me from church:
Do you ever wonder what exactly is a sacrament? Why do we baptize our babies? Who should partake of the Lord's Table? Why do we worship in the order we do? I would encourage you to take a look at The Westminister Confession and the OPC Book of Church Order ~ also known as The Westminster Standards. This organized way of worship is important because order reflects the order of our good God.

Created in True Righteousness and Holiness

Question 5. Can you live up to all this perfectly?
Answer. No. I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor.

Question 6. Did God create people so wicked and perverse?
Answer. No. God created them good and in God's own image, that is, in true righteousness and holiness, so that they might truly know God their creator, love God with all their heart, and live with God in eternal happiness for God's praise and glory.

Fall Co-op 2010

This fall we're headed back to our friends' house in the country to learn about bugs and insects! You may remember that last May we participated in a co-op where we learned about trees, and my good friend Andie was brave enough to invite us back to their home so our group of kids could learn together again.

These jars are holding a couple homemade ant farms~ an experiment in what ants like to eat.

Everyone got to catch bugs and show them to each other.

Mostly, everyone caught giant grasshoppers, with a few caterpillars and ladybugs thrown into the mix.

My kids just loved it!

They're also creating another lapbook this time so there will be something tangible to put in their binders for the year. They'll be finished with them soon and I'll be sure to show you all of their hard work.

More Cat Pictures

...which is ironic since I've never considered myself a cat person.

(Look at his cool stripes!)

I guess he was just too photogenic this morning as he took one of his multitudinous naps on Dabney's bed.