Happy Father's Day!!!

Ethan loves hot sauce. So, for Father's Day I got him a Chile Habanero Hot Sauce...with this note! 

Summerfest

Today we went to "Summerfest," a family oriented event from Ethan's work. It was storming when we got there... but then the sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon.

See this dog??? As soon as Maia saw it, she had to go over close, to look at it. No fear... even though it was almost the size of a small pony! 

  Maia saw this dog and walked straight to it. She was not in the least bit afraid! 

 

He licked her and everything... and she was unfazed...

 

They had these fun little wood stands for kids (and adults!) to play--tic tac toe, horse shoe and football... But Maia decided she would sit in the back  and chill. See her below?? 

 

A day of firsts

 

Yesterday we went to the pool for the first time this summer. Maia didn't like the kiddie pool one bit. She loves her bath! I was expecting her to be so excited about the pool... but she wasn't. 

 

She loved this doll house, though!! 

  

Today was Maia's first time eating Oreos. She LOVED them! :)

Living upon the invisible God

Quotes that blessed & challenged me from John Piper's bio of John Bunyan:

As I look around me in the world and in the Word, my own sense is that what we need from Bunyan right now is a glimpse into how he suffered and how he learned to "live on God that is invisible." I want that for myself, and I want that for my people, and I want that for you pastors and for your people, because nothing glorifies God more than when we maintain our stability and even our joy having lost everything but God (Hab. 3:17-18). That day is coming for each of us, and we do well to get ready, and help our people get ready.

If "living upon God that is invisible" is the key to suffering rightly, what is the key to living upon God? Bunyan's answer is: to lay hold on Christ through the Word of God, the Bible. Prison proved for Bunyan to be a hallowed place of communion with God because his suffering unlocked the Word and the deepest fellowship with Christ he had ever known.

I never had in all my life so great an inlet into the Word of God as now [in prison]. Those scriptures that I saw nothing in before were made in this place and state to shine upon me. Jesus Christ also was never more real and apparent than now. Here I have seen him and felt him indeed. . . I have had sweet sights of the forgiveness of my sins in this place, and of my being with Jesus in another world. . . I have seen that here that I am persuaded I shall never, while in this world, be able to express.

This is how the promises sustained and strengthened Bunyan. He was filled with Scripture. Everything he wrote was saturated with Bible. He poured over his English Bible, which he had most of the time. This is why he can say of his writings, "I have not for these things fished in other men's waters; my Bible and Concordance are my only library in my writings." Charles Spurgeon put it like this: "He had studied our Authorized Version . . . till his whole being was saturated with Scripture; and though his writings . . . continually make us feel and say, 'Why, this man is a living Bible!' Prick him anywhere; and you will find that his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak with out quoting a text, for his soul is full of the Word of God."ñ

And this is what he has to show us. That "to live upon God who is invisible" is to live upon God in his Word. And to serve and suffer out of a life in God is to serve and suffer out of a life drenched with the Word of God. This is how we shall live, this is how we shall suffer and this is how we shall help our people get safely to the Celestial City. We will woo them with the Word. We will say to them with Bunyan to his people:

God hath strewed all the way from the gate of hell, where thou wast, to the gate of heaven, whither thou art going, with flowers out of his own garden. Behold how the promises, invitations, calls, and encouragements, like lilies, lie round about thee! Take heed that thou dost not tread them under thy foot.

These show so much Maia's little personality

Ethan and I are so enjoying seeing Maia's little personality coming out more and more. These two pictures show some of that personality.

This first one shows Maia--determined, thoughtful, in control.

This one shows what a happy girl she is!! She LOVES playing with us. She tries to scare us by hiding, then coming out and shrieking.... She loves to turn my face away from her and pull it back toward her. When I scream as I come closer to her face, she laughs, with her sweet, melt-my-heart belly laugh. We are so so so thankful for the joy God brings through her. 

Maia's curls

Look at these pretty curls!!

Partners in crime

Maia & James "playing"... Sweet! They are exactly 4 weeks apart.

Maia playing piano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rawyPXzw62A&sns=em

Such a beautiful day!

Maia & I went on a walk today. It was gorgeous!

Lacita, mira lo que tengo puesto!!!