New Bibles....

I know, it's lame. Here in America, we have ridiculous access to God's Word. But, there is something just so cool about getting a new Bible. Awhile back, Ben had gotten Emma and Caleb these little backpack Bibles, which they use for schoolwork, etc. NIV. Anyhow, Emma lost hers-we aren't sure if she left it at church or what. Anyhow, I went to get her a new one for her birthday, and couldn't find what I was looking for. As I was leaving, I remembered that Family Christian Stores was having a member special, a little ESV Bible for $5!! (This is Daddy's preferred translation). They had a beautiful cranberry-like color too!! So, I grabbed it and then remembered that I have been looking for a new Bible for myself for some time. I love my big 'ol honking NKJV Bible, but being a study Bible, the thing is huge. Lugging the diaper bag, the car seat with Judah, and my purse just doesn't lend itself to carrying around the big Bible, especially since I already have back trouble!!!
SO.... (to make a short story long!!!) I grabbed another of the little ESV Bibles, this one in black, and thought, as long as I can read the print, it will be perfect to put in the diaper bag!! Yay!!! But, on my way home, I got to thinking that when we do our morning Bible readings, Caleb reads half the chapter, and Emma reads the other. They follow along. And now, they would be reading from different translations. So, I decided to go ahead and give the little black ESV to Caleb so they could be reading the same version. But of course, then Noah wanted a new Bible. Caleb decided he would give his NIV backpack Bible to Noah. So he and Emma "surprised" Noah with it. And so, the sweetest thing last night was seeing the three bigger kids sprawled out in various places in the living room, all reading their new Bibles. (Sorry for the video quality, if it even works!! This is Noah reading Psalm 20:7)

Oh, Noah...

Noah: Mom, is there another baby in your tummy?
Me: No...
Noah: Then when is your tummy ever gonna stop being big?

Ramblings...

Ben and I are very slowly making our way through a cool little Bible study. We were both so struck by this last night:

(Jonathan Edwards on "common virtue" vs. "true virtue", using the virtue of honesty as an example:)

"In common virtue, you have not done anything to root out the fundamental cause of evil-the radical self-centeredness of the heart. You have restrained the heart's self-centeredness, but not changed it.

True virtue is when you are honest not because it profits you or makes you feel better, but because you are smitten with the beauty of God who is all truth and sincerity and faithfulness...That kind of motivation can only grow in someone deeply touched by God's grace...Consequently, our hearts are not just restrained but changed."


Seriously....

I am not sure how I can be expected to get anything done...

When I have this to sit and stare at. =)

But, was reading this morning and was praying this for the kids:

"Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bear fruit in old age
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."
Psalm 92:13-15

Time Flies...

I know, I have already been terrible about posting pics of the little man. It's easier to post on Facebook from my iPhone, but I can't post those to my blog. So it takes me awhile. I usually don't have much time to get on the computer. So, real quick here are some pictures, I can't believe Judah is almost a month old. Time is flying by... but slowly, we are finding our way into a new routine.

He loves morning time...

Am I boring him, or is he just tired?

I never get tired of looking at him.

Baby burrito!!

Noah is so excited about his new math book! I finally ordered it for him, after him telling me for quite some time now that he is "ready for math." He will probably have a change of heart soon, but for now he is very excited about it. He is starting with Saxon 1.

The boys reading together. Noah has an easy reader book that I got him. It's a big, huge Disney book, and I don't actually consider it "easy" reading because it is mostly words that don't follow the phonetic rules. Anyhow, I heard Noah tell Ezra, "Just a minute and I will read it to you." Noah was supposed to be reading through a word list of short "i" words, and I heard him reading the Disney book to Ezra. I started to scold him for not doing his work, and then realized, "DUH!!"... this was even better. =)

About the name...

I wanted to get these stories down before I forgot them:

Last October, when we were in Palm Springs, we met a lady at the pool. She asked me what we were going to name our baby. At that point, we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl. But I told her that if it was a boy, I wanted to name him Judah. Everybody has their reactions... she was obviously not excited about the name and said, "Eeew! It sounds like Judas!!" My dear friend Glory was with me and quickly said something about how Judah and Judas were very different!! Luckily I just laughed it off...

The next day, the lady was at the pool again and ran into Ben. She apologized and wanted to make sure she hadn't offended me, which Ben assured her she hadn't. But, I thought it was sweet because Ben got to explain who Judah was, one of the sons of Israel, and the tribe from which Jesus descended. Super cool. =)

Also, Ben and I had agreed to pray about what to name the baby, since we figured that God already knew his name, He just hadn't shared it with us yet. =) Anyhow, one morning, I felt that the Lord gave me these verses:

"He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves....

With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand." Psalm 78:67-68, 72 (ESV)

I like the NKJV of verse 72, which says he "shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart."

My sweet little Judah Sean. Praise God who is gracious!!!