As you know (or if you didn't know, you can probably guess) baby names have been a big topic of discussion at our house lately. We feel like we did a stellar job picking the names Roman and Judah (we are very humble, also...). The fact that we love both of those names so much makes it difficult to find another that we both feel is unique, meaningful, and worthy of what we can only assume will be another amazing little Pometto. (I know. I already mentioned our immense humility). :)
Anyway, I have been trying to convince Joe to love the name Silas as much as I do. I love it. He hates it. Every time I bring it up he tells me that he hates it and it will never happen. Of course, I realize at this point, if he feels that strongly, that it's totally out of the question. But, that doesn't mean I can't keep bringing it up just to hear his reaction. I'm a good wife like that.
So, yesterday I said "how about Silas? What's so bad about it? I love it!"
Joe's response is still cracking me up.
"Ruth Ann, if we name our child Silas, I will call him Kevin."
I love him.
9.30.2010
9.29.2010
Roman Rides a Horse
...and Judah got to ride too! :)
Thanks again to my Uncle Dan and Aunt Marla for letting us come and ride their horses! (And to Caleb and Cana for spending the day with us and helping the boys have fun!)
For a long time now, Uncle Dan (my dad's twin brother, by the way!) had been telling Roman that he should come out and ride the ponies sometime. So, knowing that Roman can be a little bit anxious about trying new things, I started showing him youtube videos of kids riding horses, and getting library books about horses, and showing him pictures of Uncle Dan's horses. He started getting excited about it and eventually asked me "When can we go ride Uncle Dan's horses?" So, we set up a time and kept talking it up.
Joe and I still wondered how he would do. And, although he was little bit nervous when we were walking towards the horses, he loved the whole experience. I think it helped that Dan just picked him right up and put him on Rockstar for his first ride. He didn't have that much time to think about it.
Judah, of course, jumped right on with no trouble at all. That one has no fear.
On about lap #57 Uncle Dan said, "Ruth Ann, I think you started something!" I think he's right. And I think it's fantastic.
Our Sweet Judah
For those of you wondering "where are all the videos of Judah?", this post is for you. Not that any of you are probably wondering that...but just in case. :)
I don't have many good videos of Judah for the following reasons:
1. He is so much different than Roman. Roman loves showing his "tricks" and people clapping for him, etc. He loves to be the center of attention. Judah...not so much. He doesn't care about doing tricks. He smiles when you clap for him, but it provides him no motivation whatsoever. He is laid back and on his own schedule. I love him so much I can't even stand it!
2. Whenever Roman is awake, Roman does all the talking...in videos or otherwise. It's hard for Judah to get a word in edgewise. But, as you can probably guess, he doesn't really seem to mind it. He just goes with the flow. It's amazing how much more he talks when you get him one-on-one.
Also, let's just talk about this:
1. Judah's pants are so crooked throughout the entire video. I'm a good mom like that. Very observant and attentive.
2. Do you like how I say "careful" AFTER Judah falls down? Nice.
3. the "Mommy", "Judah" game...yeah, we do that all the time.
4. Could he get any cuter? Or sweeter? What a blessing.
I don't have many good videos of Judah for the following reasons:
1. He is so much different than Roman. Roman loves showing his "tricks" and people clapping for him, etc. He loves to be the center of attention. Judah...not so much. He doesn't care about doing tricks. He smiles when you clap for him, but it provides him no motivation whatsoever. He is laid back and on his own schedule. I love him so much I can't even stand it!
2. Whenever Roman is awake, Roman does all the talking...in videos or otherwise. It's hard for Judah to get a word in edgewise. But, as you can probably guess, he doesn't really seem to mind it. He just goes with the flow. It's amazing how much more he talks when you get him one-on-one.
Also, let's just talk about this:
1. Judah's pants are so crooked throughout the entire video. I'm a good mom like that. Very observant and attentive.
2. Do you like how I say "careful" AFTER Judah falls down? Nice.
3. the "Mommy", "Judah" game...yeah, we do that all the time.
4. Could he get any cuter? Or sweeter? What a blessing.
9.20.2010
Let me be honest.
I don't really have any good reasons for this long blog sabbatical.
I feel like I have had so much on my mind and on my heart that I really don't know where to start writing. So, let me be honest. Here's a glimpse into my head at the moment:
I feel like I have had so much on my mind and on my heart that I really don't know where to start writing. So, let me be honest. Here's a glimpse into my head at the moment:
I am so excited about our baby. I am tired. I am trying really hard to be patient with a certain three year old. We have had many a discussion, and lifted many a prayer about discipline...how to do it well and what specifically to do on a daily basis. I want to teach my children the right attitude to have in their heart, not just punish them for one specific act of misbehavior. Do I have the right attitude in my heart? Have I been purposeful today? Was I truly present with my kids today? What can we do to improve our marriage and therefore our family and our ministry? There is such a big world out there and God has been laying the children of the world on my heart. We want to sponsor a child. We don't know which organization to sponsor through. Our youth group is raising money to build wells in Ghana. I love those teenagers. I am praying that they are truly coming to know the Lord - not just knowing about Him. Why can't I ever get my laundry folded? Probably because I spend too much time on the computer. Judah is such a sweet and cuddly baby. He charms everyone in his line of sight. I love the stage he is in right now. I will have to stop calling him the baby soon. Bittersweet. I need to be more consistent with my God time. I am excited about the new women in our Bible study. I am excited about my friends who are having babies soon. I am praying for their journey of parenting. I wish my basement would organize itself. I have more important things to do, and yet it is driving me crazy. My "landscaping" (for lack of a better term) = complete disaster. Again, who has time to pull weeds while parenting a one and three year old? I am in the very awkward stage of "my maternity clothes look ginormous on me but my normal clothes are not flattering or comfortable anymore". I don't want to complain anymore. I want my words to impart grace to all those who hear. I caught myself asking for grace the other day (asking God to help me extend grace) when I realized I was the one in need of it. I need to take a shower and I should probably go to bed. Judah's last four teeth are coming in all at the same time...which means not too much sleep for anyone involved. It's really cute when he talks in his sleep. Roman fell out of his bed last night. He's was fine. And I learned today that he is a pack rat. He found an old container of crumbly play doh in the trash, brought it to me, and said "Mommy, you should not throw this away". He is so stinkin cute. But seriously, I should go to bed. I probably won't be able to fall asleep though because I am constantly racking my brain for a unique and Biblical name for our baby. Ideas?
Maybe the sabbatical was the better option?
Maybe the sabbatical was the better option?
9.18.2010
1000 Gifts (15)
281. being filled with sorrow for people I don't know in places I've never been...and being challenged to do something about it.
282. rainy days perfect for much needed rest
283. two cars! I got to go to DSM yesterday and see some friends. It was long overdue!
284. finding out the gender of our baby...two weeks from tomorrow!
285. the way Roman says "woolly mammoth". It comes out more like "woo-ee ammouth"
286. Judah slept through the night last night! Maybe the teething is almost over? I hope!
287. My husband - have I mentioned that he is amazing!?
288. Little boys running to the bath.
289. that we have a live-in-babysitter! Thanks for being willing to help out at the last minute, Tony!
290. Life Teen building wells in Ghana
291. Roman singing his two favorite songs: Our God by Chris Tomlin and How He Loves by David Crowder Band - this one is a slideshow set to scenes from The Passion of the Christ. I thought that was really beautiful.
292. Judah also tries to sing How He Loves...but he just says "oh, oh" over and over again. :)
293. friends that are never far away...even if they live a few states away.
294. Italian food. Baby always wants Italian food.
295. cooler weather
296. That sometimes God grabs you by the hand and leads you to safety (Gen 19:16)
297. That he can turn water into wine. Hope that He can turn this ugly, sinful, selfish heart into one that acts graciously, loves unconditionally, gives joyfully.
298. Pondering the word unconditional.
299.coincidences. God-incidences.
300. the freedom that it is to live life abundant
282. rainy days perfect for much needed rest
283. two cars! I got to go to DSM yesterday and see some friends. It was long overdue!
284. finding out the gender of our baby...two weeks from tomorrow!
285. the way Roman says "woolly mammoth". It comes out more like "woo-ee ammouth"
286. Judah slept through the night last night! Maybe the teething is almost over? I hope!
287. My husband - have I mentioned that he is amazing!?
288. Little boys running to the bath.
289. that we have a live-in-babysitter! Thanks for being willing to help out at the last minute, Tony!
290. Life Teen building wells in Ghana
291. Roman singing his two favorite songs: Our God by Chris Tomlin and How He Loves by David Crowder Band - this one is a slideshow set to scenes from The Passion of the Christ. I thought that was really beautiful.
292. Judah also tries to sing How He Loves...but he just says "oh, oh" over and over again. :)
293. friends that are never far away...even if they live a few states away.
294. Italian food. Baby always wants Italian food.
295. cooler weather
296. That sometimes God grabs you by the hand and leads you to safety (Gen 19:16)
297. That he can turn water into wine. Hope that He can turn this ugly, sinful, selfish heart into one that acts graciously, loves unconditionally, gives joyfully.
298. Pondering the word unconditional.
299.
300. the freedom that it is to live life abundant
8.26.2010
I had to share.
I had to share this beautiful response I got to my previous post. If you have missed the countless times I have referred to our dear friend, Jeff, just go read his blog and you'll see why we love him so much and why we are SO excited about him becoming a priest. He is so genuine and thoughtful, and he loves Jesus so much. :) Jeff, I really appreciate your response, your wisdom, and your friendship. I love it that you took time to answer a three year old's question while you are in ROME. It's proof that you will make it your passion to be Christ to everyone you come in contact with. The Church will be so blessed because of you.
Roman, Roman, Roman... You’re three years-old and already a theologian... you continue to amaze me. (Joe and Ruthann, he might have to skip Sunday School with this one and enroll him straight into some Catholic university...)
But now to the question at hand: “Did the Holy Spirit die on the cross?”
Ruthann, I shall begin with your intuitions because they are quite wonderful. The Trinity has indeed always existed... three Persons, one God, for all eternity... and so it might be said that each Divine Person was “present” prior to the passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ; yet it might also be said that that “presence” was to be dramatically changed after the Son of God was to break into history, for our sake, and become Man. For after the Word of God would take on flesh, God’s relationship with us, and quite profoundly our relationship with Him was to change forever... (and quite for our good, might I add), but this change was only to occur after the Son’s obedience to the Father, through his Sacrifice on the Cross was completed by His Glorification in Heaven.
And this is why when you read in John 16 Christ's words, Christ is telling his disciples that “if I do not go, the Paraclete will not come”; because if he is not Glorified, his Sacrifice would not have been complete... (for what is a Sacrifice if it is not received?)
So don’t get the impression that he is saying that the Holy Spirit is not yet around (or even not yet able to be witnessed on Earth, for recall that he had already been seen at Christ’s Baptism, “in the form of a dove”)... Instead, Christ was saying that if he did not complete his work of atoning for our sins, we as unredeemed sinners would have never been able to share in the intimate life of the Trinity... which is a participation in their intimate Love... whom we call the Holy Spirit.
But now to answer the question a bit more directly... and to do this, we might think of what is meant when we declare that “Jesus died on the cross.” As St. Thomas said (see link), what we declare when we say those words is that Christ died “as man” but not “as God.” For as God, Christ could not have died; it would be impossible for him to have died... God is God, Existence Himself... the Great “I am”... and the Great "I am" could never have been or ever be the Great “I am not”... but in becoming man, the Word of God, through his humanity ,was able to enter death and so make an acceptable offering to the Father for all of Mankind.
So then when we turn to whether or not we could say that the Holy Spirit died on the cross, we have to decidedly say, “no”; for the Holy Spirit, as well as the Father, and even the Son, in his Divinity, cannot be said to pass out of existence.
But please don’t accept this as infallible, for I am far from it...
Jeff
********************************************************
Roman, Roman, Roman... You’re three years-old and already a theologian... you continue to amaze me. (Joe and Ruthann, he might have to skip Sunday School with this one and enroll him straight into some Catholic university...)
But now to the question at hand: “Did the Holy Spirit die on the cross?”
Ruthann, I shall begin with your intuitions because they are quite wonderful. The Trinity has indeed always existed... three Persons, one God, for all eternity... and so it might be said that each Divine Person was “present” prior to the passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ; yet it might also be said that that “presence” was to be dramatically changed after the Son of God was to break into history, for our sake, and become Man. For after the Word of God would take on flesh, God’s relationship with us, and quite profoundly our relationship with Him was to change forever... (and quite for our good, might I add), but this change was only to occur after the Son’s obedience to the Father, through his Sacrifice on the Cross was completed by His Glorification in Heaven.
And this is why when you read in John 16 Christ's words, Christ is telling his disciples that “if I do not go, the Paraclete will not come”; because if he is not Glorified, his Sacrifice would not have been complete... (for what is a Sacrifice if it is not received?)
So don’t get the impression that he is saying that the Holy Spirit is not yet around (or even not yet able to be witnessed on Earth, for recall that he had already been seen at Christ’s Baptism, “in the form of a dove”)... Instead, Christ was saying that if he did not complete his work of atoning for our sins, we as unredeemed sinners would have never been able to share in the intimate life of the Trinity... which is a participation in their intimate Love... whom we call the Holy Spirit.
But now to answer the question a bit more directly... and to do this, we might think of what is meant when we declare that “Jesus died on the cross.” As St. Thomas said (see link), what we declare when we say those words is that Christ died “as man” but not “as God.” For as God, Christ could not have died; it would be impossible for him to have died... God is God, Existence Himself... the Great “I am”... and the Great "I am" could never have been or ever be the Great “I am not”... but in becoming man, the Word of God, through his humanity ,was able to enter death and so make an acceptable offering to the Father for all of Mankind.
So then when we turn to whether or not we could say that the Holy Spirit died on the cross, we have to decidedly say, “no”; for the Holy Spirit, as well as the Father, and even the Son, in his Divinity, cannot be said to pass out of existence.
But please don’t accept this as infallible, for I am far from it...
Jeff
8.25.2010
Something to Ponder...
Roman asked me a question this morning that still has me thinking. He is so profound. It's a question I'm not sure I am theologically qualified to answer. Although I have some different ideas running through my head, I'm probably going to need some help here. Father D? Jeff? Anyone else? Let me know what you would say. Remember he's 3. :)
"Did the Holy Spirit die on the cross?"
It's a tough one, huh?
As I understand it, the Trinity has always existed. Three in one. Free of what we know as "time". Before creation, and outside of what our finite minds can grasp. All three persons have always been. (Gen 1:26)
And yet, Jesus had to die in order that he could descend to hell, be raised to life, and ascend to heaven...all so that he could give us the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7)
There is always something to ponder. What do you think?
"Did the Holy Spirit die on the cross?"
It's a tough one, huh?
As I understand it, the Trinity has always existed. Three in one. Free of what we know as "time". Before creation, and outside of what our finite minds can grasp. All three persons have always been. (Gen 1:26)
And yet, Jesus had to die in order that he could descend to hell, be raised to life, and ascend to heaven...all so that he could give us the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7)
There is always something to ponder. What do you think?
8.16.2010
1000 Gifts (14)
261. understanding friends (who don't judge you for a complete outburst of emotion in public)
262. new books to challenge me
263. free new books thanks to sweet, generous friends :)
264. silence
265. Psalm 73:26
266. when food tastes good to me
267. teenagers who are hungry for truth
268. cool breeze
269. underdogs
270. red head coming down the slide
271. that this season will pass
272. witnessing two becoming one
273. family
274. dusk
275. footie pajamas
276. early ultrasound...so nice to see little hands and hear strong heartbeat
277. smell of hospital soap reminding me of the pain and the joy
278. big blue eyes
279. birthday money
280. knowing prayers are heard and answered
262. new books to challenge me
263. free new books thanks to sweet, generous friends :)
264. silence
265. Psalm 73:26
266. when food tastes good to me
267. teenagers who are hungry for truth
268. cool breeze
269. underdogs
270. red head coming down the slide
271. that this season will pass
272. witnessing two becoming one
273. family
274. dusk
275. footie pajamas
276. early ultrasound...so nice to see little hands and hear strong heartbeat
277. smell of hospital soap reminding me of the pain and the joy
278. big blue eyes
279. birthday money
280. knowing prayers are heard and answered
8.12.2010
In Case you Don't Live in Iowa...
Ten feet of water in Hilton Coliseum. The basketball court was floating...
http://www.cyclones.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&id=718487&db_oem_id=10700
http://www.cyclones.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&id=718487&db_oem_id=10700
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