The Big Ones

Kate took her first steps tonight!

I am so proud of her!

There is a video of it on my facebook page... I was planning to upload it here, but it is too large a file. If you are my facebook friend, go and check it out!

I'm especially glad that Lance got to see it! My mom was there, too. And Elijah was super excited about the whole thing. It was awesome! So happy for my littlest angel!

Babies

When we came home from camp, we discovered a sparrow had made a nest in our hanging plant by the front door. There are 3 tiny eggs (no bigger than your thumbnail) inside the nest! We have had so much fun checking the nest every day, watching for the eggs to hatch.




Also, my sister's cat had kittens this week! There are three tiny kittens that Elijah has named Annie, Crowny, and BB (this is him with Crowny).

Don't babies, whether they're people or animals, embody everything that is precious to us? They are small and vulnerable, so we naturally want to care for them. They look so sweet in their miniature-ness that we want to cuddle them. You can't help but smile when you see and touch them! It has been fun to watch Elijah with these baby animals and see some of those tendencies come out in him. It is a natural reaction.


I am finishing an excellent read called Sacred Parenting, by Gary Thomas. Instead of being a parenting how-to book, he chronicles what happens in our own hearts when we become parents, showing how God uses the process of parenting to continue to refine us. We must mature when we care for another's spiritual welfare. There are many lessons we must learn, such as how to sacrifice, how to be less self-centered, how to deal with guilt and anger, how to listen to God, how to allow our children to go through hardships, and how to let go. In one chapter, he says he was praying for his son, and he felt God tell him, "You must become what you are praying for your child to become." It's amazing how being responsible for a life brings out these parts of your heart, causing you to dust off cobwebs in corners you didn't know existed! If you have children, Sacred Parenting is a must read.

Gary Thomas has called me once again to be a parent that brings my children into spiritual depth, instead of being a parent that makes decisions based on what is convenient for me.


Thank you, Father, for the miracles of these lives! They prove again that You are good, and You care for every life. Please help Lance and me listen keenly to Your guidance as we point Elijah and Kate to You.

Blue Haven in Pictures

This is the place where Lance and I taught class every morning. We've had this same spot (called "Dan's Place") every time we've gone to Blue Haven. We'd hike up a little ways above the camp to these aweosme rock formations.

This is at "silly songs," where everyone dresses up. Elijah was sword fighting with one of the guys in our class. All the teens loved Elijah and Kate!

The Tolar family on Camo Day

The Tolar family on Wild Hair Day

Kate's first pigtails! She leaves them alone when they're in, but she does NOT like the process of getting her hair fixed. If any of you with daughters have suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

The boys on our fishing day

Lance and Elijah at Hidden Falls. Our friends Vance and Kasey took us there for the day, where we had a picnic, rock climbed, and rappelled. I had an exciting first experience with rappelling!

The view from the top of our picnic spot

Lance rappelling down the cliff face (about 90 feet high). I didn't go all the way to the top like he did!

The girls in our class washed our feet one afternoon. It was wonderful.

The Tolars on Homemade T-Shirt Day!

Elijah's Gang - Kylie, Mallory, and Christian. He was very independent at camp, and he loved hanging out with his friends!

A ropes course activity where the kids had to pull on ropes to move an A-Frame within a certain area. They worked together and worked hard - they did a great job!

The banquet on the last night was themed "The Wizard of Oz." This is us as Dorothy, The Tin Man, and The Scarecrow!