Fishing and Haircuts

We recently went to beautiful farm country close to our church to do some fishing. It had been a while since we had fished, but it was like riding a bike for Micah thankfully. Andrew talks about "fishing holes" now, sometimes confusing them with swimming pools... Elijah and I watched from the bank until a big brown spider decided to join us on my lap. I spent the remainder of the time walking around or sitting in the car. Yes, I am a city girl who loves the country, except for the bugs.

This is Elijah's first real haircut!
No more hair in his little eyes!

The before shot...
After: Andrew with a buzz!

Andrew to the Rescue

This past Tuesday, we were all trying to get ready to leave- which is a huge event. Packing the diaper bag, dressing and sometimes redressing everyone, making sure we have juice cups, books for the car ride, etc... Sometimes it can take 20 minutes to get out the door. Anyway, I (Tiffany) had been running up and down the stairs, hopping gracefully over our permanently affixed gate at the top (thanks to Mimi after Andrew fell on the stairs and broke his arm). The boys were upstairs playing. Micah and I were downstairs doing our pre-travel interviews of each other ("Did you get Elijah's food? Yes. Did you get cell phones? Yes." ~and so on and so on...) when we both heard Andrew yelling for us. You may be immediately alarmed, but we who are used to being called for frequently for issues such as toys stuck under the bed, the need for snacks, a hurt finger- all with the same urgency- were not as quick to act as we should have been. We did then hear Elijah fussing, obviously frustrated with his brother, so Micah hurried to offer assistance. We he found the boys, Elijah was hanging head first down the stairs. Andrew, the hero, was at the top holding his brother's legs yelling "Baby Ijah's falling down the stairs!" Sometime during the course of all of this hustling about, I had opened the gate.

You may be asking yourself, why in the world would I share this story- Especially when it broadcasts my negligence and lack of care for my children on this day. Well, I first want to honor my son for being such a sweet big-brother to Elijah. I have been thankful that they are becoming such good friends and that Andrew cares so much for him. Secondly, I make mistakes... usually multiple mistakes every day- some more obvious than others. My testimony is sure, though, that I am certainly responsible for the way I raise my children, but when my downfalls are exposed by the perfection of Christ, I am forgiven and found in Him to be a perfect mother. This is of course much easier for me to say because everything turned out OK, even though it is always true. I am convinced that when we do not share our testimonies of our sin, we miss the more compelling testimony of how God overcomes it time and time again.

Micah and I live by the truth that "None of us can be such good parents that God becomes obligated to save our children's souls. On the more encouraging end, none of us can mess up so badly that our children somehow extend beyond the reach of God's mercy." -Gary Thomas. This incident did not have eternal significance, but still proved that even though I messed up, God protected Elijah through Andrew's hands, firmly grasping his tiny legs. This was indeed mercy.

Natural Bridge, KY

We recently visited Natural Bridge State Park with our friends, Jason, Cara, Gracie, and Allie Meyer. We had a great day hiking and spending time together.

The kids were troopers, as we hiked around 1.5 miles, up and down mountains and hills.

Andrew, rounding the bend enthusiastically.

This is the entrance to a cave we all ventured in to with one flashlight.

And this is all of us emerging victorious at the exit of the cave.

The beautiful Natural Bridge.

Happy Birthday Micah!

Yes, it is that time again... where we celebrate the arrival into the world of Micah Martin Childs. His official birthday was yesterday, but we have been celebrating for a week! "You are the best Micah/Daddy we've ever seen!" (so Andrew says... and I, Tiffany, agree). What a handsome man. It's hard to believe that this time next year, he will be the big 3-0!

Childs at the Zoo

Micah had a whole day off this past Monday and we all went to the Louisville Zoo. Andrew was fascinated...

Elijah was just glad to be outside.

Andrew posing with the rhinoceros.

Our new gorilla friend... Apparently, evolutionists haven't compared the primate to my very handsome boys. This picture disproved their whole theory! We told Andrew to talk to him, and he immediately told him a, "Why'd the chicken cross the road?!?" joke.

The new baby elephant~

Andrew really thought the flamingos were funny.

This bird was in love with Micah. Much to our amusement, he wouldn't leave his head.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord

We all have been very busy these past several weeks. The boys and I went to North Carolina to visit family for a week. We met Andrew and Elijah's second cousin, Caleb Wesley Lantz, and spent time with grandparents, aunt and uncles, and good old friends.



Since then, our time has been spent working and playing- not always in equal combinations of the two. Andrew has added worm-collecting to the things he enjoys doing outside as I work in the garden. He loves the song "This Side" by Nickel Creek and asks to hear it over and over again. He dances in circles, sings, and plays air guitar when he hears music- or really when he hears "good" music... he has very sophisticated taste in music. Elijah has learned "DaDa and ByeBye" and army-crawls all over the house. He is fearless and into everything. He is like one of those wind up babies who runs into a wall and just keeps crawling forward, hitting the wall over and over and over.


On a serious note, we have been, through personal and church relationships, around a lot of sickness and death lately. Deaths of young people; from just weeks old to an almost two-year-old to a man in his mid forties. My dear pastor and husband has reminded me lately in his preaching through the book of Genesis on Sunday mornings of the effects the fall brought- even on our bodies. I know there are days I feel very frail and weak. I have always known that my body was not made to live on this earth for very long. The Easter season reminded me that Christ conquered sin and death at the cross and in His triumphant resurrection. I have asked myself through all of this though, what do I do with all this tragedy on this side of eternity? God is clearly trying to teach me something. Well, I know I will not be taking for granted the wellness of my husband and children today or the responsibility I have to love them. I also am reminded that they are God's before they are mine and I desire His will in their lives above what I want for them. I pray that if faced directly with such sadness and difficulty as the families we have been so touched by, I will echo my dear brother in Christ in Germany who lost his baby girl, "Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be Your name. You give and take away, You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Blessed be Your name." and be reminded that Weeping is for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

"These Are Days"

Thanks to 10,000 Maniacs, appropriate words are added to these pictures... except for "lucky". I have no reason to attribute any of life's blessings to luck, but the rest of the song is right on.

These are the days

These are days you’ll remember

Never before and never since, I promise

Will the whole world be warm as this

And as you feel it,You’ll know it’s true

That you are blessed and lucky

It’s true that you

Are touched by something

That will grow and bloom in you

These are days that you’ll remember
When May is rushing over you
With desire to be part of the miracles
You see in every hour
You’ll know it’s true
That you are blessed and lucky
It’s true that you are touched
By something that will grow and bloom in you




These are days
These are the days you might fill
With laughter until you break
These days you might feel
A shaft of light
Make its way across your face
And when you do
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
See the signs and know their meaning
It's true
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
Hear the signs and know they’re speaking
To you, to you

Finally, An Update

I know it has been a while... It is shocking the way time speeds along, especially in the winter months when the days seem short. The most real judge of time I have right now are my boys. They grow daily. At night, I have been trying to hold each of them just a few seconds longer realizing that in the morning, they will have grown in some way.

Elijah did his first baby sign during lunch yesterday (he said/signed "more"!!!). He is the most curious child I have ever seen. He has to know what is going on at all times. He loves to laugh at Andrew- and Andrew loves to make him laugh.

Andrew is such a smart little boy. He is meticulous and opinionated. His favorite game right now is hide and seek. Everyone who comes over ends up either playing hide and seek or Nerf basketball. He will sometimes hide in the same room where the "seeker" is counting or announce where he is headed to hide~ we have a great time with him. We recently went to the Train Show in downtown Louisville. This is a picture of Andrew on a kid-sized train.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a beautiful snow and Andrew got to play outside in it for the first time. I quickly turned into one of those Moms who over-dresses their child. He may not have been able to move well but he was warm! Poor kid- He did enjoy sledding and riding his bike through it. When it snows, we all really miss the mountains of North Carolina. My Dad always wanted to take a drive when it snowed growing up and I am just the same.

We all hope you all who keep up with us have a safe rest of the winter season.

For the past month, we have been here and there and everywhere.

Andrew turned 3 years old on January 12th, but celebrated for weeks! He had visits from both sets of grandparents and really enjoyed all of the company. We took him bowling for the first time on the actual big day. He is such a big boy! Every time we go in Target now, he asks for a toy "for Andrew's Christmas present for my birthday!" He still loves to sing and dance. You haven't heard Swithfoot's "Stars" until you've heard Andrew sing it! On our way to church tonight, he composed a tune to his life verse right now, Ephesians 6:1, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Micah and I were laughing encouragingly as his voice rose and fell, up and down, high and low ending with a grand ol' Southern Gospel whole note rit. (in other words, he held it out for a long time). It was masterful!

Elijah continues to grow and change. He is very vocal these days and is almost able to sit up on his own. Crawling will not come soon enough for him. His brother's toys are very tempting and he is sure they taste yummy!

Micah is well... getting prepared to dive into another semester of school. He will be preaching through the book of Genesis at church beginning this coming Sunday- which is no small undertaking. I just asked him how he is doing... and his reply, "Doing well". I hit the nail on the head with that perceptive observation:) We celebrated the night we met on January 15th- or at least we talked about it. 13 years! Wow! What a blessing he has been to me for such a long time.

I am attempting to get it together these days. I fell into the "stay at home and forget that there is a world outside" pit recently and am slowly making my way out. It is so easy, especially in the winter to stay snuggled up at home, and un-engage the world outside. I have started attending a bible study at a neighboring church and organized a play group that meets for the first time in my home tomorrow morning. I am thankful God has given me women in my community to meet with regularly and friends for Andrew and Elijah (Andrew can't wait for "the kids" to come and play in the morning). The answer to my problem, though, wasn't in reorganizing or adding to my schedule. I have been reminded (more like seriously convicted... like a big smack in the face) that nothing is mundane or ordinary when it is done to the glory of God. Whether I am in a Bible study or cleaning off Elijah's highchair for the 4th time during lunch, I can engage the best part of me- Christ in me, the hope of glory. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit am being made new and in the end, it is all to the glory of God.