Another shameful update...timing wise

kate, now 4 1/2 months old is doing very well and as you can see has begun eating cereal. She had her 4 month check-up last Thursday and she weighed 13lbs 1oz. She is sooo cute and Mom is trying to transition her out of her daily pjs into
"real" clothes. she lives up to the theory of the laid back 3rd child syndrome. She sleeps great and eats great, she is.....perfect! Ok, so maybe I am biased but hey she is pretty stinking cute. the boys continue to amaze us with their tenderness toward "kater taters" as she is often called around here.

cooper and jack are anything but tender toward one another as they seem to have fully embraced the battling brothers dynamic. they love each other well most of the time but cooper seems to get really frustrated at jack and jack like another little brother I once knew wants more than anything to be and do whatever his big brother is doing. often that desire manifests itself in being a little pest. needless to say we are working with them on this issue and praying for them often in regards to attitudes and actions towards those we love.

here are a few funny stories that I remember from the past few weeks: a couple of weeks ago cooper came out into the living room after having closed the door to his room and hallway and told me, "dad, there's and ant in my room and i'm never going in there ever again!" he has mistaken a worm for a snake which also was very cute and the other day while he was talking to me on the phone I thought he was talking to me so I asked him what he said and he responded with, "juss (just) a minnit (minute) dad, I talkin (I am talking) to mom rye (right) now." jack likes to tell us after we tell him we aren't going to do this or that, "I think 5 minnits (minutes)" jack is talking more every day and is really cute and funny. there are many days we just sit back and laugh and thank God for the joy of raising these 3 children and yet other days we sit back and wonder....what have we gotten ourselves into. Although those comments are mostly in jest it proves difficult to stay patient while we raise these beautiful children. However, I keep going back to the fact that God, the Creator of it all, never looses patience with me and never stops giving me one more chance. Even in the midst of discipline, grace is ever present. glory be to God!

as for tamara and I we are still training for the half marathon in little rock though the weather has made it difficult. I have decided to begin taking seminary classes and am in the midst of enrolling in souther seminary in louisville, kentucky. there is an extension here in springdale and I begin taking classes on monday. pray for us as we walk down this road as it is a large financial commitment as well as time, but we feel confident that we are to take advantage of these classes being offered in our back yard. more to come sooner rather than later....hopefully.