yesterday we sang this wonderful indelible grace version of this old hymn in Bible study. the words are fantastic! after the babes were in bed, adam and i learned it. it was sooo fun, though we discovered our piano is ridiculously out of tune.

Beneath the Cross of Jesus
©1997 Christopher Miner Music. Words: Elizabeth C. Clephane. Music: Christopher Miner.
1. Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the
day.

2. Upon the cross of Jesus, mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.

3. I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place:
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by to know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self my only shame, my glory, all the cross



yesterday adam and marit went on a "daddy date" and adam couldn't resist bringing this new toy home to add to our plastic universe of toys. at least it doesn't make any noise and marit loves it!




marit just waking up...i love this dewy look!

graham and mommy snuggling


marit "helping" put graham's hat on


marit excited about sitting next to her brother


adam and marit catching the secretions that come from the head


tupperware play


teething

here are some moments we have caught on camera lately. marit has been so much fun as her words have taken off...she's saying please ("BLEESE") and thank you ("in yo") and she has been giving graham lots of kisses and help lately. she has also been enjoying her new little wooden kitchen where she makes lots of pretend edibles to share with us. she still has a few more teeth to go and so we still attribute a lot of sad moments to "teething." graham is humongous and has been rolling over for a little over a week now and seems to enjoy his new trick. we are thankful that he finally seems to be falling into a nap schedule and getting better night-time sleep as well. they are both such a delight to us. we still can't believe how different they look and we think marit looks just like adam and graham looks just like me...maybe our future children will be more of a combination? we have been fighting off colds, but so far just snot and nothing serious. poor auntie char has been sick as well and we miss her...

adam has two weeks left of med school (i can hardly believe it!) and then he will try to work a few odd jobs (let us know if you know of anything) until residency starts in july.

thank you sweetie!

since graham has been born and i have faced serious exhaustion, adam has taught me to like coffee. i have tried to drink it many times, but i guess you just need some real motivation, like a necessity to stay awake and care for two crazy munchkins. anyway, it worked and i now enjoy a cup every morning. and let me tell you, adam makes gooood coffee!

also, you must know that i am a complete cup snob. i do not like to drink anything out of plastic cups...i drink water out of mugs because it stays cooler, doesn't taste like plastic, doesn't tip over easily, and has a comfortable handle. and my favorite mugs are handmade pottery. each creation is a unique piece of art. i want to learn to make this stuff someday.

so, the best valentines gift this year is my new handmade mug that adam got from a new pottery shop downtown. don't tell him, but i knew what i was getting (i didn't snoop or anything, but i almost always just know what he will give me...call it good gift intuition). i think it is beautiful and it fits so comfortably in my hand. my coffee was wonderful this morning!

happy valentine's! i know that this day is way commercialized and lovers are taken advantage of by sellers of expensive flowers and candies, but i don't care. i just want to take the opportunity to say a few things that i love and appreciate about my valentine of 7 years.
*i love that you have put up with me for so long already!
*i love that you know exactly how i like my coffee and you prepare it for me nearly every morning.
*i love that you are tenderhearted, but not sappy
*thank you for telling me so often how much you love me and what exactly about each outfit you like:)-you are so affirming and so i don't need to look to anyone else besides my spouse and Jesus for affirmation...this is a wonderfully freeing, securing thing indeed!
*i love the kind of strong, tender, careful, gentle, protective, and capable father you are
*i love your facial hair right now...not too lumber jackish or little boyish...it's just right
*thank you for thinking and saying that my post-partum body is beautiful to you
*thank you for always putting family first and not regretting or resenting it
*i love the revival that has occurred in your heart for Jesus
*i love talking with you long into the night...even though you've been falling asleep on me lately (we are somewhat deprived i suppose)
*i'm sorry i steal the covers pretty much every night
*i'm sorry i was so grumpy on tuesday, but
*thank you for confronting my sin and loving me in spite of it
*thank you for your selflessness
*i could say a gazillion more things, but i'll do that in person...love you honey bunny...er i mean lion of the jungle!!

interesting article

oral hygiene

today we made carrot cake

from scratch. why? you may ask. well, you may remember that my husband is in med school and i just quit my job...that makes our primary income student loans. so we are on WIC (a government funded program that stands for women infant children), which provides formula for your baby or if you breastfeed like me, you get vouchers for food. it is pretty much the most inefficient and disorganized program i have ever been a part of, but we get pretty much all our milk, peanut butter, eggs, cheese, juice, cereal, and CARROTs for free. thus i am thankful. however, there is no way i can cook or eat all the carrots and eggs, so i've been trying to think of ways to use them. i'm going to hard boil a bunch of eggs (if i can figure it out)and put them in our salads. today marit and i grated more than a pound of carrots and a little of my knuckle(anyone else remember that ramoma book in which her sister shredded her knuckles into their carrot salad?). it was fun and is now delicious. the recipe is here if you like. we documented!