22 October 2007

Wind advisory, Schmind advisory... The Almost Hurricane and SoCal fires

The strong wind advisory Southern California residents received a few days ago took a terrible turn yesterday. Fires from Santa Barbara to Baja are being stoked by severe wind storms, in some places near hurricane force winds. We watched the news in horror last night and called all our friends in danger zones to make sure they were OK and to pray with them.

From our back yard we watched the Santiago Canyon fire blaze over the hillside here in Orange. These photos are really terrible because the wild wind made taking night shots nearly impossible, but you get the idea.

Flames glowing over the hills



Smoke and dust kicked up by the fires and wind are shrowding Orange County and all the way out past Catalina Island

In our area winds reached in excess of 60 mph buffetting our house so that it sounded like a freight train was passing through all night long. We heard our master bedroom fireplace chimney top clanging and banging until it finally broke. Even now the wind is whistling and moaning through here making it sound like a premature haunted house.

Here's what we found this morning:


Our patio furniture blew away

and landed all over the place

The trampoline net got shredded

The back patio furniture was pushed all around by the wind and several trees broke.

This poor papyrus plant took a swim

And finally, here's the culprit. This thing kept the whole house awake last night until it finally gave up the ghost.

From what we hear, none of the fires are contained yet with no signs of the wind slowing down until the weekend. So, please be in prayer for the safety of firefighters putting their lives on the line, and for the residents of the endangered areas, and for the homes and wildlife that are threatened.

19 October 2007

Mamamamamama...

Elianna Ray said it all day long yesterday! "Mama"! That was my heavenly present yesterday for having two very cranky, sick babies all this week... totally worth it. Thank You, Lord, that I am her mama!

Thankfully, Ellie is feeling a little better today.

Ricker cracks Evangeline up. These two are peas in a pod.

Here are a few silly pics just for fun that we took during breaks from school work:

I look like a donkey in this one.

Ricker doing his Jay Leno impression

Marg calls this one "Ultra-nerd"

Swirly Jackie


I hope that gave you a laugh for the day!

18 October 2007

A Day at the Beach

It was a gorgeous day at the beach in San Diego last weekend. We were so grateful because the day before was a little chilly and overcast. Evangeline had a BALL playing in the water and cruising all over the beach. Every season of babyhood and childhood is such a treat and I always feel like, "Oh, please don't grow up one more minute! Stay exactly this way!" Newborn, infant, toddler, little kid, big kid, all of it. I truly enjoy every stage. Right now I wish I could just freeze my kids right where they are. They are all in such fun and different places. I love it!

Me and Elianna Ray ready to get in our bathing suits

Evangeline exploring every inch of sand

Marg and Elianna Ray (eating her first sand)

Teething rocker-style

The boys being boys

Marg and Evie

*Updated prayer request: Fever! Ya giv'a me fever. That's right, we're passing it around like a hot potato. Elianna Ray has had the worst of it, though. I've had to put her in a cool bath three times in the last two days to bring her fever down. No fun! Jackie came home from tennis lessons last night and went straight to bed even though I made calzone for dinner which is his favorite. Poor guy. Please pray for healing in our home and for protection for Michael, Ricker, and me who have yet to get sick. Thanks!

Have a blessed day, friends!

17 October 2007

MCAS Miramar Air Show "The Sound of Freedom"

God bless America, land that I love! You can't help but be inspired and proud to be an American watching these guys show what they can do.

The Super Hornet, Hercules, Super Stallion, Osprey, Oracle Challenger, and Sea Knight planes and jets are so exciting to watch. We knew that Jackie would go nuts here, but Ricker and Marg were thrilled, too, especially during the Patriots Jet Team demo. Margie couldn't stop talking about the stunt plane pilot because this guy was an absolute kook! We couldn't believe he actually lived through his act. Crazy! Evangeline spent the day pointing at every "ay-pay" (airplane) she saw and saying, "wow-wow-wow!" Soooo cute.

My personal favorite is always the Harrier. It's incredibly cool that it can take off vertically, stop in mid-air, and fly backwards and sideways. We heard that there's a new Harrier coming out next year that's even more agile in flight, so I can hardly wait to see what that one is capable of.

Michael's favorite part of the day was the USAF Thunderbirds demo. OK, even if you can't stand Celine Dion, you must admit that her rendition of "God Bless America" is a heart-burster!


Jackie is enamored with all the arms of our military.

Thunderbird

Thunderbird diamond formation

Sister snuggle

F/A-18 Hornet

Loops in the sky

Red Barons

Kisses

The Harrier stopped in mid-air and turned to face the crowd. So cool!

This Wall of Fire blasted heat over the crowd during the Marine air-ground task force assault demonstration. All Ricker could say was, "Awesome!"

Warming up in the jacuzzi

Prayer request: Poor Elianna Ray has a nasty fever today and a stomach bug! Marg felt icky on Sunday night and Monday, Evangeline felt the same way on Monday and yesterday, and now Ellie has it, too. Please pray she feels better soon, and that no one else catches it. Thanks!

16 October 2007

"Ditsy Squirrels"

aka the Dead Sea Scrolls are on exhibit at the Natural History Museum in San Diego and are a must see! I don't know why the kids and I started calling them the "Ditsy Squirrels" or why we found that so funny, but that nickname brought down the house every time. Still does.

Anyway, if you get a chance to see them while they're there, don't miss it! The photographs of Israel alone are worth the trip. Truly stunning. Remember to bring a sweater, though, because the entire lower level is kept very chilled to protect the artifacts.

Trent & Michael and the boys at
the San Diego Natural History Museum in beautiful Balboa Park

Claire, Marg holding Evangeline, Ricker, Jackie & Carson

Sandy looking lovely

and Elianna Ray giving me a raspberry!

a sailor playing taps at a memorial ceremony at the Midway

The Adamses

May I please have all my photos taken with the new filter???
I think we should all be viewed in soap opera vision!

Isn't it beautiful outside? I'm thanking the Lord all day for this gorgeous fall weather. Have a blessed day!

11 October 2007

Off to San Diego

YIPPEE! We've been counting down the days for the last few weeks, and now, woo hoo! we're loading up the car and heading to SD for a long weekend. Yea!

10 October 2007

Practicing The Presence

My little Sweet Pea

The days just fly on by, don't they? Wow, I can't believe how fast the last 7 weeks with Elianna Ray have gone by. It makes me want to press the pause button to enjoy it a little bit longer. I don't want life to go by in a blur. The purpose of life is not tackling our to do lists and ending the day with a clean counter top and an empty laundry basket, although as a housewife sometimes it feels like that. I want to savor each day and thank the Lord for every precious one of them. Grandmother reminds me, "I will rejoice in the Lord enthusiastically all the days of my life." That's the deal right there!

It's so easy to be so busy with the daily grind and miss Jesus in the midst of it all. But, where is Christ in the middle of all my wiping noses and bottoms, teaching school, doing dishes and laundry and housework, and errands? How often I forget about the Lord walking alongside me when I'm checking the kids' chores, or supervising piano practice, or managing schoolwork, or grocery shopping, and yet He is present just the same. He's there when I read my Bible, and during worship, and when I pray, but also when I'm writing thank you notes, and driving the kids to tennis, and sinking into a hot bath. He's here for it all. And it's not a blur for Him. I can feel Him wanting more from me... more of me.

Maybe no one else suffers from this, but when I get over-tired I'm a sucker for the enemy telling me that the Lord doesn't really love me all that much. When life goes pear-shaped I'm dead meat for that particular lie. That nasty ol' devil gets me every time with whisperings of old sins that the Lord has long since made clean that surely count me out of the grace of the Cross. And that only serves to rob me of full hearted rejoicing. Which is the point of his efforts, right?

Alright, so what does all of that mean for my daily life? The Lord calls me to abide in Him and to rejoice in Him. That means I have to slow down and practice the presence of the Lord on a daily basis. I must also have the wherewithal to recognize the lies and distractions of the enemy and consciously tune him out. God's challenge to me while I'm raising my babies is to love them with all my heart, and teach them the love of Jesus. His exhortation is to desire Him more, to carry on a running conversation with Him throughout the day, to not let life go by in a whir of nothings. Those are my prayers today. I want to abide in Christ, and make each day matter. I want to be pliable and conscious of His voice. Change my heart, oh Lord!

I want to be like my grandmother, Anne Ortlund, reaching the sunset of life having chosen to rejoice in the Lord enthusiastically all the way through. So, with that in mind, as the days zing by without a pause button in sight, I want to spend them praising the Father for all His good and perfect gifts! Amen!

09 October 2007

Elianna Ray's Dedication Day

On Sunday, a week ago, we dressed Elianna Ray in her gorgeous traditional Ethiopian gown and dedicated her to the Lord! It was beautiful. What a precious day! After church our family and friends gathered at our home for a Welcome Home party. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

Poppy wept in thanksgiving as we dedicated Elianna Ray to Jesus Christ. We all did.


Grandmother & Elianna Ray

with Alexa & Jordan

Mother & our niece, Charlotte

Grandmother & me

with Papa & Grams

Our friends, the Clarks, who are awaiting their two new children from Ethiopia any day now!

with my dear sister in Christ, Ange, who jokes that we should trade babies because my youngest is black and hers look white! (That's her daughter Jordan in the background.)

Alexa, Jessica, Sandra, Becky, Lisa, Kristi, and Carlie

Lis, Grandmother, Grams, me, and Becky

What a happy day!

This last picture just makes me smile. Thank You, Lord, for the incredible gift of this wonderful little baby. She is such a joy to me!