Watching the storms roll away.

It’s little things like this that bond brothers together.

What happens when this guy has control of the hose?

People get watered, along with the plants. His primary victim:

She doesn’t look happy in the picture, but trust me, she was all smiles and laughter as she was being doused.

Jeremy has a unique relationship with his sister–a rough-and-tumble type of affection. She will certainly have no problem understanding the male population when she grows up.

After the yard work was completed, we rewarded ourselves with a trip to DQ.

When Jeremy was too little to order his own treat, we would all pay a “Bubbie tax” by donating a portion of our own treats to him. Well, now we’ve instituted the Ruthie tax. Now that I think about it, she has it even better than Bubbie, as she has 5 people donating to her, rather than 4.

We took advantage of the nice weather today and met our friends, the Crudeles, at the arboretum. Tis the season when one day is sunny and 75, and the next is rainy and 50, so we’ve learned to seize the day when the weather cooperates!

It was good to know that the trees were kept warm with handmade, custom sweaters. Here we saw the ultimate tree-hugger.

I’m afraid Ruthie may grow up confused about what tree bark really is.

Meanwhile, Derek was thinking how great it would be to climb up that tree, what with all those spaces to grip.

Jake is now in that awkward stage between childhood and adulthood, so rather than run around with the rest of the boys, he opted to take care of Ruthie. And take care of her he did.

If Bubbie is good for one thing lately, it’s making us laugh. Ruthie is not at all pleased with the attention he is receiving, hence the complaining in the background. Alter the volume control on your computer accordingly.

Who knew that a few tulips in the front yard would offer so many object lessons? Here is what they look like now:

All the petals are missing, as they have blown off and fallen to the ground. Soon the leaves and stems will turn brown and wither.

The lesson has not escaped the boys, as both Derek and Jeremy separately reminded me of this verse in the Bible:

All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. (Isaiah 40)

I thank God for giving us visual pictures of mysterious truths. I see every year what happens to the flowers–they fade, their petals fall to the ground. They are temporary. If only the word of God endures forever, then why would I want to put my trust in anything but Him?

Ruthie was able to bond some more with her Auntie Chris on Mother’s Day. She showed her the tulips.

Later that day, Ruth discovered bubbles. She used all of her five senses to explore.

Jim has the opportunity to travel to Ghana, Africa for a week and a half to meet with our friend and partner in the ministry, Ray Mensah, and his family. In fact, just today Jim was doting on Ray’s kids, Esi and Joseph. He introduced them to Cookie Doodle on the iPad, and it made quite a hit, as you can imagine. Some things know no language or culture barriers…Cookie Doodle is just such a thing.

The team is keeping a blog during the trip here. Check it out, and please pray for them.

Look who has discovered crayons. Crayons (and pens and pencils, along with any other writing instrument she can find) are all the rage these days.

Constant supervision is required, as she has learned that paper is but one of countless surfaces upon which crayons can make a mark.

But the little dear sure is happy with her masterpieces.

**UPDATE

Ruthie had been happily drawing next to me as I was putting pictures up for this post. When I went to put her in her dinner chair, this is what I saw:

Like I said: constant supervision.

It’s one way to use your telescope during the day.

Wave to the passengers, count how many are eating their peanuts.

You see it all around. Once a new road is built, over time it begins to deteriorate–cracks, potholes begin to form. As soon as you drive a new car off the lot, it too begins to deteriorate, some cars more quickly than others. That new outfit looks great right off the rack, but wash it once and you can see that even it has a life span.

Jesus knew this when He gave some wise words recorded in Matthew 6: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in a steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Whether by nature or human hands, decay happens everywhere. The kids observed with rapt attention this week as our rickety, rotted deck was taken down.

It didn’t take long for it to be disassembled and piled up like junk.

Sure, we’ll build a new one, but over time it too will begin to deteriorate. Everything on earth does. But what Jesus was teaching is great news: there are ways we can invest our money with no risk of losing it–no crashing stock market, no destructive natural disaster can touch it.

Store up your treasures in heaven, where they will be kept safe.

We planted the bulbs in the fall of 2008. In early 2009, they burst out of the ground and bloomed in beautiful shades of red and yellow, and at the same time, inside my belly there was a colorful, beautiful little girl growing. God was preparing her to bloom in this world.

One year later, the beautiful girl sat among the beautiful tulips.

Yet another year has passed, and the beautiful girl now stands among the flowers, enjoying their color and beauty.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. May God grow her to be beautiful in His eyes.