A Westminster Boy

Eli finished memorizing the Westminster Shorter Catechism today. He has an impressive memory and I trust that the years we spent working through the 107 questions of the WSC will be formative for the rest of his life.

April in Utah

That's Eli in our backyard. He's on Spring break, snow-sledding! 4 inches and still falling.

Spring...Hello?

Happy Birthday, Eli!

He's 12 today!

Eli's first business

This summer Eli started a pet watching service in our neighborhood. It's called "Eli's coming pet services" and business has been good. In the last couple of weeks he's watched a dog, two gerbils, one hermit crab, fish, a turtle ("Sonic"), and is scheduled to watch a cat soon. Even though he asks for only a small daily fee, people have been paying him a ridiculous amount of money. I guess it's a lot cheaper than a kennel!

Eli's first song

Eli's been working on a song he wrote this week. In his premier performance Grace supplies back-up vocals.

Eleven!

I was 24 years old and being re-assigned from Texas to New Jersey. Kristin and I convoyed our two cars, coordinating our stops over a cheap set of walkie-talkies. She struggled with drowsiness along the endless miles of interstate, but we thought nothing of it. We finally reached "The Garden State" and within a couple of days discovered we were expecting our first child.

We have vivid memories of the delivery; it didn't go well. I was jarred into the realization that Kristin might not make it through labor. Suddenly, the medical staff whisked her away into an operating room and by the time I was prepped for entry the c-section was almost complete.

Hard to believe that was 11 years ago. It's harder still to believe that it will be another 10 years before our youngest child gets to this point!

Kristin's parents joined us tonight (after a week in freezing Alamosa, CO) to watch Eli open birthday presents. The big hit was the lava lamp! Somehow its slow motion action kept the older children mesmerized the rest of the evening.

Rules for Dating (according to a 10 yr old boy)

Eli was recently "promoted" to the next higher Sunday school class. Today they studied one of the best love stories of all time, Isaac and Rebekah. The denominational curriculum we use took this opportunity to discuss some principles for dating. Eli, putting his mind to this subject for his first time, came up with some additional rules for dates.





Don't kiss anybody
Don't dance; just go out to eat.
Dates can be embarrassing so go in disguise.
If you are out to eat close your eyes when anybody kisses anybody else.
When anybody talks about dating plug your ears.
TOP SECRET: don't tell any girls you like them.
Never make eye contact; look away.
At school sit in the back row so nobody can look at you.
If you send a valentine card don't put your name on it.
Never give a girl flowers.
Never go to weddings.
Close your eyes when people kiss in movies.
Never spy on girls unless it's your sister because if you're caught you are in big trouble.
Never get behind a girl in the lunch line.

Thanks to Sunday school teachers Haley and Dan for instilling a healthy fear of "the other" in my boy. I don't think I have to worry about Eli getting any dates for the next few decades!

La Luz hike

Eli and I went for a hike up the famous La Luz trail today with some friends from his school. It was a beautiful, autumn day.

We started a rock slide (by accident) on the way down.

The horse and his boy

Eli has always loved horses and has ridden for several years. But today was his first time bareback.

Welcome to Middle Earth, Eli

I've been waiting for this day; Eli has ventured into Middle Earth. He picked up The Hobbit two days ago and it has now been put back on the bookshelf like a horse ridden hard. He quickly reached for The Fellowship of the Ring and I know I'll have to pry it from his fingers at bedtime.

This is significant for me because as I child I didn't want to read. As one untimely born I came to regret the worlds that I missed in those formative years and have tried to play catch up. By God's grace one of our parenting goals is being met--we want all our children to love to read! I attribute part of this accomplishment to the desire God has given Kristin and me to minimize TV and decorate the house with good books which the children often see us enjoying.

As soon as Mordor is destroyed, I have a feeling he'll be heading to Narnia.

Let the Little League Madness Begin

Eli's Little League coach was belly bumpin' the ump before he was ejected. His assistant coach, having been thrown out of the game innings earlier, was in his truck yelling and heckling the ump from behind the outfield fence. The parents in the stands were stomping mad with much arm flailing and snide remarks. Mercifully, the game ended soon after. What does a Christian father say to his 10 year old son on the way home?

This post on sportsmanship from CJ Mahaney came to mind. I asked Eli this question, "Which is more important, that the ump calls the game the way we want or that we show respect for his authority, even if we don't agree with him?" We discussed how a coach should handle a situation like this with evidences of godliness.

As fathers, we should want our sons to grow in godliness, not simply athletic ability. This means that we will celebrate when he or other players handle a difficult situation with character and we should prepare our sons before the game with biblical priorities (humbly receive correction, do not complain or disagree, encourage the players, apologize if you hurt someone, play aggressively but selflessly, etc).

Here's a humorous video example of what a coach shouldn't do.