Ride with Grandpa Steve

Playtime

A few pictures of playing last week.

A crazy outfit.

New friends.

Mom's shoes.

Turkey Bowl

Brookside's 23rd annual Turkey Bowl took place early this morning. Each Thanksgiving the elders and deacons challenge the youth group to a tag/tackle football game, followed by Cinnamon rolls & Coffee and semi-casual Thanksgiving worship service. They used to play on the church lawn, but because of space, moved it to a local Christian School soccer field.

The youth group had quite the team this year, and beat the council 24-7. The youth group has now won 12 games, and the council 11 out of the 23 years.

Before opening the worship service, the senior youth and representatives from council each gave a report about the outcome of the game.

The energy from the field carried into the following worship service, giving thanks to God for his goodness to us. I wish we sang the Thanksgiving hymns throughout the entire year!

council, making a plan

youth group alumnae home from college to cheer on the teams

end of the game hand shakes

the report

Blocks

Ezra stacked these all by himself on his semi. This block was the one to break his tower, which is already quite wobbly.

He is starting to get a little selfish with his toys now that Elliot can grab them. Elliot also likes to grab Ezra (hair, ears, clothes) and we now have the classic "you are in my space" whine.

10 Leadership Lessons

Chuck Swindoll was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at Catalyst 09, and spoke on "10 Things I Have Learned During Nearly 50 Years in Leadership":

1) It’s lonely to lead. Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decision, the lonelier it is.
2) It’s dangerous to succeed. I’m most concerned for those who aren’t even 30 and are very gifted and successful. Sometimes God uses someone right out of youth, but usually he uses leaders who have been crushed
3) It’s hardest at home. No one ever told me this in Seminary.
4) It’s essential to be real. If there’s one realm where phoniness is common, it’s among leaders. Stay real.
5) It’s painful to obey. The Lord will direct you to do some things that won’t be your choice. Invariably you will give up what you want to do for the cross.
6) Brokenness and failure are necessary.
7) Attititude is more important than actions. Your family may not have told you: some of you are hard to be around. A bad attitude overshadows good actions.
8) Integrity eclipse image. Today we highlight image. But it’s what you’re doing behind the scenes.
9) God's way is better than my way.
10) Christlikeness begins and ends with humility.

Four Wheeler

We've had a lot of great curb finds, but this one is probably the most unlikely one. Thanks to some scrap parts from Uncle Mark, Brian got this working. The video below is of his first ride on his "new" four wheeler. By his third ride he was driving down the little hill in the back yard and through the leaves. He asked to go down the ravine. I suggested we wait until his third birthday.

Good thing I have a soft spot for mischevious boys, cause I think I may have my hands full.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Birthday Day - My Little Dozer Turns Two

Ezra celebrated his 2nd birthday last week. Ezra loves dozers. After he woke up, he went to ride with Uncle Mike, who drives a dozer, which he loved. Then he had a dozer birthday cake, which I made, and got a little dozer from Brian and I for his gift. (Which he pulls around with a little white truck and trailer that he already had). Ezra is also shaped like a dozer. At his 2-year check up the doctor suggested that he could play for Michigan State someday, but we disagreed. Kinnick stadium fits him a little better. :)

Combine Ride

All fall I've been waiting to ride in the combine with Ezra. Thanks to a short dry spell last week, we got a chance to. I have good memories of riding, sitting on a toolbox on the floor infront of the controls. I memorized the song, "Timber, I'm falling in love," off of KBOE one fall from riding so much. It was a number-one single in 1989, so I would have been six years old.

I'm slowly scanning in pictures in my basement so that I can throw most of it away and keep it electronically. The picture below is from 1984. I'm surprised at how small the cab is. Poor dad must have gotten cramped when kids rode along.

And pictures of Ezra's time below. (Much bigger cabs and even a seat made for passengers.)

"Is this Heaven? No, it's Iowa."

Brian and Ezra stopped by the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. I have no recollection of the movie, but Brian has fond memories of it (including the quote from the movie above). He tried to explain something about shoeless Joe Jackson and the Whitesox purposefully loosing a game in the 1930s, and some farmer building a field and dead baseball players walking out of the corn. I still don't get it. But, the house was very pristine.

There was a sweet old lady selling some t shirts and buttons in a little shack, but it didn't look like anyone had stopped by in a few days. I should have chatted with her, but instead stayed in the car and fed Elliot while Brian and Ezra snapped some pictures.

Dubuque, IA - Mississippi Rivier Museum

Last weekend our family visited the National Mississippi Rivier Museum in Dubuque, IA. Located on 5 acres on a small port off the Mississippi River, the museum educates visitors on the cultural and environmental history of the Mississippi as "the lead interpretive center for America's greatest Rivier."

Ezra's Turning Two

Jump!

Pictures from 2008

Pictures from 2007

The youth group helped us rake our leaves after Ezra and I came home from the hospital