Washing machine peek-a-boo

Oh, the fun you can have with a washing machine!

washing machine peek-a-boo from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

playing with hats

Emma used to have a strong dislike for hats. After tying them on her time and time again and making her wear them whenever she goes outside, though, that has changed!
Emma found Ian's hat the other day and these videos were taken as she played with it:

Emma and Ian's hat from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Emma and Ian's hat 8/17/10 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Emma and Ian's hat from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

darling boy

Ian cooing 8/16 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Ian loves to "talk".
He's a bit camera shy and got quiet when I began to film, but if you watch to the end he starts to warm up again.

Emma and the crayons

Emma learned about coloring the other day. We have practiced with crayons a few times, but it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that she started to really understand the concept.


crayons! 8/14/10 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.
Emma also likes to watch herself in the video camera's screen - kind of like playing in the mirror, perhaps?


coloring on the paper 8/14/10 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.



more coloring 8/14/10 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.



coloring 8/14/10 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.



coloring 8/14/10 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

new dress!

I made a dress/tunic top for Emma the other day out of some material that my mom gave her.

It turned out rather darling, even if I do say so myself! It's still a bit big for her (which may be why she keeps taking it off when I put it on her!), so I'm putting it in the back of the closet for next Spring. :)

it's all about the accessories

Mmmmm, yes. Quite the fashion choice my Dear.

Emma Grace did it all by herself. And she liked it - she was so proud of her "hat"!

getting stronger

strong boy! from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Emma seems to want Ian to stay an itty-bitty baby for a bit longer - she keeps trying to get him to put his head back down!

But it's okay. Ian's a big enough fellow to be able to withstand it and pop back up again. :) Emma loves her little brother so very much! I'm looking forward to seeing them grow together.

2 1/2 months

learning new things - a post from the "drafts" file

Emma is figuring out how to reach for things. How to grab them, shake them, play with them, and get her arm stuck through them (it is even more fun if the object makes noise).


Her favorite thing to reach for, grab, shake and play with is her Tigger doll. He is colorful. He is very soft. He is "fun" personified (dollified?). And - what joy! - he has a rattle inside his tummy!

tub fun!

Granddad gave Emma an inflatable ring for the pool, and Emma LOVES playing with it!

2 months old

days off are for:

napping.

Lots and lots of napping.

playing around 8/11/10 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

and gentle playing.


gurgles and coos from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Zoo day!

Leah and Sarah (a friend who was visiting) drove down from Dayton on Tuesday and invited us to go to the Cincinnati Zoo with them.

Emma loved looking at the Elephants 

(of course, that could be partly due to them being the first animals we saw! It took her a little while to figure out that we weren't leaving but going to see something new each time she got back in the stroller - at first she got upset. But she caught on!).

the Polar Bear Pool

watching the Little Penguins

the Giraffes were inside that day, so we got to look at them as they wandered around their barn. Emma loved looking in the window!

playing in the misters at the Zoo 8/10/10 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.
It was a pretty hot day and there were misters outside the Giraffe exhibit. They felt soooo good!


Monkeys! from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

watching the manatees swim from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

John's Book: chapter 2, part II

Blessing

My father did something very special on my thirteenth birthday, something which I now know had a big impact on my life. After an evening church service, my father and a close family friend took me aside and verbally blessed me.

As they blessed me, I can remember standing at the front of the church and becoming teary eyed for some reason. At the time, I could not tell you why I was crying. Looking back though, I realize that it was because of how special and powerful that moment was - a time when my father empowered me to fulfill God’s calling for my life. Words of affirmation bring life, but words of blessing bring empowerment.

Verbal blessings come in many different shapes and sizes. They can range from a simple blessing (Ruth 2:4), to the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17). When you bless someone with your words, you pronounce a solemn, prophetic benediction upon them (Genesis 27). You consecrate them for a specific purpose and goal. Blessing someone also expresses a wish and desire of happiness towards a person, encouraging them to fulfill the objective.

Throughout Scripture, we see that verbally blessing someone is an important and powerful thing. In Genesis 49, we read the story of how Jacob took great care to bless his twelve sons before he died. The special blessings which he pronounced over each one of them, would come to pass as Jacob’s sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.

In Mark 10:13, we read of how a group of parents brought their “young children to (Jesus), that he should touch them.” These parents were bringing their children to Jesus so that He could bless them! They understood the power of a verbal blessing.

Look what happens next: “…(Jesus’) disciples rebuked those that brought them” (Mark 10:13). The disciples didn’t get it. They didn’t see the importance of blessing a young person. They didn’t think it was a good use of Jesus’ time.

Jesus was quick to correct His disciples, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14)! Jesus then took the children “up in His arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:16).

Fathers, when you bless your sons as described in Scripture, it brings about great and mighty things. Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”

You are probably wondering how a father is to bless his son. What does it look like? I was recently talking with Matt, a well spoken young man who is faithfully serving the Lord. He shared with me a wonderful story of how his father has been blessing him and the other nine children in the family.

Matt said, “One thing he will always do as we are praying as a family, and I have noticed this, is that he will always pray for each child individually. Starting from the oldest and going to the youngest. He will use their names and pray that God would bless them in some way. Just to see that is heartening. It has been a real encouragement for me.”

Matt went on to share that as his father is blessing the other children, he anxiously waits to hear how his father is going to bless him. What an encouragement that must be for Matt and the other children! Fathers, blessing your son is not time consuming or difficult. It can be incorporated into what you are already doing. In fact, God gave us a good example of what words to use in Numbers 6:22-27:

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 'Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace…'"

This is not to say that every verbal blessing should follow this exact pattern. On the contrary! A blessing should flow from the heart. Blessing a son is not part of a step program in which you follow steps one, two, and three. It is a tool that God has given fathers to empower and encourage their sons.

Due to the empowering nature of verbal blessings, blessings can be used not only to encourage a son, but also to change a son. For example, if your son struggles with demonstrating personal responsibility, you can verbally bless and empower him to be responsible:

_______(Son’s name here), I bless you with personal responsibility, so that you may fulfill the responsibilities that are set before you today and bring honor and glory to God.

The same is true for self-control:

_______(Son’s name here), I bless you with self-control today, so that you may demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and accomplish the good works which God has established for you.

Pronouncing multiple blessing over your son does not have to take place on separate occasions. They can be joined together and have the same effectiveness. Take for example a young man who lacks wisdom and discretion:

_______(Son’s name here), I bless you with wisdom that you might know what is the acceptable will of God so that you may live according to His word in all wisdom and understanding. I also bless you with discretion so that you may discern between right and wrong, good and evil, and bring joy to those who are around you.

As a father blesses his son, he should in faith expect results, “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). It may take some time for a son to show signs of change once a father has verbally blessed him. Nevertheless, a father must remain confident “that he (God) which hath begun a good work in (your son) will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

One more thing that I would like to point out about verbally blessing your son is that at first it may be a very uncomfortable thing for you to do. It’s not easy to do something for the first time, but with a little practice you’ll get the hang of it.

Also, don’t be afraid of what others will think if they see you blessing your son. Once they have learned what you are doing, most people will want you to teach them how to bless their own children. So, don’t let the fear of man creep in and be ready to minister to others as well!

Words in Practice

We have seen how important it is for a father to encourage his son with words of affirmation and blessing. It is now time to put these words into practice. Below are additional ideas and practical applications for a father who is looking to encourage and empower a son.

• 
  
  During the next week, find four situations in which you can encourage your son through words of affirmation.

• 
  
  If you are not sure what to say, ask God to give you the words.
  
• 
  
  Then spend five minutes writing out a list of quick, yet meaningful phrases which you can use to encourage your son.

• 
  
  Verbally bless your son once this week.

• 
  
  Chose a time when most of the family will be present, but when there will be few distractions.

• 
  
  If you think it would be best, take a few minutes to write the blessing out beforehand. There is nothing wrong with reading the blessing to your son.

• 
  
  If you can not think of something to bless your son with, look for an area in his life that needs improvement and bless him with the necessary character to overcome this difficulty.

• 
  
  Make sure that as you bless him you don’t demean him in any way. Don’t point out his failures; just bless him with the character that he needs to develop.
  
• 
  
  Once you have blessed him, reinforce any positive changes that you see in his life by praising him with words of affirmation.

• 
  
  Record any positive or negative changes which take place in your son’s life as a result of affirming him and blessing him. Over the course of the week, point out to your son the positive changes that have been made and bless him with the power to overcome the negative ones.

such a little character

Ian is really developing a personality! He loves to "talk" to you (when he's full and rested) and gets so excited when you talk back.
He was being so adorable the other day. :)

I took some photos of him grinning, laughing and talking, and then pulled out the video camera, hoping to capture some of the darling sounds:


clamming up for the camera 8/9/10 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.


clamming up II from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

It seems that Ian is a bit shy of the video camera! He was talking away until I pulled it out, and then got very quiet and was just staring at it, mesmerized.
Come to think of it, Emma went through the same thing when she was an infant.

catching up

I took some time yesterday to upload videos from the video camera and here are a few (thank you again for the camera Mom and Dad!).

Emma loves trying to take videos. Loves it. It's actually a bit difficult to take a video of her with her grabbing the camera!

Emma helping take the video from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Ian is working on lifting his head:

lifting his head from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

We were talking to my mom on the web cam:

web camming with Grammie from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.



reading to herself from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Emma can sign:

• wind
• rain
• water
• "more"
• "please"
• cracker
• apple
• banana
• dog
• cat
• horse
• baby
• blanket
• Dad
• aunt
• uncle
• ball
• telephone
• balloon
• cloud
• outside
• potty
• tree
• leaf
• fish
• bird
• hat
• laugh
• crying
• shoe
• flower
• diaper
• music
• dance
• hot
• "all done"
• "bye-bye"
• "I love you"
• Jesus
• quiet
• down
• up

and can point to her toes, bellybutton, hair, ears, nose, eyes, tongue and mouth.

The signing videos are paying off!

with Lamby

John's Book: chapter 2, part I

Chapter Two

~

Words of Encouragement

“…Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”

- Acts 13:15

Since the beginning of time, words have played an important role in the development of the world. Today, we can see the influence of words everywhere we look. We see them in books and on advertisements, instruction manuals and on television. Now, words are spread across the Internet on the World Wide Web. From the time of copying manuscripts by hand to sharing volumes of books with the click of a button, words have helped shape the world as we know it.

As the ability to communicate between people has become faster and easier through the development of telephones, e-mails, and the Web, the art of clear speech and listening to other people has also been lost. Conversations between people have become brief, often resembling more of an online internet chat than two people talking in person. Even when two people do have a real, face-to-face conversation, they both tend to monologue rather than have a dialogue.

So what effect does this fast pace, to-the-point society of ours have on the communication between fathers and sons? A lot! A son needs his father to continually encourage and exhort him with the use of his words. A passing, “Hello” is not enough.

For many fathers and sons today, their conversations look more like auto racing pit-stops than two men talking with each other. For some, their conversations may look like this:

Father: “Hey, how’s it going?

Son: “Good.”

Father: “Good.”

It is my experience that most fathers don’t know how to talk with their sons. Some would argue that this is due to the fact that men are less talkative then women. Personally, I don’t put much faith in this argument.

If you look at some of the greatest men in history, you will see men who loved to speak and who communicated very clearly when they did. The Apostle Paul, Moses, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, as well as the evangelist Billy Graham come to mind as good examples. The list can go on and on.
 

So, why is it that many fathers don’t know how to use their words to encourage and exhort their sons? I
believe the answer can be explained by what I have come to call the WWII generational gap. Let me explain.

We remember World War II as a relatively short war in American history, lasting only four years. It was a war in which tens of millions of Americans joined forces with many other nations to push back Nazi Germany and the Imperial Japanese army.

Although it was not as glorious as Hollywood movies have made it out to be, thousands of people rose to the occasion and heroically served our nation. In the end, the Allies were victorious, but not without paying a great price. Not just in money, but in human life.

According to several estimates that I have seen, nearly 50 million people died during World War II, including almost 400,000 Americans, with another 671,000 Americans wounded. A staggering figure to think about, but pale in comparison to the losses that several other nations suffered.

We often forget a very important fact regarding American casualties, and that is that the vast majority of Americans killed or wounded in WWII were men. Varying in age from young, 18 or 19 year old singles, to 30 and 40 year old fathers, these men bravely gave their lives for our country.

So what happens when almost all of a nation’s fathers, and soon to be fathers, go to war for four years and many of them never return? The answer: a generational gap. A generation of boys whose fathers were not around to define or exemplify manhood.

These boys were raised with little or no communication with their fathers. They never experienced what it’s like to have a relationship with a loving and caring father. Their fathers never had the opportunity to demonstrate what it means for a father to exhort his son. In turn, they were not able to do the same for their own sons.

What we see now is the cascading effects of this gap. One generation passing on their failure to the next generation. From the young men who lived during WWII, through the baby boom age and now today, many fathers and sons have never experienced what it means to have open communication with one another.

This has resulted in the current generation of fathers not knowing, or understanding, how to openly encourage their sons. So what can be done to change this pattern of failure?

1. Acknowledgment

As we all know, half the solution to any problem is recognizing that a problem really exists. So, to start, it is important for a father to recognize that he has inherited a weakness from his own father. This does not mean he should blame his father, nor should he take on a victim-like attitude. Instead, a father should simply recognize the generational failure and accept that it occurred.

2. Prayer

After a father has acknowledged the failure of previous generations, he should come boldly before the throne of grace and ask God to break the cycle of failure (Hebrews 4:16). The Bible says that God visits “…the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 20:5), but that he shows “mercy unto thousands of them that love (him)” (Exodus 20:6). Deuteronomy 23:5 says, “The LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.” Fathers, ask and ye shall receive (Matthew 7:7).

3. Learn and Practice

Once a father has acknowledged the failure and has broken the curse through prayer, he should learn how to communicate with his son. This will take time and effort. Once it is put into practice, though, it is sure to bring life changing results.

Affirmation

There is a great need for fathers to learn how to speak with their sons. To merely talk with a son is one thing, but to encourage him with words is a whole different ball game. A son needs to hear words of affirmation from his father.

A son longs to hear from his father the words, “you can do it!” and, “good job!” He needs his father’s affirmation. It may not seem like a big deal to you as a father, but it can mean the difference between winning your son’s heart and losing it.

Words of affirmation from a father reinforce in a son who he is. They also have the power to give life. In Proverbs 18:21 Solomon says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Solomon goes on to liken the tongue that is used wisely to “choice silver” (Proverbs 10:20). He also refers to the tongue as a “tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4), which brings “health” (Proverbs 12:18).

A father should use his words to encourage his son and bring life to him. Those fathers who aren’t sure they have the ability to do so should consider Moses. Moses was hand picked by God to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, and to give them the Law of God.

When God asked Moses to take up this responsibility, “Moses said unto the LORD, 'O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue'” (Exodus 4:10).

Was Moses making an excuse or was he correct in pointing out that he was a slow communicator? He was right! Every man who stands before God is slow of speech and has a slow tongue.

Look at what God says in the very next verse though: “The LORD said unto him, 'Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say'” (Exodus 4:11-12).

Fathers, you many not have it all together when it comes to encouraging your son with words, but God is able to change that! Just like He did with Moses, He can take you from being slow of mouth and give you the ability to speak before nations. He can take you from, “mum's the word,” to vibrantly encouraging and exhorting your son with words that give him life!

I worked with a young man once whose parents had spoken many negative and hurtful things into his life. He showed the effects of this verbal badgering in many different ways, including having a very poor image of himself.

Due to his lack of self-esteem and confidence, it was difficult for this young man to interact with other people, especially with those who were of the same age. He also had difficulty completing any projects or tasks that he was given, even the most basic. His parents believed this was due to his laziness, but what they had spoken into his life had become true.

As I worked with this young man I made it a point to encourage him with my words. At first he was not sure how to respond. He had heard so many negative things about himself that it took time for him to start trusting that what I said was true. After a few weeks of consistently affirming him, his whole attitude changed. No longer was it, “I can’t,” but now it was, “I can!”

As a father affirms his son, it is important for him to do so properly. The Apostle Paul gave us this qualification in 1 Thessalonians 2:3-7: “For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.”

Matthew also gives us a strong warning about a person who fails to affirm a child properly: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6).

Fathers, you shouldn’t be discouraged with these warnings. You can encourage your son properly through words of affirmation! Is it easy to encourage someone with words? No. In fact, in some ways it is against human nature (Romans 7:18). With a little practice, though, you can speak life into your son and win his heart!

If you don’t believe me, try it. The next time your son does something which is beneficial and positive, try affirming him with your words. Just a few, well thought out words will go along way.

Then, watch to see how this affects him. Does he repeat the same action in hopes of receiving more affirmation? With some consistent application, I believe you will notice a remarkable difference in all areas of his life.

Below, you will notice a short list of affirming phrases which can be used in many situations. As you read through them, picture in your mind instances in which you can use these phrases with your son. If you are already affirming him in these ways, consider taking a few minutes to create your own list of affirming words.

• 
  
  I knew you could do it!
• 
  
  You did a wonderful job ________(son’s name here)!
• 
  
  Thank you very much for doing that, you have helped me a lot!
• 
  
  You can do it!
• 
  
  Good work _______(son’s name here)!
• 
  
  Well done!
• 
  
  You have shown great responsibility!
• 
  
  Tremendous!
• 
  
  Fantastic work _______(son’s name here)!
• 
  
  Thank you!

2 months

Emma making Ian laugh

One of Ian's major accomplishments this past month has been learning how to laugh.

whoops

"We interrupt the regularly scheduled posting of this blog to announce that ....

...we have exceeded our our total photo upload quota." (did you even know that it was possible?)


So, now I need to figure out how to fix it. Until then the blogs are going to look a little boring. Boo.

fauxhawk!

Ian's hair is so much fun to play with. :) I combed it up into a faux mohawk after his bath:

(Thank you so much for the towel Leah! He really likes it. :))

This was two hours after his bath. His hair would not lay back down!

Love those chubby cheeks!
I'm holding on to this photo to put into the slideshow at his wedding (assuming we are still doing wedding slideshows in 2035). :)

Emma wanted to sit with Ian in the recliner:

"Hi there! We're just sitting together and hanging out."

"Ian, those are your hands ..."

Kiss

 "Oh, it was sooo funny!"

signing "laugh"

little prince charming