Black jelly beans

I learned Easter morning that Isaac doesn't like black jelly beans (licorice). Apparently I'm the only person in this region that does. So I thought it was a rhetorical gamble, if there is such a thing, to bet Isaac today that I'd give him $10 if he ate 5 jelly beans. First of all, I didn't think money even mattered that much to him, and second of all, I figured if he started on one jelly bean he wouldn't be able to make it all the way through 5 before giving up. Low and behold, the kid grabbed 5 jelly beans, shoved all of them in his mouth, and commenced to chew them all completely, smiling the whole time. He didn't even wince.

Lesson learnt: the boy is tougher and more cunning than I imagined. Place future bets with caution.

-Ben

So it's been a while...

So I thought I would check and see what our blog was looking like these days. Turns out if you don't write new posts, they don't get posted! Who would have thought?!

I find it very fitting that my last post was about Bethlehem Ministries. Since January 12 I've been so incredibly unsettled. Ben and I have a special, unexplainable love for Haiti. Since the earthquake, that love has increased substantially. We don't know any Haitians. We have NEVER been to Haiti. But for a reason only He knows, God has given us a heart for these people.

Below is a list of links to blogs or organizations that I've been following since January. The rainy season is here for Haiti. There are thousands and thousands of people sleeping under sheets. SHEETS people! Pray for them. Pray for light rain in that city. Keep praying for the hurt. Be thankful for your house, your bed, your family, your safety. Pray for the Haitians without those things. Pray for the Americans without those things.

Links:

Livesay Family

Bethlehem Ministries

Heartline

Real Hope for Haiti

Also, Bethlehem did receive the money necessary to purchase solar panels for the clinic (see last post). They were purchased and installed just in time to receive and care for refugees from Port au Prince. Praise God!

And since it has been so long since my last update on the boys, here is a photo of my little men for your viewing pleasure.Isaac is absolutely the most brilliant 5 year old known to man. :) And Jude is fabulously following in his brothers footsteps. Every. Footstep. And maybe he's adding a few to the walk. :) They are seriously so wonderful.

Have a wonderful Easter!
Lindsay

Bethlehem Ministries

Last year Ben was invited to help with the design of a clinic in Terrier Rouge, Haiti. Here is a link to the Clinique Esperance et Vie. It's amazing how God has developed in us a heart for these people we have never seen in person. Bethlehem Ministries began about 24 years ago and now they have a working school and a working clinic in a small village in Haiti. We recently received an email from Berry, the founder of Bethlehem Ministries, asking for help again. The clinic is now open and running in full swing. The problem is that they have no electricity. They are in need of solar panels to run the various components that you would expect a clinic to need: autoclave to sterilize the surgical tools, fans and air conditioning (y'all it's MS hot down there), ummm lights, you know that kind of stuff. Here is a link to a video that they have put together. $15,000 sounds like a lot to our family and to all of you probably, but to all of us together? Maybe we could make a dent in that so that Berry doesn't have to hold the flashlight anymore. And did you notice that awesome building my hubby helped design?

I'll have an update on the boys soon. They are growing so much!

Big Snow 2009

We had 6"!!! of snow last weekend! I had never seen that much snow before. We had so much fun playing in it! We actually had some family in town to play with us, which made it even better! Brittany and Elizabeth, Ben's cousins, were here. They got to miss 2 days of school because they were trapped in Georgia. (I don't think they minded!) Jennifer and Bella were here, too, and Grandmama! We had such a good time!

Isaac-isms

Ben and I have been saving up for this post, but I thought it was time to write it. My mom and dad have words or phrases that they say slightly incorrectly. They call those words or phrases "Ellaisms", "Isaacisms", "Lindsayisms", etc. according to which kid said them that way. (You can add a few other one's in the comments if you want!:)) My mom has always said that 4 years old was her favorite, probably because of this. Here are some things Isaac has said in the last few months that has had us cracking up!

Isaac: "Why you lookin' at me like that? Sup, sup!"

Isaac: "When you eat babies, you get smaller and smaller..."

Mom: "What does a duck say, Jude?"
Jude: "Duk"
Mom: "A duck says quack, quack!"
Isaac: "No. A duck says 'wak, wak.' Most of the time. How does a worm move?"

(Ben found $18 in a random place.)
Isaac: "Oh. You can get me bubble gum with those dollars!"

(Music playing.)
Isaac: "1, 2, 3, 4, I'm gon' count to 5 and you start shakin' your booty."

And last, but not least, today he said: "When is it gon' be Halloween?"
Mom: "In October."
Isaac: "In October? There's gon' be candy. And toilet paper."

I like 4 years old, too.

TAG. You're it!

Emily tagged me! And she's wonderful and brilliant! And although I feel she knows just about everything about me, I will (finally) give in a write 10 honest and random things about myself. (10 should be a lot easier than that facebook one that's going around with 25, right?)

1) I want to see a whale so badly! A really, really big one. One day I will.

2) I would rather live in an African village where they eat grasshoppers, literally, than live anywhere colder than Athens, GA! 17* is pushing it a little bit for GA.

3) I love Jesus so much, but I wish I read my Bible more.

4) My wonderful husband and I have 2 boys who are incredible! Our 3rd child (girl) will be adopted, God willing! Can't wait for that day, but right now we don't have room in our 900sf apartment!

5) I have recently discovered my love of the intricacies of the human body and the way God created us so perfectly. It truly is amazing what goes on inside of us!

6) I want to be a nurse-midwife so I can deliver Sarah Ward's second child. I missed the first one by about 3 years!

7) I despise the sound of ice. I don't like touching it or hearing it touch other ice. It gives me chill bumps just thinking about it. I really don't like to be cold.

8) I have had a 19th century deadly disease and survived!

9) I'm beginning to think that television is the devil. I watch it anyway, but it really just sucks life right out of you. We have cable for the first time since we've been married. It's free with our apartment. Otherwise I would probably cancel it.

10) If I could pick one place in the world to go right now it would be....ummm....Haiti, Columbia (as long as Witt is there),India, Savannah, Picayune, Oxford, Hawaii, Israel...

I tag: Heidi Hicks and Anna P.

It's been a while

I realize it's been quite a while since I updated. I thought I would pull a few random pictures from the last month and a half. We had a great Christmas, New Year's Day, and every day otherwise has been pretty good, too!


Painting ornaments

Grandmama's tree

Sweet, sweet Bella Grace
Iron man and his toy.


Random hill in New Orleans
Isaac, Ella, and Anna Gail on the street car in NO
City Park, New Orleans
The house that Uncle John gave