dinosaur birthday beach bbq

Last Friday night we had Micah's birthday party at Singer Island's Ocean Reef Park. We had so much fun with friends, grilling out and celebrating our little man turning 4! My good friend April took several pictures of the evening so I could just enjoy being at the party. It was wonderful and the pictures turned out great too! Thanks April!!April's daughter Elsie and Micah.

I made a dinosaur garland for decoration. Micah picked out the dinosaur fabric and than I bought cordinating colors. It turned out so bright and cheerful and it is now hanging in his room.
I also tried my hand at making a dinosaur cake. It came out pretty cute, but it proceeded to melt in the heat. Matt called this our pre-extinction picture.

Matt sneaking Beatrix some chocolate frosting off of the cupcakes. If you were here you could have heard me saying in the background, "Matt please don't give her chocolate". To which he said to April, "Quick take the picture!"

I thought about bringing swimming attire sometime around 1:00 Friday afternoon, but in the craziness of remembering all of the food and party whatnots I forgot anything to do with swimming. OH well!

Relaxing on the beach with good friends waiting for Matt to finish grilling the hotdogs.

I snapped this picture, and it is a melt your heart shot! *sigh*

so is this one!!!

Notice Micah wore his underware the rest of the party. How white trash are we??? Funny memory for the grandkids about their daddy I guess.

"I want the neck mommy!" - Micah

I LOVE this picture that April snapped of us. So so precious! These are the moments that you miss when you are behind the camera.....thank you friend. I love this picture!

another one *sigh*

They make my heart hurt they are so amazing!

After the presents were opened I asked all of the little kids (minus Micah's friend Elsie who had to leave early) to get together and do a silly pose. Micah did a dinosaur, of course and the rest of them were just so cute! Thanks eveyone for making Micah's 4th birthday so wonderful!!! We LOVED celebrating him with you.

happy birthday micah!

today is the day a miracle named micah was born and changed our lives forever. he ushered true joy into our home and our lives and brought restoration to our broken hearts. this little man has ever stopped being just that, since the day he arrived. micah is compassionate, sensitive, so gentle, kind and tenderhearted. he has temper tantrums and he thinks he is right about most everything. he is a force to be reakoned with, i can tell already that he is going to be a leader.

he feels things so strongly that when his eyes well up with tears or he is frustrated or over the moon happy i can feel it too. he makes me laugh and he frustrates me more than anyone else ever has in my life. he is matt and i. our little creation.

we made him, together.

on this day 4 years ago pure joy was born and we named him micah patrick. he is ours and we love him more than words could ever say. happy birthday pooh! mommy and daddy love you so much and it is more than obvious how much beatrix loves you! xoxo

my good friend andy

This is my very good friend Andy Soper.

Please read his letter and consider helping him raise some money for this amazing cause.

Thanks!

It isn’t that I didn’t know that the poorest of the poor in our world are in desperate need. Perhaps, it just never was so visual as when I read that our most poor brothers and sisters live on less than a cup of rice a day. I’m a big, fat guy. A cup of rice wouldn’t quite fill the “snack” portion of my day. Yet, while I go on and on about the oppressed and forgotten with one side of my mouth, I stuff the other side with unhealthy food for an ungrateful body. In doing so, in ignoring an empty rice bowl, I fill a bowl of wrath. A bowl of wrath ready to pour out exile on a forgetful and self-indulgent church.

So, I’ve decided to do what so many who’ve come before me have done: rip off an idea. I will be the Michael Bolton of Food Relief. In a recent article, I read about a man who decided to draw attention and money to the plight of the world’s most hungry. He ate just a cup of rice a day, for one month. In that time, he asked his friends (and their friends, and their friends’ friends) to donate money toward ending hunger. In one month, he raised $6,000!

On August 2, 2009, I will begin my month of only a cup of rice a day. I want to begin on the Sabbath. I am asking that you pray, searching your heart and mind. Pray for those whom we have forgotten. Pray for the church, who has forgotten her children, opting instead for the government to feed the nations. Pray earnestly for those without food and clean water. And then, be the answer God intends. Be the body of Christ on this earth.

It is my goal to raise $2,000 for OXFAM International (Oxfam.org … if you want to look it up). I’m asking that you give a little bit for, if nothing else, a cup of rice for our brothers and sisters around the world. You can do this any way you like – write them a check, send me the money, or some other way you can think of. I’m not the blogging type, but I will keep everyone updated with the progress of my month as well as how much we have put together to send. Just a cup of rice. I’ve been told there will be no butter allowed (thanks, Marcy), no Uncle Ben’s ‘Nawlin’s Surprise, and no fun of any kind. I know that doing this won’t end all of the world’s hunger issues – but it might solve it for a family or two. Think it over and get back to me.

Love, Peace, and Hair Grease.

Andy

ajsoper@gmail.com

http://cupofrice.wordpress.com

Andy Soper

1310 Bemis SE

Grand Rapids MI 49506

the letter p

As we were driving away from my friend April's house, Micah asked "Why are there no p's in the house?" (p's as in the letter p) Matt said totally confused, "what?" Micah repeated himself, "Why are there no p's in the house?" I thought for a minute and then remembering the sign that had been in front of April's house I laughed and told Micah, "That P stands for no parking honey. The circle with a line through it means that you can't park there." "Oh" he said. I guess it made sense to him, but as you can see from the sign it makes even more sense that p's would not be allowed in that house.