breaking the birthday rule

A few months ago, Ben was with me on our usual run of errands when he spotted some birthday candles in the discount store. With his big brown eyes, long lashes and sweet, pleading look, I broke down and broke the "birthday rule." (The very rule I put in place after a particularly maddening season of hearing the kids talk about and plan for their birthdays all. the. time. Even while their current birthday was happening. Or someone else's. Or at the mention of the word.)

So we bought the candles and I tucked them away until July. Except Ben's birthday was in June.

And we did the cake I made at lunch and thought we were going to have a second cake for the family birthday the following day, only we never did have the second cake and so the candles never got put on the first one.

Besides, I completely forgot about the candles anyway until a few days before the Fourth of July.

I remembered, then, Ben gentle, hopeful look as I considered his candle question, and even though it was one month late, I decided to put the candles on the tarts I made for the Fourth.

So we celebrated and sang and he blew out his candles.

And I was glad I didn't talk myself out of putting those candles on the tarts just because they weren't a cake and it wasn't his birthday and he was already five.

Some rules, the silly man-made Pharisaical ones we make up to order and control what only God can order and control, those rules are meant to be broken. 

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And a few other memories from the Fourth...

Beautiful weather for eating dinner outside.

Luke looking forward to celebrating. And the shirt I made for the parade a few years ago still fits him!

Funny faces awaiting fireworks..

fireworks eternal

 
"Is this the grand finale?" Reese kept asking.

Because it's the grand finale we're really waiting for. The other fireworks? They're just leading up to the main event. Sure we ooh and aah at them, but they're not really what we came to see.

We're waiting for the moment when light and sound go crazy sparking the night sky and reverberating deep in our souls.

Last year as we thrilled to the rapid fire fire-light's, the Holy Spirit nudged me..."And God is greater."

Think on that...

We applaud what burns and fizzles in seconds, what lights the sky but a breath and an echo that fades.


But God is greater!

For surely He spoke to me in that moment to remind me that His glory will far surpass the grand finale of human-made pyrotechnics. He will be brighter, more dazzling of color and His voice will thunder. And He will not fizzle or fade. God is our fireworks eternal.

June was...

birthdays & milestones

waved goodbye to grades five, three and one, Brie graduated from elementary school, Ben turned five, Jack turned 4, Ben at five as tall as Luke was at six, started to earn his allowance and learned to ride a two-wheeler, Reese started guitar lessons, Brie got her ears pierced, Brie & Luke passed their white belt tests in Tai Kwon Do

 

  a birthday banner, opening gifts, @the Science Center, birthday picnic

our astronauts @ the Science Center

 

 how old are you Jack?, pool fun, pizza party, camel ride @ the zoo

despite a few close calls, the pinata was the only thing that ended up being hit. whew!

from white to yellow belt

traveling

Wilmington for Casey's grad party...

fountain in downtown Wilmington, washing feet at travel center, looking at the harbor, eating pizza in the hotel room, learning how to save the turtles, backyard antics at the graduation party and that may or may not have been an ice cube being put down the back of a shirt!

 ...then a stop in DC on our way home

washing feet in another fountain, the view from the bottom of the Washington monument, a popsicle on the Mall, looking up at the monument

and in the everyday...

sun & hot temperatures, gardening, having the kids meet the refugee family we're mentoring, learning how to have grace with a pre-teen, Children of the Day Bible study, firefly spotting, rain pouring in the basement, spring cleaning mid-summer and rearranging the living room and our room, discovering vegan milkshakes,
three offers on the house, one more than $5,000 above our asking price, but more than that we have a God who answers prayers and places desires on our heart and is so good, girls night out with Brie, sleepover at Mom's, God's hand on Dad and Lauren's health, cleaning pee off of Lego, J.D., Hilary and the boys coming to visit, starting swim lessons again