THE PETERSENS

So, here’s the scoop.  Last time I was inspired to blog, I did.  Then I proceeded to lose the entire blog entry.  Poof…just like that!  I was pretty disheartened about it and gave up with blogging for awhile.  But, I’m back.  Welcome back, me. 

Many months have gone by, which means our family has seen many milestones.  I will start with Ben and I first:

Milestone 1 (June):  Ben becomes an employee with a SALARY at Kenosis.  This is a first for our family and we are so thankful for God’s faithful financial provision for us.
Milestone 2 (June):  We find out that there is a huge opportunity to possibly owning our first home and we run with it (and are still in the midst of this process, I should add).
Milestone 3 (June):  We return to Minnesota for the 1st time since moving here for an extended vacation with friends and family.  This was a big deal for us.  We saved up for a very long time and it was definitely worth every, single penny!
Milestone 4 (July):  We celebrate our FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!  We thank the Lord He’s given us this much time together and hope for many more.

Now onto Joshua Lee (3 1/2 years old)…

Milestone 1:  JL begins to read words and short sentences.  Just a few days ago, he spelled his first word.  It was "MOM."  Awww.
Milestone 2:  JL experiences genuine sadness when leaving MN at the end of our vacation.  He bawls his little head off in the security line and the airport.
Milestone 3:  JL delves into his "big brother" role.  He makes sure that Caleb doesn’t eat Old Cheerios and other nasties off the floor.  He helps to entertain Caleb by bringing him different toys when he starts to fuss while I’m making lunch or dinner for them.  And, he just LOVES Caleb, giving him hugs and kisses before every naptime and bedtime.

And, then there’s Caleb (8 1/2 months old)…

Milestone 1:  At 5 months, he FINALLY starts sleeping through the night.  For us, this means that he no longer wakes up every 1.5 hours all night long to nurse.  Whew, that was rough!
Milestone 2:  At 6 1/2 months, Caleb decides that rice cereal is actually not fish food.  He agrees to eat it when fed to him.  Oh, and we started him on cloth diapers, too.
Milestone 3:  At 7 months, Caleb sits on his own, starts to army crawl and cuts his first tooth.
Milestone 4:  At 7 1/2 months, Caleb starts to feed himself Cheerios.  He also initiates playing peek-a-boo and loves standing with assistance.
Milestone 5:  At 8 months, Caleb starts to crawl.  He clearly understands the word "no" now and mostly obeys when we have to utilize it.
Milestone 6:  Most recently, Caleb has learned to pull himself up to standing.  He also cut his 2nd tooth.

That’s a good enough summary for now. 

Ben and I have found much renewed sweetness and passion in our marriage during his semester off from seminary.  It helps that we actually spend time together now, I guess!  So, our Valentine’s Day this year was very intentional.  We celebrated the day before because we scheduled a babysitter for that night, knowing full well everyone would be out on the actual holiday.  The morning started off with a gift and card from my two little boys, Joshua Lee and Caleb (with a little help from Ben, of course).  Ben also made Valentine Funfetti cupcakes that Joshua Lee and I enjoyed for a morning snack.  While Ben was at work, Joshua Lee and I got to work and made a very fun and glittery card for Daddy from his two sons.  Joshua Lee also assisted in making heart confetti that I put all over our white bedspread.  He had a great time making "surprises."  When Ben got home, we spent some time as a family and got the kids ready for bed and waited for the babysitter to arrive. 

We finally got to leave and I learned that we were going to have a themed date night…"Teeny Bopper Date Night."  This entailed Ben taking me to eat drive-in food at Sonic and to the arcade after that.  A few funny things happened…one, our car battery died at Sonic.  Our babysitter’s husband had to come and jump our car.  Two, when we got to the arcade, it was closed due to construction!  So, the night didn’t go as Ben planned, but it did instead give Ben and I an opportunity to talk more.  He really encouraged me that night.  I had been really struggling that week with some sins that God had revealed to me and was just despairing, but Ben pointed me to Christ and His wonderful grace.  He shared some things with me that he had been learning about in the Old Testament, which drove me to be so thankful that God saved a sinner like me.  All this to say that I really love my husband.  He really spoiled me this past weekend and he truly is an evidence of God’s grace in my life. 

Does your family have a vision and mission?  We did not have one, but with the start of the New Year, Ben was convicted and inspired to brainstorm about our vision and mission.  My heart was so encouraged by Ben’s enthusiasm about spiritually leading our family and it reminded me of God’s beautiful grace toward His children.  We are only in the position we are in–heirs of Christ, children of an Almighty God, partakers of grace, sinners with sins atoned for, etc.–by the powerful grace of God. 

Our Family Vision:

No matter what the trial, we will hold to Christ,
for He will hold to us.” (based on Hab. 3:17-19 and Romans

Our Family Mission:

Us and God
    The Petersen family exists for the glory and honor of God.  We will seek to treasure Christ most of all in every day of our lives, despite all circumstances, knowing it is God who orders our steps, and no hardship is purposeless. 

Us and the Lost
    Together we will seek the salvation of lost people, having a particular burden for those in utter darkness beyond the current reach of the Gospel.  We will think, pray and act towards this end.