Ride 'em Cowgirl!

I'm. . .

Faithy Baumberger.

This is a new stage for Faith. If we call her something silly, such as "You're a stinker," she'll say, "I'm not a stinker; I'm Faithy Baumberger."

My favorite example happened one evening when the girls and I were reviewing the Bible story about Jesus restoring the soldier's ear that Peter had cut off. Hope was pretending and said, "Here Faith, will you put my ear back on?" Faith replied, "I'm not Jesus; I'm Faithy Baumberger."

Admonishment

I am always thankful when I am admonished to "make my calling and election sure." I read this quote on another blog and it did just that:

"An almost Christian is one of the most hurtful creatures in the world; he is a wolf in sheep's clothing: he is one of those false prophets, our blessed Lord bids us beware of in his sermon on the mount, who would persuade men, that the way to heaven is broader than it really is; and thereby, as it was observed before, "enter not into the kingdom of God themselves, and those that are entering in they hinder." These, these are the men that turn the world into a luke-warm Laodicean spirit; that hang out false lights, and so shipwreck unthinking benighted souls in their voyage to the haven of eternity. These are they who are greater enemies to the cross of Christ, than infidels themselves: for of an unbeliever every one will be aware; but an almost Christian, through his subtle hypocrisy, draws away many after him; and therefore must expect to receive the greater damnation." George Whitefield

Imitation

It was a blessing to see my girls playing peacefully this evening.

They chose to play wiffle ball. Faith, out of the blue, began imitating all of things she hears and sees at Hope's ball game.

With only her diaper, she ran to get her batting "hat."

"Batter, Batter, Hit!" she screamed.

Whenever she hit (or barely hit) the ball, she threw down the bat and ran and ran with a very proud look on her face.

Then, she said, "I need a drink," which is what Hope always says because we always forget to bring a drink.

Finally, Faith ran inside to put on a "uniform." This happened to be one of Hope's nicer shirts.

ANYWAY, the point of the story is- without a doubt, Faith has been to ball games- I could tell by her actions and knowledge which were not PERFECT but reflections of the game nonetheless.

Are we imitators of Christ? Is it obvious we have been with Him? Have we been with Him? Do our actions reflect a knowledge of Christ? Of course are reflections will not be perfect, but children imitating what we see and know.

Funny Faith

You know how kids love for you to trace their hands? Faith also loves to trace my hands. Well, today, she took it a step further. I saw her take her lips and pucker them out- as far as she possibly could. She then stuck her lips onto a sheet of paper. She took a marker and began to trace her lips!! You guessed it, when I said her name, she looked up at me with a red line around her lips. Crazy kid!

I Love Lucy

Not the Lucy with red hair and lipstick, but the Lucy found within the Chronicles of Narnia.

I pray that my girls and I might be Lucy(s). Aslan chose to reveal himself to Lucy first. The faith that He gave to Lucy proved to be an encouragement to her siblings. She could see past the dangers and snares. She trusted Aslan to save them.

Favorite part #1- Peter and Caspian debate about whether or not to sieze the castle; however, they do not consider Aslan's role in this upcoming battle. To this, Lucy replies, "You are acting as if there are only two options- to die here or to die there. Do you not remember who it was that defeated the white witch?" At times I find myself thinking I'm defeated here. Do I not remember who it was/is who defeated/s sin and death? Praise Him!

Favorite part #2- I love how Lewis brings to life that God rules nature. He uses it to accomplish His purposes. It seems that nature has been speaking "loud and clear" lately. To me it shouts of God and His all-consuming power. To think, I am in the eye of the storm- no matter the outcome- in the hand of God, which is perfect peace, whether here on earth or with Him for eternity. Remember, the rocks will cry out or the trees will dance and the river will be free.

Favorite part #3- Aslan reminds Caspian that it's Caspian's realization that he's not fit to be king which makes him fit to be king. Aahh, humility- there's nothing like it.

Other favorite parts- Evil is portrayed as evil- ugly and grotesque. And, the evil is DEFEATED! I LOVED the humor. . . so funny. I love to laugh. I must say that I liked Susan's chain-link shirt with the 3/4" sleeve- very fashionable in my opinion- I would like one. Not to mention her talent with the bow. I would like to have that too. The violence- I rather crave violence (a line from the movie, Little Women). I would not recommend the movie to children who are sensitive to violence. Oh, I loved the song at the end of the movie. I stayed so that I could hear the song at the end. Megan, oh song guru, what is the song at the end of this movie?

The only negative: There was absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt, unequivocally no need for the kiss.

Mother's Day

Here is a picture of the girls after spending some time at Daddy's beauty shop. Yep, Will is better at doing their hair than I am. He's a real well rounded guy. He loves sports, fishing, yard work- yet he'll cook and clean and fix the girls' hair. He even colored my hair once. He's a better shopper than I am. The reason this is my Mother's Day post is because I want to thank him for making my job as a mother "easy". I feel like it's Mother's Day every day. Thanks, Will.

Happy Birthday, Faithy!

This little three year old has brought me to throne of grace (expressing to God my utter need for wisdom) more in three years than any other thing (I think).

This is the little girl who looks into the sky and YELLS to the wind "STOP IT!" because it blew over her toys. This is my child who sticks her head into a book and says, "I want in that yoom!" She puts her foot on the TV screen and says she wants to go into it.

However, I am thankful that the Lord has shown me my need. Also, I look forward to both of us receiving the blessings that only His wisdom can bestow. I love you, Miss Faith. I do love your creativity, your imagination, and your spunk. I look forward to growing in grace with you in the years to come.

A Baumberger Vacation

A Baumberger Vacation always includes:

Nature, History, Exploration, Silliness, Grandparents and the infamous "Family Picture".

You know you're a mom to a toddler if. . .

you spend 20 min. picking up messes that took 2 min. to make

by the time you eat your toast in the morning, it is ICE cold

you go to bed with sunglasses still on your head

you find yourself really singing in the rain, just singing in the rain- it's a wonderful feeling (fully equipped with duckie umbrella)

you translate your children's semi-sentences/stories for other people

you must investigate any brown substance on the floor before picking it up; you are relieved if it's a tootsie roll and you don't know whether or not to be relieved if it's a sticky piece of candy covered with ants and stuck to the floor

you find yo-yo's and dry cereal in the refrigerator

the only neat, tidy, and sweet smelling thing in the house are the fresh cut flowers from the neighbor's garden

your house looks like this picture in this post