First Sun Equals First Trip to Meijer Gardens

We made our first trip to Meijer Gardens this week. We have had some beautiful sun and used the opportunity to get out and walk and enjoy the sculptures and the butterflies.
We had a lot of fun with the Meijers' family. We sat on their laps and tickled them and basically acted stupid.
I thought I would tell Fred thank you for all of the good times we have had there over the years.
Lydia and Watson had a nice time too.
Watson, in his young life, does not realize how much time we will spend there this spring and summer. Anna and Owen know it- they call it 'the place they go with Noah and Seth'.
I love the look on Owen's face here. He adores his big sister.
Here he is in the tunnel. Anna reminded me that we came here last year with Justin and Miss Moes (it was on their anniversary I believe).
I caught one of those butterflies. You are not supposed to; but he landed on my pants.

Here is Lydia and Owen at the 'Grand Rapids Arch'.

We look forward to many days at the Gardens. We look forward to you all coming too!

Ballet Recital

Here are a few pictures from Anna's recital today. She has finished ballet 1 and now will be moving into a 14 week program that ends with a dance recital on May 17th. This is the day after I graduate from seminary, so those out of town- if you come up that weekend, you will get Anna on Friday and Nate on Saturday. Make your plans now!



The girls were all very cute and fun to watch. A couple of them kept having a difficult time staying on their feet. It was a lot of fun.
Little Miss Anna took a moment to turn around and look at her mother. It was obvious that she was so happy to be there and was quite happy that we came to support her.

She also got to learn a number of French words and the instructor would call them out and the little girls that were listening would get into their formations. The instructor (Miss Heidi) also was good at making little stories for the girls to dance to. It was obvious how much fun they were having.
Below are a couple of videos to show you what a fun little time Anna had.

Thanksgiving Day Parade

All semester I have been seeing a turkey or two on my way to class in the morning. This is strange because it is in a residential neighborhood that is literally 3-5 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids. I have been telling the kids about the turkey and Lydia has suggested that it was actually an illusion of a turkey due to being early in the morning. Wow! Turkey hallucinations? Could it be?

I tried to prove this to Lydia by taking this way to church week after week- but believe it or not, no turkey... ever on a Sunday. Am I in need of special medication?

I had an idea. I would take my camera in the car to see if I could capture, on film, the large bird. Nope. Twice without a turkey. How come when I am alone I see a turkey in the middle of the street almost EVERY morning- but when I am with another, or with a camera there is no turkey?

I must be under a lot of stress to see turkeys marching up and down Michigan Street while traffic slowly goes around it. Do I need help?

I thought I would try one more time for photographic evidence of the crypto-urban turkey. I got it! I am not seeing things!

If this first picture was all of the evidence, I am sure a case could be made for a large bird-shaped piece of West Michigan snow.

I pulled right up to her and she attempted to duck (turkey?) out of the way. I got this one of her going down. She stayed low and I refused to move my vehicle despite the line forming behind me.
Then she looked up and made eye contact, bird to man. I knew that this was enough evidence of the crypto-urban turkey!

Or it is a hood ornament? Nope. It is the real deal.

Tug of War: Sedgwick Style!

Nothing says fun like tug of war with Sedgwick. (Of course Sam is playing in this picture as well... he doesn't count for this story though).

Lydia and I were having a quiet cup of French Roasted coffee and discussing our plans for the afternoon when Anna and Owen decided to play a little game with Sedgwick. They tied themselves together and convinced Sedgwick that the tie was actually a badger and a fox. Sedgwick's job was to take down the badger and the fox... who happen to be Anna and Owen.

If all that I gave you was this picture, I am sure that many would cry "get rid of that dog!" or, "you still have that dog... with children!" or "how can you stand that animal?". I know- you are all sweet and swell, but Sedgwick is my dog and part of our loving home. At any rate, if this picture was all that was published you would see Anna thrown towards the love seat and Owen defending his honor. Thankfully (for your amusement) we have actual live footage of the event. Do enjoy! We loved watching them play it!

If First RP had a Christmas Pagent...

If my church had a Christmas pagent (and we do not, nor will we) I am sure that this would somehow be included. Me, Brian, James, and Mark doing a jingle bells ditty!

COVFAMIKOI Psalm Sing

James Lanning found this video on the web. It is one of the many 'family worship' times at our presbytery's annual family conference. You can hear what 350 (although there were 600+ people at the conference) people singing acapella psalms sounds like. I look forward to the International Conference in July in which over 1100 RPs from all over the world will be here in Grand Rapids!
It is Psalm 144.9-15:

I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace;
may our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;
may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

Klackel Farms

I have been meaning to post these for a couple of days and Blogger was not cooperating. Tante Heidi came up last weekend and we had an awesome time. It was very low key- a lot of hanging out time, watching Planet Earth (which comes highly recommended), and playing with the kids. Of course, she brought a boat load of toys and gifts for the kids. They loved it!

On Saturday we could not decided to break out the lederhosen or the flannels. We chose the flannels and headed out to Klackel Farm for some autumn fun. It was a nice trip to Greenville, very sunny and bright- and windy.
We were greeted by the mayor of Greenville who welcomed us to the Farms. He assured us that there was plenty to do: hay rides, apple picking, cider mill tours, races, games, and tons of fun!
Watson was less than impressed. He thought that sleeping through most of it would be the appropriate thing for a 6 week old to do.
Anna and Owen raced around the track. They needed a lot of help. These little tractors are steel and VERY heavy. I am not sure how a 4 year-old could peddle them.
Here is Lydia and Watson picking apples. We picked Jonagolds which were so tasty. Owen and I both ate two while picking.
Here is Owen with his little treat. Notice he does not fool around- one in each hand! Let me assure you that we were given permission to eat as we gleaned. The only rules were no throwing apples and don't abandon your children in the orchard and pick them up at the end of November.
For some reason, Anna was able to stuff the most apples into her 1/2 pint bag. I bet she got 3 or 4 more than the rest of us!

Here the kids are petting a donkey. There was this 'petting farm' there that a bunch of strange-o types were running. They had giant cockroaches and beetles and spiders- all the things needed for a petting zoo! They even had those giant African cockroaches for sale at $5 a head. That is all anyone would ever need- an epidemic of roaches bigger than the dog for the price of a venti latte with an extra shot of espresso!
They also had these little barrel rides there. One of the Klackel boys was pulling this train around on his tractor. Anna did not want anything to do with this! Owen thought that it was the coolest thing ever.
Here is Heidi again. She is trying to escape from the children. I guess she was trying to get them lost in the maze. We were going to try the corn maze as well- but it was like 5 acres of maze. No thanks.
As we headed back to Grand Rapids we stopped at the famous Rosie's diner for an olive burger and a shake. No body told the new owners, but 'homemade olive dressing' is not sliced olives. It was good anyways. It is always interesting to go to a diner and see what the future was supposed to look like 50 years ago. Lots of steel- too bad the future was all plastic.
We all rested on the way home... except me.... I drove instead.

They Say It Happens

I never thought that I would be one of those dads. You know, the one with 10,000 pictures of the first born, 5000 of the second born, and less than 10 of the third. Well... guess what? Want to see some pictures of Anna and Owen?

Here is the play-thing that Auntie Linda donated. She bought it for George . I told her that she can have it back when George and Olivia (the name I am giving the next Baby P until (s)he is born) move back to Grand Rapids. Of course, they can pick it up here as well in their James. Here is Anna with a big stick. She thinks that it is cute.
Okay, I guess there were a few of Owen's new toy on the camera after all. Watson is shown here being pushed in the baby stroller.
Anna stopped for a pose.
They wanted to try to push him together as well.
Here is my mother with Watson and the blanket that she made for him. She stayed for a week and was a huge help. All that hard work resulted in needing back surgery again and a torn rotor thingy. Don't sue me!
Here is Owen and a computer enhanced image of what he will look like at 57....oh wait, that is my dad.
This is one of Anna's crazy shots. I always love these random pictures.
And one after the house slid into the cliff...
And ending with Owen with a soap beard. Too bad we cannot take pictures of our own soapy beards in the shower. They are so much fun!

Why we will not be using the Public Schools

Slings and Things

Our friends were here this week from Albany. Tammy and Jody made a new sling for Lydia and the new baby.

You all should check out their website and order one. You can also order some clothes, hats, and bloomers to cover your bum.

Visit Scarlet Stitch.

Dangerous Book For Boys

Every once in a while there comes along a book that is a must have. I think that this year's must have book is The Dangerous Book For Boys. This book is filled with great tips for boys on everything from tying knots to making batteries. It is also a book that deals with a lot of people, places, and things that boys should know. It discusses the presidents, wonders of the ancient world, and even gives a nice explanation of the 10 commandments. There are also some indoor rainy day things that boys can do, including some cool art projects.

These 'boys books' were quite popular in the 1920s-1950s but they have gone out of fashion. It seems that the popular things for boys to do no longer include adventure and intelligence. Boys are trained to watch TV, play video games, and when they are allowed to ride bikes and do fun things, they are required, by law, to be padded from head to toe 'for their own safety'. I hope that this book challenges parents to turn off the TV and PS3 (or whatever it is called) and to do something.

We have noticed that the book is found wherever books are sold. We have seen it at Barnes and Noble for 30% off, but the cheapest that we have found it is at Costco for $13.00. That is a good price for a great book full of colorful graphics. It even has a gold leafed cloth cover and marbleized book boards... in classic early 1900s fashion.

Get it.

COVFAMIKOI

The five Presbyterian Travelers headed out to Kentucky last week in search of a large number of Reformed Presbyterians. We knew that our destination was the great Blue Grass State of Kentucky and we knew that we had an 8 hour car ride ahead of us. We left Grand Rapids at 7:30am with a fine cup of Beaners to hold us over until lunch.

James Lanning was the co-pilot and about lunch time he decided that we needed to stop for some food. We stopped in Ohio or Indiana for lunch. There was a strip of fast food joints aligned around a corner that James thought we should take a picture of. The fast food area is on the corners of "Sharts-Central". I am still not sure why James thought that was important to note.

From there we headed across the appropriately named, Ohio river. This takes us over the Mason Dixon Line and we began to feel the cultural differences immediately. Notice the plethora of bumper stickers on this touring RV. The center-right sticker says Possum, the other white meat. Opossum is the spelling. You can read the rest for yourself.
Some say that you even begin to look different as you head south. I am not so sure.
When we got to COVFAMIKOI we all had a blast. There were classes for Anna and Owen as well as for us. Anna learned about the Lost sheep, coin, and sons. Owen learned that playing with other kids can be fun. We all tried to get online all week, but we could not until the last day. It took James (who has a degree in computer nerdology) to hook up the internet. Lydia was pleased to have a husband who was 'unplugged'.
We opened our room as the Starbucks room. We ground and brewed almost 2.5 pounds of French Roast over the week. We hosted many great visitors including the irenic Dr. Roy Blackwood. He told us great stories of church planting and being faithful to his call. We also had many LONG hours of discussion and reflection.
Here is Anna outside of our dorm building. She really had a great time, even though she was forced out of bed at 7:30 every morning. This is a huge change in our family.
James was COVFAMIKOI master. He pretty much met all 422 people that were in attendance. It has to be the really great hat- or is the fake Ray Bans?
The window treatments were something to be desired.
Here Owen and I enjoy a cup of Starbucks.
This was our room. We lined 3 mattresses along the floor for our family. (James had his own room as well the rest of the people that we met there.)
Pure class Lanning. Pure class.
This was not at Asbury College, but at some church along the highway on the way home. It is a giant icon of an English Jesus. Notice the church in the background is two stories. That gives an idea of how huge this thing is.
I thought that he was drowning and looking for help. Shawn thought that it was a touch-down Jesus that commemorated the correlation between pro-football and Sabbath breaking. Not sure which it was.

Either way, we had a great time there. It was very encouraging spiritually as well as challenging on many points. Shawn, James, and I got to watch Rev. Lanning be examined for a number of hours. We met a lot of great people and got to sing Psalms acapella with almost 500 hundred Covenanters. I cannot wait until next year when 2000 gather at Calvin for the RP International Conference.

We really got to witness God's faithfulness to the covenant of Grace as he has preserved this group of Reformed Presbyterians since the 1600s in Scotland. He reminded us of this on the way home.