Dear N. Phillip Eshelman,

Please do your best to see to it that I SOON get a delicious, scrumptious Doner. With cucumber sauce, cheddar cheese, cucumbers, extra extra hummus, feta, that purple seasoning stuff, more hummus, and vinegar fries with feta.

Oh, I am in need (not want) (for Sami's). Also, dear Mr. Eshelman, I also would like you to find somewhere that has the perfect cheesecake (not Arnie's). I would have to say that I have been craving cheesecake since I bit into that delicious little thing I had at Mrs. B's house. That was absoultely pure perfection. So melt-in-your mouth perfect. Maybe we will have to try that Cheesecake factory stuff at Costco or Sam's. OR maybe I will attempt to make one!!

I am so hungry. You leave me at home with no car and unable to feed my cravings! Whine.

If you have kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews......

WoW. These women are spectacular! Guess what? They now have stuff for BOYS! I love it Tammy! I had to advertise for you. (If I should not be using Manda's picture, then let me know...) And the photography makes things all the better!

Now, get busy on those slings! I have been waiting for those since you put the link up.

Check it out, folks. Nice stuff. We will be ordering soon.....

Scarlet Stitch

Wendler, My Love, My Friend

We finally finished all of the work that needed to be done at Wendler this week. Actually, Lydia painted while I laid the new floor in the hall and bathroom and then repaired the toilet back to its former throne-status. The above picture is the only one that I really had time to take. I brought my laptop so that I could listen to the Marriage and Family Living Series by Dr. Joel Beeke. Man, that is convicting stuff- if you think that you love your wife enough, listen to it. If you think that you submit enough, listen to it. I have heard that this may be a book at some point. I hope so.

Anyhow, when I packed my laptop, Anna and Owen both had to pack theirs as well. I am not sure what lectures they were listening to though! So, while laying a new floor, I got to be fed by the good doctor. Well worth the time and energy.

We actually ran out of time for painting and we hired Durell Flood to finish it for us. Wow! If you are looking for a painter, call him. Perfection! His Reformed theology comes through in every brush-stroke!

This weekend our new tenant moves in. We are excited to have someone after the few month stint of emptiness at the apartment. It was good though; you really learn how to balance your budget in times like this.

I took a 3 minute video tour of the place so that everyone could see it. It looks really nice and we are so thankful to everyone that helped.

In the comments section please write a few of your favorite memories from Wendler. That apartment has really meant a lot to many people's spiritual growth. Man, we sure had some fun times there!

Night

Lydia and I have been fans of Holocaust studies since we were at Calvin. While we studies there, Elie Wiesel spoke at the Faith and Writing Conference. Although Wiesel does not claim to be a Christian, and remains reluctant to speak about his spiritual life in public, he brings a lot of insight, through common grace, into human nature.

Many of his books are worth reading, Night remains his magnum opus despite being around 100 pages. I have also enjoyed reading many of the essays in his 2 volume shorter writings.

Today Mr. Wiesel was assaulted by a well known 'Holocaust denier'. This is quite tragic and shows that antisemitism remains strong in the world. We should pray for Mr. Wiesel as well as his Jewish brothers, knowing that the promise in Scripture is that one day the ancient people of God would be reconciled to His Son, Jesus Christ.

Nerds and Time Management

Face Book opens all sorts of new ways to waste time on-line. Thanks Mr. Facebook for stealing life from me!

"Television is one of the greatest life-wasters of the modern age. And, of course, the Internet is running to catch up, and may have caught up. You can be more selective on the Internet, but you can also select worse things with only the Judge of the universe watching. TV still reigns as the great life-waster. The main problem is not how much smut is available, though that is a problem. Just the ads are enough to sow fertile seeds of greed and lust, no matter what program you're watching. The greater problem is banality. A mind fed daily on TV diminishes. Your mind was made to know and love God. Its facility for this great calling is ruined by excessive TV. The content is so trivial and so shallow that the capacity of the mind to think worthy thoughts withers, and the capacity of the heart to feel deep emotions shrivels." (emphasis mine)

(John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life, p.120)

Spatzi I lands in Grand Rapids

Lydia's mom, Irma, and her friend Angie came over this week for a visit. The Spatzi I landed a little after 1 pm on Thursday. I was in class until 1:50 and then worked at 3:00 so I did not have a chance to visit with them as much as Lydia and the kids did.
Of course they brought bags of gifts along for the children; books, clothes, and electronic gadgets. Anna and Owen had a nice time showing off for them. Lydia made them apple crisp (using the Marion recipe) that they seemed to enjoy.
After the usual conversation and their longing for time in Florida, where the grass is always green and the sun always shines, they decided it was time to head back to their husbands in Chicago and pack their bags! Enough of this winter for them, they are all off to Florida until mid March. See you then.

Tammy Anderson

Look at this picture of Tammy Anderson when she was a little girl. I bet her parents would have never dreamed that such a God fearing, health conscientious, and active young girl would grow up to marry my buddy Shawn. God sure has different plans than we do!

The Big Sleep Over At Opa and Oma's House

Anna and Owen's cousin, Hannah, wanted to have a sleep-over with her cousins while they were visiting. We thought that this would be fine as long as they actually slept. The last thing on earth anyone needs is to spend time with a pre-schooler who has not had enough sleep (ask anyone who has spent time with a sleep deprived child)!
The greatest part is that this sleep-over was following an entire day of play (Barbies, Little People, McDonald's junk toys, dolls, blocks, and so much more). They got into bed and wanted to watch the Disney classic Bambi (yeah, where the mama deer gets murdered by the barbarous humans). About 3 minutes into asking to watch it, all three were fast asleep.

That is my type of sleep-over. Parents are heroes for letting it happen; children get a full night's sleep. I bet it will never happen that way again.

This is How Much My Daddy Loves Me

Man, it is SO obvious that he loves me!

Maggie's Mac and Cheesey Fiestaware Luncheon

Today Maggie "Scott" Porter came over to make lunch for us. She made home-made macaroni and cheese. It was really good. She stayed for family worship which is always a nice thing. I love when company is in our home to worship with us.

She stayed for coffee and dessert that Lydia made. It was a fudge brownie oatmeal bar that was so rich that I had three teeth fall out while eating it. It was washed down with two hot cups of Starbucks' French Roast coffee (Owen ground the beans for me).

We talked about blogging for a while. She made fun of me for having a category entitled, Fiestaware, which reminded me that I found a great Fiesta Persimmon vase while I was in Pennsylvania. I was in a dusty unorganized bookshop looking for Glasgow's History of the RPCNA from 1888. Of course the book was not there, but the vase was a nice way to soothe the pain of another failed attempt at locating the book. The vase is a nice addition to my Fiesta vase collection. I think I am over a dozen now. (Notice vase is a subcategory of the Fiesta collection.) I need to blog more about the Fiesta collection.

I had to go to work, so I sent her home with 12 lectures on prayer by Dr. Michael Haykin to listen to on the ride home to Southfield. Ask her if she listened to them. A test is sure to follow!

Snow Flakes on Noses and Whiskers on Kittens

This is a good reason that we left PA when we did on Tuesday. I am not a fan of making that trek across the entire snow-belt of the Great Lakes to get to the Erie area. Winters, to me, are more of a time of reflection and rest than a time of travel and busyness.

Maybe I would travel straight south during the winter, for some golf. But this winter has been colder and snowier in the south than here in Eskimo-tundra land.

Da Bears and Western Pennsylvania

Congratulation to my father-in-law on his team going to that Super thing.

We are back now from our trip to western Pennsylvania and we enjoyed ourselves very much. The people at Rose Point are a great community of believers and whomever the Lord sends them as a minister will be blessed to work with such a great congregation. (I hope that they would like to have me back!)

We also got to spend time in Corry with my family. The highlight was making dinner with my father and my brother. I do believe that event would make a great reality TV show! Pictures are sure to follow.

1:30 AM Saturday Morning

We are currently at the Hampton Inn in Richfield, Ohia. We are less than one and a half hours from Rose Point Church but the roads have disappeared under a field of white and heavy eyelids. We shall continue our journey at 9:30 in the morning.

There is a Nintendo here complete with Excitebike, all the Mario's (including Dr. Mario), and a whole slew of Nintendo 64 games. Lydia was filled with excitement, but it is $7.00 per hour to play it. She will have to practice some self-denial.

Anna wants to go home. She does not like this room. Owen could care less.

Pray for us as we continue our journey tomorrow. Pray for me as I bring the Word to Rose Point Church on the Lord's Day.

Closed For the Week

Well folks, it seems as though they found the still in the cellar. Just kidding! I will be back next week.

• Please pray for me as I preach at Rose Point Reformed Presbyterian Church this coming Lord's Day


• Pray that the semester gets off to a good start, I have 19 credits, plus my job.


• Pray that my Dutch Reformed Ecclesiology professor sees the superiority of the Westminster over the Three Forms of Unity.
  

The Lord's My Shepherd

Owen and Thomas

Owen has been enjoying the Thomas the Train Wooden Railway quite a bit lately. I cannot believe how intuitive little kids are; they seem to know that Thomas is the main character as well as the one in charge of other trains. Anna liked Thomas the best, and now Owen likes him the best too. It is a good thing that we have FOUR Thomas engines!

The creator of Ramen Noodles died this week at nearly 100 years of age. These noodles hold a special place in the heart of us:

Lydia was dating the boyish-infantile-immature guy across the hall from me at Schultze-Eldersveld at Calvin College. She was hungry one afternoon and he told her to come across the hall to my room because I would have food (prejudging me based on girth). I did not have any, but my roomie had Ramen Noodles which I offered to her.

The long and short of it was that she immediately dumped this guy upon hearing me speak and feeling the warmth of my personality and we were shortly married thereafter. Or so I remember it. Ms. Marion Lanning threw dry Ramen at our wedding.

Long live the cheapest, most disgusting food ever invented, despite the death of its creator. (As long as there are colleges in this world, there will be Ramen!)

Saturday Evening--John Newton

Safely through another week,
God has brought us on our way;
Let us now a blessing seek,
On th' approaching Sabbath-day:
Day of all the week the best,
Emblem of eternal rest.


Mercies multiply'd each hour
Through the week our praise demand
Guarded by Almighty pow'r,
Fed and guided by his hand:
Though ungrateful we have been,
Only made returns of sin.


While we pray for pard'ning grace,
Through the dear Redeemer's name,
Show thy reconciled face,
Shine away our sin and shame:
From our worldly care set free,
May we rest this night with thee.


When the morn shall bid us rise,
May we feel thy presence near!
May thy glory meet our eyes
When we in thy house appear!
There afford us, Lord, a taste
Of our everlasting feast.


May thy Gospel's joyful sound
Conquer sinners, comfort saints;
Make the fruits of grace abound,
Bring relief for all complaints:
Thus may all our Sabbaths prove,
Till we join the church above!

Goodbye Old Friend

Car Seats Are for Babies

Consumer Reports claims that many of the infant car seats that they reviewed 'failed miserably' when tested at speeds of 35 miles per hour.

I am not opposed to car seats, per se, but I hate being told that I have to wear a seat belt and that my children have to be in car seats.

Should these be laws, or should this be up to the discretion of the parents? Why should 'Big Brother' tell us how to buckle our children? Remember the days when babies rode on mama's lap in the front seat? I am sure that it is just as safe.

How Many Pancakes Can You Eat?

Today Anna, Owen, and I made pancakes. Both of the children love to eat pancakes for breakfast and would eat them everyday. Now, the normal pancake is just that- a cake fried in a pan and then you slather butter all over it and pour corn syrup that tastes like maple all over it. We are not in favor of this.

We made whole-wheat pancakes that have 4 grams of fiber per serving. We may have overdone it though- because we made 180 of them! They went into containers and into the freezer. No more wasting time flipping jacks in the morning for the kiddos!

We also read Eric Carle's book Pancake Pancakes while we made them. The book is about a boy who wants a pancake for breakfast so he goes to the field and cuts some wheat and takes it to the miller. The book walks the reader through the entire process of making a pancake. Fun!

New Years With the Grand Parents

The Eshelman's from the glorious state of Pennsylvania came to spend the new year celebration with their favorite grandchildren (that is what they say, I do not make this stuff up, mind you). Owen was really happy to see them and was a great boy all weekend, despite him getting croup again and spending Sunday morning in the med-center with his mother.

We went to Meijer Gardens to see the train that they have for winter. They have the indoor gardens set up like old Grand Rapids and the train moves in and out of various historic buildings made from nuts and twigs and other organic material. It is very nice to watch and I would suggest that you go to see it if you like trains or Grand Rapids history (or both).
Here is the train on the tall bridge. That Asian guy's head is not part of the display, he just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

We spent most of the afternoon running around the Gardens. It must have been close to 50 degrees that day. There were so many people there.
We had breakfast at the Cherrie Inn in the East Hills district of Grand Rapids. Lydia said that Brandywine in Eastown was bigger...but I was right...huh, Lyd?

We had a very nice time despite my beard being ridiculed by my mother. (I think that she is just jealous because her husband cannot grow one!)

Lydia is really cute too.

Happy New Year Everybody!

Just wondering...

Should Nathan keep the beard or go back to the goatee?
	Keep the Beard
	Go back to the Goatee
	Grow a Hitler mustache
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Thanks for the vote Maggie!

These Are the Moments

Nathan: Venti mocha with peppermint (a winter treat).
Lydia: Grande white chocolate mocha half-caff with reduced fat milk.
Anna: New Horizons' organic chocolate milk
Owen: Sips from each.

We enjoy coffee time as a family. Going out for a cup is at least a bi-weekly event. Many great thoughts have been probed over a fresh cup of coffee.

Owen's Hair

By popular demand I would like to show Owen's beard-trimmer haircut. It turned out better than I thought. It just took some touch-up around the ears and some Paul Mitchell Sculpting Glue.

Not a bad haircut for a fat theology student, huh?

Note to Self

For future reference, do not use a beard trimmer to cut Owen's hair.

Life On Union Avenue is Proud to Announce...

Paige and Bill are getting married! They are tentatively planning for mid-June of 2007, mark your calendar!

Psalm 128

Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel!

Officially in New Blogger. What does Beta is dead mean? Any tips on how to work this new thing?

Fake Smiles are Better Than Real Frowns

I do not believe the title of the post, but it is cute nonetheless.

Lego Man in a Post-Lapsarian Age

Anna has had a great day of artistic expression. She painted me five beautiful watercolors that put most modern and post-modern art to shame. Her use of color and stroke was genius! She also decided to begin sculpting. Her first creation was unveiled today as she exclaimed to Lydia, "Look mom, I made a man!" Not bad for a three year-old. I am actually very hopeful for my children's artistic development.
Owen was less than interested. He fell asleep during the exhibit (more punch and cookies for me!). He missed out on one of life's greatest artistic lessons tonight: the true use of art.
Ah, Lego Man- how you encapture the struggles of personhood. The stiffness and the inability to move, even with will-power, wonderfully reflects man's inability for God glorifying in the post-lapsarian age. If only our Arminian and semi-Palagian friends could gaze upon Lego Man in the light of holy Scripture! Thank you, Anna for your anthropological insight.

Pregnancy Talk and Stuff

Now that we have announced the future Eshelchild is on the way many pregnancy-delivery issues arise as discussion in our home. Lydia wants to be open-minded about delivery because she thinks that if you come in with your list of natural things that are required you are destined for a C-section. I want a home-birth, but she is not too excited about it.

One thing that Lydia and I do agree on concerns the manchild. If we have another boy we will not participate in the cultural norm called circumcision. We know that we cannot lord over people's consciences concerning these things, but I have much difficulty with this practice in our culture.

If you can stomach to watch it, this video shows a routine circumcision. It is 5 minutes long, but I do not think that most people could watch more than 2 minutes of it. One thing that would make this practice more stomachable is giving the infant some numbing drug so that he could not feel the pain. Hospitals do not give meds unless the parents ask for them. I need an Ativan just from watching!

Wow!

It will be a HOT summer!

Thought I would give further information on the news that Anna has shared. We notified family, but otherwise our dear blog readers are the only to know (and the 3 friends that knew already).

The EDD is August 24, 2007 (I estimated August 22, but I will stick with the later date). Meaning that I am considered 5 weeks (LMP) and 3 weeks gestation.

We have only known for about a week. We decided to share early and ask for much prayer during this fragile development time. There is comfort in knowing that God opens and closes the womb, and I pray for strength and pure reliance on Him.

So far I have not been sick, which is rather unusual for me, since the last 2 pregnancies have be quite different. I think I will actually "feel" better if I start getting some symptoms. Weird, I know. But, either way, this is a blessing and we rejoice! I guess my love for chocolate is gone. That is my favorite pregnancy symptom! Truly a blessing to not crave chocolate! Still deciding if I should use my previous Ob/Gyn or search out a midwife. (I like my Ob/Gyn but not so much her group.) Any recommendations on a good midwife? Nathan would like a home birth. Not going to happen. Sorry, Nathan.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Phil 4:6,7

What Did She Say?

Grinches and Scrooges

For those of us that are grinches and scrooges, nothing is more pleasing than seeing Santa get hit in the face with a snowball. Okay, okay, I know that Christian charity should keep me from saying such dastardly things- but I could have said ice-ball!

Here is a little snowball fight game that is quite fun. Waste 10 minutes on me!

Snowball Fight

Buddies

Lots of little boys like to have ponies or horses to ride. Owen has never asked for such a beast. He has a very ride-able beast in his buddy Samson. We all know that Samson is not the smartest of animals due to his mother's living situation before she was a Christian. (Yep, Sam's a burn-out!) Sam is nevertheless a very nice dog to Owen.
Owen is quite mischievous and finds that riding Sam is a lot of fun. He also thinks that investigating Sam's teeth, gums, and throat is a worthy cause. Occasionally he will pick up Sam's front paws and desire a dance. Sam does not dance.
We do not allow these behaviors to continue of course, since we are most compassionate towards our little burn-out. If anyone thinks that the humane society or PETA needs to be contacted, it is just not the case.
We love Samson as well as Owen. They are good boys and both receive a lot of love and affection.

Please?

Maggie will you come and take pictures of Anna and Owen? They really want you to!

Stories Anyone?

I am finishing up the semester and do not have a lot of time to devote to blogging. I would like to give you this picture of Shawn Anderson and me at Camp Concordia, which is about an hour north-east of Grand Rapids. We knocked the canoe over and took about an hour or so to make it back to shore. Good times.

Any other Camp Concordia stories to share?

Any Takers?

I have always hated the trip from Michigan back to the glorious state of Pennsylvania. The problem is that annoyance that lay in-between called the State of Ohio. I am proposing an idea:

Let's Try Again!

Creepy Artsy People

I see a lot of creepy art at work. I am not obliged to discuss it due to laws of confidentiality- but you could use your little imaginations.

The creepy artwork that I would like to share is that of my 3 year-old daughter. I suspect that we have an artist in the making. As one with latent tendencies, I see reason to fear.

The piece below is called mad mom. Clearly that is a rip off from our last trip to Meijer Gardens. That is the name of their newest piece. Notice the tongue hanging out!
This one is a foot and a penguin. The foot has 6 toes- clearly a relative from my dad's side of the family. The penguin started as a hand- but it is better as a penguin.
This one is a lady with big lips. I think that it is supposed to be her aunt Shannon personally. Notice that she has bangs and long hair.

It Is Back

That pesky buisness that we call winter has pushed its whitening head back into our lives. On Wednesday it was 63 degrees here in Grand Rapids, and today we are covered in ice and snow up to 12 inches in some places. Here on Union Avenue we have 2-3 inches.



Welcome back winter, please do not make yourself at home...and you can show yourself out as soon as you are finished.