Friday Fun

These pictures were from last week's Friday family outing.  It was a gorgeous day.  Sunshine with a high temperature of 75 degrees.  Little did we know that it would be one of our last lovely warm days. This week has been cold with temps not getting out of the 50s and dropping to the 40s at night.

This playground is at one of our favourite forest preserves, Independence Grove.  The "bark" on the ground is actually old rubber tires.  Makes for a very soft ground.  This gives mommy a little peace of mind because as you can see, Sofia loves to climb and has no fear of any height.  Selah is becoming more of a climber herself but this day she didn't mind simply swinging, sliding, and running through the grass.

What's up with the nines?

Yesterday I celebrated my 39th birthday.  Nothing spectacular.  Not necessarily a birthday we get too excited about.  But for me, I can't help but wonder what this year has in store for me.  Here's why.

9 months old --- I learned how to physically walk.

9 years old --- My spiritual walk began.  I accepted Jesus Christ.  I understood the difference between bad and good.  I understood the difference between heaven and hell.  I understood God provided a way for me to live eternally in heaven by sending his son to die on the cross and then be raised to life!  In doing so, I too, can have life everlasting.

19 years old --- The Lord revealed to me that my spiritual walk was a bit sluggish and not one of joy.  I wasn't fully living out my beliefs and understanding of scripture.  I chose Jesus Christ to be my Lord.   To help strengthen this decision I transferred colleges and changed my major.

29 years old ---  As a single person my walk took me to a different country away from family and friends.  I deepened my understanding that God loves the WORLD.  He desires for ALL nations to know him.  My "family" grew as I lived and experienced life with believers from different cultures and backgrounds. 

39 years old -  I am now the wife of an amazing husband and mother of two beautiful girls.  

Lord, continue to teach me your way that I may WALK in your ways.  And as I do so, may all glory be given to you. 

Labour Day Part II

Just wanted to share a couple more pics from our Labour Day on the lake.  It was a lot of fun being it was Kevin's first time ever water skiing and my first time in 20 years!  Thankfully we had a lot of encouragement.  Sofia was in the boat shouting to us, "Don't give up!".  

Kevin did quite well.  Here he is on his first attempt.

Listening to his daughter, he didn't give up and was skiing by the fifth time.

Can you believe it?  I was able to get up the first time!  

Sofia loved being out on the tube.  She kept shouting, "Faster please!"

Here's a view of the lake from the Bloom's lakehouse.

And the most wonderful boat driver and ski instructor.  It takes a lot of patience.  

Thanks, John!

Friday Family Fun!

A gorgeous day allowed for us to head outdoors for our family time on Kevin's day off.  Kevin is coordinating an outing for our church families next month at the above orchard so we thought we would check things out.  It is a wonderful place run by a Christian family.

Daddy and the girls checking out the petting zoo.

Selah LOVED roaming freely around the grounds.  

Sofia enjoyed being on a "farm".

The drive was beautiful.  

Some of the trees are letting us know that Fall is literally around the corner.

Next month we will actually pick the apples and hopefully make a scrumptious pie.  We'll let you know how it turns out.

We dedicate you to our Lord.

As parents who desire for our girls to be followers of Christ, this past Sunday we publicly dedicated them to the Lord at our church.  This dedication service was an expression of our promise to the Lord to do everything within our power to raise our girls in a godly way.  And one day by God's grace we pray they will make a decision on their own to follow God with all of their hearts, minds, and souls.

Our pastor, Steve Farish, reading letters from Pop. O to the girls.  The letters are prayers and spirtual words of encouragement.

Pastor Steve praying over the girls.  (yes, Selah is fast asleep!)

Pastor Steve presenting the girls before the church.  

(Selah chose not to leave daddy's hold .)

 

Can I have some?

"Selah, share with me, please!"

"Okay.  I'll eat a plain one down here."

The Cake.

Isnt' the first birthday all about the cake?  Selah enjoyed her first bite of cake  (and chocolate).  Needless to say, she was a bit wired and stayed up past her usual bedtime of 7:30.

Hmmm...what is this that mommy is bringing to me with fire?

It taste pretty good.

Yep, it all taste good.

So much for only going in the mouth!

p.s.  Yes, that is a HUGE bruise in the middle of her forehead.  She fell right into the edge of a wall.  She was trying to hold too many toys and walk.  The joys of toddling.

A True Hollywood Love Story

Here is a neat testimony of God's mercy:

On Faith: Guest Voices: My Base Instincts and God's Love

Happy Birthday Baby Doll!

Today we celebrate the birth of our second child, Selah.  She is such a joy.  We've enjoyed watching her grow and develop over this first year of life.   The days of being reliant upon us for everything are slowly being replaced with not only her ability to do things herself but her desire to do things by herself.  

Join us in prayer on this special day as we celebrate Selah turning one year old.

Pray...

Selah will continue in good health and grow developmentally.

Selah will continue to want to be in the middle of...God's will.

Selah's determined attitude to obtain a toy will develop into a persistence of seeking after the Lord.

Selah will continue to be curious, and that someday her curiosity will be satisfied by knowing Jesus.

Selah, whom God put on this earth for His enjoyment, will bring glory to God by enjoying Him.

Labour Day Part I

Sofia was all smiles as she got ready for the boat ride and tubing.

Selah enjoyed hanging out under an umbrella most of the day.

Charlie, Sofia, Jack, and Grace Ann chilling on the water's edge.

The sun rising over the lake.

Ingredients to a relaxing and fun Labour Day.

6 Blooms (John, Mistele, Zoey, Jack, Charlie, and Grace Ann)

4 Shecklers (Kevin, Keri, Sofia, and Selah)

God's Creation (Lake Freeman)

Man-made toys (boat, skis, tube)

Mix the people and toys with God's creation and a good time will be had by all.

Pics of the skiing and tubing will be coming.

Church signs.

Yesterday we were driving on a rural highway in the middle of Indiana heading to our friends' lake house.  As we drove through little farm towns, we were amused by the signs outside some of the churches.  Here are what they read:

Need help?  Ask God.  Don't need help?  Thank God.

If you don't want Jesus, the devil will take you.

Sign broken.  Message inside.

Definition of Pretty

Sofia enjoys watching me put make-up on.  Of course, she wants to as well.  Being that she is three she is only allowed to use one of mommy's old blush brushes (little does she know there is nothing on it) and some clear lip gloss. 

About a month ago, Sofia came to me and said she needed to put make-up on so she could be pretty.  Oh no!!!!  During one of my getting ready times I must have answered her "why do you wear make-up" questions with an answer of "I'm making myself pretty".  So the life lesson began.

Sofia now knows that what makes a person pretty is a smiling face and a good heart.  And what is a good heart?  A heart that loves God and obeys His commandments.

"Lord, I pray that both my girls will have a beautiful smile and a good heart.  

I pray that their understanding of beauty will not be a rote answer.  I pray their understanding comes from knowing you and loving you with all of their heart, 

mind, and strength."

Such a good big sis.

This past week Selah surprised us and began to take quite an interest in walking.  Today she took six steps on her own before falling down.   As parents we enjoy watching her courageously take steps.  We enjoy watching her grow in confidence.  And we enjoy watching get back up after falling.

One reason she may be liking this walking thing...her big sis.  Sofia loves to play "choo-choo" with her.  As you can see in the pictures, Selah grabs on to Sofia and off they go.  

Sunday morning battles.

Sunday mornings often play host to spiritual battles.  Battles that distract from the desire to focus our attention to our Lord in an attitude of worship and praise.  The Sheckler household is not immune to these battles.  Some Sundays the battle is weariness due to a teething baby who didn't sleep.  Some Sundays the battle is between husband and wife miscommunicating their expectations.  Today, the battle was poop.

The morning was actually going quite well.  Kevin left for church around 7:30 a.m. and with an hour to get myself and the girls ready I figured I had time to give them both a bath.  I washed their hair then decided to let them play in the bath together while I put on my makeup.  And then yes, it happened.  Sofia yells, "Mommy, there's poop in the bathtub!"  

I couldn't believe it.  This had never happened when Sofia was little but Selah, oh Selah.  She wants to make sure I am experiencing all aspects of parenthood.

Needless to say my hour to get ready turned into poop scooping, bathtub scrubbing, re-bathing of the girls (I opted for shower this time around), then getting the three of us dressed in our Sunday best.

We made it to church on time.  And the time at church was a sweet time of gathering with fellow believers worshipping through song, prayer and the hearing of God's Word.  Those Sunday morning battles, well, God wins...every time!

Road trip...again.

Last week the girls and I headed to Manistee, MI to spend time with Gramma and Papa Bill who were up from Oklahoma.  Aunt Kelli and cousins Caleb and Hannah were there as well.  The eight hour (usually 5.5 hours) road trip was long due to multiple stops for poopy diapers and stretch breaks.  Overall the girls did great and the trip was well worth it.

Papa Bill giving Sofia her first tennis lesson.  She basically swung the racket like a bat.

Selah found great pleasure in the swings.

We celebrated Hannah's 11th birthday. 

Gramma and her grandkids at the cottage.  

It's been a year.

This time last year we were not too sure how this blogging thing was going to work out.  Thank you Chappy, Sarah, and Brooke for encouraging us to do so.  Our blog truly is one that we pray testifies to the grace in our lives found only through Jesus Christ our Lord.  This blog allows us to share the happenings in our lives (mostly the girls' lives) with family and friends who are not near.  And one day, maybe the girls will read and view the blog of their mommy and daddy and not be too embarrassed.

Here's to another year of blogging!

One to one.

Yesterday our baby turned 11 months old. Yes, in just one month she will be a one year old. Her current favourite words are "Hi" (with a wave), "bye-bye", "up", and "mama":). Grunting and pointing, however, are her main ways of communicating.

Meal times may be giving us glimpses into some of her personality traits. She eats her mixed vegetables according to colour (ex: carrots first then peas) and when she is done she simply drops one piece at a time onto the floor as if clearing her table.

Crawling is her mode of getting around. She is taking more of an interest in walking along the furniture and by holding mommy's hand but her balance and round feet still need to develop.

Our blue-eyed girl continues to open our eyes to the many blessings of our Lord. We love her and are so thankful for a healthy, growing baby.

Welcome to my world.

These are all pics taken yesterday.  My girls definitely keep me busy and laughing!

Sofia crawled into Selah's bed to comfort her.  Mommy was taking to long to get her.

While you make lunch mommy, I'll make a....mess.

Oh, I'll make a mess with my lunch as well.

Glad to see she wiped but um...it didn't quite make it into the potty.

Sofia helped me make dinner.  She loves to "paint" the olive oil on the vegetables.

For those about THE Rock...

Salute Him! I've only heard good things about the Worship God Conference that was held last week in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Now, you and I can go to the following link and take a hearsy (not really a word) for ourselves.

Between Two Worlds: Audio from the Worship God Conference

I wore a dress.

This past Sunday I (Keri, not Kevin) wore a dress to church. Big deal you say. Lots of ladies wear dresses to church. It was a big deal, however, because my baby's need is no longer dictating my fashion.

After 10 months and three weeks, this has caused me to grieve. I grieve the loss of being the sole provider of nourishment, I grieve the loss of precious one on one times, and I grieve the loss of my "baby" baby. At the same time I celebrate the growth of my child, I celebrate the milestones of watching her feed herself, and I celebrate the continued different one on one times.

Mommies, soon-to-be mommies, and hope-to-be-one-day mommies, I wrote up a reflection of my experience with both girls. If you would like to read it, feel free to e-mail me and I will send it to you.

Room at the inn.

When we moved to our current home a little over a year ago, we were excited about having an extra room for guest.  This guest room has definitely been used.  There has not been a month gone by that we have not had either family or friends come visit.  

This past weekend was no exception.  PopO. and Gramma Leesa came to visit us from SoCal, Uncle Paul was in town from Michigan, Uncle Kirk was out for the weekend helping a church in the hood of Chi town, and the Fujino family were visiting from Japan.  No they did not all stay in our guest room but we did have them all for breakfast Saturday morning.  It was a great time of fellowship!

Selah trying to figure out this hoodlum of an uncle.

Sofia has already figured him and out and knows he is one cool dude.

The Fujinos are an amazing family serving in Tokyo, Japan as missionaries.

Sofia thinks daddy and Uncle Paul look more alike now that daddy has shaved.

Sofia and Gramma Leesa making music together.

Gramma Leesa and Selah just hanging out.

PopO. and daddy already have the girls rootin' for the Cubs!

Next time you're in the Chicagoland area be sure to come visit.  There is always room at the Sheckler Inn.

Mimi's Cafe and Mi!

Just recently I discoverd that there are now two Mimi's in Illinois.  The closest one is 31.4 miles away (an hour drive on our country roads).  So last Thursday when Kevin's brother called to say he was in the area attending a conference and wanted to meet us half way somewhere, well, I figured, Mimi's was half way.  Mmmmmm...I loved it.  Mimi's is one of my favourite places for a few reasons.

1.  French Onion soup.  Need I say more.

2.  My senior year of college I worked there for 5 weeks.   This was significant because during the interview process I was assured that I would not need to work Sundays.  After four Sundays in a row of being scheduled I quit.  

3.  Apt. 101 dinner dates.  Years as roommates and for many years after, Wendy, Julie and I would meet at Mimi's Cafe.   Those were special times of sweet encouragement, sharpening, and accountability between three sisters in Christ.  

I'll be making that again....soon.