Our three sons are amazing to their young, proud, blessed, thankful parents.
We don't have a ton of time to write but we wanted to record here how wonderful they are. We are so grateful for the relationships we have with them at this point. We are sharing our love for them and for the Lord, our brokenness and need for reconciliation to each other and to God, through Jesus' death and resurrection, and we are sharing with them how we can relate to them: when they're mad, sad, happy and when they sin and how it hurts us all.
Elliot and I cried together toward the end of Big Hero 6 tonight-- for me (Chris), it was incredible to share sadness with my 5 year old son and to feel the pain of someone losing a friend as the friend sacrifices himself for the good of others. He identified tonight that Baymax gave his life for his friend (and also for a stranger) just like Jesus gave his life for us-- because of love. Hiro didn't deserve to be saved, he had bad intent during much of the story and Baymax (though a programmed robot) was basically blameless, giving, and ultimately self sacrificing. Elliot also remembered Baymax saying bye to Hiro was just like ET saying goodbye to Elliot. It was unforgettable tonight to share sadness together and then to remember together the joy of being saved.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Brothers' first summit
Pre-hike enthusiasm and prep
Trail of bros en route to chief mtn summit
Summit! Our first together! The boys did amazing. 3 miles round trip, 1000' vertical. 
Impressive Elliot at 11,800'
Clement is a beast. He bouldered the last bit like he had bouldered all summer. 
Isaac did not complain all hike. He loves being outside and in the forest. And with his big bros!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Change
I haven't exercised my writing muscle in a long time.
We have seen our family change.
We have three boys now. Two of them use a potty. The one who doesn't has six teeth and could be walking next month.
We've gone on hikes. We've gotten into Narnia. And Disney. And Batman.
February 2012, we took a trip to San Francisco and stayed in Mill Valley in the forest.
March 2013, we went to San Diego to see one of our dear friends get married and we stayed in the hills of North San Diego County.
We are still in the same house. We have the same job. We shopped for minivans before our third was born but we didn't pull the trigger. We have left our first church. We still don't have life insurance but we are very close!
We are planning a birthday party for three May babies next month.
Elliot is smarter than his dad. He knows all his letters. He can read sentences. He knows his mom's phone number.
Clement is a lover. He tells us all the time "because I love you" and "I love you so much".
Isaac is new enough that he doesn't yet have an official college savings account. He physically is a lot like Elliot, when Elliot was 11 months. His smile, his cuddling, his nuzzling, his bonking and kissing are amazing and beautiful. He smiles on command. He wants to play with his big brothers all the time. He eats really well. He is so proud when he pulls himself up on the couch near his brothers who are playing.
He also dives off couches headfirst.
He laughs. And he wants you to tickle him. I think he does.
Mom does an amazing job. She is in high demand and she has responded to the high calling of motherhood beautifully and faithfully. She is beautiful and young and exciting.
And she is growing in the Lord. We four boys are lucky to have her. She still cooks amazingly. She is making the home and she is a blessing to us. And she is an educator too.
I am tired. And blessed. And still young. I played flag football last weekend and I was one of the older players but not the slowest! Elliot was at the finish line of the Disney World Marathon this January and I cried on his shoulder; I was relieved, comforted, thankful. To have him. To be with him. And to tell him I wanted to stop running at mile 21 but that Paul encourages us to finish the race and I needed to finish the race. God gave me strength, Elliot! God is with us all the time! And he loves us! He loves us no matter what! I love sharing my faith with Elliot.
Jesus is with me. As a runner. As a worker. As a dad. As a husband. I haven't always believed Jesus. I haven't really known Jesus until recently. I have only recently seen that I don't treasure Jesus. There has finally been transformation in my life these past 2-3 years. Jesus' saving me from my sin is real. His saving me from death and darkness and his saving me to himself and to the Father by faith and repentance and acceptance is the greatest news. I didn't do it. Jesus lived perfectly because I am not and his love compelled him to die in my place and he then overcame death. He conquered sin by taking on our sin and our punishment. Though he knew no sin, he paid the price I couldn't pay and he took on my darkness, my sin, my judgment, my death. And by grace, God sees me as acceptable, forgiven, righteous.
He is making me new.
This is good news for my boys. Their daddy is being transformed.
Change is good.
We have seen our family change.
We have three boys now. Two of them use a potty. The one who doesn't has six teeth and could be walking next month.
We've gone on hikes. We've gotten into Narnia. And Disney. And Batman.
February 2012, we took a trip to San Francisco and stayed in Mill Valley in the forest.
March 2013, we went to San Diego to see one of our dear friends get married and we stayed in the hills of North San Diego County.
We are still in the same house. We have the same job. We shopped for minivans before our third was born but we didn't pull the trigger. We have left our first church. We still don't have life insurance but we are very close!
We are planning a birthday party for three May babies next month.
Elliot is smarter than his dad. He knows all his letters. He can read sentences. He knows his mom's phone number.
Clement is a lover. He tells us all the time "because I love you" and "I love you so much".
Isaac is new enough that he doesn't yet have an official college savings account. He physically is a lot like Elliot, when Elliot was 11 months. His smile, his cuddling, his nuzzling, his bonking and kissing are amazing and beautiful. He smiles on command. He wants to play with his big brothers all the time. He eats really well. He is so proud when he pulls himself up on the couch near his brothers who are playing.
He also dives off couches headfirst.
He laughs. And he wants you to tickle him. I think he does.
Mom does an amazing job. She is in high demand and she has responded to the high calling of motherhood beautifully and faithfully. She is beautiful and young and exciting.
And she is growing in the Lord. We four boys are lucky to have her. She still cooks amazingly. She is making the home and she is a blessing to us. And she is an educator too.
I am tired. And blessed. And still young. I played flag football last weekend and I was one of the older players but not the slowest! Elliot was at the finish line of the Disney World Marathon this January and I cried on his shoulder; I was relieved, comforted, thankful. To have him. To be with him. And to tell him I wanted to stop running at mile 21 but that Paul encourages us to finish the race and I needed to finish the race. God gave me strength, Elliot! God is with us all the time! And he loves us! He loves us no matter what! I love sharing my faith with Elliot.
Jesus is with me. As a runner. As a worker. As a dad. As a husband. I haven't always believed Jesus. I haven't really known Jesus until recently. I have only recently seen that I don't treasure Jesus. There has finally been transformation in my life these past 2-3 years. Jesus' saving me from my sin is real. His saving me from death and darkness and his saving me to himself and to the Father by faith and repentance and acceptance is the greatest news. I didn't do it. Jesus lived perfectly because I am not and his love compelled him to die in my place and he then overcame death. He conquered sin by taking on our sin and our punishment. Though he knew no sin, he paid the price I couldn't pay and he took on my darkness, my sin, my judgment, my death. And by grace, God sees me as acceptable, forgiven, righteous.
He is making me new.
This is good news for my boys. Their daddy is being transformed.
Change is good.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Elliot is 3.5 today
Big brother was sitting next to his mama for breakfast last Friday morning, the day after he and his brother had been to bible school, and said, "Mom, at bible school when Mrs. Horn says its "hymn time", do you think she should say "guy time"?
The young man brings up a very valid point.
It will be God's grace in our household when we have lots of hymn time, him time/guy time, and hopefully some her time too, or mama time. Put up your feet mama, the boys are going to sing some hymns to you while daddy massages your hard working feet. We love you mama!
The young man brings up a very valid point.
It will be God's grace in our household when we have lots of hymn time, him time/guy time, and hopefully some her time too, or mama time. Put up your feet mama, the boys are going to sing some hymns to you while daddy massages your hard working feet. We love you mama!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Financial or spiritual burden?
Guess which one keeps mom up at night and which one keeps mom on her feet all day? She is a gifted nurturer, making the home a place for young eyes and ears to see and hear God's goodness. At the risk of Christa's pride I will say it-- she is a beautifully gifted mother. And if you read this babe, and you need a humbling reminder, your dependence for wisdom and strength from the Lord is everything you need. You will always be lacking and only he provides abundant wisdom, food, life.Christa is like a fruitful vine, and this man is blessed (Psalm 128).
These are good boys. These are beautiful boys. The best thing they need is for their dad to love their mom well. For any prospective parents, the concern is often a financial debate, a question of whether the children will have sufficient food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, safety. I cannot emphasize enough, the true concern is whether a Christian husband and father leads his family to spiritual nourishment. This is much more than a physical effort, it is spiritual battle. Physical food is in abundance but it is the spiritual food that is scarce. Every Christian dad is prone to modeling physical overindulgence and spiritual malnourishment. If I am starving spiritually, my young boys could starve too. Physically, I can feed these boys all my life but only God can feed them in this life and the next, a food that satisfies into eternity.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
It's a boy!
May 26, 2011, Elliot is seen kissing his mommy's tummy and baby brother or sister.
May 31, 2011, Christa is seen resting, minutes after delivery with our second-born son. His name is Clement.
June 7, 2011, Elliot and Clement are seen at home as boys, siblings, brothers.
On Tuesday morning on May 31, 2011 and after 10 hours of labor, a couple doses of penicillin for mom's strep B, an epidural and three doses of pitocin, a determined mother pushed a 6 lb, 15 oz baby boy from her womb at 11:44am in Denver, CO in the presence of a blessed dad, two excited young grandmas, four amazed (even light-headed) aunts and two encouraging nurses.
It doesn't get old. Childbirth has taken place billions of times and in this one birth, I see God's hand and a sliver of his kingdom and he grows my faith. And even in the pain of childbirth, a beautiful command of God's to be fruitful and multiply is fulfilled and we are humbled and blessed to steward these two lives until God takes us to his kingdom.
Elliot's become big brother.
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