Messiness is close to holiness, right?

It's been a busy month in the Reed household, here are some highlights:

We went to our first kid's birthday party. What an adventure! Jarrod and I debated on the way there... what exactly does one do at a 1 year old's party? Our curiosity was quickly enlightened: it's much like being at a petting zoo. If you want the animals, or in this case, newly-and-nearly 1 year olds, to come up to you and play, simply hold out food! The appetizers of choice were of course goldfish and cheerios. The kiddos were rather indiscriminate regarding who they are fed by; even Eliaya who normally shies away from new people was quick to speed-crawl to the nearest open palm.

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This was perhaps my favorite activity. Pack n play + plastic balls = impromptu ball pit! Brilliant. As you can see, Eliaya was holding her own with the boys :) E had a blast playing with her friends (there was even some sharing going on!) and Jarrod and I enjoyed time with friends who are in similar life-stages.  The idea-board is rolling... E's FIRST BIRTHDAY is only a few weeks away! The craziness of this truth is mind-blowing  What a fantastic year. Lots of blessings. Definitely gonna celebrate :)

Valentine's day was an adventure... bravery (or perhaps insanity) was the overriding sense that morning and Eliaya and I made edible finger pain. Oh what fun ensued. She "painted" some valentines for Jarrod and family. I couldn't help but smile as she timidly spread her fingers in the pink goo, smiled, then fiercely rose and plummeted her hand back into the puddle of paint. Splatters shot everywhere: her face, the stove, the floor. Then a full-fledged belly laugh. Pure joy.

In the midst of our painting festivities, she discovered the edible nature of our paint. And, of course, Eliaya is a great eater. So... we were pretty much done making valentines and went more for a face-painting/eating routine. My inner clean-freak wanted to halt all craziness, but she was having so much fun. So, after all the paint had begun to dry and I had one content kiddo on my hands, we headed for the shower. Luckily, it all washed off, no problem, and even came right out of her clothes. Perfect! 

*Recipe for edible finger paint:  (taken from http://thekrazycouponlady.com)

2 cups flour

1/2 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

2 cups cold water

2 cups hot water

Food Coloring

Slowly mix your flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl and stir in the cold water. Once it is mixed well, stir in the warm water. Divide the mixture into separate dishes and add 2-3 drops of food coloring per dish. Stir well until the color is the hue you wish it to be. 

You are ready to begin!

I made this in  a half batch, and it still  made a LOT for one child, consider making 1/4 recipe for 1-2 colors, and a half batch for 3 or more colors. They also keep for a week or so in the fridge if you, like  me, make to much at first and wanna save some for later 

Jarrod and I went hiking for our valentine's getaway. It was so refreshing. He found a neat preserve a little south of where we live and we did between 6-7 miles. Every time we get time together outside of the business of normal life, I'm reminded of how important it is for us to make time for us. To stay best friends. To be silly. To explore. To  have fun.

I've been reading through the book of John recently, and this verse has been on my mind continually:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36 ESV)

Believing in the Son leads to eternal life, believing inherently entails obedience. For those who do not obey, they rightfully remain where we all deserve to be: in God's wrath.

I hope you have a marvelous week, believing God and living as ambassadors for His kingdom!

-the Reeds

Oh the things we can do....

I've decided that with mobility comes the inevitable proclivity towards repetition and destruction (and repetitive destruction).  How have I come to this conclusion you ask?  Let's recap the past 24 hours......


Yesterday was a laundry day, not much unlike any other. Eliaya and Simba like to lay on the clothes while I fold them so the three of us were having just a grand old time. Here's E trying on her clean hat:

While putting clothes away, E scampered into the bathroom and started playing with her bath toys. All good. Then came the silence.... the kind that settles in the pit of your stomach as you just know something outside the realm of expected in happening. Walking into the bathroom, and Eliaya is still playing with her duck.... in the toilet. Blech! I promise, the lid was closed. It's always closed. How this kid managed to hoist it up.... not sure. But the skills of this almost 10 month old are far from limited to such trickery as lid-opening.......

So we cleaned that up, and while I was putting clothes away in the closet, she was playing on the floor a mere 6 feet away. Seems safe, right? Not only did duckie go for a swim.... but E decided it would also be good for him to take a cave tour through our VCR (yes.... we still have, and use, a VCR. Finish laughing..... okay, now to continue). So I excavated the rubber duck, then picked up E and we put clothes away together.....

Fast forward to dinner time.... We've picked up the toy minefield so daddy could walk through, and are in the kitchen cooking. Eliaya chases after Simba back towards the living room. I call her saying "it's time to eat"... and there's nothing... the eery silence again. Mind you, this child normally breaks land-speed records to get to food. I mean, she REALLY loves to eat. So this silence was all the more concerning.

In a matter of seconds, the minefield had been entirely recreated. This kid's really got some skill. We played for a while, the went back to dinner. Oh well if the biscuits were a little on the done side.... we had fun :)

taking our very important call

The last houdini adventure, that I know of.... was this morning. Not wanting E to go to kindergarten still being swaddled to sleep, we've been working on going to sleep (and more importantly staying so) without it. Last night was the best sleep she, and therefore I, have had in a long time. I go in at 7 to get her, she's all smiles standing in her crib waiting to be picked up. Just like normal, we head to the dresser to get changed and dressed for the day. Upon opening her sleep sack, I find a naked baby! Her diaper was crumpled up in the bottom corner and she just giggled and clapped. How she managed this one? Still have no idea..... Anyway, she went straight into the tub for an emergency bath (no diaper meaning a rather messy child) and so another day began.

I say all this in jest, and mostly out of admiration for the amazing, talented (houdini skills are hard to come by you know) and fun baby. I cannot imagine a better blessing. I am so thankful. Yesterday was an awful anniversary in this country, 40 years since abortion was legalized. Becoming a mother has made this atrocity hit so much closer to home. I think about the children, who will fight for them? For their rights? I think about the women and the aftermath they must face as consequence for this choice. I read a very convicting article, here's a snipit: "The ending of abortion cannot be separated from the raising up of an adoption movement. Both concern wanting and loving children, born and unborn—and loving them enough to make them our own sons and daughters if they are left fatherless. In the Father’s house, there are no unwanted children."

I am so thankful to our church in Louisville for the passion for defending the fatherless they showed me. So thankful for a husband who faithfully fathers our daughter. So thankful to be adopted by my Father. So thankful for Christians around the world who are leading the way in living out "pro-life". So thankful for friends who believe children are a blessing, even on Mondays. 

I pray this would stir your heart too. Stir your heart to hug the children in your life, to verbally encourage other parents when they're tempted to see the hardship and not the gift of children, to serve in the church nursery, to really pray about adoption. I will be right there with you.

-the Reeds

ps: growling means happiness.... right?

New January, New You?

Excuse the melancholy, but I really am not one for New Year's resolutions.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about goal setting, just the glitz and glam of setting a goal (in my experience, usually highly unrealistic) alongside countless others doing the exact same thing and then watching 95% of them fail is just disheartening. 

Listened to a sermon this week about resolutions. The pastor spoke about how people crave a new identity each year. People have spent the past year realizing what they were striving for, higher rung on the business ladder, a more attractive body, the newest and greatest technological product to grace Best Buy's shelves... well, it hasn't given them joy. Their "I've-got-everything-together" appearance is just as much of a sham as the year before. 

What is our identity? Is it really based on what's in my closet? My mode of transportation? (Side note... the grape still lives, she's a cranky old lady of a car, but she gets us where we need to go). My job? My resume of humanitarian efforts?  This sermon really got me thinking, when I'm introducing myself to some one new... what to a tag myself as? A wife, a mom, a nurse, a Christian? What's your subtitle?

I wont type out all my notes from this sermon, but suffice it to say this: There is only one identity giver. God gave mankind our identity at creation. (Gen 1:26-27) We accepted the lie from Satan that we can and need to make our own identity (Gen 3:4-5). Christ has come to make us new creations and restore our identity in Him (2 Cor 5:17-19), allowing us to live as we were intended.

I'm sure by now you all have heard and read about pastor Louie Giglio's invitation to pray at the inauguration being rescinded. Much has been said and rather than becoming one of  "those" bloggers who just spurts out my own opinion on the situation, let me instead recommend this
  Here's a take away: "In the coming days, all Christian leaders will be forced to choose a side on issues that flow from the Gospel – including biblical teaching on sex and marriage. Intentionally avoiding clarity will not do. None of us will be allowed to take a pass." 

  As Christians, it is high time we dig into Scripture and beg the Lord to teach us Truth. To stop standing on ambiguous moralisms and really declare who the Lord is, what He says, and what He has done for us. I preach this to myself more-so than anyone else. Please pray for me, that my convictions would be rooted in Scripture and not self-righteousness, and that as I study the Great Story that I would fall more in love with the One who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

  Eliaya is really starting to enjoy when we read her Bible. What an awesome, and seemingly overwhelming, task to begin teaching her the ways of the Lord. I can only imagine what the world will look like when she is my age, I pray that Christ would call her to Himself and that she would cling desperately to His Word.

Thanks for reading! I know you're potentially rolling your eyes at my ranting, but I can't help but feel the time to speak out and stand firm on what Scripture says is very much upon us. Fish or cut bait, they say.

Have a wonderful Friday!