First Haircut

I finally broke down and cut Judah's hair a couple weeks ago. I kept putting it off (even though he had a mullet/rat tail/ wings going on) because I loved the curls. Fortunately, his hair is growing back some, and there's still curls! I'd love for him to have some awesome curly, rocker hair, so we'll see.
Before the haircut......



After.....

First day of Kindergarten!

Today is the beginning of Samuel's 2nd week of Kindergarten.... and he is LOVING it! He started off rough (getting a warning his first day of school), but made it his goal to stay in good behavior, and he's been doing great. He's making friends, having fun, and enjoying his teacher, Ms. Goodfriend. Isn't that a perfect teacher name? :)

A seminary update is coming soon, as well as some pictures from our trips to Kansas and Ohio last month.

Brief Update

Hello friends!

Summer's getting near the final stretch (though it feels like we live inside the sun lately), and school will start back up at the end of the month. I just finished up week 5 of a 6 week summer intensive on Biblical Hebrew, which crams a full year of Hebrew into 6 weeks and tells you that you like it. Seriously though, it has been a really cool language to learn so far, very engaging and artistic. My professor is amazing, and she reminds me of my Mom with her passion for God's Word and some of her mannerisms. I think they would get along well if they ever met.

The North Park campus has always had lots and lots of crazy squirrels. When I was in undergrad, we would see them everywhere and joke that they were plotting to take over the university. Well, nine years later they haven't diminished one bit and they are a bit more bold than they used to be. Sometimes when I go out back to dump some garbage in the dumpster, I inevitably encounter one in a predictable but always surprising encounter that goes like this: I walk out my back door with a bag from the kitchen trash, usually thinking about something for school or whatever, and when I lift up the lid to the dumpster, there sits a suddenly panicked squirrel who was helping himself to some morsels of food. As soon as he sees me, he jerks back and forth looking for an escape route and then leaps into the air with claws and incisors outstretched, which causes me to freak out and drop the garbage bag as I cover my head. Then the lid to the dumpster, which I have let go of in my panic, slams down with a BANG that adds one last element of terror to the whole encounter, as the squirrel darts off into the bushes. Of course the squirrel never leaps directly AT me when it escapes, but it doesn't help that some of them actually have red eyes and I swear they are smiling at me when I walk by them on the campus.

Pray for us... that we would be protected from the squirrels, yes, but also just for our family as we have been tested in our faith lately. We truly appreciate all of you and your prayers for us. We hope your summers are times of refreshment and rejuvenation (and that you are keeping cool!).
Much love,
Mark

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Studies show you are the best husband and dad EVER!
We love you sooooo, sooooo much!
Love,
Lisa, Samuel, and Judah.

Jam Session

Nope, not Sam jamming this time, just Mark. Mark was long overdue for some guitar playing. So, I thought it'd be fun to take some pictures (and videos!) of him. Judah wanted in on the action too, and desperately wanted to play with those guitar pedals! :) I tried to get Judah to imitate Mark with his own little guitar, but he just had more fun pretending it was a broom. Oh well.








If you didn't catch what Mark was doing, it was a sweet little rendition of this. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n40qpIJIvNw

Seminary Update

Dear friends,

Thank you for your prayers as I finished up first year finals here at seminary! I have not received all of my grades yet but will find out in the next few weeks how it all turned out. I feel pretty good about my final papers and tests and am glad I had some prayer support for the long hours and energy needed to complete everything. So thank you.

These last few weeks I have been catching up on rest and spending some quality time with Lisa and the boys, including playing outside, wrestling, and Lego constructions. I am teaching Samuel how to play wiffle ball and Judah is still trying to eat everything he gets his hands on. Samuel is really excited to go to kindergarten in the fall.

A couple weekends ago I went on a men’s retreat with my church family here up to the wilderness of upper Michigan. It was a good time away from the city to rejuvenate and reconnect with God’s good creation.

Plans for this summer include a few intensive courses, some time with extended family, and hopefully making some money. I have a job possibility with a company that I am currently in dialogue with. They have very flexible hours and past seminary students have worked with them. Please pray that this might work out for us.

It is amazing to me to think that a whole school year has gone by since we moved up here last August. God has been faithful and present in more ways than we can recount. We have been stretched and molded in ways that are both challenging and exciting. Thank you for your continual prayers as you remember us.

In Christ’s love,
Mark

Ju-dah!