jonathan’s blog

More LA pictures!  Thanks Teresa for providing the great photos!  We went to the Ko’s for dinner…which turned into a surprise birthday party for Noah and Kay.  If you look closely, Noah’s name on the sign is a train!  Teresa MADE the sign…and Wendy MADE the cakes!  Thanks!

While Ed and I went to pick up dinner, the moms did a photo shoot with the kids.  Wow.  I would NEVER have even attempted that with this many kids!  But check it out!…some really great pics!

Lot’s of girls…and just 2 little handsome boys! 

admin My Family

Here we are, getting ready for our trip to LA.  Wow…what a PACKED 12 days!  A baptism, a rehearsal, a wedding, a pediatrician visit, Ben’s bday bbq, Em’s dad’s bday lunch, surprise bday party for Kay and Noah at the Ko’s, staying at my parent’s place, staying at Em’s parent’s place, a two day trip to Disneyland, 2 times at the Exodus…a total blur of activity.  The only time I was able to take any pictures was during our Disneyland stay…

Lina and Noah on the train.  Lina is busy reading the map (which is upside down!) planning our visit, making sure we hit all the important spots.  It was her first time at Disneyland!

Getting ready for the Catepillar ride in California Adventure.  I think Lina had a good time…but this was her concerned/suspicious look she had on her face for the majority of the rides.

Exodus people came to visit us at night!  Timmy, trying to take a picture of us.

Timmy taking another picture of us.

We stayed overnight in an adjacent room with the Chang’s.

Kay loves the Jellyfish ride.

Yay!  Mandy and Bekah are tall enough for the Jellyfish!

Bekah is ready to go…but Kay was really hesitant about this little roller coaster in toon town.  Down, turn, down, turn, tunnel, circle, done.  We said that over and over to each other, memorizing the ride before we even got on it…and Kay was good!

Noah, asking for a shrimp chip.

Friends reunited!  We told Kay to be in charge of the little ones, Noah and Nicole…so that Bekah and Mandy could spend some quality best friend time together.  It was so good to see them play.  Kay’s got tons of friends from school…but Bekah doesn’t have that many friends that are girls, so this was a special reunion.

Noah with his hands in the water and a guilty look on his face!

On the way home, Noah is totally out.

And then Kay fell asleep while Bekah and Noah watched a DVD. 

It’s good to be back in KC.

admin My Family

We went to the IHOPU Student Awakening last night, and wow!…worship was out of control. There was so much JOY in the air…celebration of God, who he is, and what he’s done. We sang this song “Joyful, Joyful” (which is this new take on an old hymn) and when we reached the chorus, the place just lit up! So much JOY…

We sing in jubilation, adoration to a joyful King
You are spinning, You are singing
Zealous love over all Your children

I got the Joy, I got the Joy, I got the Joy!

It’s a huge file…but you can listen to it here.

admin Reflections

I got an article published in Inheritance Magazine, page 11-13.

http://inheritancemag.com/magazines/issue-5-march-2010

Thanks Inheritance!

admin Reflections, The Midwest

Wow.  Lot’s of pictures coming…

The pointing, the excitement, the intensity, the united focus…you’d think the eastern sky was just split and the King of Kings was seen returning on his white horse….every eye seeing, every tongue confessing…

but no…it’s just a train coming do deliver the food!

…and there was LOTS of food!  For Noah’s 2 year birthday party, we went to Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant….where the food gets brought to your table by a train!  Yup…the perfect birthday celebration place for Noah.

Burgers, hotdogs, fries, and shakes!  The kids got to sit at their own table!

I have no idea why Noah has a straw up his nose.

Our family, the Yap’s, and a couple of the Shao boys, Nemo (Nehemiah) and JoJo (Josiah).

Before heading over to kaleidoscope, we stopped by some fairy tale land display.  Here is Juli and Kay taking a peek at Sleeping Beauty.

Luke…the master of kung-fu, balancing, traversing, ready to leap with perfect balance.  And there is Noah, trying to follow in Luke’s kung-fu-steps.

With our three, the Yap’s four, and the 2 Shao boys…we were quite the Asian spectacle.  There is NOTHING subtle our families when we come together.

Kaleidoscope.  Free arts and crafts!

 Wait…Noah, come back here! 

Thoughtful Kay…made Noah a puzzle for his birthday!  Actually…I think everyone made Noah a puzzle for his birthday.

Thoughtful Kay…made Jesus a puzzle as well.

Yay!  Sarah let me carry her around a bit!

 Later that night, Noah got into some chocolate cookies while sitting in the car. 

Special thanks for these super fun gifts.  The kids go zipping around our kitchen/dining area as if it were the middle of a bumper car rink.

Noah got a remote control car.  Here it is, spinning on it’s side.  Noah is wondering why…but if you look closely at his hand, it’s because he hasn’t let go of the throttle!

And finally…cakes, cakes, and more cakes.  These are for Noah’s bday party at Fritz’s.

These are for Kay’s Tea time party.

And these are for Kay to bring to her school.  Emily’s turned into a mini cupcake baking animal!

And last, but not least…this is my beautiful Church Cake.  Bet you’ve never seen one of these before!  Please take note of the open door, the window, the cross!  Thank you Jesus.  Wow…such creativity, such artistry…

admin My Family

March 8, 2010…Happy Birthday my little/big girl! 

I remember…when Kay was barely two years old.  She got sick, fever, runny nose, cough…the works.  Like the crazy first child parent that I was…I found myself at the pharmacy, talking to Kay’s doctor on the phone and cross-checking everything with Dennis, looking at every type of over the counter children’s drug offered!  I distinctly remember looking at dosages for 6-12 year olds, and thinking to myself, “woah…that’s old.  kay is still a LONG time away from being six!”  But look at us now…she’s 7 years old!  From a little toddler that referred to dolphins as “woa-woa”…this person can now read, write, do math, finish homework, memorize passages, make up complex stories…amazing!

Well…on the Saturday before her birthday, Kay, her sister, Juli, and her ballet school friend Carli went to have afternoon tea.

And then…on her actual birthday she brought mini cupcakes to school.  God job Em on the mini cupcakes!

 …and then went to Cinzetti’s with the Yaps.  Lots of celebrating!

…and finally made it home to open a gazillion birthday presents!

admin My Family

March 3 - Happy Birthday Noah!!  You are 2 years old!  Wow…I can’t believe this little guy is two. 

All morning, we’ve been asking him, “Who’s Birthday is it?”  He replies, ”Me! Me! Me!”  So at least he gets that part, that today really is all about him.  Here we are, getting ready to pick Bekah up from school, so that we can start our day of FUN.

Hehe.  He didn’t last very long, fell asleep before we even picked Bekah up!

First stop, Chick-Fil-A!  The kids love this place, not just for the yummy food, but also for the really fun indoor playground.  You’ll notice that Kay is not in the pics…she’s still at the Daniel Academy.

For starters, while we were waiting for our food, they brought by samples of their cheesecake for everyone.  Perfect beginning to a birthday lunch!  And then, they brought him a blue balloon AND a little cow stuffed animal.

But to top it all off!!!…the cow mascot HIMSELF came to pay the birthday boy a visit!

Coming down the Chick-Fil-A slide.

The Chick-Fil-A balloon is in the back there…but how can Noah have a birthday without a Happy Birthday TRAIN balloon!?

Noah has recently discovered “Runts”.  Here is Kay giving him what looks to be an orange flavored Runt.  Bekah is still sleeping in her carseat.

Relaxing…

After Bekah woke up, we went to Oak Park Mall…one of the ONLY indoor malls of the area, and Kay and Bekah got their little brother this Lightning McQueen plush car.

He liked the plush car so much, he refused to let anyone else hold it.

Cookie stop.  Hi Cookie Monster!

Sorry for the blurred image…but here is Noah sitting in a cool little police push cart.  You can rent these at the mall…but why do that?  They have just as much fun in these cars…going no where!  These cars are still chained to the wall…but that doens’t seem to lessen the fun.

For dinner we thought we’d head over to BD’s Mongolian BBQ.  This is how it’s done in KC, a HUGE stirfry stove with a TON of cooks.

Kay, barely able to peek over the counter.

Noah, about to dig in to his birthday dinner.

And then home…to finish opening up ALL of his presents.  So many of his friends and relatives called him, and mailed him gifts to make him feel special on his birthday.

I wish I could capture the ’sound effects’ he makes when he’s playing…it’s so funny!

And way at the very end, when Noah was taking his bath…John got home with the night’s final gift for Noah.

Happy Birthday Son!  Your actually Birthday party is yet to come…hope you like it!

admin My Family