Ezra and Life

 

Oh Ezra. This child of mine. Who is now fully into being a two year old. You'd think I'd have the hang of age two by now with it being the third child to endure this phase of life with. Don't get me wrong, I love love love each phase my children go through and I don't want to miss a thing. (Enter Aerosmith song. Ha). But some days with this child of mine. Whew. They seem long but yet these years go by oh so fast. Which brings me to why I had good intentions to start the year off blogging more. Intentions were good but I'm pretty sure I blinked my eyes and January was gone!  

So, now I'm turning those intentions into actions. 

And so this is a blog about my baby. 

Two is such a fun and um, interesting age.  As I'm in the middle of typing this I had to pause so I could snap the following picture. Like for reals. 

He was given chai this morning and refused to say thank you. So we took it away until he would say thank you or asante to which he spent 30 minutes throwing an all out fit. And I mean all out fit. Ok, maybe it was 10 minutes but it felt like 30. He finally said "Asante", was given chai, downed the chai, then was in a great mood and ran around the house making little boy grunting noises. I'm thinking to myself "sweet, I have a break, a blog is well overdue". And a few sentences in and he comes running in with hands full of raw spaghetti. How do they sniff these things out?!  

Then there's the moments that have you rolling laughing. Last night I thought I was hiding out for a moment in a dark room on our bed when a certain two year old bust in from escaping his bath and proceeds to crawl in bed. Wet. With no clothes. And I think to myself I'll just pretend I'm asleep until the dad comes to get him. But what does this certain cute two year old do?  He snuggles up and starts singing "hakuna matata" in my ear to me. To which all I could do was laugh. Oh Ezra. Thankfully his sweetness far exceeds those two year old fits. 

Ezra officially turned two the end of December. And because it's dry season here (as opposed to cold, rainy season), we were able to have a pool party. 

He was livin the dream. 

Water, cake, friends and a place to swing and slide.  

 

(Ignore the 3 on the cake, he's definitely 2)

Thanks friends and fam that made it out to celebrate Ezra's life!

So wild to think two years ago we were sitting in a hospital about to endure a crazy journey with this little miracle baby. It's so easy to forget about it until we do things like swim and I see the scar on his back from heart surgery. So thankful it's becoming a distant memory but what is still so fresh in my heart and mind is the power and love God demonstrated. We serve a God of great miracles. And it's out of His incredible love for us.  As much as I know it was not God's will for Ezra to go through what he did, that scar on his back was a bad thing that God turned for good. The scar is a great reminder that Jesus is alive and still doing miracles on the earth.  That scar reminds me of when Jesus paid the ultimate price with many scars so that we would could be saved, healed, delivered and set free in every area of life.  It's a scar that rushes in many memories. Memories of playing Kim walker songs from her cd that had just come out during that time, Still Believe, in the ICU room.  And then seeing the truths in those songs come to life. 

Living here we get to see miracle after miracle in lives. From babies such as our little Moses, all the way up to our widows.  

But there are days where I'm a mom of a two year old (4 year old and 7 year old). And the days seem long but in reality are going so fast. As much as I love to get out in ministry and see miracles, salvations and lives transformed, one of the greatest callings is to be a mom. To be home in what sometimes seems mundane. There are days I know I need to choose to make butterflies out of tissue paper and glitter with my daughter instead of going out to do ministry.  

At the same time, there are days we are called to go out and have to trust that our children are loved and kept by Papa God. And then other days where we take our kids with us to go pray for the sick, teach the lost and love the abandoned.  It's a journey that MUST be Holy Spirit led every step of the way. And it's one that isn't always easy but oh so worth it. Radical obedience to Jesus, who so graciously laid down his life for us is worth it.  But just an encouragement to some of you mamas is that some days, radical obedience means making tissue butterflies at home, reading one more book at bedtime, wiping snotty noses, and snuggles in the morning instead of running out the door first thing to save the world.  It's the small acts of love in our families that are shaping future world changers. (Preaching to myself here)

Love y'all, 

More soon,