Urp

"You said I had to wear a bib, but not HOW I wear it."


Family tradition...each new kid gets a throw-up picture posted to the blog.

You can find more recent pics of the girls at flickr.

"Uh-Oh"

What distresses a two-year old.

Recent Cedar

"Let's Go See Maggie"

Whenever Autumn and I are out and about and it is time to go back, it's never going back to see Mom or Grandma or Papa or Baby Cedar. It's always, "Let's go see Maggie."

I've got a few more recent pics of Autumn on Flickr.

Eden

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delight. - Psalm 36:6-8

Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody. -Isaiah 51:3

Eden of course is the Garden of God. Paradise. Eden means delight and pleasure. It symbolizes unbroken relationship between God and man. And the more I researched these names, the more intertwined I found the themes of trees, rivers, and Eden. They can scarcely be separated.

Cedar Caelyn-Eden:
Tree of Life, River of Life, Loved Forever, our pleasure and our delight.

Caelyn

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On each side of the river grew a Tree of life... -Revelation 22:1 (under the heading: Eden Restored)

He who believes in Me as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow springs and rivers of living water. John 7:38

The name Amy means Beloved, Caelyn is similar...Loved Forever. Caelyn also incorporates Amy's middle name, Lyn which means beautiful and cascading waters.

Throughout scripture water is a symbol of the Spirit of God. Jesus compared the presence of God's spirit in those who believe in Him as living waters. All life needs water. For me, time spent near cascading waters has been associated with time in the presence of God and hearing his voice in special ways. For Amy, a reminder of His abundant grace.

Cedar

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. -Psalm 92:12

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. -Psalm 1:3

Cedars are mentioned prominently in scripture and described as symbols of high stature, strength, beauty, endurance, long-life, grandeur, majesty, dignity, and nobility. The cedar is described as the Tree of God and as a symbol of the coming Messiah and His kingdom. Today, cedars are renowned for their versatility in many applications for many of these same qualities and also for its sweet aroma, extreme durability, acoustics and consistent grain with few imperfections. The genus Thuja, to which many species of cedar belong, are collectively known by the common name Arborvitae from the Latin for “Tree of life.”

Introducing: Cedar Caelyn-Eden

Born this morning at 5:47am. 7 lbs 3 oz, 19 3/4" tall. A full head of hair and blue eyes. She's a spitting image of her sister. It's like we had identical twins two years apart. Amy did awesome. What a privilege to see a mother bring new life forward. Mom and baby are healthy and doing well. Big Sister Autumn is thrilled and we're all in love with our new little girl. I've got a few more pics I'll post up to the flickr account. More to come...

The 4th Trimester

Here's Amy, January 31. Officially overdue...but not for long.