Spiderman!

We have realized that we have been a bit lax in updating you all on the thing that changes most in our family, and that's Jake! So this blog entry is going to be all about him.

I guess the best way to do this is just to talk about some of his recent exploits, so here goes:

1. Spiderman - As you can see, Jake got a Spiderman costume for his birthday, but only started wearing it recently. Though he has never seen Spiderman in a movie or cartoon, he somehow got the idea that he was a "baddie". Now that he knows he is a "goodie", he wears the costume every chance he gets.

2. Fishing - Jake recently told his dad that he wanted to go fishing. So this past Saturday, Jake and Daddy went to buy a fishing pole with some of his leftover birthday money and then went to a trout farm to check the place out. Daddy brought him home after that and showed him how to cast and reel in the backyard, and he has been doing that each day since. He and Daddy are going on their first fishing trip this coming Saturday. Stay tuned for fish stories!

3. Gardening - We also recently bought some tomato seeds and are working on planting a little garden this year. We have five little tomato plants that just came up this week and check on them everyday (multiple times) to make sure they have enough water, sunlight, etc. It has been a fun experience so far for Jake, and he is already talking about eating some tomatoes!

4. Girlfriend - Jake has had a "girlfriend" at school for a few weeks now, her name is Naomi. Interestingly enough, she is a descendant of Harmon Schmelzenbach, the first Nazarene missionary to Africa! Jake and Naomi greet each other with hugs everyday at school, and also hug when they leave... and also every five minutes during the day... and now have started kissing each other too. The teacher are now separating them when things get out of hand, but Jake is quite the ladies' man, it seems!

5. Sports - As you can see in the picture, we have been playing soccer in the backyard lately, as well as baseball and football sometimes. Jake has also been taking gymnastics lessons to help him with his balance and has started doing rugby as an "extracurricular" activity during the school day. His favorite part of all of those sports is saying, "Doh!" and falling on the ground. :)

Jake's Quote of the Week

“ Can I have my Vitamin C and my Vitamin Pooh now?”

(Jake has Winnie the Pooh vitamins, and also takes Vitamin C occasionally.)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We praise God for this time that we are enjoying with Jake right now. We know that so many kids in the US (even four-year-olds) have so many "activities" that they do, that they hardly have time to breathe. We are glad for the chance to spend so much time with Jake in a place where we have to make our own activities. It's been a blessing!

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- Good health as the weather changes back to spring

-- God's blessing and guidance in our work

-- Marlen and Leo Leon (our friends in KC) as they celebrate the birth of their daughter

-- Unspoken request

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake