my little family – Page 23 – everything He gives

Dedicated

June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

We dedicated our darling little Philippa Ruth to the Lord this past Sunday, also dedicating ourselves to bring her up in the training + admonition of the Lord. Making such a public statement of commitment is beautiful, but also difficult. With our firstborn, we did so with innocent pride. Now with our third, we do so fully aware of our complete inability to do the task at hand apart from Christ’s Spirit working in us. We are so thankful for “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Apart from that promise, we truly would be hopeless!

The familiar lines from Psalm 145 rang through my soul that day:

“One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your saints shall bless you!
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.” {Psalm 145:4-13 ESV}

Little Philippa,

We so hope to show you what a mighty God you have. The One who breathed life into you, the One who formed you in the “secret places” of my womb long before we even knew you were in existence. The One who shaped your very form to be exactly as it is. The One who created you to reflect His image. His works are awesome, child. He is faithful in all His words, kind in all His works. Indeed, His mercy is over all He has made. He is rich in compassion. Unlike your human parents, He is slow to anger. He abounds in love. He has already lavished such great love on you, littlest one, because He has entrusted you to us. The hymn I have sung over you almost every night these past six months that we have held you has been an old one, “When All Thy Mercies, O My God.”

When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view I’m lost
In wonder, love, and praise.

Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed
Before my infant heart could know
From whom those comforts flowed

When worn with sickness, oft hast Thou,
With health renewed my face,
And when in sins and sorrows bowed,
Revived my soul with grace.

Through every period of my life
Thy goodness I’ll pursue,
And after death, in distant worlds,
The glorious theme renew.

My favorite line reminds me that He has lavished His love on you FIRST. He first loved you, before your infant heart could know. He first loved you because He entrusted you to a mommy and daddy who are counted amongst His people, a mommy and daddy who are covered in grace, who will sing over you the song of His great love and mercy for ruined sinners such as ourselves. A mommy and daddy who He has first lavished with the Gospel of grace, who in turn plan to ravish your heart with that Gospel.

We praise Him for your precious life and the joy you bring to our family.

We love you so!
Mommy + Daddy

{Photography by Celena Simpson Photography}

Mother’s Day

May 11, 2015May 11, 2015 MarthaKimball3 Comments

My soul has felt a bit crowded lately. I’ve realized that I “write” constantly, usually in my head because I often don’t have time to scribble down the thoughts in between dirty diapers that need to be changed and sibling squabbles that need to be mediated. I’ve found that whatever I’m learning, whatever God is teaching me needs to find expression, usually in the form of writing. It’s how I make sense of it, but more than that, it’s part of the process. We come to God thirsty, He pours into our souls, and we fill up, we overflow, we spill over. Writing is how I spill over.

But lately? There hasn’t been much time or space and thus, a crowded soul.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. It was one of the best days I’ve had in a while, and it was so simple. Breakfast + coffee made for me by my husband and the kids. A bouquet of azaleas picked from the yard. Worship at church with our spiritual family. Then we grabbed a few items for a picnic and headed up to one of my favorite spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway near where we live.

We talked about it on the drive up, my husband and I, that there has always been some part of me that craves getting up on the mountains, in the mountains, yes, but more so up on the very heights of the land. Where the wild whipping wind and the faintest flapping wing of a bird riding the updraft are music to the moment. It was perfect yesterday. Holy ordinary. We captured a few moments, chatted with a few other hikers out enjoying the glorious day. We played and laughed and got a little sun-burned. The landscape was moody and dark with rain clouds one moment, pierced by sun rays the next.

I can’t find words for it, but it just does something for me. So spacious, so abundant, so other-wordly and wild, it feels like my soul can expand and exhale. A perfect little escape for a weary momma with an overcrowded, busy soul.

To all the mommas out there, I hope you had a sweet Mother’s Day, feeling the celebration and the smile of God over you as He so highly esteems your every effort + work of faith!

easter

April 7, 2015 MarthaKimball1 Comment

This Easter was special in so many ways. I’m learning to treasure this time of year more + more as I continue to learn about the significance of the resurrection of Jesus for my day-to-day living. My children, each year, are more able to share in that understanding and excitement. It was Philippa’s first Easter and the first year my older two were able to really enjoy hunting for hidden eggs. It was so sweet to see Phoebe intentionally leave eggs for Noah to find and hear her calling out to him, telling him where to look. It was the first year we sort of had a very simple kind of Passover meal (though I forgot the unleavened bread and couldn’t get the readings to print in time, and we had it on Easter day instead of Maundy Thursday). A certain four-year-old of mine got her first pair of “heels” for Easter, much to daddy’s chagrin. What was super special and such a humbling honor was the opportunity to share with my church family a little about my story of getting lost in the snowy Colorado backcountry 14 years ago and God’s hand in preserving my life (which you can read more about here), along with a few others who shared particular ways God showed Himself strong on their behalf in the midst of difficult times. It made our Easter worship at church extra special for me! It was pretty much impossible this year to get a good family picture, but we captured what we could. Hope your day was special celebrating our risen + living Savior with loved ones!

From Today

February 24, 2015February 24, 2015 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

We were surprised with a decent snow (for our neck of the woods) this morning! It’s a sweet reminder to me that God is always working, even while we’re sleeping, covering the old with something new, giving us the gift of a fresh start and new mercies every morning. I’m grateful for the delight of snow on this otherwise ordinary Tuesday. Though we’re still battling some sniffly noses and aching ears over here (please, germs, go away!), we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get out for a little bit and play in it!

For those of you to whom it’s relevant, happy snow day!

the birthday boy

February 2, 2015February 3, 2015 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

Every baby, every life, is a miracle. But this guy? He is a MIRACLE.

He was a fighter from the start. Born three months early, weighing only 3 lbs, he came out screaming. That his lungs were formed enough for him to scream was the first sign that this little guy was going to be a fighter and was probably going to be ok.

He spent weeks in NICU fighting to get the start in life that most full-term babies have, and the next two years fighting one scary illness after another (such as viral meningitis and emergency surgery for an incarcerated hernia) to catch up to the health and growth that full-term babies have.

It seems so much was against him from the beginning, that something wanted to snuff out his existence before it even began. And yet his young parents fought for his life on their knees and in the community of believers, praying him through those first two exhausting scary years. They can attest to a number of miraculous times that God healed Brandon in those first two years of life.

We have an enemy in this life who lives only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Jesus tells us the devil was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). He is pictured by Peter as a roaring lion, roaming about seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). He is an opportunist, a smart + centuries-practiced adversary, an expert in human beings after years of studying and working to wreak havoc and destruction. Like a lion, he would seek the weakest and easiest targets to devour. What is weaker, what is more vulnerable and defenseless than a baby?

In his adolescent years, the enemy of his soul made other attempts to destroy him, to wipe out his joy, his effectiveness, his confidence. He was successful for a season and inflicted some deep wounds. Yet God’s hand was on Brandon’s life and over the course of the 10+ years I’ve known Brandon, I’ve seen God at work in him, pursuing, healing, guiding, restoring. It’s been the privilege of my life to get to peek in on that process, to get to share in it and pray for him, knowing some of his private battles better than anyone else on this planet (as of course, he does the same for me in my own struggles + brokenness).

And now? He’s one of the strongest guys I know. I tease him that his legs are shorter because he was a premie and just grew sort of funny. 🙂 But he really is incredibly strong. I’ve never known anyone like him when it comes to endurance. Being that we’ve led multiple backpacking trips together and have been in some hairy situations, I’ve seen him persevere at great lengths and I’ve never seen him quit. When more is asked of him, I see him consistently rise to the occasion. When all of us are sick at home, typically he is the only one who doesn’t get it. In fact, I can probably count the times he’s been really sick on one hand. I tease him that he had to fight to survive from the beginning and it made him super strong. There is always this part of him that was curious if he could have been a Navy Seal or a Ranger, wondering just what limits his endurance has. He can go without sleep and without food and still be a normal, functioning human being. He does not drink coffee (I know, see? He’s crazy strong). He is the primary one to get up in the night with our kids, and is often up early running long distances, training to run a marathon. I repeat, he doesn’t drink coffee. And not because he’s a snooty purist, he’s the least snobby person I know. He just doesn’t like it.

I am so thankful for him and honestly can’t imagine doing life with anyone else. Sure, we can drive each other crazy sometimes, as only people who passionately love each other can. But we can have a lot of fun together, too. He is such a sweet daddy, imperfect and growing, but his love for his kids runs deep. He has always loved me even when I’ve been unlovable, always willing to give me the best.

So, happy birthday to this dude. Just wanted to tell you a little about how special he is! And a special thanks to his parents for doing such a stellar job raising up such a fine man.

Go on wild adventures

January 29, 2015 MarthaKimball2 Comments

I see my dusty, rusty mountain bike lying forlornly in our garage. It’s crammed behind things like double strollers, a dishwasher we’re trying to sell, a radio flyer wagon + tricycles.

It reminds me of former days.

Days when we had dogs instead of kids.
When we had freedom + spontaneity instead of nap + nursing schedules.
Days when we didn’t have to schedule a babysitter to go on a run or a bike together.
Weekends that were spent entirely outdoors on a snowboard or a bike, looking long into the sunset.. instead of weekends rummaging through massive consignment sales and looking long at piles of laundry.

And yes, Brandon had long hair:

I don’t mean to be too nostalgic.. but let’s face it, I’m a nostalgic type. When we were first married we were fools and moved across the country to Colorado and had the best adventure ever. Just a newly-wed couple on an adventure together. I introduced Brandon to my favorite mountains and got to teach him how to snowboard. We hoped to settle down out there (idiots), but God led us back east not too long later. I’ve often regretted those years, wishing we had been practical, gone and gotten our graduate degrees, saved up for a downpayment for a home (still working on that one).

But, listen. You can’t buy the memories we made. And now that we have three little minis running around?? Let me tell you it will probably be awhile before we get a season like that in our marriage again. It was a blast. It was the gnarliest test of faith for us in SO many ways. We went out there without a clue where we would live or work. We drove a gorgeous dreamy Land Rover across the country and had car problems along the way, toting a heavy trailer with all our (scant) earthly goods behind us. We (read: I) journaled and cried and prayed the whole two (or was it three?) days of traveling. We showed up in Breckenridge, Colorado, my old haunts, and reached out to the body of Christ there and promptly were given a place to stay temporarily till we found a rental.

I cannot tell you all the fun and adventures and heart ache we had in those many months. How God shaped us in so many ways as a couple. It wasn’t all fun at the time, but looking back, it was GREAT fun and I’m so glad we did it.

So.. to you younger girls, maybe to you newly-weds, here’s what I have to say: Go have an adventure with your spouse, if you can. While you’re young. While you have a little time to waste. Don’t be afraid of making impractical decisions, sometimes. Our investment in those early years into having fun together and taking risks together has VASTLY paid off in these years where we are a little more tethered to home and to the mundane. It is a storehouse, a treasure-house of memories and laughter for us. AND it is motivation for us to continue to pursue what we love together and to dream about a future where we can set off on those kinds of adventures again.

Don’t get me wrong. We fasted, prayed, sought counsel. That move was BATHED forward and backward in Scripture and prayer. So don’t get me wrong: Be led of God. PRAY about it. We did, and we were convinced it was what the Lord was calling us to do. At the time, I couldn’t make sense of it. At the time, I thought unless we were heading off overseas for missions, it couldn’t possibly be God’s will. I had no idea that in order for God to prepare us for some of the seasons we are facing now (and, I’m confident, that we will face in the future in the long haul and crazy faith-walk of raising a family together) He needed to take us through some of the faith-tests we experienced there. In a lot of ways we flopped and flailed on that journey of faith, we were hurt and we hurt others.. But even that has not gone to waste. We have learned so much about loving better. If I’m honest, I’m only now starting to make sense of some of what we experienced during that time. I’m only starting to realize God’s infinite wisdom in using what is foolish is man’s sight to accomplish what is mighty in God’s.

It wasn’t practical. Many of our friends went on to grad school and to secure jobs, many of them have homes they own while Brandon and I are still working toward that goal. And I don’t think they made a poor choice and we made a better one. We simply have to trust God’s process with each of us to be unique and different. But I can tell you, in a culture that is wildly practical and tells you to be sure you take all the proper and wise steps (yes, even the Christian culture is guilty of this at times) and only calculated risks, you may not be hearing many voices that are telling you to trust God. To not live in fear of making some missteps along the way. To be wise, to seek counsel, yes, but not to be afraid to take wild risks. To trust God’s leadership when so many are criticizing. To be brave in pursuing God’s voice as the ultimate source of authority in Your life. To not be afraid to be a pioneer.

Maybe for you that means pursuing going overseas when family is telling you it’s too dangerous. Maybe it means looking into that start-up. Maybe it means going back to school. Maybe it means trying for a baby when you don’t have all the finances worked out yet.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not talking about just doing whatever you want and calling it God’s will. I’m talking about that thing you may know deep in your soul that He’s beckoning you to do, but you are pushing down because the practical voices and the fear of stepping out are telling you to resist.

The wildest adventure you can ever go on is the adventure into God’s will. The adventure of trusting Him entirely with your life. Your finances, your education, your location, your future. It is the scariest, most foolhardy, most hilariously terrifying and exhilarating adventure. He is NOT boring, my friend. Walking in obedience to Him has been the wildest ride and craziest joy of my LIFE.

The reality is, all of our journey with Jesus is just one wild adventure after another. Some are more fun than others, some are painful and dang hard. DANG hard. Parenthood is the next big adventure we’re entering into. But now, Brandon and I know each other, we know how we handle the unknown. We learned in that early season of marriage how we each handle adventure and risk and unknown. We fell in love leading adventures together for a backpacking organization, for pete’s sake. God built so much into our hearts and marriage in that season where the adventure was FUN and the risks were relatively small in comparison.

And one day, we will decline and our strength will fail and we will enter the face great adventure, death. And then we will just be carried right into His presence. I mean, come on! What greater joy than to know that all of our earthly experience has great purpose, is leading us onward toward Home, and is going to culminate in seeing HIM.

I adore Him so much because He is so much fun. He loves to give us good gifts. He calls us to seasons of walking through darkness and deep valleys. He beckons us out into spacious places where are souls breathe huge. He leads us in ways we cannot quite fabricate. I promise you, He is so much the better boss of our lives than we could ever hope to be.

Trust Him. Lean in. Listen. Obey.

It’s going to be awesome.

Okay.. enough rambling, I have to wake the kids from their naps. And just in case you were wondering, yes, I’m planning on getting back out on that bike SOON.

A merry Christmas

January 9, 2015January 9, 2015 MarthaKimball1 Comment

I got the flu for New Years. I don’t know, I think that doesn’t bode well for 2015? 🙂 It’s been 8 days now, and I’m starting to come out of the fog and exhaustion. I don’t know if I’ve ever had the flu before but, wow, it’s a doozy.

I’m making a cup of coffee, lighting a candle, and going back through Christmas pictures, our favorite little moments from this year to share with you here.

We had such a lovely Christmas, quiet and simple as it was. We really love being home on Christmas morning and creating our own traditions as a new little family. We are spoiled to have family nearby and we do love to try and see them around Christmas, but Christmas morning is sort of sacred. With two kids’ birthdays the week of Christmas, it’s essential to be really picky-choosy about what we can manage

I so much want our kids to have a happy and cozy home to be in, a place where there is love, laughter, good food, forgiveness and grace, and a lot of the Spirit of Christ. I want to create happy Christmas morning memories like I have of our home growing up. Of course, our Christmas morning was sweet + fun, and also filled with lots of tears and petty fights that had to be settled. You know, the usual.

I made these Eggnog Cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and they were a WIN. Yum.

We got going slowly after that. We don’t want to make the day all about the gifts, the getting, the materialism, but at the same time, we love giving the gifts. There truly is something magical and plain GOOD about a time of year when you just want to shower everyone you love with good things. We’ve seen some lean years in our nearly nine years of marriage, and it was a happy joy this year for both Brandon and I to be able to give each other gifts. We find ourselves around Christmas easily sucked into all the consumerism and wanting to give our kids All The Things, so we tried a little system this year that we heard from some friends. Each of us got four gifts: something to read, something to wear, something you want, and something you need. It really helped us be intentional with our gift-giving and keep ourselves from getting carried away with plastic toys.

After all the opening was done, and naps were had by all, my brother + sis-in-law came over for Christmas dinner. What a sweet thing it is to be together over a meal and celebrate what Christ did for us, leveling all the obstacles, clearing the way for us to come back to God by coming down to earth. Emmanuel, God with us.

Hope so much you had a Merry Christmas, too, and already having a happy start to the New Year! I’ll leave you with this little sequence of pictures, a slice of real life. 😉

And She’s Four!!

December 23, 2014December 23, 2014 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

My darling little girl
Look at you here, four weeks old:

We had no idea the joy in store for us when we would hold you for the first time, when God would deliver you to us. How wise He was, how kind He was, to give us you, sweet girl. What a bright light you’ve been in our lives. So full of joy, so hilarious and so dang smart and so strong-willed! We pray that God gets a hold of your strong will and uses it mightily for His glory, as you have such strength to offer already, in your tiny little precious heart. You tell me all the time that you love God and that He lives in your heart. I hope you know how precious that is to your mommy, who wants so much for you to receive the very best in this life, and the very best you can receive is JESUS. He will make all the good things come true and all the bad things come untrue, as we read so frequently in your little story bible.

This year with you has been a blast. You’ve been the biggest joy and help to momma during my pregnancy with your little sister, and what a happy big sister you are! It makes me so happy to see the way you adore your little siblings and take such care with them. You’ve fallen in love with all things girly and fancy, and I don’t know a single other little girl who is fancier than you right now, other than fancy Nancy herself! You change outfits approximately 17 times a day, which can sure make me crazy sometimes, but when I stop and just take it in I have to laugh at your creativity and zest. I’m so glad that you see being a woman, womanhood, and being a momma as something precious and to be treasured and enjoyed, and I hope that doesn’t change! I love your imagination and your excitement over the smallest and simplest things in life. I love our snuggles in the morning when you run down the hall to find me on the couch with coffee. I love dancing with you and twirling you. I love your love for books (may it never end!) and that we can share in the fun of losing ourselves in a big stack of library books.

You are so special to me. Even when you are crazy and naughty, which is inevitable given the two parents you came from, I adore you. I’ll never stop loving you, no matter what, with an always and forever, never stoping, never giving up, unbreakable love. That’s what it’s like to be a momma.

Happy 4th birthday my little mupsel.
Love,
Mommy

He’s Two!

December 19, 2014December 20, 2014 MarthaKimball2 Comments

My sweet little man

How are you two already?? This year with you has been the MOST fun. You learned to walk this year. You said your first words, now your first sentences. You’ve begun to reveal more of your little character, your sweet personality. What a thing it is to have a little man-child.. a little dude who notices every truck, motorcycle, or digger. You’ve begun to be captured by books this year. You love being outside and you’re so brave at the park, trying things all by yourself. You had your first big move to a new house. You discovered swimming and riding “kykles” this year. You love helping momma in the kitchen whenever you can (“get the tool (stool) momma?”). You live to pull all the pillows off the couch and play “jumpey-jump.” Anytime I say, “It’s so scary, Noah!” you say “s-okay momma!” If you hear baby girl crying, you run to kiss her and tell her it’s okay. You became a big brother this year! And you’re such a good big brother, so careful and tender with your little sis. You’re still trying to figure out which parts on your body are your ears and which are your eyes. Every night when we pray, you tell us you’re thankful for Jesus and your favorite songs to sing are “Jesus” (Jesus loves me) and “Zacchaeus.”

You’re growing so fast and so big and you’re such a happy little guy. Momma and Daddy love you so much and we are so very proud of you.

Happy 2nd birthday Noey

Love
Mommie

Lately

December 10, 2014 MarthaKimball2 Comments

So, life has been a little busy lately.

We are all sorts of tired over here, back in the midst of the beautiful crazy that a newborn brings. The holiday season is upon us, and two of my favorite little people have birthdays coming up the week of Christmas, too. It’s the best (and busiest) time of year!

We’ve been doing lots and lots of this lately:

This time around, I know how quickly that little newborn will morph into a toddler. How soon her little baby fuzz will fall off and these sleepy days will become wakeful (and more rest-less). I’m being more intentional this time around to just spend time holding and savoring this little one while she’s this little.

A few days after our littlest was born, Thanksgiving was upon us. Though we really probably shouldn’t have been out with her yet, we couldn’t resist the Thanksgiving feast with our sweet family nearby. (I told Brandon later, I truly don’t know anyone who cooks as well as my parents do. We often are treated to dinner at their house, and it is hands down better than any restaurant I’ve ever been to!)

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is finding a little local Christmas tree farm and chopping down our own tree (see last year’s endeavor here). Since I was just days out of the hospital, we didn’t feel like we could risk traipsing around with a newborn in December looking for a tree so we went to our favorite nursery nearby to pick it out. It was still fun! It is what you make it, right? 🙂

(the kids decorated their own tiny tree for their room)

It gets more and more fun every year to celebrate the Christmas season, building memories and our own little traditions and seeing these little ones come alive to the wonder of the season. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

I’d love to hear your favorite traditions and memories surrounding Christmas! Hope your holiday season is full with all the fun things that draw families together and make for a warm home, and full of what draws our hearts to Christ and to remember the beauty of His incarnation.

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