Dear Cool Aunt Jessi,

Thanks so much for coming up to see me the day I was born. I know you had to come through an ice storm to get here, but I am so happy that yours was one of the first faces I saw! My mommy told me that you were such a big help in the hospital – she was a little out of it with all of the drugs she was on, and you were there helping her in such sweet thoughtful ways. I can’t wait for you to come visit and hold me again – I already love you and know that you will be a special part of my life! Thanks for being my mommy’s sister that she loves so much, and for being my precious aunt. My daddy loves you too, and thinks you are the best sister/aunt in the entire world.

Love, Baby EB

Day 1-3 From her Birth to meeting her very large family.

The following video is all from the very first day of EB’s life. Jeni has just come out of recovery and this is her first time to hold her little girl.

We are currently @ Baptist East and Jeni is connected to the baby stuff - The next time you see an update we will have a baby E.B. I promise pictures for all of our friends around the world. (Pray for our parents who are driving up during a coming ice storm).

Many of you might be wondering about our little bit… As of this past Friday the doctors said she was 9lb 4 oz Jeni takes a deep breath, and the doc says dont fret some times the ultrasound is off by 10% - Yeah I though She could be 10lb 4 oz, I am looking out for a healthy baby. Regardless we are still waiting for her to come. Saturday evening we had another baby shower and we have piles of cloths (Tina jan - we have more mommy stuff) There are some people that think she is going to be a dad’s girl. Not sure where they would get that idea. I promise some pictures and more info soon. Just wanted you to have our most recent news.

The Goal (3 of 4) Time

In the past two post we have talked about “The Goal” using this perspective of a hiking trip. We plan the date, the mileage, the gear. Then we “do.” We take the hike, climb the stairs, whatever… The question in the first blog that has really haunted me recently- Did I choose a wise goal for my amount of preparation?

- Have I spent my time wisely?

Then I asked, “Was the time I spent planning and doing worth the investment? Was it really wise to walk 8 miles to see that waterfall?” I have taken this group of ideas and applied it to different areas of my life, not just hiking. I have started to see that the time I have spent doing certain things have not provided an ample reward.

You want to understand a major let down!!

I spoke with a park ranger and took his suggestion on a great hike. “Only 4 miles,” he says. Then you get there and the leaves have all fallen off or better yet the dry season has set in and you only see a trickle of what you were expecting from a great waterfall. As I have looked at my time of investment in the Youth group over the past year I feel like I have gotten my boots dirty. I have spent countless hours working up sermons, playing games, “doing”. The problem there in lies with the reward. My students are still not reading their Bible and seeking out God for themselves. I feel as thought I have some how not spent a block of my time wisely.

- You only have 10,080 minutes each week.
- Ask your self have your goals provided a good reward for your time