Art Project Failure

Owen and I tried to do this art project the other day that I found in a magazine. It was a bust. All Owen wanted to do was eat the Apple Jax cereal. I should have known that! We were attempting to make candy trains and bracelet's. Oh well!

Goats and Rocks

Here are some pictures from a family day trip to Maymont. Our battery died, so we didn't get many.

Feeding the goats!





Exploring some rocks with daddy.

Spoon!

Looks who is STARTING to use a spoon?! We haven't yielded control yet, but we let him practice this morning - our boys love to eat so much they are more concerned with getting it in their mouth than with making a mess.

A new look

I hope you enjoy our new blog layout. It was a great three years with the other one, but I thought it would be fun to mix it up a bit. We'll see how it goes!

Can I spell OPEN?

A few weekends ago, Grams and Grampop (Matt's folks) came to town. We went to one of our favorites for lunch - Superstars. On our way there, we walked down a block of store-fronts and Owen discovered the OPEN sign. He looks for it everywhere we go and says OPEN!! when he finds one.

This morning we were playing a game that we have on the computer and you have to type your name on the train ticket before you start. He typed the "O" and paused. He looked at me and said "Can I spell OPEN?" I said "Sure, buddy." He then typed "P" "E" "N." OPEN.

What an amazing thing to watch a mind learn to read and interact with God's world! What a neat thing that one day he'll be able to read God's Word! What a blessing that we can learn to read for such a purpose as that!

New Slide!

We got this awesome new slide at a yard sale this weekend for $10! Right now it's inside, but we plan to put it in the yard. Here is our WHOLE family having fun. O took the one of us.

Summer is here!

We are glad that summer is here - even though it's really hot out!

Here is a game that we played when it was hot out one day. It's called "Back and Forth". It involves drum sticks and a ball. I was on Baxter's team. He caught on quickly.



Owen's first corn ON the cob! YUMMY!! I love the food of summer - yummy fruits, corn on the cob, burgers...the list goes on :)



A little outdoor playtime.

15 Months!

Our little B is 15 months old now - he is about the 25% for his height and weight which is just a little bit smaller than O was at this age. He is such a joy! He is picking up new words left and right and using them with a huge smile on his face. He loves people - usually at a distance - but offers many many passerby's a great smile and wave and an occasional "hi". He is just a joy. He drives his big brother a bit crazy especially in the double stroller.

On a walk with a good friend the other day this is how it went. O was real cranky to begin with. Not good. B kept putting his feet up on the front bar of the stroller. No problem. Until they landed on O's side. Bad news. Big freak out by O. Put blanket on O so that B's feet wouldn't touch him. Walked three more steps. B's feet now landed on the blanket, still no good. Rolled up another blanket to make a divider. This lasted about 10 steps. I don't remember what happened after that, but B had a huge smile on his face the whole time! He isn't yet doing it on purpose, but it doesn't go well with O. My friend loves watching how I react and what I do on these walks to seek to keep the peace. She just marvel that I had two blankets in the stroller in JUNE! Partially laziness and partially the grace of God!!

Now all days are not like that, but I thought it was a funny story about how sweet and funny and yet very different from his brother our little Baxter is!

Psalm 80

So I was reading Psalm 80 today during my Bible Study time. It was like water to my thirsty soul! For some reason I have felt rather parched spiritually the last few days - perhaps from the exhausting, self-sacrificing, continuous nature of motherhood! Here are a few of the words from the Psalm - they are a refrain that is repeated 3 or 4 times throughout Psalm 80.

"Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we might be saved."
Psalm 80:3

It stood out to me so clearly why I am parched. I have been pursuing "restoration" in many things - none of which include the Lord. I have pursued it in a the hope of rest in a 4 day weekend, trying to pull myself together, wishing I had not been waken at 5am the last two days, peaceful playtimes, a full schedule, etc. You get the picture. The reason that I have been so parched is that my restoration - my strength, my joy, my purpose, my perspective - needs to be rooted in and grounded in God. In who God is, and what He has done and what He continues to do in and for me through Jesus today.

My soul is so encouraged by this truth! It's not all up to me! It's up to Him and He is able and willing!

I hope that you too will find a relief for your parched souls today in the Word of God! What a deep deep well it is!

Favorite Children's Books?

As I was reading to O this morning, I thought I'd ask folks to share what their favorite Children's books are. Would you take a minute to make a comment below and share your favorite Children's book with us? Here are a few of our current favorites:

The Donut Chef by Bob Staake (just a cute one that all of the words rhyme)



Ducks Don't Wear Socks by John Nedwidek (suggested by our friends the Hunts - it's another cute one!)

A new drum!

Our good friends Mike and Laura have been serving in Peru for the last two years. One of their great friends is Annemarie. Annemarie lives in Richmond. We knew each other at JMU and have been reconnected through our time in Richmond. SO...Annemarie just went to visit Mike and Laura in Peru one last time (they're coming back to VA in July!! Pray for their transition and God to provide a job for Mike.). Annemarie came back to Richmond with a new drum for Owen. He loves it!

Thank You Miss Annemarie!

Owen's Preschool

Owen attended preschool this year at our church - West End Presbyterian Church Community Preschool - in the 2 year old class. It was a bumpy year, but in the end it was great. He loved his class and his teachers and came home every week with some fun craft or learning something new about God's love for him or about the life of Jesus. It was sweet to see him develop friendships with his classmates. We are not sure what the fall will hold for O - we'll either have him in the 3's class or at home for the year. You can pray for us as we decide what is best for our little boy and our family.

Here is his whole class. Owen wouldn't let me leave his side when the parents were all in the classroom, so that is why he is on the edge holding my hand.



Singing a song on the last day of school with the parents in the class.

Baxter's new plane noise

Baxter has a new love of planes. Just like his Uncle Bryan. He makes the sweetest little plane sounds and holds his hand (or Cheetos or books...) and moves it around like a plane. Here is a little video. You might not hear the sound, it's really quiet. But so sweet and funny.

Hat Making

We have a big bag full of foam sticker ABC's and 123's. We found these hats at Walmart the other day that you can decorate with foam stickers. Owen and I had fun with them while Baxter was sleeping. They love to wear them!

Puppy helping out.



Owen took these two pictures of me wearing Baxter's hat.





Here is Owen wearing his hat.

Boy time

The last few weeks have been full of boy time. The boys are really starting to play more and more with/near each other. This inevitably leads to many laughs and many tears. But it is fun!

Owen on top of the fortress that he built by himself.



Owen pulling Baxter around in the car. They both enjoyed this one.



Playing Chutes and Ladders. This lasted for about 30 seconds.



A fortress that daddy built.



Owen's transportation tower. So proud.



This one was a bit bizzarre. Not sure what else to say about it.

Haircuts

Last week was haircut day at the Purdy house. It extended into haircut week for Owen because it was so hard for him to not be very sad. BUT in the end, we all survived and learned more how to love each other. I think that haircuts are the HARDEST times for our family. It brings out the sin in all of us. We are thankful that the Lord is at work to refine us all! Here are two pictures from the day/week.

Owen hates getting the little hairs on him, so this was helpful at one point.



B after his haircut.

A few fun times recently...

14 months old!

Baxter turned 14 months old this week. He is currently suffering from a double ear infection AGAIN. He had one about a month ago too. Hopefully the antibiotic will resolve this quickly! Besides the ear infection, he is a joy! He is just a funny little boy. He is learning more words by the minute. He says "caat" for every animal. He give a little uh-huh when he wants to do what you say and very clearly shakes his head no when he doesn't agree. He is very responsive to what little discipline we have started - usually a little hand pop along with saying no-no. He and Owen are starting to play together which has been a treat to watch! With that come many disputes, but it's worth it! Here are a few pictures I captured at lunch the other day that capture him well!

Matt's new blog!

Check out Matt's new blog.

Getting the hang of it!

Owen is really starting to get the hang of the guitar. He still loves his drum, but I would say that he equally loves his guitar. What he really loves is music! Here is Owen playing the first two verses of a Hymn that we love called "For all the Saints."

For All the Saints

1. For all the saints,
who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith
before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus,
be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Allelu...

2. Thou wast their rock,
their fortress and their might;
Thou, Lord, their captain
in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness
drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Allelu...