The Making of M.O.M.

Below is a modified version of our first official newsletter that I sent out via email sometime in the wee hours of this morning. I was shaking with both excitement and nerves as I hit "send." What will people think? What will they say? Will they even care?

Finally, as I lay in bed, my mind racing and sleep no where in sight, I found comfort as the Lord gently reminded me that our desire for approval should be for His approval and His alone. So here it is! Our first, official, ministry newsletter! Yikes!

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Since way back in 2000, when we first began dating, we’ve had the same, on-going argument. Whose feet are more beautiful? Jessica argues that Luke’s toes are fat, stumpy and hairy, while her own are slender, long and delicate. Luke opposes that notion, suggesting that Jessica’s toes are like E.T.’s fingers and toes belonging to a primate couldn’t look more hand-like, while his own are simply “normal looking feet.” (The simplicity of our private conversations surely baffle the minds of scholars, no doubt!) Regardless, it’s been a battle of the feet ever since and now we even compare and contrast the feet of our beloved children.

Over the last several years, God has made it abundantly clear that He desires to see our feet in a capacity much different than we do. Romans Chapter 10 speaks about such feet and what makes them beautiful.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

(Romans 10:13-15, ESV, emphasis added)

Truly God has pricked our hearts for the lost peoples of Africa. In July of 2010, we interviewed with Africa Inland Mission (AIM). The result of that interview was an invitation to AIM’s Candidate Week. In November of 2010, we traveled to Pearl River, New York and learned more about the work AIM is currently doing in Africa. While there, we were appointed as Missionaries to AIM!

Over the next month, we will be prayerfully considering which of the several options available to us is exactly where the Lord desires our family to serve. Once we have selected an assignment, we will eagerly share more with you. In this, our first official newsletter, we are asking you to come along with us on this journey and join our team. In the coming weeks and months, as we draw closer to our scheduled departure date of July 2012, we will need much in the way of prayer and financial support.

We ask that you would begin praying now about how you can join our team to reach the lost people of Africa and further what AIM is already accomplishing for Christ.

We have pledge cards available for anyone who is interested in making a pledge for prayer or financial support. All financial donations are tax-deductible.

For more information, you can contact us at: beaverbunch (at) gmail (dot) com.

With Beautiful Feet,

Luke & Jessica Beaver

Only a week or so late!

Eight months. My sweet girl is EIGHT months old. Seriously, where does the time go? I know I say that every single month but really, she was just born a few weeks ago, right?

My big 8 month old girl is such a sweetie. She's "crawling." Some would call it army crawling but it's more like a 1 arm, 1 toe crawl. She pulls herself with 1 arm and pushes with her big toe. Everything else just drags along. It's pretty funny.

She's not cut any more teeth since last month, so we are holding steady at 8 teeth but there are a few that are threatening to cut through her gums. They've been threatening for a while now but she doesn't seem to mind them.

She can push herself up to sitting and she's pulling up to her knees and trying to pull all the way up to her feet. She's still what we call, "Ellagoat" and eats EVERYTHING in her path. Or tries to anyway. Total count of leaves consumed is not quite to double digits, but it's close.

Speaking of eating, she now enjoys her food a little more lumpy rather than puree. She's eating pieces of green beans, corn and sweet peas and thinks she's so big as she pops them into her mouth. She drinks from a disposable sippy cup the best. I don't think she's quite mastered the mouth control to drink from one with a valve. Those things require some serious suction. She still nurses every 4 to 5 hours and on occasion takes a bottle of expressed milk which she will take a few swigs of, look around and grin, swig some more and then socialize.

She's picking up on some baby signs and will clap. I'm not sure if she is really trying to say "More" or if she's just pleased with herself for having everyone's undivided attention. When we say and sign "More" she grins and grunts with approval so I know she understands what we are saying. She babbles any time she knows she's the center of attention (which is a lot) and says, "Maamaaa maaaaaa, naaaaa naaaa naaa, Daaaaa Daaaaa". Ugh. I could just bite her she's so cute. She's realized that when she shrieks she gets everyone's attention. She likes attention.

You do the math.

Shrieking is a new phenomenon in our house these days, thanks to Ellagoat. Luke and I are trying to teach her that she can't shriek and make people's ears bleed when it's not play time, so some slight scolding has begun. A firm, "No! No!" makes her little bottom lip pooch out and her smiles changes to the saddest little face. It's almost comical how pitiful she looks.

But, she's also realized that when she makes the pitiful face and cries everyone is, again, at her beck-and-call. So she may or may not use it to her gain. ;) It's pretty cute if I do say so myself.

She still loves to be held and cuddle but she also wants to be down and on the move. Somedays that makes life rough for an 8 month old who can't decide if they want to be held by Momma or be put down to explore. It's especially rough when Momma refuses to play the up-down-up-down-up-down game. She's began, what we like to call, the Crocodile-death-roll when she doesn't get her way.

She's sleeping better at night. I almost hate to say this, but the last 3 nights she's slept for 10-12 hours. Straight. Without waking up. It's made her Momma a very, very happy lady. We've rearranged the house and the kids' rooms so that the older 3 are in a room together. The "little twins" (Aaron and Olivia) are in a room together and Ella's room triples as the playroom/TV room/Guest Room (I guess that's quadruples since it's her room too, but you get the idea). She's a little further away from us in the house which makes letting her cry a little easier on her Momma's heart. We heard every.single.peep. she made when she was across the hall from us. Now, even with the monitor on, she's got to really cry before I get up and go to her. Partially because I'm lazy and don't want to walk to her unless I have to and partially because we keep the monitor on the lowest setting possible.

I'm still love-struck over our littlest, chubby cheekers girl. Her smile melts my heart and her infectious laugh keeps all of us on the bidding block for her attention. She's still so laid back, so happy-go-lucky and still the greatest little joy to our whole family.

Happy 8 months sweet girl! Now, STOP GROWING.

(Pictures courtesy of my sweet friend Beth. Thanks Beth!)