Mariah turns TWO!

2 years old!
on September 9th, 2011

My little baby girl is not so little any more!

We had a little Teapot themed birthday party for her since her very favorite song was "I'm a Little Teapot" and would make us sing it for her every single night before bed. :)

We played, Pin the Top on the Teapot...

Pass the Parcel...

Opened presents...

Served cake...

Listened (intently) to everyone singing Happy Birthday...

And blew out the candles...!
We thank the Lord for blessing our lives with this sweet little girl. She is so precious to us and brings our home so much joy!

We love you Mariah Grace!

My sweet lil' helper

Demonstrating how to do the laundry...

Happy Half Birthday!

Six months old today!

Six months...that's half a YEAR!! I think I am in denial. Just the other day David was looking at her and said that he didn't know how he would ever be able to walk her down the aisle, she is just too precious to give away! I think that day will come way too fast, so I am taking loads of pictures of these wonderful days that we have right now. They are each one such a blessing!

It reminds me of that song...

Hold tight to the sound of the music of living,

Happy songs from the laughter of children at play;

Hold my hand as we run

through the sweet fragrant meadows,

Making mem'ries of what was today.

We have this moment to hold in our hands

And to touch as it slips

through our fingers like sand;

Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come,

But we have this moment today.

(Gaither)

Okay, I got all weepy just typing that! Oh goodness, the things motherhood does to you!

(Please pardon the creepy looking stuffed bee that she is holding in the above picture! It made her happy so I went with it.)

Blessed by Grandma!

For each granddaughter that is born, my mom has crocheted a beautiful dress (click to see my niece, Erina, in her dress). It is the sort of gift that I can see being passed down through many generations. Well, just a few days ago, we got a package in the mail and inside, packaged between pieces of fine tissue paper, was Mariah's beautiful, much-anticipated dress! I was so excited and could hardly wait for her to wear it. I thought of saving it for a "special occasion" but then I decided that I couldn't possibly wait, so she wore it on Sunday. And she looked like a wee angel! Here are a few pictures of Mariah in it:

(this one isn't the best angle for her double chin, poor thing...but her smile is pretty sweet.)

Thank you, Mom! You have blessed us so much!

40 Years!

It all began in sixty-nine

In Hawaiian flowers and sunshine

They said “I do” and tied the knot

And started an adventurous plot!

 

Although sometimes the road was rough

They found they always had enough

And learned to lean on God above

And rest in His abiding love

 

Before too long they had a brood

Of three wee lasses and a dude

And these four children grew to find

That they had parents so good and kind

 

The time and energy they gave

To teach their children to behave

Would tire out the stoutest brute

They are the best, there’s no dispute!

 

And soon the children, bit by bit

Moved on to start their own outfits

The house was still, but not for long

For grandkids number 15 strong!

 

And when they all return, it’s true

Such noise and bustle does ensue!

But if you think that it will cease

I tell you, it shall more increase!

 

For generations shall be born

And like a garland, they are worn

Who knows what great potential lies

Within these infant baby cries

 

And just to think, it all began

With just one woman and one man

We’re oh-so-thankful for the way

They love each other, come what may

 

So why the poem? Have you guessed?

We want to tell them how we’re blessed

And how their lives lived day by day

Bring joy to others along the way!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! 

We love you!!

David's B-day!

Happy Birthday David!

May 27th

I am so grateful for this man! He is a gift from God to me and I feel so honored to be his wife. Everyday I am amazed at his strengths and gifts. He prays with me and for me everyday. He loves God's Word and I love how sometimes he just can't wait to tell me something new he has read or learned. He is a WAY better communicator than I am and he is extremely faithful and loyal. These are just a few (a very few) of the things I admire about David. 

He is my best friend and I love him so much!

And this is the look he will give me when he finds out that I did a post about him! 

Virtual Shower of Blessing!

A few Saturdays ago, I got the biggest surprise of my life! I was calmly sitting at my computer, working on a few things, when Skype suddenly rang. I was excited to see that it was Mindy and answered it. She started calmly asking me about what I was up to and we chatted for a bit and then she said, "We have something for you!" and turned the camera to show a huge crowd of people (about 50 or so) off to the side all saying "Surprise!!" I was stunned and it took me a while to realize that they were having a baby shower...for ME!! It was the most creative and wonderful thing ever!

To see how they pulled it off, read about all the behind the scenes genius HERE, at Mindy's blog. I am still in a state of shocked blessing at what they all did for me. It was incredible! Thank you everyone!!...from the bottom of my heart. 

Here are some of the gifts that they sent (to my in-laws house, where they were hidden for weeks!). Things that I never thought we would be able to afford, generously given to us by our wonderful friends and family.

In addition to what you see on the table, we were also given several LARGE items that we haven't assembled yet (although I can hardly wait!!). We were given a crib and matching changing table in a gorgeous dark wood that I love. Plus, a beautiful Graco portable crib from my parents. 

I will post pictures of the nursery once we get everything set up. I am so inspired now that I have stuff to actually put into it! Thank you again to all of you who took part in this amazing event. My sister, Mindy, especially, for doing all the arranging of this. What a blessed sister I am! 

My blessings have been... 

"pressed down, shaken together, and are running over..."!

(loosely quoted from Luke 6:38)

Happy Valentine's Day!

So this morning, as I was taking a shower, I heard mysterious rustling in our bedroom. When I came out...there, on the bed, was a present all wrapped up for me and a beautiful red envelope that said "To the lovely Melanie" on it! Now, if you remember, last Valentine's Day I also received a red envelope (in the mail that time) but that one said, "To the lovely Melanie BERGE" on it! What a lot has changed since then! AND, on the dresser were these gorgeous tulips! I absolutely LOVE them!

This is what the package held...a cozy fleece blanket that says "I love you" in a bunch of different languages. 

So...

Ichliebe Dich!

Ti amo!

Te qwero!

I love you David! 

Thankful...

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: 

be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." 

Psalm 100:4

The Centrality of the Home

When I listened to this sermon by Voddie Baucham, I found myself shouting "AMEN" at my computer! It is my heart's cry! I feel such a burden for our children and our churches...it makes me weep when I hear the statistics and see the futility of so much "good" effort. Yet I see revival stirring...even in the hearts of our young Bright Lights girls and know that there is hope. It lies directly in my obedience in doing the hard (and often unpopular) things that God commands but oh the rewards when I do!

Praise God for those godly men and women who cherish their children and embrace their God given reponsibility to disciple them. My parents did that for me and I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to God for the eternal vision they imparted to me.

I love you Dad and Mom!

The wonderful world of the Wissmanns

We were incredibly blessed to have the Wissmann Family here in Bemidji for four whole days doing a family seminar at Northern Bible Chapel. If you have never met this beautiful family, you are missing out BIG time. There are 13 children in the family and they all sing and many play instruments. It is such a lovely sight to see them all gathered around the microphone singing in perfect four part harmonies, glorifying God together.

On Saturday they were able to come over to our house for lunch. This was also the same day as the big snow storm, so they had to brave the deep snow! Nothing like a good Minnesota spring to really make you look forward to summer!

Bethany just returned from the Prizewinning Photography course through IPS so I was picking her brain on all that she learned. She has a wonderful gift for photography and it was fun to hear her excitement from the time she spent there.

Rachel and Ruth led a session for the children during the Family Seminar while the parents were in their session. They did a great job teaching them songs and Scripture.

Even Elijah was enjoying it! (Thanks to Hannah's wonderful baby skills and pretty necklace!)

Thank you Wissmann Family, for blessing us with your presence! We love you guys!

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing."

~Psalm 100:1-2

A beautiful gift

This morning, my mom came out of her bedroom with a large box in her hands and a twinkle in her eye and announced, "Mellie, I've had this for a while and I've decided that I am going to give it to you today!" So it isn't my birthday, Christmas is long gone, and it isn't National Give Your Daughters Something Really Nice Day, so what's the occasion? I just have a super wonderful mother who requires no occasion to completely bless my socks off!

So I opened the box and inside I found this!

It is an absolutely gorgeous large covered serving dish AND it matches my china set! Go here to see the rest of my china and how I came about getting it. I am a blessed girl! Thank you Mom!!

My Valentine!

On Valentine's Day, which was a cold, blustery Minnesota day, I recieved the most wonderful gift! A knock came to the door and there stood a delivery man who handed over a large wrapped package and it was for me from David!! I opened it slowly (mostly because my family was all gathered around and so I had to make it as dramatic as possible.) and then saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers. There is something so happy about fresh flowers in the middle of sub-zero temperatures.

Thank you David for a wonderful Valentine's Day!

I am blessed!

What a wonderful birthday I had this year...I feel so extremely blessed by the kindness and sweet notes from friends and family.Beth, Katey, Jamie, Karen, Mindy, Elianna, and Elijah all took me out for supper at the Green Mill Restaurant...yummy!Katelyn and I share the same birthday so we celebrated together with a rousing party at the Tingelstads! Ben and Gilles cooked up a fabulous Asian dinner and we all feasted in style! Thanks guys!Isn't that a great table! Beautiful!Happy Birthday Katelyn! It is fun celebrating with you!

Announcing...

The Birth of
Elijah Kenneth Caron

Born: September 26th, 2007 (Grandpa Ken's Birthday too!)
Time: 4:40 am



More details will follow soon!

For now, please pray for Mindy as she is in the hospital recovering from a severe hemorage.
She is doing much better now though. Praise the Lord!

Simeon Olaf Sahlstrom

If you haven't heard yet, I have a new nephew! Simeon Sahlstrom...my sister Melissa's newest blessing. It was so wonderful to finally be able to meet this precious little guy yesterday. He is so good and such a fun bundle to hold. Check out The Sahlstrom blog for more pictures.

Peacefully sleeping
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Cute little feet!
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A happy auntie...what a sweetie he is!
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Not the baby anymore...

but Erina doesn't seem to mind. She really loves her new baby brother and smothers him with kisses every chance she gets!

I love my nieces and nephews so much! They are such a blessing from God!

A place of refreshing

Ok...the moral of this post is "don't be dumb and get too busy!" (I have to learn this one over and over!) This summer was a pretty busy one and sadly I allowed it to consume my time to the point that my quiet time in the Word suffered. It is such a dangerous place, to be a soldier of the cross and not have any armour on! I began to realize that I was losing battles and feeling so spiritually dry. While I was in Ireland I had a lot of time to just be in the Word and pray and oh, it was good and so refreshing!

I love reading the words of old songs and recently found this one that fit so well...

When Thou Wakest in the Morning

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When thou wakest in the morning

Ere thou tread’st the untried way

Of the lot that lies before thee

Through the coming busy day;

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Whether sunbeams promise brightness,

Whether dim forebodings fall,

Be thy dawning glad or gloomy,

Go to Jesus, tell Him all.

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Isn't that great and don't you just lovest that old English! I hopeth thou art encouraged-eth by it!...there really is a treasure of unimaginable refreshing to be found at Jesus feet! May we never neglect it!