Love, Life, and Lessons with the Kinzenbaws: 2015

Friday, May 1, 2015

PJ-Did you know?

PJ-
Did you know your red truck with your license plate that said BigPoppy always made me smile? And that our kids loved parking next to you every Sunday?
Did you know that I appreciated every time we sent out an update while we were in Zambia-you were the first to respond?
Did you know that one Sunday when you admitted that you had wronged your wife and you publicly asked for forgiveness-that I had never seen a Pastor do that? And it touched my soul?
Did you know that even though it embarrassed Mickey that you would tell everyone that he was firefighter of the year, that deep down Mickey loved that you were proud of him?
Did you know that it took one visit to AFC-one time to hear you preach, and we have never looked back?
Did you know what it meant to us when we didn't end up adopting and you responded with such love and grace and understanding?
Did you know that we loved your grammatical errors?
Did you know you made the Bible come alive and make sense for me? After attending church my whole life-it finally clicked when I started coming to AFC and hearing you preach?
Did you know that your simple encouragement to Mickey and help in getting him a scholarship to Luther Rice has resulted in a deepened faith and a stronger testimony to many?
Did you know that your immediate support of AgriHope helped us believe we could actually start a non-profit and help people know Jesus through farming?
Did you know we just plain looked forward to spending any amount of time with you?
Did you know our marriage probably wouldn't have lasted if it hadn't been for several different message from you over the years? There were many Sundays where we came in arguing and left in peace?
Did you know how much fun it was to watch you sing with abandon in the front row each Sunday? It brought a smile to face each time.
Did you know I appreciated when you took the time to read my blog and tell me what you liked about it?
Did you know it was an honor to serve on the missions team with you and see your heart for missions?
Did you know our family loves you?

I could go on and on with things I wish I would have communicated with you, but I hope you knew what you meant to us, what you did for us. The coolest thing about all of this too, is if you did know, if I would have told you to your face, you would have said, "Praise God". You knew that the many reasons people loved you wasn't because of you, but of Jesus living inside of you. Glory, glory Pastor John…you are missed greatly. We will do our best to care and love your precious Jude.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

I Get To Be This Boys Mom

The title of this blog is about my son Evan and it is how I feel. He turns 6 tomorrow. I don't ever stop thanking God for allowing me to be his mom-for giving me 6 full years with him and hopefully, many more years to come. I was having a conversation the other day with someone about sons and daughters. We were discussing how fun it is to have a daughter, because you get to do girly things and have that special connection. But when the conversation turned to our sons, all we could say was there is just something about a son that just tugs at a momma's heart strings. This boy has my heart and I am glad I don't have to share him yet. Even as I write this tonight, he is calling me from bed. I went up and said, "what do you need?" He responds, "well, I just love you." I said, "I know you do bud, but I love you more." His response, "No, because I love you more than earth, space, heaven, everything counts, so that means more". Melt my heart. You better believe I am holding onto these years where I am the apple of his eye and somehow the one he is going to marry. Haha…
Anyways, here is a bit about my lil guy. He is a reader. Wow. Reminds me of myself as a kid as he can frequently be found with a book and wants to check out a hundred books from the library and when we get home, he sits for hours and reads them all. He is a great eater-loves tacos, pizza, broccoli, mandarin oranges, ice cream, smoothies, pears. Such a trooper about all his food allergies-I don't know how he does it. I think I would complain if I were him, but he just goes along with it. We are praying one day he will grow out of most, if not all of them! He has the best laugh in the world. Most people know it is him even when he is not in the room. Loves Wild Kratts. Possibly even a little bit obsessed. (He is learning so much though and knows about animals I have never heard of!) The kid would be obsessed with video games if we would ever let him play anything-but we just haven't allowed too much since he is a kid that can get into a zone and lose touch with reality. (So we are not against video games, we just feel it is best for this particular child right now!) He is a great big brother who takes care of Alea with so much love. He is also quite the boss of her, but for the most part, looks out for her best interest. He has been in a kindergarten boy gymnastics class this year and has gotten so strong. I love watching him learn all the different skills and challenge himself. We are homeschooling this year, and not lying, he is a terrific student. We don't have many arguments and his favorite part of the day is Bible time. The only book that truly captivates him. Love it. He likes to wrestle with daddy, but runs to me when eventually he gets hurt. A busy boy-is happiest when we have things going on and full schedules. Has a heart that beats strongly for others, likes to make others happy, and will be the first to check on a friend if they are hurt or left out. Enjoys movies. Favorite things to play are Legos, Magnatiles, Pokemon, board games, and with his sets of different animal figurines. Loves the snow and being outside in general. It was hard to ever get him to come inside when living in Africa. I could keep going, but suffice to say he is a special dude. How I get to be his mom, I don't know, but I will take it. Here are a few pics of Ev-from little babe tip now: