Raising Schuurmans: December 2015

     November was another lovely month down here in the South and as usual, we kept busy. Each of the children continues to grow and change daily, but Stella is exponentially. She's now rolling over with ease, cooing the sweetest little sounds you've ever heard in your life, and putting EVERYTHING in her mouth she can get a hold of. Marcus thinks it's funny when she tries to eat his finger. Any day now I'm sure we'll see a tooth (or two) pop through. But in the mean time, she's going through multiple bibs (and outfits) a day due to excessive drool.
     Our weeks stay the same with our time at Kids Kitchen on Tuesday nights and Son Seekers on Wednesdays. But sometimes Mark has a church volleyball or basketball game, and Friday evenings are usually free. Since Mark has Wednesdays off we have been doing things together as a family on that day. One warm November afternoon we went out to visit my friend, Christie who's going through chemo-therapy for breast cancer. She was Titus' Sunday School teacher, is our pastor's wife, and is a very dear friend to me. As you'll see in the pictures below, we went to see her and the boys had a ball in the creek behind her house. So much so that Titus fell in and got soaked. Luckily, we brought extra clothes for him to change into but we really enjoyed out time with Christie. Will you join us in praying for her as she has a few more months of chemo to go through? I know she'd appreciate it and we would, too.
     Earlier in the month, we took the children to the Knoxville Zoo. It's only a few hours drive from here and the day we went was called, "Dollar Days." It LITERALLY only cost $1 per person, so our family of five went for $4 (Stella was free)! The weather was unbelievable and we had such a great time. I'm not sure it could've been much better. The boys' favorite animals were the monkeys or giraffes.
     And one final notable event from November was Stella's dedication. For those of you who are unfamiliar, let me explain. A parent/child dedication does not ensure salvation, nor does it proclaim perfection. Instead, it's a public profession that Mark and I will raise our children in the way that honors God, while we pray that they, too, will one day choose Jesus. We can lead them to The Cross, but ultimately they have to repent and surrender to Him on their own choosing. That's what her dedication was all about and just like with our boys, we covet your prayers for her. Time will tell what her little personality turns into, but in the end, it doesn't really matter. Only her salvation does.
     Well, that's all for now. Another month in the books at the Schuurman household. Up next - Christmas. What a JOYOUS time of year it is!

One of my favorite outfits on Stella.

Gabby and Tiffany are regulars at Kids Kitchen each week. Gabby was a student in my 2nd grade class 7 years ago.

Playing in the creek behind Christie's house.

It was only calf deep on them, but they managed to get plenty wet.

He's smiling, but that water was COLD!

"Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell face down and heard the voice of the one speaking." -Ezekiel 1:28