Sabbath Morning

Zeke with some of his favorite people at church.

Good little singers.

We're still working on tactics to keep Ezekiel quiet/still through church. So far here is what's working:
• A Good Long Morning Nap—The timing is usually a bit iffy.
• Church Before Sabbath School—Yay, the University Church is back to regular schedule! The early service is also quite a bit shorter, so that helps too.
• Sitting With Friends—As long as he is not on mom or dad's lap, he is much more content to sit still. And he loves friendly faces in the pews behind him. This week he sat with Grandpa the whole time and was a perfect angel.
• Toys That Don't Make Noise or Roll—We have to ration these throughout the length of the service. I made a felt book for him last month and have forgotten to take it with us to church EVERY week.
• Snacks and Drinks—They only work as a last resort.

Trout Creek SDA Church

A caterpillar and a leaf! Major excitement.

Taylinn makes sure that Zeke has a neon reptile of his own.

The children's story is the perfect lead-in to his sermon.

What a treat to get to worship with this group. And, to have the congregation swell with an influx of Craik relatives. And to get a Jeremy sermon as well—awesome message. (You can find some of his recent sermons here.)

Ezekiel always enjoys Sabbath School, but he thinks that it is especially fun to get to share a classroom with Taylinn.

There and Back Again

Yay for snack time!

Taylor tries to get in on the action.

Broc deflects tiny hands while simultaneously defending the planet.

Chocolate-covered biscotti from Aunt Pat.

This wind farm project is going gang-busters.

We had the opportunity to participate in the Upper Columbia Conference constituency session this year as delegates from the University Church. It was a bit challenging for Zeke, but he did well. After refusing to nap all morning (and many long walks around the UCA campus) we finally took him over to Broc and Sherisa who graciously saved the day.

The meetings were truly informative and inspiring in many ways. We got to see William Luke and had a super time with Pat and John and the ride there and back!

Sabbath School

Well, we gave it a try today. Ezekiel wasn't quite sure what was going on, but seemed to have fun. There was a lot of carrying him around while he was supposedly putting felts on the board or dropping off stuffed animals. He liked the big loud piano right behind us and had fun watching the other little ones.

He was so tuckered out when we got home that after I fed him he fell asleep on the way to his crib.

Ezekiel's Dedication

This Sabbath we had Ezekiel dedicated at the second service of the University Church. He flirted with the girls in the choir and played with Pastor Troy's lips during the prayer, but was really good. I think his parents were more wigged out by being up there in front of everyone than he was. Thanks to David for taking all the photos!

Women of Faith

Alright, these photos are pretty dismal, but Women of Faith was pretty fun. Julie Fitzgerald had some extra tickets, so she and Kristyn Dybdahl and I headed off in the minivan for Spokane. My favorite part was the Steven Curtis Chapman concert on Friday night. He has such an amazing story and I was moved to tears. Yikes. Also, Mandisa was there. I hadn't heard about her before, but I guess she was a contestant on Amerian Idol and is now pretty much devoted to gospel music. I thought she was lovely.