God's Handiwork!

This photo absolutely takes my breath away every time I look at it. God has made my life so beautiful!
WOW.

New WebCam Experiment

We wanted to test out our new WebCam. Here's a few of the results.
Click here! These sent us rolling!

Enjoy!

Ashley Had a Birthday!

Because of all of the baby and Christmas festivities, I was unable to announce to the world that my bride had her 30th birthday the other day!  December the 19th to be exact!

We decided to attempt to make it to church for the first time since Caleb was born.  After church we took Mommy out for lunch to Applebee's.  The restaurant was at Brier Creek were they were doing horse-drawn carriage rides.  It was a little chilly, but we had a great time!  It was amazing how different it is to attempt "going out" with the whole family now.  Life will never be the same that is for sure.

Thirty years ago, God did an absolutely amazing thing when he brought my Ashley Dawn into the world.  I am so grateful to him for giving me the incredible opportunity to share life with her.  She is the love of my life, and I adore her so much.  I only wish we could have done something really big for her birthday to show her how special she is.  I guess you could say we gave her a new baby for her birthday.  That's a pretty big deal.  She got round-the-clock room service and two nights away from home.  But we decided to take her to Kirkland's while we were at Brier Creek.  I think she had a really good birthday.

Merry Christmas!

This is the first Christmas where we spent Christmas Eve/Morning with just us.  We sure missed everyone, though!  Georgia came our way this past week and West Virginia is coming this week.  In the meantime we are enjoying the family time.  Ashley is baking cookies while the kids play with their new train table.  I'm under my new quilt my mom made for me for my birthday/Christmas/new baby gift.  Life is good.

We were at our church last night for a Christmas program.  Abigail was in the first group that sang.

After the program we came home and got in our PJs.  Then we talked about the story of Jesus' birth.  The kids really got into it.  They wanted to reenact the story so we dressed them up. 

One Thing I Never Get Tired Of

As a Dad there are a lot of things that make me tired.  But there is one thing that I certainly will never get tired of, and that is being a Dad!

Nanny and Grandpa

Nanny and Grandpa came to help us for the weekend.  The kids loved all their adventures with Grandpa!  

Grandpa introduced the kids to a taste of mountain culture by reading Possum Come Aknockin'.  

Wrestle mania!  I told Grandpa that the kids were meaner than they looked! 

This was a rare moment!  Micah actually sat still long enough for Grandpa to read him a bedtime story.

Yes, that is pink hair on Abigail's head.  She's going for a new look.

We introduced Grandpa to Wake Forest's little taste of heaven on earth - Krispie Kreme!  Check out the hats!  Thank you guys so much for helping us this weekend!  We had a great time!

Welcome Home Mommy and Baby Caleb!

Ashley and Caleb came home yesterday afternoon!  It was a cold and rainy day, but it was so warm and inviting in our house.  Mrs. Debbie was with the kids all day and had some great adventures.  Ashley's Mom and Dad were able to be here for the homecoming and stayed until this afternoon.  They were all such big helpers.  Thank you everyone for all that you have done for us!

Uncle Noah and Aunt Stephanie got to spend some time with us last night, too.  They weren't sure if they should come because they wanted us to spend time with family.  To which I immediately responded, "But you ARE family!"  Love you guys!

Caleb Joshua Erdman

Caleb didn't have a middle name for the first couple of days of his life.  We finally decided on Joshua.  How fitting for the names Caleb and Joshua to be together in one name.  Caleb has always been one of Ashley's favorites, and I have always liked the name Joshua.  Caleb means "heart" and Joshua means "God is my salvation."  So, the two make a great combination.  As far as the biblical characters who bore those names are concerned, Caleb and Joshua are tremendous examples of faith.

When Israel was standing on the edge of the promised land, the elders sent 12 spies (one from each tribe) to explore the land and check out its inhabitants.  Of the 12 spies, ten of them came back with their tails between their legs in fear.  They were sure that Israel didn't stand a chance against the vast armies and giants that inhabited the land.  Caleb and Joshua on the other hand, came back bold and sure that God would bring them into the land and surely wipe out the inhabitants.  When everyone else lacked faith, it was Caleb and Joshua who demonstrated great faith.  Because of Israel's lack of faith no one who came out of Egypt was going to live to see the promised land.  No one except Caleb and Joshua!  For they served the Lord "wholeheartedly" as Numbers 32:12 puts it.

That is a great legacy!  And our Caleb will be taught all about what his name means.  My heart will absolutely explode with joy should he choose to follow the same path.

Welcome Baby Caleb!!!

Join us in welcoming the newest addition to our family!  Baby Caleb!

Born: December 9, 2010, 7:01 am

9 lbs, 12 oz!!!!

22 in. long

Ready or not here he comes....okay maybe not.

There aren't too many things that make me anxious as much as waiting for a baby to be born.  There have been a few times now where Ashley will be having contractions about 10 mins apart.  This will go on for several hours, and then just stop.  It will continue long enough for us to get our hopes up and then just stop.  I have to make a conscious effort to not think about it.  It's driving us both bonkers.

There have been some great things about not having a baby yet, though.  Yesterday every one of us took a two-hour afternoon nap.  Mommy, Daddy, kids, everyone!  It was glorious!  Even the cat was sleeping!  Well, okay, that's nothing new for him.  That's all he really does.  I told him to get a job, but he just rolled over and acted like he didn't even hear me.  But this nap was certainly something that probably will not happen once little guy arrives.

Ashley's beat.  She is so spent from carrying around the baby in her belly and going through the normal daily routine.  Fortunately there hasn't been much going on, so we've been able to take things pretty easy as we wait.  If the baby doesn't come before Friday the 10th, they will induce that day.  Who knows...maybe he'll be here by then.

For those innovative types out there, I thought of the next great invention if you're up for it.  You know those pop-up timers on turkeys you buy from the store?  They pop-up to indicate when the turkey is fully cooked and okay to pull out of the oven.  Someone needs to invent a pop-up timer for pregnant ladies.  They should pop-out when it's time to go to the hospital.  That would eliminate all this guess work and waiting.

Then again...I think God likes it when we wait.  Our true colors tend to come out when we wait.  Wouldn't you agree?

So Much to be Thankful For!

As Thanksgiving Day continues its approach, I can't stop recounting all the ways God has blessed me.  To list them all here would take more space and probably be too long for you to read.  Suffice it to say that I am truly blessed by God in two major areas of my life - my family life, and my personal heart and soul.

How many people out there have a stable family life like ours shares?  So many people will be torn as they have to choose which home to celebrate Thanksgiving with, Mom's or Dad's.  Fortunately for us, our decision is only difficult because we can't decide where we should all get together at the same time.  In my estimation, that is a good problem.  My wife would be a great image of love and blessing in my life.  Her tender, steadfast love has been an anchor for me for the past 7 years of my life.  Her grace and forgiveness is crazy!  Why would she/should she remain with me after all I put her through???  Nothing but her unending love for me.  That's incredible!

My kids bless me daily with laughs, frustrations, and wonder as we attempt to lead them through these early years of their lives.  They truly are a blessing, and this new baby will be no exception for sure.

And as I sit here right now, I have a clean and clear conscience before my God.  That's a great and peaceful spot to be.  Believe me, I've tried hiding and running from the truth, but that ends in ruin and demise.  To sit in my home and know that I am forgiven and freed from the sins that so easily entangle me is nothing short of overwhelming.

I am content.  I need nothing more.  Everything else is just icing on the cake.

Is it Busy-ness or Business?

How do you write that anyway?  Is it even a word?  Well, whatever you call it...we're busy.  We have a sort of list of things we'd like to have in place prior to baby's arrival.  (I feel like we are awaiting a special guest or something.  I guess we are!)  Ashley calls it nesting.  I call it good common sense.  Amidst all of that Ashley was able to put in some time at work to help us out a little. Yes, I did say that.  Ashley, who is 3 cm dilated at this point, is working this week.  Now, she does get paid to sit most of the day as she works up new patients, but still, she has been so incredibly un-selfish!  She really ministers to me by her incredible example!

I've been spending time with the kids and have continued to explore the new territory of publishing web articles.  It seems to be a slow-going process.  It certainly is not a get-rich quick type of work.  See my most recent articles on Helium.com.  Not sure yet how to get a link to my list of articles, but here is one of the articles.  http://www.helium.com/items/2010615-child-driveway-safety-tips

If you look at the titles I wrote for, you may think it is kind of random.  Helium gives cash prizes for contests and all the articles I've written so far are for the contest.  They supply the titles, writers write the articles, and the best one wins.

Still trying to figure it all out.

An Emerging Freelancer?

So I've decided to try my hand at freelance writing.  I've joined a couple of reputable websites that pay you for writing articles.  It's not a ton of money, but every bit helps, right?  I've already posted a couple of articles on helium.com.  I've also applied for a paid writer's position on factoidz.com.  We'll see what happens.  I've enjoyed it so far.  The best part about the sites is you write whatever you like about practically anything.  I love that freedom!  They can suggest a title, or you can choose one.  It's great!  I've always enjoyed writing and would love to use it to encourage others and would love to consider it as a part time job.  Check out those websites and see if you can find me out there!  I've already posted two articles on Helium. I haven't been published yet on Factoidz.  Yet!

How Do Clouds Stay in the Sky?

Nathaniel asked me this question today.  Classic childhood question, wasn't it.  Not sure exactly what spawned the idea in his head since it was a clear and cloudless day today.  He was still in his pj's playing in the living room.  Without looking up at me or skipping a beat, he nonchalantly asked, "Dad, how do clouds stay in the sky?"

I've heard of these moments, but I think this is the first I've experienced as a Dad.  I'm sure there will be many good questions in the years ahead, but this one is classic.  Right up there with "where do babies come from?"

I know at this point you want to know how I responded.  I honestly wasn't quite sure, so I said basically there are two answers to that question.  One answer was simply, God keeps them in the sky.  This would have sufficed, but I wanted to take advantage of this "creation" moment.  Basically a moment to describe something really neat about the world God created.  So the other answer I gave was that clouds are basically teeny tiny drops of water that are so small they float in the air.  And when you get a bunch of those drops of water together they form clouds.  Sometimes the water drops get bigger and get real heavy, though, and the cloud begins to fall.  We call that rain.  And sometimes the drops of water are kind of heavy, but don't fall like rain, we call that fog.  I think he got it.  He must have because there was no follow-up question.  Either that or he decided Daddy's answer was way over his head and not to ask questions if he didn't want a science lesson.

It was humbling to hear him ask me that question.  Being a Dad is a big responsibility - kids think you have all the answers, and that you can fix anything.  I only hope and pray that I can shepherd their hearts by being humble enough to admit when I do not have the answer, or cannot fix something.  Admitting that might be hard for my Daddy pride, but will go a long way in the kids' hearts for sure.

"Daddy may not be superman, but that's okay...he's my Dad!"

(above image courtesy of Fir0002/Flagstaffotos)

He could be here any day now!

Ashley went to the doctor yesterday, and we got some very very exciting news!  I'll spare you the details, but let me just say that baby is on the way and could be here very soon!  She is not in labor.  Yet.  But that won't be long now.  There has been a lot of progress and activity in the pre-labor department, so we are quickly knocking out all the last minute stuff we want to get done before he comes.  We have a name picked out already, but we'll have to save that for the big day.  We'll let that one stay a surprise.  We've gone back and forth, but we've finally found one that we both really like and the meaning is incredible!  Ashley is still having a lot of activity and is quite miserable at this point, so it probably won't be long now.

One of the items on our to-do list was to get our 2010 family pictures done.  We had our pictures taken yesterday evening on the seminary campus.  It was beautiful.  Can't wait to see the pictures!

And, of course, we would need to do some car repairs while baby is about to come.  The power steering is having some issues in our van, so it is down until further notice.  Fortunately we still have the truck.  Ashley says she feels weird driving that big thing, but I think secretly she really gets a kick out of it.  (BTW - a little known fact about my wife is that while in high school she wanted to have a motorcycle when she was married and out of the house.  Yes, the same Ashley!  So we're probably just going to wait until we're old and get some of those old-people motorcycles, and cruise the highways in style!)

We'll keep you all posted on the new baby once the big day comes!

Life with Her is so Wonderful!

  "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future.   When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions.  She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness.  Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!  Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.  Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise." 

Proverbs 31:25-31

Watching Airplanes

I'll never get tired of going to one of my favorite parks in Raleigh - the RDU Observation Park.  This is one of the best kept secrets of Raleigh. The Observation Park is a park that is located right next to the general aviation terminal, and you can see planes of all sizes take off and land on the runway.  There's a big sand box with a climbing thing for kids, some picnic tables, and restrooms.  The observation deck has a couple of speakers under it for visitors to hear communication between air traffic control and pilots.  We love hanging out there!

I don't know who's fascinated more, me or Micah!  I absolutely cherish moments like these with my kids.  All of them love to watch the planes.  It's really cool!  I love my family!

Abigail Quote of the Day

Abigail was talking with my Mom a while back about our daily routine around the house, and she was asked if she could watch a movie, to which she replied,

"Oh yeah, Daddy lets us do whatever we want."

Classic.

Some Halloween Fun!

Check out the pictures, they speak for themselves!