THE ROSES

January 12, 2013

New Testament: John the Baptist

Some of you may already know that I decided to go back to school to finish my bachelors degree. This week was my first week back and one of my classes focuses on a study of the New Testament, specifically the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. For my Student Choice Assignment I have decided to blog about different things I learn and will be adding a new post every week.

Luke 1:5-80 - The Birth of John the Baptist

In Luke 1:13 Zacharias is told by an angel that his wife will bear him a son. In 14 Zacharias is told that he will not only have joy and gladness, but many shall rejoice at John's birth. Why? Well, we know that Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth were stricken in years - so they were old, and couldn't have children. Of course the news of a son would cause for much rejoicing; not only for them but for those who cared about them. Later in chapter 1, verses 57-58 we read that Elisabeth brought forth a son (John) and her neighbors and relatives saw that the Lord blessed her with a child, and they rejoiced with her.
The angel Gabriel prophesies of the mission that John would fulfill in verses 15-17. One being a fulfillment of the prophesy we find in the Old Testament book of Malachi - that with the power of the spirit of Elias he would turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. After John was born, his father Zacharias prophesied about the work that John would perform. Many people were aware that a prophet would prepare a way for the coming Savior, and the events surrounding his birth were a testament to them that believed and were waiting for that prophet to come. He was an unwavering and true disciple of Jesus Christ; "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord ... and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God ... And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins." (Luke 1:15, 16, 76, 77)
Even Jesus Christ himself praised John and said that as a prophet, there were none greater (Matthew 11:9-11). John humbly preached the gospel and baptized many, before and after he baptized the Savior. I can't even imagine what kind of amazing man he had to be to be given the mission of preparing the way for and baptizing the Savior of the world.

November 17, 2012

We Have a Scooter!

No, not a motorized one (although I'm sure Mike wishes we had one). Danny is figuring out how to scoot! If there is something just out of reach, like a binky or toy, he pulls his legs under and pushes his bum in the air and inches forward. It's so cute! He hasn't mastered the skill yet, but it looks like the beginning of learning how to crawl. Maybe Danny will take after his dad, who was an early mover.

Going for the binky

Our little inch worm :)

SUCCESS!

November 10, 2012

This week hasn't been too eventful. Let's see . . . our dishwasher broke, Danny had his four month check-up and shots, Danny is acting super clingy and crabby, we voted, we ate at our fave Mexican place, Danny fell asleep to the 80's rock band the Scorpions, I went to cub scouts, we took a nice walk, OH! and our kitchen is invaded with ants. Of course, here are of few photos as proof :)

DB was having a rough day and quickly got bored of me - so I passed him off to Mike. They rocked together . . . not just because they were in the rocking chair, but because Mike was playing some Scorpions music videos on his computer :) After hearing Rock You Like A Hurricane, Send Me An Angel, and Alien Nation, he was PASSED OUT! Who knew heavy metal could lull a baby to sleep? Ha ha ha.

After I uploaded the pictures, I noticed Mike's shirt makes it look like Danny has wings. Ah, our sweet little rock 'n roll angel. SO CUTE!

Yesterday the sun was out and we were all going stir crazy inside, so we bundled up and went out for a walk. Danny's Halloween costume makes a nice cozy sweater.

Here's a picture especially for Val! She is always sending us cool pictures of "octopus" trees in Hawaii. Look what we saw on our walk - our very own "octopus" tree!

Here are a few of the ants on our counter. Looks like we need to have the pest control people come back.

On the bright side, Danny has been sleeping better through the night! Yay for more sleep! The End :)

November 7, 2012

Four Months of Baby Bliss

According to the "numbers" from our pediatrician, Danny is pretty small for his age. He's in the 5th percentile. But what do those stats mean anyway? They change from year to year. I say, if he's healthy and everything is normal, they shouldn't tell me the stats - they just make me worry and compare him to every other baby his age! Plus, we think he's pretty big, not to mention handsome! We have loved getting to be his parents these past four months. He has taught us patience, selflessness, work, sacrifice, and most of all, LOVE. He is the joy in our lives. Thanks DB :)

Hanging with the Fam

Last week my sister in law had a 20 hour layover here, so she stayed with my sis and we all got to hang out for an afternoon. It was awesome to see her and her youngest son, but it just wasn't a long enough visit! I miss her so much and wish we lived closer to each other. Sadly, we didn't even get a picture together! So these are a few pics of everyone else . . .

Danny: Our Lucky Dragon

This year is the year of the dragon. It is said that dragons are ambitious, successful, healthy, and very lucky. Each year is also paired with one of the five elements. I was really excited to find out that Danny would be born under the symbol of the dragon, because my sister and I are also dragons. Melissa is fire, I am earth, and Danny is water.

Here is our lil dragon on Halloween: