I don’t often mention the boys too much in my blog posts. I don’t take as many pictures of family as I do of others and I usually find pictures to be more interesting for a blog than just text (which I have no trouble coming up with!).
Dayton is 11 and tall and skinny like his daddy was at that age. I was always the tallest in my class until about 8th grade. And yes, I really WAS skinny! He likes long-sleeves and jackets with hoods…probably because he has no body fat! The rest of us would prefer shorts and t-shirts for some reason!
Two days ago the orthodontist installed a Hyrax Palatal Expander to widen his upper jaw so that there will be room for the adult teeth that are about to come onto the scene. It’s uncomfortable and even painful as a screw has to be turned daily (instructions given were for 3 turns a day, but we’ve decided after researching this that 2 turns are the most we should do…a little scary to change the instructions but we’re very nervous about giving the 3rd turn; most sources indicate only 1 or 2 turns daily). He was in a lot of pain with giving him three turns.
He is still a “little boy” in many respects. However, we’re encouraging him to take on more participation in ministries that we’re doing. For him, that means helping some with the little kids. About once a week we have Kristin over for lunch as she teaches at two different schools. There are days when she can’t get home for lunch, so we have her and her son Justin join us for lunch. Usually, she leaves Justin with us for a couple hours while she teaches at her second job. It’s become routine now that Dayton basically babysits Justin. He leads him in playtime, and since he still enjoys playing, he does a pretty good job of it. We often don’t even have to do anything else as Dayton entertains Justin the entire time. Dayton has also been coming with us to the community center on Tuesdays and Saturdays (whenever Beth can come), and I don’t know if we’ve found a good fit for him there or if we will, but we’ll see. It’s good that he’s coming and that we’re able to go as a family.
Cameron is 14 and looks a few years older as he’s been shaving for nearly 2 years already! He has been helping at the community center for the past year or so and is now leading the kids’ club games and helping teach the main lessons as well. He is always a help with the younger kids on Sundays at the house church meetings in our home. He’s very good at keeping the littlest ones under a watchful eye and reads to them, plays with them, and basically keeps them occupied. Beth would not be able to teach the wide range of kids we have on Sundays (from ages 3 to about 11 or 12) without Cameron’s help. He may have the spiritual gift of helps as he is always looking to do whatever needs to be done to help keep the activities running smoothly. He also helps out in our home by providing some brotherly guidance for Dayton too who has a tendency to lose track of time and just about anything and everything!
Pray for Cameron and Dayton. They are growing up, maturing, and becoming more involved in our ministries as time passes. We appreciate your prayers that God will use them and bring them to maturity in Christ.
Knowing Your ABCDs 