Don't Blink

The moment you announce your first pregnancy to the world, everyone tells you, "Don't blink.  Before you know it, they'll be all grown up."  Unfortunately, I have followed that advice terrible and cannot stop blinking because my children have not stopped growing up.
This past weekend we celebrated our littlest Munchkin's 2nd birthday.   Yes, our Eli has graduated from infant to toddler right before our eyes.  We began the day by going to the zoo and he had a blast!  This was the first time he was able to really notice the animals and get excited about seeing them.  He was also very excited about running around sans the stroller for a bit.  We ended the day with dinner and cake with Nani and Papa.  It was a wonderful day, and I don't think he could have enjoyed it any more than he did.

Here are just some of the things we love and cherish about our Eli: 

• He is a very happy baby, sigh, toddler!  When Eli was born, he was breach, that is, he was born face up.  The nurses called him an "optimistic baby" (I had some other words for it at the time), and they were right.  We love his constant giggles and his ability to make the rest of us laugh.
  
  Loved by his daddy!
  
  
  
  
  
  Having fun with Mom's VBS glasses

• He loves his family and has a special and different relationship with each person.  He loves to read with Emma one minute and tackle Ethan the next.  Nani is the one he loves to talk to and Papa is the one he loves to go on adventures with.

Hanging out with his big bro

Hamming it up with Papa

Getting spoiled by Nani

Can't stop laughing with Em!

• Speaking of talking, he will not stop.  Though there are some words he refuses to say even though he knows how, like "Ethan" (poor brother - we know he knows how, we think he just doesn't like the way it feels when he says it), he is learning new words every day.
• He's a snuggler.  Like his brother before him, he loves to snuggle, mostly with the girls (can you blame him?).  I'm enjoying this phase while it lasts.
  
  
  
  
  Snuggling with Mommy
  
  
• He's a tough little guy.  We have been to urgent care more with Eli for injuries than with the other two combined.  He's the only one of our kids to have had stitches, and, to put it mildly, he keeps us on our toes.
  
  
  
  
  I'm pretty sure they have a parking spot reserved for us at Urgent Care
  
  
• He reminds us of Emma in looks and personality when she was younger.  He and Emma share a lot of similar facial features, but they also share a love of reading, an intense stubbornness, and a pterodactyl-like shriek that will make your ears bleed.  We have a lot of deja-vu moments around here, which has been really fun.

Eli and Emma at around the same age!  It cracks us up how similar their faces and personalities are!

• He's our Eli.  I could give you a thousand more traits that make Eli unique, but what we love the most about him is that the Lord made him and gave us the incredible privilege of being his family.  Every child is a blessing, and Eli is no different.  Our family was forever changed the moment we heard that little pterodactyl scream his way into the world and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Here are some photos of our little guy, though, one last thing you need to know is that he is the WORST picture-taker ever (and he knows it).  Happy Birthday, Eli James!

Learning About Love

It is February already, and that means that not only will Target have those bathing suits out, but also the candy, hearts, and everything pink and red.  I will admit, I have always like Valentine's day.  Not because I was popular and got tons of candy grams in school or because I love candy, but because I have always enjoyed having a day dedicated to showing someone how much you love them.  I can hear the groans from you "Singles' Awareness Day" folks from here, but, to clarify, I don't just mean someone you are in a romantic relationship with, but someone, anyone in your life, that you care about.

Lately, our house has been somewhat of a war zone (I am sure this NEVER happens in your house, right?).  The two older kiddos have been fighting more than usual, and there has been a general lack of love for each other, so this year, I decided that we would dedicate the entire month of February to focus on love.  Not worldly love, but Godly love.  I made a "Love Jar" (the green Mason Jar pictured above) that contains 28 verses about what Godly love is and how we are to live it out.  Each day, we pull out a verse, read it, and talk about what it means.  Then, we tape it to their chalk board upstairs where we can go back and look/meditate on the verses we have already talked about. Finally, at night, we pray for God to help us apply what we learned that day.

For instance, today's verse was:

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."   

-I John 4:11-

We asked the kids questions like "How does God love us?  What are some things God has done for us?  How does he love us in the everyday things?"  and then, "How can we love one another?  What are some things that are unloving?  Does this show the love of God?"

Obviously, we've only been doing this for a few days, but it has been such a practical and helpful way for them to learn (and for Chris and I to be reminded) of the great love that God has for us and how that should impact how we worship, treat others, and live in the world.  

Whether you love or hate Valentine's Day, I encourage you to think about it differently this year.  Instead of viewing it as the world does, view it as an opportunity to show someone in your life the love of Christ.  Love that puts others first.  Love that gives without expecting to receive.  Love that cares for even the unlovely.

 Our Verse Board

If you would like to make your own "Love Jar", here are the Valentine's Verses we used (if you'd like them).

2014 Year-In-Review

This year was a great one for us.  Like most years, there were valleys and peaks, but we were so blessed by the Lord's faithfulness to our family.  Here are some of the highlights:

• Chris officially began his new job as Pastoral Intern at Cornerstone Baptist Church this January.  He absolutely loves it and we cannot believe our first year has gone by already!
  
  
  
   Chris with some of the college students competing for the "ugliest sweater" at Christmas
  
  
  
  Chris & I with a group of college students we took to the Magnify Conference at Kevin DeYoung's Church in November
  
  
• Chris also began his last year at Seminary!  Lord willing, he'll graduate in April.  Emma began second grade and Ethan is having tons of fun in Preschool.  Ethan even went on his first field trip!
  
  
  
  Ethan and his buddies on their first class field trip
  
  
• We had some milestone birthdays this past year - Eli turned one and I (Stephanie) turned 30!  We also celebrated Emma's 7th birthday, Ethan's 4th birthday, and Chris' 32nd birthday.
  
  
  
  
   30, Flirty, and Thriving (Yes, we did watch it on my birthday)!
  
  
  
  
   I can't believe how big (and smart) they are all getting!  I asked them to stop growing so fast, but to no avail. . .
  
  
  
  
  
• We said goodbye to my sweet Grandpa Alvaro this past February and miss him everyday.
  
  
  Grandpa Alvaro and Me
  
• Emma sang in our Christmas concert for the first time this year with me and sounded beautiful.  She was a little nervous at first to be in front of all those people, but she and the other children did great!
  
  
  
  Emma's in the front row, 3rd from the right in the red sweater dress
  
  
• We visited Wild Lights the Detroit Zoo with my parents, Grandma Dot, brother and his family for the first time. So pretty!
  
  
  
  Love this little girl!
  
  
  
  All the girls!
  
  
   
  Cousins
  
  
• I was blessed to be the VBS director for Cornerstone this summer and it was an amazing time of learning, growing, and ministering with those at the church. 
  
  
  
   
  Loved these two very "Special Agents"
  
  
  
  One of my favorite parts of VBS is seeing the church transform - this year was an especially fun spy theme.
  
  
• Chris and I went on our first mini-vacation EVER without the kids, thanks to my parents, who babysat for us while we were away.  We visited Lexington, MI, a very small town not far from here and enjoyed some much-need timed together.  We bowled, played putt putt, ate, shopped, and really had a wonderful time.

 

The great thing about vacationing in a small town?  We had an entire bowling alley to ourselves!

My love

Looking back on this year, we can agree with the Psalmist when he writes:

 "The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made." (Ps. 145:8-9)

The Lord has been good to us, and we are so thankful for his mercy to our family, and we thank our family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ who love us and and support us and who have been instruments of His steadfast love.  May your next year be dedicated to the One who has already planned it!

First Day(s) of School

This year we not only sent Emma back to school, but Ethan as well!  Believe it our not, our little man started Preschool.  I wasn't sure if he was going to enjoy it as much as Emma did when she started (on her first day she asked when I was going to leave), but he loved it just as much.  He cried - not because he was nervous, but because he didn't want to take the classic "first day of school" pictures.  He just wanted to get to school!  He also has the same preschool teachers that Emma had which has been so neat because they really are wonderful. 

Emma started second grade this year and is doing great.  Admittedly, she doesn't like it as much as last year because second grade is "way harder than first", but she still loves learning and has a great teacher!  She even read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for her reading homework (she has to read for 15 minutes every night) - truly her mother's daughter!  We started buying her books to read for her homework, but quickly realized that was going to get really expensive, really fast, so her Papa has taken her to our local library and kept her well-stocked.  Papa (my Dad), a former elementary school teacher, has also begun to volunteer in her classroom once a week to help the kids with their reading, which she absolutely loves.

Finally, Chris started his final year of Seminary.  It is almost too unbelievable to type!  It is going to be a tough last two semesters as far as classes go, but he is working hard as always, and we are so excited! 

Despite Ethan's best efforts to make it to school without them, we still managed to get a few back to school pictures before he completely melted down.

 I can't believe how big they're getting!

Love the little lockers and so does Ethan.  We're constantly reminding him not to climb in them.

Already hard at work

 

Just get me to school already Mom and Dad!

 

Visiting Louisville!

April was a fun month for the Dilleys!  We had the opportunity to travel back to Louisville for the first time since we moved away three years ago.  Chris attended the Together for the Gospel Conference and the kids and I were able to visit old friends and the city we called home for nearly ten years.  It was so much fun!  Nearly everywhere we went, we ran into old friends, neighbors, co-workers, schoolmates, or church members and we it was a blessing to see how the Lord has been working in their lives.  There were too many highlights of the trip to write about, so I'll give you some snapshots of our favorite memories:

 We stayed at the Galt House downtown and the kids met a bellhop, Sean, who gave them some awesome rides on the luggage cart all week long.

The Louisville Zoo holds a lot of special memories for us, so it was really fun to be able to go back!  I put in some pictures of past years below so you can see how much the kids (especially Emma) have grown.

Emma 2010 (I am pregnant with Ethan)

Emma 2011

Emma 2014

This is one of our closest college friends, Lindsey!  She and I made many (mainly mischevious) memories together.

 This is another one of our closest college friends and Chris' roommate, Tim.  Pray for him as he is seeking to serve the Lord over in New Zealand!

 Thanks to the planning of our former Class Leader Trent Hunter, we had a class reunion for all those who were a part of Dr. Wellum's Adult Bible Fellowship Class!  Here are the wives who were able to come (the men are on the other side of the table).

For the first time, we were able to visit my college roommate and best friend Wendy at her home in Indiana!

The gang was together again and they are getting so big.  From left to right: Silas, Ethan, Eli, Emma, and Titus. 

This is the only part of Louisville that Emma remembers - the long stairs at our old apartment!

These were our old apartment that we brought our babies home to!  The one on the left was our apartment when Emma was born and the one on the right was our apartment when Ethan was born.

While it was fun to go back and visit the city we called home for so long, it was a blessing to be able to come back to our new home in Michigan.  It is a reminder that the Lord really does direct our paths and no matter where he leads us, he has provided for us every step of the way and will continue to.    

Saying Goodbye

As many of you already know, my Grandpa Alvaro recently passed away.  He had been in failing health for a few years (he was 89 years old), but after the doctors informed us that his medicine was no longer working and the decision was made to bring him home, he passed away within three days.  This was faster than we originally anticipated, but we were blessed to be able to spend those three days with him and caring for him.  I miss my Grandpa very much still every day, but I am thankful for the 29 years that the Lord allowed me to have with him and that my children were even able to know their great-grandfather.

My grandmother graciously asked if Chris would speak at his funeral.  It was truly an honor to hear him speak of my Grandpa and the Gospel and I thought I would share a portion of his sermon:

"I knew Anthony Paul Alvaro for the better part of the last ten years. I met him because I was dating, and eventually married his granddaughter Stephanie. Tony was always very welcoming of me into the Alvaro family, and even more so after we started bringing over beautiful great - grandchildren for him to love on! While not my biological grandfather, I have, since I’ve known him, considered Tony to be a grandfather figure to me, as well as Irene a grandmother. When I remember Tony, I think of four primary aspects of his life and personality that help define who he was as a person. The first thing you realized about Tony is that he was often very straightforward and blunt (This couldn’t have anything to do with being Italian could it?) Tony was not one to mince words - he told you exactly what was on his mind, exactly when it was on his mind (oftentimes with little regard for a filter!). Nevertheless, I always appreciated this from Tony because it’s easy to respect someone who is serious about their word. Second, Tony was known as a very hard worker and provider for his wife and two sons. Genesis 2:15 tells us that after God made man in His image, he placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. God made man to work and provide for those entrusted into his care by God, and Tony did this primarily through his successful tiling business over the years. This point shouldn’t be missed by us who live in a culture that increasingly promotes laziness and lack of discipline – Tony was a disciplined, hardworking man. The third characteristic I think of is Tony’s generous spirit. My own family has benefited from his generosity, as have so many others. In fact, since his passing, numerous people have mentioned how vividly they remember and appreciate this aspect of Tony’s personality. The fourth area I think about when remembering Tony is the way in which he loved his family. Tony was married to his wife Irene for 64 years and was a father to Jim and Tom. He loved and cared for his daughter’s in-law Jan and Carolyn very much. And he fervently loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In fact, it was always a blessing to see Tony’s countenance rise whenever all of his great-grandchildren came over to visit. He was a man who treasured and loved his family very much. There are no doubt many other great and loving aspects of Tony’s character that I haven’t mentioned here that all of you have experienced and are cherishing even this day.

I had many conversations with Tony over the years, but by far the most important conversation the two of us had occurred about two weeks ago at Tony’s hospital bedside. I had written a letter to Tony detailing all the things I just told you about his life and character. I told Tony that we all loved him very much, and that he didn’t have to worry one bit – we would take great care of grandma. However, my recounting of Tony’s straightforward honest character, his great work ethic, his generous spirit and incredible love for his family wasn’t the primary reason I visited that day. Tony and all of us knew that his days on this earth were coming to an end rather quickly, and I was there to speak to Tony about the reality of what happens next, about eternity. Because I love Tony, I wanted to share with him the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the only true hope there is. God’s Word tells us in Hebrews 9:27 that it is appointed for every man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Furthermore, Romans 3:23 says that all men have sinned and therefore fall short of God’s glory and pardon. Paul goes on to say in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is the message I wanted Tony to know. The message of the gospel. The Bible is very clear that there is no other name under Heaven by which man can be saved -  except by the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12) Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and no one can come into a relationship with Father God except through His Son Jesus (John 14:6). The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by God’s grace alone, through the gift of faith alone, not by human works so that no man can boast. Finally, Paul says in 1 Tim. 2:5 that there is one mediator between God and every man, the man Christ Jesus. Jesus is the only man who can plead our case before the Father, based on his sinless righteousness alone.

This is the message I shared with Tony. Tony very much appreciated my sharing this message with him, even to the extent of wanting the letter I wrote to be read to him again. I don’t say this in order to point to myself, but only to point to the fact that I believe this message caused Tony to set his gaze toward considering eternity. From time to time, life presents all of us with scenarios that remind us of our own mortality. We know that life is precious, but we also know that the moment we are born is the same moment in which we begin the journey towards death. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one like we are observing here today, or perhaps a sickness or trial in our own life – we are often reminded of the reality of death. The question in those moments is this: what is your hope? Ephesians. 2:12 is very clear: those who are apart from Christ are without God, and without hope. The difference today between us and Tony is this: Tony knew that the time of his departure was coming soon. However, we are unsure of this fact. We do not even know what today holds, and this fact makes even more pressing the matter of our response to the good news of Jesus Christ.

Today is a day of many and varied emotions. A day of joy and appreciation as we remember the man Tony was, and the blessings God entrusted to him during his life. But also a day of great sorrow and great grief, and that’s okay. We are supposed to grieve at the loss of those we love. We all need comfort and time for healing. However, in the midst of your grief, in the midst of your healing, you must remember that we all will face death on a day that God has appointed. The question we must all ask ourselves before that day is this: What is my hope in? The Bible is clear that there is a sure and everlasting hope that can be yours, but the Bible is also clear that this is our only hope. I would like to end my time today by reading arguably the most famous verse in the whole Bible. You no doubt know this verse well, and I would argue that the reason we are so familiar with this verse is because it tells us, very succinctly, where our only hope can be found: Jn. 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”