The most amazing news out of our house is the fact that Emma prayed to receive Christ in September 28. This is a moment that Clint and I have prayed for ever since we learned that we were expecting our first child. Between our discussions at home and what she has been exposed to at both North Cobb Christian School and Cedarcrest Church, God prepared Emma’s heart to understand what it means to truly be forgiven and to live for Christ. So excited about what all God has in store for Emma and how He plans to use her life for His glory and the good of others!
Some more fun news out of the Strange house for September is that Emma is officially on two wheels! Our girl is off and riding on her two wheel bike. She finally got the combo of the pedaling and balance just right and she is unstoppable. Her dream now is to ride her bike to school. Since we live 9 miles away and have to use 2 highways to get to school…it is most likely a dream that will be deferred for a long time…but I love her excitement! Equally as exciting, but not as likely to be seen (hopefully) is that Eli is well on his way towards being potty-trained! We hope that he doesn’t want to ride his little potty to school…but we celebrate nonetheless! We did get a little seat for Eli to ride behind Clint on his bike, so that will have to do for now.
Eli has been home for just over 5 months now and it is nothing short of remarkable to see the way that the Lord is growing our son and growing our family. We are still having a blast with our little guy. If he survives all of the smothering hugs and kisses from his adoring big sister, he should be just fine! We are still very pleased with his school and so blessed that they occasionally send him photos and videos so we can see him in action with his friends. Eli had to have some minor surgery in September on his ear, but everything went great and he was back to 100% by the next day. He is such an easy little guy!
Emma continues to love Kindergarten and all the freedoms that come with being only 6. We are so grateful for the sweet friends that God has placed in Emma’s life at church, at school, and in our neighborhood. She is still learning how to direct her leadership qualities in a way that is encouraging and helpful and our home is definitely benefitting from her heart to serve others! Emma had the privilege of cheering at one of our home football games with several of her elementary buddies and they had a blast!
One of the most special things about Emma and Eli these days is just how much they love each other. Eli absolutely lights up when Emma walks into the room. Emma is really becoming a very good reader and she loves to read to Eli. The two of them together is such an awesome picture of God’s grace to our family.
This past month was full of lots of opportunities to hang out with great friends and to participate in a lot of school activities. We also celebrated our sweet cousin Sarah’s birthday which included Emma’s first cotton candy (which Uncle Paul made special for her…almost as big as Emma!) and Eli’s first time in a moonwalk (he thought it was a blast!). Eli had a cultural parade at his school. Kids from his class were dressed up as if they were natives of The Congo. He came home wearing a skirt and a shirt that was decorated. We wondered if he bothered to tell the people in his class that he is actually African and never wore a skirt when he lived in Africa. They were too cute!
Clint and I are so grateful that God gave us these two awesome kids. Our lives are wild, crazy, and full of laughter. The days are long, but the years are short. We are doing our very best to enjoy every second of it all. We love this amazing adventure that God has put together for our Strange family!
