Scares that Never Disappear


The other day I was changing Ripley’s diapers and realized that her scare from the Ladd Procedure was very hard to see. It’s almost completely disappeared and it’s only been 3.5 months. The doctor used the new superglue and a new type of tape that sealed the insurgent. This new technology has almost made scaring from surgery a thing of the past.

Last night, our Monday night small group watched “The Passion of the Christ.” Teresa and I have seen it when it came out in the theaters but it’s been since 2004. It’s still the best telling of the story of Jesus on the cross. James Caviezel who played Jesus and he did a fine job; he looked the part of a carpenter. Even though the movie is very violent; it is only the tip of the ice berg of what most scholars say the cruelty the Roman’s could put on a person being crucified. There was a lot of blood but that’s why Jesus came; to shed His blood as a sacrifice for mankind.

Watching the movie “The Passion of the Christ,” I remembered that the Bible says that we will know our Savoir by His nail scared hands and feet. Where my little girls’ scare is almost disappeared and is healed, Jesus still shows His scares as a sign of love for you and for me. As we near Easter Sunday, remember what this time of year is all about.

So Sweet


Teresa and I were watching William Shatners’ show on A and E network this morning. He was interviewing Gene Simmons from KISS. It is amazing to me that his father just walked away from the family when Gene was only 8 years old. That’s hard for me to believe a guy who calls himself a man will do that to his child.
I kept looking over at Ripley and thought that there is no way I could leave her or Teresa. It’s only by God’s grace I am the man I am today. Other than being a man of integrity, it would be hard to leave the people I love. Ripley is so sweet and loving. Every person who has met her, love her; even strangers. Below are some new photos to show how adorable she is.

Ripley and Daddy ready for church.

Ripley 3 month pic with Pooh.

Ripley not sure what to think of all the pillows.

Ripley feels safe so she sleeps.

Ripley is sitting up on her own with help from pillows.

Sexting and Our Children



I just read an article that made me think "What the . . ." The article deals with sexting and teens. It made my head spin. The article didn't deal with should teens send photos of themselves to their boy/girlfriend, but if the police should be involved or not. One example dealt with 12 and 13 years olds. That blew my mind. Depending on your worldview will affect how you view sexting. If Christ is the center of your worldview, then this should make you want to educate you teen(s) to not do this sort of thing. If your worldview is centered on self or secular society, then sexting is no big deal. Most parents may even think it's no big deal until it's their daughter on the other end of the phone/camera.

As a father, this sort of stuff really makes me think in a way I never have done before Ripley coming in my life. As parents, we really need to monitor what our children are doing on-line and how they use their cell phone.

Before some of you start saying that children have rights and that we should respect their privacy, I want to point out to you that they are gifts to us from God. We are here to teach them. We can't monitor them 24 hours/7 days a week, but if we teach them the standard; the Bible, they will more likely stay away from this sort of thing. Not always, but teaching them what the Bible says and living it out in front of them is a start.

Future Suspense Author


I love telling stories about Ripley. On Saturday, Teresa went to a Women’s Ministry Luncheon so Ripley and I had “Daddy Time” for around 3 hours. It was a treat for me. I normally see her after an 8 hour work day and she is mostly asleep or tired/fussy. We had a great time together. We played with her mat and lights where she lies on her back and plays with a chain and see lights as music plays while kicking an exercise ball. We did that for 20 or 30 minutes. The best part of the time was when she talked with me.

Ripley has been talking up a storm; well OK, a 3 and half month old baby talking up a storm. She was sitting on my lap and leaning back on my legs so we were face to face. She would be just going on and on so I would play along and say “Really; are you sure about that story?” or “Wow, that was some story!” There was one where she went on and on for almost 2 minutes and then stopped. I looked at her with a smile and said, “You had a good beginning and middle, but how does the story end?” Ripley looked at me and was silent for 2 or 3 minutes and then starts back again just talking. When she was end, I said, “Wow that was a good ending to your story.” Her eyes got wide and smiled and nodded and swung her arms around. It was so funny. I told her that she could tell good thriller or suspense stories because she builds up the anticipation with her stop and start story telling style.

I enjoy holding and talking with my baby. She is a treasure, and I’m very thankful for her.

Ripley Funny Little Story



It’s the job of every parent to try and remember the cute little things a child does; photos and/or video work perfectly to preserve these things. I have a funny little story to tell about Ripley.

Last week, Teresa put Ripley in an onesie that has a hood with bunny ears. Teresa took cute pictures of her with some marble Easter eggs in a basket. I put one of them on this post to show how cute she looked. Sunday, Teresa put her in it again and brought her to church. Again, she looked very cute. It hit me that she looked like she could be in the story “Where the Wild Things Live.”

I was telling one of the guys who attend the men’s Bible group my thoughts and I put my hand at my mouth and did my best English accent and said, “The rabbit has fangs.” A very bad impression of the scene from “Monty Python: The Holy Grail” movie. I saw he was smiling so I looked down and Ripley had her hand in her mouth. Granted she is teething but it looked so cute. She almost looked like she was doing the scene from the movie too.

That’s my newest cute story about my 3 month old little girl; Ripley Anne.

Ripley Finds Her Voice

Ripley is starting to talk. Well, baby talk that is. She is very cute when she does. Teresa took this video of her speaking to her. Enjoy.