My Favorite Ornaments - Matthew

Matthew - my baby boy, the tenderhearted one, the lego lover, and super-hero fan.

As my Aunt Linda would say, "He's a God-blessed little angel!" :D His heart and compassion towards others is always evident. He loves the littlest children and wants to hold the babies and play with the toddlers. And they love him back. He always points out the babies to me when we are out.

As a baby, Moriah determined (at the age of 3) that Matthew was her baby and we have many, many photos to prove it. She rocked him in his swing and read to him from her books and hugged him as hard as she could on a regular basis. Thank the Lord that she was tiny herself or she might have damaged him. ;D
He, like Micah was a very sweet, easy-going baby and went with the flow of our family. As baby number 4, he probably didn't have much choice.
For the first year, he had very little hair, and he looked so much like Scott, that we thought about drawing a mustache and goatee on his face and calling him "Mini Me."

But when his hair finally came in, it was beautifully curly and I loved it. I had always wanted a baby with curls and he was the first and only to fulfill that wish. I allowed it to grow for as long as I could, but after he turned 2, I was forced to cut it. After the 2nd stranger said, "Oh, how sweet, 2 boys and 2 girls," I admitted that he was such a pretty baby that I needed to cut his hair to clarify his boyhood. ;D

From the very earliest, when we would look at pictures of Scott as a child, he thought it was himself. His gentleness and tender heart are obviously from his father, as I am not as gentle or compassionate.

Even though each of our children is unique and different in their own way, as he gets older, I see, not only his dad, but many of Malachi's traits in him. We laugh about it, at times, saying that we duplicated Malachi with Matthew and Micah with Merci, but we were afraid to duplicate Moriah as two of her would be too much for one family! ;D

When I found the puppy in the swing ornament, the first in another series of 5, I couldn't resist, partly because Matthew had loved to be in his baby swing. Some of those pictures I mentioned earlier are of him in the swing with Moriah reading to him, or climbing in to hug him!

Each consecutive year's ornament was such a great representation of Matthew and his changing personality.

He still loves to build any and everything with his legos. He even has a special place where he keeps all his lego figures and weaponry, from swords, to whips to guns.

He still loves to play super-hero, from Iron Man to Batman to Captain America, he covers all the bases. I still see Malachi playing light sabers with him occasionally. (But Shhhh! You didn't hear that from me!)

Matthew loves to draw and write stories and he has several notebooks with his work in them. I sometimes find that he has used one of mine when he couldn't find his in the moment. :/

And, of course, he still loves riding scooters and bicycles, although it is a little harder to do here in VZ.

As Matthew is fast becoming a young man, I see God's work in his life, fine-tuning personality traits that make Matthew who God intended him to be. I look forward to watching him grow, but I am content in the time that will take as I watch him mature and grow in his relationship with his Savior too. I don't want to rush these years, because they go by all too fast, but also because I know that God can use each of us no matter our age.

God has a specific reason for us to be in VZ while our children are young. I believe that He not only wants Scott and I to serve Him here, but each of our children as well. I love to see my children serve the King of Kings.

I want my children to be like Timothy in the Bible. The words that Paul shared with Timothy in his letter are for my children and your children too.

Let no one despise you for your youth, 

but set the believers an example 

in speech,

 in conduct,

 in love,

 in faith,

 in purity.

I Timothy 4:12 (ESV)

Our children are witnesses of our Savior too and I believe God calls them just like He calls us.

Thank you Jesus for children who can serve You and show Your love with their childlike faith!