a song for today

A MAN there is, a real man,
who once on Calvary died.
His blood for guilty sinners ran
from hands and feet and side.

'Tis no wild fancy of our brains,
no metaphor we speak;
The same dear man in heaven now reigns,
that suffered for our sake.

This wondrous Man of whom we tell,
is true Almighty God;
He brought our souls from death and hell;
the price, His own heart's blood.

That human heart He still retains,
though throned in highest bliss;
and feels each tempted member's pains;
for our affliction's His.

Come then, repenting sinner, come;
approach with humble faith;
owe what you will, the total sum
is canceled by His death.

His blood can cleanse the sin-stained soul,
and wash our guilt away;
He will present us sound and whole
in that tremendous day.

Joseph Hart, 1712-1768

prestatyn

prestatyn is another coastal town about 20 minutes from here. they have a really nice beach and it has some fun little shops, etc. we took the girls there last thursday for the morning. we ended up eating there and had some great "turkish bread with savoury cheese" for lunch. it was pretty windy but overall, we had a good time getting to know the town, scoping out the parks, etc. we still feel so new here so we're glad we can say we've at least been there now when people ask!

anniversary pictures

here are some pictures from our anniversary. steve and i hiked the little orme which gave us some amazing views of llandudno and the surrounding area. we stopped on the way home and had a cuppa right out on the beach. somehow the girls got in on my breakfast in bed! we grilled salmon for supper on our little bbq. we share an entry way with a charity shop and the woman who works there is always putting little toys out for the girls to play with as we get them in and out of the stroller. just thought i'd explain=)

fun at the castle

we had a little carnival at the castle down the street on saturday. (yes, we have a castle down the street. we still crack up when people are giving us directions and include "turn left at the castle gate!") anyway, a friend and her son that we've made at the library met us there and we spent a few hours watching a falconry display, seeing welsh clog dancing and listening to the beulah brass. we tried to walk up to the actual castle but didn't make it the whole way. the brass actually played some american favorites (o susanna, etc.) so that was fun for us. maggie really enjoyed dancing to the music. i think she thinks she's mary poppins!

happy 7 years, sweetheart!

steve's belated birthday dinner

we ended up having steve's birthday dinner on friday. he was his usual patient self and didn't seem to mind at all!

some updates

i took gwyn to the dr. ("surgery") on friday. he thought that she did not have a stomach virus but that it was her old constipation issues acting up again. he gave her some meds and she's been doing better but still not eating a lot. he laughed when i told him that she's lost weight. notice that in the photos from sunday she is wearing a 2t dress that maggie wore last summer=) anyway, i did pass the written part of my driving exam and plan to book the actual driving part a.s.a.p. please continue to pray for that. when we got home from the testing centre this morning, i rang abbie who said that both of her children were sick this morning. a few minutes later, maggie vomited. so we're in the thick of it right now. steve is working hard to get all of the paperwork sorted so that we can all be certified to work with children. we hope to have some sort of holiday Bible club in july or august. school is almost year round here. they do get a lot of bank holidays and a week here and there but july 18-sept. is the main summer break. well, i think that's everything for now.

maggie and gwyneth's new favortie show

look out, little einsteins. move over, thomas. we've discovered in the night garden! it's kind of weird and kind of cute. whatever it is, the girls love it!

happy birthday, steve!

today we are celebrating steve's 33rd birthday (and the fact that it's been over 24 hours since gwyneth has vomited=) please pray that the rest of us do not catch it!) he's already had breakfast in bed and if we are well enough, will have his requested birthday dinner tonight (bacon-wrapped chicken, of course). we're so thankful to have his calm and steady, gospel-centered leadership!

maggie's birthday!

i posted the pictures on facebook if you havent' seen them already, here they are!