Daddy's Little Girl

Petra Anastasia

Introducing.....

Petra Anastasia

was born at 11:09pm Last night
and was 7lbs 3oz and 20inches long!

Larissa and I wanted to thank everyone who has been so patient and prayerful! Truly the Lord has done a mighty work by giving us such a healthy child. We were very surprised at her size, which was large for a baby only at 36 weeks. She is doing beautifully and loves snuggling!

Blessings,

Will

I couldn't load any pictures of her on here, but will keep trying.

Where's the Skateboard?

Sliding still worked just as well!

What's In a Name?

We thought we would give a little insight into the names we have chosen for our children, especially since I didn't go into much detail when we shared the good news of adding a little female presence to our boy house! The names we chose for our children have been mostly inspired by men of the faith who have impacted our lives greatly either by their writing or by their testimony of faith, but most especially their exposition of Scripture.


Silas Haddon - Silas is the name of the missionary partner of the apostle Paul, with whom he was stranded in prison. Also the amanuensis of Peter for the book of 1 Peter. Haddon is named for Charles Haddon Spurgeon who was quite possibly one of the most influential Christian preachers in history. This man has truly been an inspiration to me as a man called into pastoral ministry and a lover of good preaching.


Kace Renwick - Kace was to be named Cornelius after the centurion in Acts whom Peter witnesses to, but after some issues we decided to nix the name and only call him Kace, as that was to be the nic-name. It was taken from a theologian and famous apologist Cornelius Van Til whose family called him Kees (pronounced Kace). Renwick is taken from a covenanter named James Renwick (pronounced Rennik) who was martyred for the faith. His life and testimony can be read in Fair Sunshine, it is a wonderful story of God's glory going forth in the lives of His people.


Gresham Jeremiah - Gresham is named for J. Gresham Machen (rhymes with kitchen) who carried the mantle of reformed theology to Westminster after the death of Warfield and old Princeton. He founded the OPC denomination and was a great proponent of conservative and biblical theology. Jeremiah is obviously taken from the great prophet whose ministry could never be measured in worldly standards as a success although he was so faithful to the Lord in all he did. Jeremiah and the New Covenant made in Jeremiah 31 have truly been a great encouragement to Larissa and I throughout the years.


Petra Anastasia - Petra is a Greek word that means foundational rock(It is also a historical location that was said to be unconquerable and therefore names petra) and is found in Luke when Jesus explains the importance of building your house on the solid rock (there are also other places in the Greek New Testament that the word is found all of which refer to Christ and the nature of salvation and His gospel). As a Greek student I liked the connotation of the word, but also the female of Peter. Anastasia is from the Greek word anastasis which means resurrection or a new beginning. She will have a name that reflects the truths of the Gospel of grace in Christ.

I hope that all of you enjoy this very intimate look into the history and legacy of the names we have chosen for these boys and girl. We continue to pray that they will be as faithful to the truths of the gospel.

Will I Walk Down The Aisle Once More?

As Larissa shared with you all yesterday we had our ultrasound today and were able to find out the sex of our baby. Based on the fact that I am writing this post and titled it the way I did you probably already know what I am about to say, but I am going to say it anyway. To qoute the ultrasound tech we have officially "broke the mold." Boy, am I super excited to say that I have a daughter!!! In fact, I have a household full of excited people.

For a father there is nothing quite like knowing that God has blessed your life with a son, but (and this is a huge BUT) there is also nothing quite like saying that God has blessed a father's life with a sweet baby girl. My mind has been in overdrive thinking about all the possible special moments yet come. For example, I briefly thought about the possiblity that I would walk my daughter down the aisle. Wow! Just such a thought brings up a flood of emotion.

At any rate, we want all our friends to know this great news, and I also would ask that you pray for Larissa and the baby. Larissa continues to be pretty sick, so please pray that she would still glory in the Lord and be spiritually encouraged despite being physically exhausted and in pain much of the day. As for our daughter, Petra Anastasia, and all our children for that matter, please pray that they would come to know and be known by Christ. Pray that He would draw them unto Himself and save them for His glory.

We will keep you all posted on any further news. Thank you all for your prayers and wonderful words of encouragement.

Baby Number 4 Surprises Continue

Hey Everyone-

Larissa and I just wanted to let everyone know how things are going with this pregnancy, especially since many of you know we spent the last day at the hospital. After having a virus run through our family it finally got to both of us. I got it Tuesday evening and Larissa came down with it on Wednesday late afternoon. That morning she was experiencing some contractions and so after contacting her ob we went to the hospital. She was severely dehydrated and so she was given 2000 cc of fluid through an IV and afterwards came home. She is still not feeling 100% but is definitely better then she was yesterday. We figure that the whole dehydration thing is more detrimental then we would have thought. The doctors will be monitoring her again in two weeks and keeping an eye on her since she seems to be dilated to a one, this could be because of the contractions brought on by this sickness or from having more then two children. We will just have to wait and see. The baby seems to be doing better now after the whole ordeal. We have really appreciate all your help with the boys, meals, prayers and concern for our family at this time, truly all of you have been such a great blessing to us!

Blessings,
Will (for Larissa and the fam!)

Luther dies but Calvin lives on.....

Recently Luther died, much to the chagrin of daddy and the disappointment of two little boys. So we decided to try our hand again at gecko parenting. Funny thing is we haven't killed a baby in four years but we certainly killed a gecko in four weeks. Pray for us!

Update from the crazy house...

Drinking: Diet Mountain Dew
Recovering: My horrendous Greek Midterm
Reading: Greek New Testament (Titus)
Studying: Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic
Linking: www.iics.com
Watching: Second Season of Supernatural, a little bit
Listening: Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, and whiny boys!

Do you know the best way to desanitize a thing?

Let the big man touch it!

Musings on Luther....And Other Oddities

If you are now reading this post in the hopes of gleaning some deep theological insights regarding one of the legendary figures of church history you will be disappointed if you read further. Though he bears the name of one of the great stalwarts of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, Luther the Lizard shares nothing else in common with Luther the Reformer. Despite the fact that I love posting on biblical/theological issues facing the family and the church, I could not help but take a moment and speak about Luther.

The apartment that Larissa, the boys, and I live in is essentially a pet free zone. No dogs and no cats. I am and always will be fine with the prohibition of cats, however, saying no to boys who really want a dog is pretty hard. The big man, in particular, can't get enough of any dog that comes within a hundred feet. For awhile this has been difficult for me. Though my boys have not made a big deal about it, I have known for a while that they would love to have a pet. Of course, what kind of pet could meet the approval of housing and momma.

I had all but given up on getting a pet while here at midwestern due primarily to the fact that I can't stand hamsters or goldfish. Then I had a run-in with a Leopard Gecko . I knew right away that this was an animal I could live with. They are relatively easy to take care of and feed. No walking, no paper training, no drool. You just watch him and feed him, which by the way is particularly cool since he loves crickets and makes a pretty good show out of catching them (translation: daddies and little boys love it).

No doubt the greatest plus about Luther, however, is that he has already brought many a smile to two small faces and one big face. Larissa shared with me the other day that the big man told her "I have a pet too, momma." In the grand scheme of eternity Luther will not matter much, but the opportunity to love on my boys and bond with them (even in a small way) is irreplacable. Needless to say, if you are looking for pet but limited by space or restrictions, I would most certainly recommend a Leopard Gecko. And be sure to name him after a great figure in church history so that 10 years from now you can answer your child's question that might go something like this "Where did you get a name like Luther?"