Family

There’s a teenager in my house…

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Well, technically this teenager grew up in my house! =) In fact, I raised him. It just feels like in the blink of an eye, this once cute little ‘chubbee bunnee’ (yes, that’s what we used to call him) is no longer cute, nor chubby. But has instead grown tall, bony, and strong! A fine young man in the making. How did that happen? 13 years has whizzed by just like that. I often wish I could have done more, building the foundations in his life, but I also know he’s in God’s hands. I look forward to the teenage years, and the many more God-given opportunities to speak into his life.

I must admit that I miss those years when he was little, but I’m also very glad to see how my boy has grown… and (thankfully) his physical stature mirroring his growth in other areas of his life – his character, his love, care and respect for his friends and family, and most of all his sensitivity to God’s work in his life.

Josh, I know I’ve said this to you time and again… but I want you to know that you are SUCH a blessing to us, God’s wonderful gift to Mommy and me. We love you! Happy Birthday!

 

Family of 3

Our 1st mission trip as a family, to Japan (in 2001). Josh was about 5 months old then.

Josh and Daddy

pout

em & j

on a date

Hanging out together on our regular ‘dates’

 

My young man fixing breakfast for himself

My young man fixing breakfast for himself =)

Make Every Sunday Family Carwash Day!

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Here’s an article I wrote recently for ‘Dads for Life‘, a new website with resources that help us be the dads we were meant to be. (Dads for Life is a national movement to inspire and involve fathers to be good influencers in their children’s lives for life.)   Hope you enjoy reading it.

enjoyin' time w my 3 kids...

Being a Dad with 3 young kids – 9, 6 and 5 years old, it’s not always easy to find a family activity that all can participate and enjoy together. But I’ve found one that not only promises lots of fun and bonding, it costs only 60 cents and gets my car cleaned! =)

I must admit I’m more of a spontaneous kind of Dad. I don’t have a meticulous plan for weekly family outings or activities. I prefer to integrate the daily things we have to do with the time I spend with my kids. Often I would take one child along when I run an errand.

My child and I would enjoy the time alone with each other while getting the task done which gives us an interesting topic to talk about.

So back to our weekend activity. I enjoy taking all my 3 kids out to go get the car washed! They go crazy when I tell them “Let’s go for a carwash with Daddy!” They simply love it! And I must confess they’ve helped me enjoy what was previously a chore too!

I love to see them go wild as they do their best to ‘help’ me wet the car, soap the car, rinse it off etc. The truth is, it’s Daddy who really gets the car sparkling but I delight in seeing them have so much fun. I will never forget the time when my youngest son lifted the quarter-filled pail of clean water over his head, while flashing me with a broad grin. At the end of the day, the task of getting the car washed is not as important as simply hanging out with the kids, going through life together.

Sure the car is not as clean as it would have been had I driven it to the carwash, but the rewards of connecting with my kids, enjoying them, and at the same time teaching them life lessons along the way is totally worth it. Try it. All it takes is a little pocket change for the water, a little courage, lots of love, and the willingness to ‘get wet’ with the kids. =)

Original article here

What a treat!

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What a treat!
What a treat!,
originally uploaded by muffyn.

On Wednesday evening… out in the training area… Lil and kids came to ‘re-supply’ me & my scout team, bringing along fresh rations etc! (This was possible, because the OP- Observation Point we chose was at

an abandoned house.. which was near to a main road, and Lil could locate us on the map. Most other army training areas are in the jungle with dirt tracks, and she would not have been able to access it)
It was great.. esp. since we were running low on water, and had to eat

combat rations… so warm chicken rice was surely much nicer. However, it was a particular treat for me cos’ I get to see my family & kids.
They stayed around for a good hour…

I got to carry Zach, and cuddle Emily.. which they ate ‘pao’ on the back of the car. =)
Thanks Lil for loving me, driving all the way here.. and blessing me (and my team!)