As we we have been getting ready for Bethany to come into the picture this time, he has been great.  He would snuggle Katie in the bed while she was on bed rest and he was never too far from her side. 

So a couple of days when Bethany came home we were excited about his reaction.  Once again he took up his post as protector and shepherd of this little bundle.  This picture was taken the first night (about 2am) where he sat and laid all night beside her. 

This second picture is from this morning when Katie got up and he figured he would take the next shift of watching the baby and snuggle down on the couch.  He reminds me of the dog from the Disney version of Peter Pan (nana) who took care of the kids.  What an adventure that the WHOLE Bishop family is on. 

Eden is being a great big sister.  She is loving holding and caring for Bethany.  She has wanted to spend the night so badly, but spent the first night we were in the hospital with the Posey family and then last night with the Bishops.  This morning Eden is going to Middletown Church where I am sure she is going to be showing off some pictures of “her first baby.”  She is going to be a great helper as we make the transition back to home life.  Now the real question is how the dog is going to feel about all of this.  I brought home one of Bethany’s blankets so he could sniff yesterday.  He then looked at me with eyes that said, “I remember when this happened 30 (dog) years ago.”

A new adventure begins today as we make our way home.

It is going to be great!!!!!

Sunday evening Eden was so tired from the day that she feel sleep in our bed while Katie and I were talking. 

At one point Katie looked at me and said “look at her hands.”

She must have been praying that she would fall asleep before we noticed so that she could stay in the big bed.  It kind of worked.  She was asleep before we knew it, but she still had to go to her bad and sleep the rest of the night. 

The past couple of days have been a true gift. 

Friday was my Sabbath and it was filled with a little work while Eden was in preschool, then we went to chuck “e” cheese and we suppressed Eden with a playmate there with one of her best friends, then we played outside where we got this pic.  Eden put herself down for a nap and I took a great 7.5 mile run that ended with the assistance of a headlamp.  Dinner was amazing too. 

Saturday was more of the same with a family hike, some Toy Story mania on Wii.  Katie was trying to work and then she was playing 2 players at the same time (see pic). 

The Dog even has loved this little bit of spring before real winter has come. 

The other night Eden wanted to put herself to bed. She read some stories with the kindle fire and then snuggled down. I had to come in for a final back rub and Katie had to pray with her, but it was a great start. Way to go Eden!!

Tomorrow is party time for Eden. I can’t believe that she is going to be 4!!!  Where has the time gone.  I wanted to post a pic of the awesome job Katie did to make the house look great.  We even have a glass slipper on a pillow that goes with the princess dresses and castle.  Katie is so creative.   

Her latest idea is the transformation of our old High School youth room (now going to be a middle school room).  The room is in a part of the building that isn’t much used and has a couple of couches (hence a youth room).  In the picture she is getting ready to paint a wall a “bright yellow.”  She has also gotten a very large white board, wanted to use some white board paint on the top of a table, “found” a snack cart and has some other improvements in mind.  One of the dreams that she has is wireless internet access. 

She is a great dreamer and do-er.  I love her energy and excitement in renovating for ministry with young people.  I will try and keep you posted on the progress.

The digital age is affecting more than how America communicates. It is also shaping parent-child relationships in striking new ways.

Barna Group recently completed a study about the influence of technology in families, releasing the findings in a new digital report, The Family & Technology Report.

The research was conducted in partnership with Orange, which is part of the reThink Group. The innovative study included nationwide interviews among parents and 11- to 17-year-olds from the same households, allowing comparisons between the parents and the tweens and teenagers who reside in the same home.

Highlights from the study included the following five findings:

1. Parents are just as dependent on technology as are teens and tweens.
2. Most family members, even parents, feel that technology has been a positive influence on their families.
3. Very few adults or youth take substantial breaks from technology.
4. Families experience conflict about technology, but not in predictable ways.
5. Few families have experienced—or expect—churches to address technology.

Read more here:  The Barna Group – How Technology is Influencing Families

I am always a little crazy the week before and after vacation because of the things that have to happen getting ready for the trip.  But during the trip I love being away.  For most of this one we didn’t even have cell reception whiich was even better.

I love having this time with family (my parents took us).  It was the most time in a long time that Katie, Eden and I were together.  It was really great to spend time with my girls.

Now it is back to the grind with confirmation coming up this weekend.

I got out the tripod and my nifty 50mm 1.8 lens and started snapping.  Soon I found that I had a very interested assistant who was willing to hold up backdrops, move furniture, and hold lights at just the right angle. 

After she got the hang of it she wanted to shoot some ornaments on our tree for her self.  So we gave her a crack at it and she did rather well.  take a look at some of her shots. 

It was so much fun. next time I think that we are going to try for some sunsets.