Growing Up

Little Anna Brooks is starting to give us some complete nights of sleep.
She's just the sweetest thing, she loves kisses on her
little pillow cheeks and her roll-y neck!


Carter's now expanding his sphere of influence, personality and boundaries!
"I really like your Horsey-Tail, Mommy." - complimenting Natalie's pony tail
"That's not the question!" - when he doesn't quite agree with our disciplining

Falling Leaves

Seeing the treelined neighborhood street with drapes of falling leaves streaming across the sunlit sidewalks, I love this season. I love football, chili, gloves, raking leaves even, walks with the kiddos, curling up... It seems like yesterday when Natalie and I were scrambling through our final preparations for little Carter. And now, suddenly, he's singing "I've Been Working On the Railroad" into an antique walking cane. And he's got a little sister who is getting cuter, and bigger, day after day.

In all things...

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17

We cling to this truth during this time. We know that the Lord honored the desires of our heart for our new home, and yet this truth becomes more foggy each day the "For Sale" sign remains in our yard, becoming more and more comfortable every day.

Natalie and I spent the formative years of our marriage in this house, we welcomed two precious babies to this world in this house, we've celebrated birthdays, Christmas's, Easters, Halloweens, we've seen one take his first steps and grow into a little boy. Great memories in a great house, I'm sure we will miss it.

In him, all things hold together...

Halloween's Past: '06 Puppy Gog

Halloween's Past: '05 Little Lion

Trick or Treat!

Always one of our favorite times in the Links is the annual Halloween parade where all little spooks and goblins gather in Gazebo Park and march around Blackburn, Pembroke and Windsor to begin the evening's festivities!

This year, we had a little Bunny (Anna Brooks) and a little Pony (Carter). We were joined by Eva Elizabeth and Matteson Sanderson as little lady-bugs. Carter enjoyed making a "Hee-Haw" sound in his pony costume, and our little bunny Anna Brooks tuckered out about two houses into the evening.

The Pumpkin Patch!

Hooray! It's Pumpkin Patch time again, and this year, Carter was able to introduce Anna Brooks to the wonderful, and prickly, world of picking your own pumpkins.

Everyone caught a little cat-nap on the way out to Gentry's Farm in Franklin (especially AB, who was up a couple of times in the night, little rascal!).

And then, we turned Carter loose with the Radio Flyer Wagon on a sea of pumpkins...

This is about the time when Daddy the Pack Mule had to take over. And in the end, everyone was all smiles...

In honor of...

Our hearts are especially heavy today. Two nights ago, our friends, Boothe and Conor Farley, lost their little girl Copeland. Only 8 days old, the Lord called her home to glory and fullness, and to freedom from her broken body. The miracle of her 8 day life will be reflected in hundreds of fellow believers' walks for years to come. Though I can intellectually grasp the theological implications of the situation, I cannot begin to comprehend the emotional gravity of losing a child.

Anna Brooks is only 11 weeks old (and sleeping through the night! at least for 2 nights now...) and I already love her like crazy! Her sweet expressions and gentle baby talk are arrows straight to my heart.



















We also learned this afternoon that our neighbor, Don Turk, finally succumbed to his battle with cancer earlier this morning. I have been his neighbor, off and on, for the past 16 years. When I was in high school, he asked me if I would cut the rear portion of his yard on the other side of the creek. Now, Don could very easily do this himself, he was a truly avid yard-guy, as he always put our yard to shame. But, I think he just wanted to be a nice guy, put a little change in my pocket, and engage inthe life of a 14 year old kid. I used to calculate that it took me probably 4 minutes, at the $10 per cut that Don paid me, that worked out to some great coin, about $150/hour! He truly was a great part-time employer, a wonderful neighbor, and a fantastic man.

Carter and I pray every night during his bedtime routine. These are some of my most cherished memories. We crawl like polar bears ("Daddy, I'm a little boy polar bear. You a big Daddy polar bear?") up the stairs, read a couple of stories, then we "talk". Usually we talk about puppy dogs, Maggie, Rosie and Toby to be specific. But recently, we've been talking about being sick, being in the hospital, and being powerful prayer friends. We've prayed for Copeland and Mr. Don now for over a week, and he does not yet know about them. Frankly, I am conflicted about telling him the truth about death. How do I tell a 2 1/2 year old about this?

Here he is playing his imaginary trumpet.

Home Sweet Home

It was the end of a long journey for the Ozburn family yesterday. For two full years now, we have been praying and searching for a new home for our family. There were plenty of difficult days, confusing twists, and trying times. All along though, the Lord was preparing us for this home, and we are so convicted of our own impatience and so grateful for his gracious provisions.

I am also so thankful for the lives of our two little ones, Carter and Anna Brooks. Two days ago, I called home in the middle of the morning to catch up with Natalie, and Carter wanted to speak with me (which is something quite rare).

"Hey buddy, how are you doing?"

"Great!... you coming home, Daddy?"

(this is when my heart breaks)

We also have been deep in prayer for our friends, Conor and Boothe Farley, whose little girl Copeland was born last Tuesday with Trisomy-18. Praise the Lord for her time here, for as brief as it is sure to be, her life has sparked the brilliance of the Lord and the wonder of His Holy Spirit among hundreds of people. Through the tears, I am constantly visiting their site (http://conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com/) and praying for their family.

What a miracle her life will always be, and how thankful I ought to be for all that the Lord has done for me.

For Carter's class at school where they are learning about Creation and God's family, we sent a little family photo with him. We have so few of these that we truly treasure them.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Introducing Carter!

For Carter's first birthday, we began to document his life by composing all our photos and videos into a single video. With SO much material, we made two videos:
A fun movie:

And a sweet movie:

...and like everytime I see these, I'm wiping the tears away. Where does the time go?