Happy New Year!

2008 is on the way out and, really, what a good year it has been. So many happy memories:

*Shawna and Jordan's wedding and the chance to see all of my extended family and many friends from the past

*Christina and Zach's wedding

*Visits from all of our parents at one time or another (and other special guests too)

*Living in this house which has been perfect for growing, active kids

*Billy growing in his career, gaining his confidence and being affirmed for his hard work

*Wrapping up my responsibilities with SCI and entering a new chapter of being a full-time mom and wife

*John's amazing growth in his speech and the way he is overcoming his sensitivities (I'll post about this in the next couple of days. I know I'm overdue for an update on him.)

*A wonderful trip to see the Lewis family and then an amazing family vacation to the D.C. area

*The birth of my incredibly cute nephew Ezekiel

*Havilah's explosion of skills and sweetness

There are so many other things that I am thankful for, especially my husband who I am grateful for every day. 

I have a few ideas of what 2009 holds for me and my family. No matter what, I'm looking forward to a new start and am trusting that whatever God brings, he will bring the energy and strength to see it through. Welcome, new year!

reading with Papa

P.S. Recognize the post-Christmas mess of toys? Please tell me the presents in your house turned into a mess too...! Though now the new toys are slowly finding their homes. (-:

he's here

All the waiting and hushing and biting my tongue has paid off. Bill (Billy's dad) arrived on Wednesday night...much to Billy's surprise! We had a lovely Christmas day together with plenty of fun and food and playing!

Surprise!

Today has been more of the same, including a trip to the park. The kids are absolutely loving the Papa time--and we are really enjoying his visit too.

feeling angelic

Last Sunday, John performed in his first Christmas musical (but surely not his last!). He loved, loved it. He has been "talking" about it all week and anytime he hears "Angels We Have Heard On High" he breaks out the motions and sings "oooooo" (as in "glooooria"). So cute.

I know it's hard to spot John in these pictures--just trust me that he's in the middle, taking it all in:

Taking a bow (he's the one with his hands hanging down):

Havilah was part of the "angel walk"--all the kids two years and under walked across the stage with little silver halos:

Well, I'm off to make cupcakes for Jesus' birthday party tomorrow--a bunch of three-year-olds, some carrot cake and cream cheese frosting with Christmas sprinkles cupcakes, and Jesus. It promises to be a festive start to Christmas week!

another Christmas thought

This one is brought to you by my Portland church, the Pearl, from their advent service last week:

Insignificant man, escape from your everyday business for a short while, hide for a moment from your restless thoughts.  Break off from your cares and troubles and be less concerned about your tasks and labors.  Make a little time for God and rest a while in him.

Enter into your mind’s inner chamber.  Shut out everything but God and whatever helps you to seek him; and when you have shut the door, look for him.  Speak now to God and say with your whole heart:  I seek your face; your face, Lord, I desire.

St. Anselm

(different sort of) working woman

As of Friday, December 12, SCI has been acquired by Credo Communications in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After nearly five and a half years of working for SCI--and my parents--I am no longer a working woman. Billy asked me yesterday, "what will you do with all your time??" But there is plenty to do, at least for the next few weeks before Christmas (which I am so excited about!). It has been suggested that I could keep the house a bit straighter, and there are always sewing projects, books to read, kids to care for, food to cook, errands to run, ok...you already know, you do most of those things too. 

But I will miss SCI and all of the fun, stimulating projects (won't miss the tedious ones--of which there were very few). There is always the possibility of more editorial work from other sources (including Credo), but we'll just have to see what happens with that. In the meantime, it's bittersweet. I am happy to be unemployed for the first time in my married life so that I can focus more on my kids, especially now that they are older and need a LOT of attention. Yesterday afternoon I felt a teeny bit more free when it came to playing with John and Hava, and not so rushed to get them off to sleep. Today is only day #2, so I'm curious to see how long it takes for my brain to stop thinking what do I need to do for SCI? In the meantime, I'm so thankful for my years of working for my dad, and so thankful that God provides for everything we need so that I don't have to rush out and get another job.

Sorry this is so random, but I had to mention this big change in my life. I wonder...what will 2009 have in store?

Hiking with the Mullins

This past Wednesday we enjoyed a leisurely 1 mile hike with Megan, Jim, and Shane Mullins in the White Tank Mountains (who knew? only 30 minutes from our house...). It was quiet (except for our own children screaming) and we hardly saw anyone else. It had been too long since we were all together so it was good to catch up and let the kids play.

Even though we've known each other for almost two years, this is our very first everyone-in-the-same-shot photo:

Pretty cute families, aren't we?

Christmas prayer

Loving Father,

Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

[Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)]

Play dough!

The kids and I made homemade play dough the other day. It turned out better than any of my previous attempts, so I am sharing the recipe (courtesy of these folks). We did add a little cinnamon to make it smell nice, too (that idea came from Jenny Hunt).

We made a snowman (and a mess) and it was fun for everyone, even Havilah who kept sneaking salty bits into her mouth and saying "mmm!"

Earth Friendly Play Dough

• 1 cup flour (not self-rising)
  
• 1/2 cup salt
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  

Mix in saucepan over low heat. (It does not have to heat long.) Dough is ready when it rolls into a ball (not doughy). Keep dough fresh in an airtight container. If you need to make different colors, add food coloring while mixing over heat.

P.S. No, I don't know why it's "earth friendly."

One of those days

Today began early--too early--and involved a certain three-year-old's poop on the carpet. It was a disagreeable morning between me and him and it was with mixed feelings that I put him on the bus. Fortunately, the short time of separation erased his memory of my sucky mom morning and he had a fun time at preschool and a very productive speech therapy session. And God is good because my sweet husband cleaned the house while I was at the therapy with John.

So the plan was to have a low-key afternoon with plenty of playing and not so much disciplining (do you like how I plan for my kids to be well-behaved? It doesn't hurt to hope!). One thing we enjoy around here is taking the 1 block walk to get our mail. This afternoon we got all ready, put everyone's shoes on, grabbed the mail key, locked and shut the front door, and remembered that we (uh, I) had forgotten the house key. Thankfully I had my phone and called Billy, who was at work (35 minutes away). But, alas, he didn't know any secret way into the house.

The next plan of action was to check all the windows and doors. Alas, I'm a thorough locker, so even our side gate is locked (it's about seven feet high). But we still needed to check every entrance, you know? Since the gate was locked, we would have to climb it. I gathered up our stepping stones and made a little stool about 18 inches high. I climbed up, grabbed John, and gently threw him over the gate. Next up: Hava. She didn't mind being tossed to John, who kindly caught her so she wouldn't get a face-ful of rocks. The most elegant part of the operation was when I hoisted myself up and over the gate. I was praying that my neighbors were busy watching TV or something so they wouldn't have to witness the event. (and yes, all the windows and doors were locked--good thing we risked it all to check.) The whole time, John is saying "Home, I want home." Yeah, bud, me too. There was no choice but to go back over the gate (this time using cinder blocks) and head down to the park while we waited for the door to unlock itself. The good news is that we are not at the park any longer...a very hot police officer came and kindly opened the door for us. We were so grateful that we all kissed him and asked him to flash his lights at us.

What a day!

P.S. Congratulations to my sweet friend with a sweet pea on the way--you know who you are!

oh my, it's been 12 days

Both kids are in the bath (with me on the tile), the kitchen is full of (dirty) evidence of food prepared for my family plus my dad, and I have a bit of a sinking feeling in my stomach. Saying goodbye to family visitors is always bittersweet. My dad is on a plane heading back to Portland now, after three lovely days together. We had a sweet time of playing with the kids, talking, and putting away two pies--but now I won't see my dad again for eight months. sniffle. John was so upset when Grandpa Dave (papa for short!) had to leave for the airport. This is the hardest part about living 1400 miles away from our parents--time with grandparents is out of the ordinary. But...the nicest part is that when a grandparent comes, we get them all to ourselves for several days of play, play, play! (-:

Havilah wanted to feed herself the yogurt...

It was time for John to put on his jeans so we could head out for a visit with the family. So then why are John's pants on my dad's legs? Billy grabbed the camera and since the pants were stuck, my dad was caught on film. (-:

Jumping on the pillows!

Playing! (That's what grandpas come to town for, right?)

Unfortunately, J and H have nasty colds and coughs. The kids have been on and off sick for the whole month so far. yuck! The bummer about being sick is that John has to miss preschool, therapy, Sunday school, and anything else he really enjoys. Here's his happy face right before Grandpa came:

Hopefully we're on the mend now. 

This post has been a bit random but I had 12 days to account for, you know? Hope all is well with you and yours!

P.S. Congratulations to Nate and Robin on the birth of their sweet little one, Hazel.

a tiny video

For your enjoyment, a very short video of Havilah saying "Papa," signing "please," oh yeah, and drooling all over herself in the process. Could she be asking to see a "papa" (grandpa)? My dad will be here next weekend, so she can try the word out on him. It will be so nice to have him here!

That's all for now...I'm off to play frisbee with Billy at the park. It's a beautiful day in Peoria, AZ!

Who is this boy?

John surprises me every day with a new word he hasn't been coached on. A few days ago it was poo-poo--very useful, especially since we're attempting to potty train (as a side note, John is doing this opposite of the average by happily poo-pooing in the correct place but needing more encouragement for #1). Yesterday it was boo-boo (not to be confused with poo-poo). Today his unprompted word was play (said P - ay)--also very useful. He enjoyed dictating Havilah's schedule with his word: "Hava, play!"

(Speaking of taking advantage of a younger sibling, check out John's helpfulness in the photos below....)

The surprises are not just with his words. Yesterday when I took him to the park he raced there ahead of me, climbed the "big kids" structure and zoomed down the tall slide--before I was even there. Megan Mullins and I used to take "the boys" to the park; she remembers the John who didn't want to sit on the swing (let alone be pushed) and who would walk the long way around anything in order to avoid sand on his feet. Yesterday, he kicked off his Crocs at the park and told me not to give him little pushes on the swing. "No, mama, whoah!" Meaning, "No, Mom, don't be wimpy; I want to go 'Whoah!'"

We've been working more on sign language. Last night, John couldn't sleep well (let's think; could it be the two and a half hot dogs, sno-cone, gogurt, popcorn, and candy--courtesy of his school carnival--not settling right with his small stomach?) so he was dozing in bed next to me at 11 p.m. I was saying goodnight to Billy on the phone (ok, another side note! Billy is switching to evening shift next week!) and told him that John's stomach hurt. I mentioned all the things he had eaten that evening when John sat up bright eyed and said "Yeah!" Then he signed "cheese" and said "I want cheese!" Sorry, kid, I think you've had plenty of calories for one night. But the fact that he could clearly communicate his midnight cravings to me was, weirdly enough, special. Today he was telling his skinned knee "bye bye boo-boo" because it has apparently overstayed its welcome. There are finally enough words (maybe 100?) so that he can communicate big ideas and thoughts. It's a relief to hear him say he wants me to play with him and that he is expecting five gummy bears after he, uh, does his business.

It's as though a different kid is living in my house. The change is very, very encouraging. On the first day of preschool, Ms. Martin sent home a little capsule for each parent. After it was soaked in hot water, it expanded to be a spongy animal. The note with it read "This capsule is like your child this year. At the end of the year, he will have completely changed." I almost hung the nasty sponge on the fridge because it offered hope. Who would have thought that so much change would already be here by the beginning of November?

As Tamara (the speech therapist) said yesterday: "Each success will build his confidence, which will inspire him to try and succeed again, which will build his confidence. It will become a snowball effect." I'm proud of all the work he does each week to catch up on his speech. And I'm excited to see where the next three months take us!

"Hey Hava, I know you're sleeping but you look a little hungry"

"I'll help you!"

Sweet sandwichy dreams, Havilah!

Right now....

I'm Enjoying:

--a quiet morning at home with both kids. I kept John home from preschool for his first sabbath day of rest. The boy is exhausted--mostly mentally--and needs to just be a kid for at least one morning. (Plus, Hava and John have both had colds this week. His is not as bad but still...)

--rearranging furniture to create new uses for familiar items. A small space for productivity in Hava's room. The changing table moved to the garage to wait for another wee one. Front room couches rearranged to let in more sunlight. A large ottoman converted to a "kid's couch" for reading by the window. Kid bookshelves more strategically placed. Forgotten toys moved to the garage for later rediscovery (or given away!).

--a new quilt made for Havilah (pictures to come in the sewing project post to come soon). It was originally made to be sold as part of a baby basket at the silent auction benefiting John's school tomorrow. But at the last minute they didn't need it and now Hava has her own homemade quilt.

--lemons off the tree. The oranges are still green but the lemons are beginning to fall off the tree. Fresh lemon peel smells almost as nice as lemon blossoms. yum.

--reevaluating everything in my life. Ok, maybe I'm not "enjoying" it, but it is clean feeling, healthy, and freeing.

--cool nights. The kids both woke up with cold hands this morning, rather than sweaty foreheads. The highs are in the mid-seventies and the lows are in the high forties. It is in November when Arizonans remember why they live here. (-:

Halloween P.S.

I forgot to mention--for all you non-Arizonans--a peculiar aspect of warm weather trick-or-treating. Many of my neighbors put up lawn chairs in their driveways or even sat in their garages to hand out candy. Some of them even congregated together in a designated driveway, though they each brought their own bowl of candy for the trick-or-treaters.

Obviously, you have to have warm weather (really warm weather) for this to be possible/pleasant, but I really enjoyed it. Instead of ringing the doorbell and seeing each neighbor for only a second, the folks in the driveways made trick-or-treating seem very neighborly indeed.

P.P.S. This was the first time Billy had been trick-or-treating (as far as he can remember). He said, "Man, I missed out as a kid!" But don't feel too sorry for him; we're "helping" the kids with their 200+ pieces of candy!

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday John's preschool class had a costume parade and Havilah and I got to tag along as they marched through the elementary school classrooms. John went as Super Boy, minus the underwear on top of Hava's leggings. Hahaha!!

Tonight we got the kids all dressed up as Super Girl and Super Boy (including the Superman underpants!). 

Oh yeah, baby, free candy here we come...

At home with the loot (one of our neighbors was giving out these awesome glow necklaces to all the kids):

"Mom! yellow!" 

"Uh, yeah, John, you have yellow candy in your mouth. Thanks for showing me."

Hope your Halloween was sweet!

Hava

I just found this video of Havilah from May:


Shaky shaky


Five months later...here's a video montage of Havilah this month. She's still talkative but she no longer sits still!


October 2008

Let me wake with the dawn

One verse that keeps coming up...and keeps my perspective in check:

"The LORD said to [Moses], 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.'" (Exodus 4:11-12)


One quote that expresses the value of hard times (and is anyone in America--or the world for that matter--not reflecting on hard times?):

“The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.”—Joanna Macy


One song that resonates right now:

"Mercies New" by Nichole Nordeman:

Is it fair to say I was lured away?
By endless distractions and lovelier attractions then
Or fairer still, my own free will
Is the better one to blame for this familiar mess I've made again

So I would understand if You were out of patience
And I would understand if I was out of chances
Your mercies are new every morning
So let me wake with the dawn
When the music is through or so it seems to be
Let me sing a new song, old things gone
Every day it's true, You make all Your mercies new


Two comments that have given me encouragement regarding my son:

"John is a sweet, sweet boy and we all love him to death! His progress so far leads us to think he will reach his Individual Education Plan goals by the end of the school year" --Ms. Martin, Awesome teacher

"You and your husband are really good at working with John on his speech at home" --Tamara (speech therapist, who I often feel like a bimbo with--through no fault on her part)

One happy thought:


(John and Havilah in their Halloween capes--here come Super Boy and Super Girl! I had fun sewing these super quick projects...)

Did you know?

* That cockroaches and scorpions and other friendly, clean creatures can and do climb UP drains and into houses?

* That the way to solve that problem is to play fourth grade student and make a volcano in the drain? Baking soda plus vinegar cleans out the drain, and hot water a few minutes later flushes the lovely bugs back where they came from.

* That tarantulas are huge, furry spiders but that they don't usually purposely hurt humans? Go ahead, pick up the next one you run across!

* That, thanks to living in the desert, I can personally attest to these tidbits of information?

And people ask me if I miss Portland...!

mayonnaise

John is continuing to make progress on his speech. He's still missing key sounds. "Sky" becomes "dye" because that K is tricky, as is G, Z, J, and a handful of others. But I'm happy to report that John is working hard--and still playing hard. His teachers at preschool are Awesome. Yes, Awesome with a capital A.

We had a preschool potluck picnic at the park tonight. It was a casual time and I was able to talk to his main teacher, Ms. Martin, about John. All of his teachers agree that he is one of the "sweet boys"; nothing warms a mama heart like hearing that. I also had a chance to get to better know the assistant teachers, Ms. Nancy and Ms. Kim.

While I chatted, John and Havilah went crazy on the playground equipment.

This afternoon I was making potato salad for the potluck and I said "John, can you say mayonnaise?" And he did. Very deliberately, very proudly: "Mayonnaise!" His list of words/phrases is still under 50, still far behind the average but the list is growing every day. I was discouraged a few months ago... thinking will John ever speak? But now I know that he will speak. He is starting to speak and is gaining confidence. He is so pleased with himself every time he busts out with a new word. And we are so proud too! There is plenty of clapping and whooping every time we hear something new slip out of his lips.

P.S. Don't you like Hava's shoes? She is such a girly girl and loves pretty clothes, cute shoes, and pink chapstick. I am in trouble!!

Ice Ice Baby

Five days late...here is a sampling of our Williams, AZ, cabin trip. We found a small lake perfect for throwing rocks in...


...though Havilah was most interested in zooming over the rocks and eating the pebbles.

This is such a fun time of year to be in Northern Arizona because the nights are chilly but the days are still mild and warm. The cabin is cozy and the kids enjoyed exploring with the pine cones and sticks and playing on the teeter totter and tire swing.

We found an amazing little coffee shop featuring drinks such as "Wicked Witch," "Kickoff," "Warm Days/Cool Nights," "Pumpkin Patch" and other fun fallish themes. John had an apple cider. Once Havilah had a taste, she continually signed "more"! Fortunately for her, John is quite generous.

It was good for us to be out amongst the trees, breathing unpolluted air, and getting a bit of use out of our sweatshirts.

So why is this post labeled Ice Ice Baby, you ask?

I've been thinking lately about what to do about the fact that John loves music but really can't sing yet. We've tried humming, or just saying random words in songs as he listens to his CDs, but then I had a revelation.

Tonight Billy and I had a lovely, leisurely birthday dinner out at a nice restaurant. On the way home after picking up the kids, I asked John to say "Ice Ice Baby."One of John's favorite words is ice so I combined it with Hava's name ("Baby") and we had the line from a classic song: Ice Ice Baby. Billy and I were laughing and laughing as John "sang" ice ice baby! in the backseat. Billy said he must think we're nuts since he's combining his favorite beverage addition with his little sister's name. Oh well! We're singing, baby!