7 Quick Takes (vol. 27)

#1 - No more sick kids! No more! We have had nonstop sickness around here for weeks. When we've got a child sick, both of us have to be here for number reasons, so it makes it really difficult to get anything done. We just came back on duty yesterday, had one day of no sick children (although Blueberry has been coughing), and then we wound up with another sicko this morning--strep no less. Sigh. Enough is enough! Oh, and since we were going to the doctor any ways, we took Blueberry in and she has another ear infection. Need to look into ear infections some more and see if I can find some more natural preventative stuff for them. The really bad thing about her ear infections is that she shows no symptoms. Never complains of ear pain. Has no fevers. Just gets a nasty cough which eventually proves to be triggered by the ear infection itself. Hard to treat when you don't realize its happening.

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#2 - In addition to the sickness, its been a dramatic few weeks here at the cottage. Between sicknesses, we had multiple court dates for a number of our ladies. One found out she will be staying here with us for a very long time, another two found out they are still stuck in limbo. That's so hard on a child not knowing if this is going to be home for a long time or if they are going back to whatever they came from before. And for some there is the tear of "I love my parent...but I know deep inside that this is safer for me." How do you balance those conflicts?

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#3 - So isn't the "why" phase supposed to start at age 3 or 4? Either way, we're in full-blown "why" gear around here. It actually started with Butterfly but little Miss Blueberry picked it up right away. "Why" has become very old, very fast. Although, I admit, I did have to laugh when I decided to reverse it on her the other day and asked her, "why", and she calmly looked at me and said in the most matter of fact voice possible, "Because."

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#4 - Blueberry has also begun saying, "Yes, ma'am" to things. As we do live in the south, it is a campus requirement to teach the kids to say, "Yes, ma'am" "No, sir," etc. Otherwise they are seen as disrespectful at school and other places. So she has heard it for the last year and apparently has decided it is high time to put it into practice herself. The most startling moment when I noticed it was when she was telling Doggie off about something (he's been a most disobedient stuffed dog lately) and she looks at him and says, "No, Ma'am!" very sternly.

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#5 - Christmas presents and shopping are going pretty well. Not quite done yet, but we're on our way. Just a few more things to tie up and I can't write that off my list. For our cottage girls, we finally decided to do a mini picture book for each of them of the last year. Having a love of my camera, I tend to take lots of pictures, so putting all of them together into scrapbooks for each of the girls has been fun. Course it takes quite a bit of time, but I think the end result is worth it. And with all the good deals out there on photo-books, it ends up being relatively affordable (which is important when you're looking at 7 kids). Sure the girls get presents from sponsors and other people, but we like to give them something directly from us. Its just hard knowing what to get that isn't just another generic gift.

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#6 - OK, I just had a laugh at a very apropos sight. I'm sitting at the computer eating my lunch, typing this, and I glance to my side and see my nativity set sitting up on the bookshelf. Its a very pretty set, complete with the typical wise men, angels, Mary, Joseph, the Lord Jesus, and, in our case, a cough drop. GAH! The sickness is creeping in everywhere! Make it stop!

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#7 - Its my big brother's 35th birthday today. Somehow I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around this--he's 35? Seriously? I remember when 35 sounded so old, and while it feels young now, my ingrained perspective of many years is that 35 is ancient and decrepit!

Any ways, happy birthday big bro. I love you. You are amazing and talented in so many ways. I'm honored to have a big brother that I can look up to and admire so strongly after all these years. Take a break at some point today.

 "Unca Jon" and Blueberry

The Whirlwind

As I sit here ridiculously early this morning, I am trying to gather my thoughts and process everything that has happened to us this last week. As I haven't breathed a word of most of this on here--I now get to spill the beans per say. And such beans they are!

Let's begin with last Monday. On that day I received an email that depressed me greatly as yet another one of my friends informed me that she was moving away. And this time on one week's notice.

As I popped over to her house to help her start boxing up her kitchen (packing kitchen's is apparently my specialty as I've packed quite a few friend's kitchen in the last few years), we began talking about the new job they were going to be doing. The more they talked, the more intrigued I became. Chris and I have had a job that we've talked about on and off since before we were married. Then six of seven years ago we had a discussion about dream jobs--and what she was describing was our dream job. Even more than that, what she was describing to me was an answer to our financial, ministry, job, and even family-goals related prayers for the last two years.

And they were hiring.

Wednesday, Chris and I talked it over. I called the director for the company and he confirmed they were still looking, but not exactly for the position that we were wanting. But it was a similar position, and could lead into the opening we were wanting. He said to go ahead and put in our applications, and that he was actually going to be in town next week, so we could do an interview then. That night we put in our applications and went to bed not knowing what to think.

Thursday morning I check my email first thing--we have an email from him. He had reviewed our applications and would look to see us. Immediately. On location. Could we come?

Ensue a flurry of phone calls back and forth between Chris and I. Quick plans and discussions were made. And by 2:30pm Friday afternoon we were on the road, Blueberry in tow, heading to Arkansas.

Yes, Arkansas. To interview to be Relief Houseparents at a Christian children's home for foster children, orphans, etc.

Saturday morning we arrived at the home ready for the interview. One of the first things we were told was that unfortunately he couldn't offer us the position he originally intended.

Our hearts sank. Five hour car trip for nothing.

And then he went on (I'm pretty sure he was enjoying himself). The position he could offer us was that of full time Houseparent to one of the girl's cottages (the children of the home are broken up into six cottages based on age/grade level. Each cottage has it's own set of houseparents)--specifically the little girl's cottage (ages 0-10ish). In other words--exactly the position type (and gender and even age range of kids) that we were most interested in!

We talked and talked and talked all about the home, what happens, how it operates, what our roles would be. Then we drove around in a golf cart and saw all over the beautiful campus, went into the house we would be parenting (if hired), and learned even more about how everything operates. The more we saw and the more information we learned, the deeper our desires grew to be a part of this ministry. Almost from the first moments of hearing about the job itself several days ago, and definitely from the moment we took that fateful step and submitted our applications, both of us had been so excited, but even more, so sure in our spirits that this was where God was leading us. And every moment of that interview simply confirmed our initial response.

Finally after about 2 hours of talk and viewing, we went back to his office and he offered us the job. We accepted on the spot.

And so, in less than two weeks now (July 31/August 1), we will be driving back to Arkansas this time with U-Haul and puppy dog (and child of course) in tow to start a new chapter of our lives that is so entirely different from anything that has come before, it feels like God just pressed the reset button.

Years of prayers, even more years of dreams, all answered in one fell swoop. It will be hard work, sometimes emotionally exhausting work. But it's work that we are both eager to take on. We get to raise our child as we want to raise her--and we get to raise other children right alongside her. We're going from being parents of 1 to parents of potentially up to 10 or 11.

And even as I write this I can hardly believe it. Although if I look at my "to do" list for the next 2 weeks, the reality sets in firmly!

Already my living room is full of moving boxes. I'm trying to plan a make-shift first birthday party/farewell party for next week, see girlfriends who leaving is going to be really hard, make sure I'm stocked up on some Thai ingredients so I don't starve to death (not really that strong on the Asian food stores that I can tell), and sort/pack/toss/sell every item in my house. Oh, and figure out what to do with our house and sell one of our cars as well! Phew. If this is where God has led us, I'm counting on Him to give me the energy and nerves of steel for the next few weeks!

Christmassing

It is December 30 and I'm sitting here with the window wide open enjoying the lovely breeze. Does anyone else find this picture bizarre?

Warm weather has been the weather of our Christmas this year. Granted, we flew to where it should be warm, so it was a little less unexpected, but still!

Last Wednesday we flew out to Arizona to spend Christmas with my parents. They are temporarily living in Arizona teaching at a local bible school there. Why not enjoy a warm Christmas while we can?!

Packing was a challenge. First (as I mentioned in an earlier post) our dryer broke. So I spent one day running back and forth (well, driving) between my brother's house and mine doing laundry. But by Wednesday morning we were all packed, dressed, and ready to go.

Blueberry was an absolute angel on the plane--both there and back. The worst crying we had out of her was a few minutes of her (very quiet) "uh uh uh"s while she explained to me how she didn't want to go to sleep and how she resented her eyelids getting heavy. She was so quiet on the way there that the people across the aisle from us were shocked when they realized there was a baby right next to them! And, no. We did not drug her.

At the airport:




While in Arizona we enjoyed the gorgeous weather that allowed for craziness like roses and fruit on trees in December.












The cactus wearing Santa caps were rather amusing too.


On Friday we drove to Sedona where we enjoyed the red rocks of Coconino National Forest. While I don't think I would want to live in Phoenix, if I could live somewhere in that area, I totally would.




(My new carrier--Piccolo. Similar to a mai tai but with clips instead of tying on. I still prefer my wrap for now, but when she gets bigger, especially when she's able to go on my back, this will be far easier. And it fits both Chris and I with little adjustment!)

Other activities: I visited my first Trader Joes. While I was impressed by the prices, I actually was not that impressed by the store. I've heard so much about it, and I can see it being great for novelty stuff, but really, I like our Mama Jeans!

My Mum got introduced to playing the Wii. That was absolutely hysterical. If you are a Facebook friend of mine, I'm going to link to the video we took of her.

Chris and I were also happy to spend an afternoon and evening with some good friends of our who we hadn't seen in about 8 years. Nothing like catching up with friends.

Blueberry primarily worked at entertaining her grandparents. She was very good most of the trip; although, she did get her patience tried a little too much on Friday as she spent so much time in the car seat that she proceeded to protest riding in the car seat after much shorter intervals than normal. She also found a new noise to make. I personally think it sounds like the groaning of a train coming to a halt. Chris thinks she's trying to imitate his cough. Either way, it's a most peculiar noise. Oh, and she finally is mastering the art of grasping. Which means everything is being grabbed (and then gummed). Plus she has discovered a love of drinking from glasses. Trying to get her to master her sippy cup. So far, she prefers trying to suck out of the straw opening on mommy's water bottle. It was a busy week in her world!

Saturday morning--Christmas Day!--was the Blueberry present hour. Let's just say her Nana and Papa spoiled her. But that's ok. After all, we have few Christmases together for spoilage.

Nana and Blueberry reading hour.


Blueberry in a Bag


Which she primarily tried to eat--because she's eating everything currently.




Including her new Raggedy Ann


I hope they will be good friends. I was delighted that she was given both the classic Raggedy Ann stories and the classic Raggedy Andy stories. Love those books!


Yes, we are a family of bookworms. Lots of books for Christmas.


Blueberry and a stylin' outfit from France--a gift from her Auntie Joy




I hope everyone's Christmas was as delightful.

Blueberry's First Thanksgiving

Blueberry's first Thanksgiving was a cold one.

We had lunch at my brother and sis-in-law's house. Played games until late. Poor little Blueberry only took one short nap that whole time (other than the catnap on my shoulder). Was remarkably cheerful though. After all--people were around! She really is a social bug.


Blueberry is introduced to gaming at a young age.


Blueberry with her Auntie Joy


Uncle Jonathan and his Charlaberry.


Nom. Nom. Nom. Blueberry's favorite snack.


Check out the cute boots from England!


She collapsed into bed with Mummy at the end of the day.

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 13)

Yes, yes. I am not so pregnant-brained that I don't know it's Monday and not Friday. But I have so many tidbits and kersmidgins of news and updates that I decided to do this post as a Quick Takes. And I don't want to wait until Friday! So there. I'm pregnant. You just have to deal with it (got to use that excuse as long as I can here!).


#1 - Babyland: All is good. I'm tired (surprise, surprise), hot (in an even-hot for Missouri summer? another surprise, I know), and feel rather large and cumbersome all around. I'm also still amazed by the fact that somehow my skin is still stretching and hasn't actually popped like an overly full balloon yet. Oh, and my darling husband has taken to calling me penguin. But baby is healthy and apparently happy. In fact, I think I could do with her being a little less happy as she'd perhaps feel a stronger urge to come meet her mummy.

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#2 - On that topic, I am officially on maternity leave. I considered trying to work longer, but I'm glad I decided against it. Having some down time to just focus on, well, having a baby and all that is going to entail, is a relief. Besides, I'm technically still working some as my company graciously is letting me do some writing work while at home--which just happens to be my favorite part of my job.

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#3 - About a month ago, a dear friend of mine threw me a baby shower. Definitely up there as one of the cutest showers I've ever attended, and yes, I know I'm biased, but I still hold to that statement! She did an Alice in Wonderland theme (because of our literary based nursery) complete with drinks in little bottles with labels on them saying "Drink Me" and cupcakes with icing saying "Eat me."

She also threw it at a local pottery place where you can go and paint pieces of pottery. Super cuteness! (I, naturally, painted a baby bowl).

Sadly, I only have a few pictures available as other people took most of the pictures and I haven't gotten copies yet. But here's a few...

The Lovely Mistress of Ceremonies

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#4 -On the topic of pregnancy/babies, I do have to say that I think one of the most incredible things I've experienced while pregnant is all the unexpected help and kindness people have shown to both my husband and I. It honestly has been way more than I ever would have dreamed. And I am grateful that we are so blessed with all these incredible people in our lives.

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#5 -My dogs have been disturbing me lately. Normally they are such sweet, charming, lovable, if slightly overly-enthusiastic creatures. And then recently they have become killer dogs.

It started with Chris finding a nest of baby bunnies in our back yard.

Sadly, other than the little one here, the rest had been slaughtered. And since then, the dogs have been hunting down all sorts of small, helpless animals in the back yard. Young robins. More baby bunnies. BLEAGH! So gross.

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#6 Joyous News: The big news of the last month(ish) has been the (not-so-unexpected) engagement announcement of my baby sister (nicknamed Joy--yes, yes, go back and admire my silly pun now). The general consensus is high approval of this news.

In the usual drama that follows my sister's life around, her call to my parents telling them the good news was accompanied by my mother being so excited to get the call that she tripped over a bag (she was sitting in a meeting) and managed to sprain both her ankles and hang up on my sister before Joy even got to tell her the news!

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#7 - If you truly want to "get" me and my life, my sister's engagement is actually the perfect demonstration of one of the major quirks of my life. She got engaged while visiting our family in England. Which means that my brother, my sister, and I all got engaged to be married on a different continent. I got engaged in Asia (Thailand), my brother got engaged here in North America, and the Joy got engaged in Europe. And this should be considered normal and non-surprising for our family.

My Husband - Duck Terrorist - An Almost Tragic Tale in Five Parts

The Prey


The Hunter


Stalking


Run away! Run away!


The Escape

Babymoon?--Part 1--A plant filled vacation

I suppose you could call our recent(ish) vacation to Washington state a "baby-moon." More like an "escape from the town that's going to eat me alive if I don't get out of here and, oh yeah, congratulations Chris on graduating"-moon really.

Last fall a friend gifted me some frequent flyer miles as a thank you for helping out in her wedding. Combined with some other miles from my lovely parents, and we were set for an affordable vacation. So we flew out to Washington state to see my parents and the beauties of one of our favorite states.

Sadly, it was very, very cold the whole time. And before I say anything else, Heather, thank you so much for the maternity jacket as I don't know how I would have survived that trip without it! But despite the cold it was gorgeous. And relaxing.

We flew into Spokane and the next day promptly drove over the Cascades to Seattle because my Dad had services in that area. Sadly I'm missing some of the photos from this trip. Our camera was having battery issues during the first half of the trip, and while I have my mother's pictures as well, I can't figure out what I did with them. So you'll just have to miss seeing the cool picture of the peregrine we saw at the waterfalls on the way up.

The following day we enjoyed looking around Seattle a bit--primarily Pike Place market--and hanging out with some friends of our who have moved to that area. For those unfamiliar with the tradition of fish-throwing at Pike Place:



The Cascades:



One of the things I was loving most was all the beautiful flowers out in Seattle. That is something the Midwest really does lack--at least where we live it feels lacking--real Spring.





Friends (and my APs) we stayed with while in Washington. Friends who have been in our lives for, well, longer than I've been alive.



We were going to go visit Mt. Saint Helen's (a place of some significance for my life at least even though I've never been there), but it went and snowed about 8 inches the night before, and we decided to just drive straight through the Cascades instead and admire the snow from the safety and warmth of the car.



As we drove through the pass, just on the other side of the Cascades--still cold but no snow!


What I hope to not end up looking like at the end of all this (although he's a pretty good representation of how I feel sometimes!)...



Being Silly in Spokane--home of the Bloomsday Marathon


Nana (to be) and me--apparently I have inherited my love of taking plant photographs from her.



Cacti at a greenhouse in Spokane. Love some of the names:




(Ok, ok, it's a cane not a cacti. But did it really deserve the name?)