Ben and Ramona Visit

Ben and Ramona pose with the boys.
Ben and Jeremiah watch Sesame Street in Dutch.
I wonder what is going on in Jeremiah´s head.

A cozy scene.

Jeremiah had a blast playing with uncle Ben.

Oma rocks Nathaniel to sleep.

After a great nights sleep on Monday, 8pm to 9am for all!, we had a relaxing morning at home before Ben and Ramona came to visit for the rest of the day. Jeremiah seemed abit confused when they walked in the door but warmed up to them quickly and in no time at all was playing with them. We enjoyed spending time with them catching up and hearing all the latest wedding details. I am going to bring the boys to their place in Amsterdam on Saturday to visit there.

We are here!

We are here safe and sound. If you prayed for us then you did a good job! He blessed us above and beyond expectations and the trip really was a breeze. When we arrived at the Atlanta airport they gave Aaron a special security pass so that he could come with us all the way to the gate. That made life so much easier! He stayed with us until we boarded the plane. Once on the plane we settled, ate dinner, and Jeremiah was actually asking to lay down and go to sleep. He had not had a nap so he was one tired fellow. He slept almost the whole flight. So did Nathaniel! Wonder of wonders Nathaniel actually snuggled up and slept in the bassinet that hooked onto the wall in front of me. I had a quiet and relaxing flight! I was so proud of my boys!
We are tired today and will try and keep to as normal a schedule as possible. Jeremiah is loving exploring oma and opa´s house. We have been up and down both flights of stairs more times than I can count. He has gone to the store with opa and been on a walk with oma. Friends of my parents have lent us all kinds of toys for Jeremiah and a crib and seat for Nathaniel so we are all set!
We miss Aaron.
Let´s pray that their adjustment to Dutch time will be as easy as the flight.

In the subway at Atlanta airport.
`This is fun!

Jeremiah loved watching all the goings on at the airport.

Proof that I can and will nurse almost anywhere now!
It´s so much easier with child #2.

Jeremiah asleep on the airplane.
below, Nathaniel snuggled in the bassinet.

Nathaniel asleep at opa and oma´s house.
He has been sleeping alot today so we will see how tonight goes.

Opa and the boys!

Another Parade

Just another quick post.

Tonight was the parade in our small town. We walked the short 20 minute walk to the town square. The parade was bigger and abit longer.

Con: no storybook characters like Clifford.

Pro: people threw candy from the floats! It took Jeremiah about 3 minutes to figure it out and before long he was out in the street with the other kids battling for candy saying, "I got one!" When we waited for another float to go by he would say, "Want more candy!"

He was not too impressed with Santa Clause.

Advent II

One of my favorite Christmas CD's is one I have been listening to since college. I love Harry Connick Jr.'s smooth voice and jazzy arrangements. This CD has a nice mix of reflective songs and fun celebratory songs (Parade of the Wooden Soldiers sends me and Jeremiah marching around the kitchen). I have no idea what Harry's spiritual state is but he wrote 2 songs for this CD that help me keep focused on what I want to remember during the Christmas season.

--

A quiet ballad this song stills my soul.

The Blessed Dawn of Christmas Day

The blessed dawn of Christmas day

As honestly as children pray

The warmth that melts the eve away

The holiness of alpenglow

-

I rose to join the glorious morn

Whose calm and splendor would adorn

The virgin mother's infant born

The blessed dawn of Christmas day

-

I pray one day my heart will see

The light of God's eternity

And know that Jesus died for me

Now close, my eyes

So I may rise

At blessed dawn of Christmas morn

--

With a funky, soulful beat this song lifts my spirits and reminds me of the simplicity that I long for. It also is the cause of much dancing and finger snapping between me and my oldest son.

I Pray On Christmas

I pray on Christmas

That the Lord will see me through

I pray on Christmas

He'll show me what to do

-

I pray on Christmas

He'll help me understand

I pray on Christmas

He'll take me by the hand

-

I pray on Christmas

That the sick will soon be strong

I pray on Christmas

The Lord will hear my song

-

I pray on Christmas

That God will lead the way

I pray on Christmas

He'll get me through another day

-

I pray on Christmas

All our problems gonna be worked out

I pray on Christmas

God'll show us what love's about

-

I pray on Christmas

To do your will each day

And I pray on Christmas

That I'll be with you in heaven some day

-

I pray on Christmas

That God will lead the way

And I pray, I really pray on Christmas

He'll get me through another day.

To Do List

Tomorrow we will load up the car and head for Atlanta. We will spend the night at Caleb & Monica's house and then head to the airport on Sunday morning. My flight leaves Sunday at 5:40 pm, just so you have an idea of when to start praying. hee hee So today is my last day to finish up stuff. I am feeling some stress that is mostly of my own making since I do tend to procrastinate. On the other hand trying to pack with 2 small kids in the house is something of an adventure. I pile stuff up by their suitcase in the guestroom and then realize that there is still something in the dirty clothes that needs to be washed, or that I need to use something today, or that Nathaniel just had a growth spurt and all the 3-6 month size clothes I had planned to bring are too small. The other challenge is trying to fit in the work of packing and sorting in between the regular housework. Yesterday afternoon I was standing in the kitchen trying to decide if I should unload and reload the dishwasher or pack more of our things. It seemed like a monumental decision at the time. I have no idea if I will even end up in Holland with matching clothes for me!

--

Since I am an avid list maker I have a list of things to get done today - we'll see how it goes:

- pick up hemmed pants from Grannie (try not to stay and visit too long)

- run by attorney office to sign & notarize documents for MCC

- meet with Emily to handle paychecks and last minute MCC details

- send emails for MCC (about 5)

- finish last load of laundry

- pack rest of boys things

- pack my things

- help Aaron pack his things

- pack separate overnight bag with things for Saturday night

- balance checkbook and pay bills

- keep Jeremiah occupied since he has been extra clingy and destructive lately, he knows something is up but is not sure how to process it

- keep Nathaniel fed and happy, try to make sure he takes his regular naps (good luck with that one, he has started being a bit difficult about sleeping)

--

My loving husband has told me not to worry about any housecleaning, that he will do it all after we are gone. I love him!

Given the length of my list, the fact that I would like our final evening here at home to be restful and relaxing, and the state of my kitchen I think we will order dinner!

My next post will most probably be from my parents house. Any prayers for an uneventful trip and easy adjustment to Netherlands time would be much appreciated....

Christmas Parade

Jeremiah and Nathaniel all bundled up. It was cold!
Main Street
Mama and Jeremiah
Jeremiah hugging a flag pole and yelling "come down flag!".

We are not sure why.

On Monday evening Aaron called me on his was home from work and suggested that we go to the Christmas parade in the small town of Summerville where he teaches. We piled in the car as soon as he got home and headed out. Summerville is a small town in a pretty economically depressed area. The factories that once were the main economic engine of the town have long since closed down. Like many small towns in America the quaint and personal shops that once lined Main Street have been replaced by large chain stores on the outskirts of town, sucking the life out of the main square of the town. But on this one evening the Main Street was once again a bustling hub of activity with most of the community lining the street chatting and drinking hot chocolate while they waited for the parade to start. The parade was a typical small town parade with twinkling homemade floats by various church youth groups pulled behind large Ford trucks, the marching bands of the 2 local high schools high stepping it down the street enthusiastically playing Christmas carols, and winners of local beauty pageants smiling and braving the cold in their finery as they were borne down the street in vintage open topped automobiles in their.

To my adult and cynical eyes the parade was nothing special or spectacular and definitely not something that I would have stood in the cold for myself. But seen through the eyes of my child the parade was an extravagant, fantastical event. To him the lights were magical, the music from the marching band was spectacular, and the scenes depicted on the floats were real life dramas unfolding before his eyes. But the highlight of the evening was not the appearance of Santa Claus. My son's eyes were big as saucers and the smile on his face brighter than all the Christmas lights when The Cat in the Hat and Clifford both approached him waving and (gasp) gave him high fives! What are the chances of that happening at the big, extravagant parades in the city?

I was reminded as we drove home that these memories are the stuff that childhood is made of. To me it was an evening spent shivering in the cold watching a mediocre small town parade. But to my son it was a magical evening of lights, music and fantasy.

(Note: I would have taken more pictures, specifically of the Cat in the Hat and Clifford, but my camera ran out of batteries. Dang it! We haven't stopped hearing of his experience with those 2 favorite characters since.)

Advent Begins

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
1. Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

2. Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

I find such a dichotomy in myself at this time of year. On the one hand I love the Christmas season. I enjoy the music, the lights, the decorations, the gifts, the food, and the time with family. On the other hand part of me dreads this time of year. I dread the busy-ness, the extra planning and cooking, the way my children behave on an inconsistent schedule, the focus on material things, the pressure for each Christmas to be meaningful and full of tradition now that we have children.

As I have struggled with this torn-ness the past few years I am realizing more and more that in order for me to enjoy this time of year I prefer to think of it as Advent. It is more in my personality to stand back from the hustle and bustle and reflect on Christ's coming to earth in a more quiet and intentional way. This year I am specifically setting aside a few minutes each day to read and reflect on this marvelous gift we have been given. I am reading from a book called In the Days of the Angels by Walter Wangerin (a terrific writer that you must read) and also trying to read a chapter a day in the book of Luke. For our family devotions after dinner we are reading from The Book of God, the Bible as a Novel also by Wangerin. I am by no means super-spiritual and my Advent reading takes no more than 20 minutes out of my day. I find that it keeps me grounded and focused in what can otherwise be a season that flies by in a flurry.

16 weeks old

Nathaniel loves his Bumbo. Some kind friends are letting us borrow theirs.

Nathaniel loves to practice sitting up and this is a perfect way for him to do that and be part of all the action around the house.

Nathaniel is 16 weeks (4 months) old today!

Here are a few random thoughts on this momentous occassion.

- We are in 6-9 month size clothes already???????

- I have created a sleeping problem by nursing him to sleep, letting him fall asleep in his swing, or having Aaron swing him in his car seat. Yet at this point I am not ready to make too much effort to make changes since we are about to go to the Netherlands where everything will be all crazy. So until we get home I will just do whatever necessary to help him sleep - and not worry about it like I did with #1. :-)

- Why is he on a bottle strike?! I haven't been able to get him to take a bottle in the past 3 weeks, despite trying almost every day. If this continues our vacation is going to be a bit more difficult logistically.

- Time goes so much faster with #2! When did he start wanting to sit up and does all this drool predict cutting teeth soon?

- I spend much less time thinking about whether or not Nathaniel is meeting the developmental milestones according to the books. In fact, I don't think I have even read one of those books for him yet..... My milestones are these: seems happy, seems healthy, sleeps well, eats well, seems to be growing well, seems to be interacting with the world around him - those all sound good to me.

- Since I am not in a hurry or worried about developmental milestones I will wait a lot longer to introduce solid foods - I'm thinking 6-9 months. Right now the thought of him on solid foods is just too complicated, one more things to add to the day. He's fine and growing on breastmilk so why change it?

- I will always feel guilty as a mom about how much time I am or am not giving each son seperately.

- I never never even remotely imagined that I could have this much love in my heart for another child. I am as much in love with him as I was (am) with Jeremiah. I love to watch his sleeping face, I love his happy smile and laugh when I poke his nose or rub his head, I love the mischevious smile he gets when he is about to nurse, I love watching him discover the world and specifically his brother, I love snuggling his plump little body, I love his laid back attitude, I love to kiss his chubby feet, I love the look of recognition and joy in his eyes when he sees my face or hears my voice, I love his obsession with the tv remote.

Got to get moving

I am bleary-eyed this morning. Why is it that I just never seem to feel rested? Oh yeah, I have 2 kids, one of which still wakes at 5am to nurse... But the coffee is perking and I have devotions to do (we have been challenged by Travis to read through the Gospel of Luke during Advent), lists to make, and laundry to start.

This is the week! On Saturday we head down to Atlanta to spend the night before leaving on Sunday for my parents! I am so excited about finally being there but dreading this last week of packing, organizing, and cleaning. Not to mention the actual trip with 2 kids by myself. But like the proverbial carrot on the end of the stick the thoughts of sitting in my parents cozy living room, enjoying a nice cup of tea and some Dutch pastries, and watching my kids play with their grandparents are keeping me going.

Please pray for us this week. I am trying to keep it as normal and routine as possible but there are some extra errands to run and of course all the packing to do. I also am fighting a cold. So I am taking extra vitamins and drinking lots of fluids all in the hope that I can knock this thing out. In my past lessons about prayer I have learned that God does answer and so I am praying for some specific things with regards to the flight on Sunday:

- That I will stay calm and relaxed and not worry about what other people think about my kids or my parenting skills (example: Why is that lady letting her infant son cry in his car seat? Why is she not moving her kids through security faster? Why can't she make her kid sit still and be quiet?).

- That the person who ends up in the seat next to us will be a nice, kind, friendly person who likes kids.

- That we will get the bulkhead seat with the bassinet.

- That Jeremiah will have a spirit of obedience.

Any prayers along these lines would be much appreciated. :-)

Not About Me

The past few weeks I have been worrying and selfish. I have been worrying about money, clothing, cars, my weight, my parenting abilities, our upcoming trip.

I just saw a story on the news about 3 young boys who have lost their parents to AIDS and their older brother who was caring for them in a car accident. The 3 boys were simply sitting in front of their "house" with empty, hopeless looks in their eyes. Every once in a while silent tears would roll down their faces.

God suddenly showed me that I was sitting in my comfortable house, a kitchen full of food, a paycheck being deposited in my bank account, my 2 children safe and healthy, and the prospect of a fun trip with my family to look forward to.

I was ashamed of my selfishness.

I was ashamed of my worry over temporary and wordly things.

I was ashamed that I have done nothing this week to show God's love to anyone outside of my immediate family.

God continues to show me that my life here on this earth is not intended to be about me. Everything I have been given is a gift. It is my continued prayer that God will show me ways to reach out to others so that my life is spent not in worry over myself (clothing, stuff, image) but in service to Him.

Fun with a worm

Nathaniel has started enjoying playing with toys. This worm was given to Jeremiah by my cousin Kelly and has made its way down to Nathaniel. It is a great toy with lots of textures and parts to explore. It is also easy for baby to hold and I have found it encourages rolling over. Nathaniel loves it! Jeremiah is learning that there are some toys now that belong to Nathaniel and not to him. He is learning not to take the toys from Nathaniel's basket without asking and that he has a basket (and bookshelf, and box) of toys that are his to play with. I am trying to teach him that it is not kind to grab toys from his brother. It is obviously going to be a process of learning. :-) But on the other hand there are times when Jeremiah wants to help Nathaniel play with the worm and it is very sweet to watch them interact together.

Shop for a good cause!

Do you shop online? Do you shop online at stores like Ebay, Old Navy, iTunes, Wal-mart, Starbucks, ToysRUs, Office Depot, Verizon, Starbucks, or Staples? Do you shop online for Christian books, DVDs, resources for sunday school or youth group?

Well now you can shop at all those places (and more) and be supporting Mercy's Chosen Children, Inc, the foster care and adoption agency that I co-founded and now direct!

We have been given the opportunity to receive support for MCC in a new and exciting way through www.supportthisministry.com/MCC

This website will give you access to a Christian book store and an online mall. If you shop at the Christian bookstore 10% of the profit will automatically be given back to MCC. The online mall consists of stores such as Wal-Mart, Ebay, Old Navy, Best Buy, iTunes, Verizon, ToysRUs, Staples, Office Depot, Koday Easy Share Gallery. If you enter the mall through our website and shop at any of the online mall stores each store will contribute a certain percentage of the profit to MCC. So shop away and know that you are supporting our agency!

I am so excited about this opportunity because I already do online shopping at some of these stores! Please consider using this website for some of your online shopping. You can do your regular online shopping and know that you are supporting MCC in a very important way. Also, please pass this website along to your church and friends and family who do online shopping. The more people that shop through our webpage the more money will be raised for MCC!

Remember, for the percentage of the profit to come to MCC you have to enter the book store and/or online mall through the website listed above and see Mercy's Chosen Children's name on the homepage.

Shop on!

Vacation hangover

Some of the fun Jeremiah had one day last week working outside with papa.

Nathaniel gets a bath in Grammy's sink.

Yep, I do feel like I have a vacation hangover. A whole week of vacation has left me groggy, in need of coffee, and trying to adjust to a regular routine again. Aaron is back at work. The boys and I spent yesterday at home, chilling in our sweats, trying to clean, and trying to get a normal schedule established. Jeremiah especially enjoyed watching Elmo on Sesame Street while cuddling with his very own Elmo on the couch. Jeremiah currently has two volume levels - loud and louder. We are at a loss trying to teach him to use his "quiet voice" because it seems he just doesn't have one. I love the running commentary I get on his daily activities; "I play in my room mama. I be right back mama. I have a snack please mama? I help you do that mama. I go play with Thomas mama." You get the idea.

Nathaniel continues to grow like a weed. Yesterday I packed away most of his 3-6 month clothes and hauled out the 6-9 month clothes. I couldn't believe it! He is a chunky little monkey. I have the feeling that he will be sitting on his own in no time at all. He basically holds himself upright in my lap and over the weekend kept pulling up into a sitting position from a semi-reclined position. The good news is that he is consistently sleeping better at night. We are now down to just 10pm and 5am feedings! Yeah! He still sleeps in his car seat or swing but I am ok with that. The bad news is that he has decided that he doesn't like eating from a bottle anymore and for the past week has refused one every time we tried to give him one. He's going to have to get over it because I intend to have a fun, childfree evening at Ben & Ramona's reception and on New Years!

Speaking of those things - just 12 days until we leave! I have got to get back to list making and organizing...

Christmas came early!

This is a long long post with lots of pictures from our early Christmas celebration with the Rapier family. It was lots of fun. There are of course a ton more pics but I tried to pick out the best ones.

A family picture!

Jeremiah gets an Elmo!

He loves Elmo and singing the "Elmo's world" song.

Jeremiah gets his very own digital camera. He is currently obsessed with camera's and is often heard saying, "I take a smile!"
Self-portrait
Aaron and I enjoy watching all the action. Nathaniel slept on his boppy for most of the morning. He was one tired little man.

Aaron gets a collection of cd's and dvd's.

Yeah! I finally have a cookie jar. He is so cute I think that I will keep him out all year long.

Jeremiah gets a Thomas the Tank Engine set.

Papa and Jeremiah set up Thomas.

Choo Choo! Playing with Thomas is fun.

Aunt Moni and Nathaniel.

Nathaniel poses with his stocking.

Our 2 handsome boys!

Jeremiah gets Thomas big boy pants!

Nathaniel poses with Elmo. Too too cute!

Jeremiah plays with his new play-doh. Hard to tell who is having more fun. :-)

Nathaniel is laughing at granny Bettis!

Grammy enjoys Nathaniel.