Mercy Leads

Not Staged!

2011-09-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

They got in the car together and I did not stage this picture. How sweet!

I like this kid!

2011-09-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

I had an assignment from Ander's preschool to write a paragraph about what makes Ander special. I could write a book, being the proud mother that I am, but I somehow managed to write this short summary:

Ander is a very special boy. He is good at running, jumping, and climbing. He is also very good at building things out of legos. He loves books, trucks, construction equipment, and camping. Ander is a big helper. He helps his mom and dad a lot with chores. Ander is also very kind and gentle with other children, especially his sister Mirren. Ander gives great hugs and makes us all laugh. He is a good friend and a very good son.

Babalouie

2011-09-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

If our family had a sitcom, there would definitely be a character named "Babalouie" on our show. That is the name we've given to the "creature" we hear pretty much every day and night gurgling down our kitchen sink. He mostly just gurgles and sends up bubbles, but sometime he actually comes up. "Oh no! Quick--get the plunger! Babalouie--you get back down there!" The kids laugh.

I tell this little story to share about our quirky apartment where we have lived for about 2 1/2 years. Before that we were in the one bedroom apartment across from this one. I have asked God many times, why are we living here? But it seems it is STILL part of His current plan for us. We thought we were going to buy a house (we had a contract on one and everything) now we are not so sure what we will do. So we're still just doing our thing. Trying to love God, trying to love each other, trying to love our neighbors and praying about what we should do next. I still would REALLY like to have a house and yard for our kids, but I know their lives are really great even now and they don't "need" anything more than what they have. We don't either and I'm sure we don't need half the things we have. Gracias Jesús por todo. Hagase su voluntad, Señor.

More cute pics--Summer 2011

2011-09-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ander built a printing press like Poppa's out of legos. This was his own idea and he did it himself and showed us how it worked. Ander is a real 3 year old engineer.

Playing together

A watermelon pop! The kids love them and it's a great thing to make with leftover watermelon--freeze it and make a popcicle!

Mirren wants to be just like Ander. She even wants to wear his pajamas!

Kitty and Bunny...Mirren sleeps with Kitty. Kitty no longer has eyes because Mirren started chewing on them. I had to remove them for safety!

Mountain Trip

2011-09-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

I hadn't gotten around to posting pictures from our mountain trip we took in July.

Hiking

More hiking

At the cabin with Nana

"Hey Daddy, you've got the rain jacket AND the umbrella!" :-)

Weeeeeee

2011-09-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

End of Summer Picnic

2011-09-11T11:04:00.001-07:00

We had a picnic dinner with Granny and Grandpa recently. I admit, I'm a big foodie. I get a thrill out of serving local healthy food to my family from the State Farmer's Market near our home. Beautiful and delicious--straight from the farm to my kitchen! I don't know what was more delicious, the sausage from the happy hogs of local MAE Farm or the plump green scruppernong grapes! Ahhh the joys of late summer dining.

Roughing It

2011-09-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

We went camping for Memorial Day in the Uwharrie National Forest. My kids have never been so dirty as they were that weekend!

Check out that dirty guy!

Nap time? No way! We had to drive the kids around to get them to take naps. It was too hot in the tent.

Here we are on a hike with a turtle we found. Ander named him "Bzzzz the Turtle".

First Day of School

2011-09-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

Ander 3 1/2 years old

Mirren 17 months

Mirren was actually sick with a cold on her first day of school, so she stayed home with me. Ander is doing great with his second year of preschool. He is like a different kid, so social this year talking with his friends. He has sweet teachers and a small class with only 6 kids and only 2 are boys! He is very busy in preschool and seems so happy. I will start teaching Spanish at the preschool in a couple weeks. Connections Preschool is one of the best gifts God has given our family!

How! How!

2011-08-28T12:03:00.001-07:00

(Ander and Mirren playing with Tobiah and Mariana, a couple friends in Colorado)

It's been a busy time since my last post. We spent almost a month in Colorado and then my mom flew back with me and the kids. We've been to the mountains, to Greenville. We've had a fun summer of swimming, gardening, trips to the Raleigh Farmer's Market, building legos, visiting parks, playing with Granny and Grandpa and playing with other friends. We've started having a small group Bible study called a "kinship" at our home.

Something really neat, we met some new friends, Tyler and Laura who live in an apartment complex next to ours. They love Jesus and travel like we do and Tyler works at Red Hat. Laura and I are jogging together regularly. The extra exercise makes me feel great!

The big news, we're still looking for a house. Ander and Mirren have really been enjoying house hunting. As we drive down the road Ander points to houses, "That's a nice house! How much do you want that house?" (I think he means "how much do they want for that house"?) Mirren also points to houses and was saying "How! How!" because she couldn't say the word house until this week! Now she points and says "house! house!" It's been fun for them to meet dogs at a couple of the houses we've visited, run around other empty houses tap dancing on wood floors and shouting to hear their voices echo. They've had a great time hiding in closets and looking for the washer, dryer and hot water heater.

We hope to make an offer on one particular home this week. Hopefully I will have news to post soon!

I've loved living at our apartment these 4 years. It's hard to believe I might soon be able to throw our clothes in a washing machine without having to insert quarters! Hooray!

Papa's Work

2011-07-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

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Ander had an exciting visit to Papa's work (a printing company in Denver). Ander got to help Papa drive the forklift which has a special clamp attachment for lifting rolls of paper. And you know, whatever Ander does, Mirren has to do too!

Corn on the Cob

2011-07-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

Mirren had her first corn on the cob last week. She held the corn and tried to figure out what to do with it for about five minutes and then took a big bite...and she was in love! Reminds me of when Ander first tried corn on the cob in Colorado!

4th of July

2011-07-05T06:20:00.000-07:00

Last night we spent the 4th of July with my Uncle Tony and his family and friends. This was Ander's first firework experience and he got pretty scared when the teens started setting off fireworks! Mirren cried too. Ander buried his head in my sister Emily's shoulder and wailed! Ander and Aunt Emmy have really bonded during our trip.

As we drove home on back roads through Parker and Aurora, Colorado, we all enjoyed the view of the fireworks all over the city. It was also nice to see them from a distance without the loud noises--a firework show just for us. We thank God for all the little blessings he gives us daily, like last nights firework show.

The Escape

2011-07-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

Brenton and I had some wonderful date time since we had my mom and Aunt Emily to watch the kids. We went to the Mount Evans Wilderness yesterday morning for a beautiful hike. I just can't get enough of the mountain wild flowers.

Daddy's Girl

2011-07-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

I love these pictures with Daddy. Mirren is 15 months old and really loves Daddy. She even calls me and Ander daddy half the time!

Mirren is walking so much now. She still crawls a lot, though too. When she walks she looks like a little robot.

Adoration

2011-07-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Mirren just LOVES her big brother. This picture was taken on our plane ride to Colorado. Mirren kept wanting to sit on Ander's lap instead of mine.

Haircuts

2011-07-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Mirren got her first professional trim a couple weeks ago and Ander got his haircut too. I never saw Ander get his haircut with such little fuss. I guess he had to be an example for Mirren!

Prairie Preschool

2011-07-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

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While staying in Colorado, Ander has been going every week to the Prairie Preschool at the Plains Conservation Center in Aurora. I went there often as a child for camps, wagon rides and other activities. I have great memories of sleeping out in tipis there and dressing up as a pioneer girl in the sod village. It's fun seeing Ander out there having a good time on the prairie too.

Orange Juicer

2011-07-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

One of Ander's favorite things to do at Nana's house--making fresh juice in the orange juicer.

Vacation

2011-07-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

Sleeping in on vacation in Colorado!

El Reencuentro

2011-07-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

I just found a friend in Colorado who I had lost touch with almost 6 years ago! It was wonderful to see Ana and her mom Gloria today and what a surprise--she has a daughter now and I have 2 kids!

I met Ana, her brothers and parents David and Gloria when I was going into my sophomore year of college. I was working with a church ministry they were also affiliated with in inner city Denver. Ana and I spent countless hours together talking, shopping, painting our nails, singing, dancing, eating the delicious Mexican food her mom made, doing church activities, dreaming about the future...

Anyway, I was so glad we finally found each other again after all this time.

Fancy Shirt

2011-06-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

(I added this picture after writing the post. We went back to the thrift store and Ander picked out this REALLY fancy Hawaiian shirt.)

I stopped by the Unique Thrift Store in Aurora with the kids yesterday and found some great deals on kids clothes. I found some nice collared, button up shirts for Ander and showed him a few.

Me: "Ander, which shirt do you like, this one has red and orange, this one is blue..."
Ander: "I don't like those shirts."
Me: "But why?"
Ander: "They're, they're too fancy!"

I couldn't help but laugh because I don't know who told Ander that those were fancy shirts and he obviously decided on his own that he did not like fancy shirts. We went home and I told Brenton and my mom the story. Ander burst into tears crying, "I want a faaaaaaancy shirt!" We calmed him down and reminded him that he said he did not want a fancy shirt, but if he really wanted one, we could go back another day and get one. Ander also cried for awhile at bedtime about the fancy shirt he wanted to go back and buy. Always something to laugh about.

Plan C

2011-06-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

We are in Colorado now visiting my family. Brenton has been busy even while we are here doing a training and trying to check in with his work in Raleigh. So he has one day off after 6 days of work--today! My first plan was that we would take the kids to the mountains for a hike. Then I got a cold, Brenton is exhausted...so we went for Plan B, a hike at a local reservoir. I packed a picnic breakfast last night and borrowed a child carrier from a friend. Ander and I woke up excited about our outing and then Mirren got sick, throwing up, so now on to Plan C! When it seemed she was feeling okay we just walked out my parents door and took a little walk on the path near my parent's house with a beautiful prairie view and went to the park. We enjoyed our picnic breakfast and our time together.

It's always important for mommy's and daddy's to be flexible and have a Plan B or maybe even a Plan C!

Funny Man Ander

2011-06-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the day I had been talking about how strawberries make Mirren break out a little with eczema on one of her cheeks. That evening Ander made me laugh so much saying:
"I have so many legos they make me break out."
Me, laughing: "Ander, where do you get these things?"
Ander: "At Toys R Us."

Bus Ride Again

2011-06-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Walking home from our bus ride

We met some mounted police on the NCSU campus during our bus outing

Mirren, me Kevin and Ander riding the free Wolfline bus

We are really enjoying our schedule (or non-schedule!). We are doing fun activities like going to the library, farmer's market, the park and like this bus ride we went on this week. Our Chinese friends Kevin and Amy have been going with us on many of our adventures. We're sad that they will be going back to China in a couple weeks.

First Steps

2011-06-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

Mirren took her first steps this week at a bookstore. They were just a few steps and then she fell down, but that was amazing! She hasn't tried it again at home. I think she will be a great walker after our upcoming 3 week vacation in Colorado. She is happiest when she can hold my fingers and walk around and around and around. Isn't that Mommy's main job after all, to help me walk?

I'm so surprised by Mirren's outgoing personality. She fussed at a 5 year old she barely knew yesterday and would not back down in her quest to take his chair from him. It is hard to distract her from anything she wants or wants to do! She is so determined that I often have to totally remove her from the situation.

Dreams and Our Legacy

2011-06-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Brenton and I have a few big dreams in life. One is to live in another country and another is to have our own homestead. Since we've been married, some of our dreams have come true (having kids and having my own business for example), other dreams have evolved (like the homestead) and other dreams have sort of died. Sometimes it's hard to know which dream to pursue first, because it's not possible to pursue all our dreams at once!

More than anything else, though, we want to walk closely with Jesus. I want to know Him and I want to make Him known through my actions and words. I want to live out the Great Commission!

So Brenton and I are praying and seeking God about what we will do next. His career here in Raleigh is going very well, but it's just a job and things can change so quickly with a job. We are incredibly happy living in our little apartment and have everything we need, still, we dream about land, chickens, goats, bees and space for our kids to run, play as well as learn about discipline and hard work. I dream about villages in Spain and Mexico and Brenton dreams about China. All I can say is, "Here I am, Lord, send me wherever you wish! Our dreams and our lives are in your hands!"

BTW--if you know anyone selling a house on a decent sized lot (like 1-2 acres) in the Raleigh area, please let us know!

Fun Photos

2011-05-29T12:28:00.001-07:00

Finally! We have a good working computer again. Brenton is so handy to have around--he put together two laptops and now we have a new working one again. Hooray for hubby! Here's some other fun photos from the last couple months.

Mirren is in between needing one nap and two. Some days she's so tired at lunch time--no morning nap that day!

We had a fermentation near-disaster. No wonder they call it "Wild Fermentation" I put too much bean paste in the jar and it exploded all over the kitchen when Brenton opened the jar!

Mirren learning how to drink from a big-girl cup.

"Change me!" Ander said after climbing up on Mirren's changing table. Doesn't he look so funny in his batman pajamas? It's hard to believe he was a tiny baby not too long ago getting his diaper changed on that table!

This picture is from one of our weekend hikes on the NC State Centennial Campus

The very hungry caterpillar

Mirren and her friend Ally who lives in Greenville. Ally's grandma and Granny Pat are best friends. They were so happy to get their grandchildren together recently.

Mirren and Celeste

2011-05-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

My friend Gretchen who now lives in MIchigan came for a visit with her daughter Celeste. It was so fun seeing our little girls together for the first time. Aren't they just angelically beautiful? They really liked each other and Mirren even tried giving Celeste a kiss. Mirren loves other children so much and enjoys giving us all kisses.

Deadwood

2011-05-29T12:05:00.001-07:00

Cowgirl Mirren. Compare this picture taken last year when we were driving home from Deadwood.

The kids enjoyed the Merry-go-round.

Yes, Mirren really does enjoy hanging from the monkey bars. I spot her while she does it. :-)

Mr. Monkey

Enjoying the slide with Granny
We're spending Memorial Weekend in Greenville while Brenton is backpacking in Uwharie National Forest. We enjoyed going to Deadwood with Granny Pat and Grandpa Ducky. Deadwood is a tiny old west style fun dinner/play place near Greenville.

Herb Garden

2011-05-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

We just planted an herb garden. It's been fun for the kids and fun for me! I'm enjoying cooking with fresh herbs from my garden.

End of Preschool

2011-05-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

It seems like Ander just began preschool! The year went by so fast.

Our graduate from the 2 year old class--Ander! We're so proud of him. He will be going back to Connections in the fall to be in the 3 year old class. Mirren will also be attending 1 or 2 mornings per week.

Ms. Mary Lynn, Ander and Ms. Amanda

Ander (far left) singing with his friends at the End of Year Celebration

Ander just finished his first year of preschool. It was a very special year at Connections. We were so blessed by the wonderful teachers and staff. The biggest changes I noticed were his growth in gross motor and in his improved social skills. He continues to be more of an observer in large groups, rather than being in the middle of all the action. It's special to see how God made each one of us so uniquely. :-) Ander's teacher said he amazed them with his ability to complete some of the more complicated puzzles in the classroom!

Maximizing My Morning

2011-05-21T11:01:00.001-07:00

Now that Mirren is over a year old, I feel like my life is finally getting truly organized. One of the best things for me has been joining an online accountability group for having quiet times with the Lord. I'm just finishing one group called At the Well and have now joined another one for summer, Maximize your Mornings. I can't believe I actually signed up for an accountability group that wakes up at 5:30 am--yes you read that correctly. FIVE THIRTY AM! I realize I need to set an alarm at 9:00 pm to stop whatever I'm doing and get ready for bed. The plan is to spend time with the Lord in Bible Study, Prayer and Worship and then work out! I'm excited for this summer! When I put God first my day goes so much better.

Something cool--I just finished a semester at Arts Together taking a modern dance class. Modern dance is still not totally my thing (I just love ballet!), but it was a great feeling to have completed the semester. We had a dance performance which was a lot of work. Feels great to have learned the piece that was really challenging for me. I almost quit the class before our performance because I did not want to be the one to ruin the dance for everyone else by messing it up. There were some really good dancers in that class and Satan was telling me all kinds of lies about dance and life--how dare he try to do that during my Tuesday night "mommy's night out". What really helped me to get through the semester was praying, quoting scriptures in my mind and of course practicing the dance. I wish you all could have seen our little performance--it meant a lot to me. I made some mommy friends in my class too. Fun! Thanks hubby for watching the kids while I had my dance class this semester! Thank you God that I can dance!

First Family Camping Trip

2011-05-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

Last night we spent the night at a KOA Kampground near Rocky Mount, NC. We chose a KOA site because most of the state parks lock you in at night and we really didn't know how it would go and if we might have to go home in the middle of the night if Mirren had a rough time. We actually had a great time and Mirren did so well for her first camping trip. She got really excited at bedtime and was kicking, climbing on us, sort of bouncing off the sides of the tent and landing in the sleeping bags. She thought it was so fun to have all of us sleeping in the same area. Maybe she thought it was a giant pack and play with Mommy and Daddy inside. She then cried for awhile before going to sleep and cried again at about 11:00 pm--no more crying until morning after that. Ander has camped out a few times now, so he's an expert and slept the whole night from around 9 til 7.

Can I just say how much I love camping? It was a lot of work getting ready to go (hoping it gets easier as we camp more often), but it was so relaxing once we got to the campground. It's nice to be in a place where dirt, grass, leaves, and critters are actually welcome, verses our apartment where they are certainly not welcome and where I battle to keep them away!

I will get back to posting pictures soon, but for now our main laptop is broken and we'll soon be ordering a new one. I'm using a little backup laptop that is often very frustrating to use--I miss the full sized keyboard!!!

Lessons Learned from a Sick Hubby

2011-04-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

(Ander downing a blueberry kefir smoothie. Making homemade kefir is one of the MANY things I have learned to make all with the purpose of achieving better health for our family)

A couple months ago Brenton had the flu. He had a fever and respiratory problems for most of 7 days and had never been so sick in his life. It was an incredibly stressful week for us and God used that week to shake us up and help us to re-evaluate our lives and priorities. That week really had us on our knees praying. I care a lot about nutrition and health and have worked so hard the past 6 months on establishing a traditional Real Foods diet for our family. During that week of illness, I realized how much I was putting trust in good nutrition and in eating the right foods instead of ultimately putting my trust in God. We are ALL going to die someday, no matter how much we exercise or how well we eat.

I realized how much I needed God and that deep relationship with him. I needed his strength and Holy Spirit to get through those difficult moments when I even wondered if Brenton was going to die. (Hey, you hear about people dying from the flu--the thought did cross my mind that Brenton might not make it.) The Bible says we are blessed when our strength is in God. I want to share that I believe spending time with God, having a clear conscience, forgiving others and ourselves is POWERFUL medicine. Maybe soon I will post some of my favorite remedies I have learned about recently, but for now I will just say the best medicine for your soul and body is to have peace and communion with God. Here is a verse with a couple of notes with my own little interpretations:

Psalm 84:5-6
"Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka, [difficult times in life]
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion. [in Heaven]"

Natural Family Planning

2011-04-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share an amazing resource with my blog reading audience: Natural Family Planning! Brenton and I started practicing Natural Family Planning (NFP) about 5 years ago, just 6 months after we got married. Before I got married I had heard a little about NFP but when I asked my doctor, she basically told me it was ineffective and that going on that an oral contraceptive was the best way to prevent pregnancy. I took the pill in total about 8 months. I did not like taking it and I was concerned about the numerous risks associated with being on the pill.

Thankfully we met a couple friends who told us about NFP and helped us get signed up for a class through the Couple to Couple League. We found out that NFP is SAFE and EFFECTIVE! When followed correctly, some studies have shown it is just as effective as taking the pill in preventing pregnancy and it also helps you to ACHIEVE pregnancy when you are ready. It is truly amazing how God made a woman's body and how he made a way even for preventing pregnancy by learning to observe your fertility signs.
http://www.ccli.org/

I was thinking about it and I would say at least half of my friends (me included) have had some sort of fertility problem (I've had a troublesome ovarian cyst--which I believe is now gone--thank you Jesus!). Doctors are too quick to prescribe taking the pill for so many ailments from acne to irregular cycles. The pill often masks fertility problems that could often be ameliorated through natural therapies and dietary changes. By tracking your cycle you become so aware of your body and can quickly become clued in to when a problem arises.

The Couple to Couple League teaches the sympto-thermal method which involves observing vaginal mucous, taking your temperature and a few other simple rules. They also teach about how to use breastfeeding to space children (it's not just nurse and you won't get pregnant! They do teach you rules!).

I just want others to know about the option of NFP. I am so happy I do not have to put those terrible hormones and chemicals in my body and you couldn't pay me to go back on the pill. So go ahead and check out NFP, if not for you, then please spread the word to someone else you know.

(Images are from the Couple to Couple League website).

Pirate Fest

2011-04-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

Recycle Truck up close!

The Easter Bunny?

Jack Sparrow!?

The trolly ride
This weekend we went to Greenville to be with Granny and Grandpa while Brenton went to the beach with the men from our church. We all went to a local festival called Pirate Fest. (Yes, this is Eastern North Carolina--Pirate Country :-) And some of the pirates at the festival are sort of frightening looking!) Ander and I went off on our own for a little while and look what we found! A recycle truck and a trolly! Ander had never gotten to actually stand on a garbage/recycle truck before. This was a dream come true. Also, he really wanted to ride this trolly that was a courtesy vehicle to take people to their cars. We went on a ride on it and you won't believe it, Ander wanted to sit by himself! He's growing up.

Oh, but Ander wasn't too big to talk to an Easter Bunny--and no we don't make a big deal about the Easter Bunny and such silly things, but Ander and Mirren did say hello.

Morning at the Park

2011-04-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from Kentwood Park where you can find us hanging out on many sunny and even not so sunny mornings and afternoons throughout the year.

The Wheels on the Bus

2011-04-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

There is a free bus (the NC State Wolfline) that goes by our apartments. A couple months ago we took the bus up to a shopping center to get Ander's hair cut. We accidentally got on the wrong bus coming home and we ended up taking a "scenic route" home and the 10 minute ride took us over an hour! These are pictures from our bus ride.

While we ride the bus Ander sings the "Wheels on the Bus" song.

I Heart Cooking

2011-04-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

(This is a picture of some broth I made a couple months ago. It was my first time making lamb broth. The lamb is locally raised and I purchased the bones at the farmer's market near our home.)

Our pastor read the verse from Matthew today that "man does not live by bread alone"--this is something I have to remember! I often lay in bed thinking about recipes or even catch myself thinking about the next meal I will make during the sermon! Anyway, I'm trying to have balance by seeking God first before the other things in my life and I know God is smiling when I am joyfully cooking in the kitchen!

Let me share a few things I made...Friday I started my chicken broth which was completed by Saturday morning(I make a batch almost weekly). I used the broth, although it wasn't all the way done to make a coconut chicken and asparagus soup I came up with (The chicken was reserved from the broth).

Then Saturday morning I made pate for the first time--we had it for lunch. I used the organ and neck meat from the chicken stock. I know talking about organ meat sounds gross, but the organ meat is the most nutritious meat found in a healthy animal! I am trying creative ways to eat organ meat, which I try to serve once a week. Besides, I spend too much on those pastured chickens from the farmers market to let any good morsel go to waste! By the way, the pate is really good! Made with white wine and based on this recipe. I didn't have anchovies, so I used a can of black olives. Next time I will use anchovies!

Then today, Sunday I made white bean chili with navy beans, tomatillos, peppers, onions, cilantro, garlic, rice, potatoes, pulled beef, a jar of store bought green chili, cumin and oregano. We had a couple neighbors over for dinner and I served this meal with garnishes like fresh avocado, cheese and cilantro.

By the way, I still have more chicken broth which I will either freeze or maybe use to make some Asian noodles for lunch tomorrow! I just need to take the time to write down more recipes of the food I am making.

Happy Birthday Mirren!

2011-03-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Mirren's first birthday on Friday. We had a party with Nana (my mom) while she was out visiting, a friend party (a play date) and a party with Brenton's side of the family. I made baked apples for the friend party since Mirren had never eaten most of the ingredients found in a cake. The apples were yummy!

Ander happenings

2011-03-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

New toys--we recently purchased a tool bench and a kitchen for the kids on Craigslist Legos, however, are still Ander's favorite toys

Baking

Upside down man

Ander's first bowl of popcorn. I was concerned about choking on popcorn so I used to eat all the hard parts off of his popcorn and he would eat the fluffy part. Now he can have his own popcorn. :-)

Ander is still loving preschool. He is doing slightly more with drawing and crafts, but he has never been a big fan of these things. That's an area I have to really work with him on that he just doesn't take to naturally. He LOVES legos and building things and is still truck crazy. He likes to play soccer, run around and be outdoors. He is interacting more with friends too and starting to do more imaginative play like playing restaurant in his little kitchen that we got him and Mirren for their birthdays, with his tool set or with legos.

Ander loves to joke around, read and learn. He takes in as much learning time, "homeschool time", as we call it, as I can give him. We are working on reading, basic math, things like the calendar, telling time, rhymes and Bible lessons. We are using ABC Jesus Loves Me, a free online curriculum for preschoolers. My friend Yolanda recommended it to me. Although I thought it might be a little dry, I actually really like it now because I don't have to plan so much since I'm following a curriculum that has been developed by someone else. They also have guidelines of what a child should be doing at each stage--that is very helpful for me.

Ander is so funny. I don't know how he thought of this, we were visiting two friends in Greenville (Linda and Haley) and he thought it would be funny to take off Mirren's socks. After we laughed a little and said that was silly, he decided to pull off her pants. Then he thought it would be funny to pull off his own socks and pants...well you can see where this story is going. We were all laughing hard as I kept trying to put his and Mirren's pants and socks back on and he would pull them off again. I think Linda and Haley will be talking about our visit for awhile!

Mirren--at almost 1 year

2011-03-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Climber

Mirren and Nana

Chef Mirren

Mirren playing dress up. She likes to put this helmet on

Before I forget the things Mirren is doing these days, I better blog about them! Mirren is saying many words and even a sentence! In her bed she shouts "I get up!" She says Amen, Ander, Mama, Dada, Bubby (her nickname--even said it yesterday as she pointed to herself in the mirror), she also says Nana, All Done, Wow, Yay!

She gives kisses and mimics what we do. She loves playing dress up and tries to put things on her head. Loves hats and peek-a-boo. She is very social and goes up to others and tries to get on our backs, play with our hair, etc. Ander can't stand it, but the rest of us love it. She loves to give big hugs too. She also climbs a little.

Mirren is still crawling like a little speedster all over our apartment. I don't think she realizes that she could walk like the rest of us--and will be doing it sometime in the next few months. She cruises and she has let go a couple times of the objects she is holding onto and stood for a second. I just bought her some shoes yesterday that she is unable to get off herself so she can start walking in public as we hold her hands. She has very tiny feet and is just tiny all over, but not skinny-just right for her height. She can still wear the 6-9 month size even though she's almost a year old.

What a sweet Bubby we have! It is so amazing to see how different two kids can be who came from the same mom and dad.

3rd Birthday

2011-03-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

Our handsome 3 year old

Yes, the cake I made is so healthy we had the leftover cake for breakfast with a little milk!

Preschool birthday party

We recently celebrated Ander's 3rd Birthday. Ander got to celebrate his birthday 5 times--at Sunday School, Preschool, with Nana, Granny and Grandpa, and with friends. Next year I plan to make only one treat for one celebration! One of the challenges for me is trying to make healthy food that is tasty. Especially now that Ander associates cake with birthdays, I had to find the right cake for his party. Here is the fantastic recipe I found--made with whole wheat and sweetened with honey! It is also soaked to reduce phytates found in flour making for easy digestion. I got it from this blog--from another Real Foods mom.

Here is my recipe with the changes I made:
SOAKED WHEAT BIRTHDAY CAKE

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE PARTY
Mix:
3 cups fresh ground whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups milk (raw is best)
1/2 cup water
3 TBLS yogurt (mine is homemade)

Cover the bowl you mixed it in and set it on the counter overnight or until you are ready to cook the cake.

WHEN YOU ARE READY TO BAKE
Preheat oven to 350. Butter two 9 inch round cake pans.
Add to the mix:
1 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn Real Salt
2 tspn pure vanilla
2 eggs* (my own addition)

Melt together (NOT IN THE MICROWAVE!)
1/4 cup butter
3/4 - 1 cup honey
Add this to the mix.

Mix this well. If you want, you can add 1/4 cup cocoa powder and mix well (I did not do this since Brenton cannot have chocolate). Taste the batter and see if it is chocolatey enough for your tastes. Add more cocoa powder 1 TBLS at a time until the batter tastes right to you. Pour the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake until they are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Mine take about 25 minutes, but every oven is different. Watch them closely and write down how long yours took to cook so you'll know next time.

While your cakes cool, make your frosting. You will need:

3 cups heavy cream (raw is best, don't use ultra-pasteurized)
1/4 cup (or so) sucanat (I used grade B maple syrup)
1/4 cup (or so) cocoa powder
1 tspn pure vanilla (I forgot the vanilla)

First Camping Trip and other February News

2011-02-12T18:12:00.001-08:00

Ander is on his first real camping trip with Brenton at Falls Lake. While they're enjoying winter camping, I'm enjoying an evening with Mirren. We've had some wonderful mother-daughter bonding time. The boys took the car, but that didn't stop us from going out. We walked to a nearby shopping center and I was reminded of how much I like living in this area and being able to walk places and see a few people we know along the way. I think I'm kind of spoiled that I get to stay in just our little area of Raleigh for so many activities (like Brenton's work--he still walks to work each day). I guess after 5 years, Raleigh, near the corners of Avent Ferry and Gorman street truly is home. I do still get lost if I try to go outside of my normal "stomping grounds".

Ah, we love simplicity and strive to keep life that way which is not easy. I'm also trying to make more space to hear from God.

I've pretty much completed the kitchen overhaul to a Real Foods diet. We started following this diet about 2 1/2 years ago, but now I think we've pretty much changed all our methods and food choices over to eating Real Foods. If you take a look inside our fridge you'll find all kinds of lovely home made ferments (dairy--yogurt and kefir, and various vegetables like sauerkraut). I'm feeling really great on this diet and I can't believe how these nutrient dense foods fill me up. I just need to get more exercise now since I've been spending much of the winter indoors practicing making traditional cuisine. I'm glad spring is around the corner.

(The picture I posted is of a beef stew (made from home made chicken broth), a jicama/orange/greens salad, and pickled beets/turnips. Yum.)

A musical Bubby

2011-02-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

Mirren's nickname is "Bubby". It's funny how those silly family names can evolve. She loves music and loves to dance. When I had music on the other day during her alone play I peeked in and saw her bouncing to the music. I think she will dance before she can walk. When I take her walking around our apartment (holding her hands so she can walk) she sometimes stops just to bounce up and down dancing. She also loves games like peek-a-boo and the crawling game where we all crawl around and around the apartment chasing her.

Mirren Bubby is a dreadful sleeper at naps and at night. I've got to train her (again) and this time no going back. She's a kid who REALLY needs consistency--even more than Ander did.

Christmas 2011

2011-02-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas in Greenville, NC (not Colorado this year) and actually had a white Christmas! All of Brenton's side of the family was there and my mom joined us too on Christmas Day. This was Mirren's first Christmas.

Bedtime

2010-12-12T12:37:00.001-08:00

Ander has been sleeping in his big bed with bed rails for about 6 weeks now. He's been doing great in his bed and has done very few "shenanigans". He has been very obedient about staying in his bed until we come and get him. One funny thing--when Ander was sleeping in his little bed, a pack and play, he used to stand up and yell for us when he needed something. This is something he started doing as soon as he could stand up. He does the same thing in his big bed. He doesn't just sit up and yell for something, he stands up on top of his bed and yells. Very cute.

I liked this pajama picture. Playing in mommy and daddy's bed.

A cold day for foraging

2010-12-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

It's been chilly in Raleigh these days, but we still try to get out. Ander especially loves to go on walks with Brenton where they go "foraging". Brenton has taken an interest in studying edible plants, in a hobby called "foraging". The only thing we've eaten so far from his expeditions was some wild onions. They were very good in a salad and just looked like small chives. It's amazing how many edible plants there are out there! Fresh, local food at its finest.

Eeek--Solids!

2010-12-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

Mirren is not a big fan of solid foods. Other than her egg yolk with liver shavings (her source of iron), she barely will eat any solids unless she is really hungry. What a change from how Ander loved solids. So here I go to all the trouble to make homemade organic baby food and she barely swallows any of it! How frustrating! You name it: peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, squash, bananas--she doesn't like any of it, "just mommy's milk, and I guess a little egg yolk, for me, please." The funniest part is the faces she makes. She sometimes pulls her head in, holds her breath so her cheeks get red and puffs out her cheeks (as you can see in the picture). The first time she did this I thought there was something wrong with her.

Quiet? Not here!

2010-11-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

It's hard to find a moment of peace and quiet. Today while I was in the shower I heard the door opening with a crash-boom-bang, the shower curtain flies open and--it's Ander with his dump truck. He started quizzing me on the parts of a dump truck. "Where's the bed? Where are the wheels? Where is the cab?" My son is pretty quiet compared to many boys his age, but he is still not very quiet at all. When he's awake it's like and "on" button is turned on and there is almost always noise. Unless his thumb is in his mouth, keeping him quiet, he is usually talking and banging around all through our apartment strewing his things every which way. Then Mirren tries to put all of those things in her mouth, and I try to pick them up and move them away from her only for Ander to continue his scattering. Mirren is truly into everything in a way Ander never was. She has so many more temptations of items to put in her mouth than Ander did. So if I look frazzled, am unable to complete sentences, have my shirt on backwards and my hair sticking up--you will know why!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T10:07:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with Brenton's parents (5 days). I came back feeling very rested. Ander and Mirren had a great time as well. Since we usually spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws, my mother-in-law, Pat and I have formed what seems to be a tradition of us planning and cooking the feast while the guys hang out with the kids. We have fun talking while we work and I think we end up enjoying the fruit of our labors more than anyone! My favorite dish this year was a sweet potato casserole. The pumpkin pie was pretty awesome too!

Brenton has recently been accumulating quite a bit of camping equipment, so he and Ander decided to try out the new tent. They spent one of the nights sleeping in Pat and Dennis' backyard. It was a special father/son bonding time. Pictures will be coming soon, I just have to request them from my father-in-law.

Ander Quotes

2010-11-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Ander: A trash truck!
(Ander does say he wants to be a garbage man when he grows up)

Ander shared this profound philosophical statement with great pride: "I am me!"

At a Chinese restaurant we ate with "Chop stickles"

"I'm taking my legos to the landfill."

Kinfolk

2010-11-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

We've been involved in a church small group, called a "kinship" for over a year now. The group is led by our friends the Boyers. It's been a great source of support and fellowship for us and the others in our kinship have really become our kinfolk here in Raleigh. We eat dinner together, study the Bible, pray for each other, sometimes sing worship songs and have activities for our children. It's been such a blessing for me, a stay at home mom to be able to meet with our friends too. I really felt the group's love and support through my pregnancy with Mirren and during her first few months when I just needed some extra love and encouragement.

We're taking a break from being involved in a kinship (and from pretty much everything else we do--except for my dance!) so that Brenton can relax and regain strength in the Lord. I guess I needed a break too, but didn't realize it. Brenton's been really stressed with work lately. One big work project thankfully just ended (the release of the company's new operating system) and another big project will be done in May. Blah. But he is seeming a lot better since stopping evening activities.

Dance

2010-11-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

(A picture of me dancing in the street in Spain during our Discipleship Training School with Youth with a Mission in 2003).

Have I mentioned how much I love to dance? Yesterday I was thinking about how beautiful dance is...it is a moving picture of music and I love "being the music". For a long time I have struggled with fears associated with dance (mostly fear of failure) that have kept me from giving it my all, from dedicating myself to my passion. I am actively working through those fears and other mental obstacles that have kept me from doing what I love. When I dance, I feel so free, it's where my spirit is most strong. It is where I meet the Lord. In my modern class we are working on a choreography about flying. It was hard for me not to cry as the music was starting because I was so happy to be there truly flying.

I am enjoying the feelings of sore muscles and even bruises from doing rolls on the floor. I'm so happy to be dancing again. Working on technique is very hard work as I'm trying to strengthen and stretch my body to do the things that are in my heart and mind. I love dancing to pretty much every type of music--classical, bluegrass, hip hop, African drums. Maybe some jazz is not fun for me, nor screamy music. But other than that, I love dancing to it all!

Mirren also seems to have a natural love for dance. I'll have to upload some videos I have of her. When the music comes on--her little body also comes to life.

First Words

2010-11-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

Mirren (now almost 8 months) is saying a couple words. Other than "hola" which I think must have been a coincidence that she was able to say that and repeat it back to me when she was only a few months old...I think her first word that we understood was Ander. The other morning she looked Ander in the face and said "Aaaa-dah" and then kept repeating it. Since that morning she's been saying it when she sees him and once when he wasn't around as if she was asking where he was. She REALLY loves her brother. Her other word is Dada. She did start saying "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" the other night in her bed when she was crying for me, so I'm sure it won't be long before she says Mama.

Ander is still so kind to Mirren. Even when she tries to eat his toys he practices redirection and goes and gets one of her toys and brings it to her, "Here Mirren, you can play with this!" I really have never seen a two year old be so patient and kind to their little sibling.

A sping in my step

2010-11-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

Since quitting my business, I have thoroughly been enjoying my free time. My business took up a good part of my free time, so I didn't get to spend much time on hobbies. Lately I've been doing a little more shopping, taking pilates (as I mentioned--but I'm stopping that class so I can take modern dance instead--YIPPEE!), and doing a lot of cooking! I am having a blast cooking new things from my Nourishing Traditions cookbook. The cookbook teaches you to make things the way they used to be cooked like 100 years ago--or more. It's fascinating, delicious, and extremely nutritious! Go Nourishing Traditions! The author of the cookbook also founded the Weston Price Foundation. Check out the website if you would like to know more about this diet: http://www.westonaprice.org/

Mirren Moves

2010-11-12T18:32:00.001-08:00

Push Up--check out her amazing form!

Plank

Downward Dog

Mirren is full out crawling (7 months old!) and I have to show some of her great moves. She is also pushing up to standing. I've been taking a pilates class and it seems Mirren has all the right pilates moves! I'm sure even my pilates instructor would be impressed!

The Story of My LIfe

2010-11-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

Today I was getting ready to take the kids on a walk when Ander burst out laughing. I looked down and realized I was putting his hoodie on Mirren! That reminds me of one day a couple months ago when Brenton accidentally put Mirren in Ander's car seat when we were leaving church. I thought he was playing a joke on us when he pulled up to the church door to get me and Ander and there was Mirren in the wrong seat! We put her in her correct seat and when we got home and I went to change Mirren's diaper I saw the nursery worker had put her diaper on backwards! What a silly day that was.

Mirren at 7 months

2010-10-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Mirren is crawling, eating a couple different solids, has 2 teeth, and has long since won our hearts with her sweet smile and quiet determination. We love our little girl.

Dogging Stroller

2010-10-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many miles Ander and I walked/jogged with the single jogger which was given to us for free when Ander was born. But we did enjoy many many miles together! Amazingly, someone also gave us a free double stroller a couple of months ago, so now we have an additional jogging partner--Mirren! I must admit I jog very little now because the new stroller is so heavy with the two kids in it! I do still get quite a workout. We passed our single jogger on to someone else. We go to the nearby park at least 3 times a week and last week walked up to have lunch with Brenton at Red Hat.

Ander loves to go "dogging"--he still has some difficulty pronouncing the letter "j".

A Really Great Little Guy

2010-10-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am very impressed with my son. He is so gentle with Mirren. He brings her one of his toys when he sees she is putting something in her mouth that should not be there. He goes and says hi to her and talks to her when she is lonely. He has only accidentally kicked her in the head probably 3 times since she was born and none of the kicks were very hard. :-) That is pretty much miraculous considering he is only 2 and a half! What's really cute is he has a doll that was my cabbage patch baby from when I was a kid and he calls it his Mirren. Sometimes when I change my Mirren's diaper or put her down to crawl or practice walking with her he does the same with his own Mirren. We praise him for being such a great dad to his Mirren.

Besides that, Ander is very, very obedient (for a 2 year old). He has a wonderful sense of humor and loves to learn new things and explore his world. We are so proud of our handsome son.

Birdie Song

2010-10-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

This is one of Ander's favorite songs to sing.

Learning to Crawl

2010-10-12T07:45:00.001-07:00

Mirren goes all over the room now. She's a very determined baby. She is now 6 1/2 months.

His Hero

2010-10-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

While Mirren's hero is likely Ander, Ander's hero is the garbage collector. Ander plays with his toy garbage trucks, trash cans and dumpster (we made a couple of them) more than anything else. We read garbage truck books about rear, side and top loaders and talk about the hopper and the packing panel. He's given me a great garbage truck education!

Another funny thing, Ander seems to have his first crush. There's a sweet 7 year old neighbor girl who Ander talks about with such a big smile and a certain tone of voice that is only reserved for her and a couple other favorite things--like garbage trucks. I write about this not to embarrass him in the future, but because I don't keep a little memory book about my kids other than this blog, so this is just so I can remember in the future.

Treinta Años

2010-10-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

I recently turned 30. I had a few fun celebrations spanning about 3 weeks! 30 is now probably Ander's favorite number. For about a month leading up to my birthday he kept saying, "Momma's gonna be 30! I go to bed at 8:30!" I started thinking about depressing things like "I've probably lived 1/3 of my life already, but thinking about things like that just makes me remember Who I live for and hey, I've had a great 30 years and I'm looking forward to living hopefully another 60 years! I'm very happy with how my first 30 years have gone. I was also thinking about how during my late teens and early 20s I spent a lot of time learning about myself. Then the rest of my 20s I learned a lot about other people and getting along with them. That's a real skill, learning about getting along with people. Along the way I've also spent a lot of time trying to get to know God. I know that will take all of eternity to learn about him!

Her Hero

2010-09-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

I think Ander is Mirren's hero. She thinks he's pretty much the funniest person ever. I hope you enjoy this video!

Like a Duck to Water

2010-09-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

(After Ander tossed, turned and talked for an hour and a half on Tuesday before he could take his nap, I found him cuddling his big lion named "Mr. Tiger". I guess he decided to pull it into the bed. Looks comfy doesn't he?)

Ander's transition into his preschool has been phenomenal. He has taken to it like a "duck to water." It has to be a miracle! He was so attached to me just a few weeks before he started and then something happened and he was ready to be away at just the right moment for starting preschool. I think it's also a good amount of time--only two mornings per week. Two mornings makes it special for him. He is so excited about all the new experiences he is having there that he comes home quite overstimulated! On Tuesday it took him an hour and a half to fall asleep. I am told that he is pretty quiet in school, so I think he is just taking it all in and then talks, talks, talks about it once he gets into his bed for nap time.

His teachers sent home a report today and said his favorite thing to do is play with cars and trucks. Not a surprise! Ander's teachers are very sweet and he talks about them regularly and asks to "Go see Ms. Mary Lynn and Ms. Amanda again!"

New Dos

2010-09-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

Ander, Mirren and I got haircuts this week. Mirren's is definitely the most drastic! Her hair was getting so thin, there were 3 inch long pieces and other spots where there was nothing. So I decided to have her "start over" and I gave her a haircut. I don't know why it's an emotional thing for a baby to have their first haircut, but it is! I felt a little sad about her original baby hair being gone, but at least her hair should grow out nicely.

Something funny happened...tonight someone stopped by to visit and kept looking at Mirren and finally asked: "Whose baby is that?" They thought it was a different baby and did not recongize Mirren. Even when I look at her she looks so different I think I'm looking at a different baby. I miss that whispy hair!

Embracing Technology

2010-09-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

When I expressed my disappointment about having to often use the swing to get Mirren to sleep one of our friends encouraged me to "embrace technology". It sure is great to have that swing when Mirren wants to start her day at 5:30 am! Thanks Grandpa Dennis!

Wonder Mirren

2010-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, she can stand for a little while holding onto objects. Yes, I am proud of her! Is that a cute head or what? You've got to love the baby mullet.

I can do it myself!

2010-09-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Ander is now able to put on his own pants and wash his own hands. Of course he still needs some help. He thinks it's very funny to put both legs in one pant leg.

Farewell to Songbird Translations

2010-09-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

After lots and lots of prayer and consideration, I have decided to stop my translation business. It has been a difficult decision, but I'm so busy these days with Brenton, the kids and with ministry I'm doing and want to do, I had to eliminate something from my life! I'm not sure if I should jump up and down because this is going to eliminate a lot of stress from my life or if I should cry after all of the hours I have poured into my business. I've enjoyed my work and it's nice to end on a good note while business is going well.

I'm trusting God for my future career and my life is in his hands.

The Wild West Room

2010-09-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ander and Mirren have been sharing a room for a week now. Their room has a cowboy theme, so I think it's appropriate to call their room the "wild west"! The good part is they have shown more closeness as brother and sister. Also Brenton and I feel like we have so much more room to move around and are not confined to just the living room. We have our bedroom back!

The bad part is that sometimes Ander and Mirren wake each other up. I do think, though, that they're both sleeping more deeply and are getting woken up less now that they're getting used to sharing a room.

How did you get over there?!

2010-09-07T11:28:00.001-07:00

Mirren is getting more mobile. Brenton put her in her gym and she crawled (or inch-wormed) her way out onto the carpet. Doesn't she look proud? Her current goal in life is to put everything she can find in her mouth.

First Day of Preschool

2010-09-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

The car ride

Big preschooler! Ander is in the "Froggy" class with 2 and 3 year olds

Walking up the steps

The big entrance

Holding the two apples we had for his teachers--just like we read "Henry" did in the book we got from the library about going to school

I think it must have been all those prayers...Ander had a wonderful first day of preschool. He came home saying "I went to PREschool! I went to PRESCHOOL! Yep, yep yep!" When I dropped him off it was hard for me to get his attention to give him a kiss goodbye he was so enthralled with the trucks. His only tears were when the parents started coming to pick the kids up. His teacher said he even told her when he had to go potty.

I got a lot done this morning and I think it's great for Ander to be busy these two mornings a week. He spends a lot of his day just looking for something to do. It is a challenge keeping a 2 1/2 year old busy! Ander is really growing socially and building relationships with others, even when mom and dad are not around. Ander is growing up.

Mixed emotions

2010-09-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

Our sweet friends Brian and Brianna unexpectedly moved to Florida today. Throughout the day I've felt a sad aching in my heart and I think "why am I sad?" Oh yeah, Brian and Brianna moved away. They were such sweet friends of ours. They have left a very large hole in our community at Parkwood Village. I think they knew everyone who lived around here. This situation just reminds me to make the most of each day. I'm so glad we got to share the love of Jesus with them as well as many fun times. Wow, I miss them a lot. I wonder if I'll ever see them again.

In addition to this sad news, we did have a fun party this afternoon for Kristy, our friend who recently earned her PhD. Go Kristy! It was fun spending the afternoon with our friends.

The best vest

2010-09-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

In addition to sleeping with 3 other soft blankies named "Pinky, Sorry and Dot," Ander also now insists on sleeping with this vest which he pronounces like "best". It was in a pile of clothes I was giving away and when he found it he said, "It's SOFT!" referring to the satiny inside of the vest. He wanted to wear it for a day or so and Brenton dubbed it Ander's Adventure vest. So I was unable to give the vest away and it has joined his pile of soft things that he often carries around our apartment and sleeps with at night and during naps.

This little piggy went to market...

2010-09-03T10:16:00.001-07:00

A Morning at the Park

2010-09-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Starting School

2010-09-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday Ander will be starting school. Here are some pictures from the playground.

I'm Going to "Codorado"

2010-08-31T10:50:00.001-07:00

That's what he told me as he tried to leave the apartment!

Grandpa D and Granny P

2010-08-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Granny Pat and Grandpa Dennis continue to visit us pretty much every week. What a blessing! Ander and Mirren have lots of fun with them and Brenton and I usually get to go on a date too!

Dumpster

2010-08-30T18:15:00.001-07:00

You may think you're looking at a bed/play yard, but you're really looking at a dumpster. And those items inside? That's right--not toys--trash!

Ander continues to fill up the Pack and Play with any item he can find. While I was making dinner this afternoon he ran back and forth to his room carrying one item after another and throwing it into his "dumpster". After I finished what I was doing and went into his room I had to scream (and I did); the Pack and Play was filled to the top with pretty much all of Ander's stuffed toys, cars, bike helmet, all of Mirren's toys, clothes, hats, hair things, socks...and wouldn't you know it, that's where my cell phone went! Never a dull moment!

Ander--age 2 1/2

2010-08-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

Mirren--5 months old

2010-08-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

Roomies

2010-08-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ander and Mirren are not roommates and Brenton and I have our bedroom back! I was so happy about the change and the kids had a great first night sleeping in the same room. Then as I laid down to go to sleep I realized, "I miss Mirren!" It was her first night since she was born that she hadn't slept in my room. It made me realize how bonded we really are. Well...I hear her and Ander waking up from their naps now-gotta go! I wish all sleep times could be like last night and today's naps. Mirren also slept 8 hours last night without eating until she woke up at 4 and then went back to sleep til 7.

Look what God has done!

2010-08-25T18:05:00.001-07:00

One of the first Mommy/Baby Toddler Groups in the winter of 2009--see how little Ander was? He wasn't even walking then!

Kids Club this Summer 2010! Ms. Galina doing some beautiful face painting.

It all started with a word that someone gave me in 2007, when I was pregnant with Ander...A friend who came to pray over our apartment said I would have a moms group at our apartments where I would minister to other moms and children...Then in 2009 after a lot of prayer, with Brenton's support (nothing would be possible for me to do ministry-wise without Brenton bringing home the bacon :-)) we ventured out in faith, starting a morning play group for moms and kids to meet at the clubhouse at our apartments. It started with just a few families. Then upon meeting with an awesome British lady from church, Liz, we formed the idea for a weekly kids club to take place through the summer at our apartments. We just finished our second summer of the Kids Club. We had up to 25 kids there (and sometimes their parents too). It was amazing. I think the kids were really happy and blessed to have something to do during their week that was sort of out of the ordinary with crafts and games.

Besides the kids having some fun, I learned a lot too. Truly the biggest thing I learned this summer from the Lord through the Kids Club is that it is not my ministry. I know that sounds cliche, but it has been hard to get over my pride and thinking I had anything to do with this--it is totally God! When I went to Colorado for 2 weeks in the middle of the summer, kids club activities, things went on as planned without me! Who knows, they might have even gone better with me gone! Haha! But that is just to say, I believe God is working in our apartments and he wants to touch our neighbors, fill them with Christ's love and radically transform their lives FOR THE BETTER! I must mention I know nothing about how to transform a life, but I know that is the work that Jesus came to do! To "set the captives free."

We are praying about what will be the next phase in the kids club. At the kids club we didn't share a Bible message or anything, just loved the kids and got to know them. What I'd love to do is weekly Bible study for children that is sort of like a youth group...but a lot of things have to happen for this to work out. Please pray for the doors to be opened if that is what God has for us. Also, I've felt like we've been under spiritual attack. A lot of little annoying things have been happening the past week (bug bites, new neighbors who are heavy smokers [we now have smokers living above us and to the side and it's really bothersome for me when I am at home most of the day with the kids], not to mention struggles with parenting).

By the way, isn't it amazing how God uses just ordinary people, or messed up people (like me without Jesus)...He changes our lives and then uses us to touch others with his love! I don't know how he does it, but he does do it. Praise God!

Thanks for the Prayers

2010-08-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

(As part of "Frog Week" we made different colors with food coloring and water and talked about how God made frogs so many different colors. Brianna joined us for one morning of frog week. :-P)

I just wanted to thanks my small but precious blog reading audience. I can say I really felt your prayers today. It was such a better day...starting with Mirren sleeping in until 7:45 and Ander until I woke him after 8! You can't believe the difference your prayers make!

Ander and I are having "frog week" where we study frogs. We hadn't had a weekly theme for awhile and it was a very fun day. It took me about 20 minutes to plan what we'd do this week, so I really need to take the time to do this. It just gives us something fun to focus on and with a few ideas to start the week, we usually think of many activities to do. We enjoyed singing a couple frog songs, looking at frogs online and listening to their "songs" that people had recorded and put on the internet. We talked about the life cycle of a frog too. We also played frog games like jumping from lily pad to lily pad (drawn with chalk outside our apartment) with our neighbors.

Dropping Mirren's 3rd nap of the day seems like it won't work. She really does need it, but I'm trying to shorten it. Also, she's getting very distracted while nursing and is not nursing well unless I take her to a quiet spot. That's sometimes hard to do with Ander around! I think I've also been missing her sleep cues and I'm not getting her down for naps and bed soon enough so she's becoming overtired and then that makes her not sleep well at night. Just when I think I have her figured out, she grows again and starts some new phase!

Something else that's great is Ander is going to bed amazingly well at night. My mom suggested putting on lullaby music while he goes to sleep. He quiets right down and just goes to sleep! We haven't had any "shenanigans" the past few nights. Amazing! We also bought some bed rails so he could start making the transition to sleeping in a twin bed. We tried that yesterday at nap time, but it didn't go so well. I thought he was asleep because I hadn't heard anything for about 30 minutes. I guess he had been looking at books and then completely forgot it was nap time and then started playing! I heard toys crashing and I went to see what was going on. He was playing his new favorite game--the garbage/dump truck game where he fills up boxes with toys and dumps them into his pack and play (which is still his main bed). As far as I can tell, the pack and play is his dumpster and he makes the garbage truck noises and then says "Dump It!". Pretty cute, but very inconvenient to clean up!

Also as a way to "de-stress-ify" am trying to do less and have a babystiter more! I've realized for now it is unrealistic for me to try to do translations during my kids' nap time because I need that time for my own nap, prayer, Bible reading and general R&R. Once we can get more sleep at night, maybe I'll try to do translations during my kids' naps, but for now I'll just plan to have a mother's helper come over when I need to work.

Grumpy Momitis

2010-08-21T18:58:00.001-07:00

I'm tired. I don't know what Mirren is going through, but she's not sleeping well. I'm thinking about eliminating her third nap of the day. She wasn't able to sleep until 9:30 tonight and I put her down at 8:15. With all that crying, rocking, pumping legs for gas, nursing, burping swaddling, again and again and again I thought we were doing it for 2 hours!

Being tired makes me grumpy, but somehow I've got to get past that. I have prayed desperate prayers to God this week for help. I want to be a kind mom and enjoy my children. This week even when I tried to just play with my kids it was hard to do without being angry over something. Hard not to snap at Ander over annoying things he does like bang his silverware and correct in love when he put one of the parts of his potty chair in his mouth after I told him to put it back. I just wanted to spank him this week. I was so angry and frustrated I just wanted to find some reason to spank him. That is how I knew it was a time I should NOT spank him at all.

It's embarrassing to write that I have that kind of anger. I'm supposed to be a Christian mom! I was ready to run ten miles this week to get all my anger and frustration out and then when I was done to sleep for a week. It's crazy.

I'm so thankful we have another mother's helper coming now...she is a 12 year old neighbor from a couple buildings down from ours--Daniela. It's so nice she is close so I can just call and say "I didn't sleep well last night" or "Mirren won't take her nap and I need to get work done" or "I would like to go jogging--are you free to come over?" I think I would have been crying last night if it had not been for Dani coming over so I could go jogging. I am so blessed that we have the money to be able to pay for a mother's helper and I don't have to drive to pick her up. She speaks Spanish too, which is great for the kids.

I really do love my son...more than life. We actually did have a nice day today being together as a family, joking around. Those are the kind of moments we need. Most of the time that is the way it is around our home. This week was just a bad week.

To myself: It's okay, Erin, next week will be better.

Crawling?!?

2010-08-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Mirren is starting to crawl. She does quite a great caterpillar move with her legs and rear end and has started pulling with her arms. Incredibly, she crawled about a foot today! Monday she mastered rolling over from front to back.

Mirren also had another nap strike from Monday to Thursday. I think with her new mobility and new awareness of the world she just wants to practice moving in her bed and doesn't want to miss out on anything Ander and I might be doing. On Thursday I started swaddling her very tightly at each nap and although it took her awhile to get to sleep, it worked. It seems strange to have to all the sudden start swaddling her again at four and a half months. I hadn't done much swaddling with her since she was about a week old. I'm glad it's working! I know I can't swaddle her forever, but at least she's taking naps again this week!

Five Year Anniversary

2010-08-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today Brenton and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. It's been a wonderful first five years of marriage. If I had to do it over again, I'd marry Brenton again! We believe God brought us together, answering both of our prayers (and our parents) for a spouse. One quick "God story"--we have many stories of how the Lord confirmed our relationship was of him. A couple months before Brenton asked me to marry him, he got a job building a website. He felt like the Lord told him that the money from that work was supposed to go towards buying me a ring. When he went to purchase the ring (which was a total surprise to me--I thought he'd ask me to marry him maybe six months down the road), it turned out that the money he spent on the ring was within just a few dollars of what he was paid to build that website! God provided exactly what he needed.

"Our verse" for our relationship is Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." We have seen that over and over in our lives, and especially in our marriage. As young people we delighted in the Lord and we have seen how he has given us many of the desires of our hearts. Now the only challenge is not to forget God since so many of my desires have been fulfilled (like getting married and being a mom).

At dinner tonight, I explained to Ander about it being our anniversary. I even got out my wedding veil and put it on. He thought it was very neat and kept saying "I get married!" I told him, "Yes, you probably will get married someday and wear a black tuxedo like daddy wore." Then he asked me, "Where does married live?" Well, he knows getting married is very special, we'll keep working on explaining that and many other things.

Ready to Soak

2010-08-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

We spent two weeks in Colorado and then my mom visited us in North Carolina for 10 days, so we're all still getting used to having just the four of us again.

In the past week I received payments for a lot of translations (I give price quotes for my translations and typically do the work after the money comes in). Of course it is wonderful to have the work, but it's been a new challenge trying to get that work done while taking care of the kids--who have colds this week! No wonder I've felt tired and a little grumpy.

We registered Ander for preschool at Connections Preschool at Forest Hills Baptist Church. It is about a mile or two from our apartment. Brenton and I really liked the church, the director, the playground, and the Christian philosophy of the program. So we signed Ander up for 2 mornings a week. I am praying it will be okay for Ander. I've never left him with people he didn't already know for three hours at a time! I'm sure it will take some getting used to. The classes have a maximum of 8 children for two adults, but that's a lot more children than Ander is used to being with without Mommy around.

Things are going really well with the Kids Club we have here at Parkwood Village (our apartments). A lot of kids are coming to our weekly club at the clubhouse and we just pray that these activities will make a difference in the community and that the kids and their families will come to know the love of Jesus! We do crafts and games with them. Other volunteers from our church have faithfully come through the summer to spend time with the kids. I'm seriously humbled to have these amazing volunteers coming to help (like Galina, a professional artist, Liz a former teacher and busy mom of 3, Grant a college student and wonderful role model, my in-laws who are coming to help me with my own kids, and others too!) This ministry at our apartments is definitely a God thing. There are only a couple weeks left of Kids Club until the kids go back to school. It's been a very full summer!

This week the Lord reminded me of 1 Corinthians 13:3 that says: "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." I asked the Lord, "But Lord, don't I have love? I love my husband and children!" (And come to think of it, I love my neighbors at the apartments, right?) He told me where I lacked love was for myself. I need to accept his love and that it will free me from a multitude of sins (like pride) and his love will be the glue that sticks me to him. It's true...so if you're reading this, please pray for me to really be able to receive the Lord's love in a deeper way. I am glad that the busy summer activities will be over soon. Without personally knowing God's love my work does not matter, my ministries do not matter, nor anything else I'm doing. I'm ready to soak up God's love here at home with Brenton and our children for awhile.

Anderman--A Guy on the Go!

2010-07-19T11:59:00.001-07:00

Ander loves playing any kind of hide and seek sort of game. He still is car-crazy and enjoys walks, running and digging in the dirt. He is such a little "spiderman" at the park and loves climbing. Yesterday he lost his footing and ended up just hanging on the playground equipment at the park. I was so glad he caught himself, which gave me enough time to grab him and help him down! We're trying to overcome a whining spell that's been going on for a few weeks. But I'm actually amazed by how obedient he is. He is learning about Jesus in Sunday School and at home. The other day he talked about the "Holy Firit" (Spirit). That just blesses a Christian mom's heart. :-) We're still praying about him going to preschool two days a week in the fall and I'm supposed to go check out a Baptist Church's preschool near our house next week. If Ander goes to preschool it will probably be a bigger step for me than it will be for him.

Mirren Update

2010-07-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

Mirren loved hearing my sister Emily sing for her. Emily has such a beautiful voice--she sings like an angel!

Mirren spends a lot of time watching Ander. She's so strong and loves standing--she's not even 4 months old! Mirren seems to get more fussy now when she is bored. This week she went swimming for the first time and had her first bath with Ander. They both enjoyed it and I know Mirren was glad to have him there where she could see him playing. He runs around so fast it's sometimes hard for her to take in all he's doing!

Also, Mirren is going bald! We're trying to do a "comb over", but I might eventually have to shave her head if her bald spots continue to expand!

Toys, I Love 'Em!

2010-07-13T11:28:00.001-07:00

Mirren is now able to grab toys and put them in her mouth. This is a picture of her during the first time she was able to do that. It makes her so, so happy to be able to get them into her mouth, which I'm sure she'll be doing for at least a year from now! The other picture is after bath time.

Longtime Friends

2010-07-13T11:18:00.001-07:00

During my stay in Colorado, I've been able to see a couple friends, like Lan. She has been one of my best friends since I was 16. We met at youth group at church. We've been through a lot together and I always love talking on the phone with her, even though we live far a part. We continue to have a lot in common...we got married the same year, our sons are about 5 months apart in age and now we have daughters that are only a couple weeks apart!

Something funny happened during our visit...our sons, Ander and Tobiah played with trucks but I don't think they said more than 5 words to each other. Then, when we introduced our daughters it was all smiles, squeals and coos. We couldn't believe that 3 month olds could interact so much or enjoy each others company as much as Mirren and Mariana did.

The Zoo

2010-07-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the zoo. It was a lot of work getting the kids out and it was hot, but I thought it would be fun for Ander to see the animals. This is actually the only "special outing" for Ander we planned during our Colorado trip. It turns out he was more impressed with the number of trash cans at the zoo.

Me: Ander! What's that over there!?! (Pointing to the elephant) What IS that?
Ander: TWO TRASH CANS!!!!! (pointing to the two trash cans in front of the elephant)

Finally by the end of the zoo trip Ander seemed a little interested in the zebras. I almost wonder if he didn't realize he was looking at real animals and that this was something special. He whined quite a bit during our zoo outing too. I think he has more fun digging in the garden with my mom or going to the park that is within walking distance of my parents' house.

The moral of the story? You never know what a two year old is going to like. Stick with what's cheaper and closer to home and you'll probably all have more fun. :-S

Sweet Moments in Colorado

2010-07-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures from our Colorado trip. In these pictures you'll see me, my mom, Ander Mirren, my dad, my brother Nathan and my sister Emily.

The Funeral

2010-07-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today was Ga's funeral. This was a very hard day for me. I wasn't able to be at the recent funerals for my grandparents on my mom's side, so maybe I felt the pain of saying good-bye even more at this funeral because I didn't have a chance to fully grieve the losses of my other grandparents.

Now all of my grandparents have passed away and I feel quite a large hole in my life. When Grandma passed away in February I felt like, “well at least I still have Ga!” My grandparents have always been pillars in my life, full of wisdom, encouragement and love. They gave me the kind of love that 1 Corinthians 13 talks about that “always believes the best.” They had wisdom that only an 80 year-old can have. They had lived through the Great Depression and World War II. They had faith and they had old-fashioned morals. They cared about the little things in my life that would be boring to even my close friends. They prayed for me and were like a fan club. Isn't that what every grandchild needs? It's wonderful to have your own fan club!

Ga (born Virgie Imagene Davis, known as "Jean") had a difficult life. She grew up on a farm in Oklahoma where she milked the cow and picked cotton (which she told us was terribly hard work). She had an unhappy childhood and also had a largely unhappy adulthood with rocky marriages (divorced once and then her second husband passed away, then she married again). She believed in Jesus and at the end of her life talked often about being ready to see him. She was very sure of God's grace and his love for her.

Ga was beautiful and elegant. As a child I remember her perfect make-up and hair, her nails, and jewelry. She loved shopping--especially for her grandkids. When she was doing well financially (she worked as a real estate agent) she and her husband and my aunt would fill the living room with gifts at Christmastime til there was barely room to walk. Being together as a family was extremely important to Ga. She was wonderful with hospitality. Not only did she offer us food every time we came over, but she didn't seem content until you actually ate something! Ga loved music, especially Country, bluegrass and Southern Gospel.

Ga was a big part of making my childhood pretty wonderful. Both sets of grandparents and one aunt and cousin lived within blocks of our home in Aurora, Colorado. We saw them all the time and had so much fun together. Even to this day, all of my family on both sides lives in Colorado except for me and one cousin who is temporarily in California!

Something interesting about my relationship with Ga, is that I am not her biological granddaughter. She would be sad to know that as a child I sometimes felt left out when I was with her side of the family. At the time I thought it was because I was adopted by my dad and was not her "blood kin". As an adult, however, I got very close to Ga and realized how much she loved me. I worked near her home for about a year and a half and would bike over to have lunch with her almost daily. We got really close and had great conversations.

I miss Ga. I wish this funeral day was not over so Ga's memory and the celebration of her life could go on. What saddens me the most is I'm afraid of forgetting about her, I'm afraid that my life will go on without her...and it will. I won't be able to call Ga or visit her and I am saddened that Ander might not remember her.

Thank you Ga for everything. There will never be anyone like you! I look forward to seeing you again on the other side of heaven's gates!

I'll Fly Away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away

Some bright morning when this life is over, I'll fly away
To a land on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away

When the shadows of this life have gone, I'll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls I'll fly, I'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away

Oh how glad and happy when we meet, I'll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet, I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away

Just a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away
To a land where joy will never end, I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
When I die, hallellujah by and by, I'll fly away

(I just read this song was written by Albert E. Brumley who was born on a cotton farm in Spiro, Oklahoma and said he started singing this song while dreaming of flying away from the cotton field. Maybe that's why Ga liked this song so much!)