Leaving on a jet plane...

I have been told by more than a few that I don't blog regularly enough.  Sad to say, I wish I could do it more as well.  The house we've been renting from the seminary doesn't have internet access in the building per-say.  We could go out on the front porch and try to leech off one of the neighbors, but the high a few days ago was zero... that hasn't been happening for me lately.  Also, we've been dashing across the country doing last minute legal matters and saying goodbye to people.  We traveled to Pennsylvania to see the our former homegroup leaders (man the kids have grown!) and then to New York City (it was so close anyways) to surprise some friends for a few hours, then headed to Illinois.  We made it just in time for a brutal ice storm too!  (Yeah for being so lucky!!!)  We said goodbye to our own homegroup as well as our small group and church family there in Bourbonnais.  We haven't sold the house yet, but there is much interest, so hopefully, that will change.  Then, it was back to Missouri to pick up my parents and brother Daniel and off to Hutchinson, Kansas for Christmas with my sister and her family.  The babies had a great time... doubt we will have too many more Christmas mornings with the cousins together like that.  Anyways, Emme and I fly out Thursday morning to meet up with Todd in Orlando, Florida.  He had to drive since we couldn't fit the few things we still own in the car with Emme's carseat and me, besides, we were done with the car and the prospect of another 20 or so hours... let's just say we gladly accepted the flight plans instead.  This will probably be the last posting from here in the States for a while.  We have prayer cards, so if you want one, leave a comment or email me and I'll get that sent off to you.  We're excited that the day has finally arrived to be done traveling and living with other people's belonging out of our suitcases, but we're sad to say so many goodbyes.  Leaving you with some Christmas cheer to take you on into your New Year.  Have a good one everybody!

Baking... and other 'girlie' things

There are certain rights of passage.  Every boy should have at least one trip to the emergency room, have a broken bone, or need stitches at some point in their life.  Every girl should have some encounter with a pretty dress (either wanting or wearing one)... My daughter has gone through one of those rights of passage.  The missionary interns were getting together for dinner and I was in charge of dessert.  I decided to make my brownies with cookie dough topping (it's egg free so no worries!).  So, I bought all the ingredients, hiked up the street to a neighbor's house to borrow beaters (you can't whip butter and sugar together with a fork... which is literally all we had) and got to work.  It was a ton of fun, although Em seemed more excited about the chocolate chips than anything else.  We didn't have room in the kitchen so we made our mess in the dining room.  Daddy was THRILLED when he came home!!!  Yeah for Mommy-Daughter time!

Crates, Updates, and Thanks

Over the last six months or so, people have been constantly asking if we're excited to move.  Truthfully, we've been so busy there wasn't time to get excited!  But, the crates have been built, packed and shipped.  Our manifest has been written with each item detailed and labeled according to it's earthly value. Some of you may go through this so I feel it necessary to impart my new knowledge on you.  The first task is to divide everything you own into things that you will need and can't live without (that are four feet or smaller in length and height) and those things that you can live without.  Then, label all those things that didn't make the cut for a LARGE garage sale.  We found it very useful to have friends help in this process as it is generally painful to let go of things for a nickel which cost you much more than that.  Now, the pile of things that you must have get sorted through again based on the following criteria:  1) will it break in the shipment 2) how much does it weigh 3) is it needed for every-day-life or is it 'special use' 4) will your husband get upset that you wasted space with it when you unpack it in 6 months.  Once all of those questions have been answered, then, you must pack into boxes everything.  Write a manifest of each item that is in that box (for example, Box #1 has...) and then weigh the box.  Remember, there is a weight limit WITH THE WEIGHT OF THE WOODEN CRATE included in that final count.  Then, all those boxes need to be moved to where your husband has build the crate.  After that, all the boxes need to be put into the crates (preferably in cold, dreary weather... it just sets the mood so much better).  Once those crates are packed, each one needs to be caulked and screwed shut (which is tricky when you have to put your screwdriver INTO one of those crates... conundrum).  Then, you need to band the crates with metal (or, if you can't find what you need, duck tape- everything can be fixed with duck tape, right?) and then wait for the shipping company!  Fax them your manifest and send another copy to the insurance department, and you're set!  It's all a wonderful and joyful experience... and you will be able to laugh about it, but not until you're done and the crates are shipped.  Then, there is a wonderful feeling of relief and freedom which I can't quit express... I'm so glad it's all done and I'm so glad it didn't kill me (believe me, there were moment when I truly thought this process was going to kill me) and my family is still in tact, so life is amazing... now.  Thanks for your prayers and help though all this!  

Halloween

Halloween is generally not thought of as the most Christian of all the holidays out there, but I loved the Harvest Festivals at church as a kid.  I also enjoyed the one house we were allowed to go trick-or-treating to (he was a dentist and gave out free toothbrushes).  So, when I was given the cutest outfit for Emme for Halloween, I couldn't say no.  

Our church here is too small to have a Harvest Festival, so we went on the hunt for another option.  It turned out that the downtown just a mile from our house has a safe trick-or-treating option where kids can go to the stores and get candy.  It sounded great, so we went.  Em promptly fell asleep in the car on the way there, and since it was her nap-time, I told Todd we'd hang out at the coffee shop until she woke up.  Apparently, waiting for a cute daughter dressed as an even cuter butterfly is too much for my husband, who began banging chairs around until she woke up (ten minutes!).  So, we went out and Todd couldn't have been prouder.  Emme, on the other hand, didn't give one smile or giggle the entire time people cooed and commented about her (shocker, she'd slept for sooooo long)!  While we may have scared our daughter for life, at least we have the oh-so-cute pictures of our ghostly adventure! 

On the Road Again

For those of you who haven't heard, my husband and I have been on a whistle-stop tour of the United States... or at least it feels like it.  We are sitting in Sacramento International Airport for what will be Emme's 9th flight (the child is only 5 months) and we are glad to be going to our own beds.  We've had an amazing trip... er, trips? but there's something to be said about washing your own underwear in your own decrepit, semi-condemned house with the dryer that leaves little brown marks on everything.  Ah, home sweet home!

The next few weeks are going to be crazy, so if you're the praying type and think of us, do us a favor and pray your little heart out.  In the next week, Todd and I both have a final paper for our summer module class due, I have a term paper and 20 minute presentation (yet to start the research for- all that free time on my hands and all) and we have a crate to build and pack which literally includes weighing everything we still own and writing each item and it's value on a manifest... yeah for no Ikea in South Africa!

Emme, surprisingly, is doing amazing.  She is mobile, although without direction or purpose, more of a swiveling meander around the room, but hey, I'm all for it.  She's gotten started on "real" food (we were trying to wait as long as possible, but when MY child watched and yelled at the food I was eating and she wasn't... well, you've all experienced me and my relationship with food in plain sight- enough said).  That adds such a wonderful new dimension to our travels!  God has a great sense of humor who has lovingly provided me with the world's best highchair- Todd!!!  Anyways, the plane is boarding, so till Kansas City, goodbye for now.

Trip Home

There are many times in life that make you step back and see your life from the outside.  As a kid, I always wanted to have those stories of how my parents put me in their alma mater's diapers or brought me to Homecoming every year.  I'm one of those people who love traditions for the sake of traditions.  It seems rather ironic, then, that I moved 26 times before the age of 18.  Funny how someone can feel at home in a place while still missing another.  I love Auburn and consider it home.  I graduated there.  I had my first job there.  I was married there.  It is home, and yet, Bourbonnais is home as well. 

We took a trip back there to see friends and take care of some business.  During this trip, Emme got to do some of those things I had wished for as a kid.  She went to her first Olivet soccer game (the girls thought she was way more fun than my gigantic belly!), the group of college kids who have been with us since their freshman year were there (they all voted that she was more entertaining than Bubba the cat), and we were able to get together with all the 'aunts' and 'uncles' who are still there.  It was hard to leave, but I look forward to the many trips we will take back to visit over the years.  She gets to go to college wherever she wants (the Lord knows that she'll be paying for it!) but at least she'll have the photos of her parents' alma mater and stories from those who care so much for her.  

Ropes... and other 'shiny' things

There's something wonderful about seeing things through the eyes of a child.  Braeden and Emme went to a pumpkin patch this weekend for the first time.  The ways they joyfully screamed about the animals and the pumpkins was great.  But this picture of my daughter sitting on a saddle and being fascinated (fascinated people) with the rope rather than the blow-up jumping gym or the ponies or the go-cart bikes or any of the dozens of other things that were around... absolutely amazing how little it takes to entertain my daughter.  It wasn't even shiny!!!

Anyways, we loved the pumpkin patch with Aunt Hilary and cousin Braeden and Oma and Grandmother.  We had a lot of fun and enjoyed a wonderful weekend with family.  Hopefully, we'll be able to do something like this again. 

Rubber Ducky

Few things in life are as important to children as their bath-time toys.  My grammie had a mechanical frog, Mr. Fribby, and it was so much fun... yes, I still remember the frog's name.   With a trusty rubber duck (thanks to Grams) Em is now officially no longer a bystander at bath time.  She is a participant, engaged in the activity of getting clean and soaking the rest of us.  So, as her mother mourns the quite, placid process that was (because it will no longer be strictly functional), Emme is wonderfully enjoying her new best friends... to be added to the list of best friends:  Gustav, Gina and Gabe (the giraffes in her crib's mobile) as well as Kermit from her bouncy seat.  So many friends, so little time to talk!

Doubters and Nay-Sayers

It's officially Fall in Kansas City.  I was driving back from a friend's house and I caught a whiff of the evidence... the smell of falling leaves.  I don't know how to describe it because it's more than a smell.  It's more of a taste in your mouth.  A longing for warm apple pie bitting the tails of a crisp wind.

Now some of you are still melting in unbearable heat or humidity. Here, however, thanks to Hurricane Whatever-Her-Name-Was and Hurricane Ike, we who are residing in Tornado Ally are getting a reprieve from Summer.  It went from a high of 91 to 59 degrees in 12 hours.  This drastic change brought on new challenges for this first-time mom.  Emme, who is growing out of cloths faster than I can find new ones for her, was suddenly in a clothing crisis.  We went from diapers and bibs (because it was just too hot) to needing multiple layers of cloths.  The need, however, made me smile and chuckle to myself.  The reason for this response?  Much to the dismay of some (yes, I know that you are out there!), I am sentimental about some things and one of those is a particular orange outfit that I've been holding on to since 2003.  

You see, in 2003, my husband (then boyfriend of less than a year) bought a cute little sweater and hat that only Ecuadorians can claim as 'native'.  He bought it, and I've held on to it.  Yes, almost 5 years later, and much to the chuckle and chagrin of some who know my distain for most things girly and sentimental, I kept it, and I LOVE it!  I'm so glad that I picked a few things that I deemed sacred and holy to have for Em.  I know she, like I did, will look back at this picture of her in this Aunt Kate-inspired color palate with her "smiley" eyes and become completely exasperated, but I think that this is a once-in-a-lifetime look for my nearly 4 month old.  So while we'll probably never land ourselves on the cover of Mother-Daughter Scrap-bookers Weekly, we, no doubt, will laugh at my descent, for a few moments,  into the realm of 'cutesy', 'girly' and 'sentimental'.

Kermit the Frog

Okay, so we've finally finished these insane days of module classes... which translates to Todd and I are each down to one class a piece, one day a week for three hours (plus the seminars for World Missions which are about 20-30 hours a week), so we're REALLY excited to have some free time on our hands.

That being the case, we finally took up another missionary's offer of a Baby Einstein bouncy-walker-thing. Walked down to get it (which is no small task when people drive on your street like they're racing to the hospital because, well, they're racing to the hospital!), cleaned it up and put Emme in it.

Now Emme is only 15 weeks old today and still slightly small for the chair. So, being the resourceful mom that I am, I shoved towels all around my precious girl until the chair worked (probably not the safest thing to do). Now, this is one of those chairs that doesn't walk around. It stays in one location (great for Mom) but the chair spins around so that Emme can have a 360-degree view of the room, or in this case, the room and a wall. There are four stations with things that move, a piano keyboard that lights up, etc. Of all these gadgets and gizmos, my daughter decided that a small green frog was the lucky recipient of her undivided attention.


Two things you need to understand about my daughter. One, she does things her way, in her time, and on her terms. Period. Two, she has discovered the ability to stick her tongue out in the last two days. So back to the new-fangled toy. Emme has chosen to like this frog. She made a few friendly noises at Kermit, but when no friendly noises were returned, the staring contest started. She started low, she stared straight on. There were stares from tip-toes and stares at close range. She tried everything in her power to goad that frog into an argument. When she realized that Kermit wouldn't bite for anything, she stuck her tongue out and yelled at me, as if I had control of that evil green monger who eats flies.

Cross-Cultural Training

For those of you who have spent more than 3 seconds with my, you know I am a people-oriented person. Right now, my culture is academically-oriented, thus leading to some cultural clashes. Let me explain...

Todd and I have class from 8am until 12:15pm; five books, three diapers, two homework assignments and one Boppy (oversized pillow for Emme) in tow. Then, we go home to work on homework until 4:45ish, at which point, two gals come over to the house (one missionary intern like us, and the intern coordinator) to watch Rosie, 3 and Paul, 4 (their family leaves for Peru in a few weeks). We then head to class until 10ish. Now, Monday night, I left Emme with these two sitters and was a nervous wreck the entire time, so now she goes with mom and dad to class until 7:30ish, when she gets picked up to spend the rest of the evening with the other kids. We come back from class to do homework until one of two things happen: a) we fall asleep or b) we run out of cereal and/or Cup-O-Noodles.

I was feeling this difference in cultures, but I didn't think it was that extreme until last night. Standing in my 'dining area' after class, looking at the two sitters finishing up bath time with Rosie and Paul, their parents waiting with pj’s in the 'livingroom,' Todd with Emme talking with the husband of one sitter, I had two major epiphanies. First, it was 10pm and I had almost a dozen people in my tiny rental house... a DREAM come true for this people-person. Secondly, I needed to shove them all out because I had a book to read and paper to write before class the next day.

I've never been more aware of how fully I'm in the middle of God's plan for my life, but it's hard to describe how no one, save the other ten people who are going through this with us (and even then, not to the same degree because of the kid-factor), understands what's going on. Pray that God will give my family patience. We are tired, which can quickly lead to crankiness. I know that this is only for 'a season' (trust me, I counted down the last 100 days of my pregnancy, I'm counting down these 10 days!) but that doesn't make that season any shorter. Pray that my family comes out of this still knowing one another... and have some friends to boot!

Update

Many of you have been asking in the last few months if Todd and I are excited to be going to South Africa. Our honest answer? We're so busy right now, we haven't thought any farther into the future than the next few days for months. Currently, we are living in interim housing across from Nazarene Theological Seminary. The house is being painted (they started two days ago, much to my dismay as I looked out the front window to see two burly men staring back at me!) and we're trying to get stuff settled. Most of our things are in boxes with detailed lists of what is inside of them, but the things that are left are trying to find homes... therein is another challenge since the house is furnished by people who have been leaving for the mission field and have left things. We're in the land of what didn't make the list of "necessary" items to take to the field. So, Todd and I are sharing one dresser and we're getting creative with boxes and shelves. All this fun in the midst of writing papers and reading books. I've come to the conclusion that part of the reason why this is so challenging isn't because I have divided loyalties between my husband, my daughter and the work needing to be done (although that is a factor) but the greater forces at work? The Olympic Games. That's right. They're on and for another little bit, I will have to fight the urge to watch Michael Phelps, Shawn Johnson and the other incredible athletes, thinking of the days when my waist was that small (back in the 3rd grade... ah, those were the days!). So, pray that we get our papers done, that I am able to concentrate in class (can anyone say ADHD??) and that Todd doesn't kill me for wanting to skip our morning classes because swimming is on.

Rain drops on roses

In the crazy world of packing everything that will fit in a 200 cu.ft. box, selling everything else that won't, and moving to another state with a 3-month old, there is something to be said for things that make you happy. I have come to realize that there are certain universal things that, just the thought of these, make me happy. The sight of Target in an unfamiliar world... or, in this case, city. That special color of green that sets the mind to fresh-cut grass the first warm day of spring. Having a paper written, revised and sent to a professor, thus, taking it off of my plate... and my daughter's huge smile that makes her eyes disappear into what Todd calls her "smiley eyes" first thing in the morning.

There are many things to complain about, like the insane number of papers to write, books to read, and bags to be unpacked when all I want to do is play with Emme because she's recently started giggling and rolling over... But God is good, it's Friday, and we found a Chick-Fil-A. We'll make it... or come really close to it!