A Really, Really Fun Week

Our week in New York has already flown by! We had such a great time, I wasn't ready for it to end. John's sister Beth and her family were wonderful hosts, giving up their beds for us, playing with our kids, taking us interesting places in Rochester, and even treating us to a scrumptious Italian meal on our final evening there. The week held plenty of physical activity: we did some pool swimming, dipped our feet in Lake Ontario while the guys played football on the beach, and I went running three mornings along the Genessee river which flows into the big lake. And it was a rare moment when there wasn't a game of ping-pong or badminton going on. John's sister Leah and her children were able to join us midway through the week, bringing our family member count to 13! Our friend Robert, an Asian studying in Louisville, is traveling with us on our trip and he had a great time as well. Many beautiful memories were made!

One of Robert's great qualities is that he, like most Asians, loves to take pictures with his very nice digital camera. So not only do we have lots of beautiful memories of the week, we have the photos to remind us! So courtesy of Robert tonight, I have several for your viewing enjoyment.

This first one is not in NY--but was so cute I couldn't resist. It was taken outside the home where we stayed the previous weekend in Indiana. And here we are on the beach of lovely lake Ontario! It was a perfect evening! Chloe enjoyed the sand too, and didn't seem to mind the texture or taste, since she kept putting her wet, sandy fingers in her mouth!Clara Anne loves the water and had a great time at the pool with her new floaties that were purchased because I was convinced the old ones were lost. Of course, you can guess what happened: literally, within 10 minutes of returning from the store with the new ones, the old ones were found, in a bag that was right next to the pool the whole time. How dumb can I be? Clara Anne really enjoyed the slide and swings in the backyard, even in her pajamas one evening!Here's the whole crew before eating some incredible antipasto. Fun family times!

It's blueberry and cherry season in upstate New York. We stopped at a roadside stand on our way to Niagara Falls today. The bing cherries we bought were at the peak of perfection, as were these blueberries, as you can see from the photo.

Niagara Falls was a fun adventure for the whole family! We took a ride on the Maid of the Mist, which lets you ride in a boat right up close to the falls. It is a wet and wild ride! The "Horseshoe" Falls are right behind our family. (And see both girls with their heads cuddled on Daddy's shoulders! They were a bit alarmed at all of the spray!)

Simply gorgeous. What an amazing Creator we have! The "American" falls are in the foreground, with the "Horseshoe" Falls back on the right of the photo.

So tonight we're in Toledo, OH, heading for Platteville WI tomorrow to visit some college friends. We plan to stop in Chicago for lunch! The girls have done pretty well with all of the recent travel and transition, but I think Chloe is getting a bit tired of it all. Hopefully she can rest well tonight.

Good night!

Fun new photos!

We have arrived safely in Rochester, NY! We're already having a fabulous time. It took Clara Anne about three minutes to warm up to her cousins, find the swingset in their lovely backyard, and then discover the dollhouse and train set upstairs. She's going to have a wonderful week! I've been happiest, though, to see John really relax and have fun. This is the break we've been waiting for! A badminton game started up in the back yard within minutes of our arrival, and since then almost every minute has been jam-packed with fun activities! Ping-pong, a trip to an amazing Children's Play Museum, and tonight a classy picnic on the beach of Lake Ontario, followed by walks (football for the guys) in the sand and dipping our toes in the surf. Happily for all of you, I do have pictures of our fun day. . . but they will have to wait until tomorrow to finish uploading them.

[note: this blog was written on Tuesday but I couldn't get it posted due to inconsistant internet access. Finally I'm posting it today, Thursday!]
But, I wanted to update you all just on a few cute, random pictures from the past week. Here's Clara Anne in her pretty purple dress and purple Dora sunglasses in our cabin at camp:

This is a picture of Chloe, the day after her birthday. I was reading a story to Clara Anne on the bed while Chloe was playing on the floor. All of us sudden I looked up, and she had crawled all the way up onto Clara Anne's table! Yikes! She was pretty happy about it, though!Here's that one I promised you of Clara Anne signing autographs! Funny!And for those of you who were looking for a picture of me . . . bonus! Here's the whole family!

Our International Girl

With all of the traveling we have been doing recently, it’s not surprising that our girls have gotten really used to packing up and moving, sleeping in various places, meeting and making new friends, and adapting to new circumstances. Overall, they are doing well with this, which makes me very thankful. Chloe, of course, is so young still that she is fairly clueless. As long as we are nearby and she has her pack-n-play to sleep in, she does quite well. It has been interesting, though, to see Clara Anne in so many different locales. Perhaps sometimes she is wondering, “Where am I from, anyway?”

Clara Anne was born in Hong Kong, and at only 6 weeks took her first international flight. More than 35 flights and two years later, we arrived in the States and had to send her passport in to get extra pages added—it is completely full. She has been to several Asian countries, some several times, and then lived briefly in Iowa at Grandpa and Grandma’s house, and then in Louisville. She remembers several homes: our home in Asia, Grandpa and Grandma’s house, but I think after our two weeks at camp, Clara Anne’s heart is truly at home in the woods of Kentucky.

“Why?” you ask. Well, I don’t think I had quite realized the impact the counselors had on Clara Anne. All in all, the majority of them were Kentucky girls, and they spent a fair amount of time watching Clara Anne while John and I were busy these last weeks. They loved playing with her and chatting with her, and she loved playing with them too! It’s not hard to have fun when someone plays with you constantly! The reason that I say that Clara Anne’s heart is at home here, though, is the ease with which Clara Anne picked up the Kentucky accent.

Yes, it’s true, Clara Anne now is speaking as if she was born and raised in Kentucky. Words like “fan” and “again” have added a syllable (“fa-yan” and “uh-gay-an”), and she has started saying “y’all” just like a native. Oh my! It only took two weeks!

Well, Clara Anne, don’t get too comfortable speaking “Kentuckian!” After a two day stay this weekend in Indiana with the wonderful folks at CrossRoads, we are off to Rochester, New York, in the morning. John’s sister Beth and her family are there, and we are looking forward to a week with them, celebrating the Fourth of July, going swimming, visiting the zoo, and maybe even catching a baseball game. It’s going to be fun! (After we make the long drive, that is!)

So leave that accent behind, Clara Anne! New York, here we come!

A Whole New Level of Stardom

These past weeks as we’ve shared with the girls at camp, they are always so amazed to realize how popular Clara Anne and Chloe are in Asia. They can hardly believe how everyone in our city in Asia wanted to hold the girls, touch their fair skin and hair, and take pictures of them. Last week, however, Clara Anne’s fame rose to a new level.

At the end of the second week of camp, at the closing celebration, John and I were busy signing autographs for dozens of eager 3rd-6th graders. So many girls were asking for us to sign Clara Anne’s name that finally some young girl just gave Clara Anne paper and a pen to let Clara give it a go herself. John and I could hardly believe our eyes as Clara Anne very solemnly took the paper and pen, bent over and scribbled in one place for a moment, and then gravely handed the paper and pen back to the girl as another girl took the first one’s place. Clara Anne was kept busy in this manner for a good 5 minutes! Every time she signed her name (scribbles) in all earnestness, then gave back the paper and pen and took the next one. John and I laughed so hard to see her very adult manner, signing autographs of all things!

Enjoy this picture—you can’t see the crowd of girls pressing in around her, but you can see her signing her name. Her fame in Asia never got to this level! Clara Anne, the star!

(The picture won't load right now . . . stay tuned!)

The Bag Balm Incident

In Clara Anne’s fairly short life, there have been a few truly memorable moments. Some of those have been memorably good, but unfortunately, the one I have to share with you today was more infamous than memorable.

It all began a while back when John was on his 10 day speaking tour in Tennessee. Someone gave him a large tin of “Bag Balm” which is a product most commonly used on cow udders. That’s right, cow udders. Since we have no personal contact with cows, at first I was not sure what to do with this gift. However, the giver assured John that it was also excellent medicine for cuts and scrapes, slight burns and the like. It has a petroleum jelly-like consistency, very thick and greasy, seemed like heavy-duty stuff. So we stuck it in with our other medicines for future use.

Then, during our first week at camp, Clara Anne got two nasty scrapes on her leg—one happened when she was doing her version of “jumping” into the pool. The sides of the pool are a bit rough, and she didn’t jump far enough, but instead sort of slid awkwardly into the water, scraping her leg as she went. It didn’t look bad at first, but the second day was quite red and getting scabby, so we used some of the miracle cure Bag Balm on it. Then Clara Anne tripped over her own feet and fell on some gravel, scraping the same leg in a different spot. Bag Balm to the rescue again.

Last Wednesday, John and I were rushing around, trying to finish the final preparations before leading another activity period relating to our life and work in Asia. It was time for the girls to have a nap, and I put Chloe down in her crib, and then put Clara Anne down in our bed. I was afraid that if they were both in the same room and not yet asleep, they might be tempted to play together (it happens sometimes) and I wouldn’t be around to deal with them. I reminded Clara Anne that she needed to stay in her bed and go right to sleep, as usual. But unthinkingly, I left the 99% full container of Bag Balm on the bedside table.
An hour later, we arrived back at the cabin and asked the counselor who had been staying there with them how it went. “Chloe has been quiet,” she said, “but Clara Anne was talking to herself for awhile. I went in once and then she seemed to go to sleep.”

We cracked the door open slowly to see if, indeed, Clara Anne was asleep. Instead, the sight that met our eyes was almost unbelievable. Clara Anne was sitting on the bed, with John’s shirt on, her hands covered in yellow goo . . . Bag Balm. Bag Balm was smeared all over her legs, there were great glops of it on the sheets, John’s shirt was nearly covered in it, and Clara Anne’s shirt (which she had taken off) was also a total mess. Clara Anne’s Blanket had escaped her ministrations, but Doll was not so fortunate: Bag Balm had been rubbed into Doll’s feet and hands, all over Doll’s face, and down the front of her dress as well.

John and I were almost speechless . . . but only for a moment. Then our first instructions were for Clara Anne to sit perfectly still as we tried vainly with paper towels to wipe up the goo. Clara Anne immediately knew that she had done wrong and even as we looked at her with astonishment, asking her what she was thinking to do such a thing, she said in a pitiful voice, “I’m sorry Mommy! I’m sorry Daddy!”

You might guess (correctly) that the rest of the day was not a very pleasant one for Clara Anne. Not only did she have an encounter with the Sad Stick, she was not allowed to go swimming, her favorite thing, which made me sad because I would have loved to take her and have a fun time. She also was not allowed any more movies the rest of the week. (She had occasionally been watching a Dora episode or a Veggie Tales sing-along while we were busy and the counselors were with her.)

Both her shirt and John’s shirt were too far gone to save, but I did try to rescue Doll. I wiped off all the gunk, sprayed her down with laundry pre-treatment spray, and then tied her inside a pillowcase to wash her. She came mostly clean; a few grease stains remain on her clothes but I did the best I could. Doll is really fraying around the edges, so I was hesitant to wash her, but I truly had no choice.

I think it’s safe to say that Clara Anne was in the most trouble of her life after this incident. But hopefully a lesson was learned—both by Clara Anne and by Mommy. We had a serious talk with Clara Anne about resisting temptation, and perhaps I learned a little something about not leaving temptation right in front of Clara Anne. I think Clara Anne also learned that though forgiven, there were still consequences for her actions, which hopefully will help deter her the next time!

So though most of the Bag Balm was wasted, I pray that it served a better purpose than even healing Clara Anne’s scrapes, that it was a lesson to her heart as well. For that, I guess I should say, “Thanks, Bag Balm!”

Chloe Turns One!

This past Tuesday, June 26, 2007, was Chloe’s first birthday! She had a really fun time celebrating with about 75 “older sisters” since we were in our second week of camp. The camp director, Mrs. Stacy, had arranged for a little party at lunch, with cupcakes and fun party hats and banners! Chloe ate almost two whole cupcakes herself, with great gusto. We opened gifts after lunch and she has since gotten attached to a small fuzzy puppy that says “I Love Cedar Crest” (the name of our camp). Fun times!

It’s amazing to think that already a year has gone by since Chloe’s birth! I’ll never forget the doctor looking at her on the birthing table and exclaiming, “Wah! Big Baby!” . . . and she was, weighing in at 9 lbs and 13 oz. Her size was a good indication of her healthy appetite which has not diminished whatsoever since. I love her big smiles, her dark blue eyes and the blonde hair which is now starting to curl a bit above her ears, giving her blonde “wings”! She has already been such a fun companion for Clara Anne; I’m sure Clara Anne cannot imagine life without Chloe. She is our dancing baby, loving to move to any type of music, though is taking her sweet time with walking and talking. She’s not without vocal expression, though, and keeps us amused at her variety of oohs and ahhs, exclamations and squeals. She loves to play in the water now (has totally forgotten about that time I took her swimming in Asia at about 4 months old) and has really enjoyed our recent swimming outings. She does have some faults, though—she is extremely impatient at the dinner table (often eating as fast as I can cut it up and put it on her tray!), and lately I have been trying to break her of her tendency to shriek when she doesn’t get her way. We’ll be working on those things!

Chloe, you are a blessing! We love you! Happy First Birthday!
Want some cupcake?

New Pictures!

Well, it's been so long since I posted pictures, you all probably forgot what we look like. So here's a refresher! Below: John and Clara Anne at beautiful Cave Hill Cemetary in late May.
Clara has had lots of fun with some sidewalk chalk outside our apartment door in Louisville!

This one is from our trip to Huber's family farm--John, the "big pig" and Chloe, the "little pig." Chloe's appetite lately has been enormous; she truly fits the description!

At camp: One day we put Clara Anne down for her nap on our bed, and when we went in to get her she was wearing my pajamas! We have no idea why!

Also at camp: New friend Kellie (a counselor) convinced me to try the zipline. AAAaaaahhh! Here we go!

Who needs water to have fun?! Here the girls are playing in the common area of the lodge with their fun floaty ring. Clara Anne has loved all of our opportunities to swim recently! She has had a great time in the water and can hardly be convinced to come out.

Camping in the Kentucky Woods

Our first week of camp has come and gone, and we are having a great time! The theme of our camp is “Asian Adventure” in which the girls are learning about Asian customs, making Asian arts and crafts (kites and fans), and even eating some Asian foods! John and I feel right at home! It’s really exciting to see these young girls growing in their faith and getting a vision for what is happening around the world.

Of course, they’re also doing all sorts of fun camp stuff like singing silly songs (The Little Green Frog, the Coconut Song, Bazooka Bubble Gum Song, and more!), swimming, having chapel out in the woods, sleeping in cabins, and all the rest.

But, I must say, both John and I have been somewhat surprised at the high standard of living here at camp! Things sure have changed since I was a camp counselor in 1994! (Or maybe I just went to a less-developed camp!) The main difference is that the cabins here all have air-conditioning, with showers and toilets (albeit somewhat primitive) inside the cabins. That is a luxury we didn’t have back when I was a counselor! If you woke up at night and had to go, you’d have to find your flip-flops in the dark and trek down the path to the bathroom, then fight your way through the buzzing moths around the safety light outside the building in order to enter. As well, these girls don’t have to swim in a lake with fish, watersnakes, and turtles, like we did then, since there’s a pool onsite! How nice is that!

So, though I think that part of the fun of camp in the past was “roughing it,” I’d better be careful that I don’t start to sound like those stories your grandfather used to tell about having to walk to school uphill both ways . . . in four feet of snow . . . without any shoes . . . since I don’t mind at all having some more creature comforts. It’s true that these girls aren’t roughing it too much, but I must confess that at this stage in my life, I appreciate having a few more conveniences. Actually, we have a nicer bathroom in this cabin than we had in our home in Asia, and our room here is in a lodge with a nice common area right outside our door. It’s lovely! There’s even a kitchen just for staff (including us) use where I can make my coffee in the mornings and put our family’s necessity (yogurt) in the frig. Very convenient!

There are about 75-80 campers this week in addition to 15 counselors, and since this is an all-girls camp, John is overwhelmingly outnumbered! But for Clara Anne and Chloe, it is like having 80 older sisters. Clara Anne is in her element. She told me on the first full day (after having only spent one night here) “I like this place, Mommy!” She loves to imitate whatever the “kids” (as she calls them) are doing. It’s been really fun to see her interact with everyone; they’re all lavishing attention on her and she is soaking it up. I just hope we won’t have a spoiled little girl on our hands in 2 weeks! Times have changed, though--I’ve been pleasantly surprised how well she has taken to allowing other people to watch her while John and I are leading sessions. The last few times, she has hardly even looked up at me to say goodbye! I guess separation anxiety is a thing of the past.

We’ve had a beautiful few days weather-wise, too. The mornings and evenings have been cool, and the afternoons just warm enough to make the pool feel good. What a pleasure to be out in the woods, with blue skies and green trees, in a comfortable room, with all our meals provided, with a pool just down the hill, sharing with young, impressionable girls about things near and dear to our hearts! Wow! What a wonderful opportunity! It’s great to be at camp!

Goodbye, Louisville!

Two months have flown by, and on Monday morning, bright and early, we are leaving Louisville. We go from here to a camp about an hour away, helping out there for two weeks to share with the campers about Asia. We will be living in the counselor's accomodations and eating in the cafeteria--it will be the authentic camp experience! We're looking forward to it!

Our time here, though, has been wonderful. I could summarize it briefly with a bit of alliteration:

Friends

We have had such a wonderful time reconnecting with old friends and making many new ones during our time here! We have been so encouraged by those of you who have taken us into your homes, sharing your lives with us and allowing us to share some of our stories with you. What a blessing! It's been great to talk with so many people who are interested in doing what we're doing in the future. We feel so thankful to have a church home here with such quality folks. To those of you who had us (and of course, the girls) over for meals, thanks so much! There have been some memorable moments . . . like the time when Clara Anne took a crayon and drew all over the Joachim's small loveseat (which thankfully had a washable cover) . . . Clara Anne swinging with her daddy in a wonderful backyard hammock at the Ware's . . .Chloe exclaiming over the various dogs and cats we've encountered, and trying to pet them, even as Clara Anne would get scared and try to run away . . . eating "death by chocolate" at the Aebersold's and Chloe asking for more and more . . . putting the girls down for bed at the Janke's so we could play "Settlers of Catan" . . . the Wright boys taking Clara Anne for a stroller ride which quickly turned into "Bumper Strollers" . . . Clara Anne immediately bonding with Jamie Vickers (only 5 days her senior) and hearing squeals of laughter coming from the room where they were playing . . . Clara Anne falling down the back (cement) steps at the Kimbells and now still has a little white scar above her lip . . . the girls taking naps or going down for bed in numerous different homes all across town . . . and I could go on. Lots of memories!

Family Fun

Louisville has also been a place of lots of fun family times! The zoo has been a great family outing; we were just there for the last time this past week, and had a wonderful day together. Our friend Brenda came with us and so we went all out: rode the train, the tram, and she treated us all to a ride on the old-fashioned carousel. A baby elephant was born at the zoo this spring, so he has been fun to watch each time we've visited. Going for walks also ranks high on the family fun list. With the double stroller, it's been pure pleasure to take the girls out on long walks--John and I can talk and the girls can relax and enjoy the scenery. I'll miss the beautiful neighborhood we've lived in here! Other highlights: We made a trip with our friends the Peeks to Huber's family farms; what fun that was! There was a haymow to climb in, goats to feed, a swingset to play on, and even horseshoes to toss at the farm. You can see pictures here: http://www.apeekatthepeeks.blogspot.com. And finally, we went as a family to a Louisville Bats game--they're the AAA club of the Cincinnati Reds and have a lovely, open-air park downtown. We had a great time on Memorial Day Weekend, the girls lasted well through the whole game, even for the fireworks show afterwards! Ok, I have to add one more . . . taking Clara Anne to the public library to read and play (they have this great "castle" built in the children's section where you can go inside and read), as well as going out for coffee with her . . . those definitely qualify as fun family times!

Food

Ah, yes, let's not forget the food. We've managed to hit most of our favorite restaurants, like Qdoba, mmm, love that queso burrito . . . Lotsa Pasta for sandwiches on their fresh ciabatta bread (my personal favorite is the roast beef with smoked mozzarella). . . the Blue Dog bakery and cafe, home of artisan breads and Illy espresso, one of my rare exceptions to the "Starbucks only" rule . . . Tony Boombozz pizza, we ordered a "Steak and Potatoes" pizza with Asiago cheese because it was on special, and it was wonderful . . . Krispy Kreme for that hot, melt-in-your-mouth doughnut . . . Rocky Italiano's across the river which has truly delicious, authentic Italian food and I was served an acre of lasagne . . . Blue Bell ice cream . . . and lately when I was craving Chinese we got some take-out from the Great Wall restaurant in our neighborhood . . . we've even enjoyed KFC on a couple of occasions, it really tastes different (better) than in Asia! Amazing, since I didn't think I would want to eat that at all here in the States, since it is one of our few western choices at our home in Asia!

Fitness

It may be highly ironic to talk about fitness directly after talking about all of that food, but actually I think I will always remember this time as when I started running. I think that I can officially say that I am a runner now, since I'm almost finished with the 8 week program (just 4 workouts left!), and I hope to continue for a long, long time. So, in hope, I will also count Louisville as a place of fitness since this was where the running began! I am trying to strategize already how to continue this even as our lives are in transition again and we get ready to get back on the road.

So there you have it. We are so thankful for the past two months, but I think we're also ready to move on. We accomplished a lot of our packing today, and after doing some more speaking tomorrow, will load up the car and get ready to go.

Goodbye, Louisville! It's been great!

It's Raining Books!

On Monday night, I was the excited and privileged recipient of my friend Brenda's excellent idea. She had called me up about a month ago, suggesting that since we cannot buy children's books in Asia, she would throw me a children's literature book shower! We put together a wish list; somewhat of an education for me since I was not familiar with very much classic children's literature. Brenda is an avid children's literature collector and also an educator, so she knew all of the titles and illustrators that I should get for the girls.

Arriving at her home on Monday, I was surprised and delighted to find that Brenda had transformed her dining room into a Starbucks coffee shop! She had small tables set up, Starbucks coffee on the sideboard, and a tempting array of scones, miniature brownies, cream puffs, cookies, and the like to go with the coffee. She had even prepared a quiz for us all to do, testing our knowledge of children's literature. What fun! Here's a sample (fill in the blanks): "The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful ___ ____ _____. We had a lovely time with the 15 ladies that came, drinking coffee, chatting, correcting our quizzes, and then opening piles of books.

I received some wonderful books, like the "Frog and Toad" series, several Curious George titles, several by Robert McCloskey (One Morning in Maine, Blueberries for Sal, and Make Way for the Ducklings), a few of the Madeline books, Heidi, and then some collected stories--Dick and Jane books, and an anthology of classic children's stories. We have some happy times of reading ahead at our house! We also received some gift cards which we used to complete a few sets and expand our collection.

I want to say a special "thank you" to all of you ladies who came to the shower, and even those who couldn't come but sent gifts! It was a truly wonderful evening; your generosity was almost a bit overwhelming! I am thankful, the girls are thankful, and we will really enjoy reading and rereading these wonderful books for many years. Thank you so much!

Finally, laden with many packages and full of coffee and treats, we got home about 10 pm and so had to wait until the next morning to share the fun with Clara Anne and Chloe. They already have some new favorites: The Owl and the Pussycat, in board book form with lavish illustrations by Jan Brett, and Clara Anne has sat through entire books of Frog and Toad adventures and then asked for them again. Fun times, and happy reading!

PS. The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat, in case you were wondering.

The American Dream?

We went for a long walk in the neighborhood tonight. The immediate neighborhood around where we are staying has some nice houses; actually quite nice I think. They aren't lavish, and don't have huge yards, but most are brick with nice landscaping and are fairly well kept up. But if you cross a little bit bigger road, the houses in that neighborhood are older, classier, and more elegant; in a different league. Many of those homes to me say "old money." They seem like they could have been in the family for several generations; brick colonial style houses with gorgeous beds of ivy, white pillars, lovely windows, and generally a lavishness about them that makes me feel a bit awestruck. I am sure most of them are in the half a million to million dollar range. It is a lovely place to stroll (I've been running there too) and so we enjoyed the quiet and the scenery tonight.

But as we were talking and walking, seeing these amazing homes, it struck me that these people could be thought to be living the American Dream. We passed one particularly lovely home with a BMW parked out front, and in the back window a Duke University decal--all symbols of what many Americans are striving for: a good education, a beautiful home, expensive possessions. And yet, what does it really all mean?

Our reflective mood was also partially prompted by John's recent reading of a biography of John Adams by David McCullough. John really enjoyed learning more about Adams, from Adams' own perspective, since the book included so many of Adams' personal writings and letters. The interesting thing is that for all of John Adams' influence and shaping of American history, Adams, though clearer in his thinking than some of the other Founding Fathers, could not really be said to have a clear faith relationship with Jesus Christ. He spoke of "Heaven" as if it were a being, he spoke of hoping that "Heaven" would see his good deeds and have mercy, but the essence of the gospel was missing from Adams' thinking.

Our discussion reminded me again of the saying that I've heard John Piper quote, though I do not know the original source: "Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last." Seeing those gorgeous homes with every trapping of wealth, luxury, and status, and thinking of John Adams' life--such a key, influential person who has had a lasting impact on this entire nation--and yet, "only what's done for Christ will last." It's a sobering thought, and a fresh reminder not to get caught up in all the "stuff" of life, but to truly live with intention and discipline, not for this world, but for the next.

That sobering thought is mixed in my heart with a sense of joyful relief. What a relief not to have to strive after the "American Dream," whatever that is anyway. What a relief not to have to worry about getting enough money to be able to afford a home like the ones we saw tonight. And what joy, when we know that all things are ours in Christ, and that our reward in heaven will be more than we ever could have imagined. It's true, I have been struggling a bit lately with feeling "homeless," but even that will pass away and my home in heaven will be that much sweeter.

Be encouraged, dear ones who are living for that permanent home! "Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last."

The Averages Prove True

Well, the results are in. I took Clara Anne and Chloe to get their TB tests read last week and sure enough, the averages that I was told about have proved true. Previously, I had been told that the BCG (the immunization against TB) only "took" in about 50% of children, and so of my children, only one (50%) tested positive--Clara Anne. It was pretty obvious; Chloe's arm looked normal and I could hardly tell where she had been pricked, whereas Clara Anne's arm had a nasty red welt at the site of the injection. So this means that Chloe has not actually had any coverage from the injection she was given at birth, and she has a scar (on her hip) for nothing. Clara Anne's BCG was effective, and thus the positive results.

So on to the next step: a chest x-ray was ordered for Clara Anne, in order to rule out actual TB. We spent a better part of the morning at a children's hospital this past week, waiting, getting registered, waiting some more, and then finally getting the x-ray done. When it was finished, Clara Anne was the happy recipient of some Dora stickers, so she thought it wasn't bad at all! I spoke with the technician and asked her if I could have some proof of the results to submit to my doctor, so that she could be cleared of this issue. However, the technician could not officially "read" the results for me, but she offered to send them directly to the doctor. Great, I thought! One less step for us! But then as I prepared to give her our personal doctor's information, she said she had to send it to the doctor who ordered the x-ray, which was a man I had never met who worked at the TB clinic here in Louisville. So I could just go and get the records from his office at a later date.

I was running out of time, anyway, that day, so I just headed home and figured we would stop by the TB clinic sometime later in the week. John did that by himself one day, as he was out running errands, and discovered that he was not able to pick up the records without seeing the doctor, and that Clara Anne would also have to be present to have the doctor look at her! Unfortunately, they told us we needed to make an appointment and suggested June 22. But we're leaving Louisville on the 18th! Finally they said they could squeeze us in on the 11th, tomorrow.

So, tomorrow we will pack up Clara Anne and trek back to the TB clinic again. This will be the sixth time we have been to their offices! It's getting a little crazy. The truly ironic part of this is that we could have taken an extra minute to have this test done during our physicals, before we came back to the States, but we didn't because the girls had both had the BCG, and so usually a child will test positive for the first five years of life--our understanding was that the skin test wasn't necessary until 5 or older. A lesson learned! But at any rate, hopefully tomorrow will close the book on this issue and we can all move on, already! However, there is a silver lining: neither of my children have TB!

The Rescue of Doll

Some of you who have been reading my blog for awhile may remember a few posts, several months back, regarding the Adventures of Doll and then the Misadventures of Doll. Well, she's been at it again! Today's story was nearly total disaster for Doll.

It happened that last Thursday, while John was away, I needed to send and receive some emails. Due to a computer problem which I shall not go into here, we have not been able to do this at home, but must pack up the computer and go each time to our friends the Stam's home. They have wireless, and have opened their doors to us so graciously and unreservedly. John has even been there late into the night doing emails! So on Thursday, when I needed to accomplish this task by myself, I had no choice but to pack up the girls and all of their various accoutrements (i.e. Doll and two special blankets) to go and play for awhile at the Stams while I worked on emails.

The visit itself had its own drama--I had some issues getting Outlook to open and then midway through sending, realized how foolish I was to send a 14MB file to some friends in Asia. I tried to stop the process but Outlook just kept freezing up on me. Argh! I wish I was more computer savvy!

Finally I did get everything to work, and as the girls and I picked up toys and prepared to go, I was in a bit of a hurry, being way past suppertime and having hungry girls on my hands. Chip helped me carry Clara Anne out to the car, we loaded up and drove off.

But unbeknownst to me, Doll, precious Doll, was left behind. We missed her immediately as we prepared for bed, but I assumed that she had gotten left on the sofa near where the girls were playing. "We'll get her tomorrow when we go back, Clara Anne. You can sleep with just your blanket tonight."

However, Doll was not on the sofa. She had been carelessly dropped as I fastened Clara Anne into her car seat, and was lying by the side of the road! Thankfully, when taking their dogs out for a walk, Chip saw what he thought was a piece of trash, so went over to investigate and discovered the awful truth . . . Doll had almost met her end. Chip rescued her and brought her, special delivery, over to our apartment the next day, and related the whole sad story.

Clara Anne still has not grasped how close she was to losing Doll. It's probably just as well. But I can tell that we're going to have to take special care of Doll from now on! After all she has been through, and all of the places around the world that Doll has visited, we would hate to lose her now! Thanks to Chip for saving the day!

A Bathtime Conversation

Tonight was bath night, not because I planned it. The girls just had a bath last night, and usually I let it go a day or two before we do the bath rigamarole again. But the truth is, they both LOVE to play in the tub. And when they saw me filling the tub tonight (for myself, to spiff up for John's arrival home tonight after a 3 day stint out of town), Clara Anne started pulling off all her clothes and Chloe pulled up right next to the tub and looked at me hopefully. So everybody got a bath. Afterwards, however, as I was cleaning up the tub, a slight altercation arose in the living room over a small riding toy. Here's the conversation as it happened:

Clara Anne: No! Chloe, that's MINE! AHHH! Mommy, help!

Me: Clara Anne, you may not talk that way to Chloe. You are her big sister and you know how to share. I want you to share that toy with Chloe and let her play on it.

Clara Anne: But it's MINE!

Me: No, Clara Anne, actually it isn't yours. Mr. Chip and Miss Doris very graciously loaned it to us, but it belongs to them.

Clara Anne: It's mine. I bought it.

Me: Really? How could you pay for it, since you don't have any money?

Clara Anne: I do have some money.

Me: Really? How did you get it? Do you have a job?

Clara Anne: Yes, I do.

Me: Well, even the things we buy with our own money are to share with others, Clara Anne.

At this point Clara Anne gave up, and after a few more words from me on the importance of sharing, she acquiesced, though not with very much grace. I never did find out what job she has. Perhaps she is a professional "Scatter toys around the house" person. She has been helping with the dishes lately; maybe she thinks that's her new job. At any rate, we'll keep working on the sharing. I have a feeling Chloe will insist on it!

Mafan

Language, my friends, is a very interesting thing. One of the beautiful things about living in Asia, especially after some other Americans came to live in our same city, is the way that we fell into speaking an interesting mixture of English and Asianese. After a while, we would really get going and have a great time with this mixed "third" language. I think that we all just found that some words in Asianese expressed what we meant better than the English words.

A case in point is the word "mafan." Literally translated to mean "troublesome" or "hassle," the actual meaning is much more fluid. "Mafan" is when your shower head clogs and you buy three new ones that all break in succession. "Mafan" is when you are told by one authority to come back on Tuesday to renew your visa, and when you make the 45 minute drive back over there, the person you need to see is out of the office and you'll have to come back the next day. "Mafan" is when you are in another Asian city and have forgotten your passport and must travel back home to retrieve it since no respectable hotel will allow you to stay without your passport (this happened to us). "Mafan" is when you are out of the country, trying to apply for a visa to get back in, and the school where you study gave you the yellow sheet, not the white sheet, and so the visa officer will not accept your application (this also happened to us). And now, though I thought that America was always the land of convenience, ease and quick communication, I have found that "mafan" is dealing with health care in the US.

I hate to admit it, but a series of events over the last few weeks has led me to apply this word to the US health care system, as a very broad generalization, of course. The advantages in the US are many: excellent health care which is on the cutting edge of science, given by people who are knowledgeable and caring, specialists for unusual problems and even public health care for those who cannot afford it. But there are also some disadvantages: insurance nightmares, coverage issues, malpractice lawsuits which have forced every doctor and hospital to give disclaimers upon disclaimers in regards to care, and lots of red tape and "hoops" to jump through, even to get a basic procedure done.

Let me just share our story as an example. Before leaving Asia, all of our family was required to have our blood screened for heavy metals--lead, magnesium, chromium, arsenic, etc. Because of the pollution in the area we live, it was deemed necessary for us to have this (very expensive) test. We were tested, and Chloe actually turned out to have a slightly elevated arsenic level. We wondered how this could be since when we left Asia she was only eating a few simple vegetables and fruits in addition to nursing. But her age range is the most vulnerable for something like this, so though the rest of our family was in the normal range, our doctor wanted us to follow up with her. We thought it would be a simple matter of a repeat blood test, but unfortunately it wasn't quite that easy.

I called a pediatrician's office to schedule an appointment, hoping to cover this issue and a couple of others with one doctor's visit, like we would do in Asia. The doctor's assistant had many questions for me, and we were doing well until I explained what I needed. She then kindly informed me that they could not do a blood test for arsenic, but that I would have to go to a hospital lab for that. They also could not assist me with several immunizations that Chloe needed, since Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies (while common in Asia) are considered travel shots in the US and not at all standard. I would have to go to a Travel Clinic for those shots. And they also could not do a TB skin test, that is only given at one place in this entire city (it would seem) and I would have to make a separate appointment for that. So as it turned out, there was nothing that doctor could do for us! We didn't even make an appointment with her!

Oh dear. We then spent some more time with the Yellow Pages trying to contact these various agencies to get this medical work done. We found out where and when the TB tests were given and chose a date to go there and get that done. We called the outpatient lab of a local hospital and tried to determine what they would need in order to get the blood work done. We also researched online to find a different place to get the "travel" immunizations, since those immunizations are all a month long course of three separate injections, and we won't be in Louisville long enough anymore to accomplish this. In addition, the Louisville Travel Clinic wouldn't take any insurance, only cash. So we'll wait and do that when we're back with my parents in northwestern Iowa.

Then, this morning, the adventure began. We left our house shortly after 10 to go to the TB clinic, hoping to accomplish that fairly quickly, with a quick trip following to the hospital lab, and then home by lunchtime. Both Clara Anne and Chloe needed the TB test, according to our doctor, although they both also had the BCG at birth. The BCG is an immunization that is supposed to prevent TB, and since it is a live virus a child who has had it will (should) test positive for the next 5 years, though they do not have TB. Previously we had not given them the skin test, but then our doctor informed us that the BCG only "takes" in about half the cases so it was necessary for us to have them tested now. When we found our way to the clinic, however, we were told they only do the injection between noon and 3. We were also told that if the girls do show positive, they will have to have a chest x-ray to make sure they do not actually have TB. This is "mafan," exhibit A.

Then we made our way to the hospital to get Chloe's lab work done. However, unlike in Asia, the US labs cannot do anything without a doctor's order. You can't just show up to the lab and say you want to be tested for arsenic. So, en route we were in contact with our doctor (via cell phone) and he told us that he had not yet sent the order for Chloe's work to the hospital, and that it wouldn't be as simple as a blood test. Because of the way that arsenic settles into the body system, it isn't always present in the blood. So a urine test would be more effective, he thought. How are we going to get an 11 month old to give a urine sample? Mafan, exhibit B.

However, the good news is that the doctor was going to order a "spot" test which meant only one urine sample. His first inclination was for a 24 hour collection, but when he realized her age, he said that a 24 hour collection would have meant a hospitalization with a catheter. I certainly didn't want to have to put my little Chloe in the hospital, just for this test! That would have been extra-super-duper mafan! I was very thankful for the spot test option.

We took several wrong turns trying to find the hospital, and then several wrong turns trying to navigate the parking lot and find the main entrance. (This is mafan exhibit C of living in the US. At least when you ride in a taxi the driver usually knows where to go!) After the usual rigamarole of registering Chloe as a patient, (I think we have hospital cards from at least 5 hospitals around the world!), some more mafan of contacting our doctor again, giving him the lab's fax number, the assistants in our doctor's office not being able to find the diagnostic code (no surprise since probably your average American doesn't need to be tested for arsenic very often!), and then finally the fax coming through, we attempted to proceed.

Now the only trick was to get Chloe to pee. We stuck a little "collector bag" on her and I nursed her and then slowly gave her almost 10 ounces of apple juice. Her diaper, which had not been changed since 9 this morning, was dry, and so I figured it was going to have to come out sometime! But stubbornly she held it . . . and held it . . . and finally, an hour and a half later, I was about ready to give up when in a moment of fussiness she let go. Hallelujah! The bag leaked some, so I had a good-sized wet spot on my leg, but hopefully they got enough to do the test.

We thankfully left the hospital and then, since it was past one, headed back downtown for the TB tests. After only minor mafan there, which mostly involved parking and broken meters, both of the girls got pricked. We'll have to go back on Friday to have them read and see if we need the chest x-rays or not.

At this point it was 2:30, the girls had eaten every snack in my bag (raisins, goldfish crackers, a granola bar, and some cheerios), and we finally made our way home. I guess it's all about expectations: I thought that taking care of these things in the US would be much easier than in Asia, since there isn't the language barrier, etc. But despite the fact that there was some mafan, hopefully it will all turn out all right and the girls will both be given a clean bill of health, which we need before we can return to Asia.

To those of you who made it all the way to the end of this long post, Congratulations! Hope I didn't bore you with the endless details! Or, as we can say in Asianese, (apologetically) "Mafan ni le!" meaning, "I have caused you such trouble. Sorry about that!"

How Times Have Changed

It hit me the other day how much my life has changed since the last time I lived in the US. Four years ago, John and I lived in a tiny apartment, drove a Geo Metro (its outside metal only three sheets thicker than tinfoil . . or so I heard!), lived on a very tight budget since we were both full-time students, and of course, the obvious one, had no children.

Now I could almost be the poster person for "suburban mom." I drive a minivan (THANKS to Brad and Amy), strap my kids into carseats, go to play at the park or the zoo rather than going to movies, since it's more fun (and easier!) for the kids, and . . . well, I guess we still live in a small apartment. We still try to stick to a budget, but have a bit more flexibility, as is evidenced by the Blue Bell ice cream in my freezer--an unheard-of treat in our previous life. [To all you Texans out there: Ok, so maybe you had something to brag about. That Blue Bell is pretty good! Though I think it still rivals my all-time favorite, Blue Bunny Ice Cream made in LeMars, Iowa, the Ice Cream capital of the world, from Iowa cows eating Iowa corn! Blue Bunny's Homemade Vanilla is excelente!]

Since this is my first time experiencing what it is like to have kids while living in the States, all I can say is that it feels a bit surreal. Is this really me, driving around in a minivan and taking my kids to the zoo, playing with other kids in their backyards and going for picnics? Weirdorama. Somehow it doesn't feel real yet. Maybe that's because we're going back, and so I know we'll soon be saying goodbye to the minivan, the swingsets, and the zoo, and saying hello to taxis, busy city streets, and a foreign language being spoken around us again.

A friend asked me today at lunch whether I was ready to go back to Asia yet. I told her that though I'm eager to spend more time with our families this summer, I've already felt a few tuggings on my heartstrings back to our friends, work and life in Asia. I guess that's a good thing; our calling and work are there so maybe Father is helping me feel somewhat prepared for going back.

On another note, something major is changing in Clara Anne's life. Many of you know that she has loved to suck her thumb, starting at about 4 or 5 months old. She would cry, spit out her pacifier, and then suck her thumb contentedly. She usually sucks it two important times: when she is soothing herself to sleep and when she is a bit shy/scared/insecure. We asked the dentist about this at Clara Anne's two-year appointment, and she said she thought it was ok for Clara Anne to keep sucking it, just that she should stop when her permanent teeth were starting to give in. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that would be years away and probably she would stop on her own before then.

But John read some research recently that indicated the thumb sucking could have an adverse affect on her permanent teeth even now (and it's true that her baby teeth are somewhat "bucked out" from it) and so he wanted to put a stop to it. He ordered something online from a Swiss company that is safe, but horribly bitter and sour tasting, to "paint" on her thumb. It lasts for 48 hours! The package came in the mail yesterday morning, and so yesterday at lunch John put it on her thumb. I am surprised and happy to say that Clara Anne has so far been deterred by the nasty stuff--I have only seen her attempt to suck her thumb once since then!

The only problem has been that she has had more difficulty falling asleep without the aid of her beloved thumb. She still has blanket and Doll to keep her company, but today I had to lie down with her to help her relax and be comforted so that she could fall asleep. Hopefully soon she will learn better how to relax on her own, without her thumb, so that she can get to sleep quickly after going to bed.

We've been talking about how only babies suck their thumbs or pacifiers, and so now that she is a big girl she doesn't need her thumb anymore. She seems proud to be a big girl, and was especially glad to get some candy this morning after the whole morning without any thumb sucking. I will have to watch out, though, concerning finger food--the taste of that stuff is so potent that eating with her fingers can make her food taste bad. Last night she began to eat some string cheese, but then said "I don't like this cheese" and refused to finish it. Thinking she was just being silly, John popped it in his mouth and then discovered that it tasted strongly of the nasty stuff. Yuck. That's enough to deter anybody!

So I guess the saying remains true: The only thing that stays the same is that things are constantly changing. But we think this change is for the better, both for Clara Anne's teeth and for her maturing process. Good Job, Clara Anne!

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

It's Monday morning and I'm enjoying a few moments of unusual quiet. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, I've already been running, had a shower, a cup of coffee, and picked up the house, and the most lovely of all . . . both of my girls are sleeping.

We had a whirlwind of a weekend, with a very full day yesterday. It started out early as we packed everybody up and went to speak at a gathering about 45 minutes out of Louisville, in the hills of Kentucky. We had a wonderful time with the folks there. Though smaller in number, they gave us a warm welcome and in Kentucky speak, "loved on us." It was really a blessing! The morning wouldn't have been complete without a potluck, and to my great amazement an entire Thanksgiving meal was set out for us, plus lots of other stuff. We enjoyed turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes (I couldn't leave without the recipe), gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, and even pecan pie for dessert! Oh my! What a joy to be among all of you Mt. Eden folks. Thanks for hosting us with such loving hospitality!

It probably doesn't suprise anyone that the girls fell asleep on the way back home after a fun morning and a full meal. However, transferring them to their beds didn't work quite so well so though I was hoping for a nap, the brief hours of the afternoon were interrupted numerous times with children's laughter, dirty diapers, looking for Doll, some fussyness and finally letting Clara Anne get up even as Chloe fell asleep just before we needed to leave again. Isn't that usually how it goes, moms?

We were invited to a cookout last night with some new friends who live a bit outside the city, and have a lovely lawn and swing set/activity place for kids to play, including a sand box! Clara Anne was in her element. It struck me as we were there what a typically "American" situation that was--cooking out in your backyard with your kids running around on the grass. It was just plain fun! We were having such a great time that we decided to put Clara Anne and Chloe to bed there so that we could stay a bit later and play some games. This is the second time in the last week that we've done this (put them to bed at someone else's house), and I am amazed and thankful that it has worked so well! Clara Anne has done well with staying in her bed, and Chloe seems to be willing to go right to sleep too. It helped that the girls were tired out from all of that fresh air and exercise! We adults had a rousing game of Catch Phrase after the girls were in bed--always a fun crowd game.

So it's no wonder that after abbreviated naps yesterday and a late night last night, both of my girls needed naps this morning. But morning is fleeting . . . and lunchtime guests are coming . . . so I'd better get going. Let's do this again tomorrow morning, girls!

Coffee, Anyone?

It is no secret that I love Starbucks coffee. I worked for Starbucks for awhile, and loved the atmosphere, the opportunity to interact with all sorts of people, and of course I loved the free coffee. During any shift, employees are allowed three drinks! Wowza! That was back in the days before I had cut caffeine out of my life, so working at Starbucks generally made me very happy--all that caffeine and sugar! I had my favorites: a steamy hot chocolate, first thing in the morning, with a mound of fresh whipped cream . . . a caramel frappucino on a hot summer day . . . an americano just to enjoy the flavor of the coffee . . . chocolate milk to go with my peanut butter sandwich at lunch time . . . and of course, the ever-popular caramel macchiato. I loved to make my drinks myself with extra foamy milk, generous portions of whipped cream and caramel sauce. Oh my, I am craving Starbucks just writing about this!

When I was working at Starbucks and enjoying it so much, [sidenote: actually when I first started there I was really nervous all of the time because sometimes the drinks can be quite complicated. I actually had nightmares of people coming up to me and saying "I'll have a half-caf triple grande 2 pump 2% mocha, light whipped cream and no chocolate sauce, please." This actually does happen! Yikes!] John decided to apply for a part-time job as well. He was hired at the same store and we really had a fun time working there together. The funny thing is that John does not like coffee. And Starbucks requires all of its employees to go to coffee tastings and be able to describe their various coffees. (Like when a customer asks about the difference between Verona and Sumatra, just to name a few.) But John, practicing a "Star Skill" which is to ask for help, just deferred those questions on to another barista while he was working. Oh, he endured through the coffee tastings, but the taste of coffee just never grew on him.

Of course, John's dislike of coffee smashed all of my girlhood romantic dreams of sitting with my dearly beloved, leisurely sipping coffee and having wonderful conversations at chic cafes. Instead, he usually opts for a coke, and I have to find other people to indulge me and go out for coffee.

Now, you should know that my years in Asia only strengthened my love of coffee. This may be hard to believe, due to the lack of availability of good coffee there. Yes, there are about a zillion Starbucks knock-offs in our city, but after trying one or two, I gave up. The coffee simply tasted bad, or at least not as good as Starbucks. When we arrived in Asia I had a stash of whole beans with me and between that and traveling out to places where there were Starbucks, I was able to have good coffee at home very easily. I also found a cheap milk frother, which then allowed me to make my own lattes, cappucinos, and even Chai lattes (teabags sent from the States thanks to my friend Doris!). I got pretty spoiled drinking my excellent coffee at home, and it just didn't seem worth going out for coffee when I knew it would taste bad. I did, however, make the switch to decaf when I knew I was expecting Clara Anne, and still pretty much only drink decaf. But that is all right--I'm drinking it for the taste and the experience, rather than the jolt.

So, back to America again. At the moment we are living in Louisville, Kentucky, where there are at least 14 Starbucks. There is also a very good local chain, Heine Brothers, which I enjoy as well--they are the one exception to my "Starbucks or no coffee" rule. But, John still doesn't like coffee! So who will be my "go to the coffeeshop and hang out" partner?

Enter Clara Anne. Since we've been back in the States, she has seen me drinking a fair amount of coffee--both what I am making at home and the occasional cup at Starbucks. I think she associates the idea of coffee with a special treat, and so she always wants some sips of my drink in order to share in the special occasion. Since I drink decaf and don't use sugar, I usually think, Ok, why not? So I've been letting her share a bit when I have a cup in hand.

Last week Clara Anne and I were out for a walk while John and Chloe were at home. My feet seemed to magically lead us towards the Heine Brothers that is only a 10 minute walk away, so since we were headed that way anyway, I suggested, with a twinkle in my eye, to Clara Anne that we go out for coffee, just Mama and Clara Anne! She immediately agreed and we made our way there. I ordered my (fairly) usual: an iced decaf americano with some half-and half. With a child's eye, she quickly spotted the crayons, coloring books, and Care Bears game under the barista's counter, and we had a lovely time playing the game, sipping the coffee, and then coloring a picture. It was a sweet and special mommy-daughter time, and the coffee was great too!

Perhaps I have brainwashed my daughter to like coffee, and perhaps that isn't such a good thing, though it was what happened to me: whenever I would stay overnight at my Grandpa and Grandma Bruxvoort's home, I would sit down and drink coffee with them at "coffeetime"--midmorning every day. Of course there was a lot of milk and sugar in that coffee, and Grandpa teased me that the coffee would "put hair on my chest," but I felt like such a little lady having coffeetime with them.

And now the tradition continues! What fun! Thanks, Clara Anne, for going out for coffee with me!

Recent Quotables and Random News

Clara Anne is becoming quite the little chatty girl. She is talking and singing her own little songs all the time now, and sometimes the things which come out of her mouth make me laugh! Here's a few examples:

"Where is Mommy, where is Mommy, get Chloe dressed, get Chloe dressed, Is she coming back? Is she coming back? I don't know. I don't know." sung to the tune of "Are you sleeping, Brother John while I had left Clara Anne in the tub and was getting Chloe dressed after bathtime

"Mommy, did you hear that noise? I heard a noise! What's that noise?" after any sudden loud noise, like a car honking outside or if I drop something in the kitchen

"Did you hear me talking, Mama? I was talking to you. . . (brief pause where she realizes I have spaced out and am not responding) . . . Why won't you talk to me?"

"I want to sleep in Mommy's bed . . . because I don't love Dora." protesting the need for her to go to sleep in her Dora sleeping bag and tent

"May I have please sing a VeggieTales song Mommy? May I have sing Happy Birthday to Uncle Josh Mommy?" requests for me to sing are a regular part of our day

"No, Chloe! Don't touch! Ahhh! Mama, Chloe's a menace!" spoken when Chloe was trying as usual to get her fingers in whatever Clara Anne is doing--grabbing the crayons, pulling the puzzle apart, etc. Occasionally John or I has jokingly called Chloe a "menace" but I can see that is going to need to stop now!

and this one blew me away, I thought she had forgotten all about it . . .

"I want to go home to (Asia), Mama. Let's go to Emma's house." this was out of the blue, we hadn't seen pictures or talked about "home" or anything

And finally: "I need help with this book! May I have to read a book please Mama?" Spoken after trying to read a book to herself and not being able to "read" it like she wanted, this is a regular occurence

You can tell that we're going to need to work a bit on grammar--the "May I have" construction is getting used for everything but usually not quite in the right way. We'll keep on top of that one!

In other news, I am very happy to report that the retraining of Chloe was almost a non-event. The first night she cried about 1:45am, and even as I braced myself for hours of crying, she settled down after about 15 minutes! The second night she woke up just at about the same time, but only took 10 minutes to settle down. And the last two nights she hasn't woken up at all. PTL!!! Maybe, just maybe, we are making some progress in a good schedule again! And of course, part of me is kicking myself for not doing this a month ago . . . oh well. I'm just glad it's working out well.

The second week of my running training is going quite well! I'm really enjoying it, which is a small miracle! The weather has been perfect, so of course that doesn't hurt! This morning was not my day to run, but it was cool, cloudy and pleasant after a rainy night, so John and I set off on a walk to the local park which is a five minute drive away and about a 30 minute walk. We managed to get ourselves lost and make it there in about 50 minutes, but it was still a nice walk. We figured by the time we got home again we had walked about 9 miles! So we'll see if I feel like running tomorrow . . .

We celebrated John's 33rd birthday on Monday with a brief trip to the zoo and lunch out. It made me think, wow, you know you are parents when you spend your own birthday at the zoo! It was fun times, though, and gorgeous weather, so was a nice trip despite the hundreds of school kids on their field trip. John doesn't care too much about his own birthday celebration, doesn't want me to make a cake or buy him a gift or anything, so we enjoyed our outing in lieu of other things. We had a nice dinner with some new friends that evening and they made brownies and sang happy birthday to him--that was good enough for him! But, I'd like to say a belated "Happy Birthday" to John's twin, Sarah--I hope you had a great day! We're looking forward to seeing you again soon!

That's it for the random news from our house tonight! Good night!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there, especially expectant mothers! I wanted to send a special greeting to my own mother, Jan, who almost 31 years ago now labored on a Sunday morning to give birth to an eleven pound, one ounce baby--me! Though there were a few tense moments in the delivery room, she found the strength to push out that big baby. And she has been one of the most influential people in my life ever since. From her I learned to cook, clean, and keep house (dying arts), as well as studying piano with her from a very early age. She encouraged my musical abilities and though she did not pass to me her gift of perfect pitch, I think I did get her love of music and her desire to make music to glorify the Lord. My mom always strives for excellence in whatever she does, and that has been a wonderful example to me.

My mom has been through a lot in the past year, with health difficulties that culminated in her needing to give up several activities that she loved in order to rest more. She is still trying to regain strength in her arms and legs, which often betray her with fatigue. But I have been so encouraged to see the Lord at work in her life, helping her to find peace and rest in Him. It has not been easy, and even now is not easy. She is fighting daily to take each thought captive and trust the Lord despite her circumstances. I am encouraged by her example. She has had many, many people praying for her and her church family has been amazingly thoughtful and helpful. We do thank the Lord for his provision, even as we continue to ask Him to restore my mom to full health.

I hope all of you mothers will take a few moments today to be thankful for the gift that the Father has given you in your children, to pray for those children, and to thank Him for your own mother! Happy Mother's Day!

There's Going to be Some Crying

Chloe has a sad confession to make to you all today. That is, she is not doing so well with sleeping through the night . . . again. Long-time readers of my blog will remember that way back when, we dealt with this issue more than once. Let's see, I think there were at least four different times in her short life where we went through the whole "let her cry it out" 3-day process of training and retraining her to fall asleep by herself after waking at night. And now we're back in that place again.

It seems that through all of the transitions our family has been through, Chloe has lost that ability to soothe herself and sleep through the night. I know this is somewhat my fault, for responding to her when she cries at night (rather than just putting up with the crying and forcing her to go to sleep alone), but some of it has also been the circumstances. We have spent many nights in hotel rooms (more than a month total) since leaving our home in Asia, and with all four of us in the same room it seems much easier to just get up, nurse her a little, and put her back down to sleep. Living in Richmond for those 10 days meant sharing a quad with several other families, some of whom were trying to get some rest just on the other side of the paper-thin wall from crying Chloe. So again, I gave in to her cries and got up to feed her. Now that we've been in Louisville, we're in an apartment complex where the sound also travels alarmingly well, and while the semester was going (and hard working students trying to get some sleep just upstairs and next door) I was somewhat embarassed again to let her cry.

Admittedly, I have taken the "easy" way out by letting her get me up to feed her. I was unwilling to let her fuss, and a few minutes of nursing usually did the trick, so I didn't mind too much.

But no more.

I have resolved that we need to dive into this process once again. I cannot keep getting up at night. On a good night, she sleeps most of the way through, or all the way through, but those good nights are becoming few and far between. Last night was not a good night. She was up at 10:30, then 3:15 and stayed awake(!) until after 5am, talking and playing. I tried to feed her at about 4 and that only made it worse. I think she finally got fussy and then fell asleep about 5:30. This morning she was as happy as ever, oblivious of the fact that Mama was tired out from being up two hours in the middle of the night!

So, I'm going to start playing hardball. I am going to rigorously adhere to her bedtime, and once she's in bed and all of her needs met, I'm not going in. It may take a few nights, but I know (at least I desperately hope) that we can get to a place of her sleeping through the night again. I confess that I have some selfish motivation to make this happen, but I am anticipating that the first part of this week will be pretty bad and then maybe, just maybe, we will not have issues with it again . . . until we have to move again, that is!

I feel like I should apologize in advance to my neighbors, but there's just going to be some crying; I can't help it. Let's all pray that it will be short-lived! A better sleeping schedule will be better for Chloe and for Mommy!

I'm a Runner!

Well, almost.

Several events in my life lately conspired to make me get off my duff and start an exercise program. First, that elusive 10 pounds that every (at least most) women would like to lose is still clinging to my person. Though I am reasonably happy with my figure, I KNOW that I am not in shape and have not spent much time in exercise in recent months . . . ok, years. And that's a stewardship issue, too--trying to take better care of the body I've been given. Aside from climbing the many stairs to our apartment all the time, the closest I got to intentional exercise was doing some an abs workout as well as some free weight lifting in our home in Asia. I had managed to lose my pregnancy weight after Clara Anne and Chloe (it came off much more quickly after the first one!) but knew I had a ways to go in terms of fitness.

The Asian doctor who examined me before we came back to the States was quite blunt about my physical condition. In his words: "You are overweight." At that moment, I was tempted to justify myself and remind him of my two babies in two years, etc., but instead I held my tongue as he went on to say "You should lose at least 15 pounds." To which I thought, well, of course, I'd love to lose 15 pounds! But how to make that happen, especially as we journey back to the States, the home of lovely, fattening, convenient, tasty foods?

So, inspired by my friend Angela, who recently completed a mini-marathon (that's 13.1 miles!) though she had never done anything like that before, and by my new friend Becky, who encouraged me that anyone can become a runner, and by the website coolrunning.com, I have now successfully completed the first two sessions of a "Couch to 5K" program. The idea is that anyone who has never run before can train to run a 5K in just 8 weeks. The real draw for me was reading on the website that most new runners lose a pound a week--bonus! Honestly, running has always appealed to me because it is something I could do anywhere, but I just never thought I could do it. But now, I think I can, I think I can!

The first week of this program is pretty simple: a brisk 5 minute warmup walk, some stretches and then 60 seconds of jogging followed by 90 seconds of walking, for a 20 minute total "run." I was so pleased to find that I could do it without feeling too tired or getting out of breath! And it was truly lovely to run out in the neighborhood around our apartment--hearing the birdsong, seeing the green grass and trees and everybody's nice landscaping, enjoying the fresh air early in the morning.

So, here I go! Maybe in a few months I can truly say "I'm a runner!"

It Worked! Hallelujah!

Finally, after great perseverance, I have discovered the problem: our internet connection was simply too slow! Now, thanks to the gracious hospitality of our dear friends Chip and Doris Stam, I have been successful in uploading some great photos from recent weeks. Above: here's a gathering of John's family outside a restaurant in St. Paul. We had just had a wonderful brunch with literally acres of hash browns!

Clara Anne and her aunt Mary having a great time at Mary's piano!

Here's John's mom, Grandma Ann, with her two youngest grandkids!

Fast forward to life in Louisville: One of Clara Anne's favorite recent activities is to feed Chloe. She takes her job very seriously, as you can see from this photo. Chloe, my perpetually-hungry baby, is happy to eat from anyone's hand, so opens her mouth willingly like a little bird.

This was a picture from our travels--Clara Anne in her bed, all set up in a hotel room. She's wearing Dora panties, Dora jammies, in a Dora sleeping bag (previously the dora inflatable bed that wouldn't hold air), and inside her Dora tent. She's a happy girl!

Speaking of happy girls, Clara Anne LOVES to swing! There's a park a 5 minute drive away with a great kid's playground. This picture is more recent--within the last week.

Here's a photo from Cave Hill cemetary, which I have mentioned in my blog before. We went this past week to walk and feed the ducks, and got to see these newborn chicks. They were not shy at all and came right up to us to eat our stale bread! Clara Anne thought it was great!

What do you think of this double stroller?! The girls really like it and it frees me up a LOT. This was also taken at Cave Hill.

Happy times when Daddy's home!

Here's our happy Chloe, enjoying the swing too!

Clara Anne, pretty as a picture!

So now you are caught up on the pictures side of our life! Rachel, you can finally see what my kids look like these days! Hope you all enjoyed the photos!

Any Ideas?

I am having no success in posting pictures--this is the third or fourth time I've tried and it seems to pull up the picture all right, but then starts downloading and stalls out about halfway through. Any of you experienced bloggers have ideas for me? Help me out here!

Oh, the (Temporal) Joys . . .

of Krispy Kreme! Yes, I know, how shallow and unhealthy can you be, to find simple pleasure and joy in a "hot and now" Krispy Kreme doughnut! But they are SO good!

Last night we had a wonderful reunion with some people who came to visit us at our city in Asia in the summer of 2005. Everyone was there except one woman who lives in Florida (we missed you, Jennifer!), and many have experienced significant life changes since that time--graduations, weddings, engagements, even two pregnancies. It was so fun to catch up, share more about what is happening in Asia now, and see pictures and scrapbooks from that time. What an encouragement! The work that these people did is still bearing fruit, and we are thankful for that. Other than Chloe being uncharacteristically fussy (I think she is getting some new teeth--really--it's not just an excuse!), we had a great time. We also took our Asian friend Robert with us; he met these folks in our city back then and now they are really helping him as he is studying here in America.

On the way home, we decided that it would be fun to drive by the Krispy Kreme and "see if the light is on." For all of you not familiar with Krispy Kreme, their signature marketing trick is to have a neon sign in their window whenever they are making fresh, hot doughnuts. It's often in the evening as they prepare for the next day's needs, and if the neon light is on, it means that you can go in and order some of the doughnuts that were just made moments ago. When they are hot and fresh like that, the glaze is barely set and the doughnuts just melt in your mouth. There are probably only about a zillion calories per doughnut, so not to worry, right?!

Well, as you already guessed, when we drove up, the light was on. Chloe had fallen asleep, so I stayed in the car with the girls as John and Robert (still wearing their "Hello my name is..." tags from the reunion) went into the store. They came out with paper Krispy Kreme hats on and a box of fresh, hot doughnuts. As I bit into the first one, John said, "are they as good as you remember?" "Better!" was my enthusiastic reply. They were amazingly tasty--so tender and sweet without being too greasy.

So, although we will not be enjoying Krispy Kreme except every once in a great while, it was a wonderful thing last night! All good gifts come from our Father, so I can even thank Him for the treat of Krispy Kreme!

My Dancin' Girls

Many of you know that John is especially gifted at making up short, fun, and silly songs to entertain our girls. They seem to flow naturally from him, and my only regret is that since they're made up, spur-of-the-moment, these songs don't get written down or remembered for later singing. For John, who seems to have an endless supply, that's no problem, but for me, I am always looking for already-made-up material to sing to the girls.

But, happily for us, a few of these songs have gotten caught on video tape, and thus recorded for posterity. One of John's classics is "Jammy Girl" which was inspired by a white fuzzy sleeper that Clara Anne wore when she was about 5 months old. But my latest favorite is "Dancin' Girls" which he improvised one night when Clara Anne and Chloe were just out of the tub, freshly lotioned and dressed. Clara Anne was dancing around to his music and trying to hold Chloe's hands, encouraging her to dance too. This was before we really saw Chloe attempting to move to the music, which she started doing in earnest later.

In the past few weeks we have had some new music for the girls to dance to: an album called "Songs that Jesus Said" by Keith and Kristyn Getty. It is wonderful! They are all original songs based on Scripture, with lively melodies and accessible lyrics, even to a two year old. We've listened to it several times over the last weeks, and both of the girls are now pretty familiar with the songs.

Thursday morning as the girls were eating breakfast, I put this CD in to play, and immediately my dancing girls sprang into action. Chloe, who was strapped into her booster seat, started moving from side to side and front to back with her hands up in the air, and Clara Anne got down out of her seat and started "dancing" around--which her version of dancing is to run around the room and clap her hands over her head, adding in some twirls here and there for emphasis. She usually does this until she is dizzy and then falls over. I think our dancing skills need some refining!

But, if you'd like a good show, just come on over and see my dancing girls! I'll even sing John's song for you!

Daddy's Home!

Yippee! The day we had all been waiting for finally arrived . . . John got home yesterday late in the afternoon. He truly had a wonderful week of ministry, getting great responses from people and being well taken care of, but it sure is good to have him home again. There were some pretty big smiles on Clara Anne's face!

We decided to celebrate his homecoming by taking a picnic to the park . . . though once we arrived there, Clara Anne had no interest in eating and only wanted to swing, and swing, and swing. "Higher, please!" is her most common request. We stayed late into the evening (it doesn't get dark here until 9pm!) so the girls were plenty tired out from all of that fresh air and exercise. Fun times!

Ok, blogger refuses to load my super-cute pictures of John pushing Clara Anne in the swing . . . I shall try again later. And the girls are calling--time for supper! More later!