We Go Together

Reply to an Anesthesia Resident

2011-09-16T05:40:00.000-05:00

(Recently, Lynette informed me that I had a comment on one of my posts from an anesthesia resident and have no way to get my response back to him, so I am turning it into a post with the hopes that he'll see it and that it may be of benefit.)

I am a junior anesthesia resident and I appreciate your insight in this post. I'm actually at a crossroads in my career. I do enjoy the practice of anesthesia, the pharmacology and procedural aspect of the practice is what attracted me to the specialty in the first place. However, I am at the point of my training where I'm doubting whether this specialty is the best for me and my family. I am recently married and would like to start a family in the near future. However, I have found it difficult balancing time with my wife, spending quiet time with God and serving at my church, at the same time trying to keep up with my readings and clinical duties; with an understanding that life as a staff member will still be filled with call and long hours. That being said, I am considering switching to family medicine to have more control over my professional life and to allow more time for family and God. Being a physician is a privilege and I feel that I would also be happy doing family practice, developing relationships with patients and managing diverse medical conditions. I'm definately at odds with this decision and would appreciate any further insight and advice.Thanks,Jeff

_________________________________________

Jeff,

I haven't written a post in a long time and I don't know if you will return to the blog to read these thoughts, but since there was no email for me to reply to I'll leave my thoughts here. It's been nearly 3 years since I wrote that last post, so hopefully I've been molded a little bit more to conform with who God made me to be.

I commend you on recognizing that the priorities for most in the world are wrong (even among Christians, myself included at times) - you are on the right path. Yes, the practice of medicine is a great privilege... one not to be taken lightly. You have been gifted and granted an opportunity to serve in a unique way. I would tell you that the decision will truly lie not just with you and God, but instead with you, your wife, and God... and through great soul searching and prayer... lots of it. There is great power in prayer and I know I personally don't do enough of it. Medicine has become so specialized and compartmentalized that I certainly don't feel like a complete physician any longer at this stage of my career. You know like how when we were medical students, interns, and young residents... we had so much textbook knowledge in our heads and beginning clinical training only broadened our knowledge? Somewhere through the years, the reverse happens. Your skills hone down specific to anesthesia, and a lot of the broadness of medicine is lost. Now, that is not to say that you won't feel competent. It is just different because then your skill set will be totally different, because you'll be an expert in what you do, that is anesthesiology. I guess that's how I see our profession for myself at this time.

In general, however, a career as an anesthesiologist will be more financially rewarding than one in family practice. I realize that that also is not necessarily a good thing because with wealth comes great responsibility. It is the rare person who can give up / share wealth willingly and be a wise and faithful steward with God's money. I have felt great comfort as a provider that (God willing) my family will be ok financially if I continue in my current path. From another angle though, I see family practice as opening up great opportunities of service/missions for you. You will be a more complete physician, able to open up shop on your own (if you wanted), be a great asset in the missions field locally & internationally. Though you may not be a specialist, you'll be able to meet & treat people in a broad sense as you've already intuited. I sometimes wish that I had that ability to just pick up and go and practice as a family practitioner or internist with much greater freedom than as an anesthesiologist. However, to come this far and be so close to actually living life and enjoying some of the delayed rewards that come with your first real salary, it may be quite a decision to set yourself back a few more years as a struggling resident (especially if you are thinking of having children soon). Remember, your wife has also had to endure these tough growing years of your education as well, and she too will look forward to some of the benefits of the income of a practicing physician. I love that you are hearing and understanding the call to your priorities to God, family, church, role as a provider.

I don't think you truly expected me to be able to solve this for you. I will tell you what I have been up to this past summer. Every month I've been going through Psalms and Proverbs (5 Psalms, 1 Proverb per day) - I plan on doing this until the year is over. I had taken a basic seminary class about a year and a half a go and it indeed changed my life. I learned so many things. This was one exercise that my professor said to try because it will change your life. He said to try it for 3 months - I thought I'd need twice as long since I'm a layperson! I'm on the 4th run through now and I do see that God is changing my heart and mind... slowly, oh so slowly, because I am so thickheaded and obstinate. His word is giving me perspective and in filling my mind with his wisdom perhaps the decisions I make in regards to the future will be his decisions. I hope this helps.

With regards... Tom

Gram

2011-07-20T06:10:00.000-05:00

My sweet 92 year old grandma passed on yesterday. We called her the energizer bunny because she never seemed to stop moving...and going...and keeping on. Even in her dying days, she exceeded the doctor's expectations. "She'll never make the transfer to hospice," they said...but she did. "She only last 5 more days," they said...she spent 11 more with my family.

We had anticipated a difficult, potentially fatal, transition when she "retired" at age 76. She had co-owned a grocery store for her entire life, working 6, sometimes 7 days a week. Everyone fretted over what she would do with her now empty days. Alas, she, like the energizer bunny, kept on ticking. Trading days of stocking shelves and visiting with customers for days filled with great grandkids, senior citizen meetings and funerals. Yes, funerals. She actually enjoyed going to them. There were weeks when she was at a visitation or funeral almost every day. Those were my early post college years when I was inundated with weddings. It was a big joke to her that I was going to so many weddings and she was going to so many funerals. She had a big extended family and knew basically her whole community since she ran the local grocery store. She also attend her yearly class reunion! Since the class size was continually diminishing, they would combine several years, but it still always made me laugh that they were still getting together 70+ years later.

Gram used to join us for dinner on Sundays. She'd eat two dinners every Sunday. One at our house and one at my aunt's house. Gram was all of 4'8" and tiny all around so it was always funny to think of her enjoying two big Sunday dinners. Since Sunday was her only day off, she was likely feasting on family time more than roast beef. She usually worked from about noon until 10 pm every day and actually, one Sunday a month she was working as well. So those family dinners were her chance to visit with us. One thing I remember about them was that she always had her purse full of hard tack candy (peppermints, butterscotch, etc). My sister Amy is a picky eater, which Gram knew, but every Sunday without fail, Gram would attempt to bribe Amy to eat some food, offering a hard tack in exchange. At the time, it drove us all batty, but now it is a sweet memory of who she was.

The other big family time when we were young was family vacations. Gram was always willing to take some vacation time and tag along on the family vacations - to the beach, to historical sites, to visit family and friends. Even though she wasn't working during those times, she didn't actually leave all the work at home. She would bring a huge black garbage bag filled with coupon flyers...and her scissors. While we travelled in the car to our destination, she clipped coupons. I was never fully understood why she did that and how it worked but she did. Also, when she was along, our travels also include grocery store tourism, i.e., stopping at random grocery stores along the way to see what ideas she could glean for her own. The dads, in particular, groaned at each grocery stop request...us kids did, too. Of course, now I find myself oohing and aahing over grocery stores and thinking how she'd love to check out some of our local ones, like Central Market with all of it's exotic food selections and fancy prepared foods counters.

Sometimes our family vacations were directly related to the grocery store. Like, the time we got to spend a weekend at a local resort (Seven Springs) for a grocery store convention or, the time my parents joined my Gram on a trip to Brazil for another convention. I guess the grocery store life does have its perks!

Family vacations also gave Gram a chance to let loose and have fun. I remember one particular vacation to Michigan. I was junior high age so Gram must have been in her mid-60s. We visited friends and family. While visiting a friend in Holland, Michigan, we went to a Dutch village. Part of the program was a dancing/demonstration thing and before I knew it Gram was dragging my awkward, embarassed 12 year old self onto the dance floor. She had the time of her life being part of the show! I wanted to melt into the floor. On that same visit, Gram joined the kids in horseback riding and trampoline jumping. I always thought it was pretty special that my grandma was such an active, healthy lady. Not too many of my friends could boast a trampoline jumping grandma!

On another trip to a family wedding, it was just my mom, Gram, and I. On the way home, we needed to get something to eat and Gram insisted that truck stop food was the way to go - good and cheap! Our waitress was a large, tattooed lady who was missing a few teeth. I was more than a little frightened and I think my mom was to. We laughed afterward at the memory. And for the record, the food wasn't that good.

Speaking of weddings, they were Gram's favorite events (next to funerals). She was quite the dancer and she would spend the entire wedding on the dance floor. There were many weddings where she was the first one on the floor and the last one off. Even at my wedding, when she was 85 years old, she spent much of the time dancing. I've been told that she was quite the dancer in her youth.

For Gram, family was the most important part of her life. She loved to write and receive letters from relatives. She always carried a stack of pictures in her purse so she could update friends and family on all of the special people in her life. Her house was filled with pictures, old and new, of family. For holidays, there was always a card in the mail with a quick update on life. Sometimes it was so quick that half a thought was missing, but you always knew she was thinking of you! As she aged and writing became more difficult and illegible, I offered to type one Christmas letter that could be copied for all of her cards. For my grammatically correct self, it was always hard to type her words and not try to embellish and correct. I remember the first few rounds were typed on my Brother word processor before computers were even common household item!

Gram lived in the same house for most (maybe all) of her married life. It was built in the days of corner grocery stores...way before the mega stores we are accustomed to now. For that reason, part of the house was a big open room, "the store room." The original intention was that it would be the neighborhood store, but that dream was never realized. As a child, the store room was our playroom. Anytime we stopped at grandma's, that's where we went. For a long time there was a pool table in there. We never used the cues, but we always had fun pushing the balls around the table. In the eighties, someone came up with the idea that my widowed grandma might find her house too big one day and it was decided that the store room should be converted to a one bedroom apartment. My grandma finally moved into the apartment last year. Prior to that, it was the "grandchild suite." Of her 8 grandchildren, at least 5 of us have lived their during our adult lives. Two, with their entire families! It basically had a revolving door. Once on person moved out another was usually in line to move in. And, when Gram did move into the apartment, my sister moved into her house. She has had no shortage of neighbors in the past 20 years!

And truly, Gram didn't consider us neighbors. We were more like roommates. Of course, we wanted to be neighbors and it could get frustrating at times, but looking back, it's funny to think of some of the "perks" of living next door. We all were regaled with Lawrence Welk on Saturday afternoons. Gram would turn up the volume on the TV really loud so she could hear it...and so could we. If you happened to peek in on her during one of those times, you'd find her doing the polka across the 60s green threadbare carpet of her living room! When I lived there, I would get Saturday morning football updates for all of the local high schools - the one I graduated from, the one where we lived and the one where I taught. She could never understand why I wasn't more enthusiastic about football. When my cousins lived there with thier children, there was never a shortage of great grandma food - oatmeal cookies, Lorna Doones...The kids loved it. Their moms, not so much.

I'm sure I could dig up a dozen more memories - marigolds, SNPJ, Eva, the farmer's market...Gram lived a long and vibrant 92 1/2 years. She loved her family and her friends. She loved life! And she was much loved.

The Crab of the Ocean on the Beach

2011-06-04T08:09:00.002-05:00

by Caedmon

Once upon a time, I found this big seashell. I thought it was a big seashell, but when I touched it, it stood up on all hind legs. It was a crab! It ran into the ocean. I felt surprised. It was a bit scary. Then I ran to mama and Libby. They were at the tide pools. I told them "Quick! Quick! I saw a crab and it ran into the ocean!" I was breathing heavily.

The Pledge of Surfing

2011-06-04T08:09:00.000-05:00

by Caedmon

One time I was surfing with my teacher Mr. Sparky. It was really, really, really fun! First, I had to practice on the shore.

I practiced standing and Mr. Sparky taught me all the skills I needed to know for my lesson. The two most important things are look at the shore and bend my knees. I could bend them as low as I needed to. After I practiced on the shore, I went real surfing. Mr. Sparky gave me a surf board.

I had to go out in the ocean. I had to paddle with my hands.

Then, Mr. Sparky shot me towards the shore. I paddled.

Then, I stood up. It was fun.

When I got to the shore, I fell down. I tried it many times. It was super fun. I had a really good lesson and my lesson was super-tastic!
The End.

Resurrection Day 2011

2011-04-24T11:22:00.001-05:00

This digital ecard made with Smilebox

March '11 in Review

2011-04-14T13:25:00.001-05:00

March was full of fun spring days playing at parks and riding bikes:

We also still had a few cool days, which kept us inside...playing Wii...

Nai-Nai came back for another visit:

At the end of the month, Tom had a vacation and we headed down to San Antonio...but that's for it's own post. Stay tuned...

Texas Road Trip

2011-04-05T15:57:00.001-05:00

Tom had a week of vacation scheduled for the end of March. We thought about skipping town and flying to somewhere exotic, but we couldn't decide on a locale. Instead, we decided to hop in the car and head to San Antonio for a long weekend.

Our first stop was the Riverwalk and the Alamo. Caedmon briefly studied the Alamo as part of his homeschool class so he was really excited to see it. We enjoyed a few photo ops and a quick tour.

We also walked the Riverwalk and ate a yummy Mexican dinner. We spent the evening swimming in the pool at our hotel before attempting an early bedtime in an effort to be prepared for a busy day at...

Sea World San Antonio!!

We started our day at breakfast with the Sesame Street characters. Caedmon thought it was really cool...and Libby really did NOT! Overall it was probably an overpriced photo opportunity, but live and learn...

After breakfast and visiting with the characters, we headed to the Sesame Street Bay of Play for some fun "kiddie" rides. I think this was the first time the kids got to try out amusement park rides. They thought it was super fun and probably could have spent the whole day there. After Tom had to crawl through a 25 foot tunnel after an adventurous Libby, the adults were ready to trade in the rides for animal and show viewing.

The rest of our day was spent enjoying the shows - sea lions, beluga whales and orcas...dolphins, sharks and more. Somehow, we didn't get any more pictures. Tom and I were amazed at the quality of the shows. It's not the Sea World of our youth. We especially enjoyed the beluga whale show, where there were amazing divers and synchronized swimmers.

Originally, we intended to spend part of Sunday there as well. However, we overdid it on the first day and when the kids couldn't wind down well after we put them to bed, we called it a fun trip and set out for home.

February '11 in Review

2011-02-28T12:40:00.002-06:00

Just when we were thinking that Texas had missed out on snow for the winter, we were hit with ice, snow, and freezing temperatures galore. While it made for some bad travel days for Tom...and a little cabin fever, the kids were thrilled to play outside (yes, even with windchills in the teens and in rainboots!).

When they visited last month, Pappy and Memama brought along some Steelers garb so that we could support my hometown team (Tom, who spent his medical school years in Milwaukee, was rooting for the Packers so it's fortunate, neither of us are diehard football fans). We watched a bit of the Superbowl before bedtime.

Our homeschool group had a Valentine card exchange so we spent some of our housebound snow days making 50+ Valentine's day cards with paint and glitter glue.

February also brought visits from Nai-Nai and Aunt Mary. You can see Nai-Nai in our snow pictures. Aunt Mary came to run in the Run For Justice with us. There's a whole separate blog post about that. A few other highlights from February were:

A pirate and fairy dress-up birthday party for our friend Lauren

Getting our faces painted by our fabulous and talented babysitter Sarah

Celebrating my friend Erin's miracle baby, Owen

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-14T11:25:00.002-06:00

This ecard created with Smilebox

Run: 4Justice

2011-02-13T14:07:00.000-06:00

On February 12, 2011 , our home church sponsored Run: 4Justice, a 5K Run/Walk (and 1K Fun Run for kids) which was a fundraising effort to raise money for the International Justice Mission. The IJM is a human rights organization that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual and other forms of violent oppression around the world. In particular, our focus has been on the child sex trafficking in Cambodia. Teams go from the church yearly to partner with IJM in Cambodia and work with them.

When I first heard that my church was sponsoring a run, I decided to jump on board as an effort to motivate myself to get on the treadmill more often. I have never run a 5K but have always thought it would be a good goal for myself. I enlisted my sister-in-law Mary to fly out and join me. She is an avid runner so I figured I'd probably be trailing far behind her but I thought it would be fun anyway. I mentioned to Tom that he should jump in on the fun, too, but initially he was reluctant to commit. However, once we saw the promotional video for the race, both Tom and I were in 100%. Every Sunday, when the video was shown, I was brought to tears. I can't help but think of Libby when I see those girls. What those beautiful children are going through is despicable to God and should make us rise to action on their behalf. If I can help even one of them running a little more than 3 miles and donating money (neither of which is really much sacrifice), then I will certainly do it. Tom asked his co-workers from the hospital in Dallas to partner with him in the run and several of them did.

My training faltered in January when Tom and I were hit with the flu and stomach bug and it felt like we spent most of the month struggling to get out of bed, let alone train for the run. When the week of the race came, I hadn't hit the treadmill but once in the new year. Yikes! Although the actual running seemed daunting, our family was really excited about being a part of such a great mission. We bundled up (it was 28 degrees at the start of the day) and joined 1300 other people to run for justice!

Mary and I joined the runners at the head of the pack. Amazingly, I was able to jog most of the 3.1 miles. Tom and the kids (in our monster double jogger) joined a few of his co-workers near the back with the rest of the walkers. We all finished and were proud of our success. However, the bigger success was the $133,000 raised to support the Internation Justice Mission and their work to free those precious girls in Cambodia. "We rescue people because we are rescued people!"

100% of the proceeds from the RUN:4JUSTICE will benefit International Justice Mission and the work of freeing young girls from the sex trafficking industry in Cambodia.

January '11 in Review

2011-01-31T12:16:00.002-06:00

Since, I'm so far behind in my blogging, I thought I'd catch up by doing the past few months in review.

January began with a holiday visit from Nai-Nai and Yeh-Yeh (Tom's parents). They spent Christmas with Tom's sister, brother, sister-in-law and nephews in Phoenix and then, came here for the New Year. It was a good reason to make Christmas last a bit longer...Here they are by our Christmas tree:

They also tagged along to swim and karate lessons and spent lots of time playing with Caedmon and Libby...and of course, no grandparent visit is complete without a trip to the park!

In January, we started a once a week homeschool class called Classical Conversations. We all enjoyed the weekly fellowship with other homeschooling families and Caedmon is soaking up information like a sponge! The rest of our "homeschool" life this year has been mostly doing lots of reading and learning through life - field trips, cooking, building, coloring, etc. We've also enjoyed good time with friends...

Pappy and Memama also made a January visit to the Lone Star State.

2011 New Year's Interviews

2011-01-05T07:45:00.002-06:00

Two years ago, a friend of mine posted her daughter's New Year's Interview and I borrowed her idea. It's been so fun to see how Caedmon's answers change and get a little more sophisticated each year. I can't wait to be able to look back at these first few years and compare them to, say, when he's 10. I'm sure the interviews will get longer...and probably a bit more reliable! I know with many of these questions, the answer I get depends on when I ask the question and what is occupying his mind at that moment. I attempted to interview Libby this year, as well. She was able to do a good bit more than last year, but I still got some "I don't knows" and some questionable answers. For example, I asked about her favorite toy on several occasions and got different answers. I just went with the first answer. However, I'm not sure how I did on getting her to understand the question. On one occasion, I asked what do you like to play with and got the answer "Nai Nai" (Tom's mom). Here are the link to Caedmon's interviews from 2009 and 2010. And without further ado, here are this year's interviews:

Caedmon's 2011 New Year's Interview

Favorites:
-cereal: Raisin Bran
-vegetable: carrots
-drink: smoothie
-toy - "my Big Foot robot that I got for Christmas"
-TV Show (or in our case, video, since we have no cable) - Sid, the Science Kid
-game: Hide 'n Seek
-book: The Bible
-restaurant: "Pita and Hummus" (Cafe Medi)
-holiday: Christmas
-animal: Snake

If you could change your name, what would you choose? Caed

What do you love about each person in our family?
-Daddy: "that he's my one and only daddy and we drink egg nog together"
-Mommy: "that she's my one and only mommy and loves me very much. She teaches me to obey God and she's nice."
-Libby: She is my one and only sister and my best friend

Where would you like to go on vacation this year? "to Sanibel Island, of course"

What are some of your wishes for this year?
1. very much fun
2. Emery will come to play and she won't be afraid of my Big Foot
3. I'll grow up

Libby's 2011 New Year's Interview

Favorites:
-cereal: "the heart cheerios" (Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat Cereal)
-vegetable: peas
-drink: milk
-toy - Fancy Nancy
-TV Show (or in our case, video, since we have no cable) - Gigi, God's Little Princess
-game: Uno
-book: Fancy Nancy
-restaurant: Central Market (Cafe for mac n cheese)
-holiday: I don't know
-animal: monkey and giraffe

If you could change your name, what would you choose? I don't know

What do you love about each person in our family? (I altered the question to make it more understandable to Libby. I asked her what she loved as well as what she liked to do with each person)
-Daddy: "grinding coffee for him, giving hugs and when he holds me"
-Mommy: "greatest"
-Caedmon: "play toys and give hugs"

Where would you like to go on vacation this year? "I wanna go on vacation so I can see reindeer" (The North Pole, perhaps?!)

Christmas Eve/Morning 2010

2011-01-02T14:03:00.000-06:00

For the first time in the last several years, Tom did not have to work on Christmas Day. My sister, Heather (who has celebrated with us for 3 Christmases now) and I were laughing about how we weren't sure how to celebrate Christmas with Tom at home. When he was working, we simply celebrated on a different day, often Christmas Eve morning. I guess things change every year since the kids keep growing but this year was definitely one where we were determining some traditions.

Tom also had Christmas Eve off work so that was a fun early start to the festivities. We decided to attend the Christmas Eve service at our church. It was a really nice service and we were especially blessed to hear God's Word boldly preached and not just a watered down Christmas message. We were also surprised to see the church packed out with standing room only when we arrived a few minutes later than we'd planned (we did get seats!). After church, we ended up eating dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, mainly because it was the only place open near church. It kind of made me chuckle that we were eating out and pizza, nonetheless. When I was growing up, I don't remember ever eating out on Christmas eve, as we were always at a family gathering. However, we did always order Dominoe pizza for my sister Amy.

Christmas Eve was, also, a little different this year because bedtime for the kiddos is not quite as early as it used to be. Despite our repeated attempts to remind them that Santa does not arrive until AFTER they are asleep, both kids decided to prolong sleep. Tom and I finally opted to sleep for a few hours and then, wake up to prepare for the morning. We slept from 8 until 10 and then, I got up to brine our turkey and we spent the next 3 hours helping Santa. When the kids awoke the next morning this is what they saw:

Our living room looked like a toy store exploded in it! We enjoyed a marathon present opening/toy playing morning.

We spent all of Christmas day in our pjs and enjoyed a quiet day of playing, cooking, eating and, especially...

thanking God for the BEST gift - His Son, Jesus!

Treasuring Christ in Christmas

2011-01-02T09:53:00.000-06:00

This year, we began each morning with our Jesse Tree. I've been intrigued by the Jesse Tree idea for a few years now, but have never been intentional about preparing the 25 ornaments. Back in August on a scrapbooking retreat, one of the ladies mentioned that they do a Jesse Tree ornament swap and I told her that I might be interested. When the time came, I was assigned to make 25 ornaments for day # 4 (a camel and a tent). Then, one night in mid-November, 40 ladies congregated at my house and we shared ornaments. Each woman made 25 of the same ornament and in the end, each of us had a full set of ornaments. It was a much easier...and more fun...way to prepare our Jesse Tree. The ornaments were wrapped and numbered so each morning the kids got to open a present. It was so fun and the Advent Jesse Tree Devotions were so great. They tied in really well to the sermon series our church did earlier this fall about God's Rescue Plan and also fit well with our favorite children's Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible. For our morning devotional time, we read from my ESV study Bible but in the evenings we always read the Jesus Storybook Bible so it was neat that they corresponded.

Caedmon and Libby also enjoyed singing praises to God at our church's Creationland Christmas. Creationland is the name of the nursery department. One Sunday evening, they put on a fantastic program of singing and Scripture. Libby sang and did motions to Away in the Manger and Caedmon sang Happy Birthday, Jesus. Tom and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them on stage. They were both entertainers, showing no fear and putting on quite a show!

We also used our What God Wants for Christmas book for the last week of the season. It's a good way to keep the focus and again, the kids enjoyed opening the boxes each day. We did that one in the evening so that Tom could be a part of it.

Of course, it wouldn't be a birthday without a cake so on Christmas day, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, blew out the candles, and talked about what a gift HE is while eating our cake.

Christmas Traditions 2010, Part II

2011-01-02T09:22:00.000-06:00

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without our annual Pajama Brunch. This year was our third annual Christmas PJ party. Last year's was a humdinger with close to 50 people in attendance. This year, I scaled back in an attempt to keep my sanity and enjoy the morning. We all had a fun morning of eating to much, playing a lot and enjoying our friends. It was made more enjoyable for the moms because my wonderful babysitter, Sarah, was in attendance to help with crowd control.

Since we don't often get snow here in Texas, we decided we should enjoy a bit of icy weather. We went to the Gaylord Texan to view ICE! with our friends Laura and Jayden. ICE! is a display of ice sculptures that is on exhibit for the Christmas season. This year's theme was The Peanuts.

We didn't do as much Christmas crafting this year but we did sneak in a little painting and also some cookie baking.

Christmas Traditions 2010, Part I

2011-01-02T08:50:00.001-06:00

This year, we enjoyed many of the traditions we've done in the past and added a few new fun adventures. Our first, Christmas activity was a trip to see the play Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, at Casa Manana in Fort Worth. We have seen a few of their children's productions over the past year and always enjoy them. Libby was mesmerized; Caedmon was a little freaked out by the abominable snowman, but overall, it was a fun experience.

My parents blessed us with a visit during the first week of December. This was my mom's first visit during the holiday season so it was fun for her to see our Christmas decorations and also, to join in some of the festivities. We packed everyone up and headed to North Park Mall in Dallas to see Santa Claus and the train exhibit.

We also decided to venture out for our town's tree lighting ceremony. We had no idea what to expect, but it was a really nice celebration. Caedmon enjoyed the petting zoo, a pony ride and face painting. Libby enjoyed watching Caedmon but was wary of doing any of it herself. They also had a great fireworks display.

It was so much fun to celebrate some of the Christmas season with Pappy and Memama!

Alive and (all kinds of) Kicking

2011-01-02T08:18:00.000-06:00

Both kids were inducted to swimming lessons at 6 months so they've been kicking in the water for most of their lives. This year, they both made some amazing progress! Both children, switched swim programs and are now swimming at a local high school, whose program is geared toward competitive swimming. Caedmon made the switch in January and Libby entered the program in July. The swim program has 10 levels. Libby is currently a level 4 and in November, Caedmon graduated from the learn to swim program and joined the stroke team, which is a bridge between lessons and swim team.

Besides, kicking in the water, Caedmon began kicking on a karate mat in March. He began Kenpo Karate lessons in the "Lil Dragons" program, which is geared to 4 to 6 year olds. He enjoys it a lot. We are pleased with the discipline, direction following and respect that it requires. This picture shows him as a yellow belt but he has since graduated two more belts to a purple belt.

Both kids also tried their ~~hands~~ feet at kicking a soccer ball. Libby participated in the Soccer Tots program during the spring. She enjoyed learning some basic soccer skills. Caedmon joined a soccer team for its fall season. We decided to try it out because a few of his friends were, but it turned out the program was bigger than we ever could have imagined, and we were lucky to even play a game against his friends. It was an interesting season. The coach of his team, The Eagles, was fantastic and a real blessing as the kids were trying to understand the concept of the game, let alone play it. For the first 4 years of their lives we told them to share and now, suddenly we're telling them to take the ball! Caedmon was not a fan of all of the running. We thought that he had built some good stamina in the pool, but he did not translate his swimming to the running. He finally rallied in the last game and decided that he did enjoy the sport.

I guess there is no kicking involved in the one other sport we tried, but we'll tack it on anyway. After watching the Olympics last winter, Caedmon decided he wanted to learn to ice skate. He took weekly lessons from March through August and made some great progress.

The Chang kids had a busy year of developing their athletic prowess. We're glad that both of them enjoy being active and we're looking forward to seeing what other sports they try out and which, they decide to pursue. Throughout each of their endeavors, we have been encouraging them with "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Colossians 3:17) As long as they are doing their best for the Lord, we're proud of them!

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-25T12:10:00.000-06:00

*KENPO*SWIMMING*BEACH*MOPS*COMPASSION CHILDREN*

*CLASSICAL CONVERSATIONS*121 COMMUNITY CHURCH*

*CRISWELL COLLEGE*RADICAL*MISSION POSSIBILITIES*

"For the love of Christ controls us..." 2 Corinthians 5:14

Thanking Jesus for His presence in our lives and

daily seeking to treasure Him in all we do.

Tom, Lynette, Caedmon and Libby

Christmas 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T08:19:00.001-06:00

Tom and I have been attempting to master turkey for the entire 7 years of our married life. I think we had some early success when we celebrated with our friends/neighbors in Dallas, but since the kids were born, we've had several quiet Thanksgivings with mediocre food which took all day to prepare and was appreciated only by the cooks.

However, this year, was one for the history books. We were able to host Tom's sister, Mary, as well one of Tom's coworkers and her family. That alone made this year special. We also had much more success with the turkey (although, we won't say "mastered" yet). And, we added a new favorite side dish, Chinese Sticky Rice. We had much to be thankful for this year and it was a blessing to be able to give thanks with friends and family.

Seashells, Ocean Waves and Swimming Pools

2010-11-15T19:33:00.003-06:00

AKA...Family Vacation! In mid-October, we packed up our beach gear (i.e., bathing suits and a change of clothes...remember, we're a family of light packers!) and hopped a plane to Florida. We spent a glorious week on Sanibel Island. Our lazy days included lots of wave jumping, sandcastle building, seashell collecting and swimming. Tom's mom joined us for a good portion of the trip, which was a huge blessing! Tom and I were even able to sneak in a few dates throughout the week.

Costumed Fun

2010-11-01T10:55:00.001-05:00

We opted out of a traditional Halloween night of trick or treating this year, but we still got our fair share of treats and costumes. We enjoyed a night out at a church festival that was bigger and better than anything we could have imagined - complete with games, candy, pony rides and bounce houses galore.

We also enjoyed Boo! at the Zoo at Fort Worth Zoo. They changed the hours this year so we were able to spend an entire day at the zoo and enjoy the festivities as well.

On Halloween, we carved a pumpkin and enjoyed trying on costumes at home. With all of our other candy-related events, this worked out just fine.

Fall in the 'Burgh

2010-11-01T08:33:00.000-05:00

In early October, we hopped a flight to Pennsylvania to visit family and friends. I guess we never truly made it into the 'Burgh, but it's always easier to say Pittsburgh because really, who knows where Cecil is?! We enjoyed the fall weather, lots of time with the fam and even seeing a few friends. Here are some highlights:

Scrapbooking, Homeschooling, Babysitting, and Dragons

2010-10-30T15:21:00.000-05:00

Is that a random enough title for you? For my frequent readers, you are probably wishing I had stayed on my posting hiatus rather than return with a doozie like that!! But really, as random as it may be, this is a blogworthy post...and it does somehow all connect, I promise.

Back in August, my friend Erin arranged for her and me to go on a scrapbooking retreat. We had both completed scrapbooks for our firstborns and were lamenting the fact that the secondborns were now 2 years old with no scrapbook to their names. Thus, we spent a fantastic weekend away at a quaint little scrapbook retreat, where besides scrapbooking (digitally!) we enjoyed good food, sleeping in and lots of talk time. Aaaah, bliss! (We had so much fun that we're heading back for another weekend in December.)

Besides returning refreshed and rejuvenated - and to a husband who appreciated me so much more after spending almost 48 hours with the kids - I received a few more blessings that weekend. One was some homeschool encouragement, which should probably be relegated to another blog post. The other was a babysitter! Tom and I had not used babysitters besides our family or close friends since the kids were born. However, we were feeling like the kids were old enough that we should find someone. I, also, had committed to a 6 month workout regimen which required 3 days a week with a personal trainer. We knew that the only way that would work was to have someone stay with the kids at least once a week. When we were talking this all through, I had told Tom that our ideal would be a home-schooled high schooler who could come one morning a week. Of course, I knew of no one who fit that bill. However, the scrapbooking retreat was organized by the mom of a home-schooled high schooler, who had come along for the weekend. She also just happened to live in our same town and was looking for babysitting work! Isn't God, good? It gets even better...Sarah is a fantastic babysitter!! My kids adore her and miss her terribly when they don't get to see her one week (or for several as the case has been recently).

When I was growing up, we had a babysitter named Lisa, who came every Friday night so my parents could go to their bowling league. Lisa would play "Little House on the Prairie" with us and traipse around the house in our wagon train as "Ma" - EVERY WEEK, WITHOUT COMPLAINING! We LOVED her! I don't think I was such an accommodating babysitter. Oh, I wasn't a sit on the couch and do nothing babysitter, but I do have distinct memories of dreading the hours of playing "Aladdin" with one of my charges. I just don't think I was very enthusiastic about playing Jafar. Sarah, on the other hand, is my kids' Lisa. She makes crafts, plays pirates, does art and really gets dirty and has fun with them. I am so very thankful for her!

So, now for the dragons...Last month, Sarah and her mom, Stacey, invited me to a Book Tea. I've been missing my book club dreadfully, so I was excxited for a literary outing. Besides being an amazingly clever and fun evening, I was also introduced to a great author. The purpose of the tea was to introduce their friends to a Young Adult Literature author named Bryan Davis and his book entitled Starlighter. Now I love to read but my time for picking up a novel is sparse these days. However, I powered through this book in a weekend. Bryan Davis writes fantasy and this particular book was about dragons, prophecy, slaves, warriors. An adventure that was entertaining to me, as an adult, even though it is geared toward teenagers. I highly recommend it if you like fantasy or if know of a teenager who does. It's not Christian per se but the author is a Christian and the book is clean and safe for young minds. I'm sure it will be one of Caedmon's favorites when he is old enough to read it. You can read more about it on the Masters & Slayers website or purchase your copy of Starlighter or one of his other books, which I've heard are all fabulous here. I truly do think these books deserve a recommendation, but I'm also helping out our fabulous babysitter by sharing this with you. She is in a Masters & Slayers contest and I know she really wants to get out the word about Bryan Davis and support his talented writing.

In the Great Outdoors

2010-09-13T13:37:00.000-05:00

The Chang family went camping! Tom had vacation time at the beginning of August. We didn't have any plans and despite our reputation for wanderlust, we have had lots of "staycations" this year. We decided to venture out for a long weekend and try our hand at family camping. The August temperatures were hovering over 100 degrees, but Tom was able to secure an air-conditioned cabin at Martin Creek Lake State Park. We did rent a tent from REI but it was only pitched once - in our living room. It was just too hot to even think about erecting and crawling into a tent.

After making several grocery shopping trips, writing a long list of supplies, packing up coolers and suitcases, and loading the car, we headed east on our adventure. We left after lunch, so the kids slept most of the way there. Once we arrived and unloaded, Tom cooked dinner on the charcoal grill - bison hot dogs! Meanwhile, the kids and I went exploring and enjoyed a quick hike in the woods as well as a few minutes of play on the playground. We tried to enjoy our dinner outside, but the heat and even more so, the flies drove us inside.

Our little cabin had just 3 rooms - the living/dining area, a galley kitchen and a bedroom with two double beds. The kids were excited to share a double bed but that excitement translated into no sleep. We struggled to get them to settle down but it was after 10 before each child drifted off and Libby actually ended up in our bed with us.

We awoke the next morning, had breakfast, and set out on our first family hiking experience. There was just one wooded trail in the park, which was a little over a mile long. We started off well. The kids did a pretty good job, except for the fact that Tom had to carry Libby a good amount. We all enjoyed the hike, except for the few minutes toward the end, when we couldn't find the trailhead and thought we may be lost in the woods.

After hiking, Tom prepared to cook lunch in the fire pit. We taught the kids to roast marshmallows. They didn't enjoy eating more than a few, but Caedmon roasted a whole bag of them. They also enjoyed just playing in the dirt and exploring nature. We dined on chicken legs and bratwurst.

It was so hot that after nap time we spent the rest of the day indoors. Unfortunately, one of our coolers did not stay cold so we lost a lot of our food and ended up having pancakes for dinner. The kids, once again, struggled to settle down and go to sleep. Caedmon tried but Libby kept distracting him. At one point, Caedmon even prayed about that, "Dear Jesus, please help Libby to stop distracting me so we can both go to sleep!." The kids did make it all night in the same bed, which was a blessing to Tom and I. However, because of the heat, spoiled food and sleeping challenge, we opted to end our camping adventure a day early. So, after a short morning hike, we packed up and headed home to the comfort of our own beds.

We all had a great time and can't wait to do it again...in cooler weather, of course!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Look Who's Two!

2010-07-15T09:46:00.016-05:00

Our precious baby, has turned into an active toddler. For the month leading up to her birthday, Libby enjoyed telling everyone she met, "I two on my birthday. I eat cake and M & M's."

Libby celebrated her second birthday twice. On her actual birthday, we enjoyed a family day, complete with presents, "cake and M & M's." Tom's parents, Nai-Nai and Yeh-Yeh, were here to party with us. We spent the day opening presents, swimming and spending good time as a family.

We celebrated again with Libby's friend Ivy who was born just 3 weeks later. Since both girls are the youngest, they don't have a lot of friends yet. We had a joint birthday party with family and a few other friends. Erin and I enjoyed pooling our teaching creativity and planned a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tropical Pool Party. Erin just moved into a new house with a beautiful pool so we partied there. The kids enjoyed swimming, doing the Limbo, and eating hot dogs and cookies. It was a fun time. And, the fact that the party was brought to a premature ending by a massive thunderstorm will provide a funny lasting memory.

Happy Birthday, sweet Libby! We love our beautiful 2 year old!

Baby No More...Our Big Boy is 4!

2010-05-10T22:44:00.000-05:00

To celebrate Caedmon's 4th birthday, we partied with the animals. Literally. We spent the day with friends and animals alike at the Fort Worth Zoo. However, before heading to the zoo, C indulged in a delicious and nutritious breakfast - a Boston Creme donut from the DD (aka, Dunkin Donuts).

When I was certain that he was fully loaded with sugar -ha!- we packed up and headed to the zoo. We were blessed to have Nai-Nai and Yeh-Yeh here to celebrate with us and we invited lots of friends to join in the fun as well. We spent a few hours looking at monkeys, giraffes, snakes and more and then, headed down the road to Trinity Park for a picnic lunch, playground time and some monkey cupcakes.

Because a birthday isn't a birthday without a cake (according to both Caedmon and Tom's mom), we had a small family celebration complete with ice cream cake for dessert...uh, at least that was the plan. However, our original plan was slightly changed as we got a phone call about a realtor showing of our house right as we sat down to dinner. While it threw a wrench our the parental plans, Caedmon probably saw it as a birthday wish come true, since it meant he got to spend 45 minutes in the toy aisle of Target choosing a toy to buy with his $10 birthday gift cards and still got to have cake and a VERY late bedtime.

Happy 4th Birthday, Big C!

Potty Training - Take 1

2010-05-05T12:23:00.000-05:00

For the past several months, Libby has been consistently telling us when her diaper is wet or dirty. She also frequently asked to sit on the potty (with no positive results). Once in February or March, she even convinced the nursery workers at MOPS that she needed to use the potty. They complied and then, asked me when we had started potty training. They were relieved to find out that this 20 month old was not in the midst of the move out of diapers since there is no potty in the room she is in. All this interest in the potty, started me questioning whether this was a training window of which I best take advantage. My good friend Adrianne potty trained both of her boys when they were 22/23 months of age. I figured she would be a good resource. She recommended a 3 day potty training boot camp system that she used with much success with her second son. I figured that if her 23 month old boy could do it, surely my 22 month old girl would have success also.

We planned our adventure for a weekend when Tom would be home to help so that Caedmon wouldn't miss out on his full schedule of activities. We started on a Saturday morning and figured we'd have a successful panty wearer by Monday night (if not completely, successful, at least mostly so). Libby was quite excited about wearing big girl panties, especially with all the pretty kitties and flowers on them. However, the excitement wore off quickly for all parties involved. This particular method involved constant vigilance as the idea was to "catch her in the act" and rush her to the potty, which was in the bathroom. The first day we had minimal success but most everyone was happy and positive. The second day the success was still minimal and the happy vibes were also fading. On day 3, when I was on my own, we had a very successful morning but by 11 am, success was gone (7 changes of underwear in 1 hour!) and so was my happy girl. She kicked and screamed at each trip to the potty despite my efforts to be as happy and upbeat as I could muster. We stuck with the attempt at underwear until Thursday morning (day 6) when she peed once again in the same spot of the living room and my stress level couldn't handle anymore. (did I mention our house was in the process of being listed for sale?!). Back to diapers we returned, and all the ladies of the house (and even the youngest little man) were much happier.

Our only continued area of potty stress was bedtime, when our little lady decided that she could remove her own diaper if it was dirty. Aaagh! I guess I will get a few more months of use from zippered pjs and onesies...

Miss L is still quite interested in the potty and has had many successful trips there over the past few weeks. However, for the time being, we are continuing to support the diaper industry.

Spring Break...

2010-03-21T14:03:00.000-05:00

This past week was spring break in North Texas. Before I had kids, I could never understand how even those in the preschool set savored the week of spring break. I especially did not see how it affected homeschoolers. However, I have been enlightened. Everything revolves around spring break! Every mother's day out program, preschool, and (most) kids' activity takes off the week of spring break. So even though my kids are not in school, this week meant no swim class for Caedmon, which freed up two mornings. It also meant all of his friends were available for play dates, even the ones who usually are in school a few days a week. Thus, our week was even busier than usual. We enjoyed play dates on 4 out of 5 mornings. Most of those events happened in either our home or a friend's house. The kids enjoyed playtime while the mommies visited.

However, on Friday, some Dallas friends met up with us and we enjoyed a morning back in my old turf, the Big D. Katherine is just 2 1/2 months older than Caedmon and we were in a playgroup with her for the first year or so of Caedmon's life. We still attend the same church but because of the age cut off for the classrooms, the two are not in the same room. However, Libby and Caroline are only 3 weeks different in age and they are often in nursery together. Trying to avoid the Spring break crowds, we opted for a ride on the Uptown Trolley, lunch at Wild About Harry's and some play time at a nearby park.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the outside of the trolley. I have been wanting to take the kids on this for a long time. It wasn't as big of a hit as I thought it would be. We road the entire loop (about 30 minutes) and the novelty wore off for the kids after about 15-20 minutes. In fact, Caedmon has told me that once was enough. I think if we try it again, we'll ride to the Dallas Museum of Art and get off to look around and then ride back to West Village. I thought it was fun, though, and I definitely want to try it again.

After the trolley ride, we enjoyed a fun lunch at Wild About Harry's, a great place for hot dogs and custard! In fact, that was the first restaurant, Caedmon ever visited. Here's a picture of that event and then some from Friday (almost 4 year later!):

I didn't get any pictures of the highlight of the morning - an hour at a nearby park - but the kids really enjoyed exploring a new playground and playing with their friends. It was a nice day out on the town!

MOLA and More...

2010-03-21T13:18:00.001-05:00

Tom's mom has been blessing us with lots of visits this year. She will be coming monthly and staying for a week to 10 days each time. It is a great opportunity for the kids to build a strong relationship with her and learn some Mandarin Chinese. She also blesses us several nights of her delicious cooking and time for Tom and I to get in a date night. When she was here in March, the Fort Worth Zoo opened its Museum of Living Art, which houses their reptiles and amphibians. Nai Nai braved her fear of snakes and joined us...twice, actually. We went on Saturday for the special membership grand opening and then, back again on Monday for a chance to see more of it. We also, visited the FW Science and History Museum on Monday.

Welcome, Spring!

2010-03-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

This is what we awoke to this morning...March 21, 2010. Goodbye 70 degrees, sunshine, and blooming flowers. Hello, 30 degrees and snowy.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be 65 again.

That's Texas for you!

Spring has Sprung in Texas

2010-03-13T08:05:00.000-06:00

Today, we enjoyed some beautiful early spring Texas weather. I cracked open some sidewalk paint and chalk that Caedmon had received for his birthday last year. The kids had a fantastic time decorating our front courtyard. Caedmon kept telling me that he will give me a tour of their "exhibit." However, at the end of our time, he told me that I would have to wait for my tour as the "exhibit" was not yet complete.

Libby thought it was just as much fun to paint herself as the ground. However, she was a little better when we tried again another day. She would look at me and say "Paint - no mouth...Paint - no clothes...Paint ground only." The sidewalk paint was a huge hit with the wee ones in the household. Not so much for the grown-ups, who were left wiping down shoes and doing loads of laundry. Still, it was fun to see the joy it brought Caedmon and Libby.

Quirky Kid Comments

2010-03-13T08:04:00.000-06:00

As I've said before, Caedmon continually makes me laugh with his commentary on life. Here are a few I've been saving up...

"Mama, I like the way you look. You're beautiful!" (similar sentiments were later shared with Libby and Tom's mom)
If you need a self-esteem boost, spend some time with a preschooler. However, be cautious, as this could backfire. Their honesty is sometimes a little too raw.

"Why are you using a knife to do that. You should use your skin razor."
I was peeling the skin off a pear with the same paring knife that I was using to cut it. Caedmon thought a peeler would work better.

Caedmon has two nerf swords and only one shield. He has been conscripting Libby into his sword fights. (She is quite funny and holds the sword the wrong way and yells "Hi-ya!") Yesterday, Caedmon was trying to encourage her to join his battle against a dragon. He said, "Libby doesn't have a shield, but God can be her shield." I was thinking how sweet his comment was until he proclaimed that the dragon could also use God as its shield.

I think maybe Caedmon is ready to reduce his stuffed animal collection. He has been charging Tom and me with the care of several of his animals. Originally, he brought 3 to me and proceeded to tell me the following: "Mama, I brought you these animals to take care of. You need to take them to bed with you at night. If they become sick or get hurt, you should take them to Dr. Libby in the morning. Put them on a book and she will check them and make them better. Please tell Daddy. These are your instructions." He proceeded to give Tom the same instructions later in the evening. More animals have been added to our collection. I think we're up to 7 or so. Soon, there won't be room for us in our own bed!

Every day is an adventure with Big C!

Sibling Love

2010-02-24T22:08:00.000-06:00

Although I hear plenty of whining and complaining about sharing of toys, space, and mama, these are the images that stick in my mind...the ones I hope will grow in their hearts a lifetime of friendship.

Artists in Residence

2010-02-24T21:53:00.000-06:00

Both kids have been super excited about doing art lately. Caedmon has just recently had more of an interest in coloring and painting and such, but sweet Libby would have a marker in her hand all day if I trusted her let her. The above picture was taken today. Caedmon insisted on sitting on a chair to draw because "you know, mom, I've seen artists sit while they paint on their easels." Markers and paper were the medium of choice today, but a few weeks ago, in the midst of our winter "snowstorm," I braved the finger paints:

My budding artists also enjoyed using a large box as their canvas. Markers, crayons and stickers soon covered the box, which doubled as a boat and various other methods of transport and housing over the week that it spent in home.

Watercolors were the choice on another recent day...

And last but not least, here is my future makeup artist...

I'm hoping this is her one and only experimentation with the Goth look.

The Chang Inn

2010-02-24T21:17:00.001-06:00

Anyone who knows us and our calendar will tell you that our home has a revolving door. We are well-known for our frequent family visitors. Tom's and my parents visit so frequently that they basically wash their own guest room bedding and often remake the beds. In other words, we don't consider them guests anymore. Truly, it is a blessing that our kids get to spend as much time with their grandparents and aunts as they do since none of our family lives in town. The month of February was a full month with 3 visitors - Tom's mom (Nai-Nai), Tom's sister (Aunt Mary) and my dad (Pappy). Unfortunately, we were all hit with the winter crud during this time so fun and exciting excursions were traded in for quiet times at home, except at the end of Pappy's visit when we thought it was warm enough for the zoo.

Happy Birthday, Pappy!

2010-02-18T15:41:00.000-06:00

My dad celebrated his 62nd birthday on February 2nd...or as Caedmon will quickly point out - Groundhog's Day.

For the record, I don't think he ran back inside his hole...he surely wants spring to come since his home base buried under several feet of snow with more on the way.

I digress...back to the birthday...Caedmon was quite disappointed that he was not able to celebrate with his Pappy on the actual birthday. However, Pappy arrived on Monday to spend the week with us. After dinner, we had a belated birthday celebration complete with chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, candles and singing. Both kids enjoyed helping Pappy blow out his candles...and of course, eat the cupcakes.

Happy Birthday, Dad/Pappy!

Our Texas Winter Wonderland

2010-02-13T14:59:00.000-06:00

We all heard the forecast - 4-6 inches of snow on Friday. I doubt many of us believed it...and I know no one expected the 8 -12 inches of white powdery snow that finally fell on North Texas!! This is one for the record books.

(4 1/2 inches as of the afternoon of day 1...

the total in our yard was between 8 and 9 inches)

Caedmon was scheduled to attend a nature class and when I awoke to see the grass covered in white, I thought our day was cancelled. Alas, this northerner got to dust off her snow driving skills and we ventured out. After our morning on the roads, we settled in at home and prepared to enjoy being snowbound for a few days. We filled the time with snowmen, hot chocolate and movies. Unfortunately, Libby was fighting a bad cold so her snow play was limited to one short session. However, Caedmon enjoyed several hours of romping in the the snow. He would have stayed out all day long if I had let him. It was the highlight of his winter.

My REALLY BIG boy!

2010-02-10T06:37:00.000-06:00

Libby may be growing up, but Caedmon is practically an adult. Okay, not really, but some days I start to wonder just how quickly childhood disappears. Our little man is carrying on more and more interesting conversations, learning new things and just generally, keeping us on our toes. Three has been a fun-filled year (and tantrum-filled, too). I can't imagine what the next few months will bring as we approach 4...

Here are a few conversations I've had with Caedmon in recent weeks:

C: "I need to work on learning to like potatoes."
Me: "Well, you should just keep trying them and maybe you will learn to like them. What about eggs? Will you work on liking eggs, too?
C: " I think I should just concentrate on liking potatoes."

Aunt Mary visited a few weeks ago and Caedmon got around to asking about her job (she's a lawyer). She gave him some basic explanation about fixing problems on paper instead of in people (doctor) or on cars (mechanic). He must have continued to ponder her job after she left because a few days later, this conversation ensued...

C: "How does Aunt Mary fix paper problems?"
Me: "It's kind of difficult to understand. Maybe you can ask her about it more the next time you see her."
C: "I think she might need to use a rolling pin."

(Mary told me she wishes it were as easy as rolling over the paper with a rolling pin!)

And, just when I think we're making some spiritual breakthroughs...

C: "Mama, how do you get baptized because you have to wear your pants in the water and that just seems rude because then your pants will get soaked."

Later,
C: "I'm ready to get baptized now."
Me (preparing to dive in and get to the heart of the matter): "Why do you say that, Caedmon?"
C: "I can close my eyes tight."

Besides keeping us on our toes with interesting insights and deep spiritual questions, Caedmon has been working to master some new skills. We recently bought him a glider bike and he's been practicing in the driveway and at the park:

He's taking more and more interest in art...although he's still prefers the abstract:

He has also switched swim schools and continues to develop into a strong swimmer. He, now, swims at a high school and needs to wear a wet suit. So far, the instructor has him swimming 12.5 yards per swim during class but he's on his way to a full 25 yards!

Caedmon continues to love books and learning. We're taking a really laid back approach to our preschool homeschool. I think if I wanted to get technical it would be called "unschooling." Basically, I'm trying to just read a lot of books and teach through natural experiences. That's not really what I would consider my teaching style, but I think it's working great for this point in our life. As part of our bedtime routine, Caedmon reads a simple word each night. Tom and I are amazed at how quickly he can figure out three and four letter words! Caedmon also picked out a new calendar for 2010 and he's been practicing his numbers, days of the week and months of the year. It's so fun to see his learning develop naturally. I'm fully anticipating that this next year will develop into a bit more structured (but still flexible) learning/teaching, but for now, our little guy is learning and growing and we're all having fun!

Big Girl...

2010-01-20T13:50:00.000-06:00

I recently posted a blog entry that I started in early December and never really got around to finishing...so here's my effort to complete it with a part two...

Our Miss Libby has become quite the character. She is certainly changing from a baby to quite the little girl...or as she might say, "big guhl." She has no trouble making us laugh (and more recently, testing our patience). We are really enjoying this new stage as she is communicating more and really showing us her true personality.

She got her first haircut back in early December because her hair was just sooooo long. No, not really, but it was starting to look a little bit scraggly and the lady that cuts Caedmon's hair told us it would help it to grow in better if we gave it a trim. Libby did such a great job. There was no crying and she even begged to go back again the next time I took Caedmon for his haircut. Needless to say, I don't think she'll need another trim for quite some time.

As I mentioned in my prior post, language is exploding around here. Tom and I often look at each other and say, "did she just say ____?" because we are so amazed by the way she is absorbing everything. Most recently, she has been starting to speak in more and more 2-3 words sentences. "I see it", "bird fly", "daddy home", "mama cooking" are all heard quite frequently around here. She loves her big brother, "Caden" (a big improvement over previous attempts at his name - "Mamen" and "Tatin") and, as she is usually awake first in the morning, is often heard yelling, "Caden wake" and "morning, Caden" followed by "HUG."

Of course, this love of big brother also means that she wants to do everything he does. Like her big brother, she is a monkey and has no fear of climbing no matter how precarious the position. This has given me more than a few heart attacks! However, the result seems to be good balance and improving skill. Just yesterday, we went to the park and she was able to climb the stairs and slide down the slide independently (NO FEAR).

Besides reading and climbing, her new favorite activity is coloring. "Color" is heard multiple times a day and she just finds so much delight in letting her inner artist out. I'm pretty strict with the use of "color" since she doesn't always remember to keep it on the paper. I dole out one (washable) marker or crayon at a time and she runs back and forth between the art easel and me, giggling and laughing with joy. I so wished I had a video camera with me this morning because she was just bubbling. Her masterpieces quite amaze me...mostly because my firstborn is a boy...and boys (as a rule) just don't get into the whole fine motor drawing and coloring thing at an early age. Caedmon is still working up his art mojo. He enjoys painting and drawing but at almost 4 years old, his work is VERY abstract and just recently, gets more than a few seconds of attention. Libby, on the other hand, gets quite a bit of color on the paper (and in her ear, on her face, etc) and will spend several minutes on each "masterpiece."

It's always hard for me to sum up Libby...especially in a concise way. She is such a blessing to us, though. She is full of hugs and kisses and giggles. We are so blessed that she is a part of our family.

Where's My Baby?

2010-01-18T14:55:00.001-06:00

(originally written December 12, 2009)

The kids are napping and I chose to use my few minutes of quiet to organize some of our recent photos. Of course, that always takes longer than I think it will because I end up looking back at other photos and before I know it 3 minutes turns into 23 minutes turns into...well, you get the idea. Anyway, in the course of perusing, I looked through several pictures from this summer....

Libby looked SO small!! She looked like a baby, but the girl before me today is most definitely a toddler. And, she is so much fun! She is talking A LOT! She's starting to put words together into sentences and overall, seems so much more like a little person when she talks. She's still trying to grasp all of the consonant sounds but she "gets" the fact that words have multiple syllables so words like Christmas tree and Santa Claus and Snowman don't really have the right letter sounds but they have the right syllables and pitch and with some context, we understand her quite well. Yesterday, she was trying to sing "Jingle Bells" and it came out something like "ba ba behw" over and over. She also has realized that with a big brother that talks incessantly, she has to find ways to get my attention. Lately, I've been hearing a lot of "hey, mama" followed by whatever she is trying to tell me - "dance", "read", "snack", etc. I've stopped counting how many words she knows because it's definitely more than I can keep track of. It is really nice to be able to communicate with her.

She's growing physically, too. She must have had a growth spurt because suddenly she can climb all sorts of things that she couldn't before. Everyday, it's something new. Today, I caught her climbing onto the kitchen island. Aaaagh! Fortunately, her guardian angels must be working overtime.

Libby continues to love to read. She has her favorites. She's quite fascinated with "Goodnight Moon" currently. She loves to find the mouse on each page and insists on reading it every night and often when she wakes up in the morning, too. She also likes "Hop on Pop" and Eric Carle's "Head to Toe." Her all time favorite is "Prayer for a Child." However, we don't have a board book version of that and she has become a little rough with the pages of late. Throughout the day, you can find her sitting by the bookshelf thumbing through the pages of any book and "reading" it to herself.

She likes music. It seems that she has determined that car rides are good for singing as we often hear her singing. Her favorites are Baa Baa Black Sheep, The ABC song, and as I mentioned, Jingle Bells.

(unfortunately, this post was never really finished and it seems rather too late to finish it since 5 weeks later, L has learned a whole host of new things. I'm going to post this as is and promise to continue our Libby-girl update soon)

Why I Like Living in Texas...

2010-01-11T20:40:00.000-06:00

This is how we spent the afternoon...in the middle of January...Yes, JANUARY!

We hope all of you northerners enjoy the snow.

We'll take 54 degrees and sunny. Thank you very much.

Caedmon Interview 2010

2010-01-02T08:47:00.002-06:00

Last year, I found this idea for interviewing your child each year on or around New Year's Day. My attempt with a 2 1/2 year old Caedmon can be found here. It was fun to look back and see what has stayed the same (vacationing in Hawaii!) and what has changed. It was also neat to realize that Caedmon could answer every question this year; whereas, last year he didn't have some of the concepts and even some of the ones he did have, he struggled to answer. I look forward to seeing how this interview process continues to change...and starting it with Libby next year. (I tried this year and every answer was "I no no"... Libby's version of saying, "I don't know")

Caedmon's 2010 New Year's Interview

Favorites:
-cereal: "the square cereal that we used for making the manger" (Kashi Cinnamon Harvest)
-vegetable: peas
-drink: apple juice
-toy - "my Transformer that I got for Christmas"
-TV Show (or in our case, video, since we have no cable) - Drummer Hoff (from the Scholastic Series)
-game: Hungry, Hungry Hippo
-book: Limu, the Blue Turtle
-restaurant: "Pita and Hummus" (Cafe Medi)..."oh, the Mac & Cheese Place, too" (Central Market Cafe)
-holiday: "Christmas Eve. Christmas, too."
-animal: Hippo

If you could change your name, what would you choose? Superman

What do you love about each person in our family?
-Daddy: "that he's feeling better; that he's my special daddy; eating Snickers with him"
-Mommy: "that she's my special mommy; playing hide and seek"
-Libby: "playing peek-a-boo with her, eating macaroni with her"

Where would you like to go on vacation this year? Hawaii

What are some of your wishes for this year?
1. "Yummy surprises for good girls and boys"
2. "to learn how to put my Transformer together"
3. "wish to see God"

Christmas Eve Morning 2009

2009-12-30T14:46:00.000-06:00

Santa came to our house early this year. Christmas Eve morning to be exact.

It may look like he arrived early because his sleigh was too full with all of the gifts, but in reality, Daddy has a special "in" with Santa and made arrangements for an alternate delivery date due to the fact that he had to work on Christmas day, and we couldn't very well open presents without Daddy. Originally, Santa was going to postpone delivery until the 27th - really very nice of him since he is supposed to be on vacation by then. However, Daddy was blessed with the whole day off on December 24 so he made a last minute call to Santa and delivery was arranged. Of course, Caedmon and Libby weren't aware of all of this Daddy/Santa communication. It was done in secret - phone calls? texts? emails? Who knows? However, we did hear the sleigh bells in the early hours of December 24th and were excited to awake to a houseful of gifts. Santa even moved the tree from the foyer to the living room.

We enjoyed a relaxing morning of opening and playing with presents. In our household, Santa brings one special gift and he delivers gifts from our family who are spread out around the country. This year, Caedmon requested a teddy bear from Santa...and boy did his elves come through! "New Bear" is big and soft and extra cozy to cuddle with and he brought along a Monkey friend for Libby.

Here are some other fun glimpses of our Christmas morning:

Oh...and one more gift that Caedmon asked for and received (sorry to all of you who weren't blessed by this one!):

Preparing Young Hearts for Christmas, Part II

2009-12-30T14:06:00.002-06:00

Each morning, Caedmon awoke with anticipation of taking another ring off our advent activity chain. The "curriculum" I used provided a Bible verse, a recommended book (and/or Bible reading) and a craft/activity for each day of December. I had gathered the books and art supplies prior to December 1st, and I tried to stay on top of prepping the night before - unfortunately, that didn't always happen.

I will admit that my enthusiasm waned in the last week and the activities were somewhat sparse. It didn't help that several of the books were out of print and cost too much to make it worthwhile to buy. (I know, I should have checked the library. That is something I have yet to do well...but perhaps a goal for the coming year.) Caedmon didn't notice too much since that last week included a visitor - Aunt Heather - and all of the holiday hoopla (i.e., a visit from Santa and lots of gifts). And, despite my less than enthusiastic ending, we probably did more crafty things in the first 3 weeks than we have in Caedmon's first 3 1/2 years of life (not including art group).

I tried to use The Message to read the Bible passages that corresponded with each day. That was probably the most challenging part of the month. Caedmon was super excited about the picture books and the crafts, but it was really hard to keep his attention at Bible time. Granted, we already read to him from 3 different children's Bibles throughout the day (during morning wake-up, before nap and before bed). Still, I tried to be persistent in reading and asking some comprehension questions...and I reminded myself that he is ONLY 3. I'm sure he got something from it, right?

The picture book time was a definite highlight. We tried to include Libby as much as possible but some of the books were too long to keep her attention. Her favorite was Ezra Jack Keats' version of The Little Drummer Boy . She still asks for it to be read at least once a day. She calls it "Little Drum" and pats her legs on that "rum pa pum pum" parts. Caedmon's two favorites were Mary's First Christmas by Walter Wangerin Jr. and The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walberg. Mary's First Christmas could probably be considered Caedmon's first read aloud chapter book. It was 4 chapters that was read over 5 days of lessons. It is a sweet retelling of Jesus' birth from the perspective of Mary, who is telling a young Jesus about it. I think it will be a Christmas favorite of ours for years to come. We're building quite a Christmas library, and I look forward to pulling these books off the shelves each Advent and adding to our collection.

Some of Caedmon's crafts are displayed above his bed in his room (they are pictured at the top of the post). He and I also made Christmas cookies, both sugar and gingerbread, which he enjoyed decorating! They were supposed to be delivered to friends but we ate most of them. We did send a plate home with one family and several to "daddy's work friends."

He also really enjoyed making a "gingerbread" nativity with Pappy. The lesson plans offered a print out of a nativity to build or a crafty construction paper picture of the nativity but I opted to try to find something else. I had been contemplating gingerbread house decorating this season so when I found these graham cracker mangers on Mom's Toolbox, it was the perfect compromise...made even better by a creative grandfather who helped with design. Note: Baby Jesus is a green peanut M&M. I figured Jesus would understand that as a little love from C, since his favorite color is green.

Another fun activity was our card making. We used strips of paper to make a Christmas tree and then decorated it with a pencil eraser dipped in paint. The painting is what made it a highlight for Big C. He also worked hard to write his name on each card and dictated the message to be written in each. They were really precious, and I hope the recipients enjoyed them as much as he enjoyed making them.

Although it wasn't directly related to our Advent homeschool, one other Advent activity we did this month is What God Wants For Christmas . We did it over the course of 7 days with the 7th day being Christmas. Each day there is a box to open and a poem to read and it tells the Christmas story. There is also a nativity scene which is filled up over the course of the 7 days, using the gifts in each box. I think Caedmon will "get it" more in the years to come but it was another good way to direct our focus on Jesus.

Overall, Caedmon and I really enjoyed our month of Advent homeschool. We will definitely do some version of it next year. I'm not sure if I'll do use the same lessons or look for something new. I enjoyed glancing at The Crafty Crow and their Christmas Picture Book Advent and I may use that next year, at least to grab a few new books and a craft idea or two. It will be fun to see how much more involved Libby will be next year.

Christmas Traditions 2009, Part II

2009-12-29T16:57:00.001-06:00

I had great intentions of journaling our Christmas preparations and celebrations throughout the season. Instead, I find myself trying to squeeze in a few minutes post-Christmas to share all of the hours of fun we've had. December was packed full of fun! More Christmas Traditions include...

Decorating our live tree:
Yes, that crazy live tree adventure did end with a beautifully decorated tree! We enlisted the help of Pappy and are quite pleased with the result:

The North Pole Express:
A nearby town hosts an annual Christmas train ride on their vintage railroad. I took Caedmon on a similar style Thomas the Tank Engine ride their earlier this year. Ever since my dad, a train buff, heard about the Christmas train ride he has wanted to take his fellow train lover on the ride. This year he planned a trip to Texas to coincide with the annual event. Thus, our whole family, including Pappy, enjoyed a ride on the North Pole Express. The advertisement literature encouraged kids to come in their PJs but since it was quite chilly that morning, we opted to dress warm. It was fun time, and something I'm sure we'll do again in the future...although probably not every year.

Moms and Kids Pajama Brunch:
This was our 2nd annual event. It was quite a houseful. I think we had over 50 people in our kitchen and living area. It was well-controlled chaos, though, and I think most people had a great time. We had plenty of yummy food and lots of pajama-clad kids running around. The mommies, too, were in comfy clothes and enjoyed bits of conversation amidst keeping an eye on the kids.

A Birthday Party for Jesus:
Caedmon and Libby helped me bake a cake for Jesus. My sister and I decorated it during naptime. Then, after dinner on Christmas Day, we sang Happy Birthday (candle and all) and celebrated Jesus's Birthday because, after all, a birthday isn't a birthday without cake!!

Gaylord Texan ICE:
Dare I include our failed attempt to see ICE? My sister has been wanting to see this amazing ICE sculpture exhibit since I first talked about it 4 Christmases ago. Last year, the timing of her visit didn't allow for it, but this year it was on her "MUST DO" list. We bought tickets for the morning of Christmas since Tom was working and we figured everyone else would be home opening gifts. Alas, the weather was snowy and icy on Christmas eve and the roads were predicted to be nasty in the morning. We called the Gaylord Texan and they assured us that our tickets were good for the entire day and we should just plan to arrive later. Unfortunately, when we arrived later that afternoon, half of the Dallas-Fort Worth population had also arrived and it would be at least an hour wait - not a good idea with two small children. Instead, we wondered around the train display for a while and headed home with a disappointed Aunt Heather and equally so, Caedmon. Maybe next year...just not on Christmas day!

Merry Christmas 2009!

2009-12-25T07:03:00.003-06:00

The First (& maybe ONLY) snow of Winter

2009-12-02T13:42:00.001-06:00

I knew it was going to be a good day when my alarm clock (aka, my children) didn't go off until 6:30...but we were excited to have an extra special treat when we looked outside after breakfast and saw SNOW! Okay, I know you northerners are wondering what my breakfast was laced with, but snow in Texas is a rare occurrence. We're talking once a year, if we're lucky, and we usually have to wait until February, at least. On top of that, snow, here, never lasts more than a few hours - long enough to enjoy the beauty without the travel nightmare. So here it is, our Texas snowfall...

Tom teaching Caedmon to make a snowball:

Christmas Traditions 2009, part I

2009-12-01T14:03:00.001-06:00

I can't believe it's December! Another year has passed and we're diving into the holiday craziness again. Last year, I really enjoyed starting some traditions with Caedmon, especially since he was beginning to really "get it." This year, we're adding to our list. We started yesterday with a fun outing to North Park Mall with the main objective of seeing the trains. Last year, everyone talked about the trains but I just didn't have the energy or even desire, to drag a 5 month old and a 2 1/2 year old across town to a mall in the middle of the Christmas shopping chaos. I either have more energy or have lost more of my marbles, because this year it sounded like lots of fun.

My friend Erin and I decided that perhaps a Monday, early in the season, would be less busy...and we were right! We had a fantastic time. We started with Santa story time.

Then, we enjoyed a p b & j lunch with the added benefit of a puppet show, followed by time to run off some energy.

After the story time, we inquired about visits with Santa. This mall has a very popular Santa (he's been working there for more than 20 years) so they have this whole number system set up. You get your number and they give you a rough estimate of when to return. Then, when you return you're supposed to have a 15 minute or less wait. Well, there system did not work out so well...or at least we ran into a day that had more than the usual interruptions. Originally, we were told it would be about an hour. We returned a few times and were told it wasn't our turn yet. Finally, almost 2 hours later, we returned only to be told that a news station had been filming & interviewing kids and slowed the lines so the wait would still be 30 minutes. We decided to tough it out. 30 minutes later, Santa needed a potty break and we still had a 15 minute wait ahead of us. Finally, I took the older to kids to see the trains, while Erin waited with the little ones. We got less than 10 minutes with the trains and it was our turn. Caedmon was a little wary about sitting on Santa's lap, but when it was time, he rose to the occasion. (Apparently, he told Santa that he wants a new teddy bear for Christmas...at least that's what he's told us at least 10 times since yesterday!) Libby was not as enthused by the man in the red suit as her big brother was...

Despite the frustrating Santa wait, we really enjoyed the day with our good friends. On the way home, Caedmon said, "That was the most fun lunch ever." I was kind of confused since it was peanut butter and jelly and pears, but when I asked him to explain, he said he had so much fun with Emery and Santa and the puppets and the trains. Christmas at North Park Mall is definitely a tradition we will continue.

Preparing Young Hearts for Christmas, Part I

2009-12-01T13:19:00.002-06:00

We started decorating for Christmas on Thanksgiving day. The plan was to start early, get it done and enjoy the rest of the month. We were mostly finished by Sunday night but I threw a hitch in the plan - I told Tom that I'd really like a second Christmas tree this year. It's something that we've talked about since we moved into this house. Our upstairs has a great window that is just crying for a Christmas tree. The area is actually our "homeschool" room. I thought it would be really fun to let Caedmon help me decorate it with our personal ornaments, especially since we used pretty bulbs to make a very decorative tree downstairs.

Anyway, Tom did some research and decided that maybe it would be fun to go the live tree route so yesterday we packed up the kids and went to the local nursery. We picked our tree and had it loaded onto the roof of our SUV. Then, we realized we needed lights. We stopped at Lowes and Home Depot but weren't happy with the selection so we decided that we'd make an after dinner trip to Costco. Uh oh...our simple tree idea just kept getting more complex. We did get our lights and make it home to put the kids to bed late. However, the night was just beginning for us! Long story short, we took the tree out of it's base to put in our fancy schmancy tilting base, only to find that our base was broken! So, back into the original base. After lots of vacuuming up needles (and frustrations), the tree sits undecorated in that upstairs window. I'm sure this is just the first of many dashed expectations this holiday season. Fortunately, the kids didn't have to witness our disappointment and frustration over how the evening turned out. I want to set an example for them, in which our holiday preparations are always focused on Jesus and the joy He brings.

Last year, I made several attempts to infuse some holiday traditions into our Christmas preparations. This year, I want to do even more, especially things that will keep us all focused on the TRUE meaning of Christmas.

Our church handed out an advent packet for families so we will be using their Christmas tree devotions and sticker tree at dinner each evening.

I also found a great Advent "curriculum" to do with Caedmon ( & Libby, as much as she can participate) for our homeschool this month. It involved daily Bible reading, Christmas literature, songs and art projects. I've been excited about doing it with the kids. Today was the first day. We started by reading two verses in Isaiah and talking about how God's prophets told about Jesus birth long before Jesus was born. Caedmon was already familiar with this fact because of our daily Bible readings from The Big Picture Story Bible and The Jesus Storybook Bible, both of which really focus on how God's plan to send Jesus as our Savior was evident from the beginning of the Bible.

We also sang Jesus Loves Me. Libby decided to join in and provide some accompaniment on her drum. She was actually more into this part of our lesson than Caedmon was. He was quite unfocused this morning, more worried about his stuffed animals and his Superman cape. It was a little frustrating to me (those darn expectations, again!).

Next, we opened a present and found Baby Jesus inside! We put him in the manger and talked about how we will spend the month doing activities that will help us remember that He is Who we are celebrating.

Finally, we made a paper chain that will help us count down to Christmas. Each morning we'll take off a ring and it will tell us what our homeschool activities for the day will be. Caedmon did a great job glueing, counting and stapling. Libby even got into the project and helped me glue a little.

I'm excited to continue our month of Advent. I've been really lazy on the arts and crafts with my kiddos and this will help me to get into that more. Also, we have some great new Christmas books to read. I'll probably do some updates on our activities as the weeks go on.

November in Review

2009-11-30T13:16:00.000-06:00

Aunt Mary was here for a visit and left on November 1st. We started the month with some batting practice:

The weather was beautiful so we took every opportunity to be outside...
Mostly playing in the backyard...
But we also snuck in a few trips to the zoo:

Caedmon had a crafty playdate with his friends Stone and Grant and they made playdough turkeys. Fun was had by all! (mommy's photography skills leave something to be desired, though):

We also tried to practice being thankful. We learned Psalm 118:1: "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever." And, we kept a large poster in the kitchen on which we wrote things for which we are thankful.

In mid-November, we were able to travel to Pennsylvania to see my family again. The kids really enjoyed playing with grandparents and aunts. And, Tom and I got a jump start on Christmas shopping!

Thanksgiving was low-key this year. Tom and I cooked enough food to feed our family and lots more, but it was just us. The kids LOVED the turkey...and Caedmon's favorite was homemade cranberry sauce.

We have so much for which to be thankful. The Lord has truly blessed us!

Creation Museum

2009-11-05T19:15:00.001-06:00

Ever since we first read about the opening of the Creation Museum, we have been wanting to visit. We feel that seeing God as Creator of all is fundamental to our relationship with Him, and we desire to teach our children with that as one of the basic tenets of belief. How exciting to have a whole museum as one of the resources we use to teach our faith, especially since most other museums with exciting exhibits, such as dinosaurs, teach a much different message. Imagine the wonder and musing that man and dinosaurs co-existed together... in the beginning! Tom had vacation this month, and we had part of that time booked (with a trip to visit my family in PA). While there, Tom decided to check into a last minute trip to Kentucky for a Creation Museum adventure. We found good ticket prices and planned a whirlwind 48 hour trip to northern Kentucky just before Tom had to return to work.

Before our departure, Tom attempted to find some information about visiting. The Creation Museum has an excellent website with lots of details. However, every other site that Google brought up was a negative review written by scientists and/or atheists. It was interesting to hear their views and we looked forward to seeing the museum for ourselves. The scientists mostly disagreed with the "science" presented but we also read some negative comments about the "scare tactics" the museum used - such as, calling people sinful and presenting examples of the world's sin. One person said that she cried because she was thinking of how some parts of the museum would scare children. Tom and I decided to keep that in mind just in case...

Fairly quickly after arriving at the museum, we realized that our thoughts about the secular reviews of the museum were correct. It all boils down to worldview and belief. Of course, the things of God seem foolish to man - "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." 1 Corinthians 2:14. And contrary to those secular views, we were not asked to sign any forms about what we were or were not allowed to say (I'm not discrediting what others said but we did not have that particular requirement) nor did we notice any "Fort Knox" type security. The rod iron gate at the entrance is decorative, not jail-like. (Though, it looks like they lock it at night, but who wouldn't when you are in the middle of nowhere with property that you would want to keep safe.) The many people stationed around the museum were friendly and helpful and seemed more like docents than security guards. We had also read a lot about the crowds and how difficult it was to move through the museum. Since we went on a Friday, it was not bad at all. There were people from all over the country and all walks of life visiting. Saturday, it was a little more crowded but still tolerable, especially since we had already seen the museum the day before. Some of the museum workers even remembered us from the day before and said hi to us during our 2nd day.

We started our tour at the Planetarium, which was a great display of God's creativity as we looked at stars and planets, galaxies and more. Libby didn't last too long, but Caedmon enjoyed it. Although, he was perplexed at how it was possible to feel like we were traveling through space. In the middle of the planetaruim experience, Caedmon exclaimed out loud to the woman sitting next to us, "I wanna go to space!"

After the planetarium, we walked through the main part of the museum. It basically told the story of Creation, Fall, Redemption. A lot of the displays presented the secular view of an idea next to a Biblical perspective. Since we had two small children with us, Tom and I didn't get to read or watch (there were lots of videos) as much as we may have liked, but overall, we felt that the information was presented well. The exhibits were beautiful with a mix of photographs, life-size scenes, dioramas and videos. Caedmon was awed by the dinosaurs.

In the garden of Eden:

Noah's Ark:

Tower of Babel:

Dinosaurs:

We were also able to enjoy two presentations (there are several offered throughout the day - some free and some with a small cost). On Friday, Caedmon & I went to a "Bugs in the Bible" presentation for 3-8 year olds. It was really well done. The young man who led the program did a better job than a lot of the librarians at the local story times around home. He talked to the kids about how God created so many amazing things - even bugs - and he read two Christian story books that featured bugs. Caedmon really enjoyed the presentation. He was the youngest in the audience but all of the kids were captivated and participated well. On Saturday, we went to a snake talk/presentation. It was also very well done. The man who presented had a wide array of reptiles - snakes, lizards and turtles. He shared interesting information and there was lots of hands on touching of the animals, which, C thought was very cool. Again, the theme was that God is a creative Creator and His beauty and creativity is seen all throughout creation. We even got to pose with a live giant bald python (what a shame in the picture the head of the snake cannot be seen as it had slithered behind Tom's back!)

Besides the actual museum building, the Creation Museum also has a beautifully landscaped exterior which includes a "botanical garden" with trails, a pond and even a swinging bridge. There is also a small petting zoo with both traditional and exotic animals - everything from sheep to wallabies to a zorse and a zonkey (zebras bred with a horse/donkey). At the zoo, there were workers who shared information about the animals. Caedmon enjoyed seeing the animals...Libby is still trying to decide what she thinks of anything furry (including stuffed animals). Walking through the gardens was also a great way to burn off the kids' excess energy.

The museum also houses a large bookstore, which has an abundance of resources. They were not all about Creation, either. They had books and curriculums for homeschooling, marriage books, and much more.

We really enjoyed our visit and plan to make the trip again...and again. We feel that as the kids grow, they will take more and more with them from each visit. It's a neat opportunity for them to see that it's not just mom and dad who believe this stuff, and perhaps get something more from the various media used to present a Biblical view of Creation.

Here are a few logistical insights, in case someone who reads this decides to make the trip:

We flew in to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport, which is actually in Kentucky (we didn't realize that until we were landing!). The Creation Museum is only a short drive from the airport (10 minutes or less). We stayed in an airport hotel, which was only 2 minutes from the airport and also convenient to the museum. We'd do it the same way again next time. There's not much in the immediate vicinity besides the airport and hotel but Cincinnati is only a 15 minute drive and our hotel gave us a list of restaurants that were within a few minutes drive of the hotel. We didn't end up eating at any of them, though. The museum has decent food at prices that are fairly reasonable for that kind of entertainment venue (a pint of milk cost only $0.76). We ate 3 of 4 meals there and the final dinner was pizza delivered to the hotel. It was surprisingly one of the best pizzas we had ever eaten! At the museum, we bought a 2 day pass. It only cost about $8 more per person. Kids under 5 are free. They offer a lifetime membership, which includes 4 free reusable passes. Since we are planning to return several times throughout the kids' childhood, we are considering purchasing this for one of the children because it will probably save money in the long run. They even have strollers to borrow with a $5 deposit. We didn't take this option because the website says they are on a "first come, first serve" basis and we didn't want to be stuck without one. However, they had more than enough available so in the future we may use that option. We saw most of what we wanted to see on day 1 (arrived at 11 am and stayed until 4:30 - ate both lunch and dinner there). However, it was nice to know we didn't have to rush and take everything in on the first day; instead, having the opportunity to go back and explore a bit more in depth the subsequent day.

On day 2, we only stayed until lunch time so we still had several hours to use. We drove in to Cincinnati to the Museum Center at Union Terminal, which is the Science, History and Children's museums (and an IMAX theater) all housed in their beautiful converted old central train station. The museums were very high quality with tons of hands on stuff for kids, even moreso than the Creation Museum. Of course, the science museum is a complete opposite view of the world from the Creation Museum, but it would be a great way to educate kids on the different ideas and how to defend one's faith. That was one major thing that Tom and I took away from the secular scientists' perspectives we read and listened to online. In educating our kids, we want them to be well-versed in the secular ideas of evolution in such a way that they will be able to defend their views against them without sounding uninformed. We don't want them to go to college, finding themselves ridiculed and feeling that we have only told them half of the story or only their parents' religious beliefs. Once they are in a high school or college classroom, they will need to understand and excel in all scientific theories (not necessarily accept them but understand them). We want them to value the truths that are in science but also recognize those aspects that are simply unproven theories. Since man was created in the image of God, He has endowed mankind with great intellect. The discoveries of modern science, technology, and medicine are capable of truly amazing things. When our children are released from the shelter of home and living independently in the world, they should be able to intelligently function in society, whether the science classroom or the workplace, while hopefully, accepting and defending their personal faith from a Christian worldview.

We count our trip as a complete success (except for Libby's poor sleeping in the hotel!). We look forward to many future trips to the Creation Museum. Besides documenting this trip for our family history, we also hope that by sharing our positive experience at the Creation Museum, others might be encouraged to make a visit there. It was frustrating for us to not be able to find any positive reviews as we were planning our trip. Our hope is that our experience may serve as a positive resource for others.

More...More...More C-boyisms

2009-11-04T09:21:00.001-06:00

C: Why did spiderman get bit by a spider?
I give a general explanation about being in a science lab and the spider biting him.
C: No. I think it was because he didn't wear a bug band.

C: When I grow up, I will get a job. I will be Daddy's work friend. Sometimes, I will let Daddy stay home to keep you company and I will go to work by myself. If I need help at work, I will ask one of Daddy's other work friends to help me.

After reading a bedtime story, I Love You the Purplest by Barbara Joose...
Tom: Caedmon, do you love Mommy the purplest?
C: No, I love her the greenest because green is my favorite color.

C to me: Are you SURE you know how to get to E's house? This doesn't look like the same way.
Me: Yes, I know how to get there. This is the same road we always drive to get there.
C: Well, I didn't see all of these things the last time. I must have been too excited. I'm not so excited this time.

At the Creation Museum, Caedmon & I went to a kids' story time about "bugs in the Bible." The presenter passed out a paper with Bible references for verses that talk about bugs. The presenter said, "Here is a paper that will help you find the bugs in your Bible." Caedmon loudly replied, "There are no bugs in my Bible!"

October 31

2009-10-31T19:55:00.000-05:00

We were blessed to have Tom's sister Mary visit for the weekend. Tom had to work 24 hours on Saturday but the kids thoroughly enjoyed celebrating fall with their Aunt Mary. We did a costume preview on Friday evening so Tom could enjoy the kids' excitement. We didn't tell them what their costumes were until they saw them for the "preview." Caedmon was super excited but Libby wasn't quite so sure about being a tomato...perhaps she would have been more amicable to more girly attire. However, we have plenty of years for that.

On Saturday, Mary and I took the kids to a nearby pumpkin farm, where we enjoyed seeing the animals, sitting on tractors and finding our way through a corn maze.

I kept thinking about tackling a pumpkin carving project but couldn't quite muster up the enthusiasm. However, on a last minute trip to the grocery store I found $2 pumpkins and decided that it would be worth it. So to pass some of the time between dinner and trick or treating, we carved a pumpkin. Caedmon thought the insides were gross and refused to help clean it out. Surprisingly, Libby was more enthusiastic and enjoyed putting the seeds into a bowl.

When the sun finally started to go down, I gathered my two favorite veggies and we hit the neighborhood with Wolverine and a monkey (aka, our neighbors and good friends, the Hodges). Caedmon thought it was the most exciting walk he'd ever had through our neighborhood (much better than my morning exercise walks).

We were so thankful that we were able to share our fun with Aunt Mary. Caedmon told Mary (and has told me at least 3 more times since) that he had sooo much fun trick or treating with Aunt Mary that she should come back every year.

First Year Favorites

2009-10-29T06:59:00.004-05:00

Often when friends are having their first baby, I get questions about what my favorite must haves are. Thinking back over the last year, I decided to compile a list. My mama brain is in full force lately...which means there's not much room in there and my memory may be short (could that be a result from answering so many questions about robots and construction trucks?). So here are some of my favorite things from Libby's first year of life:

Sling - with Caedmon I only had a Baby Bjorn. He spent most of his first year of life in it. However, my friend Erin recommended that Libby and I might enjoy a sling better. I did some research and decided on a Hot Sling. I don't necessarily put my strongest recommendation on that particular brand (although they do have some mighty cute fabrics for the style conscious mama). I think it may be an individual preference but I did like mine. I will provide a disclaimer that your baby may not love it right off the bat. Libby took a while to get used to it...maybe that was my learning curve too. For a long time, we swaddled her and then put her in the sling. She loved that!

Aden & Anais Muslin swaddle blankets - another discovery made with Libby. These are super lightweight (although they do have thicker ones for winter) and extra large which makes swaddling easy. Both of my kiddos slept much better when we swaddled them well (get it tight, they love it!) and both were summer babies so I didn't want heavy blankets. Also, the small blankets can be tricky for getting a good swaddle that baby can't get out of. Tom was always much better at getting a good swaddle but once we found Aden & Anais, I became a pro swaddler, too.

Trumpette socks - Again, a Libby find (second time's a charm, I guess). I think these are also more popular for girls but they do have boy styles. Socks were a big pain to me because they just don't stay on little baby feet that well. During the summer, I broke old wives tradition and my kids were just barefoot, but once the weather cooled, I always struggled to figure out how to keep those tootsies warm. With Caedmon, I resorted to using Robeez shoes to keep his socks in place. With Libby, I was introduced to the ever stylish Trumpette socks which really do stay in place!

Baby Activity Gym - These come in all shapes and sizes but I don't know how we would have survived without one. They keep baby entertained for much longer than anything else when they are in the immobile but alert stage. Both Caedmon and Libby loved ours and it gave me at least a few minutes to get something done.

Snap N Go stroller - The stroller decision was a huge one for us. We researched and pondered and researched and asked opinions and researched some more. However, for the early days, I put in a hearty recommendation for anything that will allow you to snap the infant car seat directly into it. We got our Snap n Go for less than $50, and it was definitely a worthwhile investment. Caedmon would fall asleep in the car and I could just snap the seat into the stroller and go. I had many a sanity walk around the mall with him asleep in the early days. Libby wasn't so good on the go, but I still enjoyed the ease of moving her whole car seat directly into the stroller instead of having to transfer her every time. Also, the baby can look at you while you push which makes them happy and keeps you at ease. Another bonus is that it has the biggest basket you will find on a stroller! We currently have 4 strollers (the Snap n Go, MacClaren Techno XL, Mountain Buggy Single, Baby Jogger Classic Double!

Beaba Babycook - While this isn't a necessity, it sure does make life easier if you want to make your own baby food. With Caedmon, I attempted to make my own food, but eventually opted for organic baby food from the store. With Libby, I made a majority of her baby food at home thanks to the Babycook. It is the steamer and blender all in one. I still occasionally pull it out to make some applesauce. It only takes less than 10 minutes to steam and puree so I often made Libby's food at the same time I was preparing ours. It makes about 3-5 servings so I would just put a little in the fridge for the next day too. Of course, you could use it to make the freezer cubes but I wasn't that good about planning ahead most days.

Ergo - With Caedmon, he spent most of his first year in the Baby Bjorn, especially since we were in the midst of house building and I was often at the site walking through construction. It wasn't until we were planning a trip to Peru when he was a year old that we discovered the Ergo. And, what a fantastic discovery it was! The two selling points for me are 1. it can hold up to 40 lbs (as opposed to the Bjorn's 20 something) and 2. you can wear front, back or side. Caedmon mostly rode on Tom's or my back. It is great for travel, but also extremely helpful for things like taking the dog to the groomer - when you need to have two free hands and the baby somewhere safe. The Ergo has an infant insert but I was not as fond of that. I have talked to people who love it, but I found the sling to be much handier in the first months of life. However, after Libby hit about 5 months of age, we used the Ergo A LOT! The amazing thing is that Caedmon could still be put in the Ergo, although, I'm not sure I would want to haul him around on my back for too long!

Exersaucer - Once my kids were wanting to be upright, the exersaucer was one of my life savers. With C, we borrowed one from a friend. It wasn't even a piece of equipment that I was planning to have but he loved it so much when we were at her house that we took it home with us. I can't tell you how many hours of freedom I gained from the exersaucer. Both kids loved to play in it, and it was often the only way I could get dinner cooked or other household chores accomplished.

Bumbo - another wonderful invention for mamas..especially when babies are too young to sit up on their own but want to be a part of the action.

Stokke Tripp Trapp - Okay. We didn't have this for the first year of life but I wish we had. We hesitated to put the money into it and then, alas, ended up buying one when Caedmon was almost 3. Crazy, right! It works great for him now. He feels like he is in a big boy chair instead of a high chair or booster. It looks cool and it is just the right height. If you're going to invest in a high chair and a booster, it almost makes more sense to just buy this from the get-go.

These are the top things on my mind right now. Of course, each mama has her favorites and some of these things may not be on your list. But this is what works for me. These are all things that we bought or borrowed on recommendation from friends and/or doing our own research.

Lynette's ER Story

2009-10-26T15:15:00.002-05:00

Disclaimer: If you're not one for blood and such, you may not want to scroll down much farther.

So...last Sunday, I decided to feed Caedmon's and my pumpkin cravings by making some pumpkin muffins. Being that I am trying REALLY hard to eat healthy, I searched the Internet for a healthy recipe and found one that sounded quite yummy - Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins. I should have been a bit suspect at the almost total absence of sugar, but I gathered the ingredients and mixed up a batch. Although they were intended for Monday's breakfast, I cut one into fourths and we each tried a bit after dinner on Sunday. Unfortunately, the reviews were not promising. Even my pumpkin afficionado Caedmon did not finish his small piece. In an effort to save my muffins, I decided to whip up some honey, cinnamon butter with my brand new immersion blender.

After the kids were in bed, I pulled out the ingredients and got to work. Unfortunately, it didn't go as smoothly as I expected. The butter kept getting stuck in the blender. Very carelessly, I used my finger to try to scrape some of the butter out (I am cringing as I type this). Of course, I did this with the blender off (but still plugged in) but I accidentally hit the on button with my right hand. I'm sure I can spare you any more details (and I know you are now cringing with me...or very quickly closing this web page)...

Tom was still upstairs in Caedmon's bedroom so I yelled to him (exact words), "Tom I cut my finger... and I think it's really bad." Tom got me set up with paper towel and some ice and quickly grabbed the kids from their beds got us all in the car and we headed to the ER. He never really told me how bad it looked, but prepared me for what would happen next in the ER... from the would being irrigated, to a local digital nerve block of my finger for exploration and repair (if possible), and potentially amputation, even scarring and permanent disfigurement of the finger! A career as a hand model was no longer in question for me.

I started praying fervently and God answered. Even Caedmon declared to me, "Mommy, you don't need to worry. God will be with you!" We got to the ER and fortunately there was no one else in the waiting room. For the damage done, the pain was very tolerable. The blade apparently spiraled down my finger tip, cutting and shredding, fracturing bits of bone off internally, ripping my nail into 3 pieces, and cutting through the fleshy parts of my finger. Initially, with all the blood and torn tissue, it barely was recognizable as my fingertip. Tom had to stay in the waiting room with the kids so I was in the treatment room by myself. It was a lot of waiting as the doctors were changing shifts at 8 pm and we arrived around 7:20. Even through all of the waiting and the 19 stitches which took over an hour as the ER doc had to figure out by drawing diagrams how to put the pieces back together, God made His presence so real to me. I think the ER doc had asked Tom if we wanted a plastic surgeon to be called in, but due to the acuteness of the situation, Tom told him to proceed and do his best. I just kept praying and singing praise songs and saying verses and as long as my thoughts were focused on Him, the pain was minimal. We returned home 4 hours later with some very tired children.

The next evening, Tom took me to see a co-worker who is a hand surgeon. He said that the ER doc had done a great job with the stitches and that the cuts and open fractures looked like they would heal fine. Initial sensory testing indicated most of my sensation to be amazingly intact, and I could still flex and extend my fingertip. Praise God!

It has been a week and tonight I will go to the hand surgeon to have the wound re-evaluated and get my stitches out.

Lesson learned: Don't try to make something healthy into something unhealthy.

Okay, okay...and unplug sharp tools before you go putting your fingers too close to the blade.

By the way, I asked Tom to throw that evil immersion blender away, but he refused! I think he's waiting to see if psychologically I am ever going to be able to use the blender again.

Pictures of the sewn up finger are below:

At the Pumpkin Patch with my Pumpkins

2009-10-26T14:50:00.001-05:00

My MOPS group scheduled an outing to a pumpkin patch. I was a little hesitant to participate because when Caedmon was Libby's age we joined such a venture and it was a mad house! It was so crazy busy that I was totally stressed...and that was with one 16 month old. This time it would be me and two kiddos. Yikes! I decided to take the challenge and I'm so glad we did. The weather was beautiful and this pumpkin patch was much nicer. The kids had a fantastic time! The highlight was the train ride from the entrance to the patch. If you live in North Texas, it's worth the drive to Argyle to visit Pumpkin Express, there may be cheaper pumpkin patches but to me the price was worth it.

Fall Family Fun

2009-10-15T20:14:00.031-05:00

Earlier this month, we hopped a plane to Pennsylvania for a visit with my family. We are so blessed that my parents and my sister make several trips to Texas every year. Really, the kids see someone from my family every other month or so. However, I always beg at least 2 trips back to PA out of Tom each year. My sister Amy isn't able to travel easily and neither is my grandma, who will be 91 next week. I want the kids to be able to build relationships with them, too. Also, having lived in western PA for about 25 years of my life, I still have precious friends with whom I long to share life for even a few minutes.

This trip was a great mix of family and friends...and we got to enjoy the fall weather and changing leaves as well. The kids got plenty of time with Pappy, Memama, Aunt Heather, Aunt Amy and Great Gram. They also enjoyed a few play dates with the children of my cousin and two of my dear friends. I was blessed abundantly with wonderful times of great talks over coffee or lunch with some of my most precious friends. And, Tom and I got to enjoy a night out to celebrate our 6th anniversary. On top of all that, the kids slept great! (not the case when we visited in March). The only glitch in the visit was a cancelled flight, which resulted in an extra night there. The blessing of that was an opportunity to see my uncle and aunt who I hadn't seen since my wedding!

September Highlights

2009-10-01T14:14:00.000-05:00

Half of September was spent on the Kauai beach, but the other half was filled with fun activities and visits. Here is a picture preview of the rest of our month...

The last swim of summer:

Libby's return to Emler Swim School with her friend Ivy:

A visit from Aunt Heather (including, a trip to the Fire Department Open House):

And, last but not least, a visit from Pappy & Memama (We were supposed to spend a day at the Texas State Fair but we got rained out. We had lots of fun anyway!):

The Greatest Got The Worst

2009-09-26T17:16:00.057-05:00

Why is it that the human heart is always wandering? Nothing seems to be ever good enough and I am always thinking about the “next” change in our lives… the “next” house, the "next" career, the “next” thing to buy, the “next” trip to take… Is this what it means to be a (fallen) human? To always be seeking after the “next” thing for fulfillment? Of late since returning from vacation, we have been contemplating what the “next” thing in our life is going to be, because after being challenging and convicted by “Crazy Love”, obviously our current way of living is not “good” enough as Christians. I have thrown out some wild and some not so wild, but still big life changing ideas to Lynette in the past few weeks. Which is right? Which is wrong? Which is holier?, etc. Contentness is lacking. How do we be truer to God than we are now? When is what we are doing enough? Is selling everything, going to seminary, and living a life of self-imposed lack of comfort the way to demonstrate radicalness? or is that just stupidity? I thought I would give it all a rest, to just stop my wandering heart, and just be content in the moment and live.

Our pastor has been preaching on the book of Mark this year and I definitely have not really been paying much attention. Between work and being on-call, raising our children, going on vacations, living life… not a single sermon preached has made any impact nor do I remember any of them. Is that a sad statement or what? To belong to a church and have my pastor intensively preach on one book all year long and yet, not be able to recall any one point he has made. It is a failure of listening on my behalf and a failure of not desiring God. Last week, the sermon series continued and he was apparently trying to tie what Mark has to say into changing the way we serve at church. He asked just for each person to just take 5 minutes out of our day to think about a particular point in his sermon outline – sounds simple, right? I mean… 5 minutes a day for a Bible exercise, that’s not asking much at all. Well, all I did was get as far as Monday where I briefly thought about point #1 – “The Greatest got the worst”. What happened to the rest of the week, I cannot really say other than I would momentarily remember that I was supposed to take 5 minutes to think about one of his sermon points, but then forgetting about it and feeling slightly guilty the next day about not doing it.

The Greatest got the Worst – What this means to me…

“IN THE BEGINNING GOD”… in complete unity between God the CREATOR, God the WORD, and God the HOLY SPIRIT – had a plan to create a world to be enjoyed by mankind, his crowning creation. “Let Us create man in OUR image…” We were to be his representation as stewards over creation, in an eternal love fellowship with God. We lost that when we desired what Satan enticed us with over what God said. Given the freedom to choose life, man chose death. But God already knew, He had a plan. It is difficult for me to intellectualize that when God created man, he already knew that those He created and declared VERY GOOD would fall and desire more than just being the great legacy as God’s children that was already bequeathed, thereafter continue to run away from His will, and that He would ultimately have to be the one to save us. Why would God go to all this trouble for us? That is just the way He is... He LOVES.

As a husband and father of a 3 year old and a 1 year old, I am amazed at the love that lies within my heart for my family. I love being married to Lynette, and I love being a daddy! In the union of man and woman we reflect God’s nature. The love for my children as a father knows no bounds. In my limited humanness, I would say that my love for them is limitless. I would do anything for them. If they hurt, I would do whatever was within my power to alleviate their pain. It hurts me deep inside when they cry. Even if it cost me my life to protect them then so be it. As a responsible parent, I correct them when I see that they need correction and manipulate and mold them in order to teach them because they do not know any better since they do not know how the world we live in works. They may not like it when it is happening but the final outcome is to their benefit. So too, I am beginning to better understand how God must feel and why God did what He did for us.

A God who doesn’t love would not have done it this way. The Bible would have told a different story. An imaginary God would just erase/destroy what was created and start over again. An imaginary all-powerful God who doesn’t love would not want eternal fellowship with us. But a real God who loves us and considers us as His children, would try to save us, would die for us if He thought that was the only way we could be saved. And what a bold and selfless plan it was…

Born not into comfort but into the humblest of settings, God the Word became flesh! Jesus, the Christ, came into the world as 100% human, yet still 100% God, chose to limit himself as a human being, in order to show us the way back to God, in order to reconcile us to God. We all know how that went – the audacity of what man did to our God… he was rejected, mocked, beaten, ultimately physically destroyed in horrific fashion, pierced… bled and died taking upon himself, the weight of humanity’s sinful acts against God. The blood aspect of the sacrifice never really meant much to me, but I have found new meaning now that I think about it. What is so significant about blood and sacrificing in the Bible? Why did Jesus have to die for us?

As a physician, blood means life. It carries oxygen to our vital organs necessary for the maintenance of life. When someone is injured in trauma, bleeding and dying, what do we do as healthcare providers? We give them a blood transfusion to try to save them. Blood however also is what ties us together as a family. People talk about bloodlines. It is a identifier of who we are as a human race. I can see how Jesus by willingly choosing in the manner he did, proved that he identified with mankind by becoming one of us, then dying/sacrificing for His children, in order to save them. It’s what any parent would do for their children. It’s what I would do. He suffered as no man ever did, our sinful humanity covered by his personal sacrifice thereby propitiating God’s wrath, claiming a blood heritage between the all powerful God and the creation man, tying God and man together once and for all, in order to show us the depths of love that the one true God would go to in order to not destroy his children. By rising victoriously over death he showed us that He is the one true God and pointed us back towards TRUTH. This God-man, servant-King, related to humanity through blood, showed us that ultimately the source of eternal life is in and through Him only. This is why in the end (as the song goes) ,every knee shall bow… every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

This is a story I can relate to. This is a story I can believe in. This is a story that in my heart I can sense as true. For only a father would willing do such a thing and die for his children in such a manner in order to save them. The 5 minute exercise this past Monday of thinking about "The Greatest got the worst"... is TRUTH. However, I failed the rest of the week in thinking about much else!

She's All Girl!

2009-09-19T07:53:00.001-05:00

She loves her shoes...

In our shoeless household, we've had to designate a pair of Libby's footwear as "indoor shoes." She wakes up in the morning asking for shoes even before breakfast!

She loves her handbag...

We broke down and bought her a "Hawaii" purse when she persisted on carrying a ripped paper sack around the condo. And, oh yes, she puts things inside...

Specifically, her phone...

And the girl can carry on a conversation with the best of them!

Accessories are always a plus...

(I still need to teach her a thing or two. I don't think goggles around the neck will be the latest jewelry fad anytime soon.)

Tom hasn't given up hope that she'll keep her horizons broad and also enjoy hiking boots and a backpack for outdoor adventures.

Yet More C-boyisms

2009-09-19T07:45:00.001-05:00

Caedmon: "Daddy what are you doing?"
Tom: "I need some peace."
Caedmon to me: "Mommy, Daddy said he's knees and peas."

Caedmon has been the mail person in our house lately. He pushes Libby's Fisher Price mail cart around and delivers mail to each member of the family. If you ask him what the letter says, he'll tell you! It's almost always from him, and it usually says something like, "I love you! from Caedmon" or "Hugs and Kisses from Caedmon" or "I love Libby." We all love getting mail...sometimes Tom and I find letters by our bed before we go to sleep at night. We can't ask C what they mean but we know they were delivered by a loving mailman.

Yesterday, Caedmon told us he was going on a safari. He disappeared into our bedroom for 10 minutes or so. We peeked at him but he was just hanging out playing with his cars. Eventually he reemerged and said, "Mama, I just had so much fun on my safari." When I asked him what he saw, he replied, "I saw a gorilla and he played with me." I asked what they played. "The gorilla played cars with me!" I bet that's the first time a gorilla played with matchbox cars!

The Storm In My Life

2009-09-18T19:00:00.001-05:00

(a contemplation inspired by reading "The Shack")

Who am I when I am…
So bold as to believe that I am in charge of my life
Giving the same old excuses to live the same life… unchanged
Happy within the safety-net of the status quo of family, work, and church
Serving (when convenient) out of my abundance rather than my lack
Not really hurting anyone, but not really doing much either…
Those who deny JESUS can do the same.

Dare I to trust in Him? Do I love Him?
All too easily my lips say, “I do!”
Do I really consider the cost when I sing that He’s my All in All?
The way of the world is not eternal
I need to give up seeking after the ease of the world which I so easily justify
Rely solely upon Him, Not my insurance policies, not my 401K accounts
False is the security of money

To follow Him is to…
Keep Him first in ALL I say and do
Truly LOVE those I find different and unlovable
LISTEN, he who has ears let him hear
Get out from the midst of the thorns
And be planted into good ground
By my fruits I will declare myself.

Though a physician, I cannot “Heal Thyself”
I am still but a SINNER
The Holy Spirit tugs at me during brief interludes of my life
Less to self, more for God’s Kingdom
WAKE UP - SEEK GOD
Remember, Repent, Return
Re-NEW my heart Lord
So I can Re-LIVE... Re-LOVE… be Re-STORED
Help my unbelief!

The first step is the hardest when FAITH is weak
What did Peter think before he stepped out of the boat?
Help me to run to You at the sound of your voice
Like my children running into my arms when I come home
Let my steps be a pleasing testimony to you
As great my love for my children, help me to see that you love me even more
And may the unity between my wife and I, be a reflection of You
Help me to believe wholly that the tapestry of our lives You weave is GOOD.

By His GRACE only…
God loves me
Desires me
Pursues me
Died and Rose VICTORIOUS for me

I want to know God
Love God
Desire God
Pursue God
Live radically for God

Won’t you join me in this prayer today?

Kauai 2009: More Island Adventures

2009-09-13T14:27:00.006-05:00

Since our Eastern coast condo had WiFi, we had great aspirations of keeping our bloggy readers more up to date on our travels once we left the North shore. Instead, I finished writing this post 3 days after we arrived home and barely out of my jet lagged stupor. Alas, pictures are worth a thousand words so rather than bore you with too many words, I'll do more pictures, less words. (BTW, the picture above is Tom's favorite drive in all of Kauai... a Eucalyptus Tree Tunnel that he loves so much because of the sense of calm and beauty he feels when he drives through it).

We were pleasantly surprised at how nice our next condo was. Although we missed the amazing ocean views (what better decor do you really need), our new place still had a small view of the ocean and also easy access to the pool. Besides a regular pool and a "keiki" (kiddie) pool, the resort also had a nice sand box with more sand toys than Caedmon could ever use. Needless to say, he was quite happy.

The beach that bordered the resort was rather rocky and the ocean was too rough for swimming. However, there was a great swimming beach just a short drive away. We spent 3 of our five mornings there. Besides having calm waters to swim and good castle-building sand, it also had a really great playground so after we had enough surf and sand, we enjoyed swings and slides. Always a hit with our kiddos!

Being an early bird family, we planned most of our adventures for early mornings. Besides the beach, we did a few touristy things. We enjoyed the beauty and diversity of God's creation, taking in some waterfalls and the "Hawaiian Grand Canyon," aka Waimea Canyon. We also visited Hanapepe and walked across the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge.

Caedmon and I also enjoyed a Hula show. It was a 5pm show and Libby was spent so Tom opted to stay home and feed her dinner and put her to bed. Caedmon really enjoyed the show, though. I had planned to leave after a dance or two but the little man insisted that we stay until the VERY end.

So that's Kauai 2009 in a nutshell...or should I say, a coconut shell, since it took us several posts to share our adventure with you. The pictures make it look like it was all beautiful sunsets and aromatic leis, but as with any family travel we also had our fair share of stressful moments, misunderstandings and disagreements, teary eyes and poopy diapers. Fortunately, the happiest parts are what always stand out in our memories. And truly, spending two weeks in island paradise together, left us rested and thankful for the abundance of uninterrupted family time as we marveled at God and His breathtaking creation. As we return to our daily routine, we have been convicted by our vacation reading of "Crazy Love", that our lives must be more centered on bringing glory to our Creator. We're not exactly sure what changes this will inspire but we are thankful for the time we've had to contemplate how God wants us to live in relationship with Him. With another set of adventures tucked into our family story, we wish you all ALOHA !!!

Reflections on the Shores of Kauai

2009-09-10T15:13:00.006-05:00

You are GOD, the Almighty... Needing no one, yet wanting us as an inheritance... Crazy
The Alpha and the Omega, standing outside of time
We are but Man, who deny this truth, in order to play as gods of the earth
Fools on the Road to Destruction
Shadows… beguiling, mesmerizing, shadows of heaven on earth
That make me think I am in paradise, or so I believe

Can our lifeless, automated, plugged in cities compare to the majesty of your creation?
Can we hold back the oceans at the shore with but a whisper?
Can we carve canyons out of the mountainside?
Can we paint anything more colorful compared the the hues You prepare in the skies?
As the grains of sand trickle in between my toes, I cannot even fathom this simplest of your creations
You have numbered every piece, each one different
How much more intricate and awesome you made us, yet we deny You

But creation testifies…
The sun warms our aging bodies
The sea breeze rushes past my ears declaring You are God
The surf crashes continuing its never-ceasing song of worship
And we… we are but man, and to dust we will return

Floating on my back in the ocean, the waters envelope me
Trying to cup it only to feel it slipping through my fingertips
Seeing the daytime moon against the bright blue of the sky
Hearing the waves against the rocks
Tasting the spray of the saltwater
Smelling the cleanliness of the ocean air
I am alive, I am here now, all my senses attuned

Breathing, contemplating…
The world as I know it is not my home
It's too comfortable and safe to live the way I am on this wide road
Which in the end does NOT lead to You

You, Lord, are all there is
You, Lord love and give life

We must break free from the world man has created
Pilgrims, aliens, strangers are we to be in this world
Pray for the strength to change our lives to live as Christ exampled for us
We are called to shine and help point others back to our lost home
Live, Live, Live in the light of that knowledge

Kauai 2009: Good Eats

2009-09-10T09:22:00.090-05:00

We always look forward to good fruit and fresh fish when we travel to Hawaii. We tend to eat most of our meals at the condo, stocking up on supplies before we settle in. However, we did enjoy some fine and tasty dining out on Kauai this year. Here is a sampling of our vacation in food...

Yummy Plate Lunch of Garlic Shrimp, rice and cabbage slaw from Savage Shrimp Truck:

Our hummus fix from the Mediterranean Gourmet:

Date night at Postcards Cafe - taro fritter appetizer, Monchong fish for dinner and chocolate pie and coconut sorbet for dessert. Mmmmm!:

Gourmet breakfast by Tom in our lovely condo by the sea - eggs, bacon and taro english muffins:

Kilauea Fish Market - our favorite for taste and freshness but we could do without the friendly flies in the outdoor eating - shrimp cocktail, fish tacos, fish plate lunch, tofu wrap and Korean beef:

We forgot to take pictures of Tom's all time favorite Kauai eating establishment - Hamura's Saimin Stand (although I did scrounge up a picture of saimin) but we did bring home some of their famous Lilikoi (passionfruit) pie:

If you're going to be on vacation, you might as well enjoy a good burger. That philosophy led us to Bubba Burger for lunch one afternoon. And enjoy, we did! Burgers, fries, onion rings and milkshakes all around:

We usually make a stop at Kalaheo Coffee Shop on our way to see the western part of the island, but we bypassed it this time and instead, popped into Hanapepe Cafe & Bakery. It was worth the change. The pastries were divine and the coffee was fresh, too:

When we ventured out that morning, we didn't plan on driving all the way up to the canyon, but since we did, it was time for lunch when we drove back into Waimea. Since the kids love shrimp, the Shrimp Station seemed to be a logical choice for us:

We tried to be good photojournalists and take pictures of every fine dining experience, but we did miss a few. Other favorites were fish (Mahi Mahi and Opakapaka) and chips at Hanalei Gourmet and ahi nori wraps at Caffe Coco. The wraps were so yummy that we intend to try to recreate them at home! As you can tell, we enjoyed some good food!!

Kauai 2009: North Shore Paradise

2009-09-06T00:45:00.010-05:00

We’re at the end of our time on the north part of the island. Today we head south to spend the rest of our vacation on the East side of Kauai, a part of the island where we have never stayed. Our next condo will have a garden view. We’re a bit sad about leaving behind the sound and views of oceans waves. However, this week has been a blessing and we know that we are doubly blessed to have a 2nd week on this beautiful island with the beach still just steps away. We have played and rested and enjoyed time together as a family. We have also been blessed to have Tom’s mom with us, which meant that Tom and I got a date night and lots of time to relax and the kids got special times of playing in the sand and at the pool with Nai Nai.

As we predicted, our week was very low key. Our days started with the sunrise. We played in the sand and jumped the ocean waves. We explored tide pools and watched for crabs. We mostly ate-in with food we stocked up on, but also took an occasional trip into the town of Hanalei to grab a bite to eat. We watched the ocean, para-surfers, helicopters, boaters and jet skiers from our condo window and today, we caught sight of a rainbow. Our nights ended with sunsets and then views of beautiful moonlit waves.

Our only big adventure away from our condo was a trip to Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens mid-week. (We met a family of 4 there finishing up their 7th week of vacation on the islands! … yes 7th week!!!) We visited the gardens last year and Caedmon would not have been satisfied without a repeat visit. The highlight of our tour is the final part – the Children’s Garden. It is truly a child’s paradise with amazing sculptures and playthings that encourage imaginations to run wild. Caedmon probably could have played there all day! Even Libby enjoyed her visit this year, especially walking in the Jack and the Beanstalk wading pool.

We don't know what the next week will bring, but we'll keep you posted as we won't be quite so unplugged (WiFi in the condo...and even a TV). Until our next post, ALOHA!

Crazy Love (Lynette's Thoughts)

2009-09-02T23:58:00.000-05:00

Prompted by a recommendation by a reader of one of his blog posts, Tom picked up a copy of Francis Chan’s Crazy Love as his vacation read. He powered through the book in the first few days here and then, encouraged me to read it as well. I was in the middle of a fiction novel and not so eager to put it aside for nonfiction. This is, after all, vacation, and I was inclined to give my mind a break. I promised to read it next, but he insisted that it was worth reading sooner rather than later. I am not one to read two books at one time and also not very good at putting down a good book. I have been known to stay up way too late because I just can’t stop reading until I get to the end of a book. However, I felt convicted to put aside my pleasure reading and read Crazy Love more out of my love for Tom and desire to please him than anything else.

Perhaps, though, it was more the Holy Spirit’s prompting that I read the book than Tom’s. After reading the book, I understand why Tom pressured me to read it. I find myself thinking of more and more people who I know would benefit from reading it. I have found myself convicted, inspired, excited… my mind has been continuously churning over the ideas presented in the book.

I am still chewing on much of what I read. I feel convicted to make changes in my life but at the same time feel overwhelmed by all of it. I know that Tom has written his book review (as of writing this, I haven’t yet read it) but I don’t know that I can put what I read into a review. It has touched me on a deeper level and I feel it is something that I am working out between God and me. We’ve been talking a lot since I started the book…or rather I’ve been talking and probably need to find some time to be quiet so He can speak to me.

I have become complacent, lazy, busy, selfish, tired…I have forgotten what it is to seek to be less of me so that others may see more of Him. I can recall many times in my life when I have savored times in His Word and in communion with the Lord through prayer; times when I served out of a wholehearted love for Him and for people; times when I had to rely fully upon Him to sustain me. Sadly, those times are a distant memory of late. I have become too comfortable. I still desire that relationship with my Savior but I have not taken the time to build it.

How did I get from missionary life to doctor’s wife? More importantly, why did I let that change my relationship with the Lord. I don’t doubt that He ordained both my time in Okinawa and my present life in Texas. I do wonder if I am doing what He wants me to do in my current life. I have a feeling His plans for me are bigger but I need to be willing to seek Him more to know what that means.

Since having kids, I have worried time and again about how Tom and I will grow our marriage relationship. We are very choosy about who watches our kids so we rarely get time as a couple. We are both tired in the evenings, and most often, choose to watch TV. A few times a year we manage to sneak in a date while some family is visiting. While our marriage is still strong, I find myself thinking of the warnings given by any marriage “expert” or long married couple that a couple must make time for each other or you will grow apart. I even dragged Tom to a marriage conference a few months ago in an effort to ward off any decay in our relationship. While this is important, I realize that I have not been heeding that same advice in regards to my relationship with the Lord. I have neglected my First Love. More than my need to lose weight and get in shape, to keep the house clean, or even to keep my marriage strong, my relationship with Jesus must be foremost in my life. I don’t know what He has in store for me…for Tom and me …for our family…but I want to know. I want to be a part of His plan.

I have been burdened lately by the weightiness of being given the responsibility as stewards of my children. More than anything I want them to “love the Lord [their] God with all [their] heart and soul and mind and strength,” and yet I realize that I am not setting the example I should. I must. I must long after my Lord that my life always points to Him.

That means change must be in store. Change for how I prioritize my time...how I spend my money…what I think about …who I am. Reverting to my old ways, that task seems too great. However, it is not my burden to carry alone. My Jesus is all I need and He will carry me ever closer to Him if I only submit to His will and follow obediently.

We left home thinking that vacation would return us to Texas rested and relaxed. However, now convicted and contemplating, I think there may be even greater changes in store.

Don’t read Crazy Love if you’re looking for a light beach read. Read it only if you are willing to be convicted and challenged to go deeper in your Christian walk than ever before. It’s crazy! But then, so is God’s love for us.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan (More than just another Book Report)

2009-09-02T13:26:00.001-05:00

I never heard of this pastor/author before but about a month or so ago, a friend of mine emailed me a link to a You-Tube video of Francis Chan that I have yet to look at in its entirety. However, a friend of Lynette’s recently replied to one of my blog posts suggesting that I check out a book written by him, entitled “Crazy Love”. Being on vacation, I took the opportunity to read it. It turned out to be just what I have needed to hear. Over the course of the past several months, I have been feeling quite disenchanted with our American way of church and the so-called “Christian culture and lifestyle”. I have not been on the spiritual bandwagon, to say the least. It is easy to put the blame on our culture and our in-vogue way of church, but the insights espoused by Francis Chan redirect the problem to us as individuals.
Francis Chan dares to write what I as a “mainstream” Christian, secretly wonder in the depths of my heart… things I have yet to adequately put a voice to and only intermittently opine to my wife about. He hits home a strong but forceful statement that challenges a re-thinking of how and why I believe in God. Love for Christ, rather than fear of God and/or punishment, should be what motivates my daily actions and choices in life. Francis is not shy in identifying that the way of life (both socially and spiritually) for most Americans who call themselves Christians, is a false one. He points out that Jesus’ feelings towards those who are LUKEWARM, is one of disgust. Jesus would rather SPIT us out! We needn’t delude ourselves, there is no middle-ground. A “lukewarm Christian” is NOT a Christian. Francis reminds us again that Jesus said that the road is narrow and few will find it. There is a cost that we do not willingly want to admit to. We think that we are “safe” in our Christian communities, living as good people who go to church, raising our families, and living comfortable lives. But, nowhere in the Bible does this description equate to what the life of a true follower of Jesus looks like. This is not right and it is what I have been feeling. Grace is how we are saved, but verbal lip-service without actions shows that without fruit we don’t belong to God’s family tree. Truly loving God means loving and obeying God in daily life, changing in such a way that mainstream Christians will call me and my family “radical”, “extreme”, “going overboard”, “crazy”… they will be uncomfortable with the choices that need to be made. I worry about these choices and how they would impact my family. However, God tells us not to worry and to trust Him in everything. In essence, this is what it all boils down to… that in my rich, spoiled American life, I have put my security falsely in myself, my savings, my job, etc. such that when things go wrong, I don’t truly believe that God will intervene for me… I believe that I would have to save myself with what I have “stored”. It turns out that here are limits to how far my faith will actually sustain me and how far I would really go or endure for Christ.
My discontent of late only proves one thing… that of late I have been LUKEWARM. The book is quite inspirational and though he calls for change, Francis Chan does not define for the individual what and how that change will look like. He asks for a true introspection of who we are if we dare call ourselves members of God’s family… then he calls us to re-read the Gospels for ourselves and to live it out with great force so that we will change the world. That is, to follow Jesus not out of obligation or fear, but instead, out of a true love for Him because of His “crazy love” for us. The Creator who was, and is, and is to come…He who is complete without us, actually loving and wanting us to be with Him. This will cost us potentially our safety and success as defined by the eyes of the world, but it will prove in the end to be the necessary groundwork in order to prepare us for our true life to come in Heaven.
I recommend this book whole-heartedly to any who would call themselves believers. The challenge is to not just read it and stop there having “felt convicted”, but to change from calling yourself a Christian to actually being a Christian.

Kauai 2009: Unplugged

2009-08-30T19:36:00.014-05:00

It’s kind of funny to me to realize that this is our fifth visit to Kauai since we’ve been married. First of all, Tom and I both love to travel and we used to talk about how it’s not worth going to the same place over and over again when there are so many places to see in the world. Second, Tom is not a beach person. He’ll be the first to tell you that his last choice of a vacation would be a beach, where he’d sip a fruity drink while basking in the sun, and I’m sure when we tell people that we’re coming to Hawaii that’s probably what they picture us doing. However, on our first visit to Kauai, we both fell in love with the island. It is truly a relaxing, laid back place. Tom always leaves the island feeling completely renewed even with the long plane rides and jet lagged kids – which is pretty amazing! I’ve also found that it’s nice to come somewhere a little bit familiar when you have two little ones tagging along. Tom says that I’ve already memorized every road on the island and that is just one of the benefits of coming here. When we got off the plane on Friday night, we knew the whole drill – where to get luggage and rental car as well as how to get to the local stores for supplies. Life is much happier for everyone because much of the usual stress associated with arriving at a new destination is diminished. Of course, there’s always some stress but I even found that this time, knowing what causes the stress and expecting it helped me to deal with it much better.

Our favorite place on the island is the North. However, it’s over an hour drive from the airport and the best supply shopping. Because of this, our usual plan is always to spend the first part of our trip in the south – however, just one night this time. After a quick visit to the beach, we did some more shopping before heading north. On Kauai, we always stay in condos that have full kitchens. We stock up on food and eat in most of the trip. It’s much easier and cheaper to do things that way, especially when dealing with jet lagged children. We discovered that the hard way. When Caedmon was 5 months old we brought him to Kauai to celebrate our 3rd anniversary (I know, we are truly romantics). That was our first stay on the north shore and we made reservations at a nice restaurant. We booked the earliest time possible but 6 pm was 11 pm for Caedmon and he had no interest in dining. Our romantic dinner for two ended up being a solo dining experience with Tom dealing with Caedmon in the parking lot while I wolfed down my food and savored gulped my wine and then traded off with Tom so he could taste a bit of the gourmet food. That was the end of our dreams of Hawaiian gourmet dining-out with children. Since the kids are now older, we may eat out a bit more this time, but most likely, it will be lunches. But we are hoping to get a night out and really enjoy that restaurant this year. (one of the benefits of bringing grandma along)

All of that to say we traveled north on the second day and settled into our condo for the upcoming week. After unloading the car and stocking the kitchen, Caedmon's enthusiasm took us all out to the beach, i.e. the giant sandbox! Libby keeps calling the ocean a giant "pool." We had to drag Caedmon off the beach for dinner and bedtime...with promises of lots of sand/water play the rest of the week.

Jet lag seems to be wearing off much more quickly this time and both kids slept all night and awoke just in time for the sunrise.

The rest of our week here will be rather mundane but for us the most enjoyable - the nonstop sound of ocean waves 24/7, lots of sand castle building and wave jumping, and long afternoon naps. For the most part we're even unplugged (of course, Tom's fancy Blackberry would work even on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro) - no TV, radio or Internet at the resort. We have to walk to a nearby restaurant to access WiFi. Our camera works just fine though. Shhh! Tom doesn't know it but I even got a picture of our high end maid service that came free with the premium ocean front condo!

Finally, the picture you've all been waiting for...

Our deluxe free maid service - cleans up after every meal!