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Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Misc.
Our darling boy went to the doctor yesterday for a physical. The doctor found nothing wrong with him except that his weight is only in the third percentile. She was rather concerned, and we're confused about whether we should be.
A friend from church came over last night to help Katie bind the quilt that she started over a year ago. All of the machine stitching is done, and now all that's left is to hand stitch the back. While she's sorely tempted to count this project as finished and start a new one, Zephan's one goal in life is to make sure she really finishes it first. Once it's done, we'll have to post a photo.
A friend from church came over last night to help Katie bind the quilt that she started over a year ago. All of the machine stitching is done, and now all that's left is to hand stitch the back. While she's sorely tempted to count this project as finished and start a new one, Zephan's one goal in life is to make sure she really finishes it first. Once it's done, we'll have to post a photo.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Easter
Easter weekend we were busy, busy, busy. Among other things, we went to an Easter brunch and egg hunt. And of course, Silas participated to the best of his ability. We have some ADORABLE pictures of him sitting in the middle of the other kids during the resurrection eggs. He was a great listener, and never actually got sat on or trampled during the entire presentation. Here he is huntin' eggs. He mostly just latched onto the first shiny one he found. Which, coincidentally, had a Ghirardelli chocolate inside.
We also went to the Botanical Garden in Fort Worth. Which was free, and very crowded and full of weddings. Like everyone else there, we took many many pictures.
We also went to the Botanical Garden in Fort Worth. Which was free, and very crowded and full of weddings. Like everyone else there, we took many many pictures.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Feed Store
This morning we took an excursion out to the grand opening of the farmer's market in Grand Prairie. We bought some homemade tortillas and new potatoes, and are so excited about eating both. A few weeks ago Zephan bought some new potatoes from the market in Dallas, and we cooked them with fresh rosemary from our new garden. It. was. awesome.
On the way home, we stopped at a nice little local feed store to buy diatomaceous earth (food grade!) and fencing for our peas to climb. There was no fencing, but we did buy original recipe Dr. Pepper in a glass bottle (made with real sugar, so . . . healthy) and now we know where to buy any kind of pepper plant you could ever want. And we're thinking about buying some strawberry plants. Plus Silas got to check out the bunnies and parakeets.
Katie has decided that we definitely need to go back, if only for the Dr. Pepper and the feed store smell. It reminded her of hanging around the MFA with her Dad and grandma as a kid, which invariably ended in wanting one of those suckers they always had by the cash register in the cool stands.
On the way home, we stopped at a nice little local feed store to buy diatomaceous earth (food grade!) and fencing for our peas to climb. There was no fencing, but we did buy original recipe Dr. Pepper in a glass bottle (made with real sugar, so . . . healthy) and now we know where to buy any kind of pepper plant you could ever want. And we're thinking about buying some strawberry plants. Plus Silas got to check out the bunnies and parakeets.
Katie has decided that we definitely need to go back, if only for the Dr. Pepper and the feed store smell. It reminded her of hanging around the MFA with her Dad and grandma as a kid, which invariably ended in wanting one of those suckers they always had by the cash register in the cool stands.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Visits
Last weekend we went to Austin to visit Zephan's uncle and aunt. We had a great time with them and the kids and enjoyed doing some touring around Austin.
This weekend Katie's mom and brother will be in town for a choir conference. We are super excited to see them! It's been a month since we moved here, and it's amazing how much the little guy's changed. He cut a tooth a few days ago, he's sprouting more hair every day, and I've even caught him doing a baby push-up. Grandma will be so happy to reacquaint herself.
This weekend Katie's mom and brother will be in town for a choir conference. We are super excited to see them! It's been a month since we moved here, and it's amazing how much the little guy's changed. He cut a tooth a few days ago, he's sprouting more hair every day, and I've even caught him doing a baby push-up. Grandma will be so happy to reacquaint herself.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Great Things About TX
Freebirds
tacos
Texas edition trucks
Sprouts (3/$1 red peppers! . . . among other things.)
Texas grapefruit
Wood paneling
internet
walking places
Austin
Czech Stop
tacos
Texas edition trucks
Sprouts (3/$1 red peppers! . . . among other things.)
Texas grapefruit
Wood paneling
internet
walking places
Austin
Czech Stop
Friday, February 3, 2012
Dallas, The Beginning
Well, we moved. Did it: success.
The last two days have been filled with all kinds of organizing, running errands, and meeting new people. We'll have to put up some pictures of our new home soon.
Tomorrow is the first day of a three-day workshop. We're off to a quick start, but our schedule should clear up significantly once our real classes start. + tons of homework. We got our books yesterday. We hadn't planned on it and ended up carrying Silas back to our house and packing the books in his stroller.
It is quite warm here. Wonderful outside, but a little toasty inside where the air conditioners haven't been turned on yet. Because it could be cold again next week.
The last two days have been filled with all kinds of organizing, running errands, and meeting new people. We'll have to put up some pictures of our new home soon.
Tomorrow is the first day of a three-day workshop. We're off to a quick start, but our schedule should clear up significantly once our real classes start. + tons of homework. We got our books yesterday. We hadn't planned on it and ended up carrying Silas back to our house and packing the books in his stroller.
It is quite warm here. Wonderful outside, but a little toasty inside where the air conditioners haven't been turned on yet. Because it could be cold again next week.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Piles
We're moving to Dallas in a week and a half. Last night Mom came and carried away some of our furniture, which meant that we had to unload it. The resulting piles are everywhere. And we're not sure where to start.
My goal for today: think about books. We have way too many books.
My goal for today: think about books. We have way too many books.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Diet
I went through all of my clothing the other day. It was a big project, and kind of emotionally draining. I remember when I used to be able to wear almost everything I owned. No longer.
I did discover that I can now wear my prepregnancy sweatpants, which I couldn't a few months ago. So that's pretty exciting.
But most of my clothes are unusable, as of now. I'm packing them for Texas anyway. A lot can happen in 5 months, right? I'll look at the too-small clothes as inspiration. I'm not really into long-term dieting, but Zephan likes to talk me into short spurts of themed eating. Not usually anything too weird.
This week, it's the "no processed carbs" diet. I can eat as much as I want, but nothing with flour and nothing like candy or soda. So I've been pounding down all kinds of rice, quinoa, fruit, veggies, and popcorn. And looking longingly at bread, tortillas, and chips (not to mention the box of M&Ms and Fererro Rocher chocolates on our shelf).
And when I weighed myself yesterday, I was 4 pounds lighter than last week. Amazing what a little tweak to the eating habits can do.
I did discover that I can now wear my prepregnancy sweatpants, which I couldn't a few months ago. So that's pretty exciting.
But most of my clothes are unusable, as of now. I'm packing them for Texas anyway. A lot can happen in 5 months, right? I'll look at the too-small clothes as inspiration. I'm not really into long-term dieting, but Zephan likes to talk me into short spurts of themed eating. Not usually anything too weird.
This week, it's the "no processed carbs" diet. I can eat as much as I want, but nothing with flour and nothing like candy or soda. So I've been pounding down all kinds of rice, quinoa, fruit, veggies, and popcorn. And looking longingly at bread, tortillas, and chips (not to mention the box of M&Ms and Fererro Rocher chocolates on our shelf).
And when I weighed myself yesterday, I was 4 pounds lighter than last week. Amazing what a little tweak to the eating habits can do.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Change
Zephan and I do a lot of praying. Never as much as we should, but there are some big aspects of our life that we know can only happen with action on God's part. So we pray.
Sometimes I get discouraged, thinking God is sure taking his sweet time to answer our requests. All of our worries center around these few things—surely he knows how I long for him to show us his love for us by diving into our lives and lifting our burdens. I get stuck and begin to think that maybe I'm not doing something right—my formula is off. Maybe I'm not praying hard enough, maybe I need to do a fast, maybe I'm not marking off enough of those check boxes for the Christian life.
But stop. Wait a minute. God doesn't do formulas. His love and grace is completely free. It doesn't need to be earned. It can't be earned. Somewhere along the way, I've subscribed to the belief that if I'm good enough, God will respond to me with blessings. And I've really been trying to get out of that rut. It's me who needs to the responding. When I feel out of sync in my prayer life, it's not because I'm not doing something right, but I'm not thinking something right.
I hit a breakthrough yesterday.
We've had issues with Silas's sleeping patterns lately. While Z was in Africa, my maternal sustainability relied on Silas taking naps with minimal work on my part. So we worked our routine, and he got really good at falling asleep whenever I laid him down. It was magical. Since his Dad's return our routine has gone a bit out the window, but Silas was still doing pretty well. Until last week. Last week, he started wailing the moment his head touched the pack 'n' play. Every. time. And there was no letting him cry it out. He would cry for hours with no sign of giving up. And so we ended up walking him and nursing him to sleep, something I know I cannot sustain on a long-term basis. It was very frustrating.
Every time I've laid him down since this started, I've said a short prayer. "Please, let him fall asleep. Please, let him fall asleep." These prayers had gotten increasingly desperate and decreasingly hopeful. They more of a "well, you never know what might happen, I may as well try" kind of thing. And so yesterday, I found myself doing the bargaining thing. "God, what do I need to do? If I take time to read my Bible, will you make him fall asleep?"
As soon as the thought entered my head, I experienced a spiritual shaking of sorts. No! This is not of God. These prayers are not of God. I am asking for the wrong thing. So I stopped, looked in the mirror, and prayed much more sincerely. God, give me the patience and wisdom to deal with this.
I swear, not a minute later, I thought I might try moving the pack 'n' play into a different room. I took my crying son out of his bed, moved his bed as he continued screaming, placed him back in the bed, and shut the door. Three minutes later: sweet, sweet, silence. Hallelujah.
All this to say that I have a new resolution, one that I'm hoping will pull me out of this prayer rut. I'm changing my thinking, about small things like sleeping babies and about big things like moving and budgeting. Instead of asking for God to change my circumstances, (God, provide money for our ministry. God, make our decisions for us. God, I need ____ to feel happier and more content. God, change how my husband is leading our family.) I'm going to ask him to change me. (God, help me be thankful for what you give us. Give us wisdom to make decisions. I want to find my happiness in you. Help me follow my husband where you lead him.)
This helps me think about these verses, and makes them a little more achievable:
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. I John 4:18
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13
Sometimes I get discouraged, thinking God is sure taking his sweet time to answer our requests. All of our worries center around these few things—surely he knows how I long for him to show us his love for us by diving into our lives and lifting our burdens. I get stuck and begin to think that maybe I'm not doing something right—my formula is off. Maybe I'm not praying hard enough, maybe I need to do a fast, maybe I'm not marking off enough of those check boxes for the Christian life.
But stop. Wait a minute. God doesn't do formulas. His love and grace is completely free. It doesn't need to be earned. It can't be earned. Somewhere along the way, I've subscribed to the belief that if I'm good enough, God will respond to me with blessings. And I've really been trying to get out of that rut. It's me who needs to the responding. When I feel out of sync in my prayer life, it's not because I'm not doing something right, but I'm not thinking something right.
I hit a breakthrough yesterday.
We've had issues with Silas's sleeping patterns lately. While Z was in Africa, my maternal sustainability relied on Silas taking naps with minimal work on my part. So we worked our routine, and he got really good at falling asleep whenever I laid him down. It was magical. Since his Dad's return our routine has gone a bit out the window, but Silas was still doing pretty well. Until last week. Last week, he started wailing the moment his head touched the pack 'n' play. Every. time. And there was no letting him cry it out. He would cry for hours with no sign of giving up. And so we ended up walking him and nursing him to sleep, something I know I cannot sustain on a long-term basis. It was very frustrating.
Every time I've laid him down since this started, I've said a short prayer. "Please, let him fall asleep. Please, let him fall asleep." These prayers had gotten increasingly desperate and decreasingly hopeful. They more of a "well, you never know what might happen, I may as well try" kind of thing. And so yesterday, I found myself doing the bargaining thing. "God, what do I need to do? If I take time to read my Bible, will you make him fall asleep?"
As soon as the thought entered my head, I experienced a spiritual shaking of sorts. No! This is not of God. These prayers are not of God. I am asking for the wrong thing. So I stopped, looked in the mirror, and prayed much more sincerely. God, give me the patience and wisdom to deal with this.
I swear, not a minute later, I thought I might try moving the pack 'n' play into a different room. I took my crying son out of his bed, moved his bed as he continued screaming, placed him back in the bed, and shut the door. Three minutes later: sweet, sweet, silence. Hallelujah.
All this to say that I have a new resolution, one that I'm hoping will pull me out of this prayer rut. I'm changing my thinking, about small things like sleeping babies and about big things like moving and budgeting. Instead of asking for God to change my circumstances, (God, provide money for our ministry. God, make our decisions for us. God, I need ____ to feel happier and more content. God, change how my husband is leading our family.) I'm going to ask him to change me. (God, help me be thankful for what you give us. Give us wisdom to make decisions. I want to find my happiness in you. Help me follow my husband where you lead him.)
This helps me think about these verses, and makes them a little more achievable:
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. I John 4:18
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13
Monday, December 5, 2011
1/3
It's been a while since I've been connected to the internet, so: update.
Zephan made it across the country. It took 22 hours and one axle replacement. He met a man from Liberia who spoke English, so the trip wasn't too lonesome.
Since he arrived, he's been visiting some friends from the US and visiting with the church and different leaders there. He's a little overwhelmed with all the options and ideas he has and can't wait to come back and mull them over a bit.
Tomorrow, he's off to a city nearby to stay at a clinic with a guesthouse, where he'll be until the end of the week. He's hoping to catch a ride back to the capital so he doesn't have to take the taxi again.
Silas and I are doing just fine. I am one tired momma, and getting sick (strep?). So maybe when I say I'm just fine, that reflects the best part of my day. And so now, I will sleep.
Zephan made it across the country. It took 22 hours and one axle replacement. He met a man from Liberia who spoke English, so the trip wasn't too lonesome.
Since he arrived, he's been visiting some friends from the US and visiting with the church and different leaders there. He's a little overwhelmed with all the options and ideas he has and can't wait to come back and mull them over a bit.
Tomorrow, he's off to a city nearby to stay at a clinic with a guesthouse, where he'll be until the end of the week. He's hoping to catch a ride back to the capital so he doesn't have to take the taxi again.
Silas and I are doing just fine. I am one tired momma, and getting sick (strep?). So maybe when I say I'm just fine, that reflects the best part of my day. And so now, I will sleep.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Day 3
Just talked to Zephan. It was pretty choppy, but I did gather a few things:
He's doing great, and so far has talked with some other PBT-ers and gone shopping. They have Ovaltine there, so that's pretty exciting.
Tomorrow, he's headed out of the capital to visit the region we may end up working: a 20-hour taxi ride away.
Silas and I are visiting in Columbia. Tonight my friend Jeanie is watching him and I'm going to do some shopping all by myself. Yay!
He's doing great, and so far has talked with some other PBT-ers and gone shopping. They have Ovaltine there, so that's pretty exciting.
Tomorrow, he's headed out of the capital to visit the region we may end up working: a 20-hour taxi ride away.
Silas and I are visiting in Columbia. Tonight my friend Jeanie is watching him and I'm going to do some shopping all by myself. Yay!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Day 1
Silas and I took Zephan to the airport this morning.
Silas has been an angel today—a great way to start out our three weeks together. I'm just hoping it will last . . . the whole time. That would be grand.
After the airport, we headed to the botanical gardens with Zephan's parents. They know someone who works there, so we got in for free and got to go backstage to the greenhouses. I had my camera and had lots of fun taking pictures. Silas slept through most of it.
I haven't heard anything from Zephan yet, but he should be headed across the Atlantic by now.
Since we've been home, I've had a little bit of that giddy home-alone feeling of my childhood. I can watch any movie I want and eat anything that I can afford to buy (we haven't been home for a century, so our fridge is very empty). Wooohoooo. Tomorrow Silas and I are cleaning the house, running errands, and heading to Columbia. I am SO looking forward to staying with our friends there :)
Silas has been an angel today—a great way to start out our three weeks together. I'm just hoping it will last . . . the whole time. That would be grand.
After the airport, we headed to the botanical gardens with Zephan's parents. They know someone who works there, so we got in for free and got to go backstage to the greenhouses. I had my camera and had lots of fun taking pictures. Silas slept through most of it.
I haven't heard anything from Zephan yet, but he should be headed across the Atlantic by now.
Since we've been home, I've had a little bit of that giddy home-alone feeling of my childhood. I can watch any movie I want and eat anything that I can afford to buy (we haven't been home for a century, so our fridge is very empty). Wooohoooo. Tomorrow Silas and I are cleaning the house, running errands, and heading to Columbia. I am SO looking forward to staying with our friends there :)
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Weekends
Our last two weekends have been quite enjoyably spent enjoying family and festivals. One weekend, Zephan's sister and great aunt were in town and we spent a day at Old Ironworks Days eating pork sandwiches and listening to a local band. The other, we stayed with my sister and went to the Maple Leaf Festival to watch my brother march in the parade, introduce Silas to horses, meet a college buddy, and buy some delicious gyros from one of the vendors.
The great outdoors + the baby + lots of family inspired us to pull out the camera. It's been sadly inactive lately.
We've now booked all of our weekends until Zephan leaves for Africa. Hopefully the weekend weather keeps up its record—after the cold spell we've had this week, we've been digging through boxes for warm clothes and thinking about a winter coat and hat for the little guy.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Newsletter
We sent out a newsletter today. Check our blog faithfully but aren't on our email list? Send an email or facebook message to Zephan or me, or comment on this post and leave us your email.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
One Month Photos
We've finally gotten these pictures that our friend Mark took last month all sorted through, and we're ready to share! There are a ton of them, but here are some of our favorites:
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Advice
All new mothers should live in someone else's basement. Especially when that someone else includes a stay-at-home mom with six children. Because someone always there to hold the baby while you do laundry or go to Sonic really makes motherhood something grand.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Little Guy
Our son Silas was born twelve days ago, a whopping 12 days late. He was born in style--in a cabin out behind the wood shop, right next to the most productive garden I've ever seen. While I hung out in the whirlpool, our midwife and her helper were in the kitchen peeling peaches and chatting in German. We all stopped in between contractions to pray together when the pushing got rough.
I could include all the gory details, but chances are I'd never finish this post if I did. Our birth was great almost every way, but following the birth things got a little rough. But thank God, we made it. We are still making it.
In the end, I must say that this little guy is my greatest accomplishment. Waiting for him to arrive was the hardest thing I've ever done. Giving birth to him was the hardest thing I've ever done. Recovering from giving birth, tearing, postpartum hemorrhaging, and a very rough start at breastfeeding was (and still is) the hardest thing I've ever done.
But things are looking up: I can scoot around and change positions in bed all I want. I can hold and maneuver him with ease. I no longer dread going to the bathroom. I can breathe and walk at the same time.
I'm thankful for all of these things, for my wonderful husband (who didn't let me change a single diaper for a whole week), and for our future together as a family.
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