birthday-ing. Monday, January 31, 2011   Lot’s of birthdays here at the end of January.  Kenny’s.  Mine.  Two of Judah and Amelie’s playground friends.  So it was a birthday-ing weekend here. Saturday evening was Dhruv’s two-year-old birthday party in the all-purpose room at our apartment complex.  And Sunday afternoon was my friend Asma’s youngest daughter birthday at a little cafe down the street (incidentally, the cafe from this post). Here are pictures from yesterday’s festivities.  As you can tell, birthday parties are a big deal here.  At one point yesterday, Jonathan said, “This doesn’t feel so much like a birthday party as a rave.”  There was techno music blaring,…

  january 30. Sunday, January 30, 2011   Today, January 30th, my brother Kenny turns 27.  I wasn’t there for his party on Friday night.  I will not be there for his birthday dinner today. Today is one of those deaths – the hundred little deaths that sneak up on you and catch you by surprise and are part of counting the cost.  You miss birthdays.  You miss milestones.  You miss the little victories and the big ones.  You miss bad days and hurt feelings and forgiveness and laughing until you cry and all the things that make up being a family together. And you grieve and you trust God…

  gratitude, #389 – 409. Thursday, January 27, 2011   Annie started school this week! Judah: “Annie comes to my school to keep me company” sweaters in the morning, short-sleeves in the afternoon our apartment’s Republic Day celebration homemade samosas, banana-walnut bread, and my first taste of pani poori Judah and Amelie got invited to their first birthday party – a Cars party! many, many friends who are pregnant that I am not pregnant Judah and I played house outside yesterday afternoon two new kurtas on sale our landlord, who responds right away when something breaks Judah words: “wolly-pop” (lollypop), “int-ster-sting” (interesting) hot chocolate in the evenings, thanks to my…

  just for fun. Thursday, January 27, 2011     Our boy at eighteen months old.  

  republic day. Wednesday, January 26, 2011   Today is Republic Day, the celebration of our country’s constitution coming into effect (this happened awhile after its Independance Day on August 15). Judah had the day off school, so we decided to spend the morning celebrating – breakfast at Koshy’s and the best omelet I’ve ever eaten, roaming downtown and in a used bookstore, and checking out a Republic Day festival.    

  for nina. Monday, January 24, 2011     Thanks for the fun clothes!  

  i miss. Sunday, January 23, 2011   half and half. ice-cold 2% milk (that doesn’t taste funny). my dishwasher. Target. avocados. carpet for my kids to lay on. Blockbuster. plain Cheerios. sink faucets with hot water. our car. clean air.    

controlled chaos. Friday, January 21, 2011

  at noon.   Thursday, January 20, 2011 David left bright and early this morning for a day-long trip with some of the men he works with, and I found myself with Thursday stretching out before us, just the kids and me. Amie and I spent a quiet morning at home while Judah was in preschool, then at 11:20 we set out on the ten-minute walk to pick him up. It is mid-January and already our winter is slipping away from us.  The mornings are still cool, but at nearly noon the sun was blazing white-hot.  Amie stuck to me in the Ergo, and sweat dripped down my back, but…

  he says. Wednesday, January 19, 2011   Judah (sobbing): “Mommy, I’m sick, I need to go lay on the couch.” me: “Oh no, what hurts?” Judah: “My feelings!” She says. Richey: “Hadassah, who created the world?” Hadi: “David”