motherhood
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mother’s day.
Today is my favorite Mother’s Day yet. I was woken this morning by two little people next to my bed, who asked, “Do you want us to go have play time for awhile?” Do I??? I overheard some shuffling and discussion during my shower over whether it is my birthday or Mother’s Day, and in the end, I was wished a happy both. It’s nice to have all the bases covered. Next, we all got dressed and headed down the road to a fancy hotel for Mother’s Day brunch. Oh, it was exquisite. Everything, all around me, was clean. It was quiet. There were soft colors and polished wood and…
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girls’ weekend.
David and Judah are spending the weekend in a Kerala village for friends’ son’s baptism. They took their first trip on an overnight train and are having lots of adventures. I stole a couple hours to myself yesterday before they left . . . roamed around downtown and explored some new streets and ended up at a favorite cafe for a caramel cappuccino. It is way to hot to be sitting outside drinking a caramel cappuccino, but there was a fan blowing on my face and the chatter of lazy afternoon conversation around me, and it was blissful. Amie and I are having a girls’ weekend. It’s so fun, we’re…
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this guy.
He’s looking less and less like a baby–or even a toddler–with each passing day. He’s tall and thin and his face is losing it’s chubbiness. He’s growing into a knobby-kneed little boy. And he’s perfect. Naps are few and far between, and I’m fine with that. Whenever he does fall asleep in the afternoon, it’s certain to be a late night. But sometimes, during his quiet hour-and-a-half on my bed, surrounded by piles of toys (each one meticulously chosen), he’ll pass out. I love him so much it hurts. I’m full of wonder at how God is working in his heart. Here there are so many opportunities to share what…
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family resemblance, take two.
My mom: Me: Miss Pea: (thanks to my cousin Rachel for the pic of my mom, and to my uncle Mark for scanning the pics of me)
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doctor’s visit.
Today I bit the bullet and took both kids for their (shamefully overdue) well-visits and immunizations. To a part of town I never go. In an auto. At lunchtime. I really, really procrastinate on stuff like this that intimidates me, but I always learn that the best thing to do is face my fears . . . it’s never as bad as I expect. Ams got her 18-month and 2-year shots, which includes typhoid because, well, we live in South Asia. She shed a few tears, then bounced back and reached for the promised Skittles (thank you, Watershed Fellowship!!). Judah was next, and he kicked and screamed bloody murder. It…
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girl date.
Amie and I began our morning with egg burritos at home, followed by playing with new care package toys. Thanks to Owen and Oliver, and to Martha, for fun new toys! “Bullseye is my best friend!” Next, we walked to Cafe Coffee Day for a mid-morning snack. Big girl While we waited for our treats, I taught Amie how to take pictures. Not bad Ams! Hmm. I like this interpretation. Happy with her “hot chocolate latte” She kept asking me to take pictures of her milk mustache. 🙂 Speaking of which, if you see lots of pics of Amie on the blog these days, it’s because she loves having her…
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day two, check.
I don’t have any new pics to post, so here’s an oldy-but-a-goody. Look at those two little munchkins. You’d never know it by the photo, but Miss Amelie was a holy terror back then. We have officially made it through Day Two of David Being In Another Country, and here are a few random thoughts . . . 1. David is doing great! He has emailed several times from Kigali and loves it there. It’s green! It’s clean! It’s quiet at night! Wow. His hotel is very simple but adequate. Jonathan just joined him and their meetings start tonight. I’ll let him explain in more detail what they’re doing there…
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mom blogs.
The world of mom bloggers. Or is it a blackhole? I catch glimpses of this exclusive underworld over the shoulder of my wife who easily drops an evening surfing pastel-bordered, theme-music blogospheres. Moms who talk about real life. Online. To a virtual audience they’ve never met. What’s with putting things in bold? Or. Sentence fragments? And interspersing random kid pics? The format is identical – catchy title, sassy bio: “Mom x3. Blue collar wife. Sweat tea addict. A little unstable.” A host of social networking links and “you might also like” tags to maintain centripetal, virtual orbit. And copyright pictures. You’ve got to be kidding. Like I’m going to swipe…
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we’re a hot mess.
In case you had any doubts, let me set the record straight that we are a mess in our family. Every one of us. We are never more aware of this than during Moving Week. Last week we lived in the euphoria of signing a two-year lease on our “top choice” apartment. Of taking photos and dreaming about paint colors and pictures on the walls and finally having a guest room. Then this week, reality hit. And it hit hard. Moving is just plain stressful. And we should know. David and I have now officially lived in eight homes in our seven years of marriage. But moving in a third…
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loving the little years.
I finished Rachel Jankovic’s book, Loving the Little Years: Motherhood In the Trenches, just now. It is short and fun and practical, and is one I’ll probably reread many times; I highly recommend it. It makes me love my kids even more. It also makes me feel more overwhelmed with this task—this calling—of motherhood than ever. It inspires me with new ideas and, I think most of all, it makes me long to enjoy it all. I have so much to learn about motherhood, about dying to myself and consistent discipline and teaching my children about Jesus. But after reading this book, the two things I pray for are repentance…