I hope you enjoy reading about our family and how much God has blessed us. check out new videos at the bottom!
I haven't blogged for a while; there has been no time. Steve is up and out the door before 7:00 a.m. and college has taken over most of my "free" moments. Times are good though, and today something really special happened that I don't want to ever forget.
Our local military mall, called the NEX, usually has a large tent set up around Christmas with a train ride for kids and lots of fun decorations. My parents took the kids while they were here over Thanksgiving, but Steve and I had no time once we got back from Israel with Christmas upon us. So today, after driving all the way to Costco and finging NO parking spot, I decided to drive back to the NEX and pick up the few items we needed from the grocery store. As we walked, through the rain, toward the store, Genna spotted the train all set up under a great big tent. Of corse, she shouted for joy and asked to ride. I knew I had exactly 6 dollars in my wallet, so we headed for the line. The girls got strapped in together and amongst the other excited toddlers the train took off. I wish I could explain the joy on their faces. Genna giggled and Elizabeth grinned a huge and happy grin. As Genna blazed the trail with shriks of joy, Elizabeth followed along with her own. Each time the train approaced where I stood Genna would wave furiously, and as it passed by Elizabeth realized I should be nearby and looked for me. Each time my eyes met with hers her smile would light up my heart. Genna's little arm held safely Elizabeth's tummy in such a sweet, sisterly embrace. I was in heaven, really heaven. As I watched them I thought about how blessed I am to have a husband who works so hard that I can experience and cherish such moments. I thought aobut how good God is, that He gave me these precious girls with their adoreable ways and sweet, sweet spirits. The ride lasted for about two minutes, but I plan on holding this memory in my heart for a lifetime.
I like to watch Kathie Lee & Hoda on the internet. The other day they had seen a play called "Happiness" where the characters had to choose a moment in life to relive forever. Today, standing there, I knew this was a moment I would love to relive. They were assured of my love and protection from the side as together they had a thrilling adventure on a little train. Oh it was bliss; I imagine that is how the Lord looks on us. Every time they searched for me to share the excitement and reassure themselves of their safety, my heart welled with tears.
Than you Lord, oh thank you so much.
Valentine's Day has been so great this year. A friend commented yesterday that having kids puts the wonder and joy back into going to the beach, I think that statement is true for everything in life. Children are vibrant, bubbly life and it is amazing to be washed by it in this season of our lives. Our church has fellowship breakfasts around holidays and we went on Friday for a Valentine's Day brunch. It was great to talk to the girls as we drove about the love of God for us and how important this day is to celebrate that. We had a great time though I don't think I could EVER go to a chruch where I had to sit in with my kids. That 1/2 hour of chasing two little ones around the sanctuary was totally insane!
Today began with Steve at prayer meeting and the girls and I home making Valentine cards for a couple friends. Genna was extatic to receive one from her hear friend Meme, so she wanted to make one in return for her. I helped the girls create a card for their dad and it turned out pretty good. Well daddy came home with gifts in tow for all. He said that it was his job to romance not only his wife but his daughters also. :) Before dinner our neighbors dropped of surprise cupcakes and the day was made perfect with breakfast for dinner. We had pancakes, eggs, and sausage... with cupcakes as dessert! Before dinner I asked Genna why we celebrate Valentine's Day and she said, "Because we love each other!" I asked her who loves us SOOO much and she knew right away, "God." So we prayed and thanked Him for his great love for us and dug into our super sweet dinner. I made a point to chase the girls around the living room for a while before their bath but they were pretty high strung tonight! Hopefully they'll sleep well and we'll have a great day of church tomorrow.
We haven't read all of "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp but we have read enough to say that it is the discipline model we try to follow. One of the steps in the "how to spank" section discusses a re-spaking. When I first read this section it struck me as something I had never heard before. After the spanking he has this to say, "At this point there should be complete restoration between you and your child. If he is mad at you, if he refuses to receive your affection, then something is wrong." He goes on to discuss that the parent should check their own spirit for any anger where they would have sinned against their child. If not, it is the child who has rejected the discipline. We have practiced this and found it to be quite true. There are some times when a spanking does not yield the peace and righteousness that it should (Heb. 12:11). After a re-spanking the love and affection was restored between us.
In my devotions the other day I came accorss a scripture in Isaiah 9 that made me think of this "re-spanking" immediately. The Lord is speaking through the prophet about discipline that has come upon Israel which they rejected. The northern kingdom says in "pride and arrogance" that they will rebuild and replace that which was torn down. Isaiah declairs that the Lord will therefore send more adversaries against them to discipline them and in veses 12b-13 says, "For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is streched out still. For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, nor do they seek the Lord of hosts." (Emphasis mine) They were disciplined for their sin against God yet in defiance they resisted His discipline. So He gave them a "re-spanking." Sadly, the northern kingdom never returned to the Lord as Judah did after it's share of discipline.
As I though about my girls, and the defiant children of Israel, I thought about myself. Do I turn to my Father's open arms after discipline or is my heart callosed and stubborn toward him? Nothing hurts my heart more than to have spanked Genna and see her pushing and fighting against me as I try to comfort and love her. The heart of God must be so wounded when we refuse His embrace. The Bible says He disciplines us out of love...that God is love, yet we reject that love and in our stubborn pride turn away. I am praying that the Lord will use this lesson to remind me that after any difficult time of "discipline" the very best decision is to receive His embrace, comfort, and encouragement for the future.
I had planned on writing a sweet ushy gusy post today about the wonderful early years of childhood. It struck me as I was talking to Genevieve today how special her age really is. She has an active mind with thoughts and feelings; we often discuss things and she really is a good helper for me. I found it so funny that a normal person would'nt be able to keep a straight face while talking to someone wearing fairy wings and an askew tutu. Most peole wouldn't be albe to stop staring at the strange markings if they were talking to someone who had drawn on their face with a blue ink pen. Odd as it may sound I spent most of the day having perfectly normal conversations with just such a person!
Well the sweet cuteness of my blog ends there. The drama began at dinner. It is funny how my last post was entitled "Proud." This one should be "I really hope I win this one." We had grilled turkey, butternut squash and green beans for dinner. Steve, Elizabeth, and myself all loved it. Genna ate her turkey but wouldn't touch anything else. We said the majic words "You will sit her until your dinner is gone." It has been over an hour; the kitchen is clean, all but one light is off, Elizabeth is asleep, Steve and I are on our computers, and Genna keeps her pitiful vigil over her plate. She has cried, used the batheroom, earned a few spankings, and still she sits. Before we left the downstairs we strapped her into Elizabeth's baby chair and made sure she was quite safe. Now we wait. I think I'll give her 15 more minutes and then wrap up her dinner for breakfast tomorrow. We will win. We must win. I just have to remember it is dinner today and alcohol/boys/failing school tomorrow. Please pray for us!
I have no real reason to be proud; I haven't done anything amazing but I am proud anyway. Genevieve has done something beyond her years two days in a row. Last night we had salmon, brccoli, and yams for dinner. She does not like yams. As she ate her bowl of dinner I told her she needed to take one bite of yams which I was offering her on my fork. She knew she didn't like it, I knew she didn't like it; she ate the bite of yams. Tonight was another example. I was pround of myself for going to the whole foods store and buying grass fed beef for the first time. The label read "for grilling" so I assumed it was a thick cut of meat. I was wrong. It was very thin sliced round steak. Yuck. I did what I could but they were very tough and chewy. She ate one bite but didn't want more. I asked her to eat one more bite and as she did she told me she didn't like it but kept chewing...and chewing. I was so proud. I will be the first to say this is mostly just the kids I have and I am sure not the parent I am. Some kids are good eaters and some just aren't. I will say that up until 2 Genna was a great eater but has since fallen off that wagon. I guess that is why this was so amazing to me.
On the other hand we tried to take pacifiers away for about 10 minutes tonight before giving in. One day...some day!
Today is the last day of 2008, yet for us it really seems like just another day. I was at the mall today and watched as people scrambled to buy up silly glasses and hats covered with glitter. We don't really have big plans for tonight; it is Wednesday so we'll head out to church for the evening service. We will drive VERY carefully though, Hawaii if you didn't know tops the world in anti-green-ness on New Year's Eve. Some areas are so smokey from fire works that it is hardly visible. Hopefully we won't any trouble on the highway.
Well here's to what 2009 has in store. We are so thankful for what God has done and look forward to living our lives for Him with each new day.
Well Christmas is over and by tomorrow night so will 2008! We have had many simple and happy days lately with Steve home for Christmas stand down. One of the great things about the Navy is this tradition. You check in to work a few times in a two week period to confirm that you haven't left town but basically it is vacation without taking vacation. We have slept in, strayed from our schedule, and spent simple moments together. Next week will begin our normal routine again, but not really because it will be a new year with so much in store.
Genevieve is officially 3 and such a kid. She won't be in pre-school this year but I do have some educational goals in mind. We are working on letter sounds now wich is interesting. B is her go to sound. If she doesn't know what the sound is of the letter being asked she just says "buh." She will randomly walk up to me and tell me that "O says oah for Oatmeal!" So something is getting through that skull!
Elizabeth or Sister communicates so much. The last two nights she's basically told me she wanted to go to bed because she was tired! No words yet, just motions and shaking her head no when she really means yes. :) Parenting is quite the puzzle!
Our Israel trip was beyond amazing, but I have to say the sweetest moment was opening the car door and seeing the girls. After 30 hours of travel we arrived at the baggage claim of Honolulu airport. My eyes were on the street much more than the luggage belt waiting to see our car pull up to the curb. We had planned with our friend Jessica to bring both the girls to the airport. My heart was racing and really praying for their safety as they drove to meet us. Though the Lord really spoke to me about His presence and power during our trip I still held to a bit of worry over them. I opened Elizabeth's door and tears filled my eyes. There they were, beautiful, sweet, so precious. Elizabeth wasn't too sure what was going on but Genna was giddy. She laughed and clapped her hands. I was so wonderful to see her joy bubbling over because we were home. I sat between them on the way home and held both their hands. They couldn't get enough of us.
We really have two of the sweetest girls on the planet. They are our life's joy and absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. We are so thankful that God made a way for us to spend two weeks in His land; Israel is His chosen country. More than anything we are thankful for His provision for our lives. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being. Nothing happens, not even a raven falling to the earth, without His foreknowledge. He knew that everything would go flawlessly and the blessing this trip would be for all involved. Praise God. He is good.
Well exactly one day from now Steve and I will be on a plane to LA. We are almost ready. I don't know when my nerves will calm down but I do know I am both extreemly excited and anxious at the same time. I've just printed off some pictures of the girls for us to take and will print a few of us for them to have as well. How do you prepare two small children for their parent's vacation? As far as Genna I've done all I thought possible. For Elizabeth I am praying the Lord with quiet her heart and Himself give her anythign she needs while we are gone. She isn't yet able to understand that we are leaving but she will certainly KNOW we are gone. Please pray for them, as I know you will.
As far as our trip I cannot begin to imagine how amazing it will be. I was on the hotel's websites last night for contact information and was really amazed. Check out the Gai Beach Hotel (you can google it) to see what I mean. On Wednesday I had an epiphany; I will not prepare food for ANYONE for two whole weeks! I was giddy and close to jumping up and down. I hadn't thought of it before but the idea was wonderful. We are going with a tour, so not only our meals are planned but the entire day. We have nothing to plan, no worries but when we'll be calling the girls again and praying for their enjoyment of their Papa and Mema.
I added a few pictures to our other site, other than that have a wonderful Thanksgiving and check back around December 8th for news about our trip!
It is almost midnight, but Steve and I are both still awake. I wanted to get a lot of new pictures and video loaded so that is my excuse. I guess you could say we both like time to veg out at the end of the day. Looking at these pictures, and especially the video, has amazed me. The time has flown by; our girls are growing so fast. We are blessed to have you as friends and family to share the joys with. Let me know what you think of the new stuff.
Goodnight :)
I am sure we are all still trying to get comfortable with the words President Obama. There is much I could say but my words aren't important. The Monday night Bible study that meets at my house just happened to cover a verse yesterday that goes right along with this topic. 1 Peter 1:12-13 says "having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,..."
As you can imagine us women had a lot to say about these verses. Here are a few points that I want to bring out.
1. Our good works glorify God among unbelievers, but how can they see our good works if we do them behind closed doors? Praying for our officials is very important, but no one sees them. I don't think prayer is what Peter was talking about.
2. We are to submit for the Lord's sake, no one elses. It isn't out of support or non-support of our present elected officials that we submit, it is for the glory of the living God.
So what should our response be? For myself I made a commitment to do more that will be "visible" to those in authority. The first thing that came to mind was sending President Bush a thank-you card and a note to Presidnet-elect Obama. Also I want to be more active in contacting my elected officials about issues that concern me. A good friend of mine Caila, mentioned last night that as she worked for the Hawaii State congress she was impressed at how hearing from constituants DOES really affect the decisions made.
If you feel the same way I do a great place to start is Focus on the Family's citizen website: www.citizenlink.org. One great thing about the site is that you can find your elected officials by typing your zip code and e-mail them right from there. They also have articles on current issues important to families. The verses I mentioned command us to submit but we are also blessed (unlike the early Church) to be in a democracy. We can make our voices heard and pray God uses us to bring our nation back toward Him. The left may be loud, but I believe the voice of the Church in America can be much louder.
We are 16 days out from our Israel trip. I cannont begin to tell you about the list growing in my brain of all the things that must be done before we leave. Two major boxes were checked recently: Power of Attourney and travel insurance. But two things seems like drops in a bucket needing to be filled with water!
Before I go on and on will all things travel I wanted to share about that girls. You will forgive us for not posting pictures or videos lately; our camera has come up missing. Arg. We had planned to buy a new one before leaving anyway. It seems to me we are buying all our Israel Trip Souvenirs BEFORE we even leave! Ha ha.
Something really special that couldn't be caught on tape anyway is Genevieve's growing personality. We have found a friend who often visits the park in our back yard at the same time as us. His name is Baily and he has a sister named Brooklyn. He is 3 1/2 and today shouted "GENNA!" when he saw her running toward him. He is a nature lover and they walk around the park inspecting the hibiscus bushes (a favorite place for Genna to pick flowers) looking for bugs or anything interesting. They spend at least 15min together without the need for adults to help their conversation. I can only imagine what they talk about. The only tid bit I heard today was Genna saying, "I think it's a bug." Genna's friendship qualities are such a blessing to me. She is by no means a nature girl. She would rather pick a few flowers and pretend "marriage" then go on a nature expedition, but she faithfully follows Baily around the area discussing his interests. I can tell she is more interested in getting to know her friend than the topic being discussed. Hmmm...who do I know like that? I am so excited for my parents to spend time with the girls and tell me what they think. Was I like that as a child? I am almost sure I was.
Elizabeth on the other hand, if I havne't mentioned, is a closet ham. She gets so much joy out of entertaining us and her close friends. Where Genna will say hello to anyone Lizzy (still working on a nickname) is careful not to show her silly side to just anyone. She has this funny full body shake that grew out of her new spin accomplishment. She can turn in a full circle but more often does the shake for a laugh. I can tell you this reminds me of Steve exactly. I will never forget the first conversation I had with my mom after Steve and I married. I basically told her I was SHOCKED to learn I had married such a funny guy. Elizabeth is that exactly. So often we catch ourselves thinking, "Is that our Elizabeth being so funny? " She was such a quiet and subdued baby, and still is depending on who is around.
Well I hope I've been able to paint a word picture for you. I PROMISE to catch a few things on video once we buy a new camera (soon!) and post them before we go. Please continue to pray, on top of my whole list is a serious demand to be ahead with college before we go.
Your first thought might be of Genevieve, but no, this post is about Elizabeth. Steve and I have been sitting at our computers here for a half hour or so and Elise hasn't stopped "talking" the whole time! At one point Steve asked "Is she singing?" Well that is what it sounded like! She is walking around carrying different things in her hands from time to time talking away to herself. Just Friday morning we were in the kitchen getting ready for breakfast when I "baaa-ed" Sydney for being bad. This is an word we spent a lot of money for a dog trainer to teach us in reguards to discipline for Sydney. It is kind of a growl you could say. Well for the next 5 minutes or so Elizabeth chased Sydney around the living room "baa-ing" her. It was the funniest thing. I am amazed as I watch the stages of language devlop in her. Many of you may know that while in high school I spent a year on exchange in Germany. The first 3 months of that year were spent in learning to communicate since I did not speak German and my host-mom did not speak much English. I remember quite well the phase of being able to understand much more than I could speak. Elise is in that phase now. I can ask her "Where is your book?," and she'll walk around looking for one to bring me. I really think she understands much more than we give her credit for. Oh to enter the mind of a baby! I can only imagine the things we would learn, and laugh at. :)
Item 1 on our prayer list is the Israel trip. Steve and I are going with a tour group from our "parent" church Calvary Chapel Komo Mai (our pastor's dad is the pastor of CC Komo Mai). One of the big issues for both of us has been the fear of leaving our children; you can imagine all the thoughts that have gone through our minds. This fear and worry has been an item of prayer for me over the last few weeks. The Lord really answered those prayers through scripture about a week ago and I wanted to share them so you could be blessed and also ask that you continue to pray using them.
Psalm 34: 4, 7-9
"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."
"The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them."
"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"
"Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him."
Psalm 121 is titled "The traveler's Psalm" in my Bible and also blessed me. I feel the Lord is really tellling us it is Him who we should fear and trust; He is totally in control and nothing will happen out of His will. I also am so thankful of the picture of the angel of the Lord encamped all around us and our home as we are gone. I can just see how the power of God will protect this whole trip and every person involved. Praise God.
Today was not a great day; I would say that out of most days today was on the low end of the chart. Genna and I did have a special moment though that I would like to remember. Elise was asleep and she and I were in my room getting ready for a planned trip to the grocery store. Genna was in our bed under the covers asking me to join her; I love how she says it, "Mommy, lay down with me!" So I got under the covers with her and cuddled her close. She asked me to tell her a story, "The one about the dragonfly," so I did. I've been making up silly stories for her every once in a while where the main or supporting character is a beautiful girl named Genevieve. After the story we played under the covers for pretending we were hiding from a shark (sharks are in now if I haven't mentioned that). As we giggled under the covers a thought hit me; if I only had one month to live this is one thing I would say is worth the time investment. This "one month to live" idea was put in my mind last night as I read my friend Caila's blog. I still haven't thought of my Must Do list, but it was really neat to have something happen in my simple yet wonderful world today that was worthy of the list. Thought today was full of small frustrations and catastrophes I am thankful for that one moment that makes it worth it. Now that I think about it today wasn't that bad after all. We didn't get to the grocery store, but I was able to be near two of the most important people in my life each moment of the day. How many people on earth today can say that? Praise the Lord.
Today was our first normal day in a long time. Not only was Genevieve sick over the weekend, but the rest of us were sick as well. Steve and Elizabeth were home sick on Sunday and that evening and on into Monday I did not feel so well. Thankfully the Lord spared the mommy so I didn't throw up but was just nausiated and gernrally not feeling my best (basically I was in PJs till 1:00 p.m.). We are all now quite well though I notice the girls don't have their nomal appitites.
It is amazing how life can be so busy. It makes me think of a song from Genna's Veggie Tales "Friends" DVD. It goes something like this: "I'm busy, busy, dreadfully busy. You've no idea what I have to do! I'm busy, busy, dreadfully busy, much much too busy for you."
That last line is one we sing a lot around here as a joke, but I'm thinking about it as serisously as one can think of a singing brocoli. How busy is my life? The Lord was never too busy for those who sought after Him. Honestly I am sometimes too "busy" for my own children, how much more for the people I don't know yet earnstly need the love of Christ displayed.
No matter what is going on in my small life, I pray the Lord would help me to be sensitive to His voice as He leads me to reach the world for Him.
It is funny the way things happen. Just last night some friends and I were together for a girls night when someone mentioned that I am an early riser. It is true; Genevieve is usually awake around 6am asking for her cup of milk. A few hours after this comment was made Steve called to tell me Genevieve had thrown up, a lot. I was shocked. This would be only the second time in her little life that she had done this and the first with a stomach bug as the reason. After an hour or so of more throw up I left the treasured get-together to go home and take care of my baby.
When I got home I was struck by Genna's appearance. She was pale and very tired after lots of trips to the bathroom and it being 2 hours past her bed time. Wonderful for her and myself she has an amazing daddy who took care of her so well. We all climbed into our bed to help nurse Genna through the night. Steve being the man he is was able to fall into a dead sleep while I was roused every twenty minutes or so by Genna's moaning and dry heaving. Sometimes she would drink a bit of water and then throw that up twenty minutes later. The cycle of dozing then awaking strangely reminded me of contractions! When I was beginning contractions with both girls it was during the night so I would doze off and then be awakend every fifteen minutes or so by a contraction. Thankfully Genna's issue did not get worse but better; at around 1am she was able to fall into a deep sleep that lasted until 5. After another shaky and sad sesson over the orange bowl she fell back asleep. At around 8 Elizabeth wanted HER milk and was confused because Genna wasn't in with her to welcome the sunshine. So she and I had a rare one-on-one morning until Genna and Steve were up for the day. So today, for the first time since I can remember, I "slept in."
Praise the Lord for quick recovery because when Genna awoke around 9 she was her silly self again. She had no other problems all day so it wasn't even a 24 hour bug. Steve and I are so thankful because another night of that would have done us both in!
The girls are growing by leaps and bounds. Hopefully you are able to experience this closer with this blog site. Elizabeth, Genevieve, some neighbors, and I were at the park today playing. Elise was almost running today; watching and laughing with the other girls as they played. She would climb (with help) the stairs and joyfully fumble down the slide. I was amazed at how quickly I had arrived to being the mother of two little girls and no longer the mother of babies. Elise is really a toddler, though I often refer to her as a baby because I cannot give up that dear word.
One baby-like characteristic that Elizabeth still clings to is the desire to put everything in her mouth. I am often a few steps ahead of her eagerness and grasp the rock or grass before it enters...but today I was not so swift. She bent over and grasped something I did not see, and as I lunged forward it entered her mouth. I think it was bird poop. Oh how gross! I think I almost made her gag with the force I used to wipe her mouth and tongue. This is one "baby" trait I am quite willing to give up!
As I thought about the differences in values between the Romans and early Christians a few things came to mind. First, though they lived side-by-side their value systems were widely different. As we learned the Romans were materialistic, with characteristics of imperialism, eclecticism, and practicality. On the other hand the fast growing religion of Christianity was so non-materialistic that many of them sold all they owened to commune together and all the churches gave much away. Christians were exclusive in the worship of one God and would have no part in Cesar worship. The religion allowed for all people to be included from the highest rank to lowest slave. I also thought that the immense passion of the Christians must be noticed by their pagan neighbors. Yes, Romans had their holidays and feasts which included extreme passions but the church at that time lived each and every day of their lives devoted to God and were not ashamed that they were very different.
These reflections brought forth the question, "If America is likened to Rome, could I (and the American church) be likened to early Christians?" Sadly, my answer is no, both on a personal level and as I see the American church today. Beginning with myself, I know that my desire is to be known by the world around me as being devoted and passionate for Jesus Christ, but truly the only people who see that are other Christians themselves. My neighbors barely know my name let alone my deep personal relationship with my savior. I am not as different from the world today as the Christians then were different from other Romans. My prayer is that Jesus would mold me into His likeness and forgive my dire sin of omission.
As for the part of the Body which is in America I am ashamed at how much we are like "Rome." We are as materialistic as our neighbors and one must search deeply to find a heavenly-mindedness. Sure, I do not have cable and know many who also don't, but I do have two computers in my home. Are we truly much different from the world around us? Statistics show that barely 10% of the church tithes, half of our marriages fail just as the world, and we seemingly raise our children the exact same way they do. Where is the difference? Yes the liberal left hate us for wanting the Ten Commandments in schools but how many of us can recite them from memory? We are in dire need of what kept the early Church passionate, and I believe that is persecution. I am hesitant to say that because I truly don't want that for myself or my children but we know they were different, vastly different. I do pray that the Lord would change His church in America and let the Word go forth true and turn the hearts of His people back. We cannot call ourselves sheep if we look, act, think, speak, and worship gods the same way the goats do.
I took some time tonight to upload pictures and update our photo site as well as this one. These girls are really something else. Elizabeth is now walking, still unstable and often chooses crawling over walking, but walking none the less. She took her sweet Elise time, as seems to be her way. I think she will continue in this trend of having a mind of her own. Genna seems to be a bit more of a pleaser and ham, as you can tell from the many smiles in her pictures. Elizabeth is also pointing to different things all day long and thinks I am so silly when I make animal noises.
Genna continues to come forth with phrases that blow us away. The other evening at dinner she used the conjenction "but" in her sentance. Steve and I were both dumbfounded. After one difficult night of crying children at 1 a.m. I went to her room and was told "The sun came out!" As it turned out Steve told her she could have milk when the sun arose and she remembered!
Tonight at dinner was especially silly. Steve made a funny joke and Genna said, "It's NOT funny. It is ridiculous!" Needless to say that had us rolling.
We are continually reminded of God's blessing on us in the form of our children. They are amazing.
A very difficult word has entered our lives and seeks to drive Steve and myself mad. That word is "no." Not just any no, but a determined one. Genevieve has gone from compliant and sweet toddler to a strong, opinionated, articulate little girl. My first encounter with this will was a few months ago. We were at the beach with a mommy fellowhsip group from church and it was time to go. I called to Genna and as she walked toward me I told her it was time for us to leave. She stood stark still, clenched her fists, and as her face turned ridged she declared, "No!" She then turned around and headed back toward the water. I couldn't help but laugh. Where had this outburst come from?
Well from that point on her individual opinions have often surfaced and are quite always counter to my own. I had read about this phase and just thought my dear sweet child would continue to be a dream as always and detour around the defiant stage. I was sorely mistaken. I would say I hear that hateful word at least five times a day. This morning I recieved a "No!" to my plan of going running, entering the house after our run, my outfit choice for Genna, and my encouragement for her to eat brocoli and squash. You may think I now have a holy terror on my hands, but the truth is she is more delightful than before. I love the challenge of getting her to understand my point of view while I seek to look at things from her perspective. We have such interesting conversations and each day she seems to come forward with new ideas and questions. Today as she "drove" through the grocery store each time we stopped declared that she had reached a red light. We talk about the messes she'd made and how I wanted her to clean the mess and her desire not to. Even now as I think about today I laugh at my silly girl. It makes me think about why God made us the way He did. His desire was not for little babies that complied with every outing or wore any outfit He wanted. His disire was for a relationship with thinking, feeling people whom He could love and had the capacity to choose love in return. I love Genna so much and do know what is best; it is truly a joy when she not just complies, but chooses to do the right thing out of love and respect for me. Realisticly, it does not happen often, she is two. As parents though, Steve and I love who she is becoming and so love those three little words, "I love you." We know it is from her choice and not because we force love. So, for now, I choose to hear "No!" a few times each day and use those times as learning moments. My prayer is that one day she will know when to comply and when to stand her ground and not give in because someone has told her to.
Elizabeth will soon double in size...if she keeps eating the way she does! It may be odd but since her birthday she eats like a monster and we have lovingly changed her name to "the garbage disposal." She will finish anything the rest of us are too full for, literally. Along with this new need to fill her littly tummy has come, not surpurisingly, the ability to reciprocate the "more" sign. I have used this sign off and on over the last months not really devoted to her learning it. I guess necessity is the mother of invention (or cooperation in her case) and she NEEDS more food. Now when I ask "More?" she quickly puts her two hands together and eagerly looks to me as the producer of food. Too cute.
Genna, on the other hand, has become our non eater. She distinctly reminds me of the little boy in "A Christmas Story" who whould not eat a thing unless the mother put all her attention toward coaxing the kid to eat. Often, Steve or I take the role of the dad in that movie and yell "You better eat or I'm gonna open your mouth and shove it in!" with frustration. Oh and how I used to brag about what "a great eater" Genna was!! She will eat, don't get me wrong, but it is all on her terms. Why am I not surprised that they call this age the 1st adolescence? Lord give me strength. She is still an amazing girl and just on Friday learned to catch a ball! I am so proud. Before that day any time we played catch the ball would bounce off her face before she would run to get it. We are making progress!
They are both a joy and a challenge...who can call motherhood boring? "Not I," said the little red hen!
That statement liks my mind directly to my mom and Carmen, the 1990s Christian music artist. I am not sure why exactly Carmen, maybe he sang a song about it and that was where my mom got the phrase.
I have been thinking a lot about that concept lately though and how it relates to my children. I am currently taking a humanities class through Liberty University, which in only one week has put many new wrinkles in my brain. The subject of the last lecture was ancient Greek epics and what role they played in that society. The professor discussed that each distinct civilization, including the Greeks, asked questions about their society and answered them with what we know as the epics. Greece had the Iliad and Odyssey, Sumer had the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Anglo Saxons had Beowulf. These works used fiction to answer questions such as "Who are we? Where did we come from?" and "What values make us discinct?" The youth of these ancient times would read and learn these stories to help them define themselves and give them heros to model.
As I thought about this I wondered at what my own "epics" were and what fictional heroes I had growing up. You may think there is no comparison, but my conclusion was Anne of Green Gables. I don't remember when I first read the book but I have had a strong attachemnt to Anne from at least 10 years old. I loved who she was, and how out of her very difficult circumstances she had a joyful spirit and positive outlook on life. Deeper than that she wanted more from God than the recited prayers and Sunday-Christians that she saw. I will quote: "Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or into the deep, deep woods, and I'd look up into the sky-up-up-up- into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I would just feel a prayer." Oh Anne really touched my youthful heart. These books really did help to form part of my foundation as I grew through the years.
This walk down memory lane got me thinking about what books I wanted to ensure I placed in the hands of my children as they were going through the time of self-discovery. I think, importantly too, are the books I do not want them to encounter until they are foundationally solid. Books like Anne of Green Gables and The Chronicles of Narnia are wonderful for imagination and of good moral value. I want to give our children a love for reading that will strech their understanding of the world and our God who loves them so much. Yet I have an earnest desire to protect them from the humanism and secularism that has infultrated every part of our society today. The phrase "garbage in, garbage out" is still true though then I thought it was pretty cheezy. What my children see, hear, and read will impact them the same way those things impacted me. Reading more than anything, I believe, because reading captures our minds and spirits into the world that the story unfolds. It seems to me that we have "garbage" all around us. Magazines and books declare to me that I should idolize my body; break free from the bondage of marriage and seek passion in the form of another man, either in reality or in my mind; put my personal aspirations ahead of my children and seek happiness through any number of ways that include within myself, the stars, mantras, and any religion I choose (because all are really the same).
How blessed I am to have Truth as my God in Jesus Christ and look to the Word to answer life's questions. The Bible is certainly not an epic or fiction but is the #1 book on my list to help our children face the very difficult waters of life. As it goes in their hearts and minds I can know that it will produce beautiful works of art that will glorify God.
I should be doing homework right now, but I am weary from the last few hours efforts and still haven't had that sacred shower (it is after 1 pm) so I don't quite feel like diving into the depths of ancient civilizations and analyzing their cultures.
This morning began wonderfully. We all ate our breakfasts and I even had time to clean the kitchen before we headed out. Genna was all ready to go in her blue and white striped baithing suit and I was proud of myself for leaving early enough so the girls could play at the park before our swimming class began. Yes, today was Genna's second day of "swimming school." The local pool offered 8 lessons for $24 so Steve and I dove for it. We had a great lesson even though for about five minutes rain poured down and the wind blew our baithing suit clad selves so that we shivered in the water. After class we were off to Old Navy where I had forgotten my purchases in the parking lot the day before but God was gracious enough to move someone to take the bag back into the store, though He taught me a profound lesson in over shopping yesterday. After we arrived home I thought we should make use of the overcast day and sun screen which we all were wearing. We headed off to the swings without entering the house. I thought a few minutes of swinging, a shower for me, lunch for all, and naptime would be our late morning schedule. I thought it a bit odd that Sydney wasn't making any noise as the girls joyfully flew through the air, but figured she didn't notice that we had come home. As I unlocked the front door there was Sydney to greet us; a shock since she is supposed to be in the back yard. As I opened the door the odor and sight hit me at once. Our entry way and kitchen looked like a mini land fill. Coffee grinds lay scattered on the floor and rubbed into the carpet. Used tomato sauce and green bean cans were strewn all over the kitchen. "Salmanila" entered my mind as I saw the ground turkey tray laying on the living room carpet. Worst of all at least 7 diapers with their contents dissected littered the whole area. I wanted to sit down and cry.
It only took a minute to strap Elizabeth in her high chair and ask Genna to sit on the couch. I then called Steve who (praise God) was able to drop what he was doing and head home. I put on a special movie for Genna (The Incredibles) and began the horrible task of cleaning the mess. If I could've only been angry at the dog, but it wasn't her fault. I was in too much of a hurry to close the glass door so she took that opportunity and nudged the screen door open. I had noticed the overflowing trash can but left it for later in my haste. Oh if I could go back in time! I've heard of a show where they document the most difficult jobs; I wonder if they have documented the life of a homemaker. This job throws wild things at you all the time with no warning and quick responses mandatory. Amidst my disgust I thanked God that Steve was not underway and at a command where family crises have importance. I was also thankful that I had a way to distract the children so I could clean the mess and I was not so earth-friendly that I never used paper towels or disposable clorox wipes. I did see the fact that if I used cloth diapers instead of disposable this mess would not be half as bad. :)
All in all our downstairs is now completely clean (thanks to Steve and his desire for a steam cleaner when I thought it a waste of money!!) and my only complaint is that I need a shower. That will just have to wait for Elizabeth to wake up from her nap, until then maybe I'll take one myself.
I am officially the mom of a 1yr old and a 2yr old!! Elizabeth came in to our lives a year ago and really stole our hearts. She is simply defined as sweet and thoughtful. This girl does have a few personality traits that you would not expect. She is our "tough one." Unlike her sister she loves to wrestle around with Steve and as he puts it in wrestling terms "hates to be on her back." When they play around she pops right up after being pushed onto her back and attacks! She jumps at Steve with a determined grin on her face that tells you she is not letting up. Joy abounds when Steve pretends her attack has knocked him down. She also loves to be thrown in the air just as Genna does.
Elizabeth, along with being thoughtful, likes to experience nature. She has no problem crawling in the grass or feeling sand on her feet the way Genna does. Elise has no problem with these things but will give you a funny look if she is not sure what that cold shock of the ocean is all about or tastes grass which is not at all like her usual fare!
As you can observe from her pictures she is not quick to give everything and anyone her grins and laughs. She is by no means a ham for the camera. I would say she seems to think that she doesn't find my face behind the camera interesting enough to focus on for very long. Her big sister, on the other hand, is interesting and funny and will always get Elizabeth's attention. She loves to follow Genna around and laugh at the funny things she does.
We celebrated her birthday on Saturday with a small party of friends. This type of gathering with right up Elise's alley. She does not seem comfortable around big groups of people with a lot of chaos going on. At a recent wedding reception she cried each time the guests clapped as different people from the bridal party entered the room!
So we had a quiet dinner (chili and rice, a favorite of our family) with lots of presents and yummy Betty Crocker cake with rainbow chip icing. Elizabeth gave us the best present of all though. A few different times at her party she took 4 or 5 steps together! We knew she had the skill necessary she was just taking her sweet Elizabeth time.
Scroll to the bottom to see all the birthday video and visit our other site to see all of the birthday pictures.
I was going through contractions! Wow, I am glad that is not where I am now! This year with Elizabeth Lynn in our lives has been amazing. These girls of ours teach us so much every day about love. Every time Steve walks in through the door from work the girls just light up with excitement. Genna literally drops what she is doing to run to his arms and Elizabeth is not far behind. Oh how I long to run for the Lord that way. To have the heart of a child that wants nothing more but to be near my heavenly Father. Children are a gift from heaven and we are so blessed to have two of the most dear girls in the world.
Elizabeth (as you can see from the album I made) has grown and changed so much. I love how she reminds me to be steady and patient. Her spirit is so sweet and loving, yet quiet and reserved. I think that makes her smiles that much more special. She will allow anyone to hold her, but her love is reserved for few. I love how she stands at her crib in the morning so excited for me to pick her up and kiss her neck. Steve and I both love putting her to bed and giving her that kiss and prayer good night. I love how thoughtful she is; always watching and taking in the world around her. She is peaceful but not patient when it comes to food! Even tonight at dinner she began eating before we were ready sit down AND was the last one to stop putting food in her mouth! She enjoys doing most anything but isn't yet excited by one certain activity. She loves to be around Genna and watch her silly antics. We all love trying to make her laugh and soon after Daddy gets home Tickle Time quickly follows.
Oh how we love our Elizabeth and are so excited for what the next year will bring.
What is one of the worst things to hear when you are in the middle of the hectic grocery store, on pay day, during lunch time?
"Mommy, I need to go shee shee (potty)!"
Yes, that was me not two hours ago. Praise the Lord we made it through and now both my sweet girls are blissfully napping.
How important is a shower to you? Most of us take a shower each and every day. I think most would say it is right up there with having access to a toilet. Before Genevieve was ever born I promised myself no matter what I would find a way to shower each day; even if that meant letting the baby cry the whole way through. Thankfully Genna was always a very easy baby and had no trouble letting me get a five minute shower each day. I will say that cleanliness has not come at a price a time or two over the years.
One of my biggest worries before Elizabeth was born had to do with showering. As a mom I felt a great need to plan how I would be able to shower with two children around. I honestly had no peace about Elise's birth until I could figure this out! With Genna as an only child I would close my door and shower while she ran around; sometimes she would shower with me and thereby kill two birds with one stone. A new baby meant I needed a new plan. Finally it dawned on me. I would put Elizabeth in the bouncy seat near the bathroom and trap Genna in her room with the baby gate up. This way I could keep my ears open if Genna had an emergancy and could also watch the baby WITHOUT them being in the same room for Gena to poke sister's eye out while I wasn't looking.
This plan has worked quite well this past year. I have, however, had to make adjustments and take further percautions. As you will see, even all the experience in the world can't always out wit a two and 1/2 year old!
I never know what will happen when I step behind that curtain for my sacred shower. I would often towel off and walk to Genna's room to find all her clothes pulled out of the drawers and strewn on the floor. She has found a container of baby powder within her reach and covered the whole floor in a soft white powder. An unsuspecting baby wipe container has been completely emptied all over the floor. My biggest fear, however, is lotion. Some days, like today, Elise is taking her first nap in her crib when I am ready for my shower. So with her tucked in her crib I brought Genna into my room and hope beyond hope I've cleared away all temptations. Today was not such a day. I kept the door and curtain open so I could watch and listen. Genna often entertains herself with my jewerly box or, lately, my underwear drawer. Hey, anything in the name of a shower, I say. Today I didn't see or hear anything for a long minute so I began calling her name and asking her to come to me. After a long pause she appered, her face covered in thick white cream; in her hand a small Clearasil tube. She looked at me with a huge grin as she continued to rub her face and hair with the ointment.
Well, at least it wasn't the tooth paste tube covered in Poison Control warnings. I simply stripped her of her outfit and brought her into the shower with me. All in a morning's work and a small price to pay for a few minutes alone in a hot shower.
My sister Danielle's birthday is coming up so I thought I would put together an album just for her. You can see it on our album site stygers.shutterfly.com
Oh Lord, please tell me this isn't happening yet...I am not ready yet. Today is the second day in a row that Genevieve has been very difficult at naptime. Yesterday I thought it was only the heat, as our AC was broken and we were all VERY hot. Now, as I type, Genna is beside me playing "my games" on the computer. Steve taught her how to play a children's memory game and she is really good. But the point is she hasn't slept a wink from what I can tell. Ahhh! I put her down for her nap and have tried but in vain every tactic I know to get her to sleep. This is terrible. I even ran around the living room with her for fifteen minutes or so before it was time to go upstairs.
Well I am determined. Tomorrw we'll try the pool, that always gets her good and tired.
You may think this is a very silly thing to talk about but naptime is the most serious scheduled event in my sweet life. Help!
Not everyone loves running, but for those that do Hawaii has got to be one of the best places on earth. I don't have any profound wisdom to declare today; I just want to thank God for Hawaii and the jogging stroller.
I began training for a half marathon in April. The longest distance I had ever run was six miles; now I was training for 13.1. Were it not for the union of weather and a stroller I would have begun in vain. My motto was: "If you don't get out of bed and run now you'll have to take the girls in the stroller later." That threat to myself often got me out of bed before 5 a.m. and on June 15th I ran my first half marathon.
Now Steve and I are training together for another half marathon. Since the lsat race the jogging stroller has become my friend so my motto has changed: "Stay in bed for a bit longer JoAnne; you can always take the stroller."
So I want to say praise God for wonderful weather, two easy going girls who love the sights and sounds of our run, and our stroller.
I remember the first time I imagined with Genna. I want to say she was right around two. We were here at the house and Elizabeth was asleep. Genna, as she often does, declared that she wanted to do something; this time it was "bubbles!" Well as a new mom of two I wanted to give her what she wanted but knew we couldn't leave Elise alone while we went out for bubbles. So my big idea was to imagine bubbles with her. I took out a dry wand and blew into it, "Look," I said, "Do you see the bubbles?" At that moment Genevieve got the most puzzled look on her face, as if to say, "What are you talking about? I don't see anything!" My heart sank. I felt silly and also scared that she would not have an active imagination. "Oh well, I guess she has other great qualties", I thought.
The last few months have brought a great change over Genevieve. The imagination I thought she didn't have has blossomed and continues to grow. For a long time imagination only took the form of "Princess Genevieve." There is a Barbie movie about the 12 dancing princesses tale where the main sister is named Genevieve. My mom told me about the film and soon we had it and a dancing Genevieve Barbie in our home. Genna began to dance as the characters do and would often involve Steve (or me if he wasn't available) to play the role of the prince. Then came the name change. I would ask her a silly question about being a dog or cat and she would declare "I Princess Genevieve!" Soon other members of the family received other names as well. Steve is "Derek" the prince, Elise is "Lacy" the little sister and I, amazingly enough, am "Papa" the loving father. This pretend play has gone on a while and Steve and I enjoy quoting lines from the movie to Genna. My favorite one is "Desmond, clean up this mess!" I usually quote that when I want Genna to clean up. Anyway, you can see that we slowly began to watch imagination creep into our lives again.
Lately Genna has really gone around a bend. We now have "Amanda" and "Amira" as playfellows during the day. These are real girls around Genna's age that we don't get to see for play dates often enough. This morning as Genna put on socks she told one, "Amanda, get yur socks." The girls are also chastised at different times if they are disobedient. :)
Yesterday was the icing on the cake for me. After Genna's nap I opened her door to get her out and asked her what she was doing. She declared, "I elephant!" My mommy heart soared. I fondly remember the land of dreams and am excited to walk that road again. I receive such joy from being a mom and one of those wonderful blessings is reliving the sweetness of childhoood.
So today we went for a little jog. I often (at least once a week) take the girls in our jogging stroller for a 3 or 4.5 mile run. Today the clouds looked serious but never a reason to not run in Hawaii. On our way home it started to sprinkle, then rain. We didn't need to take cover, but it was frustrating. Here is the conversation Genna had with me as the rain came down.
Genna: "I need a umbrella"
Me: "I don't have an umbrella."
Genna: "need go to the store."
Me: "We can't go to the store; we need to pray that God will stop the rain."
Genna after a minute of thinking: "Run faster mommy!"
Funny stuff. Thankfully the rain eased and we made it home dry.
...but I decided to work on yet another blog!! stygers.blogspot.com will have much different content than our family news page. There is a desire inside of me to speak out (somehow) some of the thoughts and feelings inside. I suppose a blog is the best way to do that...but our family blog is not really the outlet I am looking for. So check out this page and "The Eye of the Styger" when you find yourself with nothing to do.
On a mom note: Elise is right now having a grand ol time ripping up the Women's Health magazine that will appear in a near-future blogspot blog. Hee hee!!
Part of the reason for this page is to remember all the wonderful things that the girls say or do that I don't want to forget in the years to come.
Genna looked like she was eating something pinched in her fingers, when I asked her what it was she said "Pink raisns!" and held up her fingers to share some of the imaginary treat with me.
At our visit to the chiropractor today Genna announced to the doctor that "I did a workout with mommy." Yes, I do workout DVDs at home with my kids; now random people know that fun fact!
As we left the chiropractor Genna got Steve to race down the hall with her to the eleveator. I was holding Elise in my arms; she looked at them, then turned to me and started laughing.
Elise now likes to play peek-aboo; and she says "Pee-aooo."
Genevieve is quite an amazing kid. Each time we are in a store with those electric cars for kids she wants to take a ride. Today was the first time that I let her get in and have some fun (we were in Toys-R-Us to get Elise a b-day present). She was loving this purple and pink Barbie convertible. As I walked over I noticed a sign above the cars that said children were not allowed to sit in the cars unless a sales person gave a demonstration. I read the sign to Genna and told her that we needed to obey the rules. She was so sad, but without a tear or 2 1/2 year old scream she got out. She walked over to a different car and asked if she could try that one out. I sadly told her no, that there was another sign saying she could not get in the car. Again she was sad but walked away and accepted that sometimes we have to obey rules we don't like. I think one day I'll take her and ask a sales person for a test drive.
Ich bin so froh dass meine Deutsche Familie bei mir noch sind. Ich habe dich so ganz doll lieb, Gaby. Heute habe Ich gedacht dass im 2009 es zehn Jare ist zeit Ich da war. Wir hatten uns so tolle ein Jahr, oder? Hoffenlich konnen wir noch schon Gedachtnis haben von zukunftig Treffen!
Deine,
JoAnne
Liebe JoAnne,
Es hat mir total viel Spass gemacht, die E-mail von Gaby zu lesen. Es ist gut von ihr zu hoeren. Liebe Gruesse Gaby und Ulli!!
Hab' dich lieb! Ich muss dein Blog jetzt lesen. Ich habe ein paar Tage verpasst und du hast ganz viel in letzter Zeit geschrieben!
Deine Sandy
Hallo JoAnne,
es ist schoen zu sehen, wie gluecklich du mit deinen Kindern bist. Sie sind beide sehr sehr niedlich. Ich kann mir vorstellen, dass das anstrengend ist, mit zwei so lebhaften Maedchen, aber auch sooooo schoen. Diese Zeit geht so schnell vorbei, geniesse sie jetzt.
Wie sieht es denn mit einer Versetzung von Steve aus??? Wird er nach Europa versetzt??? Dann werden wir uns wiedersehen.
Hier in Wetter gibt es nichts Neues. Ulli war krank, aber es geht ihm wieder besser. Wir hatten im Juli Urlaub und waren an der Nordsee. Dort haben wir uns ein Haus gemietet und sind mit Hund und Oma 2 Wochen dort gewesen. Wir haben uns gut erholt und sind auch braun geworden. Jetzt arbeiten wir wieder und der normale Alltag ist wieder da.
Ich hoffe, du kannst noch deutsch lesen, denn wenn ich das auf Englisch schreiben muesste, haette ich ein großes Problem und du noch viel mehr. Ich werde Ulli mal bitten, auch Fotos von uns zu machen und dann werde ich sie dir schicken. Ich habe nur noch grau Haare, wie eine alte Frau.
Gib deinen Kindern ein Kuessschen von der alten Oma aus Deutschland und liebe Gruesse an Steve.
Wenn du Zeit hast, kannst du ja mal was in Deutsch schreiben.
Ich habe dich lieb, 10000000 Kuesse von Mama Gaby und den Rest der Familie
Sorry I took this video the wrong way! She was just starting to walk here...her first steps were at her birthday party. It is really amazing how far she has come in one month. I have another video to post where she is really moving.
