We have been busy these last few months...prepping for baby and preparing for Christmas. Literally, we have been anticipating Christmas since October.
Needless to say, blogging has taken a back seat. I have either been too tired to blog, to annoyed with the new way to upload pictures, or too busy searching for Christmas ideas. I am trying to get back on the bandwagon. I have literally written 5 or 6 different posts in the last few weeks. Unfortunately for all of you, they have been written in my head at 2am. Sadly, they have not been typed out. And when I go to type them up, my brain goes blank. Nothing. Not even an idea of what I should be sharing. Such is life.
An update (of sorts): We are currently 36 weeks pregnant. Anywhere from 4-6 weeks left in this pregnancy. (Please Lord sooner!) This pregnancy has been physically fairly easy (aside from the morning sickness), but emotionally very difficult. We have had a few "complications" that so far have turned into nothing. We were measuring about a week ahead for most of my pregnancy. Suddenly, at 32 weeks, I was measuring 3 weeks ahead. They did something called a "ripple test." Basically, they tap your stomach and watch it ripple. If it ripples, there is a risk of extra amniotic fluid, which can be dangerous. Some complications involve cord prolapse or the placenta separating from the uterus during labour. Or genetic defects including kidney problems or cleft palate. The fear of these things sat with us for almost 3 weeks. We were sent for an ultrasound to check for those types of abnormalities. When we had our ultrasound, the amniotic fluid level came back normal, as did the size of our baby. But they did a test with the cord, and the test came back inconclusive. Basically, we've been told not to worry (haha...very funny). I go back at 37 weeks for another ultrasound. If it comes back fine, we'll go ahead and wait for baby to arrive on its own. If it comes back with a problem, I will have my care transferred to an OB, with the possibility of induction (if things are really bad).
All this to day, these "complications" have brought a lot of fear into our pregnancy. We already have felt so much fear, after our miscarriage. We felt fear during the first 12 weeks, worrying about another miscarriage. We felt fear when the baby didn't start moving until almost 24 weeks (Joel moved at 14, Micah at 16). We felt fear when I started feeling lightheaded and dizzy, almost to the point of passing out, especially when sitting for long periods of time (driving became dangerous, and we had to stop travelling for long periods of time, which was anything over 40 minutes). We felt fear when I injured my tailbone by accidentally sitting on a garbage can, worried that I broke my tailbone. And then we worried about amniotic fluid levels and now problems with the cord. This pregnancy has FEAR written all over it. But oddly enough, its also had the word PEACE plastered over it. Its a both/and situation. We feel anxious about things, but also filled with Peace. We know that we have friends and family all over the world praying for this little baby's safe arrival. We trust that God's perfect plan will come to fruition. We pray for this little baby, for its delivery and for our hearts. That whatever happens, our hearts will be prepared for it and be filled with Gods immeasureable peace.
For this entire pregnancy, I have never been able to picture myself having another home birth. My imagination always took me to a hospital--most often Abbotsford. Which, unless there was a serious complication during our homebirth, is not the hospital we will deliver at. We are registered at Langley, since that is where my midwives have privileges. It has bothered me the entire pregnancy. Then yesterday, I had a regular midwife appointment. We talked about the "complications" we were having. My midwife reassured me that they aren't concerned at all. She even handed over our homebirth kit. Something about that simple act, gave me confidence and peace. Suddenly, my imagination was able to picture a homebirth. In fact, I got quite excited about the possibility. I took my list home of what to have on hand and got straight to organizing it (hello type A!!!). I headed out to the store that afternoon to purchase my waterproof mat for the bed. Here I am, the following day and I sense my excitement building. I am ready to have a baby.
This. THIS is the peace that only comes from God. That a simple act of handing over a homebirth kit could put my mind at ease. That my fears have disappeared. That I am excitedly anticipating the birth of our next child.
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Thankful Tree
This October, we decided to put up a thankful tree in our house. Every night at dinner, we would write down on a leaf what we were thankful for.
The kids have GREAT imaginations and it was interesting to see what things/people they were thankful for.
Pine trees, sticky tack, and puppies all made the list.
We watched as the tree filled up with beautiful leaves and sentiments of thankfulness.
Grandma, friends from church and all things nature made the list.
It was always interesting to hear what the boys came up with (love that seahorses made the list).
The boys loved the project and it was with gratitude that we thanked God every night for the items on our tree (yes, even napkins or pots and pans)
Our completed tree.
A little taste of what was written on the leaves.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Ebbs and Flow
I feel as though as a parent, there are times of ebb and flow. Seasons that change as your child grow. Sometimes, you sail through life and parenting is easy and enjoyable. Other times, every day is filled with challenging parenting moments and you wish you could fast forward a few months.
We are in a season of challenge. I know that in a month or two, it will change back into a season of enjoyment. But seasons of challenge are well...challenging. And when you have a spirited child, they are even more challenging.
Currently, every demand is met with a challenge, or a negotiation. "Put on your shoes" can take 15 minutes. Sometimes we are met with a negotiation or downright defiance. Even when we implement the warning system (five minutes till we put on our shoes!), we are still met with defiance. Its extremely exhausting. We have to be creative at times to get things done or to have obedience. We are tired.
We know that one of our children works at their own pace. He goes against the flow and toots his own horn. We love him for his creativity and the observations that he makes. But sometimes, we just wish that we could focus his creativity on the task at hand. We've often joked that dinner time would go much faster and probably be more enjoyable for us if we could seclude him in a black box. A bug, the wind, his brother, creativity are all distractions. Sometimes a crab or lobster (his hand) will come to the table with us but we can never get the crab or lobster to take a bite. Its frustrating to all of us.
The hardest part (right now) is the defiance. A simple request can warrant a tantrum, negotiations, manipulations or defiance. Almost every single time! We often hear the words "....and that's why I can't do it." This phrase is usually proceeded by some creative excuse. The toys are in the way. My animals wanted to (insert excuse). I need to (excuse here). Seriously kid! Just put on your dang shoes! Or get dressed! Or pick up your toys! Or stay in your bed! Or get in the van! Or stop colouring on the table!
Every transition during the day is rough. Sometimes, we feel as though we need a few more tools in our parenting toolbox in order to parent this child. We do our best with what we know, but sometimes during these seasons of challenge, we feel inadequate.
But often, before we are consumed by our inadequacies, we either gain more skills to cope or we flow into a season of enjoyment. We know we are doing our best. But sometime during these seasons of challenge, we feel overwhelmed. We are exhausted. We are tired of negotiating.
My mom gave us a comic strip, Grand Avenue, that we put on our fridge that perfectly describes our life.
The Grandma (the caregiver) is telling the child, "Why am I always negotiating with you? I'm the adult-I make the rules. Yet every time I ask you to do something, you start in with bargaining and haggling. So you're going to be punished. March straight up to your room."
Child: "Can I skip instead?"
It makes me laugh. But when you deal with it in reality, its not as funny. But its our life. And our child. We don't get to have it any other way. Not even if we try negotiating our way out of it.
We are in a season of challenge. I know that in a month or two, it will change back into a season of enjoyment. But seasons of challenge are well...challenging. And when you have a spirited child, they are even more challenging.
Currently, every demand is met with a challenge, or a negotiation. "Put on your shoes" can take 15 minutes. Sometimes we are met with a negotiation or downright defiance. Even when we implement the warning system (five minutes till we put on our shoes!), we are still met with defiance. Its extremely exhausting. We have to be creative at times to get things done or to have obedience. We are tired.
We know that one of our children works at their own pace. He goes against the flow and toots his own horn. We love him for his creativity and the observations that he makes. But sometimes, we just wish that we could focus his creativity on the task at hand. We've often joked that dinner time would go much faster and probably be more enjoyable for us if we could seclude him in a black box. A bug, the wind, his brother, creativity are all distractions. Sometimes a crab or lobster (his hand) will come to the table with us but we can never get the crab or lobster to take a bite. Its frustrating to all of us.
The hardest part (right now) is the defiance. A simple request can warrant a tantrum, negotiations, manipulations or defiance. Almost every single time! We often hear the words "....and that's why I can't do it." This phrase is usually proceeded by some creative excuse. The toys are in the way. My animals wanted to (insert excuse). I need to (excuse here). Seriously kid! Just put on your dang shoes! Or get dressed! Or pick up your toys! Or stay in your bed! Or get in the van! Or stop colouring on the table!
Every transition during the day is rough. Sometimes, we feel as though we need a few more tools in our parenting toolbox in order to parent this child. We do our best with what we know, but sometimes during these seasons of challenge, we feel inadequate.
But often, before we are consumed by our inadequacies, we either gain more skills to cope or we flow into a season of enjoyment. We know we are doing our best. But sometime during these seasons of challenge, we feel overwhelmed. We are exhausted. We are tired of negotiating.
My mom gave us a comic strip, Grand Avenue, that we put on our fridge that perfectly describes our life.
The Grandma (the caregiver) is telling the child, "Why am I always negotiating with you? I'm the adult-I make the rules. Yet every time I ask you to do something, you start in with bargaining and haggling. So you're going to be punished. March straight up to your room."
Child: "Can I skip instead?"
It makes me laugh. But when you deal with it in reality, its not as funny. But its our life. And our child. We don't get to have it any other way. Not even if we try negotiating our way out of it.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
One of those days...
You know its going to be "one of those days" when...
...you're the first in line at Starbucks, waiting for the store to open and you've already been awake for over an hour
...you tell the barista that you want the really big one, with pumpkin, that's cold because you forgot the words, venti pumpkin spice frappacino
...your eldest child's first proclamation of the day is, "Today, I'm going to be disobedient!" and proceeds to follow through with it.
...the only words you hear out of your toddler all morning involve whining, crying and basic gibberish, none of which you understand therefore leading to excessive meltdowns and more tears
...its 10:30am and you've already changed 4 poopy diapers (3 more to follow), all belonging to one child
...to correspond with the excessive poop, there is snot everywhere. All you do is wipe, praying that this will be a mild cold and that it will be gone by the weekend
...naps only last one and a half hours. You would think that after being awake at 4:50AM that they would sleep a little longer.
After naps, things start to look up. I baked pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and prepped the dough for nutella stuffed cookies with the boys. Dan came home earlier than expected. We had a really nice afternoon (minus disobedient child and his stance on obedience today) and the kids were in bed early. (They didn't stay in bed and it took 1.5 hours to get them to calm down enough to go to sleep, but at least they were asleep before 8pm. Plus, they slept in until 6:20am the next morning!)
Thank goodness for coffee!!!
...you're the first in line at Starbucks, waiting for the store to open and you've already been awake for over an hour
...you tell the barista that you want the really big one, with pumpkin, that's cold because you forgot the words, venti pumpkin spice frappacino
...your eldest child's first proclamation of the day is, "Today, I'm going to be disobedient!" and proceeds to follow through with it.
...the only words you hear out of your toddler all morning involve whining, crying and basic gibberish, none of which you understand therefore leading to excessive meltdowns and more tears
...its 10:30am and you've already changed 4 poopy diapers (3 more to follow), all belonging to one child
...to correspond with the excessive poop, there is snot everywhere. All you do is wipe, praying that this will be a mild cold and that it will be gone by the weekend
...naps only last one and a half hours. You would think that after being awake at 4:50AM that they would sleep a little longer.
After naps, things start to look up. I baked pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and prepped the dough for nutella stuffed cookies with the boys. Dan came home earlier than expected. We had a really nice afternoon (minus disobedient child and his stance on obedience today) and the kids were in bed early. (They didn't stay in bed and it took 1.5 hours to get them to calm down enough to go to sleep, but at least they were asleep before 8pm. Plus, they slept in until 6:20am the next morning!)
Thank goodness for coffee!!!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
We love our neighbours
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| This reads: To our favorite neighbors. Please enjoy this foreign chocolate from Switzerland. This was a gift from Simon's boss. Thank you. From Harry and Simon. |
When a different neighbour lost her husband suddenly, there was no shortage of neighbours bringing over food and condolences. Every night, we watched neighbour after neighbour bring over dinner for her to eat. We actually had to wait a few nights before there was an opening for our family to bring over dinner! But watching this all unfold was a blessing to my heart as well. We realized that our neighbours are important people who care for one another and look after one another. Still to this day, we watch as neighbours stop by to chat with her or take the time to look at pictures of her husband. She has expressed to me how much this means to her.
Our neighbours are awesome. In the words of Joel, "they make my heart sing!"
Thursday, August 21, 2014
We're a weird family
Yep. Not only did we make jam while on vacation, we also foraged for huckleberries, and a few blackberries, at a rest stop. It didn't take us long and we had a snack trap full of them. We didn't get very far down the highway and they were gone. A delicious and nutritious snack...especially since taking fresh fruit over the border is a no-no.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Lessons and Reflections from Seaside, Oregon
1. Dan and I are water snobs. Yep, its true. We have some of the best water in North America. So when we end up in another city, we really and truly miss water from our homeland. There is something about chlorinated water that makes us want to vomit....or at least drink less of it. When we found a roadside natural water spring, we dumped out our chlorinated water in favor of something a little more pure. It still wasn't the greatest tasting water, but it was much better than what we were drinking.
2. When people ask me what the best part of my vacation was, it wasn't anything we did. It was what I didn't do. For two whole weeks, I didn't change a poopy diaper (I think I only changed two diapers the whole entire time). For me, THAT was my vacation. A vacation from the every day, mundane tasks that fill my day. The other thing that filled my soul with joy? Not having to change the toilet paper roll. Being the only woman, and the one who uses the majority of toilet paper in the house (thank you pregnancy for upping the daily quota), this was a welcome break. Sometimes its the little things that make the biggest difference. Yes, I did enjoy the beach and all the fun we had, but those two things made me genuinely happy!
3. I hate city driving. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I am not a city person. One way streets, heavy traffic, stop and go, no parking....those are the things that make me nutty. A lot of people we know love Portland. I, on the other hand, didn't have the greatest experience. I don't enjoy trying to find my way in heavy traffic. Or having to drive twelve city blocks out of my way, to make the left hand turn that I couldn't make twelve streets ago, to right myself back into the correct direction of travel, so that I could go ONE city block further to our destination to pick up the husband I had dropped off since there was absolutely no parking for BLOCKS!!! P.S. I ended up taking a few rights instead, since the "no lefts" went on and on. And all of this could have been avoided if the parking lot wasn't a one way only! But the upside? Those donuts (VooDoo Donuts) were well worth it?! Needless to say, not a city girl! But I already knew that since I'm not a fan of Vancouver traffic either.
4. Fourteen days is too long of a vacation for me. Seven is too short. Ten leaves me wanting a little more. Probably 10-12 days is the ideal length for me. But ask me again when the kids are older and I'm not preggo. This may change!
5. Staying in a vacation rental house is perfect. Having my own laundry (and coming home with clean clothes) is ideal. Cooking our own meals saves a ton of money and rids the kids of the chicken strip/french fry meal overload. Our best idea: bringing our crockpot. We were able to prep a meal during nap time, set it and head out to the beach. When we got home, dinner was ready! This saved us from having to come home early to make dinner or having grouchy children while we prepped it. The second best luxury item we brought? Our handheld shower head. Best decision ever! It heightened the shower so Dan and I didn't have to crane ourselves in awkward positions to rinse out shampoo, as well as allowed us to shower the kid's feet off without having to soak them with the shower or explain why we aren't having a bath yet again! So luxurious and wonderful! Like I said before, sometimes its the simple things that bring us joy!
2. When people ask me what the best part of my vacation was, it wasn't anything we did. It was what I didn't do. For two whole weeks, I didn't change a poopy diaper (I think I only changed two diapers the whole entire time). For me, THAT was my vacation. A vacation from the every day, mundane tasks that fill my day. The other thing that filled my soul with joy? Not having to change the toilet paper roll. Being the only woman, and the one who uses the majority of toilet paper in the house (thank you pregnancy for upping the daily quota), this was a welcome break. Sometimes its the little things that make the biggest difference. Yes, I did enjoy the beach and all the fun we had, but those two things made me genuinely happy!
3. I hate city driving. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I am not a city person. One way streets, heavy traffic, stop and go, no parking....those are the things that make me nutty. A lot of people we know love Portland. I, on the other hand, didn't have the greatest experience. I don't enjoy trying to find my way in heavy traffic. Or having to drive twelve city blocks out of my way, to make the left hand turn that I couldn't make twelve streets ago, to right myself back into the correct direction of travel, so that I could go ONE city block further to our destination to pick up the husband I had dropped off since there was absolutely no parking for BLOCKS!!! P.S. I ended up taking a few rights instead, since the "no lefts" went on and on. And all of this could have been avoided if the parking lot wasn't a one way only! But the upside? Those donuts (VooDoo Donuts) were well worth it?! Needless to say, not a city girl! But I already knew that since I'm not a fan of Vancouver traffic either.
4. Fourteen days is too long of a vacation for me. Seven is too short. Ten leaves me wanting a little more. Probably 10-12 days is the ideal length for me. But ask me again when the kids are older and I'm not preggo. This may change!
5. Staying in a vacation rental house is perfect. Having my own laundry (and coming home with clean clothes) is ideal. Cooking our own meals saves a ton of money and rids the kids of the chicken strip/french fry meal overload. Our best idea: bringing our crockpot. We were able to prep a meal during nap time, set it and head out to the beach. When we got home, dinner was ready! This saved us from having to come home early to make dinner or having grouchy children while we prepped it. The second best luxury item we brought? Our handheld shower head. Best decision ever! It heightened the shower so Dan and I didn't have to crane ourselves in awkward positions to rinse out shampoo, as well as allowed us to shower the kid's feet off without having to soak them with the shower or explain why we aren't having a bath yet again! So luxurious and wonderful! Like I said before, sometimes its the simple things that bring us joy!
Friday, August 15, 2014
Seaside, Oregon
For two glorious weeks, our family, along with my mother, had the privilege of going to Seaside, Oregon. We spent hours on the beach, enjoying the waves as well as seeing the local sights.
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| Little crabby |
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| Micah enjoying the sand. His face was just a little bit covered in sand, until I said, "Why don't you just rub sand all over your face and hair?" He took me seriously. |
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| Munson Creek Falls: an unexpected stop on our trip. Literally, we saw a sign for the falls on the side of the road and just decided to go down the road until we found the falls. It was less than 2km from the highway and a nice short walk from the parking lot. Plus, they were beautiful falls. The only downside is that the downed tree in front of us was the end of the trail and as close as we could get to the falls. The trail had closed due to all the downed trees and debris. |
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| A highlight of our trip: riding the stream train. The boys absolutely LOVED it. It was a half hour trip each way with a half hour layover in the middle. It was the right length and absolutely gorgeous scenery. |
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| Young River Falls: beautiful stop and a nice place to play in the river. |
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| The view from the Astoria Tower. We threw little balsam airplanes off the top and watched them sail away. We also did a hike for the first time to the Cathedral tree (another unexpected trip). It was a little longer of a hike than expected, but the boys did great considering it was snack time and a lot of uphill. I, on the other hand, complained the whole way. Never let a pregnant lady, just recently over morning sickness, miss snack time and then expect her to walk uphill for a few kilometers. |
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| The boys at the beach, chasing seagulls |
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| Playing in the waves |
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| Digging a whole to the Philippines so that the boys can visit Cody and Makai. Apparently it will take 10 hours, according to Joel. The hole got so deep that Joel built stairs so he can touch the bottom. |
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| Goofing off at the beach |
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| Love Micah's face as the waves splash up. This little guy loves the water! |
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| Joel showing his bravery as he plays in the waves. This boy was fearful of the water, but occasionally was brave enough to venture out by himself. |
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Salal Berries
Joel LOVES salal berries. So much so, that earlier this spring, we planted a bush in the backyard. While on vacation, Joel got his fill, eating his way down the promenade every night.
While we were picking them, people would stop us and ask what type of berry it was. We would stop and talk with them, educating them about Salal berries. Joel would always stop, hold out a berry and offer the stranger one. He would also tell them that "they have to be black. Then they are ripe!"
Unfortunately, they stain fairly easily. So Joel's tongue was purple!!
While in Seaside, we picked a few for consumption. Okay! Who am I kidding??? We picked them and made JAM!
Yep! We are the crazy people who make JAM while on holidays! It is delicious. Plus, we got to take 5 buckets of Jam home. Productive, relaxing and delicious! That's my kind of vacation!
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Micah and Joel: Songs in our house
Micah: I was singing "Be still and know that I am God" to Micah a few nights ago. All of a sudden, he starts saying Irmgard! Irmgard! I was so confused until I realized that he meant, "Be still and know that Irmgard." (Can you tell that he loves Irmgard?)
Joel: Every night I ask Joel what song he wants me to sing before nap and bed. His answer is always the same. "The one that Angelika sang at church." So for 8 solid weeks, we sang, "I have decided to follow Jesus," TWO times! Twice a day, every day, for eight weeks. (Because you know, we sang it TWICE at church and it has to be the EXACT same.) Well, finally Angelika is back from vacation and led worship last week. He's finally changed the song (thank-you!) to "Be still and know." Now we have to sing ALL the verses every night before bed (good thing I could only remember two verses!?). Any chance you're on worship team soon Angelika? We need to add a few new songs to our repertoire! That boy loves it when you sing. Heck, he just loves you!
Joel: Every night I ask Joel what song he wants me to sing before nap and bed. His answer is always the same. "The one that Angelika sang at church." So for 8 solid weeks, we sang, "I have decided to follow Jesus," TWO times! Twice a day, every day, for eight weeks. (Because you know, we sang it TWICE at church and it has to be the EXACT same.) Well, finally Angelika is back from vacation and led worship last week. He's finally changed the song (thank-you!) to "Be still and know." Now we have to sing ALL the verses every night before bed (good thing I could only remember two verses!?). Any chance you're on worship team soon Angelika? We need to add a few new songs to our repertoire! That boy loves it when you sing. Heck, he just loves you!
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