Loco LL

things to do when snowed in for 2 days...

2010-02-08T07:00:00.001-08:00

Well, I mostly rested, read, did laundry, and watched movies with the girls. But I also found myself looking on craigslist quite a bit. I posted my parents cars they are trying to sell and one sold already! I also bought this chair off craigslist. It is an Ikea recliner and I have wanted this exact chair for over a year. I love the size of it for our tiny living room, and I have always wanted a recliner so that I can have my feet up when reading in the mornings. It was only a few months old and half the price of what Ikea sells it for. YEAH!!!
Also, I got my sewing machine out, cut up an old sweater, and made India these warm pants and hat set. She loves them. They fit her well and will hopefully fit her for a couple more years if my stitches hold up:) I can just fold down the pant legs as she grows! Yay, for recycled clothing and a bonus yay for recycled clothing that lasts longer than one season:)

So, I have found that there are some positive aspects to 2 feet of snow. I feel incredibly rested and productive at the same time. I hate all other aspects of the snow though. Sorry, I know I am somewhat of a scrudge for saying that. Chris left town today and we may be getting 20 more inches tomorrow. I am thankful for our neighbors and friends that are willing to help me shovel and watch the girls a little when they are home for snow days and I still have to go see patients!

How can it be that our baby is 3!

2010-02-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

It feels like yesterday that I birthed our sweet India into this world. I hate that life gets so busy and years go by so quickly. Why can't my babies stay babies longer?! The worst part about it is that she is our last baby. I have taken two weeks to even blog about her birthday, partly because I can't even believe it happened!

Anyways, she really was excited about her birthday. She talked about it for weeks before and it was so fun to finally be able to celebrate a birthday with her that she really got into. The last two years were more for me than her:) Her mimi and pop came up for the weekend which was a great help to her mama. We opened presents with them in the morning.

She really wanted an Annie birthday party. She is obsessed with Annie. She now calls our dog Sandy consistently. He just looks at her like she is crazy!
So, when the kids got here, I had made stovetop popcorn and given them each their own popcorn container to take down to the basement where I had Annie playing right at the part where they are singing "Let's go to the Movie's." It is my favorite part of the movie. I had a dozen chairs set up for them to feel like they were in the theater. I knew the little ones wouldn't last long so we only watched part of the movie and then headed upstairs for cake and ice-cream.

India loved her Annie cake. She licked her plate clean! I was careful not to give the red part of the cake to the kids or else I would have had a majorly stained carpet!
We finished up the party with gifts. She was excited to get some girly gifts including princess pajamas and slippers and nail polish. She IS trying to keep up with her sisters, you know?!

I need to blog about Disney!

2009-11-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

So, I am sitting here with this on my back (a gift from my parents) feeling guilty for not blogging yet about our amazing trip to Disney last month (also a gift from my parents). I have been feeling guilty for a while now but have no great pictures to show so had no motivation to blog. Our first day in florida, we went to visit our friends (an hour and a half away) and I left my camera case in their living room with the charger! SO, I only got pictures from our first two days. Luckily I could use my moms camera but I haven't gotten pictures from her yet. So, more pictures to come soon.

I have to start this post telling about how we got there to begin with. We were to leave on a friday afternoon, so I was getting last minute things done around the house, still in my p.j.'s when I got the call. It was airtran saying they had canceled our flight. We would have to take a 6pm flight and not get to FL until almost 11pm! We had planned to drive to Tampa that night to spend the night with our friends so I asked if there was any way we could get an earlier flight. She said she didn't think there would be space left for 5 passangers but she checked. She came back saying there were exactly 5 spaces left on that flight but that we would have to be at the airport within 45 minutes! WHAT! OK, but it would get us to FL a few hours earlier than what we were going to be in the first place so I said "great!" I ended up not packing food for our trip, leaving the house a mess for our house-sitters, and Chris called our friend who was taking us to come earlier. We were out the door within a very stressful 20 minutes. We got to the airport and we got all the kids and luggage out of the van and said good-bye to Nate. I almost took a sigh of relief when Nate yelled out to me"don't you need the carseat?!" Oh my gosh! He is not even a dad yet. I don't know how he remembered and not me ( a mom of three! ) . Anyways, I got the car seat and we got checked in and through security with tons of time to spare. We were on the plane and we thought we were about to take off at 11 am when the pilot calmly said over the intercom that "the good news was that we were all going to Disney...and the bad news was that he had no idea when we would get there!" There was a mechanical problem with the plane and they would have to fly in a part and a mechanic from Atlanta to fix it and it would be at least 7pm before we would be able to leave!!! Oh my goodness! I was really about to have a panic attack, but my well traveled husband assured me that we would have so much fun in the kids play area and surely they would give us food vouchers so that we could go find a sports bar and watch the Phillies... So, I decided to make the most of it. We did, however decide to switch to the 6pm flight that they tried to put us on earlier. We headed out, for a fun filled day at the Philly airport. Several hours later I thought I should take a break from the greasy sports bar and take India for a walk and check our flight times. To my dismay, I found that the flight we switched to was now delayed!! SOOOOOO, I went to the check-in counter and asked them when the other flight would be leaving. It looked like it would be around 7 like they hoped. So I switched AGAIN! The plane was ready for us at 7 but we had to wait another 30 minutes for the flight crew:( The flight was uneventful and I think the kids slept some, but it was after 11pm when we got to Orlando. After 9 hours in the airport and a 4 hour plane ride, we were not feeling the drive to Tampa to see our friends. We went to the check-in desk and asked for hotel vouchers, and we got them! We got two rooms, attached and it was right there in the airport. The kids love staying in hotels, so it was a nice treat.

The next day we headed to Tampa. We hung out with our friends there for most the day and then came back in time to check in to our condo before my parents got there. My dad had a conference in one of the disney resorts, but we stayed 5miles away in a condo that we exchanged our time share for. While my dad did his conference, my mom and the rest of us did the parks for the next 6 days straight. We did Sea World two days, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM. This was a huge man made tree in animal kingdom that I could stare at all day!

My dad was able to make it to Magic Kingdom for the fireworks and we had a full day with him in MGM (where he tried out for American Idol) and Sea World. It is all such a blur because it was so non-stop. I can't wait to get all the pictures to be able to remember more.My favorite was Sea World. I went on a roller coaster for the first time in over 10 years and took atleast 15 minutes to gain back my equilibrium. I loved the dolphins and we had a great time having dinner with Shamu. Moriah and India loved Magic Kingdom the most and Alexa loved Epcot the most. My other favorite thing was seeing 3-D for the first time in my life at Animal Kingdom. I have an eye condition called amblyopia which has always prevented me from seeing 3-D in movies. Well, either my eyes are somewhat better or the 3-D technology is much different at Disney than I have ever seen before because I had bugs coming right up to my face in that movie! I actually started to cry because I was so excited! Animal Kingdom also had an amazing African safari ride. We all loved the gorillas!

We did some fun rides but not a lot because my girls are just not quite there yet, but there were a couple rides that Chris and I went on while my mom watched the girls. This one was a dinosaur ride.

My favorite was this one that went from 0 to 60 mph in 2 1/2 seconds! Epcot was really awesome for all of the educational stuff that they had and I took India for a stroll "around the world" while my mom, chris and the the girls went on some rides. They were having their yearly wine and food festival which was fun...but would have been more fun with Chris instead of India:)
Well, like I said, it was a blur. I think I could write more if I had more pictures. It was a trip to remember for sure. India has been obsessed with Donald ever since we got home. We have one old vhs of donald that she watches every single day now! It is cute though and fun to see her get so excited about a duck:) I think she will love having her granddads talk to her in their donald voices now which will make them quite happy, I am sure.

Loving Fall

2009-10-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is such a great time of year. I would almost say it is my favorite time...but Spring is just a little bit better in my opinion. But, what is there not to love about all of the beauty that comes with Fall. The colors, the shapes, the foliage and flowers.
There is something so magical about how a tiny seed can turn into so many different shapes and sizes and colors...

I love pumpkins so much! They are yummy for one thing. I love pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies...But mostly I love the look of them. These pictures were taken somewhere on the side of the road in Virginia on my way home from my yearly retreat.
I love this retreat center. I spend a lot of time taking hikes up North Mountain and doing the stations of the cross. It is where I feel closest with God.

The actual retreat center is at the Orkney Springs Hotel which was an old hospital from the Civil war. It is a retreat for health care workers and others coming to seek God's healing and wholeness in their lives.

We always end the retreat burning our prayer requests as a symbol of surrendering our burdens to Christ. We celebrate together what God has done in us and through us as we watch the smoke rise up.

Here are some of my new favorite people. I learned so much from these ladies!

What happened to summer?

2009-08-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

I feel like we got a little ripped off... You know what I mean?? I mean, it was stinkin cold in June and July (which had its advantages) and now it is hot as heck and my girls are back in school! So, I thought I would give a shout out to the summer that came and went in a minute...
We made it to the beach this year, but barely. It ended up being perfect weather but the water was still too cold for me. We met up with our Jersey friends and had a great time catching up, ending the night with a fire in Kirk's back yard and smore's for the kids. My friend and old roommate met us there with her tribe as well.

I also was so thrilled to see my sweet friend, Amber, marry an amazing guy who makes a perfect partner for her. The wedding was in their back yard and the reception had all locally grown food. So fabulous!
I got to hang out with my brother for a weekend who I only see once or twice a year. India loves her uncle John. So cute!

Oskar learned a lesson in patience and valueing his feminine side while the girls dressed him up in all his glory.
I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud of Alexa who did an amazing job in the Yes And camp theatre production. She really did shine this year!
Chris took Alexa for a father daughter outing to her first Phillies game. It rained for about an hour, but they had fun watching the clouds roll in. It was Alexa's first game and Chris is really hoping she will start taking more interest in sports now...we'll see.

oh, and they did win!

1400 miles, 10 days, 3 states, 3 trips to the mechanic, 1 tow ride, 1 toilet submerged cell phone...

2009-08-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

What a trip!! It all started the day before we left for our tri-state adventure. Chris took the van into the shop to get the headlight cleaned so we could actually see where we were going for this trip. While there, the little leak that never leaked when we would take it to the mechanic, turned into a full on flow. Our mechanic, John, told us that it was our radiator that needed to be replaced but we would be ok for the 5 hour drive to VA as long as we got it in the shop there to be taken care of. And he was right. We just had to fill up the coolant half way and keep the car running when I got pulled over by a VA cop and got a speeding ticket! We had a relaxing and fun time at the rivah with my neice and parents. All 4 girls are pro's at tubing now:)
We were able to get the cracked radiator replaced for $480 and head on to TN the next day for the family reunion. We had driven about 7 hours or so when the gears started to shift weirdly now and again, then it would go back to normal, and then it just wouldn't shift at all. We were very close to an exit, so I drove 10mph on the shoulder to get off into a town call Bull's Gap in TN. We coasted into a gas station, opened our hood and were discouraged to find smoke and fluid all over the engine. A mechanic happened to be walking by and said that our transmission was shot! After saying "Oh crap" a few times, I called my dad to ask for advice and he reminded me that we had AAA that tows up to 100 miles! Sweet!! We were only about 70 miles from our destination so they hooked us up with a tow but we had to figure out how the five of us and our dog would get there. AAA tried to get us a rental but there were no rentals in Bull's Gap, so they got us on the phone with an enterprise rental about 15 miles away. They refused to pick us up, and there were no taxi's that came into Bull 's Gap either. Then she told me that there was a no dog policy, there were no mini-vans and they didn't have any vehicles available for 1-way trips! Sooooo, after saying "OH CRAP" a few times, the tow guy comes over to us and says in a very Tenessee accent "Well shoooooooot, I'll just put ya'll in the truck with me....I got plenty of rooooom." So, if you can picture this, I sat up front, bouncing along with the tow guy, while the 3 girls were strapped into the seat behind me and Chris and Oskar sat on the floor for 70 miles. Man, was that a hoot! It is a little hard to be stressed out about having a dead car when you are in that kind of set-up!
So, we made it to the mechanic in Maryville, TN and Chris Haw came and got us (thanks Chris!). We had a great weekend at the family reunion hanging out with friends, making new connections, having long talks, and playing a lot in the water, hiking, cooking by the fire, etc. And to top it off, the mechanic called to let us know that he fixed the van for $140!! It was just the cords to the transmission that needed to be replaced. WHEW!!!

here is moriah jumping off a 15 ft jump with no hesitation!

our communal eating/meeting area

oskar had so much fun swimming and playing with the other dogs. he was wiped out!

Moriah and Miranda had lots of bonding time

So, we left early Sunday morning for Kentucky. We wanted to hang out with our old Lazarus Society friends (the comminity we helped create 12 years ago in Wilmore). It was so great catching up with them even though not everyone could make it this time.

There were 10 kids!

We got to go to a few places we like to visit and Alexa connected to her roots. She left KY when she was only 1, but has always loved visiting.

high bridge

shaker village

we also hung out with the kenney's at a great indian restaurant...yummy

BUT....our car started to pour out the coolant again. So Chris took it to the Wilmore mechanic who was nice enough to look at it immediately despite his busy schedule (not like in Philly). He replaced the radiator cap for a grand total of $8!! WE made it all the way back to Philly, although our check engine light came on half-way through the trip. We think our head gasket needs replaced:( We'll be getting our free car tomorrow, thank the LORD!! We may try just having one car for a while when this one dies.

an amazing road to recovery

2009-07-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the dozens of people who have supported me and loved me through the past few weeks. It has been one of the most amazing things I have been through in my life...through the good and the bad. These past few weeks have shown me so much about the value of life, of love, and of family and community. It has been incredibly humbling to be embraced by friends who have said to me over and over again that they are so glad that I am alive. I will never again take for granted the days that God has given me and continues to bless me with, but also for all of the amazing people that God has put into my life! I love each and every one of you and am incredibly glad that you are all alive too:) Sorry, but I do think that I have the right to be cheezy;)

So... to update, we have been traveling constantly since the accident. We went to the rivah the day after the accident where it was a perfect place for me to recover with my mom and dad being there and a beautiful place to sit and breathe in the fresh river air and soak in the beauty of the sunsets. We celebrated mine and my mom's birthdays and I got a real treat:
We came home for a few days where we had a friend stay with us from new york. The real treat was that she is a yoga instructor and used to be a raw foodist. She made me some awesome food, led me in some healing yoga., and helped me to process through the accident. By the end of the week, I was feeling up to a trek out to the pine berrens of jersey, where a few of us girls honored my dear friend into a bridal blessing ceremony, did some rafting, ate more blueberries in one sitting than I have ever eaten in my life, sat around the fire and got about 5 deer ticks on me. Ha! When I got home at 1am, I thought I better check for ticks, so I lifted up my shirt and immediately saw 1 crawling up my stomach and 3 others embedded in my skin! I awoke the sleeping husband who checked me over and plucked 5 deer ticks out of my skin. Luckily, no bulls eyes so far.
The next day, we hit the road again for Indiana. We are just now returning after two weeks out there. It took me a few days to wind down, but now I am having a hard time winding back up. I spent most the time relaxing, reading, sitting by the pool while the kids swam, and taking long walks...oh and lots and lots of yoga:) The kids really enjoyed being with their grandma and papaw as well as the cousins... and they got pretty darn good at swimming (especially India!).

Chris took me out to eat at a great Vietnamese-vegan restaurant for my birthday and then we hung out at our favorite bookstore. He also made me a delicious raw birthday cake!
I did go out to Chicago for one day to visit Reba place, which was an amazing trip. I learned a ton from those folks and am looking forward to hanging out with them again at the family reunion next month. And I even got to try a raw food restaurant:)
Chris and I took the kids to eat lunch with the beautiful sisters at victory noll and walk their labyrinth. It is this gorgeous piece of land right there in Huntington, IN that is preserved and well cared for, and I felt so at peace walking through their property.

Now that it has been three and a half weeks since the accident, I have hardly any bruises left, the scar above my eye is healing up, and the soreness in my neck and shoulders is much improved. The numbness in my face is the same and my teeth still feel weird, I still startle easily and forget words and use the wrong words at times (in other words...my mama brain has gotten a bit more jumbled up since the accident). But I really can't complain when I think about how bad it could have been. I am thanking God every day for my legs, which I used to always complain about:( Anne Lamott calls her thighs her aunties. They have always been my least favorite part of my body... but now, I love and appreciate these "aunties" and will never say another bad word about them for the rest of my life. These legs should have been crushed and looking at that car, I should not be here at all, but I am and so I do feel blessed. As I complete my daily yoga practice, I thank God for the body that enables me to care for my family, to work, to garden, to create, to nourish, to be nourished, to love, and to be loved.

Mostly, I have been contemplating how much I love my family. I have enjoyed every moment with them these past two weeks. I have even had momentary brain lapses that have caused me to think about homeschooling...but then I quickly come back to reality;) I love how much they care for each other and for others. I love that they love their grandparents as much as they do, that they love to read, that they love to be in nature, that they love trying new and interesting things to eat (like the vegan beef and cabbage that they ate for dinner tonight). I love that they care about animals and the beauty of a sunset. I love that they don't get too frazzled when I have a mood swing, and know that it will pass, and that we can make them laugh even in the midst of their mood swings. They are just incredible girls! And I appreciate Chris in a new light.
This whole thing had been almost as traumatic for him as it has been for me. He really thought he had lost me when he got that phone call after the accident. We have realized now how much we need each other and how much of a team we really are. We have gained a new respect for each other through these past few weeks and a deeper love.

Now, as we drive through the mountains of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, I think I can say with all sincerity, without running the risk of it sounding like a cliche, that I am truly blessed and that life is truly amazing.

ALIV NHM

2009-06-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

Over the years, I have had many people ask me what my license plate meant. My dad came up with "ALIVNHM" over 10 years ago and had it put on my car. I am not the type of Christian that likes to put bumper stickers and fish on my car as a "witness"to others. And there were those days that I wished that my license plate didn't say what it said because my city driving might become a "bad witness"...but I have to say that it gained a whole new meaning to me on Thursday, June 18th. My dad prays for me and my brothers safety every morning, and it is no coincidence that the license plate that he had put on my car so many years ago came to fruition in such a miraculous way.
On Thursday, I was on my way to visit my second client for he day. I was in a two lane road, and the next thing I knew, there was a car headed towards me that just merged right into my lane, where we hit, head-on with an 80 mph impact. I remember screaming and then looking up and seeing the airbag and trying to open my door, which would not open. I was able to climb through the back window (with the help of a stranger, or maybe an angel) and sit on the porch of the house in front of the accident. With blood streaming down my face, and my vision not quite right, I was unable to look at my car or see who hit me. I just remember the kindness of strangers...someone brought me ice, another person took off his shirt and used it to stop the bleeding...and another helped me to call Chris and break the news.

And then there were the parametics...They were amazing! When they came, they put the cervical color on me, somehow got me on the gurney, and rolled me into their truck. I had two IV's placed and I remember the parametic was asking me every other minute how old I was. I finally told him that I will keep answering "33" as long as he kept asking me. He then asked me what kind of car I had. I don't know why, but I answered "a piece of SH*T Geo Prizm." He laughingly told me that I shoudn't talk like that about the car that saved my life. I quickly took back my comment and thanked God for that piece of sweet metal mesh. Up to that point, my mind kept going through all the things I had to do that day and that my plans were all messed up. But when the parametic made that comment about the car saving my life, I realized that I could have died. He kept talking about how bad the car was. He couldn't understand how I got out. I just remember some guy saying that the car was smoking and I needed to hurry up and get out, so I climbed out the back window. I kind of remember seeing a piece of glass on the seat, but Chris told me later that there was glass everywhere. I don't know how I didn't get more cut up. While in route to the hospital, I remember being in a lot of pain. I kept asking for pain medication. I thought they would give it to me right away since he gave me 2 IV"s!! My arm was throbbing, my teeth felt like they were knocked out, my face was on fire and my hip and legs were extremely sore. I couldn't see very well because of my right eye swelling up and I think the blood must have been pooling in my eye. I have really bad vision in my left eye. I kept telling the parametics that I have ambliopia in my left eye. He kept saying "don't worry about that." I think he had no idea what ambliopia is:)

When we got to the hospital, they rolled me into the trauma unit. They had to take off my pants and cut off my shirt. Luckily I had a woman nurse who was good at getting bras off, so they didn't have to cut that off. I kept asking for pain medication while they were doing the EKG and x-rays. Then Chris got there. I was so happy to see him. He had the most worried look on his face. I just kept telling him I was OK. They immediately rolled me back to CT. I had never had one of those before. This is how weird I am: I thought to myself, well at least I will find out if I have a brain tumor now:)...then I started praying that there would be no broken bones or bleeding in my brain. After that they rolled me back to where Chris was and he held my hand while I got stitched up on my upper right eye. I also got antibiotics and a tetanus shot. It wasn't long after that when the nurse said he wanted to see how well I could walk and if I would need crutches. Luckily I was able to take babysteps to the bathroom where I got to look in the mirror. I was so relieved that it wasn't that bad. I can handle a little scar on my face, I was just so happy to be able to walk and be alive! We were discharged with muscle relaxers and percocet.
I was so happy to see my girls when we got home. India kept saying "oh no! you have a booboo...do you want the piggy booboo (that is what she calls the booboo piggy that we pull out of the freezer for her everytime she gets a boo boo). She also kept showing me the boo boo that she had on her knee. My girls were all so sweet and have been very good at nursing me back to health.

I have been getting a little better every day. Walking is much less painful. I did develop numbness on the left side of my face. I went back to the ER to have them check it out, but they said it is normal and will eventually get better. The impact of the airbag on my face was extremely traumatic but much better than the steering wheel would have been! I still can't focus too well with reading and my headaches can get pretty bad, but the medication helps a lot. My arm and my hip are very sore, as is my neck and upper back. I actually look worse today than I did when those pictures were taken. I think the bruising gets a little uglier every day. I don't mind though, I am just so thankful to be alive. I haven't been able to let the reality of the accident fully soak in. It is almost too much to take in in one day. I think it has become more real to me each day, and every moment that I have with my family. I have never appreciated my family and friends as much as I do now. I am asking God to teach me through this, and I think what the Lord has taught me most is to be grateful.

When Chris went to get my belongings out of the car, he took these photos. When he looked inside the car, he said that he could not believe that I have legs! I was trying to figure out why my shins were so bruised up. Now I know. The car smashed in such a way, that it should have crushed my legs!! Wow, I will take a few bruises any day knowing that God literally saved my legs. I only hope that I can honor God with my life... and with my legs:) Thank you to everyone who has been praying, calling, emailing, and helping us out. We are so grateful for all of your love and support!

More Pics

2009-06-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

A few More pics

2009-06-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

Beetlejuice and Pottyin like a Rock Star

2009-06-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

The raw food cleanse is going well. Even India is enjoying it this time. This morning we juiced beets, carrots, bok choy, ginger and celery and blended it with barley green, frozen bananas and berries. It was delicioso! I think we'll be peeing red today, but that's ok. I am going to try to make a raw alfredo muchroom sauce today to put over veggies. We'll see how that goes. I haven't been too experimental this time around because I am more busy. I am almost off the coffee completely...that is the only hard part. Other than that, I feel really good. I have been amazed at how many people eat raw. I just wish we had a raw food resaurant in Philly. I am going to break the diet for our anniversary. Chris is taking me to a restaurant that looks so good. They use mostly produce, meats and cheeses that are local, fresh, and organic. We haven't gone to a nice resaurant like that in so long. It will actually feel nice to splurge. 13 years is something to celebrate! I don't feel like we have been married that long.
On another note, India is so close to being potty trained. She has not had an accident for 2 days. She sings "potty like a rock star, potty like a rock star" every time she goes. So cute! I am especially thankful for her making it to the potty for #2's. I really don't want to clean up anymore of those. We don't use pull-ups, so it is NO FUN!
One more story...India likes to scare our squirrels. She learned it from Chris when we were planting grass and they kept eating out seeds. India opens up the back door and in makes a very strange noice...it is kind of a deep thoated quack. I think our neighbors must think our third child is a bit on the odd side.

My girls is growing up!

2009-05-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Check out Moriah's dance moves!

Some old photos

2009-04-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

There is one photo shop in all of Philly that I trust my black and whites to. It is kind of far, so I end up waiting until I have a few rolls to take. This time, I ended up with some pictures from a year ago! I have got to stay on top of things better! These are from last August when we visited Indiana, a couple weeks after Chris' grandma died. We visited her grave and learned about a lot of the ancestors. We also visited his other grandma in the country and my girls got to see (and sit on) the fruits of their labors.

Grandma Gay makes grape jelly every year from her grapes. Don't they look yummy!

This was after I returned from China. I brought the girls some dresses. India didn't want to pose like the other girls.

She is our rebellious one already.

I can't remember when this was, but we were in Indiana visiting the horses, which my girls love.
And the one below is of Moriah in her winter coat that I love so much. It reminds me of when I was a little girl.

Play group at the Park

2009-04-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

Our play group found a great new park. It is perfect for toddlers. And it was perfect weather. It only took two days to get rid of all the sand though...

Easter Fun!

2009-04-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

We took a much needed family trip to Richmond for Easter. The kids had a nice long weekend! We didn't do much. We played outside, did some yard work, went out to eat at a japanese restaurant where the kids got to see their food cooked in front of them, went bowling, and hung out with family.
The girls have been saving up money for a Wii for months now. They finally had enough after doing the yard work, and getting some money in their eggs (instead of candy).
They also got some new books and a little bit of chocolate too (to share of coarse). Moriah read like a reading machine the whole weekend. I think she read through three Junie B. Jones books and her new Dr. Seuss book. I had to yell at her to stop reading so much. Where did she come from??!!
Moriah usually could care less about money, but she was really excited to have enough to buy a Wii. She is really good at it too. She had beat all of us in boxing numerous times!

It's a Miracle

2009-04-01T19:09:00.001-07:00

Check this out!

Beauty

2009-03-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking a lot about beauty lately. I just sat in Borders last week thumbing through a great book on beauty. It talked about women, our bodies, our "issues," and it somehow settled me to a newer realization of how normal I am. I am constantly in this fight with my hormones, my face breaking out, my monthly stuff, weight, cravings, moods, etc. Seeing this video is just another reminder of how messed up our view of beauty is and how much I want to redeem it.

winter's here and going...I hope...

2009-03-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

As winter is coming to a close, I didn't want to let it go completely without remembering some of things that got me through it. I have always hated winter. I get a little of that season depression every year, and I just don't like being cold. But this year wasn't as bad as most for some reason. Though I should be a lot more discouraged by my unemployment, our car situation, and just being "stuck" in the house as much as I have, there have been many things that have brought me joy.

India has been the biggest blessing of all. It is hard to be looking for work and not finding anything...but then I remember that she will only be 2 once, and each day brings a new milestone that she achieves...how can I regret being here for that!

Being here for the 2 snow days was a definite joy for me. I miss my girls when they are in school all day, and then they come home and Alexa is working on her homework until [sometimes] past her bedtime! Having a snow day is no small event in our home. We had no snow last year, so this year we were prepared for a big snow. We never got the big one that Chris wanted (he grew up in Indiana), but it was big enough for me. I don't like snow, I just like snow days! Chris is the one that plays with them and I am the one who takes some pictures to remember it by. Bundling the three girls up was quite funny. Moriah has a brand new $150 snowsuit that someone gave us, Alexa who is tall for a 9 year old had a size 7 snow suit that only went to her knees, but she had some really stylish boots:) We just bundled India up in her winter coat, fleece pants that were too small. We put five pairs of socks on her, her gollahes, mittens that were way too big and a hat and a hood. She got out in the snow and the second her gollashes got that white dust on them, she freaked! She has a thing about getting dirty. She hates it. She screams when I put mask on my face, or if someone has a bit of food on their face or in their beard. It makes her mad...i mean really mad. Weird, I know, but true. Anyways, I had to take her in because it was bothering her so much. Maybe next year will go better...

Alexa loves to throw snowballs and they both enjoyed making angels. They also went to the park to go sledding where our cheapo sled cracked in half. The kids had fun though. We have tried to find a new sled but they are all sold out.

The other thing that kept me somewhat stable this winter was the please touch museum. I love this place. And I especially love that I can get together with friends there and talk while we chase our toddlers around in an untimate playhouse.
My playgroup is another grounding force for me that I am so thankful for. When I was pregnant with India, there were five of us from my church that were pregnant and had girls within a year. Now there are 2 more girls! We decided to start a play group and it has grown to even include some boys. They have so much fun together and it is a great time for me to talk with my girlfriends.
Here is a newest addition. She is sooooooooooooo cute!

Now, even though there is snow on the ground, I do see the light. Chris shaved his head yesterday. In our home, that means the warm weather is coming. Well, actually he was going to the warm weather. He is in Kansas this week, where it is going to be in the 80's. But, there is warm weather coming... I am holding out hope for it anyways!

A Women's Gathering

2009-02-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

Do you know that feeling you get when you have been twirling around and around, trying to keep your focus on one spot on the wall... then you stop, your eyes twitch, your body rotates to find it's gravitational pull, and the room feels like it is spinning around you. That is how I am feeling today...The past month has been such a whirlwind of activity, and now I am sitting down to try and process it all. I started this post a while ago and I am now trying to finish it before I forget so much of what I learned.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of spending time with eight other amazing women in a beautiful 1700's house in New Hampshire. My friend was thoughtful enough to organize this weekend where we would come together, eat, pray, and love....ha ha...no, really, we did do all that, but we also talked some serious feminine theology and many of the issues surrounding that. We discussed the book by Sue Monk Kidd The Dance of the Dissident Daughter. It is a great book and I highly recommend it. A couple of other books discussed were caretakers of our common house by carol lakey hess and she who is by elizabeth johnson.
Our discussions centered around our view of ourselves as women in relationship to our mothers, our churches, our spirituality, our society and our families. There were times when we yelled in frustration, cried in grief, laughed with joy and sat in silence in awe of the beauty of ourselves, our oneness, of creation, and our Creator Mother God.
Recognizing our connection to each other as women, and to nature brings me so much hope and joy as I raise my three beautiful daughters. There is a hope that they may not know the pain of victimization, of inferiority, of inequality. There is hope that even if they do, that they will know their Mother God in a much different light than how most of us were raised.
There is hope in this community of women who are committed to resistance. And a hope that even in our weak moments, we have the strong arms of each other to lift us up.

I have to say that I am not a snow person at all. I have even been trying to talk Chris into moving to Florida lately. But, I absolutely loved being at Caren's house. It is so beautiful to look out the windows and see never ending hills of snow.
Caren's daughter "little C" gave us a short visit on Saturday and helped us make a yummy lunch with pickles. She entertained us with her smart little sayings and her fancy shoes.

I am really hoping to do another one of these gatherings soon. I am so blessed to be a part of a group of inspirational women like this. Thanks ladies!! (and a special thanks to andrea and cheryl for the pictures since i forgot my darn camera for the weekend!!)

India's Two- Take Two...

2009-01-26T07:56:00.000-08:00

So, maybe the whole idea of having just my little play group for a birthday party wasn't the smartest move. This might have been a good idea if it was a group twice the size, but it is only 6 moms and 8 kids...and one of the moms was in the hospital having a baby! SO, last week, it was my kids that were sick, and this week it was everyone else. It ended up being two moms with 4 kids. Then when they left, two more moms came with their two little ones. Well, India didn't know the difference, and I was happy to celebrate, no matter the size of the party:) India is so obsessed about babies...if you didn't know already, so we had a baby party. She loved it. We made a craft with the kids hand cut-outs for a hand wreath that I will frame for India in her room. We did that instead of gifts since she needs NOTHING. Here are some pics from our special day.

the only boy in our play group, matthew with Chris
(not sure why the face)

i love India's expression when she sees the baby cake!

my attempt at a baby cake...

moriah trying to liven up the party

elias and kindred making her craft

Look Who Turned Two!

2009-01-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

India Shiloah Lahr
26 lbs
34 inches
turned two on January 15, 2009 (MLK birthday)

India officially turned 2 on thursday. We didn't do anything to celebrate because we had planned to hang out at TSW and meet Gareth Higgins, a peace and justice writer from Belfast. I sat between Jamie and Gareth for probably two hours listening to really smart conversation, feeling like a total dummy, but I learned some cool stuff:) Anyways, I was planning on having a birthday party for India on Saturday just for our play group. My parents came up for it. But a couple days before the party, Alexa broke out with these bumps on her chest and back. She had had the chicken pox booster the week before, so I immediately knew what it was. I found out that it is very rare, but she had gotten the chicken pox from the vaccine. She wasn't contagious but I thought I should tell all the moms who were planning on coming for the party. Needless to say, it got rescheduled. So, we decided to have our own fun day on Saturday, despite the FREEZING COLD temps! After their baths, we headed for please touch museum. (Alexa wasn't contagious) We spent about 2 hours there before feeling totally exhausted.
Alexa displaying her creation of foam.

Moriah trying to decide what to make Mimi for dinner.

India assessing her patient.

India delivering the mail.

India in Wonderland

In other news...it was a crazy week! Chris got in a fender bender with our car. We bought this car for $1, 7 years ago from a friend. It is a junker on the outside (which has kept it from ever being stolen), but it has always run good with very little upkeep. We are still not sure if we will be able to fix it. It wasn't his fault and we are waiting to hear from their insurance. I am hoping they will give us enough money to go towards getting a new used car (anyone want to sell a car for a $1??). Well, we are blessed that nobody was hurt. Also, there was a shooting in front of our house this past week. I was trying to sleep when I heard it... then the choppers.... then the cop cars...all that drama that you just love seeing in front of your house. Well, the guy that was talking to the cops said someone shot at him twice and then ran. Luckily he had terrible aim.
Chris has left again for another week long trip. He has been teaching a class in Atlanta which is why he's been gone so much. He is enjoying it, but it's a lot of work. Of coarse he left depressed after last nights dissappointing loss. Well, I am trying to focus on a peaceful tomorrow. If we can get through the inauguration with no crazy happenings...well, it would be a better week than last. And we are having a party for India this Saturday (pictures to come).

A New Year and Remembering the Last One...

2009-01-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

Probably the best thing about 2008 is my little brother getting married, bringing two more beautiful members to the Harler fam. Christtany is so precious and incredibly bright. She loves playing with my girls, and fits right into our craziness.
Brittany is so sweet and balances out my little brother in ways we always prayed would happen:) We are blessed to have her and Christtany!
It was so fun hanging out with all my cousins and kids. My girls love nothing more than being with their extended family. I have to say that I could do without the gifts and make Christmas more about the hanging out (like thanksgiving). Maybe I appreciate it more because I am away from family all the time and so when I can be with everyone, it is SO special!

Of coarse, we did get LOTS of gifts, but most of them were just what my girls wanted! Our families were good listeners when we asked for more wood, less plastic, more practical, less crap:) No, reallly, we appreciated the generosity from everyone, especially "old grandma," who passed away this past year. Chris' folks decided to give us some of her inheretence, which ended up being just enoug to fix out van! God always provides!
We loved the new instruments that aunt tami gave the girls, but decided to put them away until we could be seperated by atleast one floor for them to play with them...
Moriah and Lilianna watched for the dinner to be ready...man did we ever eat...i couldn't believe the scales... and am looking forward to getting back on track in that area:)
Moriah is only 3 months younger than sammy, but a whole head shorter. They are both goof balls though!
India stood her own for the first time in the annaul cousins picture.
Our first of many pyramid pictures. Chris had to be back up for any falling children (can you see him?)

New years, we have a tradition for getting together with the bixlers. yep, they are both green bay fans and... if you didn't know they are playing ELECTRIC FOOTBALL! Kelly and I have to yell over the buzzing the whole night to be able to hear each other. We talked raw food and prayer, while they talked NFL. I wonder which conversation was more productive. Oh well, it is new years eve anyways.

Alexa and Moriah hanging with papaw on new years day. we had such a great time, but it was time to head back to philly:(

India in Trader Joes

2008-12-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

It dawned on me today when I was leaving my monthly trip to T.J's that I should write about my experiences with India there. It is one of the things that makes her who she is and so unique from the other two. I would say that out of my three experiences with raising 3 different girls, that India has been soooooo easy. I don't know how much of this is because of her personality and how much of it is because I am feeling like a pro after 9 years of being a mom (on good days that is). But shopping is the one thing that is NOT easy with India. Today went smooth for the most part. I have learned to ALWAYS take her on a full stomach. That has drastically reduced her whining for everything she sees. "Nanny!" for bananas, "bapples" for apples, "deeeeez" for cheese, "tweet" for treat... you get the picture. So today...maybe she only whined for the "nannies." She is also usually trying to stand up in the cart as soon as I turn my back. So I have learned to check the buckle to make sure that it isn't broken before I put her in there...and I tighten it, otherwise whe will be standing, and stuck and, well... even more of a falling hazard! I can't tell you how many stories I have heard from strangers of how they have seen kids fall on their heads or that their own child fell on their head. I appreciate the concern, really, I do...but for heavens sake, when I am already stressed over my child not sitting down, it doesn't make it easier to have to listen to these people's stories!! Anyhow, I have to mention my favorite part of T.J.'s being the sample table. I fill a cup of "tweets" for India to munch on while I fill up my mini portion sized coffee (which I always have a hard time figuring out how much sugar to add in that small of a cup). I stand there and enjoy my 3 gulps of joe while India munches on her cookies, cereal, or whatever they happen to be handing out. It is kind of a "take a second to breathe" moment. And then I gather my mental list together for the second half of the store. After filling my cart to overfloweth (like I said, I go once a month), I stand in the shortest line to check out. The whole time we are waiting, India is pointing at everything she wants to get her hands on (there are usually "tweets" right at her eye level). While being checked out, India gets all cute and hands the items to the cashier and says "heeeeer ya gooooooo!" The cashier talks to her the whole time and thinks she/he has won over a friend....but then the most terrible thing happens! At trader joes, the cashier pulls the cart around their side of the isle. I think in India's mind, 'that mean old nasty cashier who I just gave all mama and my food to is now deciding she/he wants me too!'- I quickly reassure her that she is coming right back to me, and the distraught cashier is whispering (or sometimes mouthing) "does she want a baloon?" I gladly reply, "please?!" and within moments India is handed her air filled latex ball. With a big smile, she signs and says "tankoo" to the cashier, and off to the car we go. She yells "weeeee, weeeeee, boooon, weeeeee, weeeeee, booooon..." the whole way home.

wishing i was still in the poconos

2008-12-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

as i promised, here are a few nature shots from the poconos. we did a few nature hikes, though it was sooooo cold, we didn't stay out long. but i loved the one waterfall we visited and the river next to where we stayed. it is such a beautiful place, and i often think about what it would be like to live there.

of coarse chris wakes me up to reality that we will never live there and i am ok with that...but i am a dreamer, and there is nothing wrong with that either.
moriah and i did our own hike one day which she said was her favorite part of the week. i love it that moriah likes the outdoors so much. she reminds me a lot of myself when i was that age. such an imagination.

the hardest part about vacation is coming back. it was so great being in the poconos. i don't think we will go every year, though the rest of the fam would like to. i am hoping to go somewhere warm next time:)

just a thought to end with from Isaiah 9: the people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. you shall multiply the nation, you shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. for you shall break the yolk of their burdens and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. for every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult. and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. for a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on his shoulders; and his name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, eternal father, prince of peace. there will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace..."
what an amazing thing to find peace today. not that it is the first time in history that our world has seen wars, depression, terrorism, natural disastor, persecution...evil has always existed. but there is also peace, love, and grace through it...in it.

Simply Thankful

2008-11-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

This year was our first year having Thanksgiving with just our immediate family. We usually travel to VA or IN to be with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Though we missed being with them this year, the simplicity of having Thanksgiving to ourselves brought us such joy and fulfillment, that we didn't even miss the big turkey (Chris fried chicken instead!). We went out to the Poconos for a whole week with a van full of games, art supplies, food, warm clothes and hiking boots. We only ate out one time at our favorite restaurant, where we always order their mussels in garlic sauce and soak our bread in every last drop of sauce- I am telling you, it is sooo good!
We had a day excursion at the Crayola Factory which was a definite highlight of the week (I highly recommend it). We spent about 4 hours doing different art projects, learning about how crayons are made, and then topped it off with visiting the canal museum on the 3rd floor. Alexa has really grown to love art, especially sculpture, so this was a special treat for her.
We went hiking in a few different free spots and saw a small waterfall (you had to pay to see the big ones-I find something terribly wrong about paying to see a waterfall!).
We finally pulled out Alexa's pottery wheel she got for her birthday and made some little pots to give as gifts for Christmas. At the end of the week, we were all wishing we could stay another week. I love that our family loves to be together. Not all families can say that, and that is simply something to be thankful for.
I'll post more pictures from our hiking later:)

Fun times in Kentucky

2008-11-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

I just returned from visiting friends in Lexington KY. It was Communality's 10 year reunion. Chris and I were there for the "ground diggings" of communality and it was so amazing to see folks there that I hadn't seen in nearly 10 years. It was just India and I that flew there, (thanks Kenneys). It was her first flight. She did ok, but I think it will be much easier when she has her own seat.

Hanging out with the Tatum and Kathe brought back some OLD times. I also saw the Trimbles, Lindles, and Klepacs. It was a weekend full of reunions.
Communality has been through a lot and grown in many ways over the years. There is still a big part of me that feels so at home there.
I especially loved meeting people that had come through communality since we had left there. They have become quite involved in the refugee community, so there were people from all over the world there.
But I mostly loved hanging out with the Kenney family. Good friends and good times. Great memories and even some great food:)

a time to rest and play

2008-11-11T16:04:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a long weekend in Richmond. I took Moriah, India, and Oskar. We played at the children's museum with our cousins, visited more cousins, aunts and uncles, and did a lot of hanging out in the great outdoors.

Moriah is learning about leaves and chlorophyll and has lots of questions. I remember very little from my earth science classes 20 years ago, so I tell her what I know and then head for the outdoors.
She soon gets distracted and wants to hunt for treasures...
So we go"deep into the forest" where I used to explore when I was her age. We find pieces of ancient china, and glass treasure, but our dig for lost dolls comes up unsuccessful...
But we do discover a magnolia tree that encompasses us like a hut, and we talk about what it would be like to live there...
And we end our hunt with a fun swing on the swingset.
I love hanging out with this girl. She is so unique, smart and ambitious.

Hallow E'en

2008-11-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

I love looking at the history of celebrations. I find it so fascinating how tradition gets added upon and changed over the years. The history of halloween goes back to Ireland where it was called Hallow E'en. I traveled to Ireland about 15 years ago, and was awed by the traditions, folklore, symbols and ceremonies. To think that what started before Christ in the small island of Ireland has now moved into this over commercialized "trick or treat" day... well, it is amazing. There are many symbols and ceremonies practiced today that were quite different when they started. Like the Christmas tree or the neck tie, they started off with meaning much different than what they mean today.
For me, and for millions of other Americans, Halloween means that kids get to dress up, have fun and eat lots of candy for one day of the year (well the candy lasts abotu 6 months in our house.)

When we were asked 7 years ago by some friends of ours in the suburbs if we would like to join them for trick or treating, we decided to bring this tradition into our family, just as it had been laid into our families growing up. I love my halloween memories, and I am pretty sure that my girls will always have fond memories of this yearly trek to the burbs where they get loaded down with candy and get to dress up in whatever they want to for one night.
It was the first time I got to go out with them to trick or treat. Usually I stay back with our friend to hand out candy while the men take the kids out. But I knew India would have fun going and I didn't want to slow the rest of the kids down. I thought I would do a few houses and we would be done, but she wanted to keep going. She learned how to say "Icker Eat" and loved putting both hands in the big bowls of candy to pick which one she wanted, (sometimes getting more than her share because she was so cute.) I had a blast with her. She loved all the other kids and seeing peoples dogs (she would yell, "BOY, BOY!")- and people couldn't understand why she was saying "boy." But she made for a cute pocahontas.
Alexa created her own black cat costume, complete with her black cat tattoo on her chest for everyone to see. Moriah made a darling little ballerina. And our friend's boys were jedis.
Today we celebrated the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos ("day of the dead"). If you know the tradition, you know it is not about being a scary day, but about remembering the dead. This morning at breakfast, we shared our memories of our grandparents, and Alexa and moriah shared the memories that they had of the ones they remembered. I think our culture would benefit greatly by this tradition. We are too quick to move on and forget when someone dies. I don't want my children to forget my Nana. She was an amazing person. And I wish that Alexa could have known my Mimi who loved to sew, because Alexa wants to learn to sew so badly. I hope that the stories that we share with them will stay with them and get passed on for generations to come.

Phinally!

2008-10-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

I keep saying to myself that we were part of something great today. Something that 1000,s of people have waited nearly 30 years for. Something that may be a once in a life time experience. I am not a sports person at all. But I do love Philly. And one of the things that I love about it is how passionate the people are, whether it be about sports, politics, or bettering the city. This is a fabulous city!

After the Phillies won, Chris rushed out to Cottman and Frankford, where thousands of people poured out into the streets within seconds of the win. Even in the midst of the drunkenness, there were only 76 arrests. Not too bad considering. So there were some cars turned over, some bottles thrown through windows, and at cops...you could focus on those few incidences...or you could focus on the folks that were high fiving, hugging, dancing together, and revealing more of themselves than should be done in public. Philly is what it is. It's people are who they are.
On the train, on the way to the parade today, there were a bunch of folks downing the beer at 9am. I thought, "Good Lord, that is gross." But then I thought, "only in Philly." It's true. It is what makes us unique and I love living in a city that stands on it's own.

We walked for MILES today, and stood for HOURS in a crowd just to see a few ball players and scream. And then we tried to get on the subway to come home and quickly realized that there was no way to even get to the entrance of it. So we walked miles to find a subway stop that we could get in. But we made it home, and decided that we would be happy next time just watching it on tv. I am glad we did it. I love the excitement. But I also love my space.

VOTE!

2008-10-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Please don't be like this guy!

heirloom tomatoes and good nutrition

2008-10-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for good food. It is funny how simple things in life can bring joy. Eating raw makes you realize this more. This was actually a meal from a few weeks ago. Lately I have been eating squash, eggplant, potatoes, apples, pears... so i am not eating all raw now, but mostly. I am happy to say that a cold that I was sure was going to turn into a respiratory infection cleared up on its own! I think it is the good food. And Alexa asked for a green smoothie for dessert tonight!! And India downed two servings of our raw dinner! Moriah...we are still working on her:(

Resting in the womb

2008-10-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

I have been meditating a lot on the womb of God. A wonderful man by the name of Bill Reed showed me this analogy and it has stuck with me for the past several weeks. Have you ever thought about what it was like in your mothers womb, or if you have been pregnant, just how amazing it is that this life is growing inside you, depending on you. Everything was taken care of for us while we were in the womb, from our food to our temperature to our oxygen supply. It was a perfect life of contentment and swimming around in amniotic fluid. Our mothers didn't think much about it either.
So it is with our Mother God, who holds us in her womb, providing every need when we stay connected to Her life source. Somehow this view of God has brought me to a new place with God... and in that I have found such peace and joy. Yes, my Father God is strong and mighty and will stop at nothing to bring justice on this earth. But She is also nurturing and gentle and meets our every need. The Hebrew word rechem means the "womb" and the plural form of that means "compassion." In Isaiah 46:3-4, God speaks to Her chosen people saying that they were born from Her womb but she still carries them into their old age. (The translation into English loses so much of the meaning).
If we believe that God carries us, and we are in Her womb, then why is it so easy to allow fear or worry to come into our lives. We live in a world that is in crisis. This is without doubt, but "those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." (psalm 91)

May the blessing of the God of Abraham and Sarah,
and of Jesus Christ, born of our sister Mary, and of the
Holy Spirit, who broods over the world as a motehr over
her children, be upon you and remain with you always.
Amen.
(Supplemental Liturgical Texts-episcopal church)

we love fall!

2008-10-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

A mother's journey...

2008-10-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

I love hearing from other moms about their birthing experiences, whether disappointing or perfect. I was inspired by this mom who is artistic enough to create something that helped her work through that journey. I am reminded how wonderful it is to be part of this community of mothers in our world. We all have our own unique stories but are linked by something indescribable.

I have a dorky husband!

2008-10-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

he was the one who put that last post on if you saw it. if you didn't see it, i deleted it.

Happy Birthday... Happy Motherhood

2008-09-29T09:11:00.001-07:00

My good friend has said before that celebrating your child's birthday should also be a day to celebrate you mothering that child. This past week was a week of celebration for me. And it was a week to celebrate Moriah turning 6 and Alexa turning 9!!
I didn't have this blog when I had them. Were there such things as blogs then? I am so behind the times, I don't even know. But I have to post this blog to honor my girls and also to honor motherhood. We also planted India's placenta last week. Sorry if that grosses you out. But I find it incredibly symbolic and beautiful that what nourished life to my child will now nourish life in a fig tree at the river house that I grew up going to and India will grow up going to as well. It will always be a reminder of her life and so much more. I placed it in the hole with India standing at my side saying "blessed are you placenta who nourished my child within my womb, and may you now nourish this fig tree to produce fruit to nourish us all in years to come..."

Here are a few photos (i had to scan them from my scrapbooks) of the births of Alexa and Moriah who I am so thankful to be mothering.

Alexa Kathryn

Moriah Hope

PARTIES!!

Alexa's party was a Hannah Montana party. That is what she wanted. And that is her age. What can I say. I gave her what she wanted and they had a blast. I didn't get a picture of Alexa dressed as hannah montana. It was pretty funny. Maybe for Halloween we'll do it again. The best part of the party was the dance contest. WE pulled out the strobe light. Most of them hadn't heard of one before. One friend lost her tooth because she banged into someone else. Luckily it was already loose!
I even danced a little with them, and then I had to ice my foot. Oh, I hate getting old! One friend sang a song to Alexa for her present. I love that! She has a beautiful voice. Alexa is so blessed to have so many good friends.

Moriah's birthday was a Green Eggs and Ham party (her favorite book). She dressed as Sam and we had everything green. We played a Cat in the Hat game and they mostly just played. Alexa was the face painter. She did a pretty good job. They all liked the cake but only a few tried the green deviled eggs:)

A Mountain Top Experience

2008-09-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

I can remember the days when I was a teenager when I would go to young life camp every single summer. My dad was the camp doc, so we would go free from the time I was in 7th grade until I graduated. It was where I first heard about this loving Jesus, who I decided to begin this wild and crazy life with over 20 years ago!! I loved those camping experiences. It was like a renewal of faith every year, and yes I was one of those kids who made a re-commitment every year. But it was what I needed. I had no Christian friends in high school, and not even a youth group until my junior year. I lived in the valley during the year, looking forward to those mountain top experiences every summer. Literally, we would hike a mountain, and I would always sing that young life song, "It's amazing how you love me...I would climb the highest mountain and sail beyond the sea and it would always bring me back to you again...because it's amazing how you love me..." Come on now, I know I had to get a couple of ya'll singing that tune. It's a classic! Anyways, since graduating from college, I have had very few mountain top experiences. WE just don't go on these retreats where you pull in, fill up your tank, and go on about you business. In a sense, I think I have become kind of skeptical of all that and a bit judgemental even. I am not sure why, though if I really took the time to think about it, I am sure I could come up with many reasons. Anyhow, this past weekend really made me see past all of that and I was able to find spiritual renewal and clarity of mind in a way that I don't think I have ever experienced. My parents invited me to go to Orkney Springs with them. I am so glad I decided to do it. It is connected with the Episcopal church and started partly by a doctor many years ago who had a vision of healing being a mind, body and spirit thing. I mainly went because I wanted to get up in the mountains and hike and have alone time. I did do that. I took great hikes that were beautiful and challenging and all renewing to my soul. But even more was the intense worship and prayer and the challenging and convicting words spoken on compassion and dying to yourself.
I had never heard that compassion in greek means "the womb." I had already had this ongoing theme in my head about labor pains...feeling that something beautiful will be birthed out of this pain that I have been going through over the past several months. And this word about compassion came to the core of my being and changed me. There is so much more to process.

I also feel a renewed hope for the state of our world. The chinese character for crisis is danger and opportunity. We have a lot of dangerous stuff going on around us, but there is also great opportunity. It is in times like these that small things with great love make a difference...when we teach our children to love...when a folks can come together and practice sustainable gardening in the middle of the ghetto...when using your creativity to come up with alternative means of health care or kingdom economics or finding an end to this war in a way that humanizes rather than dehumanizes. It is times like these where we can hold on to hope because we know we are not alone in this journey.
Like I said...a lot to process. May we experience the Lord's Shalom on earth as it is in heaven.

(this is a picture of our prayers being burned at the end of our time there)

A Raw, but not too raw, Birthday Celebration

2008-09-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from when we celebrated Chris's turning 36 last friday. He is officially in the late 30's now!! Since we are a bit tight financially right now, I decided to make a nice meal at home. We normally would go eat at one of his many favorite ethnic hole in the wall places, but I had to incorporate our raw food and save some money at the same time.

Alexa decorated a little bit, and I made the meal. It was so good. Alexa even loved it and said she wants to eat raw. It was a curry cauliflower dish. Yummy.

I did make him some birthday cake, which he and the kids finished off in two days!!!! The only little candle I had was the 4 so we pretended it said 36:)

We had to go to target to pick up a present for a birthday party the girls were invited to. I asked Chris if he wanted me to get him something for his birthday. He said he wanted a potty for India. What a good and selfless dad! Well, until it came down to actually putting it to use. He, like me, lost interest in getting her potty trained after 2 days. We thought she was ready. We'll wait a little while and try again. She still tells us when she needs to go potty but she has only gone pee in the potty once and about 10 times on the floor!

What do you do when you want to have a family day and it is almost 100 degrees and you have no money...

2008-09-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

YOU SAVE THE WORLD!

Step one: Tell kids that we are having a family day.
Step two: Agree to a friend coming with us after church.

Step three: Go home, grab some free food and the dog and get back in the van.
Step four: Tell kids that we were just told that the end of the world was coming in 24 hours! Proceed to tell them that the only way to keep this from happening is if we can find a secret potion which is deep in the forest.
Step five: Arrive at the forest and begin the search.

Step six: Tell the kids what we need for the potion, making sure you only tell them things that you see first (you don't want to be searching for these items too long...it is still like 90 degrees in the forest!)
Step seven: Once you have all the ingredients, find a waterfall.

Step eight: Stir ingredients and say the magic words, "mecca lecca high mecca hiney ho..."

Step nine: Throw the ingredients over the waterfall and celebrate that you have just saved the world.

Step ten: Go home and turn the air conditioner on!

A good breakfast

2008-09-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

I have learned to enjoy the simple things about food during these past 2 weeks. Every morning, I wake up at 6am and grab a few nuts to munch on while I am reading. Then I make my green smoothie around 9am and sip on it for the next hour. It satisfies me more than oatmeal and my stomach doesn't get all bloated. My body feels good. And I feel good mentally too. Tonight I am making a raw curry cauliflower dish to celebrate Chris' birthday. I was going to make a raw cake, but he isn't into this as much as me, and it is his birthday. So, he will have his cake and eat it too. But I will eat my dates and drink my lemon water happily.

ELVIS

2008-09-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

For all you Elvis lovers out there, check out my dad.

My sweet children

2008-09-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

Every time I hear India say "baby" in her cute little voice, it makes me smile. She has such a loving and nurturing personality. She reminds me a lot of Alexa at that age. It is weird that she will never know what it is like to have a baby sibling.

She likes to cook for her baby. And she gets really excited when she feeds her. She giggles in delight as if she is so proud of herself for being the big girl.

She also loves to see babies when we're out and about. She will try to hug them and kiss them, but in such a gentle way. So here is my little domestic chica who likes to cook and take care of babies. I am hoping to buy her a nice wooden play kitchen soon...well whenever I find one that doesn't cost so darn much.

Moriah made me happy today. I have felt like poop all day since it is my first day off caffeine totally. I also have something weird going on with my neck that I can't turn it all the way to the left. So that makes driving a challenge, especially since I have amblyopia in the left eye. But it just made me cranky too. Anyways, Moriah was in the bathroom this morning when I walked in just after getting dressed. She gasped in this dramatic way and exclaimed, "mom, you look soooooo pretty. Can I take your picture." Well, here is my pretty girl. I took a picture of her instead.

bell's palsy, a crazy toddler, and raw food

2008-09-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would blog about a collage of things happening in the lahrtribe this week. I had to get 2 fillings replaced. Those silver ones are getting old and falling apart from all my teeth grinding. Well, my dentist only uses the white fillings since the silver ones have shown to have adverse long-term health problems associated with them (they contain mercury!). But my insurance doesn't cover anything but silver fillings! Nice, huh? SO glad those wealthy insurance companies that take all our money are concerned about the mercury in our mouth. So I dished out $150 for the safe fillings. They look nicer too. Anyways, when I got the shot of novacaine, it must have hit the same nerve that causes bell's palsy. Here is the result. One of me smiling and one of me blowing a kiss. Thankfully it only lasted a few hours.

I had to go pick up the girls from their first day of school looking like I had a stroke. I just covered my mouth while I talked to the teachers. They probably thought I was a nut. So much for first impressions.

India, as I said, has been working on the somersaults. She has got it down good now.

Chris and I started a raw food cleanse/fast this week. We plan on going 3 weeks. It is the 6th day, and I feel a lot better. I am not drinking coffee anymore which is a huge deal for me. I do have a cup of yerba mate in the morning, which has helped with the headaches. But this week I am going to go off that. That is the hardest part. I also miss dairy. I never realized how hard it would be to give up dairy. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard if I could eat a nice plate of rice and beans, but I always throw some type of cheese on my salads, so it is taking some getting used to having all these veggies with no dip or dairy with it. But my stomach feels so good. I have always thought that I had a slight lactose intolerance. It is hard to know what is making my belly feel good..giving up lactose or gluten. I guess when I go off the fast, I will introduce things one at a time. We are doing the cleanse/fast for physical and spiritual reasons. I am not much of a faster, but I think this is more my kind of fast than just water. I gained some weight after losing my job. I was eating a lot of junk and feeling really sluggish. I have appreciated the aspect of thinking about everything that goes in my mouth. Not in the obsessive way, but in the way that I am gaining discipline and thinking about where things come from...how they got to my table (or blender). I couldn't be a raw foodist forever, but I can see myself doing this as a seasonal cleanse. I read a girls blog who is a raw foodist and she does four cleanses a year. I don't see how you need to cleanse when all you eat is raw and vegan food. She weighs 108 pounds! I don't want to be that obsessive. I like cooked veggies. I have been really craving cooked butternut squash with mixed eggplant, tomatoes, and basil. I make that a lot in the fall. It will be one of my first things to eat in a couple weeks:) Spiritually, I think this fast has been good because I have been meditating more and more on suffering...and how we are called to do it. I don't mean that I am suffering by eating this way..I am definitely not, but I just think it does me good to give up some pleasures from time to time. It keeps me from thinking that they are my right. And it helps me to have a bit more solidarity with others who have less. And it helps me to realize that this suffering servant that our lives are supposed to reflect, calls us much deeper into a life and love that unsettles me. It shakes my comfortable view of who I am as a Christian in this world of incredible suffering. I want to post more on some of my thoughts since Chris has returned from Rwanda and South Africa. I am still processing the whole thing. We have watched a couple good movies that I would recommend. Beyond the Gates and Cry for Freedom are hard to watch but very truthful. More later.

Kindergarden and Third Grade

2008-09-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can not believe that Alexa is a third grader. That officially seems old to me. She is a young woman in so many ways. But she is still my little girl in most ways and I am not ready to give that up. She is in class with three good friends. We haven't met the teacher yet, but she sounds nice.

Even more crazy is Moriah being a Kindergartner. She has been so excited for this day for so long. She was all smiles. Her teacher is great and her class seems great too. She has been reading all sorts of books about kindergarten. She told me yesterday, "mom, I read my last book about kindergarten today. It was a great book to end the summer with and start kindergarten with." She is so darn cute!

SO now we are back to having just India at home. It is bittersweet of coarse.
She is so much fun to be with and at this age where she is learning so much every day, I am thankful for this time I have with her. She is saying a lot of sentences now.
"where's mommy?"
"I want down."
"I want up."
"I have baby."-she says this when she poops!
"night-night baby."-when she is tucking in her dolls
"here ya go boy." - talking ot oskar
"I want more juice...peez"
She say a lot more, but you get the picture. She also likes to give you five or pound. She loves her sissies. She calls them titi because she can't make the sound too well. She is almost doing somersaults too. Maybe we should just start training her now for London 2012.

It was a good summer over all. Lots of memories for all of us (some sad or hard, but mostly happy): disney world, papa fest, the rivah, indiana, the beach, theater camp, Cornerstone festival, learning to ride bikes, Africa, Labor and Delivery, saying final good-byes to an uncle and a grandmother...Now on to making more memories.

Our Indiana Trip

2008-08-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't take hardly any pictures while we were in Indiana. It was really good though. I just read, sat by the pool, went on my daily runs, read, sat by the pool...you get the picture. But all that with a toddler is not quite as relaxing as it could be. But even still, I really came home feeling relaxed. Chris seemed to stay somewhat busy. He has way more energy than I do. He flew in on that Thursday night from Africa after being on 11 flights in 15 day!! He woke up early the next day to take care of some of his Mission Year stuff before we left for Richmond. We spent the night there and got up early for my uncle's memorial service and then drove the 90 minutes to the rivah to spread his ashes. It was a good service in many ways even though it was difficult. That ended about 4pm and we got back in the van and drove 7 hours to Wheeling WV to sleep at our good friend Jimmy's.. Chris stayed up until 1 am talking to him but I went to bed. We woke up at 8 and left for Indiana. He spoke to a youth group of another friend of ours. He even played in a game of dodge ball. I stayed on the side lines because my foot was hurting pretty bad. (I also have bad memories as a kid of playing dodge ball, so I was glad for the excuse) Anyways, throughout the week, he woke up early almost every day for meetings with different people. We did go out for breakfast in honor of old grandma (we always took her out and ordered mush with her).
After that we went to the grave yard which was neat to see all the Lahr ancestors. We will really miss old grandma. I am so glad that Alexa and Moriah have such fond memories of her though.
The kids swam every day. India loved getting in and out at the steps and by the end of the week was jumping in as Chris caught her. Alexa was swimming the whole length of the pool and jumping off the diving board trying to make it to the olympics. Moriah was doing handstands and flips and made up a new stroke. It was breast stroke with the arms and freestyle with the legs. Cute stuff.

Chris' new Blog

2008-08-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Chris has started a new blog, as suggested by me, to share his Africa stories. His trip was very intense and life changing, as expected. He made some great connections with amazing folks, and I thought it would be helpful for him to process everything if he wrote it all out and it would be a good way of letting others know about what is going on over there.

The Clearing

2008-08-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Finding myself in the middle of the woods, with no people around, no distractions (except for spiders, squirrels, frogs, beavers, and deer), and a journal and a Henri Nouwen book. I didn't know how much I needed that until I had it. The place is called "The Clearing" because it is a place where you can clear your head. It took some time for me to find the silence from within, and maybe I never quite got there. It is really hard to quiet yourself when you are not used to silence! But I really need to do it more often. This book really journeyed me into a place of receiving. I mostly sat in quietness and felt like I was receiving peace more than anything. But I also feel like I have come out of this time with a new look on my life, my family and my purpose. It is probably all much too personal to blog about. I am going to be taking this time that I am not working to refocus my life. I learned a lot about myself while I was there and part of my response to that is feeling the need to take some time to just be. I don't know how else to describe it, but I am pretty excited about it and I feel a lot of peace. I also made the commitment to myself and to God that if I feel myself spiraling down like that again, that I will make the time to go off in the woods (or somewhere) again.
Another book that was suggested to me is pretty good in talking about finding the "secret place" wherever you are. It has been a challenge for me as a mom and working to find times to really pray or be able to listen to what God may be speaking to me. I like the whole idea of being able to escape in your mind in the midst of chaos:)
I also learned a lot about organic gardening and chickens while I was there.

The 30 acres was bought by this couple 2 years ago in Charles City Virginia. On the land is where the first treaty was signed between the American Indians and settlers. It is very close to Jamestown. It is awesome that the land where so much deception took place is now being used for good. I love that! Anyhow, they are also gardening and raising chickens. Almost everything we ate was straight from their land. I love that too! They are planning to make a labrynth on the land which will be awesome. I am hoping Chris and I can go together sometime.

Here a couple pictures from the rivah, my favorite place to see a sunset.

The Rivah

2008-08-11T08:16:00.001-07:00

Being at the rivah is fun for the kids and relaxing for me. Alexa tubed and tried to ski for the first time. She almost got up! They had fun playing witht heir cousins and the weather was so nice. I love sitting at the end of the pier reading or just listening to the water. I tried to sneak out there during India's nap times when I could.

The hardest part of these past two weeks has been not having Chris here. We have not been able to talk at all for 2 weeks!! WE are emailing every few days which is helpful. I am heading back to philly tomorrow to get some things done before Chris gets back on Thursday. Then we will come back to Virginia for my uncle's memorial service. Then we will drive to IN for Chris' grandmohthers memorial and to spend a week out there.

Alexa and Moriah were supposed to have to start back at school tomorrow but their summer got extended. THANK GOD! We are looking forward to having family time for a couple of weeks before we get back to the whole school routine. Chris has not shared much of his experiences with me. All I know is that it has been pretty hard on him and most of the stories are not appropriate for the kids. I can't imagine the poverty he is face to face with, and how hard it is to just come and go like that. He did get interviewed on public radio and was also interviewed on TV that networked 23 African countries. All that because Shane got stuck in Kenya an extra day so he was taking his place. I laughed so hard when I read that because Chris gets so nervous in front of the camera. They even put makeup on him.

I did have my retreat the other day. It was really good. I will write about it soon. I want to get my pictures developed from it. I read through some of Henri Nouwen's book The inner voice of love--wow, that book is something I needed 10 years ago, but I am glad for what it is speaking into my life now. More later.

India's first haircut

2008-08-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

I know chris won't be too happy but I felt India needed some settling of her wild hair. I just felt the need to get it under control. Her hair was getting pretty wild and ratty so I decided ot try to tame it. What do you think?? Anyways, it seems thicker and will grow in much nicer now...She was great for the cut. She did not move hardly at all. So cute.

rough week

2008-07-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

This has been a hard week all around. First, losing my job, then Chris leaving for Africa knowing that his grandma was dying, then finding out my uncle died 7 months ago, and getting the news that old grandma did die. She died on Thursday night. Old grandma had been telling Chris for years that she wanted him to speak at her funeral. She made sure everyone knew it and even as sick as she was, she was telling people 2 days before she died how "different" her funeral would be because Chris would be speaking at it. His dad just kept telling her that he would be there...knowing that he might not...but Chris had written out words to be read just in case. We all hoped she would hang on a bit longer, but God had other plans, and I know she is much happier being with God than worrying about her funeral. I got a hold of Chris right before he got on the plne to south africa. Say a prayer for him. It is really hard for him not to be there.
Also, I found out that my uncle, who we have been praying for for 12 years, died. And none of his family was notified. It is a long story, but it is a shock to everyone. It is hard to have closure when something like that happens.
I am down in VA now and trying to relax and focus, but it has been hard to settle down from within. Hopefully going on my retreat will help.

perspective

2008-07-27T11:44:00.001-07:00

Thank you daphne for your thoughtful words that put my crap into perspective. I think I am done blogging for a while and I will just make links to others blogs:) Kidding.
So, we are tired as all get out after a long week and a much longer weekend. The kids are watching a movie and I am trying to figure out what the next step is after all this. I "lost" my job this week. It is a really long story and maybe I will blog about it, maybe I won't... But I was asked to preach today and at first I really didn't want to. But then I thought that maybe it would give me some incentive to "figure it all out." SO I went for an 8 mile walk around Kelly drive and I spent hours in front of the Bible reading about the life of Joseph. In the end I do feel encouraged and maybe a little bit excited to see what is in store. Thanks to Carlos, my dad's mentor and trainer, I have new wisdom on these past few months of my life. Joseph had a dream of his brothers bowing down to him, but it wasn't until at least 13 years later that they actually did. And he had to be sold into slavery, accused of rape and thrown in jail before that would ever happen. David was appointed to be king by God, but it would be 15 years before he would take his throne. And he had to live life on the run all those years! Maybe when God gives us a vision or dream for something we want in life, we need to be open to the journey to get there. Maybe the PURPOSE is the journey and not the end. Hmmmmmm... Just a thought. Hebrews 11:39 says, talking about all the women and men of faith that "these were all commended for their faith yet none of them received what they had been promised." It is not about asking God why things happen to us, but what we need to learn from it and what do we do now. SO, that is what I am up to, trying to "figure it out."

In other news, Alexa did an amazing job in her performance with YES AND, a theatre camp that we have been taking her to since she was one for the performances. It was awesome seeing her actually taking part this year. And she is a natural actor. She had a friend spend the night that night and didn't go to sleep until late. And then last night was the Jesus for President show. It was great seeing friends and catching up. And it was a great show and great music with the psalters and Aimee Wilson. We got back super late and so today we are just hanging low. I might clean the house, or not.
Chris is packing to travel to Germany, South Africa and Rwanda. I will probably go down to be with my folks. I am looking forward to reading a lot, and not about pre-eclampsia, or shoulder dystocia or anything to do with L&D. I am going to go on a spiritual retreat while I am there. I will post more later. Thanks to everyone who has been so encouraging these past few months. It has been rough, but I know that it has been for a purpose.

a mom and the internet...

2008-07-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

a very inspiring post from a mom has kind of confirmed some things going on in my head these past few months. Ever since I have started my new job and been away from my family 32 hours out of the week, I have found the time that I do have to be more precious. And doing what I am doing now (sitting at the computer) takes me away from that time. I desire the simplicity of sitting on the floor with my toddler creating art together or just playing patty cake:) I desire to sit with my school age daughters at the table and read together or to work on a project in the kitchen or teach them a new skill (like knitting). All those desires are in my heart and my mind, but somehow it is so much easier to sit at the computer and read about other moms doing cool things instead of doing it myself.

I have a couple more weeks of orientation in this job. I may or my not have a job after these 2 weeks. I will be honest and say that I almost wish that I won't so that I can have more time with the kids. But even when I was only working 12 hours a week, I still didn't find much time for those things.

I really am going to try to put these things first! If I have time to go to the computer, then that will come after they are in bed. I want my kids to remember me interacting with them and not the computer.

After a really bad day at work, it is so nice to come home to this...

2008-07-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

and this...

My husband is so awesome. Really, I am so blessed. I have been going through an incredibly rough couple months with my transition into this new job. I thank God that I have an amazing family to come home to. There are a lot of people out there who have crappy family situations on top of crappy jobs. I don't know how they do it! Alexa, Moriah and India are such great girls and Chris is a really good man! Enough said.

"meme"- not my mom

2008-07-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

my kids call my mom mimi, but i have been "meme'd" by daphne. I thought her 7 facts were really cute, so i felt challenged to come up with a few about myself.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven Facts:
1. I am extremely passionate about women's health care issues, and I hate working in the hospital setting of labor and delivery.
2. I made mostly A's and a few B's through college and nursing school, but I am dyslexic and probably ADD.
3. I have three daughters but my husband is the one who does their hair in the mornings.
4. I love to run, do aerobics, dance to crazy Indian music and do yoga.
5. I am a wannabe extrovert introvert.
6. I hate fantacy football.
7. I love dark chocolate and red wine but not together.

I'll meme Michelle, Maria and Caren, cassie, and i can't think of any more so that will have to do:)

Goodbye Punkrock Mommy

2008-07-05T17:47:00.001-07:00

You will be greatly missed. Your family will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Sending up a prayer

2008-06-27T11:05:00.001-07:00

Because I have been so busy these past couple months, I have lost touch with other blogs that I normally read. I ran into a friend today who told me the sad news that andrea, who I blogged about a few months ago, has given up all treatments for her cancer and has only a few days left. She is spending all her time with her family now. She has six kids, the youngest is India's age. Please pray for them, and pray that she may have the least amount of pain as possible. As a mom, it is very hard to see why God chose not to heal her to live for her kids. But He does heal. (It is the trusting part that gets a bit tricky)
But her life has spoken volumes to mine and to so many other moms and I just wanted to take make room on my blog to honor her. Thank you Andrea for being real and open with your journey towards Jesus.

catch up...

2008-06-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

So, the past several weeks have been a bit busy to say the least. I have not had much time to check email, much less to blog. Ever since China, it has pretty much been non stop. We just got back from Indiana on Tuesday. We visited Chris grandma, who we call "old grandma" who is living in a nursing home now.
Before that, we were at papafest which was a lot of fun. We had India with us and the older girls stayed with their grandma and grandpa. I flew into Chicago, where Chris picked me up and we spent 3 nights in small town Illinois with some good friends (Samsons, Kenney's, and Swanson's) camping out. I got pretty sick by the end of the trip. But all in all, we had a great time. We had a session on natural childbirth, which rocked!!

Before that, Moriah "graduated" from pre-school. She did a duet in her class performance. I Was impressed that my quiet and shy girl could get up there and be so brave.

india is now saying "no" in the oh so cutest way. she has been shaking her head no for months now when I say night night or nurse. but now she says no. oh, we are in for it. It is officially toddlertown when you hear that word!!

Chris is in Florida with the older girls now. I will post more details and picures later. It is a big surprise for them:)

my brother's wedding

2008-06-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

My little brother got married last week to Brittany and is now the proud dad of Christany. We are so blessed to have these two wonderful new additions to our family. It was such a beautiful wedding and I was so happy to see my brother to be so in love and also to be such a great daddy to this precious little girl!!

I need to breathe!

2008-06-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

Why do I do this to myself. I have been so busy these past three weeks, and looking at my calender just makes me panic. I am not going to have a break for a month from the travel, work, travel, work, travel, work schedule. It is all fun and good things, but I am so tired. Just wanted to say I am alive and will write more on all our travels later. Here is a cute picture my in-laws sent of the lahr gang- all 7 of them the last time we were in Huntington.

If you dig a hole and keep on digging...

2008-05-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Will you get to China? Well, at least you can get there by airplane. The flight was a long 13 hours and with no sunset or nightfall. I don't know how that works, but it was basically daylight for my aunt and I for 2 days. We flew over Alaska (picture below) and Russia (which was just as beautiful with the snowy mountain tops).

We arrived to Beijing exhausted but excited. We drove about an hour to our hotel where we were greeted by these cute musicians and a handful of hotel workers gave us a refreshing washcloth and a cocktail with a flower in it. We stayed in a 5 star hotel. I will probably never get the chance again to stay in this nice of a place, so I enjoyed every minute of it. I liked this picture because you can see the fresh flowers in our hotel (the smell about knocked you over every time you entered) and the musicians playing in the background who ended up playing EVERY night we were there in the lobby.

Then there was the The Forbidden City. This place was built thousands of years ago as the home of the emperor. It has 999 ½ (because it is said that there are 1000 rooms for the god in heaven) rooms in it with many beautiful courtyards. I know the pictures do not display the majesticness of being there, but imagine walking and touching the same rocks, or trees that the emperors touched. It is a totally amazing experience.

We visited the Imperial Garden after the forbidden city tour. These rocks were brought up hundreds of years ago from southern China to be displayed in the emperor's garden. How did they do that?? Cool trees, huh?

We drove by Tiananmen square where tens of thousands of people visit every single day. We were not allowed to walk through there for some reason, but it was awe inspiring to think about what took place there.

We went on a rickshaw tour of the hutong (narrow streets) of China. We ate lunch with a local family and learned about the average daily life of the family that lives there.

We had tea at a beautiful historical place where we learned the chinese art of tea. If you know us well, you know how much Chris and I love Chinese tea, so this was fun for me and I brought back some pretty good oolong and jasmine teas for Chris.

This picture didn't come out well but those are scorpions and sea horses on a stick. They also had starfish on a stick. Chris ate squid on a stick in Taiwan. He was disappointed in me not trying the scorpians.

The second most fabulous thing that I experienced was having dinner in the Great Hall of the People. This is a HUMONGOUS building that holds conventions, meetings , and dinners for government officials. There is one room there that seats 10,000 people for dinner. We used a smaller room This is where the president would go to meet with government officials. We were the only ones there that night and we were told that even he Chinese people are not allowed in this building. It took some major string pulling to get us in there.

We visited the Cloissone factory on our way to the Great Wall. I loved seeing how these beautiful pieces of art are made, step by step. I had no idea so much work went into it.

Many of you knew I would be visiting the Great Wall. Well, that was our final day there. It was THE MOST AMAZING THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED!!!! I was totally emotional. From the second that we saw the wall from our bus, to the moment we walked up to it with traditional Chinese men playing drums as we crossed the entrance, to the moment I reached the summit of this particular piece of the 3000 miles of wall, to the spectacular display of the wall illuminating as night fell upon our dinner party, and finally as the most beautiful fireworks display celebrated the finish to our week in China. I can not tell you how amazing that night was. No words describe it and no pictures portray it well enough! It was the perfect night (other than Chris not being there)! Climbing those thousands of steps and reaching the top, looking down, I thought about the soldiers that climbed those very steps thousands of years ago, and the history that this wall encapsulates! I am so blessed to have experienced this.

We also drove through the area where the olympics will be. This is a huge thing for China. They have had years to prepare and they are still working 24/7 to prepare. We were kept awake many nights by the construction that went on all through the night hours. But the city is beautiful. There are flowers everywhere, and the government is really working hard to make laws that will bring down pollution (which is of deepest concern in the country right now).
My aunt and I visited a reflexology school where we had 90 minutes of foot, leg and even back massage for 20 minutes. It was totally different that anything I have experienced. We sat in a room in nice chairs that reclined and 2 young men came in. They acted like they had never had American clients before. They tried to speak what English they knew and we tried to speak the Chinese we knew. It was a very fun and funny experience, and of coarse relaxing. Though I could have used it the day after I climbed the wall!!
All in all, I loved my trip. Our flight home was prolonged becasue our pilot had a heart attack. Long story, but we got back a day later than we were supposed to and a lot more tired. I got right in the car and drove home to philly. THank heavens for good 95 traffic. India didn't want anything to do with me at first. It was heartbreaking but I wasn't to surprised. She is finally getting back to normal. Nursing is going better and my body is slowly adjusting to the time change. I have many more pictures and stories but I don;t want to write a book. I do hope to go back one day, though I am sure it would be a totally different experience.

So glad to be back

2008-05-15T03:35:00.000-07:00

After 40 plus hours of travel, I am finally home. The pilot had a heart attack before we took off from Beijing so we had to sit on the plane for hours before we finally decided to take off and land in san fran, refuel and then off to chicago where we all had to spend the night because we all missed our connections. I am so happy to be with my family. I am totally jet lagged and exhausted, but happy to be home.

The earthquake was felt in Beijing, but we were in a bus at the time so we didn't even know until late that night. It is a terrible and devastating thing to see all the lives that have been lost from this quake, not to mention the cyclone in Myranmar.

India was a little mad at me at first. She took about an hour to warm up to me and still hasn't nursed yet. I am not too worried about it. Of coarse it makes me sad and feel guilty and all that. But she is young and I have a whole week with her before I go back to work. I am going to have to win her over again.
I am working on my blog about my trip with pictures. I should have it up by the end of the day.

san francisco

2008-05-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

How refreshing to be in another city that is doing things a bit greener and looking out for their people a it more. I love philly, but there are a few things that we could learn from cities like san francisco. Where it isn't odd to see a sign for "grass-fed beef," or to see solar panels, or for the toll booth lady to let us go across the golden gate bridge for free because there were three of us in the car. There is no perfect city, but this one seems to "get it" a bit more than east coast cities do.

The vineyards in napa valley are breathtaking, not to mention, endless. Everywhere you look from the mountains, to the valleys are covered. Then there are the roses. I wanted to rub them all over me, they were so fragrant. I only wish i could have stayed there longer.

We visited a few wineries and tasted some amazing wines. I know a bit more about wine and feel like I will not be able to appreciate my $6 bottle of wine as much anymore. But it was an amazing experience.

We visited my brother's old restaurant that he worked for called The French Laundry. It is a extremely well known and expensive restaurant. We couldn't afford to eat there but we took some nice pictures in the garden.

We visited fishermen's wharf, stood on top spencer battery to take pictures of the golden gate bridge, and drove the crookedest street of america. We saw the sea lions and alcatraz from pier 39.

My aunt and I had a lovely time with my brother. We are leaving early tomorrow for China. I am not looking forward to 13 hours on the plane, but I can't wait to be there. I miss the kids like crazy. Everything I saw today, I wanted to share with them.

IS 15 MONTHS A TODDLER??

2008-05-02T16:15:00.001-07:00

seriously, i thought i had more time. this sweet baby that has blessed us with 15 months of sleeping well, eating what ever we give her, nursing well, never crying unless she is tired or hungry ( i promise! ). Where did that baby go. Now she is saying a new word every day. Though she has not said "no" yet, she understands it. She shakes her head fervently, exclaiming her protest when I try to give her pea soup, or nurse her on the left side (yep, I am lop-sided now!), or put her down for a nap. She still sleeps ok, but she is starting to protest the thought of it at first. I am glad she likes the pacifier though, because this always helps her nestle into a good sleep.

She still is my sweet bug, but there is a new attitude coming out that I guess I wasn't quite ready for. She is sassy! She likes to climb onto chairs and sit, winging her legs. Her new thing is to climb onto the chair and then the table, and stand on the table!! She is a lot like Moriah was as a toddler, but I don't remember it starting this early. The thing that is different about her is her attitude towards others. She is a complete mix of Alexa and Moriah. It totally depends on her mood. She can be totally shy, or a complete social butterfly. I love taking her shopping because she waves hi to everyone she sees and screams "hiiiiiiiiiii" or "byyyyyyyeeeeeebbbbyyyyyyyyeeee" You can just see hearts melting from her cuteness. But if she is tired, forget it. She won't give you the time of day. I love seeing her personality evolving, and I love being with her every day. I am going to miss her so much these next 2 weeks. Hopefully she will go back to nursing. This will help us tremendously.
I am still enjoying my job. I did have an emergency c-section experience as well as an adoption experience. The woman came in, high on crack, had delivered her 4 lb baby at home and showed up at the ER with the placenta in her. She didn't want to see the baby and said she was giving her to her neighbors. I was overwhelmed by all this to say the least. I know I will see crazy things, and I hope I have the strength and heart to continue on without becoming hardened.

Did I mention...

2008-04-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

that I am going to China in a week! Yeah, in the midst of starting a new job, learning a whole new set of skills, Chris being gone for 3 days, finding babysitters, planting a garden, and all the other every day stuff...I am going to China. I can't remember if I posted this yet or not, but my aunt won a trip to Beijing through her work. Her husband wasn't up for the long flight so I was next in line. Wheeeewwwwww! So, we leave a week from today. I will drive to Richmond on Sunday for my future sister-n-law's shower, then monday we leave for San Francisco to see my brother. We will stay 2 nights there and then leave for China. We are only staying one week, which is barely enough to get over the jet lag, but I am not complaining. It is free, and I have always wanted to see the great wall. We will actually be able to have dinner on it!! I will post pictures while I am there, so stay tuned. Mostly, I am sad about leaving India. She is going to be fine, but I am really going to miss her. Not that I won't miss everyone else, but India changes every day. I am hoping she will adjust back to nursing when I return.

these pictures were taken at a local catholic retreat center where chris goes once a month to get away from us:)

we saw dozens of deer but they were too quick to get pictures of...

In other news, I witnessed my first c-section. It was an emergency section. I was a nervous wreck. I had one great day and one not so great one last week. I hope the great days out number the other ones. I have so much to learn!! My preceptor told me that she never expects a woman who comes onto our floor to have a normal labor, because "most of the time they are not normal." I have had this in my mind all week. This myth of most women not having normal labors is the cause of the high c-section rates, the increased use of pitocin and epidurals. And leads to difficulties with recovery, breastfeeding, and mother-infant bonding. I have a long road ahead of me of biting my tongue to comments like these!! I pray that I will be able to endure it for what it is and learn as much as I can. I am so happy to have this job. I know I will have many great experiences. I am keeping a journal so that I won't forget.

Spectacular

2008-04-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more beautiful to me than birth. I have had a lot of people ask me why I would want to be a labor and delivery nurse. How can I stand screaming women and all the blood and poop and stuff. I guess it is how I was made. Just like springtime brings such joy to me after a long cold winter. Just like hearing testimony from someone who has become free of a drug addiction and now lives in the freedom of Christ. Just like a flower piercing the cold hard ground to reach towards the sun in all of its glory. Seeing a baby brought into this world is the most spectacular thing on earth!!! I have given birth three times and now have supported three births. Today made me realize why I became a nurse. I knew it already, but today just was a fullness of the joy, excitement and accomplishment of it all. I thank God for this job, wherever it might take me. I know there will be frustrations, and there already are. But to witness a miracle and be paid for that. Shoot, who could ask for anything better!!

So much to write about...

2008-04-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I have posted that I am not sure what to write about. Should I tell about our first experience with PROP (paupers right of passage- a poverty simulation that we are leading through mission year). Should I talk about Alexa and Moriah's gymnastics "recital." Or our trip to Indiana. Or should I talk about my last day as a medical/surgical nurse and my new job I started as a Labor and Delivery nurse. Or should I talk about the breastfeeding class I taught on saturday morning in Kensington to hispanic women (some whom are teens) that have a desire to nurse their babies. Ok, so you know why I haven't posted in a while. I have been busy and don't even know where to start. So I will just throw in some pics of a bunch of stuff.
Mostly I feel like writing about this awesome book I just read. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. The author tells about her years experience with her family to live off of the land, only eating food that they grew or that was grown locally. I don't know why, but I have grown more and more passionate about this issue over the past year. I always knew that the produce, dairy and meats that we eat are not as good and wholesome as they were 100 years ago because of the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and the anti-biotics and hormones. But my mind has been opened to the issue of our fuel driven economy and how much oil goes into a meal. Have you ever thought about how far your dinner has gone to get to your table. Well a typical meal travels 1000's of miles depending on what you are eating. Where do you think the blueberries or asparagus that you eat in february come from?? Eating organic isn't always the answer either since it travels just as many miles. What about the mac n cheese we cook for our kids. Look at the list of ingredients on the package and ask yourself where each ingredient comes from. We don't usually know, but this book made me wake up to this reality. We pay for that fuel in our taxes, not in the grocery stores. That's right, local farmers are struggling because grocery stores will buy up tomatoes from across the country rather than their own home town because it is cheaper for them. But we pay for that discount in taxes!!! It is such a screwed up system, and it is driven by a capitalistic mentality that disregards the health of the consumer, the welfare of the farmers, and the ecosystem that provides for us!! We wreck our soil with chemicals! We push carcinogens on the customer without the blink of an eye. How did our society get to this point. WE are destroying ourselves and our environment!
I am reading Omnivore's Dilema now. It is talking about how we got to the point of the use of chemicals in farming. Did you know these same chemicals were used in world war II to make explosives, and when the war ended, the government tried to find another use for them so that those corporations that produced the chemicals would not fall under. Well, they found another use, and farmers quickly realized these synthetic fertilizers helped them to harvest much more corn per acre, thus much more profit. There is a lot more to this, because now, most farmers spend more on these fertilizers and pesticides, and seeds than they make from the harvest. It is a complex web of capitalistic gain. I could go on about all of this and I have so much more to learn, but it has put a new challenge on my mind and plate. Seeking local produce. The whole way up to Indiana I looked at the farms and thought about what they would have looked like 100 years ago. As beautiful as those huge farms look from a distance, I found much more beauty in the simple small farms of the amish in Indiana. Seeing an old man plowing the fields with a hand plow was a striking contrast to the farm we had passed earlier in the trip where we saw a guy spraying his fields with a high tech truck. I grieve the loss of small farms in this country for all that our society as a whole has lost with it. I am not ready to become amish or anything, but I do want to make small steps. WE visited a family run honey farm while in Indiana.
We bought a lot of honey, if anyone wants some. And I will be planting more this year in our yard as well as seeking out farmers markets that sell local produce. And I want to buy a big freezer so that when I buy the local produce I can freeze it to last us longer.

you know how it is...

2008-04-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

you know that feeling you get when your favorite restaurant closes down. if you live in philly, then you definitely know what i am talking about. well, it just stinks, doesn't it?? knowing you will never have that favorite dish again, or see those waiters/waitresses again, or just experience the smells, tastes, and atmosphere. I guess that is how i have been feeling these last few days. Chris had his procedure (you know...the one that ensures that there are no more babies.). It is a weird and sad feeling. I know how content we are with our three girls, but I also feel i need to grieve a little at the fact that i will never experience pregnancy and birth again. Also, I am, starting a new job in a couple of weeks as a labor and delivery nurse. i know i will have it in my face day after day and hopefully "get my fix." but it isn't the same as experiencing it yourself.

the winter is past...mostly

2008-03-27T18:37:00.000-07:00

My beloved speaks and says to me:
Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
for now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines are in blossom.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away."
--Song of Solomon 2:10-13

Oh, how I love spring. It is my favorite time of year. I have memories of previous years where my soul was truly nourished with new birth as the flowers so depict to us during this time of year. Winter is usually a hard time for me as I am one of those people who have a bit of the seasonal blues. This year wasn't so bad, partly because of the greenhouse effect making it a lesser winter for us:( But mostly because I have have had such fun with India over these past several months. Even still, I do liken to the dramatic scene of spring where new life breaks through the hard packed "winter-weary soil" (as written by the midwives).
I thought of my friend Alison who lost her baby last year, and now she is 5 months pregnant. The depths of despair that she was in this time last year brought her to a darkness of the soul and a winters grief that would soon bring her to a place where she could decide to shrivel up in anger and a hope that was broken. But instead she chose life. As the coldness of winter brings the land to an appearance of death, there still lies hope. A dormant seed, and the potential for rebirth. This hope brought new life within Alison.
In the celebration of our Christ's death and resurrection, in the earths shift from sleep mode to vibrancy, in our own souls depths of depression moving towards spiritual growth and wholeness. I celebrate the "sacred process we share with the natural world: tender shoots of green hope push up through the dark earth, bulbs break open and leave their dried up casings behind, and buds awaken." (Midwives)

Can I finally say that my kids resemble me?

2008-03-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

For the most part, for the past 8 and a half years, I have heard that my children look just like Chris. Sure, there are the random "she looks like your mom," "she looks like your dad," (don't all babies look like old men anyways?), and even a few people lately have said that Alexa looks like me. So I pulled out the scrapbook my mom compiled for my 30th b-day present. I found a picture of me when I was 8 on Christmas. Then I flipped through my camera and found a picture of the girls this past Christmas with Alexa smiling kinda like me. What's the vote?? Does she still look like Chris, or can I have some credit??

Recently someone asked where India gets her cheeks from. After looking at some old photos, I can clearly take the credit for that. Heck, a co-worker told me the other day that I am cheeky.

So, post your vote and let me know what you think. To all of those non-comment leaving friends of mine...It isn't so hard...Really, I want to know what you think:)

"Stars on Earth"

2008-03-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

I saw this amazing movie that I had to share about. It is a Hindi movie, so if you can get past the subtitles (sorry mom), and some funny looking teeth, and oh yes, a clown scene, then I think you will be moved to tears by this one. Maybe it is because I myself have dyslexia, or maybe it is because I have an eight year old who is struggling to learn how to read. But for any of you who work with children, have children or have been through this as a child, I highly recommend this film. It is about an eight year old boy named Ishaan who is severely dyslexic, but he doesn't know it until half way through the film. He struggles with letters, numbers, fine motor skills, following directions, and just about everything that a child in school is expected of. He was usually lost in his imagination and had an amazing ability to materialize that imagination onto paper. He was an artist. He was sent off to boarding school where he just became more angry and lost his faith in life and art. It wasn't until a new art teacher came to his school and noticed him and began to reach out to him, that Ishaan was able to learn in his way and begin to function as a student and flourish as an artist.
I could sympathize with Ishaan at times because of what I went through at that age, though to a lesser extent. And I could sympathize with the mom at times because of what I am going through with Alexa, though also at a much lesser extent. I am so thankful that I was able to go to a highschool for dyslexics and learned how to learn. Our schools do not make adjustments for the kids that learn differently, and it is a constant battle if you have a child that doesn't fit the mold. India (the country) is much worse. I know this because in my friend's orphanage, there are a hand full of kids who are not passing. They are expected to learn at least 3 languages at this age!! Dyslexia is having difficulty with written and/or verbal language, and these kids are expected to learn three!! SO, I am thankful that we are not a society that expects that much from our little ones, but I also know that we have a long way to go in the classroom to accommodate these special children, who are "stars on earth," as the movie says. If I had not had the education offered to me in highschool, there is no way I would be a nurse right now. We need to look at our children as the future (sorry for the cliche). Who is to say that the child you know that is failing school now won't find the cure to cancer in the future or write a book that changes your life. Einstein, Edison, Picasso, Henry Ford, da Vinci, & Ansel Adams are just a few people who had dyslexia and changed out world. I embrace my daughter's creativity, knowing that this is the most precious gift she has. I pray that we can help her to read well and foster who she is as a person so she can live to her greatest potential.
Another great film to see is Martian Child. This is about a child who doesn't fit in for a lot of reasons, but is brilliant. We both cried in this one. And I just love John Cusack.

Tween Talent Show

2008-03-07T08:48:00.001-08:00

Alexa was in a talent show last night. She tried out for it last week and was the only one in her class to get in. She was super excited to say the least. Her and her friend Molly made up the movements to go with this popular hannah montana song. After seeing all the other acts last night, I am thankful that my tween has stayed as sweet and innocent as she has. Hang in there for the first 20 seconds or so, I am new to this videoing with a camera thing. I started too soon with the recording.

Quilter Woman God

2008-03-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

I have been reading this amazing book over the past several months. It is one of those books you have to read a little at a time. In one of the chapters, the authors depict God as the quilter and our lives as a quilt. I love this analogy so much, partly because I love quilting (though I am not so great at it-I've only done one)and partly because I love thinking of God as a woman putting together the ragged pieces of scrap material to create something beautiful that tells a story. Sometimes I wonder about the purposes of experiences I have had. Sometimes I feel my life is so mundane and boring. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the thought of so many issues in our broken world that I just can not be passionate about all of them. How beautiful that our God takes each of our experiences and sews them together carefully so that each square compliments the other. Here is a wonderful quote from the book:

Indeed, the image of the quilt stands as a compelling metaphor for our own relationship to the whole of creation and how much we need one another on this journey to wholeness. When we listen to each others stories and tell our own, the quilt begins to take shape. The interplay of patterns offers richness and diversity. Gradually, we begin to see our common threads. Perhaps it is when we can stand together and embrace our differences that we will begin to grasp the profound connection that unites all of life. Maybe then we will sense how healing our own lives and relationships has an impact that is far-reaching. In a way that is truly mysterious, we might even begin to notice how our personal healing somehow contributes to the mending of our churches, the Earth, and even the world.

A wonderful friend of mine, Catherine, sent me a gift today that she created. I had shared some of my thoughts with her about this book. I cried when I opened a paper collage quilt square that she made for me. Each piece represents part of me. The hands represent my passion to heal and work for justice in U.S. healhcare. India is in there, my friends belly is in there, and of course philly is in there, and much more. Thank you Catherine. Though you are on the other side of the pond, we are connected like pieces to a quilt.

As Promised...

2008-03-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

So, after an hour and a half, the use of various tools, and a half bottle of conditioner, and the loss of a good and faithful comb, we managed to save moriahs hair from a bad haircut. I owe that one to a husband who loves long hair so much that he had the patience to try everything imaginable to get the comb out. It was the fattest dread lock I have ever seen!

Her hair is a bit thinner on the side, but it sure is better than what it could look like. She was trying to curl her hair with a comb. She'll never do that again.

I have to say that I was very impressed by Moriah's patience during the ordeal. She sat quiet the entire time. If it had been Alexa, we may have had to deal with a panic attack at the same time as the comb in the hair. She was so tired by 11pm that she was almost sleeping while I was pulling her hair out! She woke for school the next day with a bit of a headache but wasn't tired at all. Amazing.

a girl of many hats

2008-03-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

This winter has gone by so fast and there have been no real snow days. Today I ran in my capris and t-shirt in 61 degree weather!! And I had to cut my dead mums down since my tulips are coming up. Well, I couldn't end the winter without taking pictures of India in all of my favorite hats.
Here is my favorite hat from nepal, but it is a little itchy so we never used it much for any of the girls.

This one is another fave, that aunt hayley gave Moriah. India actually loves this one.

And last, we bought this one at world gifts in wayne, a fair trade store. It is make in bolivia. She says ahh gugh (oskar), everytime I put it on her. I am hoping it will fit her next year.

Here she is with her favorite entertainment, emptying all the drawers of its contents while I am trying to do dishes. Oh the joy of toddlers

I guess it isn't just toddlers. Moriah just came down stairs after we thought she was sleeping for the past hour and a half. She has gotten a comb so matted and stuck in her hair that we may have to cut it out. Chris is pretty frustrated. He got hs tools out! Pictures later...

me, the crunchy girl??

2008-02-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

I just had a laugh in the midst of a crazy hectic day at work when a coworker said to me that I was "crunchy." The context? Well, I overheard a bunch of girls talking about different diets they have tried and I put my two cents in telling them about this revolutionary book that I have been reading called "In Defense of Food." Before I could get a word out, my friend exclaimed, "but you're crunchy Lara, not like us...you don't enjoy burger king like we do." So, for those of you who don't know what "crunchy" means, it is basically a hippy. I laughed and told her that I am not that "crunchy." Well at least not compared to some of my friends. Later, someone asked if I had eaten lunch yet (we nurses have to hold each other accountable to finding time to eat). I told them I ate my salad while I pumped. I could tell that some of them were surprised I was still pumping. Finally they asked how long I want to breastfeed and why? I asked them "Why not? Which is better for India to drink? Milk from a cow that has been pasteurized and homogenized, robbing it of its vitamins and then vitamins are added back in, OR is it better for her to just have what is natural and better and the REAL THING!!" "OOOOOHHHHHHH" some of them said. "That really does make sense." But then my friend exclaimed, "like I said, she's crunchy! And I bet you wear hemp too??" I responded, "yep, but I don't smoke it." And she responded, "yeah, because if you did, you would be coming to Burger King with us."
But in all seriousness, I love this book by Michael Pollan. Highly suggest it. It has rocked my way of thinking about food and destroyed some of my ideas on healthy ways of eating. Not only that, it has opened my eyes to how the government and corporations control how we think about food! Definitely a worth your time read!!

Me, the artist??

2008-02-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

I have always explained myself as "artistic thinking" without "artistic abilities." I try to be artistic with my cooking, house decorating, and sometimes my photography. Usually I just get frustrated with the photography though because I rarely get a picture that comes out as I pictured it to be. Then sometimes I am surprised. I was really surprised that our good friend Joel put my picture of the clothes pin on his "art in community among the poor" blog. Joel lives and works in Romania with his lovely wife Monica who I posted a link to on my previous posting. They have 2 beautiful boys. Joel is simultaneously the most humble and talented person I know. I was pretty surprised that he liked my photo enough to put on his blog. But I wanted to share that on my blog as a way of saying that even those of us who think we have no talent have hope. Actually I believe we all were made to be creative. It is just harder for some of us to find a means to express it. Thanks Joel for seeing creativity in me.

Another World is Possible

2008-02-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

This issue of healthcare keeps coming up in conversations around me. I have wanted to post my thoughts on it for some time but lack the articulate abilities of some of my friends. Check out my friends blog and all the many comments. Interesting stuff.
This past weekend was our yearly Simple Way family reunion/gathering. The purpose of our meeting is to gather folks from different communities around the country and globe that are seeking a different kind of world. We discussed issues of race, gender and power this year. We also contiue discussions on issues like healthcare, equal rights for housing, peace, intentional community life and many other issues. A great woman and friend of mine who now lives in England shared the experience she's had living there and how people there can not understand our way of doing things here. She gave us a message of hope, reminding us that truly another world is possible.

following in her sisters footsteps

2008-02-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

I really thought India would be walking a couple of months ago. She has been standing on her own since she was 10 months, but lost interest after that. At Christmas, we all thought she would walk, but nope. Now that she will be 13 months in just a few days, she is finally walking! Her sisters both walked at 13 months, so I think she just had to follow their lead:) She is also not a performer. I have always said that about her. She never says words for people when I ask her to so I rarely bother. It is the same with walking. I kept getting the video camera out to film her walking yesterday and she would just flop on the floor and crawl to me. So yesterday I was standing her up and just stayed behind her. Well she walked straight to her highchair!! Chris is out of town too so he missed it:( She still is learning balance for sure and I am certain she will fall way more than she walks over the next month, but she is walking now. She loves to walk to me and fall in to my arms. I am reliving that joy that I had with Alexa and Moriah. It is so fun. Did I mention how much she is talking!! The cutest is when she says Oskar (our dog). She says it in her cute little voice, "aahhh gu" so of coarse Oskar won't answer to her since he is used to us yelling his name.

What is my toddler up to??

2008-02-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

She is quite the toddler now. India is growing up so fast that I hate even leaving her for one day to go to work. She walks holding one of our hands now and has taken an individual step here and there. She's slowly gaining confidence with that. But she has too much confidence with the stairs. We finally put the gate up because that is all she wants to do is climb. In her sisters room, she even climbs their bunk bed ladder!! I am excited to see her learning new things, but of coarse it is bitter sweet. She also blows kisses now and plays peek a boo really well. She has almost 9 teeth (her first molar is coming). She faces forward in the car so we can blow her kisses in the mirror.
Her language skills are out of control though!!! She says a new word every day. I am teaching her to sign too, but she doesn't need to much (it is more for the fun of it). So here is a little list, though I am sure it is incomplete:
Mama
Dada
aleya (Alexa)
doggy
duck
maaaaa (more)
beek a boo (peek a boo)
ut........ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
ba (bear)
baba (baby)
ah ah ah ah (mokey sound)
ah ah ah ah (dog barking)
nana (banana)
raaaa (roar)
ugh da (all done)

Language is amazing. I had forgotten how much fun it is to watch a baby learn and the excitement in their eyes as they realize they just accomplished something new. I went to my first play group today. India was totally loving it. She was socializing with all the babies there. She loves it when her sisters play with her, though Moriah can be a bit overwhelming at times. She loves to read books. She especially loves animal books and learning what they say and do. We taught her to stick her tongue out like a lizard, roar like a lion and make monkey sounds. She laughs when I try to get her to moo like a cow or oink like a pig and she just gives me a face like she thinks that I am crazy when I make my loud elephant noise.
India loves to eat everything I put in front of her. She loves to chew on raw carrots and bananas are her favorite food. I had to teach her how to say it since she would scream every time she saw one. She is also becoming less and less interested in nursing which is natural but sad for me. She just loves to eat what we eat.

On another note, I have an interview for a labor and delivery position that would be nights. It would be two 12 hour shifts and one 8. I want the job so much but am torn about what it will do to me as a mom. We'll see what happens. I would need someone who could come spend the night with the kids when chris is out of town and right now I don't know who would be willing to do that. I would hopefully switch to less hours eventually and could work around Chris' schedule but the first few months would be tough. Oh, I guess there is no reason to stress since I haven't had the interview yet.

A Fun Filled Weekend

2008-02-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

It has been a couple of years since Alexa and Moriah have stayed in a hotel. They were very excited when we asked them if they would want to come along for one of Chris' speaking engagements in Rochester New York. We basically got a free vacation out of it and are going to be paid a little on top of that. Thank you Rochester churches for coming together and wanting to hear about social justice!!

First of all, we rented a van for the whole weekend. The kids were psyched about that! Then we stayed in a super nice hotel that had a pool and work out room. We were all psyched about that! Then we got to experience some upstate NY weather. Whew! And we went to this awesome kids museum that we could have spent a whole week at and still not seen everything. My favorite part was the butterfly room. (check out side bar flickr for more photos).
Chris connected with some really great people and we went up to see niagra falls in CANADA!!! Yep, no id for the kids or anything. They made us open the van so they could talk to the girls and ask their names and how they were related to us and they let us go on. So, we all visited another country and saw the falls in one night. Whew!! We ate some awesome Italian food across the border in the US and headed back to the hotel. The whole experience was so crazy but fun. I am so glad we did it. The girls loved having the time with us, staying up late, swimming, eating out, and seeing new things. India had a hard time adjusting to the sleeping in a strange place but by the third night, she was doing great. She even helped Chris get some work done on his laptop.
We are so blessed to have a family that travels well!!
On another funny note, we stayed just minutes away from an old boyfriend of mine that I met my senior year in high school. He was the one who told me about Eastern College, which is why I went there and if I hadn't of gone there, I wouldn't have met Chris. So, it was the second time for me being in Rochester, but this time was much more memorable:)

Duck You!

2008-01-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

Not thank you, not tank you, but "duck you" is my daughter's new words. I was trying to teach her to sign thank you, and out came "duck you." Her favorite word is "DUCK!" and she always says it wish such passion behind it. She can be in the middle of nursing, and she looks up to me and exclaims, "DUCK" and then goes back to nursing again. So, it's no surprise that she says "duck you" instead of thank you. I am just glad she doesn't say some other 4 letter word!!

A Winter Sort of Thing

2008-01-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

We went to see an amazing show by some amazing friends of ours on Saturday night. We have some incredibly talented and creative folks around here. It was called a "Winter Sort of Thing." I honestly thought it would be a cheezy play about snow and what not. Well, I was so wrong. We loved it and the kids loved it. It was about snow but it wasn't cheezy AT ALL! It was about these kids that were all psyched about snow days, no school, sledding, and hot chocolate until it just never stopped snowing. So they were on an adventure to find "greener pastures" so to speak.

We have some friends in Tajikistan who really are living this. It isn't so laugh out loud funny like Saturday night was either. Laura just delivered her 4th child at home with no medical care what so ever and then a week or so later the cold set in. They really need it to warm up in the worst way and they are the lucky ones. Please read their letter and say a prayer for the Tajik people.

Dear Friends and Family,

Just another quick update to let you know how we are doing in the current weather crisis. All of Tajikistan is basically frozen. We have received news from co-workers in the north that the situation there is much the same. We are in our third week of a deep freeze with the latest news being that this is the worst winter since 1936! More people have run out of fuel (coal or wood) and are cutting trees to warm themselves and cook with (esp. in the village). The other source of fuel is cow dung mixed with straw, but it is impossible to mix and dry in this weather. Now the water in the canals and rivers are becoming so frozen that there is barely any electricity being generated at the hydro-electric power stations, they estimate if the weather doesn’t warm up soon, the entire country will be without any electricity by Feb. 4th.

We continue to find ways to stay warm, but it is costly to say the least. Propane heaters are the biggest blessing for us right now, along with our generator since our village (along with most others) now have zero electricity. Would you believe one of our biggest ministries right now is charging our neighbors cell phones for them! Many elderly and babies are dying from the stress of the cold. Two very good friends of mine have grandmothers that may pass away any day. We saw a group of men walking to the graveyard carrying the body of a tiny baby wrapped in a blanket on Wednesday. One of our closest and most beloved neighbors died on Tuesday. His family is having to do all the funeral rituals without electricity and limited firewood for cooking the huge meals they must provide for guests coming to mourn (guests numbering into the hundreds over a period of a week). This particular neighbor was a voice of reason and stability in our community, his influence will be greatly missed.

(A note: I typed this yesterday—today was supposed to be warmer, but it is actually the coldest day yet. We heard news last night that in our friend’s village on the other side of the city many people have also died from cold related things. A baby died in our old apartment complex from the cold and the parents carried the baby’s body to the government offices to register a complaint about the cold and lack of gas and electric to keep the cement apartments warm. Last night a cart pusher from the bazaar crawled into a tandoor (brick bread oven like I have) to stay warm and froze to death there. They found his body this morning and had to break the tandoor apart to get his frozen body out. It is not that 5 or 10 degrees F is that cold, it is that we do not have the resources to handle it here.)

We are so thankful, that though we have not had running water for almost three weeks, our outdoor hand pump continues to work and provide water for more and more people. Also our sewage pipes have not burst. This is a real blessing as others have had their sewage pipes freeze and often burst. Many of the apartments are without sewage as the pipes have frozen and the sewage has backed up into many homes. In the local Turkish school, one worker said they could hear the water and sewage pipes bursting at one end of the building at the same time workers were trying to repair pipes on the other end!!!

Today’s task is giving all the children good baths. So school is not the priority today as I pump and try to heat water to wash the girls. Trinity is suffering from a painful rash on her back and arm and we hope a good scrubbing will slow it down a bit! Please pray for her healing as she is really uncomfortable.

We know that everyone is starting to get really warn out from the cold and the extra problems it brings. The extra time it is taking to keep the house warm, food cooked and clothes and people washed is amazing. J continues to keep up with the meetings and discipleship, as well as try to keep the office going, with all the extra work January always poses. He amazes me as I see him take the present stresses on with grace and joy. I know the Father’s hand is really on our home right now because we are always finding something to laugh about and are keeping our sense of humor in the midst of everything. Having Him as the centre of our home is what makes all the difference.

So keep praying for us and for the whole country. We know when the thaw does come it will be many weeks to get everything back to normal. Pray we can find a good person to fix our pipes quickly. We don’t know if our electric pump needs to be replaced or not, but we hope not. We also don’t know if our pipes are broken in only two places, or if there are places we don’t know about. It is a good time to be a welder/plumber in Tajikistan! J The vegetables that are the staple here have mostly frozen, the potatoes are like water balloons, we hope new produce becomes available after the freeze, since everything seems pretty much ruined by the cold. We live in a land that doesn’t usually need cold-resistant varieties of anything.

A side note---besides the prayer we need for the present situation, would you please pray for the Lord to bring us a good homeschool teacher. We could really use one and it would be such a blessing for the girls and me. We are managing to keep up with the basics, but it would be a great ministry to our family to have a teacher.

Okay, thanks for listening to me whine J, we really are all doing okay…and we know it is because of your prayers. I still feel like I am living in the movie “ The Day After Tomorrow”—but hopefully this will all change soon and I will feel like we are living in the movie “Every Day is a Sunny Day in Tajikistan” (which is what it usually is).

Bless you all,

We Rejoice in His Faithfulness,

Laura for all

Finding Contentment in a Discontent World

2008-01-24T07:36:00.000-08:00

On my previous blog, I talked about how contentment has been a recurrent theme lately in my life. In many areas of my life, I can truly say that I am closer than ever to finding this contentment. I have grown not only content, but thrilled to be a mom of 3 girls. I have become content living in a city like Philadelphia which is quite different from Wilmore Kentucky (where we lived before). I am content with the low salary (in American standards) that we live on which keeps us from buying too much stuff. I have become content with a messy house (at times). I am content with the cars that God has blessed us with. I can't tell you how many comments I get, even from friends that are like minded to me, that I should get a new car. I have become content with our lack of closet space, drafty house, unfinished projects, and toilet that you have to turn the water off to every time you finish using it.

Yes, I have my moments, even with these things, that I feel discontent, but for the most part I am getting to the point where I don't even think about them as inconveniences or something to complain about. I feel good about using cloth diapers, wearing a thick robe around the house instead of turning on the heat, and having a mound of recyclables that I have to drive to a specific location at a specific time once a month because our city isn't taking all the items they should be. I feel good about all of the light fixtures in our house having CFC bulbs and having a daughter who reminds me to unplug my appliances. I feel good about the fact that my children watch tv only a few hours a week and when they do, they understand that the ads on tv are trying to make them discontent. Yes they truly understand this concept now. Yeah!! I feel good about the fact that we only have one tv in the house (and it's in the basement) and I could care less about HD. If our tv doesn't work in 2009, then that will be great for us. All the more reason to get rid of it.

Of coarse there are way more things that I desire to find contentment in than there are things that I have found contentment in. Chris didn't even know that I blogged about contentment and he ended up preaching on it this past Sunday. He talked about how we all breathe in the smog of discontent in our society. We are constantly being told we need better cars, tv's, bathrooms, stainless steel appliances, or even worse is how we are told we need to look a certain way. Have you heard of the show "what not to wear." Why do we get sucked into a show where two people decide what is appropriate to wear and what is not. For one thing, they are always telling the ladies to wear these high heel shoes. Well I have really bad feet and I am in complete agony wearing those pointy high heels. How is it considered beauty to make your feet do things they were not meant to do. I could go on and on about that. Why are we sucked in to believe our body needs to look a certain way to be beautiful. This is something that nearly every woman I know struggles with. As a mom of 3 beautiful girls who most likely will have 3 very different bodies and styles, and personalities. I feel it is a responsibility of mine to find contentment in my own shape. If I am allowing the discontent to control me, then how can I raise my children to not only know that the ads on tv are trying to make them want toys but also trying to make them want to look a certain way. Alexa is already asking me if I can whiten her teeth!! I need to be happy with my thighs, as dumb as it sounds. Ladies, you know what I am talking about. We need to learn to love our curves and not let society tell us they are too big (or small)!

After Chris preached, one of the ladies raised her hand and told us about this website that I think everyone should take the time to look at. It is the story of stuff We went home and watched it and our kids watched it with us. What a great visual on where our stuff comes from and where it goes. And how government works with corporations to get people to buy more stuff. And as we all know, things are not made the way they used to be. Corporations are purposefully making things not to last so that we have to buy more. Where does the stuff go?? Please watch the clip. I think if folks were more aware of this system that is so destructive to our world they would begin making small changes in their own lives. And it's contagious. My friend watched it after I told her about it and then she told someone else about it and now that person is telling lots more people about it. The more people start to make these small changes and learn contentment with what they have, the more we can change the world (not to sound like a cliche, but it is true)!!
The picture I posted is one I took a few years ago at my parents rivah house. I love walking around there and taking snap shots of what makes the rivah unique and special to me. In recent years, we have modernized the place a little bit. But I remember when we popped popcorn on the stove, when we all hung out on the porch rather than in the air conditioned rooms, and we would hang laundry on the line. Well, now we have a microwave, air conditioners and we take our laundry home to wash. Have you ever thought about how modern conveniences keep us from enjoying simple beauty. Just a thought.

Contentment and Gratitude

2008-01-18T05:58:00.000-08:00

So, have you ever had one of those days that everything just seems to be going wrong. I guess we all have. And we wish we could just crawl back in bed and start over. Yesterday was one of those days for me. It started with my washing machine breaking a leak when I needed to wash the kids school uniforms. I tried all day to get a hold of my neighbor who is a plumber to have him look at it. I stayed home in case he came by. I needed to shop for groceries for our out of town guests coming tonight but decided to do it after picking Chris up from the airport. Yep, these things always happen when the husband is out of town. My friend Joyce offered to let me use her washer. So the plan was to pick up moriah at 3 from school, run to the dry cleaners to get my duvet and then start a load at Joyces before Alexa got off the bus and we had to go get Chris. i was going to go get Chris and get back in time to take Alexa to Joyces to finish my laundry and watch her daughter for them while they took Alexa, and their other 2 girls to gymnastics. Joyce had a speaking engagement to get to so I would pick them up from gymnastics and take her 3 girls to one of their neighbors.

BUT then the snow started. SO, i got worried chris would be delayed. AND my van tire blew after going to the dry cleaners!
AGGHHHHHH...I said forget the laundry, went home and called joyce who offered to let us drop off alexa before going to get Chris in case he was delayed and she found a back up babysitter for their daughter. Meanwhile, Alexa gets home and has 15 minutes to do an hour worth of homework and she isn't ready at all for her 2 tests tomorrow.. and she tells me she got in trouble because she didn't have her math homework today since she left it at jahairas house yesterday. Well, I dropped her off, feeling pretty angry. It took me an hour to get to the airport an an hour to get home. chris was on time.
Meanwhile, joyce called to let me know gymastics was canceled and she was just waiting for me to pick Alexa up, so we ended up making her late to her speaking engagement!! ughhhhh!
we get home. our neighbor finally comes home and looks at our washer which now does not have a leak in it!!!!???? embarrassing.!!!!
Chris worked on homework with Alexa while I ran out to get stuff for dinner tonight and pick up her homework. Then after putting the kids to bed he went out to fix the tirein the snow and rain. Then he comes in to tell me one of the bolts is stripped and he can't change the tire. We called our road side service who came and couldn't get it either. Chris was standing in the rain/snow for over an hour and he is sick. I was supposed to have to work today so, the plan was for him to take the kids to school on public.
Well, if there is ever a good phone call to get at 5:00am, it is from Einstein Medical Center when you are scheduled to work. I jumped out of bed when I heard the phone ring and answered joyfully. Yep, I was canceled for today! WHEW! Couldn't be better timing for that. I took the girls to school this morning and Chris is still sleeping. He doesn't have much of a voice. We will have the van towed when he gets up. And I am going to cross my fingers, say a prayer and do some laundry.

So, in complete retrospect...I feel pretty bad about complaining and stressing so much yesterday. My washer isn't leaking now (though it might do it again), my tire blew in front of my house and not on the highway on the way to get Chris in the snow, and I got off work today. Alexa had extra time to study and feels better about her tests, and I am going to be able to make a nice dinner for tonight. When I crawled back into bed at 5:00 am I couldn't fall back to sleep for a while because I just kept thinking about all of the things we forget to thank God for. And after I yelled at my kids yesterday because of my stress being out of control...well, I had a lot to apologize for this morning..and a lesson learning in contentment and gratitude.

Happy Birthday to India!!

2008-01-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that it has been a year since this little girl made her way into our lives. I can't imagine life without her. I have been so sad these past couple of days realizing that she is not a baby anymore and this ends a very precious chapter in my life. And yet I have so much to be thankful for this past year. I have loved every aspect of it. I hope that as we move into the toddler years with India, that we will be able to say the same. Good luck with that, right?! So far she is already climbing the stairs every chance she gets. I took her to the doctors today. She is officially 20 pounds so no more infant seat. So sad.

We had planned her party for months. We decided to have a birthday benefit for the orphanage in Bangalore India that our friend started 10 years ago. WE are hoping to go visit in a year. We had indian food, decorated indian and dressed indian. We also had a slide show of our India what was so sweet. I will post it if I figure out how. Does anyone know how to post a power point link?

Here is my dad holding India. She stayed awake the entire time and loved all the food. She ate an entire plate of sag paneer!!

We had a table set up for people to write letters/draw pictures for India at different ages. Thanks Brix's for the idea. If anyone wants to do this, let me know because we have a few ages left.

Some of our friends tried Indian food for the first time and I also made elephant sandwiches for the less daring.

The cake was so amazing. Jahaira made it all. Even the elephant and little girls are edible. It was tasty too. Thanks Jahaira!

My aunt connie came up for the event. We all loved having her here. We hope she visits again:)

We had a craft table for everyone to make paper mache/collage type things to take home. Not sure what to call it, but there were some really beautiful projects that people did.
All in all, it was a good turn out other than a few people getting lost trying to get to camden NJ (sorry ya'll), and a good friend being in the hospital during the whole thing:( But we raised some money and even a few people are planning to "adopt" (sponsor) a child from the orphanage. We sponsor a girl Alexa's age and it has blessed us so much. I hope more people will catch the vision for it. They are such amazing children. If anyone is interested in hearing more, let me know.

Merry Christmas!

2008-01-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

So, I am finally blogging about Christmas. We had an eventful time in Richmond with my brother getting engaged to my future sister, brittany and my girls are excited to have a new cousin, Christany. Chris drove them around Richmond seeing the tachy lights, and they ended the tour in center city under the big lighted tree where he proposed. I am going to be in the wedding in May. Brittany is an awesome girl. I just hope she can put up with my bro:) I also got to hang with my other brother who hadn't met India yet. John lives in san fran and only comes around once a year. It was good to see him. We stayed in Richmond a week before we head up to Indiana.

We had a whole week in Indiana as well. It was cold, but we just had more time to relax and hang with family. We all loved seeing the cousins and Casey and Hayley. We did our traditional taking "old grandma" out for mush too. We got snowed in and stayed an extra day.
On our way home, we stopped in Columbus to see our good friends, the Langleys who were visiting family from Lima Peru. Somehow we didn't get a picture of their beautiful new daughter, Natalia. It was so great meeting her and seeing how well they are doing as a family.

Tired but Tagged

2008-01-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

I am about to got to bed after a long 13 hours of work and a wonderful reunion with old friends and i thought I would just check a couple of friends blogs. Well, evidently I have been "tagged with a 'meme" by meesh and maria. So, since I was the first on the list of michelle's and according to maria, I need a break from the kids, here it goes:

8 THINGS I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT:

-loving my husband more now after 11 1/2 years than the day I met him, and learning to love him more as a partner
-loving my three daughters; they are all so different and I love each of their little unique ways
-raising my girls to be strong and confident women in the knowledge of Gods love for them
-natural childbirth, breastfeeding, cloth diapering (you know, all that granola mom stuff)
-justice
-racial reconciliation
-community
-traveling/ cross cultural experiences

8 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:

-take my whole family to India to hang out with one of the coolest people I know and all of her 50 kids
-See my girls fulfill their passions in life
-be a midwife
-retire and buy an RV and travel with Chris to live in our daughters driveways, annoying the crud out of them but being able to see my grandkids whenever I want
-run a marathon
-get better at photography and maybe make a book
-learn contentment
-love better

8 THINGS I SAY OFTEN: this is bad

-Moriah, stop it!
-Ale-Moriah stop it!
-Ind-Moriah stop it!
-That's ridiculous! (my kids say this now)
-Where did my baby go? (meaning she is so big now, not that we lost her)
-hey mama
-i need a massage
-i'm so tired

8 books I have read recently (and by recently, I mean 2007):

-The Hawk and the Dove by Penelpoe Wilcock
-Redeeming Love by francine Rivers
-The Gift by Richard Paul Evans
-Midwives of an unnamed future
-Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Paul Brand and Phillip Yancey
-Siblings without rivalry by Faber and Mazlish
-Captivating by Staci Eldridge
-Christy

8 songs I can listen to over and over:

-Typewriter Tip Tip Tip from Darjeeling soundtrack
-wild child - enya
-blessed to be a witness- ben harper
-shower the people you love with love - james taylor
-all i need is everything- over the rhine
-Jesus Christ- Woody Guthrie
- O holy night by anyone
- Redemption song sung by bob marley

8 THINGS THAT ATTRACT ME TO MY BEST FRIENDS

-fun to be around
-good listeners cause I can talk
-good talkers cause sometimes I just like to listen
-just being real and honest
-messy houses:) and lots of kids because then I know there is an unsaid understanding between us
-likes to talk about other things besides kids because yeah I do need a break sometimes
-funny
-similar interests (cooking, walking, scrapbooking, nursing, etc)

8 PEOPLE WHO SHOULD DO THIS:

-Chris, because you would have fun doing it and make everyone read it
-Alexa, because you would get to practice writing (well, typing)
-Rachel (I told you, you need to blog)
-Hayley (because I want to know all that stuff about you)
-Beth (because I know you get bored at work)
-Monica (because i love reading your stuff)
-Daphne (because your blogs make me laugh and I like your book suggestions:)
-my mom (yeah right)

-

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2007-12-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

My kids are just loving this time of year. I finally am loving it more myself. I am in Richomd now. I sent out my last Christmas card today which makes me feel less stressed. Chris will be here on friday which will be great. My bro showed up from san fran today as well. He hadn't met India yet. Poor Moriah is so painfully shy that she doesn't want to say hi to him which is so sad.
We went to visit santa with all of the old legendery things that go along with it. It is hard to explain, but it is a Richmond thing. I did it when I was a child. There are these displays that were in the old Miller and Rhodes windows back in the day before they got taken over by the larger department stores. They all did great sitting on santas lap, and alexa and moriah read their lists. Alexa wanted a robe and slippers (she added, "make them pink please.") Moriah wants a baby that swims and a pnone. SO much for raising my kids to ask for world peace...
anyways another Richmond tradition is the tacky light tour. My kids look forward to it every year. So much so, that when I told the kids we will possibly be in India next Christmas, Alexa about cried because we would miss the tacky light tour. We are going on Saturday. We pile all 8 of us into the expedition and dad has a whole list of addresses with mapquest directions. We go house to house to see the tackiest lights of richmond. Everyone tries to outdo the other guy so you can believe me that there are some outragously crazy tacky lighted houses. People get out of their cars and walk around, and some places take donations since it costs quite a bit on the electric bill. People rent limos for the night. It is a very big deal here. Funny, right!
Oh, Chris did go out and buy a gift for Moriah. It is a $50 laptop! I just hope she likes it. She is really into learning to read, and this has a lot of games for that. Since we travel a lot, he is thinking she'll love it in the car. I hope so. I wouldn't have spent that much on a toy for her, but Chris was just so excited about it that I wasn't going to tell him no. I was worried that we got so much more for Alexa than Moriah and now it is the other way around. Well, I am going to try not to be one of those moms that has to be even. I hate that.