Kurios Caching

the chase

2012-01-25T16:22:00.004-05:00

"We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit."- A.W. Tozer

I came across this quote, and it is exactly why we gave Chase his name! We know that it is God who initiates the pursuit and we pray that Chase chases after God with all his heart.

2011 collage

2012-01-14T16:20:00.000-05:00

2011 for us was a momentous year. Our kids grew from 2 yrs to 3 yrs and 7 months to 1.5 years! Chase and Sophie enjoyed many friendships (including each other's) and had to say goodbye to some dear friends that moved. Sophie went from crawling to walking to dancing! Sophie was baptized with two of her friends and Chase began attending Sunday school and learning his catechism, of which he is quite knowledgeable. Chase grew more affectionate with his sister and enjoys playing with her (as long as she doesn't grab his trains!) Their favorite playtime is bathtime!! Chase had a Lightning McQueen themed bday party and Sophie's first birthday was adorned with owls! After all, she is our Sophie-owl. Chase enjoys bedtime stories (especially The Runaway Bunny, Un Bolsillo Para Corduroy (yep in Spanish), any Dr. Suess book, The Hungry Caterpillar, the Foolish Tortoise, and The Storybook Bible). Sophie loves her books but doesn't always sit through the entire reading. She plops herself in your lap whether you are ready or not!

As a family we enjoyed a beach trip to Delaware (while getting new windows for our house!), hiking trips, a trip to the pumpkin patch, and the kids' first Halloween in which they dressed up as an Indian prince and princess. Mommy and daddy ventured to SE Asia (for their first vision trip, not to mention first trip ever without kids!). The kids spent much quality time with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunty Cat.

Brian and Krisha both celebrated their 30th bdays- B with a zip-line canopy tour and K with her friends on a "girls night out." Brian coached the church softball team (with a trophy!) and completed the Blue Ridge marathon (despite the monsoon!) and the Tough Mudder (despite having to run through voltage and swim in an ice pit!). Krisha started as a Zumba instructor at the Y, happily choreographing 11+ songs of her own! Krisha enjoyed many a good book this year including: Marriage Matters, Study of Acts, Study of Deuteronomy, Brave, Heaven (by Alcorn), Radical (by Platt), The Pilgrim's Regress (C.S. Lewis), Creative Counterpart, The Mystery of Marriage (by Mason) , Bringing Up Boys, The Mystery of Children, and a Bio of Wycliffe: Herald of the Reformation.

Christmas this year was extra special with Chase understanding more of what it means and even helping countdown on the Christmas calendar. Sophie could identify baby Jeeshush, the donkey and the cow. Those (minus the camel) are the important ones, right? Still working on the others. :) Zoe, now 6, had a rough year with an infection but we are grateful she is alive! Sophie loves her and calls her "wee-wee."Chase is almost done with potty training and can identify his numbers and letters. Still working on the writing part. His favorite toys are his matchbox cars, his Thomas videos, and his new kid camera! He got his first professional haircut (at 3.5 yrs!) so his wavy hair is gone and he is looking more and more like a big boy, not a toddler. Thankfully the bright blue eyes and dimples are here to stay. Sophie grows in her ability to talk, sing, dance, and express herself! She has a huge love for babies as can be noted in the photo of her meeting her cousin Brooks for the first time. She even got her first baby doll and purse. Her hair has gotten curlier and curlier and cheeks bigger and bigger though she is still a petite little thing. We are enjoying this stage of cuteness and compliance!

All in all, 2011 has been a good year. Even though the pictures reflect almost all victories, I cannot say it enough that our lives are not perfect. We have been blessed greatly by the Lord, challenged immensely in parenting, marriage and personal sanctification, and pressed to cling to Him more. I'd be remiss if I acted like the collage represented every facet of our lives. This psych major knows full well that blogs are deceiving. We choose what we put out there. And as sinners, we prefer to think the best of ourselves, not always the reality. So, let me be honest. There has been heartache and soul-ache moments for sure. We have struggled through some battles as well as walked with dear friends through their battles. Both sin and glory have been experienced on a more profound level this year, and yet we know that He is unchanging and God is in the business of redemption. We await more glimpses of His redemption in 2012.

Thanks for staying tuned. Looking forward to blogging more of those personal insights soon.

weddings, anniversaries, and some inspiring words

2012-01-10T15:26:00.004-05:00

Brian and I got to go to Bonker's wedding as well as celebrate our own anniversary in San Diego. It was a treat not to have the kiddos and to be able to do something on our anniversary besides Presbytery!! We enjoyed seeing our JMU buddies and making some new friends like Bonker's wife and her bridesmaids!

Groomsmen with the groom!

Sara-Beth posing with the colorful birds at Balboa

Beautiful architecture at Balboa in San Diego

The top of one of the museums at Balboa... reminds me of the gateway of India

Rehearsal dinner night

Brian sneaking up on Eric and Sara for the photo

Brian, Eric, Josh, and Matt

These guys are great friends of ours from JMU. We actually got to live in community as newlyweds before we all went our separate ways for seminary, work, and missions. Unfortunately only Eric's wife could make it. Sara and I missed Tab and Carly!

Mrs and Mrs. Bonker

Sara-Beth, me, Dawn (sister of the groom and also my Bible Study leader from college)

Brian and I posed for a wedding day photo

After all of the wedding madness, Brian and I enjoyed a day to ourselves where we celebrated our anniversary by walking around Balboa Park, looking at all of the artists' work, walking on a local beach and taking in the sights.

One of them was an enormous bulldog that trotted around the beach with the other dogs. This bully had at least 20 lbs on Zoe!
We ate at a quaint sandwich shop, found a sushi place for dinner (sooo good compared to East Coast sushi!) and even treated ourselves to frogurt for dessert. They still had peppermint from the holiday season so I was ecstatic!

As we celebrated our friend's marriage, reunited with friends who are married, and contemplated our own marriage, I always enjoy reading over some of these truths from Mike Mason's book The Mystery of Marriage. They ring true every year for me.

“Love is the only true power, because it is the only thing that does not want power, just as love is the only true wealth because it is the only thing that can afford to give itself away.”

“A vow is, per se, a confession of inadequacy and an automatic calling upon the only adequacy there is, which is the mercy and power of God.”

“In purely human terms the marriage vows are impossible: impossible to keep, and impossible to walk away from…The saying of them requires about thirty seconds. But the keeping them is the work of a lifetime.”

“To keep a vow, therefore, means not to keep from breaking it, but rather to devote the rest of one’s life to discovering what the vow means, and to be willing to change and to grow accordingly. It might almost be said that the sign of a vow being kept is the realization of how far one is from keeping it. In a very real way, the vow keeps the man rather than vice versa. “

Christmas in the noke

2012-01-10T15:21:00.008-05:00

The Advent calendar was a hit b/c Chase was excited every day to put a magnet on and we worked on number and re-emphasizing the reason that we celebrate Christmas in the first place. The last magnet is baby Jesus whom he clearly recognized and when we got to the 25th... it was Jesus' Birthday!

Daddy finishing his work before the Christmas weekend begins! Sophie is helping him count down by showing him her fisher price Nativity. She actually knows which one is baby Jesus ("bay-be Jeeshus") and the donkey ("eeh-aww") and the cow ("moo") but we are working on the camel.

Brian showing Sophie her new owl slippers that mommy was probably the most excited about! Clearance at Old Navy and they just happened to be owls for my little Sophie owl!

the curlies

I love that Chase now laughs in photos and Sophie has like a triple chin and adorable hair

mommy and Chase buddy

Sophie with her Aunty Nu-Nu
(I think Nu-nu was officially the first extended relative whose name she learned...
ok maybe Papi. But Nu-nu was a close second)

Chase with his toy camera that actually takes pix! He loved it!! Doesn't he look like a boy and no longer a toddler?... sniffle.

I love the look on Chase's face. I think he will be a cool dude in school. I put him in a blazer for church that Christmas morning. I think he looks mighty handsome.

cousin Asher

Future rockstars!!!!!!!!
LOVE the look on Asher's face! He's rocking out on his new drumset!

Sophie and Chase want in on the action!

Not pictured: Grammy B (who unfortunately was sick on Christmas), Papi (who was in India though we did facetime him), and Uncle B who was there and I just didn't catch him in a photo! Sorry Bry!

Photo dump!

2012-01-10T15:04:00.005-05:00

There is too much to catch up on from December to January to be able to thoughtfully type in blog updates.... so here's a photo dump of random pix. Some involve the kids playing together, some involve Zoe, some involve Brian and Chase with the "tough mudder" headband and other Christmas photos.

Sophie making herself comfy on Chase's lap. I love this about her
and hope this uninhibited trait of assuming others love
her affection stays with her as she grows!

(Notice Chase's legs coming out from the blanket.
He asks her "Sophie will you please jump on me?")

Sophie making herself right at home with Zoe.

Sophie giving Chase a "squeeze-squeeze"

my little crazy man who runs around with
daddy's "tough mudder" headband

quotables from the kiddos

2011-12-07T13:42:00.004-05:00

Chase: Is Zoe Sad? Why does she have a frown?
Mom: She's a bulldog, so she just looks like that all the time.
Chase: Sometimes I get sad when I poop in the floor.

Chase: The yellow is smashing.
Mom:You mean the yellow light is flashing (at an intersection)? (realizing we thought it was cute Chase says smashlight instead of flashlight... now Chase has graduated to the gerund form of smashlight)

Chase: Yes that would be wonderful, mommy! (referring to chocolate milk)

Chase: Can we listen to huh-rise huh-rise please? (the "Arise, my soul, arise" song is his favorite car song)
Sophie: (copying Chase) "her-riiiise" "her-iiiiiise!"

Sophie: No! No! we-we! (telling Zoe she can't come through the gate as she sticks out her leg just as mommy does to block Zoe.)

Chase: Do you want to take a bath Sophie?
Sophie: Uh-uh (shaking her head)
Chase: I think she wants to stay stinky, mama.

Mom: Sophie. Look! Who is this ornament?
Sophie: We-we (referring to Zoe). Buh! (followed by 5 min of laughter. Apparently hanging a fat bulldog ornament on a Christmas tree is funny to a one year old.)

Mom: Do you know what these are for? (referring to Christmas stockings hanging over the fireplace)
Chase: For your shoes. (pretty clever kid. only there are 4 right feet.)

Love, love, love Christmas traditions

2011-11-30T15:22:00.005-05:00

I love traditions more than I love the actual "stuff" of Christmas. In fact, sometimes the pure materialism of it all can be quite overwhelming and frustrating. Why are we celebrating CHRISTmas again? My mind doesn't need much to get distracted from why we celebrate Christmas. I think our human nature clings to what we know won't last, but in our hearts we know that the most meaningful gifts are those which you can't purchase. Thought. Time. Energy. Creativity. Giving of ourselves. Spiritual Encouragement. I think the simpler the better, so we can focus on what really matters. Thus far Brian and I have created some fun family traditions:

- Each year we buy a book to add to our collection (which we read to the kids in the days prior to Christmas). We always read one on Christmas day before the gift-opening begins. In years past, we've bought: The Tale of Three Trees (I cry every time as does someone else I know... wink. wink.), Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Lucado's You Are Special, Henry's The Gift of the Magi, and The Night Before Christmas. Any suggestions for this year?

- Each year Brian & I choose a Christmas CD. In years past, we bought: Andrew Peterson's "Behold the Lamb of God", Sufjan Steven's 5 CD Collection (prob our fave!), "Christmas with the Rat Pack", "Your King Has Come," and don't forget "The Jackson 5 Christmas album"! No clue what we'll choose this year. Maybe an Appalachian instrumental CD with the hammered duclimer. Wish there was a compilation of folksy eclectic artists with a Christmas CD. Regina Spektor or Ingrid Michaelson? If we can't be hipsters we might go for Muppets. I'm just saying....

-Each year we usually go to one Christmas event as a date: Scrooge, a local Christmas Pageant, a Christmas concert like Behold the Lamb of God, or our church's Christmas dinner. I think this year we may take the kids to a live nativity and let Sophie practice her sheep sounds.

- For two years, I've helped organize a cookie decorating party for the kiddos and done a cookie swap for the mamas! We'll see if I have enough energy this year.... No promises. :)

- For gifts, I usually make a smorgasbord of delectable treats including chocolate toffee grahams, peppermint bark, mocha fudge, cream cheese brownies, iced sugar cookies, preacher cookies, dipped pretzels, etc. I try to make tins for all of my family. Last year I even made some Kahlua cookies- my own creation!

- For cards, have ordered them from shutterfly (totally redeemed all of my PAMPERS rewards!) and they are on the way.... yep I dressed us in Christmas colors at Thanksgiving with that in mind.... though the photo doesn't do justice to Sophie's adorableness. I look foward to collecting Christmas cards from everyone and putting them on the back of my front door. I usually quiz Chase on who everyone is. I'm sure Sophie will rip them off and give them to me (READ: WARNING-send us your Christmas card early so that you don't get stuck at the bottom of my door where your card might be eaten/torn/crumpled by my one-year-old!!)

-I also hope to continue with my annual blurbbook where I capture the years best photos of my kids and make them into a photo book. (Check out blurb.com) Hoping Santa gets me a new camera this year so the quality of my photos won't be so bad! (READ: Brian, are you listening?)

-And my most recent tradition which is kid-friendly.... completed in the Nick of time (yep pun intended- get it? Saint Nick?) ..........Drumroll please.......

An Advent Calendar! Woohoo! I did it! I finally made the Christmas Countdown calendar I had been wanting to make for like 2 years. I saw the idea on a blog: http://tatertotsandjello.com/2009/11/cookie-sheet-advent-calendar.html and it looked to overwhelming and the perfectionistic part of me was like "there's no way I could produce something that I like because I don't even own that kind of crafty stuff." Well... shout out to my dear friend Liz V!!! Thanks for leaving me a ton of cool crafty paper! All in all, I think I only bought the Christmas-themed scrapbook paper (for the backdrop), two sheets of sequenced stickers (like the snowflake and present and stocking), one roll of green ribbon for the bow ($1 at dollarstore) and one cookie sheet (also $1 at the dollarstore). In fact don't get the expensive kind of cookie sheet b/c the non-stick kind won't allow magnets to stick.

It's hard to see from the photo, but each day is a magnet (25 in all since it's a countdown to Christmas day) and on Christmas there's a nativity ornament to remind us what it's all about.

So that's what's in store this year. Haven't tackled the tree yet or much decor... I think I'm in disbelief that tomorrow is December!

in need of a feel-good "awww" kinda moment?

2011-11-21T14:19:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure what is funnier:
a) that B sent this to me b/c of my owl-obsession
b) that I have the same expression when hubby rubs my forehead after a long day!
c) or that I asked B if we could get an owl for a pet after watching the video at least 3 times in a row.

Halloween pretzel pops

2011-10-20T13:00:00.001-04:00

Not big on Halloween, but any excuse to make something involving chocolate in the kitchen... now THAT'S another story.

My little helpers with their aprons on

Halloween Pretzel pops

put large marshmallows on end of a pretzel rod
dip in melted chocolate
dip in sprinkles or whatever topping you wish

My Taste-testers

Sign of approval

Chase funnies

2011-10-18T16:00:00.003-04:00

Chase: "Where's the cat?" (neighbor's cat)
Me: "I don't know."
Chase: "I think he went to get food. At the store. Yeah he went to Krogers."

Chase to Sophie: "You're beautiful Soap-ee. You are a gerber daisy!"

Chase to me: "Hey mama. I just love you so much sometimes."

Chase: "I want a BIG marshmallow. Can Sophie have a treat? She gets a little marshmallow because she's a little girl."

Chase: "Daddy I need to hold you." (meaning he wants to be picked up by daddy)

Me: "Sophie do you want your sleep sack on over your pjs?"
Sophie: "uhum" (Exaggerated nod)
Chase: "Can I get the camera? I want to take a picture of the penguin!" (referring to Sophie with her sleep sack on)

Chase (post-bath): "Look mama! We are 2 nakies!"

Me: "Chase, do you know what those are called?" (pointing to Sophie's tights)
Chase: "Those are her chunkies!" (which is what we affectionately term babylegs in our household)

First REAL big boy haircut

2011-10-18T12:31:00.004-04:00

Chase got his first REAL haircut when I decided that chasing him around the tub while he screamed and was left with a less-than-professional haircut wasn't "cutting" it; plus mommy had a TON of hair to cleanup. This was worth every $!

Before:

During:

He looks terrified but he's actually just being silly.

After (with his treat):

So handsome! Looks like a little man!

Hiking high

2011-09-23T14:06:00.006-04:00

Our hiking high...

Beautiful day!

Sophie & daddy looking tough

Chase thought that since Zoe couldn't hack the trails,

he'd bring her along in spirit (on his shirt)

Superdad, for the record, carried BOTH kids over MUCH of the terrain (including wet rocks)
b/c Chasebuddy refused to walk

Brian, you are a man of much balance, brawn and bravery! You are my survival kit. Love you!

FALL

2011-09-23T13:31:00.004-04:00

What I love about fall...

-the hues of rust, terra cotta, burnt orange, and spiced pumpkin,
Appalachian music, the cool breeze (through our windows that NOW have screens!!!), the JMU colored Mums in our front yard, car rides with the windows down, pumpkin patches, fall wreaths, hiking, hayrides, fleece pullovers, the rainbow of leaves that adorn the Blue ridge mountains, smores, reading by the fireplace, and SPICED APPLE CIDER!!!

And the newest of our fall collection...

...you guessed it! Yeah, I'm a little "owl-obsessed" as B calls me.

Thank you God for the seasons!

sophiliciousness

2011-09-12T23:40:00.000-04:00

Sophie giving mama kisses

Playing peekaboo with her bib

What I like to call "Sophie's full range of emotions": sleepy, angry, bored, self-entertained, agitated, then full of laughter. With enough under the table tickling, I turned my whiney Whited into a giggly girl.

Chase quotables

2011-09-07T15:13:00.005-04:00

Quotable Chase

B: Chase who is that? (pointing to his sister)
Chase: "Dat's Soap-ee. She's my best friend" (He came up with that all on his own!)

Chase (at bedtime): (Point to his eyes) "These eyelashes?"
Me: "Yes sweety, those are your eyelashes."
Chase: (looks confused and points again)
Me: "Those are your eyebrows. See eyelashes, and those ones are eyebrows."
Chase: "You....you brush those?" (pointing to his eyebrows)
Me: (giggling inside) "Yes. Mommy brushes those." (He's seen my use my eyebrow brush)
Chase: "But daddy doesn't brush those."
Me: "No. He just has a brush for his hair."
Chase: "Only mommies brush those."
Me: "Uhmmm. Well most people don't brush their eyebrows." (now hysterically laughing at how this odd conversation has turned into more like a counseling session) "But your mommy does."
Chase: "Why?"
Me: (contemplating the best way to convey my hair issues) "well, I guess because they are curly and I have a lot of them."
Chase: "Oh."

Chase: "I want to squish her!"
Me: "You mean you want to squeeze her? Like hug her? "
Chase: "No! I want to squish her."

Chase: "Please tickle my feet. And I can tickle your hand, if you tickle my feet."

Chase: "Why you no take a shower in the downstairs bathroom?"
Me: "Because the upstairs one is closer to my clothes. And then I'd have to run upstairs nakey! I don't wanna do that!
Chase: "But I like to run around nakey!"

Chase: "Look mama. I'm dancing. This part is Zumba."

Mommy: "Chase you are a funny guy."
Chase: "Yes. Yes... I AM funny. I am a funny guy."

TMI category
(you may stop here if this is Too Much Information. I always resolved not to blog about any bodily functions as I'm easily grossed out by how commonplace it is to put it on the web, but consider this for humor sake)

Chase: "HEY MOMMY!!! I go poopy FIVE times! That means I get FIVE ice creams!!!!" (Yep. Folks, we've got a salesman here... or perhaps a lawyer.)

Chase doing his victory dance: "POOOOPY DANCE! POOOOOOPY DANCE!" (as he runs around pantless)

Heelstruck

2011-08-22T11:12:00.001-04:00

Devoted to my son, Chase Alexander

“Heelstruck”

I know the real battle lies within

But even the outward, I’d be content to win

A heart of stone I can attest

So apparent at two

Also buried deep in my chest

Like a miniature mirror reflecting my sin

You walk around in need of Him

Only Christ can make your spirit new

So look to Him, for your worth and value

Even though God placed me over you

He knew I would falter and need Him too

And when I fail to do what I say

Let me not be your stumbling block, but instead pray

That I would shepherd you well in truth and grace

With understanding that you face what I face

The words He’s given me I now give you

Obey His commands, for they are right and true.

My heels are bruised from digging in

I refuse to let my toddler win!

Get out your shield. Get out the armor.

The battle is worth fighting! I have waged the war!

Your soul is at stake and the winner takes all

Parenting is only the microcosm,

Let us not forget the Fall.

The greater battle involves man and the snake

Evil has made its way in, now our eternity is at stake.

Cling to Jesus in the face of the serpent, my dear son

Take courage that the victory is already won!

The greater battle is inward you see!

Not about all the rules given by mommy.

Those are there to point you on the narrow path.

That you may inherit God’s blessing and not His wrath.

In this fight we are on the same side.

Against us the world, flesh, and devil collide.

They will all compete for the throne of your heart

This has been man’s struggle, even from the start.

The bruises we have from digging in

Are windows to the greater war of sin.

The mundane arguments encompassing this season of life

Are not without pain, not without strife.

But rather the fuel that forces us to our knees

Confessing aloud our guilty pleas

We eagerly bow our heads to receive

Your forgiveness, your love, your empathy

We reflect on the cost of our own stubbornness

How relentless our sin! But how much greater Your rest!

We remember that You paid the greater price

By Your atoning sacrifice.

By Your Spirit our salvation is sealed

And by Your wounds we are healed.

(Gen 3:15 & Isaiah 53:5-6)

What's new with the kiddos

2011-08-19T14:32:00.005-04:00

3 has been an interesting age. Chase has gone from completely dependent on me to slowly learning to do things on his own. He wakes up earlier and earlier these days, puts his clothes in the laundry basket, wants to feed the dog and give her treats; he can get through all of our "baby" gates so we've found him wandering into certain places of the house where we don't want him! He gets his sippy out of the fridge and sometimes grabs fruit and proceeds to eat all of the strawberries and put them back in the container. Some mornings there is a puddle of water in the floor from him dumping the pitcher over b/c it was in the way of his sippy in the fridge. He enjoys going on tricycle rides but still loves the "baby" swing that is in our front yard. He's enjoying the water more and more and daddy even took him on the lake in a kayak.

He knows 1-20, is learning opposites, and all his ABC's and is becoming very good at jigsaw puzzles (the cardboard kind without any border as opposed to the wooden kind for toddlers). He works with daddy on the catechism and seems like he understand more and more about God and His creation. He says things like "you are beautiful Zoe" or "Soap-eeee. She's cute!" or "I love you da-da." He seems to understand manners and being compassionate more and more as he'll often say "I'm sorry 'bout dat mama" or "here ya go Soap-ee" (giving her a toy to make her happy). He also tells me about his dreams which 99.9999% of the time involve Lightning McQueen or Mater. He is eating better (as in more variety) but it is still often a struggle to get him to eat. Some days he will clean his plate and other days it's a battle to get him to eat one bite. We are in the throws of potty training. Let's just say the will of a toddler is a powerful thing. (READ: pray for Krisha in this! It can be super discouraging at times.) On the bright side, Chase gets lots of gummy bears ("yummy bears") , M&Ms ("emmawemms") and marshmallows as his treats for going. Currently his favorite toy is his lightning McQueen with his flashlight which he calls "smashlight". Brian and I thought it was funny the first time we heard it, we haven't felt the need to correct it. They are only 3 once, right?

Sophie is also a little fireball. She is both sweet and also a spitfire (especially when I am slow to feed her or take away her milk. NO LIKEY!) She is still very much a people person and has this adorable chunky-cheeked smile. Look at those dimples.Her hair is just spiraling everywhere and she apparently reminds a lot of people of me. She still has only the 6 teeth (her smile is pretty cute with only 2 teeth on the bottom)! She still isn't very comforted by me or anyone for that matter when she is tired. She cries and then curls up on her belly (bum in air) and puts one set of fingers in her mouth and the other set twists her curly locks. (See below for the standing variation)It's prob my favorite Sophie pose. Why? A) for cuteness B) practicality- b/c it's her telltale sign she wants to go to bed C) it isn't a forced pose but a natural one that she made up so I can actually get it on camera!

She does this funny thing were she likes to crawl into my lap and turns around and plop! (but then she doesn't stay there for very long). She tried it on Chase today by backing up and sitting on him. Quite funny. Then she leans her head back to touch his head. Very cute.

Her favorite expressions are:
"milk" (signs it)
"mommyyyyy"
"dada"
"MEEEE!" (I think she's meaning "more" or "mine")
"Thank you" (she both says it and signs it)
"Doggy" (she says and signs it- patting her leg)
"Buh" (also referring to doggies or specifically Zoe. You mean you don't teach your kids that dogs say "buh." FYI that's bulldog for "woof!")
"Ball"
"hi"
and recently sounds like she might be trying to say "all done" and "buddy" (referring to Chase)

This duo rarely ever sleeps at the same time. (i.e. I am almost always up potty training or making sure Sophie is cared for.) She's still at the age where she does not like me checking on laundry and leaving her in the play room. She will stand at the gate and scream. Thankfully Zoe is a good buffer b/c she distracts Sophie and then she wants to pet the doggy.

(no Soap-ees were harmed in the capturing of this photo)

"Just when I thought...."

2011-08-16T14:51:00.017-04:00

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Dumb and Dumber (ok, so those that know me are saying "many of them are from Dumb and Dumber, Krisha"). "Just when I thought you couldn't be any dumber, you go and do something like this. And TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF."

I have to start out a heavy-heart blog with a little bit of humor, right? I've had many thoughts over the past years. But since I've had children, since I've been married, since I've recently traveled to some far out places, since I've lived abroad on my own in VZ, since I've had the commuting/working long hours in a big city and now the stay-at-home mom in a small city life; since I've turned 30, I am realizing that life is so so different than what I thought. For example, everyone (myself included) thinks that they have certain standards until their circumstances change and they are forced to revise their standards. But the issue is that most of us are busy trying to control our circumstances so that revision is never needed.

One example I faced years ago when I was living as a single overseas was my standard of eating. I always told myself that I not only liked healthy food because it's healthy but also because it tasted good. That is it worth the money to have fresh fruit and veg and that I would eat less quantity if I had to make up for not having the money to always buy it. But then when you live in a place where the country's resources don't allow you to have that standard - what do you do? What do you do if you go to the market and they don't have fresh fruit and no one culturally eats raw vegetables and thus you can't find them? Do you pay exorbitant amounts to have people ship things to you? Do you go to a bigger city? Because then you are breaking your standard of "I just can't live with myself paying $8 for 3 pieces of fruit." Or maybe you are breaking your acculturation standard of: "here I am trying to be one with the people and I am putting up a cultural barrier by leaving the town to get better groceries because their groceries aren't good enough" just to satisfy your other standard of "I will eat healthy no matter what"!! Have you ever been in a place where your standards seem to be at war?

We recently took a trip overseas to a place where my standards of hygiene and safety were completely at war with my standards of culture (and being that ethnocentric American who thinks our country is the best in everything). I HATE the thought of being that ethnocentric American. I know, deep down, I am very American and yet I always sought to respect other cultures and their differences.... or so I thought. Heck, we ALL think that of ourselves until we put ourselves in these situations where we have to choose between standards. The reality is most of us avoid putting ourselves in any situation where we would compromise any of our standards.

I kept asking if it just plain wrong or "different" that there is no sewage systems and that babycarseats cannot be found (much less seat belts). I had to laugh at the traffic conductor who was waving a wand while cars, buses, CNG's, rickshaws, and (in my opinion) very brave pedestrians were crossing without even acknowledging the stoplights much less the baton-guy. We joked that perhaps he was fanning himself. There was one point in the trip where we were in a motorized rickshaw and my husband says "hey wifey, you'd better lock your door." And my response was "Umm.. I don't have a door." I had to laugh out loud at the point. Our American mind thinks "control" and "safety- first!" And it just didn't seem to mesh with the Eastern relativism of "anything goes" and "who needs rules?"

My point is that we always see ourselves in a better light until we are in those hard and often dark circumstances. If anyone has read "The Life of Pi," you get my gist. (He' appalled with the thought of killing ANYTHING whether animal or human or insect. But after enough starvation and survival, Pi must choose to revise.) Anyone can claim to have a heart for the poor and homeless until you go to Asia and are confronted with too many beggars to count. All of us think we are compassionate (especially to the handicapped or the mentally challenged) until you are presented with the question of whether or not you will house this homeless person or special needs person in the room next to your infant. Most of us would be okay with living under our means and using some of our savings to help the community in some way, right? But there is ALWAYS A LINE WE DRAW.
We want to be generous, but not when our own security is at stake. We want our children to be around kids of other socioeconomic classes and yet we don't want the issues that come with that (that they may pick up bad habits or be exposed to things we don't approve of). We pride ourselves as Americans who LOVE freedom and "don't judge." But how many of us can honestly put ourselves (or better yet choose to put ourselves) in a place where we are willing to sacrifice our own freedom for the sake of others?

Everytime I venture overseas (no matter what the culture- LatinAmerica, SE Asia, or wherever), I am reminded by how all of us seek to control our circumstances, uphold our standards, and avoid anything that may make us question- why do I have this standard? And what am I living this way for? That is NOT to say we should live without standards. But our hearts are definitely opposed to analyzing our standards and the reasons behind them. We don't like too much introspection because with it come the skeletons in our closet. Why not just stay right where we are and never change anything? Wouldn't that make like much simpler? After all, simplicity is what we are going for in life, right? (read with sarcasm)

As a high schooler, I had the standard that I'd definitely have a phD of some sort by the time I had a family. After all, I defined myself by my academic achievements and my ability to scale the ladder and prove myself. (On a funny note, a fellow high school grad asked me at my 10th year reunion what I did now. He said "Krisha was like the smartest person in our class. Are you like a doctor now?" Then I told him I stay at home with my children. He was shocked!)
As a college student, I thought I'd perfectly balance my friends, family, spiritual life, etc. I had the standard of reading every book in every textbook and appreciating what my parents made possible for me when they put me through college. I had the standard of ALWAYS taking time to celebrate birthdays. I had the standard of always having some exercise outlet. I had the standard of always taking time to encourage friends. I thought myself an excellent communicator..... then ....I got married!! Boy, do I think differently of myself now!
Seminary came and the standard I had of "I will never commute more than 30 min. or pay tolls to earn a wage" went out the window. The standard of "I will use my college degree and press on for a further degree" was set aside for the sake of supporting my family. (I guess I can at least say we kept our "no debt" standard).
But even that was challenged when we left seminary, jobless and with a newborn. All the planning we did to ensure financial security while starting a family seemed thrown out the window by uncontrollable circumstances. Our standard of "why rent when it's so much smarter to buy as long as you don't incur debt" was put on hold as we continued renting. Even my "I will never allow myself to be at home with a kid and without a car" (just for safety reasons) was compromised in efforts to live off of one car while we secured jobs. The standard of "I have always and will always keep up with cleaning my car and I refuse to be a bad steward of the few things that I own" (as I never pay for carwashes or things I can do myself) morfed into a dirty car over the years where the side paneling is falling off. I guess I didn't give in and pay $ to have it cleaned, but I cringe at the duct tape and think "how tacky" and yet "how far I've come Lord to letting go of things my pride held onto." God has surely been gracious to me. He's provided a way for us to exercise back when we lacked finances to belong to a gym; He's allowed us to invest our $ in a home rather than rent. He's provided clothing for our kids... I've learned that there's no shame in hand-me-downs and even though I still value dressing nicely, I can let it go if my kids don't have the most modern outfits for the sake of saving some $. I've learned to borrow and trade and coupon, rather than just buy. All that said, I'm still in process of revising my standards. I haven't arrived yet, nor will I ever this side of heaven. I still wrestle with the fact that my car does not have a means to which I can play music other than radio. Pretty cheesy right? But hey I grew up with a family who loves music and you'd think every car would have the ability to play a CD or ipod even if you use an adapter, right? Nope. 90's tapedeck here. Sounds like pacman is on a crunching spree in between every music note. The key is to insert and eject the adapter tape at least 3 times and then the volume chimes in. But anyways, would I have ever stood for this before? My pride still struggles not to care what I have. Not to care what people think. Not to compare! (yep, I'm female) Not to put so much emphasis on the temporal when there is an eternity out there that needs to be lived for God's glory starting now!

I thought I'd end with this quote:
"I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please."-- Wilbur Rees

Hopefully you see the context is not literal. Rather it's poking at how LITTLE we DESIRE GOD. It's really convicting and when I read it, I thought "how awful." But I think that conviction can be taken two ways:
Option 1) We see something convicting and say "that's terrible. Well, I'm definitely not in THAT category" and we start to self-justify how are aren't really THAT bad or how we don't need to repent or allow God to change us because we really aren't that bad and we resent anything that makes us feel convicted by saying "I will not feel guilty. There is no need for me to change. I am just fine the way I am!"
OR
Option 2) We see something convicting and go "wow. Lord. Yep. Guilty." But it doesn't end there. We don't stay in our guilt. We confess. We "own it." We man up or in my case "woman up." And say, "God I surrender." I need You to grow my heart to care about You above all things. And we are forgiven. And He gives us strength to change.

So back to the beginning quote. We don't "totally redeem ourselves." Christ can. And does.

Come Ye Sinners (2 stanzas from my favorite Hymn ever)

"Come, ye weary, heavy laden, Bruised and broken by the fall; If you tarry 'til you're better, You will never come at all. Not the righteous, not the righteous; Sinners Jesus came to call. Let not conscience make you linger, Nor of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness He requireth Is to feel your need of Him. This He gives you, this He gives you, 'Tis the Spirit's rising beam."

Krisha, Happy 30th

2011-07-20T00:00:00.002-04:00

My Sweet Sophia

2011-07-06T13:00:00.000-04:00

My sweet Sophia. When did you get so big? You are such a joy to me. You have a delightful big personality squeezed into a little girl with curly hair and huge cushy cheeks. You still have those twinkly eyes and you have such sweet expressions. I love how you suck your middle fingers while you twirl your hair when you are tired. Or how you have those funny wide-eyed expressions when you babble something as if you are telling us something so very important. I also am amazed at how quickly you are learning. You are already walking, totally eating big people food (you are an amazing eater!), you clap, dance, sign ("milk," "hi," and "thank you") and I caught you saying "hi dada" (your first sentence!) on camera! You are an amazing sleeper (once we figured out all your nursing issues)! You really defied all my fears of what having a little girl would be like. I guess I kinda feared the pink-pretty-pretty-princess stereotype. But, Sophes, you are seriously a gorgeous baby with a magnetism to people. You are lovely inside and out. And best of all, you are a daughter of the King.

B's bday adventure

2011-07-05T22:16:00.003-04:00

So for B's bday, we went on a "canopy tour" in West VA. What's a "canopy tour", you ask? Well it involves zip-lining and sky bridges along the beautiful trees/mountainside. B found an opportunity to go for free and he planned it! That's the best bday present ever. One I didn't plan and that truly pleases the hubby. I can save my color-coordinated cupcakes, mixed CD, and scavenger hunt with mushy love letter for another birthday... whew!

celebrating B's 30th bday together

aren't we cute (in a dorky-helmet kinda way)?

sky bridge

I kept ending short of the platform... DOH!

birthday kiss

Happy birthday, Hubby!

Whooo's ONE?

2011-06-14T17:01:00.012-04:00

Can you guess whooooooo's one?

...will give you a hint

owl decor

the birthday girl's cupcake

cupcake tower

owl goody bags (yep adults got the smaller ones and Sophie, Chase, & Asher got the big ones)

"the spread"

owl visors & berry trifle

3 little owls:

Mama & Papa owl

Our owl family

"How's that cupcake, Sophie?"

FINISHED!

P.S. (a.k.a. Post Sugar)

Post birthday jam session by the talented group:
"Mini Sugar High" (can purchase their CD on Amazon)

Lead Vocalist: Chase
Drums & backup vocals: Asher
Double Egg-spert/fly girl: Sophie

This song entitled "No sleep tonight, mama!" was dedicated to you, chocolate cupcake.

This time last year...

2011-06-12T09:00:00.002-04:00

This time last year:

We welcomed Sophia Elizabeth Whited into this world at 9:01am, Saturday, June 12th. She was only 7 lb .5 oz; and 20.5 inches long. She thought it was awfully comfy in mama's belly so decided to stay an extra 8 days in there. I even made her a cookie cake to entice her.

But when she came out it was love at first sight! Her delivery was miraculous considering how Chase was a c-section and we weren't sure if this would end in another c-section. I do remember holding her immediately after I gave birth and she had so much hair and her hands and feet were still purplish. She did have the cord wrapped around her neck and they did have some difficulty in getting her out, but it didn't take but 15-20 minutes of pushing and she was out.

Sophie- You are a people magnet! You have this magnetic smile and "I wanna just eat you up" cheeks. You are full of personality and you bring us so much laughter. You are your brother's BFF and we love hearing you make each other laugh. I can't wait to see what the years will bring! You have already stolen our hearts! We are grateful for God for you. If joy could be personified, it would be in your smile, twinkly eyes and curly locks.

Day One

First time meeting her big brother

Day two

1 week

2 weeks

3 weeks

4 weeks

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

Sophie awaiting her birthday!

Remembering the miracle...

2011-06-08T17:17:00.003-04:00

This time last year, Brian and I went to the hospital ecstatic that we were going to add a girl to the mix of our family. We did what we could to prep Chase that he was going to have a sister and we even had a present waiting at the hospital for Chase to open "from baby sister." We were nervous about the VBAC because they are risky, but overall felt less anxiety than we did with having Chase. We didn't know what to expect since Chase's birth was via c-section. We had a crazy (hard from the get-go) kinda labor that defied all expectations. What do you mean by that, you might ask?
Q:Labor slow at first and tolerable then worse towards the end, right?

A: Nope. Started out being more painful than it ended.
Q:Did we have ANY of the doctors in the practice there?
A: Nope. Happened to be the one day that all were gone and another doc was covering for that practice.
Q: Was he convinced I was in labor when my contractions were doubling (a.k.a back to back) and I was vomiting so much I could transfer rooms or make it to the restroom?
A: Nope. (The nurse was more than convinced... whew at least someone was on my side)
Q: Did I give in to meds?
A: Yup. I laid aside my pride at that point and said if the contractions are not doing what they are supposed to on their own, it's worth trying to at least relieve me from vomiting.
Q: Did they work?
A:Nope. Well, not originally. The Anesthesiologist was baffled ("this has never happened" he scoffed and we all had a big laugh actually at how he had to stick me twice. So the eventual answer is YES! AMAZINGLY! And thank you Jesus for that!)
Q: Did the epidural make things slower (as I had feared) and make me feel worse (as many had warned)?
A: Nope- in fact it made my contractions efficient (as in rather than just painful and back to back, they actually made my body respond accordingly).
Q: Baby being 1 week and 1 day over must've come out bigger than Chase who was 3 weeks early?
A: Nope. She still weighed less than Chase!
Q: So, measuring petite even after going over 41 weeks made delivery easier?
A: Nope. One would think so. Apparently when doctors make those comments about "you have childbearing hips" - they are not directed at me. Even my little 7 lber was a feat. But she survived! Her entry may have defied a lot of our logic (I'm such an ISTJ), but it was sure worth it! Thank you, God.

Stay tuned for the bday countdown post...

The Irony of Heaven

2011-06-02T13:14:00.015-04:00

This isn't an exciting post. But it is one of honesty and of earnest wrestling with God's truth. I have felt emotionally overwhelmed the past several weeks. I'm not claiming to be going through anything more difficult than anyone else. Surely not. In fact, I know of people around me suffering and my heart does grieve for them. It grieves that I can't grieve more and give more of myself to bear with them in sorrow. It grieves as I'm coming to terms with my limitations as a human being and how I have to forgive myself and ask forgiveness daily.

I couldn't put a finger on why exactly I was so exhausted amidst everything happening. But now that I have time to reflect, I can see that it's just a lot to adjust to:

-memorial for my Aunt Joyce who passed away
-visit from my cousins whom I haven't seen in ages
-coordinating care and trying to encourage our dear friends who are waiting to bring their baby home from the NICU (http://waverlysjourney.blogspot.com/)
-hosting our dear college friends and their 3 kiddos from the Eastern shores
-Sophie's baptism
-hosting Brian's parents and youngest sister
-adjusting to the thought of two amazing friends moving!! (so sad Liz & Val. I'm fighting tears just thinking about it.)
-applying, scheduling training to be a Zumba instructor at the Y (READ: asking myself how I am going to find "spare" time to choreograph 60 min. worth of Latin dance)
-buying tickets to visit our friend Jon who is halfway across the world (this could be a whole blog in itself)
-LOTS of dog maintenance (bathing, meds, using the Furminator, cleaning her eyes and vacuuming incessantly all of the hair and gunk that she carries on her)
-Zoe's thumping habit which a) requires her to be put in the basement or b) us to revert back to the sleeping habits we had with a newborn baby!
-working with Chase to sit through our church service (I can't remember the last time that I didn't leave 5 minutes into the service because of Sophie screeching or Chase revolting from being contained to a chair)
-weaning Sophie
-cleaning after every meal where Sophie wants to throw her bottle and all the food on her tray on the floor (She has a love/hate relationship with her nalgene sippy but whenever I giver her her bottle, she throws it until there's a pool of milk on the floor).
-trying to referee my kids from fighting (yep this early! Sophie pulls hair and Chase knocks her over. Don't get me wrong they are each other's best friends the other 51% of the time...)
-countless allergic reactions (I pretty much have unexplained rashes all season long... only this time the doctors can't blame it on pregnancy like they did in the past)
-several trips to the doctors for the kids that leave me quarantined
-Chase's newfound freedom with no gate on his door
-learning to love my three year old and pray for patience when he wants to argue over everything (like telling me something is green that is blue just for the sake of arguing)

All this has been a reminder that nothing in this life will eternally satisfy. We weren't meant for suffering. We weren't meant for death. We weren't meant for this bitter fight with sin. With our own sin. And with other's. We weren't meant to feel like distorted images of God in a distorted world.We were meant for Paradise. We were meant for uninterrupted communion with the One who created us. We were meant to reflect His glory in all it's entirety. I've been reading Alcorn's book "Heaven." I have gone to bed earlier in the past few weeks than ever--even during past pregnancy. The irony is that I have been reading and re-reading the same pages over and over. I find myself falling asleep. (Partly due to the combination of the exhaustion and the occasional glass of wine. But the other part is due to the overwhelmingness of what I'm reading.) I'm not falling asleep because heaven is boring. Nope! Just the opposite. The profundity of what I'm reading is almost too much to take in. Do we realize that everything in us longs for perfection? Every way we strive at our jobs, in our marriage, in our parenting, even in our yardwork seeks to redeem what is imperfect. And boy are those weeds a reminder of my need for sanctification! The good thing is that this redemption isn't another "work." It isn't another thing on our to do list. It's in us to want to "better" things. But by the grace of God, He is the one that uses us in the process of redemption.

Tozer wrote in The Knowledge of the Holy that "what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. " (1) He points out how imperative it is that we determine our view of God because that will affect the way we live both here and for eternity.

Not only does our view of God reflect shape our beliefs, but also our view of eternity. Tozer comments on how even Christians fail to have an eternal perspective: "The church is constantly being tempted to accept this world as her home... but if she is wise she will consider that she stands in the valley between the mountain peaks of eternity past and eternity to come...Even if the earth should continue a million years not one of us could stay to enjoy it. We do well to think of the long tomorrow."

It's very true that we (I, confessedly) lose perspective. What we are used to becomes our home rather than what we know deep down to be true. Do we view heaven as our home? Do we view ourselves as strangers in a land where we temporarily live while our true identity and citizenship is in heaven? (Phil 3:20) As I am reading this book, I am convicted of how little I actually stop and reflect and question what Heaven will be like.

Alcorn brings up a good point. "We tend to start with Earth and reason upward toward Heaven, when instead we should start with Heaven and reason down toward Earth. It isn't merely an accommodation to our earthly familial structure, for instance, that God calls himself a father and us children. On the contrary, He created father-child relationships to display His relationship with us, just as He created human marriage to reveal the love relationship between Christ and His bride (Eph 5:32)" In other words, these analogies (like God being our father) don't exist because it was the closest thing God could find to us understanding them so He decided to use an earthly relationship to help us get it. Rather, these relationships first existed in the heavenly realm and what we see on Earth is a shadow of the original, not the other way around. Our sonship without our Father existed before any parenting on earth existed. God didn't think it novel as he watched us parent and then claim Himself our Father after seeing how parent/child relationships were on Earth. HE is our Father and he created us be parents as a shadow of the original.

This brings me to why our needs here on earth are not sufficiently met in any job, status, relationship, amount of money. I've felt the pangs of that recently. And that is on purpose. It's not God being cruel to us. He doesn't create in us a desire He can't fulfill. Rather, God wants us to desire Him more than any other thing on this earth. More than being the perfect worker at our job (or in my case, parent...unless you count Zumba and I can promise you I'm far from being the perfect Zumba instructor. Ha! Ha!) More than being the perfect spouse. More than being relationally respected. More than being a servant in the community. More than having a perfect record of remembering birthdays. More than being the healthiest person who eats all organic and looks 20 years younger than everyone around them. More than being a "moral" person.

I have recently read and re-read Mason's book The Mystery of Marriage. It is by far one of the best reads EVER! My heart "AMENS!" his statement: “It is an enormous source of human frustration that our need for intimacy far outstrips its capacity to be met in other people. Primarily what keeps us separate is our sin, but there is also another factor, which is that in each one of us the holiest and neediest and most sensitive place of all has been made and is reserved for God alone, so that only He can enter there. No one else can love us as He does, and no one can be the sort of Friend to us that He is.” (41)

It is hard for us to imagine one person fulfilling all of our needs. Society tells us that thing fulfilling us should be our spouse, or our job, or our role as a parent, etc. etc. And if we don't feel fulfilled as a married person, or as a parent, or church-goer, or as a wage-earner than we should feel very guilty. But do we stop and think that maybe, JUST MAYBE, the One who created us to have all of these needs will be the one to fill them? And being with that One for ETERNITY won't look like disembodied spirits sitting in eternal church-services yawning away at the worship services. We will have the same souls but redeemed bodies that really live and take in the beauty of Heaven. Doesn't the thought of a new body alone just fascinate you? I'm SOLD right there. We will have emotions and have rich relationships that aren't hindered by sin. That means no feelings of guilt, insecurity, envy, hatred, dread, etc. We will have emotions but they will reflect His glory. That will be more glorious than we can fathom. That will be....well..... heavenly!

Sophie's baptism

2011-05-24T14:54:00.006-04:00

Sunday was a really special day for us. Sophie was baptized along with her BFF baby friends Ellie & Josh. The Hoffmans hosted us for an amazing baptism celebration where we got one-on-one time with friends. Check out the awesome cake that Brooke helped design based on these books she got the kiddos! So creative! I love it because as you know, Sophie is my little owl.

Rev. Dunnington baptizing Sophia

BFF's

How cool is that?! Brooke, you rock!

3 proud mamas & 3 adorable kiddos
(If we were to switch up the babies, can you tell which baby goes with which mama?)

Josh racing Sophie in the grass

Grandma Whited & Sophie

Cat & her dadeo being silly

Our amazing husbands and beautiful babies

Derelict Dog

2011-05-24T14:42:00.003-04:00

Zoe has adopted a new look to better minister to the stray dogs around her. We never knew she had such humility. But when offered a pillow, a chair, or just the kitchen tile, we instead found her in the dungeon section of our basement (where I don't even go b/c I think it's creepy) laying here:

in a BOX!

"BUH! Who rang my doorbell?!"

So all you petowners reading this: STOP investing in fancy doggybeds or crates!! Don't give in to commercialism. What your dog really wants (and just hasn't told you yet) is a nice cardboard box. Oh and perhaps some wads of paper.

Mother's Day

2011-05-14T15:11:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! To my wonderful mom who:

sacrificially carried me for 9 months,

nourished those chubby cheeks,

creatively HANDMADE all of our birthday party decor (check out my Ernie hat!),

dressed me up in a sari, salwar kameez, or other Indian garb to teach me my dad's heritage,

made sure to be a part of every prom, dance recital, swim meet, & soccer game,

and support me through all of my academic achievements, speeches, pageants, & ceremonies,

and still finds time to share herself with me (and the grandkids) today!

Love you mom.

Easter pix

2011-05-11T19:52:00.002-04:00

More pix from Chase's extended bday party!

2011-05-06T16:44:00.005-04:00

Chase thoroughly enjoys his family! He asks for them all the time (including the ones that don't live here! Yep that means you Grandma & Grandpa Whited, Aunty Jen, Uncle Tyler, Cousin Colin, Aunty Cat, Aunt Sharon, and lately lots of Aunt Donna since we got to see her!) I'm grateful he's so attached to his cousins, grandparents, and aunt & uncles on both sides. Here are some pictures of Chase's 3rd birthday. He got two parties (one with friends and one with my family). Chase is a blessed little guy! Can't believe he's three!Nice!

Sophie the paci stealer

Not the best quality photo, but def quality people

This was by far his favorite gift! The Lightning McQueen car that sings "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts. Later that evening, I thought I heard music coming from his room. But it was on then off, on then off. I def caught him with it in bed that night open and closing it. "Life is a" [closes card] "Li-li-life" [closes card] "Life is a high"[closes card]. It was so funny!

Asher playing in Chase's new tunnel

Love this photo!

Nu-Nu with Sophie

Uncle Bryan making Sophie laugh

Newness

2011-04-20T14:30:00.007-04:00

This season there is a lot of newness.

Spring:
Can you find the hidden letter? haha

I used to think these were mini grapes as a kid and try to eat them

Purple phlox

Dogwood tree

Brightly colored flower beds

Love this color!

tulips

House renovations:

Carport looks much better!

Taaaadaa! (new paint & new windows....same volvo)

Blue Ridge Marathon 2011 (aka Monsoon 2011):

Brian & a friend he met along the way stopped to take a photo during the marathon

Chase giving daddy a hug and telling him "good job dada!"

Brian's marathon buddy, Grace, who did the half-marathon (not pictured: Krisha & Justin who endured the post-marathon dinner conversation... haha jk Grace & Brian. We love you and are proud of you!)

Note- these pictures in no way BEGIN to capture the monsoon that was occurring during the race. In fact if I had my camera with me, it's possible I could have captured the scary moment my volvo almost floated away on Franklin Rd. Not even kidding. Thank you God for allowing me to u-turn and escape with kids in tow. I found some pictures online to justify my sheer terror of being stuck with children in a lowriding car with no way to get home!

This was the intersection I am supposed to use to get home! (photo from The Roanoke Times)

This was a photo (from The Roanoke Times) of a tree falling on a house in our neighborhood b/c there was a tornado watch. Yep, and my hubby is running in this chaos! But he DID finish thanks to a nice lady who let him sit on her porch and escape the torrential downpour!

Bethany Beach, DE:
"Is that really your leg?" (Chase confused by daddy's wetsuit) Yes Brian went swimming in FREEZING cold water in Bethany Beach. We were just cold watching him from the beach!

Sophie's first pool experience
(My friend gave me this awesome lilly pad floaty thing for Sophie. She loved it! Ribbit!)

Don't ya think Sophie is so cute with her curls?

New haircut:

More Chase-isms

2011-04-12T14:45:00.003-04:00

"She prob-rey cry first" (he reminds me every time I put Sophie down for a nap)

"Goodness GRACIOUS!" (copying mommy b/c I say that when I lose my patience)

"oh THANK you" (sounds funny in person)

"okey dokey"

"I want my magna doo-doo"

"I wanna say God is great right now" (i.e. he wants to bless the meal)

"I want Soap-ee craw uh-wownd" (telling me he wants her to crawl around, though he changes his mind once she gets into his toys)

"You should get a treat, mommy" (you can probably guess what that refers to)

"Have you seen the muffin man? I want the muffin man." (This started out as daddy's distraction to Chase's daily "I want muffins" pleadings and now Chase thinks there is a real muffin man.)

And my personal favorite: "One day Soap-ee, one day" (which he tells his little sister when I tell him that Sophie is too little do/eat/have something)

Happy 3rd Birthday buddy!

2011-04-11T11:07:00.004-04:00

Here are some photos of Chase's bday. We had a CARS theme because Chase is obsessed with the movie! He wouldn't really sit still long enough for a shot but I know he had fun. Actually most of the kids were so active I didn't get many pictures. Oh well. It was originally a party for Chase & Titus (since they both have April bdays) but Titus ended up feeling sick! We missed the Moore family but Chase was excited to send them cake and give Titus a Lightning McQueen car!

Jackson & Cristen

Lauren & Brooke

Chase eating some cake

Chase opening a gift from mommy & daddy

CARS cake!

Chase & Sam chowing down!

Mommy & Sophie

Happy 3rd birthday buddy!! We love you!

Sophie at 8 & 9 months

2011-03-28T16:28:00.006-04:00

Felt the need to share the cuteness:

Notice the curls on top

Another owl face!

With her cute polka dot tights

Sophie & Daddy

Mommy-Daughter shot!

Fun with Daddy

Picnic at the park

Who says girls can't play in the dirt?

Would have been a cute photo, except for my Michael Jackson hair.
Thanks B for calling me on it!

Bathtime curls

Plastic spoons make perfect bath toys!

Chase likes to help while standing on the stepstool

We are enjoying our sweet girl! These days she has 4 teeth, eats more solids, waves, gives high fives and is super fast! She's still fascinated with her tongue and makes lots of silly expressions and noises. She recently (finally!) got some chub on her (well, besides her plump cheeks) and her hair is starting to get curly. (I knew it was only a matter of time!) It's the same golden brown color as Chase's and everywhere I take them, people comment on how much they look alike!

The Grace of Confession

2011-03-08T16:13:00.007-05:00

I recently read John Piper's blog in which Paul Tripp talks about how confession is misunderstood. We often see it as a burden rather than a grace. But truly, confession is our active ability to plunge ourselves into His mercy and receive forgiveness. I have delved into many a "Christian" book that sways too heavily towards the "be like this Christian" or "model your life after this person and your life/marriage/ will be extraordinary". There is so much emphasis on "be like so and so..." But all of of these books skirt the issue that we cannot change without confession and that our aim is to be like Christ! "Change is all about measuring yourself against a standard, being dissatisfied with where you are because you see that you have fallen short of the standard, and seeking the grace to close the gap from where you are to where you need to be." (Tripp)

It's seems so obvious who we are are NOT to be like. Right? We so often can point a finger at the Pharisees who "just didn't get Jesus" or even the despicable Judas who betrays Jesus! But what was the difference between Peter (a beloved disciple of Jesus) and Judas "the betrayer"? They both grieved their denials of Jesus. Both wept. Judas even showed remorse. The Bible does not come out and say Judas was condemned and Peter was saved. At least not explicitly. But it does point to what real repentance looks like. Not just an appearance of repentance, but REAL repentance. This doesn't include feeling sorry for yourself (guilty me!) or wallowing in self-pity. Or better yet, stewing in angry self-justification. True repentance involves a heart change; a desire to turn away from our sin, and admit our folly, and ask forgiveness from the only One who can give it. The verse about godly sorrow versus worldly sorrow keeps coming to mind: "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." (2 Corinthians 7:10) How can we possibly repent without confession? And yet this is so hard, so countercultural, so humbling!!

I think too often, we glorify humans as our models rather than seeing that even the greatest saints stumbled over their own sin. There are passages that tell us to be strong like Sarah or have faith like Abraham. But as I leafed through the Bible today, I just kept finding passages that evidenced the fallenness of even the most godly of saints. No human is without sin. Not Sarah (wife of Abraham), Noah, not Mary Mother of Jesus, not even the apostle Paul who we so often emulate to the point of making him our idol. The reality is, Christ is the only One worthy of emulating. The gospel of Christ is what transforms us. How many people would boast about Paul when they reflect on the passages of how he persecuted Christians? And Peter when he denied... well.. his denial. And how many of us today try to find some other human to model ourselves after? The Bible does have instances where God's people obey. And in those instances, we are encouraged to obey as those saints obeyed. But our obedience comes from emulating Christ as those saints did; not by emulating those saints. When it comes down to it, every decision we make can be for His kingdom or for our own selfish desires. And rather than a "be like Abraham" or "be like Mother Theresa" mentality, we need to confess where we've fallen short and then be like Christ!

Save the drama for ya mama

2011-02-28T09:59:00.004-05:00

My sis uses the phrase "save the drama for your mama," which makes me laugh every time I hear it! So, Nu-Nu, this one is for you! And everyone else who wants to be humored by my kids' drama.

I've been trying to capture on film the essence of my kids. And by "essence" I mean cuteness, energy, excitement and strong bond between them. And sometimes photos just don't do that. In fact, I could barely believe the first video until I replayed it on my camera. I have trouble explaining to people how "active" my kids are. After all, I think most 8 month old babies sit on a blanket and occasionally crawl to reach a toy to gnaw on. But this video reminds me that my kids are exceptional. Exceptionally energetic, exceptionally CUTE, (sometimes) exceptionally loud, and exceptionally DRAMA(tic)! haha.

This one is entitled "Sugar, much?"

This one is called "Just how do you keep your furniture SO clean?"

This one we call "The Tongue Wiggle"

And finally, Sophie entertains us with her "blinky thing" that she does. You can tell Chase & I think it's funny.

Toddler talk

2011-02-24T13:13:00.006-05:00

So Chase likes to help me feed Zoe and give her treats. I showed him how to tell her "off," or rather scream it b/c she's practically deaf. So Zoe waited and then when Chase told her to "take" she grabbed it from his hand and started chomping.

Chase: "Mommy, she don't yike it." (pointing out how Zoe's treat is falling out of her mouth all over the floor.)
Me: "No, sweetie. She's just a messy eater."
Chase: "But she don't yike it!"
Me: "No, she likes it, she's just messy."
Chase: (pauses to think) "Yup, she's messy."
________________

Brian: "Who created you"
Chase: "God created me."
Brian: "What else did God create?"
Chase: "Evvy-ting"
Brian: "Why did God create you and everything?"
Chase: "For His Glor-wee!"
Brian: "Chase, how many Persons are there in the Godhead?"
Chase: "Treeeee!"
Brian: "And who are they?"
Chase: "Da Faw-der, da Son, and da Ho-wee Ghost!"
__________________
Chase: "I wanna see Kathryn Jackson" (he says them as if they are one person, b/c they do come as a package)
Me: "Honey, I don't think they are gonna be there."
Chase: "Jackson not gonna be there. He's at work."
_________________
And the latest sayings:
"Maybe yater" (maybe later, which is his response to everything I ask him to wait on)
"I want see Soap-ee crawl" (meaning he wants me to let Sophie crawl in the floor)
"Thank you!" (one I never get tired of hearing even if he misuses it like when I ask him to do something and he does it for me and then tells me "thank you!")
"Ay welcome" (a.k.a. "you're welcome")
"Hey guys, whatcha doin'?" (When he comes in a room)
"Brian!!!!" (yelling at daddy from the top of the staircase, followed by Brian saying "Um, I'm dad. Not Brian, buddy."
"...And then I can get a treat?"
"with a happy heart!" (used when we ask Chase to obey all the way, right away, with a happy heart.)
"She's cyute" (mostly in reference to Sophie or Miss Val)
"Daddy, I want pancakes!"

Chase's take on the Nativity

2011-02-23T08:00:00.003-05:00

So the main present we gave Sophie & Chase for Christmas was a Little People Nativity. I thought that it would be a good, tangible way to help them grasp the Incarnation. I mean, it's hard to grasp as adults, so if little brightly-painted figurines that make good teethers for infants and invitations for toddlers to use their imaginations and humor their parents, then so be it! In Chase's mind, it made sense for Mary and Joseph to take turns on the roof (rather than the angel Gabriel who normally sits on a button that triggers "Away in a Manger"). And notice that Chase calls Mary "Murray". Not to be confused with the monster "Murray" on Sesame Street. Of course not.

Not pictured: the sheep and donkey who are in same proportion to the camel, & the very "pc" 3 kings (one black, one white, and one Asian)

Daddy snuggles

2011-02-22T15:25:00.002-05:00

Yum Yum Eat 'em up!

2011-02-22T13:46:00.002-05:00

My Little Sophie Owl

2011-02-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

Before Sophia was born, I was looking and looking for nursery decor and trying to find something that would fit this precious baby who I hadn't met yet but had felt jiggle around inside of me for 9+ months. I naturally thought of birds since she was my little chickadee. Since then I have refined my thinking both based on her name and her appearance. She is still my little birdie, but more specifically, she is my little owl. There are many ways Sophie resembles an owl. She is (for better or worse) very nocturnal and stays up into the wee hours and still insists on feeding in the middle of the night. Sophia means wisdom and everyone's heard of the wise old owl! She is a people watcher and likes to gaze from her various perches (be it crib, johnny jumper, high chair, or exersaucer) at people. Not just to watch them but to have her very large, bright eyes meet theirs. Even as a tiny baby she was this way. And now take a look at these pictures where I think she looks like a baby owl with her soft rounded face and large, twinkly, uninhibited eyes.

Not wasting any time here!

2011-02-14T14:20:00.003-05:00

Month seven was a BIG month for Sophia. Growing her hair long enough for a barrette, eating solids, cutting some teeth, and learning how to chase Chase were all part of her agenda!

So within the same week (at 7 months!), Miss Sophie went from crawling to sitting up by herself to pulling herself to stand! And I don't mean just standing in the crib where there are grips but using things like our ottoman to pull herself up. She sure doesn't waste any time! And now she makes a B-line for Chase's toys!

Her favorite things are bouncing in the johnny-jumper and getting into Chase's toys while standing at his train table.

She laughs at Chase when he gives her "high fives" through the pack 'n play.

Not sure if she'll be a dancer (like her mommy), a gymnast (like her Aunty Jen) or a mountain climber (like her daddy)... One thing is for sure. This girl is full of energy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T14:17:00.001-05:00

Bon Appetit!

Chase's crazy hair

2011-01-21T15:50:00.002-05:00

So I still haven't taken Chase to get a professional haircut because let's face it.... this kid's hair needs a chop ever 2 weeks! I usually end up convincing myself that it is worth the savings and that "it'll be better this time around." But let's face it. It always ends up completely different than how I originally cut/style it. Everyone who knows Chase knows he has "crazy hair." It does what it wants, sticks up when it wants and has so much volume you'd think I was using styling products in it! (Chase does ask me for mousse on occasion.) Maybe his hair is having a case of the terrible two's?! Today it was so crazy that spraying water did nothing but made it look worse. Brian called it his "Conan O'Brien hair-do". Yikes!

front shot

"the part"

rear view

side shot

"the Conan O'Brien"

Just so all of the Chase fans know that I truly do attempt to cut his hair evenly, you can see my work (right after his hair cut/style):

rear view

side shot

profile shot (check out that dimple!)

"the part"

front view

the action shot

"blue steel"
(For all you Zoolander fans. This one is gonna make him famous.)

crawling

2011-01-20T14:46:00.002-05:00

Sophie has been moving all over the place (scooching on her belly) since 5 and a half months. She would get up on her knees and take maybe one step (on her knees) and then go back to her belly. She would even get in pushup position with bum straight up in the air but then go back to her belly to scooch. But then last night, she finally made the move!

Instructions:

2011-01-19T21:53:00.004-05:00

Instructions:

Insert

chin

here.

When two peas come from the same pod...

2011-01-12T15:45:00.010-05:00

...they are hard to tell apart!

Sophie scooching (6 months)

Chase scooching (8.5 months)

Daddy kissing Sophie

Daddy kissing Chase

Sophie smiling (5 months here and still toothless at 7 months)

Chase smiling (with teeth at 6 months)

Big Sophie grin (5 months)

Chase grin (5 months)

Sophie getting some "exersauce"

Chase buddy getting some "exersauce"

bright-eyed Sophie

bright-eyed Chase

As infants, Sophie looked almost identical to Chase: http://kurioscaching.blogspot.com/2010/06/who-does-sophie-look-like-you-ask.html
But in these photos you can finally see a difference. Both have a cute rounded nose, blue eyes, and hair that went from almost black as newborns to a medium brown. Sophie's face is much rounder and even though I remember Chase having chubby cheeks/several chins, Sophie's take the cake!

Dancing in the Minefields

2011-01-08T11:57:00.002-05:00

We've been through a lot together. We've shared in exciting times- traveled across the world together (Venezuela, Dominican, India), learned different languages (Hebrew, Spanish, Chase-ese), bought a house together and brought two beautiful babies into the world together. We've shared in mundane times- setting the table for dinner each night and arguing over whose turn it is to give Chase a bath or get up and feed Sophie at 2 a.m.! haha! We've endured some disappointments- questioning God's calling on our lives and feeling as though we were wandering in the darkness and at times, struggling to make ends meet. We've shared in successes- you finished seminary and made it through ordination! And I came away with a straight A average on my seminary report card (however few the classes). :) And you trained and finished a really hard marathon! And I made it through 2 separate 9+ month marathons of my own! We learned to cleave and leave and start a family all our own... And the day we covenanted our love, was exactly 6 years ago!!!

So, Brian, this song is for you. It speaks to what our hearts know and need to hear but so often forget. That God's promise is true. And that is why we can keep forgiving, keep saying "I love you," and keep believing amidst our struggle to lay our lives down for each other. He never said it would be easy, but His promises are true. So in the face of all this chaos, I can still dance with you.

"Dancing in the Minefields" - by Andrew Peterson

Well I was 19 you were 21
The year we got engaged
Everyone said we were much to young
But we did it anyway
We got the rings for 40 each from a pawnshop down the road
We said our vows and took the leap now 15 years ago

Chorus:
We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for

Well ‘I do’ are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I’ve heard is a good place to begin
Cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price for the life that we have found

Chorus:
And we’re dancing in the minefields
We’re sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for
That’s what the promise is for

Bridge:
So when I lose my way, find me
When I lose loves chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith
to the end of all my days
when I forget my name, remind me

Cause we bear the light of the Son of man
So there’s nothing left to fear
So I’ll walk with you in the shadow lands
Till the shadows disappear
Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos baby
I can dance with you

Chorus:
So lets go dancing in the minefields
Lets go sailing in the storms
Oh lets go dancing in the minefields
And kicking down the doors
Oh lets go dancing in the minefields
And sailing in the storms
Oh this is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for
That’s what the promise is for

Love you, Hubby. Happy Anniversary. Will you still dance with me?

Sophie's latest scoop

2011-01-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some Sophie facts:

Other aliases: Sophilicious, Miss Sophie, spit-up-queen, Baby Soap-ee (per Chase; he graduated from his original "baby Bo-pee")
Age: 6. 5 months old
Length: Really long (so that she needs 9 months clothes in length)
Weight: 15 lb 5 oz (really skinny so that everything long enough to fit her falls off her waist)
Face: still has the chubbiest cheeks and several chins
Eyes: very blue
Likes: scooching (very fast) across the room to get Chase's toys or computer cords, rocking on her knees, smiling at people, baths, the exersaucer, sleeping with her bum up in the air, sucking her middle fingers, watching Zoe through the baby gate, eating rice cereal, facesucking and using her hands to swat and scratch things, wiggling out of her pants
Dislikes: her baby toys like rattles (b/c they are too boring for a woman on the go and toys with small parts are much more interesting!), nursing/being burped, diaper changes, sleeping through the night (all very unfortunate for mommy as these comprise the majority of her day!)
Her BFF's: Chase of course, baby Eli, and baby Josh

Here's a pix of Sophie and Baby Eli (short for Eliana)

Random stats: irresistibly kissable cheeks, very responsive baby, loves to smile at people, no teeth as of yet, just beginning to get a little bit of chunk in her thighs, has constant rashes (not sure if food allergies or eczema), went from sleeping through the night at 6 weeks to waking up now several times a night since she began rolling over, sometimes will take a bottle of formula (but usually only if daddy gives it), does well in her carseat and will stay in it a long while when she's content, generally very happy baby but also less predictable/routined than Chase, hair is a medium brown and has a little bit of curl to it

Thankfulness for friends & family

2011-01-05T12:31:00.005-05:00

We celebrated Christmas with lots of loved ones!

Giving Sophie smooches

B helping Chase open a present

Papi playing with Sophie

Sophie rocking on her knees

Nu-Nu showing Asher his new book

Grammy B with Sophie

Bryan being goofy

Asher waiting for his Siberian husky

Chase ready for a snowball fight!

Chase & Sophie enjoying their new blankies Aunty Cat made them!!!
Aunty Cat snuggling with Chase buddy
The Whited sibling plus BIL Tyler

Colin

Chase giving Sophie "pat-pats"

Chase & Sophie enjoying each other

Oh, and Bryan, Brian and Renu had competition to see who could do the best worm. All three have still GOT IT!!! I do think Bryan's took the cake, though.

Sorry, Bryan. I just had to. Plus, you got Dad's two thumbs up in the video. Some families do carols. Some eat a particular dish. Only in my family is "the worm" a normalcy in any celebratory event. Wedding, Christmas, you name it! Aren't you jealous that you don't live in my family?!

The meaning of Christmas

2011-01-04T16:25:00.005-05:00

This was one of the first years that I questioned the meaning of Christmas. I do remember a Christmas (not sure how old I was, but was in grade school for sure) and I remember such excitement about all the gifts and then upon opening everything and taking it up to my room, I felt such an emptiness that I cried. I remember my mom coming in and comforting me and me not being able to put into words what I was feeling but even at a young age, I knew there was more. There was more to Christmas. More than wish lists and believing in a make-believe person that disappeared upon whatever age you found out that he wasn't real. There was more to it than accumulating stuff. Even the nicest present couldn't truly satisfy my heart. It could reflect someone's generosity and love/financial sacrifice for me (don't get me wrong: I LOVE GIFTS and think it might be one of my love languages); but ultimately I will still put my head on my pillow with the same obstacles I had earlier that day. I will still fail. I will still make mistakes and do things that confirm I'm a sinner. I will still struggle with disappointment. No matter what age. No matter how much I am loved. No matter how much I try to fight it. Or try to "be" better or "do" more.

Our pastor preached a message and talked about the week of Christmas being the longest week! The kids are out of school and they just can't wait til Christmas day. They have that expectancy of something great! But then he said, remember that any present under that tree will not ultimately satisfy your longings. Perhaps for the moment. But we are made with those longings on purpose. God created us with a God-shaped void for a reason. It's points us to Him. Even good things: marriage, children, gifts under the tree! They are good, but in and of themselves, they don't satisfy. That "something great" the kids are waiting for......it's Him!!!

I think that this year was the first year that I kinda realized that the advent season is about expectancy, waiting, and hope. I've experienced "expectancy" firsthand in waiting for the birth of my two children and going through the toil, anxiety, and constant sickness of carrying them for 9 (or more in Sophie's case) months! But with the expectancy of Christ, it is different. As much as I LOVE my little bundles of joy and would do anything for them, the birth of Christ and the waiting season is a countdown to our redemption. It is symbolic of how our hearts ache no more. Not that we don't have sorrows in the Christian life but that God reconciled us to Himself through His child. How the hope that Jesus brought to those awaiting Him answered all the prayers, all the longings, all the prophecies, all the expectations of His people. (And even the expectations of those who don't know Him yet!)

I think my mind was very conscious of the "why's" of Christmas because my son is of the age that he is starting to understand it and it's not a matter of just setting a good example. We don't follow a gospel of morality. It's a matter of getting to the meaning of it in the way Jesus intended. I don't mean to sound legalistic or bah-humbugish about it. In fact, I think God wants us to celebrate His Son's birth in ways greater than we can even fathom. He wants us to satisfy ourselves in Him and have every custom, every action, every intention reflect the life He gives us in Christ. So if that is gift-giving, it is gift-giving that involves sacrifice, generosity, and other-centeredness. If that is having a glass of wine, I say "Cheers to Jesus. God has made all things good and we should give Him credit and not overindulge but celebrate with thankful hearts." If that means teaching a two year old that Jesus is why we celebrate Christmas, than it also means commitment to live that out the rest of the year, not just Christmas day. And if the extent that my two year old's understanding comes down to making a birthday cake for Jesus, and coloring pictures of the angel telling Mary she is "with child" and explaining that baby Jesus is different than baby Sophie because He is God in the flesh and without sin, than I say praise the Lord! Praise the Lord that Christ isn't a part of our life. He gives life. He is our life. He isn't just the center of the day. He's the center of the universe! It's kinda silly to think that we feel guilt over giving Him "the stage" on Christmas day in fear of offending some, (hello!!! It's spelled CHRIST-mas) when really He deserves our attention and worship every day!

Here's Chase blowing out the candles on the Happy Birthday Jesus cake!

Date Night!

2010-12-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

After 5+ long months, B & I were able to get away for several hours on a date! Our church hosted a Christmas party that we dressed up for! Dinner was included. We had so much fun that we were the last ones to leave. Starved for time-away-from-the-kids, much? Yeah. I think so.

Cheers Hub! Thanks for a wonderful date!

Pilgrims and Indians

2010-12-15T17:19:00.003-05:00

So here are some photos from our Thanksgiving feast. If there were ever a holiday analogous to the family I was raised in, it would be Thanksgiving. It is where two cultures with completely different ways of life meet and share a meal. They shared friendship. They opened their minds to embrace someone different than themselves. They instructed one another on life lessons and they shared what was most valuable. They stepped out of their comfort zone at risk of losing some of their cultural identity but in they end they gained a richer cultural heritage. I'm proud to say our Thanksgiving feast included turkey AND samosas, Pilgrims and Indians. (The dot, not the feather, to be exact.) Actually, to be exact... we had 3 pilgrims, 2 half-Indians, 3 quarter-Indians, and 2 full Indians in attendance. Ha! Ha!

1 Pilgrim and 1 quarter-Indian posing as a Pilgrim

2 half-Indians posing as a Pilgrim & Indian
(read: "I give you Samosa for some red sauce that go nice on turkey!")

& two quarter-Indians as Pilgrims:

Doesn't Sophie make a good Pilgrim with her rosy cheeks?

It was a fun time giving thanks for each other (thanks mom & dad, Nu-Nu & Bry, and hubby!) and most of all for God who brought these two cultures together!

Sophie is 6 months!

2010-12-15T16:10:00.005-05:00

I can hardly believe our little Sophia Elizabeth is 6 months old!! Here's an update on our little girl:

-She is long and lean
-She just recently started chunking up only a little bit in her thighs and face
-She loves giving wet slobbery kisses and sucking on faces
-She definitely loves people and isn't that interested in objects as much as faces
-She loves women's voices and lights up when she hears any woman talk to her (Gonna be a girly girl!)
-She started solids a little before 6 months and likes her rice cereal. So far she's only tried squash that daddy made.
-She loves her big brother and watches him run around
-She goes after big kid toys like balls and Chase's car ramp and doesn't have much interest in rattles and little baby toys (Her favorite is the spiky ball that looks like a dog toy!)
-She isn't as great a sleeper as her brother and can range anywhere from sleeping through the whole night to waking up 4 times!
-She loves sucking on her fingers
-She weight 14 lb 11 oz
-She's got her momma's feet and they are too slender to keep socks or shoes on
-She likes her baths
-She has been scooching to get toys (at 5 months and 2 wks) and has rolled since the end of 3 months (she is definitely a mover and shaker like her brother)
-She gets up on her knees and also does the push-up position
-She not a huge fan of nursing or the bottle (mostly due to reflux) but seems to pack on her weight in those monster cheeks of hers
-She's been sleeping on her tummy since 4 months and she settles herself to sleep
-She travels well and often falls asleep in her carseat
-She likes grabbing for faces, teeth, hair, glasses, necklaces or all the above (Note: ideal babysitter should be bald, toothless, have perfect vision or wear contacts and leave jewelry at home. Any takers?)
-She loves the exersaucer and grabs, eats, and smacks every toy on it!

She looks so elated! Like she's just happy to exist!

playing with daddy's glasses

Don't you love her double chin?

First time eating solids (rice cereal) at 5.5 months

As if those round cheeks needed any more help...

yum, yum, eat 'em up!

"I saw momma kissin' Sophie-girl underneath the Christmas tree last night"

I love this girl! And she loves ME! Okay... And my sparkly necklace.

If only Christmas shopping was this inspiring...

2010-12-13T14:50:00.002-05:00

Brian and I were brought to tears as we watched this clip. I personally felt like I witnessed a small piece of heaven. You know how heaven is often (unbiblically) portrayed as floating spirits singing all the church hymns that you find boring and monotonous and the thought of anything for an eternity almost seems overwhelmingly awful!? I mean, let's be honest. Who gets excited about a cherub? You know how if we are honest with ourselves we have to admit that our hearts can't fathom how being in God's presence and seeing His glory could fill every crevice of our body with excitement?! Well, watch this and tell me that worship isn't absolutely glorious!! It's not because of their voices (however beautiful, if I do say so myself). It's because the object of their worship is God Himself and they are celebrating in unison God becoming flesh to dwell among us! They are celebrating amidst the crazy shopping, the commercialism, the secular "happy holidays" posters, and the scoffers who look in dismay that their eating experience in the mall food court has been interrupted. They aren't shouting at people or forcing people to believe. They are unashamedly and joyously worshiping and people cannot but stop and think - why? I hope this blesses you as much as it did me. If Christmas shopping was actually this inspiring, I'd be making my dwelling outside Old Navy, planning every meal at the food court, and asking the flash mob if there were any voice requirements to join in this wondrous worship!

God's humor

2010-11-23T15:17:00.003-05:00

So, God has been teaching me a lot through being a parent of a toddler. Lately, praying for patience has been my mantra as I find myself losing patience with Chase. It's at least several times an hour that I find that talking in a normal voice and giving eye contact and even showing affection all seem futile at times in teaching. We've gotten to the point that ANY instruction is rejected by my willful two year old and I'm having to sing the instructions just to maintain sanity and not show my frustration. I know in my heart of hearts they are not, but when my two year old looks at me and gives me his goofy look where he's not taking me seriously and proceeds to repeat everything I am telling him (not in a "I'm practicing obedience" way, but rather like the game of "shadow"), it's hard not to pull my hair out. I guess God gave me a lot of hair for that reason!

Our conversations usually go like this:
Me: "Chase, what did mommy ask you to do?"
Chase: "Mommy ask you do?"
Me: "Mommy asked you not to hit things."
Chase : "Hit things?"
Me: "No- DON'T hit things. You could hurt someone and we don't want to do that."
Chase: "do dat?"
Me: "go tell your sister you are sorry for throwing things that could hit her"
Chase: "sorry throw things?"
Me: "No. Tell Sophie, don't just repeat what I'm saying"
Chase: "Repeat sayin'?" (Looking at me cluelessly and waiting for the next set of words he gets to repeat.)
Me: Just GO and give your sister a hug please!!!!

I've found that the most deliberate things I am doing, it seems my two year old is ignoring. The whole "getting down on his level," direct eye contact, keeping explanations short and consequences immediate still seem futile much of the time. But......

I did find myself "caught" the other day. When Chase sees our dog escape through the gate, he starts screaming at her "NO ZOE!!! No no Zoe- no go through gate now!" (Gee,who do you think he got that frenzied response from?) And when the Veggie Tales DVD froze the other day, Chase definitely said "Come on!" I do recall saying that in front of him ONCE and not even to him but in front of him when our broken bunny ears were not getting a signal on the TV.

Why is it that all of my intentional gestures and training feel so stifled by those rolling of the eyes and goofy ("I'm not hearing a word your sayin' mama) grins? And yet look at what he is absorbing and mimicking? My frustration with the dog and my impatience with modern technology!!! (Ok, bunny ears aren't so modern but hey -they are cheaper than cable.) Sure makes the quote "preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words" resonate with you, doesn't it? Thanks Chase for being one more reminder that we must LIVE the gospel. Our indeliberate gestures speak as loudly (if not louder) than our deliberate ones. Loud and clear, God. LOUD and CLEAR. :) Little ears are watching. They may not be listening much, but they ARE watching mommy!

Sophia's newest hobby

2010-11-14T08:00:00.002-05:00

Facesucking. Yep. (And I don't mean what teens do while their 'rents aren't watching.) I mean yummy-gummy, baby-loving, uber-slobbery, hilarious, facesucking!! I've determined it's Sophie's love language. I haven't been able to catch it on video b/c it's my face that she's sucking (usually my chin!) But whenever she does it, I shriek with laughter b/c it's the funniest sweetest and yet quasi-grossest thing ever! She grabs me by the neck with both hands and tries to fit as much of my face in her mouth as possible. I must taste pretty good.

Here she goes!

Back 'atcha Sophilicious!

Two can play this game!

some fall pix

2010-11-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Some fall pix:

Our greeter, Zoe

Fall wreath

JMU-colored mums

Miss Squeaky squeakerton

2010-11-10T16:07:00.013-05:00

Sophie is at a really CUTE and LOUD age where she squeals loudly at well.....everything! We recently went to a missions conference and she was notably the loudest attendee in the audience. She is discovering her voice and you can tell she thinks she's cute stuff. I mean who wouldn't? Look at these photos- here she is at 4 months old:

Here's Miss Squeaky Squeakerton now...

Chase-isms: Lost in translation?

2010-11-10T15:18:00.003-05:00

So Chase has exploded in his vocabulary. Some time b/t 2 and 2 and 1/2 years old, he has just taken off! He still says some things that are hard to discern, but that is what my technical translation minor is for. (At least I tell myself.) Some of the funny things he says are just mispronunciations for the real word. And they usually make us giggle.

Baby Sophie = Baby Bo-pee
Mingo = Flamingo
Baw-wewy- Strawberry
Ba-na- Banana
Tee-bo= tv (no we don't have TiVo)

He also sings the "pants on the ground" song and says "Sophilicious ALL THE WAY!" (those of you who have watched the youtube "Double Rainbow" song know what I'm talking about) Yes. He can say Sophilicious but refuses to say Sophie.

He is saying sentences like: "I want go in play room," "Where Zoe go?" "I want get down now," or "Daddy is working."

He currently enjoys: playing with cars on his little ramp, watching the Cars movie and Veggietales, going to the YMCA, bathtime, holding his baby sister while sitting in bed, playing with friends at the nursery, biblestory at night (he asks for it and gets really upset if we don't read one but then ignores Brian the whole time he reads!), watching Noah's ark youtube songs, and singing all sorts of songs (Twinkle, twinkle, Jesus Loves Me, My God is so Big, The Wheels on the Bus, etc, etc.) He loves crunching in the leaves, watering plants, finding sticks and using the broom. He is very good at putting his clothes in the hamper, picking out his shoes, washing/drying his hands, putting his toys away, brushing his teeth, and getting the mail. We are working on putting silverware away, sorting laundry (a.k.a. matching socks), helping mama in the kitchen (today we made cookies). Not much progress in the potty-training arena, but I'm sure by age 15 we'll get it down perfectly! :)

Chase has definitely discovered his will and his voice. I feel like I spend most of my day showing him the consequences for his disobedience rather than enjoying time together. We pray for wisdom in picking our battles. (You can pray for me in this if you are reading this!) This is especially hard for me because my mind always thinks things through to the long-term implications.
In my brain the translation for the following is:

Letting him leave his toys out each day = a grown-up who does not get the idea that he is responsible for his stuff. Letting him throw toys behind the couch and then come running to me saying "oh no! the car in the couch! Where 'da car go?" = me demonstrating that I exist to chase after his toys and that there is no consequence for misusing his own stuff. And screaming at us while we converse at dinner = encouraging him to think he is center of our universe! I know, I know. He' s only two and a half. So this is age appropriate. But if we don't train him now, he could end up being that guy living with his parents, expecting his mom to be his maid, and asking for a new ipod when he misplaces the one he has. Ha! Ha! Could someone show me an off switch to seeing implications so I could just focus on the present!?

We pray for patience daily to love him well and instruct and discipline him in a way that teaches him respect and love for God, parents, and others. We sure do love this little dude!

Trip to NoVa

2010-11-10T14:41:00.005-05:00

We all got to spend some quality time with the Whited/Baker crew up in Northern Va.

Aunt Sharon, Susan (Mama Whited), Grandpa Al, Uncle Buddy, Aunt Donna, Aunt Alice

Here is Chase looking sharp in his little blazer.

We celebrated Brian's cousin's confirmation
Congrats Frankie!

and Sophie got to meet Aunty Jen, Cousin Colin, great Grandpa Baker, and other great aunts and uncles for the first time!

I think still my kids resemble Jen a lot! Prob the cute nose!

Sophie napping on Grandpa
(We actually have a picture of Chase just like this --napping on Grandpa's shoulder)

Chase enjoyed his cousin Colin (Jen's little guy).

Colin liked holding his hand as they walked. It was pretty cute.

Chase was ecstatic to see his Aunty Catherine

Family Devos

2010-10-20T10:43:00.003-04:00

Family Devo time with Daddy

sibling love

Listening to the Storybook Bible

Sophie squirming

tummy time

I'll have to post Chase's song later.

Some things I've chewed on

2010-10-12T15:46:00.007-04:00

So, it has been a while since I have had any time to sit down and just think. And if you know me or have spent time with me, I may fool you that I appear like an extrovert; but I have a deep-seated need to be silent and just ponder. God has been teaching me a lot about myself lately. A lot of which I have struggled with accepting. The naked truth ain't pretty people!! And He is teaching me in all areas of life. Not just in this stage of being a mommy, though most of my days are filled with the "why do I spend more time disciplining my 2 year old than enjoying him?" question.

Here are some things I've been chewing on:

I am notoriously guilty of ignoring the roses. Smell them? I don't even know they are there? And if I saw them, that'd take like 3 precious minutes I could be using to enjoy some silence without children screaming!!! And then I read a cliche quote that actually hit home: "Learn to pause or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you." - Doug King (no idea who that is, but that describes my inability to find my "off" button. I am so concerned about the future that I have trouble enjoying the moment. If only I could be that Proverbs 31 woman. Ya know? The wife who smiles at the future!)

More things in life are both/and than either/or. I find it easier to see life as black and white but often it is way more complex than that. For instance, I am my kids' biggest advocate and yet sometimes their biggest stumbling block to growth. I seek to find my identity in things of this world daily while knowing that my citizenship is in heaven. I am made perfect in Christ yet I am being sanctified daily. I am both sinner and saint.

I have a love/hate relationship with my dog. :)

I spend so much time in survival mode that I don't know how to really live.

I have immense difficulty forgiving. Just ask my husband. I could use the excuse that my friends may not perceive me as unforgiving.. but that is b/c I am much more of a people-pleaser towards them.

I require of Chase what I myself cannot do. Obeying regardless of one's feelings. Showing love and acting on it even when you feel threatened or hurt. Praying even when you don't feel like it and you'd rather stomp your way out of the room. I'm great at detaching my mind from action and just mindlessly engaging in cleaning, diaper-changing, dog-grooming, meal preparation and laundry. In fact, I pride myself at this. (It's called multi-tasking, right moms?) But when it comes to relational or real heart matters, I find it incredibly hard to simply act in love and forgiveness and then trust that God will soften my feelings to match. The world tells you that acting against your feelings is an abomination of self- it is the ultimate breech of integrity. And yet the Bible tells us that the heart is deceitful and desires to please itself; but we are to act in obedience and trust God to supply the feelings. It tells us that true integrity is having your heart and your actions reflect His goodness. We aren't mere behaviorists, unconcerned with the heart. But we also don't esteem the heart as the end-all truth. Just because our heart "tells us" to do something doesn't mean it is absolute truth. For that matter, any evil thing could be justified.

The more repulsed I am at my 2 year old's disobedience, the more I realize that it's nothing but a reflection of my own disobedience towards God; perhaps mine is a little more socially acceptable and a little more civilized (We'll take complaining and nagging any day over throwing toys near a baby and tantrums in the parking lot.)

I have trouble remembering that things exist for me- NOT the other way around. Meaning the carpet exists in our play room to catch my kids' crumbs, not that my kids and I exist to preserve the carpet. Things are meant to be used, borrowed, shared. Not esteemed, tightly-grasped, and put on shelves hidden from guests. I may be frugal, but I too have "sold out" to materialism.

Less desires = more enjoyment. No I'm not a Buddhist, nor an ascetic, though I do steer towards minimalism (well... the American version-- if that even exists?!) I spend more time arranging things and expending effort on satisfying my desires than actually enjoying anything. Don't know what I mean? Like getting the kids down for a nap and then finding a book and a beverage and a quick snack and then the dog barks b/c I'm sitting on the porch. So I bring her outside (b/c her barking may wake the kids) and decide I want the computer and by the time I get that out I have to use the restroom. I use it in one minute flat and then quickly head back to the porch. Then I hear one baby cry. I can't leave the computer out so I bring that in, go and get the crying baby in hopes that she hasn't waken up her brother and carry the bouncy seat out. I rearrange the dog's leash on the porch so she doesn't harass the baby. Strap the baby in (don't forget the bib or she'll spit up and that'll be another 10 min. for an outfit change) I leave the door open while the dog is on one side and baby is one the other. I run in and get the computer with baby in full view so no one steals her. Yeah who actually has time to eat a snack or drink a beverage or even an extra arm to hold the book that you chose to read after all that b/c the baby decides she doesn't wanna be in the bouncy but wants to be held. (I should aim to expect interruptions and do nothing but birdwatching while being a mom of 2.) So I resort to just sitting there, baby in one arm and computer within reach (only effective to make me see it and feel guilty for all the emails I'm ignoring but knowing I can't type and hold a squirming baby at the same time). Even then I am getting eaten by mosquitoes. It takes me 10 more minutes to get everything in, in reverse order of course.

I am a martyr mommy. I fall into passive-aggressiveness where I do a task but later use it as what my husband calls "coins in the bucket." I use it as stored up good in case I need a defense of why I do something bad. You mean, my having the house sparkling clean and having food on the table amidst screaming children doesn't make up for my wanting to pull my hair out at all the noise and my quickness to get angry at anyone who gets in my way?! I am horrible at keeping no record of wrongs.

When I go through days without clarity of thought, I feel like my life has less significance.

There is only so much screaming my nerves can take!!! How would you feel if your "bosses" screamed at you all day long? What if they called you up in the middle of the night and demanded you put in overtime when you had asked for time off and told you it would be unpaid time? ( I know, I know. That's what I signed up for when I became a parent. Good thing that there are smiles and laughter mixed in there! Or I might just put in my notice! hehe)

I thought marriage was a teeter-totter. That when when one spouse is exhausted and down, the other comes to balance you out. That you take turns lifting each other up. (Like this weekend hubby is allowed to go camping with the guys and next weekend I'll go out and he'll take the kiddos.)But as parents, you'll find that you both are in need of respite at the same time. You feel like you need a break from your kids all day while your husband will also need a break to not feel the burden of provision and working. And the more you demand that he help you, the more stressed he will feel. But the more you devote yourselves to kids 24/7 with no time for hubby and no time for friends or for anything personal, the more you start to wonder who you are and feel taken for granted.

Our spouse's commitments are our commitments too. Don't overcommit your self and do all you can to discourage your spouse from doing the same. If they choose to fill their plate or you selfishly choose to fill yours, the sacrifice will be made by the whole family!

I've learned that being told "don't worry about it" or "just do it later" is not the same as helping me do a task. Saying cliches such as these completely ignores implications and even encourages procrastination and laziness, while offering help with a task takes true humility and servitude. When I hear these phrases, they annoy me to all ends. It's like telling someone in debt to just wait on paying bills. Ignore them and they might go away. Doesn't it take much more character to help someone with their burden then try and sweep it under the rug? After all, won't waiting just imply that there will be more dishes waiting for you to do when you wake up , or more debt accumulated, or that leaving laundry in the dryer will require you another hour of ironing that you could have avoided if you would have just efficiently taken the laundry out at the buzzer?!

Horizontal comparison can tempt our heart to sin: guilt (I"'ll never be as good as..."), envy ("My life would be better if I just had..."), lust ("I must have what they have and at any cost!"), anxiety ("what will others think of me if I....?), you name it. But vertical comparison (man to God) should lead us to humble ourselves and at the same time strive to be like Him! ("For every look at yourself, take ten looks to Christ."- Robert Murray McCheyne. I'd say the same for every time we take looks at others.)

I assent to the Five Solas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_solas
I unfortunately, too often, assent to the sixth as well: "sola boot strappa."

Continuing in sin can often be a wrong view of forgiveness. When forgiveness seems beyond our grasp, we don't aim for it. We ask ourselves "What's the point?" and go on sinning.

Forgiveness is painful. It forces us to see our sin, admit that we have erred and seek reconciliation knowing that the person who harmed us may do so again. It leaves the justice up to God rather than seeking to settle the score ourselves. It requires us to lay down all the "but I's..." and "well, you deserved..." and just say my pride and feelings are don't matter. Admitting we are wrong implies weakness. This world preaches self-protection. (Just watch The Apprentice! The guy who comes out on top never admits any weakness in him and is the quickest to point the blame at the "weakest link" to eliminate any competition.) The world will tell you that God helps those who help themselves. (This is NOT in the Bible, by the way!) There couldn't be anything further from the truth. God lifts up those who humble themselves (Mat 23:12, Luke 14:11, Ps 149:4, Pr 3:34). He humiliates the proud and gives strength to those who admit their weakness and need for Him. He doesn't call Christians to be doormats. He calls us to be servants, admitting our faults and our need for Him and then to move on in strength because our foundation is built upon a ROCK!

Jesus struck the perfect balance in everything. My pendulum swings back and forth from extreme to extreme on a daily basis. Example: 9:00 am "uber-disciplined/joyful Krisha sets out to do laundry, shower, feed baby #2, dress baby #1, put baby #2 back down for nap, feed dog, toss pile of diapers by the door to be ready for morning meeting. 9:05 am Baby #1 screams waking baby #2, baby #2 demands feeding=no shower for mommy and the laundry? Ha! The heck with that! I'll be lucky to make it to the meeting 30 minutes late!!

I am a living example of how a Christian can be such a failure in the world's eyes and still have great value in the Lord. I DON'T do it all. I don't work a full-time job, host a position of authority, have a portfolio of impressive credentials, and have pancakes ready every morning. I don't sew my own curtains and make my kids' clothing. I don't attempt to try a new recipe every day. I don't have perfect kids either. They don't have perfect manners and don't always reflect what we've taught them. I don't have a hobby or talent that adds to my worth. I can't say "at least I'm a runner" or "I teach dance in my free time." I can't say "my husband just adores me." Don't get me wrong, my man LOVES me! But there are moments where we both struggle to even get along. And I certainly don't have money, a buff body, cool clothes, or anything else to envy. But I do have Jesus Christ and He is the only one who can give me worth, value, and meaning in this life. When health and wealth and charm and status fade away, only virtue remains. And that is of God.

okay... going back to chew on some more while my kids are nappin.'

Daddy/daughter moments

2010-09-23T13:41:00.007-04:00

Here is Sophie dressed up for the skins game, which happened to fall on Asher's bday party, which also happened to fall on the weekend that JMU beat Tech!!! Go Dukes!!!

Go Skins!!! (That's for you Eric & SB!)

Love capturing these moments on film. Especially the daddy/daughter ones!!

One of the pictures I treasure the MOST of any picture ever taken is this one where my daddy is making me laugh.

There is something SO special about a dad connecting with his little girl!! I treasure you, dadeo! I know Sophie will grow up to feel the same about her daddy!

Sophie at 11 wks

2010-09-22T15:19:00.002-04:00

Sophie at 11 wks:

This girl has so many expressions. She makes me laugh.

Asher turns one!

2010-09-22T15:16:00.000-04:00

My youngest nephew just turned one!! He's such a cutie pie. He's crawling all over the place and has those adorable chunky arms and legs. And his hair is starting to get curly in the back!! I love him so!!Asher enjoying his bday cake

Asher: "You've GOT to be kidding me! That's it?!"
(Looking discontentedly at his empty plate)

Asher, Chase, and Papi

Asher opening his presents

Posing for a camera shot

Just FYI, Sophie turned 3 months as Asher turned 1 yr!

Llamas and Tigers and Ostriches- Oh My!!

2010-09-15T17:07:00.016-04:00

So for a long time, Brian and I have wanted to go to Safari Park and see all the animals. Just a warning, if you tour it in your own car, be prepared to get really messy. I think I would opt for the wagon ride next time. We ventured there with Sophie and Chase in the backseat (of course we didn't lower their windows for fear that the animals might bite them). But I think Chase still enjoyed seeing the "aaamals."

The giraffe was just gorgeous!

Chase riding a daddy tortoise and Sophie riding a mama tortoise-hehe

Who knew kangas were so hunch-backed?

Cutest specimen of them all

Chase: "Dat Mooose!"

Brian and I thought this camel was especially cute.

Brian proceeded to make fun of my dislike for the scary beady-eyed ostriches until.... one attacked his food bucket and he dumped animal feed ALL OVER our car! Who's scared NOW, Brian?!

Kinda cute if you can see past his pointy horns.

Just beautiful --but made me cringe a little thinking of "Life of Pi."

ugly scary ostrich

my view from my car window

what a cute guy

Llama crossing- this one is for you Dawn Bonker!

Are we in India or something?

Llama face!! That's for you Catherine!!

And this little piggy went wee-wee-wee all the way home!

What a cute boy have I!

2010-09-15T17:07:00.006-04:00

I had to post these b/c these show you just how cute my boy is these days. Doesn't he look like a little fraternity brother? (in the good sense, of course, with Brian's hat and his little striped shirt, khaki's and shaggy hair)

Chase and Sophie

2010-08-31T11:32:00.004-04:00

Chase busies himself with learning lots of new words. He talks constantly and his vocabulary is now more intelligible; he is speaking in sentences like "I read book", "Star song please" (meaning the Twinkle, Twinkle little star song) , or "I wanna play Titus & Siah" (his current bff's) or "Papi go in black car" or "Daddy at wreh-k (work)." He is starting to do things for himself: getting into his carseat, putting his dirty clothes in the laundry basket, asking to pray, helping with putting away silverware, washing and drying his hands, brushing his teeth, cleaning up his toys, etc. Still no potty training, but I'm okay with that. He is mimicking more words. I used to say that Chase was not a people-pleaser. He would never try to do things for a reaction from us or to hear praise. He would simply do them in his own timing. I joke with Brian that Chase gets this from him. I (sometimes to my detriment) am SUCH a people-pleaser! I remember trying to make my family laugh at a young age so I could get a reaction out of them.

I am pleased that Chase all the sudden seems interested in repeating words we are teaching him. Before it was like pulling teeth to get him to learn words. He would purposely refuse to say words we knew that he knew (like his own name and his sister's name). Funny sidenote: Brian tricked him the other day to say both his own name and his sister's name. He told them that the birdy on the book was named Chase and that the other bird was Sophie and of course Chase fell for it and said his name and his sister's for the first time!! But then when Brian said, "Hey Chase, what's your name?" Nothing. "Chase, can you say 'Chase'?" Silence (with a smile).

Now he is more curious and will point to things and repeat the word once we tell him. He also likes singing songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "My God is so Big" and "Hush Little Baby." Even though I HATE "Hush Little Baby." I guess it's not as morbid as "Rock-a-bye Baby," but seriously, the grammar and the rhyming in "Hush Little Baby" is h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. Everytime Chase asks us to sing it, I cringe at the "looking glass" that "gets broke" and the unrhymed "broke" and "billy goat" and how it seems like the composer ran out of ideas so they decided to use an animal with a cart twice. I mean seriously people?! (Ok, that's enough of my rant. Brian always rolls his eyes at my disgust for the song. But part of me does not want Chase to learn bad English! That's the linguist in me I guess.)

Sophie is now 11 weeks and getting cuter by the minute. She gives me tons of smiles and has the cutest dimples. She is very responsive and seems to like female voices the most. She does this things where she smiles and rolls her head around as if to say "I'm SO cute. I know." As my mom says, she smiles with her eyes too. (Her eyes squint, her cheeks raise and her eyebrows arch as if she's delighted to exist!!) She even makes little coos that sound like she's saying "hi." Thus far, she seems much more of a people-pleaser like her mama. (At her age, Chase would crack a smile here and there but he was pretty cautious and more serious.)

Sophie's two month stats:

Height: 24 inches 89th percentile (skinny girl tall girl!)
Weight: 11 lb 3 oz 44th percentile
Head: 15 inches 19th percentile (Whew. I thought that when her head grew so much from birth to one month, she was gonna be a melonhead!! But alas, she is small-headed again. Or relatively speaking b/c to me she still looks like her head makes up the majority of her bodyweight.)

Something really sweet happened the other day. I was holding Sophie as she was dozing during a meeting and her eyes shot open when she heard her daddy's voice after many people had been speaking and praying. I wasn't even standing near Brian, but I think she noticed his voice! So sweet.

I have really enjoyed getting to know my little girl. She has this adorable way about her. I love just kissing on her and watching her cute expressions. I love snuggling with her and swaddling her. My favorite time is late at night when she is swaddled and just starting to fall asleep. I put her in bed with me while I read and I look up from time to time just to catch a glimpse of her sleeping peacefully. Her little chest rises and falls as she breathes. Her arms and legs are tucked in like a little papoose. Sometimes she sleeps with her mouth open and her little tongue curls up so that I can see the underside of her tongue. Other times I play with her cute lips and she'll stay asleep but purses them in response to my prodding. She's a pretty sound sleeper and for that I'm grateful!

Chase giving Sophie a hug in her carseat.

Life with two is so many things. Exciting, dramatic, tough, exhausting, tender, meaningful, chaotic, unpredictable and yet predictable. I guess as humans we are all these things. We are in constant flux. So anytime you add another human to the mix you can expect more of all these elements of humanity. More joy, more pain, more blessing, more suffering, more opportunities to learn, more fits of boredom, more to adjust to, more to appreciate, more to sacrifice for, more to be blessed by. Babies are so simple and yet so profound. They operate on a perfect trust basis. Baby cries. Mom feeds baby. They don't resist being held for fear of being dropped. They don't question their authority (ok, at least under 9 months!). They don't have emotional baggage, or relational walls, or experience-based skepticism. They simply trust and receive. I have a lot to learn from them.

God bless my little babes in their sweet innocence. They are still sinful (no doubt!), but their hearts haven't been hardened in the same way. Lord, protect them from the hardening that makes us cynical, uncaring, selfish and disinterested. Keep their hearts tender toward You, towards their parents, and towards others.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23)

The set-up

2010-08-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

You may remember this photo if you attended our wedding reception of Brian as a toddler falling asleep in his spaghetti....Well, we were at the beach and Chase had skipped his nap for the day. He was in a high chair when all a sudden his eyes rolled back and his eyelids started closing. I was initially alarmed b/c it looked like he was about to pass out and then I realized that he was just sleepy. Brian and I looked at him. Then we looked at each other. Then we looked at our table. What are the odds that the one time Chase is ready to fall asleep sitting up is the same night we had just eaten none other than spaghetti! We looked back at each other and then I could tell by the look in Brian's eye exactly what he was thinking. Or should I say plotting. We caught ourselves in a story-in-the-making that we could one day show at Chase's wedding! Or at least that's what we tell ourselves to make ourselves feel better. :)

So mean, I know. I blame it mostly on Brian. But he said the tradition must be passed on and that Chase's future wife will get a good laugh. :)

Sophilicious

2010-08-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

One word.

Sophilicious.

I could just eat her up.

Corolla 2010

2010-08-24T13:39:00.008-04:00

So many pictures!!!

SOPHIE ENJOYED:

meeting Aunt Cat,

snuggles with Grandpa,

hugs from Grandma,

stylin' on the beach blanket,

and a free ride to the dunes with Mama.

CHASE ENJOYED:

time with Grandpa,

Kenna, the collie. They had a love/hate relationship where he cried if he didn't get to see her b/f bedtime and asked for her first thing when he woke up, but then he'd scream "stop it" at her when she tried herding him by nipping his ankles!

snuggles from Aunt Cat when he woke up grumpy,

putting ping pong balls in a bucket,

putting a bucket on his head and making stars with Great Aunt Sharon, (Too bad we didn't get any pictures of Great Aunt Sharon playing with Chase. She and Great Uncle Chip kept him well entertained at the beach and found many a shell!)

coordinating his outfits with his recreation (jk),

playing in the sand,

and getting hugs from Aunt Cat (you can see where he gets his sparkly blue eyes from).

B ENJOYED:

letterboxing and geocaching,

driving on the 4wheel drive beach and finding wild horses,

splashing through puddles,

showing Chase the sunset,

and visiting our friends, the Rogers! The oldest two were in our wedding! I can't believe how big they are now!

KRISH ENJOYED:
getting some rays,
(Yes, somehow my hair pulled back looked like a mullet in this photo but at least Sophie is darling.)

getting my feet wet,

taking naps with Sophie,

and reading!
(Krisha's enjoyment of this vacation was all due to the generosity and selflessness of the Whiteds & Webbs!! Without them no ray catching, feet-dipping, baby-lap-napping, or reading -beyond Elmo-would have occurred! Thank you!!!)

Nostalgic Month of Reunions

2010-08-24T10:41:00.010-04:00

August was the month of reunions for me!! I got to hang out with 2 of my best friends from high school: Emily and Jess (a.k.a Baratta) and see how much Jess's lil guy has grown!

Aren't my friends beautiful?! Emily & I have been best friends since Preschool!!!! There's a funny story about me not telling her my name and I thought her name was Emmy Lee. Emily was truly my BFF from day one. We did sports together, played in the snow together, sat at lunch together, were at every birthday of each others- you name it! We seriously had SO MUCH FUN together!! She had like a bizillion pets in her house and I always have fun memories there!
And then Jess I met in high school when she transferred to Byrd and she actually remembered seeing me years before I met her. And Jess was the one who pretty much modeled Christ to me and would invite me to church. Her humble witness is one of the ways God's hand was in my life long before I knew Him or understood His goodness. These two ladies have blessed me so much. And they continue to do so! I wish we could have had our other friend, Katie, from high school join us. We all ran cross country together and had a blast. In fact, Em & Jess both ran with me on the team when we qualified for State!! We had such good memories together- running on the horse trails, going to get shakes at Sonic, dressing up as the Beatles and don't forget Jackson Five. Football games, sleepovers, school dances where Jess and Emily's dates found plaid suits from the 70's. Oh the laughs! Em & Jess even made me & Katie a video upon graduating from high school with soo many funny moments caught on video. Love, love LOVE these girls!

I also got to see one of my Indian cousins, Sumit, who practically grew up with us since he came to the states and went to Virginia Tech when I was in grade school along with his brother Mohit. Sumit and Mohit were like brothers to my sister and me because they crashed at our house on the weekends. They did the normal brotherly things: throw us around, wrestle, tickle us until we almost peed in our pants, and I have many a memory of curling up in their laps.

Hanging with cousin Sumit on our porch

The other "reunion" so to speak was at Corolla. We reunited with the Whited family and Sophie got to meet Grandpa Whited, Aunty Cat, Great Aunt Sharon, & Great Uncle Chip. And Chase was reunited with the dogs which he loved! More pix of that to come!

Cute of one of Miss Sophie smiling at me in her bath tub!

Upon returning from the beach, Chase was reunited with his cousin Asher, whom he LOVES!!!! They make each other laugh so much and Chase is constantly talking about Asher. Such a sweet friendship they have!

Wii dance party!!

2010-08-09T08:05:00.000-04:00

Lately we have really enjoyed hanging out with our friends the Moore's. They have two boys that Chase adores and just had a little girl who is 2 weeks younger than Sophie. And this past weekend, we tried out their Wii and had a blast! It was pretty hilarious dancing together. Here are some pictures!

Val versus Brian

Val & I breaking it down (notice little Siah watching)

Chase playing with the boys' tunnel

Titus watching us pick the music

Val & I busting a groove

Bri versus Chris

Little Ellie watching us crazy adults

Sophie in Ellie's bouncy seat

Too bad the videos wouldn't upload!! Maybe later!