Just a Praise

I just feel so thankful that as I end this year and think about a few prayer requests of the year and all God has done:

My son's speech is still vastly lagging and huge work is to be done, but he now makes jokes verbally and he asks us how we are feeling or if we liked our dinner. I wouldn't have dreamed of this at the beginning of the year. Lukas' social skills are so improved too (though his potty humor continues to frustrate me to no ends, thinking it is funny to throw the word "poop" or "butt" into any sentence to make it funny...the problem is that sometimes....it is actually very very funny).

I feel like God is helping me to connect deeply with my daughter. For some reason Adam connected easier with Adelaine and I did with Lukas (maybe even because of who they look most alike - I don't know), but I feel so close to my little girl now. I may want to tape her mouth shut when she whines for an hour straight, but would want to snuggle her the whole time her mouth would be taped shut (and for all your hyper-sensitive folk out there - I wouldn't actually tape her mouth shut.....or would I?)

Lastly, though the picture attached is slightly cheesy, it represents one of the biggest praises to me. A few months ago, Adam and I had a conversation where I was embarrassed that he was making so much more effort than I was in our relationship. He said "It is your turn Anna...I have tried to be close to you for a year now." I had been distracted by my role as a mother and by my desires to feed and clothe the whole fricken world that I had lost a little my role as a wife. However, right now, at the end of 2008, I am just wild about my husband. I love to be around him and am so so thankful that God has done this is me and in us.

As we look into 2009 with some exciting plans of possible travel (Adam with work to Europe and me with World Vision to Africa...not sure yet though) and as we start playing with the ideas of where God wants us after Adam's PhD, I'm so thankful for this year and for the things God is teaching me (and us) right now....even the things that have humbled us. Man, God is good if He can work in this messy heart!

Hap Hap Happiest Season of All

It has been a crazy holiday season for our family for many many reasons, but the biggest bummer of distractions at this time of year is the let down that I feel when I feel like I've missed "Christmas". I'm not really sure what it is supposed to feel like midst traditions (and I LOVE traditions) and celebrations. All I know is that I want to "get it" for just one day (because I think one day of getting it would change my life) that God came so far and entered my crap to be close to me, that He can do ANYTHING in the lives of my children, and that He is doing SO MUCH that I don't even see. Maybe I can start with just "getting it" for a minute. Maybe a minute is all I get this Christmas and maybe that will be enough.

Attached are pictures of some great times midst our little family Christmas - building an igloo (one picture on the outside, one taken while reading books inside the igloo) and Adelaine opening her Christmas stocking Christmas morn.

Family Pictures Prior to Face Plant

Adelaine took a bad digger on her little face where she bite straight through her lip. We went to the ER and she got three stiches on the outside and one on the inside. It was not what we had planned for the day, but I'm so thankful for so many things that happened yesterday from friends who were involved to the actual pleasant ER experience we had. Pretty great actually - for an ER trip - even got to visit some friends in the same hospital who just had a baby boy. That's what I love - one-stop shopping!

Attached are our family Christmas pictures, which I'm now so thankful to have done prior to this incident.

Colorado Sun

Fun trip to colorado to see family and friends. LOVED seeing some sweet friends and their kids. Had really great times with family too. It was really a great trip.

Picture 1: My kids and neices at my parent's new property at Red Feather Lakes, where they are building a cabin for our extended family. Looking forward to its completion the end of next summer! Lukas LOVED his cousin Faith.

Picture 2 and 3: Lukas found some shapes and started making some awesome designs (prior to Adelaine wrecking them of course). I didn't touch or direct it at all - i swear.

Picture 4: Thanksmas (Thanksgiving/Christmas) with Anna’s college roommates/best friends. These are our offspring. SO much fun – just way too short!

Also funny note: As we were getting off the plane, I noticed my fine boy quietly putting stickers on the upper thighs of fellow passangers as the beboarded ahead of him. Nice one!

Crappy Dappy Doo

Our little precious boy has a lovely, sophisticated sense of humor. He farted, acts so surprised...starts dramatically looking around and asks, "Mama, whas dat noise?" He only receives a glare from me and he laughs and says, "Is my butt!". Awesome. Real mysterious why this speech disorder can't take care of "crap" like that.

So, the crappy dappy refers to just the last week and a half. Everything from illnesses (my fibromyalgia pain and Lukas ear infection bursting pus through the tubes in his ears) to a diagnosis of a more serious speech disorder of Lukas than expected (not only getting to wonder what that means for him, but how that interacts with current struggles in preschool). Oh yeah: a flat tires, invasive colon procedures, awesome finance charges on a mistake I made with our bank account, my big final school projects, and an adventuresome walk/bus ride to the doctor's office through the pouring rain with an umbrella patched with duct tape that is opening and closing an whim.

I've been SO SO blessed by sweet sweet friends and family who have heard my whines (and wines) and taken my prayer requests. My husband is good to me as I get my poop in a group (wonder where my son gets his fine vocab) and we are recovering. Such small things can lay me out when they come at the same time. However - I'll attach a few pictures from early last week -The three rascally ones after the final decent one!

Hallo-Week of Dress-Up

My kids love dress up so we took advantage of our trunk of dress up clothes.

They were:

Green Grounders (Turtle and Caterpillar)

Wild Wild West

Ligers (Lion and Tiger that is, Napoleon Dyno...)

Busy Bugs (bee and ladybug)

Alaska or Bust!

I thought I was going to Bust with anxiety over flying with Adelaine on my lap (particularly the overnight flight back) from Alaska. Though it was not enjoyable, I'm so thankful for the blessings in travel and overwhelmed with what a great "weekend" trip I had to Alaska to visit my friend Molly and her sweet family. It seems strange to visit Alaska for a weekend, but that is what I did. Though I expected we'd just hang out at home with her three boys, we ended up going to a sweet little fishing town, going to a mountain range pass, and enjoying a beautiful walk. You can't beat waking up to find a mama moose with her two babies outside the window, or looking up to see a bald eagle, or even seeing a dog sled team on the side of the road. I loved getting to know her kids and seeing her world, including her incredible photography business (which the images attached are from her!). I wanted to upload more, but my computer is super slow, so I'm just doing my two favorites.

Meanwhile, Adam and Lukas had Adam's sister (and her puppies) here to visit, which was just wonderful. Lukas soaked all of her (and the dogs in). I'm jealous I missed her, but am so glad for the timing to have Lisa take care of Lukas while I was gone. What a weekend!

One last thing of note: I've heard Adelaine recently talking to herself in her crib lately "practicing speech". This is new to us as Lukas never really did this. After sharing a room with her this weekend, I'm finding that this is what she consistently practices saying when by herself: "No Mama. No mama. NO mama. no MAMA...."..all in different tones and pitches and emphasis, over and over and over again. Funny now - not thinking it will be funny in a few months.

My belated - BEAUTIFUL Birthday Gift

No, it isn't the landscaping (though that is the gift that keeps on giving of Adam's). It isn't the kids poking at each other's belly-buttons (though belly buttons are a tasty treat). IT IS the beautiful red bench that Adam has been working on so hard. I LOVE IT and think it looks so beautiful in front of our home.

Pictures and Pumpkins

Lukas finally drew a picture of his mama, which I attached the picture. I LOVE it and will treasure it.

We also went to the Pumpkin patch with Lukas' preschool and it was a blast! Adelaine fearlessly went down the enormous slide, with Lukas finally following with an unwanted "push" (literally and figuratively) from his mother.

Funky Town

We had a blast at a good friend's birthday party - a roller skating birthday party. I wanted to have us all dress disco and Adam sport a mustache, but we only had a chance to pull off having us pseudo-match in lameness. However, we LOVED hearing songs like "brick house" while my little girl pouted (see picture above) that she couldn't skate with us. For over an hour Lukas fell and got up, determined to learn - he did great. As you can see he even danced on skates (he gets his moves from his father by the way - I take NO responsisibility). Super fun night and glad to celebrate with friends.

Sunshine and Rain

As we are losing sunshine here in Oregon everyday and the rain is starting to creep in more and more (though the trees this time of year are unreal beautiful), I am finding that I am seeing a lot of sunshine and rain extremes in my 3 1/2 year old. I just love my boy. We have so much fun and we cuddle and he cracks me up. I also can get so frustrated with him lately - mostly for NOT having self control (primarily at preschool where he seems to be attempting to make another residence in the time out chair for misbehavior). So far is it primarily goofiness and it is getting better (and I am chilling out as well). So, I take this opportunity to look at the amazing things in my kids' life. One - his speech is improving and I praise God. A long journey and lots of work surely still awaits us, but I'm so thankful for a recent surge of speech. Secondly - the kid is obsessed with art and is pretty good at it. Attached is his recent portrait of his daddy. Granted this is the best of the best (though he did a drawing of a snail today out of the blue that rocked AND I might note he did a random drawing of an x/y axis with dots and parabalas....hmmm...seriously, he did). We'll see if it continues, but these things are so encouraging when other things like speech (or behavior) can seem frustrating.

GraGra, PaPa, GraMa, GraPa

We are blessed to have such great grandparents for our kids (above are the names the kids have dubbed for them). My mom came out last weekend for the Women of Vision Kick off and we went to Sauvie Island for some berry picking/pumpkin hunting in deep mud. This weekend we were crazy blessed by friends to get to go to a Lodge up at Mt Hood with Adam's parents who loved all over our kids in an amazing cabin surrounded by beauty. Since don't have permission to post thier pictures up yet, I'll post up the kids' pictures (with my handsome husband as well). We are super thankful for these last two weekends. Totally spoiled really.

Interpretive Art

Today we were almost out the door to go see Lukas' favorite speech therapist, Bob, and Lukas just HAD to draw him a picture. Attached is the picture that he drew - actually a decent representaton of him with mustache and all (however the pigtailed hair might be a bit much). This is probably his best drawing to date and so we thought we'd share it.

However, on topic of hair (and of interpreting the artform of the media...you'll see why)....Lukas gave himself a haircut. He disappeared with the children's scizzors into the bathroom. I found him with two clumps of hair on the floor. As he was about to get in BIG trouble, I saw that he had used markers to draw on his arms and legs, and even face. Suddenly I had visual of Aslan in the movie Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, when he is getting his mane chopped off in the scary scene of the movie. I remembered that Lukas had Adam had seen it the day before. So, just before sending Lukas to a serious time out and hair cut, I asked, "Lukas, are you trying to be Aslan?"...and he said (with tears in his eyes), "Yes, lion....cut hair". Hmmm. Wow...so that scene (and that powerful, good Lion) touched him so much, that he drew on himself and cut his hair to be like Him. I'm both confused as to whether we should have let him see the movie (although we were trying to explain the whole thing to him and WANT to explain the realities of the gospel to him) but also hopeful that my son's heart could retain this attachment to the Good, Powerful Aslan.

Beautiful Mind

So, Adelaine attended her first tea party - it was actually a remarkable event, the 2 year birthday party of our good friend, Lucy (their family is leaving to start up an orphange in Kenya and we ar trying to spend as much time with them as we can, so this was extra special). It was a tea party for the girls and a chocolate buffet for the moms - what a fricken incredible deal! Anyhow, Adelaine's hair is FINALLY long enough to put into ponytails and such, so this was the perfect day for her first hairstyle....thus the pictures and seeminly overdramatic excitement. Humor me!
Secondly - she is turning out to be a bit like her older brother. During dinner tonight, Lukas wanted something besides water to drink. He had done well to each his sandwich, but hadn't finished his beans, so I informed him he could have something else after he had his beans. Lukas quickly ate his beans and got his reward. Adelaine quickly made it known that she too didn't just want water, however, she also needed to finish her beans. I turned around to do some dishes, only to look back a moment later to see that she had almost finished quickly crawling on the table BACK from putting her beans on her brother's plate. The second she saw me she knew she was caught. I was actually quite impressed and Lukas was quite surprised and laughed. What a girl!

Happy 30th Birthday (and Mid-life Crisis) to Me!

Always being the youngest among my friends, I've waited to be 30 for quite a while. I've felt like I needed a little age behind my words. However, I didn't expect to have a bit of a breakdown turning 30 last weekend.


It was a wonderful weekend with my sweet friend Tara in town. Sarah and Tara planned an incredible breakfast and day (full of berry picking, a fine happy hour of fondue and Martinis, and loads of talking and laughter...see picture below) that just filled my heart (and my wine glass) to the brim. I was so blessed after a week of Adam's sweet little activities for me and other friends' notes, etc.

I think I'm just aware that for probably 3/4 of my life so far, my life has been lived for me, and filling me. I've done amazing things and seen and been to amazing places, but I want to know that my life is headed somewhere amazing in impacting too. Yes - being a mother is extraordinary, and if that is all (I shouldn't say "all", I know) God has for me to pour myself into, I am so blessed, but I feel I have been so poured into, that at 30, it is about damn time that I poured myself out. I think, on this birthday, I wanted to know that God was going to lead me to that place. We will see. I think so, but, we will see.

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Right as Amy left, we gained a new member of the family for a week....a great friend Rachael from Ireland. She was in the youth when I led it in Northern Ireland and now is an incredible university student I am proud to call a friend. We did loads this week from fountains, zoos, museums, berry picking, renting movies, walks, cooking, Imago Dei church, a downtown outreach event, etc. So blessed by the week and the kids are totally bummed she is gone. Some pictures attached.

A Sweet Friend Visits

Anna's friend, Amy from Seminary came for a weekend, who she hasn't gotten to really be with for about 4 years. It was wonderful (We went to the beach, downtown on the train to the Portland Market and fountain, out for drinks)

These boots are made for walking

Funny how girls have a thing for shoes - Adelaine lines up her shoes and others' shoes and tries them on, so proud to show them off. Here are some of her 18m photos that our friends took. We just love them.

Sibling Rivalry

Sweet (or even half-sweet) moments between our two dear ones are few and far between right now as they now are full-fledged intentionally trying to tick each other off. Adelaine has timed the exact moment that Lukas has perfected a tower of blocks or art project to come and ruin it OR how to open the DVD just at the climax of the movie. Lukas has been finding out that his pleasure Lainie's crying still outweighs the punishment of an afternoon in his room from either randomly shoving her or my favorite recently - *** running off with her favorite doll with her screaming after him only to have him run directly into the bathroom, open the toilet seat and about to drop it in only to hear his mother yell "Don't you dare" - surprisingly - he didn't, but he loved the power.

Other noteworthy kid moments:

Adelaine loves her shoes - spending much time arranging them and trying them on, pretty serious about wearing boots with shorts these days.

Lukas has been playing some pranks on us including knockng on our bedroom door (during bedtime) to have us find....1st time: We opened the door him dressed up with a clown wig and silly glasses and a hat. 2nd time (when he knew we were serious that he was to be in bed): We opened the door to find just the clown wig on the floor, only to hear a giggling boy from the other room.

Quick Trips

This last week Adam went to visit his good friend Luke in Monterrey California and I went to Colorado to meet Carrie's newest little girl, Nora, and actually spend time with my family (as opposed to all the running around visiting the whole world that I usually do). It was a nice change, but weird to be home and not see more people. Visiting Nora let Adelaine and Lukas see my roommates' (ie - college roommates) kids and me love on them briefly. Donnis (one of my life's two mentor's)also has a horse and graciously let Lukas ride it - so fun. Also loved spending lots of time with my neice, Karey, (who is almost exactly in between the kids age-wise).

While on the plane with two kids and debating whether I should suffocate myself with the floatation device or poke my eyes out with a stir stick, I wonder if the travel is worth it, but when I am home or with my roommates I know it definitely is. So just a few pictures to share! I'll add a picture of the 8 roommate kids later.