Here we go again!

So, we are getting ready to embark on another adventure. Actually we have been getting ready for several months now. The kids' passports have already arrived and they have had countless immunizations with one final one coming up on Monday. In fact, they have had so many shots over the last few months that their favorite game to play is "shot clinic." I get shots, daddy gets shots, they each gets shots, baby dolls and stuffed animals have gotten shots. We are very well-protected from strange vaccine-preventable diseases around here.

In just over a month, we are going to get on a plane for about 24 hours worth of traveling with a 2 1/2 year old and a 3 year old and (assuming that we can make it through sitting still that long - thank goodness for dvds players and lollipops) we will be getting off the plane in Nairobi, Kenya. That is where we will be living for about two months. We are beyond excited.

Now, when we first starting talking about this I wasn't as excited as I am now. I was terrified. I mean I definitely wanted our family to be able to be more involved in the amazing work God is doing through LIA, though we often feel disconnected other than by discussions and trips to take and pick-up J from the airport. We really want our family to have a good story to be a part of and we really want our kids (and ourselves) to care about the people and things that God cares about. It has been 4 years since I went to Africa, and I am sad to say that my memories have become faded. So, after talking to the board and his boss, J decided it would be a great idea to bring us with him for an extended trip so we could be a part of things and he could accomplish a couple of trips with us there rather than just missing him here. He usually goes about 4-5 times each year for two weeks at a time, so hopefully with this extended trip he won't have to go but 2 more times without us in 2010.

At this point in the discussion I start thinking of all of those worries...how safe can it be for me to walk around with my two kids on the streets of Nairobi? How many vaccinations will they need to pack into their little bodies? What if we get some terrible tropical disease? How will we possibly survive that long of a plane flight with toddlers? But, then I had some good conversations with people, and I read the book A Million Miles in A Thousand Years by Donald Miller which reminded me that I want my family to write a good story with our lives and that requires some amount of risk and faith. I also read Grace-based Parenting which reminded me that I do not want to be ruled by fear, though I have definitely been so in the past. It also reminded me that Christianity is not supposed to be safe, and we have been called to an adventure in Christ. We would hope to raise strong kids, not safe ones.

So, we will be staying in a guest house in Nairobi. We will get to spend time at some of the different places LIA does ministry, hopefully including a visit to the slums. The kids and I will be volunteering at an orphanage just down the street from where we are staying, too. We are excited. B can't wait to see all of the "Epiopian kids" and help feed the babies their bottles. We aren't too sure that she will see any more Ethiopian kids than the one she sees everyday, since we will be in Kenya, but surely this experience will ingrained in her heart. That is what we are hoping for. That this incredible opportunity which we have been blessed with will be foundational and enriching for the life of our family, our kids, our marriage, and the people who we are able to interact with. I remember my first mission trip really showing me how big God is if He is the God of these people across the world, too. And, oh how He is!

She's THREE!?!

Seriously, I feel like I was just writing a blog post about her turning 2. Unbelievably our little princess turned 3 last week. With a sparkling personality and just the right amount of sweetness and sass, she is truly a preschooler and no longer a toddler. She is the light of our lives for sure, and she definitely still keeps us on our toes. In fact, she woke up the morning of her birthday around 5:20 am (which is her usual wake-up time) and that so happened to be almost exactly three years to the minute of when I was admitted to the hospital with only a tiny understanding of how our world was about to change and become that much more bright and beautiful because she was part of it. How greatly God has blessed us with this little girl!

Here are a few recent pictures of her (as you can tell she is well-practiced at smiling for the camera!):

With the chocolate candy that she used a chair to climb up and get out of the pantry before hiding in mommy and daddy's room and devouring it

With her birthday flowers from Daddy

On a "naturewalk" in the backyard

The Hello Kitty cake I made for her

Our family on her birthday

Disney Magic!

Our time at Disneyland was truly magical! Didi and Grandpa took us on a Disney weekend to celebrate B's third birthday, and it couldn't have been better! The kids were at just the right age to be tall enough for most rides (they loved Autopia, the coaster in Toon Town, the Nemo Sub, the Tea Cups, some of the big rides in CA Adventure, and the rocket rods.)

They were also at just the right age to find the characters truly enchanting! They adored running around to meet the Princesses, Mickey's Friends, and the Fairies at Pixie Hollow. They thought getting their autographs was so much fun, too! California Adventure turned out to be less busy and really fun for all of us, too!

To top it all off we got to eat lunch at Ariel's Grotto where they served a delicious three course meal and 5 of the princesses came around to meet each family. B's grins were priceless and T's embarrassed looks were adorable! Not to mention the food was great (don't think we didn't let the thought cross our mind to snatch the untouched giant white chocolate conch shell from the other table on our way out :)

Some more pictures...

Yes, T's sunglasses are on upside down. Even Minnie tried to fix them to no avail :)

We even got to throw in some time at Newport Beach, a fast jaunt to Disney at night for just J and I, and a quick but great visit with some of our dearest friends. What great way to start B's third birthday fun!

With or Without you...

It is really hard for me to believe that B is turning 3 in just a week. However, when she starts one of her conversations with me it feels more like she is turning 13 (which is especially scary to J!) She is so very precious to us.

What has been even harder to believe, is that lately we have been leaving our kids more often...and they don't seem to mind! Both sets of grandparents have been amazing with watching them so we could go on dates (we have definitely been trying to make up for lost time!), and I think this has made all the difference for us. In Pasadena, there was an all-out hysterical melt-down if mommy and daddy even attempted to drop them off at kids' church. Now they head right into Sunday School, B's dance class, the childcare for MOPS, and now EVEN the gym childcare, with only an occasional slight whimper. If you had told me six months ago that this would be the case, I never would have believed you. I think it is because we left them with adoring grandparents first and eased them into the idea that mommy and daddy do sometimes do things without them.

It just makes me realize how big they are getting and how much easier life is becoming in certain ways. It seems more emotionally draining these days, but far less physically draining. I can do things like the dishes or take a shower while they are awake. Sounds silly, but those things are a pretty big deal.

Although, I must admit that watching them head off with not so much as a sad glance as I walk out the door does make me have a twinge of sadness myself. My babies are growing up and definitely don't "need" me as much as they used to. After all, that little girl was pretty much constantly in my arms for the first 12-18 months of her life. But, luckily, that twinge of sadness passes as I am able to have a little time to re-energize. And, who knew exercise could be so relaxing!?!

Retiring the Boots

This post is to commemorate the retirement of T's Mickey Mouse boots. After a complete year of faithful service and intense duties, including being worn all night (quite often), being worn through all seasons and in extreme temperatures (from 22 - 115 degrees), and being used to spread red paint throughout our house, they will be finding their final resting place. They are literally falling apart at the seams (who knew rubber could do that?) and they have a stench like none other. They have been a favorite shoe and have served T well through his year of being two. They are being succeeded by a new pair of fire man boots. We will miss you old reds....

Now a tribute in pictures...

Playtime

Hometime

Climbing trees together

At the Aquarium

Just being themselves (while skateboarding on a plate :)

At Bass Pro shop...

Their last Christmas together

*** A special thank you goes out to the Newlove family for giving the treasured Mickey boots to us last year. You know us well!

Our Little Ballerina

B has been excited about taking her first dance class for months. She loved the idea of the ballet shoes and leotards and tights. She even liked the idea of dancing with a teacher and other little girls. My fear was that she wouldn't be so excited when the day actually came and that we would dread each Wednesday morning. However, I didn't have too much to be worried about.

Last Wednesday, B was completely dressed in her entire ballet outfit by 8 a.m. even though her parks and rec. "Ballet, Tap, and Tumbling" class didn't start until 11 a.m. She proudly walked down the hallway to her class and went right on in with her dance bag and all. She didn't even seem bothered when the teacher told all of us mothers that we had to leave. (Personally, I thought we should be welcome to watch a 2-3 year olds dance class, but we were left only peering in through the small window next to the door. However, I have some pretty sweet video taken through the reinforced glass, I must say.)

As the class began, B was listening to the teacher, but then as I see the other girls tapping in a circle, I see her laying on one the mats a little ways away despite the teacher's prodding. She later told me she was just feeling a bit tired. Next she got up, and grabbed her dance bag. I am thinking she is packing up to go, but she comes over to the door and waits until I open. "I can't find my lunch in my bag," she says. I explain that we aren't going to have lunch until after. "But I'm HUNGRY!" I hand her two little crackers from some random bag in my purse and tell her that she should go and dance with the other girls. I did not think this was going to work.

Thankfully those crackers rejuvenated her just in time to take off the tap shoes and switch to her ballet shoes. From there on out she followed the teacher's directions and had a wonderful time spinning around, pretending she was a butterfly, and fluttering around the room. She also enjoyed the tumbling portion and the butterfly stamp she got at the end. She walked out of that room quite proud of herself, saying, "That was so much fun!" She then asked when her next class was, and I happily told her that it was next week. I was relieved and so happy that she had fun! I can't wait until the last week of class when I get to come in and watch rather than just peer through the window like a peeping Tom!

Our Sweet Little Gifts

We had a lovely Christmas with the family. Lots of delicious food, sweet memories with family, and plenty of grins by the kids. The day after Christmas we went up North to play in the snow at Nana and Papa's cabin and had such a great time sledding (though we didn't last too long in the cold!) It's funny how all of the excitement of the holidays creates great memories, but they still are not overshadowed by the everyday sweet moments with our kids.

A couple of such moments took place about a day after we had arrived home, when B's cough had turned into what appeared to be a pretty raging ear infection. She was crying until 3 in the morning telling us how badly it hurt. As I snuggled her on the couch in the middle of the night, and J and I tried to discuss what we should do, she figured out we were contemplating a doctor visit. She was extremely opposed to this idea and started telling us anything she could figure out would be a reason not to take her, "It feels better! I like it when it really hurts!" She also proceeded to yell these things as we took her in to the pediatrician the next morning. She was much calmer when she left with a prescription and no shot. We went by the pharmacy after the appointment, but found that their window was closed and we would have to come back by later. T did not like this plan and said, "We need B's medicine!" When we told him it wasn't ready and we would get it later, he said, "BUT, B's hurting!" How cute it is to see him look out for his sister! These sweet kids are truly the best gifts we could have imagined this holiday season.