Ordinary Time

I'm realizing it's been a while since I posted new baby pictures, so before the complaints start rolling in, here you go: L. G. L. L. (in white) and G. (in pink)

I never mean to take all the advantages and blessings I've had in life for granted, but I'm afraid it happens. I get too busy to really be thankful for them or I focus too much on some perceived lack. But sometimes there are things that are such a part of my life that I don't think about them at all, much less feel grateful for them. This was brought home to me very vividly this evening. Our church has an ongoing relationship with a women's shelter nearby...church members plan activities and outings for the children, provide material goods when needed, and sometimes offer education classes for the women. This evening a friend of mine was teaching a nutrition class which I was sitting in on because I will be helping to teach a healthy cooking class there next week. I was a little nervous, but having met the women I think it will be a fun time. I appreciated their eagerness to learn things that were going to help themselves and their children. But it also made me a...

Sometimes our entire family really needs to have some bun cha . It is the favorite Vietnamese food of those who have travelled there and even those who have not love it. Since it is virtually impossible to find in VN restaurants, we must make it ourselves. If I plan well, I am able to drive down the the VN markets near us to buy all the greens that go on top, which is where I was thing morning. As well as the greens, I also picked up some things that are difficult to find even at my normal grocery store which caters to a pretty diverse population. What did I get? A can of coconut gels. M., B., and TM really love these; they are a bit too gelatinous for my taste. I also bought a package of prawn chips for TM. (He loves all things fish.) It looked like a normal package of prawn chips, though when TM ripped into them his first words were, "Oh weird!" While that would be most American's reaction to prawn chips, it usually isn't TM's. So J. and I take a look...and they...

In the past month or so, I feel that we have regained our equilibrium as a family. I especially feel that way when the babies have slept well the night before. For the first time in a long time we are not in process to adopt, not integrating a newly adopted child into our family, not pregnant, and not taking care of newborns. I look back on the past four years and wonder at how we managed to add four children in that time. Considering some of the difficulties we had in doing so, my only reaction is to say, "Thank you, Jesus!" Both because we have been given these wonderful children to care for and because only with His help can we care for them. It has been quite a roller coaster. And sometimes just like a roller coaster, it's best not to know how steep that first drop is until you're already strapped into the car...otherwise you might never get on the ride in the first place. The other milestone we've hit this month is that it marks the time where TM has b...

The past two days have been the type where many children find a really good imaginary game to play together and it keeps them busy for hours on end. It started yesterday when A. and P. made a fort in their room: Not to be outdone, TM and D. decided to make two forts in their room: But then K. needed to nap this afternoon and the forts had to be (temporarily) abandoned. So a new one was made on the third floor: I love days like this. I love how everyone gets along; I love the uninterrupted play; I love the use of imagination. But, perhaps you have picked-up on the fact that I'm just a wee bit Type-A. I am the most relaxed when the house is neat and orderly. Having so many children has been a stretching experience for me on that front...learning to be content amid the chaos. And as much as I like "fort days", I also have to consciously remind myself that the mess is OK and to just overlook it. It will get cleaned up eventually; these are not permanent installati...

I wish I could take credit for the phrase in the title, but that honor goes to friends of mine. They are the type of parents to whom I very carefully pay attention. Their children are just a bit older than mine, most being in college and beyond. They have always been the type of children, now young adults, that I would like my own to be like. So I watch and take notes and ask questions. (Everyone needs some family or families like this. Go search some out if you don't have anyone who comes to mind.) Anyway, the idea of 'enforced family fun' is from when their children started to get a little older and busy with their own lives and friends. It was a way of being sure that they all still spent time together as a family, doing fun things, whether everyone was really on board with the idea or not. It is a little tongue-in-cheek, since the children all have great relationships with one another and enjoy spending time with their family. All the years of working to develop good fa...

That's what I am declaring today. We survived the weekend, though it all became too much for some members of the family long about 7:30 last night. I am happy to report that all three performances of Taming of the Shrew went wonderfully. I was very, very proud of these young people. I wish everyone could have seen it. My children's choir's musical also went very well. Two weeks ago my hope was that they would be able to just get through it, but not only did they get through it, they did it very well. I always feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders when it is over. But having two shows, in two places, on the same day, involving the same families is a bit tricky and something I'm glad we don't have to do everyday. I came very close to making a spread sheet for us, the P family and the H-S family in order to figure out who was taking which group of children when. We managed though, and only had one moment of, "Oh dear, we don't have enou...