Reflecting Him

Limbo

2012-03-06T09:21:00.001+08:00

I have some amazing pictures of our trip to Australia and New Zealand, but they are at our "old" apartment (which Levi took to calling it yesterday before we had even spent one night away) and I am at the hotel. The boys and I are having a leisurely morning here while Justin is meeting the movers at the apartment. They got a lot done yesterday, and it's amazing to watch them work. They have stuffed sheets, towels, and toys into every nook and cranny of our furniture so that everything packs up tighter, which is great because we have A LOT of stuff.

We have four more nights in Singapore before we board a plane bound for Texas with no return ticket. It's surreal that this 6-year adventure is finally over. Justin started working on this project when Caleb was 4 months old, and that's how far in advance we knew that moving to Singapore was a possibility. We even planned when we got pregnant with Levi around our move so he wouldn't be a newborn when we moved overseas. It has consumed our lives for a very long time.

In Sunday School this past week, we were talking about the move and that it would be our last time in church there. A "new" girl was sitting beside me, and she looked at me with "the look" in her eye and said, "You don't sound excited." "The look" is recognizable by expats...it's the look that "newbies" have in their eye when they are overwhelmed with having left their comfort zone and moved to a new country. I told her that I was excited, but that this week in particular I was feeling the loss more than I had previously. It was becoming real. I also told her that it took me a whole year to feel at home here, and I remember that time well. I would have said the same thing in her shoes because when you're new you can't imagine not being ecstatic about going back home to stay.

But after 2 years, 9 months, and 4 days, we are different people. And we have friends here (and friends who are like family) who have helped us cope, helped us grow, and helped us truly live here. Thankfully, many of our friends here have ties to Houston so we will be able to reconnect with them again. But that's not the case with all our friends. The goodbyes here are different than when we left Texas.

To our friends and family in the US...we cannot wait to see you and catch up and reconnect! Please be patient with us, though. You might not understand why we're sad or why/how we've changed or why we're struggling when we've moved back to a place we know and love. That's ok. Just love us and give us grace. And don't be surprised if you see us in HEB and we are completely overwhelmed by the choices. Just smile and walk away. :-)

House hunting here we come...

Homeward Bound, Almost

2012-02-15T10:23:00.000+08:00

Well, I've been pretty quiet on here since my last post. Not a lot of exciting stuff has been happening. I am now, finally and officially, in the 2nd trimester. And, praise God, it's being kind to me! I have a little more energy and am less sick. My doctor is weaning me off of my nausea medication, so let's hope this continues to go well. I'm down to one pill every 2 days. So far, so good. In the first 14 weeks of pregnancy I lost 18 pounds (which dramatically slowed down with medication!).

We leave Singapore in 3 weeks and 3 days. Here is our schedule from now until then:

Friday: fly to Sydney, Australia
Saturday: Sydney
Sunday: drive to the Blue Mountains
Tuesday: drive back to Sydney, fly to Melbourne
Wednesday: drive the Great Ocean Road to Warnambuhl
Thursday: drive back to Melbourne
Friday: fly to Christchurch, New Zealand
Saturday-Wednesday: drive around the south island of New Zealand
Thursday: fly from Christchurch to Sydney
Friday: fly back to Singapore
Saturday-Sunday: finish sorting/purging our belongings
Monday-Tuesday: movers pack us up
Wednesday: follow-up day for movers, if needed; run around town disconnecting services
Thursday: clean apartment
Friday: hand over apartment to management company
Saturday: 7am, fly to Houston

We're going to be a little busy in the next 3 weeks, but it will be a great family time we will always remember. It'll be good to be busy because all this leaving business is starting to get real for me and I'm starting to get emotional about it. I'd like to put that off as long as possible. :-)

I borrowed a book from my friend, Andrea, called Homeward Bound: A Spouse's Guide to Repatriation. (You might assume that because we are moving "home," that there wouldn't be any culture shock or issues to deal with. In that case, you'd be wrong. We've lived almost 3 years of our lives in another country, and we are not the same people who left Texas in 2009. Our kids don't remember living in Texas. We definitely will have some stuff to deal with. *smile*) One of the things it suggested is that we drive around town and let the kids say goodbye to all our favorite places, to give them closure on this part of our lives. So, we'll be doing that our last couple of days here.

Today is my "see ya later" party (since the next 3 weeks will be pretty hectic!), and while I'm looking forward to spending time with my friends, I don't like saying goodbye. Does anyone?

Another chapter is closing for us, and I wonder what our next chapter will look like...

Changes...They Are A Comin'

2012-01-06T08:19:00.000+08:00

I don't think there's anyone reading this blog that doesn't know I'm pregnant with our 3rd child. (If there was, Surprise!)

You may or may not know that we are moving home from Singapore in 9 weeks. NINE WEEKS!

I have so many thoughts about all of this, and I don't even know where to begin. I'm a little overwhelmed with it all, and I have been S.I.C.K. for the last 3 weeks with this pregnancy. I called my doctor on Tuesday and begged for some medication, which she gladly prescribed. I'm feeling better, but still not wonderful. I don't think I've ever felt wonderful when I'm pregnant, so I guess this is pretty good!

I've already lost about 10 pounds (I'm 8 weeks, 3 days pregnant), and I'm hoping not to match my 25 pound weight loss with Levi. The medicine is helping, and I haven't been sick in 2 days now. It's definitely progress.

Now, about us moving back to Texas. I'm excited. I'm scared. I'm tired. I'm happy. I'm sad. I can't wait to live close to my sister again, but I'm not ready to leave our friends in Singapore behind. It's all a little much right now. And we have SO much to do before we can have the movers come and cram our stuff into a 20-foot container (read: we have a lot of stuff to sell/donate before that can happen).

That being said, I do daydream about shopping in an American grocery store (so many choices!) and going to Sonic for Happy Hour. And having a kitchen big enough to really prepare meals in, and a refrigerator that holds a gallon of anything. And a sink that's more than 4 inches deep, hot water that just magically appears in the tap, and a dishwasher. Ahhhh...a dishwasher.

We're looking at houses online, and we've found a few we really like. It's nice knowing that we don't have to sell a house before we can buy one, but it's a little stressful knowing that we cannot have our shipment from Singapore unloaded until we own a house because where in the world would we put it all?

We have a lot of major changes coming for our family in 2012. I'm clinging to this verse the whole way through:

In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. ~Isaiah 30:15 ESV

Merry Christmas

2011-12-19T17:54:00.000+08:00

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy

2011-12-10T08:31:00.000+08:00

This picture makes me happy. Even though these two fight like brothers always do, they love each other so very much.

The Christmas season is upon us, even though we're still wearing shorts and t-shirts.

International Santas

2011-12-08T09:11:00.000+08:00

I started collecting these Santas last year, and love that they represent some of the countries we've visited.

China:

Cambodia:

Malaysia:

Singapore:

Thailand:

35 Reasons

2011-11-19T06:54:00.001+08:00

35 Reasons I love you, Justin (for your 35th Birthday)

in no particular order...

1. Your steady personality
2. You get more handsome every year
3. Traveling with you (and our boys)
4. You are always willing to pick up slack in the house
5. Even though you are a great husband and father, you always desire to be better
6. You allow me time to myself when I need it
7. Star gazing with you in countries around the world
8. You are a runner
9. You put up with my desire to move furniture on a regular basis
10. Caleb Andrew
11. Levi James
12. You make me laugh
13. You hate coffee, but you are willing to sit in coffee shops with me while I enjoy it
14. Our very detailed financial spreadsheets
15. You have never raised your voice to me
16. You put up with my version of crazy
17. Tithing is always first in our budget
18. The way you play with our boys
19. You are never embarrassed to carry my purse in public or get lipstick on yourself from kissing me goodbye
20. You drop us off in front of the church on Sunday mornings so we don't have to walk down the street and go into church sweaty
21. Getting away, just the two of us
22. You love your family and put forth the effort to stay in touch with them
23. Your faith in Christ
24. You still think I'm beautiful and tell me often
25. The Word of God is important to you and you make reading it a priority
26. You are teaching our sons what is means to be a man
27. You show our boys how to love a wife
28. You do not allow our boys to be disrespectful to me (or anyone else)
29. You don't care much about material things
30. You gladly eat whatever I cook
31. You are passionate about the outdoors (even though we've lived in major cities full of concrete for almost 10 years with no mountains in sight)
32. You think through decisions carefully and with prayer
33. You care about the poor and needy and take action
34. You let me talk about deep things at 11pm
35. Through all life's ups and downs and crazy twists and turns, you are by my side. For always.

I love you more than you know. Happy Birthday, Babe!

China: The Terracotta Warriors

2011-11-18T18:15:00.000+08:00

After Beijing, we flew to Xi'an to visit the Terracotta Warriors:

We went to a factory that makes replicas, and the boys "dressed up" like a warrior:

And Caleb decided to fight one:

Our first look at the real Terracotta Warriors:

Pit One:

Wagon wheel (center):

They had one of each type of warrior on display in cases.

Notice the color on the back of his jacket...they were painted originally, but most of the paint did not survive:

We had a very memorable trip to China. It's still hard to believe we stood on the Great Wall of China and saw the Terracotta Warriors in person. We get to have such amazing experiences living on this side of the world!

Mommy, Take My Picture!

2011-11-14T10:00:00.000+08:00

The boys were in a picture taking mood the other day, and Caleb kept asking me to take his picture. It's quite a change from the normal, so I was happy to oblige. (And I have no idea why he's constantly striking the "runner's pose.")

Still Here.

2011-11-08T08:48:00.000+08:00

I wrote this post back in January.

I still struggle with those things today. Being present in this moment and not worrying about or wishing for the future.

My friend, Andrea, posted this video on Facebook today. I'm working on truly being here today.

BE HERE NOW from blaine hogan on Vimeo.

The Hard Questions

2011-11-06T21:34:00.003+08:00

Yesterday during school, I was playing some music (the boys and I all had a song in our heads that I was trying to replace). A song was playing that references 2 Corinthians 5:17, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." Caleb asked me, "what is a new creation?" We talked about how Jesus changes you after you decide to follow Him, and then Caleb asked, "Will I have to leave this house to follow Jesus?" He was confused about whether or not he would have to move out and leave us if he decides to be a follower of Jesus. His question was about the immediate, but I had a hard time telling him "no," since we never know what our Christian faith will require of us. God wants us to completely rely on Him for our provision and for our future, but, thankfully, He always goes before us and will never leave us nor forsake us.

Our kids know that just because Mommy and Daddy are Christians does not automatically mean they are Christians. It is a decision they will have to make on their own, and Caleb understands this. He said to me, "I'll decide that when I'm 18." I just smiled and looked at my 6-year-old who is beginning to understand what it means to be a Christian.

Later in the night, we were all sitting on the living room floor, and I was telling Justin about Caleb's questions. Caleb had more questions for his Daddy. "Is it hard to be a Christian?"

Whoa. I think we both sighed a little because how do you explain to a 6-year-old that, yes, it's hard but it's worth it? We told him that life is hard because we live on earth, but that as Christians we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and comfort us and give us peace. Then he asked a question that was really hard to answer.

"Can people who are Christians decide not to be Christians?"

Yikes. He certainly wasn't asking for, nor were we wanting to get into, the once saved, always saved debate. :-)

In his childlike way, he's questioning what it will cost him to follow Jesus. And it will cost him. I'm so glad he recognizes that already.

But it is so worth it.

China, Day Two: The Great Wall

2011-10-27T09:37:00.002+08:00

I don't think there was ever a time growing up where I imagined I'd stand on the Great Wall of China. What a cool experience!

We chose to ride the chair lift up since climbing to the top with 2 kids didn't sound like a fun time:

The sights were beautiful on the way up, despite the smog:

On top:

You see that kid with his arms in the air on top of the tower? That's Caleb:

Amazing:

Caleb (wearing his "I climbed the Great Wall" medal) standing next to a cannon:

Both boys by the cannon:

It was about this point that Justin left us to go explore further on his own (the rest of the pictures are ones he took):

(Look closely and you'll see the closest thing to "Fall" we've seen in 3 years):

I'm so glad we had this experience.

China: Chinese Acrobats

2011-10-25T13:16:00.000+08:00

We were able to go to the Chinese Acrobat show while in Beijing, and it was cool, beautiful, and slightly disturbing (see 5th picture down) all at the same time. A really neat experience!

China: Tim's Texas BBQ

2011-10-25T13:08:00.002+08:00

When my friend, Keri, went to Beijing with her husband and posted pictures of a place called Tim's Texas BBQ, it immediately became a "must do" on our trip. It was, in a word, amazing.

Lilly, our tour guide, pointing out Dr. Pepper on the MENU! A very rare sighting outside of Texas:

There was Texas memorabilia everywhere. It was surreal. Like walking into a Texas BBQ joint or Texas Roadhouse, except in the middle of crazy busy China:

You can only imagine how happy this made me:

And this, of course, too:

No schools/teams in Texas were left out of the decor:

It tasted just as good as it looked. Incredible! (The brisket was the best...sausage and ribs not as good, FYI.)

It was a surreal, happy place for a few homesick Texans. (And, no, Justin, I'm not talking about you. I know you will always consider yourself a New Mexican.)

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-25T09:35:00.000+08:00

I still have China pictures to post, but I figured I'd get these up here before it's Christmas! The Singapore American School has a pumpkin sale/patch every year. It's not the same as going into a big field in Texas and picking out pumpkins, but we're so thankful to have the opportunity to have a pumpkin patch in Singapore!

Levi showing off his tiny pumpkin:

My 6yo...how did he get so big?

All my handsome boys:

There was even hay!

Caleb and his friend, Pierce:

Happy Fall, Y'all! or, you know, whatever.

Beijing, Day One - Pagoda and Hutong/Hou Hai Area

2011-10-07T07:46:00.000+08:00

We crossed the street from The Forbidden City and climbed Jingshan hill to get to the pagoda at the top of this picture:

And I couldn't resist taking a picture of this girl posing for her mom:

View of The Forbidden City looking down the hill (and, yes, that's smog. gross.):

Looking at the other side of the city, the Hutong Area:

The lake:

Caleb standing in the middle of Beijing!:

We came down the hill and found the tree, called the Guilty Chinese Scholartree, where the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself to avoid being captured and executed. Read about the tree here.:

Levi was in a particularly bad mood this day, so I had to capture any picture of him smiling:

Family pic by the female lion (see the baby under her foot?):

Again with smiling Levi! A rare occurrence that day:

Hutong:

You can get churros in China! They smelled sooooo good, but it wasn't worth the pain for me to eat one:

We ate at Hutong Pizza, which was really good:

And then I had to stop at Starbucks to get my Beijing coffee mug!

The Great Wall is next!

Beijing, Day One - The Forbidden City

2011-10-04T09:30:00.000+08:00

After we went through Tiananmen Gate, we entered The Forbidden City (named so by the commoners who were not allowed to enter until the 1920s, after the Qing Dynasty was overthrown):

Lions to protect the space. My children now know how to tell the difference between the male and female of these types of lions (based upon what their paw is resting on):

A look back toward Tiananmen Gate:

Caleb standing on the original stones of the Forbidden City:

Original stones:

I loved the architecture:

The boys and I sat down for a few minutes and soon were surrounded by people wanting a better look, especially at my boys big eyes and long eyelashes:

Pots to hold water in case of fires, since much of the palace area was constructed of wood:

The Emperor's Chair:

The number of animals on the top of a building tells you how important it was/who lived there (9 animals for the Emperor):

Eunuch housing:

Gardens for the royal family (this is the "couple tree"):

Stone walkway in the gardens, foot reflexology for the concubines whose feet had been bound:

Gardens:

North Gate (I think this says "Palace Museum," the official name for The Forbidden City, but my Mandarin speaking friends can correct me!):

Beijing, Day One - Tiananmen Square

2011-10-02T16:40:00.002+08:00

Our first morning in Beijing was a tiny bit chilly, which to the boys meant COLD. They are so sensitive to cold after living in Singapore for more than two years. It was a welcome change for Justin and me!

The first day, our plan was to visit Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City. If you are unfamiliar with Tiananmen Square, you can read about it here.

Here are the boys walking down the street with Lilly, our fabulous tour guide:

McDonalds in China! (I admit we ate here quite a few times.)

My freezing cold 6-year-old:

Walking, walking...our hotel was close to Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City, but it was probably a mile walk or so:

Traffic signs. The boys said, "no exploding cars can go that way..."

Tiananmen Square (the tall building, back left, is Mao's mausoleum, where you can see him in his embalmed state. We did not do this.):

Tiananmen Square, decorated for China's National Day, October 1st:

Boys hanging out in Tiananmen Square (those barricades are opened and the street closed for certain events, like National Day). The street you see there is the famous one where the events of June 3, 1989 took place, although our tour guide had no information about that to give us (shocking no one):

Tiananmen Gate, where Tiananmen Square gets its name, with Chairman Mao's photo prominently displayed:

Felt like we were with 20,000 of our closest friends cramming into the tunnel leading to the entrance to The Forbidden City:

Pictures of The Forbidden City, The Great Wall, The Summer Palace, and the Terracotta Warriors to come!

Birthday Party at Sky Gym

2011-09-17T21:19:00.001+08:00

Since the boys' birthdays are one day apart, we are still taking advantage of this and having ONE party. This year we decided to do it at Sky Gym, where the boys take gymnastics. It was great fun!

Caleb and Levi got to be the helpers during warm-up time:

Demonstrating what to do on this "circuit:"

My friend, Eunice, had to try out the trampoline:

What a great things for litttle boys who love to climb all over things:

A game of hide-and-seek...about 4 kids were hiding in the slide at one time:

Explaining the game (I love the look on Emily's face in this one--far right):

Pierce excited about something:

I love the look on Jack's (red shirt) and Elijah's faces here...they had found a good hiding spot:

Tug-of-War...Caleb and Levi were on separate teams and each team won once!

Levi gets a little overwhelmed sometimes and needs to sit out:

My super ugly but very tasty (I'm told...I can't eat it) cake--we love Phineas and Ferb:

This is what happens to icing in Singapore:

We had so much fun celebrating with our friends! Caleb and Levi are so blessed to have such wonderful friends.

The boys official birthdays are Monday and Tuesday, so more pictures to come!

Cambodia, Day Three - Ta Prohm

2011-09-10T20:53:00.002+08:00

Cambodia, Day Three - Banteay Srei

2011-09-10T20:39:00.001+08:00

Cambodia, Day Two--Bayon

2011-09-05T16:07:00.001+08:00

Inside Angkor Thom is a place called Bayon:

Boys discover bugs everywhere!

People have left little "memorials" of rocks:

Mr Sassy Britches:

And then, despite the happy faces in these pictures, we'd had one too many meltdowns and decided to call it a day.

Labor Day

2011-09-05T15:59:00.003+08:00

In honor of Labor Day (in the United States)...

How long were your labors?

Kid #1, 7 hours
Kid #2, 0 Hours :-)

Where did you deliver?

At Memorial City Hospital in Houston.

Drugs?

Yes, many and all kinds. After Levi was born and they had taken him away to the nursery, I started to have such incredible pain in my chest that I could hardly breathe. The anesthesiologist said it was referral pain from the stitching up they were doing, so he pumped some pain meds into me. Those pain meds made me incredibly sick a few hours later, and when they handed me my child for the very first time, I had to hand him right back and use the "catch tray." It was a lovely and appropriate end to my pregnancy with Levi (in which I lost 25 pounds from consistently losing my breakfast, lunch and dinner).

C-section?

Yes for both. Caleb was delivered by emergency c-section after 7 hours of labor. Levi got a scheduled c-section one day after his brother's 2nd birthday!

Who delivered?

My fabulous OB in Houston delivered both of the boys. When it became apparent that Caleb was going into stress, she calmly sat by my bed and said she regretted that she was going to have to do a c-section, then promptly walked out the door and started yelling at all the nurses to cancel all elective c-sections and get her patient into the operating room!

When I got pregnant with Levi and my due date was one day later than I was due with Caleb (September 25 and 26), she asked me if we had planned that. Actually everyone asks us that, and I always wonder how people thought we would be able to pull that off.

Things I'll Never Forget

Caleb was born almost a month after Hurricane Katrina had ravaged Louisiana and two days before the entire city of Houston was evacuating the city for Hurricane Rita. My hospital stay was incredibly stressful with my mom and Justin driving around the city trying to find bottled water and batteries. I came home with my newborn baby to a house where the windows were taped up, everything had been taken off the walls, and all his little baby clothes had been put into plastic bags and stored in the hallway. Thankfully all we got from that hurricane was a good rain. Other people to the east of Houston did not have the same outcome.

How about you? What are your numbers? [Did you adopt? (how long did you wait?) Not a mom yet (how long were your mom's numbers)?]

Cambodia, Day Two--Angkor Wat

2011-09-04T17:30:00.002+08:00

I don't know if you can see the machetes these ladies are using to cut the grass or not...they are not allowed to use any loud machinery around the temples. A very tedious job...

Carvings in the sandstone at Angkor Wat. The dark areas are oils from people's hands. You're not allowed to touch them anymore.

Since it was raining all day the boys could not run around. They got bored pretty quickly with walking around ancient ruins, so I pulled out my iPhone for them to play. It saved us from a lot of whining.

All of these spindles were made by hand before machines were invented to do stuff like this.

And, look, there's my handsome husband (next to the 5-headed snakes surrounding the temple).

Views from atop Angkor Wat:

It was a pretty crummy day to take pictures, so this is the best we got of the whole temple complex. They are doing restoration work, so there's also ugly green tarps everywhere.

My three boys~

Caleb with the ancient statues on the bridge leading to Angkor Thom (some of the heads have been re-crafted by local artisans and replaced):

Gate to Angkor Thom:

Cambodia, Day One

2011-09-02T11:48:00.001+08:00

Last Thursday, we set off for Cambodia to visit the ancient temple ruins. On day one, we visited Pre Rup, built in 961. The boys loved being able to climb up all the stairs and run around. We were there to watch the sun set, so you can tell from the photos how much the light was changing while we were there. (This turned out to be the only day without rain while we were there.)

Justin and the boys:

climbing the very steep stairs:

look how high we are, Mom!

there were quite a few people trying to sell us books and trinkets:

silly Caleb:

one of the beautiful girls selling trinkets. Cambodian people remind me so much of Thai people--sweet, sweet people with beautiful smiles!

sunset:

notice all the girls and how they are fanning my sons. They were all quite taken with each other:

Levi hanging out:

Lately

2011-08-13T10:17:00.002+08:00

We've been busy lately with just living life...gymnastics, swim playdates, church, school, photography lessons, fighting between the boys. Nothing too out of the ordinary. I just wanted to share a few recent pictures.

Last weekend we took the boys separately (I took Levi and Justin took Caleb) to have ice cream. They were needing some alone time. Here's Levi with an ice cream mustache. Doesn't he look so big!

Caleb showing Daddy some game on my phone. You don't have regular visits from Spider-Man?

Caleb on a zip line at the new Jurong Central Park (it was crazy hot that day):

Taekwondo

2011-07-30T21:44:00.002+08:00

Caleb has been taking Tawekwondo for a few months, and today had his first grading session, where he can earn his next belt. For the internal grading, we were allowed to watch, but for the grading tomorrow in front of the Singapore Taekwondo Federation, we will not be allowed to be with him.

Caleb has decided he no longer wants to continue with Taekwondo, but I hope he'll pick it up later in his life. I think the discipline and focus are such great lessons! For now he and Levi will be doing gymnastics and swimming lessons.

Here are some pictures from this morning. You can probably spot Caleb, the only light-headed child. :-)

Levi thought all the yelling was too loud. :-)

My New Paleo Lifestyle

2011-07-25T13:34:00.003+08:00

If you know me at all, you know I've spent a generous amount of time in the doctor's office, specifically my gastroenterologist's office. Dr. Wong is great, but I'd rather not ever have to see him (except for those darn colonoscopies I have to do every 1-3 years now thanks to a tiny polyp. Boo.) I have suffered from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) for years...at least 15 years. In the last year or more it has become increasingly worse. I've tried just about everything medication-wise, and they would work for a little while, and then stop working.

Last week I got so fed up with my stomach dictating my life that I decided I had to do something. My real-life friend, Erin, posted on her blog in January about Paleo. I read the posts and thought to myself, "I'll never give up grains and dairy. That's too hard and ridiculous. I love bread! And ice cream! And yogurt! And..." Well. I bought a book, The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf when we were home in February, and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since we returned. I picked it up last Monday and read almost the whole thing (I skipped a bunch of science-y stuff because I just wanted to know what I needed to do). I decided this could work for me, and I made the decision to give it a try.

Since last Tuesday morning, I have not eaten any grains (no rice, pasta, bread, gluten, etc. of any kind), dairy, beans, or sugar (processed/refined/artificial...nothing). I have eaten fruits, vegetables, lean meats, eggs and nuts. I've also had LOTS of water (80-100 ounces a day). And you know what?

I FEEL AMAZING!

Seriously. I have not felt this good in, well..., I don't remember if I ever felt this good. Monday and Tuesday of last week were epic days in regards to how my stomach was doing (horrible), but after two days of eating Paleo, my stomach problems were gone.

And I've lost 6 pounds.

I have energy, which is something I greatly lacked when my stomach was so messed up all the time. When you're living in the bathroom, the last thing you want to do is exercise, but now I exercise almost every day. Feeling good really does something for a person. :-)

Being healthy and having energy are definitely worth all the things I've given up. I really haven't even missed the things I used to enjoy (like Dr. Pepper and chocolate), which is a miracle all in itself. I never thought I could eat this way, but now I know that I can. And I will continue because of how I feel.

I've only been doing this for ONE WEEK, and already see huge results! I have yet to go out to eat, but some girls and I are going to dinner on Wednesday night, so I looked up the menu online to see what I could eat. Now I'm prepared!

And if you, like my mother, are wondering how in the world I'm going to get enough calcium without eating dairy (a valid question seeing as how I fractured 3 ankle bones last year), did you know that these foods are high in calcium: broccoli, almonds, salmon, apricots, spinach, kale, and walnuts? There are quite a few more...all things I can eat! 15 almonds contains about 40mg of calcium.

Another question I've been asked is how do I do this and still feed my family. Well, Justin really has no choice. ;-) He's on board with getting me healthier, and in his words, "I'm still going to cheat when you're not around." It's fine with me. I honestly don't crave sweets and things anymore. I will allow myself some cheats after a month or so, but for now I'm going pretty strict. Everyone in my family is still allowed to eat cereal with milk for breakfast, and my kids still eat bread and yogurt. Caleb is a lot easier in the eating department than Levi. Last night we had pork chops, salad (with homemade dressing, no sugar), and steamed broccoli. Caleb ate everything he was served. And then he ate an apple, and a banana, and a fruit leather strip later in the night. Levi opted not to even try the pork chops (not a surprise), and ate an apple instead. He didn't starve to death, and ate breakfast this morning. :-) My kids already eat a lot of fresh fruit, and Caleb loves raw carrots, lettuce and spinach, and broccoli. We're all benefiting from the amount of fruits and vegetables in the house.

You can google "Paleo" and come up with tons of information and recipes. I haven't eaten anything I didn't like. (And if you suffer from IBS and want more details on how things have changed for me, you can email me privately at justinandjennifer {at} gmail {dot} com.)

Conversations With the Boys

2011-07-18T07:37:00.003+08:00

I've had some really interesting conversations with the boys lately. I think they're just at that age where they are soaking everything in and trying to make sense of their world. Sometimes the things they say are hilarious, and sometimes they are precious. Sometimes Justin and I look at each other quizzically as if to say, "where in the world did they learn that?"

Here are a couple of recent ones:

Levi: "Can someone go to the bathroom with me? I'm too scared to go by myself."
Caleb: "Levi, you're never alone. God is always with you. I'll pray for you. {pauses to pray} Ok, He's going with you."
(we have reminded Caleb of this conversation several times when he tells us he's too scared to go to sleep, even though he and Levi share a room. Bedtime excuses...)

Levi: "Mommy, God told us to eat chicken."
Me: "Ok. When did God say this?"
Levi: "In Heaven."
Me: "Oh, ok. When were you in Heaven with God?" (at this point I don't know where this is going...)
Levi: "When He was making us."
Me: "But you don't eat chicken. {pause} So you're disobeying God?"
Levi: "Yes."
(When he was talking, I was thinking of the book Heaven Is For Real that my mother-in-law sent me and wondering when Levi had a near-death experience. And no amount of bringing up this conversation will get Levi to eat chicken.)

I never know what is going to come out of their mouths, and when it's something they learned from me I cringe. Caleb is fond of the words, "like," "seriously," "totally" and "definitely." Yes, I'm a child of the 80s. Here's an example of something Caleb would say (with emphasis in proper place), "That is totally not going to happen." OR "I'm definitely having waffles for breakfast."

They crack me up.

Maldives, Part One

2011-07-17T15:17:00.003+08:00

On July 1, 5 days after the boys and I arrived back in Singapore from Thailand, we boarded a plane for a family vacation. Except for two trips home, we (as a whole family) had not been anywhere in 18 months. Our trip home in February was a blessing, but with all the stress and grieving the loss of my grandmother, it was not a relaxing time for us. We were so excited to get out of the big city and enjoy some time on the beach together.

When we arrived at the airport in the Maldives after a 4.5-hour flight from Singapore, the plane landed and did a u-turn on the runway to get back to the terminal. That's how small the airport is.

This is the view just outside the airport. Since the Maldives is a collection of over a thousand tiny islands, the only way to travel is by boat or sea plane.

Our speed boat picked us up for the 35-minute ride to our resort.

This is what greeted us as we arrived. I have never seen water so clear and sand so white. BEAUTIFUL!

We found our room and immediately headed to the enjoy the beach.

I love this picture of Caleb because it looks like he's saying, "This is AWESOME!"

A little slice of paradise for sure!

Sunset on Day One.

And room service outside our room to top it off!

More of our Maldives adventure to come!

Visiting Phayao, Part Three

2011-07-15T09:10:00.001+08:00

We went to a nature center one day, and Corban (Chris and Tonya's oldest son) was the "Goat Whisperer." He told all the kids how to walk slowly and put their hands behind their backs so the goats would not be scared. So sweet! He's an animal lover like our Caleb.

At the nature center, we looked at some animals and then sat down to have a "homeschool sharing time." Our Thailand friends told us things about Thailand and we (or I) told them about Singapore. We asked questions about how our lives are different in the two countries. (Meg, the 3-year-old in the purple shirt, was obviously enthralled by our presentation! Kind of like Levi who was taking pictures of the sky and himself while I was talking.)

Only in Thailand! (Yes, Mom, adults sat back there with them!)

Teagan insisted I take a picture of him! Happy to oblige. Such a cutie!:-)

This is the street where Chris and Tonya live. It's currently under construction. It's been that way for quite some time (almost 4 weeks when we were there), and I don't know that there is any plan to finish it. They have to park in that raised area to the left and navigate the dangerous holes to get to their house at the end. It's pretty tricky at night.

Chris built his boys a tree house, and it is so cool! The boys loved playing up there.

And, Caleb is representing our Aggies and our home state of Texas all the way in Thailand!

Thanks Phayao friends for hosting us and blessing us with such a fun, relaxing time. We LOVED being with you!!

Visiting Phayao, Part 2

2011-07-15T08:59:00.001+08:00

One of the best parts of our trip to Phayao...instant friends! All of the kids are about the same ages, so they played and played and played. It was great fun for all!

Why, yes, that is an alligator behind that fence. Doesn't look safe to you? Welcome to Thailand!

Visiting Phayao, Part One

2011-07-09T23:05:00.001+08:00

Caleb, Levi and I flew to Thailand on June 21 to visit a team of missionaries, who all happen to be friends of mine. It's pretty cool that I have a prior relationship with all 7 adults on the team (4 from when I lived in Thailand and 3 from college). We had a GREAT time! It was wonderful to catch up with old friends, see the work they are doing in Phayao, have our kids play together, and be back in Thailand for a while (and out of the big, loud city!).

Ann and Derran's living room/the boys watching videos on my phone:

The street where Ann and Derran live. Yes, only one car at a time.

The boys' redneck version of a swimming pool. They had a BLAST! It was great for them to have a "yard" they could play in without much supervision. We miss that so much living in a condo.

The boys with some of the team kids (and Chris Fikes) doing Hello Kitty puzzles. It is Asia, after all!

Gap playing games with the kids on her iPad:

Finger painting!

I had to take this picture. Since we live in Singapore, where all power, cable and telephone lines are underground, this is something we never see:

More to come...

2 Years in Singapore!

2011-06-03T10:06:00.001+08:00

I can't believe we've lived in Singapore for 2 years! If you've been following along with this 5+ year saga of our lives, you know that when we moved here, we expected to be moving home at this time. That is, obviously, not the case. I have to remind myself that God is in control of this family, not either of the companies in charge of our schedule/contract, so when God is ready for us to return to Texas He will bring us there. Don't ask me when we're leaving Singapore. I have no idea. Until then, here we are.

This photo is from Burger King on one our very first mornings living in Singapore. It's a terrible quality, but the memory of those first few days is priceless (as is Levi's face!):

So much has happened in the last 2 years...

remember this?:

We are so much better for having lived here. We've experienced lots of conflicting emotions over the last two years, and mostly I'm really happy about living here. When my kids are asking me when we can go back to Grandma & Poppa's or Ava's or Mimi's house, then it makes me sad that we are so far away from our families.

For our two-year anniversary, I'd like to tell you 10 things I LOVE about Singapore!

1. the people. I have a great group of friends here whom I cherish. They are what keeps me sane on most days. I have friends I can seek advice from, laugh with, travel with, do life with and lament our children's behavior with! I love it when a friend calls or texts to see if we want to get together that day.

2. our church. A wonderful group of people we are excited to serve next to. We have learned a lot and been stretched since joining IBC. It is such a blessing to us!

3. cash cards in every car. Every car in Singapore is equipped with a little machine on the windshield that has a cash card inside. That card pays for most parking charges in parking garages and also the tolls on certain roads. It is so convenient!

4. parking spot (lot) counters. In quite a few parking structures here they have little sensors above each parking space (they call each space a "lot" here). If there is a space available, the light is green, if it's occupied, the light is red. This Is GENIUS! We need these in the States. It saves us from driving up and down rows that do not have available spaces. We just pass them on by.

5. no need for a weather report. I do not have to look outside in the morning or check the weather report to see what we should wear. The attire for the kids will always be a shirt, shorts, and Crocs. Even to church. :-) It's hot and humid every day of the year with a chance of rain. Dress for warm weather and carry an umbrella and you'll be set!

6. learning about other cultures. We like to brag in the US that we are a "melting pot," but Singapore really is a melting pot of cultures, especially for only having 5 million people in the whole country. Singapore has 4 national languages, although most business is conducted in English. It is so interesting to get on a bus and see so many different cultures represented. Our church has 51 nations represented in its membership! I love that our kids are growing up in this kind of environment. They don't see color/ethnicity as something that divides us, but just as something that describes the way someone looks.

7. easy transportation. Public transportation in Singapore is really great and is highly organized. Most days I don't miss having a car because it's so easy to get a taxi with the kids and get dropped off right at the door of our destination (parking here is usually a nightmare, anyway, due to the sheer number of people in such a small area). Taxis are the fastest (and more expensive) mode of transportation, but it's so easy to get around using all modes of public transportation here. Except when it's raining. Then all bets of getting anywhere on time are definitely off and I might possibly curse my husband under my breath that he always gets to take the car. Just kidding, I'd never do that. Yes I would. But only when it's raining and we're running late and I've been trying to get a taxi for 40 minutes with no success.

8. FOOD! I didn't know I liked Indian food or Beef Hor Fun before we moved to Singapore. There are so many great restaurants and food stalls here that you could eat at a different one every day and not eat at them all. Hawker centers have some great food for cheap. The other night we fed all four of us, including drinks and fruit for dessert for SGD$15 (about US$11). We also have access to some American food that reminds us of home, like Chili's. At Chili's we can maybe get a drink for $15. Or chips and salsa. But not both.

Yam paste buns! Yummy!!:

9. condo living. It has its downsides, but we are really enjoying having a break from taking care of a yard and having to put the trash out by the curb at a certain time on a certain day. We just drop our trash into the chute and away it goes!

10. lush, green foliage every single day of the year! Singapore is really beautiful. For being such a modern, busy, crowded city, they have managed to keep a lot of greenery. I tell people it's like living on Manhattan if Manhattan were in Hawaii. I love driving down the street and seeing so many beautiful green trees and plants. We live just down the street from the Singapore Botanic Gardens, too. Love it!

VISITORS! We LOVE visitors!!

And there are a few things that I don't really love about Singapore:

1. the mail (letter) boxes are only one-way. In the US, we could put mail in our mail boxes that we wanted to go out, or there was a special slot for outgoing mail in the mailbox cluster. Not so here. We have to actually go to the post office (or find a rare post box) to mail a letter. This is why no one gets mail from me.

2. it's hot. always. It's nice that there is no need to look up the weather forecast, but the hot/humid does get old after about 18 months. Then you're done and you have to go to a cold-weather location just to soak it up so you can take the heat/humidity for another 18 months or so. I just thought Houston was humid. It doesn't hold a candle to Singapore. My professional grade straightening iron still makes me look like a chia pet as soon as I walk outside. I have "Singapore hair" and "everywhere else hair." It's not always pretty.

3. construction. It's amazing how one day you'll be driving down the road and you'll come back a few hours later and THERE IS NOW A BIG GAPING HOLE IN THE GROUND. This is the downside to not having to look at power lines. They are all underground, so all the cable and electricity lines that need to be "managed" require a hole in the ground. It's incessant and annoying.

See:

That hole was covered back over, including the asphalt, just a few hours later.

4. no code for sidewalk walking. In the US, we sort of walk on the sidewalk like we drive in the car...on the right side. Here there is no code. People just walk wherever and whenever they want. And they are not about to get out of the way for you, even if you are pushing a stroller. They will move out of your way if you are on crutches, thankfully. It's puzzling to me that as orderly as Singapore is there is no order to walking.

5. it's hot all the time. Did I already say that? It's worth repeating.

6. rain makes people crazy. Even though it rains here almost every single day, drivers become crazy maniacs when it rains. And don't even think about getting a taxi. Start calling an hour in advance and you might be lucky. All those people who normally walk to the bus stop are trying to get a taxi, too.

7. we miss our families like crazy. CRAZY. I hate not being able to babysit my nieces and have lunch with my sister and go to my parents' house for the weekend. Skype and email and phone calls keep us connected, but it's not the same as sitting face-to face. I'm ready for our boys to be able to grow up with their cousins!

We are enjoying our adventure in Singapore!!

Now...who's coming to visit???

Fun with Friends!

2011-06-01T15:22:00.001+08:00

We had Elyse and Anastasia over today to play and so their mom could have a much-deserved break.

Look at this face! So cute.

Caleb showing off his creation:

Levi, playing with Do-A-Dot markers (and having bedhead, apparently):

Someone needs a haircut:

My kids are perfecting their "get that camera out of my face" looks. My new camera is more fun for me than for them. :-)

See!

We had fun creating:

Elyse carefully guarding her markers from Caleb who keeps trying to steal them:

Look what I made!

It's such a joy to have such sweet friends here.

Expedition Earth: China

2011-05-31T17:13:00.003+08:00

The boys and I have been doing Erica's (@ Confessions of a Homeschooler) Expedition Earth curriculum. The curriculum is only $15, but you will need quite a few geography resources to go along with it. It's still a great deal and a great curriculum!

Each of the boys got their own passport for the journey around the world:

Our first country is China:

We'll be reading The Story About Ping tomorrow to go along with our China study (we also read it as part of our Five in a Row curriculum):

Today we made Chinese lanterns:

And you know with 2 boys around they wouldn't stay upright for long:

Since they are only 5 and 3, we're just learning some basic facts about China (we didn't get into the fact that people can speak Mandarin and Cantonese):

We'll be finishing China this week and moving on...probably to Thailand since we'll be visiting there in real life in a few weeks. Fun, fun!

The Lion King - Singapore

2011-05-30T15:15:00.002+08:00

We took the boys on Sunday afternoon to see The Lion King musical. Justin and I saw it in NYC on our honeymoon, so it was neat to experience it with our kids (the music here was a little different though the story line remained the same and most of the "famous" songs).

My three boys:

Levi:

Levi insisted I take a picture of his shoes:

It was at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre, which is a great venue:

The boys outside the theatre with their plush Zazoo and Simba:

Levi with his Simba:

We had a good time, but it was a little long for the boys. They seemed to be hungry all day yesterday, so that made them pretty restless during the show even though we had eaten just before. We still enjoyed it, though!

Republic of Singapore Air Force

2011-05-27T15:57:00.001+08:00

Today we went to the RSAF Open House with our homeschool group (and a bunch of other school groups). We had a great time; the boys LOVED it! Here we are after clearing security at the entrance to the exhibits.

Levi inside an F-15 fighter jet.

Caleb on Daddy's shoulders for the air show:

Mommy and Levi at the air show...yes, it was HOT!

Chinook helicopter carrying a vehicle:

Boys inside a Chinook helicopter:

Boys standing outside the Chinook helicopter (happy as clams...see?):

Caleb shooting a basket inside the kids carnival section. It was air-conditioned, and there were hardly any people in there. It was fabulous!!

Bugs Bunny bouncy castle:

More bouncing and climbing:

This Open House was really well done! I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to go this weekend...it's open to the public Friday and Saturday!

Song for my Sons

2011-05-17T09:00:00.003+08:00

Song For My Sons by Sara Groves

This is a song for my sons for when they understand it
You know how life is full you know we couldn't plan it
your dad and I prayed for strength and understanding
for things we couldn't see or comprehend

This is a song from my heart a small refrain to hold you
for times when we're apart and I cannot console you
I can't say your life will always go like it should
but I can say that God is always good

and when the cold wind blows like I know it will
and when you feel alone like I know you will
and when the cold wind blows like we know it will

Don't let your love grow
Don't let your love grow
Don't let your love grow cold

This is a song for my sons for when they understand it
You know how life is full you know we couldn't plan it
your dad and I prayed for strength and understanding
for things we couldn't see or comprehend

This is a song for you, to carry in your pocket
take all our love with you in all the paths you walk in
Be honest with yourself and don't forget to pray
and read your Bible everyday

and when the cold wind blows like I know it will
and when you feel alone like I know you will
and when the cold wind blows like I know it will

Don't let your love grow
Don't let your love grow
Don't let your love grow cold

This is a song for my sons for when they understand it
You know how life is full you know we couldn't plan it
your dad and I prayed for your strength and understanding
for things you cannot see or comprehend

How Can He Be This Old?

2011-05-08T20:05:00.003+08:00

Levi has now lived over half of his life in Singapore. I was looking through some old pictures and cannot believe how much he's changed. He'll be 4 in a few months! How can that be? (And, yes, this is my 3rd post today. Don't panic. Read through them slowly because you just never know when I'll feel like blogging again!)

My two boys (Levi is about 7 months here and Caleb is 2 1/2)

Levi right after we arrived in Singapore 22 months old...such a sweet face (and still in a high chair)!

Another picture from our first couple of months here (at Dunkin Donuts-not all it's cracked up to be).

Levi now. So big!

Clothing Optional

2011-05-08T19:50:00.001+08:00

My boys are always trying to run around in just their underwear or less. Definitely a boy thing. This particular day I was telling them to "at least put your underwear on, please!" so they did what any normal human being would do...took the pillow cases off their pillows and used them as "underwear."

I will say that it's been crazy hot here lately, so I can't really blame them.

Caleb trying to make his "angry" face and punch the camera while laughing:

I can tell you this was not Levi's idea. As my Dad would say, "Monkey see, monkey do."

They're crazy, but I love 'em.

Homeschool-Writing and Other Things

2011-05-08T19:44:00.002+08:00

We've been working on handwriting in school. We are not even to the lowercase letters in Caleb's book, but we've been working on writing his name with just the "C" in uppercase. He's doing pretty well.

After that last picture I said, "Can you put your shirt back on so I can take a picture?" They are always trying to run around in their underwear! Boys.

Levi is working on his name as well. I had to make little dots for the "e," but he's doing great. It helps that they both have short names! Notice this day they are wearing the same pajamas. We often do school in our pajamas. I figure it's less laundry, right? :-)

Levi working on Mighty Minds, a shape design activity.

If you look closely, you'll see Caleb is not doing what he's supposed to. He doesn't like it when he has to do something more than once (repetition), so he usually rebels. If I know he's grasped the concept, I usually don't make him do all of it.

People have been asking a lot how homeschool is going. It's going pretty well for our first year and for having a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old with me at all times. It's not easy, but it's definitely what's right for us right now. I've been struggling with Caleb and his reading. Reading comes easily for him, but he hates doing it. He can read simple readers (Level One and Two of Bob Books), but it is a struggle to get him to do it. We're taking a break from that for a while. Since he's only 5, there's no need to push him and I don't want him to have negative feelings toward reading. We try to sneak it in when we can, and we have a reward chart for him where he gets to pick out a toy once he reads 25 books or does a combination of reading lessons with me and actually reading books. We'll see how it goes. We have some friends who are starting to homeschool here and in Texas, so it's always good to have others along on this journey with us.

Life with Two Crazy Boys

2011-04-18T20:25:00.001+08:00

Living with our two boys is always interesting. The other day I had to run down to the basement and give some donation items to a friend. This is what I came back to...(soap and water were everywhere, but I figured at least they had saved us the trouble of giving them a bath that night!)

We were stuck in traffic the other day, in the rain no less, with two hungry boys. I tried to distract them by playing with the camera. This is what I usually get. Crazy kids.

Another night we were stuck in traffic, in the rain again, and I gave the camera to the boys. This is Caleb's view from the back seat. And, yes, that is a man sitting in the back of that truck. That's how we roll in Singapore. It's also how we roll in Texas, but the truck would be way bigger.

A self-portrait of Caleb. All those marks on his chin are from the various bandages he'd had to cover the healing gash in his chin. (If you're not friends with me on Facebook, Caleb tried to body surf down our hallway using his pillow. It didn't work out the way he wanted, and he busted his face into the tile. Not pretty. But true to his I-have-no-fear-whatsoever personality, he was in the ER with his Daddy waiting to get his chin fixed and wondering what he did wrong. "Do you think if I wet my pillow it will work, Daddy?")

They keep us on our toes for sure! I'm always saying that my boys dream up stuff that my sister's girls would never consider...it's so true!

Life with boys is like living from one Emergency Room trip to the next.

I love them so.

A-Z

2011-04-18T20:00:00.000+08:00

My friend, Andrea, posted an A-Z Cyper Internet Alphabet, so I decided to copy her. She said, "by typing one letter in the URL box, it brings up the site or sites that you’ve visited the most.

One letter.

Give it a try. Open up a new tab. Type in the letter ‘a’. What comes up? Now try the letter ‘b’. “c”. And so on. It really is a good way to see where you spend your time on the computer. And kind of like what’s on your calendar or in your wallet, it can really tell alot about a person."

A--Amazon, allrecipes.com, A Holy Experience
B--Book Depository, Bible Gateway
C--CNN, Confessions of a Homeschooler
D--Domino's Singapore, Dave and Lisa's blog, Dentons' blog
E--Everyday Mommy, Expedia, Evite
F--Five In A Row curriculum, Fox News
G--Golden Village movie theater, Groupon
H--Homeschool Creations blog
I--IMDB, IBC Singapore
J--my blog, Johnson's blog
K--my sister's blog, Kohl's
L--Living Proof Ministries, Lisa Leonard Designs, Lakeshore Learning
M--McDonald's delivery :-)
N--National Library Board-Singapore
O--Oriental Trading
P--Plugged In movie reviews, Pastamania
Q--QB Food, QVC
R--Rainbow Resource
S--Singapore Air
T--Target, Twitter
U-- (none)
V--Vimeo, Victoria's blog
W--Words with Friends
X--(none)
Y--Youtube
Z--Zuji (the Travelocity Singapore site)

Pretty interesting. What's yours look like?

Lately

2011-04-06T08:46:00.003+08:00

The last few weeks have been difficult. I'm still working on getting fully back to normal after my surgery, and a couple of days after I had surgery Caleb and I both got a cold which I'm still dealing with now (just went to the doctor a couple of days ago!).

Levi now has Strep throat. Yesterday was pretty hard. He was miserable. The fever is gone, but he kept feeling like he had something stuck in his mouth and was trying to cough it out (probably the blisters on his throat). He also developed the strep-related rash and carried around a wooden spoon to scratch his back with, an idea he came up with all on his own, so I know he was miserable.

He is on an antibiotic that he must take twice a day with food. Yesterday morning after breakfast I went to give Levi his medicine, and he FREAKED out. He refused to take it. I actually had to hold him down and squirt it in his mouth. It was awful. It's not easy to hold down a 3-year-old to give him medicine. I told Justin what happened, so after dinner he said, "Are you ready?" I went in the kitchen to get the medicine and told Levi it was time to take his medicine. He said, "Is it orange? [yes] Ok." Then he proceeded to just drink it down. I could not believe it. Justin gave me a look and said something to the effect of, "I thought you said it was hard." I promptly told him to shut up. Why do the kids always make me look like an idiot?

This morning? SAME scenario as yesterday morning. Levi refused to take the medicine. (He finally did after much cajoling on my part and a threat to hold him down and squirt it down his throat.) I'm convinced Justin should work from home. I'm sure he'd get a lot done.

I still have a cough that's partly asthmatic and also some respiratory infection, and it has wiped me out. I have very little energy, and when I wake up in the morning I don't feel rested at all. It's not ideal for dealing with two active boys, one of which is sick.

Yesterday was not pretty. I was tired and frustrated and I yelled at the kids way too much. (I have a problem expecting them to act older than 5 and 3. I'm working on it.) At one point I apologized to Caleb for yelling and asked him to pray that Mommy would not get angry and yell, which he did (it was sweet). I don't want them to think my anger is ok; I want them to recognize that it's sinful and it's needs to be dealt with. I want them to know that Mommy struggles and desperately needs God's help and forgiveness and grace every.single.day.

I woke up this morning and read this post where Jenny talks about her anger problem. I'm definitely using these Scriptures to help me. Maybe you could use them, too? (Or maybe Jenny and I are the only ones who struggle with being patient with our kids?)

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. – Proverbs 19:11

It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. - Proverbs 20:3

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. - Proverbs 29:11

In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. - Ephesians 4:26-27

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. – James 1:19-20

Here's to the grace of God and a better day.

Conversations

2011-03-24T21:46:00.002+08:00

Levi: "Mommy, when will I be a grown-up?"
Caleb: "You don't want to be a grown-up. Then you have to vacuum and go to work and clean off beds."

Thanksgiving

2011-03-21T19:40:00.004+08:00

So much to be thankful for these days...

354. watching Justin play with the boys (so different from the way I do it)
355. kisses goodbye before the sun rises as he goes off to work
356. a husband who loves God
357. the group of ladies in my Bible study sharing their lives
358. a husband who goes with me to the grocery store at night so we can use the car
359. discussing deep things of God with friends
360. play dates
361. a small trampoline at home to bounce out boy energy!
362. flowers picked by little boys
363. sound of wind rustling in the trees
364. a husband who trusts me
365. Justin taking over the nighttime/bath routine
366. rain storms
367. our pastor praying with us in the hallway at church
368. being with Nana in the hospital
369. telling her I love her
370. hearing her tell me she loves me
371. knowing my sweet Nana is with Jesus
372. sweet memories
373. successful ankle surgery
374. planning a tropical getaway
375. watching how much my boys love babies
376. that Justin makes talking to his family a priority
377. the way Justin loves his mom
378. that he never asks questions when I have not cooked dinner
379. his support as I homeschool the boys
380. checking on our children sleeping before going to bed
381. the yoga mat that has become a makeshift bed in our floor for scared little boys
382. spending time with my sister and her sweet girls in Texas
383. food cooked by friends that blessed us while I'm "out of commission"
384. so many prayers lifted up on my behalf
385. a great new Bible-wonderful maps and notes
386. getting "kissy face" pictures in my inbox from my niece
387. studying God's promises in the book of Isaiah
388. memorizing Scripture with our whole church - Matthew 5:3-10

Remembering Nana

2011-03-16T14:37:00.000+08:00

Nana holding Caleb the day he was born

I've been silent on this blog for a long time. After my grandmother unexpectedly passed away during our trip home in February, I haven't really known what to say. I've been grieving and thinking and trying to get back into our normal life here in Singapore. I think I'm ready to write about her.

During my growing up years my Nana was more like a second mom than a grandmother who lets you do whatever you want. We lived "across the street" from her and my Papa from the time I was 4 or 5 until the summer after I turned 13. And by "across the street," I mean our two houses sat on 4 acres of land and there was a gravel drive between the two. We didn't have a neighborhood; it was just us.

My sister and I would slam the door of my mom's piano studio in our house, hop the wooden fence of my grandparents yard, and run barefooted through the back door of their house. (I'm sure Nana would have been quick to correct us if we'd slammed the door of her house, though. We didn't get away with much around her!) Only strangers and rare package deliveries used the front door. It never occurred to us that we wouldn't be welcome at their house. We always were. Nana kept toys for us in the hall closet and poured peroxide on our wounds when we crashed our bicycles.

I remember dinners at their house; my Nana was an amazing cook...fried chicken, green beans, roast beef, chicken and dumplings, fresh homemade rolls...everything she made was amazing. And her angel food cake with homemade icing for my Mom's birthday every year is legendary. During the summer her freezer was stocked with popsicles and ice cream in a carton, and she loved to make us ice cream cones. I'm pretty sure she always had one, too, even though she would tell you she's "not an ice cream person."

Two weeks after Justin and I married in 2002, my parents moved in with my Nana. It was a great arrangement because Nana kept a lot of independence but my parents were there to take care of her when needed (and they were needed A LOT over those 8.5 years through sicknesses and falls and hip replacements and broken bones).

When we planned this trip home, our goal was for me to be with my sister when she had her baby (which I was, praise God!). We, of course, had no way of knowing my Nana would go into the hospital the day before we left Singapore, that she would be diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer a week and a half after that and would only live one week after the diagnosis.

I wish I could express the depth of my gratitude that I was there when all this happened. God is so gracious to me; He knows that living overseas means I miss so many family events, and while this one was not a happy event, I am so thankful to have been there. That this happened during the 4 weeks I was going to be home is purely the grace of God.

I was able to spend some good time with my Nana in the hospital before I went to Houston to be with my sister. That time with my Nana is so precious to me now. I was able to run down to the cafeteria and sneak her salt and pepper packets to try and make the hospital food taste like anything at all (it didn't really help). I was able to watch her sleep and help her get out of bed. I was able to tell her that I loved her.

On the day that I left the hospital the third time to return to my sister's house in Houston, I told my Nana that I'd see her the next week (in the nursing facility she was being moved to) before I left to come back to Singapore. Looking back, I think she knew she couldn't hold on that long. Right before I left, I was sitting on the side of her bed and she was sitting in the chair opposite me. She apologized to me that my mom and I had not been able to spend much time together during my time home because my mom was at the hospital all the time. I told her that was not necessary. Then she said, "I love you so much."

Less than two days later my sister and I were awakened in the middle of the night and told that our Nana had gone to Heaven, where my sweet Papa had been for 19 years.

There is such comfort in knowing that she knew Jesus, that she believed that He died for her sins, and that she is with Him now.

It doesn't make the missing her any less. I've thought about her almost constantly over the past month. When I'm making coffee, I remember how strong she used to make hers. Strong. When I put on my earrings, I remember how much she loved jewelry. When I look at my Levi with his big brown eyes, I remember that she used to call me her "little brown berry" because I, like her and like my mom, also had brown eyes. One child per generation after my Nana got her brown eyes.

My Nana remarked so many times that she never imagined she's live long enough to see her grandchildren graduate from high school, then college. She certainly never thought she'd see us get married. And to be able to hold our babies? The joy of her life. She loved them so much (and even they couldn't get away with slamming doors!).

My mind knows that she's gone, but I can't seem to convince my heart that it's real. It doesn't seem real. Having known her for my 32 years, there is an empty space in my heart knowing I won't again be able to walk into my parents' house and straight to her chair to give her a hug. I won't hear her voice pick up the phone and think she's talking to my sister and ask me how the girls are. I won't fly home this October to attend her 90th birthday party like I had planned.

She is so missed.

Nana holding Levi the day he was born

Multitudes on Mondays

2011-01-17T19:43:00.003+08:00

#324-343 of His gifts...

*spiky-haired boys, freshly bathed
*wind whipping the rain to look like snow
*Lego building--a sea plane
*booklet for memorizing Colossians
*precious quilt with our wedding date embroidered
*soft, red, warm boy cheeks upon waking
*stomach problems solved!
*stainless steel coffee pot--unable to be broken by my clumsiness
*praying for a friend's son's first day of school
*taxi driver's amusement at my silly, sweet boys
*new bedtime routine--boys to bed at separate times
*"Great is Thy Faithfulness"--a wonderful hymn
*seeing the Christian community faithfully surround friends
*rearranging the furniture *smile*
*a clean house and how it calms my mind
*a car ride with a sweet friend~just uninterrupted talking
*honest conversations
*finding another homeschool family in Singapore with kids our kids' ages
*retrieving the "lost" coin my oldest swallowed 9 days ago

The Year of Here

2011-01-11T17:21:00.001+08:00

The boys and I got a book from the library recently called Now It Is Winter. It's about a little mouse who wants to know if spring will ever come, who wonders if he will get to do all those things that spring brings ever again. His mother assures him that spring will come, but that winter has so many things that only winter brings so he should enjoy them now. Snow angels. Ice skating. Snowmen. Eating oatmeal with brown sugar.

At the end of the story, the mother says, "Now is the blessing. Now is the time to love. Now is the time to be."

Those words resonated with me because I've been thinking about what I want this year to be for me. Who do I want to be at the end of this year? What do I want to have accomplished?

This is the year of here.

"Now is the blessing. Now is the time to love. Now is the time to be."

Here. present wherever I am. thankful for where I am. not distracted. not wishing to be somewhere else. or someone else. content. with who I am. and where I am. fully engaged. present for my children and husband.

"I profane this moment when I won’t stay in it.

I desecrate now when I dismiss it in my push for the next."

-(Ann Voskamp, aholyexperience.com)

I don't want to always be pushing for the next moment. I don't want to wish my kids would grow up just a little bit faster or wish we lived in Texas when we don't. I just want to be here where God has put me. And do the things He has planned for me. Give my children the mother they deserve.

And not always be wanting things to be different.

Live in the HERE and now.

Multitudes on Mondays

2011-01-10T16:39:00.000+08:00

#310-320 of His endless gifts...

-Caleb staying in his bed all night (not every night...but progress!)
-watching my boys be so sweet and gentle with babies
-baby laughs
-being able to hold someone else's baby
-cool afternoons at the park
-Caleb playing easily with stranger children on the playground
-old friends who check on me
-seeing a friend for the first time in weeks
-big hugs after absence
-movie time--all 4 of us

Proof Your Kid Lives in Asia

2011-01-03T18:37:00.003+08:00

Caleb wanted to tell jokes at dinner. We went through some knock-knock jokes, and then he came up with this after his daddy told the "why did the chicken cross the road" one:

Caleb: Why did the people cross the road?
Us: We don't know.
Caleb: To chop the chicken.

Want to know how our New Year's Day went? The following two pictures sum it up...really grouchy boys.

I got bored at lunch while Justin took Levi outside to walk around (because of all the cranky!), so I took random pictures:
Then we promptly came home and put Levi down for a nap (because Caleb refuses to nap, unless he's sick).

After nap, everyone was in a better mood, and we decided to take down the Christmas tree. Superman and Batman showed up to help Daddy disassemble the tree. :-)

As my grandmother reminded me yesterday, in 25 days we'll be on Texas soil! And until then we're just doing our normal thing...Justin is working (he didn't have one day off at all during the Christmas/New Year holiday) and the boys and I are doing school.

Multitudes on Mondays

2010-12-27T09:42:00.002+08:00

Continuing my gift list from my Heavenly Father, part of finding contentment and giving thanks in all circumstances.

#149 hot tea to soothe sore throats
#150 good medical care for a sick kid in Singapore
#151 sweet kisses from two little boys
#152 long distance phone calls on Thanksgiving Day
#153 chance to give back to a friend
#154 favorite prayer journal to record praises and requests and His faithful answers
#155 realizing we have missionary friends on 4 continents
#156 good friends to walk this Singapore journey with me
#157 that God uses my hardships to minister to and help others
#158 good, strong preaching from God's Word every Sunday
#159 continual lessons from 1 Samuel
#160 air conditioning to sleep in
#161 comfortable beds
#162 watching and helping my oldest to read
#163 soft, warm towels from the dryer
#164 little boy laughs
#165 games to play with family
#166 hot water to wash dishes with
#167 Skype calls with friends and family, keeping in touch across the oceans
#168 my niece singing songs to me via Skype
#169 funny things my kids say
#170 lights on the Christmas tree
#171 special ornaments from years past decorating our tree

More of the Random

2010-12-15T19:55:00.004+08:00

-I am as tired as I ever remember being (other than when we had newborns in the house). Caleb has been waking up at 3am almost every night for weeks now. I have no idea what is going on, and he usually does not stay awake very long, but he always comes in to wake me up and sometimes there is musical beds going on (Caleb ends up in my comfy, soft bed, and I end up in his not as comfy, not as soft bed). I have been yawning HUGE, deep yawns all day, and I might be asleep before the kids tonight (especially if they keep getting out of their beds, like they are at this very moment, and not sleeping).

-This is why I can only write in list style. I am not firing on all cylinders.

-Caleb is obsessed with and also terrified of two things recently: 1) exploding buildings and 2) meteors. Today in the elevator he asked me TWICE if I thought they had exploded a building today. I told him somewhere in the world they probably did. We were at a mall the other day, and he saw a man with a whistle (probably directing traffic outside), and he was scared to death they were about to explode the building we were in. I do not know where this has come from, but it probably has something to do with the not sleeping.

-I got my haircut today. It has been 6 months since I had it cut last, mostly because it's really difficult for me to trust people to cut my curly hair. It isn't the same as cutting straight hair, even thought most hairdressers treat it the same.

-I went in for a trim (cut off the dead ends), and ended up with probably 4 inches gone. I guess it's a good thing I've been growing it out and had plenty of inches to spare. It's less almost-middle-of-my-back and more slightly-below-my-shoulder length now. :-)

-It looks great, but I haven't fixed it myself yet and everyone knows that's the true test of a good haircut.

-The hairdresser didn't comment at all on all the gray hairs!

-AND she thought I was a student (which is why she looked at me funny when I said I have two small children). She said my face looks young.

-Apparently she did not see the deep, dark, sleep-deprived circles under my eyes.

-Maybe she needs glasses.

-And my 5-year-old needs to quit acting like a 6-month-old and SLEEP already.

-And now I have to go see why my kids (who should be sleeping) are in the bathroom flushing the toilet and laughing. Nothing good can come of this.

Brain Dump

2010-12-13T22:30:00.005+08:00

I should be going to bed, but my brain won't shut off, so I thought I'd come write down all the thoughts on my mind. My friend, Andrea, calls this a brain dump, and she just did one herself. Warning: This will be random.

-Christmas is probably the time I miss my family the most. I love having our little family together and having less stress involved in the entire holiday experience, but I miss seeing my extended family and celebrating the traditions we have. We're making new traditions and memories here, though, that will be part of our family history from now on.

-I love my kids. They are so funny sometimes! Caleb told me today, "Someday I'll be taller than Daddy. That will be on Friday." I don't know where he gets this stuff.

-Caleb is doing great with learning to read. He's really picking it up, but he hates doing it. I have to set the timer for 10 minutes for our "learning to read" time, and that's about all he'll give me. But he can read several little readers on his own, so I guess we're doing good. It's so cool to see him learning!

-Some kid was pounding on Caleb last week at an indoor playground I took them to. He was a good head shorter than Caleb and "meaner than a snake" (that's some good Texas lingo there!). He had been chasing my boys and kicking at them and kind of slapping at them, but when he cornered Caleb and began punching him I stepped in (like any good Texas mama would do!). I told him to stop hitting and kicking (I have no idea what adult was there with him because I never saw them). Every time he would start to do something to Caleb, he would look over to see if I was watching (I was), and he would stop. Seriously, people, discipline goes a long way. And kids need it!

-I love my prayer journal and how it keeps me organized about my prayers (and actually remembering to pray for people I've told I would!). You can find my favorite one here (a GREAT Christmas gift!): http://www.amazon.com/Prayers-My-Heart-Debbie-Williams/dp/1582295581/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292250922&sr=8-1

-I don't know why I didn't bring my Willow Tree Nativity with me. I miss it. :-( We only brought one small box of Christmas decorations since we weren't sure what size apartment we'd have.

-We have Lego's everywhere. (which I love)

-We also have books everywhere. (also love) (It's really amazing how many boxes of books I left in storage in Texas.)

-I've still been doing my Scripture Memory, but I haven't been blogging about it. I'll do an end-of-the-year catch-up post on that soon.

-I am still amazed how much my boys think potty talk and noises are hilarious. It starts early. They already laugh at the sound a ketchup bottle makes when you squeeze it. It's only downhill from here.

-I have this feeling that God is preparing us for something big (us being our family). I don't have any idea what it is, but I just feel an anticipation about something. I'll let you know if I ever figure out what it is. ;-)

-I am so excited to be counting down the weeks until we're on Texas soil and I'm spending time with my sister and nieces and mom and dad and grandmothers and...everyone else!

-I am also excited about the fact that the weather will be cooler there than it is here. I have almost no clothing for cool weather, but, thankfully, I have friends who do! I'm not sure my arms will know what to do being covered up. And my feet will surely go into shock when they have to wear shoes and socks. I've worn flip flops every day for the past 18 months.

-Can you believe we've lived in Singapore for 18 months, 1 week, and 2 days? Crazy.

-Apparently I forgot to tell my mom that our contract here in Singapore had been officially extended. Oops. ;-)

-I was surprised when I took a spiritual gifts analysis recently to find out my "greatest" spiritual gift is showing mercy. After thinking about it, it completely makes sense. My husband just thought I was a bleeding heart, and now I tell him all the time, "IT'S MY GIFT!" :-)

-I really do have a heart for the hurting, especially orphans. I feel like that might be a bigger part of my life in the future. Again, not sure how. Still listening.

-People ask me all the time if we are going to have any more children. They are just curious, and that is totally fine. My answer is always, "I don't know." It's definitely something we're praying about. So, if you were wondering, there's your answer. Only God knows. Literally.

-Caleb is finally to the age where I can read chapters of some easy books to him, and I am loving it! We read Beverly Cleary's Two Times the Fun last week, and today we started Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World. I can't wait to be able to read The Chronicles of Narnia and loads of other books to my boys. Their attention spans are growing, so it won't be too many years before they are ready for that.

-We're having fun each night doing our Advent Jesse Tree. The boys love taking turns putting the ornaments on our tree. And I love going through God's story of redemption during this season of Advent, from creation to the birth of His Son, sent to this earth to rescue us from our sins. It's so cool how everything in the Bible fits together!

-Church last Sunday was amazing. The full combined choirs from the English, Filipino, and Indonesian congregations together was stunning. A wonderful Christmas celebration! Our church has 51 nations represented, and it is so cool to experience that!

Ok, I think that's about all the random stuff I can pour out of my brain. Maybe I can sleep now. :-)

Thoughts About Stuff

2010-12-08T14:37:00.000+08:00

It has been a while since I've updated about my ankle and my stomach issues.

I saw my new orthopedic surgeon in November, after 2 months of physical therapy. He was pleased with my progress, and said my range of motion is within 5-10% of normal. This is very good news! He recommends that I have surgery next spring to remove the implants (a metal plate w/ 7 screws and 2 metal wires) in my ankle. Because I am so young, he thinks it will help my range of motion even more and will help with the discomfort I feel because of the implants (the end of the metal plate sits right on my ankle bone, and I can feel it under the thin skin). I am aiming to have the surgery in early March since we will return from the US on February 27 and then are going to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on April 17. The recovery time should be short and crutches are not needed (this will be my 10th surgery, so surgery doesn't scare or bother me, and a "normal" recovery time sounds great to me...unlike being on crutches for 3 months!).

My stomach is a whole other story. I was doing really well in May through July, and my doctor actually released me and said he'd see me in 6 months. Less than two months later I was back in his office, and the prior treatments we've used are not working anymore. Last time I saw him he said, "I feel sorry for you" because I am sick so often.

I asked him today if he thought a change in my diet would help (a couple of friends have suggested going gluten free...something I've been very reluctant to do because it is hard to maintain). He said because my problems are so erratic (I don't get sick every time I eat gluten, for instance) that it does not seem to be connected to any one thing I am eating, and the problems I'm having vacillate between two separate manifestations of IBS (I'm saving you the gross details of my life these days!).

We're starting a new treatment today, hoping that by the time we leave for the US on January 28, I will be feeling much better. I've really tried not to complain about this stuff lately because I'm working very hard on contentment, and since my prayers to be released from this have not been answered yet, I am pressing on. But, honestly? I'm miserable most of the time. It kinda stinks.

But, hey, I've got these precious kids to keep me entertained! :-)

And here is what I will look like if I ever get to have lasik eye surgery! :-) People always ask where my kids get their long eyelashes. (No one can see mine because of my glasses, but Justin's are really long, too.)

I am so excited to {hopefully} meet my newest niece in February (if she decides to make an appearance before her due date and our return to Singapore! Please, Amelia, Aunt Jennifer will be really happy if you come even just a few days early!!). It's hard being so far away and missing out on life with our families, so being able to spend time with them and help my sister out with her kids will be so special. And...BONUS...we get to escape the heat!! 18 months and counting since we've been in hot/humid conditions.

Celebrating Christmas when the temps are in the 90s and all the plants are still in full bloom is still strange. But, as my friend, Leone, from Australia says, "It's not supposed to be cold at Christmastime!" It's all about perspective, I guess...if you've always celebrated Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere (or close to the Equator like us) then Christmas is not a winter holiday. :-)

I'm still not convinced. :-) I'll take some cold weather, a nice warm sweater, some Christmas music, and a cup of my mom's spiced tea any day!

Giveaway Winner

2010-12-03T07:17:00.002+08:00

Thanks to Random.org, the winner of Erica's book is Melissa. Melissa, send me an email with your address, and I will get your book to you! justinandjennifer{at}gmail{dot}com.

Everyone else can get your copy from Barnes and Noble's website, and buy another Christmas present while you're there and get free shipping (for orders over $25). If you live in the Houston area and want a copy, The Learning Express store in Cypress has been carrying it. If you can't find it, let me know!

Thanks!

Spiritual Legacy

2010-12-02T15:04:00.004+08:00

This past Sunday at church, we were encouraged to thank those people who have made an impact on our spiritual lives. Today is my birthday, so I thought it appropriate on this day to give thanks to God for the people who have had the biggest impact on my spiritual life.

Dear Dad and Mom,
I was one-week old when you first took me to church, and I cannot count the number of times we went to church during the years before I left your house. Three times a week for most of my life! I cannot thank you enough for instilling in me a love of God, a love of His Word, and and a love for teaching others. My earliest memories include witnessing Dad's baptism and having Mom as my Bible class teacher. From an early age I knew that Mom's favorite Scripture was Isaiah 40:8, and most of the Bibles I own were gifts from you (what greater gift to give?). Those pictures are etched on my heart and are a huge part of who I am today.

I learned from you at an early age to help others. It was just a part of who we were as a family. Many people lived with us a various times, and without words being spoken about the importance of giving to others (not just monetarily, but of our time and resources and spare rooms!), you taught me what it truly means to help those in need. I learned to have mercy on others from you. I learned to bring in those who need help from you. Every year I unfold more of the gifts you have given as I realize why I am who I am. It's because of you and the values you taught me as a child.

What a legacy I have, that you guys decided before I was born 32 years ago that, "as for me and my house we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15)." (And how blessed I am that another family in a neighboring state was raising their son under the same covenant, and that one day God would bring us together to form a family and make that covenant for ourselves.)

I am so grateful for what you have taught me, and that my children have a spiritual heritage generations deep. There is nothing more precious that I could pass on to my kids.

I love you both so very much. And I thank God for you.

Those Silly Sisters Book Giveaway

2010-11-30T18:42:00.000+08:00

I have a friend from college, Erica Stidham, who has recently published a children's book called Those Silly Sisters: Swimming in the Rain.

Here's the book description:

Katie and Claire absolutely love adventures. But even more than adventures, they adore being silly. Thankfully for them, their Mommy loves that too! In their first adventure, Katie and Claire wake up excited for one of Mommy's special "promise days". Unfortunately, they quickly discover that a cloudy, rainy day has put a stop to their plans.

Luckily, Katie quickly thinks of a way to turn the day into one of their most memorable ever! Be sure to join the silly sisters as they embark on many more amazing adventures!

I'm so excited for her that I want to give one of you a copy of her book.

Leave a comment on this post telling me a favorite memory from your childhood. I'll use the Random Number Generator to choose a winner on Thursday, my birthday. Open to anyone...I'll pick up the shipping if a non-US resident wins (the books are shipped from Texas).

And if you don't win, you should definitely pick up a copy of the book for your daughter, granddaughter, niece, sister, or friend!

Thankful Tree

2010-11-16T17:07:00.003+08:00

Andrea invited us over last Friday to make a thankful tree (or "think before tree" as Levi calls it). You can see her post about it here, including the inspiration behind it.

Andrea procured all the supplies (not an easy task here!), and all I had to do was show up. I love projects like that! Andrea did hers all nice and neat with iron-on backing, but I just glued mine together. ;-)

All the pieces are glued on except the small leaves with writing on them. Those are our thankful leaves...what we each are thankful for during this season of our lives. They will be removed and replaced with new ones next year.

If you read my Facebook status recently, "Jesus died on the cross" should not surprise you. (For those of you avoiding Facebook, Levi was shouting at the top of his lungs last week as we were leaving dinner, "JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS!")

So many things to be thankful for, and we're adding new ones all the time. I love this tree because it is something tangible the boys can see. (When Caleb saw that Levi had said he was thankful for Mommy and Daddy, Caleb had to have one just like it. Cannot be outdone by little brother!)

Think Before

2010-11-10T20:36:00.001+08:00

Tonight during "think before" (that's Levi-speak for "thankful for"), I told the boys they could list one thing they're thankful for. It usually turns in to a five-minute list of everything they can think of or see in front of them (pajamas, curtains, beds, stuffed moose, light, air conditioner, toy car, train, window, etc.). All of those are wonderful things to be thankful for, but I just wasn't in the mood to go through the entire list tonight. I just wanted them to list one thing, and I was sure it would be one of the little toys they were holding.

Levi's one thing tonight: Jesus made the waves stop (we read the story of Jesus calming the storm today)

Caleb's one thing: Jesus died on the cross

These kids amaze me sometimes. Before bed Caleb was telling me how Jesus and God both loved him so much. Then we started talking about how Jesus and God are the same but separate but the same...and then I decided trying to explain the Trinity to a five-year-old might be a little much!

I love them SO much!

Just a Little Light Reading

2010-11-04T17:47:00.000+08:00

I go through phases in my reading; some months I read a lot of fiction, and some months I read non-fiction (some months I'm too tired to do anything more than get my weekly study done and prepare for the one I teach). These are the books I've purchased recently and are currently in different stages of being read. Dig Deeper is a great book about tools to help in Bible study. Doing other people's studies is a good thing, but I really want to learn to study the Word better on my own.

That orange book? Scares me to death. But I know I need to read it. I need to take a hard look at Jesus' teachings and evaluate my life against them. I'm just afraid of all the yuck I'm going to find (in my life).

But I want more of Him, so I'm diving in.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:29:00.001+08:00

This is our second Halloween to celebrate in Singapore. We went up to Woodlands again, and it was just as crazy as last year, if not more so.

My Buzz and Woody.

Woody and Buzz with Granddad at the Singapore American School

The MADNESS that is trick-or-treating in Woodlands!

Granddad got a balloon! (Feels a little like "Where's Waldo?" doesn't it?)

The Post Where We Pretend Fall Exists

2010-10-08T15:51:00.002+08:00

The boys and I stole this idea from my friend, Erica (a friend from college who is a children's book author! So proud of you, Erica!). I can be crafty, but I am not creative on my own, so I'm always up for stealing other people's ideas!

The directions are here for the pumpkins. It's so simple, and the boys enjoyed stuffing the fabric into the rolls of toilet paper. We went and bought fabric today (not as easy as driving to Hobby Lobby, but not terribly difficult, either), and the rest of the stuff we just improvised with stuff we had on hand. No sewing, no glue. My kind of project!

Starting the process with my monkeys:

Caleb with his finished product:

What a 3-year-old does when you are taking too long helping his brother:

The finished "pumpkin patch" (and apparently whatever was outside the window was more exciting than me taking the picture):

We stuffed some tissues between the toilet paper rolls and the fabric so you couldn't really tell they were made from rolls of TP!

A fun, easy-for-the-kids project. Thanks, Erica, for letting us steal your idea.

Dinner Conversations

2010-10-07T18:49:00.004+08:00

Tonight at dinner Justin and I were getting fed up with the amount of potty talk going on. (Our kids are 3 and 5...I had no idea it started so early...and it is CONSTANT! They're big fans of using "poo poo" in various sentences and attaching it to people's names. It gets old fast.)

I told the boys that if they said one more potty word they would get into trouble.

Caleb then made a noise that Justin also included in the "no potty talk at the table" rule. Levi told me that Pierce makes that noise all the time.

I said, "I don't care what other kids do. These are the rules for our family."

Levi then, rather indignantly in a stern voice and a frown on his face, said, "We're going to Pierce's family."

I think that's the toddler version of, "I'm running away." Look out, Camille! If you see two little boys walking down Farrer Road with their little suitcases in tow, please give them shelter.

Never a dull moment around here.

Grace Academy Homeschool

2010-10-05T18:01:00.000+08:00

When people first find out you homeschool your children, there are a variety of responses, which I will outline for you here:

1) "Wow. I could never do that."
2) "Why did you decide to do that?"
3) "Did you not like the schools here?"

and, by far my favorite, a response I have only received once:

"Wouldn't it just be easier to send them to school all day?"

Why, yes, it would! But we do not make decisions on something as important as education based on what is easiest for us.

My sweet friends are always asking how school is going, and I always tell them it's going well, but it's challenging. Keeping Levi occupied is by far the most challenging part of my day. He wants so badly to do everything his big brother is doing, but his ability is just not there yet. I've been searching for things that will make Levi feel like he's doing the same work as his brother and be less frustrating for him.

We're about 3 months into homeschooling now, and we're already tweaking our curriculum. I started with a full purchased curriculum because I don't know enough about my kids' learning to design a curriculum on my own yet (and the options were completely overwhelming), but I have already learned some things we like and some things we really don't. Caleb loves anything he can create (drawing, painting, cutting, pasting, etc.); he is constantly grabbing the scissors and blank paper to make something. (His love language is also gift-giving, so most of these creations are made for someone, usually me.)

I am really enjoying spending so much time with the boys. It has been a wonderful change for all of us.

Here are some pictures from our school time:

Today we read The Story About Ping:
Then we made lapbooks to go along with our study:
We learned about China, where The Story About Ping is set. We cut and pasted the China flag and various maps of China:
Then we found where China was on our world map. The kids can now point out Singapore, China, Russia, Canada, and the United States. Today we learned that there are two countries larger in area than China (Russia and Canada):
Here's our reading corner in our school room. This is where we usually do our Bible reading and read-alouds for the day. Sometimes we switch it up and read on the couch or someone's bed:
So proud that he did this ALL by himself!
Two of our memory verses:
Another book we love and read often is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom:
We made a lapbook for this one, too, and have been putting each letter of the alphabet in the pocket as we study them (this is mostly for Levi since Caleb knows all the letters):

We've been having fun. Homeschooling is not easy, but it's definitely what is best for our family. Now I'm looking at what we're going to do in the Spring. I need to find a new math curriculum (or some supplements) for Caleb since our current one combines writing and math, which I'm not a big fan of since Caleb's not ready for so much writing. His math skills are above where we are in the book, and I need to find some math activities that allow him to work on his math skills without writing numbers.

I want my kids to love God, to love learning and to love reading. So that's what we're focusing on...making learning fun.

Bali-Even More Pictures

2010-10-04T15:54:00.000+08:00

Another "guard" in our courtyard wall:

"Skooby" burger joint. We didn't eat here, but Justin took this picture for the kids. :-)

The beach.

I wish I could own a villa like this and retreat there all the time! So peaceful!

Bali-More Pictures

2010-10-04T15:36:00.001+08:00

These guys guarded our outdoor shower (and there were lots more around the pool/courtyard area):

The two of us (one of us got a lot of sun...the other one of us was at the spa!):

You don't need much luggage when you are traveling without children! We didn't even need this much, but we brought the computer so Andrea could contact us if the kids needed something, etc.

The boys with the pirate ship kite we bought them. I think that might be Caleb's pirate face. Not sure. :-)

Thanks SO much to Andrea, Anna, Tommy, and Jakeb for keeping our boys while we were away. We'll be returning the favor when Tommy and Andrea go to Bali next month, but I'm certain they got the short end of the stick! You guys are such a blessing to us!!

Bali

2010-10-04T15:17:00.002+08:00

Justin and I were able to get away to Bali this past weekend (only a 2.5-hour flight from Singapore), just the two of us. It was wonderful to be able to focus on being "Justin and Jennifer" and not being "Daddy and Mommy" every minute. It was a fantastic getaway from the busy city, and we enjoyed not having a schedule at all!

Here are a few pictures of our villa.

Looking from the door of the courtyard toward the villa:

Looking from the villa at the courtyard/private pool:

Breakfast. There was no restaurant at the complex, so they brought the meals to us. They cooked our eggs/sausage/bacon right in our little porch kitchen. We had quesadillas for dinner and they were amazing. Room service means something completely different in Bali!

Justin relaxing! We were only in Bali a little over 36 hours, but it was a peaceful, restful time. It was a great mini-vacation with my handsome man.

Hello, Aetna? We'd like to make a claim...

2010-09-21T20:03:00.002+08:00

This is what my week looks like:

Tuesday: take Caleb to the doctor for follow-up on his allergies and some more meds
Wednesday: take Caleb to a clinic for allergy skin testing
Thursday: take myself to the gastro doctor because my stomach issue has reared its ugly head again
Friday: take myself to a new orthopedic surgeon because my ankle is still (more than 7 months later) quite painful and swelling often. (Today after walking through the mall I could hardly walk at all. I don't know if this is normal, so I'm going for a second opinion.)

Doesn't that sound exciting?

Justin and Mini-Justin

2010-09-21T15:45:00.001+08:00

Caleb looks more and more like his Daddy all the time. Here they're sporting their Valles Caldera shirts we got on our last trip to New Mexico.

Guatemala

2010-09-10T16:08:00.003+08:00

The boys and I were talking about the landslide in Guatemala the other day. We found Guatemala on the world map and prayed for the people there. The next night when we were saying prayers before bedtime, we prayed again for those hurting in that country, and afterward Caleb asked me about the people who live there.

I told him they were very poor and many lived in homes where the dirt was their floor and that they had roofs that would let in the rain (it was raining in Singapore that night). Caleb asked if they had stores. I told him that they probably did, but that they didn't have any money to buy supplies they needed to fix their homes or build better ones.

He said, "Can they get packages?" I told him maybe they could. He said he wanted to send a package with our money so they could buy some wood and fix their houses. So, today, as a family, we're going to find a place for Caleb to send his money, the money he has been saving in a little jar for such a time as this. We'll let him fill an envelope with the money labeled "Giving," to give to others in need, and we'll "mail" it to Guatemala. (In reality, his daddy and I will give online since we know sending cash in the mail isn't the best way.)

We don't want to just tell our kids that it is important to give to the poor. We want to involve them in giving. And when they are older, we want to involve them in serving others. We want to purposefully, intentionally, seek out ways to serve and bless and share Christ with others.

This is why we sponsor (so far) two children through Compassion International. We let Caleb choose his own child this last time, and he chose a boy in Kenya who's name is Victor, and Victor just turned 5 this September (just like our Caleb). Victor lives in an area ravaged by HIV (unlike our Caleb).

One day I hope to visit our Compassion kids. We get their letters and write them, too, but seeing them face-to-face would be such a joy. I don't know if that will happen this side of Heaven, but I pray someday that will be a reality for us. To see and touch our other kids. The kids God has given us in this special way.

There is a group of bloggers with Compassion International right now in Guatemala. Ann Voskamp wrote about meeting her sponsored child, and I had tears in my own eyes at her joy. Please go read that post and consider how you can help release children from poverty in Jesus' name.

Scripture Memory Verse Sixteen

2010-09-07T08:07:00.001+08:00

Justin and I joined a new Bible class this week, and the first week's homework is to memorize this Scripture (I love it when it's easy for me to decide what to memorize next):

"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." -Romans 6:6-7

{Heart} Broken

2010-08-31T15:47:00.004+08:00

The day of my eighth wedding anniversary, a woman stood in my kitchen and told me she had recently found out her husband was having an affair. With a woman she has to see every day.

She was heartbroken, and my heart began to break for her as she recounted the details to me. She was angry and hurt and betrayed.

I prayed for her so much that day and in the days to come. I kept seeing the pain in her eyes.

A week later when we were standing in my kitchen again, she told me I was the only one she could talk to because her "countrywomen" (as she put it) would not understand since this was a shameful thing that had happened to her.

I keep thinking about how hard life is. It just is. And I keep wondering how people who don't have the love and forgiveness and peace and grace of Jesus Christ make it through this life at all.

I'm so glad I don't have to find out. And neither do you.

"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." -Romans 3:21-24

"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." -1 John 5:3-5

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." - John 3:36

New Design

2010-08-30T06:47:00.002+08:00

My friend, Jenn, at Munchkin Land Designs just created this new blog design for me. I love it! Jenn was easy to work with and created exactly what I was looking for in a new design. If you're in the market for a change of clothes for your blog, Twitter or Etsy page, Jenn does a fabulous job. (She did my mom's Etsy banner, which is so cute! Thanks so much, Jenn

If you're reading this in a reader, pop on over and check out the new look. See those precious pictures of my kids in the header? Leonny, here in Singapore, took those. Check her out, too!

August in Singapore

2010-08-24T17:51:00.002+08:00

August has been a busy month for the tiny red dot. First, we celebrated National Day, and the boys sported their "Let's Celebrate Together" shirts.

And now the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are going on (until Thursday). We headed down to Marina Bay the other night to get some pictures of the Olympic Flame cauldron. It's in a cool glass tube, and looks like a little fire tornado.

This is as close as we could get:

8 Years of Marriage

2010-08-17T13:09:00.006+08:00

I never could have imagined 8 years ago that Justin and I would be living in Singapore with our 2 kids on our 8th anniversary. But God knew, and He has been preparing our family for this season for a long time. I can see that now, and our lives here are full of His blessings. Justin and I were both in Singapore 10 years ago on a mission trip to SE Asia, and it still amazes me that God used that shared experience to prepare for this time in our lives.

I love you, Justin! You are an incredible husband and father, and we are so blessed to have you as the leader of this little family. Marriage is hard work, but it's totally worth it; you are worth it.

If you're interested in "Our Story" of how we met, fell in love, and how I almost totally ruined Justin's proposal...you can find those posts below. I wrote them a couple of years ago, so they're in the archives.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Scripture Memory Verse Fourteen and Fifteen

2010-08-16T13:15:00.005+08:00

Here are my verses for August:

"...train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present and the life to come." -1 Timothy 4:7b-8

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom." -Colossians 3:16

Our pastor has given us a Scripture for our whole church to memorize, so I'm working on that one, too (he said he'll be calling on people in church to stand up and recite it, so I don't want to be caught not knowing it!).

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." -Joshua 1:8

My Scriptures this month, including the one for our whole church, definitely have a theme--knowing and meditating on the Word of God. Next Thursday I will be leading a group of women in a weekly study of God's Word, and I am so excited! I've been preparing for that class and praying for the women God will lead there.

I hope some of you are still with me on this Scripture memory journey...I haven't heard from you guys in a while! If you've fallen behind, just start anew. We must have the Word of God in our hearts if we are to stand against the enemy's schemes (see 1 Peter 5: 8-9).

The Olympic Torch

2010-08-11T09:50:00.003+08:00

A couple of days ago I checked on the "Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame" and realized that it would be very close to us today. Close enough to drag two kids out by myself and try to get some pictures. I had to do quite a bit of "prep" with the kids yesterday explaining that the torch would not hurt us, we would not be going into it (Levi's question), and we were just going to watch from the sidelines.

The journey was starting at 9:00 several miles away at Hwa Chong Institution on Bukit Timah Road, so we headed to Holland Village at 9 and went to Starbucks, expecting the torch to pass our way around 9:30. We got some fruit and apple juice for the boys (who refused my offer to buy them muffins...who are these kids?) and a chai tea latte for me. I decided we could go sit at the bus stop and enjoy our snacks while we waited for the torch.

When we got close to the bus stop, I saw the buses full of "crowd warmers" already headed our way! I told the boys we needed to hurry because we were on the wrong side of the street. We climbed the 40ish stairs to the pedestrian walkover crossing and were able to get pictures of the crowd warmer buses.

They were getting everyone excited about the torch carrier who was behind them. There was a fair amount of cheering and screaming. They were waving at the kids since we were one of the few people out there (most of the others were just waiting for the bus). The excitement was a little much for the kids (Levi looked just like this, too):

We quickly headed down the other side of the crossing in time to witness the torch bearer. So cool!

"Lyo" the Lion and "Merly" the Mermaid are Singapore's official mascots for the Youth Olympic Games. The kids are always excited to see Lyo and Merly around town.

It was a fun experience, even if my kids cried through the whole thing. This is the Inaugural year for the Youth Olympic Games, and we're excited it's in Singapore!

He Gets It

2010-08-08T20:47:00.003+08:00

The four of us spent an evening on Orchard Road tonight. We rode the bus down to eat dinner, spent a little time shopping for tissue paper (homeschool crafts) and some Youth Olympic Games gear (did you know it's the inaugural Youth Olympic Games this year and they're in Singapore?), and even found a special gem in the form of decaf Dunkin Donuts coffee for mommy.

It was a fun and relaxed evening, despite the chaos of navigating a mall on a Sunday night with the boys (Sundays at the mall here are CRAZY).

In the taxi on the way home, I told Caleb I was so proud of how they behaved through the night. He asked me what I meant, and I told him that they had not whined or complained and had obeyed us the whole evening.

His eyes got big, he sucked in his breath, and said excitedly, "That's the FIRST time!"

Yes, I believe it might be. :-)

Happy

2010-08-07T19:43:00.004+08:00

Things are going well here. :-)

My favorite people in the world...

Design Giveaway

2010-07-24T13:37:00.001+08:00

My friend, Jenn, at Munchkin Land Designs, is having a design giveaway. She designs for blogs, twitter backgrounds, and Etsy.

Go over and check out the party!

Scripture Memory Catch-Up

2010-07-20T09:08:00.003+08:00

I neglected posting my Scriptures while we were on vacation, so here are my verses ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen!

"He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the One who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him." -John 7:18

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." -Proverbs 31:25-27

"Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal." -Isaiah 26:4

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -John 16:33

Summer makes it hard to get motivated sometimes, but I just keep writing Scriptures in my spiral. Even if I'm not actively working to memorize right now, I've kept up with adding a new Scripture and read over them often. Just trying to stay consistent.

So, what are you memorizing/meditating on?

Play Area at 313 Food Republic

2010-07-15T15:07:00.002+08:00

The boys and I met Andrea and Tori at 313 for some lunch the other day. They have a great play area on the terrace outside. It was a perfect place to play while we waited.

I had only seen one of these things on Ellen's tv show a few years ago. It was great fun trying to punch your colored buttons when they lit up.

I think my posts about our US trip are finished. My camera battery died before we left New Mexico, and my charger was buried someone in one of the many suitcases we left in Texas (which we later retrieved). I didn't get any pictures of the family get-together with my Dad's side of the family. *big, sad face*

Our US Trip, Part Six--Uncle Scott Gets Married

2010-07-13T17:17:00.001+08:00

The reason for our June return home (and not some other, cooler, time of year) was to attend the wedding of Justin's youngest brother, Scott.

He married this sweet girl. We love her. Welcome to the family, Grace.

The three brothers, all so cleaned-up and handsome. I love those two boys on either side of Justin as if they were my own flesh-and-blood brothers and am very protective of them.

A rare photo of Mimi, Justin's mom. She looked gorgeous that day (and every other day, too).

And here's what my kids enjoyed doing during the reception...ringing the bells that made Uncle Scott and Aunt Grace kiss. *smile*

Our US Trip, Part Five

2010-07-13T17:08:00.001+08:00

On Tuesday, June 22, we flew from Houston to Albuquerque. Then we drove the 2 hours to Justin's hometown. The wide open spaces of New Mexico look slightly different than they do in central Texas, but it felt so good to see this landscape.

And we were so happy to finally see this sign!

And playing in the park and not sweating a single drop! The weather was incredible!

Our US Trip, Part Four

2010-07-13T17:01:00.003+08:00

Before we left for New Mexico, we had a gathering of our old Life Group in Houston. It was such a joy to see all these sweet faces again and get to hug them!

Dana and Holly:

Sweet Evelyn:

Aaron with my boys:

Kim and Alicia (the only picture I have of Kim because she refused my later picture-taking opportunity):

All the men outside chatting:

Are You Seeing A Pattern?

2010-07-06T14:39:00.000+08:00

I had to interrupt the trip recap because I noticed something while I was going through all the pictures.

This is Levi's new "smile for the camera" face. Nice, huh? I have many more where these came from!

Our US Trip, Part Three

2010-07-06T14:37:00.000+08:00

Playing in Grandma and Poppa's backyard was so much fun!

In this picture they are making "stick soup."

Eating popsicles on the porch swing...that's what summer is about!

Our US Trip, Part Two

2010-07-06T14:32:00.000+08:00

Driving from my sister's house to my parents' house, these are the scenes. I loved being in the Texas country (we had to explain to Caleb what "country" is. He was concerned that it was so dark outside the car windows at night...no lights!).

Wide open spaces are definitely the thing we miss while living in Singapore!

Our US Trip, Part One

2010-07-06T14:28:00.000+08:00

My mom flew to Singapore so she could fly back with us and I wouldn't have to do it alone. Here she is reading to the boys on the airplane.

A wonderful site to see after a year away!

Poppa holding Audrey once we arrived at my sister's house. (See my van in the background?! I was so happy to be able to drive myself places, and the DVD player came in VERY handy with all the traveling we did. I miss my van already.)

On the way to my parents' house, the first of 3 times we'd make the two-and-a half-hour trip from Houston. This picture is so appropriate because my kids don't sleep in the car, and Ava falls asleep once we leave the driveway. :-)

We're "Home"

2010-07-06T06:59:00.004+08:00

We're back in Singapore and seriously suffering from jet lag. Caleb slept 50 minutes longer this morning than yesterday, so he was up at 4:20. He was apparently starving because he ate 15 mini pancakes once one of us got out of bed to feed him (not me). Their eating schedules are way off and neither of them ate much at lunch or dinner yesterday. Apparently breakfast is making up for that.

Caleb asked me at 6:45 this morning, "Can we homeschool now?" "RIGHT now?" I said. They are craving structure after being out of a routine for 5 weeks, but I'm exhausted and cannot even think straight. I need some coffee. I did what any good mother would do and told them to watch "Tom & Jerry" and then we'd homeschool when that was over at 7:30am. It's going to be another long day today.

We had a great time visiting our families and friends in the US. It was really hard to come back to Singapore, but we were thankful to get back to our own beds and a routine.

Here are some random pictures from our trip. I'll try to blog about each part later, when my brain is fully functioning. I took hundreds of pictures, so these are just a very small sampling.

Levi with his cousin, Audrey. We met her for the first time on May 29, and Levi loves her!
Us with our friends and mentors in Houston, Bob and Alicia. We love them and miss them terribly!

Our family at Uncle Scott's wedding in New Mexico. Not the best photo, but at least you know we were all there. The theme for the reception was Mardi Gras, hence all the beads the boys are wearing.
Boys with their cousins, Ava and Audrey. I'm pretty sure Audrey is sending a message to us. ;-)
The boys at the airport in Singapore for our 2:25am flight to Texas. A little sleepy.

It's time for Grace Academy Homeschool to open for the day, so I'd better get prepared. I've got two boys who are, amazingly, not as exhausted as their mother and ready to learn!

Potty Training

2010-05-26T17:13:00.002+08:00

It seems that my second child in 2 years is going to drag me kicking and screaming into potty training. My kids pick the most inopportune times to decide they want to potty train. Caleb decided to use the potty full-time the day we went camping with our Life Group and stayed in tents (the bathroom was about 100 yards away). Levi has chosen three days before we're supposed to be on a 24-hour flight and out of our normal routine for 5 weeks to decide he wants to wear underwear. Not great timing.

People who have kids younger than Caleb sometimes ask me for advice on potty training. I always tell them I don't have any because Caleb potty-trained himself. He watched the other kids at Mother's Day Out and then came home telling me he wanted to go on the potty. We did pull-ups for a while, then moved to only at naptime and bedtime, and a couple of months later I realized he was always completely dry when he woke up.

We've been talking about the potty with Levi for a while, but I didn't want to start until after our trip this summer. He decided yesterday that he wanted to wear underwear and was not happy when I put a diaper on him at bedtime. He wants to be like his big brother so desperately.

So far he's doing ok at it. Two accidents, but not too bad. We'll see how it goes over the next couple of days, but I secretly hope he loses interest because I'm not about to let a not-quite-potty-trained child wear underwear on an airplane. That would make for a memorable flight.