Not the same

Samuel found out the hard way yesterday
that this hammock is not the same
as what Abuelo and Abuela have in Venezuela.

It's days like these that we all really miss Venezuela.
Especially the family we have there.
Los extranamos y los amamos mas que nunca.

One or two?

I thought we only had one fashionista in the family.
I was sadly mistaken.
Yesterday Samuel insisted in his 10-word/grunt vocabulary
that he wanted to wear these flip-flops to AWANA.
I learned quite a while back to pick good fights.
This was not a fight I wanted to pick.
So, shamelessly I took him to AWANA and left him
in the nursery in this condition.
When I picked him up I was told that he took off his flip-flops for some of the time
as it was not very comfortable to be wearing these, with socks.
Hopefully he will have learned his lesson.
Natural consequences.
I always say they are best.

Yard Work Round 2

What happens to your heart when you see this picture?
Not much, right?
This morning we woke up and got ready for church.
Pancho came downstairs first and I stayed upstairs and continued to get the kids ready.
Soon, we all heard Pancho shouting,
"Come quick! Come quick!"
I panicked a bit, not knowing what was wrong.
I asked, "What is it?" but got no response.
I ran down the steps thinking there was a wild animal in our yard, perhaps,
or someone had stolen our grill.
My heart was all aflutter because of this picture.
My dad was up at their cabin yesterday and graciously brought
us some trees back to plant in our yard.
He did that for us when we lived on Isaiah Street
and we have not planted any on Rippling Creek yet,
even though we celebrated our one-year anniversary in this house last week, October 16.
He must have brought the trees over while we were out having a family night (at McDonald's, if you must know!) last evening.
We did not see them when we got home because it was already dark.
Pancho did not know my dad was planning to bring the trees back yesterday so he was concerned a mini tornado passed through someone's yard and deposited their trees on our deck. Bless his heart!
So now, Katrina and Pancho are outside, planting these trees that nearly caused me a heart-attack this morning.
It is a dreary Sunday afternoon, but it is quite warm out so it is a good day for planting.

We are hopeful that in a few years these trees will provide some privacy to our backyard.
We enjoy our neighbors, don't get me wrong, but it is nice to have some trees too.
This picture is great because it shows the size of the trees when Katrina is 4 and 1/2.
The tree comes up to her shoulder.
We will have to purpose in our hearts to take a picture of her next to this tree in a few years to see both of their progress.
Our prayer for Katrina and Samuel these days is that they will grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52)
Our prayer for the tree is that it will grow. Period.

Where We've Been

Both Samuel and Katrina have had bacterial infections the last week and a half.
Samuel was diagnosed with a sinus infection two Wednesdays back.
Katrina was diagnosed with strep last Sunday.
So, needless to say, we have been playing a lot of doctor around here.
Praise be to God, both kids have made an upward swing and are feeling
much, much better, yet we are still recovering our sleep schedules.

Two days ago I moved Samuel from the car to the sofa.
The next thing I saw was him standing next to our ottoman, sleeping.
I grabbed the camera but I was too late.
He was on the floor, sound asleep.
I was able, however, to capture some pictures of him just as he was waking up.
He is such a doll!

October 14, 2002 -- 8 years

8 years ago today, just about this very time,

Pancho and I were boarding an airplane in Caracas, Venezuela.

It was the last plane we boarded as residents of Venezuela.

It was the first plane we boarded as future residents of the United States.

It was an excruciating good-bye.

We landed safely in America and were greeted by many friends and family at CWA.

We made our way to my parents house and stayed there one or two nights.

Then some dear friends lent us their trophy room while we figured out a game-plan.

Quickly the Lord worked out a house for us to "watch"

while it's owners went to Florida for the winter.

Pancho found odd jobs here and there and I sent an email to my old elementary school principal,

letting him know I was back in town and looking for work.

The very next day I had an interview and was hired on the spot for a

1/2-time 4K position with the local school district.

Those were hard, hard days.

Yes, there were wonderful things.

We used our wedding dishes (those that we registered for) for the first time

at Thanksgiving that year (we did not take our clay dishes to Venezuela after the wedding).

Pancho experienced snow falling and shoveling a HUGE driveway for the first time.

We had our first Christmas tree, courtesy of my uncle.

God has brought us so far since then.

At that time we were trying for a baby.

He did not bless us with one for 4 and 1/2 years after that.

Now we have two children.

Pancho did not have a job that he loved and one that he could use his God-given intellect in.

Now he is working for Greenheck and it has been a win-win

since he was hired in December of 2003.

It is good to look back on our lives and to recognize God's hand there.

The. Whole. Time.

He is faithful.

Great is His faithfulness.

Morning after morning during those difficult days we saw His new mercies.

It was never our intention to leave Venezuela on those terms.

Yet, we have learned time and time again that God has hidden treasure for us in the dark.

Isaiah 45:3

I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places,

in order that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel,

who calls you by your name.

8 years later we are still trusting the same God, only by His grace.

We can never be certain where He will take us, but we do know this:

He has a perfect plan for us and when we follow Him we will be richly blessed.

Second Cousins Twice Removed

Katrina found a whole family of worms yesterday.

We think they might be related to Lily Ann and Alea, but we cannot be certain.

Hillshire Farms was not available for residence so they moved into the Frigo tub.

So far, so good this time around.

Katrina is on the deck, as I post, holding them and making sure they are all still alive.
We are trying to come up with names so please stay tuned.
Any suggestions are appreciated.

The Lily Ann Diaries

Last Sunday Katrina and her good neighbor friend, Kylee, pictured above with Katrina,
found a worm in the sandbox.
You would have thought they found a stash of dress-up jewels for how excited they were!
Katrina came running inside, asking for a container to make a home for her new pet, Lily Ann.
I obliged, not intending that Lily Ann would ever dwell within our home.
Katrina and Kylee worked very hard preparing the Hillshire Farms container as Lily Ann's new residence.
I overheard them conversing.
Katrina: I am going to keep Lily Ann forever.
Kylee: Well, you cannot keep her forever. But maybe at least until you die.
Katrina came running inside to ask if she could keep Lily Ann until she herself died.
Again, I obliged, reminding her that the likelihood was greater that Lily Ann would die before she would.
The girls continued to chat.
Kylee: What did your mom say? Can you keep her until you die?
Katrina, very proud to have a mom as kind as me: Yup. I get to keep her until I die.
Kylee: Wow. I cannot believe you get to keep Lily Ann until you are 6.
Katrina, in a very exasperated tone: Kylee, I'm not going to die when I am 6.
Later that evening as the kids in the neighborhood were all going inside for the
night Katrina brought Lily Ann to the patio door
where your's truly stopped her in her tracks.
Me: Katrina, Lily Ann will have to sleep outside tonight.
Katrina: Outside? She is my best pet. She can't sleep outside.
Katrina began to cry, rather hard.
I was not really in the mood to pick this as a fight, so I reconsidered.
Me: OK. Guess what? I thought it over and I have decided that she can sleep inside on the
kitchen counter but we cannot open her house inside of our house because there will be sand everywhere.
Katrina agreed to the stipulations and Lily Ann spent the night as part of our fall centerpiece on our kitchen peninsula.
In the morning what was the absolute first thing Katrina asked to do?
Check on Lily Ann.
I sent her out to the deck and after a bit of digging in the container,
she found her,
alive and well.
Katrina came inside.
Katrina: Mom, can I keep Lily Ann till I die?
Me: Yes.
Katrina: Wow. I am so happy that I can keep Lily Ann until I am 18.
Me: Katrina, our prayer for you is that you live to be older than 18.
It went on like this for days.
Much to the surprise of Pancho and myself, Lily Ann survived the
apparently traumatic move from the luxurious sandbox to Hillshire Farms.
Much to the surprise of both of us, Lily Ann survived all of the
handling and manipulating by both Katrina and Kylee.
Samuel even got to touch her one afternoon.
Touch being the key word.
Then, a very sad thing happened on Friday.
Right after we took these pictures of the girls with Lily Ann, in fact.
The girls were playing with Lily Ann and she was crawling around on
Katrina's painted pumpkin (Elizabeth!), having a gay-old time.
The girls actually thought Lily Ann was giving birth and were
beyond excited to witness a worm giving birth
(and may be able to be recorded as the first people in history to witness a worm's birth, I am thinking).
And then it was time for dinner and Katrina put Lily Ann back in Hillshire Farms.
After dinner we went outside with Grandpa and Nana who had been our dinner guests.
Katrina wanted to play with Lily Ann.
I grabbed Hillshire Farms and headed outside.
Katrina began sifting through the sand and leaves and could not find Lily Ann.
I sifted through as well and could not find Lily Ann.
Katrina started crying.
No.
Sobbing.
No.
Bawling.
She was beside herself.
Nana began digging in the general vicinity,
not being able to handle her granddaughter's sobs much longer.
It was a traumatic moment for our family.
Would Katrina recover from this devastation?
We were able to get her calmed down a bit and Grandpa and Nana told her
they would look for more worms for her at their house.
Katrina consoled herself with this thought:
Maybe Lily Ann wanted to find her husband so that she could be with him and their new baby.
The rest of the evening she was quite tranquil, reminiscing about the good ol' days with Lily Ann.
Saturday morning rolled around and no one brought up Lily Ann.
Finally in the afternoon I decided it was time to empty Hillshire Farms and wash out the residence.
Katrina followed me to the sandbox and insisted on checking once more for Lily Ann.
I went back inside, telling her over my shoulder that I really doubted she would find her.
Katrina: MOM! MOM! MOM! I found Lily Ann's baby!
Me: What? Her baby?
Katrina came running onto the deck, stopping at the patio door, waiting for
permission to enter with this new worm in her hands.
I granted her permission and she showed me this tiny, little, bloody worm.
It was Lily Ann's baby.
Well, I am not sure it was, but boy I am still wondering.
We found a different container, this time an empty parmesan cheese tub,
poked holes in the top and put Alea (fitting name for a daughter a Lily Ann, right?) inside.
Poor Alea did not last very long.
She was obviously not ready for the trauma from the sandbox to the Frigo tub.
This morning when we came downstairs, Alea was dead, gone.
As Katrina ate her Cheerios they became quite salty as she filled her bowl with tears.
She has the most tender heart ever.
So, now we are pursusing a worm family.
Our logic is this:
If we find an entire family, they will not be so interested in escaping because they are all together.
Makes sense, right?

Kickball

We are involved in a local home school group

that meets on Thursdays throughout the school year

for games and activities.

Yesterday was the first day of kickball and it was Katrina's very first intramural activity.

You could totally tell that we are first-timers.

* I had the big camera, a Canon Rebel no less.
* Pancho came over before a meeting to see Katrina play.
* Nana came to watch.

It brought such joy to our hearts to see Katrina participating.

Children are a gift from the Lord.

Psalm 127:3

We are so thankful for the decision she made to trust Jesus nearly one year ago and the work He is doing in her life.

We are seeing the fruit of His hand on her little life and it is the best experience in parenting.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

3 John 1:4

Samuel did not play kickball, much to his chagrin, but he entertained himself climbing in and out of the stroller for the hour of kickball.

Soon enough it will be your time, dear Samuel, soon enough.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Wilke's Pumpkin Patch is a great outing.
We went this week with the homeschool group we are involved with.
We will go again next week with baby buddies.
There are so many fun things to do there for children of all ages.
The highlights for our kids were...
Katrina:
#1 feeding the goats
picking a pumpkin
hay ride
Samuel:
#1 sitting on the pumpkins
running all over the place
riding the "porch swing"

Dear Dad

Dear Dad,
I had the absolute best time last night with you.
When Mr. Harris asked me two weeks ago to share at AWANA up in Merrill
and he said that I should bring Pancho or Nick or Shawn or you,
I knew you were the man to bring when he told me the topic: fishing.
As I prayed about what to share with the kids and God put becoming "fishers of men" on my heart, everything came together so well, thanks to your expertise in the area of fishing for fish
and your love for the all-time Fisher of Men: Jesus Christ.
Talking with you yesterday morning about our strategy and our presentation
made me more and more excited to share this special time with you.
You see, Shawn and Nick have the opportunity to spend loads of time with you
hunting and fishing and talking about hunting and fishing.
But you and I do not share those hobbies.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love hearing all your stories
and cherish my childhood as it is filled with story after story,
all unique, of how you either got the big one or it slipped through your hands.
So, the entire time was something I will remember forever.
Riding up to Merrill, listening to a few new stories
(can you believe you have some that I have not heard yet?),
getting a bit lost in the construction and then
sharing with those children about the God we both love and serve.
I could not have planned a better Monday night "date" with you.
And then at the end when you said
You are REALLY good at this, Krissy. I mean REALLY, REALLY good.
Those words are the sweetest words I have ever heard from you, Dad.
Again, don't get me wrong. I know that you are proud of me.
The look in your eye when you see me with Katrina and Samuel,
the wink when they do something silly, the chuckle at their funny comments,
all those things let me know that you are proud of me.
Yet hearing those words from your mouth to my ear.
There is not an explanation for what happened in my heart toward you last night.
I didn't think I could love you more, really.
I mean, you are the first man God placed in my life
and I am forever grateful to Him for chosing you for me.
You see, He used you to show Himself to me.
You were the one that talked to me about Jesus and showed me an
unconditional love that I am still experiencing today.
I love you mas que nunca, Dad, and I hope and pray that God blesses us with more times
when we can relish in each other's company like we did last night.

Hostess with the Mostess

I really enjoy entertaining.
I really enjoy fall.
I especially enjoy entertaining in the fall.
Yesterday we had some old friends over for some fun, fall fellowship and
I wanted to share some pictures of the decor.

I am all about cost-effective decorating and since we don't have any trees
in our yard we asked our generous neighbors if we could pick some leaves
from their maple and oak trees.
Then Katrina helped me gather some pinecones from our other neighbor.
We spread those out down the center of the table, using our everyday centerpiece
(black wire basket with real and cloth pumpkins) as the focal point.
I used some apples from our orchard trip earlier this week to make some place cards
that turned out adorable, if I do say so myself!
I used to think that I would like to have dishes for every season
but then where would I store all of those dishes?
My cream and blue dishes and even the blue cloth napkins
look great with the harvest theme,
don't you think?

Process vs. Product

When I was in college in Madison we learned in the school of education

that for young children the process is much more important than the product.

Those words struck an out-of-tune chord within me.

The process of the project was more important than the product?

You mean, if the product was super ugly and unidentifiable,

it didn't matter as long as the process during which the product was made was a learning experience?

Although I did not agree with that concept in that moment, I began to teach according to that philosophy

and just this week (12+ years later) the Lord brought this concept back to mind.

Samuel has enjoyed watercoloring while Katrina does some of her school work.

Thankfully, God has helped me recognize orderliness and cleanliness as an idol in my life

and has done a work that has transformed life for both me and my family.

Because of this work, I have allowed Samuel to watercolor while Katrina does school work and even other times during the day.

On Friday he found the watercolor paints and brought them to me,

asking with his adorable face if he could paint.

I conceded and got him set up.

I am being delivered from the stronghold of a spotless house but I am not stupid.

Samuel paints in his highchair while wearing only his diaper.

When he was finished he let me know by trying to get out of his highchair, his trademark "I am done" behavior.

I took a look at him and thought, "What a waste. That paper is a piece of garbage, not a piece of art."

In that moment God reminded me of that mindset:

"The process is more important than the product."

I smiled at Samuel and took a picture of his hands.

These are a great representation of the process.

Then I looked up and saw this...

and this...

and I could not help but think that this is what God calls us to in the process.

He calls us to "consider it all joy" (James 1:2) in the meantimes and God used this experience with

Samuel and the watercolors to teach me an important lesson.

There is a distinction, however, from what I learned in Madison and what God teaches.

God is definitely conconcered about the process.

In fact, many times in my life, most times, I have learned more in the process than I do after the product is present.

Samuel also learned more in the process of the watercoloring than he did after he finished.

But the distinction is this, we are not pieces of garbage after the process ends.

We are pieces of art.

We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

God is equally concerned about the process as He is the product.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving me a rhema word.

Thank You for uttering Your Word to me through watercolors and process and product mentality.

Please help me to be joyful in the process because You are as equally

concerned about the process as You are about the product.

Dapper

Today we had the most dapper-looking son.
It was the first time he has ever worn a suitcoat and
he was absolutely adorable in it.

Samuel, you are the cutest thing and such a blessing in our lives.
Te amamos mas que nunca, tu papa y yo.
Y le damos gracias a Dios todos los dias por la bendicion que eres para con nosotros.