That Moment

      Our days are made up of mere moments.  The last week or so, I have been chronicling a few of them in my mind and chuckling to myself.  Here are some of the moments that have made my week go round.

That moment when I am standing outside the car, with both girls buckled into their car seats.  I am savoring that moment, because it is quiet outside the car, and I don't know how much screaming will greet me when I reopen the door.

That moment when I am so thankful for a night out without our children to be able to talk to John without anyone but the drunk girl stumbling into the restaurant interrupting us.  I forgave her, since she headed to the outdoor patio.  And, I got to eat this deliciousness of a salad.

That moment when I realize my baby girl is getting bigger all the time.  Let's capture that moment with my iPhone.



That moment when I am trying on sunglasses at Target and see something scamper by in my peripheral vision.  Upon further investigation, I discover that there is a raccoon loose in our Target.  Employees are stalking it through the women's clothing section, carrying clear plastic tubs to try to trap it.  I hear one say, "Let's chase it to the fitting room!"  How I wish I had captured some of that moment on video. It was a riot to watch the employees chase it, and to see that poor raccoon running to and fro.  It did finally get herded out the front door, which seemed to make much more sense to me than the fitting room idea.

That moment when I realize that putting a romper on my belly-button obsessed child might make her angry.  Cue screaming.

That moment when I realize that for whatever reason, my children are always eating on and off of the floor.  No wonder my floors are perpetually dirty.




That moment when both of the girls want to gnaw on broccoli stalks.  Does that moment only happen to me?  And, again, we are sitting on the floor while eating.



That moment when we leave the Hunger Games movie and John says, "What kind of crazy stuff have you been reading?  That was messed up."

That moment when fallen broccoli is mocking me from the floor.  In that moment I think, "At least I am trying to feed my kids vegetables today."  And, "I am so thankful to have vegetables to be able to feed my kids."  Food on the floor is a first world problem.

That moment, every other stay-at-home-mom knows this one well, the one when daddy comes home.  That moment came later for us last night, because this is a big week at the store.  But, when it came, it was glorious.




Then came the moment when, every night as part of our bedtime routine, we read the Bible and cuddle on the couch.  I love that moment, because I am touching all of the people that matter most to me in the world.  They are literally at my fingertips, and I love it.  I sometimes wish that moment could last forever.  But, most nights, I am also pretty happy to see that moment pass by, because it ushers the way for the moment when both girls are in bed, and I get to have my hubby all to myself.  That moment is pretty great, too.

Reflections at the Glass Factory

      This post has been germinating in my mind from the moment we stepped out of the car at this place.  It was the last day of our trip, the last hours, really.  The kids were at the house, and our friends had one more place to show us.  The glass factory.  To call it that is not really accurate, considering it is in a third world country and is not very "factory-ish."  This place has a sad story.  It was a thriving business where the few tourists that do visit the country would come and see glass being blown into amazing works of art.  Then, they could walk through the inventory and pick out what they wanted to take home as their very own.  In 2008 (actually 4 years to the day that we were there which gave me chills when I googled it just now), Cyclone Nargis came through.  It was one of the deadliest cyclones on record, killing over 138,000 people.  The kilns at the glass factory were destroyed, and the people that own it are in so much debt that they cannot afford to have them repaired.  So, the remaining inventory, which is massive, sits in piles, getting slowly covered in vines.  You can still go and purchase things, as we did, but they are no longer making new things or really drawing tourists.

Here are the kilns, as well as the calendar from 2008.




Here's a peak at the piles of glass.  From what I understand, this is the way the inventory worked, even in the good days.





It was a strange experience for so many reasons and left me emotional.  It was the end of our trip, which was bittersweet.  But, more than that, I felt like it mirrored so many things in the country.  That country is filled with resources, and for many reasons, they are not being utilized, which leaves much of the population in poverty.  We kept saying that if someone could just come in and ship everything to the States to sell it - there was thousands and thousands of dollars just lying around.  It is hard to see so much wasted when so many people are in need, including the very people who own the stuff.




I also felt like the whole place was ripe with metaphor.  Too many for me to be able to pick them all out.  But, I felt like it echoed the reality of the fallen world that we live in.  Things were not meant to be this way.  Precious, valuable, beautiful glass was being treated as basically worthless, like so many lives in so many places in the world.  It was a bit staggering to walk through when I put it through that filter.





It made me long for the God that promises "that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).  I don't know if the glass factory will every be able to recover, though I certainly hope so.  I do know that I serve the God who promises to make all things new.  I am thankful that he picked me out of a mess of sin to serve him.  What a blessing.



I found this pitcher in one of the piles.  They also were able to locate all the pieces of a nativity set for us, as well of some little dessert dishes.  Amazing little treasures just waiting to be picked out and cleaned off.  Just like we are.

Meeting Baby True

      Since coming back from Asia, I feel like I have been in a bit of a funk or a fog or something.  I am just now starting to do the things that are necessary to keep our household going, i.e. laundry, cleaning, sort of cooking or at least, re-heating.  One thing I did make a priority on our return was going to visit my new nephew, True.  A couple of months ago, we hosted a shower for Ellen and True, though we didn't know True's name yet.  I also showed off True's nursery here on the blog, which has only gotten cuter since then.  True was born while we were in Thailand at the very beginning of our trip, and through the magic of the internet, I was able to talk to Ellen after her delivery.  But, talking over the phone is not like being there and meeting baby True for myself.
      So, at the end of last week, the girls and I headed off for a night in the big city to meet cousin True.  That night, we went for an ice cream run at a place that I frequented during college.  True enjoyed his stroller ride.



The girls enjoyed playing with Uncle Luke and eating ice cream.  I am a great aunt, because once I showed up at their house, we realized that Bella had a fever.  So, she spent a lot of time chilling.





There are some things I don't miss about having a newborn.  This would be one of a long list.



Ellen and Luke seem made to be parents, and it was a joy and privilege to see them both in action, especially my baby sister.  How does she have a baby of her own now?  I thought she was committed to nannying mine forever.  Ahh, well.
      The girls were mainly interested in True when I was holding him or when he was laying by himself.  Watch out, True.  These girls are coming for you.  Whatcha gonna do?

We spent time literally strolling around Siloam and kept running into people we knew.  Small time life has some definite advantages.  It was so fun to start experiencing the journey of mommyhood with my sis.  She is definitely rocking it!



And, of course, there are already many amazing pictures of True taken by his father.  If you want to see more, follow Main Street Studios on Facebook for more of the fun.

Mother's Day Thanks

      Last night, as John and I were tucking into bed later than is good for us, I see him typing out a text on his phone.  I said, "Who on earth are you texting right now?"  My phone beeps.  John starts giggling.  I reach over and read, "Happy Mother's Day."  We both laugh.
      Since we got back from Asia last week and I have yet to really take on normal life duties, I neglected to send Mother's Day cards or gifts.  I wish I was so much better at this than I am, but the reality is, I sort of suck at gifts.  So, I am trying to make up for a bit of that by writing a nice blog post, something I am moderately better at than giving gifts.  (I did also send cute little videograms made on Shutterfly.  It's a good service when you fail to do things with enough time to send them via postal system.)
      This Mother's Day, I am thankful for the mothers that have shaped our family.  I have one of the best mother in laws imaginable.  Thank you for raising a son that loves the Lord.  Thank you for loving us and supporting us in everything that we choose.  Thank you for showing us what it takes to make a marriage work.  Thank you for encouraging me as a mother and making me feel like you would choose me over again to raise your grandchildren.  Those are invaluable gifts.  Thank you for praying for us diligently - we are so grateful.



      I also have one of the world's most wonderful mothers, of that I am quite certain.  Thank you for showing me more of Jesus by the way that you loved us and Dad.  Thank you for serving and loving us kids so well, and continuing to do so.  Thanks for reminding me that you are always on our team, even when it is the crazy one.  Thanks for being a wonderful example of how to parent children graciously, even when we were not gracious in return.  I have learned so much from you and have so much still to learn - love you!


(picture by Luke from Laura's wedding)

      I wish we could have celebrated with both of our mothers on this fine day.  Instead, we went to Senor Tequila and sprung for the sopapilla after our meal to celebrate.  This was made much less fun by the fact that Bella was moaning through most of lunch for no good reason.  Tonight we are going on a date night to get away from our darling children, which I think will make for a great Mother's Day treat at this stage in life.