Baby sister

My uncle Dave, enjoying some quiet time with Vera Bear

Helping with her "night" (pacifier)

from the lips of babes

We just got back from a 5 night stay at my parent's house, during which we celebrated my Grandmother's 90th birthday, the independence of our country and our family. I think 13 family members from Chicago flew in, several from all over KS . . . my parents hosted the reunion.

As other parent's will testify, sleeping away from home with small children may actually involve little sleeping, unfortunately. Our kids are actually pretty good sleepers now, but Warrick got some sort of bug - fever, loss of appetite and fatigue being the only symptoms we could detect. Of course, he can't say, my ________ hurts. He did tell us his thumb hurt, but that was from a slam in a door.

Anyway, he woke up in the night on Saturday night and Brett brought him downstairs. He ended up really waking up and being chatty. Kept repeating "Josh . . . Amy" "Josh . . . Amy" - some of our friends here who he, honestly, doesn't see that often. Brett goes to school with Josh and talked with him last night. On Saturday night - very late, they had been in a car accident. They were on their way home to their apt. north of town, came up over a hill and hit a man who was standing in the middle of the road. He was drunk and had been kicked out of the car by his wife, and was then trying to flag down another driver coming from the opposite direction in efforts of getting home.

Josh was driving their truck and saw him in just enough time to brake. The impact smashed the 25 yr. old man into the grill and hood and then threw him many feet away. There are fingerprints and dragging smudges in the hood ( along with significant denting )- Brett saw it this morning and described it as "eerie" . . . only time I've ever heard him use that word.

Josh had to administer CPR until paramedics came. I don't know every detail of the story, but I know that he should have died and he's alive and heading home from the hospital 5 days later. He had knee surgery and a badly broken leg. There is more, but he is alive. Josh and Amy visited him in the hospital and told him about Jesus.

The guy is 25. He has four kids. He has a wife. He is alive and shouldn't be.

AND, Warrick woke up in the night saying their names shortly after the accident happened. Brett and I both heard him saying "Josh ... Amy" over and over. We hadn't even talked about them or seen them recently.

So, I'm thankful today that this man gets another chance. I'm also sobered and stilled that God used the tongue of my son to get our attention. When he does this again (and there have been other times when he's repeated someone's name over and over at a seemingly random time), I will more quickly recognize it as God borrowing my young son's voice to get our attention to pray. To love our friends. To call and listen. To help.

Because, I don't think this was a coincidence.

Fence

So . . . I'm realizing very quickly that trips to the park and playing in a fenceless yard are a little more complicated with two small children. Arms are full of tiny babe and defiant toddler won't come back inside or walk back home. So . . . . there we are, all three of us, stuck on the corner until I can figure out how to physically carry all three of us back home. So much for "don't-lift-anything-heavier-than-your-baby-until-6-weeks-after". ...

BUT, my man of action built me a fence around our yard so I can be normal (i.e. be outside). He used palettes and other cheap materials and I think it looks pretty nice considering. Regardless, it is keeping the tiny man in, and that was the goal.

Warrick's words

The child enjoys talking lots. Repeats whatever he hears, puts full sentences together. Has sometimes intelligible, sometimes not so intelligible stories for any listener, including his cars . . . By the way, do all kids wave good-bye to their toys when they leave the room? "Bye-bye cars, bye-bye ambulance (he really says ambulance), bye-bye night (pacifier), bye-bye blocks". Brett thinks it's from Good Night Moon. I think he has a legitimate argument there.

So, some funny things I need to record for the days I need to laugh more and can recall this silliness.

1. Of his friends, Max and Lincoln - NOT identical twins - while pointing to Max, "MAX!" And while pointing to Lincoln, "OTHER MAX!" (All caps representing volume)

2. He also has a new unfortunate obsession with his poop hole - telling others about it, stretching down between his legs to show you exactly where it is . . . . oh the novelty. Does anyone else have one? Wow.... it's amazing. "poop hole" Clear as day. No one would mistake him saying anything other than "poop hole". The most horrid thing about this, confirming my anticipation of apologizing for my son, happened the other day. While I was putting my make up on in the mirror, he aggressively and very accurately poked me from behind and said, "poop hole." Lovely. can't wait for the day he does that to anyone other than Brett or myself.

3. After aggressively slapping Brett across the face, he commands, "OBEY!" Funny, because it happened at home and because we don't ever slap him across the face. Should this happen in public, I might not have thought it funny at all.

Going back to his obsession with his poop hole . . . it has begun a daily habit (going on almost a month) of pooping in the toilet. Not peeing, just pooping. Very cool, and very nice to change just one small child's poopy diapers. Thanks Sonny.

Why Vera

June 18, 2010

I have been meaning to write this to you well before today. Honestly, it took me a while to believe that you were really you, until you actually arrived and I met you face to face. You were, and are still, and will continue to be beautiful and treasured to me.

I want you to know why we chose your name. It won’t take you long to realize that your name is not the most common name in school, and I apologize to you now for all the times you will have to re-pronounce it so others know what to call you. I have liked your name for a long time. In fact, my friend Kathleen, from whom I borrowed a book 3 years prior to your birth, sent in the mail a bookmark I had left in that book. On it, your father and I had brainstormed baby names. We were not even expecting your brother at the time, just making good use of our time in an airplane.

Vera was on that list and has stayed on my mental list since then. It means TRUTH. In Slavic languages it means FAITH. After you were born I was having an appointment and the worker helping me was from India. In her language, she said “Vera” means BRAVE. I am of the opinion that it is very difficult for a woman, a girl, to grow up in our culture and believe the truth about who GOD thinks she is – you will be bombarded with so many “requirements” for beauty, for success, for intelligence . . . but only God’s standard, His view of you, is the real TRUTH. And FAITH . . . you will need lots of this too. The enemy is still alive and active and will give you lots of illusions that will cause you to doubt your God, yourself, and the cost of living right and following Him.

Your dad wasn’t sure about naming you Vera, but when I told him these things, he said, “Okay, you sold me.” It is our hope and prayer that you would be marked by these qualities and that the weight of your name would set you apart from this culture and help you find purpose in choosing a better way.

We love you already and enjoy having you in our family.

I know, I know . . . I'm a terrible blogger

I write in my head all the time. I have memorable moments, and then, ironically forget them. Or have such a long list of them, that I give up recording them and archive them into my forget these things file.

However, Brett and I have spent some time in reflection lately and have written out some key goals for our lives, and then brainstormed about the little day to day things you have to do to eventually reach your big long term goals. I am notorious for dreaming up great paintings, and interesting other things and then never getting to it. I don't want to look back and realize that I've just got a string of good intentions and great ideas.

So, one of my goals was to have a consistent creative outlet - here it is.

ALSO, I am highly motivated to spend time recording my life - mostly my children's - as my sister and family recently moved to India. I miss her like crazy. She's pretty much my best friend and my go to when it comes to sorting through relational things, figuring out how to raise children, and so many other significant things. I want her to feel like she's still part of my every day even when a newborn and one computer used for my husband's studying often keep me from being as available as the rest of my family.

So, while I may often feel uninspired or intentional without a plan, my sister is inspiring to me. So . . . I'll write for her.

And I'll write for my kids. They are inspiring to me too.

I certainly do not feel very inspiring right now. (Even though I have somehow inspired my son to be very dramatic - even cartoonish in his response to life . . . I won't really take credit for this as I realize he came out that way, but it has uncovered a bit of my drama as I watch him mimic me . . . .)

So . . . here's to being more consistent and intentional with my life in general. Cheers.