Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Maui

Couldn't resist sharing this one~

Sam's new obsession - scuba diving!


"Hey Mom - I'm that one - I'm that one right?"

Always new things to make Hudson Smile! Notice his double jointed finger? Funny because he is starting to sign, but his little fingers get stuck doing it. To funny.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Aloha!


Sunday, March 07, 2010

Jesse



My little Jesse Bear. I have recently discovered about Jesse that he loves to pretend - and loves to act, and pretend to be characters - dogs, cats, bears, lions, mostly anything ferocious really. He is so passionate. I love it. He responds quite well to directions when I address him as any animal really. He loves his face to be gently stroked, and will melt in your arms, close his eyes, and get this delicate smile of delight with any face stroking and gentle praise. He loves loves loves books - which is great for me, because I love reading him books. He is also starting to really love the quilt that took me two years to make for him. Whew! At least I made it out of big boy colors, it won't appear so silly when he has it on his bed in university. He isn't so into detail - and really loves adventure and one on one time.

Hudson

This is our Hudson. He is the happiest baby I know -EVER. He is just so easy going - often times I forget about him, he just wonders around following after his brothers, and just finds things to keep himself busy, like picking at a knot in the wood floor, or playing with lego. He goes to bed at 6 pm, and awakes up 13 hrs later - Reclined in his crib cooing and talking away - what a Joy. He has slept through the night from 5 weeks - yeah for Ade and I!

Starting to sign too which is pretty cute - epecially since he has some double jointed fingers that get stuck while he is signing. And he loves kisses and cuddles too - and singing - he sings and sings and sings -

Just wanted everyone to see an updated pic of our Huddy Buddy!

Little Buddy...



So I just discovered that Sam is getting older, and I need to allow him more room to be independent. The other day I decided to take him out for a paddle, and it dawned on me - I guess I could give him a paddle - so I tied it to the boat, and he paddled a good 20 min steady.

The water was amazing, calm like glass, the seals popping up their heads feet from our little kayak curious as to the intruders in their territory - we paddled to a little island just north of our little island - and soaked up the sun on the clam beach, watching the shoots of water spray up randomly from the clams. We feasted on almonds and fruit gummies - and then went exploring over the sandstone rocks and spied on all the unique flora and wildlife. Sam lead the way. What a brilliant - confident 4 year old.

I am not quite sure why I haven't thought of them being able to do fun things with me that I like, maybe because its been so "nose to the grind" just trying to keep our heads above water in these early years, that I haven't had much time to think at all really. But this was a very pleasant discovery for me - my heart swelled with pride as I watched him grip that way to large paddle and gracefully, rhythmically carry his weight to a small degree - and really enjoy doing it.

"Sam do you like this - are you having fun?"
"So much fun mom - I really really really like this. Just you and me - "

And as I was tucking him in that night he wrapped his arms around my neck and gave me a big hug and whispered "Thanks for taking me out Kayaking Mom - I really like that."

Gratitude - thankfulness - selflessness - this is all quite new for me being we're still in the thick of the toddler years - maybe the "nose to the grind" years are starting to pay off - what ever you call it - it brought joy to my heart.

These are the moments I want to remember - I want him to remember for the rest of our lives. These are the sacred moments in between the business of life that we remember as we drift off to sleep into dreaming where its hard to differentiate between the two. These moments I am thankful for.

Gifts of holiness - glimpses of heaven. Thank you God.




Sunday, January 24, 2010

Character or Comfort?

Samuel

Jesse Bear

Huddy Buddy

Reflective Samuel

I'll try to keep this short, just some things I have been mulling over lately in regards to my responsibility as a mother, and the choices I make for our family. I have the wonderful opportunity to meet with a group of ladies monday evenings to discuss some parenting concepts by Gary Thomas - its a wonderful time of fellowship. I am so blessed with wonderful, wise, God fearing friends out here - God is so good to provide abundantly so much more than we ask or think. We are continually amazed at His overflowing provision in our lives.

Here is the quote that struck some pretty deep chords within written by Abigail Adams - mother of John Quincy Adams:

"It is not in the still calm of life... that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and statesman."

What is in my heart for my boys? Do we seek holiness over happiness for our lives individually and for a family collectively? Daily - I have that choice to make with each decision I come up against in regards to my child rearing style. I'm not talking about giving out the daily jelly beans or afternoon treats here, I am talking about the energy it takes to resolve conflict properly between individuals in our family unit, or sitting patiently convincing and spoon feeding heathy food into strong willed toddlers. I'm talking about taking the time to explain why we can't behave like David (even though he was the good guy) and throw rocks at your brother's head. Trying to make sense of those stories, and explain why David was the good guy even though he chopped Goliath's head off. I'm talking about exposure/awareness to what families are suffering all around our world. Oh I could go on and on - I am sure each of you all could add to the list of times where we are given a choice to choose between comfort and character. Easily said - another thing to do it - day in and day out.

Sam's heart was engaged last week as I showed him news footage of the situation down in Haiti.
"Oh mommy - those boys and girls have no food, and no mommy and Daddy - when I get older I will be a doctor and go and help them"

He has God's heart of compassion. I have that one too. It hurts - indescribable. How can I explain it -I'll try - someone stomping on my heart with a very heavy boot and I can't catch my breath at all - so we pray to make sense of it all. And that is only a trillion billion hundred million thousandth of a fraction of the sorrow that God feels when his beloved children are suffering.

Sam asked me the other day "Who does hold God when He cries?"

I didn't know what to say. Maybe we do in a way when we're curled up sleeping in his lap...

Sat afternoon we had the chance to go and do some beach combing, our favorite pass time, and started up a fire right there on the beach, and enjoyed the amazing environment that we are in right now for this season. Ade and I were just amazed that we were outside in tee shirts mid Jan! This we can handle. God is good. For now we are called here - and enjoying this Island that God has given us.

Sent - Went - Put.

Enjoying the Put part.....

Hope you all are too.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Hudson


Our little Pea pod... 7 months old

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Happy Fall Days!



Mark and Adrian

Paulene and Rebecca

Little Hudson in the Pumpkin patch

Monday, October 19, 2009

Still Alive! More than alive actually -

Beside our front deck...

Some quiet time with Huddy...

Sam's 4th Birthday

God's writing on the wall for us...


OK Ok - thanks to all you faithful anonymous followers, I feel often like I am writing into an abyss - and there is no point to all of this nonsense carrying on over a computer - trying to carefully lay out what is going on in our lives while being vague enough to maintain our privacy as a family. I do hear that many people look at our blog, as I get reminded that I haven't put pictures up for ages. So for now I will continue on. I guess my issue is that it seems so impersonal, like you all have sat down with me for a cup of coffee while reading about our happenings, but I never got the sit down warm and cozy feeling of seeing you across the table with a twinkle in your eye, the sound of your voice and most importantly - hearing what your heart is saying.

I do miss my friends dearly. I had a good cry the other day. I was packing up a present for my dear friend Colleen, and it brought the heart wrenching ache of a void that cannot be filled by anyone else. Also, my previous next door neighbour just had a little baby girl, and I am not there to have her over to pamper her, or snuggle the little bundle on the front porch....

With all the heartache, I do know that we are exactly where God wants us to be right now. Often times that is difficult. I don't even know where to start. I think an incredable amount of learning for us happened with the whole process of coming out here. Walking by faith. My dear heart faith friends all reminded me at times to take my eyes off of the situation, and keep them on the author of my faith.... CS lewis said when his wife had passed something along the lines of not knowing if his faith could carry him until it was the last rope he was hanging on too.

It was very difficult making a decision to come out here, to put aside our jobs, walk away from the church whom we have come to love so dearly, put on pause the pleasures of enjoying a new baby in our family because we were busy packing, pass up Saturdays at the park with the family or over a banana pancake and nutella breakfast because I was at work trying to get enough hours so that we qualified for maternity/parental leave...as much as I love my job, and its a part of who I am - and now to give that up for a dream that has been long tucked away in my husbands heart - which God at this time seemed fit to bring to the surface and fufill.

Oh do we know the depth of what God has for us this year? Was it worth it I asked Adrian and myself - and how long would it take for us to decide on that?
It took 15 seconds as we pulled away from our first home van packed to the hilt away from but together where we've spent the last 5 years of our lives, conceiving, birthing and raising our three boys, laughing, crying with friends and family over our worn dinner table, each nick in the wall a momento of a cuddle on the floor over a bonked limb or marble gone a-wall.

It was worth it because God once again proved himself faithful to us. Not that our hope is in the quantity of our faith - thank goodness, but in the object in which we put our faith - the Lord Jesus. It is worth it everyday when Adrian comes home from class with a new understanding in his heart about the simplicity of christianity, and the revelation that is being birthed in his mind. The transformation that happens in our life when there is revelation from the creator when we actually slow down enough to see it and hear how loud he speaks.

It's worth it when I saw Jesse today entertain himself for minutes watching a slug cross the path, or Sam bring me a flower behind his back - or the time we have to color together and not care about how the house looks, or the walks in the rain, or being able just to lie in bed and listen to the buckets of rain pour down on the tin roof and have no where to go. Or to sit and feel Hudson's little duckling hair gently on my face, or feel his peace as he curls up to me first thing in the morning. Or the weekly coffee's Ade and I share when we can just talk about anything and for hours... or to even be able to have the opportunity to serve Adrian's family during the passing of his grandma last week.

For us at the beginning it took writing on the wall - and God was faithful.... because he knew what we needed to take the initative to turn our lives upside down -


Thank you to each of you who encouraged us when we were so discouraged. Thank you for your faith -

I'll try to be more faithful with posting. I do care, more than you know. Keep checking, and keep in touch...


Love Rebecca