Life is a Blue Sky Puzzle

Have you ever been working on a puzzle - one of those thousand piece puzzles where half the puzzle is of a blue sky? I remember Dad working on a puzzle for days - maybe weeks. It ended up being a family affair. Whoever was passing through the kitchen would get sucked into the puzzle work at the table. I remember sliding off the completed portions of the puzzle onto cardboard so other life stuff could happen around the table - like meals or whatever. Then, back to the puzzle!

Our life IS that thousand piece blue sky puzzle. Our goals and dreams, God's will and oversight just scattered over the span of our life. A mess, but we know the Big Picture. (You know, the one on the front of the box.) We fix our gaze on that whole - but know the work is slow and searching. At times the pieces have come together with ease. An answered prayer, a glimpse of vision, the birth of a baby...then another and another. Other times we've wondered if the Manufacturer put the right pieces in our box. "WHATTHEHECK! - how many blue pieces are there, really???" Fifteen moves, bouncing state to state, job changes, pinching pennies - argh! Life has happened and until recently it didn't appear to match the Big Picture. We are learning that God brings chaos to order completely in His timing and with our searching.

There are wonderful seasons when the chaos gives way to a completed segment - not just blue sky but now trees! Then, life demands attention and the pieces that have been fit together are set aside - but not forgotten. We pay bills, go to work, change way too many diapers in one day, and pay more bills. Then, as quickly as the pieces were put out of sight they return to the table and construction begins again. We connect with an old friend, see a project completed with success, and buy a home of our own. People come and go helping in the search - making sense of the endless blue pieces. Giving a word of wisdom, or offering some much need encouragement. We also search alone. Seeking God in the prayer closet and waiting....and waiting. And, so the process continues. Searching, pausing for life, and returning to the puzzle - looking to the Big Picture.

Now, I know why puzzles are enjoyable. They are a challenge but totally doable. I am glad we opted for the big, fat box with the picture of the endless vistas rather than the kiddy puzzle of the orange kitten. Crystal blue skies with puffy, white clouds over snow capped mountain peeks all in the distance behind a deep forest with wildflowers of every color. Yeah, the finished landscape sure beats kitty. But we still have a few sky pieces left...

As for Dad's puzzle. I honestly don't remember if the thing was ever completed. I have a strong feeling that Mom still has that puzzle "somewhere" in her home. Maybe we could pull it out next time we are in town. Oooooor, maybe not...

Going Back to Move Forward

Okay, okay - we aren't crazy. There are many, many people out in the Church (big "C") who want to run back to our simple roots of the faith like it was at the beginning. People meeting God around their dinner tables, breaking bread in their homes with other believers. The faith was pure, untouched by greed (until that whole dropping dead at Peter's feet episode - look it up for yourself), and it was full of power. Power to change lives like Jesus had done in his ministry among the masses. The Christian faith in America has too often been reduced to joining a local organization - getting involved, give your time/money (especially your money) to grow the church (little "c"). The American church is void of power which means it must be void of God. Scary thought. So complex and well structured, yet powerless.
Brian and I are getting back to our own roots of our faith - back to a drug addict saved and changed instantly, back to a sixteen year old girl stirred by what she read in the Bible before bed each night. It was all so simple then. It was before Bible school, before church politics, before business meetings and scandals, before building funds, and congregation splits. It was all about Christ and His power in our lives. It seems like going back to the way it was "before" can actually be a step forward. It is true in our personal walks with God and also true for the Church as a whole. Returning to our foundation - and beginning again, paying special attention to build only that which will endure, only what is pure. God is simple. He chooses the very humble things in our world to do exploits. I believe the days of the "Megachurch" are quickly fading. Mini, even tiny, gatherings are popping up worldwide. And, as always, God is going the humble route and changing the world.
I challenge you to simplify your faith. Get back to why you say you believe. What do you believe? Really. Is it lost in all the busy activities done in the name of God? Life is so full without churchy activities on top of it all. Jesus isn't about church (little "c"), but He is about His Church (big "C"). Learn the difference and you'll be at your foundation again. Then, you can build with confidence.

Home for the Holidays

We have the keys! We closed on Friday. The house (and the mortgage payment) is all ours! We are half moved into the new house and half at the rental. There is so much cleaning and unpacking to be done before Christmas. I haven't even thought of Christmas cards, or even a tree for that matter. Christmas? Already? Hopefully, we'll be unpacked by Christmas Eve. I've got to find that Martha Stewart baking book...it is in a box somewhere downstairs. There are cookies to be made, Christmas lights to be hung, presents to be wrapped!!! I'll send out our new address and phone number in our Christmas cards as soon as I find my address book in the chaos now piled at the new house. When you get the card you can finally erase the pencil markings under our name in your address books and put our contact information in ink. It won't be changing every few months anymore. We are done with the moving, now to get on with the unpacking...

Tim and Monica's three & I-man art

I love this picture!!! Katie, Makayla and Ruben. Also, as promised - Isaac's "I love Mama." He was copying heart shapes that I was drawing for him and Sophia. I think I am the circle all the way to the left.

Fever times three

The first of December is this Friday and we are still not in our house. Closing has been extended over and over so we have no clue when we will finally move. We aren't up for the big move this week anyway. All three kids are super sick and Brian is staying home tomorrow to help take them to the doctor and to get a little rest for himself. This is a good thing considering the temp outside has dropped fifty degrees in less than an hour. We have gone from short-sleeved shirts outdoors to heavy winter coats in literally minutes. Gotta' love the great Midwest weather!
Quick updates on the kids - Isaac wrote "I love you Mama" on the little writing toy (will attach a picture tomorrow). He made a great "I". Isaac loves the letter "I". Sophia is talking better and more clearly each day. When asked who Tim and Monica's new baby was this past weekend (beautiful baby by the way!) she responded, "My cousin Ruby...he my friend." Of course, later she was convinced he was her brother. We're working on that. Tonight she told me that Isaac was her "boy sister". We're getting it sorted out. Brother. Sister. Cousin. Whatever. All Sophie cared about was holding that newborn baby. She's such a mama's helper. As for Jack he is WALKING! The best is that he reaches for Sophia and goes to her. She hugs him when he finally reaches her with his baby steps. I have to get it on tape. The kids are all at such cute ages. I wish it didn't go by so quickly. Jack was a newborn like Ruben just yesterday, wasn't he???? Now, he's walking?!?!?! When did I blink?

Almost Home

Of course, it has been months since my last post. I'm going to stop apologizing for the hit and miss entries. We have been busy! "Blog? What blog?" Our time has been wrapped up in our amazing house search. Well, maybe not "amazing" but pretty exciting for our family. And we have a happy ending - we found a house and are set to close later this month. Whew! What a stress it is finding a house! So looooooong-term, so permanent. I can almost hear my mother saying "Yeeessss!". We are putting down roots only an hour and a half from the rest of my side of the family. We are excited and scared at the same time. This is a HUGE step for nomads like Brian and I. I think we're ready to trade our walking shoes for house slippers.
Okay, so the house - four bedrooms, two and a half baths, fireplace, basement, two car garage and a yard for the kids. It is at the end of a long cul-de-sac and located only two minutes from the main highway Brian takes to work. We have room to grow (here's to baby number four!!!) and won't be wasting any more money on rentals! To say the very least, we are excited.
Now, I am off to take the kids outside. We're having a weird warm weather week (say that five times really fast) in November. The leaves all over the yard are calling to Isaac and taunting him through our patio doors. I better get him out in the fresh air while it is still warm. I hope to write again before the holidays. Eh, we'll see...

Sophie is two!

It has been a month since my last post. So much has happened! We celebrated Sophia Helen's second birthday. The family met at the St. Louis zoo then we grilled out back at the house. It was perfect weather for the most part. It heated up enough at the zoo by early afternoon to send us racing to the air conditioning. Thank God for cloud cover. The rest of the afternoon was pleasant. We were a little concerned that our tiny rental would be too cozy for everyone, but I think it worked out well. Sophia loved the attention and Isaac was doing everything and anything to steal some spotlight for himself. Uncle Jason found a special place in Jack's heart. Jack loves being tossed in the air and bounced around. Nothing scares him. Jason needed a nephew like Jack. Jack even reached out for Jason to hold him! I think he's only done that one other time with his Dada.
So, Sophie is two. Such a big girl. She says her name now, "Opie" and we finally got her hair out of her eyes. I have given up with keeping hair clips or rubber band in her hair - she pulls them right out. We got her first haircut done on her birthday and we can't stop admiring her beautiful blue eyes now that all that hair is off her face.
Isaac has become the little boss in our home. He's very particular (Sherry gave me this positive spin on the word "anal" - my usual description of Isaac's play-by-the-rules attitude) and now this mind set has expanded to where Isaac has to keep Sophie playing by the rules. This means Isaac is constantly instructing Soph on the proper play techniques, manners at the table, etc. Sophia is the other extreme. She plays by her own rules - she does at she pleases. To say the least, this mix in little personalities keeps life interesting, and loud at times, in our home. Sophie tends to squeal when she's being bossed around by Isaac - and Isaac tends to run...a lot. The kid has energy! And as for Jack - he adds a lot of laughs to our life. He's scooting all over the house. He's been up and rocking on his hands and knees, but hasn't taken off in a crawl yet. He may never crawl - he makes really good time on his belly. The other night I was giving Isaac and Sophie a bath and as usual they were being loud playing in the water and splashing each other. All of the sudden the door pops open and in plops Jack onto the bathroom floor. He looks up and yells a greeting, obviously proud of his journey down the hallway to the bathroom. He is such a happy, playful baby. One morning last week Brian woke up to Jack patting him on the face and cooing. He wanted to play with Dada before the sun came up - and good thing he did, too, because Bri forgot to set his alarm the night before. We've always called Isaac "our little alarm clock" - now, we may have two. Jack is sitting up on his own now and has already mastered communication. He has different cries for hungry, tired. etc. Jack gets his point across no problem. He does the cutest head tilt when he's upset or frustrated. Speaking of Jack being frustrated - the little man is ready to eat so this post is over. Hopefully, I will find my way back to the blog before next month. We'll see.

Six years of puzzle construction

Brian and I celebrated six years of marriage this past weekend. Whew! We spent six years of bouncing around from place to place, not really getting our footing in any one location. In part, we have been searching for the next step from the school of ministry we attended. Man, how our perspectives have changed since Brownsville! We've spent years praying and years not understanding how God answers prayer.
I've been faithfully (okay, somewhat faithfully) writing in my journals what I felt was the Lord's leading since our beginning in Argentina. With the completion of each journal I'd review the pages and get more frustrated that the pieces didn't seem to fit. We thought of "ministry" in a very limited light so we misunderstood most leadings from God until He brought all the floating puzzle pieces together this past spring. We stumbled upon the house church movement - the emerging church, or "emergents". Google it.
Brian and I knew about home groups, about cell groups, and the like but this networking house church thing was new to us. The strange thing, or the exciting part, is that my journal entries over the past few years were describing something that was already happening in a portion of the Church, but we were not aware of it. God painted a picture for us that seemed like such a stretch - too new, too different to ever really happen - and then He showed us that it IS happening and ultimately that we can be a part of it. Finally, vision. FINALLY!
More in the coming days...for now I have three children to usher outside.

Back in the swing of things.

We made the big move. We traveled halfway across the United States in one overloaded moving truck towing a bronco truck, followed by our old family car (the family has recently outgrown our little lemon car), followed by a minivan, and finally a compact commuter car bringing up the rear of our train to the Midwest. It was CRAZY!
Man, there is so much to write. I think I'll skip all the details and try to post about the "BIG" happenings recently.
Let's see...
Brian was accepted into the Union out here. Yes! He has a job. Whew!!! He's been working about 100 miles away (so much for getting away from that long NE commute!) but tomorrow should be his last day in the middle of nowhere and hopefully he will be placed with a local shop this week.
Sophia has kicked it up a notch in her words. Her latest favorite - "What!" "What?" and "Iwuvyou". She won't call herself "Sophia" - when asked, "What is your name?", her response is "Me". Soph says "Jack" and "Isaac" clearly and of course she has "Mine!" down pat.
Isaac is all about the spot of dirt under the big oak tree in our front yard. The kid loves the outdoors (like his Dada) and he loves mud, dust, dirt and anything else that he can drive his trucks through.
Jack is aaaaalmost to the point of sitting up. He can hold himself upright with a little help balancing. He isn't scooting forward yet, but he does pivot in circles on his tummy to get around. He can maneuver around the living room floor pretty good. Jack has said "Momommom" a couple times but "Dadadaddddda" remains his favorite expression when he's excited - like when he finds his toes or one of Isaac's toys on the floor. All in all, he's a great baby - pretty chill and happy.
As for me, I've been getting the house unpacked. Ah, another rental. We are leaving a lot of things in boxes until we get into our own home so the unpacking process has gone a lot smoother than with other moves. Our new place is a small three bedroom and works pretty well for us, especially with all our clutter still in boxes!!!
Jack has had it with the exersaucer. I'll write again when all three kids are happy and somewhat quiet.

Spring Pictures - April

Spring Pictures - March

MARCH - The sleepy, the sick, and the silly

Sophia - your average three year old

Isaac and Soph had a well check-up this past Thursday. Brian takes the kids for their shots. I admit it - I am a mess when it comes to shots. I can't stand holding their little arms down or any of that traumatic stuff. Brian's calm, cool and doesn't mind taking over this typically mother-zone in parenting. (Poopy diapers are another story!) So, the doctor weighed the kids - Sophia is the perfect average weight for a THREE year old. She's only 22 months. Brian forgot how old our baby girl was and had to call me. I honestly stopped counting the months with Sophie by the end of my pregnancy with Jack so Soph's been "nearly two" with me for atleast half a year. Other than the minor issue of knowing our child's age, the check-up went well. The kids are healthy and though Sophia is a big girl on the scale she doesn't look that big. I mean, my girl is chubby, but for the most part she's "thick"...picking her up is like picking up lead. The little girl doesn't look nearly as heavy as she is. Just remember to lift Sophia with your knees (Bri's says "legs") and you'll be fine.

Millions of Milestones

Our little baby is getting so big - too fast in my opinion. Last night Brian felt a tooth about to poke through Baby Jack's gums. I'm not sure what made Bri feel around in his mouth, but that's just another strange thing we do as parents. By this evening his bottom right tooth is barely visible. He's been amazing this past week. I can't believe he was teething! I guess with the tooth comes the appetite for real food. He literally dives for my dinner plate at night and lets us all know that he wants his place at the dining room table. Tonight, I gave in and let him sample a tiny bit of bread. I remember Brian giving Isaac pizza (of all things!) when he was little. We rediscovered the mushy pizza remains about four hours later still in his mouth. Well, Jack left no evidence whatsoever. The kid likes to eat. I had hoped to postpone starting him on solids until after our big move. We'll see how vocal he gets at dinner tomorrow. Oh, and the amazing baby has started saying "Dada". He's been doing the "dadadadada" for about a week and tonight he has shortened it enough to make us excited and run for the video camera. Of course, the camera battery was extremely low, but I managed to catch atleast a couple "Dada"s before the screen blanked out.
So, Baby Jack is a growing boy. A super easy baby. He has to be with all the competition in this house. Sophie and Isaac play with him but only on their terms. Jack seems to enjoy Soph's baby dolls a lot. The dolls that are bald. He latches onto their heads. Sophia is not so keen on Jack's slobber on her babies. "Bop!!!!" she yells at him and tries to snatch the baby away from him, but the little guy's grasp is surprisingly strong. If Jack gets fussy usually one of the kids will find a baby toy and plop in on him. Isaac loves when Jack has some tummy time. I start Jack out by laying him on his back but the kid rolls over immediately and finds Isaac in the room right away...which isn't difficult since Isaac is usually bouncing off the furniture or flapping some toy around making special sound effects that only a three year old can create.
So, Jack is interacting more and more. Sophia is talking more and more, that is, when I get that binky out of her mouth! I pull the plug from her in one room and she hunts down another binky, or "Bebe" as she calls it, and pops it in. She's a stubborn little thing and the sweetest little girl at the same time. Sophie is our snuggle baby. She loves to be rocked and still plays with her hair to fall asleep. She's in that adorable inbetween age -toddler - not a baby anymore but not a big kid quite yet..Isaac tells her often, "You are a liiiiittle gurl". He has such a Jersey accent, poor thing!
"I-man" (Brian's name for Isaac) is 100% little boy. He loves all his trucks and trains though he isn't very kind to them these days. A couple of weekends ago Brian was watching tv downstairs and left the room to get something but never made it back downstairs (very typical for Bri). A bit later we found Isaac intensely watching a show about train crashes caught on video. The past three plus years of monitoring his television viewing went down the drain in seconds. Now, Isaac sets up his poor Thomas trains and "makes a BIG CRASH with a BIG FIRE and the firemans come and the fire gets BIGGER and BIGGER!!!" And now Isaac argues with me (yes, I try to reason with a three year old) that firemen shoot FIRE on buildings and trains.
As for Brian and I - we have been reduced by three rather small, slightly chubby children to gushy parents that go on and on about their AMAZING children. I have both photos and video clips for all the milestones mentioned above available upon request.

Aspiring Plate Spinner

Okay, okay. So I started this silly blog to keep all family and friends up to date with our ever changing family and I find myself too busy to post all the things I want to. Most days I feel like one of those plate spinners. Ever seen one at the circus or on tv? I think I saw one recently on Sesame Street...you know how it goes...there are pins or whatever that the little guy balances the plates on and then spins them. He gets a few in the air spinning away then has to keep the plates going or they fall and shatter. I don't know why this is so popular as a circus act - what am I saying?!?! I don't know if it is popular at all - ah, my point!...that's motherhood with three kids under three and a half. Multi-tasking the plate spinner style - racing around from plate to plate and then remembering that one plate all the way at the other end of the table (the one that you know you will never reach in time but you try for it anyway). As you save the wobbling plate you realize the plate at the (yet again) opposite end starts to loose balance and down it goes in a dramatic crash.
There are days that Brian opens the front door to a mess of toys, dishes leftover from lunch and a basket of laundry collected before breakfast still waiting at the top of the stairs to be escorted to the basement for a wash, dry and fold, BUT the kids have been kept busy with a game of hide-n-seek and enjoyed an outing to the boardwalk park. I have one end of the motherhood table of tasks spinning away but am watching in horror as the far end of the table of spinning plates- the housework, phone calls to make, errands to run, meals to plan -slow to funny wobbles and begin falling. Ugh.
Other days I greet Brian with a clean house - toys in their baskets in the toy room (the room that toys never seem to want to stay ) laundry done, beds made, and dinner actually started, but low and behold the other end of the table. Plates begin to fall...the kids are bored, picking on each other, and have watched too much tv as I whisked through the house quicker than a Merry Maid.
So, you've heard it here - motherhood is a circus act! I know with more experience and practice I'll be a pro at spinning the loooong table of plates. I admire those women (we all know atleast one) who manages to have a clean house and happy, tended-to children. I have a personal goal to become one of those women. I know it is possible. It just requires focus on ONE table. Atleast, I know it would for me. I don't know how a mom works outside the home, has kids and keeps the house. I know, I know, the husband...Common! Please!!! Only kidding. Brian is wonderful and does way more than most husbands I know of, but still when it comes down to it...when he's out of underwear or work clothes, hmmm...who's fault is it? Ah-huh. "Uh, hey babe, that plate is falling..."
Of course, Brian has his own circus act to perform and in construction his plates are way heavier and way more difficult to balance, let alone keep spinning. For me, if I don't do the dishes at lunch I just have more to do at dinner. If Brian doesn't go to work the bills don't get paid. Hmm, can we say "pressure"? I had a crazy thought the other day - Brian, a mere 26-year-old young man, supports a family of FIVE all on his own. I don't know why that is so shocking to me. I guess that means we're all grown-up. Sigh.
Anyway, I may not be the professional plate spinner I desire to be today. I have a few plates shatter every now and then, but at the end of the day I do manage to have a few plates happily balanced and spinning away. I must admit my life is pretty entertaining. And a tough act to follow.

Worm Trade

The weather here in Jersey was beautiful today. We took the kids to the park to burn off some energy...Brian burned more than the kids by far. Sophia and Isaac spent the time outside digging in the dirt. Isaac found a grub (that's what Brian called it...aren't those locusts or something...baby ones..??) and Sophie discovered a very floppy stick...an earthworm. Isaac tried his hardest to make a deal with her, "Hey Soph, you want to give me that worm? You can have this grub." Her response, "UH-uh." - translation: "No way!" The kids played, got good and dirty while Brian discovered a newfound talent of doing handstands.





Jack wanted nothing to do with sitting in his little seat. He spent a lot of time on my hip watching all the worm action. Next time, I think we'll leave all the balls and toys at home and just bring some cups for the kids to dig with. Live and learn.

More, MORE, Pictures!

Sophia is pretending as she plays now - rather than just sucking on all her toys. Isaac has spiked hair (Dada's doing).
Jack is just adorable...still drooling.

More Pictures!

Photo Catch-Up

Here are some recent pictures of the kids.
Sophia enjoying Irish soda bread on St. Patrick's Day,
Isaac making his "silly face", and
Jack drooling on the couch.

New Computer

Brian and I finally got a new computer! Many thanks to my brother Michael for our old comuter. He blew the "fifty bucks or less" rule for the Christmas name drawing that first holiday Brian and I celebrated together back in 2000. Man, am I glad he did!!! We toted that mega monitor from rental to rental and even got the thing fixed last fall to push it for another few months. The classic computer was good while it lasted but with the arrival of digital pictures by the thousands (hey, my kids are cute so I take lots of pictures)the ol' girl just couldn't function. After many pleadings with Brian he concented and Dell sent us a fancy notebook - er, laptop. I LOVE the thing! It's fast and can hold all our pictures without slowing down even a tiny bit - plus we can save all our home videos and make them into DVDs. I have great things planned for this new little machine. Now, if only I had the time to do it all!!! As for our old computer, it has been "promoted" to toddler use for online games including but not limited to Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, and the like.

For your information

This is a blog. Bri and I wanted to set it up so family and friends could keep up with the oh-so-exciting events of our household. And, we would like to keep up with your lives as well! So, comment away. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about (Hello, Mom and Dad!) get some help (hello, Michael!!) and type away. We're working on the picture posting. If you haven't seen the kids in awhile, (or ever for a lot of extended family) you'll be shocked at how adorable - and big - they are!