“Come thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee.”

It seems that is was not too long ago, when I was sitting down to write last years letter. How the time does pass, with now 3 little ones in the house to keep up with. I can’t say that I actually ever feel like I’m caught up with them, but I certainly do try!

That said, the biggest news this year in our family, was the arrival of our baby girl on April 27, named Elise Meredith. She was overdue, so we spent a few days anxiously awaiting her arrival. We had a doula (birthing coach) with us this time, and her birth went so much better than the boys did. I’m still not sure that I’m used to having a girl yet, as I was just starting to get comfortable with the thought of boys. So far no girl traits have shown themselves, other than massive quantities of pink around the house. She is trying to crawl these days, but I’m hoping that she doesn’t succeed until the Christmas tree is gone for the year!


Luke is now a big 4½ year old. He is a typical first born (pleaser, thinks he’s an equal with Dad and Mom) and keeps me challenged. As a middle kid myself, I don’t understand him much of the time, but Greg does as he is also a first born. Luke is excited to learn anything, and we’ve been working with him on various subjects. We plan to home school, so are using this year to review curriculum and learning styles to see what will work best for our family.

Our James is 2½ and there is never a dull moment with him around. The best word to describe him would be “random”. You just never know what to expect, and usually he is unintentionally making us laugh. He’s been a late talker, so is just starting to put words together. His sentences consist of words like “none coal ucgh” (he doesn’t want any ucky coal in his stocking). He gets his point across quite clearly, despite his limited vocabulary. He dotes on Elise (he calls her NaNa) quite well, which pretty much always makes her cry because he’s so “in her face”.

This year we have delved into two new areas that we haven’t been before. Chickens and wood stoves. They both have involved much learning, and we are still eager to learn more. The chickens now give us plenty of fresh eggs, and we may expand the numbers next spring to include broilers (meat chickens). The wood stove has given us plenty of work to do, as well as toasty radiant heat. The stove has a window in the door, and we love just sitting in front of the fire all evening and watching it flicker (the kids pretend it‘s TV).

We also were able to purchase a full size truck (needed mostly for the wood) and now plan to go to Arizona for Christmas where we have also acquired a camper to bring back with us. We’ve had many camping disasters with kids and tents, so are hoping this will help solve that problem. The price was too good to pass up, and now it gives us an excuse to head for sunshine when it’s at the rainiest here. We’ve been here 4 years now (in the Pacific Northwest), and I feel like I must be finally getting acclimatized. The other morning I woke up to a gray day, and wasn’t even disappointed. That had never happened before. So, we’ll see what my thoughts are come March, but right now, it’s all okay! (oops, change of plans...my Grandma Staudinger passed away, so we'll be headed to Alberta, Canada for Christmas instead. Feeling sadness for the loss of her, but rejoicing that her battle here is done, and that she's gained the victory through Christ!)

Much love to you now at Christmas time, and may God richly bless you in the coming 2010!!

Greg, Rachel, Luke, James & Elise

Giving Gifts

I've been pondering about what to give my kids, since they don't really need anything, but it definitely is fun to give them something. I thought back to my own childhood, and although I would have liked a "trendy" gift to show off at school after Christmas break, I'm thankful that my parents bought practical and fun things (ice skates, purses, etc). Now as a parent I've tried to set some guidelines that help me choose what to get for my own kids. I like A's idea on facebook about 1 fun, 1 spiritual enriching, 1 item for the body (clothes), just as the 3 wise men bought 3 gifts for baby Jesus.

My "rules" are these:
-something they won't fight over and be jealous of each other for
-equal in value for each kid
-useful and fun, something that will last for years (rather than weeks or months)
-bought used at the thrift store/garage sales if possible. (which I was an idiot and saw the perfect gift at Goodwill in about September for my boys, and didn't buy it because I thought it was too early in the season, then had to pay full price now in December) Lesson learned !!
-(this year only because we have a long road trip ahead) something small and non-annoying that they can play with for hours in the car. We did this last year going to Florida, and the toy kept the boys happy the whole flights there and back, as well as the whole trip (and are still played with daily!)
-something I won't be tripping over and grumbling about in the near future!

Last year I filled their stockings, and they didn't appreciate it at all. They just kept digging and tossing things aside over their shoulder. This year, only 1 item will go in the stocking and maybe a few candies or an satsuma orange (which is what we always got), and it'll likely be a consumable so we don't have to deal with it in the future (markers, craft items)

As for the baby, they usually love the box, but I did find something to give her. Usually baby just gets a new teething ring or chewy book, but I wonder if I even need to do that. They are just as happy with the wrapping paper left lying around!

Here's a few pictures of the boys at the Christmas Program, and Luke saying his verse. James' verse was supposed to be the answer to "who was born at Christmas?", but he got too distracted and just smiled at everyone with his "Snuggle Monkey". I was unaware that the Wise Men carried monkeys with them, but J insisted that they did (since the Shepherds had sheep)!

I love watching the kids do their verses, and think back on all the programs I was in as a kid, and the excitement, but also nervousness involved.

We're going on a trip, in our favorite rocket ship...

I've been busy these days trying to get the Christmas stuff done. You know- cards, food, this morning it was a Shepherd and Wise Man costume for the Christmas program. So, the kids have been keeping busy as well, playing Little Einsteins alot of the time, when they aren't helping me. This morning they were going to Minnesota (one of Rocket's favorite places, I was told), so here's a picture (a.k.a. bunkbed). From left to right, Annie, Quincy and Leo (I'm June). Annie chews on the map (an old dead calculator), Quincy operates the GPS (a cd player), and Leo drives and calls out orders. I hear alot yelling "HELP" "WOW" and "OH, NO" from Quincy with his limited vocabulary coming from the Rocket. And alot of bossing from Leo since he's the oldest and does the driving. Annie comes along on special missions, but can't be trusted too much, so June always has to be present when Annie wants to go!

Obedience

The other night 5 of us Canadian girls that live around here got together for our annual Christmas "evening". We are all at the same stage of life, which is mothers to small children. One of the topics of discussion was about getting kids to obey. The question was, "should we explain to our kids why or why not we decide yes/no when they ask if they can do something?" There were many pros and cons to the subject, as we each voiced our opinion. My son L always wants to know the "why Mom?", and sometimes I explain, but then I feel guilty if I don't explain it. Deep down I feel that I am the parent, and shouldn't have to explain my reasons for deciding what I do. And there always is a reason, as we all know. No conclusion was made, but today enlightenment came.

We are reading "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the kids, and tonight here is the excerpt I found significant, when Laura and Ma went to milk the cow.

When Laura walked behind Ma on the path to the barn, the little bits of candle-light from the lantern leaped all around her on the snow. The night was not yet quite dark. The woods were dark, but there was a gray light on the snowy path, and in the sky there were a few faint stars. The stars did not look as warm and bright as the little lights that came from the lantern.

Laura was surprised to see the dark shape of Sukey, the brown cow, standing at the barnyard gate. Ma was surprised, too.

It was too early in the spring for Sukey to be let out in the Big Woods to eat grass. She lived in the barn. But sometimes on warm days Pa left the door of her stall open so she could come into the barnyard. Now Ma and Laura saw her behind the bars, waiting for them.

Ma went up to the gate, and pushed against it to open it. But it did not open very far, because there was Sukey, standing against it. Ma said:

“Sukey, get over!” She reached across the gate and slapped Sukey’s shoulder.

Just then one of the dancing bits of light from the lantern jumped between the bars of the gate, and Laura saw long, shaggy, black fur, and two little, glittering eyes.

Sukey had thin, short, brown fur. Sukey had large, gentle eyes.

Ma said, “Laura, walk back to the house.”

So Laura turned around and began to walk toward the house. Ma came behind her. When they had gone part way, Ma snatched her up, lantern and all, and ran. Ma ran with her into the house, and slammed the door.

Then Laura said, “Ma, was it a bear?”

“Yes, Laura,” Ma said. “It was a bear.”

[...] He didn’t hurt us,” Ma said. “You were a good girl, Laura, to do exactly as I told you, and to do it quickly, without asking why.”

Ma was trembling, and she began to laugh a little. “To think,” she said, “I’ve slapped a bear!”

The answer is right there. When (or if) you get in a situation where you need your kid to obey, you need them to do it NOW, without asking why. I do recall a story where a family's house was on fire and the dad (on the ground) told his son on the second floor to jump out the window and he'd catch him. The boy disobeyed and said he'd go down the stairs through the burning house. The father never saw him again. I'd hate to be the parent that when I needed my child to obey in a time of trouble and they didn't. Prayerfully we can teach this concept to our little ones, because it's so much easier said than done.

A Day in the Life of a True Outdoorsman

My sister A and her husband N live a much different life than us. It involves everything outdoorsy. I like to think we 'rough' it a bit, but compared to them, we're city slickers. N is one of the few outdoorsmen left who actually could live off the land. When he hunts, it's not with all the new fangled gear and gadgets, just a gun and himself (no camo even). And he gets more animals than anyone I know.

The other day an older couple they know called them up to say that a there were 2 deer fighting in their field, and they didn't know what to do. Apparently the deers antlers were locked together, and they were unable to get away from each other. The couple had called Fish and Wildlife, but were unable to get ahold of anyone, so they called N, since he was the only hunter they knew. N and A went over to their house to investigate, and found what they said was true, only the one deer was dead already. When N got closer yet, he found that both deer's antlers were tangled up in a roll of twine, and so getting them free could be a challenge. Hunting season is over up in Alberta (where they live), and N only had a tag for a different kind of deer this year anyways. The old lady tried to convince him that it would be okay to kill the deer, seeing the circumstance. N told her that it was still illegal, so he would only kill it if he absolutely had to.

The people lived near a river (frozen at this time of year), so N was able to "steer" the deer down onto the ice, where the buck had less footing and was less likely to charge him, and then N could try to cut the twine and break him free. So, he got down there, and cut as much as he could from as far away as possible, but then did have to wrestle the deer a bit it finally get all of it cut. The deer was pretty tired from dragging the other dead deer around for who knows how long (it was partially eaten by coyotes, so the alive deer likely had to fend off the coyotes himself too), but still was quite a challenge and charged N a few times.

In the end, the deer was freed, and there were no injuries. N got his exercise, and A got her heart attack scare for the day. And the old people who called in the first place were very appreciative of his good deed. A got a bunch of pictures, so I'll post some if I can get her to send me some.

PS. N is also the one who has hounds and hunts cougars, if you've seen my pictures on Facebook.

Today...

The past few days have been extremely exhausting, to say the least. E has had a fever for 4 of them, with no apparent cause. So, that meant much mommy-baby time, and little time for anything else. When I finally got back into life today and turned the computer on, I found this link that was very encouraging to young mothers. Just what I needed, as I had gotten rather overwhelmed with it all. Putting God back in the center, instead of being bombarded with details that really don't matter. So, baby is better, and so am I (and hopefully the rest of the family) This link is a friend of a friend, so if you want to buy anything, it's locally (WA state) hand made with care. Enjoy!

http://www.whispersofjoy.com/1/post/2009/11/article-from-revive-our-hearts.html

Tipping Tactics

In our house, there is one thing that in 6 years of marriage, my husband and I have not been able to agree completely on. Part of it is because of my Canadian heritage, part of it is just that I'm cheap and expect good service. And that subject (if you haven't guessed by now) is how much to tip.

Greg's point of view is to tip the standard 15%, unless something is extremely good or bad, and then accordingly from there. I tend to disagree. I say tip better if service is better, and less if mediocre, every time. If someone always gets a 15% tip, does that encourage the employee to go above and beyond their normal job requirements? (I say "no" in most cases). If a lesser tip would encourage an employee to work better/harder to please the customer, would we get better service? Isn't that what tipping is all about anyways? If it's not, then why don't they just tack 15% onto the menu prices and then you don't have to worry about it. Or pay their employees more? That would make sense to me.

Anyways, I saw this cartoon, and thought it might give me another valid reason to tip less (unless service is extraordinaire). The Canada part of this lesson is that in Canada, waiters/waitresses make ordinary wages, so tipping is completely optional. You don't have to "guilt tip" if the service is terrible. And that's the way I think it should be. But...when in Rome, I'll do as the Romans...even if I don't agree. (We actually have finally agreed that whoever pays does the tipping, so Greg always tries to pay so that I don't embarrass him by my minuscule tips).
PS if the cartoon doesn't show, you can view it here http://www.reverendfun.com/?date=20040115

Superheroes

I have a dear great aunt, who makes "lid dolls" for every baby she knows about. In the picture, J is holding one of them. She has at least 100 nieces and nephews, most of which also have children (200-300+ maybe), and every new baby gets a lid doll. The kids love to play with him in the bath, and the other day I was informed that "Lid Man" (as he's known in this house) is good friends with Spiderman, Batman and Superman. I do wonder what kind of adventures they go on; Lid Man in his cumbersome gear trying to keep up with his sleek, sneaky friends saving the world. Maybe someday at bath time I'll delve into that and see what stories the kids come up with.

Here's a video of E that I took yesterday. She was supposed to be napping, but L kept going in the room "to make her happy". It worked. There is definitely no better sound than a laughing baby. Makes my job worthwhile!

Word of the Day

The buzzword lately in our house has been "babywearing". As you know from my prior post, I've been introduced to a whole new world of baby comfort and lingo. Gone are my store bought uncomfortable gadgets, here's a picture of the latest maitei that I sewed up. (which differs from a meitei, an alcoholic beverage ;)

I wanted a nice chocolate brown color fabric, but there wasn't any on sale, so I found this olive stuff instead. I also was looking for something neutral so that Greg would wear it without too much embarrassment. It turned out just perfect (I made some adjustments from the previous one), so may do some more if I get enthused ($$$ always gets the motivation up, doesn't it, so maybe I could advertise with my friends)

Mr. Bear modeling the maitei. I had to add the embellishment as you couldn't tell tell the outside from the inside, other than the neater stitching on the front.











L modeling his "boy version" of a baby carrier. It's a measuring tape carrying a monster truck. I love the creativity the boys come up with. We'll see what having a girl brings. So far just pink, but I'm sure we'll expand on that.

Days Around Here

Lately I've been a bit short on blog topics. It seems our life up here on the hill has been pretty mundane overall (thus the oral hygiene topic, etc). With 3 small children, life does not get very exciting, unless you are making ER visits or sailing the globe. Two things we hope to not be doing in the near future. Well, sailing the globe would be an adventure, but probably would get old pretty fast, considering how much water is in the Pacific Ocean.

Pleasure in life instead consists of the little things, which are things such as these:
-eating a meal through without getting up from the table more than 5 times.
-getting up and having at least a few minutes of quiet to start the day
-getting all the laundry done in one day (not having to empty last weeks baskets to use this week)
-having supper ready when your husband gets home from work, and not having to clear the past meals dishes off the table.

You get the point. So here's a few pictures of our daily life. The first one is our wonderful new wood stove. We absolutely love it, and don't know how we survived without it. L still is a huge help at getting wood (if he can reach the pile) and faithfully fulfills his duty each day.














This next one is the kids "cheering E up" when she awoke from her nap. The boys are quick to hear her, and both go rushing into her crib and smother her with kisses and hugs. This day she fell asleep in the carrier on our walk, so still had her hat and hoodie on.















This is my laundry last week. The kids thought it was great that I hauled them around, and played in the hampers all day. I guess the fact that they are rarely empty, gave them much opportunity to climb inside.
















E can't wait to play with the boys. She often gets smothered when she tries, but lays/sits there kicking like crazy, trying to join their excitement. Mom is pretty boring compared to two lively big brothers. But she'd rather spend most of her time safely with me, wishing she was with them. (when I put her with them, she doesn't last too many minutes, and then wants Mom again)

So that's the excitement around here these days. Keeping up with the kids, finding teachable moments each day, and taking advantage of their little sponge brains and filling them with good healthy food and information. Or at least try...that's the best we can do. :)

The Room

I pulled out the book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" to lend to a friend, and remembered this dream that the author tells, which to me is so profound. It clearly portrays what Jesus has done for us, how He sees all we do, in yet how He loves us anyways. (thanks to the Internet, I found the article and was able to copy and paste, instead of typing it all out)

This is a chapter from I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris called "A Cleansed Past: The Room".

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small index-card files. They were like the ones in the libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the walls of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I Have Liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in every detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their contents. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I Have Betrayed". The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I Have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed At." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've Yelled at My Brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done In Anger," "Things I Have Muttered under My Breath At My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes there were fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my twenty years to write each of these thousands, possibly millions, of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked "Songs I Have Listened To," I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented. When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed contents. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. Suddenly I felt almost an animal rage. One thought dominated my mind: "No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took the file at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand. And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the over-whelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read everyone? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me. Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. "No!" I shouted, rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no" as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and continued to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished." I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

For sinners like you and me, there's good news: Christ paid our debt. He has covered our sins with His blood; He has forgotten the past. Purity starts today. "So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12). Admittedly some will have more to lay aside than others--more memories, more pain, more regrets. But the past needn't determine our future. We have choices right now about how we'll live. Will we set our hearts on God and walk in His paths? "Let us behave decently," the passage in Romans continues,"...not in sexual immorality and debauchery...Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Romans13:13-14). Not one of us can stand completely pure before God. We are all sinners.

But no matter how filthy the rags of our defilement may be, in a moment of true surrender the heart turned toward God loses its impurity. God clothes us in Christ's righteousness. He no longer sees our sin. He transfers Jesus' purity to us. So see yourself as God sees you~clothed in radiant white, pure, justified. Maybe you have a particular memory that continues to hound you, a memory that makes you feel unworthy of God's love and forgiveness. Don't let the past beat you up. Forget it. Don't replay that moment or any others like it. If you've repented of all those behaviors, God has promised to remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12). Move on.

A lifetime of purity awaits you.