Tripple- the- Fun

My friend Emily had her baby, Max, last week (yay!) and we got to have Jack while they were in the hospital. Jason was at a Men's Confrerence for the weekend so the kids kept me company. Josiah loved having "Jack Jack" spend the night and be a constant companion. I enjoyed the amused/ concerned looks and comments ("whhaaa three") that I got on the train with three kids under two.

Don't be fooled by their innocent expressions, these two are double trouble!


Meeting precious baby Max

Wordless Wednesday- Happy Fall!

Let it Glo, Let it Glo, Let it Glo. . .

Okay, cheesy title (yes) for a very fun night celebrating the Mid- Autumn Festival. We started the night by eating at a local Chinese restaurant with friends and then walked to the waterfront park where the party was beginning. On the eve of the Mid- Autumn Festival families gather to gaze at the moon, play with lanterns, glo sticks, and candles. They eat mooncakes (blaa) and just hang out. By 9:30 our kids were falling apart, but the party was just getting started. In this culture that always seems so busy and work- oriented, it was nice to see families just enjoy spending time together. Of course Josiah loved the "festibel" and wants to do it again tonight.

Life Moments

Enjoy this video slicing together the messy, silly, ordinary yet extraordinary moments in our day. Sorry the quality is bad, I had to compress the file to get it on the blog.

Half Birthday

We had a fun time celebrating Annette's six months of life. I made a bannana- chocolate cake and Annette got to savor her first bite of banana.
At six months Annette. . .
- has one bottom tooth
- weighs 17 lbs ( 75th percentile)
- smiles responsively
- coos, squeals, and laughs all day long
- can sit up and roll over
- sleeps through the night
- takes two long naps
- grabs at whatever she can get her hands on
- puts in her mouth whatever she can grab
- sucks her thumb to fall asleep
- wiggles and scoots on the rug

We love you Annette! Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives! XOXO

Glamour Shots

I've been wanting to take some 6 month pictures of Annette. Yesterday we went up to the roof top garden and I snapped these. I was rushed because Josiah was "expressing" that he didn't think that taking pictures of Annette constituted a fun outing. Fortunately my camera has a "kid" setting that will fire the shots quickly (: Thanks Aunt Christy for the fun dress!

Coca Cola 7K

This morning we went to cheer on Jason at the Coca Cola 7K in Shatin. ICS had 11 teachers running (including Amber who is 5 months pregnant!) so it made for a really fun and inspiring morning. In spite of the scorching heat, Jason did really well finishing in the top 15 and 5th in his age category.



Adoring Fans



When I first met Jason (at age 15) he was running distance on the track team. I love that (many) years later I can still cheer him on. We are proud of you babe!!

Buds

It has been such a joy to have friends to expereince the ups and downs of parenting with. Josiah has been blessed with two great buds, Josiah and Malcom. We take turns every week hosting a play-date and lunch in our homes.

When the boys get together they laugh, cry, squeal, run, play, eat, share, hit, bite, apologize, and forgive.

When the mom's get together we laugh, cry, vent, pray, learn, encourage, create, eat, and discipline.

I have so many pictures of these boys together, but we are not as good at taking pictures of the moms. It would be interesting to see how we've changed over the last 2 years (:

4 months

1 year

2 years

Doll

The local Chinese people often comment, "she looks like a doll". In this glassy- eyed photo I have to agree.

Just Another Day in the Land of Uh- Oh

Bring It On . . .

We started Annette on rice cereal this week. We were planning on waiting a few more weeks til she is 6 months, but Annette has been SO interested in food that is seemed cruel to withhold it any longer. Several times she's grabbed a fist full of food off our plates in (an intercepted) attempt to shove it in her mouth. She looks at us mesmerized whenever we take a bite in front of her. Despite her expression in these photos, Annette loved it. Loved it. From the first bite she was lunging for the spoon. We have a great video, but it is taking forever to load. . . .so enjoy the pictures and Bon Appetite!

True Confessions of a Praiseaholic

As a stay- at- home mom I feel that much of the repetitive (often unglamourous) work that I do goes unnoticed. Josiah has yet to thank me for wiping down his high chair (for the fifth time today) and I didn't get an award for changing my 1,000th diaper. Some days due to weather, sickness or nap schedules I am indoors almost all day. I struggle feeling that the patience, energy and sacrifice I am expending is unnoticed, even unvalued, by the world 35 floors down bellow. I find myself tempted to look to other sources of significance and recognition, longing for the accolades I received while teaching.

Lately the Lord has been showing me that praise is an idol in my life. That when I become focused on making sure that I am appreciated and noticed, I rob God of the glory he deserves.

I have been inspired by two truly humble people who worked quietly for God's glory; my own Mom and the priest/ author Henry Nouwen. These very capable, gifted people both worked with the mentally and physically handicapped. For over a decade my mother cared for Erica, our handicapped foster child, sacrificing her own desires for Erica's comfort. Often friends and family didn't understand her decision, or see the value in what she was doing. Mom would wake up at all hours of the night, rehabilitate Erica from surgery after surgery, and deny herself freedom for the well being of Erica (this is after raising her own four kids, and while teaching full time!)

Henry Nouwen went from a thriving career as a professor at Harvard to a group home for the handicapped. He writes:
"This experience was and, in many ways, is still the most important experience of my life, because it forced me to rediscover my true identity. These broken, wounded, and completely unpretentious people forced me to let go of my relevant self- the self that can do things, show things, prove things, build things- and forced me to reclaim that unadorned self in which I am completely vulnerable, open to receive and give love regardless of accomplishments."

Ultimately the best inspiration of a servant- leader is Jesus
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross."

So, this is my journey, learning one day at a time to die to myself and live for Him (I'm sure just one of many lessons my children will teach me!)

Kids at Work

*side note- between the extreme heat and potty training we're not real into clothes these day, but hard hats, of course!*