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!*