My six year old was asked recently what she wanted to be when she grew up. After thinking for a moment, she gave a deep, agonizing sigh and cautiously answered, "Well...I want to be an astronaut. But, I keep wondering...what will my kids do when I'm in space? So, I don't really know how to answer your question." I tried to comfort daughter as she wrestled with the dilemma of whether or not to pursue a career outside the home and thought about how I had answered that same question when I was Read More
“My Dream Came True…”
This winter Haley and Darcy were severely disappointed with the lack of snow in Northern Virginia. Especially Darcy. Week after week they would ask me, "Is THIS winter?!" and I would have to remind them that yes, in fact, this warm season was all the winter they would be getting. One morning Darcy shared with me that she had wished for pink snow the previous night and had a dream it came true. I laughed and told her that the only time she would ever see PINK SNOW was in her dreams. This Read More
GUILTY
In late March, I got pulled over for the first time in my life. I was on my way to a pediatric cardiologist appointment in Charlottesville and had even made a commitment that morning to NOT, under any circumstances, speed. That commitment apparently only lasted 20 minutes because on Route 3 a sheriff flagged me down and gave me a ticket. I felt distraught...ashamed...helpless. There was only one hope: a court date on May 3rd. Today I woke up and rushed the three girls out the door to the Read More
Earthquakes and House-Fires and Bees….Oh MY!
It all started when I read my six year old's writing assignment for Thanksgiving: Tell me something that you're thankful for: A-Z. Most kids would happily write of apples, balloons, cats, and ducks. Not my Haley Jane. Listen to letter A: I am thankful that Aligatrs are not in are howse. Letter B: I am thankful that nuthing Bit me. Fast forward to Letter X: I am thankful I nevr so a fox. Haley is acutely aware of all the traumatic things that could possibly occur in this world, and this Read More
Green Grass
On Tuesday, I was having a funk day. It was probably just fatigue after a jam-packed weekend, but nonetheless, every little chore felt monumental. I was sitting in a exhausted stupor after lunch watching the kids nag each other, depressed that all my training and hard work with them had been in vain. This came after a discouraging day homeschooling as Haley's backwards 5s and Zs almost sent me to the psychiatric ward. So there I was, sitting and thinking about how I needed find a better job Read More
On Freud and Fingers
If you go through all of our pictures, you will notice a pattern: In MOST of them, Darcy has her hands in her mouth and is biting her fingers. I'm not sure why this has developed, but I guess she's never broken out of what Freud called the "oral stage." I have recently tried different techniques to help her fingers (which are now raw and red) to heal. However, with Darcy, you never know what's going to work. (One time in an effort to administer some creative correction, I put pepper on her Read More
Pros and Cons of Still Looking Pregnant After You’ve Delivered
CONS 1. It is depressing. 2. Your 4 year old still kisses your stomach and tells the baby hello. 3. Your 5 year old (who is only slightly more logical) asks when the NEXT baby is coming out. 4. You have to avoid eye contact with people in elevators when you see them look down at your belly and then up at you in an attempt to bypass the awkward question, "So...when is your baby due?" PROS 1. People still are kind and patient with you in public because they think you're expecting. 2. In Read More
Imagine
Last weekend we saw in the news that the John Lennon "Imagine Peace Tower" was being lit up in Reykjavik. Our friend's Dad who was visiting was CONVINCED from a distance that it was the northern lights, but...hey....it's easily confused. We went on a 5 minute boat ride to the island of Viðey (compliments of Yoko Ono herself) and walked in the utter darkness until we reached the light. When our "tour guide" told us to all hold hands and send up our wishes for peace, I saw this picture in my Read More
So…we are in Finland.
The VISAS never came, and our second 90 day period on our passports is up. We don’t know how long we’ll be here…we don’t know much except that we are together and in God’s hands. If you are not on our prayer team and would like to get monthly updates or weekly updates, just let us know. We flew into Helsinki, Finland and then drove 3 ½ hours north to a college town called Jyvaskyla. This place is strikingly similar to where I grew up: marshes, lakes, and HUNDREDS of trails for walking and Read More
Culture Shock for a Two Year Old
Darcy has been interesting to watch lately. After we had been here a week, she began to revert a little bit which is a very normal thing for kids to do in transition. She was a little more whiny, a little more needy, and began to ask if she could watch a video that we used to get from the library called "Baby Songs" because she was a baby again. I had been prepared for this kind of behavior and was warned that she may starts to have lots of accidents again. Instead of having accidents, Read More