Pics & Videos

Cedric was so excited to see this rainbow.

Cool Cedric wearing Daddy's hat.

This is just plain cute.

And so is this.

Alright, and one more. :)

Update

All is going well for us. It is wonderful having Tim back on days. He is all “there” on the weekends, and he’s there to help get the kids in bed and then we can wind down together for the evening. It’s wonderful, so life changing.

Cienna is on my back in the sling as I write this. She could ride in this thing all day if my back would hold out. Cedric didn’t like me moving and stretching as I did house work but Cienna doesn’t mind at all and doesn’t need a toy to keep herself occupied. She just sits and watches the world go by.

I am also watching out the window as Cedric plays in the back yard. He’s wearing a coat that used to be Josh’s when he was little. It’s totally in style right now with it’s retro look. I’ll attach a picture of him in it.

Several nights ago we moved Cienna into the crib in Cedric’s room at night. The time has gone by so much faster with Cienna than it did with Cedric so I wasn’t really ready for the move, but Cienna was outgrowing the co-sleeper and not sleeping well in it anymore. The first night didn’t make much of a difference in her restless sleep but now she sleeps peacefully with her arms stretched way out to the sides. She loves it. On average she wakes up twice a night to nurse.

We are making great progress on the adoption paperwork. Our adoption study (aka homestudy) interview is scheduled for 11:30 on Saturday the 28th. The gal will be here for a 3-4 hour interview. I’m so curious about it! I’m not too nervous…. Though I am nervous because I really don’t know what to expect. I think I may enjoy it somewhat… you know, talking to someone who wants to know everything about you. J I really don’t know. We would really appreciate your prayers!

On Monday morning I started going to a women’s Bible study that is doing The Truth Project. So far it sounds great. Every week we will watch an hour long DVD and then have a chance to discuss it. It focuses on developing a Biblical worldview. I don’t have a car on Monday mornings because Tim takes our only running vehicle to work, so an older gal, Linda Fowler who is a long-time friend of Tim’s, picks me and the kids up. Cedric really enjoys the chance to play with several other kids his own age.

Well that’s enough for now. Here are some pictures of the kids:

Cedric put Daddy's beanie cap on Cienna. She thought that was great. :)

Here is Cedric in Josh's old coat! The hat totally makes the outfit. :P

Cedric and Cienna soaking up some daily sun.

Cedric used this basket as his "superhero mask" the other day.

Cienna & More

Here are Cienna's 5 month pictures. We have copies of the one with her on her belly for some of you! We can always get more copies if you'd like, though I think it's $10 a page. 8-/ Anyway, didn't they turn out great???

There is also a video at the end of her first solid food, which she had this evening. It was organic homemade yams. Enjoy!

Here is a picture I took of Cedric and I the other day.

A couple weeks ago Cienna fell asleep like this. I had to get a picture. :)

Last night Cedric got ahold of Cienna's binki and "clipped" it to himself. :D And he wanted me to take a picture of his hands.


Here is my favorite picture from Mom's birthday weekend. It's of Brooke and Dad. (I have more pictures from that weekend, I'll send them through Shutterfly I think!)

This was a few weeks ago. Cedric eating pancakes.

THE END. :)

Cienna's Ear Piercing

We got Cienna's ears pierced today. Mom, Cedric and I took her down to Wal-Mart today to have it done. Tim didn't want to be there. :) She was asleep as they did it which helped a lot but, of course, she was not too happy afterwards for about 5 minutes. She's done pretty well since then too. The earings are small, round white crystals. I love them. :) Here are some pictures:

Here she is at home. I can't get a shot of both earings at the same time so here's one at a time. :)

These are some sweet pictures of her and Tim today too. You can kind of see the earing.

Young Soul

While I was changing Cedric’s diaper yesterday, he said, “This is God’s house. God loves me. God always with me. Jesus carry my owies.” I had never described Jesus as “carrying his owies”…. Isn’t it amazing what he comes up with? I have prayed that God would plant seeds of truth in his young and receptive soul. I bet some of these amazing statements of truth are direct answers to my prayers.

Today Cedric told me that he “can’t find Jesus.” I tried to explain to him why we can’t see Jesus but that he truly is always beside us. How the heck do you explain that to a 2-year-old? I just pray that the Holy Spirit will make it clear to him. I have to keep reminding myself that children are prone to faith and don't need the in depth explanations more mature people need for it to make sense. In other words, believing that Jesus is always with him even though he can’t see Him may not really be questioned, at least not like an adult would when confronted with that mystery for the first time. Cedric then told me that “God make me sad.” because he can’t see Him. He said that he wants to drive to Jesus’ house to see Him and hug Him. Oh, what sweetness.

Pictures & Videos!

Well, I got the camera to download so here are a bunch of pictures and a few videos. They are not necessarily in order but I don't think that's really important. Enjoy!

Here is Cedric and Macy (Tim's cousin's little girl) laying under Cienna's toy arch thingy. It's at the end of an evening of dinner and games so they both were in need of binkies. :)


Same thing. :)

This is Janis, a good friend from church. Tim's known her since the 5th or 6th grade. We had her over for dinner while she was in town for the holidays. Cienna fell asleep in her arms like this. :)

Here is that half-eaten butter picture I promised in my last blog entry. :P


Daddy and Cedric built Ced's first snowman this week.

Those are cranberries for the eyes, a carrot nib for the nose, and a hand-carved smile.

Cedric and "Cran" (cranberries... get it?) the snowman.

Daddy & Ced & "Cran"

Here are some Christmas morning pics. Cedric's dinasaur.


Daddy helping unwrap....

Cedric is showing Cienna her rattle. He's saying, "Look, Cienna, it's for youuuuu!"

This is Cienna's snow globe that I referenced in the last blog. It plays "Younger Than Springtime"a song from The Sound of Music. Can you see the sparkles "kissing" the butterfly? :)

Cienna

Cedric & Cienna playing in Cienna's toy arch that she got from Great Grammy for Christmas.

Aren't they cute under there?!

Here is a picture of a blue Quaker parrot (mentioned in the last blog as well), which is the kind of bird we'd like to have sometime in the future. They say it's "a lot of parrot in a little package."

This is a video of Cedric's first time on the trampoline that Papa & Grammy got Cedric for Christmas. He loves it! And it has been wearing him out which I love. :)

Here is a video of Cedric sledding down a hill that Daddy made for him in our front yard. It's awesome! He took his stuffed tiger sledding with him today.

Here is a video of Cienna blowing bubbles today. Look at all that foam! It doesn't show it here, but she's been into making weird noises. This past week she has been doing this little growl in the back of her throat. She sounds like an evil munchkin when she does it! It's hilarious. There are several other noises she's been experiementing with as well but none as funny as the "munchkin growl". :P I'll try to get it on video for you all.

Well, that's it for pictures today.

We've decided to get Cienna's ears pierced. We'll probably do it at the beginning of February so that Mom can be there (she special requested it :). We discovered that thanks to the large Hispanic community around here, Wal-Mart has done a fair number of very young infant ear piercings, so we're going to have it done there. I'll post pictures!

We're going to be doing professional pictures of at least Cienna here in the next month so I'll be sending those out to people as well.

Good night to you all.

2009

It's been a while since I've had a chance to write, but I have been keeping a list of things that would be interesting things to write about as they happened. Hopefully I can keep this blog from getting too long... :)

Cedric has been doing some cute things lately. We had gotten a snow globe with a butterfly in it for Cienna for Christmas, and Cedric loves it. One of the first times he watched the sparkles swirl around inside the globe, he caught his breath and said, "Sparkles kissing butterfly!" So now officially the sparkles are "kissing" the butterfly, and when they settle on the bottom they have gone "nigh-nigh". :)

A week or so ago as I was getting Cedric dressed for they day and he told me, "Momma, God loves Santa Clause." We had never said anything close to this, so it surprised me and did my heart good that he was putting those pieces together himself.

We've also had to keep an eye on Cedric and the refrigerator. He is a butter-lover. I found a still wrapped cube of butter with large bites taken out of it put back in it's proper place in the frig. It was probably a third gone. I have pictures but I'm having trouble downloading pics. I'll post it some other blog. :)

Ced likes to watch his daddy shave, and the other day as we sat patiently in the car while Tim scraped the snow and ice from the windows, Cedric commented that daddy was "shaving" the car. He keeps me giggling, I tell you.

Oh, this is cute too!: We were teaching him how to summersault and Tim would help gently push him over by poking his rear. Well Cedric thought that you had to poke your rear to tip over, so he would put his head on the floor and reach between his legs and poke his own rear before tipping over and completing his summersault. We tried desperately not to laugh too hard. :D He's got it figured out now though. Finger-free. :)

Cedric has also really gotten into pretending. The other day he had Cienna and I sitting on the couch and he pretended that it was a car and that we were stuck in the snow. (It helps that we've had some adventures on Mom and Dad's driveway already this year.) He put chains on the "tires" and dug snow from beneath the "car". He even got a couple Hot Wheel cars to try to pull us out. He really got into it, and we had a great time for at least 15 minutes. I seriously could picture this little boy when he's a grown man getting the same kick out of the challenge of being stuck in the snow. He loved the problem solving. I tell you, I am SO thankful that we have little boys who grow up to be men who love to get us out of tough spots. :)

Ok, that is the last of the cute Cedric stories I think... for now anyway.

Recently Tim and I were talking and we both would LOVE to get a blue Quaker Parrot. It's a mid-sized bird (12 inches beak to tail) and is known for talking exceptionally well and being a playful birth who loves his "flock". I think it's the kind of bird we'd really enjoy. Luckily they are not too spendy, just between $100-250. I insist on getting a very young bird that was handfed. Actually, ideally I would love to handfeed it myself if we can find one close enough to transport safely that young. I was teasing Tim that with his shaved head, mustache and gotee, he would look just like a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder. So anyway, we'll probably have to wait until after the adoption, but I'm so looking forward to it. I really miss having a lot of animals around.

I've decided to do some childcare. Just one or two kids between the ages of 1 and 4. I'm looking forward to being productive in contributing to our finances, but I am nervous about the division of my attentions. We're praying for just the right child(ren). I'm kind of looking at this as also a ministry to these children. And I pray they are a good influence on Cedric. We'll see what God brings our way.

Well, this is getting long, so I will sign off for now.

A thought on Motherhood

"I cannot forget my mother.
She is my bridge.
When I needed to get
across, she steadied herself
long enough for me
to run across safely."

I don’t know who wrote this quote but it has become significant to me. Our children need countless bridges throughout their lives. It is up to us, as parents, to be that bridge for we alone have the commitment, insight, and strength needed by our individual children. Unfortunately, far too many mothers refuse to be a bridge. Being a bridge is not easy; have you ever tried to physically be a bridge for someone? The effort is the same to be a “bridge mother”, though mothers do not only play the role of a physical bridge (pregnancy, childbirth, etc.) but also mental, emotional, and spiritual bridges. Though some women honestly do not know the desperate need for or how to be a bridge mother, sadly, many other women choose not to be a bridge mother.

"The commonest fallacy among women
is that simply having children makes them a mother –
which is as absurd as believing that having a piano
makes one a musician."

Most all of what we do as mothers is being a bridge for our children. Pregnancy and childbirth are the first bridges. They are not easy in any way. Perhaps we should see this time as training for motherhood, for to be the mother our children need, that “suffering”, that marathon effort and patience must never end.

Motherhood is not for the faint of heart. We are career warriors. Our battles are no less difficult than those fought on the battlefield, and we fight these battles for a lifetime. I think that you may think that this sounds somewhat cliché… but if you doubt the truth of this, try daily to make a hundred times the choice to do what is best for your children instead of what would be comfortable or even best for yourself. You will quickly find that one’s own self-focus and self-righteousness, self-indulgence and laziness, fear and insecurities, discomfort and pain are some of the most wearisome, relentless and powerful foes ever faced on earth. Attempt to die tiny deaths dozens of times a day, every day, every month, every year for decades and you will not suppose to call motherhood insignificant or dishonorable or second-rate.

I hope that more women will choose to seize the strength God has given them (He offers all the needed strength to every woman) and begin a new legacy of mothering in their own families.

As my mother did for me,

I will steady myself and be a

Bridge Mother.

----------------------
“She has a more influential and powerful role than any political, military, religious or educational figure. Her words are never fully forgotten. For good or for ill, a mother’s impact is permanent. A child’s mother is arguably the most influential figure in his or her life, giving credence to the old adage: the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”

----------------------

"Mother—in this consists the glory and
the most precious ornament of woman."
-Martin Luther.

----------------------

"I cannot name myself as one
Who never goes astray,
Who never stumbles on the road,
Or leaves the hallowed way.
But when I know that baby feet
Will follow where I’ve trod,
I walk with care that they too may walk
That road that leads to God."
-Margaret Fishback Powers
-----------------------

"The Sweetest sounds to mortals given are heard in
Mother, Home, and Heaven."
-W.G. Brown
-----------------------
Motherhood

The bravest battle that ever was fought!

Shall I tell you where and when?

On the maps of the world you will find it not;

'Twas fought by the mothers of men.

Nay not with the cannon of battle-shot,

With a sword or noble pen;

Nay, not with eloquent words or thought

From mouth of wonderful men!

But deep in a walled-up woman's heart -

Of a woman that would not yield,

But bravely, silently bore her part -

Lo, there is the battlefield!

No marshalling troops, no bivouac song,

No banner to gleam and wave;

But oh! those battles, they last so long -

From babyhood to the grave.

Yet, faithful still as a bridge of stars,

She fights in her walled-up town -

Fights on and on in her endless wars,

Then silent, unseen, goes down.

Oh, ye with banners and battle-shot,

And soldiers to shout and praise!

I tell you the kingliest victories fought

Were fought in those silent ways.

O spotless woman in a world of shame,

With splendid and silent scorn,

Go back to God as white as you came -

The Kingliest warrior born!

- Joaquin Miller (1839-1913)

December Day

It has been 10 degrees or less for the last few days, and we have about 8 inches of snow now with drifts. When Winter decided to come, it really came. I'm not looking forward to seeing htis month's heating bill....

Hemi has been staying inside most of the time now because of the cold. He had been banished outside this summer because he kept going potty in the house, but luckily (for him) he hasn't had any accidents so far....

About a week or so ago, Cienna began rolling over from her tummy to her back. She also loves to blow bubbles. She often ends up with a little foam goatee. This new past time combined with teething has got us going through bibs like crazy. She's not happy leaning back on things anymore, she's got to be sitting up. And she's discovered rattles and her toes. Poor girl has been really teething hard this week. She's not a happy camper.

I looked around online for ideas of things to do with Cedric to keep him busy this winter, and I found this web page that has a bunch of great "Rainy Day Activites for Toddlers" that just use things around the house and that you can do with only 1 toddler (my situation).(http://fun.familyeducation.com/hobbies-and-interests/games/33380.html I've been trying to do at least one a day with him. He has a tendency to get pretty destructive (not breaking, just moving and emptying everything) when he's bored.

Here is a picture I took just today. I love it....

Cedric and Cienna took a bath together for the first time a few days ago.

This is my favorite.

Watching the rubber ducky.

Look at all those rolls on that chubby baby!

He wasn't actually sticking out his tongue.... I caught it at the perfect second!

Lots of snow!

Six inches of snow has fallen here since yesterday morning. Cedric is having a great time playing out there. He spent a half hour out there this morning playing while Tim shoveled snow and came in with some slight frostbite on his cheeks. He didn't complain about it though and it cleared up within an hour.

Cienna is majorly teething this last week. There have been some days that I ended up using at least a dozen bibs on her. Poor girl.

I really like the idea of sharing my to-do list for the day so here is mine. I hardly ever get to complete the list every day and often complete just half a task at a time... My list is usually extra long because I never know which tasks will actually fit into the day. That has been one of the biggest adjustments of being a mom. My mind has to change subjects and tasks very quickly, which has been rather annoying. Anyway here it is (doesn't include any of the child tasks of course :):

Clean bathroom
Change bed sheets
2nd draft of Christmas letter
Balance checkbook
Wrap some more Christmas gifts
Exercise
Pet Hemi for at least 5 minutes (I have to schedule this :)
Sweep kitchen
Dishes

We decorated for Christmas last weekend. Here are a couple pictures of the kids decorating:

Cienna reaching for an ornament that she later got to put on the tree (with Daddy's help of course).

Cedric holding a 50-year-old ornament that came from my Dad's side of the family.

Cienna and Daddy admiring the tree.

Cedric and his "camera smile". He's not very good at making it look natural yet. :)

Here's a better smile!

Here are a series of pictures that we took of Cienna last week in her church dress. I love the pictures so I posted all of them.

We are gathering information for our adoption application, which we will be sending out next week. We have heard the call to adopt for over 2 years and feel God prompting us to begin now. For sure, this is a "stepping out of the boat" experience. We don't have any sort of "floatation device", but we are confident of God's call and will trust His provision. One of my favorite qutoes is, "God will often call you to do something that without Him you can not and without you He will not." We are going to be adopting an infant from Ethiopia through Holt International.