they have each other

i absolutely love watching isaiah and alaythia interact. as alaythia gets older and is able to communicate and do more, their relationship only deepens. it really is the joy of my life to watch them together.

they love to wrestle together. isaiah has NO IDEA how good he has it in alaythia as a sister. she's tough as nails and will give it right back to him, even at 2 years his younger. sometimes he is trying to hurt her, but most times he's not. he's a boy who loves to be physical, and she's all to eager to join in and be physical back.

at night i hear them soothing each other. depending on the night one or the other might be having a hard time. sometimes i'll hear alaythia say, 'bo, mama bye bye. bo, mama bye bye.' as he cries she's saying, it's okay brother, mommy just went bye bye. or other times, when she's crying i hear isaiah pray for her and then sing to her to soothe her. isaiah pops his head over the bed and says, 'it's okay 'laythia, i'm right here, see!'

isaiah protects her from other friends that get to rough with her. she got bit the other day and isaiah rushed to her to see how she was and then went to the little boy and told him not to bite his sister. or alaythia's desire to comfort isaiah when he gets hurt. she'll walk over and rub his hair and give him a pat on the head.

or the countless times they'll crack each other up and be in their own world, laughing and being silly.

their love and enjoyment of each other is a blessing to me. it encourages me and strengthens me. that they have each other now, and will have each other always, is a true gift to me.

hot air balloon festival (part 1)

the past week has been a hard one. but we got a nice break last night when we learned that the 10th annual hot air balloon festival was going on.

you may think that all we do is go to carnivals and play. it's not all we do actually. but this was just 2 miles from our house and something i had googled before we moved here as attractions in the city. so last night we went with some neighbors to go check it out.there were large blow up slides.

cool things to ride.

isaiah in a race car. the most interesting thing to me about this... if you've seen the movie 'cars' you know that lightening mcqeen gets teased for having stickers for head lights. i learned last night, that's how real race cars are. i guess they don't have need for them since they race during the day or on a lit track. who knew!

it's a sucker....

alaythia's favorite mode of transportation.

enjoying some funnel cake!

ahh, love this picture.

the beautiful sunset of louisville, kentucky.

hot air balloon festival (part 2)

after we played we got front row seats to watch the hot air baloons be blown up. once the sky was dark and the balloons were ready they would 'glow'. the kids loved watching all the different balloons be blown up. and mommy and daddy did too. there were probably 25 balloons up in the end. this balloon was right in front of us. it was sponsored by dean's milk, hence the cow theme! it took a whole crew of people to hold the balloon down and steady it as it was blown up.

the end result as it was glowing.

we tried to capture the glow of all of them, but pictures never do justice. it was such a great night as none of us had ever even seen a hot air balloon in person. it was just what we needed.

the very best days

we were at starbucks at the beginning of the week charging all of our things, cell phones, computers. without power, starbucks becomes an even more valued commodity. coffee, power, a place that feels a bit like normalcy, like home.

all four of us went. we knew we would be there for a while so we brought lots of books and got special drinks for everyone. the kids did okay for a little bit, but when the sugar kicked in they started to go wild. matt and i had our hands very full to try to keep them quiet and calm and obedient! we couldn't just leave because we still had things charging. we were stuck with trying to keep them there, causing the least amount of destruction.

there was an older woman sitting next to us with her coffee and newspaper. every once in a while we would catch eyes...i felt so bad that she had chosen to sit next to us. we were so loud and distracting. at one point both kids took off together, running and laughing. matt jumped up to chase them and she looked at me, and held my gaze. and then in a very slow, purposeful tone she said, 'these are THE BEST days of your life. the very best days.'

it's not the first time an older woman has said that to me in public. usually as i'm passing with the kids the woman will make some comment like that and i'll think...'yeah, you haven't seen what my life has looked like today!' but this woman, in starbucks on monday, she had seen what the last few minutes had looked like for me. she had been witness to the mayhem and still chose to say what she did. she had seen them run and wiggle. scream and fight me. and i think she had the foresight to know i probably wouldn't believe her. it was something about her tone, her look as she said it to me. she most likely knew i was longing to just sit still and enjoy my cup of coffee, resenting the situation. so she chose to impart her wisdom to me at that time, trying her best to get me to understand what she already knew.

at that moment, and most days, i don't feel like this phase of child rearing are the best days... to be honest, i long for the house to be quiet, to stay clean. but on monday, i was in the right spot, she spoke the right words....for whatever reason i did take it, and chose to believe her. i've heard her voice in my head, seen the look in her eye ever since. especially when things get trying.

on our way out of church on wednesday night it hit me again. the high school students had gotten out the same time as our class. we walked outside and there was a young man, rough looking, holding a skateboard. he walked between isaiah and i. isaiah took the opportunity to run down the ramp instead of walk down the stairs with me. i panicked that i didn't have his hand. it was dark and crowded with people. my mind went to the mother of that young man...she was probably at home, knowing nothing of what he was doing, having no control of his surroundings. i stood at the bottom the stairs waiting for isaiah, holding my hand out for him to take when he arrived. i wondered if he would take it, or if it would be the day he decided he didn't want to hold hands with his mom anymore...i was overwhelmed with thankfulness that in fact, he did.

i know a day will come when i won't have that. and so for today, i'm thankful. thankful for the mess, for being tired...thankful for reading books for 100th time, making lunch and arguing about them eathing it. i'm thankful they want my attention and beg for me to watch them go down the slide just one more time.

pixie girl

i was trying to finish up work when alaythia woke up from her nap. i gave her a snack and put her on the floor across from me, hoping to buy myself a few more minutes. she was sweaty, puffy and rosie cheeked from her long nap. i looked up from the computer and there she sat, quiet, still, eating her snack, enjoying every bite, every so often picking up her cup to take a drink.

it was one of those moments. i was totally taken with her. i smiled and she smiled back. she put a snack in her mouth like a show off and made a funny face. no work was as important as taking this moment in.

i crawled over to her. kissed her, and ran my fingers through her dandelion hair. i found peanut butter residue...a result of the decision to balance the peanut butter side of her sandwich on top of her head at lunch time. her hair stayed standing as i played with it.

i wanted to stop time. the quiet, just the two of us, looking at each other. her smooth skin...her expressive face. i snapped a ton of pictures in hopes of being able to go back and 'have' that moment forever. i just couldn't take her all in at that moment, i couldn't get enough.

pictures never do justice, but here are some of my favorites.

ike strike

i still have a hard time believing that it was ike that came through here. after all, aren't hurricanes supposed to calm down when they hit land? well ike didn't want to. sunday afternoon i had no idea that there were 90 mile an hour winds going on outside my house. sure, matt and i commented on the strength of the wind and sat in amazement, but we never thought it could be ike.

we lost power about 12:30 on sunday. we were without power and most of our cell service until yesterday (tuesday) about noon. amazing how much you take for granted when it comes to power. all your food has to be kept cool...but everyone has that need, so no ice to be found. you don't have hot water, your children must stay sticky... the hardest part i think is that you have NO IDEA what is going on. i didn't even know it was ike until my parents told us that. you have no form of communication, no way to get information. we didn't know the damage until we couldn't drive down streets because of fallen trees, or not being able to get water because everyone had cleaned the stores out, or stores weren't open because they didn't have power. long lines at gas stations that had power because there were so few...

but on monday, after our first full day of no power isaiah came in at the end of the day and proclaimed, 'this was the best day ever!' and why not? he got to play outside for most of the day with his neighbor friends, the seminary offered to feed students, so each meal we got to go to the seminary to eat. the first night isaiah even got served his hot dog by al mohler, the president, and they had a conversation. he didn't have to take a bath, and mommy and daddy just played all day. no work, no school. yeah, for isaiah, i can see how it was the best day ever.

we lost most of our frozen meat and non-essentials for the fridge. we did end up getting 1 bag of ice and we were able to keep our more expensive things out of the fridge. i think of others in texas and ohio that were hit much harder than us and my thoughts and prayers are with them. i can't imagine...

for the rest of the 100,000 in louisville that don't have power, it will anouther be 10-14 days of the same. we're thankful our pocket of life got power...

in october, they will come

olivia's mom and grandma are coming to see us the first of october. i can't wait to see them in person. to hug them, and have long conversations that are not over the phone or email. i imagine us having coffee in the morning leisurely, and planning our day out. not sure of what to do, but filling them up with time with each other.

grandma is coming at the end of the month and i asked her what she wanted to do. 'kiss the kids and play with the kids, kiss the kids and play some more....and kiss you too.'

we made chains (like you would in elementary school for christmas) and we rip a link off every day as we get closer to their arrival. we dream of what we'll do when they come. we talk about what we want to show them, the kids talk about what they want to play with them.

and for now, it keeps us going. through our sickness and our constant owies. through our long hours of study and work. we're so grateful they are coming to see our world...to see us.

Christ our brother

i wasn't at imago dei community last week. i miss those people...

my little brother preached there for the first time on sunday. it's not the first time he's preached in his lifetime....but the first time there. he's a church planter and he'll start a church out of imago dei in a short time.

it was hard not to be there. harder than i thought it would be. i'm a proud big sister after all! but the marvel of the internet allowed me to hear what he had to say anyway.

if you weren't there either, i think it's well worth your time to check it out.

everything and nothing

it is never my intention to not be real about our life. to make everything look rosey and peaceful. i think as i look back on the posts, i just post about good stuff. and don't make time to really 'emote' as i write.

but the reality is that it's been hard to be here. yes, there have been MANY great things. and God has provided for us in MANY tangible ways. we know this is where we are supposed to be. but that doesn't mean it hasn't been hard. quite the opposite actually.

yesterday i had a meltdown and felt like i just couldn't do it anymore. and in the middle of that meltdown i realized that i didn't understand WHY i didn't think i could do it anymore. only sending me spiraling further down.

even as i sit to try to figure out what exactly has been hard, i have trouble trying to put it into words. i find myself thinking everything and then nothing. when i find words, i'll be sure to let you know.

what are you reading?

isaiah's done with pilgrim's progress. whizzed through that. it's nap time for alaythia, and we're giving it a shot with 'quiet' time for everyone. isaiah's done a great job of playing on his own while daddy does homework and i work.

he asked matt a few minutes ago if he could read him a story. so matt finished his chapter in his book and read him a library book. matt went back to reading. he jokingly said, 'do you want me to read you this book?' 'yes!' isaiah said.

so matt started in, thinking that he would lose interest in 2 seconds. but no...several minutes in when matt mentioned daniel, isaiah interrupted him and said, 'is that daniel from daniel in the lions den?' 'yes, actually, it is.' matt and i stop and look at each other - you've got to be kidding!

matt thinks isaiah is done listening so he stops reading out loud. isaiah wispers in his hear, 'dad....you're not reading.' matt says, 'are you serious?' oh yes, he's serious. so i sit here, with a blog to write now as my PhD candidate husband reads his text books to my three and half year old son. every once in a while matt will get up and get a snack. he'll come back and think isaiah's not interested. again a whisper, 'dad....you're not reading.' matt can't help but burst into laughter. they're on the floor, both with a snack, reading away.

you wanna read what isaiah's reading? here's the title 'The Septuagint in Context' by Natalio Fernandez Marcos.

i'll take a picture now, just so you'll believe me!! i swear, i could not make this up if i tried!

fall kick off

every fall the seminary throws a kick off. despite the rain, we went for it. dinner, rides, bounce houses, dunking booths, slides, pony rides, lots of food and balloon animals. for being totally free, it wasn't half bad. the kids had a blast and didn't mind the rain or the sloppiness. we went with our neighbors who are becoming fast friends. the jones' have collins, the little blonde. and the bilby's have lauren and genna, the brown haired girls.

first up was the rockets. lauren and isaiah in one....
alaythia and genna in another.

pony rides were next. isaiah did fine, i thought he'd be scared. what's up with the hat anyway???

this was alaythia's attempt at a pony ride....yeah, not happening.
this is collins who is 4 days younger than alaythia...

everyone attempted the slide...even though alaythia had daddy...again, she freaked.

the siblings had to ride together...machine guns and all...

alaythia, wishing she could get in.

our chocolate girl...getting it everywhere as we closed the place out.

i didn't let it pass me by today

i think as mothers we sometimes get so preoccupied with the things that have to get done in the day, that we miss out on cool moments that could have been.

i admire my mom for lots of things. and as i grow in my motherhood, it's hard to fathom, but i admire her more and more. one thing of recent that i really enjoyed about her was her creativity with my kids. she would point things out to them that i usually walk right by. she would think of things to explain to them that i never had. i was constantly being inspired by watching them interact. i'll never forget the night she let isaiah pull every single kleenex out of the box, just to see him throw them in the air and pile them on her. i thought it was wasteful and that it was teaching him bad things. she said, 'you never know what creative spark you ignited by doing it.' okay. i'll trust it.

so, along with a lot of other things, i'm trying to fill the void of her creativity in my kids life.

isaiah was walking around in his rain boots this morning. don't know why. but all of the sudden the rain started coming down in sheets. not like the NW where you know it's coming. this is sudden and severe. sheets are coming down and isaiah already has his rain boots on. i open the door to see if it's warm and am blasted with hot humid air...

i run to the closet with him right on my tail and grab his new rain coat. i rip off the tag and put it on him. he's looking at me in disbelief. he can't believe i'm actually going to let him out there. i know my mom would be proud if she could see me.

it takes all of 1 minute for alaythia to want to be out there with him. she's in her pajama top and diaper... i rip off the tags to her coat and put it on. i watch them dance in the rain...my camera fogs up faster than i can shoot pictures. i remember that back in college during el nino, i bought an obnoxious green rain coat and to my amazement, it's hanging right there in the closet. so i go join them. i'm sure isaiah thought someone had taken his mom and replaced her with some one much more adventurous and fun.

but the rain was good for all of us. to spark something in their minds today. to break out of our ruts. so here's to doing the unexpected...at least every once in a while.

simple pleasures

today we got to go to the louisville zoo.

the ER nurse that took care of alaythia, invited us to go. crazy how you end up making connections with people when you know no one. she has been great though... the day after when alaythia pulled a stitch out, i called her, because she had given me her cell number the night it happened. she said that she would be over in our neck of the woods later in the afternoon and would be willing to stop by to take a look... i was so thankful and shocked that she'd be so willing. so she came over, along with her 2 boys later that day. her oldest and isaiah got a long fantastic while they were here, she mentioned that they had zoo passes and that they would love to take us since they get guests in free.

so yesterday, when i saw her while she was taking alaythia's stitches out (everything looks great) she asked if we wanted to go today. we met them at the zoo this morning. it was a fantastic trip. there was NO ONE there. the kids could get right up to everything. we happened on to the tiger being fed. i was totally taken with how beautiful this cat is. when we went to see the gorillas they were freaking out. chasing each other, wrestling each other, banging on the walls. after i got isaiah out of his state of shock and a little fear, he really liked it. it really was quite fun.

this zoo has a play structure and we even nabbed the table in the shade... we had lunch and the kids played. it was just what we needed. a break from the routine and a day to be out and about. i was thankful today for new friends and their generosity in asking us to go.