Today was the most wonderful day.
We woke up (a little later than planned), got ready very quickly, and headed off for another play date at the splash pad. This is definitely Benjamin's new favorite thing.
Then my friend, Kristine, so wonderfully volunteered to take Will and Kirstine home with her! Benjamin and I had lunch, played in the living room for an hour, and then Ben went off to bed. I was lazy and played on the computer and watched Suits.
After the kids got home we got ready to go out again. We were having a picnic at Veteran's Park with all the preschool ministry workers at church. I picked up Subway and met Scott there.
We had a wonderful time. The kids were great and we all had fun. At about 7:30 the skies started turning black. Shortly everyone was hurriedly packing up and leaving. Scott and I both parked about forever and a half away, so he took off to go get the van.
Then Kirstine started SCREAMING! That nasty bee that had been bothering her during dinner finally got the best of her. Twice. He stung her in her right arm, and then she grabbed him with her left hand to pull him off and he got her left thumb. my poor, poor baby.
I write all of this just to tell you the randomness of her wails on the way home. I immediately put Psalty on and she immediately responded by being silent and content. She loves her some Psalty.
A few minutes later she screamed out loud while crying, "I want to sleep with you and daddy tonight!" I told her we would see... and the screaming continues off and on for a few minutes. Most of the time including the words, "It's BURNING!"
Then came some words I never imagined hearing out of her mouth. So I know now how badly it hurt.
"I WANT YOU TO TURN PSALTY OFF!!!!"
Really? I did and it worked, for a bit. She continued to scream off and on the rest of the way home. But her randomness came in full a few minutes later when she asked me out of NO WHERE,
"Mom, who gave you this car?" And she was not crying at all. I explained to her that I bought it at the car dealership (over 2 years ago), and then she asks me, "If it's so big, how did you carry it?"
For those of you that don't know Kirstine, know this... A way-too-oftenly used phrase in our house is, "It's a good thing she's so pretty".
In other news, as I type this at close to 4 am, Bethan is wide awake but with no smiles. And then I started to sing to her, "When I See You Smile" and she just lit up like firecrackers. I love this baby!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
4th of July
Today could have easily been a very sad and depressing day. My mom's 60th birthday. Huge party. And I'm not there. Trust me, I've done my fair share of crying about it over the last month. But I'm okay now, and we had a great day.
We began the day by doing my favorite thing these days... sleeping in and being lazy. I was up with Bethan from 6:30 - 7:30. Which is perfect because then I made the older 3 breakfast and went back to bed. Scott got up soon after and hung out with them while I slept in til 9. or maybe was it 10??? :)
We went to Aldridge Gardens for a picnic lunch and had a great time. There was hardly anyone there, and there was a nice breeze due to the storm coming in. And thanks to the threatening skies we headed home a little earlier than planned.
Then a little more lazy time while Benjamin napped.
Finally we had a small group 4th of July party. Bethan and I went for a little while and then came home while the big kids walked up the street to see the fireworks. Jealous I didn't get to see them, but there's always next year, right?
Here are some pictures from the park...
We began the day by doing my favorite thing these days... sleeping in and being lazy. I was up with Bethan from 6:30 - 7:30. Which is perfect because then I made the older 3 breakfast and went back to bed. Scott got up soon after and hung out with them while I slept in til 9. or maybe was it 10??? :)
We went to Aldridge Gardens for a picnic lunch and had a great time. There was hardly anyone there, and there was a nice breeze due to the storm coming in. And thanks to the threatening skies we headed home a little earlier than planned.
Then a little more lazy time while Benjamin napped.
Finally we had a small group 4th of July party. Bethan and I went for a little while and then came home while the big kids walked up the street to see the fireworks. Jealous I didn't get to see them, but there's always next year, right?
Here are some pictures from the park...
Friday, May 13, 2011
Benjamin - 21 months
I’ve been really bad at documenting Benjamin’s life thus far. So the stigma of the third child remains true in our household. But I know if I don’t do it now, I for sure never will (as Bethan will be here in 4 days!).
Benjamin is 21 months old right now (and a few days). He is just as smart as our other children were, and he amazes me every day with the new things he has learned.
His smile is infectious. I just can’t get enough of it. He is still the most perfect, well-behaved baby I have ever met, and strangers tell us the same thing constantly. I wish I knew how he turned out this way, so we could copycat what we did to make Bethan just the same :)
His most favorite thing in the whole world is baseballs. He loves seeing pictures of them and wearing clothes with baseballs on them. But most of all he loves playing baseball and watching Will play. Every time we get out of the van he runs and picks up his egg-shaped chalk, sets it on the baseball tee, picks up Will’s bat, and hits the chalk. He is a great thrower, and loves playing in the driveway with Will and Scott. The other day they were so cute outside…Will would hit the ball, Scott would catch it and give it to Benjamin, and Ben would throw it back to Will. And Scott had taught him how to stand baseball ready, too. So precious. He also loves to watch Will play. He constantly yells from the bleacher “Go Way-ull!” and “Go Red Sox!”, and he screams and claps loudly with the rest of us when anything good happens.
He still enjoys watching Chuggington, though not as much as he used to. But it is the only thing he ever asks to watch. He is starting to enjoy mostly playing with any kind of vehicle he can find. He just sits in the floor forever just pushing cars and motorcycles around the room.
He still also loves to eat, pretty much anything, although fruit is his favorite. Any kind. He would never stop eating fruit if I gave him that opportunity. He loves bananas, and now calls them “Ninas”. No clue why. But it’s better than “mnumnums” like he used to say.
Words he says:
Baseball
‘Mere (Come Here)
Ant (rhymes with want, he puts it before other words to say “ant a ball”
Bubby (Buggy – Kirstine)
Light
Jump
Will
Baby
Ball
Taintoo (thank you. he says this ALL the time. if you ever hand him anything he wants he says it to you)
Yes mam
Up
Help
Eat
More
Drant (prounounced with a long, southern a, = drink)
Molt (milk)
Yay!
Door
Night Night
Teeth
Diaper
Wite (wipe)
Boo boo
Bite
Jesus
Bible
In dere (In there, in response to us asking him where something is)
Dat (that)
Pese (please)
And at this point he is repeating everything we say, and learning new words every day, so i have to stop adding words. (he just learned stick and kick yesterday as a matter of fact)
Benjamin is 21 months old right now (and a few days). He is just as smart as our other children were, and he amazes me every day with the new things he has learned.
His smile is infectious. I just can’t get enough of it. He is still the most perfect, well-behaved baby I have ever met, and strangers tell us the same thing constantly. I wish I knew how he turned out this way, so we could copycat what we did to make Bethan just the same :)
His most favorite thing in the whole world is baseballs. He loves seeing pictures of them and wearing clothes with baseballs on them. But most of all he loves playing baseball and watching Will play. Every time we get out of the van he runs and picks up his egg-shaped chalk, sets it on the baseball tee, picks up Will’s bat, and hits the chalk. He is a great thrower, and loves playing in the driveway with Will and Scott. The other day they were so cute outside…Will would hit the ball, Scott would catch it and give it to Benjamin, and Ben would throw it back to Will. And Scott had taught him how to stand baseball ready, too. So precious. He also loves to watch Will play. He constantly yells from the bleacher “Go Way-ull!” and “Go Red Sox!”, and he screams and claps loudly with the rest of us when anything good happens.
He still enjoys watching Chuggington, though not as much as he used to. But it is the only thing he ever asks to watch. He is starting to enjoy mostly playing with any kind of vehicle he can find. He just sits in the floor forever just pushing cars and motorcycles around the room.
He still also loves to eat, pretty much anything, although fruit is his favorite. Any kind. He would never stop eating fruit if I gave him that opportunity. He loves bananas, and now calls them “Ninas”. No clue why. But it’s better than “mnumnums” like he used to say.
Words he says:
Baseball
‘Mere (Come Here)
Ant (rhymes with want, he puts it before other words to say “ant a ball”
Bubby (Buggy – Kirstine)
Light
Jump
Will
Baby
Ball
Taintoo (thank you. he says this ALL the time. if you ever hand him anything he wants he says it to you)
Yes mam
Up
Help
Eat
More
Drant (prounounced with a long, southern a, = drink)
Molt (milk)
Yay!
Door
Night Night
Teeth
Diaper
Wite (wipe)
Boo boo
Bite
Jesus
Bible
In dere (In there, in response to us asking him where something is)
Dat (that)
Pese (please)
And at this point he is repeating everything we say, and learning new words every day, so i have to stop adding words. (he just learned stick and kick yesterday as a matter of fact)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
What Will's Reading
I thought I would try and capture Will's reading level at this age, for future reference. So here is the text of the book he brought home today, with the words he needed help with red, bolded, and italicized.
Will, age 6 (and a few weeks)
A Look at China
"China is a country in eastern Asia. China is the third largest country in the world. The capital of China is Beijing.
China has deserts, mountains, plateaus, and rivers. Each part of China has different weather.
Giant Pandas and golden monkeys live in China.
More than one billion people live in China. They speak and write Chinese. This language is made up of symbols. (Hello is NEE HOW, goodbye is TSEYE JEE-en)
Many people in China use chopsticks to eat. The Chinese eat vegetables, meat, and fish. They also eat soup, rice, and noodles.
Chinese New Year is an important celebration. Families and friends gather to celebrate. They watch parades and fireworks.
Some Chinese people work in factories to earn money. Some people are farmers. They raise rice and other crops to feed their families. China's money is counted in Yuan.
Most people in China travel short distances by bicycle. They travel long distances by train. People also travel by boat, car, and airplane.
The Great Wall of China is more than 2,000 years old. It is about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) long. Thousands of people visit the Great Wall every year."
Since he finished reading, he has made a picture of the symbols for hello and good-bye, and wrote those words on the paper. He also made a little paper that says NEE HOW on it so he can take it with him tonight to remember, so he can tell his Chinese friends, Victor and Leo, on his baseball team hello in Chinese. I love that kid.
Will, age 6 (and a few weeks)
A Look at China
"China is a country in eastern Asia. China is the third largest country in the world. The capital of China is Beijing.
China has deserts, mountains, plateaus, and rivers. Each part of China has different weather.
Giant Pandas and golden monkeys live in China.
More than one billion people live in China. They speak and write Chinese. This language is made up of symbols. (Hello is NEE HOW, goodbye is TSEYE JEE-en)
Many people in China use chopsticks to eat. The Chinese eat vegetables, meat, and fish. They also eat soup, rice, and noodles.
Chinese New Year is an important celebration. Families and friends gather to celebrate. They watch parades and fireworks.
Some Chinese people work in factories to earn money. Some people are farmers. They raise rice and other crops to feed their families. China's money is counted in Yuan.
Most people in China travel short distances by bicycle. They travel long distances by train. People also travel by boat, car, and airplane.
The Great Wall of China is more than 2,000 years old. It is about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) long. Thousands of people visit the Great Wall every year."
Since he finished reading, he has made a picture of the symbols for hello and good-bye, and wrote those words on the paper. He also made a little paper that says NEE HOW on it so he can take it with him tonight to remember, so he can tell his Chinese friends, Victor and Leo, on his baseball team hello in Chinese. I love that kid.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Ballet
Am I a horrible mother, or just emotional and pregnant?
Once again I cried throughout Kirstine's entire recital. Christmastime wasn't really a recital. The moms and a few dads came into the classroom and watched the girls do a few songs. She saw me, cried and refused to do anything else. She was held by her teacher most of the time, and eventually came and sat in my lap. I cried the whole time.
But times have changed. She now likes ballet a lot, or so she tells me after practice every week. She still never really wants to go, but she enjoys herself pretty much. She was crazy excited about the recital, loved her costume, was so happy that daddy and Will both were coming to see her, and promised us that she was not going to cry and was going to dance the whole time. I saw her right before we went in to sit down. She was very happy and excited and gave me a big hug.
It didn't start out horribly. She wasn't participating quite as much as everyone else, but still... no tears at least.
Downhill from there. And I cried the whole time.
The other girls were so freaking cute up there. Kirstine just stood there. At least in the beginning she was doing all the moves and steps, just real tiny right in front of her where we couldn't see. But then when they did the routines where they faced the audience she just bowed her head. and when they left to get props, she came back in in her teacher's arms. And for the last number she stood on the floor next to her teachers.
But as soon as it was over she was all smiles and jumping up and down again.
It's safe to assume that we are NOT taking ballet again next year.
At least we got a picture.
Once again I cried throughout Kirstine's entire recital. Christmastime wasn't really a recital. The moms and a few dads came into the classroom and watched the girls do a few songs. She saw me, cried and refused to do anything else. She was held by her teacher most of the time, and eventually came and sat in my lap. I cried the whole time.
But times have changed. She now likes ballet a lot, or so she tells me after practice every week. She still never really wants to go, but she enjoys herself pretty much. She was crazy excited about the recital, loved her costume, was so happy that daddy and Will both were coming to see her, and promised us that she was not going to cry and was going to dance the whole time. I saw her right before we went in to sit down. She was very happy and excited and gave me a big hug.
It didn't start out horribly. She wasn't participating quite as much as everyone else, but still... no tears at least.
Downhill from there. And I cried the whole time.
The other girls were so freaking cute up there. Kirstine just stood there. At least in the beginning she was doing all the moves and steps, just real tiny right in front of her where we couldn't see. But then when they did the routines where they faced the audience she just bowed her head. and when they left to get props, she came back in in her teacher's arms. And for the last number she stood on the floor next to her teachers.
But as soon as it was over she was all smiles and jumping up and down again.
It's safe to assume that we are NOT taking ballet again next year.
At least we got a picture.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Preps for Bethan
Have finally started to begin. I had my first (and only) shower Monday evening. The girls in my small group had a little diaper shower for me. We had lots of good dips and appetizers, and some yummy desserts. To make the night even more perfect for me, we had a beautiful thunderstorm come through right after it started. The lightning was beautiful. It made me feel like I was back home in Tampa. I really miss Florida summer storms. The power went out and stayed out for over an hour. We had a flashlight in the middle of us to give a little light. Perfect evening! I've been working on getting stains out of clothes for a while, and I'm almost done with those. But I finally bought Dreft and am washing all the rest of her clothes now. Then I've got to do all the blankets, bibs, burp cloths, etc. I've started making my list of what I need to buy. Which isn't much. And I've made my hospital list. I feel like I should have tons of other stuff to do right now, but there's really not. Since Benjamin is still in the crib, I can't really get that ready. I probably won't move him into Will's room until about a month after she's born. I DO have preps for the other kids. We've got to buy a twin mattress for Kirstine and figure out how we're going to fit her back into her old room. I also need to get new bedding for one of the boys. My long term plan is to give Will's train bedding to Benjamin, and get Will Gator bedding. But my ideal is an orange/blue plaid comforter from Pottery Barn with actual Gator sheets. But PBK refuses to make an orange and blue set. I've been waiting for almost 2 years now and still nothing. So since we don't have that yet, I guess we'll just have to get something cheap and temporary for one of the boys until we decided what we will do permanently. Am I boring you yet? I guess that's all for now. Oh, and I guess I should buy her a baby book at some point.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Will's best game EVER!
I am so crazy proud of Will today. He played so incredibly fabulous. Unfortunately, Scott had to work today and missed it :( You will notice him progressively hitting worse as the game goes on, but everyone did today. It's because they were so EXHAUSTED! We only had 7 players today (most teams play with 10). So not only did 3 people have to bat twice every inning (we play 10 batters per inning), but Will had to cover the ENTIRE outfield pretty much by himself. I say pretty much because there was one other kid out there. But in his mother's own words, he'd rather be dancing than playing baseball, so it was kind of as if he wasn't even there :) Needless to say Will ran around a LOT and was therefore pretty tired when it came time to bat. 2 memorable plays: He tagged someone out at 2nd base, and got the winning out at home plate. Good game, Will! And he also got the game ball. Oh yeah, did I mention that he got his first ever HOMERUN?!?!?!? 1st at bat: HOMERUN
2nd at bat: Double
3rd at bat: Out at home plate, but if he wasn't the last batter he would have stopped at 3rd base. (Last batter you just have to get the ball to home plate and anyone who gets there after you is out)
4th and 5th at bats... wimpy singles :)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
My kids love each other so much
Will: Kirstine, Please, please, please come back outside and play with me!
Kirstine: I'm all done outside. I'm too cold.
Will: I've got my sweatshirt outside.
Kirstine: Can I wear your sweatshirt?
Will: Sure!
And off they go.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Benjamin's Voodoo Magic
Benjamin is a little obsessed with Chuggington these days (it's a better Disney version of Thomas the Train). After it was over today he continued to beg to watch it again. When I told him no, this is what he came up to the remote to do...
When I got the camera out to video tape it he immediately stopped, but I got him to do it again for a little bit. It totally looked like he was trying to make the remote control put Chuggington on all by itself.
When I got the camera out to video tape it he immediately stopped, but I got him to do it again for a little bit. It totally looked like he was trying to make the remote control put Chuggington on all by itself.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Bike Riding
So here it is. Will learning how to ride a bike. Scott's been teaching him a little bit in the driveway this week. But this is the first time he has gotten to ride more than 12 feet. p.s. he's getting a bigger bike for his birthday.
Kirstine got her first bike this week for her birthday. Notice the plastic Barbie sized bike attached to the handle with Barbie sitting on it. So cute.
And this is Benjamin's version of a bike.
Kirstine got her first bike this week for her birthday. Notice the plastic Barbie sized bike attached to the handle with Barbie sitting on it. So cute.
And this is Benjamin's version of a bike.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Pictures of Bethan and Her Family
Well here they are! This first picture is of Bethan having fun with her stickers.
Jo and I playing Monopoly
Bethan, me, and Jo on our last day together
Me, Jo, Rachel, and Bethan at the train station
And here are 2 other pictures from that trip:
Climbing on top of some castle wall
This is Caerphilly Castle. I don't remember the story of how this crack happened, but isn't it cool? If you look real closely, you can see me standing inside the crack.
Bethan - Pronunciation and Origin
Since so many people have asked, here goes!
First of all, how do we pronounce Bethan? Simple! Just like Bethany, but without the "ee" sound at the end. It is NOT Beth Anne.
Where did we get this name from? Longer answer. To do it justice I'll start at the begninning and tell the entire story...
It's March 2001, almost 10 years ago. I am going on a mission trip to Wales with a group of other college-aged students from my church in Gainesville, FL. It is my second trip there. The year before this trip my singing ensemble at the church also went, so we got to stay together. Typically there are about 4-5 students per group spread over the northern part of Wales. My ensemble got to stay together. We did a lot of concerts and school assemblies and that sort of thing.
Second trip was different. I was assigned to be with 2 guys. One was a few years older than me, the other was the chaperone for the group. We spent months preparing skits and puppets and crafts and all sorts of things like that. We were going to be sleeping in the attic of a church, camping up there. We knew it was going to be freezing up there so we were prepared!
We are flying out of Tampa, so I went back home a few days early. The night before we were to leave I got a call. There has been an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease all over Wales and we're not sure if we get to go into the country. All we know is that we have plane tickets into Manchester, England, so we're at least getting that far. Plans get made overnight, and when we get to the airport we hear the new plan. The capital city of Wales (Cardiff) has not been affected, and we can get a train directly into the city without being exposed.
Day 1: We spend the night at the house of some IMB missionaries. The next morning we go to Rhiwbina Baptist Church. They announce our presence while we are there, and ask church members to host us for the week. They'll tell us who we're staying with that night after the evening service.
All I know is I start freaking out. I was pretty shy back then. I was honestly terrified about staying in the home of strangers for an entire week. Everyone kept reassuring me that it would be fine, and that they would most likely put me and Amy (the only other girl on the trip) in a house together. So I started calming down.
In the meantime, when the morning service was over everyone went to the fellowship hall for tea. If you've never been to the UK, this is very common. Tea everywhere. There were days where we would have 5 tea "parties" in one day, just because we had to stop what we were doing and have tea everytime we went somewhere.
So we're standing around, drinking tea, and socializing (me just with the people I already knew). And then I spot her. This 4-year-old little girl. Blonde hair. Wearing this cute little yellow dress. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. But a spitfire! The best word I can use to describe her is stolen from her mother at one point later: cheeky. She had a doll that she was dragging around behind her the whole time. And she was tormenting all the little boys. She was the funniest thing ever. As we were leaving and walking to our van I was telling everyone about her. She walked past us and I got to show everyone who I was talking about.
Fast forward to evening service. Right before the service begins we get our assignments. I am alone. I start bawling. Maybe having an anxiety attack? I finally calm down. I am staying with a couple named Richard and Rachel. We attend the service and afterwards our families come and find us. Richard is there with his 8-9 year old daughter, Jo. They were very nice.
When we get home they show me to my room, I meet his wife, Rachel, and then he tells me he wants to show me one other person. We walk into his other daughter's room (at this point I didn't know he had another daughter) and she was fast asleep in her bed. I look at her, and ask him, "Did she have a yellow dress on this morning?" The answer was, of course, yes. She was the same little girl from that morning. I really couldn't believe it.
This all may seem silly to you. But to me it was just a very small sign. God really does care about all those little things in our lives that sometimes we feel he doesn't. He really cared about my insecurities about spending a week in a stranger's home. He placed me in the one home with the only person I had any connection to at all in that city. I knew I was going to be okay. In case you hadn't guessed yet, her name was Bethan.
For the next week I spent every free moment I had hanging out with Bethan and Jo. Whenever our tasks were done for the day, and the rest of my group was getting together to hang out, I always decked out early so I could get home to Bethan. I loved that little girl. I bawled my eyes out the day I had to leave her. But really not just her - I loved that entire family. I had an wonderful time getting to know them that week, and really felt that they became a second family to me.
I never got a chance to get their contact information. For some reason we just totally forgot until the last minute. They had my address, though. I don't remember if I had a chance to give it to them, or if they had it from the church. I didn't hear from them again until Christmas. I got a christmas card with a long letter in it. The problem was the return address was incomplete so I couldn't write them back. And that was the end. Back then the internet wasn't so friendly, and I really didn't know how to find them. But it's 10 years later, and I may be on to something. I googled the church, and immediately found a picture of the father, Richard, on their website as an elder. I have contacted the church and hopefully I will be able to get in touch with them! I want them to know that I have my own little Bethan on the way! And she will arrive 10 years and 2 months after I met their Bethan.
Was that long enough? I promise I'll find a picture of her and post it soon as well.
First of all, how do we pronounce Bethan? Simple! Just like Bethany, but without the "ee" sound at the end. It is NOT Beth Anne.
Where did we get this name from? Longer answer. To do it justice I'll start at the begninning and tell the entire story...
It's March 2001, almost 10 years ago. I am going on a mission trip to Wales with a group of other college-aged students from my church in Gainesville, FL. It is my second trip there. The year before this trip my singing ensemble at the church also went, so we got to stay together. Typically there are about 4-5 students per group spread over the northern part of Wales. My ensemble got to stay together. We did a lot of concerts and school assemblies and that sort of thing.
Second trip was different. I was assigned to be with 2 guys. One was a few years older than me, the other was the chaperone for the group. We spent months preparing skits and puppets and crafts and all sorts of things like that. We were going to be sleeping in the attic of a church, camping up there. We knew it was going to be freezing up there so we were prepared!
We are flying out of Tampa, so I went back home a few days early. The night before we were to leave I got a call. There has been an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease all over Wales and we're not sure if we get to go into the country. All we know is that we have plane tickets into Manchester, England, so we're at least getting that far. Plans get made overnight, and when we get to the airport we hear the new plan. The capital city of Wales (Cardiff) has not been affected, and we can get a train directly into the city without being exposed.
Day 1: We spend the night at the house of some IMB missionaries. The next morning we go to Rhiwbina Baptist Church. They announce our presence while we are there, and ask church members to host us for the week. They'll tell us who we're staying with that night after the evening service.
All I know is I start freaking out. I was pretty shy back then. I was honestly terrified about staying in the home of strangers for an entire week. Everyone kept reassuring me that it would be fine, and that they would most likely put me and Amy (the only other girl on the trip) in a house together. So I started calming down.
In the meantime, when the morning service was over everyone went to the fellowship hall for tea. If you've never been to the UK, this is very common. Tea everywhere. There were days where we would have 5 tea "parties" in one day, just because we had to stop what we were doing and have tea everytime we went somewhere.
So we're standing around, drinking tea, and socializing (me just with the people I already knew). And then I spot her. This 4-year-old little girl. Blonde hair. Wearing this cute little yellow dress. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. But a spitfire! The best word I can use to describe her is stolen from her mother at one point later: cheeky. She had a doll that she was dragging around behind her the whole time. And she was tormenting all the little boys. She was the funniest thing ever. As we were leaving and walking to our van I was telling everyone about her. She walked past us and I got to show everyone who I was talking about.
Fast forward to evening service. Right before the service begins we get our assignments. I am alone. I start bawling. Maybe having an anxiety attack? I finally calm down. I am staying with a couple named Richard and Rachel. We attend the service and afterwards our families come and find us. Richard is there with his 8-9 year old daughter, Jo. They were very nice.
When we get home they show me to my room, I meet his wife, Rachel, and then he tells me he wants to show me one other person. We walk into his other daughter's room (at this point I didn't know he had another daughter) and she was fast asleep in her bed. I look at her, and ask him, "Did she have a yellow dress on this morning?" The answer was, of course, yes. She was the same little girl from that morning. I really couldn't believe it.
This all may seem silly to you. But to me it was just a very small sign. God really does care about all those little things in our lives that sometimes we feel he doesn't. He really cared about my insecurities about spending a week in a stranger's home. He placed me in the one home with the only person I had any connection to at all in that city. I knew I was going to be okay. In case you hadn't guessed yet, her name was Bethan.
For the next week I spent every free moment I had hanging out with Bethan and Jo. Whenever our tasks were done for the day, and the rest of my group was getting together to hang out, I always decked out early so I could get home to Bethan. I loved that little girl. I bawled my eyes out the day I had to leave her. But really not just her - I loved that entire family. I had an wonderful time getting to know them that week, and really felt that they became a second family to me.
I never got a chance to get their contact information. For some reason we just totally forgot until the last minute. They had my address, though. I don't remember if I had a chance to give it to them, or if they had it from the church. I didn't hear from them again until Christmas. I got a christmas card with a long letter in it. The problem was the return address was incomplete so I couldn't write them back. And that was the end. Back then the internet wasn't so friendly, and I really didn't know how to find them. But it's 10 years later, and I may be on to something. I googled the church, and immediately found a picture of the father, Richard, on their website as an elder. I have contacted the church and hopefully I will be able to get in touch with them! I want them to know that I have my own little Bethan on the way! And she will arrive 10 years and 2 months after I met their Bethan.
Was that long enough? I promise I'll find a picture of her and post it soon as well.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Kirstine's Prayer
Kirstine's prayer last night started out so sweet. It began with her asking God to take care of all the people that don't have food to eat, and for him to give them all food. Then she asked God to take care of Bethan (I once again reminded her, "Kirstine, it might be a boy!"), Isaac, Benjamin, Will, Dad, Mom, Gran, Papa, Toby, Kaden, Blue, Abigail, and Jonathan.
Then she asked God to take care of Benjamin, and to take away his voice, because he's a really really loud baby.
Then she asked God to take care of Benjamin, and to take away his voice, because he's a really really loud baby.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)