Christmas

We had a fun and busy Christmas this year. Gabe didn't get up early on Christmas morning. We figure this is the last year he'll sleep in. He very much enjoyed opening the gifts that you all sent to him. Thanks very much. We had church on Christmas morning as well. It was a very small casual service. People sang songs and told stories. It felt more intimate than our church ever has. On our way to church we dropped off one of the teachers from Grace at the hospital. This teacher has had a recurrence of cancer recently and I've been going with her to her appointments. The teacher had made Christmas plans but felt ill on Christmas morning. After church we picked her up from the hospital again and she was well enough to join us for Christmas lunch which was just leftovers from our Christmas Eve dinner. I don't know what tastes better. The original meal or the leftovers. During the afternoon we prepared the gifts for the kids at Baan Burt Faa orphanage. Since this is the second year we've done it I guess it's now our Christmas tradition. You can see from the picture why Gabe loves going there so much. He's like a little celebrity there. They follow him like a king, give him whatever he wants, do whatever he wants and he just soaks up the attention. Anyway, thanks so much for all the money you sent for their Christmas. We bought sports equipment and art equipment for the kids in addition to some food and the usual school supplies. We spent more than we had intended so the money you gave helped out a lot. Pradip (the orphanage father) tells me that they have enjoyed the gifts a lot.

The day after Christmas we went down to Bangkok for a little break. It's been ages since we had a vacation by ourselves. This entry is already too long so I'm writing more and putting more pictures on my own blog. The picture above is a sign that we ran across in Bangkok.

By the way, it's good to hear from you all again.

Thoughts on Today

Each pregnancy so far has come with very few cravings, but each has brought an insatiable desire for chicken noodle soup. I'm not picky; Spartan or meager brand condensed style with two measly chicken bits floating in plenty of MSG-laden broth with a few skinny, soaked noodles does just fine. I'm ashamed to tell you how many cans I have already been through. Anyway, today I decided to make a bunch from scratch. So I now have two Dutch ovens full of the heart-warming stuff! Yippee!

Sam has been playing with Solomon today (age 6 and four-quarters, as reported by him...I suppose he's mostly correct, as he will be 7 mid-January.) Solomon lives kitty-corner in back of us and he is Sam's idea of a "big boy." He gets all of Solomon's hand-me-downs and Sam usually wants to incorporate them into his wardrobe immediately, though they are 2-3 sizes to big. Anyway, it has been fun to watch them interact as Sam grows. They play really well together one minute, then are quarrelling like brothers the next. I think that's why Solomon likes to play with him, because he is hoping for a little brother. Anyway, they are both so strong willed and rough and wimpy at the same time. One of them is usually bossing the other around, starting a sword fight, or whimpering from a sword fight wound. His first neighborhood friend! "Mom, can I go to Solomon's house?" It does make me feel a bit old. Oh well, lots of things do that, lately. Maybe because each day that is more true.

The Season

Christmas this year was definitely different for Kevin and I. Everything in my mind seemed to revolve around when Elinore needed to eat and sleep. Christmas at Mom and Dad's was very relaxed this year. Sam amazed us all with the amount of patience he displayed while he waited for all of the slowpoke grown-ups to hurry up. It was nice to have the day to spend together laughing and lazing around.

Christmas Day, I had decided to cook a turkey. Kevin and I wanted to have lots of leftovers, so we had a 19lb turkey in our freezer. This year unveiled my procrastinating character. All I had decided up until Christmas morning was that I was going to cook the turkey. I did not think about how I wanted to cook it, how long it would take, what I would cook with it, whether it would fit in my roasting pan,... Needless to say, other members of my family were a bit frustrated with me (Kevin). I was frustrated with myself. The middle was still a bit frozen, too. Everything ended up being just fine. We made a glaze out of maple syrup and coated the top of the turkey with bacon. At the last minute we called Mom and Dad to see if they wanted to come over and help us eat it (which they did).

Yesterday afternoon/evening was spent at Ken and Karen's oohing and aahing over the deer blind (with elevator) that Ken and Joel built. It really was pretty cool. We saw the deer come out at dusk and enjoyed a yummy ham dinner.

All we have left this year is to spend this coming weekend with my family, which I am rather excited about.

The only thing that I feel bummed about this season is that I didn't get a good dose of Christmas carols. I don't know what happened. It seemed like the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas went so fast, and I guess I just forgot to play them. I found myself on Christmas eve wishing I had a piano so that I could play and sing all the ones I missed this year. Not that I can really play the piano, but in my head I could. Next year I'll have to be more intentional about that.

Here are a couple photos from Christmas with the Wolthuises. Sorry this post got so long!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a busy day starting early in the morning. Eric went to a party for the kids of the GamPeangNgaam Slum. This was the place that Eric went to teach English this past summer. Though he’s been unable to teach regularly he has substituted for other teachers on occasion and stayed somewhat involved in that program.
We spent the evening having Christmas dinner with friends who live in our neighborhood. One of their daughters is Laura who has been pictured on our blog before. We had the traditional Christmas dinner then the kids put on a program for us. We were very impressed with how organized the older kids were, but Gabe & Laura were rather indifferent as Mary & Joseph. As soon as the shepherds came to see baby Jesus they tried to trade their baby for the sheep since the sheep made real baa-ing noises. None of the kids ate enough turkey. While the adults were all yawning after an OD of tryptophan the kids were doing a lot of yelling and screaming. However, after dessert they all settled down to read. Gabe was very cute as he tried to read to Laura and teach her all sorts of things from their books. He seems to have the teaching disposition. Fortunately, Laura adores everything Gabe does and put up admirably with his pedantic speeches.
Winter truly feels like it finally here. We are wearing sweatshirts and sweaters almost the whole day. Apparently, it gets into the mid-80’s every day, but it doesn’t really feel like it to me. We must be used to it being hotter and more humid. I think it’s only in the 80’s for a couple of hours every day.

More Christmas parties

The Christmas parties continue this year. Most are smaller now that many people have gone for the holidays. Eric had a party for his 7th grade class and we had a party at Gabe's little preschool co-op. One of the other mothers organized a Christmas pageant for the party. Gabe, of course, played the angel Gabriel. I think he may be typecast in that role for the rest of his childhood.
Last night we and two other families sponsored a sort of block party. It was more of an intersection party as we invited the families around our intersection. On our block there is a mix of Thai, farang and Koreans. Even though all of us came from very different backgrounds and have different Christmas traditions (or none at all), we really had a great time. Toward the end of the party one of our neighbors, a Korean-American sixth-grader suggested that we Christmas carol around the neighborhood. I brought my guitar and we started making a round of the neighborhood. While we were walking on of my Korean neighbors told me that Koreans love to carol at Christmas time. She told me that in Korea when someone comes to your door to sing, you must provide them with a gift, usually food.
We made an interesting group. We were singing in three different languages, so it sometimes sounded a little strange. However it was really a lot of fun. We sang at any house that had lights on, but most of the time, Thai people wouldn't come out when we sang. Farangs usually came out to thank us for singing or to join us in singing. Koreans were definitely the most enthuiastic. They made their whole families come out to hear us and always gave us some gifts. One brought out a bunch of fruit, including whole pineapples and gave us each one. One gave me 300B for playing the guitar. Some joined us in our rounds around the neighborhood.
I was very thankful for the way the party brought us together with our neighbors. So often, people here tend to make friends from the same ethnic background, but I felt that at our party we truly enjoyed each others company in spite of the differences. I now know some neighbors that I'd never spoken with before.

Our cute boy

Here's a photo we had taken of Gabey the other day. It's not one we chose to get prints of, but still cute. This represents one thing I love about Thailand. Not only was the photo sitting extremely cheap, but they aren't at all concerned about photo copyrights and burned me a CD of the whole sitting so that I'm now free to share the bad pics along with the good (not that this is a bad pic).

In other Wolthuis family news, there's not much to report. We are sweating through a week-end of Christmas parties. This is a 3-day week-end and the most popular one for Christmas parties. School is out this week, so people usually feel they need to squeeze the parties all in before people go off for Christmas holidays. All in all, we have 5 parties this week-end, so we'd be eating ourselves silly except that I got food poisoning this week-end. Oh well, it's probably for the best.

The temperature still hasn't dropped much and the humidity is still high so it looks like we're in for a short winter. Maybe 10 days or 2 weeks. It wouldn't bother me so much except that with such weather the mosquitoes won't go away. Last year we had one heavenly month where I could confidently sit in the living room with bare feet knowing that I wouldn't be bitten all over my toes. As I sit here, I'm swatting them with our electrocution tennis racket and unbelievably, one has managed to bite me on the toughest part of my foot. But I guess I still prefer it to the cold, though I wouldn't mind a little cold to spend some time with all of you.

Early

Good Morning! I have frequently been waking in the night wide awake. This morning I told God if I didn't fall back asleep by 5:15 he must want me up. Well, I haven't made it to the Bible, yet, as the computer was still on from last night and I wanted to check this herbal remedy to promote sleep. I don't feel anxious...I'm not thinking about anything in particular...just wide awake at ungodly times. :)

So I thought I'd blab about last night. Brian met this sem student named Jeff through George Hunsburger and it seems a nice friendship has begun. He and his lovely wife invited us to dinner last night with two of their friends to share our story and current thoughts on church. They live just two blocks away. It was actually fun! (I usually dred these conversations because usually these pastor-types speak on this theoretical level and I'm like, "So what does that mean for a mother of two and a handyman??!!) What a delight to discover they, too, were practical and so curious. They just let us talk about our journey, asked really thoughtful questions, and listened. How fun to tell our story again...it has been a while. We walked home with our hearts full of praise for all God has brought us through. I left with a renewed love and respect for Brian, hearing him articulate so well what God has taught us and being reminded of our continuing adventure together. Most days it seems so normal: putting new windows in the back building, deciding what we are doing as a community on Sunday night, letting a neighbor share our tools or garage stall...but it is all part of a deep and purposeful vision to infuse everything our life touches with God's goodness. Yea!!

Have a God-filled day!

Who Knew Your Life Could Change So Fast

I just took Elinore in for her 2 week checkup. Her weight was 9#3, so she's back up to her birthweight. Everything looks great, and the doctor answered all of my questions, most of them with a "that's normal." She is definitely keeping us on our toes. We've had good nights and bad nights, good days and bad days. Mostly we just love her immensely and think she is just amazing. Anyway, just wanted to give you all a little update.

Christmas of 1971

I posted a pic of me & Gabe by our Christmas tree, but I found a similar picture in my files from 34 years ago...

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Christmas Story

Loving, fun, and totally crazy. Don't shoot your eye out!

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

I guess, as a mom, you notice all these tiny things about your child. You spend hours just studying them. Well, I have noticed that Elinore has the most beautiful nostrils. Silly, I know, but I think they look like little hearts. I wanted to share them with you. 

Gabe's Hat

We took a quick trip up into the mountains with my family and forgot to bring a hat for Gabe. But he looked pretty cute in the makeshift hat I made for him:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN !

We hope you have a very happy 25th birthday. It will be an extra special day as it is your first one as a mom. Hopefully, Elinore will cooperate and let you get some rest and relaxation. Glad you got back safely from your Chicago Thanksgiving.

One of Dad's colleagues from Hope, Dr. Janet Andersen, chairwoman of Hope's Math Department, was killed in white-out conditions here Thursday morning as she returned from a Thanksgiving church service. Her husband was only slightly injured. She taught at Hope since 1991 so I'm wondering if any of you ever had her for a math course. She was only 47. Her death is a major loss to the college, the community, and beyond. She had authored several math textbooks. They aren't sure who will finish teaching her classes.

I'm not posting much since our computer has been "down" since Thursday. Dad will be taking it in for repairs--not much debate about where we should take it :) I'm writing this on Dad's laptop, which takes a bit of getting used to. So...we'll rely on the rest of you to keep us current. Mom

Gabe's party

Gabe had a little b-day party with a few of the neighborhood kids. We also had a little party for Eric on Friday night. On Thursday Gabe was dismayed that Eric had no presents yet so he wrapped up various items in towels and tissues and gave them to Eric.

She has arrived

So here is how it all went down, we arrived at the hospital at 8:00am, they broke Jen's water at 8:30...contractions began almost immediately. Just under 7 hours later at 3:21pm on November 18 2005, Elinore Yarin Wolthuis came into the world. In case you were wondering, the middle name is of Hebrew origin, meaning "to understand." It was a truly amazing experience for everyone involved. Check out these pictures. We look forward to you all meeting her in person.



1st order of business...take a nap.

Yes, I am a cheeseball!!

Granparents with Granddaughter #2

It is so hard to be me.

My traveling clothes.

Snow Angel

I took the kids for a sled ride around the block. We got to Mi Favorita and I glanced back to see how they were doing. Lydia had fallen out a house back! She is so tiny I didn't notice the weight change and Sam hadn't said anything! She was just rolling around on the sidewalk, playing with the snow. When we got home we made cookies and danced to music. What a wonderful day! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIC!

Eric, we hope you had a good birthday--since it is almost over already. We sure have birthdays on our minds in November. We still don't know whether you will share a birthday with Elinore or whether she will decide to have her very own day. We have had our first measurable snowfall so the ground is white this morning. Sam was able to make a snowball yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Mom

Attempted Photo Shoot

I tried to get Sam to look cute, but this was about the best shot...I think he's picking something for you, Kev. 

We just thought we'd post our photo here so that when we arrive in Thailand in the spring, Gabe will be able to recognize us!

Happy Birthday, Gabe; we miss you lots!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GABE

Although you are already in bed with memories of a very special day, we want you to know we are thinking about you on your 4th birthday. We know you will do more celebrating when your Grandpa and Grandma Taylor and Uncle Nathan come to visit you this week. Best Wishes from all of us here in Michigan (and from Grandpa W. in Turkey). Love, Grandma W.

80's moment

I've been meaning to post pics of these for a couple of weeks. I have been enjoying wearing my jelly shoes except for that familiar jelly-shoe problem: rocks stuck in the soles. Also, I included a pic of those familiar rubber bracelets we used to wear. I see lots of kids wearing them now.

We're doing pretty well these last few weeks. I have been fighting a cold this week and the Airborne supplement that mom & dad W brought has actually been helping quite a bit-Thanks guys! Yesterday we had our annual day of prayer for our group in which I played the guitar for 8 hours. I couldn't feel my fingers by the end, but surprisingly, they don't hurt today. Today is the Grace yard sale where we all go to trade goods. It's our only chance to go a garage sale here in Thailand, so of course, it's the event of the year.

Other People's Kids

So I was at Target on Tuesday running some errands when I had this moral/social dillema. The woman at the checkout in front of me was busy applying for a Target credit card, so she was distracted from watching her two girls (probably about a four-year old and a seven-year old). She had bought each of them a piece of candy. I watched as the four-year old intentionally dropped her candy wrapper on the floor, trying to do it in a way that no one would notice. Remember that mom is busy and oblivious to what is going on behind her. As it dropped from her hand, she and I made eye contact. She knew that I had just watched her purposely drop her trash on the floor. She hesitated, holding my gaze. I think she was trying to decide if she should leave it or pick it up and pretend like she had dropped it. She left it.

So, what do I do?

New Camera?

I wish you could see the prints of the pictures I posted. The color is so much better. Sorry for the faded look. As Dad says, maybe it is time to get a new digital camera to keep up with the rest of you. Amy, I'll get some of the prints to you. Mom

More Pictures

Birthday Pictures

Here are the pictures I promised. Thanks, Jen, for your help.

Here I am at 40 weeks. Today is Elinore's due date, and there still seems to be no sign of her. I had a foot massage and went for a long walk to try to help her get started, so we'll see what happens. I had no idea I looked so huge until I saw this picture!! Pray for us! 

Weekend Highlights

It was our last weekend before Dad leaves for Turkey, and it was very busy, but in a most enjoyable way. On Saturday, we witnessed a beautiful ceremony in which Andy Van Hekken married Alina, one of Dad's former students. Sara Luneack sang, and the reception was at the Blue Dress Barn, a real barn way out in the country. It of course was transformed by lights, music, a dance floor, etc. It was more fun than the usual "former student" weddings because we knew so many people--friends and relatives of Andy. We were able to catch up a bit with Dan Pike, Peter Hunsberger, Charley Vandenberg (and his family), etc. All in all, a great evening.

Yesterday, I was privileged to take part in the installation service for our new Minister of Congregational Care. He asked me because of our "long history;" I was one of his high school teachers. He mentioned that during the service, and many people asked me later how I could be that much older than he is since he is in his 50's. One lady said she figured I would have to be 25 years older than he is. I quickly explained that I started teaching at age 22, and he was 15, so....... In the evening, our Growth Community discussed our pastor's sermon--"God is Looking for a Church Home." We talked about what kind of church God would feel at home in and is our church that kind of church. Many people participated, and it was a stimulating evening.

Now it's Monday, and I just washed underwear so Dad can start packing for Turkey. Hopefully, he'll write something about his trip before he leaves. And he REALLY would like to meet Elinore before he leaves :) Mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANG!

As I write this, Ang, I am aware that your birthday is already past in Thailand. For those of us over here, it's still November 5, so I guess these wishes are only "half late." Were you able to celebrate with your friend Christina, or has she already left?

Lydia's birthday (Oct. 26) started our month of Wolthuis birthdays, to be ended by Jen's (Nov. 26), with one date yet to be determined (Elinore's). Sam and Lydia's party was lots of fun. I just picked up my pictures of the party. There are some great ones, and I'll try to post a few--when I figure out how. (Don't hold your breath.) Hope you all have a good weekend. Mom

Halloween

For Halloween Kevin dressed up like Napolean Dynmaite. We keep hearing about the resemblance between them, but Kevin is much better looking! Anyway, thought you would enjoy a photo!

Addicted?

Yesterday our phone lines went out around noon, and didn't return until this morning. Brian and I were chatting about how dependant we are on them, after hearing threatening news that they might not return until Sunday. 'What is this, the third world?" "I wonder who has tried to call us today." "What if someone in our block works at home and uses the internet?" "What if Jen start labor?" "I'm sure there are people without cell phones!" "What if someone is bidding on ebay and now can't check it?" "I won't be able to check the blog!" All the sudden it seemed like there was information out there that we needed, even though we didn't know what it was. Secretly, I was glad we wouldn't be consuming our evening with the computer and it was nice having no phone calls for the day. Now, here we are: The phones haven't been ringing off the hook, Jen is still very pregnant, nothing has changed on the blog, and I only got one email...a Bill!!

My soon to be Superhero Daughter

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Black Phantom Your Superpower is Extra-terrestrial Your Weakness is Alcohol Your Weapon is Your Fire Armor Your Mode of Transportation is Snowshoes

What's your Superhero Name?

My Superhero Wife

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Light Shadow Your Superpower is Witchcraft Your Weakness is Garlic Your Weapon is Your Force Amplifier Your Mode of Transportation is Love Van

What's your Superhero Name?

Me as a Superhero

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Quick Cow Your Superpower is Rapping Your Weakness is Women Your Weapon is Your Light Crowbar Your Mode of Transportation is Cow

What's your Superhero Name?

Love what you do. Do what you love.

At church on Sunday, our little group had “discussion.” I’m still thinking about it, so I thought I would post and extend the thought process. The topic we ended up discussing is an ad slogan from some clothing company. It says, “Love what you do; do what you love.” At first, it seemed like a positive statement and we set out trying to discern what exactly that looks like. If I could do what I love, what would that look like? I started thinking about my hobbies – photography, cooking, reading,… Strangely, or maybe not, I have a fear of doing/focusing on any of those things. My fear is that I will lose enjoyment of these activities if they become my primary concern. In American culture it seems we have associated the word “love” with “pleasure/fun.” We’ve even carried this into relationships, which could help to explain the rising divorce rate. Since when has love ever equaled pleasure or fun? I mean, sometimes that is what comes out of it, but it is by no means always that way. That idea gives love a very selfish definition. We would end up living completely consumed by what we want and enjoy. Although those "hobbies" are good and healthy to commit time to, it would be horrible to shut out other things for that.

So if we step outside of American culture, and look at this statement, what does it look like? And once we establish a picture of that statement, are we succeeding? As individuals, are we loving what we do, and doing what we love?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR LYDIA

We were just remembering a year ago tonight when you arrived--in a real hurry! What joys you have brought to the whole family. You have been so loving and so well loved. Your special smile lights up the room. We pray that God will guard and guide you all the years of your life. Happy First Birthday! Love, Grandpa and Grandma W.

Fundraiser

Thanks for asking, Ang. It went so well! We had a great time eating and laughing and sharing and eating some more. It was really comfortable...everyone new someone. Randy made it look so lovely in there with flowers on each table. His community took care of food and we brought yummy desserts. Brian told part of our story (I love how he sounds on the microphone!) and it seemed very well received. Then I left to put the kids down, but I hear there was a tour of the building, which these pictures prove, and lots of mulling around. Randy's friend made these funny pledge cards with a cute puppy dog on them that said something like, "Yes, the cute puppy has convinced me to give...I cannot resist his big, sad eyes..." It was really funny. There was just a lot of honesty about where we have come from and why everyone was invited. Randy was amazing...we are so thankful for his friendship. Several people were so supportive vebally that night, and to top it all off we have received almost $5000 towards the roof! So we are making plans to have that done before the snow flies. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Back to the Future

Today I have been thinking about my now very distant youth. I bought a pair of jelly shoes at the mall because I just couldn't resist revisiting that wonderful part of the 80's. They sell them in exactly the same style I wore in 5th grade. Also, we've been at camp this week and that has really brought me back as well. The kids played on a giant slip-and-slide which also reminded me of 5th grade which is when I first remembered the slip & slide becoming a part of summer. To be honest, I only played on the slip & slide once because the pain of diving onto it was too great. While I'm being honest, I might as well say that I never went to summer camp. However, I did go to a youth conference or two in middle school, and this camp had the same sort of feel to it. Whether Christian Camp or Christian Youth Conference, there is always a challenge to examine whether you're living your faith or not. As I watched the kids at the conference and their emotional response to these challenges, I felt like I was watching my younger self. I can remember leaving a youth conference with determination to really change the world for Christ. I always left wanting to be kinder, stronger, more devoted, more courageous and more of a light. I still felt like that as I left this this camp despite the fact that I'm 30 and this camp was aimed at 13-year-olds. I always imagined that by this age, and especially if I was working in full-time Christian work, that I would have become that person that I dreamed of being after a few days of inspirational messages. I guess I can't go into conference speaking yet because I'm not quite that person.

Monkey Face

It seems Lydia has inherited Brian's hair, but
my monkey face. (I used to do this when I was
her age.) She is much more beautiful than I,
though. I am so smitten!

Nothing Special

I guess the week has been somewhat like the title of this entry--just an ordinary week. After reading about yet another hurricane, I feel blessed by the ordinariness of our lives right now. We are all in our homes, have electricity, water, etc., and have been able to go and do the assignments we've been given. I hope no one will refrain from writing because nothing major or exciting has happened. A blog can be about our thoughts--and our thoughts about our thoughts.

We so enjoyed the shower Sunday. Aunt Pat, Sara, and Mardy did such a great job with everything, and seeing Grandpa there was a real bonus. I talked to Bette last night, and she said he has improved even since Sunday. She has even left him alone for a short time to go play tennis. His appetite seems to be improving, and he continues to get some PT a few times a week. They are even hoping to come to the birthday party for Sam and Lydia. I am amazed.

As I tutor Debra who is trying so hard to get her GED, I appreciate anew the mastery of language exhibited by all of you who write on this blog. You all write so well and can find just the right word to express your thoughts. This in turn will be passed along to your children. Dad and I were just commenting the other night on how well (correctly) Sam speaks already. Trying to help Debra (age 47) "catch up" in this language area is so daunting. Just yesterday she discovered that "idea" and "ideal" are two separate words with different meanings. We take so much for granted--even in the area of our language skills.

Well, time to get into the real world of laundry and grocery shopping. We hope you all have a pleasant weekend and share some thoughts if you have time. We agree with Eric and Ang that this blog helps keep us in one another's "loop." Mom

It's Raining Baby Things!

As most of you witnessed, yesterday we had the “family baby shower”. Aunt Pat, Sara, and Mardy so graciously, creatively, and elaborately designed it. From a clothesline of colorful onesies to Grandpa winning the belly-measuring game to disgusted faces of the baby food we had just tasted to lots of laughing. We all had lots of fun! Let me tell you. If you have never tasted much in the way of baby food (that you remember), Turkey Dinner tastes like mud!

Anyway, it was so good to be surrounded by family and to feel so supported as our waiting time gets shorter and shorter. Kevin and I were talking last night about how blessed we feel. Elinore is not even here, and yet all these people love her and are celebrating her. How wonderful to enter the world so loved and anticipated. From all the gifts we have received, so joyfully given, and the things we have been able to borrow (thank you Lydia!), we have had minimal financial expenses. That alone is such a great relief, besides the fact that everyone has such good taste! After being in this place, I feel so grateful. I cannot wait for someone else to have a baby shower, so that I can go and bless them!

I’m sure others got more pictures, but here are a couple I wanted to include!

Fall Cleaning

Angela reminded me that although we haven't had any amazing events to blog about either, the little things are still important to write about. It's often those little things that make up our day to day...the real stuff of life. So, even though everyone else will know about this, I wanted to let the wolTHAIs know what's going on here this weekend.

One of Brian's good friends, Randy Buist, initiated a fundraiser for the back building this weekend. He has taken all the trouble to call, invite, gather and feed some of our friends and some of his and some friends of friends...all who know why they are being invited: to hear what we believe God wants us to do with the building and to participate in that work by helping financially. We honestly have no expectation as far as money is concerned. We just hope people don't think we're silly or insane and atleast encourage us in our journey that way. We simply want eveyone to be inspired, weather it be for this cause or their own.

So, for the past week, here and there, we have been tidying up the place. With Brian's magnetic tendency to anything remotely usable and free, we have collected quite the stash of stuff, all of which he assures me we will use and save us money. I have seen that to be true and I trust him. Lots of moving, organizing, vacuuming and dusting and a little pitching and donating has really got the place looking as good as it can right now. My one fear is people will walk in and turn up their noses to our hard labor, of which still much more is needed. For example, the upstairs level has a new roof and ceiling and massive beam to support the once caving ceiling and finally has insulation and is swept and organized, but there is no drywall and it's still pretty dingy. Will people say, "Eww....needs drywall, huh?" Rather than knowing how far we have come.

I guess what I am feeling is a bit vulnerable for this weekend...letting friends and strangers into a piece of our hearts, inviting them to walk around and look, give their opinion, and then decide what they think. But no matter what, we will keep our eyes on Jesus who planted this dream in us in the first place.

Sorry so long...how typical of me :)

Prayer

I feel like I haven't written on this blog for a while, but there hasn't been anything too exciting to report. We have been rain-free for a week now, which is quite good. I did want to ask you all to pray for this part of the world. I can't be too specific, but some governments around here are really clamping down on religious freedoms and religious people. It's quite discouraging. Sometimes you feel like you're really moving forward and the next you're back to square one. Please pray for religious freedom and for God to move his work forward when we cannot.

Shower

The last week or so, I have felt so tired and uncomfortable that sitting down to compose something for the blog has seemed a bit of a feat! I am starting my 36th week of pregnancy, so the countdown is really on. This past weekend (as most of you already know) Nen flew down from DC for my baby shower. She and Amy put the whole thing on, and it was so much fun! From beautifully iced dragonfly cookies to pomegranate juice to CD favors to laughing with my friends to learning how to multi-task, it was something I will cherish! Everyone was so generous with their words of support and their gifts for my little Elinore. It is so bizarre to imagine that all of these sweet, tiny things will be hers.

Sunday Morning Quarterbacking

I can't say that I KNEW MSU would lose, but I was not nearly as sure they'd win as so many others were, including the media. Because of the way everything was written all week, U of M had to be incredibly fired up. I guess it's better for MSU to go into a game as the underdog. I did record the game, Eric, but you probably don't want to spend your time watching it. Well, at least Bob, Mark, and Chad are happy. Mom

And even more water...

We are in the midst of our worst flooding yet. We are so thankful that we're not close to the river and our house is not flooded, but for those who are close to the river, this is a nightmare. We only got a small amount of rain from Typhoon Damrey, but we are so saturated that it seems that the most minor of rains sends the water level soaring. The river rose to its highest level yet yesterday and unlike previous times, it's not really going back down. Things have been very quiet as a lot of roads, schools and workplaces are closed. People stay home to try to protect what they have left and bail water out as it comes in. Grace didn't flood this time, so school is open, but many students don't come. People have been begging the governor for help, but there's none to be had, except from neighbors. Please pray for CM and all the northern provinces. People have lost so much and it's really discouraging. It's getting so bad that some of our members are abandoning much-loved houses they've lived in for years to move out of the flood zone.

Stuck in a rice paddy

Today I was taking three boys home from Gabe's "new, new preschool" as he calls it. Jamin, Mathias and Gabe were all speculating on the ways you could get into our moobaan. I told them that I knew a way they had never seen before, and they were intrigued. They asked if we could see the new way. I felt a bit nervous since I had three children in the car and that road is rather narrow, but I thought "There's not a lot of traffic at this time, I'll show them." This road goes through some areas of thick vegetation and rice fields and is quite tortuous. So I was going slowly to make sure I had enough time to swerve if anyone should be driving carelessly. I was almost to the end of the road when someone did come along taking more than their share of the road. As they passed, I veered a bit too far and felt my wheel go off the side of the road. We had landed one wheel on a low rice paddy and I could tell from the drop that there was no way I could get back onto the road. I got out and was relieved to see that the tire itself was resting on the ground and nothing was damaged, however, it was at least six inches below the road bed. Had I gone off only 2 feet earlier, I would have done serious damage to the front end. I called Mathias' parents to come and bring a board and a jack. As I was waiting for them, 2 farmers came down the road. One was carrying a big machete. The machete carrier didn't even speak to me, just started sizing up the situation. I wasn't quite sure what he was going to do, I just hoped it wouldn't involve the machete. A minute later, the truck that had driven me off the road came back with a load of people. Meanwhile, a bunch of random passers-by stopped to see the show. Still without speaking to me, the men consulted about what was to be done. They decided on lifting the car with their combined muscle power. This is not something I would have believed anyone would attempt as it would involve lifting and pushing at the same time. Their first couple of attempts failed miserably. The group included both young and old, none as large as westerners. As more guys saw what was being tried, they also stopped to offer their muscles. They must have tried 10 times before they even got close to their goal. Finally, with a mighty "Neung, Song, SAAAAM!" (1-2-3), they lifted the car and actually slid it sideways. Mario and Maariane were just into to witness the amazing spectacle.

It has amazed me that every time I have been stranded in Thailand someone (or many people) have stopped to help me. Every time, they had gotten me on my way in a very short time. I am really grateful for how God has blessed us throughThai strangers.

Needless to say, I don't think I'm going to be taking that road again.

Happy Birthday, Kevin!!

I know this is a day late, but here he is in all his splendor!