Cows Rock!

Grandma and Grandpa Bob have a new toy at their house: a rocking cow! She even "moos" when you squeeze her ear. Noah liked to play with the cow but he didn't really want to ride on it. Look at those cute little faces! Noah named the cow Cindy.
And he named this smaller baby cow Nicholas.
Dear Cindy and Nicholas,
Please don't be offended. I don't really think you look like cows. I just think all mommies and babies are called Cindy and Nicholas.

Love,
Noah

Speaking of keychain remote control door opener thingies...

I was spying on some of Geary's students via MySpace and I came across this:

Six Stupid Things People Have Done

ONE Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets. "We don't have half dozen nuggets," said the teenager at the counter. "You don't?" I replied. "We only have six, nine, or twelve," was the r eply. "So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?" "That's right." So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets

TWO I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those "dividers" that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the "divider", looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code she said to me, "Do you know how much this is?" I said to her "I've changed my mind, I don't think I'll buy that today." She said "OK," and I paid her for the things and left. She had no clue to what had just happened.

THREE A lady at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly. When I inquired as to what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM "thingy."

FOUR I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. "Do you need some help?" I asked. She replied, "I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenience store) would have a battery to fit this?" "Hmmm, I dunno. Do you have an alarm, too?" I asked. "No, just this remote thingy," she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, "Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries. It's a long walk."

FIVE Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, "I'm almost out of typing paper. What do I do?" "Just use copier machine paper," the secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five "blank" copies.

SIX A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid was eating ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and he should be fine, the mother says, I just gave him some ant killer..... Dispatcher: Rush him in to emergency!

Suddenly I don't feel so out of it...

You know you're out of it when...

You keep pressing the unlock button on your keychain door opener remote control thing and the front door to your apartment won't open.

*Sigh* I am just not feeling very well this week. I've forced myself to get out of the house, but I'm low on energy and, I think, a little sleep deprived. Pray for me...

Google Art Appreciation

I really like Google's banner today.


It's done in the style of surrealist artist Joan Miro, who was born on April 20th 113 years ago. In addition to liking his fantasy style of art, I find it interesting (in a math geek sort of way) that he was born in 1893 and died in 1983.

That's Pretty Cool...

This morning, on the way to the train station, I noticed that there were a lot of helicopters hovering around the freeway. Then I noticed that the past three exits of Northbound I-5 were blocked by police on motorcycles and that every overpass had a single police car with its lights flashing. Then Becca said, "Whoa!" And we saw about 40 police motorcycles in perfect formation, followed by 10 police cars, several black SUVs and limousines, three busses, more police cars, and more motorcycles. Can you guess what all that was about? We saw President Hu Jianto's motorcade! He was on his way to visit the Boeing plant in Everett. It was pretty cool. Here's a video of the motorcade on it's way back to Seattle from Everett. I know it's silly, but I feel kind of important--like I just saw the President of China!

Gifts from Becca

We were all sad to see Becca go this morning. She gave us some wonderful gifts. First of all, the gift of her friendship--Becca was a beautiful blessing to my son this week and I will always be grateful for the thoughtful ways she loved and played with him. If this is what all those JV kids experience, they are blessed beyond measure and JV has chosen someone who is perfectly gifted for ministering to children. Thank you, Becca.

Becca gave me this beautiful Polish Pottery teacup. I love the pattern and it was actually the most perfect gift she could have given me. My friend Ana recently told me about the tradition of collecting "Friendship Teacups" and ever since I have secretly wanted to start this tradition among my own friends. Becca beat me to it, but it only makes this teacup that much more special.

Noah's special treasures from Becca are our airplanes. This is the underside of Noah's plane. Look at how good he is at writing his name! I helped on the N and A but he did all the rest!

Noah's plane decorated with fish and beaver stickers.
My plane. I like how the exterior is all girly, but then there are those flames shooting out the back. Becca's plane. Becca grew up in Haiti and her airplane is very tropical looking.

Another special gift to Noah was the book, Another Monster at the End of This Book

The inscription says, "This is my book. My name is Noah. From: your mom's friend (Becca)" Becca let Noah keep her pocket lizards Bowser (green) and Cordelia (orange). Noah hasn't let the airplanes, book, or lizards out of his sight since she left.

A Visit From Becca

Our friend, Becca, who is the Missionary Kids Coordinator for Josiah Venture, came to visit us! We had a fun day full of adventures. Becca made fast friends with Noah by showing us how to make cool paper airplanes. We took them to Dog Park in Edmonds to test them out. Here is Noah showing off his "Bwoo Airpwane". Of course, you can't go to a park and not play on the playground! I love the expression on Noah's face here. I wonder if Becca's pointy hair is poking him?
Noah on the tunnel slide.


Dog Park is on the beach, so we went down by the water to find sticks and shells. Noah found a cool "seahorse" shaped stick.
Noah kept calling Becca "my mom's friend"or "your friend" instead of her name. For example, when we were making our airplanes, Becca wadded up some tape and stuck it to Noah's leg. I said, "Haha! A tape boogie!" Noah was annoyed and said, "Mom, I don't want your friend to put tape boogies on me!" Here's Noah and his mom's friend looking for shells.
I found a cool seashell that looked like a butterfly.

After the fun at the park and beach, Noah went to the Johnson's house and Geary, Becca, and I headed off to The Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Seattle to meet our friends Micah and Johanna Adamson. It was really fun reconnecting with old friends. Becca is taking the train back to Portland tomorrow and then she is flying back to the Czech Republic in a few days. I don't think Noah is going to let "his mom's friend" go.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Easter Egg Hunt

Today we went a Community Easter Egg Hunt at nearby park. My mom (Granny) came up to join us and Noah had a great time dragging her all over the lawn to pick up eggs.

Here is his basket of loot.

After opening all the eggs, Noah had a bucketfull of candy.

Showing off his Easter Bucket (given to him from Nila, last year)

Karissa got to gather eggs, too. Of course, her favorite part was dumping the eggs out of the basket.

Noah's best buddy, Andrew, was running around so fast at one point I said, "Oh, there's another boy with the same fireman jacket as Andrew" before I realized that the boy was Andrew!

A special treat! Noah and Lili each got straws with Animals on them. They quickly turned into swords...

Family Music Time

Last night Noah organized us into a little family band. I sang, Geary played the "drums" (an over-turned metal pail) and Noah played his guitar. It was really fun just making noise...I mean music...together. My favorite thing was that Noah learned two band phrases: Cut! and Take it from the top!

Reflections on Abram

I'm studying the book of Genesis with my mentor and these thoughts keep rolling around in my head, so I thought I'd get them out here so you all can help me process.

Genesis 13
Summary: Abram has just moved back to Bethel where he made an altar to the Lord. The place can't support both his family and Lot's family so Abe gives Lot first choice on which part of the land to live. Lot chooses the greener, fertile area and then God promises Abe all the land, even the part he just gave away.

Gen 13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

This is what has me thinking so hard. Abram moved his tents and lived. I don't know about you, but to me, tents are a pretty temporary dwelling place. And yet, scripture says he lived there. That sounds kind of permanent. So why would he choose to live (for a long time) in tents (a temporary house)?

Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

That's it! He didn't expect to stay there long. He was looking forward to his real home--the permanent-forever place God had promised him! And yet, in the meantime he lived.

This makes me think of God's instructions to Jeremiah and the Israelites when they were captives in Babylon. Jeremiah 29:4-7 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."

The Israelites were told that one day they would get to go home--their real home. And yet, God says, "Build a house! Plant a garden! Live there! Get married! Have babies! Watch your babies grow up and get married and have babies of their own! Live there!"

So now I have these two examples of people living not where they want to be. They feel like where they are should only be temporary because it's not the land God promised them. But they are told to build houses, plant gardens, make a home in that strange land...

Can you guess why these thoughts are rolling around in my head? Obviously, there is the application that I have a home in heaven which I should be looking forward to, but in the meantime I need to live here on earth. I need to make friends with my neighbors in this world and buy their produce and pray for their success. Yes. Eternal perspective while living in this temporal world.

But there is something else, too. Something specific to my life and something that requires me to let go of what I desperately want to hold on to.

Here I am in Edmonds, Washington, a place where I don't want to live because I feel that Portland, Oregon is my home. In my mind, we are only living here temporarily because of course we're gonna move back to Portland...And so every time we talk about buying a house, I end up letting it slip away. I want to keep my apartment (read tent) because I don't want to commit to a life in Seattle. I want to be able to pack up and go home as soon God gives the go ahead. But what if he doesn't? What if he means for me to live here for a long time? What if I'm supposed to buy a house and plant a garden and watch my child grow up and get married and have his own babies all before I get to go home to Portland? What if I go home to heaven before that? Abram never saw God's promise fulfilled in his lifetime. He lived in a tent all that time...And so did his descendents Isaac and Jacob!

So now what? The longer we live in our tent, here in Edmonds, the more ties we make to people, our church, our community. And it will already be so hard to leave family. Whether we want to or not, our tent is becoming a permanent dwelling place. Should we just buy a house and plant a garden here in Seattle? Do I let go of my hope of moving back to Portland? Am I even making any sense?

Burning the Bunnies

Last Friday we had dinner at the Carlsons and they had a special surprise planned for dessert. We roasted marshmallow Peeps bunnies! Now, I think Peeps are disgusting, but I must admit, roasting them is really fun. I like to call them Flaming Screamers because if they're Peeps when they are not on fire...well, I'm sure you can imagine the rest. Plus, they kind of have this high pitched hiss when they start melting.

Anyway, here are Noah and Andrew getting ready to burn their bunnies.

The bunnies in the fire pit.
The first Peeps s'more. It tasted just like a regular one, but kind of crunchy with the sugar.
The mass of melted blue bunnies that dropped off our sticks. Yum.

Andrew holding up his Flaming Screamer (aka charred Peep) "It's on FIRE!!!"


We had a really, really, really good bunny burning time. I'm so excited for more outdoor roasting type stuff.

The Winning Resume Picture

Picture number 3. "Three!! Three??" you say, "Three had the least number of votes! This voting thing was a sham!!" Okay, okay, before you throw a grapefruit at my head, I just have to tell you two things.

One: I should have posted all the pictures in black and white to begin with. I'm sure that if you had seen this one in B&W at first you all would have voted for it.

Two: We had to use a sort of electoral college system of voting. Geary's vote counted for more points. Think of Geary as Texas and yourself as Rhode Island. Please...just put the grapefruit down.

Today's Cosmic Moment

Are you ready for this? When I press the "post" button it will be 1:02:03 04/05/06. Whoa.

Special Collectors Edition

Remember that empty spot with the P-touch label where my Narnia DVD was gonna go? It's there now. *HUGE GRIN* And now I have a new label for Prince Caspian coming out in 2007!