Claydough

We haven't posted a slew of pictures of Clay as of yet. We haven't because, well, he's not usually very happy (We're all trying to help him out in that area). So here's a few recent pics. We'll try to get a smiling one soon, but no guarantees. He may be generally discontented- but he sure is cute. We're loving him and enjoying his presence in our family. God be praised.

Museum of Science (Trip Two!)

To Bed

Footballs
Nerf balls
Racquetballs

Curious George book
Silent night LCD display book
Toddler's Bible

Nalgene for kids
Old milk sippy
Ziploc container with one piece of pear in it

Wooden trains
Thomas
Thomas with mud

Chuck trucks
Hess motorcycles
Hot Wheels

Diaper rash cream
mom's face lotion
Body lotion from the bathroom

Magnetic letters
Bathtub numbers
Bathtub letters

Peas
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Kix

Lambie
Teddy Bear
Eeeyore


I have taken all these things to bed with me at one point.

May you take heart in having something close to you tonight. Whether that be your spouse, your family, or your stuffed Eeyore.

There are moments

There are moments in life when you face the unknown and the unknown sends little shivers rippled through your skin.

In those moments, seek God and His righteousness and remember that as you seek Him, He goes before you.

The unknown is known, (just not to you).

Obey God. Prepare your army. March to the fight. Then rejoice in His provision.

And be sure to remember that Christ never promised safety. Living life to fullest does not always mean the traditional view of things being good.

Out with the Old, in with the Blue

Mom's faithful nine-year-old water bottle is finally being recycled. She is having trouble saying goodbye to it as she has used it almost everyday for the past nine years. So here's a tribute to the old orange and a big welcome for big blue.

May you know the sweet taste of nine-year-old plastic and may you not take it for granted.

brotherly love

Beaker and Squeaker

We've been having a great time. Mom Mom and Pop Pop came up this past week and we celebrated some more Christmas.

Clay is doing alright, but he does have some things to sort out. He has some reflux, colic and a thing called Tracheomalacia. Basically, the cartilage rings that support his windpipe are weak. He makes quite a squeak! It (as well as the reflux) have made things like nursing and sleeping much more complicated. But, praise God for his overall good health and for our doctor, whom has been very attentive to our family. If you're looking for a pediatrician in the Boston area, we have a serious recommendation.

Mom just started back at work for a few days a week. I made a fantastic puppy face to her this morning from our second floor window as she cleaned off the ice on the car windshield. I tried to look as cute as possible, but she still had to go. She's taking Clay with her to work, so basically Dad and I will be partying like it's 1999 all day long.

News on the Sim front.

Yesterday I awoke from my nap to find the television missing.
It's covered up in the back hallway and I'm not letting on that I know where it is. I'm not quite sure how long it will be hiding, but I've been enjoying the experiment so far. My parents think they are seeing the affect no television has on me, but actually it is more of an experiment to see my parent's stamina with book reading and game playing. So far mum is doing well at reading the Bob the Builder book many, many, many times. Dad is also impressing me with his ability for rough housing. Clay's demeanor hasn't changed. I don't think he cares either way.



Clay and baby Jack (I also give Clay balls and trucks to play with. Mom gets a kick out of finding them placed beside Clay.)


My tricycle. Oh yeah.

It even has a compartment in the back for food, trains, chuck trucks, and balls.

Haiti

We'd be honored if you prayed for the people in our church. Many of them have family they have not heard from yet after the earthquake in Haiti. A friend of mine's entire family lives in Port-au-Prince and is unable to contact them. A man in our congregation stated that "everyone has lost someone, we just aren't sure whom yet."

May the hope be an anchor to our soul.

If you'd like to donate to World Vision, click HERE. If you want to give to a smaller organization, we have a few connections. Also, the woman I led woman's ministry at our church with is highly involved in a Haitian support group. They do the work themselves with the money they raise and I could give you her contact information directly if you'd like it.

Haiti

We mourn today for our many friends from Haiti and for the country as it is rocked once again by another hardship.

We pray for humility toward God in our confusion in why this would happen.

And we long for the day when tragedy like this will not be able to take place.

Ah, the Spectacular

We came across that statement in our cookbook- "one of the most spectacular dishes in the world" and decided not to pass it up.

Of course, we must try it!




It was tasty. Oh so tasty. The main flavors were turkey, almonds, cinnamon, lemon, sugar and egg.

The next time you're in Morocco, try it with pigeon!

The Boston Children's Museum

We took a subway-stroll into Boston this week with cheap tickets from the library for the Children's Museum. We had a blast. I got to ride on the subway (a very large train) and transfer several times from train to train. We headed home at 5:15pm which was a bit of a riot considering it is subway rush hour at that point. Mom had Clay in one arm and held my hand in the other while dad maneuvered the collapsed double stroller.

It was a cold walk from the subway to the museum but it was worth it. As you can see from one of the pictures, we sure didn't have to wait in line. Mom said that it's on her top five list for museum ranks. It was pretty much amazing.


They had Thomas train set. Dad was making the train carry pork and then made Clay carry pork.




They had a huge water exhibit with ladles and what-nots just to play in the water with.

The Zoo. At Night. In Winter.

Mom took me to the zoo last week. I'm not really sure why anyone would take their child to the zoo in the middle of a New England winter, in the dark, but I was personally very grateful for the cookie, the ride on a "real" train by myself (I am rather grown up), and the goofy light displays. It was amazingly cold and the animals were there, hiding in the night.

The War Zone

You may be out of the very young child-rearing world at the moment or you may be smack dab emerged in the warzone of parenting styles.

With the arrival of Clay and the never-ending debate of "How long should he sleep?" "How will it affect this evening?" "How can I teach him to sleep well?"...etc, Mom has been doing some research in the past few days that has been tapping her shoulders for years.

So if you are unaware, there is a war zone right now in this culture between two sides "Attachment Parenting" and the "Babywise" approach, otherwise referred to as "Parent-directed Feeding, or PDF, or The Ferber Method."

A war zone is not an exaggeration, as there is name-calling, threats, and accusations on both sides- resulting in what looks very similar to modern republican and democrat bloodbaths on Capitol Hill.

The opinions are so strong, that mom asked me not to state on the site where our family falls in this area, so I am left to say that we are hoping to fall somewhere in the middle. We're going to try to take the good and wise advice from both camps of thought. (Interestingly enough we do the same in politics).

So our family word of caution to those of you who will be having children soon is to read up on both sides of the argument so that you can recognize the bias in materials you will be given by your physicians, read about in breastfeeding literature, or just come across in your average day. If you don't have an educated parenting position in this area, then you are bound to get guilted into one or the other without even knowing it.

I decided to ask Clay about it.I told him that I would list several stements. If he agreed, he was instructed give me a thumbs up. If he disagreed, then he was instructed to baby sign "no way, bro." I asked him "Do you like the parenting style we are curtrently recieving?," "If you were stranded on a desert island for 2 years and you could only take Dr. Sears or Gary Ezzo, which one would you choose?," and "Do you think the Eagles will win tonight?"

Unfortunately, all I got from him was a few burps.

Dressed to the Hilt

Getting ready to play in the snow!