Paul Wants a Snuggie and I Have Frito Residue in the Keyboard

Some of you are feeling bad for me due to the last post.

Please don't. That wasn't the intent. I just want to make changes.

Most of my posts are random. Like Paul in a Snuggie (poor hubs has bronchitis) And like the Frito Residue (at 9:48 every evening I crave salty awful food, when I do so well all day eating like a rabbit.)

I love random. But I'm holding out for random with a purpose, in community. Writing about what I sort of know and love (God, dreams, family.) Like more practical, takeaway stuff. Where other voices are heard, just as much as mine. A listening more than talking deal.

And balance? I struggle with this. (Case in point = my house = current disaster + I just ate a million Frito's)

You have to admit... My blog does end up teetering on the sad, weepy, introspective side:)

If I am to imitate my Jesus, that's an unfair assessment of Him.

Life has its tears, yes. But life with Christ has hope, above all. And laughter. That's the stuff I don't want to forget. Cause there's beauty in the whole of it.

Hope that makes sense. Thanks for listening, friends.

Much love, tears, hope, joy, peace, and the whole shebang,

Kristin

"Happy Birthday Thanksgiving!" - Adden

2009 Thanks
Little Man: baseball fields and baseball bats
Little Woman: little bear, mom, dad, pink, and "so many things"
Big Man: good health for the clan
Big Woman: our kids' joy and 9 years engaged to the hubs

2nd Most Adorable Nephew Ever!

Welcome Cory Jonathan Charles.
Born on October 30th (4 weeks early!) and weighing in at a whopping 6 lbs 10 oz for a preemie!

Congratulations to Jon and Ashley and big brother Kayden!

The little man snuggled in my arms last night and he is just perfect. Perfect!

Would appreciate your prayers for him though, as he went back in the hospital today with jaundice. It's a traumatizing experience for a mom whose hormones have tanked. Being sleep deprived and wondering about the unknown can also be difficult. (Pray for Ashley and Jon too.)

Thanks:)

Parachute Bubbles and Cupcakes

Selah's 4th Birthday Party was at Gymboree this year.

(Working there does have its perks!)

Here we are mixing up her pretend birthday cake.

And eating the real birthday cupcakes.

Her favorite boys exploring the prince's castle.

Riding in a princess carriage with a friend.

Catching sugar sprinkles for tea cookies.

Thanks to all who made her birthday so special this year!

Our favorite part was her smile. It never left!

A Letter to My Daughter

Dear Selah,

No one really knows what your name means. Nor how to say it, poor girl. See-lah, Sell-ah, Say-lay. Sorry, babe. Your Dad and I still love it though. God placed a ton of significance on people's names. We figured we would too.

Some say Selah means to pause; to stop and think about what you just heard. It's used all over the psalms, usually in the side margin, in italics. "God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble...Selah" (Psalm 46:1)

Selah gives emphasis to the Word of God. Instead of plowing forward, you're supposed to reflect, to consider what it means for you, to study. Your Dad and I would be lost without this Word. In Hebrews, it says that God sustains all things by his powerful Word. We can't comprehend all things. Sometimes we can't comprehend anything, but we certainly know His Word has sustained us.

There are some who believe that Selah also comes from the Hebrew word Calah, meaning to weigh and measure, or evaluate. Some think that it is a word like a boundary or marker of sorts - a place to stop in our journeys for a moment to catch our breath. Still others believe that it's a term of worship, like a musical notation, an interlude. Whatever it means, I think we all need a little Selah in our lives. Or at least your Momma does.

Sometimes I feel as though this world is careening out of control. There are images, people, technology, words, needs, and products screaming for our attention. Though I've never been one for the fast paced life, I easily find myself getting swept in the current. If I don't have Selah time, I lose it. Selah reminds me to, "Turn my eyes from worthless things and to preserve my life according to your word." (Psalm 119:37)

Sometimes this world also feels doomed to destruction. And in a sense, it is. There is so much hurt and pain that I want to shield you from. I fear the tears you'll cry, the despair you'll see, the words that will cut your tender heart. But held in a snuggle close to mom, you'll never grow. It's good for me to know that there's a God who clings to you tighter than even me. May you grow in the grace and in the knowledge of this Jesus who has come to save the world.

In His grasp, you'll learn trust, beauty, justice, and peace. May His hold on your life be without question. In His word, you'll find joy, wisdom, strength, and endurance. May His words captivate you to believe impossible dreams. You can do all things, my child, through Him who gives you strength. There is hope to be brought to the world. It began with Christ. May it continue with your Mom and Dad. Then you and your brother.

As you already know, this world is not all there is. Tinkerbelles may not sprinkle us with pixie dust, but there is a dimension out there that our eyes cannot see. Pain does not have the final say. Death is not the end. Perfect love has driven out all fear. God came so that we might have life and have it to the full. Out in the open, with arms widespread, music that stirs you to dance, and head held to the sky.

All this to say, happy birthday, my Selah. May four years old find you not reading this, but playing in the dirt, worshipping in the rain, and holding your baby dolls close to you. May it find you climbing up mini rock walls, trying persistently to draw your S, and dressing up as a princess always.

And when much older years find you, may this letter encourage you to pursue the most valuable things in this life: Selah time with the God of all hope, every dream written upon your heart, and the beauty alive in this day we call today.

Love you like crazy,
Mom

Show and Tell

Selah had her first show and tell at school today. She thought long and hard about what to bring in... her baby Madeline, her favorite book Let's Pretend, a paper bag puppet we made together...

The final decision was tea pot. She couldn't wait to tell her friends about a special tea party we had last Friday with her very special grandmother and great grandmother.

A big hug for her special gift!

Chocolate covered strawberries!

Pink lemonade!

Her very first tea party! Yeah!

A big thank you to her grandmothers for making this such a special time for us!

It was beautiful! We love you!

A Little RI

Adden reading the Journal with Uncle Dan - our favorite Violet evening pastime.
A little Pawsox Game sibling love - baseball is in their blood!

The Children's Museum with Mimi and Papa.

Crescent Park Carousel - Even better now than when I was five.

Rides now are 75 cents. Been around since 1895.

My 89 year old Boppie - a history text come to life. So grateful for this guy and his heart.

Behold - the Princess Castle.

My favorite place in the world. All that's missing here is Paul.

Crashing into the waves. Covered with sand and loving it.

Collecting seashells. Warm sun. We heart the beach.

Fantastic trip minus the drive:)

So thankful for my jammin family, friends, home, God, creation.

Love love love this place.

Happy Eight Babe

I love you Paul.

And I love our life together.

Thank you for being you.

Always,

Kristin

Freedom

Today

Amidst
Red white and blue
Hot dogs and hamburgers
Fireworks
And parades

We celebrate our freedom.

But I can't help but wonder
If we're living in freedom
When we're slaves to

Consumption
Indulgence
Self
Technology
Media
Our own messed up desires.

Being an American does not make me free,
Though I thank God for the freedoms this country allows
And the soldiers who have lived and died to secure that freedom.

Being a follower of Christ makes me free,
Because God has rescued me from myself.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
- 2 Corinthians 3:17

Happy Daddy's Day, Paul!

We Love You Tons!

Thanks for being the bestest ever.

Of Lollipop Trees and Almost Three

Adden shyly accepted the spotlight of his birthday shabang.

Man, do we love that smile.

His momma was proud of the train cake she made on the fly.
It wasn't perfect, but it was hers.

Thanks to all who came to celebrate.
And thanks to all who celebrate our little man all the time.

We think he's pretty amazing.
Even if he does insist he's three.

Wordless Wednesday

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."

~e.e. cummings

Remember

That all freedom has a cost.
That this day is for remembering.
That military casualties in the US total 849,898 dead and counting.
That men and women have died so that we might have life.

The words thank you seem too cheap.
But they're all I know to say.

Welcome Bridget

Meet the newest member of the fam.

Congratulations, John and Maureen!

Sooooooo excited for you guys.

She is simply beautiful and as Selah says, "So crazy cute!"

All Things New

Like any Momma, I am crazy about my kiddos. For tons of reasons, but one being that they make me slow down. They help me to see things with their eyes, on their level. And with them, ordinary life is touched with wonder.

Today we saw:

A bird busy stuffing too much brush in her puny little beak.
Perennials poking their heads up through the mushy ground.
Pink buds in mid-sprout coloring the trees.
A dog flying through the air to retrieve a ball. (To which Adden responded with much applause.)

The sun blanketed us with warmth and the coats got ditched real quick. We tricycled and ran and sang and slid in the mud. Adden's giddy laugh was contagious, as were Selah's new discoveries of the world in our own backyard. After a long, drab winter, spring is sure welcome round these parts. Not only welcome, but necessary.

Necessary cause I need to see God making all things new again. The visual of spring is dynamic. It's necessary to know that He creates and He reconciles. He forms beauty again out of the dirt. He takes a skeleton of a tree and colors it with life one more time. "The old has gone, the new has come." The dead has gone, the life has come.

It's necessary for me to know that I can be made new. Old habits can change. Patterns of wrong can be made right. Tucked away dreams can be pursued, with the vigor of that dog today retrieving a tennis ball - tail waggin' delight, sprinting after one target, breathless with anticipation for what lies ahead.

Spring is just around the corner on our calendar. But in Christ, there is always the promise of spring no matter what day of the year; there is hope of new life, yet again.

Dia De Luz

This is Braddigan's Dia De Luz (Day of Light) that they celebrated in Managua. I love, love, love the message of hope here.

Meet Braddigan

He's gone from main stage to garbage dump. And in his words, he's better for it.

Braddigan is a nickname for Brad Corrigan, the lead singer of the band, self-titled. Brad sang with the indie band Dispatch until their 2002 disbanding. For Dispatch's farewell concert in Boston, between 10,000 and 30,000 were expected. The estimated attendance ended up being 110,000 - the largest concert in independent music history.

To meet Brad, you would think that he would have the rock star vibe going on. Instead, he was one of the most humble, wise, and deeply committed followers of Christ that Paul and I have ever been around. So much of what he said was straight scripture, like he lived and breathed the word of God.

I'm sure the humility comes from walking with God. But I think much was also born in the trash dumps of Managua, Nicaragua, where Brad spends half of his time. To hear him speak of Managua, you would think that he was talking about his home - a forsaken dump, filled with ever burning fires, garbage, rotting carcasses, and hundreds who have lived and died there. To hear him speak of the people, you would think he was talking about his own grandma, children, dad. Some would consider these individuals a project. He regards them as family.

Love Light and Melody, a non-profit organization founded by Brad, was created to battle the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual affects of extreme poverty in this trash dump. Love Light and Melody is built on a simple concept: "When you walk with someone you're saying to them, 'I am with you.'"

I love that premise, "I am with you," cause I've heard those words before. Jesus hasn't left us alone in this place. He walks with us - in our strength and in our weakness - in the beauty of our lives and in the trash that we find ourselves in.

As Jesus is preparing his disciples for his death, He says, "Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live....I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (John 14:19-20)

The world can't see Him, but His followers can. The world can't see Him, so we've got to live His life. How do we make God real and apparent and visible? I'm still trying to figure out what that means for me, with long term goals and in this hour. But I sure know that Braddigan is making Christ tangible - through handshakes and flying kites with kids and song - in a place that can no longer be deemed as God-forsaken.

God was living in Managua all along. But the people couldn't see Him. Now, even through the smog, He's a little more visible. Now they just might be able to hear those words, "I am with you."

Crazy Weird Timing

I've been trudging out to the mailbox for 5 months now. Every day, with kids in tow, in calf-deep snow and in freezing rain.

Normally I never check the mail. Neither does Paul for that matter. And the mail carrier, I'm pretty sure, totally hates us. Cause she stuffs and crams and rearranges and stuffs some more till she gets every last phone bill and pizza coupon to fit. She really is the woman. And we're mail checking delinquents. But anyway, back to why I've been checking religiously.

On September 11th, we received a heart breaker from one of our youth group's sponsor children, Ruth, informing us that her mom had passed away. Within 10 days, our jammin' incredible students pooled together 300 dollars, which is the maximum gift we could give Ruth's family. Ever since then, I've been waiting for a letter.

And we've had letters. Lots of letters from Ruth, in fact. But not that letter. Not that one. Till yesterday.

The kicker? Yesterday was my birthday. I've been waiting 5 months for one letter and I got it on my birthday. Of all days, my birthday. Though I'm not huge on birthdays, there isn't anything I've wanted more than this letter. And I got a picture to boot.

Ruth's family was able to take a special shopping trip to Alto City with the donated money. They bought food and furniture - a bookcase, pots, a kettle, pans, spoons, knives, forks, cups, blankets, a bed-cover, rice, sugar, potatoes, flour, more sugar (I take it she likes sugar - that's our girl), oil, and sneakers for all her siblings.

"When I got your gift, all I could do was cry." Ruth thanks us all over and over and asks God to bless us again and again. It confounds me that she asks God to bless us more when we've already been given riches. Even more amazing is that this girl who has almost nothing has given us so much in her life, her letters, her love for Jesus.

You can't tell me that this was an accident, perchance, crazy luck - that we would receive her letter yesterday. Cause I would say this is the work of a God who takes great delight in His children. A God who quiets with His love. A God who rejoices over us with singing.

By means of a letter from a child in Bolivia.

Pink Valentine's Day Yummy

One scoop of vanilla ice cream + strawberry soda

Selah was beside herself with this pink concoction at our tea party today. I love that sweet little giggle of hers; those wide blue eyes brimming with anticipation; the delicate way she held her teacup up to her mouth for the smallest of sips; the prancing around the house in her pink tutu.

Her momma needed a good lesson today: to learn how to delight in the simplest of all pleasures.

Thank you for teaching me, sweetheart. I love you like crazy cakes:)

Handcrafting Cards

I've got Valentine's Day on the mind.

And with it... encouragement cards, time with my honey, chocolatey recipes, and crafts with the kiddos.

Yay.

Here are some of my recent cards that I made in RI with my mom. (Not necessarily Valentiney, but oh well.) I ADORE handcrafting stuff in her studio - endless supplies, creativity, organic blackberry tea, and late night talks. The best.

Anyway, instead of hitting Hallmark for Valentine's Day, maybe consider making your own cards or supporting a local artist. My mom's neighbor (and our friend) is a fabulous designer who has been featured in numerous card/scrapbooking magazines. Check out some great card designs here.

She's also got a sweet little Etsy shop. Enjoy!