Christmas was fun this year. It usually is. :) We were able to spend time with both of our parents/siblings which was so nice. After a few years of either not being able to go "home" for Christmas or else splitting a short visit between the two families (often driving on Christmas day), it is SO nice to be within easy driving distance of both parents. We don't take that for granted!
Levi loved all his time with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. He does so well when we're out. Aside from a little grumpiness at supper one night (easily solved by some quiet family-of-3 time away from the chaos after supper), he was a happy boy the entire time. We sometimes have to pay for visits and lack of sleep once we get home, but mostly we just have such a happy and easy going boy. LOVE HIM!
Nathan was back to work today (worked from home yesterday). It's a bit weird to have him gone for so many hours after a couple weeks basically off. I'm doing pretty good. This third trimester is SO different than the end with Levi. With Levi, I was mostly comfortable except for some backaches and swollen feet and just feeling heavy. This time around I have toothaches (apparently they're normal?), hip aches, belly aches, back aches, shortness of breath, low blood pressure (which is better than high). I don't have every symptom in the book, but alot more than last time. Yesterday I was wondering if I would actually need my mom to come for a bit before the baby arrives because just carrying Levi or walking across the room is sometimes a challenge. BUT...this is so worth it! To know that we'll be having a new little person joining our family in just a matter of weeks...aah. I can take a little pain and discomfort! That said, if anyone has any good remedies for intense pain from lower belly to upper thighs (and everywhere in between), feel free to share! haha. I'm open to suggestions :)
I'm not sure what else is new. (Do I write that in every post or just think it?) Beside getting ready for the baby and having tons of fun with my two men, there's not much on the calendar for this month. Just relax and enjoy the last few weeks of being a family of 3.
Happy new year to you all! If anyone has post ideas or questions or whatever...any ideas for what I should write about, let me know! I'm a little stuck! :D
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
And other things...
What else have we been up to? Hmm...well, Christmas is coming! We will be celebrating Christmas as our family of 3 on Christmas Eve this year. Then, after the church's Christmas Eve service, we will make the late-night trek to my parents' place to spend a couple days there with my family. It is so nice that we will ALL be able to be together twice this year! What a treat :) Now that my sister is living back in Canada (as of yesterday), hopefully it can happen a bit more often. Between Christmas and New Years, Nathan will be speaking at a summer camp staff retreat at a camp nearby. Levi and I will be able to go with him and hopefully it will be a bit of a retreat for us as well as encouraging for Nathan as he really enjoys speaking at these types of events. On New Year's Day, we will head out to Nathan's parents' place where we will spend two nights and celebrate the holidays with his family. It is nice that everyone on this side of the family is within 90 minutes of driving so getting together is something that can happen fairly easily a few times a year! So nice.
I have been busy crocheting (I've averaged about .75-1 toque EVERY SINGLE DAY since mid-October). I've finished all my current outstanding Christmas sales, though, and now am only working on my own personal projects. It's a nice change of pace.
Nathan has a week of holidays this week, but so far it has been spent doing alot of prep for his speaking engagement next week. Hopefully he can finish that up sooner than later so that we can spend some quality family time together before he heads back to work in the new year.
Well, that's about all I can think of. Oh wait, you're probably DYING to know what Levi has been up to lately! Well, he's 14 months old and is walking, talking, dancing, pointing, asking, running, climbing, squirming, cuddling, reading, playing, rocking, throwing, and in general just MOVING. He's a real joy (for at least a portion of every day) and we love him to bits.
And that's our life in a nutshell! I'm really hoping to get back into this blogging thing a bit more in the new year. I've really missed it. But now it's time to say goodbye and enjoy the last little bit of Levi's going-on-two-hours naptime. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
p.s-nope, no real pictures. Sorry. I'll try to get some up again in the new year :)
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Christmas Letter 2011
Alrighty, I guess since Christmas is coming quickly, I should get this letter written! What a year it's been, though. Where to start?
January!
When last year started, we had a 3 month old baby. We were excited to put Levi in his Jolly Jumper for the first time, and were watching all his developments (daily! is our kid the smartest ever?!). I'm not sure what else we did. I think we did alot of hanging out in the house, avoiding the cold!
February!
This month officially marked one year of knowing that we would be expecting a baby in 2010! As far as other things in life, it was fairly uneventful. Levi was 4 months and also started sitting by himself at the end of February! Nathan took a short homework break for Christmas so February brought the writing of his Master's thesis. If my memory serves me right, I believe he wrote the majority of his 148 page thesis this month. (If anyone wants a copy, by the way, I'm sure he would gladly send one out to you electronically!)
March!
March was more homework for Nathan. At some point he realized that he just wouldn't get any homework done at home with an increasingly aware and interactive baby, thus began Nathan spending his days in the Bethany College library. Levi and I hung out at home, with one guaranteed outing each day to get the mail and pick up any groceries we may have been needing. :) It was also the month when Levi started scooting around on his belly to reach whatever desirable toys were out of reach.
April!
At the beginning of April, Levi and I packed up and flew to Indiana to visit my sister. The trip was about 5 days long and we enjoyed seeing where she was living, and exploring some of the Amish shops nearby. Shipshewana, anyone?? Levi was a perfect travel companion and an even better shopper. He just hung out in the Moby wrap for an entire day of going in and out of stores. We joked that I would be shocked if our next baby hates shopping because Levi is just so calm and happy when we're out! April also brought the exciting development of introducing solids to Levi. Took a few months for him to really catch on though...peas, anyone?
May!
Nathan was finally done his Masters degree! He officially has a Master of Arts majoring in Theology. Levi and I were so proud of him for finishing in the originally planned two years. Plus, this meant that I got my husband back! Nathan being a student for the first half of 2011 was hard, but also incredibly perfect for the first year of Levi's life. While Nathan had homework to do, he also had a flexible schedule, so when I was up all night with Levi, Nathan was able to get up with Levi in the morning and give me an extra hour or so of sleep. That just wouldn't have been possible if he'd needed to be at work at 9am! Anyway, back to grad. We flew down to Fresno, CA to be part of the graduation ceremonies. Our parents joined us down there for the festivities and it was also wonderful to catch up with friends from our year living down there in 2009-2010.
June!
While Nathan graduated in May, he still had a few requirements to finish up before being completely DONE. He finished up these requirements at the end of June/beginning of July with a trip to LA with some classmates. In June, our question of "what's next?" was answered as we were asked to candidate at a church we'd applied to and a couple weeks later were officially asked to fill the position. As I'm trying to keep details like our complete names and locations to a minimum on this blog, I'll just say that the church we are working at is an answer to prayer. The town and church that we are a part of is more than we ever hoped or imagined it would be. Like I say when people ask how we've settled, "we are 100% sure that we are exactly where God wants us right now and that is a wonderful feeling. It's been home right from the start." Just days after being asked to fill the position at the end of June, we drove to our new town and bought a house! This, too, was an answer to prayer. After moving half a dozen times in the past two years, we were really hoping to be able to move straight into a place where we could see ourselves being long-term but weren't sure if this would be possible having just been students for the past two years with no regular income. Praise God the funds were there and we were able to purchase a home!
July!
July was a vacation month for us. We spent time with friends and family, and ended the month with a family gathering/reunion with my mom's entire side of the family to celebrate my grandma's 85th birthday. I think there were only three families missing...and that's pretty good considering the number of families who could make it!
August!
We moved into our house on August 2. The first two weeks of the month were spent unpacking and exploring our new town. Nathan started work at the church on August 15. We soon realized that it was just as perfect a fit for him as it seemed and he's been enjoying work ever since!
September!
I'm not sure what there is to say about September. Levi continued to grow. Every couple days I would be reminded of the previous year when we spent the whole month of September waiting for Levi to make his appearance. Lots of memories of a big belly, trying to get labour started, and getting up 12 times a night to use the bathroom...what a long month it was in 2010. This year, we continued to get settled into our house, though it soon felt like we'd been here forever. Church programs started up. Levi and I did alot of playing as Nathan is gone during the working day for the first time in Levi's life. Life is good!
October!
Levi celebrated his birthday on October 8! He started walking instead of crawling days later (though he had been taking steps for a couple months already). He is suddenly more of a little boy than a baby! We had both of our families here to celebrate his birthday as well as thanksgiving and Levi's baby dedication at church. We also had a couple out of town friends here for the weekend. We were so glad to have our house full of people we love! I should probably also include that this month Nathan was finally able to buy his first motorbike! He and my dad made a road trip out to Edmonton area with a truck to pick it up from my uncle's garage (with permission, of course). This is also the month that, after almost 2 years of having an online shop, my home business "Uniquely Me Design" really took off and started making me busier. I make handmade gifts and sell primarily through my etsy shop (uniquelymedesign.etsy.com). Shameless plug, I know. Sorry :) It's been fun to be able to use my skills to provide other people with quality handmade items. It's been a great creative outlet as I had been holding myself back, not wanting every.single.item in our house to be made with a crochet hook and yarn!
November!
We made quick trips out of town to visit both parents this month. With being so close (4 hours to my parents, 1.5-2 hours to Nathan's parents) we try to see each set of parents/grandparents once a month, though sometimes that just doesn't happen with the busyness of life. Levi had his first bout of sickness in November which resulted in a trip to the emergency room while visiting my parents. His fever lasted 5 days in total...not fun. While at the hospital, the mother of one of my good friends (a nurse in town) was ever-so-kind and took care of Levi so well. It was nice to have a familiar face while waiting to find out what was making Levi feel so down. Nathan continued to be busy with work this month...lots of evenings which is quite typical of pastoral ministry.
December!
December brings with it anticipation of the holidays! We are blessed to be able to spend time with both families this Christmas season, including all of our siblings! It is SO nice to be closer to family than ever before in the time we've been married! Levi and I have been doing a bit of Christmas baking together. Levi is walking all over the place, climbing, dancing, eating, "talking", and is just such a joy! He certainly keeps us busy but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our Christmas tree is up (still...Levi has been respecting it and all its ornaments - except the ONE that I have given him permission to play with...we can't expect him to not touch the tree at all, now can we? Where would the fun be in that??) and it's beginning to feel alot like Christmas!
With all that said, I'm sure Levi will be waking up from his nap anytime now and wanting some lunch. So, from our home to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May God bless you richly in the coming year!
Love,
Nathan, Niki, and Levi
McCorkindale
p.s-Oh, and yes, Nathan's head is cut off in our family picture (top of the blog). I truly thought it just made for a cozy effect but Costco didn't even print it right away because they thought it was a mistake. Oops. What do you think? Is it ok??
When last year started, we had a 3 month old baby. We were excited to put Levi in his Jolly Jumper for the first time, and were watching all his developments (daily! is our kid the smartest ever?!). I'm not sure what else we did. I think we did alot of hanging out in the house, avoiding the cold!
This month officially marked one year of knowing that we would be expecting a baby in 2010! As far as other things in life, it was fairly uneventful. Levi was 4 months and also started sitting by himself at the end of February! Nathan took a short homework break for Christmas so February brought the writing of his Master's thesis. If my memory serves me right, I believe he wrote the majority of his 148 page thesis this month. (If anyone wants a copy, by the way, I'm sure he would gladly send one out to you electronically!)
March!March was more homework for Nathan. At some point he realized that he just wouldn't get any homework done at home with an increasingly aware and interactive baby, thus began Nathan spending his days in the Bethany College library. Levi and I hung out at home, with one guaranteed outing each day to get the mail and pick up any groceries we may have been needing. :) It was also the month when Levi started scooting around on his belly to reach whatever desirable toys were out of reach.
At the beginning of April, Levi and I packed up and flew to Indiana to visit my sister. The trip was about 5 days long and we enjoyed seeing where she was living, and exploring some of the Amish shops nearby. Shipshewana, anyone?? Levi was a perfect travel companion and an even better shopper. He just hung out in the Moby wrap for an entire day of going in and out of stores. We joked that I would be shocked if our next baby hates shopping because Levi is just so calm and happy when we're out! April also brought the exciting development of introducing solids to Levi. Took a few months for him to really catch on though...peas, anyone?
Nathan was finally done his Masters degree! He officially has a Master of Arts majoring in Theology. Levi and I were so proud of him for finishing in the originally planned two years. Plus, this meant that I got my husband back! Nathan being a student for the first half of 2011 was hard, but also incredibly perfect for the first year of Levi's life. While Nathan had homework to do, he also had a flexible schedule, so when I was up all night with Levi, Nathan was able to get up with Levi in the morning and give me an extra hour or so of sleep. That just wouldn't have been possible if he'd needed to be at work at 9am! Anyway, back to grad. We flew down to Fresno, CA to be part of the graduation ceremonies. Our parents joined us down there for the festivities and it was also wonderful to catch up with friends from our year living down there in 2009-2010.
While Nathan graduated in May, he still had a few requirements to finish up before being completely DONE. He finished up these requirements at the end of June/beginning of July with a trip to LA with some classmates. In June, our question of "what's next?" was answered as we were asked to candidate at a church we'd applied to and a couple weeks later were officially asked to fill the position. As I'm trying to keep details like our complete names and locations to a minimum on this blog, I'll just say that the church we are working at is an answer to prayer. The town and church that we are a part of is more than we ever hoped or imagined it would be. Like I say when people ask how we've settled, "we are 100% sure that we are exactly where God wants us right now and that is a wonderful feeling. It's been home right from the start." Just days after being asked to fill the position at the end of June, we drove to our new town and bought a house! This, too, was an answer to prayer. After moving half a dozen times in the past two years, we were really hoping to be able to move straight into a place where we could see ourselves being long-term but weren't sure if this would be possible having just been students for the past two years with no regular income. Praise God the funds were there and we were able to purchase a home!
July was a vacation month for us. We spent time with friends and family, and ended the month with a family gathering/reunion with my mom's entire side of the family to celebrate my grandma's 85th birthday. I think there were only three families missing...and that's pretty good considering the number of families who could make it!
We moved into our house on August 2. The first two weeks of the month were spent unpacking and exploring our new town. Nathan started work at the church on August 15. We soon realized that it was just as perfect a fit for him as it seemed and he's been enjoying work ever since!
I'm not sure what there is to say about September. Levi continued to grow. Every couple days I would be reminded of the previous year when we spent the whole month of September waiting for Levi to make his appearance. Lots of memories of a big belly, trying to get labour started, and getting up 12 times a night to use the bathroom...what a long month it was in 2010. This year, we continued to get settled into our house, though it soon felt like we'd been here forever. Church programs started up. Levi and I did alot of playing as Nathan is gone during the working day for the first time in Levi's life. Life is good!
October!
We made quick trips out of town to visit both parents this month. With being so close (4 hours to my parents, 1.5-2 hours to Nathan's parents) we try to see each set of parents/grandparents once a month, though sometimes that just doesn't happen with the busyness of life. Levi had his first bout of sickness in November which resulted in a trip to the emergency room while visiting my parents. His fever lasted 5 days in total...not fun. While at the hospital, the mother of one of my good friends (a nurse in town) was ever-so-kind and took care of Levi so well. It was nice to have a familiar face while waiting to find out what was making Levi feel so down. Nathan continued to be busy with work this month...lots of evenings which is quite typical of pastoral ministry.
December brings with it anticipation of the holidays! We are blessed to be able to spend time with both families this Christmas season, including all of our siblings! It is SO nice to be closer to family than ever before in the time we've been married! Levi and I have been doing a bit of Christmas baking together. Levi is walking all over the place, climbing, dancing, eating, "talking", and is just such a joy! He certainly keeps us busy but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our Christmas tree is up (still...Levi has been respecting it and all its ornaments - except the ONE that I have given him permission to play with...we can't expect him to not touch the tree at all, now can we? Where would the fun be in that??) and it's beginning to feel alot like Christmas!
With all that said, I'm sure Levi will be waking up from his nap anytime now and wanting some lunch. So, from our home to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May God bless you richly in the coming year!
Love,
Nathan, Niki, and Levi
McCorkindale
p.s-Oh, and yes, Nathan's head is cut off in our family picture (top of the blog). I truly thought it just made for a cozy effect but Costco didn't even print it right away because they thought it was a mistake. Oops. What do you think? Is it ok??
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
I'm a'back!
I have had so little motivation to blog lately. It's been two or three weeks since my last "real" post and I don't even miss it. I just don't know what to blog about anymore. It used to be my pet peeve when people's blogs would become all about their children once their first baby was born, but that's exactly what my blog has become. Truthfully, when you're feeding every two hours (or more) and doing little else but childcare in between, there's not much to tell. But hey, I had a wonderful Christmas season so why not start with that?!
I'll have to get the pictures from my sister's and brother's camera and put some up. There are more good ones from things like Christmas tree hunting and sledding while at my parents'. It was a wonderful Christmas. How was yours?
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| Auntie Alicia giving Levi entertainment during tummy time and helping him keep his new "binkie" in his mouth. |
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| I love that my days are filled with this! |
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| Grandma enjoying snuggles. I think Levi is enjoying the snuggle too, or he would be if he were awake! |
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| The boys decorating the tree...throwing tinsel at it is both efficient and effective! |
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| This is where Levi's hands spend most of their time. |
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| Christmas blanket from Auntie Marsha. I love those baby rolls on his arms! Doesn't he just look perfect?? |
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| Sly smile. I have a feeling this boy is up to something... |
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| Cat nap in the sun on Grandma and Grandpa's couch. |
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| Love it. |
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| First time in the Jolly Jumper. He spun slowly in circles, looking at his feet. |
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| It's ok, Buddy, you'll get the hang of it yet (no pun intended). |
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| The "M" clan...all four generations of them. I love that the girls (twins) in the front are much more interested in each other than anything else! |
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Question:
Cradle cap...how did you get rid of it?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Christmas Letter 2010
It's been a few years since I've written a Christmas letter (so for those of you who haven't received one, now you know why). Since so much has happened in our life since, I thought 2010 should be the year to resurrect the Christmas letter.
The first year that I didn't write the letter, Christmas 2008, I just had no idea how to sum up where we were in life. The first 8 months of our year were basically the same as the previous few years. Youth ministry took up much of our time and free time was almost unheard of. We welcomed summer break (youth work slowed down quite a bit in the summer) and by the end of August we felt rested and ready for another year of ministry. We ended up not being back in youth ministry that fall, instead entering a time of discernment and healing. It was a good fall, but not one I would care to relive! By Christmas time, Nathan and I were not sure how to sum up our year to date and not ready to share our future plans (as we had none beyond the next week) so the Christmas letter was left unwritten.
Christmas 2009 came and again I thought about sitting down to write a letter. At this point, we had resigned, officially, from the church where Nathan had been working, spent spring working at our separate jobs in Altona, Nathan doing some forklift driving and soil testing and me at Canadian Lumber. We put our house on the market as we had made the decision for Nathan to return to seminary that fall. At the beginning of July, we packed up our things and, leaving our house still unsold, moved our stuff into Mom & Pop storage. The summer was spent enjoying time with family and relaxing as neither of us was employed at this point. In August, we loaded up our car and moved down to Fresno, California where Nathan began working toward his Masters degree in Theology. The sale of our house in September was definitely an answer to prayer after 6 months on the market with no offers. We enjoyed our fall very much, especially the green grass and palm trees as the snow flew back home, and that winter had our first Christmas without snow as a married couple.
And that brings us to where I would normally start our 2010 Christmas letter. From here, I think I'll sum up our year month-by-month...and I'll try to keep it short. No promises, though!
January - Nathan worked ahead in some of his courses and I was also writing papers, preparing to complete a diploma in Christian ministry during our remaining 3 semesters in Fresno. Near the end of the month, I just was not feeling peace about entering full-time studies so I left most of my chosen courses unregistered for, instead choosing to take just the courses that interested me on a personal growth basis. We also enjoyed a visit from my sister and saw San Francisco with her, went with some friends to Yosemite National Park, and ate many delicious oranges from the orchards nearby.
February - The abundance of citrus fruit during the growing season in California starts to make me sick as we find out that I am expecting - 7 weeks along! - and morning sickness kicks in. I didn't suffer very much, but I do recall eating many MANY bowls of Corn Flakes (as it was something I could count on keeping my stomach settled) and becoming very woozy at the smell of citrus fruit. Not a great thing while driving through the orchards...
March - A visit from my parents was a great time for sharing the exciting announcement in person! Homework and hanging out with friends on campus filled the middle of March. And the last two weeks of the month were spent on bed rest due to a complication/scare with the pregnancy. These were very busy weeks for Nathan as he was doing full time classes and homework, plus doing everything around the house that I couldn't do.
April - We shared the news of our pregnancy with the world on April 1st. Yes, this date was intentionally chosen. During the first week of the month, we also had a visit from Nathan's parents. We drove out to the coast with them, saw Monterey and the aquarium there, and drove down the coast on highway 1. It was a very beautiful drive, but the ups and downs and curves were a little much for my already (morning) sick stomach. Nevertheless, I remember the trip with fond memories. The end of the month included more and more homework, for both of us, as the end of the semester nears!
May - Our time at seminary comes to a close as we have decided not to return to Fresno for another year. All the last assignments were handed in and we packed up our car for the return trip to Canada. The goodbyes were hard as we had truly grown to love our neighbours in the Court, where we lived, like family. Once back in Canada, we joined our things in storage at Nathan's parents' house. This became home base until the end of July.
June - Nathan took a week-long intensive course in Winnipeg. While he was in class, I visited with many old friends in Altona. We also spent time with family, both my side and Nathan's.
July - We got some quality time with Nathan's younger brother while his parents were on vacation. We also watched their house and dog for them. By the end of the month, we were antsy to have our own place again so we moved into our rental house a few days early. The moving days were full of sore backs and swollen feet. By this time I was 34 weeks pregnant. Not ideal for lifting boxes and hours of unpacking!
August - Nathan continued to do homework. By this time it had been a year with little/no breaks in the homework load for Nathan. This month he was trying to complete as much as he could before baby arrived.
September - Finally we arrived in the month baby was due! We were expecting the baby to come early, due to my size and the baby's size, so each day of September dawned with great hope and excitement that this may be the day. Alas, due date came and went and September passed by with no sign of baby. Nathan had a little more in life to distract him from the wait. He is currently working at the local Bible college as a teacher's assistant - for credit counting toward his Masters - so September was the month this started. He also continued to squeeze in as much homework as he could before baby arrived, though eventually the wait became too much of a distraction for even him.
October - Eight days into October, on thanksgiving weekend and the anniversary of our engagement, we welcomed Levi Jonathan into our family. He was in no hurry to greet the world, but I must say, he was awfully forgiving about being rushed out so "early". He has been a content baby right from the beginning and, after losing his initial 6oz off his birth weight of 8lbs 2oz, has been growing like a weed. Of course, like any baby, he does have his fussy moments...
November - Nathan hit the books after a few distracted weeks with Levi coming home and figuring out life as a family of 3. This month the goal was to try to stretch out our night-time feeds in an effort to get a little more sleep. Also, trying to convince Levi that midnight is not an acceptable bedtime for someone so young was high on the agenda. But overall, November was a great month of family time and routine.
December - this being December 1, I can only write what I anticipate the month being. Nathan talks about making some serious headway with his thesis-writing. There will also be a visit from Nathan's grandma who will be visiting from Ontario. I also anticipate that there will be lots of family time... with our little family of 3, with Nathan's family, and with my family.
And that brings 2010 to a close. So from Nathan, Levi, and myself, have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year.
There, that wasn't too long, was it? ; )
The first year that I didn't write the letter, Christmas 2008, I just had no idea how to sum up where we were in life. The first 8 months of our year were basically the same as the previous few years. Youth ministry took up much of our time and free time was almost unheard of. We welcomed summer break (youth work slowed down quite a bit in the summer) and by the end of August we felt rested and ready for another year of ministry. We ended up not being back in youth ministry that fall, instead entering a time of discernment and healing. It was a good fall, but not one I would care to relive! By Christmas time, Nathan and I were not sure how to sum up our year to date and not ready to share our future plans (as we had none beyond the next week) so the Christmas letter was left unwritten.
Christmas 2009 came and again I thought about sitting down to write a letter. At this point, we had resigned, officially, from the church where Nathan had been working, spent spring working at our separate jobs in Altona, Nathan doing some forklift driving and soil testing and me at Canadian Lumber. We put our house on the market as we had made the decision for Nathan to return to seminary that fall. At the beginning of July, we packed up our things and, leaving our house still unsold, moved our stuff into Mom & Pop storage. The summer was spent enjoying time with family and relaxing as neither of us was employed at this point. In August, we loaded up our car and moved down to Fresno, California where Nathan began working toward his Masters degree in Theology. The sale of our house in September was definitely an answer to prayer after 6 months on the market with no offers. We enjoyed our fall very much, especially the green grass and palm trees as the snow flew back home, and that winter had our first Christmas without snow as a married couple.
And that brings us to where I would normally start our 2010 Christmas letter. From here, I think I'll sum up our year month-by-month...and I'll try to keep it short. No promises, though!
January - Nathan worked ahead in some of his courses and I was also writing papers, preparing to complete a diploma in Christian ministry during our remaining 3 semesters in Fresno. Near the end of the month, I just was not feeling peace about entering full-time studies so I left most of my chosen courses unregistered for, instead choosing to take just the courses that interested me on a personal growth basis. We also enjoyed a visit from my sister and saw San Francisco with her, went with some friends to Yosemite National Park, and ate many delicious oranges from the orchards nearby.
February - The abundance of citrus fruit during the growing season in California starts to make me sick as we find out that I am expecting - 7 weeks along! - and morning sickness kicks in. I didn't suffer very much, but I do recall eating many MANY bowls of Corn Flakes (as it was something I could count on keeping my stomach settled) and becoming very woozy at the smell of citrus fruit. Not a great thing while driving through the orchards...
March - A visit from my parents was a great time for sharing the exciting announcement in person! Homework and hanging out with friends on campus filled the middle of March. And the last two weeks of the month were spent on bed rest due to a complication/scare with the pregnancy. These were very busy weeks for Nathan as he was doing full time classes and homework, plus doing everything around the house that I couldn't do.
April - We shared the news of our pregnancy with the world on April 1st. Yes, this date was intentionally chosen. During the first week of the month, we also had a visit from Nathan's parents. We drove out to the coast with them, saw Monterey and the aquarium there, and drove down the coast on highway 1. It was a very beautiful drive, but the ups and downs and curves were a little much for my already (morning) sick stomach. Nevertheless, I remember the trip with fond memories. The end of the month included more and more homework, for both of us, as the end of the semester nears!
May - Our time at seminary comes to a close as we have decided not to return to Fresno for another year. All the last assignments were handed in and we packed up our car for the return trip to Canada. The goodbyes were hard as we had truly grown to love our neighbours in the Court, where we lived, like family. Once back in Canada, we joined our things in storage at Nathan's parents' house. This became home base until the end of July.
June - Nathan took a week-long intensive course in Winnipeg. While he was in class, I visited with many old friends in Altona. We also spent time with family, both my side and Nathan's.
July - We got some quality time with Nathan's younger brother while his parents were on vacation. We also watched their house and dog for them. By the end of the month, we were antsy to have our own place again so we moved into our rental house a few days early. The moving days were full of sore backs and swollen feet. By this time I was 34 weeks pregnant. Not ideal for lifting boxes and hours of unpacking!
August - Nathan continued to do homework. By this time it had been a year with little/no breaks in the homework load for Nathan. This month he was trying to complete as much as he could before baby arrived.
September - Finally we arrived in the month baby was due! We were expecting the baby to come early, due to my size and the baby's size, so each day of September dawned with great hope and excitement that this may be the day. Alas, due date came and went and September passed by with no sign of baby. Nathan had a little more in life to distract him from the wait. He is currently working at the local Bible college as a teacher's assistant - for credit counting toward his Masters - so September was the month this started. He also continued to squeeze in as much homework as he could before baby arrived, though eventually the wait became too much of a distraction for even him.
October - Eight days into October, on thanksgiving weekend and the anniversary of our engagement, we welcomed Levi Jonathan into our family. He was in no hurry to greet the world, but I must say, he was awfully forgiving about being rushed out so "early". He has been a content baby right from the beginning and, after losing his initial 6oz off his birth weight of 8lbs 2oz, has been growing like a weed. Of course, like any baby, he does have his fussy moments...
November - Nathan hit the books after a few distracted weeks with Levi coming home and figuring out life as a family of 3. This month the goal was to try to stretch out our night-time feeds in an effort to get a little more sleep. Also, trying to convince Levi that midnight is not an acceptable bedtime for someone so young was high on the agenda. But overall, November was a great month of family time and routine.
December - this being December 1, I can only write what I anticipate the month being. Nathan talks about making some serious headway with his thesis-writing. There will also be a visit from Nathan's grandma who will be visiting from Ontario. I also anticipate that there will be lots of family time... with our little family of 3, with Nathan's family, and with my family.
And that brings 2010 to a close. So from Nathan, Levi, and myself, have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year.
There, that wasn't too long, was it? ; )
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Empty Arms...
Infertility stuff has been really hard lately (as you may or may not have picked up from recent posts). There has been alot to process and work through. I don't have much to share right now. But please take a minute to go to the link and watch the video. Consider it the words that I couldn't put to our situation myself...because it expresses where we are right now perfectly (minus what it says about treatments).
Empty Arms
It will be a tough Christmas this year...if we'd gotten pregnant right away, our little baby would be turning 3...
Empty Arms
It will be a tough Christmas this year...if we'd gotten pregnant right away, our little baby would be turning 3...
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wishlist 2009
I'm keeping my Christmas wishlist simple this year...All I want for Christmas is a baby and a Caramilk bar. : )
Done.
(They just don't have Canadian chocolate here in the States...it isn't nearly as good down here which, I suppose, is good for keeping the Christmas pounds off...)
Monday, December 14, 2009
BabyGate
Nathan here,
A while ago Niki let me do a guest appearance on her blog and I wrote about how I had won the biggest loser contest at work (and yes I’ve put it all back on thank you for asking). Now that all my school work is done though, I thought it would be fun to write a blog post for Niki. Especially since she needs to be reading Lohfink and not thinking about entertaining all of you with her incredible depth, humor and insights. Since it’s Christmas and babies are in the air I thought I would tell the world what I think about babygate as it shall hence forth be known. Babygate is that conspiracy of unknown forces that have not allowed us to naturally conceive a child in the last three or so years (unlike Niki I do not keep a count... at least not yet). I have to say that for the first... oh... three or so years I have been on the... what’s the word... not indifferent... but willing to let the baby stuff happen or not. I’ve been all for the sex part (If Niki can always be honest here so can I right?) and I have been supportive and willing to see it happen. But it hasn’t been a real priority for me. It’s not that I don’t want kids, it is just that I wasn’t ready. Let’s face it, becoming a parent means a drastic change in life. I know people with kids, and they just aren’t fun any more (Just Kidding Brad :D ). Well it’s more that parents have to be unselfish, they have to give and give and give, and in all honesty I wasn’t really ready to be unselfish (I’m working on it though). Well over the last few months... probably since getting to know our neighbors little girl K (see pictures) my heart has been rapidly changing. The other night I couldn’t sleep and I was like, “ok God time to get moving here!” My heart has been opened, and having a child is something that I too really want to happen, and soon. I’m starting to get impatient, and I’m really not sure how Niki has been dealing with the pain for so long.
As I mentioned before December is the baby month, the month when families are supposed to be together, and when all we talk about is Jesus as a baby. So with our family smaller than Niki and I think it should be, I had an interesting devotional thought. I am reading the MB seminaries Advent devotional (free here) and I was reading the entry for Dec 6, and this thought struck me. There is absolutely no reason for the Zechariah and Elizabeth story in the Bible.... well.... maybe it was to encourage Mary and open her eyes to see God was up to something, but she had just seen an angel so I would think that would have been heads up enough to know that God was doing something crazy. Seriously, why the story about a barren woman conceiving a child? As far as I can see it doesn’t make any difference to God’s greater plan whether or not John’s mother was barren or not. This part of the story is completely unnecessary to the greater story. I can just see Luke’s editor looking at it and saying, “Look Luke, this has gotta go, it’s just fluff, let’s just keep the story going.” Since the beginning of time God has used thousands of men and women who’s mothers bore them with no problem. So why the story of John? Why in a story about Jesus, does Luke toss in a fact about this woman and her supernatural conception? For me, my hope is that God takes pleasure in causing women to be surprised. My hope is that God likes to take pleasure in unnecessary pregnancies. I can see no reason that God chose Liz instead of any number of other women with a healthy uterus to bring Jesus’ herald into the world, but God chose to do a miracle. And so this Christmas season, I am hoping that God will do one in our lives, and that babygate will become a conspiracy of how God surprised us with a healthy beautiful herald of God’s goodness.
A while ago Niki let me do a guest appearance on her blog and I wrote about how I had won the biggest loser contest at work (and yes I’ve put it all back on thank you for asking). Now that all my school work is done though, I thought it would be fun to write a blog post for Niki. Especially since she needs to be reading Lohfink and not thinking about entertaining all of you with her incredible depth, humor and insights. Since it’s Christmas and babies are in the air I thought I would tell the world what I think about babygate as it shall hence forth be known. Babygate is that conspiracy of unknown forces that have not allowed us to naturally conceive a child in the last three or so years (unlike Niki I do not keep a count... at least not yet). I have to say that for the first... oh... three or so years I have been on the... what’s the word... not indifferent... but willing to let the baby stuff happen or not. I’ve been all for the sex part (If Niki can always be honest here so can I right?) and I have been supportive and willing to see it happen. But it hasn’t been a real priority for me. It’s not that I don’t want kids, it is just that I wasn’t ready. Let’s face it, becoming a parent means a drastic change in life. I know people with kids, and they just aren’t fun any more (Just Kidding Brad :D ). Well it’s more that parents have to be unselfish, they have to give and give and give, and in all honesty I wasn’t really ready to be unselfish (I’m working on it though). Well over the last few months... probably since getting to know our neighbors little girl K (see pictures) my heart has been rapidly changing. The other night I couldn’t sleep and I was like, “ok God time to get moving here!” My heart has been opened, and having a child is something that I too really want to happen, and soon. I’m starting to get impatient, and I’m really not sure how Niki has been dealing with the pain for so long.
As I mentioned before December is the baby month, the month when families are supposed to be together, and when all we talk about is Jesus as a baby. So with our family smaller than Niki and I think it should be, I had an interesting devotional thought. I am reading the MB seminaries Advent devotional (free here) and I was reading the entry for Dec 6, and this thought struck me. There is absolutely no reason for the Zechariah and Elizabeth story in the Bible.... well.... maybe it was to encourage Mary and open her eyes to see God was up to something, but she had just seen an angel so I would think that would have been heads up enough to know that God was doing something crazy. Seriously, why the story about a barren woman conceiving a child? As far as I can see it doesn’t make any difference to God’s greater plan whether or not John’s mother was barren or not. This part of the story is completely unnecessary to the greater story. I can just see Luke’s editor looking at it and saying, “Look Luke, this has gotta go, it’s just fluff, let’s just keep the story going.” Since the beginning of time God has used thousands of men and women who’s mothers bore them with no problem. So why the story of John? Why in a story about Jesus, does Luke toss in a fact about this woman and her supernatural conception? For me, my hope is that God takes pleasure in causing women to be surprised. My hope is that God likes to take pleasure in unnecessary pregnancies. I can see no reason that God chose Liz instead of any number of other women with a healthy uterus to bring Jesus’ herald into the world, but God chose to do a miracle. And so this Christmas season, I am hoping that God will do one in our lives, and that babygate will become a conspiracy of how God surprised us with a healthy beautiful herald of God’s goodness.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Christmas-ey!
Well, the season of receiving and mailing Christmas cards is here! And what better way to feel loved than to display all of the holiday greetings? I usually display all of the Christmas cards on the top of the piano, but seeing as we have no piano this year, I went the way of so many people and strung a string! We only have two cards thus far though, so to keep the string company until we receive more cards (hint hint), I crocheted a few stars of different sizes and hung them at varying lengths from the string. It still looks pretty empty, but at least there is some festive quality to the string! I'm contemplating making a few snowflakes to add yet. I'll keep you posted...
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