Peace on earth, Goodwill to Men

We had a quiet Christmas here with just our little family of four, five (including Batch3), or six (including Padme Boxy). The girls enjoyed their new things - trying on the clothes, playing with the doll house and chalkboard-easel, and fighting over presents and who got which dollie/chalk/candy, etc.

We were all tired and a little off-kilter: our Christmas Eve service started at bedtime last night, Arch and I were up late being Santa & Mrs. Claus, and Noelle was up every couple of hours screaming from (we think) intestinal pain but refusing to potty. We had "special" food and Lily just wanted fruit and a cheese sandwich or goldfish. And all the candy. Before breakfast.

In some ways it was perfect, in others a let down- no matter how much we plan for the perfect, ideal Christmas Day, or any day for that matter, the flesh intervenes. We're "too tired to be civil," or hungry, or greedy, or just plain cranky, or.....

In November I helped put together an adult education class (Sunday school) at church for our missions weekend about human trafficking, and since then I can't get the horror of modern slavery out of mind.

I can't stop the evil in the world, I can't stop the selfishness in my own heart and home! So when I got to my blog reader and found "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", I was frankly bored of Christmas music, and identified not with "the old familiar carols play, mild and sweet their songs repeat", but with:

In despair I bowed my head

There is no peace on earth I said

For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

And my heart cried, "Where are you, Lord? When will you rescue us?" 1

Then rang the bells more loud and deep

God is not dead, nor does He sleep

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, goodwill to men.

"For to us a child is born,

     to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

     Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

     and over his kingdom,

     establishing and upholding it

     with justice and righteousness

     from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this."   

Isaiah 9:6-7

Amen, Come, Lord Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

BabyBatch#3's First Photo Shoot!

Lily went with us to the ultrasound this afternoon to see baby brother or sister... who is looking healthy and happy.... we're halfway there!

Baby batch #3

Toddler Flying Lessons

From Videos 2010

Girls Having Fun

My girls playing together. 

They have tons of fun together when they are not intentionally aggravating each other!

 Noellie Bellie Now:
- Says "La La!" when calling her sister. Lily's first reaction was "I'm not LaLa! I'm LILY!" Me: "You're LaLa to Noelle, because she can't say "Lily" yet!"
- Is non-stop movement. Enjoys walking away from her mother and into streets with cars.
- Yells. Everything.
- Loves "Icks", "Ooshes", and "Bo bo" (Stickers, Shoes, and her pacifier)
- Loves her big sister. When opening a princess outfit from Geeda that matches her sister's, she started looking for Lily, yelling "La La!"
- Does chores and loves getting her stickers and putting them on her own chart like her sister's.
- Prefers to have a constant audience.
- Opens doors, drawers, and generally everything within reach, especially loving to dump stuff out, drool into watercolors to make drool-colors.
- Paints, colors (still preferring sometimes to eat the medium), and enjoys journal time during "school" with Lily.

Lily 'Nerva Now:
- Does "homework," and has preschool at home sort of regularly.
- Did not like her 6 weeks of soccer.

- Loves ballet and princess outfits, shoes, and jewelry.
- Prefers not to have an audience, but to have time outs in her bed with soft things and a thumb.
- Yells when provoked, most commonly phrases like "NO NOELLE!"
- Is going to take her friend Elia and Aunt Melissa with us when we move.
- Actually dresses her babies in a variety of outfits, diapers, blankets, etc.
- Makes sure her sister is towing the line, and if not, will remove disobedient sister forcibly from any given situation. Quite comical to watch.

Both girls like doing Chores, now:
Wipe windows (Lily sprays h2o/vinegar and Noelle wipes it off, sorta), brush teeth (Noelle'd do this 10 times a day if allowed), empty the bottom half of the dishwasher (silverware and plates/bowls), play clean-up at the end of the day.

Why Mothers Need Their Sleep

Thank you, Jim Breuer, for this bit of comic relief!

Representative Videos: Reading Time and Soccer

Representative Videos

The Lake, etc.

I did borrow some of Mary's photos in here, too - that I wanted to share with my Texas contingency, but of course we forgot to bring our camera to Stephen & Grace's wedding, so that whole event is not recorded here.

New England August 2010

All in all we did a "retirement from homeschooling" party in New York, a wedding in Delaware, a week at the Lake in New Hampshire, and a wedding in Maine. Whew! The kids were tired, too. :)

What we've been up to.....

First Day of Ballet

First Day of Ballet

Easter Update

Batches Busyness

Happy Easter! Spring has sprung here in Michigan, and I (Kimberly) am always its biggest fan. I miss the sunshine during the long winters, and love to soak up the sun with my afternoon tea and my Bible during the girls’ naps these days. A lot has happened in our lives over the last year++, and I’m finally getting around to writing about it all!

2009 Highlights:

• On March 10^th we welcomed Noelle Elizabeth, four days “late” and two days after her sister’s 2^nd birthday.
• We tried all sorts of home childcare arrangements for a few months as Kimberly went back to work part-time: flying granny/cousin/sister nannies, babysitters, Kimberly took Noelle with her to work until she got mobile, then decided to stay home full-time with the girls.
• Last summer had highs and lows – splashing around with Archer’s family in late July at the Lake, and then mourning the death of my grandfather (Papa) in Dallas in August.
• We joined a new small group at our church (our old one disbanded a couple of years ago) and have appreciated the close-relationships we’ve been able build with the other families.
• Due to water/mold issues in our duplex, we moved again – to a duplex a few blocks from our old house.  We love being in our “old” neighborhood again!
• We hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner here in Ann Arbor for Archer’s folks and some good neighbors: wild turkey and too many pies!
• White Christmas in Texas!

2010:

• January road trip from Dallas back to Michigan with Aunt Melissa!  She learned what we meant when we said “Noelle doesn’t like her carseat.”  It’s a long trek made even longer!
• Back to running! We signed up for a half marathon in June, so we’ve gotten back into a real running schedule, which feels great!
• March birthdays! Lily is now 3 years old, and Noelle celebrated #1. They both enjoyed presents, hands-on museum stimulation, and chocolate cake.

Lily

Lily is growing up into a sensitive, thoughtful little girl. She loves story time at the library, playing with her friends, reading books, dancing, and “dancing dresses.” She loves to try new things and wants to be independent, but she is quite cautious! It is so fun to watch her grow and process the world out loud as she learns!

Noelle

Noelle is a cheerful, passionate little girl, who adores her big sister. Noelle especially loves baths, and will make a beeline for the bathroom any time she gets the opportunity. Noelle is a climber – not yet walking – she likes to climb up the stairs, stools, couches, anywhere, to get what she wants. She also loves talking on the phone. Her first word was “hi!”, and she’ll talk your ear off with “hi!’s” until she finds the “hang up” button. 

Kimberly

I’m loving being home with my babies! I’ve begun to think more proactively about learning goals for Lily, and I’ve had some amazing times of just watching where her imagination leads her! I get to go regularly to our church’s Moms & Tots program, which has been a huge blessing of fellowship with other moms, not to mention a few moments of peace and prayer. I am also pursuing a doula (birth/postpartum attendant) certification. I have become increasingly fascinated by women’s experiences and health in childbirth, and am interested in becoming more useful to new mothers in this process. All in all, I am doing great – feeling the best I’ve felt in a long time, and excited about my role in our family’s life.

Archer

Archer is hoping to complete his PhD this year! He’s been working feverishly on his dissertation, and still finds time to work as a consultant for other UM graduate student instructors, helping them improve their teaching skills and giving them new strategies.  He’s also had some encouraging progress in his hunt for life-after-grad-school: hoping to work in industry or government helping scientists build software to manage large amounts of scientific data. So we’re very curious to see just what job God will provide and where in the country that will be. Archer is an amazing Dad: he and the girls have a blast playing with toys or games, and reading, reading, and reading some more. He also works in Lily’s Sunday School class once-a-month, and he’s a toddler magnet!

BabyBatch#3 – Due ?? By Adoption

We are hoping to adopt!  We have been approved by a local adoption agency to adopt a US-born infant. We have been interested in adopting children since we first discussed having kids, and we think we’re ready to have our third child by adoption! We have not yet been “linked” with any particular baby, so we are now waiting expectantly for the child whose birthmother desires him or her to be adopted into our family as our son or daughter.  

Loads of pictures, updates, etc. can be found at batchesbusyness.blogspot.com

Noelle has 4 teeth!

Also I've updated all the picture albums to the left.

The new one is the 2010 Archive:

Pictures 2010a

All of the very latest pictures are still found in Current Pictures.

Videos

So I bit the bullet and spent the five bucks for 20GB of google storage and have begun to put up some of my favorite videos of the little munchkins.

Videos 2010

A few older videos can be found here, too. I'll try to put up the favorites that were on youtube.

Videos 2009

Somehow the sound and MOTION of videos give you a little better picture of what these crazy little girls are doing when they're not sleeping.

:)

Short Newsflashes

Lily, when measuring my height with a tape measure: "30 pounds, Mama."
Me: "I'm thirty pounds?! Great! Good measuring, Lily!"

Noelle signs "milk" for all sign-language communications.
"Noelle, are you all done?" Big grins and frantic "milk" (open/close fist) as she launches herself out of her high chair.
"Noelle, do you want more?" Big grins and enthusiastic "milk" to go with the screeches and pounding of the high chair tray.
"Noelle, do you want milk?" Big grins and enthusiastic "milk" as she head-butts any part of her mother's body she can reach.

Lily, when on her 'tend phone, talking to "Grammy, who? Hi Mary. I'm helping Mama. Dawell is wet and crying. Uh huh, hmmm... I won't be around then. Okay. Love you - bye Mary!"

Noelle has her two front teeth about to erupt, and pulled the piano bench over on her face this morning - big ole bloody lip! In similar news, Lily has three of four molars partially erupted. Now I know why the last week has been lived on the edge of sanity for all of us.

We love library story time! Also big fans of french fries, book stores, Target, beans and rice, cheese, play doh, scivvors (can you guess?), farfs (scarves), shoveling, and dancing!

Our favorite "moobie" characters are: mob the damato (any guesses?), elmo, and pooh.

Things that can be heard sung at the top of small lungs:
* "The B-I-B-L-E, yes dats da book for me, the B-B-L-E, I stand aloh on da Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E" (no typos :) )

* the middle verse of "Come Thou Fount":
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
(no telling what she thinks this means...)



Praise God for all this comic relief and the joy of my precious little girls!