Chris and Kate...figuring out New Jersey

Wouldn't have it any other way

2012-01-22T21:43:00.001-05:00

So I know it's not the most conventional thing to do in our culture/demographic for a married couple (especially one with a baby) to live with family.

Jazmine loves her cozy little fleece sack that keeps her toasty warm these days.

And while this season of Chris being in school and us living with Bub has had it's challenges...I wouldn't have it any other way.

The fact that we have a safe, comfortable, affordable place to live during this time has been such a gift. But more than that...the time with Bub and my mom, and the time that they have with Jazmine - it's wonderful.

You probably can't tell, but Jazmine's onsie says "Somebody in Rutherford, NJ loves me". Bub gave it to her when she was first born and it looked so big, I couldn't imagine that Jazmine would ever fit in it. And here we are...it fits.

All that to say...while I'm super excited about the fact that this is Chris last semester of PA school!!! I'm a little bit (or a lot bit) in denial/freaking out about the fact that him graduating means him getting a job...and figuring out the next season of life.

So trying not to panic and just enjoy the next few months...and trusting that at some point between work and school, Chris and I will make time to figure out what May will bring :)

Excited to see what the Lord has in store for us!

To our generous friends and family....

2012-01-15T21:34:00.002-05:00

...does chocolate count?

To our friends and family who were so generous with giving us gift cards as presents at our baby showers before Jazmine was born...

Our walk LAST Saturday. This Saturday we were MUCH more bundled up.

It's SUCH a huge help to have the gift cards as we need things for Jazmine, and just the random things of life. I was at Target yesterday getting wipes and other miscellaneous things we needed. And I found myself thinking, "Oh, Target has this one brand of chocolate that makes a dark chocolate espresso truffle bar...I wonder how our friends and family would feel about me using the gift cards they got us for me to buy chocolate?"

Shadow loves when Jazmine has playtime on the floor.

I was pretty sure you'd all be okay with me using them to buy chocolate...I'm better with chocolate, so things are better for Chris and Jazmine :)

She's just so stinking cute. Her peach fuzz hair is coming in more and more...makes her look like such a big girl. She had banana today for the first time - our first real food (after the rice cereal) - I'm sure cute eating picture forthcoming.

So that was my conclusion...but then I forgot to look for the chocolate, so came home without it anyway. Oh well :)

Chris is working 12 hour shifts (11am-11pm) Friday through Monday this month, we miss him being here on the weekends, but I'm enjoying the time with Jazmine. The weeks are flying by...hope yours are going well.

PA...or Picker?

2012-01-05T21:32:00.001-05:00

Have to admit that I'm really excited slash a little freaked about by the fact that Chris only has 1 semester of PA school left. It's super exciting...but him finishing school means getting a job and figuring out where we're going to live. Are we going to move? Are we still going to be near family or not? Big decisions...hence scary.

So to lighten the mood....have you ever heard of the TV show American Pickers? It's a show on the History Channel about these guys who drive around the country going through people's old stuff (junk), finding valuable items, and reselling them. It's actually really interesting...

And while I am 100% confident that Chris is going to make a fantastic PA...he could totally pull off being a picker

He spent a few hundred dollars (don't worry, his project money) on a wrecked race bike and a ton of other stuff....and he's going to re-sell it and make a bunch of money. Good thing he knows how to support his motorcycle habit :)

Mom extraordinaire....she babysits, helps with countless things in our life...and even has fun helping Chris unload his loot.

How much do you think he's going to make? :)

Jazmine's half birthday cake that my mom made for her - it's DELICIOUS. Granted we enjoyed it after Jazmine went to sleep... :)

Can't believe that our baby girl is 6 months old already! I have lots of really sentimental thoughts (seriously, I do) but...don't really have the energy to put them down at the moment. So I'll just say that I'm loving watch Jazmine grow - she's amazing. Will do my best to keep sharing pictures of her :)

2011 Year-in-Review

2011-12-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

Many of you probably received this via email or snail mail...but in case you didn't:

New and beautiful - Jazmine Eliza: Born on the 4th of July, Jazmine filled the second half of 2011 with wonder and delight. We love getting to know her and have enjoyed watching her grow from a tiny newborn into a little girl full of life and personality. We look with awe and anticipation to future years as we parent Jazmine and watch her grow.

Challenging - Chris's work as a graduate student: Chris continues to work and study very hard as he prepares to be a Physician Assistant. Currently in his third and final year of his masters degree, Chris has spent countless hours in a dozen hospitals around the state of New Jersey. He loves what he is learning and looks forward to completing his degree in May 2012. At this point Chris anticipates practicing in the area of primary care. The location of where our family will settle is still up in the air...we’re thinking somewhere on the eastern seaboard....stay tuned for our 2012 year end letter to find out! We look forward to seeing how the Lord leads us.

Growing and changing - Kate's role at World Orphans: I am continually grateful to be involved in supporting churches around the world that are caring for orphans. With help from my family, I hosted a few “Home for the Holidays” parties this December....thinking of how grateful we are for family and homes to gather in at this time of year and praying for all the children around the world who don’t have homes or families. While the situation is daunting, the work God is doing through his people, His church around the world is awesome. This year saw my role grow into being a senior director in our Projects department which allows me to help keep an eye on how different aspects of our ministry and organization fit together - I oversee all the teams we send overseas, as well as our holistic care emphasis which focuses on training and equipping our partners around the world. The work is challenging and keeps me busy, but I am honored to serve alongside my hard-working, gifted, passionate co-workers and our church partners.

Chris and I would love to hear what 2011 held for you and what 2012 has in store. We pray this finds you growing in the presence and knowledge of Christ. Immanuel - God is with us!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With love and best wishes for 2012,

Kate (on behalf of all of us)

How many family Christmases do you have?

2011-12-24T12:06:00.002-05:00

We have 4....I think.

Last Saturday - Guidetti family Christmas with Jon and Jess...

We got Jon and Eli matching superman capes.

Jon was VERY excited about it :)

Last Sunday - Scofield family Christmas

Cousin Eli holding Jazmine :)

Monday...flew to Atlanta (airport shots)

Stay tuned for Borders and Brown family Christmases

(definitely borrowing pictures from Kari and Cile)

Jazmine and Alec meeting each other!

May you know the peace of Christ....Immanuel, God is with us!

8 mm's full of memories

2011-12-13T21:36:00.001-05:00

We had a Home for the Holidays party here on Sunday...as we enjoy time with friends and family during this season we wanted to take the time the remember, pray for, and advocate for the children around the world who don't have the security of a home and family.

It was really wonderful to have time with family and I'm very grateful for their suppor of World Orphans.

In addition to sharing about World Orphans, we enjoyed Bub's Christmas present...all 22 reels of her 8mm films transferred to DVD.

When we first moved here Chris and I were cleaning out the attic and found all the films. Rather painfully, Chris got the projector working and we enjoyed watching some of them. So as a surprise for Christmas we got them all transferred to DVD...and spent hours watching them on Sunday.

It was really fun to have a bunch of family together who recognized people in the videos.

Beautiful Jazmine...

So...Jazmine used to be a stellar napper. Like usually 2 long (2-3+ hours) naps a day plus maybe another short one (1-2 hours) each day. But over the last few weeks she just stopped. I still lay her down when she's tired (usually 3 times a day) but sometimes she just lays there and talks to herself for 45+minutes...other times she'll fall asleep but only stay asleep for 30-45 minutes.

Last week she randomly fell asleep with Nona...and twice just siting in my lap at my computer! Experienced moms tell me it's a phase (maybe a long one) and I'm very committed to her learning to take good naps. So...trying not to stress about it.

She stays pretty happy even when she doesn't nap well, so we'll just keep enjoying her...and keep trying to get her to sleep :)

Big family Christmas plans this weekend here in Jersey and we leave Monday for Georgia....so (hopefully) lots of pictures coming!

Jazmine goes to the city...

2011-12-06T21:44:00.001-05:00

Excited about taking the bus into the city and having a whole day with daddy...

...but there was a lot of traffic, so someone decided to take a nap

People watching at Bryant Park

The Chrystler building...it was a beautiful day

Rockefeller Center in the daylight....

...and at night

Why did we see Rockefeller Center in the daylight and at night, you ask? Well...Jazmine (who was a trooper, she did great) really needed to eat when we were there. So we went into the NBC studio building for a warm place to hang out while she I fed her. It was CRAZY crowded...like the rest of the city.

We found a quiet corner where I was standing feeding Jazmine (because despite a valiant effort, Chris couldn't find a chair). A kind security guard brought me a chair...gotta love that New Yorkers are still nice even on a crazy day in December. So...after Jazmine ate, we changed a REALLY dirty diaper and stood in crazy long lines to use the restroom..we were ready to head back outside.

We hadn't gotten a very good look at the tree, so we decided to stay around 30 Rock a litte longer. Not like we could have left quickly if we wanted to. The mobs of people packing the street made going anywhere very slow. But...we enjoyed the lights, enjoyed being together, and even enjoyed the crazy crowds...a classic New York at Christmas day.

Baking therapy...and my matriarchs

2011-12-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

"Measuring and mixing ingredients in a series of steps can induce a state of flow - complete immersion and energized focus. Your thoughts become centered on the task at hand, helping to shift stress to the back burner." (Psy.D. clinical therapist)

I read that in Better Homes and Garden and thought, "that's it!" Sometimes if I'm stressed I think, "I just need to bake something!" I've been like that for year. So when I read this it made total sense! :)

Not that I've done much baking in the last five months...having an infant isn't very conducive to baking. Actually, I'm pretty sure I've baked once since Jazmine was born. She helped me...we made a batch of brownies and chocolate chip cookies for Chris.

Jazmine helping decorate the Christmas tree

And that brings me to my mom and Bub and the amazing help they are during this season of life.
Since Jazmine has been born...
The one time I needed to bring an appetizer to a going away, Bub made it.
The coffee cake I need to bring to the women's prayer breakfast at church tomorrow, mom and Bub made it yesterday.
The thank- you gifts I wanted to make for my World Orphans financial support team...my mom helped a ton with them.
Lots of the grocery shopping that gets done around here....Bub.
Watching Jazmine 2 days a week...my mom.

I could keep going. So, so grateful.

Tomorrow Bub, Chris, Jazmine and I are going into the city to do Christmas stuff....I'm sure there will be cute pictures of Jazmine :)

Cousins

2011-11-27T20:48:00.001-05:00

We spent a relaxing Thanksgiving in Connecticut with my dad and his wife Katy, Katy's niece from CA, and Jon, Jess and Eli. It was fun to watch Eli and Jazmine interact with each other...

Jazmine's cousin Eli

Jazmine and grandpa Mike

Jazmine with Aunt Jess

It's hard to imagine that Jazmine will ever be as big as Eli!

Thanksgiving dinner table

Princess Jazmine in her chair for Thanksgiving (can you tell she doesn't like looking at the camera?!)

Eli waiting for a fist bump from Jazmine

The weather was so mild...it was great!

Time to get the Christmas decorations out...and you will be happy about it! Classic...

So great to have time together...

Climbing trees already...

...with daddy of course :)

Family shots...

Oh so much to be thankful for. I was going to do a nice long list of all that we have to be thankful for, but to be honest I'm not feeling it. A few of the things I'm thankful for are Jazmine, Chris (Chris being in his last year of school) and my job....but those things take a lot of time and don't leave too much time for creative blog posts :)

A journal's worth of life...

2011-11-20T15:01:00.001-05:00

I wrote in the last page of my journal this week. I started it about a year and a half ago.

A year and a half ago when we had lived here less than a year, Chris was working hard to finish his first year of PA school, and we had no idea that Jazmine would be entering our world.

A small, unassuming book...yet filled with memories, thoughts, ideas, hopes, dreams, struggles...

I have a box with all my old journals. I don't do it often, but I love looking through them and remembering...mostly they are a reminder to me of God's faithfulness.

So as I finished this journal and start a new one, I thought over the last year and a half and all that's happened...praise the Lord for sustaining us.

And I found myself thinking about my new journal, the blank pages waiting to be filled. Filled with thoughts and stories and prayers about whatever lies ahead. Where will we end up when Chris finishes school? Will we have more children?

Who needs a station wagon or a mini-van? Yup...that's Shadow and Jazmine in the back of our 2-door Civic. We were in the car for over an hour and they both did great!

Will you look at that face? I know I'm biased, but still can't get over how cute she is! My mom found a bag with a few special outfits from when I was a baby....I wore the bonnet that Jazmine's wearing in this picture...beautiful morning for our walk to church.

A year and a half later here we are...we've been here a few years, Chris is working hard to finish is PA degree, we have a beautiful little girl...

As I finish this journal's worth of life and start a new one, I praise God for His faithfulness and provision and look forward to what's in store...

Work days and weekends...

2011-11-13T15:49:00.001-05:00

No pictures...but Jazmine and I had a great trip to Colorado. She was wonderful on the flights and a trooper during my long days of meetings. And from a work perspective, the time was very productive - very glad I was able to go.

Forgot to post this picture from our power outage days - this is how bundled Jazmine spent most of her awake time :)

Traveling Monday through Wednesday made for a full week that went very quickly...and being gone made us even more thankful for our weekend to hang out with daddy.

Pizza with daddy...

And a nice long walk...

...Jazmine loves our walks.

Saturday morning coffee with daddy

And thanks to Chris being thoughtful and resourceful, he bought us one of these from someone on Craigslist, so hopefully we'll be sharing more video of Jazmine. Have a great week!

Adventures

2011-11-06T16:44:00.001-05:00

Due to that crazy storm I posted about last weekend (which got much worse than we thought it would) we were without power from Sunday morning through Wednesday afternoon.

Thankfully we had hot water and a gas stove, I worked at our church, and Jazmine stayed nice and warm in this cute outfit from Aunt Sandy.

It kind of felt like camping trying to stay warm and do things by flashlight. Thinking of people who live without heat...we are very grateful it was only temporary.

Jazmine turned 4 months on Friday - the time if flying! A year ago yesterday is the day I found out I was pregnant (maybe I'll do a post with that story - it's fun :) So thankful for where this last year brought us.

Jazmine and I are off to Colorado tomorrow for me to attend a meeting for work. I'm a bit nervous about flying with her by myself, but she's a champ, I'm hopeful that it will go well. We're sad to be going without Chris, but I'm looking forward to the time with my co-workers.

Those are our recent adventures. Sorry for the brief post....later :)

Record breaker...

2011-10-29T23:27:00.001-04:00

Today in Central Park there was more snow than has ever been recorded in the month of October. We had the same weather in Northern New Jersey as well...crazy!

Our mums aren't the only thing being weighed down by the crazy amount of snow we got today.

Guess what...trees get really heavy when all the leaves are still on underneath all the snow!

Getting ready to go for a walk with daddy this past week...

And a walk with Nonna while I was working on Tuesday...

But no Saturday morning walk today! The snow started falling lightly this morning...

and it just kept coming and coming and coming...(like the makeshift top for the Jeep? Chris quickly threw a board and tarps on until he had time to put the top on...) So much for enjoying a few more fall rides.

Isn't she too cute :)

This is how much snow was on my car after it had been cleaned off twice...and hours before the snow slowed down! I was definitely underdressed for my trip to the grocery store....should have worn my boots.

It was a perfect day for baking. Here is Jaz keeping me company in the kitchen while we made brownies and chocolate chip cookies.

Chris spent most of the day in the garage working on cabinets for the sunday school room at our church...study break :)

Hope you had a warm, dry weekend!

This time last year...

2011-10-22T17:08:00.004-04:00

I think it's the change of weather...this past week has found me thinking a lot about this time last year.

Our first family photo...barely pregnant with Jazmine (didn't even know yet) at dad and Katy's wedding, Oct. 23, 2010. Speaking of...happy anniversary!

And here we are a year later with this beautiful little girl. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

God's creative wonder is awe-inspiring.

This pic is a few weeks old, before it really started getting cool.

It's that time again....I switched my warm and cold weather clothes while Jaz slept earlier today, which I love doing. Good time to clean out and organize the closet, and fun to have fresh wardrobe options!

It actually seems progressively harder to get her to smile for a picture. She's smiling and laughing so much now, but doesn't seem to care about the camera. She'll have to take lessons fro cousin Eli on hamming it up for photo ops :)

Also been thinking lots about Chris's progress in school and what the future might hold. This time last year was his white coat ceremony and the start of his clinical rotations. A year later he has worked in multiple different hospitals and areas of medicine and a main topic of conversation with fellow students and professors is the process of finding a job.

We're breathing a sigh of relief this weekend as he just finished a challenging rotation in pediatrics and did well clinically and on the exam! We're praising the Lord for His faithfulness in sustaining us and providing for us during this season. Monday Chris starts a rotation in the ICU and we take another step towards discerning what is next.

Trip to the city with Chris's parents and Kari and Jonathan when they were in town last October.

There are plenty of challenges along the way, but we are thankful to be enjoying the ride!

It'll be fun to see where we'll be this time next year :)

Adventures...

2011-10-15T13:52:00.003-04:00

I know, I know, I know....it's been way to long since I posted and you are missing seeing pictures of Jazmine. I'm sorry. My (I think legitimate) excuse is that last weekend we were traveling and the only time in the last 2 weeks I thought about blogging, Chris was using my computer for school - which definitely take priority. So...here you go :)

Jazmine has had an adventurous 2 weeks. Aunt Sandy and Kiah came to visit from Chicago - it was SO great to see them!

One of the main reasons they came was for us all to go to a wedding of a college friend in South Jersey. My camera wasn't working for our trip to the wedding, but Jazmine did SO well being out and about all weekend and for our first night away from home. So thankful she's such a content and flexible baby!

One of our other adventures was Jazmine's first trip into New York. We wanted to see Aunt Rachel, and some good friends from TN were in town as well!

Waiting for the bus :)

So great to have time with Keith and Kathy!

It was a beautiful fall day, perfect for sitting in Bryant Park, drinking coffee, and visiting with friends.
Classic shot of Keith and baby "Eldonia"

Jazmine's other adventures...

She's been very busy getting super strong, holding her head up, and DROOLING!

Trip to Chick-fil-A. Doesn't it look like she's eying that sandwich and thinking "where's mine?"

And she's super busy growing! I came across this picture from when she was first born and swimming in this little outfit....

And now the outfit barely fits her!

And now that she can hold her head up, she can sit in her little bumbo seat - very exciting :)

Saturday morning waffles

Very intently playing with my toy from Mimi

All this playing with my seal and siting up is hard work guys!

And Jazmine is quite the chatterbox these days - she talks like this all the time - it's so fun.

Enjoy the video! (If you can't see it now it's okay - press play and you should be able to see it.)

She isn't a huge fan of the camera and seems to stop doing whatever I'm trying to capture as soon as the camera come out, but my next goal is to get her laughing!

4 generations

2011-09-30T09:26:00.000-04:00

I'm amazed and thankful that we get to have this season with my grandmother, and so thankful Jazmine got to wish her a happy birthday this year.

Birthday dinner with mom and Uncle Joe

And we also got to do a girls birthday lunch to celebrate Bub...

Jazmine was oh, so excited to be out to lunch :) Acutally, she only slept a little bit, then enjoyed hanging out with us

My grandmother is one of the most generous, thoughtful, caring people that I know. So thankful for another year with her and for the time she has with Jazmine.

Happy Birthday, Daddy...

2011-09-28T09:12:00.001-04:00

Dear Daddy,

Remember when I was little and all I did was sleep all the time?

It's a good thing that I'm getting bigger now so I can help you with your work.

I know you and mommy aren't in a hurry for me to grow up, I'm not either.

But I look forward to the time when we can run around and play and I can work in the garage with you.

I'm glad we had time to hang out as a family on your birthday.

I love you daddy,

Jazmine

PS: Sorry for the delay in posting - my excuse is that Chris had a big project to work over the weekend and was on the computer all weekend...and other than that, just had full days. More to come soon.

Don't worry...that's normal

2011-09-21T18:33:00.000-04:00

I am so very thankful for community. I feel really strongly that at some point we all need someone to tell us, "no you're not crazy....that's normal." Whether it's about family, friendship, marriage, a job, school, (for us these days) kids, it's always hard to do something new and we all need people who have gone before us to say, "yup, that's how it goes...no, you're not crazy" and talk us through the new stages of life.

Studying with Daddy

I've been extra thankful for email these days and being in touch with friends and family all over the place as we figure out life with Jazmine...

For the grandparents and other family and friends who care about these details...we had our 2-month checkup at the Dr. last week and Jazmine is doing wonderfully.

She now weighs 9 pounds 11 ounces and is 21 inches long. The Dr. said she's pleased with how Jazmine is doing...and we are so thankful that she's healthy and doing well! She finally fits into clothes other than her newborn onsies :) Which is good because it's getting cool so it's nice to have options to layer her in!

Thanks to my cousin Jackson I have this awesome onesie with cars and trucks on it...and now it's only a little big on me, which makes me happy :)

Yup - that's a smile! We're enjoying watching Jazmine explore her surroundings and respond to us with smiles, giggles, coos, and all sorts of baby sounds.

Grateful

2011-09-17T18:52:00.002-04:00

As I sit here next to the piles of laundry that need to be folded, I can't stop thinking about this woman I saw the other day. I was on my way to the dentist and the DMV (2 things I was able to do solo and quickly thanks to my mom staying with Jazmine!) and I saw this lady...she was probably around my age and she was pushing a stroller (with an infant seat) and pulling a HUGE container of laundry behind her. I was flooded with gratefulness that we have a washer and dryer in our house, and found myself thinking of her often.

Jazmine helping Daddy with schoolwork. Speaking of daddy, he's super busy but enjoying his pediatric rotation and learning a lot.

And I'm grateful that even though things are tight financially we can afford to get take-out for dinner so we can have a chill evening together.

So tonight I think I'm going to especially enjoy eating dinner and folding laundry, thankful for God's provision for our family...

Starting to have cooler days...aren't I so cute in my little outfit??

A Friday full of firsts

2011-09-04T15:41:00.000-04:00

Jazmine had a lot of first's on Friday.

We made it through our first non-staff work call
She attended her first wedding (all pics from the wedding)
We had a big first for sleeping

First non-staff work call: I've had her with me a few times while I talked to co-workers, but that is different because it's people I know well and they undersand the situation. Usually we are on a long call via skpye (withOUT video) so I can keep talking and just feed her while we talk. Not my preference because I don't focus completely on either, but very thankful I can if I need to.

BUT Friday was the first time I needed to attend to her while talking with someone I don't work with (aka - someone I don't know very well and I need to be professional). It went something like this:

Call scheduled for 10am
Realize she'll wake up around 10 or 10:30
Start the call hoping it will be closer to 10:30
10:15 she starts to stir...then really cry
I turn off the monitor (so the guy can't hear her crying) and finish my thought
He starts talking
I mute my phone (pretty sure he's going to talk for a while)
Run downstairs while listening and pick up crying baby
Wonderful baby stops crying and is content for me to hold her (even though she's hungry)
Go back up to office and take phone off mute
Take 10-15 minutes finishing call while holding Jazmine and attempting to take notes typing one-handed

Not my preference, but she was great - so thankful she was content for me to hold her so I could finish the call!

Four generations - all dressed up!

Her first wedding: my mom's cousin got married Friday night. Thankfully the venue was not far at all from our house. First wedding went something like this:

Get as much work done as possible before 4:30
4:30 - Bub holds fussy Jazmine while I get ready
5:00 - feed Jazmine so she won't be hungry during the ceremony
Get Jazmine ready - leave for wedding that starts at 6:30
Jazmine passes out as soon as we get there - she sleeps as I hold her and everyone says how cute and little she is
Find out there is champaign and hang out time before the ceremony which actually starts at 7:00
In true New Jersey fashion, the ceremony doesn't actually start until 7:30, at which point Jazmine has been sleeping for an hour and decides she's ready to be awake
So right as everything quiets down, Jaz is awake and making her cute baby noises - thankfully not too loud, but I'm still worried she's going to distract people
Smack in the middle of the ceremony she gets that very concentrated look on her face, turns red, and...
Yup - very loudly fills her diaper. So loud that people 3 rows in front of us turn around and giggle, someone whispers, "that's a happy baby!" Thankfully everyone seemed to think it was funny rather than inappropriate :)
It's a little after 8pm when the ceremony is wrapping up and the cocktail hour is starting
I remember this is a New Jersey not a Tennessee wedding and that it's going to be at least 9pm before we even get seated at our tables, and even -later until dinner is served.
My smart husband (who wasn't home early enough to actually attend the wedding) says he'll come get Jazmine after I feed her so she can go to sleep and I can enjoy the reception.
So I feed her and Chris comes to pick her up...which leads to our next first.

Uncle Joe with Jazmine

Chris picked her up a little before 10pm, so she went to sleep a little after 10pm and slept until....6am! Her first time sleeping through the night! And she did again last night as well...so we'll see!

She is a very good baby - we're very thankful and not taking that for granted, but we have our challenges. While she does sleep very well, sometimes it takes an hour or more to get her to go to sleep... And as she gets older she's more social so doesn't want to go to sleep, and more aware of her surroundings so noises bother her more. Not complaining at all - just don't want to paint an unrealistic picture :) But we are getting some sleep and are very thankful.

Me and Jaz :) Wish I had gotten a better picture of her dress - she looked so cute!

We're enjoying having a long weekend...I'll post more about how Chris is doing being back at the hospital and how Jaz and I are doing with me working. But for now....Happy Labor Day!

The Monday of all Mondays..

2011-08-30T05:39:00.000-04:00

I'm not a big fan of Mondays. I enjoy my job and for the most part always enjoy my days, but often it feels like the weekend went too quickly and I just don't feel ready for the week.

Chris headed back to full-time rotations for his last year of PA school yesterday, which meant my first day of attempting to work and take care of Jazmine. And I was nervous. It was a Monday I was really not looking forward to.

I know if Chris wasn't in school he would have a job and we would have had MUCH less time all being home together. And I'm not taking that for granted - we had an amazing 8 weeks and it's time to get back into the swing of things. But just because it's time, doesn't mean I have to be happy about it, right?

What makes everything better? How cute Jazmine is - enjoy the pics while I vent :)

Whenever possible she wriggles her arms out of being swaddled - she loves having them up by her head like that

So while the day started out with me feeling pretty overwhelmed, it actuality it ended up going pretty well.

We found the hat at Old Navy - is it not the best!!! Chris has a hat just like it, so Jaz can be cool like daddy :)

It was a good first day because:

- Jazmine slept through the important meeting I had (she ate and slept well all day - praise the Lord!)

- Bub was around to help if I needed her

- The weather was mild enough that I could wear my comfy jeans with the holes (and my jeans fit....just in time for the cooler days - hurray!)

- Chris had a good day...then got to come home and put on his comfy jeans with the holes too

- We managed to be in bed and asleep before 11:00

I've been looking for baby sunglasses - Aunt Jess found some and sent them to us. I figured trying them on while she was asleep was the best bet :)

She was waking up to eat anyway :) So they will probably fit better next summer, but they make for a great picture! It was too warm to do clothe and blankets and she likes to be swaddled...

So while I'm sure we'll have our challenging days, I'm thankful that we got off to a good start.

And this morning I actually had time to sit with my coffee and write in my journal for a few minutes...and my mom is here to help with Jaz as I dive into a day full of writing, to do lists and meetings.

Praise the Lord for grace.

And randomness...there are wild turkeys in Rutherford. Go figure. They were out for a walk after the storm.

Speaking of the storm. We survived it just fine. Very thankful that we didn't get any damage and now the weather is amazing.

Hope your Monday was a good one.

Family picture

2011-08-26T15:30:00.001-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

P.S.

2011-08-22T16:50:00.000-04:00

Meant to put this in the last post about my first week back to work....

Of course we always enjoy our weekends, but I think I'm going to enjoy Saturday mornings now even more...not having to be up and productive first thing, having the option to get back in bed after Jaz's early morning feeding, hopefully time to listen to Car Talk. I think during this season of life Saturday mornings are going to be particularly awaited and enjoyed.

Off to a birthday party for a little girl at church...and Jazmine slept the whole time we were there :) It's great she's such a content baby, she'll have plenty of time to run around and enjoy a party when she's older :)

I was taking off her dress getting ready for her bath and it just struck me as funny to leave her dress on her head :)

Yup - she's that cute!

We made it...

2011-08-20T09:16:00.001-04:00

My first week back to work after maternity leave is over.

Thanks to my wonderful husband, gracious co-workers, fantastic family, and God's grace...we had a pretty good week. Granted my work load is fairly light (thanks to the hard work of the lady who covered for me while I was on maternity leave - she kept up with all the details and is still doing a lot of work for the next few weeks) and Chris is around to help with Jazmine.

Even though all that is going to change soon and we'll need to adjust again, I'm still very thankful to have had a good week to ease into working with the baby around.

Chris and Jazmine are getting all the time together that they can before Chris goes back to school/rotations at the end of next week.

I know we'll have our challenges, but all-in-all I'm feeling much better about everything then I was last week.

She loves to stretch and flail her limbs :)

I love to watch Jazmine sleep. One afternoon I went to check on her while she was napping and it hit me again how thankful I am that I can peak in and check on her while she's napping. However challenging it might be to juggle working and caring for her, I'm so thankful for our situation.

Waking up...in slow motion. She starts all wrapped up...

When she starts to fidget and squirm I unwrap her and there's lots more squirming and grunting, she curls herself into a little ball....

...then eventually sprawls out, undecided about whether or not she's ready to be awake.

Eventually we end up nice and awake. She says, "Hello everyone...do you see how big I'm getting?"

So the week ended well work wise. Unfortunately the water pump went out on our car and Chris has been working on it since yesterday afternoon. Whoever worked on it last tightened a particular bolt WAY too tight and it's preventing Chris from getting to the part that needs to be fixed :( Needless to say, for lots of reasons, we need Chris to be able to fix the car....will let you know how it turns out.

Update: Praise the Lord...the bolt came off. Took WAY too long...but it's off!

She is...

2011-08-15T15:36:00.005-04:00

60 reasons she is wonderful...

1. She made sure I didn't watch too much TV

2. She made sure I dressed modestly, but didn't argue with me when the outfits I wanted to wear were really random

3. She said no when she needed to, even if I wasn't happy about it...

4. But she said yes as much as she could

5. She let me be adventurous

6. She would say "the safest place for you to be is in the center of God's will"

7. She said that even when it meant me doing things that made her nervous (like going to the Middle East and then Africa for months at a time)

8. She was always ready with snacks when my friends would come over

9. And she treated them like her own whenever they were around

10. When a friend didn't return my phone call, she taught me patience - she made me wait instead of calling again. At the time I wasn't happy about it, but she taught me not to be that annoying person that just keeps calling

11. She helped me with projects for school

12. She helped me even when it was inconvenient for her because I had procrastinated too long

13. When a friend got a comb stuck in my hair, she spent hours untangling it instead of just cutting my hair off

14. She made sure I always had healthy food to take to school for lunch

15. She never complained about all the laundry that growing kids produce

16. But she did make sure to teach us to not be wasteful and think about whether or not our clothes really needed to be washed

17. She would take the time to teach me to do things, instead of just doing them herself

18. She made me drink milk with dinner before anything else...because it was good for me

19. She would participate in my silly make-believe games when I was really little

20. When I was a teenager, she would sit on my bed at night for as long as I wanted to talk

21. When I had friends sleep over she let us stay up as late as we wanted (even though I'm sure it made the next day a lot harder for her

22. She eats ice cream for breakfast

23. She made countless super hero costumes for my brother

24. She stayed up late to get the laundry done

25. She loves to bake for people

26. She had homemade pizza on the menu every Friday growing up

27. I always looked forward to Friday pizza

28. She would give you anything of hers if she thought you would like it

29. She taught me to love books

30. She would always say "readers are leaders"

31. She let me stay up to read and listen to records to help me fall asleep

32. Yup - I had a record player next to my bed as a kid...early 80's

33. She loves to go for long walks in the morning

34. She always made me do my homework before going out to play

35. I didn't like that at the time, but am so thankful that I was taught to work hard...and then play hard :)

36. She's an amazing grandmother

37. She ironed her hair as a teenager

38. She loves to give thoughtful little gifts to people...whether or not there's an official reason

39. Whatever she does she does excellently

40. She put herself through college and grad school to be able to help kids struggling in school

41. For over 30 years she treated those struggling kids like she would want someone to treat her own kids

42. Sometimes she would make us breakfast for dinner

43. She called it "silly supper"

44. She let me and my friends eat my birthday cake without using our hands

45. It was messy, but oh so fun

46. She plays the mountain dulcimer

47. She made sure I had a chance to love music from an early age

48. We often listened to classical music growing up

49. To this day...I love listening to classical music

50. She's great about trying new things

51. In the last few years she's learned to kayak

52. And recently she went skeet shooting

53. She loves to travel

54. She is amazingly willing to help anyone in need

55. She loves to laugh

56. She really trusts God's care for her

57. More than anything she desires to reflect the love of Christ to everyone she comes in contact with

58. Today is her birthday

59. She makes 60 seem oh so young

60. She is my mother

Happy Birthday Mom - I love you!

Biker chic

2011-08-14T19:37:00.001-04:00

Yup - Jazmine went to her first Bike night!

Since we found out we were pregnant Chris has been thinking about how fun it will be to play with our kids...take them for motorcycle rides, teach them to ride dirt bikes, etc.

Since we found out we were having a girl he's been talking about pink mini bikes :)

Can you see the bikes in the background?

Someone thought she was a doll again!

So it was fun that she got to go to a bike night at such a young age. Granted she slept through the WHOLE thing, even the really loud bikes right next to us...but she was there :)

But I like la-la land...

2011-08-11T12:25:00.004-04:00

Getting back into the swing of real life is always hard for me. Even when we just go away for the weekend to visit family, Monday morning usually finds me just feeling kind of sad. Around the holidays (or if we get to take a vacation) and we're off for a week or more, it's even harder.

So...you can imagine that as my 6-week maternity leave comes to an end...I'm anticipating that getting back into the swing of real life is going to be a little rough.

Jazmine with Mimi and grandpa - Glenn says he'll be called whatever the kids decide to call him :)

These past 6 weeks have been amazing. Yes they have been tiring but overall it's just been so special to be home with Jazmine. And the fact that she was born over the summer while Chris is in grad school so he could be home to...I'm not taking for granted that we've had time together that most people don't get and I am so, so thankful.

4 generations! I am very thankful that it IS part of real life that we live with Bub and my mom is close by so Jazmine will get to see them on a regular basis!

Jaz and I with her lovely (and young looking I might add) grandmothers

I know it's not real life to get back in bed after the baby's morning feeding and take naps and hang out with your husband all the time...but just because it's not real life doesn't mean it hasn't been such a treat and that it will be hard to say goodbye to this little season that we have enjoyed.

Ice cream on a hot Sunday afternoon - it was perfect.

Thanks for the ice cream grandpa!

Almost every time we've been out someone has said they thought Chris was carrying a doll. Yes she's adorable and tiny...but that would be SUPER weird if a grown man was walking around with a doll...

And because Chris's parents live across the ocean, it's not normal that we get to have them around every day :( It was wonderful to have them here, the house always seems too quiet after such a nice visit...

I loved them both being in white :)

And don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining at all. I feel honored to support our family while Chris is in school and so thankful for a job that I am passionate about. I love World Orphans and everyone I work with and I am SO thankful that I can work from home.

But...as I go back to work and Chris goes back to school (thankfully we have a little buffer - Chris doesn't go back to school until the end of August, but he's diving right in with Pediatrics which he hears is a good but challenging rotation) it will be different and a take some getting used to.

And I know we'll figure it out and get settled into a routine and it will be a good year, but to be honest...I'm not looking forward to the transition.

Chris took this - I was so asleep I had no idea he was taking the picture. This is what I'll miss when I'm back to work - that I won't have the same time to just cuddle and rest with Jazmine.

I love my job and I want (and need) to work hard...it's just going to be hard to share my time and attention and not be able to give it all to Jazmine.

But countless people have done it before us (I know plenty of people who balance it all really well) and the Lord is gracious...so I'm just going to enjoy these next few days and we'll deal with next week when it gets here :)

Busy chilling and growing...

2011-08-05T15:22:00.005-04:00

Jazmine turned one month old yesterday, I can't believe it's gone so fast! She's doing really well - she weighed in at a whopping 7 pounds 6 ounces. She's tiny, in the 10th percentile, but for her size she's growing at a healthy rate and doing really well - praise the Lord.

The big fun of the week has been having Chris's parents in town!

Jazmine has enjoyed just chilling with them...

And of course still loving her time with daddy...

And she got to meet her cousin! Alec Glenn Masson was born July 31st to Kari (Chris's sister) and her husband Jonathan. Does it count as meeting each other if both of the babies were sleeping while we skyped? :)

Cile and I were out shopping yesterday and Jazmine needed to take a nap. Chris tried multiple times to get her to go down, but she kept waking herself up. So he took her out to the garage where he and Glenn were taking care of some things. Chris worked one-handed for a few minutes. When he needed to use both his hands he set Jazmine down in the Jeep for a minute...and she feel right to sleep! She ended up napping in the front seat of the Jeep for a good while - oblivious to Chris and his dad talking an working right around her :)

To celebrate Jazmine's one-month birthday we walked to the next town over to get Italian Ice...

Jazmine (and I) have been doing a lot of chilling. Chris and Glenn on the other hand have been working REALLY hard. They did a lot of plumbing and electric work in the basement, Chris replaced the faucet in the bathroom, plus any number of other small projects. Cile and Bub have been working hard cooking and cleaning...Jazmine and I are very grateful for all their hard work so we can rest. The only "work" I've been doing is helping Cile with some shopping :)

Speaking of work, I'm back to work in just over a week....trying not to think about it at the moment :(

Some of my favorites....

2011-07-29T17:46:00.000-04:00

It's hard to say what I'm enjoying most about Jazmine...because we really are just loving getting to know her.

But - the last couple of days I've been thinking that one of my favorite things is the time she and I get to cuddle after she eats. (Update - I started this post a few days ago...while I still love to cuddle after we eat, the past few days she's been doing really well going to sleep in her crib after she eats...even if she's awake when I put her down - very thankful for that to!)

Thankfully she's doing well nursing (gaining weight like a champ - praise the Lord!) but it is still a focused activity that takes concentration :) Yes, it will be nice when we both have a little more experience and she can discreetly nurse wherever we are when it's time for her to eat. But at the moment I'm enjoying the fact that she and I go to a quiet room when it's time for her to eat and I just watch her and hear each little squeak and grunt that she makes and see all the funny expressions she makes with her little face that is so full of life...

And then when she's done and her tummy is full and she is sleepy and content and she lays her head on my chest and I lean my head back on the chair and we both just rest...that is definitely one of my favorites these days.

One of my other favorites...watching Chris with her - he's a wonderful daddy..

You would not believe how much expression she shows on her precious little face - I feel rather desperate to just watch her and burn into my memory each of her amazing expressions, each little squeak and sound that she makes...it's amazing.

And since I know you are looking for pictures (and a lot of people are asking for pics of me with her) here are a few :)

I think these may be our first family photos...she's actually a few days old - it's when we had to go back to the hospital because she was really jaundiced...

4 days old - going to meet the pediatrician

Meeting Aunts Nicole and Jess...my best friends from when I was a kid...it was really special to see them and think about how long we've known each other and how amazing it that now we all have kids...

3 weeks old - first trip to church

3.5 weeks old...meeting Great-grandpa Jack.

And literally Chris is minutes away from getting back to the house with his parents who just flew in from Budapest to visit with us...so stay tuned for pics from our visit with Mimi and Glenn!

Today I am thankful for...

2011-07-22T16:00:00.004-04:00

Well, in addition to just an overall gratefulness for Jazmine, I am thankful for:

- The fact that Jazmine is healthy, eating well, and gaining weight. We had her 2-week check-up with the Pediatrician yesterday and she's gaining weight like a champ...praise the Lord!

- Health Insurance: I just glanced at a summary of the hospital bills online and it's really unbelievable - I am so grateful for our health insurance.

Is this not THE cutest picture??!!

[Side bar/mini soap box: I know it's not the hot topic at the moment, but when the health insurance debates were all anyone was talking about I generally steered clear of the discussions. My thoughts in a nutshell: yes, you can make the argument that the health insurance system in our country is messy and you may or may not agree with the decisions coming out of the white house. BUT....compared to most of the rest of the world, we have absolutely nothing to be complaining about. Sure, as a country we can always work to improve the system and I know that there are plenty of people in the US who fight the system and don't get good care and I so hope we can improve for them, but comparatively speaking we have oh so much to be thankful for.]

- The little window air conditioning unit in our attic. It's 100 degrees here today...and most of our house is in the mid 90's...thankfully we can cool off the attic so I have a comfortable place to feed Jazmine...

Me and Jazzie with Grandpa Mike

Meeting friends and family

2011-07-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

To be honest we're really enjoying laying low, having time at home just resting and getting used to life with Jazmine. But, of coure we're excited about her meeting friends and family - she's had a few visitors over the last week...

Uncle Jon and Aunt Jess...

Uncle Joe

Aunt Rachel

Grandpa Mike and Katy

Yup, she looks like her daddy...

2011-07-18T18:02:00.001-04:00

As most of you guessed or already knew...that was Chris's baby picture. No one around here disagrees that she looks like Chris. Watching Chris with her is one of my favorite pastimes these days - enjoy the pics :)

Chris is selling his Vulcan - had to get a few fun pics before listing it online

Daddy giving her first bath...

Studying with daddy...

And resting with daddy...

And she looks like....

2011-07-16T17:29:00.003-04:00

Here is our sweet Jazmine....

And a parent baby picture...

And more Jazmine :)

So...do you think it's my baby picture or Chris's?? Who does she look like??

Fun post with answers coming :)

Happy 1 week birthday Jazmine!

2011-07-11T14:47:00.005-04:00

Happy one-week birthday Miss Jazmine.

I know that there's a lot going on with my hormones these days, but I'm still amazed that just sitting and looking at Jazmine brings me to tears...

...overwhelmed with love for her and gratefulness that the Lord gave her to us...

Speaking of tears...watching Chris with her is absolutely incredible.

And I'm overcome with this desperate desire to soak up each minute with her, to burn her sweet little face and each expression into my memory...

So we're here just enjoying getting to know her. Praying that the days don't go by too quickly and that in the midst of being exhausted that we'll just soak up each moment.

Posts coming soon...1st bath and comparing Jazmine with mommy or daddy's baby picture. Wait until you see how much she looks like one of us. We'll let you guess which one :)

Pics courtesy of the hospital photography service - she was less than one day old when they were taken. We bought some prints and the CD with all the photos...she is too cute not to :)

Jazmine's Story...

2011-07-06T19:27:00.011-04:00

My plan for my next blog post was to tell you about the fun long weekend Chris and I had over 4th of July. We had a little gift money saved up and at first we were going to go out of town for the weekend...but decided it would be better to do fun day trips, go out to eat, treat ourselves to things we wouldn't usually do...just enjoy time together before the baby.

Dinner at our favorite burger place Friday night

So while I'm still going to tell you about our fun weekend...the last day of our 3-day weekend ended up being our baby's birthday!

We weren't entirely sure how we were going to spend the 4th of July, but we ended up not having much choice...we had a baby! But...I'm jumping ahead :)

The lighthouse at Sleep Hollow

Saturday we hopped in the Jeep and drove the short trip to lower upstate New York to enjoy the scenery. We had coffee and lunch in Nyack and then drove over to Sleepy Hollow (yup...like the Legend of Sleepy Hollow) and drove along the Hudson to Bear Mountain State Park.

It was beautiful and we had a lovely day. But, in retrospect...while it was a really relaxing day for me, it probably wasn't my doctor's definition of "taking it easy" - the bouncing in the Jeep and all the walking that we did might have had something to do with going into labor :)

Sunday was pretty low key - after church I went and had fantastic Middle Eastern food with some ladies from church. And after trying for weeks to coordinate our schedules with one of the nurses at the hospital, Sunday night we went and got a tour of the labor and delivery floor at the hospital before going to our favorite Irish Pub.

Starting at about 1:30am Monday morning I woke up feeling...different. I wasn't worried that anything was wrong and I was exhausted, so just went back to sleep each time I woke up.

At about 7:30 Monday morning my water broke and from there...things we pretty quickly!

Contractions (which I think started in the middle of the night) started getting stronger and closer together as soon as my water broke.

We got to the hospital around 10am and I was 4 cm dilated.

Next time they checked me I was 7 and the next time I was 9...

I started pushing sometime between 1 and 2 pm and...

Immediately after she was born

...she was born at 3:56pm!

We got to spend a little time with her right away and then she had to go to the nursery for a little while to get weighed and measured...and some other stuff that I don't remember :)

Chilling with Daddy...

Then from Monday night until Wednesday morning we just hung out and enjoyed getting to know her, worked on nursing and tried to get a little rest.

We had a few visitors - Nonna and GG were thrilled to get to meet her....

We decided months ago that we were going to have a list of names we liked and decide what to name her once she was born. She was born Monday afternoon and I think we decided late on Tuesday that her name would be....

...Jazmine Eliza. Jazmine because we like it and Eliza (a derivative of Elizabeth which means God's promise, after Aunt Kari Elizabeth).

On the way home from the hospital

Chilling at home

So we're home and praising the Lord that we're doing well. We're trying to rest and just figure out life with our little girl!

We're looking forward to introducing her to family and friends....and we're also looking forward to laying low and resting and getting to know our little princess.

Will do my best to keep the posts and pictures coming :)

My new favorite thing....

2011-06-28T18:39:00.002-04:00

I know you're going to say I'm nesting. Fine - call it what you will....just trying to get things in order before the baby comes. My new favorite thing, that you will LOVE regardless of whether or not you're getting ready for a baby...the collapsable, canvas storage options at Babies R Us. (Maybe they have them at Ikea and other cool places like that, but this is my first experience with them...)

The canvas is very sturdy, but they fold up totally flat (for easy moving or storage) and they come in plain colors that are not baby-ish.

They have lots of options but the ones I'm loving at the moment....

The simple box:

The shelves that hang inside the closet:

And the over-the-door pockets:

Seriously...if you're at all short on space, you need to get yourself over to a Babies R Us (or just order them online) and get some of these! Off to go nest and put away all my clean baby laundry :)

Celebration

2011-06-22T14:09:00.000-04:00

My dad had a milestone birthday at the end of May, so last weekend we gathered at my uncle's house to celebrate with the Scofield family.

Birthday boy and his wife Katy. He looks good for _ _, huh? :)

And of course it was fun to see Jon, Jess and Eli!

Eli had a blast playing...

And then he passed out :) He was such a trooper - had a blast despite the fact we kept him up way past his bedtime.

The 4 brothers and grandpa Jack

Between people moving and just being busy, it's rare that everyone is in the same place at the same time anymore. So it was SUCH a treat that all the Scofield brothers and all their kids could make it.

The cousins (minus Dan and Dylan who had to leave early) and grandpa....

Trying to get pictures of everyone was quite the fiasco, and every entertaining...

It was a great way to celebrate Dad's birthday, cousin Sean's birthday, Father's day...and just being thankful for family.

Countdown...

2011-06-19T13:49:00.003-04:00

Less than 4 weeks now until Baby Borders is due to make her arrival. We'll see when she actually comes - from what I have heard we shouldn't be surprised if she's early, on time, or late :) So...we'll just wait and see!

35 weeks with cousin-in-law Beth Borders.

Beth and Chris's Aunt Elizabeth threw us a delightful baby shower while we were in Marietta. Cile...I am SO sorry...I hardly took any pics while we were there :( But...Stephen took a bunch of pics at the shower - I'll try to get them from him!

The few Marietta pics I got:

Chris with some high school friends, Cheston and Leslie. Cheston and Leslie both have 8 month old babies - it was so fun to meet them!

Pop took us out for Mexican while we were in Marietta - it was wonderful!

Baby Borders - 36 weeks

It's a bit shocking how clear of a picture they are able to get with current ultrasound technology...can't wait to see how closely she resembles this picture! And yes...we confirmed that she is definitely a she :)

In case things weren't eventful enough for us...we (and by "we" I mean Chris) have spent the few days since getting home from our trip South packing up the living space at Bub's and covering furniture. Tonight our friends Joy and Dave arrive from Maryville with their kids (we are all staying at my mom's house and Bub is spending the week in Atlantic City with her friends....) Chris and Dave and a guy from church we're hiring to help, are going to paint the main floor at Bub's house, and her bedroom as well....between tomorrow morning and Thursday night - Lord willing!

So...hopefully the baby doesn't decide to come in the next week before the house gets put back together!

Time...

2011-06-09T15:17:00.002-04:00

Our time in Maryville has been wonderful...and is going way to fast
Almost every time we do something fun/hang out with our wonderful people here, I forget to use my camera (hint, hint...need picture from all of you who have been using your cameras :) But...there are a lot of pics on Facebook for those of you who feel so inclined to go track them down....
It's time for a new book. I really do feel like I'm learning a lot from the natural childbirth books I'm reading, but I'm in the mood for a good novel. Any suggestions?
Almost time for our trip to Marietta - leaving tomorrow morning - can't wait to see everyone there. (And time to pack.)
This time next week we'll be back in New Jersey - will be good to be back home but sad not to be here.
This time in five weeks will be the day before my due date. Wait...how did that happen???

Long weekend....

2011-05-31T21:12:00.003-04:00

Black Mountain North Carolina is probably one of my favorite places to visit. Chris and I had been twice before and we got to go with a group of friends over Memorial Day weekend...it was great.

Yes, those bikes look cool and yes, they're with us. And yes....I was missing riding my motorcycle. Thankfully one of our friends rode mine so it still got used :)

Vacation is hard work...

Lovely ladies...

Hurray for the mountains and a fun park!!

And I got to see my good friend Breena - we stayed with her and her husband the last 2 times we were in Black Mountain....but we didn't have 8 other people with us then :) She's expecting her 2nd little girl right around the same time Baby Borders is due...

33 weeks - Black Mountain, NC

Cute Newvine Family pictures:

The guys are ready to ride....

Enjoying spaghetti and meatballs.....the sausage and meatballs all the way from New Jersey courtesy of Bub :)

Mostly we ate and drank coffee and just hung around and enjoyed being near a cute little town in the mountains....and of course the guys go to enjoy the mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway by motorcycle - one of the best ways.

So now we're just hanging out in Maryville - work is keeping me busy, but it's just good to be here and get to see friends. Chris has already started his summer studying to get ready for next year, but also finding time to hang out and help with projects.

Enjoy the long hours of daylight!

Never thought I'd see the day...

2011-05-26T22:22:00.009-04:00

At the end of my last post I said stay tuned for:

- The work we did to the baby's room (and by "we" I mean Chris) - it looks great!

- "I never thought I'd see the day that..."

I had big plans of making those all separate posts and posting nice and regularly. But....we see how that's working out :)

With Chris's semester wrapping up and everything else going on, we've been busy getting ready for our trip south...

Packed and ready to go

We are going to be in TN and GA for a few weeks visiting friends and family (got here last night). I'll still be working, but it will be a nice change of pace and wonderful to be with friends and family.

Dropping Shadow off to stay with my mom while we're gone

But....as promised - the work we (Chris) did in the baby's room:

I love it - simple but pretty - can't wait to show you pics of the room with the baby in it :)

Tonight we had an unexpected treat - dinner with Chris's parents and grandmother. Unfortunately the reason his parents are in the country are because his grandfather passed away recently and they flew back for the funeral. Of course we were all very sad to say goodbye to Pa, but thankfully his life ended the way it was lived....surrounded by loving, caring family.

So even though the reason for their trip is a sad one, we were still so glad to have a little time with them. Yes...we're at Sonic. We met in between Maryville and Marietta and there weren't a lot of options :)

Tomorrow afternoon we're headed to NC for the long weekend - really looking forward to a few days away with friends.

Oh, and as promised - the "I never thought I'd see the day" story....

Chris and I have been going for lots of walks recently. We've also been talking about what kind of car we'll get when our trusty Civic is done (we love it, but it's got over 220,000 so at some point we'll need to replace it :) We've been talking about the different kinds of wagons that are out there, what we like, what we could afford, etc.

So we're on a walk and we see this Jetta wagon that we've been talking about, we slow down as we're looking at it. This guy about our age walks out of his house and towards the car in a way that we could tell was his. So Chris asks him about it and we end up having a pleasant little conversation about the car - he and his wife bought it recently as a family car, they really like it....he and Chris talked about why it's a good car, etc.

And as we're walking away, my husband (who has restored and sold over a dozen classic cars) says, "I never thought I'd see the day when I would say, 'Hey man....I really like your station wagon'." It was great :)

I guess that's what happens at some point. I assured him he's still very cool even though he stopped to have a conversation about a station wagon :)

Spring is here...right?

2011-05-15T20:33:00.000-04:00

So we're pretty sure that Spring is here...but the cool days we're still having are convincing Chris that warmer weather is never going to come.

But...in spite of the days that are still cool, there are days that are warm and everything is in bloom....

We've been going for lots of walks and enjoying the long hours of daylight...and being that I definitely have the pregnancy-increases-body-temperature thing going on, I'm not complaining that it's not hot :)

In addition to lots of walks and enjoying the weather - Chris is still working and studying hard...for one more week until his summer break starts! His psych rotation ends this week and he has one last big exam this Friday and then is off until the end of August.

His time off is going to be full, but being that he won't be in school we're looking forward to the change of pace. We're headed south for a few weeks to visit with friends in TN and family in GA (praise the Lord that I have a mobile job) then Chris has a long list of projects to do here at Bub's. Oh...and come the middle of July we'll be figuring out being parents :)

Going back a few weeks to the weekend of my shower...we enjoyed the warm weather with Jon, Jess and Eli

How cute is that face??

Hurray for spring days...

...and walks in a park.

The lovely Scofield family

One of Chris's favorite parts of Spring....using the Jeep!

A friend of Bub's brought over a toy for the baby. So Chris has a toy and the baby has a toy :)

Stay tuned for the posts coming up...

- The work we did to the baby's room (and by "we" I mean Chris) - it looks great!

- The amazing surprise shower that the ladies from our church threw for me and baby girl

- "I never thought I'd see the day that..."

Beautiful Women...

2011-05-09T19:53:00.006-04:00

Women sit, or move to and fro--some old, some young;
The young are beautiful--but the old are more beautiful than the young. - Walt Whitman

Saturday night - Mother's Day tea

Cile - this picture is for you - the church where we went to the tea had 40 places set....all with matching China! The pastors wife said someone donated it a really long time ago - thought you'd appreciate that :)

It was a lovely spring weekend and we had a delightful time celebrating mom and Bub for Mother's Day...so here is to all you beautiful women.

Mother's Day 2011 - 30 weeks

Sunday was such a nice day that we put shadow in the Jeep and went to a state park to go hiking - we (especially Chris) were in serious need of some nature - it was great.

We were discussing where we'll fit the baby in the self portrait :)

Showered...

2011-05-04T08:27:00.003-04:00

On Sunday my mom and aunt had a shower for me and baby girl. It was a beautiful spring day and my aunt's house was peaceful and pretty and full of friends and family - it was a lovely way to celebrate the baby and get ready for her...

I was really overwhelmed (I mean that in the best possible way) by the generosity of our friends and family. We received so many beautiful gifts - she is going to be well cared for...and well dressed :)

One of my mom's cousins gave my mom a grandma book....there is one for you too Cile!

29 weeks....

Aaahhh - so pretty.

The gift my dad gave my mom on her first mother's day just a few months after I was born

Me, Jon and Eli

With Nicole (we've been friends or over 20 years!) and her daughter Abby

There was lots of pink :)

Scofield cousins...

4 generations....

Mom and Aunt Joanne - thanks for such a delightful day - we feel very loved!

It affects everything...

2011-04-26T08:04:00.003-04:00

You know when your non-blogging husband points out how long it's been since you posted, that it's probably been too long. Combination of not making the time and not feeling like there was much blog-worthy material, I haven't been overly inspired....

As we remembered and celebrated Christ's death and resurrection last week I was struck by how the reality of Who God is and His great love in sending Christ to make a way for us to know Him affects EVERYTHING.

27 weeks

Because of my work with World Orphans I'm often thinking about people and events all over the world....all affected by the reality of the resurrection.

And at the same time very simple, day-to-day occurrences or our lives are just as affected.

Being excited about Spring (I wish I had more pictures - the flowering trees around here are absolutely gorgeous.)

Getting ready for the baby

Chris passing another big exam

Just taking life one day at a time

All of it from the seemingly really big and significant things all the way to the simple and mundane...the really wonderful and the really hard, all affected by the reality of a risen Christ.

28 weeks with mom and Bub - Easter Sunday

So we're just plugging away. Lots going on with work. Chris started his psych rotation this week (the last one of this semester...we're almost to his summer break!). And ever in awe of and God's grace and thankful that we are found in Him...because of Christ.

He is risen....He is risen indeed.

So I used the word affects/affected a lot in this post....really hoping I was correct with the 'a' and that it's not supposed to be effects/effected...my apologies to those of you who care if I got it wrong :)

The Cherry Blossoms Know...

2011-04-11T08:25:00.003-04:00

This past weekend it was warm enough to:

Take the top off the Jeep and drive to Branchbrook Park to see the Cherry Blossoms. I'm pretty sure taking the top off the Jeep was Chris's favorite part of the weekend.
Spend a few hours walking in the park (Rachel was here for the weekend - the 3 of us went to the park - we walked for a bit then Chris parked himself under a tree to study while Rachel and I walked some more)
Even sit down and eat a little picnic lunch outside! (While Rachel and I were walking we found the great hole-in-the wall place that had cheesesteaks and Italian sausages...perfect little picnic lunch for us to take back and share with Chris)

Even though we were delighted that it was warm enough to do all those things Saturday...it's definitely still just the beginning. It was chilly when the wind blew, and yesterday and today were gray and overcast. The cherry blossoms and the forsythia are the only things in bloom...everything else is still barely budding.

But Rachel kept saying how amazing it is the the cherry blossoms just know that Spring is coming. Even though it barely feels like Spring, they just know that it's coming and they are bold enough to bloom...

26 weeks

In addition to a walk in the park we drank coffee and ate ice cream and watched movies....and still found time to be productive (Rachel did her teaching prep, I did laundry, went grocery shopping, etc.)...it was a wonderful combination of a weekend.

So while we're still pining away for it to be warmer, we're thankful the cherry trees are confident that Spring is coming (although Chris isn't sure he believes them, he's not sure he's ever going to feel warm...) So we're just plugging away. I'm headed to Minneapolis for a conference for work this second half of this week. Chris is working really long hours (and studying) doing his Labor & Delivery rotation. It's hard work, but fascinating and he's enjoying it. So here goes another week...hopefully the start of next week will be warmer :)

Walking and Waiting...

2011-04-03T16:39:00.005-04:00

Some of the wonderful ladies I'm friends with in Maryville flew me down there the weekend of my birthday...which also happened to be the weekend of the River Oaks Women's retreat.

It was wonderful to spend the weekend with friends, hear teaching from Scripture, have time alone, and be away from the hustle and bustle.

The view out the door of where we stayed...so refreshing!

24 weeks - in TN

The theme of the retreat was Waiting, Walking and the Wonder of God...which honestly could be the theme of our lives right now as well :) There's lots we're waiting on, but we're walking forward, thankful for the Wonder of God and His care and provision for us.

What are we waiting on?

- At the moment...Spring :) But it's coming! The forsythia are in bloom and it's starting to get a little warmer!

The flowers are also waiting - they are ready for it to be done snowing on them! (This was a few weeks ago.)

- For Chris to be done with school (for the semester...less than 2 months! With the program, a little over a year)

- For our little girl to get here

25 weeks...and it's warm and sunny enough to take a picture outside!!

But as we wait we enjoy each step...the time we have together, the time with friends and family, grateful for the way God provides and gets us through the challenges.

31 reasons to be thankful...

2011-03-25T09:29:00.000-04:00

"Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare." - Psalm 40:5

While there is no way to tell the fullness of God's goodness, as I celebrate 31 years of life and God's faithfulness it seemed like it would be fitting, and fun, to make a list of things I'm thankful for today...

31. A warm, safe place to live

30. Enough food to eat

29. Not just enough food, but really healthy and yummy food

28. A job that I'm passionate about

27. Classical music...and Pandora Radio

26. The existence of ice cream and chocolate

25. A job that I can do from home

24. Amazing friends and family....there aren't adequate words

23. Tea and coffee

22. God's grace to remind me of things when I forget

21. Sunlight

20. Technology to keep in touch with people who are far away

19. Specifically the technology of digital photography so I can see pictures...especially pictures of my cute nephew and the other amazing babies/kids in my life

18. Laughter

17. Candles

16. Working with gracious people

15. Saturday morning waffles

14. Chris being more than half way done with PA school

13. Free stuff on Craigslist

12. Going for walks

11. Amazing provision...what we need when we need it, often without even asking

10. Flowers

9. A community of believers who care about us in spite of the fact that we don't have a lot to give during this season of life

8. Surprise gifts of maternity clothes

7. Such amazing friends that I'm being flown to Maryville for the River Oaks Women's retreat today to spend the weekend with my people there...

6. Terrific in-laws (not just the parents and the sisters and brothers, but the aunts, uncles cousins, etc.)

5. Such amazing friends that I had a surprise girls weekend a few weeks ago

4. A family that is wonderfully encouraging and supportive

3. The little baby girl growing inside me

2. An amazing husband

1. Being an adopted child of the Most High God

The difference a day makes...

2011-03-20T19:02:00.002-04:00

So the forsythia from the last post? They opened....

...and I'm LOVING it!

Friday, when it was in the 70's I was all ready to switch out my winter and spring clothes, say goodbye to the coats and gloves and hello to the flip flops.

But...this coming week is going to be cold and rainy with a chance of snow :( So, it was probably a bit premature that I pulled some of the screens down in place of the storm windows. And needless to say I lost my motivation to switch out my clothes.

BUT...the forsythia are reminding me that Spring IS coming, I just have a little longer to wait.

23 weeks (Not as warm as the dress makes it look, I wore a sweater over it :)

Spring thoughts...

2011-03-18T18:58:00.002-04:00

Spring is like....a hug, or a smile from a friend, or a big bowl of ice cream, or a big sigh of relief, or a great big hug. It's like happiness wrapped up in a ray of sunshine.

Pretty sure these are the daffodils

We made it through 2 out of the 3 winters of Chris being in school. 2 down, only 1 to go. Praise the Lord.

The forsythia we cut from the yard - talk about Spring...yellow buds of goodness

Spring is a reminder of God's goodness, His redemption, and the hope He gives.

Transplanted lilies

I feel very strongly about worshipping the Godhead - Father, Son and Holy Spirit...and Him alone. But, if I didn't worship Him, I'm pretty sure I would worship the sun. Since He created the sun, that's just one of the infinite number of reasons to praise Him. (Side note, when I read over this before posting I realized I had typed Father, Son and Holy Spring...can you tell what's on my brain??)

Tulips

I painted my toes pink - definite sign of Spring.

More lilies

Warmth and sun make everything a little better. Sunday is officially the first day of Spring...we should definitely do something to celebrate.

Surprise!

2011-03-16T08:47:00.003-04:00

So even though there aren't many miles between where we live in NJ and where Rachel lives in NY...it's quite the trek - which means we don't see each other as often as we would like. We decided we are going to be really intentional about seeing each other this Spring to make the most of the time we have. So....the plan for this past weekend was that Rachel would spend it with us in New Jersey - a nice relaxing weekend. Friday night Rachel, Chris and I went to our favorite burger place and had a lovely dinner. I was really in the mood for brownies when we got back, so at about 10pm I start a batch of brownies saying that when there done we'd have a brownie and go to bed (we were all tired).

At about 10:30pm Chris says we're going for a ride. He asks Bub to keep an eye on the brownies and tells Rachel and I we have somewhere to go - won't tell us where. (Rachel thought we were going to Redbox to get a movie and I thought he had found a great deal on Craigslist and we were going to buy something.)

So we're driving and driving and Chris keeps asking if I've figured out yet where we're going. I told him I had no idea. But...since he kept pressing I decided he obviously wanted me to figure it out so I stopped to think about it...and it went something like this.

Kate: "Are we going to the airport?"

Chris: Smile and nod

Kate: "We are? Who are we going to get?"

Chris: Smile and shrug

Kate: "Is it someone Rachel and I both know?"

Chris: Smile and nod

Kate and Rachel a bit confused (not wanting to get our hopes up...): "Who do we both know that we would be getting at the airport?"

Chris: "This really isn't that hard to figure out"

Kate and Rachel: "Are we going to get Sandy??????"

Chris: Smile and nod

Kate and Rachel: Freaking out

So at midnight on Friday Sandy landed in New York and we all got to spend the weekend together. It was amazing and such a wonderful surprise...way to go Chris and Sandy!

In addition to drinking lots of tea, lots of talking, and not a lot of sleeping we...

Went to the cupcake shop in downtown Rutherford that I always wish I could go to with these two...

And we went shopping and went out for coffee....

And we cooked and they took me out for my birthday...(still a few weeks away - but fun to celebrate together!!)

22 weeks...with the Aunts!!!

And we snuck in a quick project right before Sandy left.

Chris finished painting the nursery last week....

But Sandy helped with the fun finishing touch :)

We wanted to put pink footprints on the wall :)

So fun that she got to help!

Hurray for a princess weekend. I am so, so grateful for our friendships...and for a surprise weekend together...and for my thoughtful husband who helped make it happen :)

The Past 48 hours...

2011-03-06T19:34:00.004-05:00

...have been full! It was kind of a rough week - nothing particularly bad, just kind of a hard week. But...the weekend was great - here's a glimpse of the past 48 hours:

Baby girl got her first gift!

Aunt Jess, Uncle Jon and Cousin Eli sent her these adorable onesies's. The pictures don't convey how amazingly tiny they are...they are so cute! Arriving in the middle of the summer I have a feeling she's going to live in things like this - thanks guys!

The last of the snow melted! Yesterday this last little pile was left in the backyard (last of a LOT)...and today it's gone. Votes on whether or not we'll get more? I love the change of seasons, so I enjoy the winter...but have to be honest that I'm excited about Spring and I hope we're done with snow!

I forgot my camera, but I had a delightful girl day in the city with Rachel. In the course of 24 hours we ate lots yummy food, celebrated Rachel's birthday (belatedly) by getting facials (if you live in the area I highly recommend Tamago Skincare) and did lots of talking...

And while I was gone (a whopping 24 hours) Chris, Mom and Tom did a ton of work in the office to get it ready to be the nursery!

The painting is all done and it looks WONDERFUL. The new light fixture isn't up so it's too dark to take pictures - I'll get some soon :)

Thanks guys!

I can't believe they got so much done in such a short time - it was such a great surprise to come home to! I know - Chris is the best....

And we hit 21 weeks. I know this isn't a great belly shot, but I wanted to show off the t-shirt my mom got me. Shout out to the 80's, right? Who played with a Light Brite when you were a kid? I love it :)

Very thankful for a refreshing weekend...

In awe...

2011-02-28T08:25:00.004-05:00

I am very in awe of God's mercy, grace and provision. The way He cares for us and meets our needs...sometimes when we don't even ask.

Maryville people you'll enjoy these pics - we got to see Christy, Benssy, Isaiah and Josiah...and you'll get to see them soon too! They will all be in Maryville for a few weeks (soon) and Christy and the boys get to stay for a few months while Benssy goes for some additional training!

And I'm in awe of our little baby - the miraculous way that God creates and sustains life, it's amazing.

20 weeks

And I'm amazed at technology that allows us to see our baby...

...and know that she's a girl :)

And it was like a light switch - right around when I hit the halfway mark (which is also a little mind-boggling) I started feeling her like crazy! She's a little wiggler, moving all the time :) She was super active at my last ultra sound...about 6 weeks ago, but I couldn't feel her. It was so fun to get to see her again (we had the ultrasound and found out this past week) and now to feel her moving...it's amazing.

We'll be comfy...

2011-02-20T20:31:00.002-05:00

The baby and I that is :) We got our first piece of baby furniture today. We have a classic rocker that my parents refinished to use when I was a baby (which I love that we have...and will definitely get used). But...we couldn't pass up this really nice FREE glider that Chris found on Craigslist! A 20 minute drive to a cute neighborhood...and a really nice couple gave us this:

19 weeks

You can't go out and play with your friends until...

2011-02-19T20:36:00.002-05:00

Didn't you hate when your parents said that? "You can't go play with your friends until you...do your homework/clean your room/cut the grass/etc." Thinking back, I'm pretty sure my parents always had a good reason to say that...but I still didn't like hearing it :)

Now that we live with Bub, Chris and I are kind of the parents in this scenario :) Bub would rather go out with her friends than do anything...clean the house, go through the piles of 'to do paperwork', pay bills, etc. The only thing that competes with going out with her friends, is cooking.

So here's the situation...Bub wants to move when Chris and I do (most likely summer of 2012) and she is very graciously letting us turn her office into a room for the baby. But...both of those things (moving and cleaning out the office) require a fair amount of sorting, cleaning out, going through and getting rid...

So earlier this week I asked Bub if we could spend a little time today working in the office before she went out. So after our waffle breakfast and before she got picked up to go to a movie with her friends....we had a very productive hour and a half cleaning out the office to make room for baby stuff.

We know we have to do this work to get ready for her to move anyway, but we're very still grateful that Bub is willing to share even more space with us to have a room for the baby.

Nice that we don't have to buy furniture - we're just going to use what's in there! The crib will go where the computer table is...

And this dresser will be a changing table :)

I'll try to be good about taking pictures of the room progress, which will be tan regardless of whether Baby Borders is a boy or girl...which we find out next week!!

Practicing...

2011-02-13T18:34:00.002-05:00

Didn't want to get behind on blogging, so figured I'd do a quick practice post. I'm slowly but surely getting the hang of my new computer. I can tell that iPhoto will be great...but I have lots to learn :) At least I managed to upload and post this picture.

18 weeks

We'll find out in just over a week if we're having a boy or girl. Honestly...it just blows me away. I'm not sure how/when we'll share the news. Don't worry...if you're family you'll hear quickly, and I'll put it up here as well. It just such special news and makes having a baby seem so much more real... too important to casually post. But again - don't worry - the news will make it up here, I just have to decide how/when :)

I had a great week in Colorado with my co-workers - didn't take any picture - sorry :( Chris is glad that he only has 2 weeks left in his current rotation and then starts a new one in March....

So mostly just plugging away...Happy Valentine's Day!

Things winter is good for

2011-02-06T10:03:00.000-05:00

All the snow and the cold has been wearing on us. I know it's been wearing on everyone I know here in Jersey, and I'm pretty sure I've heard a theme from people I know all over the country. But....I was thinking yesterday that compared to people who don't have heated homes during this kind of weather...we're FINE and have nothing to complain about.

So, lists are great, figured I'd make a list of things winter is good for, instead of just thinking about how excited we all are for Spring. So....

Winter is good for:

Hot drinks. Any kind. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot water and lemon, an apple cider vinegar/honey concoction (been enjoying that lately) - the possibilities are endless.
Baking. I've mostly just been working, but whenever we are snowed in - Bub bakes and cooks and it's delicious. The fruits of the most recent storm were: mac and cheese, spinach quiche, potato salad, coconut cream pie. All from scratch of course.
Down comforters. Even though I don't like being cold, I do love snuggling under the down comforter.
Reading a good book. (Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson at the moment - highly recommend it.) I enjoy a good book any time of the year, but curling up under a blanket with a good book and a hot drink...love it.
Having tea with a friend. Again - great any time of the year, but extra cozy when there is so much snow outside.
Cleaning the garage. Chris has been going a little (okay a lot) stir crazy...but the balmy 39 degrees and rain we had yesterday felt warm compared to 19 and snowing....so he enjoyed being out in the garage.
Growing a baby. Although I'm sure I'll have thoughts about being 9 months pregnant in July...I'm glad I'll have a newborn in warm weather :)

17 weeks

When Chris said, "do something...dance or something"

PS. I know my blog header is outdated saying 2010. My SIL made it for me and I don't know how to change it. BUT...my new computer arrived today :) Thanks to pooling all our Christmas money and a little savings, I crossed over the the other side and bought a Mac. The real driving factor was my job. My trusty old Dell is just worn out and a bit too slow for all that I ask it to do at once. But...now that I have the Mac, I'm sure it will come in handy for things like making a new header for my blog - so stay tuned :)

PPS - It's about 40 and sunny today and it feels glorious!!!

Milestones...

2011-02-01T21:11:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we headed to upstate New York to celebrate Eli's first birthday.

It's hard to believe he's getting so big and that he's a year already!

It's been so fun to watch him grow and we look forward to what this next year holds. And...hard to believe that on his second birthday he'll have a 6 month old cousin!

Jon and Jess did a great job hosting the party - it was great to have time with family and some of their friends.

Belly shot. Eli - 1 year old. Aunt Kate - 16 weeks pregnant with Eli's cousin :)

And speaking of milestones...we're supposed to be getting a memorable storm in the next few days...on top of all this snow that we already have!!

Savoring...

2011-01-24T08:57:00.004-05:00

I know that when we have a baby, our lives will be a new kind of wonderful. But I'm also very aware that it will be more different than I can imagine. And while I feel like Chris and I do a pretty good job of enjoying wherever we are, whatever we're doing...during this season as we prepare for Baby Borders, I'm savoring even more.

Coffee Shop in Slovakia, Christmas 2009

Chris was sick all last week (he's doing much better, thankfully) so our weekend was nice and quiet and restful. But it's certainly not wasted on me that come July it's going to be long time before we can sleep in on a Saturday, listen to Car Talk on NPR while making pancakes, and sit around leisurely drinking tea...

So we'll savor those moment while we have them, and savor the new moments when there are three of us.

Our kitchen in Maryville

I know the pictures are completely random, a hot drink just says "savor" to me...

At this week end...

2011-01-19T20:28:00.006-05:00

I am grateful. Grateful that...

That it's Friday.

That people are gracious. Chris switched supervising residents this week...but he's been home sick ALL week...but his direct resident told him his new senior resident is being very understanding. And I'm thankful that we're feeling better.

That we have a safe, warm, affordable place to live...during ALL THIS SNOW.

That we have healthy food...I've been eating spinach the last few days. I feel like I'm taking good care of my unborn child when I eat raw spinach.

That Kari and Jonathan are taking such a big step towards their dream today.

That I have such a sweet, thoughtful, caring, generous grandmother.

That we're safe and healthy...and that I remembered to take a picture :) For those of you who are far away and will bug me for pictures....I'll try to be good about this :)

15 weeks

ZERO!!! And other random fun facts...

2011-01-15T16:28:00.005-05:00

Zero...that's right. At the end of the day on Friday (and Thursday, actually....and today, being that I'm posting this later than I planned) I had ZERO unread emails in my work email. That might not be a big deal for some of you, but it is for me. I always try to stay on top of new unread emails, but there are those stragglers....the ones that I should address but keep putting off. So Thursday I went through all those and dealt with them and am going to keep up with the new ones. We're not going to talk about un-filed emails in my work inbox or the 'I should reply to that so I'm leaving it marked as unread' in my personal email...but I'm really excited about not having straggling unread work emails...

This isn't fun, but the standing lamp in Bub's living room that has been here for as long as I can remember...started smoking last week. I'm pretty sure it's done.

This isn't fun either...but I think my computer is on the way out. Contemplating making the big switch. You know, THE big switch. PC...to Mac. Input?

Back to fun...Dad and Katy made a trip to New Jersey to see my grandfather - so we got to have a family dinner!

The Scofield men. Me, Chris, Katy and Aunt Marie were also there...but I only took one picture

Chris didn't realize until Friday that he had off on Monday...so he suggested we make a last minute, quick road trip to upstate New York to see Jon and Jess!

The birthday girl and her family

Eli and Uncle Chris having some intense conversations...

Unfortunately our nice weekend ended with Chris and I getting sick (hence why this post is happening today and not Monday). Thankfully we're feeling better...it's taking Chris longer, but he's getting there.

And...14 weeks pregnant :)

There was supposed to be a picture here, but I forgot to take one. I don't really look any different than I did at 12 weeks...and I promise I'll try to be better about taking pictures (just put a reminder in my calendar...)

My World Orphans Update...

2011-01-13T14:20:00.004-05:00

Most of you probably received this via email or read it on my World Orphans blog. But...on the off chance that someone reads this blog who didn't receive this via email - it's a good update :)

And I had a thought today about what I've been lacking in creative idea for blog posts. So hopefully they will get more frequent and more exciting....more on that shortly :)

Hello Friends and Family,

Happy New Year! It has been an eventful few months both personally and in my ministry as we wrapped up 2010 and started 2011. Let’s see, where to start…

The holistic care trip I was preparing for in the fall went really well. We worked hard getting ready and it was so encouraging to see our partners soak up and process the information we shared. We believe those who attended will really be able to apply the information we discussed regarding emotional care of children who have been through trauma. We are already planning another holistic care training for this April; this one will be in Haiti and focus on education, among other aspects of holistic care. Provided we are able to raise the necessary funds, we hope to do additional holistic care training trips this year, as well as continue to network with other organizations to provide the best possible support and encouragement to our partners while making the most of the resources God has given us.

Me and my co-worker, Kathy Davis, in Kenya

The group that participated in the Holistic Care Training

The training site

As for my mobilization role, we now have over 20 trips on the calendar for 2011! Thankfully we’re using new software that is very helpful as I oversee the details of all those trips. I’ll be attending a conference in April to continue learning about how to make our mobilization and trip-sending process more effective. It is going to be a busy year, but I’m very excited about the work ahead of me.

On a bit of a logistical note, this year finds me continuing to build my financial support team. One of my significant supports is no longer able to give to World Orphans to support my work so I’m looking for others who are able. In order for my salary to remain where it’s been over the last two years, I need to raise an additional $1500 per month. I would ask you to pray that God would raise up people to partner with me in this work. If you have questions or would like to learn more, please contact me. If you’re interested in joining my support team you can let me know or follow the links to the right. And for those of you already part of my support team – thank you!

On a personal note, this fall was particularly eventful for us because Chris and I found out that we are going to be parents! We are expecting baby Borders in mid-July and are very excited! We definitely have moments of feeling nervous as Chris will have one more year of school and I’ll continue my full-time work with World Orphans. But we are thrilled to be having a baby while we’re near family and completely confident that this is God’s timing and excited about what we know will prove to be a wonderful and crazy new adventure.

In related news, Chris survived his surgery rotation and did very well. It was really challenging, but he learned a lot and definitely grew from the experience. This spring he’ll do rotations in internal medicine, long-term care, psychiatry, and obstetrics. While he’s keeping an open mind, he’s leaning towards practicing emergency medicine when he’s finished with school… I’ll keep you posted. Speaking of finished, we officially past the halfway mark and are in the second half of his program. We anticipate Chris graduating and taking the boards in the spring of 2012 – keep praying for us!

I hope this finds you well. I would love to hear how you’re doing and what 2011 has in store for you.

Blessings,

Kate

New Years Numbers...

2011-01-07T21:47:00.009-05:00

Happy New Year from snowy New Jersey. 2011 is going to be a busy year for us...any guesses on what these numbers have to do with our new year?

2...3...7...15...165...

Sorry - no fun prizes or anything - just that you get to guess before scrolling through the pics and seeing what the numbers mean at the bottom :)

Christmas 2010 Borders/Masson Family Photo...all 8 of us.

Jonathan and Chris playing with the registering guns at Babies-R-Us

New Years Day - Kari, 15 weeks - Kate, 12 weeks

Just a few fun pics from our time in Marietta :)

The numbers:

2...pounds I gained in the 5 weeks between my 2 Dr. appointments

3...weeks apart the Borders/Masson cousins are going to be (approximately :)

7/15...day this year that our baby is due

165...our baby's heartbeat at our last Dr. appointment

So...Chris has a lot going on with school, I have a lot going on with work...but you can guess what we're most excited about :)

A 2010 Christmas Tour...

2010-12-25T21:14:00.007-05:00

It's been a busy few weeks, but a wonderful time enjoying the season and mostly enjoying time with friends and family...

Last weekend - NYC with Rachel (and a show with Chris and Bub - but no pics...)

Rockefeller Center

The lovely Rachel

A cold but beautiful Central Park

Hurray for a princess day in New York :)

Then early in the week it was off to Connecticut for Christmas with Dad and Katy

Decorations everywhere in their beautiful, old home

My office for a day in their cozy home

A cold walk in the woods

Warm, yummy meals and good times

Wednesday night, with delicious food, we had a great time with mom, Bub, Uncle Joe and Robb...unfortunately I took just this one lone picture...

Then Thursday we flew to ATL to be with Chris's family

Quick visit with the SC crew

Christmas Eve drive through the Lights of Life

And today has been a restful, cozy day enjoying family time

Merry Christmas from snowy Georgia. May the light and hope of Christ transform each day of the new year for you.

Lots more visiting in the next few days - stay tuned :)

A momentous day...

2010-12-17T16:32:00.003-05:00

No exciting pictures...but a big sigh of relief. There have not been many photo ops these last few weeks. Chris spent most of his time at the hospital and then studying and I've just been working and getting ready for Christmas.

BUT - today marks Chris being HALF WAY THROUGH his grad program at Seton Hall to be a physician assistant! The program is 3 years, so 6 semesters, and this morning Chris passed a big exam marking the end of the 3rd semester!!

He is really excited about the break he has the next few weeks before starting a new rotation on January 3rd. One of the girls in his class loves to bake, and this morning at school she said she was going to spend ALL afternoon baking after their exam. 3 guesses as to what Chris is doing on his first free afternoon....

Just kidding - you don't get 3 guesses, you only get 1. Yup - after our celebratory lunch out, he went straight to the garage...and he's been out there for hours (in spite of the fact that it's freezing!)

Speaking of our celebratory lunch - this is so New Jersey...we went to a new place called the Kebab House. It's Turkish-Italian. Not Turkish with an Italian spin, but owned and run by people who are Turkish, so good Turkish food (including real Turkish coffee - yum!). But...it's northern New Jersey, and I'm not sure they give you a restaurant permit without a commitment to sell pizza and pasta, so they have Italian food as well :) You'll find just about any variety of food in this area...and most likely they serve pizza as well.

Christmas concert at church tonight, Christmas sights in the city tomorrow, and off to celebrate with Dad and Katy in CT on Sunday. We're looking forward to it all...and hopefully I'll remember to take pictures :)

Catching up the old-fashioned way...

2010-12-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

Okay, not really. There's nothing old-fashioned about blogging. But here's my thought...Chris got the old film projector working recently and we've been watching Bub's old 8mm films from the 50's and 60's - they are awesome! The oldest is when my mom was a baby in 1951 and the newest is when I was a toddler in 1982 - it's been great. I love watching them, but always wish there was sound or narrative.

Anywhoo - we're going film-strip style for catching up. I know I've been delinquent about blogging, so we're just going to run through a bunch of pictures without much commentary and call it caught up. Sound good? Good.

Dad & Katy's wedding - Oct 23rd.

It was so nice and fallish - I can't believe it was just a few months ago - definitely doesn't feel like fall anymore!

It was a lovely weekend (didn't get any good family pics of J, J and Eli on my camera though...)

Thanks to frequent flier miles and my amazing husband sharing his project money with me, I got to go to Chicago for the weekend at the end of October:

Daddy helping Kiah with her 2nd birthday present

Fairy princess and her fairy god mothers...and a monkey :)

I have HOT friends!

Chocolate and tea - doesn't get much better....

Early November - my holistic care trip to Kenya. It was fantastic - the workshop went so well, so encouraging.

Some of my hero's...

My co-workers - love these ladies...

Our workshop group

And almost right after I got back it was Thanksgiving:

Chris REALLY enjoyed not having to get up at 4am for a few days in a row - and getting to rest :)

And I got to see 2 of my oldest and best friends and their baby girls!!!

Loved the time with J & J and Eli...

So big!!

And cousin time :)

And then...it was time to decorate for Christmas. Forgot to take pics of me and Bub doing the decorating, but I'm REALLY enjoying how peaceful our living room is...

Okay - so that wasn't a totally silent film-strip update, but it wasn't overwhelming for me - and that was the goal :)

We're doing pretty well. Chris has 2 weeks of his surgery rotation left, and then his HUGE post-rotation exam. He's doing SO well in his rotation...but nervous about the exam and ready to be done getting up at 4 am. (We know that some people do that every day for an indefinite period of time and we have the utmost respect for them...yet thankful it's not a permanent schedule for us.)

Work is going really well for me - tons to do by the end of the year, but I'm enjoying it.

The next few weeks are going to be a bit on the busy side, but it should be fun....we're looking forward to the friends and family we'll see in the next few weeks and looking forward to our Christmas present from Chris's parents - flying us to Georgia to see the Borders crew for Christmas!

But, hopefully I'll be more regular about updating and that won't all be one post :)

Happy weekend!

This is how it goes...

2010-11-29T20:36:00.003-05:00

Often people will ask, "Kate, since you live with your grandmother - how do you two handle cooking?" It usually goes something like tonight...

- Bub starts cooking around 11am

- I make a concerted effort to stop working by 5/5:30 so I can get other things done this evening.

- I go downstairs a little after 5 planning to run to the corner store to buy eggs for Bub (request from earlier in the day).

- She asks if I can go to the market instead (farther away) and get a few other things.

- I say sure and make the run to the market.

- I get home and spend the next two hours cleaning the kitchen and helping with the finishing touches on the 3 main things she's been cooking...that will last us for weeks.

- We sit down to eat around 7:30 (Chris is on call, so it's just Bub and I).

- After we eat and clean up it's 8:30. Bub and I have had a lovely evening, but I've done nothing on my personal to do list.

So...that's how it goes. Bub does large amounts of cooking in one day, I help clean up, and I do an excellent job reheating for the next few weeks...until we repeat the cycle.

That is also why the blog hasn't been updated, my most recent World Orphans newsletter hasn't been written, etc. BUT...no complaints. Time with Bub is one of the main reasons we are so thankful for our living situation. But - I'll keep playing that card when I'm behind on blogging, I don't send you a birthday card, etc. :)

Goodnight!

Lame update...

2010-11-09T14:33:00.002-05:00

I'm leaving for Kenya in an hour...sorry I haven't posted recently and that this one isn't exciting. Chris is doing well in his surgery rotation - the hours are crazy, but he's learning a lot.

I'm excited about my trip - I'll be gone for 10 days - going with 2 other World Orphans staff to host a workshop on emotional care for children who have been through difficult things.

So we're alive and well and thankful for God's grace....and sorry for not being better with the blog.

Happy November, hope you're enjoying the fall :)

You know it's early when...

2010-10-27T20:19:00.004-04:00

Top 3 ways you know you're getting up REALLY early:

3. You don't have to account for traffic because hardly anyone else is on the road.

2. You don't have to dress professionally for the walk from your car to changing into

scrubs,because no one cares at 5am.

And the #1 reason you know it's really early...

1. Your dog (who always gets up when someone gets up in the morning) doesn't even budge...he

just stays in bed.

Old picture...don't have a recent one, but it would look something like this :)

So I won't ramble on with how proud I am of Chris...cause I could go on for a long time. Suffice it to say...he started his surgery rotation this week which is super exciting (and a little nerve-racking). He is thrilled to be doing the hands on learning, but it's a lot to absorb at once.

And a definite schedule change for us. Those of you who know us know that we are late eaters. Dinner is usually somewhere between 8 and 9:30 (weekends possible later) and bed somewhere between 10:30 and midnight. But...now that Chris is getting up hours before the sun, we're going to be on a little earlier time table :)

And I'm sorry I haven't been better about blogging. Those of you who read in order to keep up with us...please don't give up on me. (Forgive the next sentence that will be rather whiny....) My computer is slowing down (praying she'll hang on until we can afford a new one) so by the time I'm done with work I really don't feel like looking at the computer. Yeah, whiny - sorry.

We spent a beautiful weekend in Connecticut this past weekend with my dad and Katy, friends and family celebrating their wedding... (which I should post pictures of) and I still haven't posted pics about our time with Chris's family....my apologies.

Hope this finds you well...and I'd love for you to read my post on Partying with a Purpose!

Happy end of October :) (Crazy that it's gone so fast!)

A Pause...

2010-10-20T16:00:00.000-04:00

After what seemed like endless note cards, studying, lectures and exams...we are celebrating Chris moving from the classroom portion of his physician assistant degree to the clinical setting.

It was so special to have his parents, sister and brother-in-law in town for his white-coat ceremony last week.

The ceremony was really nice - a time to acknowledge that the students are taking a big step from classroom learning to a clinical setting where they will interact with patients as they learn.

And we loved having Chris's family here - not just for the ceremony but it was a really great time of hanging out and catching up. (And I know I'm a slacker that I didn't blog about our time together. I may go back and do a post...or I may to direct you to super-blogger who did a great job capturing our time together HERE.)

PA-S (for student)...will be PA-C (certified) when he's finished

Seton Hall Physician Assistant class of 2012

We are all so proud and it was so fun to get to be together to celebrate!

And celebrate we did. It's been a good but very challenging year and a half.

So very grateful for God's sustaining grace and provision...

We are amazed, humbled and thankful beyond words for the support of our family and friends during this time. And Bub is just over-the-top amazing in her generosity and care towards us.

The medical director gave the keynote speech at the ceremony - one of the best I've heard actually. I wish I could remember word-for-word what he said. Something along the lines of...this is a significant transition for the students, so we pause to recognize their hard work and what they have accomplished thus far, and the wonderful but challenging days they have ahead of them as clinicians.

And I've been thinking about those words all week. "So we pause..."

So Chris and I are pausing. I guess many events in our lives are a step into a new way of life. We certainly have had many "things are never going to be the same moments." And when Chris starts his rotations next week, I have a feeling that things won't be the same again. Which is good, we're very excited about this...but it's a good time to pause. Pause to praise God for His faithfulness in the past and again decide to trust what He has for the future.

Nature

2010-10-03T18:55:00.004-04:00

Last week Chris was saying how much he misses nature living in New Jersey. There are actually a lot of really pretty places in New Jersey to enjoy nature. But...we just don't have a lot of time to go to those places. For how densely populated it is where we live it's really nice, but not what you'd call "nature".

This...is what you call nature:

Foothills parkway - Smokey Mountains, East Tennessee

I needed to come to Maryville for work (which was great - got a lot done) and enjoyed some time with friends as well, which as been delightful. The only time I remembered to use my camera was on our motorcycle ride - but they are fun pictures.

It's been great to be here and it's hard to say goodbye to friends, but I'm super excited about seeing Chris tomorrow.

Vistas along the way...

2010-09-27T07:25:00.001-04:00

I was thinking about backpacking trips I have been on. Lots of difficult walking - and while the woods are beautiful, after awhile it feels like it might never end. And then you get to a place with a view and you stop for a minute and take in the breath-taking scenery...you enjoy the short break and it inspires you to continue.

That's kind of how life feels at the moment. This season that we're in has lots of normal, sometimes hard day-to-day stuff (the long walks through the woods), with vistas along the way. Little things, reminders of God's faithfulness, His goodness, and that there is joy in the little things.

The vistas recently...

The weather - I love that fall is coming
Organizing the basement while Bub was gone (I know - I'm a big dork that I enjoy organizing so much)
Planting mums around the house
Getting to go out for lunch with Chris
Always something yummy to eat for dinner...and taking a few minutes to sit together
Rachel being close enough that we can hang out (wonderful to have her at both of Bub's birthday celebrations...and all the pics of that are on other cameras)
Feeling so cared for by our church
Trips to the city
A biggie these days...time with family - enjoy the pics:

The occasion was Bub's birthday...but we spent a lot of time watching Eli because he is so stinking cute!

The beautiful birthday girl. The day after her birthday, the day this picture was taken, she read a quote by Seinfeld that says, "you know you're getting old when there's only one candle on your cake. It's like, 'See if you can blow that out!'" Other than just getting one candle, she doesn't feel too old :)

So great to have time with Jon and Jess!

Eli loves Uncle Chris...

...except when Uncle Chris is checking out his ear infection.

Seriously...I could just watch him all day long! Quick outing to a local farm - very fun.

Lots more pics HERE

I'm making a quick trip to TN for work at the end of this week...it will be great to see people there.

And Chris's parents, sister, and brother-in-law get here in less than two weeks! Haven't seen them in almost a year and can't wait to have time with them!

Looks like it's going to be a rainy (we'll try to make it cozy) fall week here...hope you have a good one.

I won...and so can you!

2010-09-13T06:10:00.001-04:00

A co-worker of mine did a jewelry give-away to encourage voting for a photographer friend, Josh, who is trying to win camera equipment. Josh is passionate about using his skills as a photographer and videographer to help non-profit ministries like World Orphans...so we would love to see him win this contest.

And guess what? I won! Have to say I'm excited. I hardly ever win things...and I love jewelry :)

BUT...the contest isn't over and Josh still needs votes to win the equipment that will help him tell stories for organizations like World Orphans. And...as much as I'd like to keep the jewelry - I'm going to repeat the giveaway to encourage more people to vote.

So....please vote!! Here you go:

He’s entered in 3 different categories and you can vote for each photo.

It’s a 2 step process.

1) Go here and click the button under one of the photos.

2) You have to enter your e-mail address and then click VOTE

3) Check your email for a confirmation message and click the link. You ONLY have to do this on the 1st photo.

4) Now you can vote for the other two photos.

You won’t get spammed, they are just validating you’re a real person.

THE GIVEAWAY

To encourage some voting I will be passing along the lovely necklace I won from Ethiopia (read more about the ministry they came from).

You will get one entry for each of the following things that you do.

1) Vote for all 3 photos

2) Post a link to this blog post (here’s the URL: http://juliegumm.com/wordpress/?p=2099) on Facebook so your friends will vote.

3) Tweet about the contest and link this post

4) Blog about Josh’s entries and encourage people to VOTE.

Leave me a comment for each of the above actions you take.

IMPORTANT: You need to leave a comment on this blog post for EACH thing that you do. I will use a random number generator to pick the winning comment so if you do all 4 you need to make 4 separate comments to increase your chances of winning. Just a quick “voted”, “facebooked”, “tweeted”, “blogged” will do.

Josh needs the votes by the 20th, so I'm going to run the contest until the 18th.

The winner will receive this gorgeous silver and coffee bean necklace…

Happy Monday!

Winds of change...

2010-08-23T10:28:00.003-04:00

This morning I sat on the couch by the window, drinking hot tea, writing in my journal...and I needed a blanket to be comfortable! It was so peaceful and refreshing to listen to the rain fall and feel a cool breeze. I will enjoy the warmth of summer for as long as it lasts, but I have to admit that as I could feel the first hints of fall in the air...I am excited about it.

As much as I love consistency and routine in some things, there is something so refreshing about change. And I just adore the change of seasons. I know not everywhere in the world has such four distinct seasons, but I find it so worshipful...a testimony to God's creativity and how He reveals Himself in His creation.

And I love all of them. This past Spring I was giddy with excitement as it got warmer and buds started to appear - such a picture of restoration as you see life after death everywhere in creation. And yet I again find myself excited anticipating the arrival of cooler weather and the changes that will come this fall and winter...

Unrelated pic - from our time in Seattle. Seemed like it fit :)

But before it gets too cold, I'm excited about planting some fall-ish plants. Between the heat and our travels, our hanging baskets and flower trays are full of burned out remnants of plants...and I look forward to sprucing them up for the fall.

And inside I'm having way too much fun organizing and cleaning out - recouping after being gone and getting geared up for this next season.

So from a rainy, cozy New Jersey Monday morning...enjoy the end of summer.

Dear Friends and Family...

2010-08-16T19:58:00.011-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Seattle market

I have to admit that I'm feeling a bit out of sorts, so I'm not sure how this blog post is going to go.

More Seattle market

The summer craziness was great.
Tennessee was a good time for my work and it was wonderful to see friends.

Refreshing to see family in Marietta and South Carolina.

Praise the Lord, the trip to Kenya with River Oaks went so well - connections were made and it's the start of a beautiful partnership between the churches.

Although it was difficult to see how hard things are in Haiti, it was a very encouraging trip. I think there will be a lot of fruit from the training that took place and I'm in a better position to do my job from what I learned there.

Seeing family in Seattle was awesome (but all the pics are on my mom's camera - so hopefully those will appear here soon!) and Alaska was beautiful and relaxing.

And a country away in New York, seeing family, particularly my amazing nephew, last weekend in was great.

In front of the original Starbucks at Pike's Place Market in Seattle - this is for you Kari :)

But...it's been a whirlwind. I just realized that at the end of next week it will be the first time in just over 100 days that I'll have slept in the same place for more than 10 days. Whew.

View of the Seattle coast from the Space Needle

So while our vacation was wonderful, it's taking me longer than I anticipated to get back into the swing of things. But...we're getting there.

More Space Needle view

Chris is doing well being back in school. He spent a good amount of time studying over the summer so thankfully he feels confident about what he's studying - off to a very encouraging start. Praise the Lord.

Also for Kari - we saw Peggy and met Jesse - it was great!

I'm getting there :) Slowly getting all unpacked and organized and back into a routine with life and work.

Seattle coast from the cruise ship

So you'll forgive me when all I have to say about Alaska is that it was amazingly beautiful and we're very grateful that we got to take the trip with mom and Bub. It was a bit of a shock going from a place of such struggle (Haiti) to a place of such lavish beauty. Honestly I felt weird about it, but none-the-less grateful for the opportunity.

Same - with us :)

So I'll let the rest of the pictures speak for themselves, and hopefully I'll have better thoughts as my body and brain recover.

And I'll close with...if you're reading this I'm probably thinking about you and missing you if you're far away.

Affectionately,
Kate

Morning coffee with a view

And afternoon tea with a view

In the Tracy Arm Fjord - next number of pictures

This and the next few - summit in Skagway, Alaska

Victoria, British Columbia

Empress Hotel in Victoria

Not sure about the last 3 - if I thought about the order of the trip and the order of my pictures I could remember...but I'll just let you enjoy that they are cool pictures :)

Off to fix dinner...'Night :)

Here, there and everywhere...

2010-07-24T16:04:00.006-04:00

Both my body and my brain feel here, there and everywhere, so this will be brief reporting and not very detailed or creative - sorry!

Monday we got back from Kenya, Wednesday we drove back to New Jersey, Thursday and Friday I caught up on work, today I unpacked and repacked, and tomorrow morning I leave for Haiti. (Chris helped me squeeze in a little much-needed time by myself last night. All the people time has been wonderful, but a little down time was refreshing.)

Our time in Maryville felt like being at home and the Kenya trip was wonderful. Haven't had the time or space to write thoughtfully yet, so here is a snapshot:

Little motorcycle trip with friends to get some homemade ice cream

Hurray for getting to be in town to have special moments with friends!

Chris had great guy time in the garage and on the road.

These few pictures don't do the trip justice...but better than nothing, right?

My wonderful team

A few of my little friends

The house dad at the church's childrens home has a motorcycle...that of course Chris took for a test drive :)

It was so, so, so wonderful to introduce Chris to my friends in Kenya. This is us with a women I met back in 2008.

Again - I hope to write more when I have some time to process, but wanted to assure you that we are safe and healthy and enjoying all that the Lord is doing (even though we're a bit tired).

I'm in Haiti tomorrow through Thursday, Friday I'll be unpacking and repacking, then we leave Saturday morning for vacation. It may be mid-August before I post again - sorry. But...I will be back :)