Zoos and such

Ok, quick recap on the last few weeks:

My sister did a photo shoot with our family. (this one is my picture. You'll be able to see the difference when I post hers) We tested not only her photography skills, but her claim to Godliness, as we tried to wrangle 5 kids. I'll do a post with the final results later. She's amazingly talented and loves my children. And we can make jokes about Target. I love her.




We took DY tubing. We figured that she's been swimming now for about 2 months, so why not throw her into a frigid river to demonstrate her skills. She did great. My friend on the right of me is awesome too. She still loves me despite my shenanigans. And she lets me ride down the rapids in her tube after a failed attempt to flip her over. Now that's a good friend.





The older 3 kids went to the ranch. They fed cows, learned about rattlesnakes, and wore the same clothes all weekend.




I'm not sure who gave my little girl permission to grow up, but it certainly wasn't me.

We threw a baby shower for my cousin. They are fostering to adopt and we cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for them. It was a sweet time with family. Chocolate, peanut butter cupcakes and pumpkin bread with maple cream cheese spread were also in attendance.



I have another niece! Brad's sister gave birth to little Cheyenne. She is adorable.

DY and I made our way up to College Station to shoot a video. And Makaria apparently thought she was rollin' at a club.



We went to the zoo with some good friends. I have to admit that I am allergic to zoos, but it's always fun to hang out with our friends. I've been know to leave zoos in tears. We spent some of our time looking through the fake dinosaur exhibit in which you had to pay for an overpriced ticket to enter. We peeked through the holes in the wall and decided we couldn't understand why someone would pay to see those things.


Despite all that's been going on, it's fun to reflect on the fun things we've gotten to do.

Still at Peace

So, this is what is interesting about life. I am on the phone with my Dad who is going to the hospital. He is going to go get Brad and Selah who were dropping off stool samples (sorry for that, but it adds color and reality to this little blog post here) to be tested to figure out what is going on with Makaria. She got 8-10 vials of blood taken yesterday. And we are supposed to get 3 different stool samples from her and drop them off individually at the hospital. Our car broke down. And our lease on our apartment in China is up in October. And now, we will be in the States until at least the beginning of November. And there are several other things that I won't bore you with that will be upheaveled in this whole thing.

But it's been weird because I don't feel any anxiety. Curiosity maybe, but I feel at rest in the Lord. I've been camped out in Psalm 34 this month and it has reminded me over and over again that as we seek the Lord, we will lack no good thing. And that abiding in the Lord is all satisfying. These are not cliche phrases I've slapped on my refrigerator. I understand these at a heart level this month.

God is good no matter my day. He is on His throne no matter my heart's vain discontent. He is God and He will remain.

Delayed return

In order to keep this relatively short, I will ask for your prayers. Makaria had some routine bloodwork done and some things came up abnormal. We've been referred to an infectious disease clinic and are getting more things done. They are not sure what is going on, but there is one aspect of her white blood cell count that is 10 times higher than it should be. Because she has lived in Ehtiopia, China and now the US, it is going to take awhile to decipher what is going on. It could be anything from a parasite to asthma.

We are scheduled to head back home to China the first week of Oct. That is going to be delayed now. We will need the minimum of 1 month to finish the testing and evaluation. The domino effects of all of this are pretty big. We are supposed to move the second week of Oct. But, we are trusting the Lord in all of this. Everything thing that is thrown at us is good because the Lord is good. We are simply resting and praying....and doing lots of logistics.

We would covet your prayers for her little body. She's feeling just fine, but there is obviously something going on internally. Pray for wisdom for both us and the doctors. And for our family to wait with joy.

Thanks.

My crush on satellite radio

Apart from gas stations, I have also had a summer fling with satellite radio. What a great idea. I have also loved the Christian radio station that is in Houston. But, I have to admit, the Dave Crowder and Chris Tomlin loop that they play every hour can get old. But this satellite radio thing is allowing me to listen gleefully to Bobby Brown and Bel Biv Devoe on the 90's station. I have found myself singing along, loudly, to "Hip Hop Hooray" and being baffled at my ability to remember those profound lyrics like "It's 6 o'clock on my stopwatch, no time to kill, I gotta date, I can't can't be late.....HEY....."




I will tell you that it's been a couple of decades since I've heard these songs and yet I can sing along and not miss a beat. How come I can't remember Scripture like that?! Maybe I should write Paula Abdul and ask her to do a song on Romans 8. And we could get that cool cat to take two steps forward and take two steps back and sing along about God working all things out for those who love Him.




As a sidenote of complete awkwardness, I wanted to share how profound I was as a child. I used to organize my tapes (for those readers under 30, that's the way we all used to listen to music. And we would tape things off the radio and make mix tapes for our friends. And for the boys we had crushes on. Then we would write I love ----, with each space representing a letter of his name on our Trapper Keepers. It was very mature and very real for all of us. And also very convenient when the next week, we changed our minds and we could just add a letter or two so that we could change the name to our next week's love). Back to the tape organization. I would arrange my tapes so that the non-Christian tapes would be right next to my Christian tapes. So it looked like this: Micheal Jackson, Petra, Madonna, DC Talk, Poison, Micheal W. Smith. And I prayed for those Christian tapes to have a good influence on my non-Christian tapes. As if, like Night at the Museum, Sandi Patti would start evangelizing to George Michael at night while I slept. I totally believed this would work. And I thought I was a genius for thinking of the idea. Please feel free to steal this idea. I know it will transform the world. I was sure of it then and I'm sure of it now.

"Radical"

I just got the book "Radical" from my kids. I have heard such great things about David Platt's book. With the subtitle that reads Taking Back your Faith from the American Dream, it's going to be a good read.

Got Gas? A Poem about Gas Stations

A Poem about gas stations.


When I came to the States, I dared and I dreamed
of cheese on my sandwich but with bread not steamed.

And quickly I found my newest infatuation
It's not cheese or ice, it's the American gas station.

Today I walked in and my what did my eyes lay hold...
but rabbit poop ice keeping my Dr. pepper cold.
I felt the sky open as I added the cherry,
flavoring no doubt to make you skip and be merry.

Then I turned to the rotating sausage and dogs
and wondered again how many organs would be clogged
by the spinning wienies toasted Hollywood brown
But, I skipped those for now and headed around.
The crusty Kolaches with that halo of grease
Corn nuts and those elusive Boston Baked Beans.

It's almost too much for my mind to take in.
My eyes all a twinkle, I don't know where to begin.

Fried Pork Rinds taunting 0 grams of carbs
I'm so glad that's good for my Atkins and heart.
Wash them down with a 64 oz cup of caffeine.
With more choices of gum than should ever be seen.

I chat with the cashier and think to myself
What's with the clipboard? Are you counting the shelves?

But I will tell you that when I walk through those doors,
it keeps me wanting to come back to buy more.
The hot dogs, the candy, the oversized Coke.
The people inside, the blogs they provoke.

Now if I could just pump the gas all would be dandy
Besides, gas in my car sure would be handy.

On Shell, on Mobil, on Valero and Racetrack
tomorrow is new and tomorrow I'll be back.

Batter Blaster

I love people. I love people because we often do stupid things and we think that those stupid things are not at all stupid. They are revolutionary. Like this specimen of genius below:


The ingredient list is my favorite part. Here are a few: filtered water, organic cane sugar, organic eggs and then...propellant. Correct me if I am wrong, but "organic" things shouldn't require 'propellant' at the end of the ingredient list.




One of the reasons that I so love this can is that we console ourselves while squirting our breakfast out of a can, by reading the words organic. "Mom, what is that we're having for breakfast?" "Oh honey, don't worry, it's healthy. I bought "Batter Blaster" pancakes for $6 at Whole Foods. I'm sure it's gluten free and won't take up residence in your colon." I say, let's just be true to squirt can meals and go ahead and eat cheez whiz. And it will be a faithful friend because it will not leave your colon. Ever.

Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

Do you remember the computer game "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego"? We felt so advanced playing that during our history class. It was all pixeled out and had a brunette lady with an explorers hat. You might have to reach deep into the memory archives for that one. Like, reach back past jelly bracelets and garbage pail kids. Anyway, it's been fun to have friends from all over the States come and visit and hang out with us. Here we go:




From LA (as in crawfish and gumbo, not the Crawford and Gibson type LA), we had friends that came and danced in public to "Proud to be an American" while watching the water fountains danced gaily to the tempo.



We ate Chic-Fil-A in the park. Nobody stared, nobody took pictures. We see sawed and talked about how our Chinese is slowly dripping out of our heads and into the deep, dark language abyss.



We ate with friends in H-town. We were blessed by their conversation, their counsel and their picking up the bill for our fajitas. :)





We had a pool party at my sister's house. We ate, swam and ate some more. Makaria and her cousin, Grae, ate and posed and threw their food on their stomachs and giggled. Why is it not still ok to do that? Darned social rules.




We had friends from OK. Not the corral, but as in "Tulsa, you know Monica, the Paris of the South!" They aren't really from Tulsa, but all Oklahoma cities are the same, so let's just stick with the pop culture reference. As always, we were ministered to through them. We also played games and took pictures featuring Ritz crackers, a board game and our latest dosage of Tuberculosis medicine. My sister and her husband were there to. It's always nice to have people there you can pick on and they can't leave because they are family.



We ate burritos. Big. Honkin. Burritos.




We ate smores and introduced our kids to stars. You know, the little blinky things in the sky. They really do exist past that layer of pollution that we normally see resting in our sky.




We celebrated our wonderful friend's birthday. She's visiting us here in the States. She's an incredible gift to us. What a joy it was to celebrate with her. We celebrated by eating Mexican food. Any occasion is appropriate to eat Mexican food. Even if it's celebrating your Chinese friend's birthday. Hey, there was rice. She was fine.






We played in fountains. Splashed, laughed, danced and eventually got rained on. It was glorious.





God's given us incredible friends. Thank you, Lord!

Young Lions and My Immature Heart

Ps. 34:10

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.


Why do young lions suffer want and hunger? Mostly it is because they have not yet been taught how to hunt and survive. Crudely, they haven't learned how to find what is good. They can't find food on their own. As a matter of fact, they are prey to older lions until they are old enough to fend for themselves. So, why the contrast in Scripture between young lions and those who seek the Lord? I think it is because we are not left along to struggle in the elements of this world. We are given a God who not only protects and provides, but does them in abundance.

The Sunday school class we are a part of here in the States has been a wonderful encouragement to Brad and I. One of the questions that some of them are asking is that why do we always say "God has really blessed America by making it prosperous and self-sufficient"? One of the guys in the class has been processing the fact that maybe all the financial wealth here could indeed be a curse. When he brought this up for the first time, most people physically shirked in their seats. But, I look at my life. When I feel self-sufficient and not in lack of many things, my affections wane for the Lord. The point this guy was making is that when we can provide for ourselves most things, why do we need to seek out Lord?

And, we also have to redefine what the phrase "lack no good thing" means. For Christ, the cross was a painfully, tragic, 'good thing'. For Stephen, being stoned in the courtyard was a 'good thing'. I have had to try and recalibrate my definition of good thing. When I define it in terms of my own comfort, I grow bitter. I grow bitter because right now, our family is not at a comfortable place. We are tired and overwhelmed. If my gauge would be shifted to seeing this time as a 'good thing', lacking nothing that the Lord didn't give me, then I would fully embrace verses like Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth."

But honestly, apart from the Lord changing my desires and granting me a peace that is beyond all understanding, it will be impossible. I am imploring Him daily to melt my desires into the shadows of the cross.

Stuck in Jr. High

I apologize for the jr. high level of blogs that I have been posting lately. I'm going to blame it on the fact that we're living with my parents. Certainly it has pulled up the repressed humor that encompassed my 7-8th grade years. I have even dreamed of the day where wearing 'Units' and different colored tube socks are back in fashion.

I promise to be more thoughtful and encouraging. The Lord really has showed me a ton since being in the U S of A. It just seems that I can't formulate a thought that is coherent to anyone over the age of 12.

And in the meantime, I'm going to krimp my hair and pouf my bangs with hairspray. Lots and lots of hairspray.

The Angelina Jolie and Carrie Confusion

Several times in the last year, we have gotten told that we look like the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie family. And within those several times, people have said that Makaria looks like their little girl.

I mean, except for the hair, gorgeous eyes, perfectly symmetrical face and pretty much everything from the neck down, Angelina Jolie and I are identical twins. And we both married "Brads", I might add. So, I am patient with the confusion.

Today, while at Chic-Fil-A with a friend, we were told that again. I'm not sure I see the resemblence. But, when I hold her on my hip and allow my oversized sunglasses to reflect the golden sunrays bouncing off my wind swept hair, I can see it. I can totally see why they think that we resemble each other.

Honestly, I think that I am a white mom with a cute black baby that has crazy, fun hair. That's about it.

And I'm totally going to start wearing big sunglasses because it will hide the tired bags under my eyes. Good idea, Ange.

I can call her Ange, we're close like that.

Kesed's (almost) 3rd Birthday!

Kesed doesn't officially turn three until Sept. 19th. But that didn't stop me from having a joint birthday party for him on July 29th. You see, about 2 years ago, I decided to boycott big birthday parties. I saw that they were becoming more about me validating my worth as a creative, hip mom who could build these enormous cakes and meet all the birthday fantasies that my 4 year old could dream up. It got too overwhelming, so I announced my resignation. Now, we just do small family gatherings and our own traditions that come along with the occasion. And with 5 kids, I'd be doing parties every 2 weeks.

BUT, this year we got to go to a place called "Incredible Pizza" to celebrate Kesed's 3rd birthday! You know that if there are a line of high chairs in the front of the restaurant, it's going to be a perfect place for our family.

He's a very determined (albeit stubborn at times) little guy, so he spent the entire time in the little kid's area rotating between three rides.

It was so much fun to see him having fun. We rode go carts, ate pizza and ice cream, rode trains and opened gifts. It really was a blast to have cousins to celebrate with.






And he got a new "Ooo Ooo Eee Eee". He laughed and laughed the entire night. His laugh is the greatest and makes me smile. Lots.






Our little buddy has been such a joy. He's funny, thoughtful, caring, independent, determined, and a great brother. We love you, little bud!

Taking his sister for a ride on "his" train.

I'm sure we'll hit this place again before we return home. But, I'm glad that we got to celebrate with our family. And in just a few weeks, he will actually be 3!

Summer Nights

While at times I am prone to slight exaggeration, I wanted to show you evidence. Evidence of why I needed to inject some silence into my surroundings. This is a picture taken in Nanjing, China during the hot summer months. And the smiles would seem to indicate that these people are enjoying themselves. I'm not sure I'd be smiling. Although I might be pinching unsuspecting people and selfishly smirking.

While there is a little more personal space, I fear it's only because they are swimming in the OCEAN. They wouldn't be able to spot a tar ball if they were trying.




And just for the record, I have never seen a public restroom at a Chinese public beach. That, my friends, is an equation that yields only disastrous results.

And while we're at it, America should bring back the Speedo. Look how confident. How suave he looks as he waits to jump into those murky waters. Let's pretend that "Jeremiah was a bullfrog..." is playing in the background. It will make you smile instead of stare at the lack of bathing suit covering the young men climbing the pillars...in a speedo.

Why We Look Like Liars

These are just a few reasons why October might be difficult for our family. And also why when we tell our kids that America is not just about fun, games, and good food, we look like complete liars.

They have made forts in the pool with cousins.



Rode in go carts with mom and maybe, just maybe, talked trash with 12 year old boys.

Made frogs for homeschool out of cake and lots of candy goodness.

Have a blast with a house full of our college friends and their kids. And tell stories of when we were college punks.

Have a huge bouncy moonwalky thing set up in the back yard during a family party.


Wrestle Uncle Mike in the pool. Doesn't every kid love the "Uncle Mike" in the family that wrestles and tells jokes and frequently reminds us that "Whoever smelt it dealt it!"

Had sleepovers with a cousin that you haven't seen since you were both 5 years old.