Faces only a mother could love...

Sadness, spanish and a great spouse

My little sister got married yesterday. She was a beautiful, stunning bride! Her face was radiant, the groom was handsome, with a beautiful, classy service. And that's what I saw on the pictures :) Due to the immigration progress, we are currently unable to cross the border. After months of hoping and praying, contacting congressmen, and even running to the mailbox to see if the paperwork came (7pm wedding, mail comes by 1pm, 5 hour drive), we were unable to attend. My heart was a little broken. While the temptation to wallow in self-pity was HUGE, and constantly presenting itself as an option, we decided to continue as normal. All day, the question weighed on me -do I wallow or rejoice? How can I rejoice in all things and see the eternal perspective when I don't feel like it? What do I believe about God and his goodness? What do I know to be true, and where is Satan attacking my joy? My belief that God is sovereign. My belief that God is good. That He ordains all things, even that we weren't able to go. That He brought Erika and Guido together, and their marriage is based on HIM, not us :) That my circumstances do not dictate my joy or contentment. That Paul was a great man. That obedience sometimes costs. That God always intends everything for our good. That His plan is greater than my desires, and he's will replace my sorrow with something FAR greater. It was a great day, as far as spiritual battles go :)
So, we tried to continue with plans. We had a great spanish lesson -filled with lots of laughs, and then, to continue the celebration, we went out for dinner, and toasted Guido and Erika. We came home and looked at our wedding pics, and then played Settlers. My husband is phenomenal, making me laugh on a day when all I wanted to do was cry. On top of it, I heard from immigration, saying I needed another vaccine (one that I'm opposed to), that is going to cost a lot of money, and that if I was 3 months older, or had filed one week earlier, I'd be exempt from. Timing is everything, and mine sucks :) So, I thought I'd compile a list of things that I'm thankful for.
*a spouse that makes me laugh
*a relationship that grows deeper and better
*being in Grand Rapids
*a ministry that has blessed us richly, and is a good fit
*neighbours who have become our 'other family'
*a family that is God fearing and supportive of our work
*a wonderful church family
*two healthy, giggling daughters
*God's faithfulness in the past, promises for the future
*a great immigration lawyer
*an immigration doctor that is a believer, and is taking extra time to contact people regarding our case, volunteering his services, and sacrificially serves a community that is disadvantaged in grand rapids
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

books...

The girls LOVE books

Wordless wednesday and bathtime whistling

Meals and seconds

It's official! The girls are up to the 20th percentile (well, Emma is...they stretched it a bit for sammi :) As you can see... they definately enjoy their meals.

Sammi gets her seconds Emma just licks it off

out of the bib

and when Emma's done her tray...

(Jack enjoys this time of day)

peekaboo!

A year...

It was a year ago at this time that I met Samantha Joy and Emma Grace for the first time. Suddenly, they were no longer 'Uz' and 'Buzz'. I must admit... in many ways, I am enjoying this birthday more than the first :) Cake-eating pictures to follow...

Of teething and temperatures...

Oh, the blessing of Motrin!! As I write, I'm hearing baby squeals... meaning they are feeling better! Sammi's playing the piano, and Emma is laughing at her. Earlier this week, we weren't laughing. Em had a fever of 105.2!!!! Okay, hitting the panic button! I got home from a meeting and Fran asked me to check her (she had a fever the previous night, but was afebrile throughout the day). 105.2!!! Gulp... act calm, don't run to the hospital screaming "my precious baby!" (although every instinct is telling you to do that). Instead, call pediatrician, ask Her when do "we" panic. Act calm and rational Okay, ride it out if you can get it below 103, baths and tylenol. Let's just say it was a long night, BUT lo and behold, both she AND Sammi broke teeth the next day! Sammi handled it remarkably better :) Emma's in a little bit more agony, and would start screaming anytime Sammi came near her. And yes, Sammi seemed to be exploiting that fact, giggling the whole time! Fortunately that only lasted a couple of days. We even got to enjoy some great weather... going for long walk. It was such a gorgeous day, I walked and walked, singing/talking to the girls the whole time until I looked down and noticed this...

So, they slept for another 20 minutes while I collected the eggs... yes, our chickens are laying!! It's almost magical! When I was growing up, we got eggs from Fortinos. I mean, I knew they were from chickens, but it was a step removed. Now, I check the chicken coop everymorning, and return to the house with several still-warm eggs. Kinda gross, but kinda cool! It did take me a bit to try them (not wanting the magic to end by finding out they are disgusting) but they were really good! Well, I've got a spanish test in an hour, so I'd better go study..
ciao!