This is just the beginning...

9 years

2011-08-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Last week Mark and I celebrated our nine year anniversary! I can't believe that Mark and I have known each other almost 15 years. Wow! We have grown so much in these past years together. The Lord has changed him and me in so many different ways. I look back on our time together and I am blown away when I think about where the Lord has brought us...

We met at Messiah College. I was a young freshman, just turned 19 years old. He was 22 years old and in his senior year. He was living with my sister's boyfriend at the time, now husband. I saw Mark and immediately was interested in him. He was super attractive...spikey hair, JNCO jeans, polo shirts and a visor. He was deep into his raving stage. :) I would come over to his apartment just to talk to Dana (yeah right) and we ended up meeting. A few days later Mark asked me out and that was the beginning.

We dated a LONG time....about 5 years. We both do not recommend dating this long....just get engaged and get married already. We broke up a few times. I went to England for a semester and pined away for him. Then came home and he broke up with me. I was slightly distraught to the say the least. :)

We got married and the Lord really began working on our lives. I never thought in a million years that I would marry a pastor. I was not one of those girls who always dreamed of that. Mark's transition into ministry has been gradual and I am thankful for that. When Riverside church was going to bring him on full time he came home and told me about this opportunity. I was like "Sure, go for it." Not at all knowing what ministry involves...

Anyway...the Lord led us to seminary and now back to Philly to church plant. What a journey we have been on! I am so thankful that the Lord has called us to this place and this task. It has been a time to depend on the Lord like I have never experienced. We were sharing with a mentor about the stresses in our life right now...ministry and family. We shared that both of us have lost that sense of being carefree. He, who also does ministry full time, resonated with us. He spoke truth into our lives, "Losing that sense of carefree is a price you pay when you do full time ministry. But the blessings that you receive by seeing the Lord work in other people's lives is well worth the exchange." So thankful for Mark and the opportunity to journey through life with him. Can't wait to see what the next year hold for us as we approach our ten year anniversary.

Julian's birth story

2011-08-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

It's been such a long time since I have blogged that I had to go on my friend's blog to find my own blog. Ridonkulous. Thanks Maggie Ainsworth!

So...Julian Reid was born on July 3rd. I thought I would recap his birth story. It went NOTHING like I had thought it would. The reality is that labor and delivery never do.

I was hoping that I would have him at like 37 weeks. 37 came and went. Then 38 weeks came and went. I was starting to get really antsy. At 39 weeks on Saturday morning, July 2nd I started having some irregular contractions in the morning. I didn't think much of it. I went to the grocery store with Oliver and to the produce store. I kept having some strong contractions but I just kept thinking they were braxton hicks because they were so irregular.

The afternoon came and went. We invited some friends over for dinner. Thankfully Mark and our friend Brandon cooked dinner for Bethan and me. Bethan and I were sitting outside talking. I kept saying that I was having contractions. We decided we should start timing them. Thanks to the iphone Bethan found an app that times contractions. However they were so irregular that we really couldn't time them.

Everyone left our house around 9 PM. We put the boys to bed and I took a shower and came downstairs to watch some TV. This was at 10 PM. I was still having contractions so I thought I would time them. I too downloaded the app and saw that my contractions were about 3 or 4 minutes apart and lasting about a minute. Uh oh. This is really happening.

I stood up from the couch and my water broke...a slow trickle this time. TMI...maybe....Anyway.
I went into Mark who was doing something at the computer and told him that my contractions are pretty close together and I think my water broke. So I called the doctor and she said to come to the hospital. This was 10:30. I was still unsure if I was in labor.

Mark's first question was: "Do I have time to take a shower and shave?" My response, "Why in the world do you need to do that?" Mark: "Because if we have the baby there will be pictures."
Me: "Oh, should I like to do my hair and put on makeup?" Mark: "No! Why? You are in labor. Who cares?" Lovely.

So Mark takes a shower while we wait for his sister to come and stay with the kids. Meanwhile, my contractions get really strong during this 30 minutes of waiting. Kathy shows up at 11 PM. Poor girl she rushed like a maniac to get here.

We left the house at 11:00. I was in a lot of pain. I was kind of panicking at this point...pretty much yelling at Mark to not get in an accident but to hurry up.

We get to the hospital and I immediately tell the nurses that I want an epidural as soon as possible. They are kind of taking their time and trying to small talk with me. It is now like 11:40 PM and the contractions are strong. WHERE IS MY EPIDURAL?? "It's coming. We need to run fluids."

At one point the nurse looks at me during a contraction and she can see that I am in a lot of pain I tell her I feel like I need to push. Uh oh. We have only been there for like a half hour. I know in my head at this point that we are past the threshold of an epidural. I am panicking in my mind.

They move me to the labor and delivery room. They check me. I am 8 cm. At this point I am a mess. Here are the phrases coming out of my mouth...
"Help me. Someone please help me."
"Give me anything. Please! Can't you give me something?"
"I can't do this. This is not what I had planned!!!"

In walks the OB...."Dr. Zimmerman, help me!!! Please help me!"

Meanwhile during all of this nobody is responding to me. Mark is holding my hand and smirking. The nurses are all staring at me blankly. I know what they are thinking but don't want to admit it. I am going to push this baby out with no medication and there is nothing stopping it. Oh my word!!!

They drop the table. My OB tells me to listen to her and focus. Thankfully this labor I am not screaming the "F" word like I was with Oliver. Still I am frantic and not really listening to them. I kept thinking I cannot do this! There is no way.

Somehow it is time to push. I don't want to but can't help it. Two pushes later sweet little guy Julian is out. I was soooo relieved that I didn't even think about what sex our baby might be. They put him up on my chest and I see his boy parts. It is 12:19 AM. Mark and I smile and laugh...another boy....another little blessing. We are so thankful!

Acts 29

2010-10-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

So we found out that Mark and I were approved by Acts 29! We are so very excited! We now enter the candidate phase. In order to be an official Acts 29 church we need to have 40 committed members. Adult members...Oliver, Basil, Baby Jane, Baby Caleb and Josiah don't count. :(

This is very exciting for Mark and me. It is humbling too. This continues to confirm the Lord's calling on our life to church plant. This also pushes us along to stay faithful to the path that the Lord has put before us. It also continues to push us to pray, pray and pray some more. Trinity is only going to happen if the Lord allows it to happen. He is the only One that can draw people to Him and bring them from death to life. So we are utterly dependent on Him. I'm thankful that it doesn't depend on me or Mark because eventually we would screw it all up. Not eventually, but pretty soon...if not already. :)

A29 Assessment

2010-10-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

So some of you may know that we are planting a church in the Abington area. The name of the church is Trinity. Here's the link. www.tcphilly.org

We are hoping to be part of a church planting network called the Acts 29 Network.
http://www.acts29network.org/
It is a bunch of churches with similar theology and core values. Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle started the network. Our church in Louisville, Sojourn, is part of this network.

In order to become part of the network there is an extensive process that we must go through. In the Spring, Mark started the paper work. It was crazy! He filled out at least 30 pages of questions ranging from theology to personal stuff. It took him a long time.

The last part of the process is a face to face interview with the potential planter and his wife. Mark and I went into downtown Philly this past Thursday to do this interview. It was intense but such a neat experience.

When we got there we sat down with the two pastors who were doing the assessment. They asked if we were nervous. I responded, "No, Mark's the one on the hot seat." They really didn't say anything when I said that. That should have been my first clue. :)

So basically the assessment focused just as much on me, if not more on me, than on Mark. They probed into lots of areas of our lives. They asked about my calling to church plant, Mark's leadership, our marriage and many, many other things. Some questions were not easy but seemed necessary.

Earlier that week I had gotten together with the pastor's wife of the church who had sent us down to seminary. Allison and I had such a wonderful time together! She has been such a role model for me and such an encouragement and supporter. I am so thankful for her!

After the assessment and my time with Allison and some other church planting things, I took a step back and looked at my life. I was filled with joy and gratitude. I truly love my life and this adventure that the Lord has in store for us. So far, church planting is not very easy but so fulfilling. I feel so humbled and honored to be doing this. I really would not want to be anywhere else. I love being home with my boys and planting this church with Mark. No one said this would be easy. It's not easy, but it filled with purpose and I am so thankful the Lord has called us to this.

The Doctor is in...

2010-10-11T17:42:00.001-07:00

One of the many things that I love about Oliver is his love of people and his ability to be friends with everyone and anyone.

We are throwing a harvest party for the people in our neighborhood and he is dying to invite every single person that we meet. We were down at the playground the other night and he made friends with the two little boys who were also playing. When it was time to go he looked at them and asked if they were coming to the harvest party. Secretly I was soooo glad he did this. I had been talking to the mom and really wanted to continue talking or to see her again but wasn't sure how to do it. Well...Oliver knew how to do it. He simply asked. Needless to say they are now getting an invitation to our harvest party.

Today while Mark went mountain biking at Valley Green, the boys and I went walking. There is a road they have there called Forbidden drive. It's road that leads through the woods. There are lots of runners, bikers and walkers. A lady ran by with her dog. He told her that her dog was very cute. He then proceeded to invite her to our Harvest party. This time it was just slightly more awkward for me. I just kind of laughed uncomfortably and didn't know what to say....

Oliver LOVES his friends. Today my dear friend Jill came over with her daughter Ava. Oliver and Ava love each other. Ava looked cute as a button today. She had these adorable stretch jean little "hot pants" on. She's going to be a "looker". :) I think Oliver already has a crush on her.

They asked to go play in Oliver's room. A few minutes later Oliver is going potty and Ava is laying on his bed....kind of propped up on her elbow. I ask what they are doing. Ava answers, "Not much, just playing doctor." Uh, oh. Should we be worried? :)

First of many

2010-10-07T17:40:00.001-07:00

Tonight I had the first of many conversations with Oliver about my mom....It went something like this.

It was bedtime and he has a little basket of stuffed animals. I pretended that one of the animals was waving and saying "Pick me. Pick me."
Me: "You know why I do this silly little game with you? Because my mom used to it with me when I was little."
Oliver: "Oh...who's your mommy?"
Me: "Well, you don't know my mommy because she is with Jesus."
Oliver: "Why?" (of course)
Me: "She was sick and went to be with Jesus."
Oliver (puzzled, concerned and frustrated): "Hmmm...can I please go and visit her so that I can know her?"
Me to myself: I sure do wish that you would have known her. She would have LOVED you two little stinkers.

Oh...just a short update on Oliver and his Lyme disease. He is fine. Last week he had flu like symptoms. I took him to the the doctor on Friday and he checked out fine. However later on that night I saw a bull's eye type rash on his upper thigh. I called the doctor that night and they saw him the next morning. They diagnosed him with Lyme and put him on 21 days of antibiotics. It is a long course of antibiotics because he started developing some other rashes too. The rashes have now gone away and his symptoms seem to be getting better. He is still tired but acting normal. Hopefully there will be no lasting problems from this....

It's been so long...

2010-10-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I have posted on this blog that I forgot the name of my blog. Ridiculous. I had to go back and look and find it somehow....

So much has happened since I have last written that I feel overwhelmed by what to write. So I will keep this post fairly short. If I think about all that I can write about I just decide not to write. Hence a very short blog post...

Needless to say...Mark just looked over my shoulder and said, "You are updating your blog?!?!!? What the heck is going on with you?" ok....so.....

We moved back to PA. We are living in a very cute, little town called Oreland. We love our new house. We looked and looked for a rental and finally we came across this one. My dad checked the rentals out for us while we were still living in Louisville. Everything he saw was basically a dump. He also told many of the landlords this. I am thankful I didn't know that because I would have been very embarrassed.

Anyway....we love it here! We are starting to get to know our neighbors and love our backyard.

This weekend however we had a "1, 2, 3 punch"
1. Mark got the stomach bug and was in the bathroom a good part of the night. No more details needed. I did however kick him out of the bed and made him sleep on the futon. I'm sorry. No throw up germs were going to come near me. It had been passed around from Basil to Baby Jane Rogers to Brandon and then Mark.
2. The next morning I walked downstairs to wash the germ infested sheets and I discovered that our basement had flooded.
3. Oliver was diagnosed with Lyme disease.

So that was our weekend, folks. Nice and relaxing. ;)

Tonsils out

2009-12-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

Oliver got his tonsils and adenoids out about nine days ago. It took until about now for him to finally feel better. It was quite the adventure.

I was so worried and anxious about the actual surgery that I didn't give much thought to the recovery. I should have given it more thought.

For the past eight days he was taking Tylenol with Codeine around the clock. Every four hours. It would start to wear off after about three hours. Once it wore off, we had a rabid, wild animal on our hands. I have never, ever in all my life seen a child so upset. Oliver would thrash around on the floor and kick and scream. It would take Mark and me pinning him down to give him his medicine. So every four hours we encountered this ordeal. Let's just say that I had many parenting lows this week.

We are so thankful that he had the surgery though. He now breathes like a normal kid. He doesn't snore and he doesn't sound like Darth Vader when he breathes. In the long run, he should get more restful sleep and have more energy.

It's been so long

2009-11-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

that I forgot the name of my blog. I tried to access my blog and called it the wrong name.

So it's been a very long time. No reason why really. I guess I just got lazy with the blog.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We are having the Godshalls over. Should be really fun. Natalie and I made up a menu and split the tasks. I currently have a 20 pound turkey brining. It is sitting in a large plastic bag marinating in broth, spices, and apple juice. It is in a cooler with ice sitting outside.

Meanwhile we are starting to get excited about Christmas. Oliver and I had a little conversation today that went like this....

Oliver: "Mommy I love Christmas!"
Elise: "Me too! But why do you love it."
Oliver: "It's so beautiful."
Elise: "Yes, Yes, it is!"

Haircut time

2009-08-21T12:23:00.001-07:00

Today I took the boys to my hairstylist to get their haircuts. They did amazingly well. I was armed with a lot of ammunition. I had twizzlers, lollipops, Hershey Kisses, a DVD player, juice, gummi bears, and yogurt. We put Wiggles on the DVD player and they actually sat still. I was so pleased with their little haircuts.

As I was walking to the salon I had a sinking feeling. What the heck am I doing? Why am I doing this alone? I should have waited until Mark could come with me. On a stress caliber it was at the top of the list where flying alone with the boys stands as number one.

All that to say...it went really well. Jamie, my stylist did such a good job!!!! I will post pictures really soon.

Anniversary getaway

2009-08-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

Mark and I just celebrated our seventh anniversary. Mark planned a wonderful overnight getaway. There are two genuine blessings I experienced through this. Number one, I have an incredibly thoughtful husband who planned the whole entire getaway around things that I love.
Second blessing, we have amazing, awesome friends who are willing to stay with our kids while we do something like this. Thank you, Godshalls and Smiths!!! You guys are awesome.

So around 3 in the afternoon Mark and I left and headed to the mall. We never get to shop in peace and Mark knows that I do enjoy when he shops with me. So we spent a little time at the Gap and found some good stuff. We then headed to check into our hotel. It was kind of funny doing an overnight in our own town, but also really fun. We stayed at this funky, chic downtown hotel called 21c. www.21cmuseumhotel.com It as an art gallery, posh little bar and restaurant and a hotel.

So we walked into the lobby of the hotel and there was some strange art. I looked over to the right and there is this little sitting area with a plasma TV. It all a part of this art display but really funky. There was this totally naked woman standing in her living room with her hands on hips talking about women empowerment. The stranger thing was that there was a young girl about 8 watching the video. I thought it was so weird. Mark thought it was art. :)

We then headed to dinner at Seviche on Bardstown. We sat outside (my favorite) and had the best meal since we have moved down here. The sea bass was the most delicious buttery yet crispy thing ever. We then went to see Julie and Julia. Not something Mark would have chosen but he insisted. It was the perfect evening.

At 10 AM I shot out of bed. The hotel had curtains that seriously blocked the sun. I thought it was 7 AM. I dialed up Rachel to check on the kids. I felt so bad that we had slept in. I thought we would be home by then. She was so glad that I had not called before then. She was hoping that I would sleep in. So awesome! Rachel, if you read this, you are wonderful!

We then ate a yummy breakfast outside at the North End Cafe. We arrived home and the boys were so happy to see us. I was happy to see them but I had enjoyed my time immensely. Thank you, Mark! You are a wonderful husband....much more than I deserve.

The boys

2009-08-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

The boys were just recently moved into the same room. It is about time. We moved Basil's crib into Oliver's room. The first few nights were a little rough. They kind of had to duel it out by crying. They quickly got used to it.

I went out with some friends to Cheesecake Factory the other night. Mark was home to put the boys down. Basil was put down first. He screamed for a half an hour. Mark brought him downstairs and waited until Oliver was ready for bed. He took them both upstairs and Basil was as happy as a clam. Now they can't sleep a part from each other...

Today after Oliver had been in his bed doing "rest time" for about an hour, I heard little footsteps. I went up to see what was going on... Oliver had put his Thomas backpack on was holding his pillow and blanket. He was ready to come downstairs. It was precious.

it's been too long

2009-08-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

It has been far too long since I have written on here. Sorry readers. If there are still some out there.

It would be impossible to recall the last few months. I can say that they have been some of the most stressful months of our married life. LOTS of family issues and things going on. Through all this though God has shown himself sovereign, loving and compassionate. Some bad things have happened but we are trusting that the Lord hold all things in his hands and is in control.

Our marriage has been tested through these tough times, but it has proved to be a good thing. It has been hard for me to see Mark stressed, broken and overwhelmed. It has been hard to see him emotional and for me to be the stable one. That rarely happens. However, it has made us look at our marriage and really desire for it to grow. We don't want to be stagnant and complacent in our relationship. We want to "fall towards each other (even when it is hard) and not away from each other."

On a lighter note, we are super excited to start this school year. It is our last year here in Louisville and we are really looking forward to it. Community groups start up soon and we are so excited for that. I am going to try and take a Counseling: Marriage and Family class with Mark at Southern. Basil and Oliver are getting older and bigger and more fun!

I do desire to be like Proverbs 31 woman. Regardless of the circumstances I want to"smile at the times to come."

Finally home

2009-05-26T17:08:00.001-07:00

Today we finally arrived home after one of the most stessful weeks of my entire life. We basically were living in a state of crisis for a whole entire week.

Long story short...Mark's mom, Catalina, is alive and recovering! Praise God! There was a time period of about three or four days when she basically was hanging between life and death. She was in a coma but is slowly waking up.

For those who don't know...they removed the brain tumor and found it to be benign. Awesome. However, the recovery from the surgery was awful. She started swelling really bad and less than 24 hours they had to go back into surgery and remove half of her skull to allow for the swelling. At this point they didn't know if there was major brain damage or if she would ever wake up.

She is slowly, slowly waking up. she still cannot open both eyes and cannot speak. Her whole left side is paralyzed. However some good things are happening every day....

Some highlights....
--she squeezes our hand and shakes it as a response.
--she waves
---she gives a thumbs up
---she can point to things when they hurt
---she knows who we are and knows our kids
---she knows she had surgery
---she can write sentences in Ukrainian, Spanish and English

The doctors say that the recovery process can take a year. So we have a lot of waiting to do. Meanwhile, we are so thankful that she is alive.

And I am also thankful to be home...

hanging out

2009-05-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today we spent Mark's mom's birthday all hanging out at the house. Mark's brother Jon and his wife Kelly came to visit. They have a daughter Sophia and a son Solomon. Sophia is three and Solomon is Basil's age. Sophia and Oliver had a blast, except Oliver kept calling her "ava". We know a few Avas and I think that all little girls are Ava to Oliver.

We had a wonderful day despite the news of Bunia's (Mark's mom, Ukrainian for Grandmother) brain tumor. It kind of feels strange enjoying ourselves and going about life, but I guess this is just what we do. We won't know anything anyway until the surgery.

I think it was therapeutic for the grandkids to be around.

Being a daughter in law in this situation is somewhat strange for me. There are many questions that I have and many scenarios that I want to discuss. If it was my mom I would feel comfortable just talking about it. I want to be sensitive to my mother-in-law and not force those conversations. I remember when my mom was sick we talked endlessly about every scenario and about all of my questions. I think it was my mom's personality to know as much as she possibly could.

Today was her 61st birthday and I think she had a good day. I hope she did.

Tomorrow we are going to my dad's. I am so excited to see my sister. It has been a long time. I miss her.

Mark's mom

2009-05-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today Mark, the boys and I flew home to PA. Yesterday Mark's mom was feeling really sick all day. Mark's sister took her to the ER last night. They did some tests and discovered a brain tumor the size of golf ball. We were all very shocked. They ran more tests and the tests were encouraging. There are no more tumors or abnormal growths anywhere.

She is scheduled for brain surgery on Monday morning. They are going to remove the whole tumor. They will not know if it is cancerous or not until they remove it. We are hopeful and trusting in the Lord. We are praying for many more years with her.

Tomorrow is her birthday. We are so glad to be her to celebrate with her. It brings her a lot of joy to be around the kids. Mark's brother, his wife and the kids are also coming into town for this weekend.

This definitely sparked many emotions and brought back many memories from my mom's sickness. However, we are hopeful and prayerful for complete recovery.

no naps

2009-05-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

This week we went through four days of Oliver not napping. I would put him down for his nap and he would walk around his crib, talk to his stuffed animals and simply just have a grand old time. I would leave him up there for awhile (an hour or so) and then he figured out that by yelling "Mommy" it would get my attention. So I would go get him.

Today he napped for over two and a half hours. Nothing was different about today. In fact, we barely did anything active this morning. i don't quite get it. Moms, help me out here please. He is going to be three in September and seems a little young to totally give up his nap.

I found myself being really frustrated with this. Ever since I have entered this stage of having kids, afternoons naps have happened and have been sacred. I really need to start getting my head around the idea that we could be done.

I am going to still do quiet times in his crib. He needs that and I need that. :)

I can't believe that he doesn't try to climb out of his crib....thank you Lord that he is still contained in that thing.

Thanks, Mom!

2009-05-05T17:33:00.001-07:00

Ok so I don't want this blog to always be super sappy and depressing...but I want to write a little tribute to my mom.

This time of year always reminds me of her. Easter of 2003 was the last holiday we spent together where she was well. By Mother's Day of that year she was already hospitalized and beginning chemotherapy. She spent 9 long months battling Leukemia. The Lord decided to take her home on December 16, 2003.

A good friend recently asked me if Mother's Day is hard for me. The answer is not really. I think of her on that day but Mother's Day has morphed into a day where I appreciate and think about my own two little boys. The times that are hard for me when I miss her dearly are my major life changes.

When I had Oliver and Basil, I missed her terribly. It would have been so nice to have her around. To talk about things, seeing if what I am feeling as a new mom was normal. There are so many times since having kids that I wish I could pick up the phone and ask her how to deal with a certain situation. She was a very wise woman and a strong believer in Christ. She would have been such an encouragement.

As Mark and I begin to raise our boys, their spirituality is of utmost importance to us. We want our marriage to reflect the gospel to them. We pray for them. We have started having a family worship time where we read a Bible story, sing some songs and pray. It is really short because of Oliver's attention span. :)

We have A LOT of room to grow in this area. We really want our family life and marriage to point our boys to Christ. We are humbled by this position and need the Lord's strength and wisdom to do this. It is a huge calling to be a parent and daily I feel inadequate for this role.

Looking back on my life growing up I now see the many ways that my mom strived to point me to Christ. Starting as a really young kid, she took my sister and me to church. Supposedly we fought her on this but she insisted and we went. My mom prayed with me daily. She taught me truth. She told me about Jesus and his saving grace. She labored in prayer for me and my sister's salvation. She had the joy of seeing me and my sister believe in Jesus as our Savior.

She didn't stop there....she talked with me about my life. She got to know my friends. She wouldn't let me do certain things...not to stop me from having fun but to protect me. She and my dad made so many sacrifices so that my sister and i could go to a Christian school and a Christian college. Until I left for college my mom prayed with me nightly. My mom stuck Bible verses in my lunch bag. She talked with me about Jesus. She told me what He has done in her life. She did family devotions with my sister and me. It was a good night when my mom could get through her prayer without my sister and I giggling.

When she died my dad passed on a letter that my mom wrote to me when I was probably like 2 or 3. The letter was to be given to me if she died before I was out on my own. In the letter she pleads with me to above everything else in this life to first and foremost seek the Lord. She encourages me to never fear because the Lord is always with me. She wrote this letter to tell me about the saving grace of Jesus. She wanted to make sure that even if she died that still she would have the opportunity to share the gospel with me. Awesome!

The life she lived is one that I long to emulate. She was an incredible woman of faith. Her faith was so real and clear when she was in the hospital with Leukemia. She was different and the hospital staff picked up on that. I am convinced that they saw Jesus in her. According to so many of the doctors and nurses, she was so different than many of the other patients. She had a peace in the midst of dying that could only come from the Lord.

The day we found out she was going to die, at least 25 hospital staff came to say goodbye to her. She was in the ICU and I am not sure if she heard any of the goodbyes or the weeping of the nurses, but she left her mark on them. Jesus was shared with those people through her life. Doctors and nurses came to her memorial service.

Tonight after I read some books to sweet little Basil bug I sang some old hymns and rocked him. I got choked up wishing that my mom could have met my boys. She would have LOVED them and they would have LOVED her. When she was really sick she told me that she prayed that she would live long enough to see her daughters married. That prayer was answered. Brooke was married in 2001 and I was married in 2002. I pray for the souls of the boys. Lord willing one day they will meet my mom.

Mom, thank you! Thank you for praying for me, for sharing Christ with me. Because of this I will see you one day behind the pearly gates and give you the hug that will make up for all these lost years. Love you Mom!

jogging

2009-04-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

I have been jogging with the boys in the morning. We bought a really crappy double jogging stroller off of craigslist. It stinks. It pulls to the right so the whole time I am running I am also getting an upper body workout too. well yesterday I think it died. The wheel fell off half way into my run. Luckily, I put it back on but it was sketchy. I kept running and when it would start to come loose I would just kick it back into place. I was determined to finish my run. I strapped both boys in so they wouldn't fall out. Just when running was becoming enjoyable and I was feeling in shape...i need to stop. We need to buy a new one. They are so expensive though. I will have to look for a used one. I guess I will just have to be ok with power walking for now.

Grey's Anatomy and a sick kid

2009-04-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

Last night Oliver came down with a fever, a cough and a strange rash on his butt. I kind of got panicky inside and called the doctor. She reassured me that it is probably no big deal but that I should bring him in this morning. So I took him into the doctor this AM and sure enough he has bronchitis and rectal strep. Who the heck ever heard of rectal strep? so stinkin weird.

After I got off the phone with the doctor Mark and I decided to catch up on some online Grey's Anatomy. Of course, this week a little child was dying. It is pretty much unbearable for me to watch a show where a child is dying. I just cannot even begin to imagine the pain of losing a child. Needless to say since little stinkerdoodle Oliver was laying up in bed with a fever it got me thinking....

At some point my kids will die. I pray that they outlive me. I never want to go through the horror of losing one of them. Then I started to think that having more kids seems like an absolutely crazy idea. If I have another baby at some point I am opening myself up to possibly losing something so precious to me. I already have two little boys....why bring another child into this world when there is the possibility of losing that child.

So this is where my mind went to last night while watching Grey's Anatomy. Crazy I know. I then thought about how my Nana went through the pain of seeing my mom (her daughter) die. Terrible things happen. I know this firsthand.

What does all of this boil down to? Children are a blessing and gift from the Lord. Death is a consequence of the fall of man, but when we know Jesus, death is not the end. It is simply the beginning. "O death, where is your victory?...where is your sting?"

Two things

2009-04-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

on this beautiful 84 degree sunny day there are two things that I am really thankful for...

1. a backyard where I can plant a garden. The garden was started with Mark's parents help. Today I have been tilling it and weeding it. It is hard work but worth it. We already have many plants growing....lettuce, radishes, green onions, strawberries. today i planted cantaloupe and watermelon. I can't wait until all these plants start producing fruit.

2. a husband who is more than willing and happily sending me on a girls weekend! In the beginning of June I am flying up to Boston to see two of my very best friends. we will be spending a long weekend together minus kids. I really can't imagine what I will do with myself. No nap schedules, no tantrums, no car seats, no 6 AM wakeups....just hanging out, laughing, eating, sleeping, watching movies and chatting till the cows come home with two of the most wonderful girls in the world. Ruth and Meghan, I can't wait girls!!!!!

Original Gangsta...

2009-04-15T17:49:00.001-07:00

A life long best friend of mine, Ruth, told me I should share this tid-bit of info with my blog readers...

When I was in high school I LOVED rap and hip hop....here is how this love manifested itself....

1. One of my nicknames besides beanpole (because of my dangerously thin and pointy elbows) was OG (the original gangsta).

2. I thought bump and grinding was a form of dancing and I did it proudly at every school dance. Not realizing that it was really dirty...sorry, Mom. :)

3. Two big rap stars were killed during my high school days. My friends and I were heartbroken....Notorious B.I.G and TuPac.

4. I wrote in hugh white letters on my junior year Jansport green back pack the following phrase..."Dedicated to our beloved brothers...Notorious B.I.G. and TuPac." No joke.

5. I knew the words to songs by Bone Thugs and Harmony.

6. I dated a guy who had neon under his car and a neon shift stick in his car.

7. You could hear my guy friends coming to pick me up from a mile away. Their cars shook with so much bass it was obnoxious. I am surprised my parents let me out of the house with them. :)

8. I know every word to Wyclef Jean's "Staying Alive." Mark and I still sing that song at the top of our lungs....

There you have it folks a window into my past....

Is it Basil or Basos?

2009-04-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

So there has been some discussion...is his name really Basil or Basos?

His name is Basil Alexander. He is named after his great grandfather whose name was Basilio. We just kind of Americanized the name. Mark's grandfather who was Ukrainian but grew up in South America had a Spanish name. We thought that the name Basilio Chripczuk just looked way too foreign on paper.

Basos is his nickname. Oliver was about 19 months when Basos was born. This is the way he said Basil....

Basos has stuck. We like it......Kind of reminds us of "besos" which is the Spanish word for kisses.

hot dog....

2009-04-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

Oliver has had a recurrent diaper rash pretty much all winter. One of the things that we do keep the rash under control is let him run around without a diaper. The other day he was running around naked and ran up to me. He looked like he was about to go pee-pee. He got really still and just kind of stood there. He then turned around and pointed and said in the most adorable little voice, "Look mommy a hot dog." He had pooped and thought that he had pooped out a hot dog. I thought it was so darn precious that I wasn't too grossed out that there was a pile of poop right next to little Baso's crib.

One of those days...

2009-04-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

Had one of those days where it seemed like every single room in my house was a disaster zone. Being a stay at home mom it is so hard for me to balance the job of taking care of the kids but also taking care of the house. If I am doing the one, I often think about how I should be doing the other.

For some reason, I easily become overwhelmed by the dishes, meals, laundry, cleaning, and every other household chore. I wish I could just let some things go and be ok with it. I mean, I do let things go, I just need to work on the "being ok with it" part.

I was in the habit a little while ago of getting up before the boys and spending some time praying and reading the Word. I have gotten lazy with this recently. :( Today I was determined to spend some time with the Lord. After I put Basil down for his morning nap I put on a video for Oliver. Not a great thing to do, but we do what we need to do. He loves his TV. There were a zillion things I wanted to do, but I made myself sit down and spend some time praying and reading. My mind wasn't all there but I felt it necessary to spend some time being refreshed by the Lord.

Once I was done, I got up and started doing some things around the house immediately feeling overwhelmed again. I kept thinking that I hope the boys nap well so I can get some things done.

Anyway...Basil and Oliver took amazingly long naps this afternoon. The Lord answered my unspoken prayer. I was able to get everything accomplished with time to spare. God is good! he cares about us deeply and knows our small, petty burdens. He promises to take care of us and He does.

Isaiah and "Aplaya"

2009-04-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have to blog about our wonderful friends down here in L'ville. I love the Godshall kids to death and I love their mom, Natalie. Mark calls her my girlfriend....and I really like her husband (something felt weird about saying I love her husband Matt).

Natalie and I met just this past January but we have quickly grown to become great friends. She is truly an answer to prayer and such a blessing in my life. I don't think she realizes how much she means to me. Hopefully, since she reads this blog, she will get the idea. I also love how much our kids love each other. Oliver CANNOT wait to play with her son, Isaiah and daughter, Alaythia. They came over this morning and played with every single toy in the toy box. Basil looked on with desire wishing he could run around with them.

I told Oliver this morning that Isaiah and Aplaya (that's what Oliver calls her) were coming over. Before they came we had to run to the grocery store. On the way home Oliver thought we were going to their house. I kept trying to explain to him that they were coming over here. When we pulled into our driveway he broke out sobbing and crying for Isaiah and Aplaya. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He thought we were headed to their house and was so dissapointed. When they pulled up to our house he broke out into a loud giggle jumping up and down. Something is so adorable watching Oliver get excited about his friends....

Rounding a new corner

2009-04-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

Mark believes that we are rounding a new corner with Oliver. Today Mark forgot to bring a towel into the bathroom for his shower. Oliver, of course, was in the bathroom peaking into the shower from behind the curtain. When Mark realized he didn't have a towel he sent Oliver on an errand to go find him one. Oliver came back with a towel!!!!! This is a huge step for Oliver!!! Oh, the errands I shall send him on...to Target for diapers, to Kroger for eggs, to the mall for new shoes....

More pictures of Basos' first b-day

2009-04-05T18:07:00.001-07:00

Basos turns one!

2009-04-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Basil turned one on March 22nd. We didn't have a big party or anything. We did celebrate with Mark's parents the week before. They came down to visit so we had a cake and opened some presents. Basil is allergic to eggs so I went to Whole Foods and bought a vegan chocolate cake. Basos didn't like it, but Oliver did!

While Mark's parents were here they wanted to buy a gift for Basos. We went with them to Toys R Us. We left the store with three gifts for Oliver (it was not his b-day) and one gift for Basos. Poor little Basos, always getting the bad end of the deal.

Basos and the tricycle

2009-04-05T17:30:00.001-07:00

We bought this tricycle for Oliver close to two years ago. He still does not understand how to use the pedals. I wish he would figure out. He would LOVE it. I tried Basos on it for the first time and he kind of liked. He doesn't smile as easily as Oliver does, so sometimes it is hard to tell what he is thinking...

King of Glory

2009-04-05T10:12:00.001-07:00

Today at church we sang one of my favorite worship songs, King of Glory. I love that song...the words and the music. I used to play bass guitar at our church back in Philly. I really miss playing music. I was not very good, but it was still really fun. Mark led the band; a good friend played lead guitar, and my brother-in-law played drums. We were kind of like the Partridge family but not really....here's youtube video of us playing...it's really poor quality. No judging my friends, no judging... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwp359L74TA

the zoo

2009-04-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

By far the best purchase that we have made in the last year was our family zoo membership. We love it and so do the boys. Oliver loves every animal and Basil's face is precious as it lights up with delight as we see each animal. Every time I mention the zoo, Oliver thinks that he is going with his good friends, Isaiah and "Aplaya." When I break that news that it is just mommy and daddy, the zoo is no longer very exciting.

This is just the beginning...an explanation

2009-04-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to start a blog...it has been something I have wanted to do for a long time. I am somewhat nervous that I may become addicted. It seems so fun. However, i will probably need Mark's help to post pictures in the beginning. He will be just thrilled to be my computer tech support person. :)

So we are still in Louisville, KY. We love it down here. I have made some incredible friends. I love where we live. Louisville has so much character...at least the area where we live does. I love our neighborhood and I love our church. It is hard to believe that we have been down here for almost two years. CRAZY! Mark has one more year left of school and then we make the long journey back to PA to church plant. Hence....this time here in seminary is just the beginning.

Basil just turned one! He is quite the little stinker. He crawls all over the place. This is a typical scenario in our house....
1. Basil sees Oliver playing with an interesting toy.
2. Basil crawls over to Oliver.
3. Basil tries to touch the toy.
4. Oliver screams "NO".
5. Oliver writhes around on the floor believing the world is ending.
6. Basil shrieks at the top of his lungs.
7. Mommy intervenes.
8. Internally mommy is going crazy....
Hence, this is just the beginning.....

I hope to be consistent with this blog. Discipline is often my friend, but at times my enemy...stay tuned.