Ariella's First Birthday

Today is Ariella's birthday. It is amazing to think that it has been a year since she was born! This week she started walking and she loves to crawl, walk, and climb everywhere. This morning when I got her out of bed she stopped crying and said "Mommy." She also says "Daddy," "hi," "uh oh," "all done" and a lots of other things that I am not sure the meaning of. Ariella loves books, snuggling, and playing peek-a-boo. She adores her big sister and her Daddy and me. We all love her sooo much!

She wasn't sure what to think of her birthday cupcake at first, but ended up eating most of it (and putting the rest in my lap).

Here is a video of her walking:

And the last 2 photos show what a difference a year can make.

Eleven Months

Well, Ariella's 11 month birthday has come and gone...and later this month we will celebrate her first birthday! I remember thinking a year ago thinking that she would be born any day! I think it's a lot more fun to have an active and smiley 11 month old than to be 9 months pregnant!

My parents were visiting the week when Ariella turned 11 months old. She looked around for them when they had returned to MA. She has not started walking, but loves to stand up in the middle of a room and bounce. She yells an enthusiastic "hi Daddy!" to greet Daniel...or me or even Zoe sometimes. Ariella is already much more of a climber than Zoe was. I am really enjoying watching her grow and seeing her personality unfold.

Enjoy the giggling in the video. :) And note Ariella's happy feet.

Ten Months

Ariella is 10 months old today. I don't know how she could possibly be any cuter or more fun than she is! She loves to crawl, pull up on everything, play in water, and eat everything she can get her hands on (favorite foods include lima beans, peas, cheerios, bananas, carrots, grapes, black beans, crackers, corn, berries...). She also adores her big sister and is trying to talk. She says "hi," "dada," once-in-a-while "mama," and lots of very cute sounds. Right now she is blowing raspberries and saying "hi, at, at, aaahhh," and playing with car seat buckles and toys. What fun!

Nine Months

Today Ariella is 9 months old! It's already been three quarters of a year since she was born! She is growing and changing so quickly...clapping now, climbing, pulling up on everything...Daniel saw her free standing yesterday. I love the way that she makes kissy sounds at me and how adventurous she is in trying foods. She enjoys eating beans, berries, banana, beets, cheerios, hummus, avocado, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, any anything else that we put in front of her or that she finds on the floor. At her 9 month check up yesterday I found out that she's very tall (with a rather small head). She is all caught up with immunizations now too (I had been a little bit behind because some of the ones I needed were "habis" sold out in Papua). What a fun and sweet little girl!

Yes, she is wearing a princess dress with a mermaid tail. :) She is an adorable mermaid!

Camping in the Boise National Forest

Just over a week ago we went for our first camping trip as a family of four. We borrowed a trailer (and an SUV to pull it) and drove two hours north to a camping site surrounded by big pine trees and near Payette River. It was a fun change of pace from our usual life and I really enjoyed the beauty of the woods and water. 

Some of my favorite moments included:

Zoe waking up on Saturday morning...

Z: My hands are cold!

Daniel and I laughed because this may be the first time she has had cold hands (having spent most of her life in Indonesia).

Z: Cold hands are funny! (and she joined in the laughter.)

Watching Zoe explore the river (with Daniel close at hand to help her get up when she fell down).

Sitting and talking with Daniel at the campfire for a couple of hours after the girls had gone to sleep.

I am so grateful for the fun time that we had...and we all want to go camping again! (At least Daniel, Zoe and I do...I can't really speak for Ariella on this one.)

Have you gone camping this summer? What did you enjoy the most about it?

Eight Months

Ariella was eight months old while we were in MA visiting my parents last month! What a lovely little girl she is!

This was taken 2 days after her 8 month birthday...her first time eating corn on the cob! Yum!

Zoe's 3rd Birthday

Just over a month ago Zoe celebrated her 3rd birthday. We were in Ohio with her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins (on Daniel's side) for the week!

We took family photos on the birthday morning in Daniel's parents beautiful back yard.

Cousins!

Happy birthday Zoe and Seth! Seth was exactly twice Zoe's age on their birthday.

Zoe got into my make-up during her "nap." What a mess!

Beautiful birthday princess Zoe opening presents.

I am so grateful to be mommy to my precious daughter Zoe! Happy happy birthday, my Love! :)

Seven Months

I just realized that Ariella is 7 months old today so I snapped some photos.

 She is crawling everywhere now, climbing into and under things, and pulling up!

What a cute girl! Ariella crawls to wherever I am and climbs on me. (When she does the same to her sister, she gets yelled at "No! Ariella no! Don't get me!" That doesn't seem to stop her...)

A few days ago Ariella got her first tooth. Today her second one broke through. She nurses a lot and eats bananas, rice cereal, cheerios that Zoe dropped on the floor, and grass and small wood chips.

I am so grateful to be mommy to this sweet, fun, little girl! What a blessing she is to me! Right now she is growling at the sliding glass doors, hoping to go outside. Time for me to play with her. :)

He Restores my Soul

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

During the last couple of months I have been praying Psalm 23 when I wake up in the morning, before I fall asleep at night, and other times when I think of it. The line "He restores (or refreshes) my soul" has really stuck out to me. As I was exhausted and not sure why life felt so difficult I cried out to God "please restore my soul!"

I have been back in the US for just over 2 weeks now. I am so grateful to be here. I feel like I am slowly unwinding.There are things that I am excited about doing...dreams...possibilities. My heart is more peaceful. I am better able to see God around me. And my husband is so much happier than he has been in a long time.

God is answering my prayer. He is refreshing and restoring me.

Thank you for praying for me (us) too! I am really excited because next month I will get to see my family (and introduce cute Ariella to everyone).

We just finished dinner and the sun is shining on me, Ariella is giggling and growling, Zoe is happily chatting with Daniel who is setting up the bike trailer to take her for a spin around the neighborhood. Breathe. Enjoy this time. Be refreshed, my soul.

How about you? What is the prayer of your heart during this season in your life?

Six Months

This beautiful girl is 6 months old today! And she is already crawling. Now she can get the toys, bits of hair, and other fun things that she wants. In 2.5 days we will begin our journey to the US. I hope she enjoys travelling (her big sister does!).

When I don't know what to say

I am in the midst of packing up my home in Nabire, Indonesia to go and move to Idaho for a year or so. If that sounds sudden to you it's because it is a big and abrupt change. My husband Daniel and I have been so focused on getting to Indonesia, learning the language, aviation training, and finally settling into a home here with the intention of being here for many years. We're still hoping to live here for a long time...but now we're taking an interlude, going back to the US for counseling. (We are feeling burned out and Daniel is struggling with depression. He has written more about our reasons for going back to the US on his blog. ) Daniel will work at MAF headquarters in Nampa, ID.

People have been asking me how I'm doing. I don't know. Sometimes I feel exhausted, angry, and/or sad. Sometimes I'm encouraged that we get this great opportunity for healing. I am very happy when I think about getting to introduce Ariella to her grandparents and aunts and uncles. I feel worried about the finances involved in this move and about things like buying a car and setting up an apartment. I am also afraid: what if we don't come back?

Last night I read the final chapter in the book The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith (I highly recommend it). In this chapter Smith wrote about the importance of slowing down and being really present in each moment. Today I am thinking about Mary*, who sat at Jesus' feet and listened to him while her sister Martha was hurriedly trying to get a meal ready. I want to be like Mary, listening to Jesus even while there are many things to do and to think about. I want to have a quiet heart, even when my life feels like it's constantly changing. I can trust God to be with me, loving me, guiding me through these changes. 

So, when I don't know what to say I will try to listen to Jesus.

*I am referring to Mary and Martha who are Lazarus' sisters. You can find this story about them in the Bible in Luke 10:38-42.

Five Months Old

My lovely Ariella is 5 months old now! This morning I looked at the date and realized that yesterday was her 5 month birthday. We've been a little sick here, so I guess that's my excuse for losing track of the date.

Ariella loves to roll and roll. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks/wiggles/jumps until she falls over. I think she will learn to crawl very soon! She loves to be outside, to watch and touch her big sister, and to grab everything: faces, hair, toys, bowls of Mommy's food, a stray cat, etc.

I especially enjoy her laugh, the way she coos, her lovely smile, and the way she snuggles with me when I hold her. What a precious girl!

Beach Day at Pulau Ahe

Today our family, along with 24 friends, went to a little island near Nabire called Ahe. It took us 20 minutes in the car and then 40 minutes on a boat to get there. It was so beautiful! Daniel tried out the fishing spear that I got him for Christmas and speared and cooked 3 (small) fish. I spent most of my time keeping Zoe from drowning and nursing Ariella...but I also got to go snorkeling and saw a lion fish and the wing of an airplane from World War II. Zoe loves swimming and said she would float home in her little floatie (why is she so completely unafraid of the water?). Ariella went "swimming" for her first time.

Here are some photos so that you can enjoy the beauty of the beach with us:

On My Birthday

Yesterday was my 33rd birthday.

I woke up and chose to be happy. We have been struggling with discouragement and feelings of burn out, so I decided that happiness on my birthday would be my choice. Daniel left for his first flight, and I cared for and enjoyed my little girls. I decided to take a day off from laundry, except for diapers. When I went out to hang the diapers I found a present on my porch--cookies and a balloon! Zoe and I enjoyed the cookies for breakfast and she danced and danced around the house with the balloon.

I skyped for an hour with my parents and one of my sisters. I even got to say goodnight to my little niece! It was nice to "see" family on my birthday. While we talked, Ariella took a nap and Zoe played happily all by herself.

At 10am we went to my friend/neighbor/coworker Anja's house. She and I have the same birthday! She made a really yummy cake with berries in it to celebrate! After we ate cake we learned that there had been an airplane accident earlier this morning and the pilot Bob Roberts, with the Adventist mission, died. This was surprising and shocking to me. I know Bob and Jan just a little bit...I buy whole wheat flour and brown rice from Jan and enjoy her beautiful piano playing at the concerts that she organizes. I have heard stories about Bob and the dental work that he did when he had extra time. They have served and blessed people here in Papua for a LONG time! And now, suddenly, Jan is a widow. Their airplane--a Quest Kodiak, the same kind that Daniel flies--is broken into pieces and partly burned.

I wondered...should I still choose to be happy today when there is such a good reason to be sad? I could not come up with an answer to that question. A birthday is when we celebrate the gift of life, the presence of a person. Life is a wonderful gift, even though it can be so suddenly snuffed out.

I felt very serious yesterday (still do). In the afternoon I baked cupcakes and made ice cream. We went for a family walk on the runway before eating a dinner of leftover pumpkin soup, cucumber slices (Zoe had ketchup on hers!) and cupcakes. And that was my birthday. I enjoyed the cuteness of my little people, hugged Daniel nice and tight, ate more sugar than I should have, and was grateful that God chose to create me and helped my mother give birth to me (via. emergency c-section) 33 years ago.

You can read more about Bob and Jan Roberts here. Please pray for Jan, their 3 adult children, and their many friends. Much love to you all!

Four Months

Ariella is 4 months old today! I am so grateful for my lovely, healthy baby! She smiles, coos, and laughs when she is held and talked to. I love watching Ariella admire her big sister Zoe. This morning Daniel took the two of them outside. He decided that Ariella would enjoy playing in the grass.

Happy 4 month birthday, Little Love!

Movement

A few nights ago I dreamed that Ariella was already walking and running. Maybe I dreamed this because she is rolling over a lot and squirming backwards on her tummy. 

this is not how I put Ariella down to play

When I was trying to make dinner I noticed that she was stuck under a chair. This little almost-4-month-old is very alert and moving around a lot! I guess I really need to keep an eye on her. How is it that babies change and grow so quickly?!