Would you like to read more than stories of our kids? Visit the other blog.

Friday, January 27, 2006

I love thinking about words

Pastor Rufner posted this quote over at Lutherans and Contraception and since I'm such a language junkie I thought I'd pass it on to our readers.

"Consider the views of life and the world reflected in the following different expressions to describe the process of generating new life. Ancient Israel, impressed with the phenomenon of stransmission of life from father to son, used a word we translate as "begetting" or "siring." The Greeks, impressed with the springing forth of new life in the cyclical processes of generation and decay, called it genesis, from a root meaning "to come into being." ... The premodern Christian English-speaking world, impressed with the world as given by a Creator, used the term "pro-creation." We, impressed with the machine and the gross national product (our own work of creation), employ a metaphor of the factory, "re-production."


Leon R. Kass, M.D., Toward a More Natural Science (New York: The Free Press, 1985), p. 48.


MMmmmm MMMMmmmm, that's good stuff.

Arranged Marriage

Since I have been posting my random thoughts on parenthood lately, I thought I might as well give marriage a try. I mean, I'm married just as much as I am a mom.

I was parking the car yesterday and Olivia was asleep in her car seat. As usual, I was lost in some train of thought that has no begining or end. This one happened to be revolving around a conversation I had with my Mother-in-Law about Rob.

We were driving to get coffee and orange juice before our church's voters' meeting and yaking about life. I mentioned to her that I was learning how introverted Rob is by nature.

Flash forward to parking the car yesterday.

It dawned on me that I should have been aware that Rob was introverted far before we ever married. I am not really all that introverted, and rather more clingy so it should have been apparent. But it wasn't. Rob was, and is, a lot more talkative while he's getting to know someone than he is once he becomes comfortable with people. All that time he was being outgoing with me was so that he could get to know me. Now that we're totally comfortable he's content to sit in a room together and say nothing for hours.

There is no way that I could have known this unless we had lived together before we got married, or if we had dated for ages and ages. It takes a long time for people to let their guard down all the way.

So, what's the point, Devona? Are you saying we should all live together, or date forever before gettting married? Actually, no.

I think that the opposite is true. Rob and I were no more prepared for marriage than two strangers set up by their parents. That wasn't a downfall though, since I don't think you can ever truly know someone until you've been married to them. Besides, even if you spent 10 years trying to get to know someone in order to find all the reasons why they are perfect for you, you'll be looking forever.

Everyone settles when they get married. The reason is that everyone is marrying someone imperfect. If the qualifications for the perfect marriage were perfect spouses there would be no point in even trying.

The one thing that will make a marriage perfect (by which I mean that it will last until death) is an understanding of commitment. When one understands the severity of promise that wedding vows are, he or she is less likely to break them. That's what truly prepaers someone for marriage.

A wedding takes about 30 minutes, whether it takes place between strangers or lovers (who will soon discover that they are more or less strangers). You have the rest of your life to get to know each other.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Accountability

When ever Liv and I sit down to eat she reaches her hand out to me. It always takes me a second to realize that she wants to say grace.

I always forget to say grace for any meal except dinner. Liv wants to say it for snacks, drinks, lunch, breakfast, a crumb found on the floor... You get the idea.

She is definitely more faithful than I am in regards to thanksgiving, and remembering that it is God who gives us our daily bread, not Acme and the fridge.

Monday, January 16, 2006

New relationship

It's amazing how I have already developed a different kind of relationship with the newest Brazier.

Olivia's pregnancy was all encompassing. I worried and wondered over every twinge of pain and every unusual craving. I could not think of anything else.

This time around I really only think about the new Baby when I'm not busy with other things. In fact often, when I do think of this Baby I am more or less remembering what it was like at this point with Olivia. Sometimes I even feel like I'm pregnant with Olivia all over again.

I know that things will be much different through the stages of pregnancy. Like now it's a sort of disbelief. But as my body grows with the Baby inside it, I will begin to connect with the new Baby more. And then as the Baby begins to move and I can see it through my skin, I will start to feel more like the Baby is thriving on my nurturing and has started to communicate back. And then, finally when I've swollen to the point that I just can't take it anymore I'll be dying to meet the new Baby. By then, the new Baby will be so cramped up and will have been hearing us have fun out here for so long that he/she will be dying to come out and meet us face to face.

That will probably be a lot more similar to meeting Olivia than these early stages of pregnancy are alike. Olivia will always be the oldest, but she is no longer the only.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Olivia is one strange person

As I get to know this small little person God entrusted me with, I am often flabbergasted at how strange she is.

For example, today at lunch I gave her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Rob and I ate some blue corn chips and some salsa. Olivia wanted some of the salsa, and pointed and fussed, and pointed and fussed until Rob finally gave her some in her little suction-cup-bowl and handed her some blue corn chips.

The ingredients in the salsa are as follows:
Mild and Hot New Mexican Green Chilies
Onions
Tomatillos
Jalepeno Peppers
Salt
Lime Juice
Water
Distilled Vinegar
Cilantro
and Garlic

As you can see this was some hot stuff. Liv was eating it with her hands. She didn't even make the "yucky" face. Her eyes were watering, she was chugging her milk, but she would not stop eating her salsa. I don't even know if she liked it. I guess she just wanted to be big.

Oh yeah, and she never even took one bite out of her PB&J.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Taking ownership

When something has gone neglected for a while, like our blog for instance, it's really hard for me to take ownership of it again. I'm definitely a fair weathered friend.

I don't feel like this blog is ours anymore. It used to be so fun and exciting. I guess it was just new. Now it's like an old sweater. You can remember all the reasons why it was your favorite, but you don't really want to wear it today. Maybe tomorrow...

I think that I need to take ownership of this blog again. Rob has fallen off the face of the earth, so I can't expect him to fill these cyber-pages. I'm just going to have to do it myself, I guess.

So, my belated new years resolution (or something like that) is to be more nurturing to the old blog. I am going to start writing more about the things that I am finding interesting now that I'm a mom and starting to think more mom-like. (Maybe that's it, maybe I find my momself a little boring?) Well, it's time to embrace the boring Mom Life and write about it like it matters. Maybe I won't get into all the details (barf, cloth diapers, restless nights, obsessing over the food groups) but I'm going to write about it.

Hopefully you all will enjoy reading about it.

I have very little motivation

I wake up and I feel like crap. Rob gets home and I feel like crap. I'm JUST SO TIRED!

By this point with Olivia I was sick sick sick, and I'm not this time. I'm just tired and worn out. I also feel emotionally unstable. Not like that's anything new, but it's a little more extreme.

I should count my blessings. I'm not sick. And I shouldn't complain about something I asked for. (Is it too crazy to admit that I wanted another baby already?)

Instead of feeling like crap today I'm going to get up off my tushie, and go get dressed. I'm going to go grocery shopping and buy some tasty food that will make me happy. It's really sunny out, too, so Liv and I are going to go for a walk.

And for the record, I've still been reading everyone's' blogs. I'm just too brain dead to comment.

This is me pleading for mercy, our blog is likely to have nothing of consequence on it until about 6 weeks from now when I really start to feel good. Now you can't complain, I gave you advance warning.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

I stole this from Ellie

The Difference between Hymns and Choruses
Here's a little ditty I got in an e-mail this morning. I thought you would find it humorous.

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. Well, said the farmer, It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns. Praise choruses? said his wife. What are those? Oh, they re okay. They're sort of like hymns only different, said the farmer. Well, what s the difference? asked his wife. The farmer said, Well it's like this: If I were to say to you, Martha, the cows are in the corn, well that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Martha, Martha, Martha Oh, Martha, Martha,
MARTHA the cows, the big cows, the brown cows,
the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows,

The COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn,
are in the corn, are in the corn, in the corn,
Corn, CORN, CORN, COOOORRRRRRNNNNNN;

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing three or four times, well that would be a praise chorus.

Amazingly enough, on the exact same Sunday a young, new Christian from the city church attended the farmer s small town church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. Well, said the young man, It was good. They did something different, though. They sang hymns instead of praise choruses. Hymns? said his wife. What are those? Oh, they re okay. They re sort of like praise choruses, only different, said the young man. Well, what s the difference? asked his wife. The young man said, Well, it s like this - If I were to say to you, Martha, the cows are in the corn, well, that would be a praise chorus. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth.
Turn thou thy whole wonderous ear by and by
To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain?
There in their heads is no shadow of sense,
Hearkenest they in God s sun or his rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight,
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed.
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

So look to that bright shining day by and by,
Where all foul corruption's of earth are reborn.
Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry
and I no longer see those fould cows in the corn.

That would be a hymn.

HT Manila Drive.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Here is the house we bought

We finally went under contract for a home. It took us 8 months to settle on one, but we will be closing in early February.

My Grand-Parents requested that I posted picutres, so Nina and Papa, these are for you.







These are the listing photos, so we won't get to have all this nice furniture and art. Instead we'll have our own crappy furniture and art, but maybe in time we can get it looking this nice, too.

Friday, January 06, 2006

A Quiz

Why have we been absent from blogging? Choose from the options below:

  1. Rob has been working a lot of hours.
  2. Devona has been trying to be a better house-keeper.
  3. Olivia is a toddler.
  4. We've been out of town.
  5. We're buying a house.
  6. We're having another baby.

Leave your answers in the comments. The winner gets to buy us a minivan.