Love and Blunder

Long overdue update on the girls.

2007-02-12T23:05:00.000-05:00

The girls are beginning to play together if I remember to give them the opportunity. Here they are washing the dishes together.

And here, Olivia is reading Calvin and Hobbes to Elise.

Olivia is a yaking, laughing, climbing, counting wonder-girl. She is so sweet and LOVES to play with her dog. I am so glad that I put up with his puppy antics to get to his more dog-like older self.

Elise can sit up, roll from back to front, scoot around in a circle, put a toy in her mouth, and melt your heart with her introverted, shy smile. She is soooooo different that Olivia, and I can't wait to get to know her more.

The difference between the way our girls view one another

2006-12-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

is really striking. Olivia is a drive-by-fan of Elise. Olivia takes great pride in making Elise's happy noise (an unvoiced, glottal fricative) and watching Elise light up. But Olivia is also very much into her own fantasies right now, and so a lot of her relationship with Elise is in watching how I take care of her and then mimicking that with her own babies. So, Elise is a round character in Olivia's play, but it is still Olivia's play in Olivia's mind.

It is also Olivia's play in Elise's mind. If Olivia is in Elise's line of sight nothing else can divert her attention. If Olivia can be heard in the room Elise is busy trying to find her. And Elise also has set herself upon the task of sitting up already (at three months old!) and you can almost see that it is all in determination to get closer to her hero, Olivia.

I wonder about the difference between the growing experiences of children from different positions in the birth order. Do you suppose it is going to be a disadvantage to Rob's and my parenting since we are both the oldest? I wonder if we will find ourselves sympathizing with Olivia's position more readily, or if we will be harder on her because we know where she's coming from.

Only time will tell, but I do know this: though Olivia has been the princess and center of my world for the past two years. Elise came along and has managed to become the center of my world, too. Somehow she managed to become a princess in my kingdom without dethroning Olivia. There is enough amazing wonder in my eyes as "Mom" for the both of them.

Christmas dolls

2006-12-19T22:32:00.000-05:00

Isn't she soooooo cute?! She is coming more and more alive every day. She loves to make a little gurgle noise in the back of her throat. We call it her happy noise. When we all make it together, even Liv, it makes Elise giggle.

Olivia is a shoe girl. Here she is with my huge boots on. There was a lot of stumbling involved in this game.

Knock Knock

2006-12-06T23:29:00.000-05:00

x-posted at the new blog.

I don't know why, but every child must learn to tell a knock knock joke. I think that it must be a prerequisite for reading. This is Olivia's:

Mom: Say, "knock knock."

Liv: Knock knock.

Other family member: Who's there?

Liv: Radio not...

Mom: Wait! Say, "Radio."

Liv: Radio.

Other family member: Radio who?

Liv: (30 seconds of silence)

Mom: (elevated eyebrows of encouragement)

Liv: Radio not! Here I come!

Everyone: (exaggerated giggling)

2006-11-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

Here is Elise and Rob enjoying a tasty meal of Melissa and Doug wooden steak and cheese under Olivia's birthday balloons.

And here is Oliva wearing her stuffed bear, Obed, in a child sized baby sling. Yes she named the bear "Obed" herself after Ruth's son with Boaz. And if you ask her, she will tell you, "Obed is born," and, "Obed is baptised." Obed also eats his "mom-food" from Olivia's armpit.

This is Olivia's first experience climbing a tree.

And this is our huge 60 pound Sherman.

Just a reminder...

2006-11-10T21:22:00.000-05:00

to go to our new site at: loveandblunder.com/
Rob has put a lot into it, and it won't feel like home to us without you there reading it.

Our blogger account will be a place for those of you who are only interested in the number of inches our offspring have gained in the last 3 months to come and get your photo-fix. Hopefully it will be easier to keep things organized this way.

Thanks for reading. :)

Our girls are by far the best girls I know.

2006-10-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

Something new

2006-10-12T23:40:00.000-04:00

I know: It's been too long since I've posted. I've been working on this. And now that it's done, you'll hear from me a lot more often.

Looking forward to writing more!

A conversation with Olivia

2006-10-03T21:32:00.000-04:00

Olivia: Talk to me.

Me: About what?

Olivia: Talk to me!

Me: OK! This Sunday Baby Elise is going to be baptised.

Olivia: You are baptised, Baby Elise.

Me: Not yet. She will be on Sunday. And then Elise will be one of the people of God.

Olivia: (laugh) Nooooooo....

Me: Yes. She will be one of the people of God, just like you and me and Daddy.

Olivia: Elise is the people of God.

Me: Yup. And some day Jesus will come and make a new Heaven and Earth and the people of God will live there forever.

Olivia: I will see Him.

Me: Yes, we will see Jesus forever.

Olivia: And Pastor Ozak.

Me: Yes, Pastor Koazk is one of the people of God, too.

Olivia: I will go see him.

Me: Yes we will see him on Sunday when Elise is baptised.

Olivia: You are baptised, Baby Elise.

Me: On Sunday.

Please Welcome...

2006-09-23T12:51:00.000-04:00

Elise Anne!!!!!!!!

She arrived at 5:36am on Thursday, September 21st. So now we have to go figure out who won the poll.

She was 7lb and 14oz, 21 inches long. She came by way of natural, water-birth, and it was surprisingly peaceful. Not painless, but peaceful.

Olivia thinks the world of her, and does the rest of her family.

Rob tried to update everyone on Thursday, but Blogger was down, so blame them. ;)

We're home from the hospital and ready for a rest. Perhaps when Elise is not trying to get me to go feed her I will post a longer post about the day that Rob called, "The day of blood and screaming." It was a very eventful day that involved not only Olivia's first day as a new big sister, but also her first stitches. But that's all I'm telling you for now, Love and Blunder has become the blog of anticipation...

The Hands of God

2006-09-15T13:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday and today have been really tough days for me. It's really hard to be over due, and chase around a toddler and a dog. And do laundry. And vacuum. And wash the dishes...

You get where I'm going with this, right? I'm pretty tired of being pregnant.

Yesterday I was at my most despairing. I cried a whole lot while Rob got ready for work because I didn't want him to go. He had to go though, it is his vocation to work diligently and take care of our family, just as much as it is my vocation to gestate this baby as long as it needs to cook.

That's one of the reasons that I was so depressed. I wasn't taking any delight in my God-given vocation, and I was selfishly wanting Rob to forsake his as well. I knew that I was sinning in my selfishness, and I didn't even want to be repentant.

Talk about Oh, Me-of-little-faith.

But, the God of Mercy meets my needs even when I am being wretched and unfaithful to Him. The Lord sent me exactly the help I needed yesterday. He extended His hand to me through my non-believing neighbors as they fulfilled their neighborly vocation.

The people who are watching our dog when we have the baby called and asked if I would let them borrow Sherman so that he would wrestle with their dog and wear her out. And when she stopped by to pick him up I decided to drive down to her house and pay a visit with her.

My loneliness was satisfied, and my dog was pooped out for the whole evening and I got to take a break from my hectic schedule and flop around on the couch. Praise be to God that He is faithful, and truly does deliver exactly what we need.

Some women are crock-pots

2006-09-13T13:17:00.000-04:00

I went to the midwife yesterday. Everything is the same as it was the last time I was there.

I just take a long time to cook babies, I guess.

The contractions that I had been having have stopped. I discovered that it was because I was still drinking some coffee. I guess it was effecting me more than I thought it was.

So, the waiting continues...

In case you are wondering about the new baby

2006-09-04T19:46:00.000-04:00

my due date is sometime this week. I haven't had a lot of invasive care so we don't know if I'm making progress or not. I'm assuming that this baby will come whether or not I am making weekly checks as to if he or she is closer or not. I feel like the baby will be here very soon.

I've been having some random contractions and they are working their magic. I feel grumpy, grouchy and uncomfortable, so that means things must be going the way they're supposed to, right?

The plan is for me to have a water birth at a very low-intervention hospital with one of two midwives. Rob will be there, Olivia will be with her grandparents. Sherman will be hanging out with the neighbors down the street who are the owners of Sherman's very cute chocolate lab girlfriend, Puddy.

So, just like when we were waiting for our sweet Olivia, you can all make your guesses as to the vital info of this next baby.

In the comments leave your guess about the length, weight, sex, and birth day.

To give you some help on the weight and height issue I've only gained 14 pounds, and the baby has been measuring 2 cm smaller than his/her dates from the get go. So have fun guessing! We'll let you know when he or she makes their impending arrival.

Sherman becomes lovable

2006-09-02T13:29:00.000-04:00

Series One. Dog and Toddler. Notice how Olivia has no fear. And how Sherman, if he doesn't feel like being loved on, has no tolerance.

Series Two. Dog and Dad. Notice here how Sherman is not only on the couch (the new couch that Rob loves and obsesses over ever spot and mark), but he is on the dad on the couch. Yes, this dog is making his way just fine.

The other family pet

2006-08-24T13:18:00.000-04:00

Sherman is being made a perpetual puppy today, and he's going to be gone over night. As much as he drives me crazy, I miss him.

Since I have time to just sit around and do nothing (No dog means I can actually do house work when Olivia is awake) while Olivia naps I thought I'd write a little purpose-less blog about the squirrel that visits me every day.

I sit at the computer for an hour every day, from 1 to 2 to recharge while Sherman and Olivia nap. It keeps me sane. For the past 3 weeks, every day during this hour I hear what sounds like a rock bouncing off of little wooden planks, and then some scratching. Then I look out the office window onto the deck and there is the same little squirrel, climbing across the deck, going to the same neighbor's yard.

He's really cute. I wonder if I should leave a little treat out there for him since I know he's coming?

(Hahahahaha! He just chased another squirrel away from our yard. As I was typing this.)

Anyway, I just thought I'd share. Perhaps, since I can pretty much expect him now, I will keep our camera handy and see if he'll pose for a picture.

Dear dear, isn't this the truth?

2006-08-19T12:29:00.000-04:00

Hat tip:
TulipGirl via GCM

Old Comments

2006-08-14T13:49:00.000-04:00

You know how in the archives some of the comments just disappear? It makes me sad.

Well I was looking through October, and the comments are still there. That's pretty cool. And I found some that were so funny that I laughed out loud... again.

From this post:

I love it! You know, I told Ron that if he messed up my makeup, he'd pay for it later. I don't think it would have mattered much, though, even if he had. The frosting was a rolled fondant, which is really thick and smooth. It tasted like a marshmallow taffy. It probably would have just peeled off my face.

BTW, you BOTH look good with cake faces!
Erica Olson | Homepage | 10.04.04 - 5:30 pm | #
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Thanks!
I was going to do the nice little, "here's some cake on you nose," to Rob. But he took a whole hand full of cake, which would never have fit into my mouth, So I took a bigger hand full, and went straight for the face. I won. He got some in my nose, but his was all in his hair and everything. HA!

Rob's dad told Rob's sister that she'd get it if she did the same thing at her wedding.

Amazing fact: I got zero cake on my dress.
Devona | Homepage | 10.04.04 - 6:02 pm | #
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That was fortunate! That was something else I was afraid would happen if Ron nailed me with the cake. My grandma worked so hard to make my dress, and I didn't want anything to ruin it.

You look like you were enjoying smashing it in each other's faces, though! And I love the final picture with you and a face full of cake. Just makes me smile!
Ron Olson, the Terrible Swede | Homepage | 10.05.04 - 8:53 am | #
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Oooops! That wasn't Ron! It was meeeee!
Erica Olson | Homepage | 10.05.04 - 8:54 am | #
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Devona, you must have a great personality. I must admit I would have been furious if my husband did this to me...and I know he wanted to. Of course, it sounds like you were the instigator!!! I think you will make fine parents because you've got good senses of humor. In the days to come, you will often be faced with the choice to cry or just to laugh it off! Laughing works better, trust me. Theresa
TKls2myhrt | Homepage | 10.05.04 - 10:52 pm | #
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I heard there was a statistic somewhere that linked the length of marriage and probability of divorce to the couple smashing the cake opposed to feeding nicely.

Julie was mad, because with that figure in mind I told her she was not allowed, and if she did smash I would, and I quote, make her pay (i.e. cake EVERYWHERE). Maybe my control issues will have more bearing than cake smashing... HA! Actually, that's kind of disturbing, now that I think about it.
Eric R | 10.06.04 - 1:40 pm | #
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So Eric, are you saying that according to that statistic we're getting a divorce? Cause I think we might throw that statistic off if that's what is expected.

Rob and I looked at all of your Kate pictures on your site last night. Seeing the "first sponge bath" video makes me really excited to meet our baby, whenever they feel like making their grand debut.
Devona | 10.06.04 - 2:41 pm | #
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I don't think there was much to it. It was just a random thing that happened to stick to my random brain...

From the looks of it, though, I'd be more worried that you got all of it cleaned up by now... I mean, you were rubbing it pretty deep, by the looks of it! Sure Rob doesn't still have icing on his eardrums or anything?

HA!
Eric R | Homepage | 10.06.04 - 4:27 pm | #
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Not that I'm aware of, but as he said, I got him so good it took him too long to get it off him. So long in fact that he never even got to taste the cake cause it was all gone before he cleaned up.
Devona | Homepage | 10.07.04 - 10:56 am | #
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i'm all about the cake smash personally, andy and I were pretty covered in cake at our wedding. I didn't aim for his mouth.

It makes for great pictures afterward
I never realized how many people aren't into that, I don't think i've been to any weddings where the cake wasn't smashed.

One thing that's funny though is if I smashed cake in andy's face say tonight at dinner, he would NOT be too happy, somehow in a formal setting, it's alright.
Ellie | Homepage | 10.11.04 - 9:24 am | #
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amazing fact: no cake got on my dress either, nor Andy's tux
Ellie | Homepage | 10.11.04 - 9:25 am | #
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I think it might be a good idea to smash cake in Andy's face at dinner. I laughed so hard when I thought of it.

Maybe if you make something really nice and invite some friends over it'll be more like a wedding type setting and you could get away with it.
Rob | Homepage | 10.11.04 - 7:31 pm | #
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HA HA HA HA!!!!
Eric R | 10.12.04 - 10:42 am |

How to not take yourself seriously

2006-08-05T21:35:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday I had a meeting at the Church to discuss this coming year's Sunday School curriculum and some other Board of Ed. things. I was hoping to come prepared which doesn't happen often anymore now that I've got placenta-brain and a puppy. Not to mention a much more will-full Olivia.

The dog needed to be walked before we left and we had about an hour until we needed to leave so I got out the stroller and my comfy running shoes and set out for the dog park near our house. Sherman has been doing very well with listening to me when there aren't a lot of distractions and Olivia really loves to run, so when we got to the dog park I let them both free for the first time by myself. There were no other dogs there and Liv can't get too far away in an open field so I figured, what could happen that I couldn't stop quickly?

Olivia was running and Sherman was doing circles around her while I pushed the stroller through the grass. But soon Olivia was lagging behind and Sherman was doing circles around me instead. I turned around to check on Liv, and no sooner had I turned back around did I notice that Sherman had found the deepest, stinkiest mud puddle I have ever seen. He was buried up to his ears two feet deep in black gritty mud.

apparently, mud is Sherman's master much more than I am, because any command I called to him flew into the breeze before they reached his ears.

Then Liv took off in the other direction.

I rounded Liv up first and got her to help push the stroller (works every time) while I pulled Sherman by his collar out of the mud. I then wrestled him to the ground to put his leash back on him. Then, while I regained control of my formerly yellow dog, my toddler took off running again, only this time the dog followed and he was connected to my wrist on a 4 foot leash.

I'm sure we were quite a sight to the houses across the street. A 2 foot tall little girl, a mud-covered frantic beast, and a top heavy, also mud-covered, also frantic mother running at full speed through a field. And we were probably not much less ridiculous looking when I finally caught Olivia and had to carry her while leading the mud-covered frantic beast back to the stroller.

At that moment I came close to tears. But instead I was struck by the absolute insanity of it all and I lost myself in this sense of, "you get what you deserve."

As I walked back home, sweaty and black, with dog and baby, running late for my meeting I held my head high. If my neighbors were going to see me in this state, I may as well look proud of myself.

The story would be good enough if it ended there. But as it is with all good kicks in the pants it just keeps getting worse. I leaned over my dog to wash away his slimy stench, breaking my back with the weight of my pregnant belly. It took a good 15 minutes to clean all the grime out of his coat while he sat there embarrassed and regretting that he'd ever been born. I left him outside in the sun to dry off while I quickly bathed myself and Olivia so that we could be presentable at our meeting.

When I came back outside I found Sherman laying contentedly in a hole he had just dug at the base of my day-lilies.

Since there was no time to re-clean the dog I put him in his kennel and went to my meeting.

I'm not sure how, but when I came home and let The Nuisance out of his kennel he was clean again. I think the god of you've-suffered-enough-for-one-day came to show me favor.

Lots of Kids

2006-08-01T13:02:00.000-04:00

This is from an article that Rob's Mom sent me.

I am often asked by women dating men how to tell whether they are marriage material. I tell them, "See if he enjoys children." A man who loves children is playful. He will spend his life joking with his wife because he loves to see her laugh, and will flirt with her because he loves to see her smile.

There was a time when husbands and wives worked hard to ensure they could afford the blessings of a large family. Today, the higher your earning bracket the fewer children you have, but then we always knew that many turn money from a blessing into a curse.

From Babies are No Longer a Blessing

By Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

What "diversity" should mean, but alas, does not

2006-07-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

C.S. Lewis on healthy patriotism:

Of course patriotism of this kind is not in the least aggressive. It only asks to be let alone. It becomes militant only to protect what it loves. In any mind which has a pennyworth of imagination it produces a good attitude towards foreigners. How can I love my home without coming to realise that other men, no less rightly, love theirs? Once you have realised that the Frenchmen like cafe complet just as we like bacon and eggs-- why, good luck to them and let them have it. The last thing we want is to make everywhere else just like our own home. It would not be home unless it were different.

Liturgy and Catechesis

2006-07-27T13:09:00.000-04:00

I am sold on the Liturgy because I know how it is effecting our family (isn't that so pragmatic of me?). I know my God more fully, and when I am in distress of some kind I often find myself repeating, "Now may the Peace that passes all understanding be with our hearts and minds unto Life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen!" Or when I'm sitting in traffic I sing "This is the Feast" or some other part of the Divine Service in my head. It is comforting to me that the Word is becoming a part of my comfort in daily life. And it is so because I hear it over and over again.

But an even more powerful testament to the usefulness (there's that pragmatism again) of the Liturgy is how it is aiding in our Catechesis of Olivia. It's not only me that sings hymns and praise for comfort. When Olivia wakes up in the morning we are often roused from our sleep to these joyful words streaming through the baby monitor:

"The Feast!
Alleluiah!
Worthy Christ...Lamb!
Slaim (that's how she says it. teehee.)
Blood free.
People of God!"

While that is simply adorable-- and good for showing off-- it's not what makes my heart sputter. And it's not what confesses the faith that has been given to my little one. She can also sing most of the words to "Moon River" so this could just be a song to her.

Olivia has been telling us for about a month now that "Jesus died cross. Rose again." We've explained this concept to her through the repetition of our creeds. She reminds us every time we drive or walk past a Church with a cross on the steeple.

And the other night Liv was postponing being put to bed by asking me to read her prayers from the "Lutheran Book" (Lutheran Book of Prayer) which has a selection of Psalms and other prayers. Then she wanted me to pray "Father God," which is how Rob opens his personal prayers. So she started out folding her hands and said, "Father God..." and then looked at me sheepishly because she didn't know what else to say.

So I said, "Let's try this one. Our Father."

Olivia: Are Heaven.

Me: Very good! Who art in Heaven.

Olivia: Hello your name.

Me: Hallowed be your name.

Olivia: Kingdom come.

Me: Thy Kingdom come.

Olivia: Will done.

Me: Thy will be done.

Olivia: (mumble mumble) Heaven.

Me: Very Good! On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Olivia: (mumble mumble) Daily Bread.

You get the picture.

The sad thing is, we don't pray this prayer together as a family very often. We usually pray a petition of prayers for the needs of our family and then thank God for His Son and His Sacrifice. But because Olivia hears this prayer weekly in our Service she has it memorized pretty well for someone who's not yet 2.

And the memorization of these concepts is working a real Faith in her which we can see through her spontaneous talk about God.

As I was rocking her to bed with the lights out that evening Olivia broke the silence to tell me, "EE-Ah (that's how she says her name) loves Christ." Tears welled up in my eyes and I said, "Christ loves Olivia, too." And she responded with a sleepy, dreamy, "Yeah."

Ipodder

2006-07-20T13:51:00.000-04:00

"Pah-col-gah-col is yummy, Daddy."

2006-07-17T21:44:00.000-04:00

Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Dinner from the back yard

2006-07-13T18:10:00.000-04:00

This is the first dinner side dish from the garden. You'll notice that I had a helper when I picked them from the vine. There are tell-tale bite marks from Olivia's quality control. This is one of the reasons that I decided to garden organically.

See. Kids will eat their vegetables if they get to watch them grow. She can't even wait until I get them cooked! In fact Olivia was the one who put the squash seeds in the ground, which is why I have SO MANY squash plants. :)

MMMMMMM Nap Time

2006-07-10T14:34:00.000-04:00

MMMMMMMM Ice cream

2006-07-10T14:31:00.000-04:00

"Are you OK?" Yes, thank you. I am.

2006-07-09T16:26:00.000-04:00

On Saturday mornings the family takes a long walk to Caribou Coffee to get coffee and orange juice. We always bring Sherman along to wear him out so that we can have some family time without the Psycho Dog running around like a maniac.

A week ago we went on our walk and were sitting at a cafe table outside. I took Liv inside to get some napkins and across the dining area I was spotted by my favorite professor from back when I was in school. He was one of those professors that really knew how to encourage you into working hard, tackling difficult material, and pushing yourself farther than you thought you could go. He only gave you an A if you deserved it. I loved his classes. Long-time L&B readers might remember me talking about him before when I was taking his Medieval Lit class.

When he saw me at Caribou I was excited to say hello. It has been over a year since I've taken a class and I miss it sometimes. He called me over to talk, and I took Liv with me intending to have a nice conversation about how things are going and blah blah blah.

Before I could say anything more than, "Hello!" He looked at me with worried eyes. He said in a lowered tone, "Are you OK?"

His posture and his eyes told me that he meant, "Are you crazy? Why are you having more kids, now you'll never finish your degree."

I realize that he didn't intend to be so transparent and he meant to say "how are you," but it was probably shocking for him to see an A student with 20 credits to go until her degree "giving up" and having kids. I mean, why didn't I just put my daughter in daycare and go full time until I was done? How can I get a job if I don't have my Bachelor's?

This is compounded by the fact that I was studying in the English Program. The program defined by Chopin and Ibsen. The program populated with liberals ready to organize the next march on Washington Avenue. Why would a liberated, literate woman of the twenty-first century like me want to roll over and let my husband win the bread? And I certainly don't have to be tied down by children when there are formula and Head Start to feed and watch them.

When I face this criticism now a week after being offended I can say, "What does this guy know? He has no kids, he has no wife, he's not a Christian. He doesn't know who I am or my values. All he knows is that I really liked Chaucer." But in that moment, I stuttered. I was caught off guard and a little intimidated. In that moment I knew that he meant all of those things, but I wasn't confident enough to say, "I'm great. There will be tons of Bachelors of Arts graduating from the University of Akron this year, but there will only be one mom to my kids, and only a few years when they're young enough to need me more than at any other time."

Instead of holding my head high, I made excuses. I made small talk. I joked about how hard it is to raise kids. I apologized and talked about when I would likely be able to come back and finish up. I am embarrassed of myself.

The truth is I loved college. If I didn't have the values I have I would probably be single and a graduate, moving to somewhere USA to begin my Master's at University of No-Where-in-Particular. I miss school now, and sometimes I dream about private teacher conferences and staying after class talking with the other kids who gave a hoot about vowel shifts. And I don't mean day-dream, I mean I have dreams at night.

If I am so liberated, if I have the freedom to choose how I want to live my life, why do I feel pressured to apologize for the choices I've made? Especially when I made them after much consideration of my options. Especially when everyone who loved me encouraged me to continue in school if I wanted to, and I still wanted to be a Stay-at-home mom. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life, and I made it with my eyes wide open, totally aware of what I was walking away from.

I learned something that day, and in the week that followed. I learned that I need to feel confident in myself, no matter what the post-feminist world thinks of those of us who do the "menial" task of raising kids. And I also learned that I need to own my decisions if I want to convince anyone that what I'm doing makes a difference. Right now, Dr. Professor thinks that I am oppressed and under Rob's thumb. Not that if I had answered more confidently I would have changed his mind, but I might have. And if I didn't at least I wouldn't have second guessed myself.

Besides, confident educated moms make confident educated kids. And soon Olivia will be old enough to read my reactions as a reflection of her and I want her to know that she is infinitely more important than a $20,000 piece of paper. There might be a whole generation of kids raised by moms like me-- moms who chose to stay home because they truly believed it was the right thing to do in spite of the culture telling us otherwise. Those kids might grow up to make the same decisions we're making now. And it probably won't change to world, but it will change the quality of life that our own children grow up with. And I love my kids so much, that's all the reason I need to give up the world and its prestige for them.

I am 30 weeks pregnant now

2006-07-01T00:17:00.000-04:00

Man does time fly!

And this is me and the new baby after my great friend Eliza came to paint my belly with Henna.

Pax Domini

2006-06-29T14:55:00.000-04:00

This year our church did the VBS program by Pax Domini. According to our awesome Deaconess Intern Angie they will have a 7 year rotating program for churches to buy and each year's program will be built upon the previous years'.

We did the first year's program this year and it was titled "In the Name" and the theme was the Trinity and understanding who God is.

The curriculum is in black and white and has tons of classical art for visual teaching devices. It did not have a graphic to make T-shirts with, so we got permission to use one of their images and I doctored it up in Photoshop (That's it up there).

We made stained glass window panes for the craft (and if anyone from PD reads this and wants my input I'll be glad to give it, teehee) which turned out really awesome, and believe it or not the kids really really wanted to do it. In fact we had a girl who is not a member of our church come to VBS and she was late one day. She was really upset that she missed her opportunity to work on her craft so she took time out of her snack to come down and work on her project! She was really proud of her work and so was her mom.

They started the morning out each day with a chapel service, which Olivia really loved. They learned the hymn "God the Father, Be Our Stay" which Olivia loved to sing little key phrases from all week long. Those phrases were, "humble hearts," and my personal favorite, "Evil One!" In fact she spent most of the week asking me, "Sing Evil One, Gain?" So I memorized a new hymn as well.

There was a puppet show to help illustrate the lesson for each day, each lesson building off the day before and explaining a person of the Godhead. There was only one day of the puppet show that I didn't think was great, and that was not because it didn't teach the children well, because it did, but because the jokes weren't very funny. But it's hard to makes jokes about the Word becoming Flesh and dwelling among us, so I give them some slack.

The information was solid, the craft was fun, the kids enjoyed themselves, and everyone's faith was strengthened. I had 3 of the older kids tell me that they liked this better than the Concordia programs that we've done in the past because this one "wasn't cheesy" at all. It was fun, but it didn't treat the kids like they were too stupid to understand their faith.

Overall, I was really impressed. Especially as a parent who was leaving an under 2 year old for the first time in a structured school setting. I was surprised to find that she didn't care at all if I left her to sit with her class for a 15 minute long church service.

Olivia talked about Bible School all week and she still brings it up occasionally this week too. She had a blast, and I'm grateful that she spent those 5 days hearing the Grace-filled Word of God.

VBS

2006-06-23T13:09:00.000-04:00

We've been at Vacation Bible School this week. I have updates, but I've been WAAAAAAYYYYYYYY to busy to post them.

Since this was the last day I'll be on later to give a review of the curriculum, and my feedback on how Olivia handled her first organized school experience.

Summer time, and the living is easy.

2006-06-07T13:15:00.000-04:00

We still haven't bought Olivia a baby pool for the summer, so here we are "swimming" in a Rubbermade storage container. It was over 90 degrees, and Olivia is giving my swollen legs a rest and watering them with her watering can.

IMG_4237
Originally uploaded by Devona.

And here's some daddy/daughter fun with the hose, watering the flowers. It took Olivia a good 20 minutes to decide she was OK with the cold water. But once we got going, the fun didn't seem like it was going to stop.

Baby wearing

2006-06-06T10:07:00.000-04:00

Here's a picture of Olivia and I after a long walk in the Mei Tai carrier that I made. It is for Ellie's sister, but I needed to try it out before I felt safe selling it to her.

I love baby wearing, and this is one of three types of carriers I make, all of which I use all the time. I used them even more before Olivia knew how to walk. I call it "efficient parenting for the multi-tasker." How else can you cook dinner when you have a sick toddler?

And did I ever tell you the story of how I got a sick 5 month old, and a tantruming, jealous, exhausted Olivia to fall asleep at the same time by tying Liv to my back and carrying the baby around the house? It really happened.

Can you see my baby belly sticking out? It's there...

Olivia's world, through her eyes

2006-06-02T11:51:00.000-04:00

Today Olivia was playing with her new castle play set that her great grandparents brought her for a gift. It's a "Little People" set with a dragon, a princess, and a prince. In Olivia's world though, it is a "doggy, baby, and King." The princess has a scepter in her hand and a crown on her head which have been converted into a "hat" and a cup of "milk."

During Olivia's playtime (which is usually before lunch, then nap...) Olivia was singing songs to her "baby" and the doggy and the King were climbing through the window. The song went like this, "yooooour, seeeeeppy. yoooooour, seeeeppy." Which I immediately recognized as the lyrics from the first track to her nap time CD: "You're not sleepy, as you seem; Stay awake, don't nod and dream..."

Then I looked over and the "baby" was lying in the bed, in the bedroom of the castle. Olivia proceeded to come up to me and tell me it was time for, "guk, night night," and so I took her upstairs, turned on her CD and rocked with her.

But, since Liv is a creature of habit, like her Mama, she wasn't ready to go to sleep until she'd had her lunch, so we back tracked down the stairs and had our lunch. After lunch we listened to our CD, and she was fast asleep by track three.

She's growing up so fast.

The Newest Brazier arrived sooner than expected.

2006-05-24T14:39:00.000-04:00

And we named him Sherman.

Ok, this is not to be misunderstood...

2006-05-23T14:48:00.000-04:00

because Rob is not a serious gamer, but he does have a tendency to get lost in his Call of Duty game. The other night he called out to me, "Well, the game says that we can't quit until all of the Germans are driven from Russian soil, so you might not want to wait up for me."

Haha, this is all in good fun, Rob. You know I don't think you're a nerd.

What did I get for Mother's Day?

2006-05-15T16:47:00.000-04:00

Rob got me two wonderful hanging baskets. A fushia and a basket with cool little purple flowers that he said reminded him of me and Olivia. They're currently hanging on my front porch getting some nice rain.

My Father-in-Law got me a mini-14 rifle. No, I'm not kidding.

He got one for my Mother-in-Law too. Here's the proof:

Flowers and guns. What a fulfilling Mother's Day. :)

Some photo updates.

2006-05-12T12:15:00.000-04:00

Olivia colors Easter Eggs with Papa.

Olivia plays soccer in the back yard.

Olivia wonders why I'm photographing her while she eats dinner.

Olivia's first experience baking with Mom. Yum!

It was a close race, but in the end Protestants win again...

2006-05-03T21:43:00.000-04:00

Luther defeats Pope by 10 votes in Republican race for 61st District (Today's news from our local paper.)

Hat Tip to Mary, my Mother-In-Law.

And, the BOC agrees with me...

2006-05-03T14:24:00.000-04:00

For those who have a Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord handy (the one released before the stupid political recall) turn to page 345. Can anyone tell me where to find a digital copy of this page so I can link it? And read along with me...

The Third Commandment

You shall sanctify the holy day.

What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear and love God so that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.

And in the nice little picture which looks like a Medieval woodcutting print, there is Martin Luther preaching to his congregation on Sunday, pointing to Christ on the cross. And right in the second row: A mom and her toddler-aged child.

I'm not gloating... really I'm not. (just poking fun Jacque and Andy)

2 good reasons to drink wine while nursing

2006-05-03T12:53:00.000-04:00

In preparation for our new baby on the way I'm going to share the two reasons why I occasionally drink wine while I'm nursing, even though I'm not supposed to.

1. Communion.

2. (And I'm full of crap, but I thought this was worth sharing) Babies like it.

Hat Tip to a Mama from my message board: Mollie Greene.

Yes Yes Yes!

2006-04-26T10:16:00.000-04:00

Kelly's blog, which I've been reading for about a month now, has a good post up about children's church.

I'm going to be bold here and get people mad, but I think that it is the work of Satan that has convinced us that it is a good idea to send our children away during the Divine Service. It isn't just a bad idea, but it is starving our children of the very Grace they need. Our children NEED to hear the Word of God, we should be teaching it to them at home, and they should absolutely be in the Divine Service receiving it.

Matthew 18:1-6

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (emphasis mine)

The ODDEST thing happened yesterday

2006-04-22T21:50:00.000-04:00

Angie the future Deaconess invited my family and I (in-laws and all) to go to a nearby church to see Cantorei from Fort Wayne. It was great. It was very moving, and they performed one of my favorite songs... The Te Deum to the melody from Jupiter by Holst.

Afterwards a woman came up to me and said, "Excuse me. Is your name Devona?"

I said, "Yes..."

"I read your blog!"

Apparently she recognized me from my picture.

I think I just about DIED of embarrassment. I was very flattered, but that was totally unexpected. I wasn't really sure how to respond.

So, Barb the Evil Genius (this was the woman's blog, by the way) it was nice to meet you. In fact I met three bloggers there that evening, and I'd like to say the same to all of you. :)

Theology for losers

2006-04-19T13:28:00.000-04:00

To rise with the winners we must take our place on the cross with the biggest Loser of them all, the One who lost His life to save you, the One who denied Himself to embrace you, the One who exchanged His perfect life for your miserable sin and death, the One who was not ashamed to bear your shame in nakedness, to become your sin in His own sinless flesh so that in Him you might become the righteousness of God and be justified and have peace with God.

The world doesn’t understand this. We have to teach them. We have to show them. Lift high that shameful cross, with crucified Jesus hanging on it, and do not be ashamed of it. Eat the bread that is His Body and drink the cup that is His blood and so proclaim His death until He comes.

The world of winners will think you've lost your mind. And you have, along with your heart and soul and strength and all that you are. You’ve lost it all in Jesus; and losing it all in Him, you have gained it all forever.

- Rev. Cwirla.

You must listen to the whole sermon here. Many thanks to Beggars All for the link

Cultural brain damage

2006-04-17T22:15:00.000-04:00

I am constrained by the thought that the decline of language may have proceeded so far that most people no longer perceive it as a problem. An analogy here might clarify what I mean. It is said that the brain is the only organ of our body that feels no pain and therefore does not know when it is injured. The brain does not regard brain damage as a problem. If we think of language as the brain of a civilization, then it is possible that severe language-damage may not be perceived by the social body as a problem. It is possible that we have adapted ourselves to disinformation, to Newspeak, to public-relations hype, to imagery disguised as thought, to picture newspapers and magazines, to religion revealed in the form of entertainment, to politics in the form of a thirty-second television commercial. In adapting ourselves, we come to accept the present situation as the only available standard, and conclude with Dr. Pangloss that this is the best of all possible worlds.

- Neil Postman, Conscientious Objections

Ah, the irony

2006-04-17T11:24:00.000-04:00

We hosted some family at our new house for an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday. My dad and my stepmom came up to visit, which was very enjoyable.

My stepmom is both a vegetarian and Jewish.

Since Passover and Easter overlap this year I thought it would be nice to wish my stepmom a happy Passover, which I did...

While carving the ham.

(p.s. this really happened.)

Putting the Gospel in the here and now

2006-04-11T22:18:00.000-04:00

Excellent post here by John H, in which he quotes Dick Lucas:

The Gospel is not the presentation of an idea, but the operation of a power.

This reflects the nature of God's Word, as opposed to ours: Our word at best merely communicates an idea, His creates a reality. God is such a magnificent story teller that when we hear His voice we cannot help but be made part of His True myth.

This makes the Word of God eminently practical: Seeing the Gospel as the "operation of a power" places it in the here-and-now, not in a far off realm of theory and principle. The Word is no proposition, couched in some Platonic realm of being and divorced from daily experience. Instead, it surrounds and intertwines with our life and breath. Dare I say, it becomes that life and breath.

The great danger we confessionals face is in divorcing belief in doctrine from its very real experience. We are rightly afraid of betraying our confessions, but we make the mistake of holding them at arm's length; rarely allowing them to penetrate our lives. This forces a dualism foreign to scripture: We push the truth of God outside of time and place, apprehended only by the intellect or the spirit. The body, and all of the mundane things that the body must attend to are left to flounder.

But the climax of this pilgrimage of faith we are on will not be in the death of our bodies and the freeing of our "inner selves", but in our real, tangible, physical resurrection. This perspective must guide is completely in line with an orthodox understanding of the soul. As Pastor Snyder writes in his post "That's the Spirit (and the Soul)!":

Most Bible translations use three different words for the Hebrew ruach and the Greek pneuma. Depending on context, you might read "breath," "wind," or "spirit" in the English text. When you realize this, it's easier to appreciate the interplay of words and actions in Scripture. For example, when God "breathed into Adam," you could say God "spirited" or "inspired" the lifeless figure, making him a "living creature."

He continues,

"Soul" likewise defies simple definition. It relates to life or being alive. When God made Adam and breathed into him, Adam became a "living soul"; many newer translations render "soul" as "creature" or "being." An important thing to note: Adam didn't receive a soul; he became one. Too often, we divorce body and soul, or think of one as central and the other as an attachment or an accessory. God here reminds us that to be fully human is to be an enfleshed soul possessed of the Holy Spirit. What we lost in Adam's fall, we received back in Christ's death and resurrection."

Doctrine takes life when I find my place inside it, as opposed to trimming it down to a set of theorems to be prooved or points to be debated. Though we cannot to create a theology of experiences, there must be a relationship between what we believe and the moment-by-moment lives we live. The Gospel was never meant to play by the rules that science invented. It has no place in the realm of mere proposition; it works much better as a mystery hidden in Word and Sacrament, worked out in fear and trembling in the here and now.

Lutheran Carnival XI

2006-04-10T21:58:00.000-04:00

is up at Necessary Roughness.

Next one is by my favorite blogging pastor, Xyrostom, or however he spells it. Or more commonly known: Ask the Pastor, with Pr. Snyder.

Papa has spoken

2006-04-06T07:58:00.000-04:00

My dad informed me that I haven't put up any new pictures of Olivia in a while. Therefore I am in trouble. Here you go, Papa! It's Livi in her jammies and pink chair reading Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.

And here's a good video of Olivia being a stubborn stubborn girl, stuck in a lazy susan.

Theology for the dying and the dead

2006-03-28T21:51:00.000-05:00

Death has been on my mind for more than a year. I can trace its shadow back to a strange origin: The birth of my daughter.

I think about it every night, as we put her to bed. We help Olivia into her pajamas, watch her brush her teeth, read "Goodnight Moon" together, and say a prayer. The lights go out. The rocking chair creaks, Olivia sighs in her sleep, and my own mortality grips me. And holding her there in the darkness, I'm filled with a holy ache. The close of the evening is one tiny goodbye in a lifelong string of goodbyes.

I can't help but whisper Jesus' name. I hold my daughter tight, and I cling to the Gospel all the tighter.

"A theologian is born by living, nay dying and being damned, not by thinking, reading, or speculating," wrote Martin Luther. His words reflect the profound mystery: The kingdom of eternal life is hidden in dying and death. Here, the power of God is revealed to us through littleness, lostness, lastness, and leastness. It's revealed to us in a homeless carpenter, cast out by the outcast and crucified by the criminals.

It was this losing-as-winning Gospel that repelled even those closest to Christ. What kind of God comes to earth to save it from certain damnation and gets Himself killed? This stuff does not make for good action movies.

Saint Paul makes this life-through-deathness the climax of his letter to the Romans, intimately tying the work of the Spirit to the death of the flesh:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

And later:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I draw attention to "in all these things" -- and specifically the word "in" -- because this passage is easy to misread. Paul isn't speaking as if we were an undefeated football team, plowing over our impending slaughter without a scratch. Instead, he points out that it is in our very sheepish slaughter that we are conquerors through Christ--the Lamb of God who was first slaughtered for our sake.

I am in no way saying that we somehow pay for our sin with our individual deaths, as Christ paid for the world's sin with His own death. Rather, we are brought through death (by the death of Christ), and into resurrection (in the resurrection of Christ) so that our bodies may be redeemed. Christ blazed the trail, and the Spirit carries us along down that same path, washed in his blood the whole way.

This eschatology must inform our preaching of the Law: Its fulfillment is tied up in this trail-blazing suffering, death, burial and resurrection I've been harping on. Too often, we tend to use the various uses of the Law like the blades of a pocket knife--pulling them out to tackle whatever situation is at hand. But the Law is not so easily divided. The Law certainly gives us directions--the so-called "third use"--but the roadmap laid out is inseperable from its final destination: the grave. The struggles, sufferings, and death we face along the way aren't merely the deterrents of the world, they are the divine vocation God has called us to.

To put it succinctly for other Lutherans, this is the theology of the Cross. And it turns the whole world on its head. Any shred of safety we used to try and find in "doing the right thing" has been torn from beneath us, so that all we have left to lean on is Christ's looming death--and the blazing hope beyond it. "But hope that is seen is no hope at all."

In the end then, I savor these quiet moments I spend holding my daughter. With each passing moment, each fading goodbye, each final word, and that one final breath, the kingdom unfolds before us.

Lutheran Carnival XX

2006-03-27T10:46:00.000-05:00

Right Here at the main site for the carnival.

The next carnival's entries are due to Dan at Necessary Roughness by April 7th @ midnight.

This time around people scoured the archives of blogs and I'm humbled and honored to have 3 of our old posts mentioned. There are a lot of other good posts that I remember. It's worth a trip down memory lane. :)

This is not something I do often

2006-03-17T10:51:00.000-05:00

but I feel it must be done.

I am growing up in a generation of young adults, specifically Christian/Evangelical adults, looking to parent the "godly way." Rather than look to our parents and to our God given instincts we often seek out books.

Usually, the most popular books win, whether the advice is sound or not. And as we fad-weary know, usually the most popular has the most garbage.

Michael and Debbie Pearl of "No Greater Joy" ministries (I won't provide a link, they're easy to find) are certainly not the most popular in the mainstream, but in evangelical homeschooling circles they very much are.

I just wanted to provide this article (Caution, it is very sensitive material), and an admonition to look very carefully into any parenting advice that calls itself "the only biblical way" to parent.

I had a lot more to say, but I think that it's better to come to your own conclusions about these things. But since this is not the first article that I've read along these lines I thought that it would be good to raise awareness of the dangerous practices that are being taught (from books and from the pulpit) as "God's commands" on raising children.

I pray that this is a passing phase like Jabez, but since my Mother-in-law was dealing with the Pearls when she was teaching her children, I have a feeling this is sticking around for a while.

And for the sake of peacefulness, I would NOT like to debate spanking in the comments. I would like to leave the comments open for questions and discussion though with the forewarning that I will not advocate or condemn "spanking," since that was not my point in posting this article.

Lutheran Carnival xix is up.

2006-03-14T10:44:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to be more pro-active on this matter.

See Be Strong in the Grace.

Meditations on Sin and children (well, every one else, but especially children)

2006-03-09T11:21:00.000-05:00

Matthew 9:1-8

1And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.

2And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

3And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

4And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

5For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?

6But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

7And he arose, and departed to his house.

8But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Since this is Lent, I thought that it would be a good time to share some of my thoughts on Sin. A lot of these thoughts are stolen from the wise women in my devotional class at church, so if I'm sounding redundant to those who know me, I am totally guilty of thought-plagiarism (so sue me John H.).

We believe, as Lutherans, that everyone is guilty of sin. Even the 14 week old fetus I'm currently incubating will go to Hell if not for the grace of God offered in Christ. This is a hard teaching that we do not want to accept.

Surely this child who cannot even survive outside of my womb is not a sinner, what could he or she have done to deserve Hell?

The fact that this child could not survive outside of my womb is the proof that this child is a sinner. "The wage of sin is death," and by knowing this we can discover who the sinners are. We may be able to postpone it, but we all die. Everyone who has ever been conceived has died, or will die.

Our sicknesses are also the proof of our sinfulness. When Olivia was born we both had fevers. We had to take antibiotics. I certainly had just recently been guilty of sin. I was guilty of hating those awful nurses and not being thankful for the care they were trying to give me. I knew I was a sinner.

But Olivia was proven a sinner as well, even though she was not even aware of what was going on and was completely incapable of feeling hate or ingratitude. She had a fever, Death's mark on sinners. She needed to be healed, both of sin and of her fever.

Matthew 9 teaches us that sin and illness are one in the same. Heal the sins, and you heal Death's hold on that person as well.

This is a hard teaching for sure. I want to believe that my newest child will be in Heaven and be raised on that day when my Lord returns. But on what am I going to place my faith? It is surely no comfort for me thinking that this littlest of children has done nothing wrong and can't be blamed before God. We have seen that that is obviously not true.

Rather, I will place my faith in God's mercy. He gives us His grace daily when we hear the Word of God. I know that my little one in me has heard God's Word. If my child is born knowing her earthly father's voice because he or she heard it for nine months in my womb, then she will surely know her Father in Heaven's voice as well. Heck! Olivia recognized Emmylou Harris's voice when she was only a few days old. I know she heard God's Word more than she listened to Wrecking Ball inutero.

Jesus died on the cross for us 2000 some odd years ago, and we receive the benefit of that today through the Means of Grace: The Word, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. Surely I will place my faith on those things. Surely I will bring my children to the Table and the Font. Jesus is the only person who has conquered the death we are all subject to, and therefore I know He is the only one I can trust.

Hat Tip to T. Swede

2006-03-06T10:54:00.000-05:00

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Devona!

India tested its first nuclear Devona in 1974.
All shrimp are born as Devona, but gradually mature into females.
More than one million stray dogs and half a million stray cats live in Devona!
Devona was named after Devona the taxi driver in Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life'.
If you don't get out of bed on the same side you got in, you will have Devona for the rest of the day.
It's bad luck for a flag to touch Devona.
Devona is the last letter of the Greek alphabet!
Four-fifths of the surface of Devona is covered in water.
Carnivorous animals will not eat another animal that has been hit by Devona.
You would have to dig through four thousand kilometres of Devona to reach the earth's core.

And here's one of Olivia singing...

2006-03-03T08:21:00.000-05:00

a Ω. , l; .///>?? akk˚˚˚˚˚˚w¸ lo, .'

This is a really old video

2006-03-01T12:13:00.000-05:00

from before Olivia knew how to walk but I just found DropShots, and I had been wanting to share this for a long time. When I get Olivia up later I'll try to take some more recent video of her. Maybe something along the lines of her reading a book to herself or walking her babydoll in a stroller.

How to get the most out of pregnancy- tip #1

2006-02-28T16:17:00.000-05:00

Come home from midwife appointment. Eat entire jar of green olives. Take nap.

Olivia's first real hair cut.

2006-02-27T16:46:00.000-05:00

IMG_4115
Originally uploaded by Devona.

It was much needed.

Hair cut needed!

2006-02-27T16:40:00.000-05:00

IMG_4084
Originally uploaded by Devona.

Look at that terrible flip of hair in the back! Ack!

This is why I cut Olivia's hair.

"I don't like diapers" said Olivia

2006-02-27T16:39:00.000-05:00

IMG_4111
Originally uploaded by Devona.

Birthday books

2006-02-27T13:57:00.000-05:00

I am getting 2 books with some money I got for my Birthday. They are:

You Can't Make Me (But I Can be Persuaded) I picked this book because Olivia is my daughter and I know what I was like when I was a kid. When they said, "I hope you have a child just like you," I believe that it will probably happen. This is my attempt at staying one step ahead of the game.

Le Morte D'Arthur Oh this is gonna be good reading. I can't wait to dive in.

If either of these books hit me the right way maybe I'll write a little about them. Maybe not. You can never tell when there's a toddler running around. For that matter, I might not even get a chance to start reading them!

Please Welcome Deacon Andrew Stager!

2006-02-24T12:46:00.000-05:00

I just got a message from our friend Gus that Andy and Ellie had their beautiful boy this morning at 8:30!!!!

I don't have any details, but I wanted to spread the news in case anyone wants to get an update and they haven't been able to get to their blog.

Congrats!

Happy Birthing day Mom and Dad!!!!! We love you!

Time for an Olivia sized update

2006-02-22T14:39:00.000-05:00

When I find the camera cord I'll load up some pictures of Olivia's last week in our apartment and take some more of our new house.

Other than that we'll talk about talking.

Olivia is in the mimicking stage and always does so with a ton of enthusiasm. Sometimes she gets it right, and sometimes she just says a ton of sounds but she always has the right number of syllables. She knows everyone in her family's name and we talk about you all at least weekly. Her most favorite relative is "Voufer" or Luther the Brazier's dog.

She can point to almost all of her body parts including elbow and heart. She can say: eye, nose, ears,teeth, mouth, elbow, heart, toes, feet, butt, bottom, belly and some others that I am forgetting.

She talks about the things she does all day. She picks things up and says, "ra-SH" which is, "this needs to be thrown in the trash." She uses "bolls" (bowls) "lates" (plates) "orks" (forks) "poons" (spoons). She eats "ap-pees" and "orns" (oranges). She loves to drink her "mil-K" and her "wa-wee." She wants to take a "bat-s" (bath) about every five minutes, and she LOVES to read "boo-ts" (not boots, books).

She takes her "nite-nite" and her "guk" (pacifier) with her to bed every night, but if she's not all the way asleep after we rock her and we say, "are you ready to lay in your crib," she politely kicks her legs and says, "No." If we try to put her in anyway she is no longer polite and cries, "NOOOOOOOOO!"

She likes to tell me whose clothes I'm folding, "daddy's" or "mommy's", sometimes it's "mine."

She tells me when it's time for "lunts" (Lunch) and "din-uh" (dinner) and she even helps cook by dangling between my knees.

She loves to play with her new toy stroller which I got for $6 at Biglots. She pushes her "doh-gees" and her "meow"s and sometimes she finds a "duh-KK" to push too. She cuddles her "baby-doll" and then puts her in the stroller for a "wah-k" around the living room.

Her animals are very expressive. They say, "neigh neigh," "woof woof," "meow," "kwa-K," "rrrooowl," "oik-K" (in a growly voice), and "MMOOOOOO!"

Her asks for books by name. We read, "Why-Lah" (Where the Wild Things Are), and "bye-dah" (The Very Busy Spider) every day, multiple times a day. Sometimes multiple times in a row.

ANd she says her prayers every night before bed and dinner. She says, "Gee-Sah!" and "Ah-ME!"

There is one word, though, that she keeps on saying, and I cannot put my finger on what it is. It's "bye-lah" and whatever it is it's in the kitchen. So when I figure that one out I'll let you know.

I got tagged

2006-02-16T10:34:00.000-05:00

Tim the Enchanter (what a silly guy) tagged me. My mom has been tagged a couple of times, too, but she's going to let me answer for her. She's very busy moving boxes from one room to another and back again, so it's up to me to keep people reading.

Four Things!

Four Jobs I've Had:

1. night watch girl
2. laundry detergent tester
3. stunt baby
4. online model

Four Movies I Watch Over and Over Again:
1. Babe
2. Baby Noah
3. March of the Penguins
4. (I only watch three videos)

Four TV Shows I Watch:
I've never watched a TV show regularly.

Four Places I've Lived:
1. My mom and Dad's apartment above "the Chrises"
2. My new house
(how much do you expect a person to move in 16 months?!)

Four Places I've Vacationed:
1. My Papa's house in Cincinnati
2. My Great-Papa's house in Vermont
3. My Great-Nina and Great-Papa's house in Florida
4. My Great-Bunkle and Great-Nana's house in Virginia

Four Websites I visit daily (while sitting in my mom's lap):
1. Gentle Christian Mothers (a message board for crazy hippy mom's like mine)
2. Lutheran's and Contraceptives (a very boring website with few pictures)
3. Manila Drive (I'm waiting for my god-parents to have a baby)
4. Our Flickr account (so I can see pictures of a cute baby)

Four of My Favorite Foods:
1. Apples
2. Chipotle burritos
3. Anything my Nana gives me
4. All fruit popsicles that I share with Mommy after dinner

Four Places I'd like to be right now:
1. Play group
2. Chasing my Daddy through the kitchen
3. Back at my old apartment
4. Under the cabinets

For your amusement

2006-02-08T13:23:00.000-05:00

While we're busy moving this week you can reflect on all of our fun words:

Thanks Terrible Swede...

2006-02-02T07:08:00.000-05:00

... for forcing me to post.

Four jobs I have had:

Newspaper reporter
Graphic designer
Web designer
Computer lab monitor

Four places I have lived (chronologically):

Springfield, Virginia (just outside of D.C.)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Wadsworth, Ohio
Akron, Ohio

Four of my favorite foods:

Chipotle burritos
Reuben sandwiches
Pad Thai
Guinness (it's nearly a food, right?)

TV Shows that I like to watch:

I haven't watched TV for years. I probably couldn't even name four current TV shows...

Four movies I could watch over and over:

Bourne Identity/Bourne Supremacy
The Royal Tenenbaums
Lost In Translation
Waking Ned Devine

Four places I would rather be:

China; I could go for Hong Kong or the countryside
Ireland; a small, crowded pub with a roaring fire
Library or bookstore
Playing guitar, piano or a Rhodes

Four websites I visit:

Four people I would like to tag:

My wife
John H @ Confessing Evangelical
Olivia
Josh S @ Here We Stand

I love thinking about words

2006-01-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-27T13:02:00.000-05:00

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.

Accountability

2006-01-19T19:45:00.000-05:00

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.

New relationship

2006-01-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

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.

Olivia is one strange person

2006-01-14T15:21:00.000-05:00

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.

Taking ownership

2006-01-12T16:56:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

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.

I stole this from Ellie

2006-01-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Here is the house we bought

2006-01-09T16:55:00.000-05:00

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.

A Quiz

2006-01-06T09:04:00.000-05:00

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

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

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

Christmas was awesome

2005-12-31T00:51:00.000-05:00

and we were richly blessed.

I have no clue what's been going on in the blog world as I have been fully involved in the real one. We saw Andy and Ellie (and kind of saw Deacon), my dad, my mom, her new engagement ring, my brother, rob's whole family, and Olivia's language explosion.

I'll be back when it's not 1 am to give more details, but I wanted you all to know I missed you. And I hope that you have a Happy New Year!

Don't forget about the Lutheran Bloggers' Conference

2005-12-21T14:07:00.000-05:00

You can find all the info here.

I have to talk to Rob to make it definite, but I really want to come.

Should we bring Olivia? It's not really kid friendly environment, but she is a Lutheran Blogger.

"Ask the Pastor" on Issues Etc.

2005-12-21T09:38:00.000-05:00

Tune in at 5 CST.

Watch this video

2005-12-21T09:26:00.000-05:00

Hat tip, Bunnie.

Our Christmas Decor

2005-12-20T13:12:00.001-05:00

IMG_4033
Originally uploaded by Devona.

Here is Olivia, helping put the ornaments on the tree. Which was in actuality, just her taking all the ornaments off the tree after I put them on.

IMG_4074
Originally uploaded by Devona.

Here is our entire Christmas Village. It has all of our favorite places to go: A brick house, two churches, a coffee shop, and a book store. Do you like the giant tree?

IMG_4075
Originally uploaded by Devona.

This is a close-up of our Christmas Village. The house in the back is supposed to be the house that we settle down in some day, far off. A huge brick house, with a giant front porch, and slate shingles.

IMG_4037
Originally uploaded by Devona.

And here is the Christmas Village at night.

Here is our tree all lit up at night after Liv went to bed.

OK fine! I'll give my take on Lewis, too

2005-12-19T10:07:00.000-05:00

Our dear Deaconess, Angie, went to see the LWW with us last Friday. She hadn't read the books, and she said that she didn't "get" what was so great about Lewis. I mean, isn't he just laymen trying to give sermons?

And that's what we all think of him. He's some Christian giant, and that he's one of the greatest Christian Theologians of the modern world. It is really too bad, too. Because that isn't who Lewis was, and it isn't who he tried to be.

Lewis was a great Christian, and a great scholar. And because he was both of those things, he became a greatly loved Christian apologist, and philosopher. He was always a genius.

I think that if Angie had been introduced to him that way, she might have never had such a bad taste in her mouth about him. She might have read Narnia and really loved it. She did love the movie.

John H. has some great posts over at Confessing Evangelical and I think that they're worth a read.

I don't have time at the moment to post all my deep thoughts on the matter. So instead I'm just going to quote myself (isn't that tacky):

Considering that I read the stories as a child first. And that I had no Christians (or literary giants) around to instruct me in the ways of Christian allegory, I take my first impression of the stories as the response that Lewis intended.

I was moved tears that Aslan died. I was slightly afraid of him all together. I was disgusted with Edmund. I loved Lucy (hehe, that wasn't intentional). But I also enjoyed _The Horse and His Boy_ and _Dawn Treader_ more. But since I was raised Catholic I did say, "That reminds me of Jesus." and I pondered it while I read.

As an adult, and a Christian, and a (former) student of Medieval Lit, I think that we are all reading Lewis completely wrong. I think that Lewis loved the literature that he studied so much that he wanted to bring those conventions to a young audience, the way that Tolkien was bringing them to an adult audience.

The fact that both of those authors was were Christian, and that those values permeated their literary frames is secondary.

Narnia is so great because it expects more out of kids, and it doesn't hand it straight to them. It's great because it challenges kids to say, "that reminds me of something," not because it is a direct representation of the Gospels. To place that expectation on Narnia is a disservice to the fine work that they are, because they are very poor example of what we want them to be.

I think that I have a slight advantage (emphasis on slight) in that I've read Lewis as a literary scholar once or twice in research for papers in school. It is helpful, I think, to read his work that is less hyped, like his literary critiques.

Another great way to get a feel for the broader works of Lewis's fiction is to read this novel. Till We Have Faces is an amazing depiction of faith. But, it is an impossible allegory. Read it, and then take what you've learned about Lewis's style and apply it to the Narnia series.

That's your Love and Blunder homework for the Holiday. Then we can all come back and discuss. :)

Hair cut

2005-12-12T17:07:00.000-05:00

IMG_4068
Originally uploaded by Devona.

Here it is. Olivia's new 'do.

5 facts for me!

2005-12-12T11:08:00.000-05:00

Mom told me that this guy with a long nose that's not an elephant wanted me to list 5 thing about myself that I wanted to share. I don't know how to count, but sometimes I say "two..... DA!" so I'll just keep talking and Mom can tell me when to stop.

I love to dance. Anytime I hear some music, and sometimes when I don't hear it, I dance all around. I sing too.
I really love canned peaches.
I'm allergic to something that isn't MSG so Mom only buys preservative free food now. I can't even tell the difference, but she's very proud of herself and keeps telling everyone.
Mom makes me wear old sweaters on my butt. They keep my diapers from leaking onto my clothes.
If I'm unhappy I scream and arch my back. It doesn't usually help, but I do it anyway.

Five facts

2005-12-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by the Great Aardie to list 5 facts about myself, so I'm gonna list them. I have not thought this out in advance, so we'll also be learning a little about the stream-of-consciousness mind a la Devona. This should be fun...

When I listen to music I listen to the same three or four CDs for months on end, on repeat. Then I rarely listen to them again on my own.
I really really need a new sewing machine, but I always find something that I need more.
I'm kind of glad that I had a good reason to quit going to school because I spent a lot of time wondering what it was exactly that I intended to do with my degree.
I can get obsessed with an idea, like how I will decorate the house I buy, and get really depressed when it doesn't happen the way I thought it would, even though my ideas were all fantastical.
I hate doing dished more than anything (even laundry) and often find excuses for not doing them for days at a time: "I have to write a blog. We need toilet paper. I wanted to go to the thrift store."

1st haircut

2005-12-09T08:52:00.000-05:00

I gave Liv her first haircut. She needs more help than I can give, but I at least got it out of her eyes.

She has permanent bed head in the back. It's always fuzzy, and it always looks like she hasn't had a bath in weeks. Her bangs were crazy, and down to her nose, and since she would never let me pull it back in a ponytail, I just trimmed them to her forhead. It's cute.

I was nervous that I'd cut them too short or uneven, and I was afraid that I'd lose her hair that I wanted to save, so I found a creative solution. I took tape, and I put in her hair across her forehead where I wanted it to be trimmed to. Then I cut along the top edge of the tape. All the hair stayed on the tape so I could put it in her baby book, and her bangs are even, and just the right length. I'm so smart. :)

I wanted to post yesterday

2005-12-06T09:05:00.000-05:00

but blogger wasn't working for some reason.

Yesterday was Olivia's Baptism Birthday! Congratulations my little Olivia!

You're one year and one day old in the Lord.

Do you like my handy-work?

2005-12-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

ChristmasCard V2
Originally uploaded by Devona.

This is my attempt at making a Christmas card to get printed on postcards so that we can send them to family. Rob said that I should have done it in InDesign, but I don't know how to use that program so I did this in Photoshop.

I think it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. I had to do a lot of touchup for the large photo at the top. The background is added. I blended Olivia's formerly obvious black eye (oops). I had to add the shadow back in since it wasn't there when I copied Olivia on to the new backdrop.

All together I think this took me four hours. That's not bad. And I took all the pictures myself. So the only cost to us is the printing. I'm pretty proud of myself.

So, is it ugly? Should I just beg Rob to do it, even though he's really busy, since he'll so even better than me?

Be honest now, I can take it.

Mrs. Brazier

2005-12-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

It is one thing to be called Mrs. Brazier by strangers that are the same age as me. It is a totally different thing to be called Mrs. Brazier by one of my sister-in-law's first grade friends.

I really thought that she was mistaking me for Rob's mom. Then it occurred to me that I am Mrs. Brazier. Scarier still, I'm a mom. I'm old. I spend my time wondering if the next car I buy is going to be a minivan. I look forward to coaching under 6 soccer (*cough* football).

This coupled with that phantom gray hair I discovered on Monday, and my recent crippling back injury make me want to go buy a plot in a cemetery just in case.

So, just to feel good about myself, I'm going to make a brief list of all the reasons I'm still young and cool:

I like cool music by bands from which the members are still alive and they're still performing regularly
I have tattoos, and they don't look all stretched and faded
I can wear sequins and look fashionable
When I don't have Olivia with me I get carded for alcohol
I think that I'm right most of the time, and that the older generation is just doing everything wrong
I still sing at the top of my lungs

I think that's enough to make me feel better. Phew!

Olivia Confesses her Faith

2005-11-29T10:10:00.000-05:00

While reading a book about Christmas yesterday evening before dinner I asked, "Can you say Jesus?" Olivia grinned a big grin and said, "Jeeeee!" She's been saying it ever since. And I can tell she even knows what she means, in a toddler sort of way.

I'm a proud mommy, in awe of God.

The ideology of distraction

2005-11-28T20:36:00.000-05:00

This little NPR snippet on distraction and the Internet nails an observation that's been plaguing me for months.

Working in the tech industry, I find that lately I can hardly read a measly paragraph without losing focus and clicking erratically on every hyperlink I see. If I do get through more than a few sentences, I eventually find myself at the end of whatever I was reading with no clue what the author has actually been writing about.

Writer and thinker Neil Postman made the excellent observation that technology always carries with it an ideology. It seems like the ideology of the internet is that everything anyone has to say about anything should be entering my brain at this very moment.

By definition, hypertext--those links that are the cornerstone of the internet, taking you from one place to the next--require you to leave what you are currently concentrating on in order to check on something else. It's a vicious cycle... Referencing the referenced reference until you've found yourself back at this site, blind and drooling.

I've been trying to re-train myself to actually think when consuming information, to quit being a slave to the mindless scroll and click. We'll see how it goes.

...

Now what was I doing?

I'm thankful!!!!!

2005-11-24T08:51:00.000-05:00

Mom told me that today is Thanksgiving. So I'm going to share with everyone the things that I am thankful for.

Wednesday it started snowing. I think that it is pretty cool. When Mom showed me the white dots falling from the sky I whispered, "Whoa!" I'm thankful for the snow. But later, Mom put me in the snow, and I was scared, so I'm also thankful that I'm still small enough to be held.

Mom, made cookies for dinner today. I don't when I get to eat them because Mom said that they are, "hot, ouch." I am thankful that I know what hot means, and that some day I can eat a cookie.

My Papa likes to buy me lots of clothes. I am thankful because our house is really cold, and I have a lot of warm things to choose from to wear. I put on two socks on each foot. That makes me very thankful because I very much enjoy putting my foot out for Mom to put a sock on it. I got to do it twice as much this morning.

I am thankful for Mom's friend Eliza who came to play with me last night. She is so much more fun than Mom and Dad. Mom said thanks to Eliza a lot, too. I think Mom was cooking a lot of food, and so it was good that I had a friend to keep me company. Eliza also taught me how to count. It goes like this, "TWO, DA!" I am thankful for numbers.

I am thankful for all the animals in the world, especially Dogilies (dogs), Kitties, MoeKies (Monkeys), and Kucks (ducks).

I am thankful for my family. For Uncle Dan who taught me to dance, and for Emily who has the coolest toys, and for Uncle Mike who picks me up a lot. Everyone else is older, and I don't pay as much attention to them, but I did learn how to say "Molly."

I am thankful for Jesus too. I am Jesus' little lamb, my Mom tells me. We talk to him before dinner every night. We like to hold hands as we thank him for the dinner Mom made. I guess Jesus does everything, even though it seems like Mom does it, but they always thank Him for dinner, so He must be the invisible helper. After we thank Him for dinner Mom and Dad say, "Amen," and I say, "OH!" or, "DA!" It means the same thing.

We also talk to Jesus before bed, and on Sunday morning we go to His house where we see Angie and Pastor Kozak. I like them. So I am thankful that they live at Jesus' house where I can see them all the time.

That's what I am thankful for, how about you?

7

2005-11-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

Seven things to do before I die:
1. Become a Doula
2. Write a book
3. Fix up a turn of the century home, and restore it to its original shape
4. Adopt
5. Drink a pint in an Irish pub
6. Have more babies
7. Get my PhD

Seven things I cannot do:
1. Speak French
2. Crochet a circle without it turning bumpy
3. Think realistically
4. Fly a plane
5. Spell
6. Type
7. Keep the floor clean

Seven things that attract me to Hubby:
1. His sensitivity
2. His intelligence
3. His sincerity
4. His looks
5. His creativity
6. The way he loves me and Olivia
7. The way he trusts me (Why do I only get to pick 7?)

Seven things I say most often
1. "Awesome, lol?"
2. "No, Thank you."
3. "Which I hate..."
4. "Could you make me some coffee?"
5. "Where are you, Olivia?"
6. "Are you blowing up monsters?"
7. "Rob-o... ?"

Seven books or authors you love:
1. Chaucer
2. C.S. Lewis
3. F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. Tolstoy
5. Dr. Suess
6. Tolkien
7. Shakespeare

Seven movies you watch over and over again:
1. Oh Brother Where Art Thou
2. Shadowlands
3. Waking Ned Divine
4. The Incredibles
5. Lost In Translation
6. The Terminal
7. Henry V

Seven people I want to join in, too:
1. Uhm I hate tagging people.

HT to Indiana Jane and TK

Olivia Reads Theology

2005-11-22T09:25:00.000-05:00

IMG_3903
Originally uploaded by Devona.

Yes, she takes after Rob.

If you've read Chaucer you know this is not a compliment

2005-11-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

The Prioress
You scored 15% Cardinal, 53% Monk, 67% Lady, and 35% Knight!

You are a moral person and are also highly intellectual. You like your
solitude but are also kind and helpful to those around you. Guided by a
belief in the goodness of mankind you will likely be christened a saint
after your life is over.

You scored high as both the Lady and the Monk. You can try again to
get a more precise description of either the Monk or the lady, or you
can be happy that you're an individual.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 7% on Cardinal
You scored higher than 75% on Monk
You scored higher than 99% on Lady
You scored higher than 16% on Knight

Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

HT to the Duchy of Burgundy Carrots

You know that you've been blogging

2005-11-21T17:07:00.000-05:00

forever when you:

Start talking to your Real Life friends about your friends online, and expect them to know what you're talking about.
Can't remember which blog introduced you to which blog.
Feel guilty for not updating beacause you're worried that people who don't really know you might be wondering what you're up to.
Can remember how many hits you had this month last year.

Let me just say that Blogging has been a vehicle for my self discovery upon becoming a Lutheran, Wife, and Mother all in one year. Thanks for paying attention everyone.

Lutherans and Contraception

2005-11-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

I've been invited to join this blog. Which I have, but I'll say I feel a little intimidated.

So, if you'd been invited, and you're a young (uneducated) NFP practicing mom, what would you write about?

I'm thinking about posting a personal introduction and how we came to use NFP and how it has effected us. Is that a good start?

The new Meme. Which I love...

2005-11-02T23:20:00.000-05:00

is googling your name and "needs." It's so wonderful. I've seen it on a few blogs, so I can't really hat-tip. But I just had to give it a try.

Here are the top ~~ten~~ four things Devona needs:

1. Devona needs to recognize her role.
2. Devona needs 3(s) dager with andre cards first. (Huh?)
3. Devona needs to learn to keep her mouth shut, it seems. (I don't have anything to say about that)
4. Devona needs help? This seemed very fishy to me, seeing that Devona is an empowered warrior of legend around here. (You bet I am)

Oh wait. There are only 4 things that I need. I must be very fulfilled.

Always reconsidering how public we are

2005-11-02T10:16:00.000-05:00

This was in our extreme tracker log. It's cute, and I'm glad I posted the picture. But then I got this weird feeling that someone I don't know, and completely uninterested in our family might have downloaded the pic and is looking at a picture of Olivia in their own home. The img isn't copyrighted. They have every right to, it's in the public domain.

So maybe someone is photoshopping this image and using it to make a book about infants learning to eat, maybe they are just getting a good laugh. I don't know.

But seriously, who image searches for babies eating?

L blogs should always change to K blogs

2005-11-02T08:53:00.000-05:00

Our very favorite Minnesota Blogger, TK of Be Strong in the Grace, has made a major move. She's now the proud owner of Katie's Beer (great title by the way). I'd like to also thank TK for choosing a title that is in the same position alphabetically on our blogroll as she used to be. That made for an easy template change.

Hop on over there, give her a hug, and read a lot.