I Kinda Sorta Did a Photo Shoot

Ah, photography!  How I love you!  You energize and enliven me, you challenge me, you delight me.  But you also intimidate me.  Someday I'll feel more confident when dealing with you; but for now, I often feel insecure when you come around.  They say, however, that the way to learn more about you and get better at you is to just do it.  So I did.

When our friends from California were planning their trip, Liberty said, "Maybe you could take some family pictures of us while we're there."  Gulp...ummm...yeah...maybe I could.  It's not that I don't want to; it's just that I think I'm not good enough.  But I've chickened out a few times in the past when asked to photograph something--or someone--in particular and have regretted those fear-motivated decisions, so I resolved to set my nervousness aside and just do it.

While the kids were playing outside here one day, I got out my camera and started clicking.  I got basketball pics...

in-a-maple-tree pics...

on-a-swing pics...

with-a-pretty-leaf pics...

And then it was time to go to a park for some family pics.  Be still, my shaky knees.  But really, with a family this photogenic, how could you mess it up?

Beautiful mama, beautiful girls...

A handsome son...

The daddy's turn for individual shots with each child...

This next picture is one of my favorites from the shoot.  I have lots of favorites, as a matter of fact; but this is one of my very most absolute favorites.  :)  Can't you tell in a glance that this girl KNOWS she is LOVED?  She doesn't doubt for a moment that her daddy delights in her and thinks she is beautiful; and as a result, she's full of confidence and joy and love in return.

This couple is so special to Jeff and I.  We knew them when they were both single, and we watched their relationship grow and blossom.  We had the honor of being with them the evening they got engaged, Jeff performed their marriage ceremony, and I was Liberty's personal assistant on their wedding day.  After we moved to Israel and then to Virginia, we made sure they were on our must-see list every time we got the chance to go back to California.  I remember seeing Liberty when she was pregnant for the first time, and we had the privilege of hosting them here in our home back in 2006 when their firstborn was just a baby.  Oh, so many good memories through the years!  We have the utmost respect and affection for them!

After the official picture-taking was over, their kids and mine ran excitedly to the playground equipment at the park:  the long-awaited reward at the end of the photo shoot.  Even though the shoot was over, I couldn't stop clicking...

 ...not when this little beauty was around...

...and looking so adorable.

She needed to have her picture taken, don't you think?  :)

And then the sister-love started flowing, and it was just too sweet.


Shortly before we left, I spotted Robert holding his baby girl and watching the ducks.  Liberty watched them...

...and I watched them all.

What a wonderful experience this was.  Thanks so much, Liberty, for giving me the opportunity to do this shoot; and thanks for coming through our area, staying with us, and sharing your beautiful family with me!!

Everyone Knows...

...that my sons tend to be rather late in developing large motor skills. Sitting up, crawling, walking, etc. - they take their time with all of that.

So it won't seem like anything noteworthy when I announce that this evening, at 14 and 1/2 months of age, Shav pulled up to a standing position all by himself. Babies born after him are practically running circles around him, but - hooray - Shav finally pulled up! :)

It happened this way: Jeff was giving Shav and Tobin a bath; and when I walked into the bathroom to see if I could lend a hand, Jeff had Tobin out of the tub and was drying him off...but lo and behold, Shav was standing up IN THE BATHTUB holding onto the side of the tub. Not exactly the safest place to be standing. I asked Jeff if Shav stood up by himself, and the answer was yes. All by his sweet self. I helped him sit back down (before he slipped and fell and conked his head on the edge of the tub); and as quick as a wink, he pulled himself back up. He got to do that a few more times before I got him out of the tub.

It may not be breaking news that Shav finally reached this milestone; but to us, it's worth celebrating. And now...

everyone knows.

I can't post this tonight without including a picture of my friend Liberty and her darling baby Asia. We went to the park this afternoon/evening, and I had a ball taking pictures of their family. I can see why real photographers get so excited about their work; it's so much fun! :)

1.25 {Almost}

This is the post I was going to write when Shav turned one.
This is the post that languished in my Drafts folder for nearly three months.
These are the rest of the pictures from the little photo shoot I did for his birthday.
These are the pictures that are now out-of-date (but I'll post them anyway).

Oh, well...say it all together now...better late than never!

Let me tell you about this {amazing, fantastic, super-duper, phenomenal, marvelous, incredible, adorable, magnificent} boy!

Back in July, when he turned one, he weighed 20.5 pounds and was 29.75 inches long. I have no idea what his current stats are.  Someday I'll remember to weigh and measure him again.

He has a lot of teeth, although he really doesn't like my finger in his mouth feeling for teeth so I haven't gotten an accurate count for a while.  But he, who started very early with teeth (four months old!), really has A LOT of them.

He does NOT like having a poopy diaper.  Likewise, he does NOT like having a poopy diaper changed.  When I get him up from a nap and he's pooped, he's usually crying hard; and I know that he'll cry while I pick him up from his crib, lay him down on the changing table, undo his clothes, take off his diaper, clean him up...then sometimes he stops crying at this point, but other times he cries all the way until I've got a clean diaper on him and have fastened his clothes again and have picked him up.  I'm really hoping that this strong dislike for poopy diapers will make him a breeze to potty-train!

When I carry him, I almost always hold him on my left side; I've always carried my babies like that.  But what's unique to him is that he will use his right hand, which is on my back, to grab hold of my shirt as he rides along.  I don't remember any of the other boys doing that, but I guess Shav uses that "handle" to feel more secure.  :)

He's a scooter, as I've mentioned before; and as such, he has calluses on his ankles.  The knees of his pants never wear out, but the outside of his ankles does get a little banged up - just like Tobin's did.

He's pretty good at throwing things and will use either arm for that, depending on which arm is closer to the object he picks up and throws.  We have no idea if he'll be a righty or a lefty (although my dad and I are rooting for him to be a lefty).  :)

He waves bye-bye, often just after the person we're saying goodbye to has stopped looking at him.  One evening a while back, Jeff was outside working on the Big White Van (AKA Max, Daisy, and The Yacht); and I was holding Shav on my lap and watching from the picture window in our living room.  Shav was excitedly and repeatedly waving, obviously recognizing that his daddy was out there and wanting to greet him in some manner.  So sweet.

Shav used to not like tummy time at all, but now (and remember, I first wrote this months ago) he does better with it.  He especially likes it if I or someone else gets down on the floor with him and interacts in a fun way, playing with his toys with him, rolling a ball to him, etc.  Now (meaning Oct. 6), when I lay him down on the floor, he rolls over and over and has a blast.  He especially likes it when I lay down next to him, let him roll over, then playfully (and gently, of course) roll him back to his original position while saying to him in a silly, teasing way, "You've gotta roll over!"  I first did that with Josiah when his large motor skills were slow in developing and we were trying to help his advancement.  I suppose I've done it with all of the boys at one time or another; and by seeing me be so goofy with it, they've always laughed hilariously while we do it.  More fun than a barrel of monkeys, I tell ya.

As far as food goes, Shav is developing (and expressing) more preferences than he used to.  Even without saying a word, he communicates so clearly as he sits in his highchair.  His traditional sign for "I'm not ready yet for another bite of food" is putting his left arm up in front of his mouth.  When he wants to let us know that "yuck, I do NOT want to eat that," he twists his whole body to the right and raises his chin as far as it will go so that I can't reach his mouth.  Recently he's been communicating "I want to do it MYSELF" by reaching for the spoon and wrestling with me to get it out of my grasp.  I don't mind him trying to self-feed when it comes to certain foods; but with some things (yogurt, soup, etc.), I'm not ready to give him that freedom yet because that freedom comes with a price tag:  A BIG MESS.  He does really well with finger foods, so I take advantage of that and give him lots of things that he can pick up and feed himself.

He babbles and says things like "dada" and "mama" and "gaga" and "abba."  I'm not convinced that he's assigned the right meaning to certain words though.  However, recently I was holding him while we watched Jeff drive off to work; and something that sounded for all the world like "Bye, Dada!" came out of his lips.  I'm inclined to think it was a happy accident though.  :)

If you've been reading my blog during the past year and a quarter (almost), you know that I've agonized over Shav's sleep - or lack thereof.  He has definitely been my hardest baby as far as sleep goes - no question about it.  But I am happy (thrilled!) to write that he has been doing so much better with that.  Now, instead of it being a rare occurrence for him to sleep through the night, it's normal for him to do so.  He still has nights occasionally when he wakes up (and within the past week, he had a particularly rough night; but I think there must have been a specific reason for that, some kind of pain perhaps); but overall, it is night and day between how he used to be as a sleeper and how he is now.  What a relief!!!

Here's a typical day for Shav:
~ wake up between 6:30 and 7:30
~ eat breakfast (although he's not a big eater at breakfast time...he does, however, drink a lot of milk from a sippy cup at this meal)
~ play, play, play
~ by about 10:00 AM, he's ready for his first nap, so into bed he goes (and on school days, this is when I start serious homeschooling stuff with Josiah and David)
~ he usually sleeps for several hours, and sometimes doesn't even wake up until 1:00 or 1:30
~ lunch, usually lots of finger foods - and milk, of course
~ time to play again (usually the other boys will be having quiet time/naps at this point, and sometimes Shav will be with David, because David LOVES to have his littlest brother with him during quiet time...otherwise, Shav is with me, playing in the laundry room while I load the washing machine, or in my bedroom as I fold laundry, or in the kitchen as I do dishes, etc.)
~ down for his second nap around 4:00 PM
~ up in time to eat supper with the family (he loves being part of the group and watching all the interactions around him)
~ more time to play (and sometimes get tickled by Daddy)
~ bedtime around 8:00 or 8:30 PM
It's a great schedule, and I feel really blessed by it.  The only thing that makes it a little difficult for me is that he doesn't nap when the other boys are having quiet time/naps, so I never get a complete break from all four. The only reason I mind that is because I don't really get to nap.  Most days I don't mind; but occasionally a day will come along when I am utterly exhausted, and I really have to drag myself through the afternoon.  I know when he transitions to one nap a day, I'll be able to get that simultaneous quiet time/naps that I sometimes long for; but at this point in time, I'm abundantly pleased that he still takes two naps, because that morning nap really makes homeschooling a lot easier for us.

He likes to drop things; did you notice?  :)

Shav is so special.  As the littlest one, he is so, so loved by each of us.  I think there is something in us that responds to his littleness; and all of us are a little kinder, a little more gentle, a little more tender when it comes to him.  That's not to say that when he scoots over to Tobin and grabs a toy out of his hand, a few sparks don't fly (they do).  But in spite of that, we all want to take good care of him and be a little extra careful with him.  Being the fourth child in a family just means that there are five other people to lavish love upon you, and our darling Shavi receives it graciously...

...and turns and pours it back upon all of us.

When People Come to My Home...

...I'd rather they feel welcome than impressed.

I'd rather they feel at home than in awe.

I'd rather they give glory to God than glory to me.

I'd rather they know that they can leave their shoes on and track dirt onto my floors than feel like they must take their shoes off at the door (although, of course, if they want to take their shoes off, that's fine with me!). I realize, too, that the "shoes off" issue is very culturally-driven; for example, when we lived in Israel, we had many Russian friends there, and I became very accustomed to taking my shoes off when I entered their home...and not just taking my shoes off, but putting my feet into a pair of their slippers that they brought me! That seemed strange to me at first - a little too close for my comfort - not quite as bad as sharing toothbrushes, but still uncomfortably close. :) But, "when in Rome, do what the Romans do." So I did. Earlier this year, when we visited a local Russian housechurch, we took our shoes off at the door, and I slipped a pair of their slippers on my feet. I even smiled while I did it. ;)

I'd rather they know that their kids can be noisy and cry and play and run and touch and, yes, even break something, than feel as if they must constantly be darting fiery glances at their children to remind them to sit down and be quiet and, for pete's sake, don't touch anything.

I'd rather they notice the warm atmosphere of our home than the glamorous look of it.

I'd rather they leave thinking, "That was wonderfully relaxing; when can we come again?" than "Whew, we made it out without breaking something or messing something up. Now I can breathe freely."

I'd rather my graciousness extend, not just to our guests, but also to my family before and after the visit, so that my precious family doesn't pay a price for the hospitality we extend to others.

That's a lot of "rathers!"

If, in order to accomplish these rathers, I need to let some things go, ignore some cobwebs and dust bunnies floating around, have a pile of need-to-be-sorted papers on the counter, still have a mountain of laundry in my laundry room, not stress about the unfinished painting in the corner of the new openings in the wall between our kitchen and living room, not worry about the threads hanging off our couch where the fabric is fraying, etc., then so be it. I can crucify my perfectionist ideas of how my home should look for the higher goal of making it a place of peace and love and joy and welcome and warmth and laughter.

Because that is what people will remember.

And I'll remember this little beauty, who's sleeping under my roof tonight...

Nine Tidbits

* Having friends (that we haven't seen in over a year) come from California to stay with us for a few days is wonderful incentive to do things like...
~ clean out the refrigerator,
~ plan the menu (not just for supper, but for breakfast and lunch, too),
~ do a thorough grocery shopping,
~ clean and organize everything in the room in which they will stay,
~ put out some smoldering hotspots that have been ignored for far too long.

* Thinking of them flying, with their three young children, on a red-eye flight right now reminds me - a little too vividly - of our experiences with flying with children.  Tonight, I'm grateful to be here in my own sweet home, ready to crawl into my own cozy bed, not thousands of feet up in the air, crowded into too-small seats, wishing that the recline button made the seat go back even further, and praying earnestly that the children would sleep the whole way!  Even still, I'm glad that our friends are willing to make the sacrifice to come.  :)

* Google still won't let me load pictures to my blog, even though I bought the storage space and my account shows that I have the storage space.  Hmmm...what's going on?

* Our dogs killed a possum last night.  Our pasture is no playground for rodents and other critters, that's for sure.  All three of our dogs have hunter characteristics in their blood, and they aren't predisposed to show mercy to wanderers in their territory.

* This stood out to me from a sermon I heard on Sunday:  We dare not reject one for whom Christ died. (spoken by Sam Wenger) There are some people that are so hard to love; but when I think about it in the light of Christ's sacrifice for them, how could I possibly do less than love them?

* This post stirred up some interesting discussion; I had no idea I was touching such a nerve!  I really enjoyed and appreciated hearing a wide variety of perspectives on the topic, so thank you to those of you who threw your hat in the ring and left a comment.  I learned from you!

* As we were driving away from David's soccer game on Saturday, he was sitting in the backseat, munching on his Congo Square.  My late-night cookie-making angst was instantly worth it when I heard him exclaim, "Man, this cookie is GOOD!"  And then Tobin piped up, "Yeah, I like that cookie, too!"  (Except in Tobin Talk, it sounded more like, "Ah, I yike dat ookie, too!"  In that moment, I was SO glad I had made those cookies; I got all the reward I needed.  :)

* Tobin's favorite expression these days:  "Oh, dear!"  Jeff claims he got it from me.  I suppose he did.  Regardless, it cracks me up when he says it.  Oh, Tobin Bear, you're adorable!

* Here are two posts that stood out to me in recent days:  first, this one at Feathers in Our Nest, showing four generations of women.  The great-grandma in this picture was my kindergarten teacher, and she's kept in touch with my family through the years and watched me grow up.  The grandma in the picture has reached out to me, especially since we moved back from Israel; and her input on homeschooling, the comments she's left on my blog, and other unexpected kindnesses she's shown me have blessed my soul numerous times.  What a joy to see the new mama in the picture and her precious little girl.  The Godly legacy continues...  The second post is this one at Amy's Humble Musings.  The title alone - "I'm not sure who came up with the 'family integrated' church model, but I guarantee you, it wasn't a single mom." - was enough to intrigue me; and when I read it, I laughed and laughed as I nodded in agreement.  Yes, I know exactly how you feel.  The comments on that post just add to the merriment.  Good stuff.

Ever-Increasing Glory

~ I took this photo on top of Reddish Knob; I loved how the setting sun reflected on this flower and made it light up so brilliantly - summer 2007

I have loved this verse ever since I memorized it for Carolyn Fields' discipleship group, way back in 1998 (I think).  Ah, sweet memories from that group of women, zealous for the Lord and His work!

Recently I've felt like my transformation into His likeness has been discouragingly slow; but even when I ache from the snail's pace of the tedious process, I rest in the assurance that He is doing the work.

All because of His glory.

May I reflect it more and more.

WWYD?

I was planning to do the long-awaited (awaited by me and my dad, at least) Retirement Reception Post tonight; but even though I paid my $5.00 and got more storage space from Google today, they're still not letting me upload any photos.  They did say it could take up to 24 hours, but I was hoping for less.   No matter...

This gives me time to ask What Would You Do?

Here's the situation:  your 5 year-old son (who happens to be utterly adorable) is playing on a soccer team (which looks like a swarm of bees in their yellow jerseys as they follow the ball and completely ignore the coach's instructions to spread out...you know how soccer games go in the 4 to 6 year-old league!).  After each game, the players are given a snack, which the parents take turns providing.  So far, every snack has consisted entirely of purchased items:  fruit roll-ups, granola bars, little packages of cheese crackers, etc., items that are easy to buy and hand out.  Your idea of an after-game snack, however, is different:  homemade cookies and fresh fruit sounds about right (along with some Gatorade, because these players are athletes after all, albeit miniature ones).  When it's your turn to provide the snack for the game, what do you do?  Go along with the trend, and get some pre-packaged, full-of-unpronounceable-ingredients snack items at Costco?  Or swim against the tide, and go the homemade route?

The pan of Congo Squares (a kind of bar cookie from my favorite Mennonite cookbook) cooling downstairs in my kitchen and the green grapes resting in my refrigerator tell you what I'll do, since tomorrow is game day for David and my turn to bring the snack.

As I beat the cookie batter tonight and dumped in the chocolate chips, I kept thinking, "Why?  Why don't the other parents bring something homemade?  Are they too worried about contamination to let their child eat something that's not pre-packaged? (If nobody on David's team trusts my cooking, I guess that means I'll get to bring home more cookies for my own family!)  Or is it simply a matter of convenience:  run into Martin's, grab some snacks, and rush on your way?  Have our lifestyles gotten so lazy?  Or so busy, that we no longer have time to make cookies at home for our children?  Or is something else going on here?"

I really don't know what it is, but I hope - oh, how I hope! - that I will never get to the point of distrusting my child's soccer teammates' parents' cooking...or to the point of being too busy to make a homemade snack for my cherished 5 year-old and his soccer team.