Mommy, you have big panties

time change + 3 children + 12 days missions training = FATIGUE

2009-11-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

As we begin the exciting process of the Lord preparing us for missions in Budapest, Hungary, we'll be posting more at www.BudapestAlive.org... And I've said it before, but will say it again, time change is the enemy of mother's of young children everywhere!

This was a decent fall photo, until

2009-10-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

One child thoroughly lost interest... while another began crawling away. I don't even know what that third one is looking at! Sometimes it's fun to post a snapshot of real life, because, well, it's a bit challenging to get three children to have semi-enthusiastic expressions, while at the same time trying NOT to trample any pumpkins. Happy fall!

Big Girl Got Baptized!

2009-09-28T12:45:00.001-07:00

Grace's Baptism from Budapest Alive on Vimeo.

leaving on a jet plane (again)

2009-09-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

We've received word that the missions organization we applied with, has approved us to attend Base Camp, a 2 week orientation and training session. We are ecstatic and will be flying as a fam of 5 to Colorado in the fall!! Check back for more adventures as we walk through the doors God is opening. I'll be sure to post pics of our packing procedures, which include strapping a car seat onto a piece of rolling luggage, with a toddler in it, while older girls hopefully walk through security. Thanks to friend EW, who has been traveling with her own herd of 3 kids, and gave me the idea.

passing the bean dip

2009-09-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

As a new mom many moons ago, I wish I would have known how to handle the "well meaning comments of others" concerning parenting. "Wow, your baby is small" "how long are you breastfeeding?" "your babies all sleep on their tummies? oh my...". It seems universal to receive comments about one's children, and sometimes even find yourself commenting to another poor, unsuspecting mom yourself. I ran across this blog post, and although I am in no way endorsing the entire blog (since I have not read all its contents), this post is terrific. Enjoy, and pass the bean dip!

because I miss Hungary...

2009-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

.. I made a marzipan torte (or marzipan cake with raspberry sauce). If you have picked yourself up off the floor at the thought that my baking was a SUCCESS, compose yourself and try your hand at the recipe.

3 TBSP all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder (NOT BAKE SODA, have made that mistake many times)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
8 oz almond milk pulp from this recipe (or almond paste in a can). Try it my way and you get yummy almond milk for the kiddos, while the "pulp" is used in the cake.
2 eggs seperated
2 TBSP orange juice

Mix first 3 dry ingredients in a small bowl and put aside. With electric mix, Beat butter until creamy, add sugar and almond pulp or paste, continue to beat on low until well blended. Add dry ingredients, beat some more. Put in 2 egg YOLKS (put the egg whites aside), beat some more, put in final ingredient OJ, beat some more.

In a seperate bowl, beat on HIGH the egg whites until firm peaks form (took me 5 min!!). Gently fold in the egg whites with the rest of the cake mix. Pour into a wax paper lined or springy pan, this is a fluffy cake and does not do well with the flip and cool method once its done (TRUST ME). I drizzled some melted choc on top and put raspberry sauce on the side. The raspberry sauce is a bit of frozen fruit beat with mixer, some OJ and sugar. Oh yea, and bake the cake for 45 minutes at 300 degrees. Jó étvágyat! (or bon appetit in Hungarian).

2009-08-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to think the new, taller fence we are installing out back, is more for the containment of my children... than for the new dog.

Joy Joy turns 2!!

2009-08-11T14:24:00.001-07:00

Our precious "baby" daughter Amelia Joy turned 2 this weekend. It seems like just yesterday I was staring at an ultrasound photo, wondering what on earth I was going to do with 3 girls. How would this little girl be different? Would she be her own unique little person, would I get to spend one on one time with her EVER?? Or would she blend into the mix, forever to live a life of wearing someone else's hand-me-downs and called by her middle name. Well, life with Joy certainly does make things interesting, and she is NOTHING like her other sisters. Sure, they have their moments of similarity, being ALL GIRLS AND ALL! But for the most part, she is already making her mark on the world in her own "unique way". She has a big voice, big hair, big laughs and a big heart. She is fearless, jumping into anything with water, pool, ocean, bath, etc, and already has two chipped front teeth to prove it. I don't remember what life was like before her, and I can't imagine our family without her. As a mommy, your heart immediately grows to love another child, I don't know how it happens, it just does. Now the patience it takes to raise children... well the growth potential for that is slightly slower. At age 2, she likes to suck her thumb, crawl into Emma's toddler bed, LOVES SHOES, runs around the house yelling "hey guys!", and is learning to use the potty, with a pretty advanced vocabulary. Here are some pics from her 2 yr old beach adventure!

sometimes you just need to call in the daddy.. and get a dog

2009-07-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that while I AM a girl, I don't automatically know what to do with my girls. When they have a fit, or become extremely emotional about some nonsensical thing, I just want to run and hide! Maybe it's because I've had those same emotions, I know what a hard road it is to be a girl, and its a part of my life I'd rather stuff under the rug. Thank the Lord for a good and Godly daddy. I didn't have such a thing growing up. When I am at my wits end with a willful and emotional child, and I find my emotions rising and making the situation worse, IT'S TIME. It's time to step in with few words, few emotions and JUST DO IT, as only a daddy can.

Now about the dog... yes a dog! This time I think I scored a good one, with four good legs and everything, remember this post?! In a rather gruesome turn of events last week, I found my daughter's cat DEAD in our backyard. Although I am still traumatized by the events, 1 HOUR (not one day, or one week) later, dear daughter asked "does this mean we're getting a dog?" Apparently it does. So I'm off to walk my dog at the park. Although "unnamed", he has been a wonderful family pet. Good with kids, nice to the neighbors and their dogs, HOUSETRAINED! And HE does not throw a fit if I ask him to take a bath in the morning.

this is how it feels to live in Texas

2009-07-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

In Texas, it is 100 degrees today. When I ask my 2 yr old where she is going, she says "outside" and points to the garage... where they have been playing this summer with the door closed and the fan on. Yes friends, this is the closest she will get to the outside world, to an outdoor pool, to a normal life. Ohhh, don't get me wrong, we go outside and to the pool, but not until about 6pm. We don't frolick and play in the backyard because the grass which should feel nice under one's feet, has turned to prickly hay. I water it every night, not to make it grow, to keep it from bursting into flames (did I mention there is also a statewide drought?). Ah Texas. I guess in the winter when my friends up North are shoveling snow, I will love thee again.

Not True! Tuesday

2009-06-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

In the tradition of Not Me Mondays, which I fondly follow on this blog, I present Not True Tuesday, my attempt to bring to light the less than perfect parts of my day. I had a conversation this morning with a friend who mentioned that as Jesus followers, we don't make a good enough attempt to humble ourselves and admit things are going rough. For example, outwardly it may appear that on Tuesdays my children and I are cheerfully going to a Bible study. In fact, said Bible study is across town, the dvd player (which is only to appear in car on LONG roadtrips) is NOT working, and kids are eating donuts for breakfast (another item banished from car normally). The oldest child has misplaced her THIRD pair of flipflops this summer and so while it may appear like a cute form of dressup, she is actually wearing those pink fuzzy nitetime slippers OUT IN PUBLIC AND TO THE BIBLE STUDY as a punishment. She is 6 and a half and emphatically tells people she DOES NOT play dressup anymore.

I also most certainly DID NOT figure out what was wrong with the dvd player on the way home so that the girls could watch Strawberry Shortcake for a blessed (and quiet) 40 minutes. I DID NOT put the little ones down for a nap earlier than needed because I was upset and wanted to pray for my hubby who was having an MRI across town. I DID NOT fry an egg in the driveway with my 13 yr old niece because it hit 100 today, and later in the day I DID NOT find 2 donut holes in the bottom of my purse and eat them. These are all things that are most certainly Not True! Because Christians do not behave this way. We do not yell at our kids, fry eggs in the driveway, and run off to a back room of the house to eat a sloppy joe and type a post at the end of a long day.

BTW - in aforementioned Bible study a few weeks ago Lois McCall mentioned this verse Micah 6:8 -He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? and it has really stuck with me. While this post is probably not the best expression of humility, the verse reminds me that HUMILITY is required for an intimate walk with God - admitting that He is perfect and we are NOT. Anyone else have a Not True! Tuesday to share? :)

a shameless plug

2009-06-06T16:38:00.001-07:00

Our friend and photographer Jason Drumm, honored us by running around for several hours taking pictures of my brood of children, amidst the perils of streams and ducks and such. Enjoy the photos, and don't hesitate to contact him for your own family photos!

You know you're getting old when...

2009-06-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

- your teen niece tells you about her friend's cool ringtones that anyone over the age of 30 can't hear, thus keeping many happy teens in class with their IPhones on.... then you realize YOU are in that category with her teachers who can't hear squat!
- Lee Majors (6 million dollar man fame) who used to be kinda HOT, is now on an infomercial for a hearing aid.
- you get a text with AMBW or AML and need a texting translator (or a teen) to decode it.
- guy classmates you find on Facebook have mostly gone bald.
- while you are typing this post, 5 strands of your OWN hair have fallen out of your head and onto the keyboard.
- you find a picture of your young family, back when there was only 1 kiddo, 1 digit in my pant size, and only 1 month of parenting under my belt....and barely recognize them.

this is what church looks like in Hungary

2009-05-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

The church laborers in Hungary truly have a daunting task. First, picture a country with millions of people crammed into a landmass the size of Oregon. These people have been oppressed by the Turks, the Germans during WWII, liberated by the Americans, turned over to the Russians, and only 20 years ago were fully liberated. In fact, 20 years ago this month, the reformers in Hungary’s Communist Party started to tentatively remove the barbed wire on the border separating Hungary from Austria. By doing so, the first crack in the Iron Curtain was made, and by autumn of that year all border restrictions were removed by Hungary. So you can imagine, the people are fearful, distrusting, oppossed to leadership (even good leadership at times) and generally a very hard people group to reach! We did attend a small fellowship of believers the one Sunday we were there. We experienced worship in Hungarian, then Terry preached a short message, with the help of the Hungarian Pastor, who speaks both languages. The church service is held in a Christian Library in downtown Budapest, and is run by an American couple who live and work in the library. They open it as a church on Sundays; the adults in one room, the kids in another. It is like no other church I've ever experienced. At the end, the entire room opens for prayer, and everyone prays. The entire room softly says "amen" after each persons prayer, and it became quickly obvious nobody was leaving without a chance to talk to the living God. I can't figure out how to end this post, only to say "yes" I will be posting lots and lots about Hungary; "no" I do not care if I am boring you to tears; "yes" I am potty training two small children at the moment; "NO" I DO NOT want to say how it's going (I'd rather post about Hungary).

back...

2009-05-24T04:13:00.000-07:00

While my heart is still in Hungary, and my baggage is somewhere in London, I am back in the South. The heat is depressing, the kids are elated, and we are exhausted. ** update - our bags are now safe and sound back home.

We now begin the difficult yet exciting time of praying and asking God if He would have us return there soon!

my favorite photo

2009-05-21T12:23:00.001-07:00

speedos?

2009-05-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

It has gotten A LOT warmer here in the past few days, and that has brought about some unexpected European customs. For instance, old people put on bikinis and speedos to work in their front yards. And NO, I do not have a picture of THAT! The hubs has been posting pictures every day. Today, we had street performers who were more than happy to let us photograph them (for some forints, of course). I was hesitant that asking for a photograph would be demeaning in some way, but they are mostly proud of their talent and happy to play and pose.

5 things I did in Hungary today..

2009-05-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

1. Haggled at the market square. I mean really, why pay 5800 forints for something that is really only worth 5200 forint?
2. Rode the Villamos (tram, or above ground city train)
3. Going to see Bye Bye Birdie at the High School (in Hungarian)
4. Noticed that excessive body hair is readily accepted here (score!)
5. Had a great conversation on the bus with an older woman after giving her Grace's seat. Folks on the bus have great respect for mother's with children and the elderly, BUT making eye contact and small talk on the bus is generally not done. Only by speaking the language and offering her a seat did I even gain the right to speak to her.

And I'm eating foods like these! Honestly, can someone just bring my babies here to me so I can stay forever?!

wish you were here..

2009-05-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

..and in case you were wondering what the littles are doing back home, click here. My first thought was how much more clean and well kept they look in someone else's care. Go Tricia! Thanks for all your prayers, we are having a wonderful time.

today, I have no control over...

2009-05-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

- the economy;
- the 20 month old who has decided to start "flinging" herself out of her playpen, just days before I leave the country, with little or no time to transition her into a bed;
- that same 20 month old falling asleep by the door each night;
- that our VP is a raging lunatic to get on national tv telling folks not to stay in confined spaces, such as buses, planes, EVEN classrooms;
- that the VP's hair is starting to look more like Donald Trump's;
- that this stupid flu has my mother calling every day to "check on us";
- that I have a blinding headache, from 2 minutes sleep last night (see above 20month old antics);
- that the airport in Hungary is potentially going to scrutinize us more because we are from the US;
- that as I type this, the 3 yr old WILL NOT stop touching the keyboard (okay, maybe I could exert some control over that, had I slept more than 2 minutes last night).

I guess most days we comfort ourselves with the things that seem to be going well, the things we THINK we have UNDER CONTROL. I have to admit I HATE IT when people chirp "God is in Control" - 1. because I think the phrase is GROSSLY over used. 2. because I want to be in control. So today, I will search for comfort in a Sonic Coke (32oz), a nap (hopefully) and in the Scriptures. The author of all life knows all things, controls all things, and works all things together for the good of those who love Him, and who are called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

Prayer Newsletter complete!

2009-04-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, one more thing crossed off my impending to do list! If you would like to join in praying with us, please click the link in the sidebar.

18 days

2009-04-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've been avoiding the calendar until today. For until today, going to Hungary seemed like a fun far off notion, kinda like "some day I'll get married, some day I'll buy a house, some day I'll go to Europe". Well today, I came to a halt when I looked at the calendar and realized that "some day" is only 18 DAYS AWAY. 18 days... shoooot!

Many big things (like plane tickets, passports, and childcare) have been arranged, but I have a nagging to do list of about 10 other little things that is driving me bananas! For this week however, I'm trying to put my pre-trip anxiety on hold to attend a much needed Ladies Retreat with our church. And make 100 cake balls for aforementioned retreat. Pray for me friends, because this is about the time before any major event in my life when I usually FREAK OUT. And while you're at it, pls pray for this sweet babe also.

this is how a 6 yr old prepares to leave the country..

2009-03-28T17:50:00.001-07:00

Fervent Prayers Needed!

2009-03-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

baby Stellan
I will probably never meet this person, and most likely neither will you. But I do ask all readers to take a moment and pray. After all, we "stumble" upon the blogs of strangers all the time. We read their recipes, use their cloth diapering ideas, or start a vegetable garden based on the inspiration of others. Why not take a moment and pray for a baby? I can think of no better use of my time for the next few minutes, while my own babes are napping.
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20

1st Annual Cul-de-Sac Olympics!

2009-03-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

olympic showdown
My hubby is the one running like a cheetah (he won the grownup relay, ooooh yea!),and my kids are the short, fair haired ones. They are tiny, but FAST!