The Adventures of a typical boring family

It's been about a year since i really updated this thing... though i did try to restart my xanga once inbetween and have had many dreams of blogging again... i think it'd be good for me... but i guess life has been busy and i've been wasting time...

i used to blog a lot, about all the exciting things going on... and i think perhaps we have settled into the mundane, into our thirties or into family life...

However, i'd like to give an update- maybe not the last year, but recently...
May flew by, hard to believe it is June. Back in March, i was looking forward to May being a nice relaxing time to get a lot of things done... not really, Still, i feel like a lot happened...

This last week we potty-trained Halle.
  We used the 3-day potty-training method, suggested by a friend.
 i liked it, in that it used a lot of positive reinforcement & encouragement. And it was empowering, building ownership. We weren't to force her to use the toilet or even ask her if she needed to go(though sometimes we slipped), but just reminded her to tell us if she needed to go.
We completely ditched the diapers and put her in underwear.
Kinda crazy.

By the middle of day 2, while Halle was napping, we were trying to think what we would do when it didn't work... but soon after she woke up   - it started to click!
She's not perfect, but she's pretty close. She sometimes isn't quick enough, but she knows what she is supposed to do
... pretty soon, she will find it physically impossible to not poo in her pants.

Josiah meantime is attempting more steps and blabbering more things that sound like words.

In a month, our lives should be radically different.

Josiah celebrated his one-year birthday last month. We had a party here in Munice, then again in LA. He seemed to like the chocolate cake, though he went to bed soon after his party started in LA, and didn't even get cake. He wasn't too upset about that, but i was. i saved him a piece of cake, and just about everyday wanted to give him his piece, but he never got it...

We spent 2 weeks in LA, celebrating 3 moms on mother's day... To summarize our time: We took the 15 to the 210 to the 605 to the 5 to the 1 to the 10 to the 101...
And we ate In N Out, Mexican, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Cuban, Japanese and fresh food.

We had a good time seeing people, but it was nice to get back, the 3 hour time difference was killer jet-lag, which is crazy when you consider all the travel we used to do.

So, yes, thirties are kinda boring... but still exciting for me. We already went to LA, have a trip coming up to Colorado, next up: Traverse City, Mi.

More updates to come... hopefully

the one with a boy

It is confirmed

We're Having a Boy!!!!!

21 weeks... he'll be here so soon! i think he may be more introverted than his sister, but we'll see...

We have been calling him Josiah... though other names are still in the mix.

i wrote him a note tonight, but i referred to him as son...

i would really like to write my kids notes, every year, maybe every month... and give it to them when they turn 18 or 22 or something... i wrote Halle a note tonight too, which i think is only the 2nd note i have written her... but i think i can find some old journal entries too...

i love my kids.
i love my son though i haven't met him yet.
i will love my kids even though they will frustrate me.

And though sometimes i want to do my own thing, and feel out of energy or don't know what to do... i delight in my daughter and i will in my son too.


Today, i am thankful for...
1. My son! - what a blessing! An Arrow in my Quiver
2. That God would let me have a son while i am still kinda young so i can play sports or whatever with him later
3. The privilege & opportunity to be a male role model to my son
4. That he is growing and is healthy
5. i am still thankful for my daughter Halle too

the thing about having kids

Halle is 9 months old today. We're slowing reading some books on parenting... learning on the job i guess... we i'm not that great at it - but God is stretching us teaching us a lot!

Anyway, the question is asked why have kids?

Here is what i say

1.     Children are a blessing from the Lord (like arrows in a quiver)

2.     Raising Children in a godly way is an opportunity to build the kingdom of God & influence the world

3.     Being a parent will stretch my faith and cause me to depend on God more

4.     We’re commanded to be fruitful & multiply

5.     I want to love & enjoy my kids

6.   A family

7.     It will be fun to have kids

8.     A Legacy

i know a number of people who wait to have kids... and have heard some people say this society is so awful, they don't want to bring kids into it. And a lot who think a one-child policy is a good idea.

Baloney.

Kids are a good thing. They will stretch you. Your life will no longer be your own... your life will not be the same... and that will be frustrating. 

But... kids are a blessing from God... and we shouldn't try to manage our life so much to make it easy or convenient

Having kids is out of our control - as much as we may not try to control it. God is the giver of life. Each child is a gift, is grace. 

So many of my friends have struggled to have kids... so don't take your kids for granted.

There are a lot of bad reasons to have kids... and we won't be perfect parents... but i hope we will raise our kids to the glory of God and help them to love God and enjoy the Gospel.