Jireh

We are coming off of one very full but very refreshing weekend! Our discipleship training school met all day Saturday and Monday night, and Sunday brought the regular morning church service and the bonus of the World Mandate Tour that night.

Along with another couple, we went to World Mandate last year, and I attribute it to being an important catalyst for changing the way I see God. It was that amazing! This year, because of some scheduling conflicts, the conference moved to September. Thankfully, they decided to do several mini-versions this month in various locations, and Norman was one of them. It definitely has us excited for the full-blown event later this year!

The teachings and the worship were highlights of the weekend, but one moment in particular was the sweetest of all. Levi's favorite song is "Jireh," written by Jonathan Gulley. We know this because it is literally the only song that relaxes him and frequently puts him to sleep. This is funny because if you listen to the song, you'll quickly realize that it's no lullaby!

We love the song, too, and I love watching Gib sing it to his son, who is cradled in his arms, slowly losing the battle with sleep. We sing it in church service sometimes, as well as in our training school. Every time it's sung, everyone goes wild, which is so fun. I imagine that Levi heard it enough during my pregnancy that it's comforting to him.

Well, Jonathan Gulley was in town this weekend to teach on Saturday and attend the events on Sunday. Our pastor called him on stage Sunday morning to sing Jireh, and the place went absolutely nuts - it was a blast! We had the chance to introduce Levi to him, and I know it may sound silly, but it was one of those moments that really moved me. Perhaps it's knowing how life-giving the song is, as I love the lyrics and the song itself. Perhaps it's because we got a firsthand experience to hear Jonathan teach, and know how genuine his heart is. But whatever the case, it made for a very sweet moment.

Jonathan shared that the song was written very quickly - that it was one of those songs that just came from the heart as they were preparing for a trip to Africa. He laughed because as a pastor, he has spent considerable time writing sermons and songs, and yet this song is the one everyone remembers. Of course, it was funny for him to hear that it put infants to sleep!

I wish I'd had my camera for the big introduction, but nonetheless, here is our little frog-outfitted boy ready to head to the World Mandate Tour:

Here's to you, Mr. Robinson and Hey Jude!

I couldn't resist the song references - it's been such a fun day!

Two of our good friends gave birth to a simply precious baby boy, Jude. I'm glad to have another boy baby in the mix of lots of girls! We got to visit them in the hospital today, and let me just say, this woman was made for birthing kids. The Lord blesses her with some amazing labor testimonies, and she just has this glow about her.

_______________

Three years ago, some great friends of ours set off for Boston in pursuit of a Ph.D. We've known for years that Chris was brilliant, but now it's official - he's Dr. Robinson! We are so excited for both him and Joanna, knowing how hard they've worked for this. We selfishly hope that this achievement means that they'll be moving back to the Midwest, at least within driving distance!

In addition to getting to celebrate the new doctor, we also got to meet their beautiful daughter. She and Levi are one week apart, and I think they are already good friends after tonight. Here's a series that demonstrates our active little guy along with the pretty lady:

Finally, a fairly still photo. Isn't she a beauty?

Our little Mr. Wiggles has also discovered his tongue in the last two days, which is pretty much the most adorable thing ever (to us, at least). He rotates between sticking it out and blowing bubbles.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Crockpot goodness

I am the first to admit that I'm no gourmet chef. Instead, I prefer meals that are simple and budget-friendly, and hopefully healthy. I've always been a fan of the crockpot, but now that my hands are literally full with a cute little cuddlebug, I'm even more appreciative of the ability to throw some ingredients into one pot and have dinner ready hours later.

In case there are others out there like me, I feel it's my duty to pass on this recipe we tried tonight. What grabbed my attention was the fact that there are a mere SIX ingredients, with one of those being water. Not only was this dish simple, but it was delicious. I think even Susan Horan might appreciate me posting this one (hi, Suz!).

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. cubed beef stew meat (I used eye of the round steak instead.)

1 can (10.75-oz.) condensed golden mushroom soup

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce

1/4 cup water

4 oz. sour cream

In the crockpot (or slow cooker, as some would say), combine the meat, soup, onion, Worchestershire sauce and water. Cook on low for eight hours (or high for five). Stir in sour cream before serving.

It doesn't get any simpler than this! And it was tasty. We served ours over no-yolk egg noodles. I cooked this round on high, but I think next time I'll use the low setting, as some of my sauce stuck to the pot. Also next time, I'll double the recipe. This makes about four servings, but I like my crockpot meals to offer some leftovers.

Celebrating Aunt Kim

Happy birthday, Aunt Kim! Your gift should arrive soon... just a heads up that it likes to eat around 2:30 a.m and goes through approximately 15 diapers a day. Haha! I kid, I kid - we'd miss the little guy too much.

Aunt Kim has been part of the Team Park story from the very beginning. We shared floor space in the church in Greenwich Village in the summer of 2002. The room had a lone shower partitioned off in the corner, affording our group such little privacy that we resorted to entertaining ourselves with timed shower races to see who could shower fastest (to clarify: we showered individually!).

She was there when I walked through NYC barefoot after my brand-new J.Crew flip-flop fell on to the subway track, when Gib managed to get brown paint on the backside of his jeans and when the subtle sparks began flying between the two of us. In fact, she had an active role herself, telling me, on our last day in NYC, that she thought I was the kind of girl she could see her brother marrying and weeks later hitting "send" on the e-mail that led to our first date. We ended up being roomies later that summer for Project Transformation and she graciously couriered little gifts back and forth on her trips home. Since then, we've been mistaken for one another on more than one occasion.

After living the aloha life in Hawaii, we're fortunate to have her back in the same state. She is a great sister and friend to both of us.

Happy, happy birthday, KRP! We love you!

In addition, my Uncle Jimmy (who is now a GREAT-UNCLE in addition to also being a great uncle) celebrated a birthday this week, too. Happy birthday!

Two months!

GP and I have differing opinions of when to celebrate Levi's two-month birthday. I've been counting the weeks, so as of yesterday, he was eight weeks old, which equals two months, right?! Gib prefers to celebrate on the 22nd of each month, no matter which day it falls on. I think he is actually the correct one in considering how we celebrate birthdays in general. But, I'm going to split the difference and wish our Levi Blaze a happy two-month birthday today!

A well-known blogger I used to follow regularly wrote a newsletter to her eldest daughter each month. I always loved reading them, so I'm adapting that idea to my own blog. Here goes...

LBP,

So much has happened in the last month! You are one of the most alert babies we know, as you are constantly looking around intently with those big blue eyes.

We introduced you to a mobile in the last few weeks, and you are in heaven... so much so that we actually bought another one, so you have two! Your favorite one hangs over your changing table, and every time we put you down, whether you are crying or not, once we wind up the mobile, your entire face lights up. You smile and giggle and coo and wiggle like crazy, and we will stand there for ten minutes sometimes, continually winding that mobile just so we can watch you. The other mobile is on your crib, and it entertains you for twenty minutes at a time!

You have begun standing up on our laps in the last week, and once you figured out that you could do such a thing, it's about all you want to do when we are holding you. You still love to be held, though, and we love that about you.

As I type this, you are asleep on your daddy's stomach, and he is asleep on the bed. While you've come to recognize my voice, particularly when you are hungry, you most certainly know your daddy, too. He can put you to sleep more effectively than I can most of the time!

Your personality shines more and more each week, and we think you are going to be quite the little firecracker. Little did we know that your middle name might fit so appropriately from the very beginning!

Here you are with one of your besties, Miss CL, both of you captivated by the TV:

I know I say this every week, but time has flown. It's hard to believe you have been in our lives for eight weeks now. Happy two-month birthday, little guy!

Like father, like son

As if there is any question as to whose son this is, I present:

(Onesie created by another talented friend, Nurse Kayla!)

SAHM

Today was a momentous day, albeit bittersweet. Today, I said farewell to a great boss, a pretty posh corner office and a steady income. But today also means saying hello to spending my days with Levi, having more time to spend investing in relationships around me and getting to know more international students and families.

After five and a half years with the university, I don't think I would have predicted this day even a year ago. But, after considerable prayer and discussion, we know this is the right decision and we are pretty excited about this opportunity.

So today, I have become an acronym - a Stay At Home Mom, and I welcome all of the adventure that comes with it!

Thirty, Flirty and Fabulous

Someone turned the big 3-0 today!

To celebrate, our life group got together to play some kickball and enjoy some Rudy's BBQ.

Levi was there to watch the big boys (and girls) play:

Happy birthday, Ryan! We can't wait to see where this year takes you!

Jeggings

As a result of having very basic cable, I spend more time than I should admit watching the Home Shopping Network. I know, I know, but sometimes it's either that or Ghost Whisperer or Barney, so I'm not terribly ashamed to say that I have come to recognize some of the HSN personalities by name. I'm not tempted to buy anything, but I do find it interesting to watch the hosts try to convince people to buy their products. Plus, it's G-rated background noise as I go about the day.

One show that happens to be on frequently when I flip to HSN is Diane Gilman hocking her vast array of jeans and shirts for the "Baby Boomer" audience. Diane and her co-host, Shivan, are changing the lives of women everywhere with DG2 stretch denim jeans and animal print jackets. I mean, you should hear some of the callers!

Usually, I watch Diane with mild interest, but one item suddenly caught my attention. Did she just say... jeggings? As in, a combo of jeans and leggings? Is that a real term? I watched in awe as the models strutted down their runway with jeggings and 8-inch heels. Surely this was a joke.

Fast forward to last weekend, when we had dinner with some good friends of ours. I happened to mention my introduction to jeggings, when my friend, who is both beautiful and fashionable, pointed out that she was wearing jeggings at that very moment. WHAT? Well, come to find out, these jeggings creations apparently can look quite cute in person. And, my friend confirmed that they are, in fact, just as comfortable as Diane Gilman would lead me to believe. Perhaps I need to look into this phenomenon.

I am clearly way out of the loop of the fashion world. Do you have a jeggings testimony? What else am I missing?

Lessons learned

Lately, as I reflect back over the last six weeks, my thoughts wander toward the lessons I've learned in even such a short time. Of course, there are the daily lessons, such as learning not to put my "leaving the house" shirt on until I am literally leaving the house. I think Baby Law stipulates that should a mother foolishly dress completely before being ready to walk out the door, she will have to change outfits due to some sort of stain, typically of the spit-up variety. There are the many lessons related to diaper changes and little boys, swaddling lessons, feeding lessons and learning that finally purchasing a crib mobile means 18 uninterrupted minutes of productivity time.

These have all been valuable lessons, no doubt. But in the last few weeks, I feel that God has been teaching me some profound lessons about His nature. Specifically, about his parental nature. I'd always heard from other parents that "once you have a kid, you'll understand _______ (insert topic here)." I sort of rolled my eyes at this concept because I was the best parent I knew before actually having a kid. Now, I realize the truth in this idea, and in addition to feeling very humbled, I also rejoice because the Lord has really given me revelation in this learning process.

When Levi cries, my heart still breaks - I haven't become desensitized to this yet. There have been times that knowing he was crying because he was in pain or seriously unhappy resulted in my own tears. It was in one such moment of grief that God spoke gently, saying, "I, too, grieve when my children are in pain." I know that God is love, that He is good, but far too often, I forget that God has a nurturing nature.

There are still some things that Levi simply doesn't like, such as diaper changes. In the instances where we feed him a bottle, we stop halfway to let things settle and you would think, from the sounds coming out of such a tiny body, that this was torture. What I want him to understand is that we do these things for his good, even though they don't seem like it to him. Drinking is a very enjoyable thing for him, but drinking too much too fast will not have pleasant results. So, in his best interest, we interrupt him for a short time before letting him resume. What I'm continuing to realize through these situations is that sometimes, God is actually using the things that seem unpleasant for our good, for our benefit, even if we don't understand that.

Floyd McClung's book, The Father Heart of God, has some very profound insights about God's nature. Just as I've learned about parental aspects of God that I can relate to (in a very small way), in watching Gib with Levi, the concepts that McClung talks about come to life for me. The way that Gib looks at his son is enough to melt my heart, and I love the way he comes home from work full of anticipation to see his child. I don't think many things make this daddy happier than having his baby boy fall asleep in his arms or flash a grin at him during "play time." How much more, then, must God love it when we run to His embrace, when we smile with thanksgiving at who He is and the things He does, when we rest in Him.

I welcome the lessons I know that are to come and am so grateful for the things God has already revealed to me through the life of Levi Blaze.

(Tie onesie courtesy of Aunt Leigh - it's Levi's church attire!)

A more professional debut

I have super talented friends. I think my own abilities in life increase simply because of my association with these friends. Ok, that might be wishful thinking. But, truth be told, I never cease to be amazed and impressed by what they can do!

Taylor (or TayTay or Tay4185) is one such friend:

(As an aside, GP vetoed the idea of leg warmers, so yes, he is sporting some infant tube socks!)

I'm trying to think of something she can't do and so far am unsuccessful. Need photography? Or wedding invites? Or save the dates? Or a graphic design product of any kind? Or a hot meal (request the tacos)? Or some encouragement? Or a delectable punch beverage for your next shower? Taylor's your gal. She can do all of the above and do 'em well.

The most recent way I've been blessed by this lady is the delivery of a certain DVD filled with pictures of a certain newborn.

These pictures were taken when Levi was almost at the two-week mark, in the middle of Snowmageddon 2011, when I contacted Taylor last minute and said something like, "Um... I need some pictures... what's your schedule like?" And she was so gracious to work us right in, because she's fabulous like that. These are a few of our favorites.

Check out Taylor's blog at http://taylorjilldesigns.com to see a sampling of the ways she can brighten your life! Thank you, Taylor!