Family on Father's Day

Our father's day weekend was pretty low key. Our first weekend back in China, we didn't want to do anything crazy! But hey, it made for family memories that are what we'd want to remember anyway, right?

Like Saturday morning sister snuggles...

And the cutest faces when they study each other...

And the huge smiles when Daddy joins in playing! Because he's an awesome daddy like that, of course!

Baths are always made easier when Ryan is home to help! As I posted on Facebook for Father's Day:

This guy is pretty much the best Daddy in the world. I get to see him in the ins and outs and highs and lows, and he loves his girls with all he is. No one can make them laugh more, and his silliness to get a giggle knows no bounds. And yet he instructs and teaches and is firm when needed, training them in such good ways. He's also the best with stories, both in making up ones about Dassah's stuffed animals and in reading books - there are certain ones Hadassah won't let me read because "Daddy reads them best." ;) He makes Bible stories come alive, putting them in toddler terms to make sure she understands. He's here every evening, his family his priority, helping with baths and bed times and blessing me in so many ways as he blesses them. I love you, Ryan! Thank you for being such an amazing man of God! Happy Father's Day. <3

And these are what pictures are starting to look like for Ellie. If she's not constrained, she wants to move!!

I took Hadassah out to campus to give Ryan some rest (he'd gone straight back to work the day after we got home from America!) and then when Ellie woke, we tried going to the park for a picnic. Bad idea. While the mornings and evenings here are sometimes breezy and not to hot, mid-day is not the time you want to be riding a bike with a girl on the back and a baby in the Ergo. HOT! But, it was fun to be a family.

But both girls somehow knew it was a special picture on Father's Day morning, and they gave me their best smiles! Oh how they love their Daddy!

Ellie threw up four times on Saturday afternoon, so I didn't want to risk taking her to church. But Ryan took Hadassah, though I offered to keep her home too, knowing it would be easier. But he values her learning about God and getting used to the discipline of church each week, that he took her alone. And oh how happy she was when she came home after a whole morning with his attention!

Had to make Ryan's favorite breakfast!

And after naps, he introduced Ellie to guitar playing. Just like Hadassah did at her age, she loved feeling the vibrations!

And of course Hadassah had to join in on the fun too!

To top it all off, Ellie started actually crawling on Father's Day! Ryan got pictures of her moving from one side of the room to the other!

Since Ellie seemed to be doing better, we braved the subway to go half and hour away to Blue Frog for Father's Day dinner. That place is the closest nice Western restaurant and oh so good!

I am not that into fish, so I am always happy when Ryan gets some special fish while we're out - good for him, and I didn't have to figure out how to make it!

Monday night I did his favorite chicken. Originally I'd planned it for Sunday, but had forgotten to get Ranch dressing, which is his favorite dip for it. So we went out and postponed this to Monday. This man is definitely worth celebrating for a few days!

And Hadassah was absolutely thrilled with corn on the cob! She ate all of hers and tried to sneak bites of mine!

Monday evening there was the best sunset we've seen here... Absolutely gorgeous. All of the rain means it clears out the pollution and the sky is so pretty when there's not so much smog. Makes me realize how much more beautiful this city would be if the pollution were not around.

And the clear skies meant there was an amazing moon over suburb lights... All in all, a beautiful Father's Day weekend.

Daddy at the Bus

It's not the most convenient time. The crucial dinner-needs-to-be-ready-soon hour. But, it also can be the child-is-not-happy hour, and getting out of the house does both of us good. Plus, there's something wonderful about seeing my love as soon as he gets off of the bus from work, and enjoying a short walk home as a family before supper preparations get crazy. Sometimes I'm ahead of the game and have things cut and prepped and ready to put the final touches on when we get home. Sometimes supper is just a little later... But we both agree that when I can, walking to meet Ryan is a good thing for us. Because if he comes home when dinner is in the throes of being made, it's really hard to stop and ask how the day was, though we still try to pause at least briefly. But when something's about to burn in the pan, it's hard to be relaxed... ;)

Besides, there's nothing like the excitement on Hadassah's face when she sees Daddy getting off the bus!

If we get there just a few minutes early, we sit on the wall and wait...

Mommy and Hadassah sitting side by side!

Her little girlness and excitement that Daddy is coming soon is too adorable.

We chat about things we see, like the fact that today only the blue dump truck was parked across the street, when usually there is a blue dump truck AND a white dump truck parked there...

"There's Daddy's bus!!!"

After waiting as ten to twenty other buses pass us by, we know the one Ryan rides 10 minutes from his work!

I hold Hadassah back until Ryan is on the sidewalk, and then let her go...

And she's always so thrilled to be twirled around by her favorite man :)

"Daddy's home!"

And Mommy is happy too - I get a kiss and enjoy my hand in my love's for at least a bit!

We usually go straight home, but today Hadassah was thrilled to take Daddy to run with her on the "pao bu path" :)

It's a lot of pictures to capture something that is just an ordinary part of our day. But somehow, those ordinary moments are the most precious ones to make sure we remember...

Recipes for the best

Last week I made pasties for dinner. I know, the name makes everyone go, "huh?" It's a traditional Scandenavian dish, handed down from my dad's parents. It's simple, really, but quickly became the favorite food of almost everyone in my family, especially my dad. It was the most-oft requested dish for birthdays and other special meals.

It's not nice to post pictures of food without sharing the recipe, so here you go:

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Pasties

Inside each pie crust:

1/4 lb ground beef

1/2 cup diced carrots (quite small)

3/4 cup cubed potatoes (larger)

1/4 cup diced onion (optional)

salt and pepper

Put in half of the potatoes, salt, half of carrots, salt, half of meat, salt, pepper, then repeat. Finally sprinkle on onions. Close crust (1/2 of pie) Crimp. Prick. Bake at 350* for 1 hour.

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We like to eat ours with a generous helping of ketchup. Some do without, but most end up using it. :) And the onions? While I was known to pick them out with a magnifying glass in my teen years if they happened to be put in my pasty (yes, you make one half pie for each person!), now I can't imagine them without the extra flavor they provide. Yes, your taste buds do grow up...

Pasties always make me think of my dad. While they're a favorite food of many of my siblings and me too, when we made them we were almost always doing it especially for dad. Nothing like meat and potatoes to make a man happy. :) And to my delight, from his first introduction to them, they became one of my husband's favorite foods too, so now when I make them I get to imagine his delight upon seeing/smelling them when he comes through the door.

It made me remember how, when I was single, I used to joke that if my husband was like my dad and brother, I'd be happy. I never realized how much God would grant that wish - from Ryan living with my brother Elijah for two years and reminding me of him in so many ways or in something he says that at times I've accidentally called Ryan "Elijah" - to the personalities and interests he shares with my dad. Now, of course there are plenty of differences, and Ryan is uniquely Ryan in the most wonderful ways - but for purposes of this post, I'll zoom in on the similarities between dad and him.

And yes, it goes far beyond the red beard, though I had not a few people tease me that I the guy I was falling in love with even looked like my dad, with his then full and red beard! It didn't hurt that he was tall like my dad too!

I can thank my dad for helping connect Ryan and I. For those of you who don't know our story, we met at my brother Elijah's wedding, Ryan, a groomsman paired with me, a bridesmaid. And my dad made sure he spent time talking to Ryan, innocently saying it was just because he'd never met him out of Elijah's housemates, but he also conveniently mentioned to the theology-buff Ryan that his daughter Anna had read Grudem's Systematic Theology through twice! Though we'd already caught each other's eyes, that piece of info definitely helped in the catalyst that made Ryan pursue me across the miles.

It's fun hearing my dad and Ryan eagerly discuss theology and various thick books. My dad came to the practice of buying multitudes of good, reformed theology books a little later than Ryan, so it made me smile when he eagerly told Ryan over skype about one he'd recently gotten, only to have Ryan already have knowledge of it. My dad told him "My goal is to one day find a theology book you haven't read!"

I admire that in both my dad and my husband: they desire to be grounded in the truth, and will put time and resources into building a good library and reading good books. They have both blessed me and helped me grow in the Lord through conversations and through reading some of the books with my husband.

They love the Lord first, and that shows. It guides their life, informs their decisions, and makes them good husbands, fathers, and employees, and friends. Knowing them encourages me to know Christ more.

I also admire the way they research and get things for a good value. From cameras to computers to cars, I've seen both of them spend hours and even days looking at the various models, comparing capabilities and prices, and finding the best deal for something that will last. They've definitely helped me make good buys since I'm usually tempted to go with whatever is the least expensive, and tire if I spend more than an hour comparing things.

Their researching strengths expand into other areas, too. From my dad's ability to look through multiple doctor-ese websites and send me helpful links to whatever medical question I have to Ryan's ability to sift through news articles and blogs to make an informed decision on current events, I reap the benefit of their research!

I am also blessed by their mild manners. I have never seen my dad or Ryan lose his temper. Never. Sure, I've seen them get irritated, but they are wise men and know how to keep themselves under control. Never have they shouted at me, never have I felt afraid around them, and never have I seen them intimidate others in that way.

They are good leaders, too. It has always been easy for me to trust their leadership, probably due in large part to how they lead gently and with understanding, not with force. Both of them always value my opinion too, and take time to listen to it, talk through things with me, and explain their reasoning too. I'm sure it's partly why I've never had an issue with the headship/submission model in Scripture, when my dad and my husband both lead and love as Christ loves the church.

They know how to laugh too. To this day I love watching certain movies with my dad because of how I love to hear his laugh, and Ryan's quick and genuine laugh was one of the first things I noticed about him. Life is so much easier when you live with someone who doesn't take things too seriously, and who makes you laugh and lighten up too.

They don't complain either. "Long-suffering" describes them both well, as I've seen them first-hand walk through trying and painful things. They inspire me.

And I can't forget the carrots. I can't remember a time my dad didn't eat a whole, large raw carrot a day. So when my new husband wanted snacks for work, I started packing him a whole carrot. Though he now prefers his sliced, he still eats the whole thing each day, and misses it on the days we're out of them. I'm sure it contributes to them both being quite healthy! :)

They're both always ready for a good time, too. From camping to strategy board games, they enjoy similar things. And they're both willing to dance with me, from dad good-naturedly dancing with me for ballet recital dad & daughter dances TWICE to Ryan taking ballroom dance lessons while we were courting because he knew the girl he was going after had dancing a big part of her life.

I was so blessed to have a dad who spent most of his free time with his family. He was involved in our lives, taking us on memory-making long car trips, semi-annual camping trips, always there for our sports games or recitals, and there pretty much every evening to play a game or watch a movie or go for a walk... He was available, not off pursuing his own hobbies. I see the same in Ryan, as he makes it a priority to be home for meals, to spend time as a family after supper, and to really know Hadassah, doing crazy, exhausting things to make her laugh.

I could keep thinking of things for paragraphs more, but those are the qualities that first come to mind. Although Father's day is past - and I meant to write this post way sooner - it's never not a good time to honor great dads.

So, there you have it. Recipes for the best: the best, hearty meal, and qualities of two of the best men I know.

Father's Day Weekend

With an almost entire week of rain past, and a week of rain in the forecast ahead, we decided to seize the day on Saturday and get out as much as we could! Ryan was great in taking Hadassah out on a few different outings in the morning, as I was just a bit more tired and had a hard time getting going. Then, after her afternoon nap, we headed out to visit a nearby park.

"Park" here usually connotes a lot of sidewalks with some gardens, a few grassy areas they probably prefer you don't walk on, and often a mini amusement park for children. But, it's still nature and a place to walk and let Hadassah loose to get energy out!

 In the garden area there was a pretty place for a Hadassah picture!

 But then when we turned around after a few shots, we were surrounded - and I mean surrounded! - by a group of people also trying to get pictures. We weren't sure where they all came from, because it was a fairly uncrowded area! Hadassah smiled for a few (I think she thinks it's just part of life now) but then was soon "all done" and we headed on.

 There were many types of roses in bloom! Our camera's auto setting makes taking pictures of them entirely too easy... just hold and click!

 There's beauty even in the dying ones...

 Hadassah soon wanted to go over to the rides area, since she knows what rides are now! Her biggest entertainment was watching people fish for goldfish though. She watched for a good ten minutes as people baited and caught fish fairly quickly, wanting to catch fish herself, and then wanted to go back to see it as we were getting ready to go. The little one likes little creatures!

 We splurged and let her do one of the rides, and her face made it all worth it. :) It was a cool boat that you operated by turning the wheels with your hands.

 Another huge treat was seeing a bunny hoping around in a field. There was a cage and someone watching it, so it seemed like it was someone's pet that they let hop free for a while. This little girl and Hadassah loved chasing and befriending it. So sweet to see how gentle Hadassah acted around it, trying to feed it grass and just loving the whole experience!

 When we were ready to go find supper, we found a long line of people waiting for taxis. So we started to walk to find another, less crowded area to try and catch one, when Ryan saw a bus come and suggested we hop on and see if we could get to the mall area that way. I love how he's always ready for an adventure and willing to try new things! So we got on an all-Chinese bus, rode until he thought we were close, and dismounted in the middle of nowhere. But he has a good sense of direction, so we walked for a while, and when we thought maybe we'd taken a wrong turn and asked someone, they told us it was just ahead on the left. It's always amazing when random adventures work out, and fun to do them together!

After walking all over the mall looking for a new place to eat, we ended up going to a Japanese "Asijen Noodles" place we'd eaten at before. By then, we were more than ready to eat!

 Checking the weather just before bed that night made us glad we spent all the time outside that we did. We are definitely getting tired of rain!

Father's Day (Sunday) dawned, and with it Ryan was, sadly, experiencing intestinal issues. It's the third time in the last few weeks, always seeming to be sparked by eating out at an Asian place, even a better quality one. He was feeling weak and definitely not up to a 45 minute taxi ride, so we ended up staying home from church. He stayed in bed most of the morning, while I took Hadassah out as much as I could before the rain descended.

Thankfully, by lunch he was feeling better, and thoroughly enjoyed the homemade mac 'n cheese I splurged in making. Nothing like good ol' comfort food and I love to bless him any day, but especially on Father's Day! It was a restful afternoon, but he was ready to get out by the time Hadassah's nap was over, as he'd been home all day. But it was raining. And the only things I had on hand to make (since I'd only planned on making one meal that day, since we usually eat out after church) required me to be home for at least an hour to cook. We researched online to see if there were ANY Western restaurants besides KFC, McDonald's, and Papa John's around, but couldn't find any.

He knew there was a mall at the end of line 5 (about 25 minutes away by subway) so we decided to take the risk and explore. And horray! There were more Western restaurants, though still only fast food. But, Burger King was the option he decided on, and their "steak house burger" was actually quite delicious and pretty authentic tasting! Going up a few levels on the way out, we found a Blue Frog bar & grill, that would have been a better, more special choice for Father's Day, but at least now we know it's there! The mall was HUGE. Just kept going and going, with many stores like H&M, Gap, and others.

Monday was rainy, but we made the best of it, Ryan even taking Hadassah out for a long walk with a big umbrella. She came back bright eyed and happy after some puddle splashing too. Spaghetti for lunch always makes for cute pictures, as the little miss thoroughly enjoys her noodles.

Oh yes - why was Ryan home? The Dragon Boat Festival, a Chinese holiday, was this weekend, so it nicely gave an extra day off! We'd made plans to go downtown to have supper with friends, and for an even extra special treat, Ryan got to meet his friend early to see "Jurassic World" - something neither I nor the other man's wife wanted to see, so it made an easy extra Father's day gift for them to go together. :) I made supper to bring them, as they've been so hospitable to us, and we wanted to bless them without inconveniencing them to bring 3 children an hour outside of the city for supper. Thankfully the beef curry & toppings turned out and transported well, and it was a wonderful evening of fellowship, though the ride back on the subway definitely felt LONG. But, it was worth it.

So, there you have it. A great way to celebrate a wonderful husband and dad, with some things planned and some things not so planned!

Through our daughter's eyes

 As I've watched you father through our daughter's blue eyes,

I've fallen more in love - but that's no surprise!

As you give her good gifts, like sharing a treat, 

her eyes light up with delight that just can't be beat.

When  you "fly like an eagle" and whoosh through the air,
My heart soars along too, as her giggles ring clear!

"Pillow mound," Doggie, and tickle attacks,
Make her eyes shine and coos with your special knack.

You're so creative how you play with our daughter, my dear.
It makes her bloom and blossom and your love is so clear.

Your discipline, too, is consistent and kind;
You make my job easier as we're united in mind.

You show love to her as you make boundaries clear,
And show love to me as you take leadership here.

You take her on daddy-dates, with her favorite things,
And in so bless me too, with the gift of time that it brings.

And the way her eyes look, after being out with just you...
You teach her true love, and make my heart melt anew.

Seeing you dance, as the song "Cinderella" plays
Makes me want to seize and hold on to these days.

But I know as she grows, our girl with the eyes so so blue,
Your love and skill as a dad will grow up with her too.

And my love is growing each day that I see
You modeling the Father's love, to her and to me.

Photos taken by William VanBuskirk

Happy Father's Day, Ryan!

Two years ago, I was getting to know Ryan and saw him playing with a friend's child. My heart beat a little faster. I somehow knew he'd make a great dad...

...and he does!!!

When Hadassah was born, he bonded with her right away, and was the first to hold and cuddle with her.

Hadassah is growing up secure, safe in her strong Daddy's arms.

 It's been priceless to see Ryan involve her in everything, from passing on his love of music to praying with her and telling her about God.

This site has been a common one since Hadassah was a week old. He started playing with colored rings above her head, and seven months later, she STILL loves it, as her eyes pop out and her legs kick happily :)

Hadassah's eyes always light up something special when she sees her Daddy. Yes, there are times when only Mommy will do (when she's hungry, sleeping, or bonked her head again), but even then Ryan can often get her to calm down as he twirls her around and teaches her to dance.

And ever wondered why Hadassah smiles so much for pictures?

She has a Daddy who isn't afraid to be silly! :)

But the best part of all, much as Hadassah is Daddy's girl, he's already teaching her that Mommy comes first. :) He treasures our marriage, greets me first at the door, and makes sure we have time just the two of us. Countless times he plays with Hadassah so I can get something done or just have a break, even if he's exhausted from a long day. I am so blessed.

Thank you, Ryan, for going above and beyond in your role as a father! I love you!

Your Anna :)