Goodbye to "her" guys

 The Purdue guys finished their finals and headed out. We'll miss them. Seeing them weekly at church and every other week for supper and a game night (that more often turned into late theology discussions!) was a blessing. It's pretty cool how Ryan had 3 guys very interested in discussing theology - something he's missed having close by since we left Iowa. And Hadassah absolutely loved the attention of these "uncles" that were great with kids! Somewhere along the way she started calling them "my guys."

So when I was putting her down for her nap on Wednesday, after telling her that morning that the guys would be coming for supper, she said "No - but my guys haven't come yet!" I had to assure her this wasn't night time, that they'd come sometime AFTER she took her nap. :)

 We hosted a goodbye party on Wednesday, with the guys and the other two American families we know here. We all have enjoyed these guys. We ladies each contributed ingredients for an amazingly delicious fajita bar. Ladies and kids were in the dining room and guys in the living room - though I added Ellie to the center of them where she played and looked so cute at Ryan's feet.

 The kids loved playing together and with their guys. Especially when they let them do things like flips!

 Pretty cool the people God has brought our way. We will always be thankful for their friendship and how they encouraged our daughter.

 They had to get a book picture, because, though we invited them over to play games, some of the time the only thing pulled out were theology books, and if we did play a game, they always stayed later to discuss theology. All the books Ryan had shipped over have definitely been used!

 These guys all live just a few hours from Ryan's parents, so we may one day see them again. If not, as one of them put it when he said goodbye, "The great white throne?"

 Hadassah gave each of them huge goodbye hugs. That joy...

It took about an hour to fully say goodbye though. As I did the dishes the discussion continued out into the entry way. One by one they moved out the door, and then ALL of them were eventually out the door, but still talking. It's a good sign when it's hard to leave.

9 Days!

9 days.

The countdown has been going on for a while. I bought our tickets in March and told Hadassah that day, "We're going to visit your grandparents in a few months!" She marched to the door instantly and said "I'm ready to go!" 

She has repeatedly brought it up in random ways and places. Often I catch her smiling really really big and ask "what are you thinking about, Hadassah?" Her response? "I'm so excited to see my grandparents!!!"

I didn't start with the stickers until May. She keeps wanting to put on more than one a day, wanting to fill the squares faster so we can go!

At Bible study this morning, at least 4 times she held up her fingers and said "In 9 days I'm going to see my grandparents!!" It makes the price of plane tickets so so worth it. And while the thought of facing another LONG flight with 2 other connections is not thrilling (though Hadassah is always excited to go on an airplane!), this smile and the light in her eyes that comes every time she thinks about it makes it worth it.

I was talking to a friend at church who told me "I used to be one of those people who thought if you go overseas, you should stay at least 2 years without a visit back home - and then I had a child." It's so true. They change so much in just a few MONTHS that, while we were initially planning on waiting until a year had passed from our last visit, it was just so hard to think of not letting family see and experience our children, and see them build stronger relationships. My dad's continuing health journey also gives us greater reason to go back. Though thankfully nothing is imminently life threatening, the things he's going through reminds us that there are no guarantees for anyone. And we'd much rather have visited more rather than less were something to happen.

But living overseas we were a bit sad to think Hadassah might not have a close relationship with relatives as a result. Thankfully, that isn't the case. Weekly skypes and the necessity of doing longer visits (a week and a half at each parents' place is what we're doing this time, with jet lag and ticket prices making it worth it) have built in Hadassah an intense and lasting love. We praise God for it!

Almost daily Hadassah asks for stories of the last time we flew to see grandparents. And we'll soon be packing our bags and doing it again. In the words of Hadassah, "I'm so excited!!"

Mother's Day Weekend

 Ryan took Hadassah to the zoo on Saturday morning. She was thrilled to go on a Daddy-daughter date! We had thought of doing it as a family, but right now Ellie usually takes her best nap in the morning, and being on the go for that two days in a row is hard. So I got a restful morning. I planned to scrapbook a lot (as Ellie did sleep) but really only got one page done... There just so much one could do with chores never done! ;) But it was nice to have quiet to take a long shower (always a treat!), make granola, do dishes, catch up on some computer chores, and do the fruit stand trek with just one baby in the stroller (and one who can't walk yet!). And as the picture attests, Hadassah had a wonderful time at the zoo, especially feeding the goats!

 Ryan sent me a few voice messages from them while they were gone, so it was fun to hear Hadassah's comments. And she even took the above picture for me. So much fun having a big girl able to communicate and do so much!

We went out for supper Saturday evening. It was raining, so Ajisen Noddles (Japenese place) always sounds good on a rainy day... Ryan loves their noodle soups, I like their fried rice, and Hadassah is crazy for their mushroom chicken broth soup!

Our gas stove stopped working Friday, so it was extra reason to go out. ;) I've gotten creative, cooking hard boiled eggs in the crock pot and so on, but you never realize how much you use the stove until you're without it! Turns out it was the battery. Did you know gas stove strikers ran on battery? The land lord showed us that on Sunday afternoon and I ordered a new one online which came today, but turns out I ordered the wrong SIZE on 1.5 V batteries... Always learning!

 Mother's Day morning started early. 5:22 AM is when we first heard noise from Hadassah's room - even earlier than usual! It seems that every summer she wakes up with the sun and the sun rises really early here, especially since they have no daylight saving's time change. We've done our best with room darkening shades, but a little always comes in and it seems like she knows... But we've taught her to stay in her room until the clock says 7 (it's actually set later - it's really 6:30!) and that usually works. Just laying in bed until later seems to help her mood and helps us have some time too. So I got up and had devotions and time to list so many things I'm thankful for as a mother. From little arms that hug my neck to tiny fingers to hold and kiss to cut round bellies to tickle and the most genuine giggles... I am so blessed.

This little one made a noise at 6 but went back to sleep until I woke her at 7:20. Nursed, and then it was in a taxi for us all!

With the craziness of church days and the 45 minute minimum one-way commute, going out for lunch is more stressful than it's worth (with girls needing naps) and then everyone usually just feels like being home for supper. Plus, all the special restaurants are downtown. So, we had the idea to go out for breakfast!

We went to Element Fresh, I think the only one I've seen here that has a kids menu and coloring sheets and crayons provided! Especially nice because their food takes a while to come (but it's worth waiting for!)

The girls that make me a Mommy... I still am amazed sometimes to think I have 2 daughters!! I'm living my dream...

 They gave a sheet for Ellie too so we let her have her first experience with a crayon. She was way more fascinated by just studying it instead of when I tried to have her color. ;)

Hadassah eats enough now that we let her get her own kids portion. It came with juice (freshly squeezed!) and she chose orange and thoroughly enjoyed it!

 We got an avocado coconut smoothie... so much yum.

First thing that happened when Hadassah got her cute mini pancakes? She ate all of the whipped cream first, of course!

 It's funny to realize we have to drive 45 minutes to get to a place that serves french toast... :D We also ordered a breakfast sandwich (we thought) but after waiting a while and asking for the bill, we realized they never recorded it. Thankfully another great restaurant was in the same mall and had a quick, delicious breakfast sandwich to go. After marrying Ryan, who has to has eggs every morning, I now get a light head if I don't get my morning protein too!

 It was a fun breakfast, but babies get tired. Especially babies whoa re teething! Ellie popped her 5th tooth through on her 6 month birthday, and her 6th one worked hard to poke through on Mother's Day. She happily naps in the Ergo when out thankfully (though it's usually a short nap). We had a good church service, and a good member's meeting followed, though we were thankful we'd packed pb&j as it ran longer. Finally, we got home at 1:45 PM.

Ellie thankfully went down easily for a nap (doesn't always happen on Sundays!) though again it was a shorter one, with over tiredness and teething. But during those 45 minutes of down time, Ryan surprised me with a foot massage with lotion while I scrapbooked in the recliner. Doesn't get much better! He also gave me a super encouraging letter that morning, which is always the best. Makes this "words" person feel so loved!

Thankfully I had supper prepped ahead so it wasn't too hard to make while Ryan took the big girl outside, and we dug into our treasured stash of buttery popcorn (mostly all you can find around here is the sweet kind) for an evening snack. Ellie was in bed early, so Hadassah and Ryan helped me with dishes. Usually those are waiting for me after the girls are in bed, so it was a treat to get them done first. Small things add up to big blessings. Sundays are usually tiring and a bit stressful, and yet Ryan made this one relaxing in many ways and full of little surprises. I am so thankful to be married to him, and to be the mommy to two sweet girls. My heart is full.

Our Favorite Time of Day

We try to meet him rain or shine. It's just a ten minute walk. It forces us to get out of the house (good for us all!) and usually means I make sure supper is prepped during nap time, which also helps everything. Hadassah's always ready to go when I say "Let's go meet Daddy!" and the look of joy on my husband's face when he sees us on the curb is the best...

I took pictures last week, because one day, these ordinary, daily sites pictures of our apartment complex are going to be what we want to remember. I walk these paths at least once a day, often even more. So pardon the many pictures... I'll let them tell a wordless journey.

It's not always this idealic-looking. Full disclosure, while taking one of these pictures, the stroller bumped into a railing and Ellie smacked her face on the tray and so I had to stop to calm a wailing baby! Yes, I felt pretty bad... And sometimes it's rainy and wet (though we often use that as an excuse to go puddle splashing now that it's warm!) and when it was colder the wind was pretty terrible at parts. But I am always happy for having gotten out, and those precious getting-home-from-work moments with Ryan right off of the bus are our favorite every day.

And isn't it pretty this time of year? I so appreciate the work they put into keeping everything so beautifully green. I still laugh at the 24-hour egg dispenser (and no, haven't used it yet - a small store in our complex is where we buy eggs these days as it's closer). The grannies sitting on the curb selling vegetables almost always make comments or smile at the girls. When Hadassah goes running to Ryan, there are always others who smile at the so evident love on display. Ellie goes in the ergo carrier to get a nap some days when her naps have been too short during the day. And when the stress of getting supper ready with girls who don't always have perfect naps gets high, we're all calmed by a little walk just before 5 PM.

 Thank You, Lord, for this time, and what will become great memories one day...