Just Pictures

Nothing much to say this time around.  It's been a long week.  

Enjoy some cheerful boys.

A rare warm and sunny-ish day:

Footies, cowboy hats, and the hobby horses I made them for Christmas.  Running laps around the kitchen and living room.  What more could you want, if you're a little boy?

Iain did this alphabet puzzle (each piece is a different letter on a train car) all by himself.  He'd sing the alphabet song under his breath until he got to the letter he needed.  Then he'd stop singing and hunt through the pile until he found it, place it in its spot, and sing again.

Crazy dress-up.  Cory said he was Santa.

Book Review - Love and Respect

I chose to review this book, The Language of Love and Respect: Cracking the Communication Code with Your Mate, by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, because of the glowing reviews of his other book.  Specifically, Mrs I, a woman from home whose marriage I admire, has always spoken very highly of Love and Respect.  So I approached this book ready to glean firsthand the wisdom I had heard from others.  

The idea of this book is that women need love, and men need respect.  Not a ground-breaking idea, but one that has not to my knowledge been fleshed out to this depth.  Dr. Eggerichs teaches through this book how to communicate more effectively with your spouse, using the principle that men tend to hear things in context of this is or is not respectful and women in terms of is he loving me or not right now?  

Dr. Eggerichs gives some very useful advice on communication, as well as a load of specific situational advice (what to do if your spouse isn't responding well, what to do with an addicted or abusive spouse, how to handle marriage to a spouse who doesn't care to try, how to handle the day-to-day small communication issues).  These parts of the book were helpful, practical, and doable.  The concept of men needing respect from their wives, and women needing love was also valuable.  For the concepts it presents, I give this book five stars.

Stylistically, this was a tough book to read.  I found Dr. Eggerichs' writing to be repetitive and vapid.  The book could have been much more powerful were it about half the length, because every time Dr. Eggerichs made an observation about men, he made the exact same observation about women, only with the appropriate words substituted.  I got the idea.  Really.  It also bothered me how very many acronyms, illustrations, and titles he had (T-U-F-T-S, Crazy Cycle, Air Hoses, The Jesus Way of Talking, C-H-A-I-R-S, etc).  Drove me a bit insane.  And it was hard to keep track of what he was talking about sometimes.  The other bone I had to pick with him was that it seemed that every time he gave a personal example, he made his wife look bad and himself simply look bumbling.

The best parts of the book were the letters and emails he printed by real people who were using the techniques of Love and Respect and finding that they work.  And Dr. Eggerichs does a good job of insisting that he didn't invent these principles; he merely explained them.  And he made a point of saying that you must not practice the principles of this book in order to manipulate your spouse into taking care of you better, but because it is what God wants you to do.

Overall, this is a worthwhile book to read.  Grin and bear the writing itself, and glean the really helpful and practical relationship help Dr. Eggerichs offers.  You won't be sorry.

Note: Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complementary copy of this book to review.

Fortune Cookies and Stuff

How to make Valentine's Day Fortune Cookies:

The boys have been asking to "do a craft!" for a few days now.  I got this idea from Courtney's blog, and we modified it a bit because I wanted to use what we had on hand.  Also, she made 14 for each child, so they can open one a day until Valentine's Day - which is a great idea!  I think we'll try to do it next year.  But today, we just made a few.  On with the show!

First, we cut circles out of felt.  We didn't have any Valentine's Day colors, or fortune cookie colors, but hey, they're boys; they don't mind.  In fact, Cory picked brown and Iain picked green,

Then hot glue a piece of wire down the middle.  We used pipe cleaners, and actually, the yellow-on-yellow was nice - it hid the wire.  But I let the boys pick their colors for the brown and green, so they were a bit more... colorful.

Then you add a note and fold it up.  So cute!

Alas, when I started to fold up they boys' cookies, they started yelling, "No!  We want pancakes!"  So their cookies remained pancakes (with wire glued down the middle), and they ran off happily to play in their pretend kitchen.  I suppose I could have saved myself a few steps and just cut out felt circles for them.  Ah well.  That's why I think we'll wait until next year to do them every day. 

***

I love it when Iain falls asleep during his break time.  He's adorable nestled in his bed among his books and buddies.

***

Cory: Here Iain (gives him some Thomas the Train clothes)

Iain: He gave me Thomas!  What a lovely fellow!

Cory's Vernacular:

Milk = Mlek

Blanket = Bankley

Gumdrops = Gum Bops (both boys use this one, although Iain seems to think gumdrops and gum bops are two different things.  He'll ask when he sees them at the store if they are gumdrops or gum bops.  I always tell him they're gum bops. :)

Me: Night-night, Iain.  I love you.

Iain: Amen.

Iain: I call this cat (points to stuffed cat) "The Finest Cat I Ever Met."

Iain: (Looking at a boy whose veins were visible through his pale skin) Why does he have cracks on his head?  It looks like a dinosaur is trying to come out of his head.

***

We played with the bubble machine that Iain (I think?) got for his birthday a year ago.  They boys loved it.  They were covered in soap and freezing when they finally came inside.  The bubbles blew all through the yard, and Jeremy, whose office is in the front of the house, saw they drifting past his window, so he came around back to see the frivolity. 

(It's really hard to take a picture of boys and bubbles!)

Chew on This

" 'Whether therefore ye eat, or drink ... do all to the glory of God.' St. Paul had recognized even the common things.  Of course, I knew that; I had heard sermons on it.  But I saw now that if my task was far smaller in terms of the effect it was to produce, it was far larger in terms of my own life involvement.  If there were times when I must be willing to pay any price for what was called the 'advancement of the Kingdom; there were also times when I must let such a price - climbing a mountain for example, in rain and mud and darkness - be paid in vain.  This, too, was a place to glorify God.  This must have been what Lynn meant, I thought as I set the table. 'Jesus told us to do what is true.' " --Elisabeth Elliot, in her only novel "No Graven Image."

If you haven't read this book, you should.  And be ready to think.  And maybe get mad.  And definitely be challenged.

Cory's Second Birthday Party

Everyone's talking about the event of the year: Cory's second birthday party.  Held on the pristine grounds of the Linduff estate, the gathering boasted a delicious spread: a brownie/animal cake (as requested by the guest of honor and garnished with sprinkles and two yellow crayon candles), chex mix, cheeto balls, and popcorn.  A well-rounded guest list included celebrity names such as Grammy and Papa, Aunt Haylee (who indulged the young gentleman Cory in a rousing game of Kapowee!), Nan and Nona, Elmo, and various members of two branches of the Schweizer clan.  Cory played an impeccable host, showing delight and gratitude at each gift received.  If you weren't at this gala event, never fear.  The festivities will be repeated on an annual basis.

(I love how he holds the present with his feet!)

Other FL pictures:

Iain playing Pickle with the cousins.

Cory watching the Pickle game and working on his wink.

Sweet boy!  Not too big for snuggles.

We're DTR!

Our dossier had arrived in Rwanda, been signed for, and been delivered to the Ministry... we're officially DTR as of today!  Our dossier travelled with the dossier of another family, and we're excited and hoping we'll be travelling with them (and hopefully catching up with some dossiers that have been in Rwanda for a while, right Alison?).

DTR means Dossier To Rwanda.  Yes, I know that is not an adverb; one cannot be "dossier to Rwanda."  But you can't really friend anyone either.  So there you go - we're DTR.

What this means: We have a three- to six-month waiting period, and then we'll (hopefully!) receive a letter of approval from the Ministry in Rwanda.  Two months after that, we'll get a referral!  That's when we get a picture of our daughter, along with her medical information, age, weight, etc.  Then we have a court date in Rwanda (we don't attend; we have a power of attorney standing in for us) about two weeks later.  That's when our daughter legally becomes ours.  Then within a few weeks after that, we travel to get her!  So we're looking at bringing her home between July and October of this year.  And while we fully believe that the timing in this belongs to the Lord, we're still praying for July!

In honour of being DTR, I started today on a baby blanket for our little one.  My mom got me this yarn for Christmas, and I've been holding off starting until we got this news.  A way to mark the day, and something to do for her while I wait.  

These aren't the colors our daughter's room is/will be, but I just thought they were so pretty and girlie and fun!  Here's the pattern I'm using (well, basing my blanket off of this pattern).

We're DTR!  Yay!!

Across the Pond

Dossier in Great Britain tonight.  It is officially on the other side of the Atlantic.  Fish and chips, foggy days, Mind the Gap, say hello to William and Henry, look kids: Big Ben, Parliament!

:)

Happy Day!

It's on its way! 

 The dossier, that is.  We just got the email that the dossier has been authenticated by the Rwandan Embassy and is making tracks across the ocean.  I have the tracking number and will be checking like a crazy person until I see that it has touched down.  

And you can be sure I'll let you know when it is on Rwandan soil!

So exciting!!

Look Who's Two!

Happy birthday, Cory!  

January 15, 2008

January 15, 2009  - Cory's first birthday!

January 15, 2010 - Cory's second birthday!

On your second birthday, you:

--have only eight teeth, but I can see more coming through

--still use your pacifier at night and nap, but not during the day

--love "messy cheese" (shredded cheese), ice cream, pizza toast, and oatmeal

--like the color green

--wear cute little converse shoes

--like to play in the dirt

--love to sing and play guitar

--like to jump

--pray with one eye opened and your face scrunched up (like a pirate), "Dear Jesus thank You for de food dear Jesus amen."

--still snuggle with me when you're going down for your nap.  I "rock-a-rock" you in the glider, and you hold onto my hair

--snuggle with Daddy when you go to sleep at night.  He holds you and sings to you and you always ask for a "last song"

--love Iain and copy everything he says

--have a rather quiet, low, gravelly voice that is so cute!

--talk a lot, and in full sentences, pausing between words ever-so-slightly, but speaking clearly and accurately

--are learning to talk to and love Jesus

--bring us all so much joy

Happy birthday, little man.  We love you so!

(for Cory's day of birth post, go here.  For his one year old post, go here.)

School Days!

Last Monday (1/4/10), we started school!  

(First day of school pictures)

Iain is learning to read, using the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons which is pretty intense.  Lots of very specific tasks.  But it takes only 15-20 minutes per day, which is good because by the end of it, Iain definitely gets squirrelly.  So far, he's learned the sounds for m, short a, s, and long e.  A tricky part for him is remembering to say the letter sound, not its name.  But he's doing great, and he especially loves running his finger along the arrow under the letters and yelling them out when he gets to "say it fast."

Cory and Iain both are learning about giraffes, as part of school.  They are very into giraffes these days!  So we watched some youtube videos, colored giraffe pictures, and got some giraffe books from the library.  

My favorite activity (this cracks me up - yes, I'm weird, I know): we learned that giraffes have 18-inch-long black tongues.  So we made 18-inch-long black tongues.  The boys loved it, and I just laughed and laughed.  

How very academic of us, I know.

*********

Cory: Hey Iain?

Iain: Yes?

Cory: Hey Iain?

Iain: Yes?

Cory: Hey Iain?  Hey Iain?  Hey Iain?

Me: Cory, what are you doing?

Cory: Talkin' to Iain?

Me: What are you trying to say?

Cory: I'm sayin' 'Hey Iain?'  (Ask a silly question...)

Snow!

Temperature today: 19 degrees, feels like 6 because of all the wind and damp.  So says the weather site, anyway.  And I believe it.  It's COLD!

Yesterday afternoon, it started to snow!  Now this may not be big news for some of you reading this, but for us former Floridians, it's a big deal.  Actually, to all of Atlanta, it's a big deal.  Snow day, no school, 27-car-pile ups, DOT saying stay off the road.  I bet you folks up north are laughing.  

Iain has been practicing tracing letters that I write for him.  Pretty good, huh?

I took the boys outside this morning (it was so cold my eyes were watering!) to play in the inch or so of snow on the driveway.  Cory loved it.  Iain hated it.  Ah well.

Cory and I tried to slide down the driveway (finally found a use for this, Kelsey!).  I sat down and called him over, and he came running with a big grin on his face.  But we didn't really move much.  I did pull Cory down though, which was fun.

First movie clip: from yesterday when it started to snow.  Second is from this morning.  Note the drastic difference a bad night of sleep makes in our little friend Iain's demeanor.

A Day for Prayer

I have this heavy burden on my heart today to pray for our daughter.  I don't know what's going on in her life right now, or even if she's born yet, but I can't shake this feeling (nor do I want to!) that something is going on in Rwanda today in our baby's world.

Maybe today is the day she's being born.

Or maybe today, her birth mother is making the excruciating decision to take her to HOH Orphanage.

Or maybe she's already there, fighting off an illness.

Or maybe she just needs some extra love today, and God wants to let us be a part in providing it for her, by asking Him to provide it for her.

Will you pray for her today?  And for her birth family?  Thank you so much for lifting her up today with us.

Jeremy sent me these verses this morning in an email (before I told him of my call to prayer).  He said they were on his heart today.

I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'  Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth... (Is 43:6)

See, they will come from afar - some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan. (Is 49:12)

Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. (Is 60:4)

Book Review - The Sweet By and By

The Sweet By and By, by Sara Evans

I must say, although I didn't have high hopes for this book when I started (a novel written by a "Multi-Platinum Recording Artist" says the cover), I was pleasantly surprised.  The Sweet By and By tells the story of a woman approaching her wedding day, but trapped in a painful past.  As she digs up and retells her secrets, she searches for healing, and the Healing One searches for her.  

Often I am disappointed by Christian Fiction.  Sometimes it comes across as poorly-written and sappy, and generally predictable.  The Sweet By and By was, for the most part, predictable, but in a relaxed, comforting way, and there were enough plot twists to hold my interest.  The book flits backward and forward along the story line, and even among some of the characters, but it does so well.  

The characters were developed and realistic, and I found myself thinking about them when I wasn't reading - a good sign for me that they hold my interest!  And the climax, when Jade finally catches a glimpse of the Truth... it was good.  I won't spoil it for you, but it was good.

Although I can't say this book will ever make the canon of literature, I enjoyed my trip through its pages.  For an uplifting, relaxing read, try The Sweet By and By.

Funnies

Iain held up the swiffer and said he had made it into a sign.  The sign was from the President of Rwanda, and it said, You can get a baby sister, and you can ride on a train that moves.

Iain, holding up a piece of onion: I don't like onions.

Me: Just leave it on your plate.

Cory: (reaches over and grabs it off Iain's plate.  Holds it up.)

Iain: Good boy, Cory!

Cory, holding up the onion: I like peppers!

Iain: Actually, it's an onion, though.

Cory: I like onions!

Iain's new song: I've got condensation in my tummy!  I've got condensation in my tummy!

Cory's new response when we ask him to do something: I be d'lighted to.

When Iain was younger, he'd ask questions properly, but with no inflection: a flat, "Can I have a snack."  Cory asks questions with TONS of inflection but the wrong words: a very swinging, "I have a snack???"