sleep routines and fireworks

When Noah was little, I was pretty rigid with his schedule. This was for all our benefit. At about 2 months he started fighting naps and sleep and we were spending hours trying to get him to sleep. When he wouldn't nap, he'd be cranky and miserable (which would make ME miserable). So we did sleep training and then we stuck to the sleep schedule as if our lives depended on it (because, at the time, it seemed like they did). He always went to bed on time (if we could help it) and I rarely kept him up late.

When we went to Africa (Noah was 6 months old) I still managed to keep to his schedule, but started to loosen up a bit. And then when we went to Ireland (on our way home from Africa - Noah was 7.5 months) the schedule went out the window. We had 4 days to see and do all we wanted to so Noah went to bed later and napped on the go. Those 4 days taught me so much and proved that all our hard work was not in vain as Noah was now a much better sleeper, and easily fell back into a good sleep routine when we got home. He adjusted amazingly to time differences and traveled fantastically.

All that to say, we have come a long way in the whole sleep routine department. I know the value in having a routine, but I'm not as strict and from time to time, we'll keep the boys up for something worthwhile (but I still highly value our routine as I know it's best for the boys and ME who has to deal with the consequences of grumpy, sleepy boys the next day, sometimes even 2 days later!).

June 30th we were invited to watch fireworks with some friends from church who live in our neighbourhood. They weren't supposed to happen until dusk so I actually put the boys to bed at their normal times and then woke them up just after 9pm (although that was a hard task as they were both out cold!). Jude woke up and was peppy and perky as if he had napped a full 8 hr sleep. Noah was quiet and a bit dopey.

We got to the park where the fireworks were going to happen and it was so much fun! Free chips and juice and tons of kids running around. It was some kind of bizarro world where kids play in the park at nighttime!

Neither of the boys had experienced fireworks before and so we waited to see what their reactions would be.

The first firework went off.

Bang! Pop!

They both started crying.

I knew they would.

Jude started to calm down a bit, but Noah's cries were fearful and slightly screamy. So Jamie took Noah into the house and watched from there while Jude and I sat with our friends. It was adorable to watch Jude's squinty eyes taking it all in. When the flashing lights and loud pops got too much for him, he'd look away. And then he'd look back.

Noah still talks about the fireworks and says that he didn't like them because they were "too loud". Poor fella. But he sure had fun afterward as he played with his friend William at William's house.

It was fun and I'm glad we did it!

trip

My time in Tanzania has come and gone and I'm left with (among other things) a slight glow of a tan.
Actually the shepherding trip to Tanzania was encouraging for both myself and the STINT team. It was really good to catch up with the girls and to see their place, meet their disciples and the other girls they work with and get a reminder of African culture.
Someone asked me when I returned if it made me more excited to go on STINT next year.
My answer is definitely no.
It was more of a reality check - which is a good thing. I think it's good that I know and have a better idea of what I'm walking into, what I'm committing a year of my life to and the kind of living conditions I'll be living in.
Anyway...so this trip was good for me to rethink through my reasons for going next year and if it's the best decision for Jamie and I.
Oh and lying on the beach was also pretty incredible. :)

tomorrow

Tomorrow we leave for Tanzania.
As usual, I haven't started packing yet. Speaking of which - I need to switch my laundry.
Alright. Laundry switched and a tentative laying-out-of-clothes to be packed.
So we leave tomorrow.
I'm excited, actually. It'll be really good to see the gang and I'm looking forward to being able to encourage and minister to them. I feel like this is a time when you get tired and just want to slow down and so I hope that God will use me to bless and lift up the STINTers.
It's kinda funny to be getting out my shorts and tanks and t-shirts and thinking that in a few days I will be sweating my brains out.
Apparently it feelsl ike 40 degrees in Tanzania right now.
Good grief.
Celebrating Christmas in the summer is an interesting experience. The last time I did that was in 2000 when I was in Australia with some friends. It was much more laid back and much less commercial. We went surfing on Christmas morning. So bizarre!
I'm excited to surprise and delight the STINTers with some gifts and letters that will hopefully encourage them greatly!
I'm also glad that I had this past weekend to relax and just "be" so that I could let God minister to me after being so busy for the past 3 months.
All in all...I'm excited to be going to Tanzania tomorrow.

home & the future

Having a clean house is a good feeling.
Even just having a tidy house feels nice.
After being busy for the past couple months (like really busy!) and sick for a couple days this week I finally got around to scrubbing down the bathroom and even having a serious go at the kitchen sink.
A home is a place where you can rest.
It's a place where you can be at peace, no matter what's going on "out there".
It's a safe place. Somewhere to have friends over and entertain. Somewhere to relax on a Saturday afternoon with a good book.
I like my home.
Recently I've been thinking about next year and what my "home" will be like in Tanzania. I have mulled over the comforts I won't have there (like constant electricity, water, bug-free"ness", etc.) and I found myself facing all the same questions that I feel like I've been through many times before;
Will it be worth it?
Can I handle it?
Am I that shallow that mere "comforts" are causing me to hesitate?

And then there's the thoughts about whatever comes after Tanzania.
Where will we live? Will we be able to settle down? Who will we work with? What about starting a family?
But then, something Corrie Ten Boom said rushes into my mind like a flood: Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
So true. So true.