Yesterday afternoon our dear friend Andrew finally ended his battle with Leukemia and went to be with Jesus.
I don't have words. I am not a wise person full of insight and poignant words. I can cry and I can bake. And I can listen to this song over and over and over again.
Continue to pray for our friend Suz {Andrew's wife} and her two sons, Jacob and Daniel.
It's the day of our Christmas party and I'm excited and happy that I got a lot of what needed to be done ahead of time so I can enjoy the day with my family.
The boys and I built a snowman this morning and I got to Facetime with my friend Kelly and see her brand new baby girl!
About an hour before the party I'll put together the cinnamon infused hot chocolate in one slow cooker, and the wassail in the other {thanks to my friend Christina for lending me hers!}. The cookies will get put out, the candles will be lit, the music will be playing and we will wait for our first guests.
You like the way those cookies above look? They're gingersnap s'mores and they were ridiculously easy and the perfect party food as far as I'm concerned! While I'm all for making everything from scratch, when you have a lot to do and you're hosting a bunch of people, sometimes it's best for your sanity to do things the easy way. There ain't nothing wrong with easy now, is there? Check out the instructions here for Gingersnap S'mores.
Have you seen the video with Jean Claude Van Damm where he's standing between two trucks and then does the splits? If you thought that was impressive, you can be sure Chuck Norris can make that look like doing hopscotch! Merry Christmas from Chuck Norris.
I read this blog post from Jamie the Very Worst Missionary about how Christmas isn't always candy canes and presents for everyone. It can be a difficult and painful time and we need to be aware of this {if you aren't already}. Sometimes Christmas can be sucky.
My friend Beth wrote a post the other day that speaks to this balance of experiencing joy and peace in our own lives, and yet holding in our hands the pain and suffering of those around us. She quotes CS Lewis in this: To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.Check out her post here. It is both beautiful and vulnerable. On the same note, if you are the praying type, would you please pray for my friend Andrew? He is battling Leukemia for the second time around and his situation is not looking good. Just today, his white blood cells have jumped to a very dangerous level and there is risk for stroke and brain hemorrhage. He's married to a close friend of mine, Suzanne and they have two little boys (aged 3 and 8 months). My heart is breaking for them and we are praying our hearts out for a miracle for Andrew.
I've posted this video before {this is a typographic version}, but every year it speaks to me so strongly and I pray it encourages you and reminds you of what we wait for during Advent season and why we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Last week worlds collided. Our best friends from Uganda came to visit us from New Jersey! The Hallahans {you can read about our times in Uganda here and here or you can check out Kelly's blog here} were doing a road trip across America and stopped in to visit with us for a few days. It was awesome and such a gift.
Kelly and I. I was super pumped to be able to see her and her baby bump {a girl!}.
Happy {loud} times with these boys reunited.
It was great to catch up and chat with friends who understand what life is like in North America but also what life is like in Uganda. That is a precious gift to me that I honestly didn't think would happen. So glad they came!
Their visit was perfectly timed with Noah's birthday {and party} so after school on Noah's birthday we had his party which included a couple friends from school, the Hallahan boys, a friend from church and Jude. Of course.
Noah wanted to have a Star Wars Angry Birds party and I {of course} waited until pretty much the last minute until calling in a {HUGE} favour from my Mom to bust out the cake skills and make one for Noah.
Right? I mean, mind = blown.
So that was awesome. And we played Star Wars Angry Birds bingo and one of Noah's friends kept winning but he had THE BEST declaration of bingo I think I've ever heard which made me laugh every time so it was all good.
And then yesterday was Halloween!
We totally rocked the group theme costume.
These crazy kids. Such troopers and highly motivated by candy. Seriously. They walked around the neighbourhood with no complaints in the wind and rain and cold. For candy. Reminds me of this:
"EVERYONE WE KNOW IS JUST GIVING OUT CANDY!?!?" Love it.
Noah was Clone Commander Rex {from Star Wars The Clone Wars}, Jude was Darth Vader and Blaise was an Ewok. Cute, eh? {I'm biased, I know.}
And then my family came over for dinner to celebrate my sister's graduation ceremony from University. It was such a happy night and I love my house being full of noise and love and laughter. Exactly what I had pictured in our living room {which is coming along! Hardwood laminate floors and white walls. No art or baseboards but it's getting there.}. Good food. Lots of laughter and love. Can't go wrong there.
Happy Weekend to you! I am trying to keep up with my blogging. Eventually I'll figure out a way to stay up to date here while also staying present in the real world. Thanks for hanging in there with me!
This weekend we said good-bye to our dearest friends here in Uganda.
It sucked.
I am overwhelmed with the kindness of God when I think back on these past two years and the bright light that my friendship with Kelly has been.
I will miss hanging out with Kelly and her boys. I will miss watching our boys tear around their house and being the three musketeers or Star Wars or Angry Birds characters. They all played so well together and I can even recall a time when we had to separate them or give time outs or anything. I will miss the ease and welcome we felt in their home to just be. I will miss sitting down in the dining room or living room with a cup of coffee and sharing our lives and the things God had been teaching us or the books we'd been reading or the music we'd been listening to. I will miss the beauty of the drive home coming down the various hills and seeing the city and the cathedral with the sun glinting off the dome on top.
I will miss this wonderful friend and gift from God. I will miss this season of friendship and this "doing life" with someone who intimately understands exactly what I am going through. Oh we'll still be friends - but this next year with them in New Jersey and us in Canada, distance will alter the way our friendship looks.
When I ask the boys what they will miss about Uganda, they always say "Seth & Caleb!".
Yup. We'll miss you, Hallahans!
these ladies {aletha on the left of me, kelly to the right}. what an absolute blessing they both have been to me in my first year here in uganda.
they have both been like breathing in fresh air a midst the dust and diesel of this city.
before we left canada, i was googling resources for families living in kampala and came across kelly's blog. her and her family {same as mine; 2 boys about the same age} were preparing to move to kampala only months before we were. i left her a comment on her blog and we soon connected via blogs and emails. it wasn't too long after we arrived that kelly and i met up and the connection was instant. a friend! in kampala! thank you, Jesus!
about mid-october i decided to take a hiatus from facebook but feared how i would connect with other women in kampala without the help of facebook groups like "expats in uganda", etc. God is so good. he doesn't need facebook to connect people.
about a week later i got an email from a friend of a friend who lives in uganda and thought that me and another young mom she knew of should meet up for coffee and get to know each other and if it didn't work out, well that's fine. so me and this other mom {aletha} met up and i really liked her! she was honest and real and had already been living in uganda for a year with her two little kiddos. what a total blessing from God!
this next year is going to look different for me in terms of these two ladies. aletha and her family will be returning back to canada in october and both of kelly's boys will be in school 5 days a week. andoh yeah, i'll be having a baby in mere weeks. so it's going to look different for all of us, but i am so thankful for their friendship during my first year in kampala and whatever this next year looks like, i trust in God's provision for all my needs - all i have to do is look back to how He provided for me this past year and my hope is renewed.
okay so technically i'll be full-term {37 weeks out of 40 weeks for my non-pregnant friends or friends who don't have a need to know all the pregnancy terms} tomorrow, but i'm a sucker for a title with alliteration.
this morning we are playing with lego and i'm about to make myself a cup of tea. it's a cool morning here in kampala!
we got a lovely package from my sweet friend tamsin, yesterday and she included our very first edition of Go Fish! and of course it was an instant hit with noah. i love that he's into games and it's so fun that he actually gets it. even jude joined in and played with us this morning.
oh yeah and we're all still into jamie's iPad. especially this kid:
tamsin also sent a pack of 2 moleskin notebooks. i may possibly be a convert. i had to crack them open this morning. there really isn't anything better than starting a fresh notebook. especially starting a new moleskin notebook with a sharpie pen.
here are some friday links for ya!
i came across this blog post last night and i wanted to shout "amen"! especially to the first part where she talks about how there's often two camps of people when it comes to babies and both sides have value and neither side should say that how they do things is best for everyone. i'm excited to go into this newborn gig for the third time with the eyes to see the fleeting moments for what they are and cherish each second because o! time really does go by so fast.
and of course, speaking of newborns and young children, every mother is familiar with "the witching hour" - whether you call it that or not. here are some helpful tips as you prepare dinner with a young child who needs distraction/entertainment.
and onto something completely different... anyone like beer? and road trips? {but not at the same time, right?} i love this map of the US with craft breweries you can visit for almost every state {idaho, nothing?}. i'd totally be up for this with jamie some day.
how many of these children's books have you read? i've read just under half. i'd love to go through this entire list with my boys at some point.
i'm not superstitious. at all, really. but it is friday the 13th. i think i like that it's friday the 13th mostly because it doesn't happen too often.
2 more sleeps until jamie gets home!
this morning we had some friends over and played and read books and danced to disney songs. i love that i have a couple really sweet friends here. i am so thankful for how God's shown His love to me in this way over the past year.
we all had a little lay-down after they left, then cleaned up and now the boys are sitting watching the lion king. i'm thinking about what to make tonight. i was planning on doing my usual friday night = pizza night but i have no cheese. so...it might be pb & j or whatever else i can scrounge up.
last saturday we went to mishmash but my bagel lady wasn't there. nor was the tortilla chip lady. sad times. so we'll try again tomorrow.
i posted this picture on facebook the other day and a friend commented that soon enough i'll have 3 little musketeers! crazy.
here are some fun friday links for ya!
i don't even remember how i found this link, but when i did, i almost died a sweet, sugary death as i imagined how delicious this dip would taste. yum. dessert. dip. make this. i made a tiny version of it for myself the other night. it was perfect. if you can't go camping, why not have some of the benefits? :)
and then there's the whole phenomenon of fruit & vegetable chips. here's a fantastic site that give tons of options {beet chips? kale?} with possible seasoning combinations.
and this? i am absolutely and completely in love with. every child's {and maybe a few adults, too} dream backyard hideaway. and they made it all. just...love. did you have a tree house in your backyard growing up? a fort? we had these oversized bushes on the corner of our townhouse property that had an empty space in the middle for us kids to have secret club meetings or create booby traps in. sweet memories, right there.
and this is a blog i'm crushing on right now. she's cute. and she sews. {just like how i will one day. right? right.} and it's a pretty blog. check it.
and these? genius. they're cheap and chemical free! i think they'd be perfect to give in a little "get-well" porch fairy gift. and also just to have for you and the kiddos when you've got the sniffles. if i can find the essential oils here, i might try and make them here. otherwise they're on the "to-do" list in about a year's time.
and for my Toronto friends and readers, you need to go here. please. just go. now. {donuts. chicken. need i say more?}
how can you not find may the fourth to be hilariously awesome as star wars day?
seriously. may the fourth be with you.
i love it! except i always feel like i have a lisp by the time i get to "with".
a big huge happy birthday to my two sweet friends, kelly and suz. i love you both and am so thankful for both of you!
here are your friday links!
so doesn't that picture look ah-mazing?!? chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with dried cherries. yes. just as amazing as they look and sound. i made 'em last night with the cherries my mom sent me from home. they're best warm, but the next day just as delicious. the chocolate with the cherry...oh. so good. just make 'em. okay?
noah and jude got this lego star wars book from jamie's aunt awhile back that comes with 3D glasses. they broke the glasses shortly after, but still like looking at the book. it's in comic book style and tons of the comments/word bubbles are completely sarcastic and make me laugh. anyway, i found this lego star wars video on youtube and noah immediately recognized it as "STAR WARS!". it's a funny summary of the star wars story.
every star wars geek should learn how to speak wookie. it's not just enough to come up behind your sister and scare the living daylights out of her by making the wookie noise. {got that, curt?}
and this. it's just completely my boys. and will continue to be even more so with the addition of a third. it makes me laugh. because it's true.
happy weekend everyone and may the fourth be with you!
it's rainy today in kampala. probably one of my most favourite kinds of days in uganda. i know that the rain is something i will miss when we leave. it's just somehow different than rain in canada.
here are your friday links:
start your mornings withthis amazing smoothie. i know i would if i had these ingredients!
and then perhaps make this snack for your kids. how adorable!
looking fora gift to give a new mom or mom-to-be? this is amazing. a box every month full of amazing gifts. i want this.
please. as soon as you have nice weather {wherever you are} throwthis party. do it now.
need a reading nook? i would read in this every day if i had this. part nook/part fort. love it.
and lastly {and most importantly}, if you're in Canada, you should sign up and register to be a stem cell donor to see if you're a match for someone who desperately needs it. my good friends, andrew and suzanne, are asking all their friends and family to get tested to see if you match andrew, who has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia since this past december. they have an adorable 1 year old son named jacob and they are some of the most amazing, wonderful, Jesus-lovin' people i have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
the other night i dreamed it was winter and i was in canada. i was with 3 other coworkers {all females and all friends of mine}. we found our way into some sort of department store that was decorated all christmasey and happened to have a starbucks attached to it.
we found a group of 4 seats and sat down and started chatting. mainly i was chatting with one of them, but we were all having a lovely, relaxing time. the guy near us was on his cell phone and was ending his call when he said,
"i have to go, but what can i pray for you for?"
and the friend i was talking to said,
"prayer requests...NICE." pretty loudly with a very affirming voice {as opposed to sarcastic which you could totally read it as. it was not. she was impressed. or something.}
turns out he was a starbucks employee on break and when he came back on shift, he served us all $8 muffins {on the house} which were gigantic and delicious and we were happy for the freebie.
i woke up from the dream and it was the middle of the night. i was smiling. i honestly felt so refreshed by that dream girl time that i could have started my day. except it wasn't day. it was night.
my thoughts: i need more girl time. and starbucks.
also? hilarious but not far from the truth with the $8 muffins.
my subconscious must be dreading the sticker shock when i return to canada.
i know it shouldn't be like that, but sometimes {often} my attitude is exactly that.
prayer is a last resort. when i can't help in my own strength, i guess i have to pray.
being miles and miles away from family and friends has been challenging me on this front.
when i read emails from close friends telling me of tragedy or illness or hard times i feel frustrated.
frustrated that i can't be there to bring a meal or babysit or take them out for coffee.
why is it that i feel that these things are more valuable than praying for them?
i have access to the Creator of the Universe who loves me and cares for me and my friends in a way i never could, and instead of talking to Him i want to bake some food?
this is so messed up.
i am not doing so great on the whole ephesians 6:18 front. and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. with this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.
and so God has removed me from being able to help people physically - on my on strength - and is causing me to rely on Him to meet the needs of the people i love. instead of me meeting their needs.
God, You are the Wonderful Counselor. You have a better listening ear than I. Your words are infinitely wise. You are the Mighty God. You are all-powerful. Kings and Rulers are only in positions of power because YOU have put them there. There is no situation that surprises you or catches you off-guard. You are the Everlasting Father. Like an earthly father comforts a hurt child, you bring comfort to Your hurting and broken children. You are the Prince of Peace. You calm the unsettled spirit and restore Hope. Thank you for sending Jesus. The rescuer. Thank you for sending Him to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and to release the prisoners from darkness. And thank you that when I am weak, when I am forced to rely on YOU instead of ME, only then am I strong. This Christmas would you be all that you promised to be for those who are grieving, hurting, sick and vulnerable? Thank you for Jesus. Amen.
today a milk truck almost fell on me and noah.
i'm not even kidding.
it all started with a trip to the friday market - to buy lovely crafts and such.
my friend aletha and her adorable son clancy joined us.
when we got there i found that the entire dirt road that leads to the friday market was all churned up on the left side {which was where we parked last time} and now was a cavernous, hilly landscape. totally unfit for parking on.
so we ventured up a bit further and decided to park on the right side of said dirt road.
and then cars were just barely missing us as they tried to squeeze past us and avoid the mountainous left side of the road and we thought, "hm, maybe not such a good idea to park here." but then as we were heading back into our cars, aletha gasped and grabbed clancy {he was in his carseat on top of the hood of the car} and dashed beside me and up onto the hill we were parked right up against and i looked
and there was a HUGE milk truck. barrelling down the mountainous left side of the road and was now at a 45 degree angle. it was about to fall on us and our babies. i grabbed noah {jamie had jude a bit further up and out of harm's way} and dashed up the side of the hill as far away as i could get from the truck and covered noah with my body thinking, "if it falls, it will fall on me and hopefully i can protect noah."
it somehow did not fall on us and i am certain that there were angels holding it up because how can a truck drive at a 45 degree angle and not tip over? how?
aletha and i talked afterward {with shaking hands} about how we understood the instinct that you hear about how mother's would gladly sacrifice themselves for their children's safety.
we ended up laughing and shaking our heads saying, "this is africa. T I A." truly. because what would prompt someone to drive their massive truck down a road like that? the answer: this is africa.
basically, anything goes here in this beautiful, crazy, tragic, amazing continent.
this is africa.
related: i have become convinced of the presence of angels all around us - especially in relation to vehicles.
so...we bought a car.
i know! crazy.
but true.
and actually, i'm really glad we did!
this past thursday i ventured out with the boys for the first time.
and?
we lived to tell the tale. {so maybe i crunched into a parked truck on the side of the road and maybe it scratched the car pretty bad and maybe now the passenger doesn't exactly open, but...we're alive and that's the most important part, right? also, i'm still not entirely used to leaving enough space on my left.}
mostly i'm just glad i actually did it and have driven a few times now. it's a tad stressful, but i'm figuring it out and getting used to driving on the left side of the road in a country where road rules don't really exist.
it sure is cheaper to drive to kelly's house {on the other side of the city} than hiring a taxi to take us there.
it is also going to free us up on weekends to venture out of the city and see some of the sights on our own.
i'm so thankful for yet another blessing God has given us here.
last night on the way home noah said {again}: this is really feeling like home now!
and i agree. i really can't think of anywhere else i'd rather be.
i almost feel as though i can't even write words to do this day justice.
it was perfect.
jamie and the boys brought me breakfast in bed {okay, so i was pulling on my jeans as they walked into the room, but it's the thought that counts, right?} and then gave me a couple cards {thanks amanda for the sweet card and hilarious lollipops!}.
i came out to the living room to discover that they had put up "30" garlands everywhere {again, thanks amanda! you are one thoughtful, wonderful girl!} and the new coldplay album playing {shhh! it's an illegal copy, but jamie's buying me the real one in 3 days when it officially comes out!}. go and buy mylo xyloto when it comes out. just do it. it's freakin' awesome. i've been listening to it non stop all day long.
then i hopped in the car {yes. i am driving in kampala. this is a blog post for another day.}, cranked up the coldplay, and drove to meet my sweet friend, kelly at a wonderful french bakery called le patisserie. we had lattes and apple turnovers that had the most delicious apples inside the butteriest, flakiest pastry ever. perfection.
outside le patisserie
then we drove to friday market where we walked and talked up aisles and aisles of gorgeous african art, jewelry, musical instruments and general creativeness.
i bought some pretties for me, an apron, a light shade to cover up the hideous florescent light fixture in our dining room and a cool wooden block thing that you can change to show the month and day for "educational" purposes for the boys.
after a very productive shop at friday market {i'll be back.} i drove home and hung out with the boys for the afternoon and even got to have a wee nap.
also, did i mention that all this week jamie has gotten up with the boys in the morning so i can lounge in bed a little longer? i married up. just sayin'.
then jamie and the boys and i got back in the car and drove to the mall and did a bit of looking around. i got the boys some juice boxes and we waited for jamie to finish paying for the other things.
then we went over to cafe java's and i ate the most delicious curry EVER. it was their coconut fish curry and OH.MY.GOSH. it melted in my mouth. buttery, coconutty, deliciousness.
then we ordered dessert {why yes i did pack up 1/2 my dinner so that i could still have room for their brownie sundae! how did you know?} and nick and trevor surprised me with this fantastic batik for our dining room! great job, guys!
and then, our dessert came out and all the waiters sang to me. ha! love it. sneaky, sneaky, guys.
and then we stuffed ourselves with delicious ice cream and chocolate brownies.
{note jude's finger reaching out to nab some of my ice cream!}
easy there, big fella.
i was so blessed today. by friends a far sending me sweet messages on twitter and email and by friends here treating me to breakfast {thanks kelly!} and giving me very thoughtful gifts.
teapot from kelly, sugar bowl from our housegirl elizabeth and delicious camembert cheese from a fellow missionary, lynn {who remembered our conversation about our mutual affection for cheese.}
i wouldn't change a thing about today and my heart is full.
*also now? i'm going to watch The Fellowship Of The Ring - per my request. happy birthday to me!
yesterday i decided to just go ahead and make some plans with a blogger friend i had not yet met.
so this morning {after baking some banana bread} jamie called our taxi driver {his name is abby and he's been great so far} and me and the boys loaded into the car and drove to the other side of kampala to meet up with kelly and her boys.
it took less than 30 minutes {i was totally expecting it to be longer} and we arrived to their lovely house way up on a hill.
me and jude. noah was beside me.
my view from the backseat.
oh my. it was indeed a breath of fresh air to my soul.
to be honest, i've been missing my friends and specifically some solid, female interaction.
and so i prayed.
and God is so faithful.
kelly and i had a lovely time chatting and our boys played together quite well.
in the words of humphrey bogart, "i think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
i took off my engagement ring the other day.
women in uganda don't wear engagement rings and quite a few don't wear wedding bands.
i'm already getting used to how it feels.
today we went down to the beach and oh.my.heart.
it does me good to be there.
jude fell asleep a few minutes before we got there so jamie and noah went for a walk along the boardwalk while i sat in the car and read my bible and listened to mumford & sons and watched two different cars parallel park with perfect execution.
the breeze was a little bit of heaven blowing in through our open car windows.
once jude was awake we had a picnic lunch consisting of boardwalk hotdogs and some of the best fries i've had in awhile.
it
was
perfect.
it was nice to just be our family. and i like our family. not just love them. but i like them too. i enjoy being together.
just us.
later on we spent some time with family friends that we've gotten together {multiple times a year} with since jamie and i were dating {and they were getting together long before that without me!} and made some more fun memories and said our good-byes and were incredibly blessed by their generosity and thoughtfulness.
if this doesn't say summer to you, i'm not sure what will.
we've been having so much fun spending time with friends and family that i've barely picked up my camera and i've talked so much that i feel as though i have nothing to blog about!
{which is totally not true, but ... i'm processing verbally which is so much faster and satisfying.}
we got some bins that we're going to use in lieu of suitcases.
i bought a bunch of stuff from ikea today.
i'm making lists like a crazy woman {i actually enjoy making lists. besides, it helps me feel sane.}
the packing is beginning.
this is good.
and
i finally completed my "family yearbook" for 2010 and ordered it today {from blurb in case you were wondering. they are amazing. i've purchased at least 5 books from them and have NO regrets as well as being completely impressed at the quality and speed of delivery. true story.} and i'm really excited to get it. i think it will be really fun to have and look at while in uganda.
noah likes to ask what day it is. pretty much every single day. multiple times a day.
i don't really mind.
sometimes i just tell him straight up what day it is.
sometimes i sing it to him.
sometimes i say it in a funny voice.
he thinks i'm silly.
we went to centre island today with our dear friends, the humphreys.
we got to the island before them so we had some family time in which we enjoyed some good old fashioned swinging
(why yes i did dress my boys in the same outfit. it helps to find them in public places. i know. genius.)
(o hello runny nose!)
and of course...rides, rides, RIDES!
(even though it looks like jude was cowering, he loved every second of it. promise.)
and then once we met up with our friends there were some more rides!
(okay, so noah totally loves rides. he's SO happy!)
and we went on possibly the fastest merry-go-'round known to man. seriously. it was fast.
and apparently i took a lot of pictures. but it was good. because it's been a few days since i picked up my camera and took some pictures. and some turned out pretty good (if i do say so myself).
and it was oh-so-good to hang out with dawn & eric again. we've had some good times and memories with those two and it's sad to say good bye for who knows how long (though i hope no longer than 2 years!).
and (last sentence i start with "and", i promise) the kids went the entire day with NO NAPS. we didn't get home until 8:40pm so it was a loooong day. but they did really well, all things considered.
oh i had such a lovely day visiting in guelph today.
seeing friends, chatting, enjoying some high tea at the boathouse with wonderful women {who generously gifted me with the most gorgeous camera bag you've ever seen - it's purple. me = in love.}, spending dinner and quality time with dear friends.
it was a lovely day.
i caught this shot of jude in my lap {holding a pencil?} and noah across from me {holding some wooden toy} and our feet.
we are who we are in this messy, crazy, wonderful, amazing world we live in.
i'm glad i get to "do life" with these fantastic people.
