Too much nature

Lately, we've seen too much nature. I didn't think we'd be true 'city folk' but we are. Last week, when we were at the park, Dan noticed a black widow on the stone/brick wall where Russell was playing. I've never seen one before and ever since that day, I've been vigilant about watching the area. This morning, I woke up to find Dan on his hands/knees cleaning the carpet. We'd kept the window open for the cool night air but a sizable colony of ants found their way into the dining area and were feasting on Russell's dried snack food (cranberries, raisins) and my carmel Torani bottle. We haven't had an 'outbreak' of ants since January '06 when Laura and Kris visited (so sorry!). I really do hate anything that crawls or creeps and thankfully, we haven't seen a rattlesnake that is warned about in the HOA newsletters...

A reminder...

To those who know us well, this isn't necessary but just a reminder to everyone else... please, when you call, leave a message if we don't answer. We may not answer for a number of reasons:

1) we're out of the house (I keep busy even as a stay-at-home-mom)
2) the phone is lost (we won't name names, Russell)
3) we're too busy to answer (yummy, supper time!)
4) we don't want to answer (we all have bad days/moods)
5) we don't hear the phone ring if we're listening to music/radio over the Internet (yeah for free entertainment!)

We enjoy catching up with friends and family but if you don't leave a message, we won't know you called and it's a little annoying to get hang-up phone calls on the machine;-) We're too cheap to pay for caller ID!

Sunday Afternoon

On Sunday afternoon, we spent some time outside at the Japanese Tea Gardens. It had been ages since we'd been there. Russell loves to be outside and this 'new park' made him very happy!

He spent a long time throwing leaves into this little stream and like to watch the leaves float away in the current.

The pond was stocked with coy (up to 1.5 ft in length) and Russell liked to watch them swim:-)

Surprises

I love surprising Dan on his birthday. It only comes around once a year so I try and plan something fun like a weekend away or purchase a great gift (no, not the Thermos from 2005) like the Mac Mini. One year in San Diego (must have been 2002), I asked Dan to surprise me for my birthday and he did. We spent the evening on the Hornblower Cruise boat that went around the bay. Only hitch was that we got there 2hrs early because Dan couldn't wait any longer to tell me. It really wasn't a problem because we didn't have a baby/toddler to entertain:-)

I've kept up with 'Beka & Mark's' blog (see list) online. I've never met either one, I just found her blog on the infertility blog site one day. She must be an incredible woman. She wrote something recently that really struck a chord with me. She said that God isn't surprised.

When I read what Beka had written, I thought back to my life; working at Palomar & meeting Alicia (and others), meeting Dan through Alicia (four years later), the sub breaking so Dan was at the wedding, carrying Russell in utero with no problems, Russell's joyous birth. While I was surprised at all of these events, God wasn't. He knew the details of my life- our life. The 'good' surprises lead us to give praise to God for His presence and direction.

It is the 'bad' surprises that are bitter. For some, it is the loss of a job, a divorce, a dream. For us, it is the bitter cup of miscarriage. When Beka expressed her emotions on her blog, I cried for her and the other couples that continue to struggle. It is hard to understand why something so 'good' could be taken away. Each time we conceive, we try not to get our hopes up but the instant of seeing two pink lines only leads to dreams of a sibling for Russell and another child being sent to college. It has comforted us during this time in our lives that God is not surprised. He knew what would happen and I know that as each time approached, He sent encouragers and friends to uphold us with His presence.

Some people have asked us about adoption but we aren't ready to pursue that choice. It is difficult to explain to others why we want our own baby and not another child. We just do. Please continue to pray that God would grant us the desires of our heart.

Eternal Fruit

As those of you know who read this blog, I love fruit. I do eat veggies, but I love fruit. The only problem with fruit, though, is that is doesn't last long. There is nothing worse than anticipating a bite of kiwi or mango and tasting the bitterness of the over-rippened fruit. There is nothing to do with it except throw it away as a useless piece of trash and hope that next time you'll remember to check the fruit bowl sooner.

Pastor David Jeremiah recently did a sermon the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5.22). Here's the list:

-love
-joy
-peace
-patience
-kindness
-goodness
-faithfulness
-gentleness
-self-control

Have you ever met a person that personified all of these characteristics? What a sweet, delicious 'fruit' that person would be. Someone you wouldn't forget. A 'fruit' that would not expire, grow moldy, or grow bitter. As the 'fruit' aged, it would only get better. Eternal Fruit.

On the other hand, the rotten fruit of sin taints and spoils all that it touches: sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, and envy.

For those who are of Christ, I pray that each day we continue to mature into Eternal Fruit. The world will look at us and see the difference, the sweetness.

Blueberry Goodness

To say that we've bought a few pounds of blueberries this week is an understatement. I bought 2 lbs from Trader Joe's but was sorely disappointed in the small size of the berries. I figured it was a cool summer in the Northeast since that is where those berries were from.

Then the Safeway flier arrived on Wednesday. They advertised 2.5 lbs/$5. Wonderful! The berries were large and plump and no rotten ones were included. Yeah for British Columbia berries! I bought seven 2.5 lb packages and once I threw out the three bags of frozen green beans in my freezer (don't tell my Mom!), I had more room for the berries (survival of the fittest when it comes to freezer room). The winter I was preggo with Russell, I mostly ate blueberries so I figure that might be why he loves them so much;-)

Oops.

I've been meaning to cut Russell's hair for the last week because it was getting so long. I really only wanted to trim his hair but he would not keep his head still as I tried to trim it (despite cookies and milk). I finally got out the razor and thought, "well, at least this will be fast." To sum up the next 3-4 minutes, it was like shaving a wet cat. Exactly. Dan held Russell while he clawed to get away from the razor (and me) and yelled, "floor, floor!"

I used the #3 guard because that is what I use on Dan's hair but it was too short. Half-way through, Russell had a buzz cut at the back and 3-4 inch hair on top. At this point, I asked myself, "what have I done to my child??" I used the #6 guard on top and it seems to have turned out okay. Not great, but okay. Russell has thin hair like Dan and the sides of his head seem to have a few little patches of visable skin around his temples. My only consulation is that his hair grows fast. He looks older with the shorter hair (I think) but I did like the longer hair on him.