Pilgrims at Oak Ridge

1. Naomi's language abilities are really starting to take off. My two favorite things: she has started to say "Hi!" a lot and expect you to say it back to her. And anytime she seems a picture of a duck she says "qua-qua". Adorable. 2. You should all seriously read this post , written by a friend from Greenwood where she talks about having her daughter who she was surprised to discover had Down Syndrome. You will be blessed. 3. I have loved reading Ali's African Adventures for several years. She is a pediatric nurse serving on Mercy Ships. She recently got a devastating diagnosis for her unborn son, Ethan. Please go read and pray for baby Ethan and his Mama and Daddy. 4. I've decided that I've been going through sort of a dry spell lately, especially as it comes to writing. I love writing. I miss writing. But every time I sit down to write, the words just don't come. So as much as I'd like to get back to regular writing about things oth...

We had a great visit with Jeff's mom and drove down to the Long Beach Aquarium while she was here. I always love aquariums, and this one was no exception. One of my favorite parts? The Chambered Nautilus! I have never actually seen one of these swimming around, but it looked like something out of a deep space alien movie. I guess I assumed they moved more like a snail, with the shell on top and so was surprised to see the shell in front. Judah's favorite part was the outdoor play area complete with water spraying animals. There were also penguins and seals, and my other favorite, jelly fish. I think I could watch these guys swim around for a long time. The reef exhibit looked just like the scenery in Finding Nemo. After the aquarium, we came back and played outside for a bit. Naomi is really getting into holding and picking flowers, which is extra cute.

I have been very jealous of all the snow pictures I've been seeing on Facebook. I know that those who have been pounded with snow would be jealous of the beautiful LA weather we've had, but I would have loved to be in SC for the big snow storms they got. Instead, I had to settle for rain. The way the weather people talked about this rain storm reminded me a lot of how snow storms are talked about in the South. It did rain intermittently for 3 days, which is definitely the most rain we've seen since moving here, though in my mind it's still hard to understand why there was so much fuss. We made the most of it by going out and playing.  Obviously, it wasn't that cold - Naomi's flip flops are a testament to the mildness of the weather.  The most fun thing we did was play a game Judah called "River" - a game in which I made tiny boats out of aluminum foil that we then launched down the run-off from the rain. And of course, after p...

I had my first clinic this morning. Or I was supposed to, anyway. The office didn't actually open up my schedule because our secretary was worried I would end up with a full clinic and knows I am still getting a handle on how to use our EMR. I did see a few patients to help out some of the other docs and had one of the more unsettling interactions I've ever had with a patient. She came in for a routine follow up for her blood pressure - she was higher than her goal at her last visit, so her doctor had started a few medication. This was a visit to recheck how that medicine was doing, as well as keep an eye on her diabetes. As I was talking about how her blood pressure was better than last time, but still a smidge higher than where I would like it, she began to tell me about how stressful her waiting room experience was today. Apparently, a mom was waiting with her child, who was crying. I told her I understood how stressful a crying baby can be. "No, no, no. There was...

Two weeks ago, I came home from my long day at work to a house that was spotless, and was greeted with flowers and a delicious homemade meal of pasta served on our fine china. I have an awesome husband. Obviously. It was such a sweet gesture for Valentine's day - and really made my week. At the same time, I was also in awe and intimidated that he was able to clean the house, make dinner, get both kids to nap, and get to the grocery store, all before I got home at 5:30. (!!) Because some days I can barely get dressed before Jeff gets home. Today, though, I came home after receiving several texts talking about "everyone being sad" and "descents into anarchy" to a house that looked a little like a tornado had come through. Naps didn't really happen, and I think maybe there were lunch dishes still on the table. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has days like that.

I found myself incredibly grumpy the other day. I was, as usual, trying to get a few things done around the house during nap time but none of my children actually wanted to take naps. So we went outside to play and even now, looking at these sweet pictures of my beautiful children I am wondering why I could ever be grumpy about spending time with these beautiful faces. I don't like being grumpy. I especially don't like be grumpy with my kids. This is not a post where I have any answers - I am only reminded again and convicted by my general lack of compassion toward my family. And today I'm thankful for the grace they give me, and that God is still working on me. I have a long way to go.

I posted a few months ago that I had been offered a new job. Last week I finally started, after several months of trying to get all the hospital's paperwork completed and approved by various committees there. I've spent last week and this week basically getting oriented to the hospital, computer systems, and how the residency runs. I'm pretty sure I've absorbed by about a fourth of the necessary information, but hopefully it will be enough to tide me over when I really start as part of the normal mix this coming week. My medical skills are feeling a little rusty, and I know the residents are going to keep me on my toes with questions. So far I have definitely enjoyed everything, although it still doesn't feel like Greenwood. I'm not sure if it ever will, really - I'm realizing Greenwood and the residency there was a special place. But I think I'm going to fit in and hopefully be able to do some good teaching. Getting back into the swing of being a...

I'm not sure why it took us 7 months of living here before we went and watched a sunset at the beach. We'll definitely not wait another 7 to do it again. What amazed me about the whole thing was that we got there about 20 minutes or so before sunset on a cold, windy day. Only a few other people were around. I sort of figured it was too cold for most people to come out. But over the next 15 minutes, the beach filled as the sunset grew more and more beautiful. People driving down the PCH slowly pulled over and got out, cell phones and cameras ready to capture the beauty. It was almost like they couldn't help themselves as God put on a wonderful display of his glory.

I've been studying the book of Matthew with BSF this year, and really enjoying it. I like it because it gets me out of the house, meeting people, but also because I've been able to do a little more in-depth study of a book. Last week we talked about the passage in Matthew where Jesus feeds the 5,000. I had not ever really paid enough attention to notice its surroundings, but Jesus finds out about the death of John the Baptist, and then tries to get away by himself. He has just spent a lot of time speaking to crowds of people and no one seems to understand his teaching, not even his disciples. Boy, could I identify with him there. As a mother, I frequently find myself wanting a little break. A little retreat. 5 minutes of peace. Naps don't go well, Naomi is teething, Judah persists in his disobedience, or I'm just impatient for no good reason (the most likely). When I want a break and don't get it, my reaction is pretty much the opposite of Jesus' reaction....

I did say in my last post that I wanted to do more writing here about deeper things than just what I've made, but I have been wanting to blog about our advent calender/jesse tree for a while. I worked on the ornaments over several years, mostly because I was making several sets for various family members. First off, here is the advent calender I made for myself several years ago. When I first made this, I knew I would eventually make some kind of homemade ornaments for each day. I think next year I'm going to add maybe a little chocolate to each pocket or fun Christmas-related activity in addition to the ornament. When I decided to do ornaments I knew I wanted to do a Jesse Tree. A few years ago, the printable one over at Ann Voscamp's blog was really big, and I used her list of ornaments as my starting place. We tried using her readings once, but the very, very flowery language was a little too much for us. (I know lots of people love her style and that's cool ...

It's been a slow and somewhat difficult transition back to our normal routine around here. Naomi has been sick/teething/fussy for unknown reasons leading to less sleep than normal for this mama. Although our Christmas tree is down, we still have some of the other decorations up (maybe I can take care of them today?) and I've been struggling to stay on top of the laundry, meal-preparing and grocery shopping. I'm also getting a little more nervous about the upcoming transition back to working outside the home. (Nervous and excited!) We have a tentative schedule planned (wednesday morning, thursday morning, and all day friday) and are just waiting for final approval to get my credentials from the hospital. That should come on monday, hopefully. So that's what's going on out here.... I really do want to start writing more here. As in, actual writing about more than just my cute kids or things I make. Maybe starting a job will give me more to write about. Maybe not. ...

Judah has been asking to go to the Science Center pretty much since the last time we went, so we went today. This time, I also remembered my fish-eye lens so I could get some fun shots of the space shuttle. Judah continues to enjoy the space shuttle but prefer the activities involving joysticks or launching balls, which are numerous in the science center. Naomi and I loved the jelly fish, but Judah really doesn't care as much for the aquarium. I love this museum. I especially love that it's free.

We had Naomi's first birthday party while in SC so we could have it with family. Since I already had a cute rainbow bunting, I decided to go with a rainbow theme. Also because she really came into our lives after a tough pregnancy loss and her birth has brought a lot of joy into our lives.  I went to the fabric district with a friend a few months ago and bought a rainbow of paper lanterns for decoration. I have also been keeping my eyes open for other rainbow party supplies recently, and found the plates and napkins at Walmart and the paper hats at Target. The rainbow candy canes were a dollar store find and I served a rainbow of fruits and veggies. And a huge Thank you! to Andrew and Melanie for hosting our little shindig at their house.  The cake was super fun. I followed this tutorial on Martha Stewart, but used this vanilla cake recipe from Annie's Eats I had made before because I knew it was delicious. I used the frosting recipe from the Martha Stewart sit...

The other sewing project I made this year were explorer vest for my nephews and Judah, another pattern from Little Things to sew.   I put little flashlights and tape measures from the dollar spot at Target in the pockets. When I first floated the idea of explorer vests by Melanie, she was excited since it would mean less new toys at her house. I don't know if they'll get used, but I loved how many pockets these had, perfect for collecting rocks, sticks, and any other "treasures" they find when they go outside. The pattern includes an option for bellows on the pockets, which makes them seems very "explorer-y" to me. I also got a pair of inexpensive binoculars for Judah in his pocket, which he really loved. The best part about this year's Christmas sewing: I didn't buy ANYTHING. I used up a lot of cute fabrics from my stash, especially from my stash of boy fabrics. I was really tempted to go to Joann's several times, but realized tha...

I definitely dialed back the Christmas crafting this year, although I did still manage to make a few things. I ordered a new pattern book, Little Things to Sew , that I have been wanting for a while. It did not disappoint. First I made a very cute messenger bag for my niece Ashlyn. I love all the details in this bag - the flaps, the use of bias tape and all the cute pockets. And here she is, modeling her bag, as well as the infinity scarf I made. (Which might be the easiest sewing project I've ever done. 15 minutes start to finish. There are numerous tutorials out there; this one has good photos. Mine is obviously made with  a knit fabric, so I used my serger for most of it. I will definitely be making this pattern again. It would make a great birthday gift. I also love that by using boy fabrics it could definitely work for a boy.