On My Front Porch Looking In

One Year

2012-01-03T16:03:00.003-05:00

Jonah is officially one year old! (One year and 3 days, to be exact.) And now for every cliche in the book: Where did the time go? I can't believe it's been a year already! It went by so fast! Our baby is not such a baby anymore! Ok, I'm done. But seriously, those things are all true. Now for a time of reflecting...

Even during pregnancy, I thought Jonah was going to be a laid-back, chill-ax kind of baby. He didn't "kick" or go crazy in my belly all the time... more like little nudges and timid movements. This has carried over to today. Sure, he has spurts where he is excited and crawling his little tushy off, but he is SUCH an easy baby. My mom has even said that she doesn't think I've had a taste of what a "real" baby is like. And of course, I'm always comforted when people inevitably tell me, "You know the next one isn't going to be like that, right?" YES. I KNOW. I WILL NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO.

He even made his appearance into the world easily. It was like he was setting me up for the rest of the time. We were in the hospital at 7:00 a.m. and he was born by 11:30 a.m. Our experience was wonderful and I would do it again and again. I feel like God (and Jonah) was very gracious to me that day!

The first 2 months were the hardest. I don't wish to experience them again. I think they are hard for everyone. Jonah had colic and I was at my wits end trying to make him happy. Nursing was more difficult than I had ever imagined. I was adjusting to my world being turned upside down and Jonah was adjusting to being in the world. I wanted to hit the fast forward button.

We hit our stride in months 3-5. We got our routine down pat, and I felt like I could breathe easier. Since then, it's been mostly smooth sailing. Jonah is happy (seriously, the kid RARELY cries) and healthy. His personality has really started shining in the past 6 months. He is extremely focused, easy-going, and cautious. He loves Mommy and Daddy, and his grin is the biggest when the 3 of us are together (that's when mine is the biggest too)! I don't know how I got so blessed that God would give him to us.

We went for his one year check-up today, so here are some stats:

Height: 31" (80th percentile)
Weight: 23 lbs. 7 oz. (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 90th percentile (I can't remember the measurement but I really don't think his head looks that big! Apparently it is though!)
Clothes: He's in 12-18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.

Eating: He's eating about 75% table food and 25% baby food. Favorites are bananas, apples, and scrambled eggs. He LOVES his food- it's the only thing he's aggressive about! The only things he hasn't liked lately are red meat (roast and ground beef have been tried) and broccoli. He attacks every sippy cup and bottle that's given to him. He drinks whole milk, water, and a little bit of apple juice (for digestive issues).

Nursing: At the beginning of December, I started slowly cutting down on my nursing. We went from 4 feedings to 3, and then 2 the next week, and so on. I stopped altogether the day after his birthday. I am so proud of myself for making it 12 months- woohoo!!! I've feel a little insulted because Jonah did not even seem to notice (after I worked so hard!). But that's okay, I'm thankful that he's fine taking regular milk. Weaning gradually was so easy and I didn't have even an ounce of pain.

Sleeping: Jonah sleeps from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. every night and takes a 2 hour nap in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. He sleeps mostly on his stomach, and prefers one particular corner of the crib. :)

Playing: Now that he's mobile, he is not too keen on anything that keeps him contained (exersaucer, jumperoo, etc.). He loves his new activity table (Bright Starts Having a Ball Get Rolling Activity Table), reading books (especially ones with flaps to pull up), his new Fisher Price car ramp, and this little plastic rain stick thing that we got at a thrift store. We take lots of walks- he loves being outside. On especially nice days, we sit outside on a blanket in the yard and play (a.k.a. try to eat grass and leaves) and watch cars drive by. He is also a great shopper- so much to see and riding in the cart is fun!

Jonah is a very fast crawler and he pulls to stand all the time, even if there's just a wall to lean on to support himself. He will let go to stand by himself, but when he realizes he's not holding on, he gets panicked and grabs onto something really quick. He "cruises" around the furniture with no assistance, and can walk just holding onto our fingers. I don't think it will be too long before he walks on his own!

He is starting to babble a lot more. He FINALLY said "Mama!" I should say that he finally screamed "Mama" because he only says it under times of definite distress (i.e. crying hysterically). I will be thankful to hear it in a more positive scenario soon- ha ha! "Dada" is constant, and he says "dog" when one of our dogs walks by. We're starting to work on animal sounds too!

We're having a birthday party for his on Saturday at the house (his 2nd one because his first was in Kentucky)! Now to see the changes a year can make:

I LOVE HIM. God is SO GOOD.

Big Things Happening!!!

2012-01-01T14:51:00.003-05:00

I know I'm the worst blogger ever. Moving on. Christmas happened! It was a whirlwind- a crazy, busy, wonderful trip to Kentucky with some crazy, busy, wonderful, and LOUD people. Jonah's first Christmas was a definite success. I am already looking forward to the next one! Next year we will really be trying to teach him the true meaning of Christmas- the birth of a Savior!

This year, Jonah took notice of every Christmas tree and wreath everywhere we went, which just added to my holiday joy! He would shake all over and reach out to (very gently) touch the tree or an ornament that had caught his eye. I was curious about whether he would try to pull ornaments off, but this cautious boy did not even approach the tree unless we were with him!

This was at a light show in Kentucky- have you ever seen a cuter profile in your life???

Back to our trip... since both of our family's live far away (mine in KY and Jay's in Georgia) we flip-flop holidays every year (Thanksgiving this year in GA, Christmas in KY, and vice versa next year). We made the 8.5 hour trip up and back without ONE PEEP from Jonah. He was just so good! And that's without a DVD player or anything... we were so proud of him!

My family is best described in three words: big (in number, not it body size- ha ha!), fun, and LOUD. Jay still gets overwhelmed even after six years of marriage. For major holidays, the house is full of people all the time, and it seemed like even more people were around this year because they haven't gotten to spend all that much time with Jonah. All of Jonah's 7 cousins were there to entertain him, and aunts and uncles got some love in, too. I was just so thankful for all of us to be together again! The only person we were missing was my brother-in-law Gavin, who is deployed right now. We miss him terribly!

All the cousins!

Sister-in-law Jenn, brother Boogie, me, Jay, Mom, Dad, sister Shannon, and little bro Tripp

Our awkward (on purpose) sibling photo- love it.

We celebrated at my parents' house on Christmas Eve and had Christmas at my grandmother's house (G.G.) on Christmas Day with ALL the extended family. My all-time favorite tradition is our sing-along (yes, really) after the meal and presents are finished. We gather in the other living room and my music teacher and OCD mother passes out her stapled song sheet packets that she put together in 1981 (or so), sits down at the piano, and we start requesting our favorites. Being a pretty musical family, there's a lot of harmony and a lot of showing off! "Twelve Days of Christmas" is always a favorite because everyone chooses a verse to sing (this year, my niece Gabby and I shared "3 French Hens"), with the attention hogs (including me) wanting the verses toward the beginning since they repeat over and over, and the more gun-shy folks wanting the later verses (a little wimpy if you ask me- ha ha!). I was thrilled that Jonah just got to be a part of a time that has always been so special to me.

Singing our Christmas favorites (top pic); With my brother Tripp (above)

Aunt Kelli, G.G. and Aunt Debbie- ready with their song sheets!

This year I had the privilege of singing on Christmas morning with my brother Tripp at my parents' church. Jay graciously agreed to sing a song too (I'll have to post that video soon!). It was such a special time for me... the two of us grew up performing together all the time, but it's been a long time since! Tripp makes his living as an actor and has always been so amazingly talented- I'm nowhere near his caliber and honored to share the stage! It was such an unexpected blessing to worship our Savior with him. Here's a little peek if you're interested (sorry it's from so far back!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-aPLnGm_OY

All in all, this was a Christmas to remember! God is good ALL the time, and I am blessed to be His child. Now, for a final picture of some Christmas joy:

I will be back tomorrow (promise!) because that little guy is officially a YEAR old! Surely that deserves an update. ;)

Tortellini Soup

2011-12-12T15:17:00.001-05:00

I LOVE making soups, especially in the winter. I usually make a soup on Saturday or Sunday and then we'll eat off of that throughout the week for lunches or I'll have it when Jay is leading praise band rehearsal or something. This tortellini soup is one of my absolute favorites. It's so easy and packed with veggies and flavor! It's a fun twist on a traditional vegetable soup. And you can get most of the ingredients at Aldi (always a bonus, in my opinion... sorry if you don't have an Aldi near you!). Don't worry about exact measurements- recipes are just guidelines (unless you're baking)!

1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 8 oz. package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 cups sliced carrots (I think it's about 3 carrots or so... just add what you want!)
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 zucchinis)
2 cans of diced tomatoes (sometimes I dice up fresh ones)
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. oregano
1 t. parsley

Cook the sausage in soup pot and then remove. Saute onions and garlic in the same pot. Add broth, water, carrots, tomatoes, spices, and sausage (back in). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add zucchini and tortellini and simmer 25 minutes. (It's fine to keep it on low on the stove for a while. The leftovers are just as good!)

Blog Buzz

2011-11-14T14:55:00.000-05:00

A big THANK YOU to my friend Heather at Everyday Evans for giving me this blog award!

I don't have a speech prepared, but I owe many blog posts to this friend because she nags me to death when I don't post often enough. Ha ha! I really have been doing better about this though!

The Liebster Award spotlights up and coming bloggers who generally have less than 200 followers. Upon receipt of the Liebster Award, there are a few very simple rules:
1. Copy and paste the award on your blog
2. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you
3. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
4. Hope that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.

So without further adieu, I give you my top five picks (please picture me in a super sparkly, figure-flattering award-nominee-announcer gown):
1. Monica @ Grace for Today
2. Danielle @ Living in Love & Joy
3. Sarah @ Moms 2 B
4. Ashley @ The Shamblin Stories
5. Megan @ Blissfully Burton

Spread the love!

Another List

2011-11-08T12:15:00.000-05:00

-Jay and I celebrated our five year anniversary this past weekend! We had a date night on Friday- nice dinner, stroll around downtown Abbeville, and relaxing and talking in a coffee shop for a while. We had such a great time! I am so thankful to be married to such an amazing man who chases after God each and every day. Yes, I made the babysitter (thank you, Amber!) take a picture of us before we left:

-I've been wearing a dress with a cardigan, tights/leggings, and boots probably 3 or 4 days a week. I know some disagree, but I think tights are so incredibly comfortable. In college, I used to wear tights under my jeans every day in the winter!

-Jonah has been having a really difficult time with teething this week. He's working on two more top teeth (his 5th and 6th) and he hasn't been sleeping through the night. He had a fever last night and he was just so pitiful. We've been spending some extra time together at around 5:30 each morning... not my ideal time for sure!

-Last night we gave Jonah some broccoli as a finger food while we were eating dinner. Oh my goodness, he HATED it! He put a little piece in his mouth, pinched his little face up, closed his eyes, and shuddered all over. It was hilarious. Jay stuck another piece in his mouth and Jonah immediately threw up the broccoli and everything else he had already eaten. Nice. We'll be holding off on broccoli for a while, or I might try mixing it with something else until he gets used to it.

-I LOVE jalepeno potato chips. I am one of those people who has to have chips with my sandwich, and jalepeno have been my favorite for a while. But last week I discovered these dill pickle chips that have changed my life forever. If you eat too many, your mouth gets kind of raw, just like when you eat salt and vinegar chips, but oh my goodness... SO worth it.

-Last night I ordered our Christmas cards. Yes it's the beginning of November, but they were 60% off with free shipping! Plus, last year I stressed about those dumb cards for weeks, so I am happy to get it out of the way. I hope they turn out as cute in person as they are online!

-Sunday night was our girls' Bunco night! We haven't had it in about six months and we had a great time. It was some much-needed girl time for everyone, I think!

-I have started Christmas shopping! I've bought a couple little things over the past few months, but I will be getting hard-core in the next few weeks. I LOVE Christmas shopping and I'm always sad when it's over (which for me is usually around Dec. 1st- I never procrastinate it!). And I can't wait to get all the decorations out... I always ask Jay if we can decorate after Halloween instead of Thanksgiving and every year he turns me down. Such a Grinch ;)

And just because he's cute and I love those lips:

Airplanes, Cousins, and California

2011-11-05T15:19:00.001-04:00

Jonah and I flew solo to California a couple of weeks ago to see my sister, Shanny (short for Shannon), and her four kids, Gabby, Caroline, Sam, and Nate. Jonah was so excited to meet his cousins for the first time, and couldn't wait to see his aunt again! (Gavin, Shanny's husband, is a Navy commander deployed overseas for seven months right now. We miss him!) I was extremely apprehensive about flying by myself with the baby. There's just so much that goes into it, but I kept reassuring myself that people do this every day and get through it just fine. After a lot of prayer and preparation, I decided that any cross-country trip would be worth it to see these kids, right?

And I desperately missed my sister:

Our time in California was better than I could have asked for! All the kids were CRAZY about Jonah. They fought for his attention and wanted to be next to him at all times. The most surprising was Nate, who is 4. All day long we heard him say in a sing-song "soothing" voice (while patting Jonah's head, staring at him only inches away from his face), "Hi, Baby Jonah.... Hi, Baby, Jonah..." over and over again. When Jonah was asleep, Nate would carry the video monitor around with him everywhere and give me updates. "Tay Tay, Baby Jonah is still sleeping. See, look. Right now he's still sleeping right there. He just moved his arm. But he's still sleeping." Ha ha! We got to go with Nate's preschool class to a pumpkin patch one day:

Jonah's other cousins played with him and doted on his every move, too! I thought he might get overwhelmed with all the attention but he just soaked it up. Gabby and Caroline were such good little "mommies" the whole week. On Saturday, we went to the soccer fields in the afternoon and watched Sam play (all 4 kids play, but Jonah was sleeping during the girls' games):

Shanny took such wonderful care of us. She borrowed baby gear from all of our friends so that we were all set when we arrived. She bought about six hundred jars of baby food, sippy cups, diapers, and every puff/teething biscuit/yogurt melt imaginable. I honestly don't know how she does it all when her husband is deployed and she has such bright and active kiddos. We spent our days shopping, having lunches out, taking walks, playing hours of Phase 10 with Gabby and Caroline (I am the Phase 10 champion of the world!), enjoying the California sunshine and the swing set outside, and playing Kinect's Dance Central (have you done this?? Oh my goodness- SO FUN!). It was some much-needed bonding time, that's for sure. I will always be thankful for that week we had together.

I can't wait for Jonah to be big enough to wrestle around with Sam and Nate and to look up to all of his cousins. He will be a blessed little boy, for sure.

Now, for the plane ride. I will NEVER again fly across the country with an infant by myself. Don't get me wrong, the trip was totally and completely worth every minute. But it's HARD. If Jay had been with me, it would have been fine. It's just that that extra set of hands was much-needed, and no help was ever offered to me. It's extremely difficult to maneuver a baby, stroller, carry-on bag, and suitcase through an airport. When I arrived at security, I was told I had to take my shoes and Jonah's shoes off, pick him up, and then collapse the stroller and lift it onto the conveyor (this is very hard to do while holding a baby!). On the plane, Jonah was great in the sense that he almost never fussed. But the problem was that he wanted to stand on my legs and jump up and down (with me supporting him) for the entirety of the flight. My normally sleep-dependant baby slept a total of ten minutes on our way to California (during a ten-hour period), and an hour on the flight back. It was physically and emotionally exhausting, and I had no one to help me. I was thankful though, that I was totally prepared and felt like I had everything that I needed. Some tips for anyone else planning to fly with a baby:

-Try to limit your carry-ons to one bag (in this case, it was my diaper bag) and one umbrella stroller (you'll need it to get through the airports).

-Make sure your diaper bag is organized. I had a prepared 2 gallon-sized Ziploc bags- one full of snacks (Cheerios, puffs, Mum-Mums) and one full of little toys (this one was not needed as much because Jonah was too busy looking at everyone and everything on the plane and wanting to eat the safety manual/armrest/magazine/arm of the passenger next to us). I also had a bottle with formula already in it (Jonah is nursing still, but he doesn't mind formula) so that I could just add water to give him on the take off and landing to help relieve the pressure on his ears. I had about 6 or 7 diapers, wipes, and baby pain reliever, too. The only thing I wish I had remembered was a light blanket. I think this might have helped him sleep if I had draped it over his head while he laid on me.

-When you arrive at the gate, go to the counter and ask if there are any seats available with an empty seat next to it, so that you have some extra room and can put the baby there for short breaks when you need it (I only had this luxury on one flight, but it was wonderful).

-Dress the baby in layers. Some planes will be freezing and some will be stifling. Make sure you dress as comfortably as possible!

-If you are nursing, make sure to look carefully at your flight plan to see when you will be able to nurse. I nursed on my layovers and once in the airplane bathroom. (Yes, it can be done but I don't recommend it!)

-Make friends with the person sitting next to you! You want to make a connection so that they find your baby endearing, instead of a nuisance.

To sum up this very long, drawn-out post:

Flying alone with an infant = No fun. Seeing some of your favorite people in California = Totally worth it.

Ten-Month Panda Bear

2011-11-03T11:53:00.000-04:00

Jonah is ten months old! Here are a few updates on our little man:
-He is in mostly 18 months clothes (!!!) with a few 12 month outfits thrown in there.
-He is still nursing 4 times a day (8:00, 12, 4, and 8) and he eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
-He's eating mostly baby food, but we're incorporating finger foods more and more.
-He started crawling about two weeks ago and I love it! He looks so cute and I love being able to watch him explore.
-Jonah loves books. He crawls to the books in his room every chance he gets. He especially loves for us to read him any of the books that have flaps to lift up. When the page turns, he immediately grabs for every flap to lift it up.
-He's started understanding what "excited" means. When we say, "Are you excited?" he stiffens his whole body, clenches his fists, grins really big, and kind of shakes all over. It's adorable. It looks a little bit like he's having a seizure, but it's much cuter, I promise.
-We still love our naps! Two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon.
-We made it through our first plane ride (more on this later) and Jonah was a champ!

Now, for the cutest panda bear EVER:

With his friends, Lily the Ladybug and Ainsley the Penguin:

Follow-up!

2011-10-10T14:12:00.001-04:00

The blog reader with sleep questions that launched the longest blog post ever (see yesterday's entry) immediately had more questions about these tricky naps, and I don't blame her! I spent hours upon hours trying to finagle (love that word) every nuance having to do with sleep, just praying that at some point I would figure out the magic combination that would release the "sleeping like a baby" quality that I knew was somewhere inside that cute boy! So let's do it:

1. "Once you really started [sleep training] in earnest, how long did it take to get Jonah to really stick to a schedule with some consistency?"
Looking back, I'm pretty sure that it took about 3 weeks of hard-core training (probably from 6 or 7 weeks old until 10 weeks) before I was really comfortable with our schedule. That said, those three weeks were HARD. I would have to put Jonah down and then go outside on the porch to escape the crying. I would always take the video monitor out there with me, but I ALWAYS turned the volume all the way down and then I would just check on the screen every 5 minutes or so until he fell asleep. And then once he fell asleep, I would go back inside and make myself turn the monitor off until it got to be around the time I expected him to wake up. If you have a video monitor, you know that it is the best baby device ever, but you can also become obsessed with it (ahem... MOM) and want to look at it 24/7, and that's when it becomes a torture device.

2. "If Jonah is still asleep at feeding time, do you wake him up?"
NO! Do not wake up a sleeping baby. I'm sure others disagree, but unless you have to wake him up to go somewhere, I would leave him alone up to an hour past his usual wake up time. He might need some extra sleep that day! (The only exception for us was Jonah's last nap of the day... I would wake him up so that he would have some play time before he went down for good, or else he wouldn't be tired enough at bed time.)

3. "Did you ever have issues with Jonah refusing to nap/waking up early from a nap (where letting him cry it out or crying himself back to sleep didn't work)?"
This definitely happened about once a week for about a month for us. I hated those days. I would leave him for about 30 minutes to cry, and then I would go in and rock him for a few minutes, patting his back. Jonah really struggled with needing to burp badly but not being able to get it out. Once I realized that, I would always pat his back while I rocked him/walked around/etc. hoping that he would burp. I did not rock him long enough to rock him to sleep. I always make a habit of putting him down in his crib awake. He would almost always settle down after he burped. Every so often when he would have a particularly difficult time, I would wait 30 minutes, go in to check on him (make sure there's no dirty diaper!), wait another 30 minutes, and if he was still crying, I would usually call it quits and go get him, hoping for a better result at the next nap time. This might sound weird, but a few times that this happened, I picked him up and laid on the couch with him and he would fall asleep on top of me. I never wanted to make a habit of that, but it was precious hours were so sweet. I have a friend who has nerves of steel and is an AMAZING mother (you know who you are!), who refused to go into her children's room during nap time unless she knew something was really wrong (dirty diaper, sick, etc.). Anyway, I used to call her when Jonah would have a rough nap time and she would encourage me to tough it out! Now I have her voice in my head telling myself to be strong when I need it. :)

I'm sorry if any of this seems harsh. I love and adore this baby with every cell of my being, and I believe that this is all out of love. I feel like sleep training is one of the first ways we can guide and direct our children. Jonah now knows without a doubt how to fall asleep on his own, that the crib is for sleeping, and that Mommy will come and get him when nap time is over. That being said, these are all just my opinions. Bottom line is that BABIES NEED SLEEP AND LOTS OF IT!!!

Babies and Sleep

2011-10-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

***Warning: if you are not a mom yet or don't plan on dealing with babies anytime soon, this is probably going to be an extremely painful and tedious read. Don't say I didn't warn you!

I am a firm believer that the number one way to have a happy baby is to make sure that they have plenty of sleep. I've been wanting to write about this for a while, but there are so many different views on this topic and I have so many thoughts running around in my head that I wasn't sure I could organize them into practical tips for any other moms. But a sweet reader emailed me about this, specifically asking for clarification about a sleep schedule for her baby boy, so hopefully this will help her in some way! Actually, I'm still not sure I will be completely clear, but PLEASE just let me know if anyone needs clarification about something. First of all, I am definitely not an expert on this by any means. I only have one baby, and I know all babies are different. Second, your views may be completely different than mine and I'm okay with that. I in no way believe choosing a parent-led vs. a baby-led approach makes a better parent or a more well-behaved baby. This is what works for me and for our family, and I can only speak for our little unit.

That being said, I basically only read one baby book while I was pregnant (besides "What to Expect While You're Expecting). My copy of "On Becoming Baby Wise" was underlined and had writing in the margins long before Jonah was ever born. I knew from several friends of mine who were already mothers that this approach would be best for my personality. "Baby Wise" takes a parent-led approach to parenting, meaning that the parents try to establish patterns of eating, playing, and sleeping for their baby every day, instead of the baby directing the parents and the parents going with the flow, so to speak. I AM A PLANNER. I have never been, nor will I ever be, a spontaneous person. It sounds like a very romantic way to live life, but I don't think I'll ever get there. This quality about myself was actually difficult for me to get past when Jonah was first born.

Just days after we were home from the hospital, I was stressing out about getting Jonah on a schedule the way BW talks about. I wanted to give myself an imaginary A+ for being the best mom ever. I wanted Jonah to be an over-achieving BW baby, all the way. After a couple of weeks of defeat, I finally picked BW up off of the coffee table and put it in the closet, realizing that it didn't matter if I memorized every chapter... Jonah had never read it! He didn't know he was "supposed to be" on a sleeping schedule! From then on, I decided to cut myself some slack and embrace that this was a gradual process. I tried to change my mindset enough to see the information as goals to work toward, instead of laws that I had to follow.

In the first 6 weeks, the only achievable goal is to get your baby on a routine of eating, playing, and then sleeping. That means that starting when Jonah woke up in the morning, I would nurse him, then he would stay awake for a certain time, and then he would take a nap (then wake up and do it all over again- sounds thrilling, right???). For us, this was a 3-hour cycle from beginning to end. Jonah is now 9 months old and we still follow the eat/play/sleep cycle, it is just a longer (4-hour) cycle now. I believe sleeping is the most important part of any child's day. Jonah is completely and utterly dependent on his naps, even now.

Don't worry about what time it is during the first 6 weeks of the baby's life. Your baby may wake up at different times each morning, but you just assess what time it is and start your day from there. I don't think any baby should be awake longer than an hour at a time during this newborn stage. I recently had a friend call me asking for help with her 8-week-old baby being fussy (wailing and wailing) for hours at a time. I went to her house around 1:00, and asked when he had his last nap. She told me that he hadn't had any nap yet that day. I immediately said that I was sure he was exhausted! She finally said, "We don't have any sort of schedule and I feel helpless to help him." I didn't want to force anything on her, but she asked for help. Later that night, I brought over BW and sat down to help her establish some sort of schedule to work toward. I told her it would take a few days, but it would get better. Sure enough, a couple of days later, I called her and she said laughingly, "I thought we had a bad baby but it turns out he just had bad parents!" She said he was sleeping wonderfully during the day and had stopped fussing almost completely. She was rested and calm.

When Jonah was about 6 weeks old, I wrote down on a notepad what I would LIKE our day to look like. It said something like this:

8:00     Wake up, nurse
8:30     Play
9:00     Nap time
11:00   Wake up, nurse
11:30   Play
12:00   Nap time
2:00     Wake up, nurse
2:30     Play
3:00     Nap time
5:00    Wake up, nurse
5:30    Play
6:00    Nap time
7:00    Wake up, play
8:00    Nurse, go to bed for the night (and then wake up to nurse once or twice during the night)

Now keep in mind, these were GOALS. It's not like I posted this on the fridge and then it just happened (as much as I hoped and prayed it would). Here are some things to keep in mind:

-This had to be adjusted over and over again as Jonah got older. His play times gradually lengthened to an hour, and then an hour and a half, and now he stays awake for two hours at a time. At around 6 months, he started nursing every four hours and only taking a morning nap and an afternoon nap. But regardless of his age, by about 12 weeks old, I could schedule my day around his naps with no problem. I love knowing that yes, I can meet you for lunch at 12:30 (or whenever) because I know that Jonah will be awake. Or knowing that even if we have to be out during a nap time, Jonah will be okay because he's so used to that nap time that he will fall asleep just like he would at home.

-Don't feel guilty about putting them in their crib for their naps. I had this irrational guilt complex at the beginning that if I put Jonah down for a nap in his room (instead of the swing or on top of me, etc.), that I was somehow not being a good mom. Now, I think it's actually the opposite. Being put in his crib has taught Jonah that this is where he sleeps. When I lay him down now in his crib, he looks up at me and smiles, then immediately closes his eyes and begins sucking on his fingers. He associates his crib with sleep.
-Babies need to sleep longer than half an hour at a time. If they wake up early, LEAVE THEM THERE. They will go back to sleep. A long nap (at least an hour) will help them be rested. When he was a few months old, it was so hard to leave Jonah in his crib when he was crying. But if I had gone in to get him every time he cried, he would realize, "Oh I get it. Just cry and Mommy will come and then I don't have to sleep." And if he didn't sleep, he would be a very unhappy baby. BE STRONG! The only way for them to learn to nap is for you to teach them.

-In the first few months, swaddle, swaddle, SWADDLE. And swaddle tightly. Jonah slept so much longer once we started putting him in his swaddle.

-I don't think Jonah would have somehow figured out a schedule on his own. And like I said before, that may be perfectly fine for some people, but not for this Type-A girl. MUST. HAVE. ROUTINE.

Some of you may have read this and now think I am neurotic psycho. And that is fine. I might be, but I am a crazy person with a happy, well-rested baby. Ha ha- just kidding! (Sort of.) Please let me know if I need to clarify something or if there's any way I could help with anything else. We're all on this crazy ride together!

A Random Smorgasbord

2011-09-16T15:44:00.000-04:00

I know my blogging has been sporadic at best! So this is for my friend, Heather, who assures me that I really do have thoughts worth sharing with the world. My day-to-day life as a SAHM is pretty quiet and routine, and nothing super exciting has happened around here lately, but my little boy really is worth talking about so I will use him as a catalyst for other random musings.

1. Yesterday, I went to put pajamas on Jonah and realized they were all dirty (I have since done laundry). The only ones I had were size 18 months, but I thought they would be okay just for a little while. I put them on him and, lo and behold, THEY FIT. I couldn't believe it (he's only 8 1/2 months old!)! Then this morning I went to put shoes on his feet for the first time in months and no matter what I did, I couldn't stuff his feet in there. The shoes were a size 4. I don't know much about toddler boy shoes, but shouldn't those be big enough? I'm not ready for him to be this big!

2. I went to a couponing workshop in August and have since re-entered the magical and frustrating world of couponing. I feel like my goal is to attack and conquer CVS every Sunday. It is so strategic for me that when I approach the register and get $1347 worth of merchandise for $.07 (slight exaggeration), I feel like I am cheating the system and might get in trouble! Grocery store coupons are more tedious and have become the bane of my existence. I am still working on conquering that arena. Jay is happy that I'm at least attempting this!

3. Today is the first day in Greenwood that I've had to wear close-toed shoes in about 5 months. Everyone's facebook statuses talk about jumping for joy over boots, pumpkin spice anything, apples, and leaves. I LOVE SUMMER and I always will. I get so sad just thinking about the warm weather ending. I even love the stifling heat. Summer clothes are so much easier for me than winter. I had to give myself a pep talk just to get dressed this morning in three-quarter length sleeves and boots. I'M NOT READY. And for the record, I don't like pumpkin or spiced anything. Am I the only one in this boat???

4. My parents are coming here in 2 weeks. I CAN'T WAIT. Even after five years of living away far, far away, I am not used to it. Having Jonah really has made it more difficult to be away from them. A friend of mine once said that she thought that my family was "obsessed with each other," which she meant as a compliment and I chose to see it that way as well. We love each other and they are all pretty nuts (Do you like how I switched from "we" to "they" in that statement? I am definitely the most "normal" and they would all agree.) so I think "obsessed" is a pretty good description. Plus, my mom in particular is more than obsessed with Jonah.

5. My sweet boy has started to love two of my favorite things: cuddling and reading. He's always been cuddly to a certain point, but now he buries his face in my neck several times a day and just stays for a little while. And now we read together in his room a couple of times a day. He will hold both sides of the book just like he's reading it himself and smiles at the pages (and licks them, of course). He definitely has favorite books, which is fun for me to see.

Please don't give up on me yet! I promise I'll be back again soon.

P.S. Our little giant still won't crawl and shows no interest in moving anywhere. We have bribed him with toys/food/Mommy/Daddy out of his reach, but he does not care in the least. Any tips for us? We sometimes stand him up and let him hold on to the couch/coffee table/chair by himself and he'll stand there as long as we let him with no problem, but no crawling to be seen!

Unnecessary Confusion and Worry

2011-08-09T15:43:00.000-04:00

A much-needed reminder for my prideful, worrying heart:

"With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you 'looking unto Jesus' (Hebrews 12:2) and receiving peace from Him? If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you. But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not taken Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, 'Let not your heart be troubled...' (John 14:27)." -Oswald Chamber

HE will take care of me. HE is my protector... the Protector of my family. Now I just have to work on getting out of His way and allowing Him to work in me!

Seven Months

2011-08-08T15:44:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Jonah turned 7 months old! It's so cliche to say, but I just can't believe we've already gotten this far. Just a few things about our little guy at this age:

Height: At 6 months, he was 28 inches, which was 85th percentile (haven't been to the doctor since then to measure... not that their technique is scientific or accurate at all. Really??? Just a pencil mark at the foot and the head while he's squirming around all over the place?).

Weight: 20 pounds, 75th percentile (again, this was taken at 6 months)

Sleeping: Jonah is sleeping 12-13 hours straight through the night. Yes, sometimes it really is thirteen hours! For those of you who are new moms, I promise one day it will happen to you too. And yes, it is heaven on earth. He also takes a two-hour nap in the morning and a two-hour nap in the afternoon (usually about 10:30-12:30 and then 2:30-4:30). He is no longer swaddled (WOO HOO!!! Only took us 6 months to break out of that thing!) and he rolls around all over the crib. Actually, he still only rolls to the right. I have no idea why... it always makes him end up in the same corner of the crib!

Eating: Jonah nurses every 4 hours during the day, which ends up being five times a day. He eats solids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is usually baby cereal mixed with some kind of fruit (baby food), and he eats about 4-6 oz. of baby food for lunch and dinner. I am making all of his baby food now. So far, he has had sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, squash, apples, bananas, avacado, peaches, mangoes, and strawberries. (I found out the day after I gave him strawberries that he shouldn't have them until he's a year old... oops! But he's not allergic and loves them!)

Loves:
-His exersaucer and jumperoo. He's really getting the hang of the whole bouncing thing!
-Facial hair. He LOVES Jay's beard, especially when Jay kisses all over his face and neck. He just squeals and laughs so hard! He always reaches out to touch beards on any men at church, too.
-Going on walks. This is the solution for any fussiness.
-Baths. Another fussy solution.
-Sitting up by himself. But he still has no desire to crawl...
-Sweet potatoes, bananas, mangoes, and strawberries
-McKinley (our little dog)
-When he hears Daddy's voice
-Music. He could sit and listen to Jay's worship team practice for hours. He will ALWAYS stop fussing if I sing (because I am a rock star- ha ha)
-Sitting on the porch swing with Mom
-Watching people
-Watching cars

Hates:
-Lotion
-The hours of the day between 6:30-8:00 p.m.
-Green beans and peas (makes over-dramatic gagging noises the entire time we feed him)
-Being tired. This boy is devoted to his naps!
-Waiting in his high chair while we get his food ready

For the most part, Jonah is the happiest, most chilled-out baby I could have ever hoped for. So much so that I am already terrified about the next one (whenever that might be)! There's no way the pregnancy and early baby months could be this easy again!

Unexpected Inspiration

2011-08-03T15:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning, Jonah and I met some ladies from our church for coffee in a neighboring town. I ended up sitting next to a woman I had never met before, who is a friend of a friend. To be honest, I was kind of caught up with Jonah and just happy to be out of the house for the morning, and I am ashamed to say that making small talk with someone new wasn't at the top of my priority list. I introduced myself to Linda, and quickly learned that she had two teenagers and was very involved with "master gardening," which I am totally unfamiliar with. Our personalities were clearly different- she wasn't shy, but she barely spoke above a whisper, and I could tell that she is very selective with her words. I, on the other hand, will yap on and on about anything to anyone (which is something I really should work on).

After a few minutes, Linda began asking about Jonah, Jay, and our life together. The questions weren't anything out of the ordinary. But something struck me as different right away. She listened. Not just listened in a "yeah, I'm kind of hearing you and I'm going to nod my head now and again" kind of way... but really listened. She wasn't just asking questions to fill the silence. The more she spoke, the more interesting and insightful she became.

And then she asked, "So what are you ladies reading in the Word right now?" (She assumed correctly that I am a Christian because we had already talked about Jay's job as the worship pastor at our church.) I was caught off-guard. I mean, I am a pastor's wife, immersed in church culture, ministry, and everything that comes with it. But still, this woman was virtually a stranger to me. Rarely does anyone ask that to someone they just met. After I responded, she followed up with, "And what is God teaching you through that?" As I was answering, I was also thinking about the meaningful conversations this woman must have. She didn't know me, and yet she cut right to the core. Our exchange was simple, refreshing, and inspiring. I walked away thinking I want to be more like her. She was fearless, and not held back in the least by "social norms." Jesus spoke with people the same way... he dug in and got right to the heart of each person. To me, Linda was the epitome of the Christian phrase "in the world, but not of the world." I have a lot to learn.

Weekend Fun

2011-08-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend with friends! I love it when our days are packed with errands and visiting (Jay would probably like them to be a little more quiet, but they're not all like this!). Friday night we stayed home and grilled out. Jay loves to grill, and it works out well for me when I can just take care of sides. After dinner, the whole family took a walk and then went to Bruster's for ice cream. For those of you who don't know, if you take your dogs to Bruster's, they get a free scoop of ice cream with a doggie treat stuck in the top. Our dogs love it! Molly (the big one) eats hers in one bite and McKinley just takes one lick at a time.

Saturday, my friend Heather and I drove in to Greenville for some shopping (which was actually mostly just looking around), while Jay kept Jonah at home. I had two goals: a new convertible car seat for Jonah, and a baby food maker. Jonah has already outgrown the height limits on his infant seat, and I've been weighing the pros and cons of making my own baby food for a while now. We went to BuyBuyBaby and man, I conquered that store! With price matching and coupons (they take Bed, Bath, & Beyond coupons), I saved over $80! I was so proud. Here's Jonah is his new ~~recliner~~ car seat:

I ended up buying the Graco MyRide 65 convertible car seat, and I'm really pleased with it. It seems really comfortable for Jonah and easy to use. The Baby Bullet was my baby food maker of choice and it's great! I bought it partly because of all the jars and freezer storage that came with it, but I had already heard rave reviews. Yesterday I spent about an hour steaming and pureeing, and I've probably got about 2-3 weeks of food in the freezer (bananas, apples, sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas so far).

Saturday night we went our friends Kyle and Tiffany to a neighboring town where they had heard some live music was being played in the town square. We got there, and the live music was actually in the welcome center, quietly being played with an even quieter audience. Not exactly what we were hoping for with two loud babies! We were picturing sitting outside and talking freely and letting the babies play. Since we were already there, we went ahead and set up our blankets in the square anyway and sat and talked. Their daughter Lily is six weeks older than Jonah, and they are just too funny together. Lily is has always been so active (she is crawling now) and full of energy, and Jonah is her chilled-out counterpart. In this picture, Lily has decided to tackle her boyfriend (ha ha- you can see Jonah didn't mind):

We topped off the weekend with church in the morning (a wonderful worship time and a powerful message on persistent prayer) and I got to spend some girl time with some more friends last night- I felt so spoiled to be baby-free for a little while two days in a row! Hope your weekend was wonderful as well... anyone else watching "The Bachelorette" finale tonight???

Summer Reading, Part 2

2011-07-29T15:41:00.000-04:00

Back for a few more book recommendations!

Garden Spells, by Sarah Addison Allen- All of this author's books could best be described as "whimsical." They are light but still different enough to be intriguing and keep my interest. I have since read her other books (The Girl Who Chased the Moon and The Sugar Queen) and enjoyed those too, but this one is definitely the best! It looks like she has a new one out called The Peach Keeper. I will be checking this one out soon!

Still Alice, by Lisa Genova- By far, this is one of the most compelling books I have ever read. It is the story of a Alice, a fifty-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease. Honestly, I never would have read this if my mom hadn't recommended it. I was sucked in from the beginning. The story is told directly from Alice's point of view, and the nuances into her mind gave me such a different perspective into a disease I had never really thought much about. A must-read for sure!

Morning Glory, by LaVyrle Spencer- Secret confession time: growing up in the Hampton house, LaVyrle Spence was a household name. As in, we were on a first-name basis. As in, "Hey, what did you do with my LaVyrle?" Or, "I left my LaVyrle upstairs. Could you run up and get it?" Or, "Oh no! This is LaVyrle's last book... what are we going to read now???" Yes, it is sad. And yes, if you had to classify her books into a genre, they could only be put into the romance category. (And the "classics" category- ha ha!) But seriously, several of her books are some of the sweetest stories I have ever read, and not like those books with half-naked people on the cover or anything. My mom and I have read Morning Glory probably ten and four times, respectively (or not respectively, for those of you who think that's pathetic). It gets me every time. Other "classics" by LaVyrle: Vows (my second fave), Then Came Heaven (I'm going to have to read this again just thinking about it!), and Years (oh my goodness, I want to cry just remembering it).

I have actually never seen it with this cover... it must be a re-release since the cover I remember looks much more like this:

Ha ha! Classic 80's!

Give them a read and let me know what you think!

Homecoming

2011-07-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

I am sorry for my very extended absence! Jonah and I have been back in town for a few days now, but we're still getting back in the swing of things (a.k.a. I've been doing laundry for three days). I am so thankful for our little family to be together again, but we had such a wonderful time in Kentucky! For those of you who are stay-at-home moms, you know that being "by yourself" (I know the baby is with you, but come on, you're not getting a lot of stimulating conversation there) can wear on you after a while. The best part of being at home was having company all the time. My mom was with me almost every minute of the day, and besides being my best friend and one of the funniest people I know, she is a super-woman with the baby. She fed him, changed him, and sang to him for hours. Every afternoon she would tell me to go spend some time at the pool while she would stay back with Jonah while he napped (I only took her up on it a few times... haha!).

My dad really spoiled us, too! He is an amazing cook, and catered (see what I did there??) to any dinner request I had. He took Jonah on walks and let us take the golf cart for rides every day, which was Jonah's favorite thing. I am so thankful for having such a supportive family. My younger brother Tripp was home for the month of June in between acting jobs, so we got to spend two weeks together for the first time in years. Jonah had so much fun with Uncle Tripp!

I have more to tell about our travels coming soon. I promise I'll update more frequently now that we're home!

Firsts on July 1st

2011-07-01T21:57:00.000-04:00

Jonah turned six months old this week! I cannot believe how fast it has gone by. Today especially, I realized how big he is getting... he sat up by himself today and drank from a sippy cup for the first time! We propped him up and he put his little arms out and used them to balance. He just grinned and looked around like, "Look what I can do, Mom!" And then I started crying. Ha ha! I should back up a little bit and explain that Jonah and I are visiting my family in Kentucky for a few weeks and we are having a great time, but I was so upset that Jay missed this milestone! We will see Jay in about a week and a half and by then, Jonah will have perfected his new trick for his daddy. We miss him soooo much!

Jonah is so much fun right now! He has his daddy's laid-back personality still, and he is a very content baby. In the past two weeks, he's started putting anything and everything in his mouth. I'd been expecting him to start doing this for a couple of months now, but I think he is starting to teethe now and needs that comfort for his gums. Jonah LOVES people. He is content to stare at our faces for long periods of time, and he often reaches out to touch and inspect for himself. It is precious! He's also just discovered his toes. He doesn't put them in his mouth, he just kind of holds on to them a lot in the stroller and carseat. Also, he almost always crosses his feet at the ankles, which just cracks me up.

He is definitely getting spoiled here in Kentucky! He is being passed around all the time and we are running around visiting friends and family every day. He's been a real trooper! One of his favorite activities since we've been here is taking an evening golf cart ride. He holds out his arms and squeals and laughs the whole time. He's started grabbing the steering wheel now too!

We've really been trying to stick to our schedule as much as possible, but it isn't always easy. The biggest difficulty we've run in to is that Jonah has started waking up a few times during the night. Most of the time I just go in after a while and comfort him, and I'll usually feed him once. But this Mommy is getting EXHAUSTED! It's been going on too long to be a growth spurt, and I've tried dropping his third nap but he gets so cranky and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Any tips, Moms??

Jonah has officially been on a four-hour schedule for about a month now! I noticed he didn't seem to want/need to eat every three hours anymore, so I just tried to delay his feedings one day, and he had no problem! It's amazing how much difference just that one hour makes. A typical day: wake up at 8:30, nurse, eat cereal, play, nap around 9:45, wake up around 12:00, nurse at 12:30, play/run errands, nap at 2:00 or so, wake up around 4:15, nurse at 4:30, eat cereal, short nap from 6:30-7:00, hang out with the family/bath, nurse at 8:15, bed at 8:30 (and then wake up for no reason about 55 times during the night- ha ha!). My most precious times of day are getting Jonah up in the morning or getting him up from a nap. He is always just overjoyed to see me (or whoever else gets him)- it is the BEST feeling in the world! Lord, thank You for Your amazing grace through these blessings!

Showing us how he can sit up!

My big boy drinking from a cup!

Had to sneak this one in there- my good-lookin' husband!

Enjoying the golf cart

Good times with family and friends

Crossing those ankles!

cloth.

2011-06-21T10:42:00.001-04:00

From the beginning, Jay and I have been using cloth diapers on Jonah. This was not something I would have even considered a year ago. Like most people, when I thought about cloth diapers, I thought about the diaper cloths my grandmother used. I pictured someone scrubbing nasty stains and fumbling with safety pins. Then I read a post about cloth diapering that made me stop and do my research. Sherry and John are two of my favorite bloggers over at www.younghouselove.com. They use cloth diapers. They were not born in a previous century. They seem practical. They are not hippie-dippie. They seem normal. They wrote a very in-depth entry giving their readers a real look into cloth diapering (read that here). After I read it, I thought, "Could I really do this???"

Jay came home and I made him read the article and the other research I had found. He was on board right away, simply because of all the money we would end up saving. We are not really environmentally conscious kind of people. But we are VERY thrifty and my husband will do practically anything to save a dime.

I read reviews of BumGenius diapers, FuzziBunz, G-Diapers, and many others. We ended up going with the FuzziBunz One Size Pocket Diaper (website here) simply because we had a gift card to Amazon and that is the brand Amazon sells. We are so thankful we took the plunge and made the investment! The cost upfront is about $200 for 12 diapers (I know that seems outrageous). But when you compare that the fact that most families spend about $70 per month on diapers, which ends up being at least $1680 in the course of the baby's diapering days, I figure we're making our money back and then some! We still use disposable diapers when we are traveling or taking the baby to the church nursery. But now when I use them I feel like I am just throwing money in the trash can along with the diaper!

As for the logistics of our cloth diapers, let's just say they have come a long way since the folding and safety-pinning days. Ours have adjustable elastics on the inside waistband, the front of the leg opening and the back of the leg opening. There are also snaps going all the way across the front. This allows us to adjust the diapers as Jonah gets older, so they will fit him all the way through potty-training. They have a padded cloth insert that goes into a pocket in the diaper to absorb everything. We were able to get them in fun, bright colors that are great for Jonah, but will also work if we have a baby girl one day.

My biggest fear was how clean the diapers would be. After 5 months, our diapers still look brand new! I would not be embarrassed to show them to anyone. When I change Jonah, I take off the diaper, pull out the insert, and put both parts in a plastic bin that has a trash bag inside. After all the diapers are dirty, I take the trash bag and dump everything in the washer. I run a pre-wash cycle on hot without detergent, which only takes about 4 minutes. Then I put in a "free and clear" detergent and run a normal cycle on hot. After that, everything gets put into the dryer on low or delicate (they dry VERY quickly) and then we're good to go!

We have loved the FuzziBunz diapers. They are adorable and completely worth it. I know some people think we are nuts, but we're ok with that! We will definitely continue using these with Jonah and then again with our next babies!

3:23

2011-06-08T14:53:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading my Bible and a verse that I've read about a hundred times suddenly stuck out to me. (Isn't it amazing that the Word is LIVING and is fresh every time???)

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men."

After reading this, I sat wondering, "Am I really doing my work 'heartily'??" I think this verse can apply in so many areas of my life. The most obvious is that I am a stay-at-home mom. It's easy to get slack when it's just Jonah and me at home by ourselves every day. I take pride in our house, but there are certain jobs I HATE doing (folding laundry and sweeping floors are the death of me). Housework becomes monotonous VERY quickly. And it doesn't help that Jay probably wouldn't notice if I just stopped doing housework for a month!

When I am procrastinating or wishing a certain chore would just go away, I remind myself that this is my work. And if I am devoting my work to the Lord, I want Him to be pleased. Yes, I want to please Jay, but pleasing God is even more important (and a greater motivator). This verse also applies in our marriage relationship, in my role as a pastor's wife, and in my responsibility as a parent. Several times a day I find myself saying, "Am I cleaning this bathroom/dusting/picking up the BEST that I can?" "Am I showing Jonah the love that God would want me to show him?" "Did my words glorify God in that conversation with so-and-so?" "Did I put Jay's wants above my own?" I am trying to find joy in striving to please God and my husband by taking pride in this new life of mine. There will always be obstacles to overcome and sacrifices I will have to make, but this verse has given me a little jolt of motivation to consider my motives and my heart. I pray I will challenge myself to "work heartily, as for the Lord."

Best Appetizer Ever!

2011-06-04T12:35:00.000-04:00

My dad, who is an amazing cook, introduced this appetizer to us a few years back. I make it to take to parties all the time... people request it now! As you can tell from the ingredients, it's not exactly fat free, but trust me- it's worth it!

Swiss Cheesy Bacon Goodness (my own name for it!)

8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
8 oz. of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup mayonaise
2 t. dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup smoked almonds, chopped (you can buy them already smoked, in the aisle with other nuts)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine everything except almonds in mixing bowl. Put in shallow casserole dish. Bake until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top right before serving. Serve with fancy crackers or pita chips.

Ah, the Joys of Parenting

2011-06-01T20:47:00.001-04:00

Since we've started Jonah on rice cereal, his digestive system has changed. Good news: he doesn't poop as often. Bad news: HOLYCOWWHATISTHATSMELLDIDTHATREALLYJUSTCOMEOUTOFMYBABY. Seriously. Before now, this solely breast-fed baby's dirty diapers were actually pleasant. Nothing to be afraid of. And honestly, they didn't even have a bad smell. Nothing the cloth diapers couldn't handle. All that changed about a week after the cereal.

Jonah does his major diaper dirtying almost always during the day, so Jay rarely has to change one because he's at work. I've tried to tell him how horrible they are now, but there are just no words to describe it! This evening I went out to run an errand and left Jay with Jonah. The minute I walked through the door, Jay came barreling around the corner and our conversation went something like this:

Jay: Why haven't you answered your phone??!!! We've had a real emergency! I'm not kidding. I didn't know what to do.

Taylor: What?? I didn't hear it ring. What's going on?

Jay: I think something's wrong with Jonah. Something has to be wrong. He had a MAJOR poop and I promise, you've never seen anything like it. Seriously. It was so gross that I didn't know what to do with it. Believe me, you've never seen one like this.

Taylor: Babe, I know how nasty they are! I'm here changing them all the time! What do you mean, you didn't know what to do with it??

Jay: I saved it for you to see. It's sitting on the changing table. I couldn't deal with it.

Taylor: Seriously??? Uh-uh, no way. That one's yours- you were the one who was here. It's all yours.

From there, Jay made me go look at it (while we're both holding our breath) and tried to convince me I should deal with it (rinsing it out because it's not disposable) because I already have EXPERIENCE. Real sweet, huh? And yes, he gave in and handled it like a real man. :) Looking forward to many more lovely diapers to come!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T14:20:00.001-04:00

What a great weekend! Jay's parents came into town from Georgia, so we spent Friday and Saturday with them. We had a nice dinner out Friday, Jay and Jim went to a shooting range Saturday while the girls went shopping, and we grilled out Saturday night. They love spending time with their first grandchild! Jonah is so blessed to have wonderful grandparents.

Monday was spent with our good friends Heather and Eric at the pool. Jonah was grouchy because he missed a nap, so he didn't take to the water as well as he did the other day! We'll try again later this week sometime.

Summer Lovin'

2011-05-26T17:57:00.000-04:00

It's officially summer here in South Carolina and I am rejoicing! I love the sun, the water, flip-flops (although barefoot is even better), the longer days, the more casual feel, the lighter clothes, and grilling out. Sometimes I think I suffer from that Seasonal Affective Disorder... I can just feel myself getting happier the closer it gets to June. I love the heat. Really. Not in a clothes-sticking-to-you kind of way, but in a this-weather-just-begs-for-a-pool kind of way. And this summer is going to be special, because I am officially spending three weeks in my old Kentucky home! Jay and I will be going up in mid-June for my cousin's wedding, and then he will come home and Jonah and I will stay through July 9th (when we will go to the beach- WOO HOO!!!). I am so excited for this extended visit with my parents, and my younger brother will be home for his first summer in a long time as well (he is an actor and lives a crazy life, see www.tripparoundamerica.blogspot.com or www.tripparoundtheworld.blogspot.com for more). Jonah will be meeting his extended family for the first time and I can't wait for them to spend time with him. It will definitely be an adventure being away from home with the baby and having to readjust our schedule. I will have to learn to be more flexible, but I will have lots of help!

I took Jonah to the pool for his first swim today. It's hard juggling a baby and all their gear at the pool by yourself! I bought him a float with a canopy over the top that worked out great (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Swimways-Baby-s-Spring-Float-with-Canopy/13264726- it says they don't have it in the store, but they had it at mine). I was a little let down because he had ZERO reaction to the water. Not smiling, not crying, just looking like he was totally bored with the whole thing! He likes his bath, but I thought the cold water might not be as big of a hit. I wanted to get him used to the pool because we'll be spending a lot of time there this summer, and I guess I don't need to worry about it anymore! Here's Jonah as we were getting out of the water (he hates the sun being in his eyes):

All in all, it was a success! Looking forward to many more summer days ahead...

Jonah- 5 Months of Pure Love

2011-05-25T11:25:00.000-04:00

Jonah will be 5 months old this week! I really can't believe it's gone by so fast! For a while at the beginning it felt like the days would drag out and I couldn't imagine him being this old. I am loving each day... it is so fun watching him develop his little personality. As a mom, I'm always curious about other moms' schedules with their babies, so I thought I would share ours (+/- about 30 minutes):

8:00 Wake up and nurse
8:20 Eat rice cereal
8:30 Time in the swing/play with Mommy
9:00 Nap
11:30 Wake up and nurse
11:50 Play time (run errands, spend time in Exersaucer/activity mat, read with Mom)
12:40 Nap
2:30 Wake up and nurse
2:50 Play time (Most days, Jonah goes with me to the tutoring center and gets loved on by everyone)
4:45 Nap
5:30 Wake up and nurse
5:50 Eat rice cereal
6:00 Play time (visit with Daddy, watch Mommy make dinner, take a walk, get a bath)
8:15 Nurse
8:30 Bed time (then he usually wakes up around 5:00 a.m. to eat again, then right back to sleep)

We are on a flexible 3 hour schedule. The eat, play, sleep rotation is constant, but it stretches out in the morning and is a little shorter in the evenings.

Some facts on Jonah at 5 months:
-He is almost 16 pounds and over 27 inches long.
-We just started rice cereal last week and he LOVES it. We haven't had any trouble getting him to eat from the spoon. He actually dives for it most of the time!
-He is s-l-o-w-l-y growing more hair. We're hoping he won't be bald forever.
-When I sing to him for long stretches at a time, he starts to "oooh" along with me. He LOVES music.
-He is starting to reach out and touch/hit the pages when I read to him.
-He RARELY drools or spits up.
-He still loves his bath time. We often use it as a solution when he is fussy.
-Standing is his favorite thing to do. Standing and DANCING is even better!
-Jay gets bigger smiles out of him than anyone else can.
-He loves having his diaper changed. Maybe he just likes to "air out" that area (such a boy)!
-He is wonderful in public (his mommy doesn't give him much choice).
-He likes his paci (only the MAM 6-month kind) but it's not a necessity.
-He is concentrates very hard on most tasks (reaching for something, wanting to talk, getting acquainted with a new toy, etc.) and has such a serious expression about it!
-He loves new people!

Summer Reading, Part 1

2011-05-24T09:40:00.004-04:00

Ever since I was knee-high, I have LOVED to read. One of the best gifts I ever received growing up was a membership to a book club that sent me new children's books each month. When I was about nine, my best friend became the proud owner of the entire series of Babysitter's Club books. I cannot remember ever being more envious! Bookstores were heaven on earth for me. Every six months or so, my mom took my brother and me on "Kids' Shopping Day," which meant The Nature Store for him and Hawley-Cooke bookstore for me. Choosing just one or two to take home was pure torture! Today, I still read about one book each week. Yes, even with the baby (I squeeze it in when he goes to bed for the night). I mostly stick to fiction, and since I am always looking for new reads, I will recommend some of mine.

"Love Walked In" and "You Belong to Me," by Marisa de los Santos
I think I just stumbled upon these books because of their pretty covers, but they are two of my absolute favorites. I am mad the author hasn't written more yet! Her writing, particularly her word-usage, is absolutely beautiful. I fell in love with her characters. And this is one time where the sequel is just as good as the original! I've also just read that "Love Walked In" is being made into a movie... don't know how it could be as good though!

"The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns," by Khaled Hosseini
These books have been around a while, but if you didn't read them when they were first popular, find them now! I'm always drawn to stories about other cultures, and these books about life in the Middle East are captivating and heart-wrenching at the same time. They are not light reading by any means, but they are absolutely fascinating.

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Again, this book written beautifully. The entire book is a series of letters written back and forth between a woman and the people who live on the island of Guernsey, off the coast of England. All the characters become so vivid since each section is written in first person.

"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series, by Ann Brashares
Yes, these books were written for teenagers and the movies are not classics by any means, but the entire series are so much fun! Don't make fun of me until you try them. :) My mom and I both devoured all four books. They are GREAT summer reads, and very easy to get into.

More must-reads coming soon (including some non-fiction)! I would LOVE to hear some of your recommendations, so leave a comment!

Snugglebug

2011-05-22T14:48:00.010-04:00

There is nothing sweeter than holding a sleeping baby. Lately, I have begun cherishing every time my baby boy dozes off in my arms while we rock. My favorite time is when he finishes nursing and presses his little face into my neck and I feel his breathing, warm and low. His features are always beautiful to me, but they just become softer in his sleep. I'm beginning to realize that pretty soon, these times will be few and far between. He is still so snuggly, but it's already not the same as it was when he was just a newborn. I want to soak up every moment he will let me hold him, knowing that someday it will break my heart when he decides he is "too big." Thank You, Lord, for the sweetest blessing I could ever hope for, and please make time slow down!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

2011-05-20T11:03:00.005-04:00

I would rather have Asian, Mexican, or Italian over boring, old American food any day of the week. Asian is probably my favorite (this does not include Chinese buffets, much to my husband's dismay). I could eat it every day. So when I found this recipe for Asian Lettuce Wraps, I was hoping they would at least be similar to P.F. Changs. They didn't disappoint! Jay and I love these so much, we fight for the leftovers the next day. This is an easy, fast, low-carb, one-dish meal. If you don't have some of these Asian ingredients, you can find them on the international food aisle and you can use them again and again for other Asian recipes! Enjoy!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Bibb/Butter lettuce (Iceberg will work in a pinch)
1 lb. ground meat (chicken or turkey is best- and cheapest!)
2 t. dark sesame oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T. soy sauce
2 t. minced pickled ginger
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 t. chile pepper sauce (careful, it's hot!)

Brown meat in medium skillet. Drain and set aside. Cook onion in the same pan until soft. Add all other ingredients except green onions, stirring to combine. Simmer 10-15 minutes, add green onions last. Serve in a large bowl alongside the Bibb lettuce, spooning the mixture into the lettuce cups as you eat. YUM!

Tips from a Mom Still Figuring Things Out

2011-05-19T20:23:00.007-04:00

Jonah is about 5 months old now, and I feel like I have learned more in such a short time than ever before. When he was first born, my mom was a God-send helping me figure things out with a new baby at home, and I was absolutely terrified for her to leave. I just kept thinking, "It's crazy that anyone would trust us with a baby by ourselves!" Somehow we've made it through and, for the most part, pretty successfully if I do say so myself. Here are some tips and tricks for any other new moms out there:

1. LEARN THE 5 S's. Drum roll, please. Swaddle, side-hold, shush, shake (gently), and suck. I don't know that we would have survived without this! When Jonah was about 3 weeks old until about 8 weeks, he would cry several hours each day. I was upset, he was upset, and I thought I might rip my hair out trying to soothe him! One day, I stumbled on this video, showing Dr. Karp (a.k.a. One of the Greatest Men to Ever Have Been Born) putting his "5 S" philosophy into action (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6KnVPUdEgQ). Once we saw this, we never turned back. Combined, these five steps work like a magical baby drug that puts your screaming child in a Zen-like trance. And I have NEVER been more attracted to my husband than when he could calm Jonah down in 8 seconds flat. Seriously. You can thank me later.

Jay after employing the 5 S's and Jonah in "the trance."

2. DON'T RESIST THE PACIFIER. I was determined not to give Jonah a paci because I didn't want to be sticking it in his mouth a thousand times a day. But as Jay pointed out the first time we got Jonah to take one, there is a reason they call it a "pacifier." I will say that we don't allow Jonah to have it during naps or at night in the crib. And as it was pointed out to me, when they're two years old, it's easier to take away a pacifier than it is to take away a thumb!

3. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. Everyone thought I was crazy when I took Jonah to Wal-mart when he was about a week old. I think I have a psychological problem that causes me to go nuts when I stay in the house too long. Before Jonah was born, I told my friends that they would not be seeing less of me, because I made a resolution to leave the house at least once every day. They doubted me, but I was determined. Whether it's going to the bank/post office/grocery, visiting Jay at work, having lunch with friends, or strolling around the world's smallest mall in Greenwood, Jonah and I are on the go! I really believe this helps me keep my sanity.

Our first trip to Walmart. Yes, my mother decided to have a Kodak moment in the parking lot.

4. LET OTHER PEOPLE HOLD YOUR BABY. Because Jay and I are in ministry and we are a part of a super-friendly, loving church, we knew Jonah would be popular. And boy, is he ever. He is passed around like a hot potato on Sunday morning. I teach at a tutoring center here in town for an hour or two every afternoon and Jonah comes with me (which is such a blessing!). He loves being held by the other teachers there and I love how much they dote on him! I hope that this will help him be comfortable around other adults in the long run, and not clinging to me and screaming anytime someone else wants to hold him or we need to leave him with a babysitter. Jay and I were both raised to be pretty independent, and I hope we can instill this in our kids as well!

5. REALIZE THAT YOUR JOB IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE YOU COULD ASK FOR. Going from working a full-time job to staying at home can be an extremely difficult transition. There is no recognition, and you spend most of your day talking to someone who doesn't talk back. It is so easy for me to feel like I'm failing. But really, I have never been more blessed. My job is to show love, patience, and kindness to my son. My job is to teach him to love Jesus and to know that Jesus loves him. My job is to make our home a warm, inviting place for my husband. There is no other job that will ever be more important than this. I pray daily that I will remember that it is an honor to wash these dishes, do one more load of laundry, and get down on the floor to play with my sweet boy.

(Re)Introductions

2011-05-19T08:54:00.005-04:00

My name is Taylor. My husband is Jay. Our baby boy (one of the cutest ever) is Jonah. This will be a peek into our lives of loving each other, doing ministry together, and figuring our this whole parenting thing.

The main cast of characters:
Yes, this blog was in full swing a couple of years ago. Life has changed a lot since then!

P.S. It would really make me less nervous (and terrified) if a few of you would "follow" this blog. Otherwise, it might just be read by my mom. I promise I'll try to make it worth your while!

2009-07-27T12:51:00.007-04:00

I have hesitated (as you may have noticed) on writing this blog, simply because first, it's hard to know where to begin, and second, I don't know that words can ever describe the intensity of my feelings and what we've experienced during the month of June. That sounds cliche, I know, but between reuniting with the other COTW teams, saying goodbye to the Nepali children and Prava, and traveling to Uganda to say goodbye to our other ten children, my emotions have been all over the place.

We arrived back in Virginia the second week of June, and we were all so excited to see the other team leaders and children! We spent about eight days with everyone together, and it was definitely a bittersweet time for all of us. The last Sunday we were there, we woke up at 6:00 in the morning to say goodbye to our Nepali children and Prava, our chaperone. This was the only goodbye I would have to say in America, because Jay and I knew we would be saying goodbye to our Ugandans while we were in Africa. This was, by far, the most difficult goodbye we had. Several factors contributed to this, but mostly I think it was because that was when the realization hit that it was actually over. When we first started out, it felt like it would never end. But like most things, when we look back now, it seems like the time flew by. The realization of "THE END" hit me like a ton of bricks, and I don't know that I've ever cried so hard in my entire life. I know these children aren't ours in a physical sense. But in every other way, they are OURS. We belonged to them. They belonged to us. In this short and precious season, we belonged to each other. We fought, we bickered, we got on each other's nerves. But most of all we LOVED. We cherished each other. We were a big, well-tuned, functional, but very unusual family. And then, we watched an extension of ourselves get on a bus and drive away. We had to let them go.

I think the Nepali goodbye was also more difficult because we were not able to gain comfort from visiting their home country and see where they lived, like we did with the Ugandan children. In addition, our Nepali children are, by nature, more emotional and affectionate than our Ugandans. They were so available to us in every way, and we felt a very special closeness with them. As I have mentioned before, Jay and Neha had a particularly close bond. She has said before that she considers Jay as her father, just as Yeshoda considers me her mother. To disentangle myself from these children and let them go out into the world, surrendering them to God's total care was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Lastly, I dreaded the goodbye with Prava. I came to cherish her as a sister in every way. We leaned on each other this year through thick and thin. Although she was planning on coming back next year as a chaperone, they were having unseen difficulties with her Visa, so we didn't know for sure if we would see each other again. (Thankfully it has since come through and I will get to see her this next year!) We clung to each other and she was the most resistant to get on the bus. I miss her so much... I want her to come live with Jay and me and be an auntie to our babies one day!

A couple of days later, Jay and I flew fourteen of the Ugandan children from Washington D.C. to London, London to Nairobe, Kenya, and then Kenya to Entebbe, Uganda. In London, we had a ten-hour layover, the definite low point in the trip. We were not allowed to leave the airport, and Heathrow is probably the coldest and most uncomfortable place to try to sleep (no carpet, only freezing tile floors, and arm rests on all chairs so you can't lay down!). Not fun, but the kids were troopers and didn't complain one bit. Once we finally arrived in Entebbe, we drove about an hour and a half to Destiny Children's Home in Kampala (the capital city). By this point, we had been traveling non-stop for two days without sleep and we were all exhausted. But it was morning in Uganda, and we had such an exciting welcome at Destiny that it wasn't difficult to conjure up some energy!

There are over one thousand children at the home, and we were thrilled to see that it was a very well-maintained facility. As we drove up to the gates, we saw that all the children were lined up one both sides of the "driveway," and everyone was singing worship songs and clapping for us. We got out of the van, and saw that there was a marching band, praise team, and drummers there for the big welcoming ceremony. Our kids were surprisingly shy at first, attempting to hide behind us, but they quickly embraced their celebrity status! Later that week, we returned to Destiny a couple of times to work with the children who are going to be in the choir next year, and to just play with all the other children.

The most eye-opening experience on the trip was a visit to the slums in the city. Almost all of the Ugandan children on our team were from these "neighborhoods," and the small glimpse we had into their lives was devastating. Like anyone else in America, I have seen images of living conditions like these on television, but seeing it first-hand and imagining our children living there was heartbreaking. Thousands of people live in these tiny villages, just struggling to survive from day to day. There is a real sense of community, with everyone depending on each other for supplies and resources. They live in "homes" that are broken up into tiny rooms that are no larger than a half bath in our own homes. They cook their food on fires made from trash laying around on the ground. There is no running water. Babies toddle around with no clothing and no diapers. Small children wander the paths in between the scrap metal buildings (very haphazardly put together) without anyone watching them. Goats, cows, and chickens roam free looking for something to eat. The smell is overwhelming, because sewage runs through ditches on either side of the narrow pathways.

While navigating through the maze of shacks, children would chase our van, squealing, "Mzungu! Mzungu!" which means "white person" in their language. We definitely stood out over there! Many of the children had never seen a white person except on television, so we were glorified celebrities! Once we got out of the car, we were immediately surrounded. They all wanted to touch us and have their picture taken... the digital cameras fascinated them, as they could see themselves afterward on the screen. Many of them had never seen their own reflection before! We spent a few hours wandering the paths and talking (as best we could) to the people who lived there. They were very welcoming and friendly, and took pride in having us in their homes.

When we got back in the car, I broke down. This was the most humbling experience I have ever had. I just kept thinking about how much I have complained this year about living in the RV (see previous posts!). These people would die to live in something that nice. They would trade places with me in a heartbeat. I was beyond ashamed and so very thankful that the Lord opened my eyes. These people have little to no hope of ever changing their situation. They have no education, most don't have a job, and they make about fifty cents a week. Because of this, they will never be able to leave the slums... and their children will share their fate. The more I saw, the more I understood why our children were taken to the children's homes. Now they have a hope. They have a future. That is the greatest gift those parents can give to their children. And for the special few that get to come to America to be in the choir, the parents are eternally grateful.

The goodbyes in Uganda were extremely painful as well. Those children will always have a piece of me. I feel as though an extension of me is gone. Upon returning to the States, I had no idea what emotional state I would be in. I didn't know if I would cry all the time... if I wouldn't be able to talk about it... but in the end, it was neither of those. Jay and I talk about the children often, and are reminded of them a hundred times a day. I am still figuring out how I am "supposed" to feel. I cry at very strange times, I guess when I let my feelings float to the surface. The first time was upon passing the children's shoe aisle at Target, knowing that I would never buy thirteen pairs of those little shoes again. I sobbed when the song "I'm Already There" came on the radio (for those of you who are familiar with it, it's not hard to see why). I cried when Jay and I stopped to fill up the car at the gas station, aching to yell over my shoulder, "Ok, bathroom break! Line up fast!" I felt like my heart was broken all over again, knowing that they would never be riding behind me again.

Zurufah and I on the plane, getting ready to leave America

Exhausted after two days of traveling

The welcome we received upon arrival to Destiny Children's Home

Practicing music with the new COTW kids for next year

Martin and me, at Destiny

New kids for next year... more BEAUTIFUL faces!

Smiling for the camera!

Fighting for Jay's affection

In the slums, this little girl never let go of my hand.

The little girl with her baby sister

One of the "houses" we went in

The sewage running through the "paths" on either side

Children in the slums

Chapel service at Destiny

At Good Samaritan Children's Home, where three of our kids live. This precious girl didn't want to leave my side!

Jay and I feel so blessed to have been able to go to Uganda. We are comforted by the fact that our children are safe and loved. They really do have a hope and a future that they would not have had in the slums. God is teaching me daily to trust in Him... trusting that He has our little children under His great arm of protection. I pray for them daily. I pray that Isaac, Suresh, Gift, Ezera, Jimmy, Lincoln, Martin, Zurufah, Yeshoda, Rose, Maria, Sarah, and Neha will know that they are loved and cherished. I pray that they will embrace their education. That they will look back on their time in America and smile. That they will never feel lonely. But most of all, I pray that they will choose to seek Jesus every day, shining His light in all that they do. I will love them until the day I die. I hope that I will see them again someday, but if not, I know that we will be reunited again in Heaven. We will spend eternity together, loving each other and worshiping Him with all that we have. I couldn't ask for anything more.

One last photo shoot

2009-06-15T12:23:00.010-04:00

One of our chaperones, Ashley, is a great photographer, but she hasn't had her super cool, super high-tech camera with her the whole year (for fear that it would get ruin by one of our cute little munchkins... good call on her part). Anyway, now that we're in Lynchburg wrapping everything up, she had a friend bring her the camera and we did a last minute photo shoot in the park for our kids. In my mind, I'm picturing a photo wall in our house- white frames, white mattes, black and white pictures. Thanks, Ashley... these are some of my faves! (She wants me to add a disclaimer that she hasn't had a chance to photoshop these yet. She's mad that I'm putting them up before she gets the chance!)

Isaac, the charmer

Neha, our sensitive, kind-hearted oldest

Jimmy, our "Crazy Man"

Suresh, the one all the church ladies want to keep forever

Prava, who I couldn't have done this without

L-O-V-E

Martin, our wise leader

The team that I can't believe is actually separating

Ezera, the uncles' wrestling partner

Rose, with the famous dimples

Gift, our mischievous boy

Sarah, the sassy one

Maria, the soft-spoken one

Zurufah, always the flirt, always the drama queen!

Lincoln, the boy with the servant's heart

Yeshoda, who is everyone's encourager

The best example of how we became parents this year:

Jay and I leave for Uganda tomorrow. Please be praying for us as we take fourteen precious children back home. We will be in Kampala, Uganda until June 22, and then the 23-27 Jay and I are going to take a much-needed vacation in London!

OCEAN CITY

2009-06-01T18:07:00.008-04:00

We spent the day at the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey... we couldn't have had a better day! The kids had a ball. It was a little chilly, which is why I'm wearing jeans at the beach for the first time ever. Our kids were the ONLY ones crazy enough to brave the frigid waters! Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Jay and his girls

I have never seen kids love sand more than ours!

They really did just literally roll around in the sand. They didn't care where it ended up. We kept calling them sand monsters!

They were fascinated by the seagulls... Jay said he would give them a dollar if they caught one (Nice, huh?). So after lunch, they had the brilliant idea of bringing leftover french fries down to the beach and waving them around. We got ATTACKED. Little did we know, feeding them is illegal and everyone around us was angry (notice the abandoned beach chairs). Sorry! We really didn't think it would be that bad.

These last two are just random pictures from the past few weeks. Here's Suresh (or Mr. Miagi from "Karate Kid") playing with tape:

And Auntie Isaac raiding a dress-up bin:

Priceless...

2009-05-31T15:21:00.005-04:00

As we wrap up the end of the tour, it seems like we're looking back and realizing how much we've done over the past 10 months. It is completely surreal that it really is almost over. A lot of the time it seemed never-ending, but now that the end is in sight, I really can't believe it. We've been counting down for a while now. The kids ask every day, "How many days left?" They are not ready for it to be over. Every hour, someone is saying, "Only 8 days left!" And, "Only six more concerts!" The past few months, we've been saying goodbye to states we know we're not returning to. As we cross over the borders we yell out, "Goodbye, (insert state here)!" I keep thinking about the miles traveled, the churches visited, the people we've met, etc. I thought you might enjoy a little breakdown:

***All numbers are approximate after calculating as best as I could.

39,000.... miles driven

60,000... adoring audience members

195... concerts

160... different cities/churches

160... church parking lots I have slept in (in the RV)

160... different host families that have spoiled the children

390... number of times I have directed and the children have sung "Global Hallelujah"- once for each sound check, once during concert

720... meals eaten in restaurants (Thank the Lord this is part is almost over!)

440... different gas station visits

70... games of Phase 10 the Aunties have played

20... bottles of Dramamine purchased for all our kids who throw up regularly on the bus

50... number of times the Dramamine hasn't worked and children have thrown up into plastic bags on the bus (always pleasant!)

800... number of emails from the World Help office I have received

800... children who have gotten sponsored (food, clothing, medical care, Christian education until they're 19 years old!) by our team

13... smart kiddos who will now receive full college scholarships from World Help

25... number of times I have tripped the electrical breaker at the churches from trying to turn on too many things in the RV at once (Jay loves it when I do that!)

560... bathroom trips with all 13 kids

1,000,000... number of times a child has asked me to go to the bathroom (you do the math on how many times I said to hold it!)

400... phone calls to my Always-There-When-I-Need-Her mother

7,200... hugs I have received from my affectionate children (THE BEST PART)

40... fried chicken & green bean dinners churches have provided us with

5... the longest time (in days) we have spent in one place

120... different parks we have visited for the kids to play

5... number of times I have survived tornado warnings while in the RV by myself

1... number of nights Jay and I slept in a church lobby

4... broken bones (all Ezera's fingers)

6... doctor visits (I'm really proud of this one... such healthy kids!)

240... hours spent watching kids' movies

1,000,000 number of times someone has asked, "So, how did you get involved in this?"

1,000,000,000... number of times someone in a gas station/restaurant has looked at our group and said something like, "Now, what exactly IS this???"

5... children on our team who have prayed to ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior

Spending 10 months getting to know, cherish, and adore thirteen beautiful children of God... PRICELESS

Singin in the sun

2009-05-24T20:15:00.004-04:00

I know our kids look nuts in this video, and even if they're not totally synchronized (AT ALL), they're definitely enthusiastic! And each one has their own VERY unique style! This dance is supposedly from "Hannah Montana," but I have my doubts. If it's supposed to look anything like this, there's no way she'd be famous right now!

For my amazing husband

2009-05-23T09:11:00.009-04:00

I'm sure it doesn't come as news to anyone that I was the one who wanted to venture on this journey. When I initially told Jay that I thought we should seriously look into it and contact World Help, he said, "Well, you can email them. I don't think anything will come of it, but you can see. As long as God opens doors, I'll walk through them, but I'm not going to do anything to help it along." A little reluctant, huh?? If you know Jay, you know he comes from a small family. They are extremely close-knit and so supportive and loving. But Jay is the baby of the family. A 28-year-old baby. Before we were married, he hadn't spent any significant amount of time around young children and was extremely apprehensive around them. Enter the Hampton (my maiden name) clan! I have seven nieces and nephews, all of whom (with no encouraging from their new uncle) quickly attached to the new addition to the family. My nieces view Jay as a jungle gym- when we're in town, climbing all over him is their favorite activity.

That being said, even though I may have sprinted through those doors that God opened for us to be here, I found myself running back to tug Jay along every step of the way. He couldn't believe this was happening. When we were offered the job, we took a few weeks to pray about it. Suddenly, I had cold feet. I knew if Jay wasn't happy, I would be miserable. We would be giving up our lives. But in the end, Jay thought it was what God wanted for us. We accepted, and went from ZERO to THIRTEEN children in one day.

This year has definitely been a journey. The first few months were extremely difficult for Jay. While we were in training camp, we essentially had no freedom (every minute of every day is accounted for) and for my laid-back, go-as-the-wind-blows husband, that was hard. The minute the kids arrived, I jumped right into my role as "Mommy in America," and Jay had to warm up to it. When we began traveling, Jay felt like all he was doing was driving a bus, and that was another hurdle to jump over. Eventually though, he settled into this crazy life. It has been the hardest thing we have ever done or could imagine doing. But we have learned so much along the way.

I have learned that I need Jay to keep me sane. When I am being OCD, he helps me take a step back and teaches me not to sweat the small stuff. Because I am not legally able to drive the bus and have no mode of transportation, he has taken me to Walmart/Target/the mall hundred of times because he know how difficult it has been for me to have given up that independence. He has let me take over much of the RV with my clothes and shoes and books. He doesn't feel neglected when I am surrounded by thirteen children that all require my attention. He lets me take my shower first in the morning and doesn't complain when there's no hot water (WE LIVE IN AN RV!!!). He doesn't mind that I call my mom on the phone fifteen times a day. He lets me read for hours at a time on the bus while he's driving 400 mile stretches. He loves me even when I'm inflexible or demanding. He left everything he knew- his job, his friends, his family, his tennis/jiu jitsu/running, his house, his dogs- to do this for me. And now I am going to be there for him.

I will be devastated to say goodbye to these children. But there is a season for everything, and this season is quickly ending. We will pray for them every day, we will be reminded of them every hour, and we will miss them every minute. But we are ready for what is in store. Jay is officially the new worship pastor at New Covenant Church in Greenwood, South Carolina (www.newcovenantlife.org). We are so excited about what is to come, and can't wait to be SETTLED in a new place. We are looking forward to joining this church family and getting to know the people there. When we visited, everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and we knew we could so easily "fit" there. YEA!!! God has answered so many of our never-ending prayers!

We have a little more than TWO WEEKS until the tour is over, and only TWELVE concerts left. That is so surreal. Please be praying for us as we prepare the children (and prepare our hearts) for their departure. We will leave to fly them back to Uganda on June 17th.

I'll leave you with some pictures from a recent excursion to D.C. We decided to take Martin and Gift because we thought they were the only ones who would really appreciate it. We had such an amazing day!

The whole gang in front of the Washington Monument. I always wonder what people think when they see such an eclectic group together!

Martin said he wanted to see the Capital more than anything in America. He wanted a picture to be able to show his mom he'd really been there!

Priceless.

Doing their "boy" thing

Standing in the Capitol at the exact center of the city. (If you're wondering why the grown-ups are all wearing sweatshirts and they're in shorts and flip-flops, it's because they think we're babies and they say they're "not freezing." It's not because we neglect them!

Love letters

2009-04-29T21:45:00.005-04:00

Each week like clockwork, I receive a little note from Zurufah. The other kids give them sporadically, but I can really count on her to give me one (usually on Fridays). I cherish every picture/letter/homemade snowflake/envelope that they make. I wish I could scan the notes so that you all could see the cute little drawings and see their handwriting, but I thought I would share some of them with you anyway. Keep in mind... the spelling is theirs, not mine!!!

Dear Taylor,

I love you so much. I will miss you. You are beautyful. I like you so much. You have beautyful hair. You are my mummy. Even if you are mad, I still love you. Thank you for love me

From: Zurufah

Dear Princess (because Prava explained to the girls that we are all daughters of the King),

I love you so much. I will miss you so much. I pray for you. You are my best princess You are so beautyful.

From: Sarah

Dear Taylor and Jay,

I love so much. I hope you are fine. Thank for everything and helping me do work. May God bless you so much. Bye bye bye

From: Lincoln

Dear Mummy Taylor,

I love you so so so much. Even if I am mad I still love you forever. I will pray for you everyday. I will miss you so so so much. I will never forget you. You are so so so beautyful. I hope you are fine.

Love, Rose

Dear Taylor

I love you so much. I thank you for teaching us the songs. I appreciate your hard work. Thank you for loving us. May God bless you so much.

From Ezera

Dear Taylor,

I love your hugs and kisses. I love you so much. You are so sweet. When I go to Uganda I will miss you so much. Thank you for everything. You are like my mom.

Love, Rose

And now for the letter that made me laugh out loud. This one is from Zurufah, our little drama queen and attention-getter.

Dear Taylor,

Who do you like the most in children in Central Team? I love you so much. Thank you for everything. Who do you like the most in children in girls and boys?

Love, Zurufah

(Then, of course, she list everyones names so that I can circle one! Hmmm...I wonder what she was hoping my response would be??? She's so subtle...)

An unforgettable Easter

2009-04-18T23:50:00.004-04:00

Here's a little glimpse of our Easter! The week before, Prava, Ashley, and I stuffed nearly three hundred Easter eggs for our kiddos! (This is in the tiny "living room" of the RV.)

We left church right after our concert Sunday morning, found a nearby park, and hid the eggs. We were racing against time since the kids were soon on their way!

I wish we had a picture of them jumping up and down screaming when they heard what we had planned for them. They've definitely never done this before and were so excited to take part in this American tradition! Here are the girls getting ready to begin the hunt :)

Checking out their treasures:

These last pictures aren't from Easter, but I wanted you all to meet the girl who has stolen my husband's heart. This is Neha, our oldest little one. She and Jay have a special bond...they are together constantly!
She always steals Jay's hats! There's a lot of love here!

A little bit of confusion

2009-04-09T16:37:00.007-04:00

In Uganda, the children don't eat meat very often. They eat chicken on certain days, but because the beef has been unsafe and made people sick in the past, many people just don't eat it at all. Now that the kids are in America though, we have them eating all kinds of things, including hamburgers, hotdogs, spaghetti with meat sauce, roast, beef brisket, and roast beef sandwiches. With that in mind, here is the conversation we heard on the bus yesterday:

Rose: (seeing a bunch of cows out the window) Auntie Ashley, have you ever eaten cow??

Ashley, unsure of just how much the children knew about what they eat in America, just raised her eyebrows and smiled.

Rose: You should really try it sometime. I had it once... in my country. It's good. If you ever go to Uganda, you should try it.

She was so nonchalant and clueless about it, we all just died laughing!

Later in the day, we asked Isaac, "What are hamburgers made of, Isaac?" He just shrugged his shoulders and guessed, "Flowers???" Oh my goodness.

What would I do without them?

2009-04-07T19:41:00.003-04:00

There are two things that keep me sane on the road: Ashley and Prava. They are the two young women who are chaperones on the team, who are my "right hand men," if you will. But even more than that, they are the only two adult females I really get to talk to! Since they stay with host families each night, we really savor the time we get to spend together. I don't know what I would do without them! They are always there to help (and there are definitely times they don't want to!) and I know I can count on them for anything when it comes to the well-being of the kids. I depend on them each and every day, and am sooo thankful that they put up with me!

Here we are in Albuquerque a couple of weeks ago:

Now to preface this next picture, I have to explain some things. Before and after each concert, there is a lot of time we spend in the costume room with the kids either waiting for the concert to start, waiting for a meal, waiting to load up equipment, waiting on host families...I think you get the idea...WAITING. Anyway, at the beginning of the tour, the kids would play UNO for hours on end. Prava, Ashley, and I would read books and talk and join in with the kids. Then the kids learned to play Speed (which is still a favorite). But then came the ultimate... Phase 10. Have you all played this game? I originally just bought it for the "Aunties" to play, thinking it was too complicated for the kids, but after watching us for a little while, they started stealing my cards and playing on their own! Well, I bought enough decks to go around and now everyone is happy.

Prava, Ashley, and I have a running tally going of who wins the most games. Each game takes about an hour and we each have six tally marks right now (that is, of course, until I pull ahead again!), so you do the math. We have taken this game to a whole new level and created our own rules and levels. The kids are competitive too...I think this one is going to be their favorite for a while longer!

In a typical costume room at a church:

And a typical scene you may walk in to:

2009-03-27T18:22:00.003-04:00

One of the my most defining characteristics is the fact that I ALWAYS have a plan. Each day, I already have our entire schedule mapped out in my head: when we will meet the kids at the church, what we need to accomplish that day, how long it will take to get to the next church, what time we should stop to eat lunch, what time the host family meeting will be, and what Jay and I will do that night. And then I wake up and do it all over again. I do everything in my power to stick to the plan and to not deviate from it in any way. I find that this gives a me a sense of stability. It also allows me to feel ("feel" being the operative word) like I have control over what happens to me and to those around me.

This week has been a true wake-up call for me in this sense. I feel as though nothing has gone the way it was supposed to. For example, Monday night, a wind storm hit Tulsa, rocking the RV back and forth like a boat (terrifying me to death) until Jay and I ended up taking shelter sleeping in the church lobby. Not part of the plan. The next day we had a nine hour drive on less than three hours of sleep. Not part of the plan. When the kids showed up at the church the next morning, we realized that many of them were getting sick. We found a doctor to see them in the middle of our long drive to Texas, and left the clinic with six sick children on prescription medication. Not part of the plan. The kids were contagious, so we had to finish the drive but then stay in a hotel in order to make sure we didn't get church families sick. Not part of the plan. Today, we were supposed to have a seven-hour drive to New Mexico. I assumed and planned on warm weather and sunny days, only waking up this morning to realize that there was a BLIZZARD right over our route and we would have to delay our trip for a day. A blizzard in Texas/New Mexico??!!! Not part of the plan. Even now, I am stranded in a hotel room having evacuated the RV, feeling like I am off the path that I had created for myself. (Reading back on this whole thing, I think I sound like a psycho control freak that any normal person would be terrified of. Luckily, I have an off-the-charts, easy-going husband who can deal with my craziness.)

There's only one problem with all of this: I DON'T HAVE CONTROL. And why do I even want it? My life is not my own- I have already given it to the One who has the Master Plan. Why can't I just get out of His way and let Him guide my every step? This is my constant battle. Planning might give me a "sense" of stability, but that's all. More often than not, something happens to ruin my perfect (at least in my eyes) plan, and then I find myself scrambling around to pick up the pieces. I am trying every day to fully surrender myself to God's plan. He has each page of my life written out already. What makes me think that I have a better idea than He does?

Right now, there are two parts of my life that require daily surrender. The first: mine and Jay's future. As I've mentioned before, everything is so up in the air right now. We are praying that God will lead us to the church where He would have us serve Him. I wish we could just know what STATE we were going to move to. But God only asks that I trust in Him.

The second: the inevitable departure of the kids in June. Once the children go back to their countries, I don't know if I will ever see them again. For the past year, Jay and I have essentially been their parents in America. We have loved them, hugged them, comforted them when they've cried, talked with them when they've needed us, disciplined them, and prayed with them. It's so hard for me to come to grips with the fact that once they leave, I will not be able to take care of them. I will have NO CONTROL over their futures. World Help will take care of them and make sure they get everything they need. But what if one day, they feel like they have no one to talk to... no one to love them... no one to get them out of trouble... no one to pray with them? Just thinking about it is devastating for me, and something God will have to lead me through one day at a time once summer comes. He will be my comfort. He will be my strength.

Spring Photo Shoot!

2009-03-19T18:14:00.009-04:00

Thanks for doing this, Ashley! The kids love their new spring clothes, so we figured we should get some pictures while the clothes are still in good shape! These were taken at the Old Mill (pictured in "Gone with the Wind") in North Little Rock, AR.

Martin

Neha

Lincoln

Yeshoda

Maria

Jimmy

Ezera

Sarah

Gift

Rose

Suresh

Zurufah

Isaac

Never a dull moment...

2009-02-28T18:27:00.004-05:00

A fun day with the whole team in San Antonio (in front of the Alamo)

How can you resist this face?

Martin showing off his new kicks (we needed new ones, don't ya think??)

Suresh and Gift massaging our shoulders- this is what we do all day (just kidding!)

One of my favorite pictures- Rose, Sarah, and Yeshoda

Quirky Kids

2009-02-21T16:16:00.003-05:00

All families have their quirks. And with thirteen kids, six adults, and different personalities galore, ours are abundant:

-When we watch animal movies on the bus, the kids compare each character to someone on the team (i.e. Lincoln is "Baloo" and Suresh is "Mogli" from "Jungle Book").

-Martin and Neha have an obsession with my hands. Martin always says, "Auntie, how did you get so soft hands?" and Neha always takes my hand and rubs her own face with it, saying "So soft, so soft!"

-Isaac does not like when Jay and I show affection toward one another. If we are hugging in front of the kids, Isaac comes up and tries to get in between us and says, "No thank you! Not right now!"

-Sarah is our roller coaster of emotions, up and down all day long. She has her funny moments though, and has started occasionally referring to us as "Girlfriend," as in "No way, girlfriend!" or "You're crazy, girlfriend!"

-Ezera says "No thanks" probably a hundred times a day, but he pronounces it "No sanks."

-Martin (who's last name is Batte, pronounced Bah-tay) has developed a serious gas problem (I'm completely serious), and the kids get so mad at him when he lets one loose. Jay started teasing him and calling him "Stinky Batte," which has definitely stuck with everyone!

-Isaac and Zurufah (our two littlest Ugandans) have some kind of romance going on. Isaac is constantly battling with himself over whether or not he loves her. This usually depends on whether or not the feelings are returned on that particular day.

-Lincoln almost always refers to Jay as "Mr. Coffee," which he thinks is the funniest joke ever made.

-Suresh likes to play soccer without any shoes on, which we allow to a certain extent. If it's under forty-five degrees, we have to say no, but he still begs!

-Isaac leaves at least one pair of socks at every host home he visits. He calls them "stocks," though. Even though I should be mad, I love hearing him say, "Auntie, I only have two stocks left..."

-If Yeshoda or Neha mess up on any of their solos in the concerts, they immediately sticks their tongues out and roll their eyes (an unattractive reflex that we are trying to overcome!). Must be a Nepali thing!

-If I am carrying something and Rose comes up to hug me around my waist, she says "Two hands, Auntie, two hands!" And I have to put everything down so that I can hug her with both arms.

-When Jimmy has a speaking part, he yells every word, getting louder and louder as it goes on. "...and my hope is in you ALL DAY LONG!!!"

-Zurufah has started writing me letters once a week, which I thought was just a show of affection (and a battle for my attention). This week though, I realized she's just trying to butter me up when I received the weekly note that just wants to know, "Who do you love the most out of all the children on Central Team? I won't tell anybody!" That little stinker.

Can't believe it's almost spring!

2009-02-17T23:12:00.003-05:00

As I have mentioned before, some days I say, "Oh my goodness, it's only February." And then other days I say, "Oh my goodness, it's already February??!!!" Even though we have several months before the tour is over, Jay and I recently had some decisions to make, the most important being whether or not we would be returning to be team leaders again next year. After much prayer and consideration, we agreed that this will be our only year on tour. We will be devastated to see the kids go, and nostalgic when we go to a concert sometime next year to see new children perform, but we think this is the best decision for us. We know, from the bottom of our hearts, that God called us to be with these children and to be a part of this awe-inspiring ministry. But in the end, there is a time for every season, right?

With that being said, we enter into the scary place we have been in before: LIMBO. We were in this position at the exact same time last year, when we were waiting to hear whether or not we would get to be team leaders. Only this time around, we are trying to sell our house (our house in Dothan is on the market...any takers?) AND trying to find another job (anyone need an amazing, dynamic, hard-working, Jesus-loving worship leader?). Come June, we will officially be "homeless" and jobless.

I have come to accept the fact that God puts us in positions like this on purpose. I am terrified by all the "what ifs" in this scenario. What if Jay can't find a job? What if we have to move home with our parents? What if we can't sell our house and are stuck with this mortgage FOREVER? But this year, God just keeps reminding me that His grace is sufficient. That no matter what happens, no matter what may go wrong, He is more than enough for me. If my Father granted my every whim and desire, I might lean on my own strength instead of His. These "obstacles" may be exactly what I need to realize that, no matter how much I want to, I can't fix everything.

I am doing this amazing Bible study on my own right now called Experiencing the Heart of Jesus, by Max Lucado. In it he writes, "For all we don't know about thorns, we can be sure of this: God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut. And if it takes a thorn for Him to make His point, He loves us enough not to pluck it out...A few stumbles might be what you need to convince you: His grace is sufficient." And no matter what, His grace will be sufficient for us.

Our First Communion

2009-02-02T23:45:00.003-05:00

Ah, a child's first communion. I remember when I was little, wishing my parents would allow me to drink from that tiny cup and nibble on that tiny morsel of "bread." Looking back, I can understand my fascination. The people around me were part of a club I was not allowed to be a part of yet. I felt left out. Now that I have grown in my faith, taking the Lord's Supper has become so much more to me. I understand the significance behind the ritual of "taking the wine and the bread in remembrance of Him."

This Sunday, my childhood memories came flooding back to me as I sat on the front row of a church with Jimmy, Martin, Isaac, Gift, and Lincoln. As we were getting ready for the service to start, I realized the church was taking communion that morning and I gave the boys a crash course on the symbolism of the Lord's Supper. Because all of those boys have accepted Jesus as their Savior, I told them I would let them take the juice and the bread, and explained the significance of what they were about to do.

It took all I had to keep from laughing at their candid questions and remarks. First, they passed out the "bread," which was really just a TINY square of a tasteless cracker. The boys asked what it was called, and I told them about "unleavened" bread. Somehow they misheard me, and for the rest of the day kept talking about eating the "un-heaven" bread. Of course, Gift does not follow the instructions from the pastor to wait, and starts chowing down immediately. Martin, on the other end of the spectrum, leans over to ask me if he can put it in his pocket to save for later. Isaac asks if he can have more because "it wasn't a very big snack."

Then comes the grape juice. I was praying and praying that the boys wouldn't overturn the whole tray of the little cups into their laps (and onto their Ugandan-made costumes). We passed that hurdle, our only mishap being that the boys felt the need to peruse each and every plastic cup to see which one had that extra drop to savor. (I have to admit to doing this when I was a child, too, which made me all the more prepared for their antics!) The juice actually went smoothly...much better than I had anticipated, despite the fact that I caught Martin lapping up the juice from the cup like a dog who has just returned from a long run.

I will say, though, these are the priceless moments I will cherish forever. I was so happy to be there for that "first" in their lives. I had told the children that after they had received everything, they should pray and remember what Jesus had done for them. After a long pause, Isaac asked so seriously, "But Auntie, I don't remember Jesus. Should I remember Him?" I gave him a clearer explanation of how we should just think about how He sacrificed Himself for us by dying on the cross, and then I prayed aloud for all of us. I'm actually surprised that this was our first time a concert has coincided with a Communion Sunday, but I hope it does more often. It was definitely an unexpected blessing for me...just like my first communion was so many years ago.

Can't believe we're more than halfway through!

2009-01-22T20:32:00.004-05:00

Feb. 1 Spring, Texas

Feb. 4 Kilgore, Texas

Feb. 6 Conway, Arkansas

Feb. 8 Searcy, Arkansas

Feb. 8 Cave City, Arkansas

Feb. 11 Neosho, Missouri

Feb. 15 Sioux City, Iowa

Feb. 18 Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Feb. 19 Marshalltown, Iowa

Feb. 22 Kansas City, Missouri (love this city!)

Still more cities to come in February...

March 6 Rogers, Arkansas

March 8 Lavaca, Arkansas

March 11 Ferguson, Missouri

March 15 Bentonville, Arkansas

March 15 Prairie Grove, Arkansas

March 22 Owasso, Oklahoma

March 22 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

March 29 Rio Rancho, New Mexico (the farthest west we will get!)

Still more to come in March, as well...

Maybe it's time for some of you to take a road trip to places like Lavaca, AR and Neosho, MO. I know all of you out there are dying to visit us in these thriving metropolises in the Land of the Free!

Holiday in Kentucky

2009-01-21T17:11:00.006-05:00

There isn't much news except to say that we are in Texas...again (our 3rd trip!). Other than that, the kids are doing well, and the "routine" (if there is such a thing) is back to normal for the time being.

After our Christmas in Texas, we went to Kentucky for the week of New Year's to stay with my family. My brother Tripp had never met the kids up to that point and was really looking forward to putting some faces with the names he had been hearing! We got to stay at my parents' house for a week with the kids. In typical mother fashion, my mom had planned out our days full of activities for everyone! It's hard to say who had more fun- my mom or the kids!

My dad, who is used to cooking amazing meals for our massive family, was amazed by how much food the kids could put away. I had warned him and tried to help him out with the grocery shopping when we got there, saying, "Dad, I promise that's not going to be enough." To which he would respond, "Taylor, that's ridiculous. There's no way they could consume that much." After the first night (when the kids had licked the pots clean), he understood exactly what I was talking about, and immediately began to scramble around to get more food for the rest of the meals he had planned!

The biggest highlight of the week was taking the kids to the Newport Aquarium outside Cincinnati. They have been to zoos before with their host families, but none of them had visited an aquarium! They loved every minute of it...every couple of seconds I would be beckoned again, "Auntie! Auntie! Come look at this one!" "Auntie! Auntie! Take my picture with the shark!" Their delight and wonder was apparant. There was also a tropical bird exhibit, where Jay proceeded to lure a few of the birds onto his arm. The kids got as close as they could and then Suresh was able to hold one himself! The kids also got to pet sharks in a shallow tank. I'd say "fascination" is the right word in describing their reaction to the jelly fish tanks. Zurufah called them "Umbrellums," which was her way of saying "umbrellas" even after practicing the correct pronunciation over and over again. They were very thorough as they looked into all the tanks, making sure they spotted each and every specimen before they moved on to the next display. My parents' church choir helped us to be able to have that wonderful day, so thank you to the CBC choir!

After that week, Nikki and Stephen (former COTW team leaders and now our supervisor) came to take the team to Missouri while Jay and I got a week off. We slept until at least 11:00 every day, spent a lot of time laying on couches, and generally relaxing and catching up with family. It was heaven on earth for us!

My mom with some of the kiddos:

Playing their favorite sport at an indoor soccer field:

Our chaperones, Ashley and Prava

Our other favorite thing to do- swimming at the YMCA:

My love and me on our week off...looking very relaxed, huh?

Build-a-Bear, Build-a-Best Friend

2009-01-11T14:19:00.007-05:00

As a Christmas Eve surprise, we took the children to Build-a-Bear. At the time, they had never seen this store, so they had no idea what to expect. Their faces were priceless when they realized they were going to get to choose and then make their very own bear (excuse me- bear/bunny/moose. That's right...moose.)! Martin immediately said, "This is going to be my best friend FOREVER!" The store was pretty crowded, so while we stood inside to get our animals stuffed, I told the children to think of names for their new friends. They took this very seriously, and debated on names for at least twenty minutes before finally deciding on the perfect names (i.e. Murray, James-for Jay of course, Taylor, and Taylor-Prava to name a few).

If you've never been to this store, it is a real experience. It is a seven-step process before the completion of the bear! When it was our turn, each child would stand at this stuffing machine and watch their animal come to life. Then the Build-a Bear helper would say to kiss a little red satin heart, make a wish, and then put the heart in the bear. As you can imagine, my kids ate this up. They would hold that heart tight to their chest, close their little eyes, and pray for a good twenty seconds before giving up that heart. Everyone was so deliberate about making sure they did it right (except Isaac, who looked at the woman like she had just lost all her marbles).

After the bears were all sewn up and ready to go, the kids get to go "clean" them under a shower station where they can wash them off underneath a stream of cold air. Let me tell you, our bears are the cleanest ones around. The kids "washed" them everywhere and then brushed them down. After they were thoroughly cleaned, we moved on to the final touch...choosing the perfect outfit! The girls, of course, gravitated toward anything pink and sequined, while the boys chose military men and soccer players. Like typical girls, they thought they needed their bears to try on every outfit to see what was the most flattering (which I don't think we were supposed to do...oops!). I thought we were going to be in there for days. When their animals were primped, Jay helped the kids print out the birth certificates (after another thorough washing of course...the clothes needed to be clean too!) to make it official.

I have never seen anything like it. They were so enthralled with the whole process, and are still completely in love with their animals even weeks afterward. As I type this, there is a bear in a sailor suit buckled into one of the front seats of the bus (safety first!). If we have to leave the animals in the bus, the kids say goodnight to them and put them down for a nap. I will never forget that trip to the mall. It was the best money we've ever spent!

Isaac getting his bear stuffed:

With our new best friends:

Did you spot the moose in the wedding dress???

An American/Nepali/Ugandan Christmas in Texas!

2008-12-27T17:44:00.004-05:00

The best Christmas EVER!

2008-12-27T16:56:00.005-05:00

We are now back on the road again, but are remembering the AMAZING time we had celebrating Christmas together! Last week, Brian and Silesia Wellbrock from Montgomery, TX called to offer their house to us for six days while they were out of town. We jumped on the chance to spend a week with no traveling! Their beautiful home sits on Lake Conroe, where the kids were able to roam free, be as loud as they want, and not "bother" anyone. It was such a unifying experience for the whole to be together and just be...us. The kids enjoyed fishing, playing ping-pong and air hockey, and having movie nights with the whole team. All the girls were piled in their "dream room"- a Paris theme with pink and purple decor.

I was determined to cook for the team for the entire week, and I plunged right in on our first night. I don't know that I've ever been more proud of myself! Everyone ate and then asked for seconds, and I discovered that I could do it just like my dad and my grandmother! I could cook for twenty people and enjoy it. That gave me the greatest sense of satisfaction...I've missed cooking so much since we left our house.

There are so many blessings that came out of this week. The kids were on their very best behavior the whole time. There was just this overwhelming feeling of togetherness and family that we often don't get to have because the kids are usually with host families. The kids begged and begged to help me in the kitchen, so they took turns for every meal preparing the food, setting the table, and cleaning up afterward. They played so well together...riding bikes and playing cards and board games.

From the very first day, Ashley and Prava and I set up shop in the master bedroom to wrap presents, with strict instructions that the children were never allowed to enter Uncle Jay and Auntie Taylor's bedroom. We had so much fun shopping for them...we are so thankful to the people who helped contribute to the Children of the World Christmas! We put post-it notes with each child's name on it around the entire room, separating toys into stacks for every child. Santa was very good to them this year! We wrapped for about three days straight, but we finally got it finished, and we could hardly wait to see their faces!

The children have embraced the idea of Santa Claus, and with that comes many, MANY questions. "How does Santa get back up the chimney?" "How do the reindeer fly?" "What does Santa do the rest of the year?" That part was so much fun. On Christmas Eve after we read the Christmas story from the Bible, I said we needed to put out milk and cookies for Santa. "WHAT??!!!" "How do you know he likes milk and cookies?" "Will he really eat them?" The saddest question is when they would ask, "What if he doesn't come?" They were so skeptical on that part. But when we said that Santa came if you believed, they would repeat over and over again, "Oh Auntie, I believe! I believe!" It was amazing seeing Christmas through their eyes.

Christmas morning far exceeded my expectations. Their excitement was so contagious! They stared in awe at the stockings and everything under the tree that Santa brought. Every present was examined with wonder as if they couldn't believe it was really theirs to keep. They opened the gifts slowly, savoring each box and even each piece of candy in the stocking. I was just so content watching them open everything...I never wanted it to end! Not once this Christmas did I think about what I was going to receive. I didn't care at all. All I cared about was that the kids know how much they are treasured and loved. I have never been more thankful than I was that morning. It was completely overwhelming. I think Martin summed it up best when he smile and said, "I don't know if I have ever been this happy."

The kids' first trip to see Santa Claus:

All the aunties and uncles on Christmas Eve:

Before the madness on Christmas morning:

We hope you all had a very blessed Christmas with your loved ones! More to come soon on ice skating, our Christmas Eve visit to Build-a-Bear, and our trip to Six Flags!

Honest thoughts

2008-12-13T21:41:00.004-05:00

"Oh my gosh. You two are so lucky. I would kill to have your job. Those kids are too cute!"

These are words I hear almost every day, without fail. I always tell them how thankful we are to be doing this, and how much we love and adore the children. And that is true. We know without a doubt that we are in the center of God's will. We are exactly where we are supposed to be. We understand this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, which is why we chose to do this sooner rather than later. We will never have this opportunity again.

But sometimes, it's hard. This job is by far the most difficult thing we have ever done. And sometimes, I look at those people who envy my life, smile at them and respond kindly, and think to myself, "If only you knew. It's not glamorous. Not at all." Most days, there is at least one point where I want to pull my hair out. I wonder to myself, "Will this day ever end?"

We don't wonder if we chose the right path. We know that we did. But just because God told us to do this, doesn't mean He promised that it would be easy or that we would be happy all the time.

The traveling has lost all its appeal at this point on our journey. I love to travel, but we understand now there is a difference between "traveling" and being "on the road." Traveling entails choosing a beautiful location, seeing the sights, staying in nice hotels, eating amazing foods, and relaxing. Being "on the road" means praying that the bus doesn't break down on a long drive, having all the fast-food menus memorized, and doing about 200 concerts a year (with the same songs!). From day to day, my thoughts change from, "I can't believe it's already December!" to "Oh my gosh, it's only December??!!!"

I miss home. Any home. I miss Kentucky, I miss Americus, I miss Dothan, I miss our family, I miss our friends. I miss cooking and setting up house in a stationary location. I miss taking baths. I miss going to a church just to worship and I miss being in a Bible study. I miss hopping in my car and going somewhere ALONE. I miss having any kind of girl friends that I can hang out with. I told Jay yesterday that I never would have made it through this if he wasn't with me. He is the only person in the whole world who will ever understand exactly what I'm feeling and what we're going through. That in itself has brought us closer, and for that I am thankful.

Every day, at some point in the day, I look into the face of a smiling child and know that all the sacrifices are worth it. Every morning when Suresh yells, "Auntie Taylor, where is my hug??!!!" Or when Rose kisses my stomach through my shirt and tells me she loves me. Or when Martin asks who I love more, him or Uncle Jay. Or when I think about the hundreds of children will never have to wonder when they will get to eat again, or if they will ever get to go to school. We will never meet them, but those are the children we're doing this for. In some small way, we are making a difference in the world. I only hope that after this is over, we can continue ministering to others, even if it doesn't reach all the way to Uganda or Nepal.

A verse that I've been mulling over the past few days:

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."

2 Corinthians 2:14-15

That's what I want more that anything-to be the fragrance of Christ above all else, whether that is with Children of the World or as a teacher, a wife, a daughter, or a friend.

Great friends, great times

2008-12-12T11:05:00.007-05:00

Last week, we got to spend seven full days in Dothan, where we used to live before we started traveling. We could not have hoped for a better visit! We were so busy with the kids, but we squeezed in time to see all our friends whenever we could. It was so nice to see everyone from Covenant, where Jay used to work. Thank you to everyone who sponsored children! Afterward, we went out with our long-lost friends. We've missed them so much! (Brandon, Leah, Brittany, Troy, Adam, and Monica)

Jay and I got spoiled because we got to stay with Adam and Monica all week long. We picked up right where we left off, never missing a beat. It was like we had never left. We are so thankful for them. As far as friends go, they're the best!
At Kyoto, our favorite restaurant:
The kids playing outside (notice some of the short sleeves in December!):
We also performed at Providence, the school where I taught last year. It was extremely bittersweet for me, and such a blessing. We received an overwhelming response from the teachers and students, with everyone wanting to be a part of our ministry. I hated to leave! Thanks to everyone who is donating to the children's Christmas this year!

Look at these beautiful faces!

2008-12-09T14:23:00.007-05:00

Pictures from Thanksgiving in Americus!

The boys enjoying their favorite sport:
Making pine cone turkeys at Auntie Sue's house:
Playing a crazy game of "Spoons!"

Much to be thankful for

2008-11-28T13:26:00.003-05:00

The children had a WONDERFUL first Thanksgiving here in America! I still don't think they get all the hype (i.e. why do we get so excited about just another meal?), but for us, it meant seeing family and not having any concerts for an entire week. This was also the first time we'd ever spent time in a real home just being together. ALL together. We took over Jay's parents' house from Monday until Friday morning and I'm not sure it will ever be the same!

I was so thankful to be off the road and in a real house (with a bathtub and hot water) and to be with family. But I received an amazingly unexpected blessing just by having down time with all the kids. When we're on the road, we are always GOING somewhere...to the next town, to a restaurant, to a church, to the next town, to a restaurant, to a church...and we never have time to really just be together and enjoy being our own family. But this week, we truly savored that time together. I was a little anxious before we arrived about how smoothly it would go and how the kids would behave with us being all together for 5 days straight. But the kids were wonderful. Minimal fighting, maximum fun and flexibility.

Jay's parents live near a college, and so we took full advantage of the soccer fields near the house. Each day, the kids ended the afternoon with a very competitive game. They are such good soccer players! They put American kids to shame!

The first night, I taught the kids how to play Spoons, which is a very fast, very rowdy card game. They think it is the greatest game ever invented. About every two minutes, we'd hear a burst of laughter and screams signaling the end of another game.

All in all, it was a time I will always cherish with the kids. Jay's family was so wonderful to take us in with open arms. We are so thankful to our families for supporting us in this crazy year of our lives. I am already looking forward to Christmas, when we have the kids in Texas for an entire week...just us and the kids! Half the time I feel like I'm going nuts, but the other half of the time I see how beautiful they are and my heart just bursts...and that makes it all worth it.

P.S. Just a little conversation that took place this week:

Me: Hey do you guys know who Santa Claus is?

Ezera: Jesus???

Me: No! Do you know who Santa Claus is?

Ezera: Satan???

Coming soon to a town near you!!!

2008-11-21T18:33:00.004-05:00

We were beyond excited to see my family in Memphis last week! It was so great and I'm very thankful that everyone came down to have an early Thanksgiving and see the kids perform. I cried my eyes out when they left!

But thankfully, we will be going to some familiar places in the next couple of weeks. First, we're headed to Americus to stay with Jay's family where we will have THREE DAYS OFF. That's right. Granted, we will also be practicing for our Christmas program (we add in a few new songs in December), but still...it's gonna be great! We can't wait to see the rest of the fam!

Then on Friday, Nov. 28, we head in to Dothan, our (old) home sweet home! If you're reading this and you know us from Dothan, you have FOUR opportunities to see Children of the World. That's right, people... not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR concerts in Dothan. Here's the line-up:

Sun. Nov. 30, 10:00 a.m. - Greystone United Methodist (meets in Honeysuckle Middle)

Sun. Nov. 30, 6:00 p.m. - Covenant United Methodist

Wed. Dec. 3, 8:30 & 9:30 a.m. - Providence Christian School

Wed. Dec 3, 6:30 p.m. - First United Methodist Dothan

WOO HOO!

We leave Dothan on Friday and slowly but surely make our way to Texas (again...). But wait, if you live in my ol' Kentucky home, you will be pleased to know that we will be headed that way soon! Mark your calendars for January 4. We will be performing at Crestwood Baptist in Crestwood, KY at 9:15 and 10:45. I expect everyone I know to be there or be square. YAY!

Fall Photo Shoot

2008-11-10T10:16:00.005-05:00

When we were in Clarksville, Arkansas last week, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall leaves and get some pictures of the kids. I'm so happy with how they turned out!

"Happy two year anniversary!"

2008-11-04T20:25:00.004-05:00

Jimmy: Happy two year anniversary!

Me: Do you even know what that means?

Jimmy: Yes. You've been married two times.

Welcome a new child into the Kingdom of God!

2008-11-03T15:17:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning, Isaac decided he wanted to follow Christ and asked Jesus into his heart! We are so happy for him and we are sure the angels were rejoicing! We were sitting in the sanctuary getting ready to go on stage when Isaac looked at me and asked, "Auntie, why do I not know Jesus?"

I responded, "I don't know, Isaac. Have you ever asked Him into your heart?"

"No. I want to know Jesus."

I wanted to jump in right then and there, but the pastor was already in the middle of introducing us so I had to say, "Well, sweetie, I really want to talk to you about it more, but you have to go on stage now. We'll talk about it after, ok?"

After the concert, I pulled him out of the costume room and asked him if he still wanted to talk about Jesus, to which he said yes. Isaac is still really struggling with his English and I wanted to make sure he really knew what we were talking about, so I got Martin to come with us and translate in Lugandan. Together, Martin and I laid out the gospel for him. I stressed that this was a decision that he had to decide for himself, and that he didn't have to decide today.

"I want to know Jesus today, Auntie," he said.

"Ok. I'm not going to pray for you, though. You need to do this for yourself. You don't have to pray in English," I told him.

We all held hands together, and Isaac prayed in Lugandan all by himself. Martin told me that he prayed, "Father, I want to follow you for the rest of my life. I am so sorry for all of the bad things I've done. Please forgive my sins. I believe that Jesus is the son of God and I love you. I will try to do the right thing from now on. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." It was an amazing moment for all of us...I felt so blessed just to be a part.

When we were about to join everyone else, I asked, "Ok, Isaac, do you have any other questions?"

He thought for a minute and said very seriously, "Auntie, if I sin now, will I go to the fire?"

"Oh no, Isaac. Now when you sin, God will always forgive you, no matter what you do. You can pray to Him anytime you want to. No matter where you are, He will always hear you."

He mulled this over for a few seconds and I asked if he had any more questions.

"Auntie, you mean I can pray when I poo-poo and pee-pee in the restroom?!"

He may be a child of God, but he's still an eight-year-old boy!

Haircuts with Jay the Barber

2008-10-30T15:01:00.005-04:00

Two nights ago, our chaperone, Ashley, called us from the host family she was staying in with Gift and Lincoln. She informed us that Gift had decided while he was taking his shower that it would be a good idea to shave his head (with a razor!) in a couple of places. When he showed up the next morning, it was so hard not to die laughing...he had a big chunk that he shaved out of the top of his hairline in the very front, and then a chunk out of the very back! He looked ridiculous! We were already planning on giving the boys haircuts that day with Jay's clippers, so we decided we would have to shave it all off.

Before we did Gift's though, Jimmy wanted to go first. Jay tried it with the guard on, but we couldn't tell that any had been cut at all. So naturally, Jay took the guard off and decided to start at the very middle of his forehead and go back...I had no idea it would shave him completely bald! It looked like a landing strip going down the middle of his head! I was so upset. Jay and I apologized to Jimmy over and over again and told him we'd have to shave it all (which he wasn't happy about). After we'd done his and Gift's, the boys decided it was the new cool thing and they all wanted their hair "removed." Here are a few pictures of the adventure:

Our new bald boys:

Before we finished, we gave Isaac a new 'do:

Hill Country on Horseback

2008-10-30T14:44:00.005-04:00

Earlier this week, my sweet husband surprised me with a morning of horseback riding! We were in Kerrville, Texas, which is in Texas Hill Country on the Guadelupe River. I'd never been that far west before, and it was absolutely stunning. It was a little chilly that day, but we had a great time...it's been my favorite part of Texas so far! Four days later, I'm still in pain every time I sit down or take even the tiniest step, but it was definitely worth it. I had a blast!

My horse's name was Joe and Jay's horse was Blue. Joe and I didn't exactly click...he wanted to do the opposite of everything I asked. If we needed to stop for a picture, he wanted to trot away. And when I needed him to get up and move, he would stand absolutely still, refusing to move a muscle. But my favorite bonding moment was when we were going down a really steep hill (I was terrified!) and good ol' Joe decides it would be a great time to go off the trail and have me decapitated by a tree branch. Good times...
Don't I look so natural?? I'm a real live cowgirl now.

It was such a beautiful day! Thank you, Jay!

Upcoming Schedule

2008-10-25T23:54:00.004-04:00

Here's where we'll be for the next few months...let me know if you (or a friend) will be in the area!

Nov. 2 Muskogee, Oklahoma

Nov. 5 Clarksville, Arkansas

Nov. 6 Jackson, Mississippi

Nov. 11 Fayette, Alabama

Nov. 14 Jackson, Tennessee (Getting to see family- YEA!!!)

Nov. 16 Memphis, Tennessee

Nov. 16 Falkner, Mississippi

Nov. 19 Beebe, Arkansas

Nov. 20 Hernando, Mississippi

Nov. 23 Cullman, Alabama

Nov. 23 Anniston, Alabama

Nov. 24-28 Thanksgiving in Georgia (Getting to see family-YEA)!!!

Nov. 28-Dec. 4 Dothan, Alabama (Getting to see friends- YEA!!!)

Dec. 7 Gulfport, Mississippi

Dec. 7 Daphne, Alabama

Dec. 10 Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Dec. 14 Montgomery, Texas

Dec. 17 Holliday, Texas

Dec. 20 Corinth, Texas

Dec. 21-26 Christmas break with the kids in Texas!

Dec. 28 Cypress, Texas

Dec. 29-Jan. 4 Christmas in Kentucky (Getting to see family- YEA!!!)

Words that will make your heart break

2008-10-22T15:49:00.004-04:00

The other day, Yeshoda asked, "Auntie, may I call you 'Mommy'?"

"Well..." I started to respond.

"Because I don't have a mommy. I want you to be my mommy," she said, smiling up at me.

Sometimes it's so hard not to want to just bottle them up and keep them safe and protected their entire lives.

"Are you with that slew of kids??"

2008-10-20T19:37:00.006-04:00

This past weekend, we were in Dallas for performing at a conference. On Friday after a very early morning concert, we looked for a place to eat lunch close to the hotel. We found a really cute place called JG's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers and thought it would be perfect. It was a beautiful day, and there was a nice outdoor area for us to sit down, which is perfect for us because we don't have to worry about the kids being too loud. I went ahead and sat the kids down and then Jay and I went inside to order for everyone. It was the kind of restaurant where you just order at the counter right inside the door and then they bring it to your table. It was very crowded, so Jay waited just inside the door. There was a man behind the counter who appeared to be running the show (most likely the owner) and I approached him. And this is the conversation I found myself in:

Me: Excuse me, sir, do you have a children's menu?

Rude Man: Yes, but is it for that slew of kids out there?

Me: Excuse me??

Rude Man: Are you with that slew of kids?

Me: Yes.

Rude Man: (Shaking his head) Can't do it.

Me: Can't do what??

Rude Man: I don't make enough money off kids. Where are their parents?

Me: We ARE their parents.

Rude Man: Unless you have a parent for each one of those kids, I'm not going to serve you.

Me: Are you serious?! We are their legal guardians. WE are their parents.

This kept going until I could feel steam coming out of my ears. There was a line forming behind me and I knew people were staring. Finally I just said, "I can't believe this. You know what...just forget it." And marched out of there. Jay followed me out and asked what was going on. As I was telling him, the owner poked his head out the door and said, "Ok, ok. Come back in." To which Jay quickly said, "Forget it. We wouldn't eat here if you paid US," (or something to that effect).

We were just shocked! Most restaurant employees think the kids are so cute...sometimes they ask them to sing, sometimes they offer free ice cream, but almost everyone is happy to have us (or at least curious enough to put up with us). I have never been refused service before, and it made me feel like dirt. Not to mention, extremely angry.

In conclusion: Don't you worry Rude Man, we will NEVER be bothering you again.

A Weekend with Gift

2008-10-13T22:41:00.004-04:00

We decided that over the next few months, we would try to take a couple of days each week to let a child stay with us in the RV. We want to be able to get some alone time with them, and for each child to receive some one-on-one attention from us. We were in San Antonio this past weekend, and we had a great time keeping Gift with us. He is our quietest child...very well-behaved, smart and extremely witty. On Saturday, we went to breakfast and then ventured downtown to the infamous Riverwalk (which I LOVED), where we explored the area on a boat ride and had a wonderful lunch.

At breakfast:

At the Riverwalk:
On the boat ride:
My handsome hubby and me:

Picture Update!

2008-10-13T22:31:00.006-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids' first trip to the beach when we were in Beaufort, South Carolina. We had mixed reactions: they either loved it, were very scared or hated it ("Auntie, so salty!"). It was not the prettiest day either, and very cold, but hopefully we'll get a chance to take them again when it's nicer.

This next one is a recent example of the boys wanting to be just like Uncle Jay! Suresh stole Jay's sunglasses and started attempting to spike his hair. So cute!
More to come!

Mouse Kisses

2008-10-10T13:58:00.003-04:00

When we were in training camp, many of the other team leaders would comment on how affectionate our team is. Apparently, most kids in the choirs are "huggers," but our kids LOVE to kiss their aunties on the cheek. Almost every hug I receive is accompanied by a sweet little kiss-something I love but, from the beginning, was informed that it was not normal. Just go ahead and put it down in the books, Central Team COTW is a big 'ol love fest!

Soon after they started giving their little love pecks, a couple of my boys started questioning, "Auntie, why may we not kiss on the mouse?" (a.k.a. "mouth." Their pronunciation is a little off.) I quickly responded that in America, you do not kiss aunties and uncles on the mouth. "Do you kiss Uncle Jay on the mouse?" "Well, yes. But he's my husband!" They just won't drop it though. They will try to physically turn your face to get to your mouth. And when I refuse them, they'll say, "But Auntie! That's just silly!"

In Uganda and Nepal, men and women are not physically affectionate in public at all. And since the kids live in children's homes, they are not used to being around anyone in a romantic relationship. They go crazy whenever Jay and I even get close to each other. If I reach over to hold Jay's hand in the bus, it's only a matter of time before cheering erupts and all the kids start clapping for us. They are also fascinated by our wedding pictures, particularly any of them where we are "mouse" kissing.

One night, we were in the kids' dressing room before a concert and several boys were saying they wanted kisses when Jay walked in. I said, "You know that's not allowed. Talk to Uncle Jay." They asked him, "Uncle Jay, why may we not kiss Auntie?" To which he responded, "Because only I get to do that!" They thought this was the most entertaining idea they'd ever heard, and when Jay leaned over and kissed me in front of the kids, you would have thought they'd been given a trip to Disney World. They went nuts! I've never heard them screaming so loud before. They jumped on top of us, hugging and squealing and laughing hysterically. Now it's turned into a reward for them. They will ask, "Auntie, if we do our best concert ever, will you mouse kiss Uncle Jay?" It's a difficult task, but somebody's got to keep the kiddos happy.

God's Amazing Plan

2008-10-04T21:49:00.005-04:00

Most people who grew up in church have Jeremiah 29:11 forever ingrained in their memories. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" I have heard this verse my entire life. I believe in this verse, but I really don't think about it much.

We had a concert tonight at a church in Oklahoma City. It wasn't any different than any other performance. It wasn't our best and it wasn't our worst. It was very well-received. But tonight, as the children were singing "How Great is Our God," I looked around at their beautiful faces and fully realized exactly how sovereign God is. I was so acutely aware of God's unending love and His hand guiding my life.

It was almost exactly two years ago when Jay and I saw Children of the World for the very first time. Like many who have never seen the children perform, we were unprepared for how powerful the concert really is. I have never seen or felt anything more convicting in my entire life. It was as if God had taken a blindfold off of my eyes and I saw the world truly for the first time. I saw the hurt and the devastation of children's lives. But most of all, I understood and felt the responsibility of the words Jesus spoke when he said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these, you did for Me." (Matthew 25:34-45)

We introduced ourselves to the team leaders afterward and spent a long time talking with them. I just kept thinking, "This would be my dream. I can't think of anything I would want to do more." I saw God's hand on this ministry. But Jay had just begun working at the church, and I was working in a marketing job. It just wasn't the right time. I had never even worked with children before.

Little did we know, God was preparing us. I was asked to work with the children's ministry at our church, and that led me to feel so passionate about children, I could no longer ignore God's calling on my life. I had to become a teacher. I began teaching at an amazing Christian school and realized how fulfilling it was to know that I was doing what I was meant to do.

Almost a year and a half after seeing Children of the World perform, God laid their ministry on my heart again. I couldn't get those children out of my head. I "confessed" to Jay that I wanted to contact World Help, and we agreed that I would email them. The next day, we heard back from them saying that they had just begun taking applications for the next COTW tour. But through the months of interviews and waiting and praying, I didn't want to hope too much. I was so scared of what was to come, and of being let down.

Looking back now, I see how God prepared our hearts for this ministry. If I hadn't been asked to help with the children's ministry, I never would have felt called to become a teacher. If Providence Christian School hadn't taken a chance on me and allowed me to teach, there's no way I would have felt capable of handling a job like this.

Even when we can't see through the fog, God prepares the path for us to walk. Two years ago, I would never have imagined that pipe dream of mine would come true. I remember leaving the concert with Jay, walking hand in hand and telling him, "I have to do that. That job was meant for me," but thinking the whole time, "It will never happen. They are leaving and that will be the end of it."

God's plan for my future is so much more than my expectations. I only hope and pray that He will continue surprising me with twists and turns that I could never imagine.

Funny stories

2008-10-03T14:41:00.008-04:00

The first time we stayed in a hotel a few weeks ago, Jay and I had decided to get two adjoining rooms so that we could stay in one room with a couple of boys and then keep the door open to connecting room to keep an eye on four more boys. (Needless to say, it was a very romantic getaway for us!) The night we got there, we had dinner and watched some Disney Channel and then the boys got ready for bed. I made sure they had all brushed their teeth and gone to the bathroom, then said goodnight and told them there was no more talking allowed. They were so excited about the hotel though, that it was difficult to get them to settle down. When it was finally quiet, I started getting ready to go to bed myself and took out my contacts and put my glasses on (which they had never seen me wear before). Just as I was getting into bed, I heard voices next door and peeked in to see that a couple of them were up going to the bathroom again. Isaac, our littlest boy, was coming out of the bathroom when I scolded him and said, "Isaac, I am not going to tell you again! Get back in bed and stay there or you will be punished tomorrow! You have already been to the restroom twice before bed!" He walked toward me with this very curious look on his face, pointed to my glasses, and said in all seriousness, "Who is this one??" I died laughing...I think my lecture was lost on him.

We have a really long drive and I've spent most of the time answering the phone and talking with churches. We stopped at McDonalds for lunch, and my phone kept ringing. Sometimes, I get so tired of it...I feel like that phone follows me around everywhere. I was sitting with the kids when it rang again and I said, "Oh my gosh, why can't they just leave me alone?" Yeshoda, our little Nepali girl, quickly answered, "Because you're beautiful, Auntie."

Martin's dream come true!

2008-09-28T15:42:00.011-04:00

So much has happened since our last post. My parents and grandparents came to see us for the first time and it was so awesome watching them interacting with the children we've come to love so much. They came at an extraordinarily busy time, but we are always so happy when someone can spend time and really get to see what our lives are like out on the road.

We also jumped two hurdles over the two weeks: we stayed in hotels on two different occasions, and we performed at our first Extraordinary Women conference. Staying in a hotel may not seem like a major feat, but it takes a lot of coordination to work out all the details with thirteen children. Of course, they only care about one thing- the pool. "Auntie, swim? Swim?" has been the most repeated question over the last fourteen days. They have learned to swim very quickly and that is by far their favorite activity.

This past Friday and Saturday, we had an E-Women conference in Kansas City, Missouri. This is a national women's conference that takes place many times each year all over the country, and can have anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 women attending. It's a completely different ballpark than at a church. People like Avalon, Mandeesa (from "American Idol"), Charles Billingsley from NewSong, and Richie McDonald from Lonestar perform. Pretty much everything is taken care of for us- sound equipment, product tables, child sponsorship is all set up before we arrive.

Martin, our 10-year-old prodigy, usually shares his testimony during each concert. When we were still in training camp, I sat down with him and asked him to share his story with me. This is what he now tells all the churches:

"When I was very young, I lost my father. My mother was not able to take care of me, but she wanted me to have a bright future. My brothers and sisters tried to provide for our family, but it was never enough. My mother took me to Destiny Children's Home. When I was there, I heard a song. 'There are no strangers; there are no outcasts; there are no orphans with God.' I sang it again and again, and I began to realize God is my Father. I have a hope now! When I grow up, I want to become a doctor to help the people in Uganda who are suffering the way my father did. Romans 15:13 says, 'May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him!"

When we arrived at the conference, I remembered that the music group, Avalon, was there. Their song, "Orphan of God" is the song that turned Martin's life around. It's the song that allowed him to realize that he does have a Father and he always will. He had told me before, "When I sang that song, I realized I didn't have to be sad anymore. I prayed to God and thanked Him for loving me."

I told someone at the conference about Martin's testimony, and asked if there would be any way for Martin to meet them and tell them his story. An hour later, they appeared and Martin got to tell them how their song changed his life. I hear his testimony every day, but it was impossible not to get emotional watching this once-in-a-lifetime connection take place. I was so proud of him. I have no doubt his Heavenly Father was, too.

What a wonderful weekend!

2008-09-15T20:57:00.004-04:00

Our weekend was sooo busy, but we had a blast! We arrived in Greenville, SC on Friday evening and got settled in to a wonderful church, Southside Fellowship, which was where we performed Sunday morning. That night, we met some friends of mine for dinner. We studied abroad together my junior year of college in Australia, and we became life-long friends! They live in Georgia and South Carolina, but they all came to Greenville for the weekend so they could see Children of the World. It meant the world to me...I always miss these girls and love them dearly. Also, I haven't hung out with any girl friends since July when we left Alabama. It was something I had not considered beforehand, and it's turned out more difficult than I ever thought it would. I got to see Sarah, Jenna, and Cara again on Saturday morning- we went and tailgated with them before the Clemson game, and then they came to see the kids perform on Sunday morning. I was so thankful they came to see us! (I love you, BIC! I don't want it to be another year before we all see each other!)

Saturday afternoon, Jay's parents came to see us. They are the first of our family to meet the kids and see them perform, so this was a very special time. The visit made us realize even more how much we miss everyone, but we had a great day with an evening stroll and dinner in downtown Greenville. We loved having them here and we hope they make many more trips out to see us! After they left, we started going through withdrawal and thought the best remedy would be to spruce up the RV with some family photos to make us smile. We can't put picture frames out (this is a moving vehicle, remember), but we taped pictures to the front of our cabinets so we can see them all the time. It reminds me of my old dorm room, but I'd rather have the happy memories and forget about any decorating no-no's!

Sunday was an amazing day for Children of the World! We can always expect the "Day of Rest" to be our longest and most stressful day of the week, and with four concerts in a 12-hour period, yesterday was no different. I know that if four concerts are difficult for me, it must be even more so for the kids. The morning was incredible...three concerts and 125 people who committed to child sponsorships! The kids were amazingly perky and well-behaved. I was so proud of them.

After lunch, we packed up and headed to Gaffney, SC for another concert that night. I always worry about that last Sunday night concert because it's difficult for the children to understand that even though they've done three performances already, this last one is just as important as the first. I just pray and pray that they will be alert and keep reminding themselves that what they are doing is so important for children all over the world. They are very much aware that they are in America for a reason-they are advocates for Christ and for children all over the world just like them. We had a packed house that night, and were so pressed for time we were unable to do a sound check. The kids had their best concert to date! They were all smiles and full of energy. The church was so receptive-we got 30 more child sponsorships, which is fantastic!

I have felt like celebrating all day today! It's just amazing to think that in one day, through God's blessings and people's generosity, more than 150 children will be able to have food, clothing, an education, medicine, a loving caregiver, and most importantly, will hear about the love of Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord!

Can you remember YOUR first time on an escalator?

2008-09-12T23:46:00.006-04:00

This week my goal has been to finally buy some Sunday church clothes for the kids. They wear these clothes before their concerts Sunday mornings, and then after the concerts when they have lunch with the pastors and host families. When we were in Hickory, NC on Tuesday night, I scourged the mall for outfits that would make the kids look like a Gap ad, and finally found the right thing. And most importantly, the store had enough for ALL 13 CHILDREN! I put everything on hold.

The next morning when the host families dropped the kids off at the church, I sat them down and attempted to explain what a mall was. They were so excited for this surprising adventure! We went and fitted the kids (yes, they look adorable) and then left the department store to walk through the mall to the food court. Thirteen obviously foreign and misplaced children walking in two lines are very inconspicuous in public places. No one ever stares at us ;)

As we approached the escalator, I stopped them at the bottom to explain how to step on, stand still, and let the stairs take them to the top. I can remember loving escalators at the mall as a child, but also being a little bit anxious about getting sucked underneath the little off ramp at the top. It was so much fun to see their reactions! Most of them were so excited...they all squealed-mostly with delight, but several out of fear. We had to pick a couple of them up because they wouldn't step on by themselves. Jay and I thought they should get acclimated to it, so we rode up and down and up and down. It didn't take too long for mall security to meet Jay at the bottom and inquire about the little hoodlums playing on the escalator!

At the food court, we had a wonderful lunch and the kids spent most of the meal staring at the carousel in the center. I had Jay go look at the ticket cost and then we treated the kids to a ride. They were so happy...it was such a worthwhile investment just to see the look on their faces! These first few months are full of special "firsts." We had such a fantastic "Family Fun" day!

Life in a 30-ft. home

2008-09-08T17:20:00.006-04:00

We understand the reasoning behind the team leaders living in an RV for the 10 months we're on the road. It essentially provides a home...a constant place we can come back to after a long day of concerts or driving. We've been told, "No, it's not a camper. No, it's not a trailer." I guess "RV" sounds more glamorous? It's not. Living on the RV is extremely difficult. Granted, we're still getting used to it. Here are a few pictures:

We have quickly discovered the pros and cons of RV living.

Cons:

-Everytime we open the shower door, we realize the soap and shampoo has once again fallen onto the floor (because our home has wheels and moves).

-The window shades are almost always down because a)our view is a parking lot, or b)any stranger could become a too-familiar friend if he/she is walking by

-Each day, we sort of "baby proof" the entire RV- take everything off countertops, put shoes away, etc. because if we don't store it, we know it will all be on the floor the minute we leave the parking lot.

-Showers are a constant guessing game. Will I get hot water this time? Will the water run out while I have soap on my hair? Will the water keep draining or will the tank get too full to drain?

-Also a guessing game: If I turn on this light, will I blow a fuse? Can I blow dry my hair with the air conditioning on?...I better turn it off.

-No dishwasher.

-No washer/dryer.

-If we park on any incline (or decline) at all, the doors swing open (or closed) and we have no control over them.

-Closet space. I'm going to have to stop shopping or begin donating to some lucky lady.

-Any kind of space.

Pro(s):

-I just cleaned my entire home with 3 wet wipes.

We really are thankful that we are not checking in and out of hotels every night. It's just taking a toll on us, especially Jay, who needs his space and his "alone time." Slowly but surely, we're making it work.

Our New Kids

2008-09-03T14:02:00.002-04:00

I'm so sorry for neglecting to write for this long! Things have been absolutely crazy. Jay and I average about 14 hours a day, and by the time we get back to the RV, we are just exhausted. However, training camp is over now so we're officially on the road now! We've been in North Carolina for about a week now and have visited some wonderful churches. Everyone is so welcoming, and they all fall in love with our kids. It's amazing how quickly people become attached and never want to let go. I'm already dreading the inevitable goodbye in June. It will be so hard.

A little over two weeks ago, five new people joined our team to make it complete. Here's a little peek into who they are:

Auntie Prabha (Nepal): Prabha is nineteen years old and she is my saving grace! She is our chaperone for the year. At 4' 10" and 67 pounds, she may be small but she's got control over our kids. She is quickly learning the ropes and I am coming to depend on her so much. She is such a strong young woman.

Zurufah (Uganda): Before the children ever arrived, we got a sheet with tiny pictures of all the children so that we could see who was coming. Right when I saw those big eyes looking up into the camera, I said I hoped Zurufah would be on our team. She is officially our littlest child. She's what we would call a "Miss Priss," with a face like a porcelain doll.

Neha (Nepal): Neha is eleven years old, which makes her our oldest. She is also the younger sister of our chaperone, Prabha. Neha reminds me of myself at that age...she has cute little glasses and she's all arms and legs. She is extremely obedient and always has a wonderful attitude. Just what we need!

Ezera (Uganda): We are slowly getting to know Ezera. He is extremely shy, but very friendly and always has a smile for everyone.

Jimmy (Uganda): Jimmy was already good friends with Martin and Lincoln at their children's home in Uganda, so he was very happy to join our team. Every time he hugs me, I'm worried my ribs are going to break, but so far so good!

Please keep praying for us and the children as we adjust to our new family life. It's difficult, but there's lots and lots of love!

Story Time!

2008-08-11T21:27:00.002-04:00

I was talking to Mom on the phone last night and telling her a couple of stories from the day, to which she immediately exclaimed, "You need to put that on your blog!" There are HUNDREDS of little anecdotes I could tell every day, so here are a select few:

-When we eat here at training camps, the kids drink water or lemonade that's cold but doesn't have any ice. Last night we took the kids out to eat for the first time (that was an experience!) and they all got ice water. Little Isaac took the lid off his cup and said, "Auntie Taylor, what?" (Which is his way of asking, "What is this?" His English is not very good...yet.) I thought he wanted a refill, but he said no. Then I realized he had never had ice before! I showed him how to take a piece out and suck on it. As I watched, his eyes got as big as saucers and he gave me that signature grin of his. He is now a huge fan.

-Yeshoda is our little girl from Nepal. When we take showers at night in the locker room, I kept noticing that she would keep the water off until the very end of her shower when she was ready to rinse off. When I asked her about it, she could not respond (again, the language barrier). It was quickly explained to me that in Nepal there would be such a water shortage that they would go weeks without a shower. She was scared to use up all our water, but very happy to hear that there is plenty of water in America!

-Speaking of showers, the Ugandans will think up any scheme to stay in the shower. That is one of their favorite times of the day! It is amazing what we take for granted.

-All the kids have enormous appetites. I'm not sure if they are actually hungry, or if they just want to eat as much as they can while they have the chance. They can easily eat twice as much as I do, and still say their hungry. They are very particular about how they eat their food (i.e. eating the hot dug bun by itself and then the hot dog, or spooning up the milk in the bowl and then eating the soggy cereal alone). They have also discovered the joys of ketchup. I am convinced that if we gave them a plate of nothing but ketchup for their meals, they would be perfectly happy. They like it on EVERYTHING, including green beans. I refused to put it in the applesauce, though.

They are such a blessing to us already. I can only imagine how much we will love them by the end of the year. They are the most affectionate children I have ever come across. Putting them to bed at night is one of my favorite times...yes, because the days are exhausting and we finally get a break, but also because they are never satisfied with only one hug. We have to circle around to each bed several times before they feel as if they've had enough. We don't mind one bit!

Look at these precious faces!

2008-08-09T14:01:00.006-04:00

Training Camp is CRAZY BUSY!

2008-08-09T13:38:00.003-04:00

Our lives have been taken over by these amazing children. We love them and we are slowly becoming a big, happy family, but it is even more all-consuming than I imagined. From 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., we don't stop. I am officially a full-time mom to ten (soon-to-be fifteen) children. We will have five more Ugandan kids join our team in a week. Here is a brief run-down of our team (from smallest to biggest):

Isaac (Uganda)- He is eight years old but looks about four. He is the new love of my life...Jay keeps telling Isaac to stay away from his wife! He thinks he must have contact with me at all times and is very affectionate. He's the baby of the family in every way and has the biggest eyes you've ever seen.

Suresh (Nepal)- Suresh is one smart cookie. He is tiny as well, but he would never act that way. I've taught him what "bossy" means, as it applies to him if he's not careful. He competes for my attention with Isaac. When we first started practicing, Suresh informed me that every solo in the program belongs to him. He knows every word and every position!

Jhonathan (Guatemala)- This is one of the most beautiful little boys God ever made. He is rambunctious and will push your buttons, but he was also the first to give me a kiss and tell me he loves me.

Rose (Uganda)- Rose has the most amazing smile and LOVES the camera. She is a definite girly-girl, always posing and charming the "uncles" (male chaperones).

Maria (Uganda)- Maria surprises you with this little baby voice that doesn't look like it would come out of her. She has the best English out of the Ugandan girls, and tries very hard to please and listen to instructions.

Sarah (Uganda)- Sarah seems to be having a hard time adjusting. She is testing us as much as she can and hasn't warmed up to us much yet, but she has a very nice singing voice!

Yeshoda (Nepal)- Yeshoda was shy at first, but quickly came out of her shell. She adores her Uncle Jay! She can be overwhelmed by all the energy of the other kids, but is making friends fast.

Edwin (Guatemala)- This is Jhonathan's big brother. He loves to laugh and is catching on to the dances quickly (he had never seen them before).

Lincoln (Uganda)- Lincoln calls himself "the Elder" of the group and struggles to set a good example. He can cause trouble, but when I remind him he is a leader, he immediately responds to do better. He loves to translate for the younger Ugandans that don't understand.

Martin(Uganda)- Martin is the biggest leader of all the children. He is two years ahead in his school in Uganda, and is extremely inquisitive. He wants to know about everything he sees and will stump you with his questions. He is determined to be a doctor someday. Martin will also be the first to correct us when we mess up (i.e. "Uncle Jay, you came in late to dinner and I watched you. You did not pray before you ate! You should do it now!")

The five children to come next week are Zurufaha, Esther, Eva, Gift (cool name, huh?) and Jimmy. Our chaperone, Praba (from Nepal) should be coming too...YEA!!!!

Please pray for us and all these children and the work we're doing for Him. We love you!