So I am busting out the old school blog. I hope to write here about the family. The crafting and little jot and tiddles will be on Clever Nesting and Facebook (why am I so networked!?) but the posts about the kids will go here. This is a good place for them. I’ve missed you, Love and Blunder.

I’ve learned that Rob is exactly half of my Dad, and exactly half of his Dad. I’d say he’s the best half of both. He’s admirably principled, a very hard worker, not afraid of being transparent and a wonderful father. I have learned to trust him with my hardest conflicts because he is the best person at helping me figure it out and helping me when I need it. He believes in me when I don’t believe in myself and he’s always on my side.

I am so lucky to have found someone to be my best friend, advocate, (paycheck), coach and coworker.

I love you Rob. I hope I get a chance to go get you a handsome gift today. I hope I can think of something that reflects how much I feel about you.

Now back to our regularly scheduled anti-sentimentalism.

I’m still planning on running this summer. Either a 10K or a Half-Marathon, depending on how my exhaustion and Rob’s traveling effect my training. Right now mostly I want to sleep all day, but I feel better on the days that I run, so I should keep it up.

More, randomness: Apparently Devona is the name of a city in Tajikistan. I don’t even know where that it. But here I am on a map:
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I am quite mountainous. That works for a pregnant lady.

While driving home from a LONG outing to try and find a fabric store that carries Anna Marie Horner’s “chocolate lollipops” fabric Olivia asked me, “Where is God, I want to be with Him but I can’t see Him.”

Criminey! So I said, “well God lives in Heaven, which is in the sky behind the clouds and the stars and the sun.” It feels good to talk to her about something that I love so much, but I’m worried about being confusing, worried about giving too much information, or too little. The best advice I’ve been given is to let their questions guide you. Well, Olivia is a girl of many questions, so these conversations go on for a long time.

“How can we fly up into the sky so that we can get behind the sun and see God?” she asks.

“Well, we can’t. But God comes down to us, too. So we can see Him down here. When we read our Bible, that is God’s Words talking to us. And when a little baby is Baptized God puts himself in the water and pours himself all over the baby, so we can see Him there. And when we take Communion at Church we are eating Jesus’ Body and Blood, so we can see Him there.” I said, hoping that she wasn’t confused.

“That means that there are two Jesuses.”

“No, there’s only one Jesus. It’s just like there is only one Olivia even when you get a cut and your blood comes out.” At this point I was pretty sure that I was being confusing. Now I’m talking about biology and theology. Yikes. Where are all the smart people? How in the world am I going to help Liv know God in truth?

But that seemed to be enough for a while. Until later that night we were reading a book about St. Patrick. I asked who God’s Son was and she said, “Jesus.” So I reminded her that Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Then I said that the Holy Spirit is inside her. “I don’t want Him in there. Can you take Him out?” she complains, pulling at her shirt.
Great. This is the spiritual instruction that I have to give her now when Rob and I are her only influence. What kind of questions is she going to come up with when other people are telling her things? Will I ever be ready for this?

Now that I’ve apologized, here’s a peak into our family prayer life:

Dad: Ok Liv, what would you like to pray about tonight?

Liv: Elephants.

Dad: Good idea, we can thank God for creating them. Can you pray for Pastor Kozak, too?

Liv: Lord God, Thank you for Elephants. Will you help them to be healthy and strong? Amen.  Lord God, Please be with Pastor Kozak so that he can grow up until his head touches the ceiling at church. Amen.

I watched as my little girl hopped and flipped around a bar, walked on a balance beam and grew to be very proud of herself. I also watched as she tried to disobey and do her own thing and was brought back to the group with some gentle guiding from her coach, and the fear that she might not get to play along if she didn’t keep the rules. I was proud of her. She was so big, she just hopped along and followed directions once she got the hang of what she was supposed to do.

For a reward for a good class they all got to jump into the foam pit that the older kids use to catch them as the practice dismounts from the bars and stuff. That was the highlight of Olivia’s life. They jumped in over and over. She was hoping to try that from the moment we walked into the gym and she said, “Mom, those kids are falling all over those squares!” with eyes as big as saucers.

She bounced and danced all night long. I could tell she felt a sense of accomplishment. She also had a ton of fun. “I am so happy! I am so happy!” was the chant the whole way out to our car. She loved it so much we signed up for the weekly class.

If I don’t drink coffee in the afternoons and opt for tea, Elise wakes up at 3am or 4am and I can quietly nurse her back to sleep in less than 15 minutes. She stays in her own bed until about 6am or 7am and we can sleep without vicious toes in our skin.

This is the same child with whom I had pre-labor contractions that drove me up a wall until I cut out caffeine around 38 weeks pregnant. Starbucks does not like Elise, or maybe it’s the other way around.

As for everyone else. You will notice a striking improvement in the quality of L&B photography. That would be thanks to Rob and the Nikon D40 that he bought me for Christmas. It’s my new favorite thing.

So what was my answer?

“We are. All the People of God are His wife. Me, you, Elise, Daddy…”

Liv laughed, “Daddy is a girl?!”

I then said, giggling and afraid that I’ve reached the point of confusing, “Well, with God and people He is the boy and we are all girls.”

It was hilarious, I tell you, for Olivia to imagine that Daddy is a girl. I have absolutely no idea if that was a good answer or not. Remind me again why I am in the business of Catechizing this little spit-fire?

Poor Kyle. He let me take this picture and now it’s on the internet.

In case any of his future employers google his name and somehow get this site (Good for him we don’t share a last name anymore) he’s a bright and creative young man. Don’t let the kitsch fool you.