Tuesday, November 29, 2011

A Funny Encounter

Someone at church gave Sam a rubber rooster, which he has come to love.
Twins in their fall glory

The sun has set on the first year of twins-parenting...


About a week ago, we donated a number of the twins’ toys, seats, clothes and other things (Emily’s amazing double-breastfeeding pillow) to a couple expecting twin boys. We heard about them through a coworker’s wife. It was a very funny feeling, because I am already forgetting how big a transition it is from normal life, to intense pregnancy, to double newborns. A year later, it was a surprise to see how far we had come. Sleep is still a challenge, and the kids want as much time as ever, but they also smile and crawl or walk, can go longer without eating or sleeping, and seem a lot more solid and healthy. The responsibility is the same, but the anxiety is a lot lower. The couple seems happy and nervous. I hope everything goes well for them. I gave them some (possibly unwanted) advice on baby-feeding and considerations on whether they want more kids.

When they left, our house suddenly looked a lot less like a preschool. The jumper, a seat, a swing left with them, and we suddenly had more space than we’d had in a while. This was well timed with the approach of Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe how far we've come.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Thanksgiving





We had our third/fourth Thanksgiving on the island. I had my first in 2005 over dumplings with an elder dentist here. It's hard to believe how the time has passed.

Last night was a lot of fun. Emily ordered a turkey and some of the side dishes from a restaurant, but then made or bought some great other dishes. Linda did a stirfry, Barb and Randy tracked down sweet potatoes, Emily did homemade stuffing. It was a very pleasant meal. We invited about six other adults, and then with the neighbors and kids we were technically 15 of us, which is a personal record.

I had a long day yesterday. In the morning I taught from 8 to 11, then in the afternoon I had language class and the evening was Thanksgiving. I also attended a lecture and then did some work last night. I'm doing a major push for a book I'm working on with my advisor. I am really looking forward to it being finished. It's been a long time in the works.

That is our news here. Today a package came from my Uncle Paul and Aunt Joan with a lot of clothes, and we inherited some older boy clothes from another American I know. We're feelnig grateful and blessed. It's been a nice few days. Next week will be busy, since we also have people coming from denom. I think it will be a good trip, but time will tell. I feel like we're juggling everything, but it keeps on going.

Sam went to the zoo with the grandparents today. He had a great time, but I can tell that he is quite tired now and it could be ugly getting him to bed.


Sunday, November 20, 2011

Day at the Park








Yesterday our church was at the park. It was a fun day, and we walked around for several hours afterwards. This is our first time at the park, but it really had some wonderful features. There was a small playground, a garden shaped like a whale, and even a maze made out of bushes. Lots of fun!

Eli Walks in the Park

Eli Walks Around the Apartment

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Retreat 5







For some reason at first I got an error image uploading these, but the upside is I think I've now figured out how to post more than five pictures. This is a lighthouse near the beach town where we were. I wasn't there for this part of the trip, but it was fun to see the pictures of everyone else. I know one of the families we met on the retreat said they had family photos from this place over many, many years. Aside from the long-ish trip, it really is a fun place and the weather was great.

Retreat 4

Three babies! With my classmate-coworker friend and their baby.
Sam runs on the dance floor.
Sunset
Mom with Eva
The brown-haired ones (self-portrait)