Courage

Aside from getting married and having children, nothing in life has caused me to pray more than driving in Bangkok. Bangkok streets are full of potholes (nothing that a Minnesota resident isn't used to after a long winter), traffic jams, lanes that are created out of nowhere, busses that pay no attention to you, pedestrians that cross whenever they wish, and motorbikes that zip in and out of traffic (usually giving me a partial heart attack).

 

Photo from google

Photo from google

So needless to say, when we decided to get a car, the thought of driving here terrified me. I wasn't sure I could do it. I mean, I was the kid growing up who was fine not getting my driver's license. There was a time where I thought my brothers, my parents and then my husband would drive me around so basically I would never need to learn. Clearly I did get my license, but driving has never been something that I enjoy. But I knew that having a car here was really a necessity with the twins along with the move to our new condo...

We had become every taxi driver's worst nightmare by the end of last year with our stroller that was too large to fit in the trunk due to their natural gas tank, and needed to be put in the front seat but often times was dirty and got in the way of shifting. And we were quite the spectacle getting in and out when we had groceries...those poor drivers were patient with us, thankfully. But then there were the times that the twins would be screaming their heads off, banging on the windows, crawling around in the back, and causing a ruckus. Two words my friends: car seats. Yes, I know they are law in America, but they aren't here in Thailand...boy on boy, do car seats make a world of difference. Additionally, we have had plenty of a scary scary drivers...the kind where you fear for your life. And then to add kids into the mix...yep, we knew we were done with taxis. 

Then there was our move. We moved to a condo complex about 15 minutes from school. It is more of a Thai neighborhood than Parkland ever was, so it feels a little more remote. There isn't a convenient taxi stand just right outside the complex (there are motos, but not taxis), so if you need a taxi, you have to pay a moto 20 baht to go fetch you a taxi.

Anyway, having a car has been life changing. It has made trips to school, church, the park, small group, play group, etc. possible without feeling overwhelmed and worn. Mike has taken to driving nicely...he is confident and directionally knowledgable. He has had very little hesitation driving a manual on steep parking ramps, backing into parking spots, parallel parking from the opposite side, navigating traffic, etc. 

I have been slower to warming up to it all. Despite owning a manual car back in the states, I have had to kind of relearn how to drive because of a more sensitive clutch. Driving with kids is a different experience too...especially if I am alone with the twins. Screaming children, Bangkok traffic, being slightly directionally challenged, going somewhere new...wow, talk about a stressful situation for me. However, I have gotten significantly more comfortable, slightly more aggressive, and much more confident as I have learned to navigate the roads better. I decided to start backing into a parking spot at our condo (it is not necessary) to get practice, which has made parking at the mall a breeze and not stressful when people are waiting behind me.

                                

Anyway, we are thrilled with our car and so happy we have it. It has been a huge blessing and has seriously been life changing. Our world feels so much bigger and more accessible...it has just taken a bit of courage for me to get there. :)

Long time no blog

Hello dear reader, it has been a while. Thanks for stopping by despite my lack of posts.

What's new?

-Mike finished coaching basketball. (Thank you Jesus!)

-We are enjoying more family time now because of him no longer coaching

-Next big thing for Mike is field day in December; it is a big event so you can pray for the planning and that all the details would come together nicely.

-I am getting much more comfortable driving here in Bangkok. (More on that next post...)

-I have been enjoying running again and am planning on running my first post pregnancy race in December. It is only a 10k, but you have to start somewhere!

-We have always enjoyed every stage the twins have been in, but one seems particularly fun and entertaining.

-We went on vacation to Phuket (pronounced pooh-ket) for a week to visit our fear friends who recently moved there (pics in another blog post)

Prayers for:

-Field day

-Wosdom in parenting

-Consistency in discipline

-Disciplined quiet times

-This time of year at ICS teachers need to submit their letter of intent, indicating their plans for next year. It seems that there will be quite a few of our close friends leaving this next year, which is always hard. It is easy not to want to engage or invest once you know someone is leaving. So prayers to desire to want to be involved and pursue friendships despite the outcome.

Foodies

My children do not like cheesy brats. Who doesn't like cheesy brats!?!? Yet they eat hummus by the spoonful, black beans by the can and stuff their mouth with peas like they're candy. I am grateful....I just think it's funny.

Chillaxin'

Owen is pretty chill most of the time. He loves to race around in the pool and splash, jump, kick, chew on dive sticks etc. but he also loves just sitting on a lap and hanging out. I love that he is so snuggly.

Fighting for joy

I will be honest...these past few days, I have really been struggling to be joyful and content in my circumstances. A large part of it is just my pride and my desire for things to go the way I expect or in a way that doesn't inconvenience me.

Sunday mornings always throw us into a shift in schedule with church and a lack of a long morning nap. This essentially throws off the start of the week with tired and grumpy babies. Needless to say, there's part of me that doesn't look forward to going to church these days. Sunday night was filled with  Owen pooping in the bathtub, later having an explosive blowout diaper that got all over his pajamas, and then neither child going to sleep until 8:30. Monday morning, both kids were up earlier than anticipated, Emma had three massively poopy diapers within a two hour span of time and she was clingy and tired. Owen was particularly whiny, is currently in a stage of boycotting all solid foods so throws all his food on the floor, and then he was falling everywhere and hitting his head because he was tired, and stealing toys from Emma but hollering like a crazy man if she tried to get it back.

It is hard for me to put Owen down for a nap when Emma wants to cling to me or screams like a banshee if I set her down, so I usually wait for our helper, Miss Ning, to arrive first. She normally arrives around 9, but because we are in the rainy season, flooding will sometimes affect her commute. So by 9:30 when she arrived, I had two screaming babies and several poopy cloth diapers to spray out, I hadn't eaten breakfast and I was a mess emotionally. 

Sigh. It's hard to fight for joy in those moments. It's easy for me to give in to ugly thoughts and feelings towards my job as a mother, towards my husband who leaves each morning for work and can't help with the hard Monday mornings, towards Owen and Emma for not sleeping a bit longer so they aren't as tired and crabby.

So in trying to fight for joy this morning, I thought I would write down some things for which I am thankful, counteracting my poor attitude with gratefulness...

Beautiful and healthy babies

Great healthcare at an international hospital

A husband who cares for one of the twins in the middle of the night so I can get sleep

A husband who works hard so I can stay at home with our babies

A husband who decided not to coach soccer so he has more time with his family

A wonderful helper who loves our children

Technology to stay in touch with family and friends around the world

A church we are fed at

Time to read (and blog!) when Emma naps in a carrier on my chest

Time to cook

The new condo we are living in

Our car

The way Owen laughs hysterically when he thinks Emma is chasing him (she usually isn't) 

Toothy baby grins

Homemade caramel macchiatos

Friends who check in and are intentional about seeing me

Sprinkle water delivery so I don't have to fill up jugs of water from the filtered faucet anymore

How Emma loves kissing Owen, laying on his back and holding his hand

The way Emma is soothed by touching my face

A big oven

Babies that love to read and dance to music

Food delivery to my door

Cute cloth diapers that save us tons of money

Soft baby skin

Regular quiet times that I can stay awake for finally since I am not so sleep deprived. :)

Emma sleeping through the night

Small group

Air con

Cool breezes every now and again

The kiddie pool at school

Cheesy brats from the more American grocery store

The gospel

Homemade ice cream, particularly the favors that are hard to find here

Books that feed me and help me grow spiritually, as well as challenge my walk.

People buying my handmade cards/placing orders

There is so much for which to be grateful...so many more things than what has irritated me these past couple of days. So I cling to these precious gifts and the joy of the gospel and everything else grows strangely dim...because that's how you fight for joy.

Playground

At our condo complex, there is a little playground. Miss Ning frequents it with the kids, particularly Emma when she wakes up earlier than Owen from a nap. This morning, Owen kept standing by the he door and hollering to go out. (I think he just wanted to push the elevator buttons).So all four of us walked down to the playground, stopping to see the kitty on the way...

Chasing after the poor cat while hollering at him. Emma was fine and brave with the cat as long as it was on her terms (aka: she chases after the cat and it runs away), but as soon  as the cat started coming towards her, she got scared and started running away. She is so funny like that...she is so brave and sure of herself, but then is curiously terrified of animals. On the other hand, Owen loves animals and even loves it when dogs lick him. 

The little mister chillin'.

Emma is really into exploring the limits of her body. She loves moving, grooving, kicking, dancing, and climbing. She climbed up to the top of the slide without any help; Miss Ning just spotted her in case she slipped, but she didn't. I think she may be part billy goat. 

Friends

I pray everyday that Owen and Emma will not only get along, but will be great friends.

One

Emma and Owen are one!!! 

One...I am having a hard time letting that sink in. Honestly, I don't know where this past year has gone and how my itty bitty preemie babies are now toddlers who walk and talk, eat hummus by the spoonful and black beans by the can, who run to daddy when he comes home from work, and run to me while saying "Mama" over and over again.

This past year has been full of learning about and delighting in each other. I am so grateful for two happy little kiddos who exude joy and are teaching me so much about life and love. I am cherishing each moment, writing down memories and taking pictures...and in it all, my heart feels so ridiculously full. I didn't know that life could ever be so amazing, so fresh, so full of love that points me to God. It is refreshing and tiring and worth every moment.

I am so thankful for Owen and Emma, for their distinct differences in personality, for how both of them contribute to and complete our family in different ways. It has been so fun to see their personalities unravel.

Emma is our little character. She is full of laughter, silliness and games. She loves to smile and is a total charmer. The other day she had some waitresses and guests wrapped around her finger as she smiled, laughed, clapped and squealed for them in the restaurant. She loves to give kisses, read books, try to feed me with her spoon, play peek-a-boo, laugh, take naps with me, snuggle, run around, be chased and tickled, help push the laundry baskets to the drying rack when they are full of clothes (this is her "chore" now), dance to music, play with shoes (thankfully she no longer licks them), sweep with her toy broom, and turn everything into a game. She has a fun personality and sense of humor. She is smart as a whip, can follow some simple directions, do a few baby signs, and point to what she wants. She is a tough cookie, rarely crying if she gets hurt, giving whatever hurt her a scowl as she rubs her aching body part. Emma has the most adorable nose squinch smile that shows off two of her four pearly whites, is passionate about food (she loves peas, hummus, black beans, spaghetti and blueberries the most), and is a total Mama's girl. She is a joy.

Owen is our fairly laid back, somewhat serious little dude. Unlike his extrovert sister, Owen is an introvert and enjoys spending time in his crib alone. Often times after taking a nap, he will play in his crib for a good 20 minutes and just laugh his head off at who knows what. He has an infectious belly laugh, which is most noticed when he is chased, tickled or held upside down. He loves to be tossed, go swimming, take baths, stand at the window, bang or drum on anything, sleep, his owl blanket (Mr. Owl), touch anything that has a light, a cord, or spins. He is particularly fond of remotes, the elevator, the ceiling fans at our condo, and wheels on anything. He loves pasta, peas, yogurt and applesauce. He makes his parents nervous though too because he is excellent at shoveling WAY too much food in his mouth and then moaning at us because he can't swallow it, while simultaneously not allowing us to help him. He is less quick to give a smile but has an easier time adjusting to being around other people. He is as sweet as sweet can be, loving snuggles, sitting in a lap to read or just relax. His big brown eyes melt my heart. He is a joy.

We are so blessed by them and grateful to be their parents.

Picture of the day: September 21

Somebody didn't want to be kissed...

Picture of the day: September 20

My sweet babies.