Fish Tales

This is the face of a successful fisherman!


Remember Geoff bought Elijah his own fishing pole for Christmas this year? Well, my dad, Geoff and Elijah got up early this morning to go fishing. You wouldn't have been able to drag me out of bed that early this morning for anything but feeding my little baby. Ethan must be going threw a growth spurt because he's waking up ever two, two and a half hours to nurse. But anyway, back to the fishermen and their morning adventure. After stopping for breakfast they went to the pier in New Smyrna beach. Dad and Elijah each caught a fish but all poor Geoff got was his bait stolen by some smart little fish!

Elijah was so excited to show off the catch when they got home!

I think his face says it all...

Does it look like he enjoyed himself?

Disney 2008

Sherri's dad worked at Disney for many years. Some of my favorite memories with Sherri and Brittany are from Disney trips the Chiaros treated us to.

The weekend before Christmas we took Elijah. It's so much fun with kids now! I loved seeing and enjoying things through his eyes. Everything was new and an adventure for him.

He loved the Dumbo ride and the carousel. Also meeting the characters Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc. was a highlight of his day. I enjoyed spending time with good friends and seeing the joy Elijah got out of everything. We made some great memories!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Roses aren't always red

What sweet guys I have in my life! Look what Geoff and Elijah brought home for me yesterday! Aren't they beautiful? I love the rich pink color!

We Have a Winner!

And the winner of the My Husband Rocks t-shirt as chosen by the random number generator was number 5... LeAnn!

Here is her answer as to why her husband rocks.

"my husband rocks because he is a man of God, he takes care of us his family and would do anything for us. He is a wonderful role model and teacher to not only our children but to the children at his schools and our youth group at church. He teaches them how a girl/woman should be treated."

Congratulations LeAnn!

Six weeks old today!

Our little Ethan is six weeks old today! He's growing so much! His newborn clothes are getting small. He's been holding his head up for a while now and loves to look around. When he's laying on his tummy he'll push and wiggle and roll himself over some times. And this week, apart from last night, he's been starting to sleep in 4 hour stretches! No, last night he woke up about every two and a half hours. But that's ok, it gave me more chances to keep checking Alicia's blog! =)

I've been trying to catch a smile on camera but haven't been fast enough yet. Usually when we're "talking" and he gives me a smile i want to sit there and enjoy it, not run for the camera and ruin the moment. We'll catch one soon enough i'm sure. These last few weeks have been a precious time and i'm trying to savor the moments with him. He won't be this little for long!

We just love him so much and it's great to see Elijah enjoy him! Although i think Elijah will be thrilled when he gets a bit bigger and they can play together.

Praying for you, Alicia!

Alicia is having her baby right now! And there are many anxious people out here waiting to hear any news. Every time i was up feeding Ethan last night I would check her blog to see if there was any update. She's been heavy on my heart since I heard she was going into the hospital yesterday.

I started following her blog when she first started posting and she's become a good friend even though we've never met in person.

Alicia, we are thinking of you and PRAYING for you, Ryan and baby Cayden.

E's Birthday Bash at Johnson's

Give A Way!

It's time for a give a way here at Elijah's Adventures!

A Little About the Company...

"From*me Tees was started by a married couple who knows what it is to work through hard stuff and yet stay together and stay committed and only grow to love each other MORE through it all. One of the great and wonderful mysteries of life is that loving each other in action--what we do and say--produces romance. Everything in our culture today teaches the opposite, that romance turns into love, but nothing could be further from the truth. Love is a choice and we decide how we're going to treat each other in the good and in the not-so-good times. What a hope-giving reality that a strong, loving, thriving relationship can be built, simply by changing how we interact with our spouse.

Marriage was created to be a blessing and a little kindness and respect goes a long way. Accept the fact that your spouse isn't perfect and then start taking notice of all the good things they bring to the table! Pretty soon you can train your mind to be grateful for who they are as opposed to feeling disappointed about who they are not. When you allow yourself to believe that your spouse rocks, you will free yourself from the downward spiral and temptation of self-pity, disappointment, and even dispair. The fact is, your spouse is probably a greater blessing than you allow yourself to realize...so lay down your expectations and praise your spouse for his/her attributes. After all, the key is to change yourself! And you'll be surprised at the positive affect it has on the one you choose to love...and you! To find out more about the vision behind our marriage tees, check out this article."

I have an extra large long sleeved t-shirt like the one in the picture above to give a way to one of you, my dear readers!

In order to enter just leave me a comment telling me why your husband rocks.

And if you're not married and would like to enter anyway just leave a comment sharing an attribute you would look for in a husband.

This should be fun! I'm really looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

I'll leave this open all week and randomly pick a winner on Friday!

What Memories Are Made Of

Check out Brittany's blog for a post about Elijah's birthday party!

It was so much fun! Elijah had a blast!

I'll share more soon.

My Husband Rocks Friday

It's Friday and that means it's time for another "My Husband Rocks" post!

My husband was so helpful last night. He took care of Ethan while i put Elijah to bed. I ended up falling asleep and Geoff took care of Ethan until it was time for his next feeding. He's been a huge help with Elijah as well. One day he took Elijah fishing, just the two of them. I had a nice quiet afternoon and a nap. They had fun, even if they didn't catch any fish!

Elijah has been loving his Daddy time. The other day Geoff helped Elijah roll out a pie crust and make a pie...




Tonight we have a family from church coming over for dinner. We're looking forward to getting to know them better. I'll have to post a picture of the baby blanket Mrs. Lennox crocheted for Ethan. It's beautiful!

Then tomorrow afternoon is Elijah's big birthday bash at Jesse and Sherri's. They've planned a fun party for him with a John Deer theme! He's going to LOVE it! They've rented a bouncy house for the kids to jump around in. It even has a slide! That will defiantly wear him out! He should sleep well tomorrow night!

Enjoy your weekend!

A Brother in Need

The following was sent to me by email from ChinaAid an organization supporting the persecuted in China. It's hard to imagine things like this still happening today but they DO and there are things we can do to help! Click on the link at the bottom of the post to find out how to help. They give you a list of people to email. How easy is that? Most everyone can send an email, it doesn't take much time but will make a difference for our brothers and sister suffering right now! Let's not forget or ignore them!

"Gao Zhisheng, part of the ChinaAid Legal Defense Team, was kidnapped by more than a dozen police on February 4. He has not been seen or heard from since. Gao wrote an account in his own words which reveals the severe torture he suffered for more than 50 days when he was first abducted. He wrote how he was forced to lie naked on the floor for 13 days and nights:

"The electric shock baton was put all over me. And my full body; my heart, lungs and muscles began jumping under my skin uncontrollably. I was writhing on the ground in pain, trying to crawl away. Wang (one of the interrogators) then shocked me in my genitals…. Every time when I was tortured, I was always repeatedly threatened … 'Your death is sure if you share this with the outside world."

Gao's family is concerned that Gao may be experiencing the same abuse now. Because of his work defending underground Christians and others persecuted in China, the Chinese government has tried to silence him since 2005. His wife and two children have also been abused, tormented and cut off from the outside world during this time.

ChinaAid calls all Christians and those who value human dignity and justice around the world to act on Gao Zhisheng’s behalf."

» Find out how.

Love Ya Award

Brittany at Living in the Moment passed out this award this morning. Thanks for thinking of me Brittany, i'm glad you're blogging now! Now if we could just get Sherri (just what you need Sherri, another thing to add to your to-do list) and Rachel (yes, i mean you dear sister in law of mine!) to start a blog of their own! =)

The award works like this:

“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

I'd like to pass this on to these gals to say "love ya!"

Ruth @ Ruth's Thoughts
Jess @ Making Home
Aunt Deanna @ Creekside Cottage
Crystal @ Crystal's Corner
Alicia @ Our Little Guy
Kelly @ Cozy Comforts
Tracy @ Tracy's Corner
Becky K @ Hospitality Lane

Happy Birthday Sis!

I'm mad at myself for missing my sister in laws birthday yesterday!

I'm sorry Rachel! I hope it was a special day for you!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

For the family in Northern Ireland

Elijah, Ethan and I are home this morning. Geoff is at church. Earlier this morning Elijah started throwing up so I stayed home from church with him. He looks like he feels better now but he's still not his active self yet.

I thought the family in Northern Ireland would like to hear how he's talking more now...

Brothers

Video taken yesterday. February 14th

A quarter of a century...

... that's how old i am today!

I've been blessed with a wonderful family and a great group of friends. And they are making this birthday a very special time. It started last night...


We celebrated a day early since my sister was here and she had to go back to work today.

Yesterday afternoon she took Elijah and I out to eat at Chick-fil-A. We got to talk while Elijah played on the play place. That was nice because we don't always get time to talk just the two of us. When we got home mom had decorated the house and she and Geoff were making a yummy dinner.

I was surprised by Sherri and her parents coming as well as Grammy! How fun!

Mr and Mrs C

Elijah helped me blow out the candles on the cake.

Kisses for Ethan

Elijah soaking up the attention from Auntie Sherri.
Me and my GrammyCheck out Crystal's blog for a post celebrating our dear Grammy.

My forever friend Sherri, Ethan and I. We missed you Brittany!

What a special evening it was! I really enjoyed it!

Thank you all for making me feel so loved.

Today Geoff and i are going out! Mom said she would take care of the boys for us.
We may go out to eat or go see a movie, i'm not sure exactly. It'll be nice to spend some quality time with my husband.

Happy Valentines Day to you all! I hope you have a special day!

Birthday Pictures

I think Elijah had a good birthday.
We were taking some birthday pictures out side on the swing and I caught a real smile!

Look who surprised us with a visit on Elijah's birthday! Auntie Crystal!

Grammy came for dinner and Geoff made a delicious dinner of ribs, sweet potatoes and a bunch of other good stuff!

Elijah just wanted ice cream so we put a candle on a bowl of ice cream for him to blow out.

Then after dinner Elijah opened gifts.
Crystal gave him a John Deer plate, bowl and cup. His grandpa and grandma gave him hand puppets and a Steve Green dvd. Grammy gave him some money and Geoff and I gave him some new clothes.

Ethan's Passport Photo

His passport picture makes me laugh!

He was all scrunched up leaning on the white wall. They wouldn't let me hold his head up because my hand would show and he wasn't allowed to be crying in the picture! He started crying but thankfully he calmed down. It actually went better than i was expecting.

Anna, your idea of putting a white blanket behind him in his car seat and taking the picture that way was a good idea. We'll have to remember that for the future.

So this morning we went to the Post Office and applied for his passport. They said we should get it in a couple of weeks.

He's 4 weeks old today!

Birthday Video and Update

My sister in law sent this over this morning for Elijah.




Thanks Rachel! Elijah loves his birthday video!

Elijah has been looking forward to his birthday all week! He keeps saying, "I want my birthday" and "I want to see my birthday". Like it's something we can give him. =)

My Grammy is coming for his birthday dinner and dessert tonight and we'll let him open some gifts. But his big party is being planned by the master planners Sherri and Brittany for the 21st.

Here's an update on the passport situation.
I already have my visa and passport so now we're just working on Ethan's.
We received Ethan's birth certificate yesterday. That was actually kind of fast. We did pay a bit extra to have it rushed to us. Now we can apply for his passport. we have an appointment tomorrow at the Post Office to have that taken care of. Today we are taking him to get his passport photo taken. Should be interesting. The people are very picky about passport photos meeting the requirements. One of which is nothing in the background. But he's too little to hold his head up on his own so there's bound to be our hand or fingers showing as we help hold him up.

I read online that the current processing times right now for passports is three weeks.

Well, we're off to get his pictures taken and get ice cream for dessert tonight to go with the fresh strawberries my mom got at the Farmer's Market this morning.

Bye for now!

Birthday Boy!

Elijah, three years ago today we met you face to face for the first time. What a joy and blessing you have been in our lives every day since then! We love you SO much and truly thank God for you!

Happy Birthday!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MISSIONARY KID WHEN...

You can't answer the question, "Where are you from?"

You speak two languages, but can't spell either.

You flew before you could walk.

You embarrass yourself by asking what swear words mean.

You have a passport, but no driver's license.

You watch National Geographic specials and recognize someone.

You have a time zone map next to your telephone.

You don't know how to play Pac-Man.

You would rather eat seaweed than cafeteria food.

Your life story uses the phrase "Then we went to..." five times.

You speak to different ethnic groups in their own language.

You think in grams, meters, and liters.

You speak with authority on the quality of airline travel.

You send your family peanut butter and Kool-Aid for Christmas.

You worry about fitting in, and wear a native wrap around the dorm.

National Geographic makes you homesick.

You have strong opinions about how to cook bugs.

You live at school, work in the tropics, and go home for vacation.

You don't know where home is.

Strangers say they can remember you when you were "this tall."

You have friends from or in 29 different countries.

You do your devotions in another language.

You sort your friends by continent.

You keep dreaming of a green Christmas.

You tell people where you're from, and their eyes get big.

You are grateful for the speed and efficiency of any postal service.

You realize that furlough is not a vacation.

You wince when people mispronounce foreign words.

You've spoken in dozens of churches, but aren't a pastor.

Furlough means that you are stuffed every night... and have to eat it all to seem polite.

Your parents decline your cousin's offer to let them use his BMW, and stuff all six of you into an old VW Beetle instead.

You stockpile mangoes.

You know what REAL coffee tastes like.

The majority of your friends don't speak English as a first language.

Someone brings up the name of a team, and you get the sport wrong.

You believe vehemently that football is played with a round, spotted ball.

You know there is no such thing as an international language.

You know the difference between patriotism and nationalism.

You realize what a small world it is, after all.

You never take anything for granted.

You watch a movie set in a foreign country, and you know what the nationals are REALLY saying into the camera.

You know how to pack.

All preaching sounds better under a corrugated tin roof.

Having four distinct seasons other than: dry, very dry, rainy, very rainy, is a new experience.

After a couple of years in one spot, you're ready to move again. You frequently say, "I don't know, I was out of the country."

School gets canceled due to flash flooding.

Tropical fruits aren't imported.

Walking miles to and from school is "normal."

If someone asks what school you went to, you reply, "depends on the year."

You are afraid to ask what you are eating. But munch away, with a smile on your face.

Here's me and my sister in Senegal,

I grew up as a missionary kid in Senegal West Africa. I can't say all of these are true for me, (like the language ones, I don't speak another language) but most of them are so true! It's good to know that these things are normal for a missionary kid, it wasn't just me! You other MK's out there understand!

Things you can do to help your husband with work - post by Mrs. Anna T at Domestic Felicity

"A stay-at-home wife has plenty of opportunities to be an asset to her husband. Often, a woman who puts her efforts into helping her husband with his work, makes a wiser move financially than the one who enhances her own career, with all the work-related expenses. And no, I don't mean only those who have a family business - though it might be a wonderful option to have the entire family working together.

The very fact of having a "keeper of the gates" at home is emotionally uplifting to a hard-working man. As trivial as it may sound, if he knows he's coming back to a clean, pretty home, a hot meal on the table, and a cheerful, relaxed wife who isn't frazzled from her own day at work, it's a huge boost.

It's important to be content with what your husband makes, even if it is little. What man won't be put off by a wife who constantly grumbles about not being able to afford this or that? It's also important to remain cheerful and optimistic, even if your husband is between jobs, or there is a chance he might lose his job. A wife who trusts her husband to provide for the family boosts his confidence.

The stay-at-home wife can make sure her husband goes off to work, especially if he has an important meeting or a job interview, looking neat and clean. Some men, if they are busy and work long hours, will hardly have time to find a pair of matching socks, not to mention iron a shirt.

How about packing lunch for him? Packed lunches seem to have gone out of fashion, but doing this will usually mean your husband eats better and healthier than if he ate out every day. And it will save money. You can also include a little note of encouragement in his lunchbox, which will make him smile during the day.

If you are a stay-at-home wife, you can save your husband time and stress by doing all sorts of errands for him during the day, such as sending his mail or calling to schedule a doctor's appointment for him.

If your husband is currently looking for a job, you can help him search for employment options. Perhaps there are also things you can do that will directly help your husband, such as calling clients or looking up material online. I sometimes do translations for my husband - it's something I can do even though I don't understand much about his work.

And last but certainly not least, the stay-at-home wife can pray for her husband to have a successful day at work, or to find better employment options. I have taken upon myself to do so daily. These days, when so many people are losing their jobs, remaining prayerful is probably the most important thing you can do."

A Valentine Fact

A STARTLING MISSION FACT: From Neal Pirolo's 1991 book, Serving as Senders - On just one day, February 14, Americans spend over 700 million dollars to say "i love you" with Valentine's Day cards. Less than that is spent in the whole month of February (and in each of the other months) to tell a lost and dying world that God loves them!

From the blog Mission Minded Life.

http://missionmindedlife.blogspot.com

Grandpa's Boys

Three Weeks Old on Thursday!

Bag Tag

I saw this on LeAnn's blog, Tollesons4him. It's a Bag Tag! Show us your bag!

1) Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house. No cheating!

2) I want to know how much it cost:) And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I’d love to hear it.

3) Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your bag.

This is my super duper diaper bag that Sherri and Brittany went in on together for my Christmas/baby gift. I love it! Isn't it pretty?

It's huge but i've managed filled it to the brim with diapers, wipes, extra clothes, burp clothes and granola bars. Just to name a few things. It's heavier than the baby!

This was at our gift exchange at Sherri's house in December. The day they gave me the bag. Thanks girls!

Living in the Moment

Introducing... Brittany's blog, Living in the Moment!

You all met Brittany when she posted for me while i was in labor. Well she just opened up her blog to everyone and I think you'll realy enjoy it! She is a great writer with some funny stories!

You can go read todays post The new wife tries cooking (yet again).

Please welcome her to blogging and give her encouragement to keep writing!

Brittany holding Ethan the night he was born.

Brittany and Patrick on their wedding day last October.

My Boys, A Day Old

Elijah, one day old



Ethan, one day old




Here you go, Carrie. A comparison of the boys at the same age. What do you think? Do they look a like?
I don't think so but maybe that's just me. Elijah had really light hair and hardly any of it. Ethan has more dark hair.

But there were a few similarities. They were both born holding their left hand up by their cheek. Their heads both measured 14 inches and there was only a 2 ounce difference in their birth weight.

Ethan's 1st Bath

Yesterday Ethan had one of those messy diapers where it's easier to give them a whole bath instead of using a million diaper wipes. So Elijah helped me give Ethan his first bath. Big brother was so excited and wanted to do it all himself.


Soon he was all clean and sweet smelling again. We put him in his new outfit from his Great Grandma Day. Here is my mom with him after his bath.

He seems to know just when we are sitting down to eat because that is when he wakes up and cries! So my dad went and picked him up and held him! Ethan spawled out over my dad and feel right to sleep! My dad ended up holding him the whole meal! I was impressed! =)


And here is my mom again last night holding both her grandsons.