YIPPEE!!! My husband's 270+ page dissertation is complete! Brad did such a good job writing it! I loved getting to read/edit his work! After helping him these last two weeks, I've decided that my dream job, after raising and homeschooling my kids, is to be Brad's secretary. He's so appreciative of my help, and such a hard worker. What a great, godly example he is to our kids. In the last couple of weeks, Alex has said several times that Brad is his hero! I agree!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Seeing the Light!
by Amy
While we've been in America, Brad has been working on his dissertation. Knowing that it would take some serious time to research and write 250+pages, we planned to be here for almost a full year. Well, we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! About 2.5 weeks ago, Brad finished writing! Since then, he's been reviewing, rewriting, adding more quotes and changing things around. Last week he handed me a 53 page chapter to edit! Last night, he handed me another one. So, things around here have been a little unusual. . . . Homeschooling has taken a back burner to editing. (My kids are enjoying extra days with Grandma or Papa.) So, pray for us! Pray for Brad. Pray he'll finish strong and have perseverance as this is not the most enjoyable phase of writing. Pray that he'll sleep well each night. And pray that this paper will be used to further the Kingdom! -- His deadline is Feb. 14.
While we've been in America, Brad has been working on his dissertation. Knowing that it would take some serious time to research and write 250+pages, we planned to be here for almost a full year. Well, we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! About 2.5 weeks ago, Brad finished writing! Since then, he's been reviewing, rewriting, adding more quotes and changing things around. Last week he handed me a 53 page chapter to edit! Last night, he handed me another one. So, things around here have been a little unusual. . . . Homeschooling has taken a back burner to editing. (My kids are enjoying extra days with Grandma or Papa.) So, pray for us! Pray for Brad. Pray he'll finish strong and have perseverance as this is not the most enjoyable phase of writing. Pray that he'll sleep well each night. And pray that this paper will be used to further the Kingdom! -- His deadline is Feb. 14.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
A fab Vacation!
by Amy
In October, we needed to head to Virginia for some meetings, so we decided to tag a DC Vacation on before the meetings began. It was so AWESOME!! -- All that I hoped for, and so much more! We have dear friends that are on staff at Capitol Hill Baptist who let us stay at their home for the five nights we were in town. They live in a parsonage on the church's property, 5 blocks behind the Capitol building, so it was perfect!
We spent Wednesday afternoon, all day Thursday and Friday on the Mall and in museums. We walked -- A LOT! I live in Asia. I'm used to walking. That is NOTHING compared to what we did in DC. Thursday night we came in and I was so tired -- my feet were throbbing, my hips were aching, my calves were sore.... It was pitiful! I soaked in a hot bath before crawling into bed and sleeping so soundly! My kids were amazing! I was shocked at how well they did. There was one time we were walking back to our friend's house, up hill, and my feet were killing me, but I held my tongue! I decided if my 9 and 7 year old kids can get there without complaining, I could too! What a great example of cheerfulness they were!
So (mainly for my records) this is what we hit:
Wednesday: (our plane landed at noon.)
Museum on Natural History
Union Station for dinner
Modes of Transportation:
Feet, Subway
To make our museum tours more exciting, before we went, I made a scavenger hunt for our kids to complete in each place we planed to visit. (They had to do activities, answer questions, and take pictures.) I based most of my questions/requirements on the movie The Night at the Museum Part 2. (I think that is our all time favorite movie!!) In the above picture my kids are pretending Rexy is attacking them!
Thursday:
Air and Space Museum
Washington Monument (Unfortunately, we couldn't go inside it because of the earthquake!)
World War 2 Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
White House (both sides)
Roosevelt Memorial Park
MLK Memorial
Modes of transportation:
Feet, pedi-cab (a bike with a trailer on the back)
Above: The kids are "flying" planes at Air and Space.
I think this was my favorite picture from our scavenger hunt! They had to do the "Freeze Abraham" pose! If you don't know what I'm talking about, rent the movie!!
This day was exhausting, but SOOO awesome! My favorite thing we did on this whole trip was hire a pedi-cab driver to drive us around DC for an hour+ at night! The city was absolutely beautiful! We actually met the driver on our way to dinner. So, he gave us a lift to our restaurant, then we called him to come pick us up for our night tour.
Because it was nighttime, our camera wasn't taking great pics; so you don't see any of the memorials in those shots, but I figure that's OK. My kiddos are pretty cute!
Friday:
Supreme Court
Capitol
Library of Congress
American History Museum
Old Post Office building
Modes of transportation:
Feet, taxi
Saturday it was rainy or misty all day, but we planned to hit the National Zoo. Since it wasn't really raining hard, we borrowed a few umbrellas from our friends and took off. Because of the weather, the zoo wasn't crowded at all. (We also didn't take any pictures!)
Modes of Transportation:
City Bus, Subway, and of course, feet!
On Sunday we went to church in the morning and evening, and spent time hanging out with some dear friends in the afternoon. It was a prefect way to bring our vacation to a close. When we were heading to Union Station to catch a train to Richmond on Monday morning, our host commented on how easily we got around the city. He said he had never seen any one maximize the various forms of transportation DC has to offer like we did. :) I guess living overseas has made public transportation seem normal to us. Within six days we rode an airplane, taxi, subway, public bus, minivan, pedi-cab, and train (as well as walked a ton!)
For your final viewing enjoyment, I'll leave you with some pics of our breakfast at Union Station before we boarded the train.
In October, we needed to head to Virginia for some meetings, so we decided to tag a DC Vacation on before the meetings began. It was so AWESOME!! -- All that I hoped for, and so much more! We have dear friends that are on staff at Capitol Hill Baptist who let us stay at their home for the five nights we were in town. They live in a parsonage on the church's property, 5 blocks behind the Capitol building, so it was perfect!
We spent Wednesday afternoon, all day Thursday and Friday on the Mall and in museums. We walked -- A LOT! I live in Asia. I'm used to walking. That is NOTHING compared to what we did in DC. Thursday night we came in and I was so tired -- my feet were throbbing, my hips were aching, my calves were sore.... It was pitiful! I soaked in a hot bath before crawling into bed and sleeping so soundly! My kids were amazing! I was shocked at how well they did. There was one time we were walking back to our friend's house, up hill, and my feet were killing me, but I held my tongue! I decided if my 9 and 7 year old kids can get there without complaining, I could too! What a great example of cheerfulness they were!
So (mainly for my records) this is what we hit:
Wednesday: (our plane landed at noon.)
Museum on Natural History
Union Station for dinner
Modes of Transportation:
Feet, Subway
To make our museum tours more exciting, before we went, I made a scavenger hunt for our kids to complete in each place we planed to visit. (They had to do activities, answer questions, and take pictures.) I based most of my questions/requirements on the movie The Night at the Museum Part 2. (I think that is our all time favorite movie!!) In the above picture my kids are pretending Rexy is attacking them!
Thursday:
Air and Space Museum
Washington Monument (Unfortunately, we couldn't go inside it because of the earthquake!)
World War 2 Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
White House (both sides)
Roosevelt Memorial Park
MLK Memorial
Modes of transportation:
Feet, pedi-cab (a bike with a trailer on the back)
Above: The kids are "flying" planes at Air and Space.
 |
| He's holding the monument!! |
 |
| Check out that blue sky! Oh, it's good to be in America! |
 |
| Can you say GREEEEEN grass? WoW! |
This day was exhausting, but SOOO awesome! My favorite thing we did on this whole trip was hire a pedi-cab driver to drive us around DC for an hour+ at night! The city was absolutely beautiful! We actually met the driver on our way to dinner. So, he gave us a lift to our restaurant, then we called him to come pick us up for our night tour.
Because it was nighttime, our camera wasn't taking great pics; so you don't see any of the memorials in those shots, but I figure that's OK. My kiddos are pretty cute!
Friday:
Supreme Court
Capitol
Library of Congress
American History Museum
Old Post Office building
Modes of transportation:
Feet, taxi
 |
| President Pedo |
Saturday it was rainy or misty all day, but we planned to hit the National Zoo. Since it wasn't really raining hard, we borrowed a few umbrellas from our friends and took off. Because of the weather, the zoo wasn't crowded at all. (We also didn't take any pictures!)
Modes of Transportation:
City Bus, Subway, and of course, feet!
On Sunday we went to church in the morning and evening, and spent time hanging out with some dear friends in the afternoon. It was a prefect way to bring our vacation to a close. When we were heading to Union Station to catch a train to Richmond on Monday morning, our host commented on how easily we got around the city. He said he had never seen any one maximize the various forms of transportation DC has to offer like we did. :) I guess living overseas has made public transportation seem normal to us. Within six days we rode an airplane, taxi, subway, public bus, minivan, pedi-cab, and train (as well as walked a ton!)
For your final viewing enjoyment, I'll leave you with some pics of our breakfast at Union Station before we boarded the train.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Christmas Countdowns
by Amy
I stink at celebrating Advent with my kids. At our home overseas, we have 3 things that we do to count down to Christmas. All three are numbered 1-25 and intended to be enjoyed on Dec. 1-25. Even though we start the day after Thanksgiving to give us a little wiggle room, we don't usually finish most of them by Dec. 25.
1. We have a "Rejoice Banner" that I made before I had any kids. (Thanks Anne Marie!) It's made of felt and doesn't require a lot of time each day. Basically, we have 25 pieces that come together to create a nativity scene. Day one, we put up a stable. Then there are trees, animals, angles, a star, and finally Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. My kids love it! They were actually disappointed that I didn't bring it back to the States with us. Every year, we do get all the pieces up on the banner -- even if that means I let my kids arrange after Christmas, before I put it away.
2. Jesse Tree. I love the idea of a Jesse Tree. It traces Christ from the creation to the resurrection. There's an ornament to represent the Scripture reading for the day. My kids love the Jesse Tree, too. They think it's fun to look at the ornaments hanging on our little tree and re-tell the Bible store that goes with it. The only problem is that it takes time. In the version we have, the Scripture reading is often a chapter or two. That's fine for one night, but when we get behind, I feel overwhelmed by trying to conquer 3 or 4 in one evening. Then, it becomes rushed, and stressed, not sweet and worshipful. Last year, I just decided we'd do one or two a nights that we were home, and see how far we got. It was definitely less stressful, and we got further than ever before - maybe day 18.
3. The "Door Bible." It's an advent book with the Christmas story hidden behind a door on each page. Up until 2011, the Door Bible was our favorite Christmas activity. Our kids take turns opening each door, and trade off going first each night. And, since this is the one we used in place of famiy devos, we always finish it on time. (if we miss a night or two, it's easy to catch up!) I was given this book when I was pregnant with Savannah, so we've used it every year since she was 1. Unfortunately, it's now $55 on Amazon. If you ever find a cheaper copy, I'd highly recommend it. The pictures are fantastic!
But, this year....My dear friend Krista recommended we read Jotham's Journey.
It was so awesome!!! The only problem we had was drawing it out over 4 weeks. Every time I finished our nightly reading, the kids were begging me to read one more chapter! It was usually Brad who had to insist I stop reading so our kids could go to bed! We all really loved it! It is the story about a 10 year old boy who through a series of events (including meeting Elizabeth and the Wisemen) ends up at the stable when Mary gave birth to Jesus. The author did a great job paralleling the boys life with Israel and building the anticipation for the coming Messiah! I highly recommend this book! The author has has 2 more advent stories about two other children that also end up at the stable the night Christ was born. We haven't read them yet, and I'm not sure we'll be able to wait unit next Christmas!
I stink at celebrating Advent with my kids. At our home overseas, we have 3 things that we do to count down to Christmas. All three are numbered 1-25 and intended to be enjoyed on Dec. 1-25. Even though we start the day after Thanksgiving to give us a little wiggle room, we don't usually finish most of them by Dec. 25.
1. We have a "Rejoice Banner" that I made before I had any kids. (Thanks Anne Marie!) It's made of felt and doesn't require a lot of time each day. Basically, we have 25 pieces that come together to create a nativity scene. Day one, we put up a stable. Then there are trees, animals, angles, a star, and finally Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. My kids love it! They were actually disappointed that I didn't bring it back to the States with us. Every year, we do get all the pieces up on the banner -- even if that means I let my kids arrange after Christmas, before I put it away.
2. Jesse Tree. I love the idea of a Jesse Tree. It traces Christ from the creation to the resurrection. There's an ornament to represent the Scripture reading for the day. My kids love the Jesse Tree, too. They think it's fun to look at the ornaments hanging on our little tree and re-tell the Bible store that goes with it. The only problem is that it takes time. In the version we have, the Scripture reading is often a chapter or two. That's fine for one night, but when we get behind, I feel overwhelmed by trying to conquer 3 or 4 in one evening. Then, it becomes rushed, and stressed, not sweet and worshipful. Last year, I just decided we'd do one or two a nights that we were home, and see how far we got. It was definitely less stressful, and we got further than ever before - maybe day 18.
3. The "Door Bible." It's an advent book with the Christmas story hidden behind a door on each page. Up until 2011, the Door Bible was our favorite Christmas activity. Our kids take turns opening each door, and trade off going first each night. And, since this is the one we used in place of famiy devos, we always finish it on time. (if we miss a night or two, it's easy to catch up!) I was given this book when I was pregnant with Savannah, so we've used it every year since she was 1. Unfortunately, it's now $55 on Amazon. If you ever find a cheaper copy, I'd highly recommend it. The pictures are fantastic!
But, this year....My dear friend Krista recommended we read Jotham's Journey.
It was so awesome!!! The only problem we had was drawing it out over 4 weeks. Every time I finished our nightly reading, the kids were begging me to read one more chapter! It was usually Brad who had to insist I stop reading so our kids could go to bed! We all really loved it! It is the story about a 10 year old boy who through a series of events (including meeting Elizabeth and the Wisemen) ends up at the stable when Mary gave birth to Jesus. The author did a great job paralleling the boys life with Israel and building the anticipation for the coming Messiah! I highly recommend this book! The author has has 2 more advent stories about two other children that also end up at the stable the night Christ was born. We haven't read them yet, and I'm not sure we'll be able to wait unit next Christmas!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Another Pedo-ism
by Amy
When we lived overseas, my boys would walk in to the room where Brad was watching/listening to a sporting event and ask, "Who are we rooting for?" They were happy to cheer with Brad and support whoever he liked. Now, they seem pretty capable of making their own decisions....
On Jan. 2, we were watching the Stanford vs Oklahoma State football game. Brad was rooting for OSU. But, instead of pledging his allegiance to his father, and OSU, Peter declares that he's for Stanford. Assuming (correctly) that he had never heard of Stanford before that game, I asked why. He said, "I like the name....it has a 'ford' in it, like mine - Peter Bradford." Really?? Yes, really. He rooted for Stanford until the bitter end -- well, until he had to go to bed. Crazy!
When we lived overseas, my boys would walk in to the room where Brad was watching/listening to a sporting event and ask, "Who are we rooting for?" They were happy to cheer with Brad and support whoever he liked. Now, they seem pretty capable of making their own decisions....
On Jan. 2, we were watching the Stanford vs Oklahoma State football game. Brad was rooting for OSU. But, instead of pledging his allegiance to his father, and OSU, Peter declares that he's for Stanford. Assuming (correctly) that he had never heard of Stanford before that game, I asked why. He said, "I like the name....it has a 'ford' in it, like mine - Peter Bradford." Really?? Yes, really. He rooted for Stanford until the bitter end -- well, until he had to go to bed. Crazy!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
My Green Husband
So, a couple of months ago, as we were leaving Starbucks (yes, we have 3 within walking distance of our home – and we actually walk to them!!!) we noticed they had bags of used coffee grounds, free for the takin’. The sign next to the bags encouraged people to help the environment by sprinkling the used grounds on their gardens and flower beds. We don’t have a garden. We didn’t take any bags.
But, since then, most mornings Brad chooses a potted plant or some flowers in front of our townhome to bless with our used coffee grounds. I do not have green thumb – or pinky or any other digit, for that matter. So, I’m thankful that my husband is diligently guarding the life of the poor plants that became my responsibility when we moved in here. (We have 3 potted plants – one inside and two outside.)
Where we come from (on the other side of the world) they have other methods of protecting plants. They basically don’t let anyone touch them – even the grass! They don’t let you walk or sit on grass. There are signs in every park that read:
Yes, the grass is sleeping, so DON’T walk on it! I’m not willing to confess how many times I’ve told the “keepers of the grass” that I couldn’t read the sign and therefore didn’t know we couldn’t _______ (play baseball/ picnic/ run on/ walk in) the grass. – Fortunately most signs are not translated so beautifully into English, so I can usually get away with that. The funny thing is that the Asianese really says that the grass is sleeping!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
New Smiles
by Amy
A couple of days before Christmas (and two days after we had professional pictures taken) Peter’s front tooth fell out! Well, actually, Brad helped it out a bit because I couldn’t handle it dangling! Peter was a little disappointed it came out before Christmas. He had a friend tell him that if he lost a tooth on Christmas Eve and put it under his pillow, then tooth fairy would bring him $600! I assured him that since I was his tooth fairy, he wasn’t getting $600 any day of the year!
Then, on New Year’s Eve, Alex lost his front tooth. I’m so glad Brad was around for both of the extractions. For some reason, I just can’t handle loose teeth!!
They’re cute, but I’ll be glad when their permanent teeth come in!
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