Thursday, August 30, 2007
First Assessment, London
Well, it feels like we've been her for a week--in a good way. The kids have almost adjusted to jetlag and so much has happened. It is really all going so smoothly. I would say jetlag and ensuing attitudes are the big things that could go wrong but they haven't and eating English food could be judged as a smaller hurdle but it hasn't been a hurdle at all. This continues to pleasantly surprise me--I have had nothing but top-rate food such as great curries (at a pub no less), wonderful meat pie with perfectly cooked vegetables, fresh produce, and amazing ice cream. I am really liking London, so far I have been protected from having to feel too far from home. The parks are fabulous and the children have been enjoying them and the people have been extremely friendly, even the gray-haired downstairs neighbor who was almost on the receiving end of a large rock that Jesse had dropped over the balcony. He just said it hadn't been the first time (there had been other children predisposed to the same behavior) and asked Jesse if he was Jesse James. I do and will miss San Francisco, but it is soothing to my soul to experience the pleasant sunlight and heat we had here yesterday, to smell the constant wafting of Asian spices floating through the Tower Hamlets air which I have dreamed of and to enjoy the greenery everywhere, as well as the banks of the Thames while our children cast rocks into the water. I am enjoying the simplicity of our life right now, even sleeping in one room together as a family. It feels like we are all making the best of it and it is an intimate time together and with God as I am happy watching Him take care of us moment by moment.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Wrapping It Up
The kids are enjoying Sesame Street, and I wonder how long it will be until they see another episode. Today, finally, is the day we move to London, a day we've been anticipating and waiting for for a long time even though we've enjoyed every step (mostly) along the way, appreciating times with friends and enjoying this great New England vacation at my parents.
We still need to record our kids talking because soon their speech will turn British. Maybe, we can record them doing the acting game that we love to do where you say anything, something like "I'm so sad that you're leaving" from many different emotional perspectives. It'll be fun to hear them in British.
You might want to know where the kids are developmentally now. Luci is constantly playing baby--I get to be the baby sleeping on the couch (I love this game) that goes "Wah!Wah!" and then my mommy (Lulu) comes in to give me a pacifier, blanket, or foot rub at my suggestion. We have discovered that Luci is allergic to grapes or the sulfur pesticide that is on them. We hardly ever have grapes at home but have had them a lot here and she has had repeated diarrhea and vomiting for 2 weeks, it sounds bad but she has been enjoying life here, just having bad nights. Jesse likes to shoot on a regular basis and I allow this--I just want it to be outside and not usually in Luci's face since she often doesn't like it. My cousin's husband, J, over-indulged Jesse a week ago by doing incredible death scenes, staggering and gurgling to his death. He was an incredible actor, and even though it was grotesque, I think we were all impressed. Jesse stepped on the scale today and weighed in at 43 pounds and to which he said scrunch faced, "I'm a super-hero!"
Both Luci and Jesse have enjoyed the relatives and friends here, like Uncle Ken (I was meaning to do a blog entry on his fabulousness alone) and Aunt Sarah who have endless patience and energy to give our kids.
We still need to record our kids talking because soon their speech will turn British. Maybe, we can record them doing the acting game that we love to do where you say anything, something like "I'm so sad that you're leaving" from many different emotional perspectives. It'll be fun to hear them in British.
You might want to know where the kids are developmentally now. Luci is constantly playing baby--I get to be the baby sleeping on the couch (I love this game) that goes "Wah!Wah!" and then my mommy (Lulu) comes in to give me a pacifier, blanket, or foot rub at my suggestion. We have discovered that Luci is allergic to grapes or the sulfur pesticide that is on them. We hardly ever have grapes at home but have had them a lot here and she has had repeated diarrhea and vomiting for 2 weeks, it sounds bad but she has been enjoying life here, just having bad nights. Jesse likes to shoot on a regular basis and I allow this--I just want it to be outside and not usually in Luci's face since she often doesn't like it. My cousin's husband, J, over-indulged Jesse a week ago by doing incredible death scenes, staggering and gurgling to his death. He was an incredible actor, and even though it was grotesque, I think we were all impressed. Jesse stepped on the scale today and weighed in at 43 pounds and to which he said scrunch faced, "I'm a super-hero!"
Both Luci and Jesse have enjoyed the relatives and friends here, like Uncle Ken (I was meaning to do a blog entry on his fabulousness alone) and Aunt Sarah who have endless patience and energy to give our kids.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Reconnecting
So much has happened in the last couple of months and I have missed out on my blogging. I say I missed it, and I have, but in all this busyness, I have actually preferred my sleep and stillness over blogging. But many times throughout my days I have thought that I should really blog about this or that.
Here's a list of things I wish I had blogged about but haven't:
--Jesse's view of the world through pictures
--our awesome community of friends in San Francisco
--saying goodbyes
--the complicating process of getting Peanut to England
--plowing through every bit of our belongings determining "to keep" or "to pass on"
--the beauty of this lessening and the spiritual practice of the remembering the goodness of our life through these objects that we are sorting through
--what a thing of God the organism of the Outer Circle is as it lives and breathes the love of God through our IC/FBC family in SF on the streets
--taking in the tastes and pleasures of Napa on a week-end getaway with friends that have been family to us is SF
--saying a tearful goodbye to my friend Annelies but then stealing more moments in my house with her after, in the middle of a busy week for her and me she called to say, " I'm coming over to house with bon-bons and nail polish"
--hugging the big men who are like family to me--Scott (my constant enjoyment and truest neighbor), Fish (my big brother from the street who is much reformed, wonderfully considerate, yet so unrefined (this is quite wonderful too most of the time), and Joe, another beautiful man from the street who has persevered after Jesus and who I enjoy just having around, to eat my food and inhabit my orange chair like no other, twisting his twisties into character, laughing at simple things, and grunting.
--the pleasure of our friends Derek and Julia who we practically never see sitting on our stoop eating their burritos twice in 2 weeks!
--my last walk up Bernal Hill (where my weight is always lifted and I take in the city God gave us for a while) with my Peanut while smiling at her beard swaying in the wind
--the 80's prom party my friend Lyndy threw for her 30th (thought it was good of me to wear my fuchsia dress I wore to prom with the dyed-to-match payless purse and heels but my outfit couldn't stand up to the others coming through the door
--Jesse writing notes to his friends scrawled on the link freshly cut from our paper count-down chain and saying to everyone, while touching their arm, "We're going to miss you in London."
--Luci and Jesse being the best of friends
--Luci serenading Peanut for ten minutes at a time and telling me to "Go away" from her and her beloved
--enjoying teamwork with Darren in a way I could have never imagined
On that note, I have stirred up an overwhelming amount of memories and should probably exit. Here we are, now in MA at my folks, and reconnecting to our family life together, looking at each other and God and wondering excitedly what it will hold.
Thanks friends in San Francisco who have made my life!
Here's a list of things I wish I had blogged about but haven't:
--Jesse's view of the world through pictures
--our awesome community of friends in San Francisco
--saying goodbyes
--the complicating process of getting Peanut to England
--plowing through every bit of our belongings determining "to keep" or "to pass on"
--the beauty of this lessening and the spiritual practice of the remembering the goodness of our life through these objects that we are sorting through
--what a thing of God the organism of the Outer Circle is as it lives and breathes the love of God through our IC/FBC family in SF on the streets
--taking in the tastes and pleasures of Napa on a week-end getaway with friends that have been family to us is SF
--saying a tearful goodbye to my friend Annelies but then stealing more moments in my house with her after, in the middle of a busy week for her and me she called to say, " I'm coming over to house with bon-bons and nail polish"
--hugging the big men who are like family to me--Scott (my constant enjoyment and truest neighbor), Fish (my big brother from the street who is much reformed, wonderfully considerate, yet so unrefined (this is quite wonderful too most of the time), and Joe, another beautiful man from the street who has persevered after Jesus and who I enjoy just having around, to eat my food and inhabit my orange chair like no other, twisting his twisties into character, laughing at simple things, and grunting.
--the pleasure of our friends Derek and Julia who we practically never see sitting on our stoop eating their burritos twice in 2 weeks!
--my last walk up Bernal Hill (where my weight is always lifted and I take in the city God gave us for a while) with my Peanut while smiling at her beard swaying in the wind
--the 80's prom party my friend Lyndy threw for her 30th (thought it was good of me to wear my fuchsia dress I wore to prom with the dyed-to-match payless purse and heels but my outfit couldn't stand up to the others coming through the door
--Jesse writing notes to his friends scrawled on the link freshly cut from our paper count-down chain and saying to everyone, while touching their arm, "We're going to miss you in London."
--Luci and Jesse being the best of friends
--Luci serenading Peanut for ten minutes at a time and telling me to "Go away" from her and her beloved
--enjoying teamwork with Darren in a way I could have never imagined
On that note, I have stirred up an overwhelming amount of memories and should probably exit. Here we are, now in MA at my folks, and reconnecting to our family life together, looking at each other and God and wondering excitedly what it will hold.
Thanks friends in San Francisco who have made my life!