Praying for an Ark

This is my ark.  Most days I don’t notice it, unless our one year old is throwing its wooden animals across the room. Recently, I’ve actually started praying for an ark, or rather what I believe it represents. 

To, like Noah, have the willingness to follow through on God given directions even if they seem absurd. To possess a confidence that even if everyone around me thought what I was doing seemed ridiculous, I would have an assurance that it was what I am meant to be doing. To have the courage to live a life of intention. To disallow distractions of my sense of success for myself and my family to supersede whatever it is that I am actually supposed to be doing. To live this life with open hands, believing that as long as I have breathe there is purpose to my presence.

I recently heard a woman speak of her experience when she looked upon the face of her child with Down Syndrome for the first time. As her brand new baby looked up at her, she felt as if he were asking her the question, “Mama are you going to love me for me? Or for what I can do and how it reflects on you?” As I reflected on her words and considered the possibility of something akin to an Ark in my life, I asked myself the questions, “Are you going to claim comforts as essential on behalf of your two children? Or are you going to live in a sacrificial way on behalf of all God’s children? Was I willing to constantly remind myself that each person I encounter is beloved by God? Was I even willing to be inconvenienced beyond what I believed would benefit my family?”

I am trying to discern the balance of giving what God has already called me to give to my husband and my daughter and my son, without using that as an excuse to not have time or energy to do whatever else He may ask. To never use “I can’t help them all” as an excuse to not help one more, since I was never equipped to “help them all” anyway.

Despite the size it implies, my prayer for an ark is not a yearning for something big or even noticeable to others. It is a prayer for willingness of the heart. It is not an “I’ll wait right here until I receive a grand vision.” Rather it is a commitment to keep picking up fistfuls of my everyday sacred mundane dirt that by the end of my life may be formed into one muddy brick of justice and mercy (with the debris of my selfishness and pride mixed in), to place next to the ones others are building. To have fully used up everything within me in this solitary pursuit to love God and love others. And to be ready if asked, to stop forming bricks and start building an Ark.

Rhode Island 2016

Living in Southeast Massachusetts, we like to take advantage of visits to nearby Rhode Island. One of our favorite stops is the Providence Children's Museum.

J would have been happy to stay in the water room with the faucets and the fish the entire time.

The big block room was another space with great appeal. The soft texture and light weight were appreciated features.

Our accomodations for the weekend were at the Preservation Society of Pawtucket. The Spaulding Johnson House, built in 1828, can be rented and feels like a step back in time while living in a museum (http://www.pawtucketpreservation.org/the-spaulding-johnson-house.html). Pictured is the room where J crawled for the very first time! 

Recently our friends, Sarah, Ronnie, Elisha and Micah Farmer moved from Georgia to Connecticut. Rhode Island was a good midway point for us to meet up for the day.

We brought the kids to the scenic Slater Mill,

and the William Rogers Park playground.

Farming: Colonial to the Present

The Adams National Park, down the street from our house was hosting an "Every Kid in a Park" event on a very beautiful last day of April. In addition to dressing up in colonial garb with "Abigail", Sophia had the opportunity to plant some carrot seeds:

Mill Apple Cider:

and make a beeswax candle:

Earlier in the day, we visited the farm of our friends Bruce and Terry.

sentasfamilyfarm.com

More recently Sophia did some farming of her own by collecting the late summer harvest from the garden of her Godfather Glen Thompson.

New Jersey 2016

Although J has lived all but two months of his life a mile from the Atlantic, his first trip to the New Jersey Shore made it feel official. There was some sand eating, a toe dip, and some playing, but mostly sleeping.

Sophia was very helpful with transport down to the beach. 

And Bop-bop was very helpful with oceanfront construction.

Sophia was very pleased to show off her invention of "pickle-tongue",

and to take her first paddle boat ride with her Nana and Mama.

J's First Birthday

Dear J-Man, (nicknames from this year include Baby-J, Jace, JJ, JC)

Two words can best describe your time in our family so far- pure joy! You are one of the most content, smiley, and kind little babies. You smile morning, noon and night. You love to give hugs and just be near us. Multiple people in your life refer to you as pure sugar, and describe your smile as devastating.

If I am being completely honest, I was slightly nervous about welcoming a new family member that might struggle to adjust to a new home, cry too much, not eat well, or struggle to learn how to sleep. Well you have blown those concerns out of the water and been a champion eater and sleeper. You light up when Sophia walks into a room and love to play with her whenever she slows down enough to come within your reach.

One of my all-time favorite memories will be the first time I walked into the living room to see you sitting next to Sophia with her arm around your waist while she “read” you a book out loud. Often you are so quiet and content, but that is changing these days as you enjoy “singing” at the top of your lungs in outbursts that sound like a growl or parrot squawk, and are starting to babble. I can’t wait to have you start to talk more so we can hear your little voice and all that you have to say to us. Without a doubt I will be starting a list of funny conversation topics between you and Sophia for a future letter.

These days you are crawling all over the house, and are so proud of pulling yourself up on the couch or holding our hands to stand. You love to clap, turn the pages of books, knock down blocks, play catch by rolling a ball, or push a truck around the living room floor.

Carolyn Thompson is a favorite friend of yours as she takes care of you once a week and spends hours watching cars from the porch, playing with the front door handle, pushing around your favorite toys, or feeding you second or third breakfast, or your fourth snack of the day.

Before you joined us we prayed hard for you. We prayed that we would know how to best take care of you. I hope that how often you giggle heartily when kissed or tickled is one small indication of how loved and happy you feel in Chateau Archambault.

Just now we are starting to see your personality emerge. You are flexible and along for the ride, excited about people, curious about how toys work and all the sounds around you. You take your time to figure something out and make a plan before attempting it. You love when the trains go by our house when we are outside eating dinner, and make an enormous mess while eating us out of house and home.

We thank God for the blessing of last year, and look forward to more to celebrate next year.

Love,

Dad 

Becca & Mark's Wedding

We had the privilege of witnessing and celebrating Becca and Mark's Wedding, where Sophia and J gained an Uncle and we gained a brother-in-law.

A week's worth of pre-wedding festivities included:

Time for all eight cousins, from three states and multiple time zones, to be together,

an evening out for the sisters and sister-in-laws,

and picking the flowers for all the bouquets and vases at a local flower farm.

The morning of the wedding, the ladies in the bridal party had their hair done,

as well as manicures and pedicures.

When she wasn't keeping an eye on the bride,

Sophia was entertaining the bridesmaids.

Aunt Becca surprised her with her first....

pair of magnetic earrings.

And cousin Anna helped her with some finishing touches before they headed upstairs for their official duties.

The Flower Girls:

The handsome gentlemen that accompanied me:

The Bridal Party:

And the original crew plus the newest addition.

Ohio & Indiana 2016

Every summer we travel to Salem, Ohio for the Schaeffer family reunion.

This year we went an additional five hours west to visit friends Stan and Mary who had moved to Indiana.