Check, check.. Hello, is this thing on!

After a few months of skipping around from hotel room to airbnb rental to hotel room, we are settling into our new home. And, it is our home. Ted and I are officially home owners to a perfect for us bungalow with modern touches. The hunt for a house was brutal, but we are so happy to be home. Wells is still shopping around and points to houses all the time asking if we can buy them. It hasn't completely sunk in completely yet.

With or without monthly updates both kids are continuing to grow, learn, and surprise us daily. They have transitioned from island life to living in the pacific northwest pretty seamlessly.

Wells has grown a few inches, or more. He think, says, and prays the most adorable things. He is home with me for now and our days are filled with so much exploring and playing. He still loves to cook. My mom visited a few days after your birthday last month and Wells baked and iced her a cake all by himself with my direction. He is always scooting a chair to help cook and enthusiast about cleaning.

Poppy has grown into a little toddler girl. She is warm with love with a hint of sass. Pops started walking a few months ago and now is learning new words all the time. She loves all animals and anytime we see a one all she wants to do is touch and cuddle them.

Ted has transitioned to his new job and commuting on the train into downtown Seattle. He shaved his mustache. He currently is framing our new downstairs apartment window and putting up new drywall. We plan to post the downstairs apartment to Airbnb when this project is finished.

As for me, I am swinging right into the colder temperatures with lots of layering. I'm on high of nesting and happily selling old items and purchasing new items for our home. And, I turn 30 in just a little over a week. Gah, life is good.

Donuts & Dinosaurs: Wells & Poppy's Birthday Party

Wells requested a dinosaur party at the water park in St. Thomas. I incorporated pink flare for Poppy's side of the celebration or least it gave an excuse to add pink to the park. Poppy and Wells are only two days apart and until they plead separate parties, I'll keep joining them.

Our transfer/move season is during the summer each year so I can't just skip throwing a party on our move years. In Philadelphia, we celebrated Wells' first birthday one month early. This year, we celebrated Wells and Poppy a little over a month early with our friends (aka island family) before our move.

Only two days before we moved out of our house, we picked up donuts, poured coffee/milk/and water, blew up balloons, painted dinosaurs, and splashed all morning in celebration of our two kids.

Wells' First Montessori Classroom

Poppy 10 months

I was a highly emotional first time mom. I couldn't stand to be away from Wells, at all. With Poppy, I didn't feel the need to be attached at every moment. Hello second child.

I don't love her less. Nor do I want to be with/out her, but it was different. I have grown into my mommy underpants, I suppose. I don't need her to need me. (Although, I thought, I didn't need Wells to need me.) Actually, it would be great if she didn't need me as much as Wells had needed me in his first year. (Side note, nothing against Wells, he was a breeze through baby stages. I loved every minute of it. It's just, I was there for every minute of his first year.)

Recently, all my feels have been coming out like in those first few months of being a first time mom. When I'm away from her, my heart yearns to know what she is doing and be with her. After she is in bed, I stay up and look at picture of her just like I did with Wells. Nothing, necessarily, has changed at all, except that I'm head over heels for P.

Last month, we were coming off her illness and constant whining. We swung right into this past month very chill. Poppy's stranger danger has become a whole lot better. She still screeches all girlie when upset, bored, and whatever.

Poppy crawls everywhere and always trying to figure out ways to the stairs. She's nose dived over toys, off chairs, and etc. Who says only boys are physical. This girl is all about the dare.

Her laugh fills our house constantly. She is consistently trying to play with Wells, even when he keeps telling her "Go away, Poppy." Second child problems. Or is it first child problems.

Poppy loves to ride on Ted's shoulders, chew on the apple TV remote, and eats anything she is given.

My breastfeeding relationship with Wells was instantaneous, a deep bond from birth. Poppy has always seemed like she could careless about breastfeeding until now. Now she definitely wants milk. And, she also expresses contentment and cheerful sighs after feedings. It's adorable and I'm so glad this is going strong. She does eat solid food all the time! Like as much as Wells, it is insane.

Poppy is now happily content 99.9% of the time riding in the car. Phew, PTL! Timely, as we are planning our road trip this summer.

She stand while holding on and about 30 seconds if she lets go, with zero interest in standing any longer. So obviously, Poppy has no interest in walking. I'm not worried about it one bit. (Wells started walking the week of his first birthday.)

Poppy loves shoving sand in her mouth at the beach and being in the water. She enjoys movers and shakers class, for the most part. BUT, the biggest thing about this month is the fact that we moved her out of our bed and into the pack and play. She is now sleeping through the night again. Good heavens, yes! Now I just need to be sleep trained myself.

This is our last month in our home here in St. Thomas. We have one trip stateside this month too. We can't wait to be with family and friends. Next month's post, I will posting from a hotel room and we will be about to move off island.

Poppy . 9 months.

I'm a few days late with my monthly update on sweet Pea. I'm just too busy picking my jaw off the floor. Poppy is 9 months old and it's all happening insanely fast.

This last month Poppy honed her crawling, standing, reaching, grabbing, balancing, pulling, pushing, and eating skills. Yep, she is moving all over the place. Se has found under the table where Wells used to play when he was her age.

It is so cute watching her find either of us around in the house. She goes exploring too. Oh, did I mention she climbed the staircase. Ah-hem, yep. That happened.

Poppy cut her first two teeth, bottom front. While the were cutting, she developed cold like symptoms. She was a little out of sorts for about a week and then nose dived for the worse. She won't up one day with a raging fever. She ended up fighting that fever for five straight days and wasn't fully herself for another entire week totally 13 days sick. It was tiring, to say the least. She was fussy, clingy, and miserable. My heart hurt so bad.

She is still totally head over heels for Wells. She beams with delight when she hears his voice. She always wants to play with him or really just tempt to climb on him at all times. He loves her too and is so kind to her.

Poppy is eating so much these days. I added in coconut milk yogurt, steak, blueberries, sweet potatoes, sour sop, peas, oatmeal bars, and fish by accident (someone else was feeding her). She loves anything that is given to her.

Along with two bottom teeth came a seven day fever. The fever was accompanied by a cold and ended with a rash. Poppy was way out of sorts. She was very clingy and emotional. Poor little girl.

Happy nine months, Love Bug.

Made Whole

I Then Shall Live

I then shall live as one who's been forgiven; I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid. I know my name is clear before my Father; I am his child, and I am not afraid. So greatly pardoned, I'll forgive an other; the law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who's learned compassion; I've been so loved that I'll risk loving, too. I now how fear builds walls instead of bridges; I dare to see an other's point of view. And when relationships demand commitment, then I'll be there to care and follow through.

Your kingdom come around and through and in me, your power and glory, let them shine through me; your hallowed name, oh, may I bear the honor, and may your living kingdom come in me. The Bread of Life, oh, may I share with honor, and may you feed a hungry world through me.

I posted this hymn one year ago. The morning we sand it at church, I taped it to my bathroom mirror. It speaks volumes. The song still speaks to me today and everyday. I have loved being at a church that sings old hymns and discovering treasures of songs. I wanted to post this today, again. It is rich.

May we live our lives as forgiven.

May our lives reflect compassion.

This is my prayer. 

Poppy . 8 months

Poppy has been pulling out all stops.

She decided to pack in a ton of new developments in her seventh month.

Her hair grew in thicker and longer. Goodbye, mullet.

Poppy started crawling on her belly and on her hands/knees.

She became very vocal, babbling all the time. Baaa-baaa. Daaa-daaa. Okay, where's the maaa-maaa!
Poppy has pulled up on the couch, crib, and toys to a standing position. She loves to crawl to wherever Wells is and climb on him. He enjoys this most of the time. They are playing so well together right now. Wells is very gentle with her. Sometimes, he's to rough or loud and Poppy gets startled. He continuously apologizes and gives millions of kisses. And, she survives. Poppy can get back to sitting position from laying on her belly or standing. This development has really helped her learn to play and enjoy independent play so much more.

Poppy loves to wave bye-bye. She does it all the time. A few times as we were leaving somewhere she would wave and follow my cue of saying ba-bye. She loves to mimic whatever I'm doing.

She started eating anything and everything in sight. We are currently thriving with the Baby Led Weaning method of food introduction. She doesn't mind getting messy and is just happy to gum her food. She also loves water. She hasn't met a flavor she doesn't like. New foods this month are: blueberries, squash, pumpkin, mango, peas, kale, chicken, bread, rice, cilantro, black beans, and green beans. We are holding off on giving her banana again because her face turned bright red the last time she ate it.

Speaking of gumming, I will be surprised if she doesn't cut her first tooth very soon.

Poppy was sick for the first time ever with a cold. Poor girl. She would laugh and laugh when I sucked out her nose though.

Poppy was dunked in the ocean a few times. I practiced dunking her and she loved it. She loves being in water even when it's cold and salty. More than water, she loves to be sitting, crawling, and laying in the sand. She loves how it feels and (yuck!) tastes.

On Easter, we had her baptized at Linquist beach at the sunrise service two days shy of 8 months old. She was a champ. Everything in the world is shining bright after her dunk.

Happy Eight Months, Love Pop.

A Letter on Baptism Day

This letter is very touching.

Dear Rebecca Lee,

Today, my little one, you are to be baptized. You won’t remember it, and you certainly won’t understand my words or the significance of this event for a long time. And that’s OK, because what we celebrate today is a mystery beyond the full comprehension of you or me or even the greatest theologian—it is the mystery of God’s grace. No one can fully understand why God extends his love to us, except that God is love. And no one can fully comprehend the paradox of God’s sovereignty and our human responsibility. It is hard to understand the how and why of God choosing us and us responding to his gift of himself. Maybe that’s why the sacrament of baptism itself has divided even believers.

But let me tell you something about mysteries. They’re not all bad. First, they sometimes help people, like your dad, work a little harder to know God and his ways. Second, and more importantly, they help us understand that we have a God who is too big for us to contain in our minds. If we are humble enough to admit this, we may realize that we don’t even want a god we can fully comprehend. That kind of god would be too small to do us very much good at all. Finally, even though God doesn’t give us all the answers we might want, he does give us the answers that we need—the truths that we can trust in and base every decision of our lives on.

So, dear child, let me tell you what I do know is true. First, I know that baptism is about grace, and because it’s about grace, it’s not about what we do, but about what God does. That’s why all we can do is use a symbol, water, to show what God does unseen in us—He washes away our sin and unites us with Christ, both in his death and resurrection.

The fact that you, as an infant, obviously don’t understand this and can’t do anything about it for yourself only further illustrates that it’s God’s work and not ours.

Your baptism today signifies God’s claim on you as his own—a child of his covenant of grace. The apostle Paul even says you are holy. This means you are separate and special, but what does this mean for you on a practical level? It means that whether you want it or not, you will be involved in a dynamic relationship with God.

If you obey and submit to God’s rule in your life, you will experience the blessings that come from that obedience, but if you rebel and seek your own way, you will experience the discipline and even pain that comes from struggling with God. Whatever happens, you can be sure that God will be persistent in calling you to confirm and claim for yourself the promises he makes to you. Not that this is anything new.

God’s chosen people have struggled with him from ancient times until the present. And that brings me to the second thing I know to be true. Again, whether you want it or not, you are part of a family of believers—a spiritual family that extends all the way back to those first men and women of faith we read about in the Old Testament, and that comes to you in the form of this church community and in particular your biological family. You come from a family that can’t even remember our first ancestor who came to saving faith in Jesus. This doesn’t have much significance in itself, except that it shows that past generations have been faithful in passing down a living faith that has survived every trouble and hardship that has come our way.

For whatever reason, God chooses to allow and even desires believers to participate in his work in this world. So, if we are faithful, we, your living family, will love you, teach you, discipline you, and most of all pray for you, so that we can show you not just a tradition or a nice way to live, but a life of active faith that fully follows the sacrificial life of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

And so, precious baby, this morning we dedicate you and our best efforts to raise you to our God, but these promises are only a response—a response to what God has already done in the past, is doing now, and promises to do in the future.

Your mother and I, of course, have hopes and dreams of a long and happy life for you, but it’s more important that God himself has hopes and dreams for you of a life that is abundant and fruitful, no matter how long or short it may be.

When Jesus was on earth, he blessed the little children. This morning I ask that this same Jesus will bless you and keep you, that he will make his face shine upon you, and that he will give you his peace—forever and ever, Amen.

 With love and affection,
 Dad

Easter Sunrise Service for Poppy's Baptism

What a day to be dedicated to the Lord! We gathered with our church here in St. Thomas for the Easter sunrise service at Smith Bay/Lindquist Beach. Seated in the sand, Ted and I had two children bouncing between our laps. Everyone left their beach chairs and stood around to witness the baptisms of several babies, children, and adults. It was the most beautiful and meaningful experiences of baby dedication and baptism I've ever witnessed. We are truly blessed to have such a sweet community.
 

Photos taken by Genevevie from S/V Necesse

Poppy's Baptism

Our holy week was full.

Paul and Elizabeth were here and joined me at church for Palm Sunday. The children's choir sang, "I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise. I will say this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice for He has made me glad. He has made me glad. He has made me glad. I will rejoice for He has made me glad". While I was growing up, my mother would sing hymns to us to put us to bed. I remember her singing this song regularly.

Ted and I went to the Maundy Thursday communion service to commemorate the Last Supper. As stated in our churches bulletin "Here our hope is visualized at His table, the powerful symbol of the grace that holds us together in Christ". 

During the invitation to communion, we began to sing "This Is My Commandment".

This is my commandment that you love one another that your joy may be full.

This is my commandment that you honor one another that your joy may be full.

This is my commandment that you forgive one another that your joy may be full.

This is my commandment that you love one another that your joy may be full.

I want to keep repeating the words of the hymn. What a full weekend of events that are so vital to my faith and powerful to my own life. On the night of Jesus' betrayal, he washed the disciples' feet. "Christ took a towel and washed the disciples' feet, giving us an example that we should do to others as he had done to us." (exert from churches bulletin). Taking communion to celebrate what Easter means for each of us personally in faith, we celebrate the depths of His love for us.

On Easter Sunday, we had Poppy baptized at the sunrise service at Lindquist beach.

My prayer for Poppy is that her life be filled with grace upon grace. I pray that she comes to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

I am so thankful for a family of believers to help us raise her up in faith both near and far.

After her baptism, we made it to the traditional service. The traditional Easter service last year was one of the most beautiful and special services I've ever attended which is saying a lot considering my childhood was consisted of one continuing church service. This year was just the same. The congregation was invited to place flowers on the cross. The cross which once only symbolized death now is celebrated with Life. Life eternal. Life everlasting. The Cross blooms with Life because Jesus humbled Himself unto death taking upon my sin and your sin. He didn't just die. He conquered death. The Cross blooms because

He is Risen.

Happy Baptism Day, Poppy Emmaline.

Photos taken by Genevevie from S/V Necesse
More photos here.