Four years old

Elijah is four years old today. And as of today:

• everyone calls him Sidge. And if they don't, he asks them to "please call me Sidge."
• he has been asking tons of why questions. Just now, while having an easter egg hunt in the living room I said, "You can keep looking or give up," and he said, "What does give up mean?"
• his language has gotten pretty clear. While people struggled understanding him for a stretch a year ago, he is now pretty easy to understand.
• he is still definitely the "little" brother. Isaac runs the show. He still lets Isaac, basically, boss him around. Not sure how long that will last.
• is wearing mostly 5T clothes.
• he is the biggest four year old we know. Definitely "towering" over his friends. (Don't see that changing, like, ever.)
• he still talks about Turkey a lot but has accepted that this is his new home.
• he can put on his shoes himself and is learning how to put his socks on by himself.
• he can completely undress and dress himself.
• he isn't really taking naps anymore. We still do quiet reading for an hour in the afternoon.
• Isaac can still "take him" in a wrestling match. Sidge has no idea how strong he really is.
• he loves TV/movies. If allowed, he could watch it all day without hesitation. We definitely have to limit him as he wouldn't do it himself. 
• he really doesn't know a stranger. He is kind and loving to everyone.
• he really is an easy kid -- easy to please, easy to play with, easy to love.
• he is a bull in a china shop -- he spills things and hits his head frequently and with great fervor.
• he gives great hugs and is full of love. 

Thank you

just isn't enough, is it? Thank you to Timmy and English and all the other families who will live apart for more months than I would ever want to count. Thinking of our friends Dan and Angelica who are still a few months away from the completion of Dan's deployment. You folks are amazing. Thanks for being Americans.

Outdoor Rec Hike

There was a free family hike offered by Outdoor Rec. We decided I should stay home with Abigail, and the boys should go with Daddy and Aunt Connie. While JB would always prefer to hike without a big group of people, even he had a good time, and it was awesome that he got to spend some time with his boys. Thank you Aunt Connie for signing us all up for this!

Hanging with the other kids.

Connie with her good friend on Base, Lindsey.

Lindsey and Sidge.

JB in a serious thought.

The beauty of where we live. 

JB and his boys.

Wee-wind Wednesday

Found this picture of my boys in Turkey. This was before Abigail joined our family. Look at those sweetie pies!

Two helps

Small things can help someone get a jump in their day. My Aunt Connie put the following two things on my Facebook wall, and they both really ministered to me.

The way I am feeling lately, it is hard to feel like the "real Wendi." It is hard to feel like a good mom, wife, daughter, friend, niece. But thinking about what I HAVE accomplished that day ... that's a positive thought.

I've really been convicted lately that it is okay to need a "sub." It is okay to surround yourself with good people and a good support system. Why do we think it is a sign of weakness to need others? 

Windy!

Yes, that says 95mph! The wind today has been INCREDIBLE. In the U-S of A they would have named this storm for sure. 65-95mph gusts was the latest I heard and it is supposed to continue on through tomorrow. With water out 3 of my 4 windows, you can tell how windy it is just by watching the waves.

Birthday card

Sidge got a birthday card in the mail today. It was from Mr. Shane and Ms. Linda in Germany. The card said You're 4 on the front, and when JB read it to Sidge, he said, "I am? Now?" He's so excited for his birthday to come.

January 31 our second miracle will turn 4.

Neither Isaac nor Sidge understand why Sidge is turning 4 but Isaac is not turning 5 on the same day. If Isaac is 4 now, and Sidge is 3, then when Sidge turns 4, Isaac should turn 5.

But for a few months, they will both be 4. Just 8.5 months apart these two little miracles are.

The last two days have been a bit harder morning sickness-wise. It's so important to look at my life with perspective.

Praise the Lord for miracles within 8.5 months of each other.

What YOU have to offer

I was recently given the link to a woman's blog, and while I don't read blogs much (just don't have time), I do think this is one I am going to read regularly. I've only read a few of her posts, but mannn, are they jam-packed with stuff that is just GOOD.

I have recently been wondering what I, as a woman here on an island that is not my home, can really do. I've been feeling homesick for the life I had in Turkey, the life I had in America. Not sure where I belong here. Do I belong here?

This gal, Holley, hit home with the blog post I read today.

She writes:

She slips in quietly and sits down on the couch. Her body is curved like a question mark and I can tell something is on her mind. “I know you say relationships are important,” she says, “But what if I don’t have anything to offer others?” I nod with understanding. Don’t all women ask this at some point? We tell ourselves when I’m better, stronger, more whole then I will reach out. But we will never be complete this side of heaven. And even if you are in the darkest night of your life you still have some light to shine on those around you.She goes on to tell us that we all have at least five things to offer to other people:

She tells us that we ALL have something to offer. We all have:

• our struggles
• our strengths
• our story
• our support
• our savior

Wow! So simple. Yet so powerful. So true.

Teach, train, and discipline

Thanks for sending this article to me Rachel. Here's a brief statement that really ministered to me.

We cannot save our children, but that doesn’t mean we are free from responsibility. God has called us to a significant task: we are to teach, train, and discipline our children so that they will obey, honor, and walk in the ways of the Lord. This is gospel work. It is hard work. And we must persevere in this work. We must be faithful, despite our failures, despite the apparent lack of fruit in our children’s lives.

And, then, when we have spent our strength doing diaper and discipline duty, we must turn and “leave all with the God of all.” For we are mothers, and only mothers. Servants who have only done our duty. We have planted. We have watered. And God—and God alone—can save. He will give the growth (1 Cor. 3:16).

MOPs

Each Thursday, our MOPS group in Lajes meets for some playtime, somewhere. This past week, we met at the Youth Center gym, A friend, Tiffany, snagged these photos.

This is Tiffany's daughter in the front. But check out the back. I love it. Isaac and Sidge are hanging with their two best friends: Max and Jackson, trying to do ring-around-the-rosie on scooter boards. 

Look at all those boys! 

Please pray

John with me and Shea (and baby Isaac when I was pregnant with Elijah) back in 2008. 

Would you join me in praying for my very good friend Shea and her family? Shea was my college teammate and is one of the most loyal and kind friends anyone can ever know. She and her husband Justin have been married nearly as long as JB and I have, and they have one son, Heath, who is about a year old.

Shea's younger brother, Christian, passed away last night. Christian had had many health problems stemming from a surgery after birth. He was in his twenties and got sick and did not make it through the illness.

Shea was very close with her brother and I know the entire Lunsford family could use your love and prayers today.

Thanks everyone.

Happy Birthday

Look who is growing up! Happy Birthday little Baylee (daughter of my brother and his wife A.D.)

Did you know ...

... that under ideal circumstances an asparagus stalk can grow ten inches a day?

Don't ask me why I am finding that so interesting, but I just read it and thought wow! (My husband will be so proud that that fascinated me.)

P.S. I don't like asparagus but JB and Connie LOVE it.

Take a hike

This morning, JB and Connie and the boys left to take a free hike with Outdoor Recreation on Base. Aunt Connie heard about it and signed us up! I was hopeful to go in John's place, but the mornings are still a bit rough for me so I opted to stay home with Abigail. I can't wait to see photos from their "hot chocolate hike." The boys were so excited!

Abigail just went down for her nap. I plan to rest here in a minute too but wanted to take the opportunity to put a brief update on the blog as to how I am doing.

Firstly, I wanted to summarize, briefly, what sort of "happened" to me during this IVF journey.

I took a drug called lupron which basically puts you into menopause. It shuts your ovaries completely down. While I have used this drug many times and definitely had emotional upheaval, this time I really got "down." It wasn't terrible but I was definitely clouded by depression and anxiety. This started around the first week of December.

However, we went home to America, and while I was definitely not  the Wendi I was used to being, I handled the trip pretty okay. I couldn't do as much as I had previously and had trouble making decisions and cried frequently, but I was okay.

On the way back to Lajes, however, I went through a bit of a tailspin. I had already lost about 10-12 pounds while in America. (My appetite had been effected by the emotions.) I was very tired, we had to do an overnight flight, I was (and didn't know it yet) pregnant, and when we got back to our house, couldn't fall asleep.

Someday, maybe I'll discuss the 10-14 days that follows, but I sort of had a bit of a "breakdown." My aunt and husband and friend Carla were there to support me through this. I just stayed home and worked on recovering. I started having morning sickness during this time and a bad sick bug went through our house. All of this at the same time just kind of broke me down.

But I did not stay down Praise the Lord.

I can now say that I have basically come out of this. Aunt Connie said to me yesterday, "You totally seem like the old Wendi today" and I feel like she is right. I am almost there.

I am still sick from this pregnancy but am not nearly as nauseated as I was for two weeks there. I am functioning well, taking care of my family, and actually "thriving." I am doing activities again and venturing back into the community.

I thank all of you who prayed for me during this time. God took good care of me and brought the people around me that I needed!

Thanking God that I am really starting to feel like myself again!

In JB's words

JB recently did a post over on his permaculture website that I thought I would link to here.  (FYI: JB's permaculture website is actually VERY big in the world of permaculture. He's becoming one of the top resources for this knowledge. Not that it's helped me learn much mind you.)

To be honest, I usually just skim JB's posts. They are about things way over my head and are not things that interest me much. But this post was interesting. It featured discussions of things going on around our house. A near fire (not my fault!) and our new delivery of firewood (pictured above.)

One thing he doesn't mention in this post but I thought I would was that Scrubs and JB caught a mouse in the house together the other day. It was quite a show. JB moved couches and refrigerators and Scrubs completed the pounce to put an end to the mouse!

Who needs a cat anyways?!

Friday Funnies

While making Daddy his birthday cards:
Me: "Tomorrow is Daddy's birthday."
Sidge: "Are we going to have a cake?"
Me: "No, I bought donuts for his birthday. But don't tell him. It's a surprise."
Sidge: "Okay. I'll tell him it's not his birthday."
Me: "Okay."
Sidge: "And I'll tell him my name is Braden."
*****
Isaac: "We can do whatever we want, but we can't do naughty stuff like sticking our tongues out."
*****
The boys' friend Jackson told Isaac that in the Bible, it says we are supposed to love our enemies. "Yes, but superheroes are not supposed to love any enemies," Isaac responded.
*****
John made Isaac some chocolate milk, and I realized that I must not make it very "strong." Isaac told Daddy, "Mommy's chocolate milk doesn't taste like chocolate."
*****
Sidge has been asking tons of questions that go like this: "What does ____ mean." Inclusions include:

• "What does journey mean?"
• "What does mostly mean?"
• "What does it mean when someone says we'll be sunk?"
• "What does it mean to be hanging in there?"
• "What does probably mean?"

Happy Birthday JB!

Today my husband turns 37 years old. Unbelievable how old we are getting! Yesterday, the kids each took a picture and gave it to Daddy in a card. They each got to pick "how" they took their picture. Here's what they each chose:

Then, this morning before work, I put a candle in some donuts and we sang happy birthday and gave Daddy his cards. (I think he was very surprised I was able to "do" so much for his birthday.)

I want to write more later about my wonderful husband and the many birthdays we have celebrated together, but for now, I'll just wish him a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY and tell him that he's the greatest man I know. 

I love you John.

I've decided ...

.... that having a living room upstairs, is quite a bit different than the way Americans "usually" live. Has anyone else had an experience where your living quarters (where you "hang out") is upstairs from your kitchen? Anything we need, I have to go downstairs for it. We do have a secondary hang out room downstairs. But it is a sun room and so right now, while the weather is in the 60's (yes! that is winter here!) it can get quite cold.

I know I am feeling more and more like myself when I feel like blogging! Watch out cyber world!

Wee-wind Wednesday

I thought it would be fun to rewind to Christmastime 2010. We had just moved to Turkey. I had just found out I was pregnant with Abigail and was pretty sick then too. We went to the medical Christmas party and Sidge got his hand painted. Look how little he is! Man they grow up so fast. Here's the link to the wee-wind blog.

Heartbeat!

Today at 7 weeks and change, we got to see our baby's heartbeat. I realized how long I had been holding my breath for when she said it and I started crying. So many episodes of bleeding but all related to this little issue in my uterus, not the baby. Baby is good, heart is good. Out of all those embryos, we have one perfect little human.

God is amazing!