The One Where Amy Is Stormed-In On Her Birthday And Can't Go Shopping

So yes, it was my birthday. And yes, I usually go to Bemidji to go shopping and eat out on my birthday. And yes, this year there was a storm with ice and sleet and snow and drizzle and freezing rain and rain that froze and all that other good stuff that isn't supposed to stop the USPS-- but actually on the radio they said that mail service was cancelled in Bagley. What's with that? I digress. So I was stuck at home with my 3 kids and husband. And in the midst of Haiti's recovery and recent memories of India and situations with TRUE tragedy, I know it isn't something to get upset over. So I didn't. But it was disappointing. Why couldn't I have been born in July? (Did I mention that Jonah also got the stomach flu? Well, he did.)

But then you find yourself counting your blessings.

Some selections from my birthday gift from my girls-- a book written on foam sheets and held together with pipe cleaners that is all about me:

More wonderful pages too. Thanks girls! (Note that Anju insisted Solveig draw her FP popcorn popper on the toy page--when I opened it, she ran to get her toy and showed me that it was the same.) They also made me a pop-up card which Anju decorated with multi-color scribbles. Jonah made me a bookmark. "You read, don't you Mom?"

We watched figure skating in the afternoon and in the evening and enjoyed a French Silk pie picked up in town in preparation for poor weather. We had scalloped potatoes with a swiss cheese sauce for lunch and moroccan chicken, basmati and kidney bean curry for supper. Mmmmmmmm! So, for a stormed-in birthday, not bad!

Below zero outside--heating up inside

Last night, Solveig had piano lessons.  In her absence, Jonah and Anju were having a tough time getting along:

Jonah stole Anju's blankie and ran around with it, laughing.  

Anju: "Andu's bird blankie, Nona!  Nona OWN blankie!"

Anju clawed Jonah with her fingernails in retaliation.  Mama trimmed Anju's nails.  

Anju: "Hurt, Mama!  Hurt!"

Jonah won't share his toys.  Anju signs "share".  Jonah hits Anju when she reaches for a toy.  

Anju: "Mama!  Nona no share Andu!"

Anju grabs a book to read.  Oops, it's Jonah's.  Jonah swipes back the book.  Quiet.  Jonah waits for the reaction.  Anju looks at Jonah and then rolls her eyes.  She looks up at the ceiling and takes a deep breath. 

Anju (very softly and calmly):  "1-2-3-4-5.  Nona go Nona's room."

So, Anju has now picked up on our discipline method and is counting and disciplining Jonah for me.  Isn't that great?

Jonah replies, "You're not the parent!  I wish you weren't my sister." and hits her with the book.

But wouldn't you know--within 10 minutes I had them playing "old-fashioned" Little People together and I overheard Jonah say, "I love you, Anju!"

Please pray for Nisha

 Anju's "cousin" from her children's home in India, Nisha, received devastating medical news recently.  She is a precious 4-year old girl whom we hope to visit this summer along with some other kids from Anju's orphanage who have come home to their families.  We have come to think of Anju's India friends as extended family, and ache with Nisha's family as they must endure this hardship.

Please keep Nisha and her family (mom,dad and 2 brothers) in your prayers as they have a long road ahead of them, full of challenges and blessings.  

Adventures in family devotions

Ever since Christmas, our family devotions have been preparing us for, and leading up to the appearance of the Wise Men on Epiphany.  Perhaps we were over-educated and too prepared with the story, for when Shawn asked the kids what the gifts the Wise Men brought were, it resulted in responses like, "Mold, Frankenstein and manure!".

Encouraging them to settle down and be serious about the devotion is not always successful.  While we have standing jokes (our devotional always reminds kids that their pastor, father, mother and Sunday School teacher are there to teach them about Jesus- who are only 2 people to our kids), we do want the tone to be worshipful and give them the opportunity to ask whatever questions they may have.  However, there is peeking through the fingers during prayer time, tattling- "Look, she's not praying!", fighting over who gets to light or extinguish the candle, and the unending argument over whose turn it is to put up the next Nativity figure.

When Jonah was 4, he decided he didn't like church and didn't want to go anymore.  We explained to him why he had to go and what he could do there to keep himself busy during the "boring" parts.  His response, obviously, was that he did not require church, as he worshipped Baal and not Jesus.  This convenient Baal worship continued on for several months--usually when he was supposed to do something that Jesus would want him to do- like share, attend church or stop hitting his sister.  I realized, though, that he had really paid attention in Sunday School when we studied Elijah.  Although his application was not quite what I wanted it to be, the information was there.

So, although the Wise Men in the Stafford home apparently brought stinky and scary gifts to the child Jesus, the message was heard.  Even with all the silliness, they heard the Word.  They know the story.  They know what each gift represented.  They're just PK's--and you know what trouble they can be!

Christmas 2009 and Happy New Year!

A typical scene at gift opening on Christmas Eve at the Stafford residence

Anju loved her new dolly potty, diapers, cream and wipes.

   I think every doll in our home is throughly clean.

The kids took advantage of the snowy, yet warm (for MN) weather

 to enjoy the outdoors on Christmas Day.

We purchased what the kids lovingly call the "Fake Wii" at Walgreens

for $20 on Black Friday.  There are only 2 controllers.

However, Santa brought Solveig a Pez type

 candy dispenser shaped like a Wiimote.  

Anju picked it up and started playing with the kids. 

Then, Shawn and the kids left on Tuesday to spend some time with his parents and sister.

  Four hours into the trip, this happened:

No one was hurt, and the accident fortunately happened near my parents' house,

so they could help out with the aftermath.  We are so very thankful for

the evident hand of God and protection of angels during this event.

They returned today in a new car--yes, the exact same model as the old one.  The person they purchased it from ended up being someone I had attended church

 and Sunday School with as a child.  It really IS a small world!

So, we have had enough excitement and are happy to see 2009 come to a close.

I, for one, am looking forward to school starting again on Monday.

We wish all of you God's richest blessings in the coming year.

Sleigh Ride

Enjoy!

Our attempt at a Russian meal

Sol and I created our version of a Russian dinner right before Christmas.  I made the potato filling and dough following Natasha's recipe, and Solveig formed the peroshkis.  I also made Natasha's borscht recipe to go with them.  They tasted very delicious, and now we learned a few things to tweak so next time it will be even better.