Month: October 2011

  • Dreams

    “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12

     

    I grew up with dreams.

    And I am convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my dreams are from God. That He, the Author and Perfecter of my faith, planted these dreams in my heart long before I knew what the word “dream” meant, and He–and only He–is the One in charge of fulfilling them.

    There are so many “itty bitty” dreams that my Creator has knowingly crafted and accomplished in my life, but here I want to reflect on four of the “big” ones. (Note: I must put the size of these dreams in quotes because really, is anything “big” or “small” for our God?! With a spoken word, every part of creation was crafted into being…I can’t think of a more simple “act” on God’s part and yet with that, he created the greatest of all complexities!)

    Ever since I can remember remembering, I’ve always dreamed of being a teacher. Not sure where that came from…neither of my parents were teachers by trade, although they are both quite gifted in teaching. I remember sitting in school (as early as first grade) thinking, “Wow, my teacher is doing a great job of teaching me…I should write down everything she is doing so I can teach this well when I grow up.” Every grade I attended became my new favorite and thus the grade that I wanted to teach when I grew up.

    Somewhere along the line, I became passionate about Mexico. And little Mexican children. Definitely not sure where that came from… But I knew I had to learn Spanish, and it wasn’t until my freshmen year of high school that I was finally able to take a course. And I immediately fell in love with the language that I apparently had a natural knack for. And meanwhile I dreamed of living in Mexico one day, doing mission work and teaching little kids how to speak English.

    I went to college to pursue my teaching degree and finished with a bachelors in Education, endorsements in Spanish and Elementary Education and a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language. Perfect set up to pursue my dream. Not long after graduating, I was offered a job teaching at a Language Immersion School in Tacoma…and I remember blinking several times as the job fell into my lap…Really? Really? Could this really be happening? So many parts of my dream are coming true…

    Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of marrying a prince who would adore me and cherish me and love me forever. I remember when Brian led me by my hand to the boat that was supposed to take us to a job site he was called to in the middle of a date we were on, and saw the gorgeous pink flowers and the perfectly wrapped presents inside and suddenly there I was again…in my dream. I was floating through a dream, watching Brian lead me across the dock and down the steps into the boat. And I heard myself say, “Wait, was is this?” And I saw my brain ticking…It’s not quite my birthday yet, so this can’t be a birthday surprise…and we haven’t picked out a ring yet, so he can’t be proposing…and wait a minute, we’re supposed to be heading to his job site…What is this? And I watched the tender and knowing smile spread across Brian’s face as he told me to sit down while he started the engine… And the dream went on, as a ring was slipped on my finger, as my brother and sister-in-law (who live thousands of miles away) suddenly appeared on the dock of the restaurant where we were to eat lunch, as the woman gave me a beautiful french manicure, as we ate dinner with both sets of our parents, as we drove to Brian’s home where our closest friends were waiting for us and as every day after that passed and my ring was in constant view, secured in a permanent place on my left hand. Really? Really? Could this really be happening? My dream, my prince has finally come? The reality of this dream becoming a reality was almost too much for me to handle…I couldn’t even filter and sort the gazillion thoughts flooding through my head during our engagement season, the night before our wedding day, and as I walked down that aisle towards my prince.

    Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of being a mom. I have just loved “little ones” ever since as I realized that there were “little ones” littler than me. I volunteered in our church’s nursery, read every book in The Babysitter’s Club series, and enrolled in courses to be a certified baby sitter while still in elementary school. I ordered books on fun craft projects with kids and I’d bring them with me when I landed babysitting jobs. About 5 seconds into my teaching career I was ready to apply for my foster care license because I just couldn’t handle the injustice that so many of my students lived under. I wanted to be their mom. I knew I could do a good job, by the grace of God, and I wanted to take them home with me… When Elliott was, after a long hard labor, placed in my arms that Sunday evening, I just wept and couldn’t believe this dream was being realized. Really? Really? Could this really be happening? I have a son…a most perfect son… And not a day has gone by since that I have not been overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord to give us this perfect baby boy.

    Ever since about 2001, I have dreamed of being called and sent out by God. I have dreamed of being a missionary. I have dreamed of working in an orphanage or working with children and families who are in need. I would read about times when the Lord would call his people in Scripture, and I would beg Him to call me. “The Lord spoke to Joshua…saying, ‘…Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them–the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you…No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your lives; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them…” (Joshua 1). I would read things like that and pray, “Oh God! Would you call me in the same way? Would you give me the land for your Name? Would you be with me, not leave me, not forsake me?” I would read about the destitute in Scripture and the ways that the Lord asks us to take care of them. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9). And I would long to defend the rights of those who cannot speak up for themselves. I longed to be with the broken and the hurting. I longed to bring the love of Jesus to those who were suffering. The words in Isaiah 6 were the cry of my heart: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” I told the Lord over and over that I promised I would go if He would call. And He has called me various places over the last 10 years. I have been called to my students, I have been called to my colleagues, I have been called to my friends, I have been called “to the least of these,” I have been called to Africa, I have been called to the Eastside of Tacoma, I have been called to my husband, and I have been called to my son.

    And then the Lord called us to Mexico. To do all of the above. All my dreams, colliding into one.

    As is the reality of dreaming–dreams feel so surreal. So real, yet so unreal at the same time. You pinch yourself over and over, blink until there are tears streaming down your face, but again and again you wake up and realize that the dream is, indeed, reality. And so here we are, selling most everything that we own, because we’ve heard him say, “Whom shall I send? Who will go?”

    And we, two children of God on our knees, have blinked and pinched ourselves to the point of realizing that yes, He is asking us to go. And though I think we’ve known in our hearts that this was our call since the moment we heard of the opportunity, we are finally able to audibly say, “Us, Lord! Yes, send us! We will go!”

    And so we strap our little one our back, and we go…We go with the faith that “He who’s promised is faithful,” with the faith that “a longing fulfilled will bring life,” with the faith that, “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.”

    Here am I, Lord. Awake, alert, and ready to be sent out into this dream that You have fostered in my heart. Send me, God!

  • 7 Months!

    7 Months!

    There are so many milestones that happen between 6 and 7 months! Elliott started eating solids and has become a super confident mover! He can make his way anywhere he wants to–and quickly at that!

    I’ve been telling new moms the secret to getting their child to crawl: put them in a room where they’re not supposed to touch anything…and they will start crawling!! Elliott’s been up on all fours and moving around since the 6 month mark, but one day I was packing up a room filled with candles, glass vases, sharp objects (things like that) and I set Elliott down and he TOOK OFF! I’ve never seen anything like it! I told Brian he was like a ravenous beast. He was even making these “beast-like” sounds!! It was my first real glimpse of the true BOY in him, and I just loved it. I had never seen him move that fast, and he hasn’t slowed down since…

    I tried to keep the pictures to a minimum this month :). But here are a few of my favorites from October…

    seriously now, could he possible be any cuter?

    favorite faces of the month

    precious face

    sippy cup drama
    We tried the whole sippy cup thing for about 2 days because I read in a book that you’re supposed to (?!) and was so frustrated because all he wanted to do was chew on it, not drink out of it. Thankful for wise mamas who have gone before me to tell me he doesn’t need to be drinking out of a cup yet :). 

    my confident, suave mover of a boy…

    napping game

    Elliott and I play this little game every time I put him down. I lay him on his back in his crib, and he instantly gets this HUGE smile on his face because he knows it’s time for our little game…He flips over on his stomach as fast as he can and I run to the door and peek through it and say, “Goodnight!!” or “Rest well!!” and all kinds of other sweet nothings and he just laughs and laughs for about fifteen seconds and then all of a sudden he’ll throw his head down and start sucking his thumb. That’s when I know he’s really ready for a nap :). So I decided to document it one day…this is as I’m peeking through the door at him…

    “crawling” (ish)
    Here’s a little video to show you a little sampling of how he moves:

    crawling for REALS!

    So, the truth is, I had this post completely written and almost ready to post on the NIGHT of Elliott’s 7 month birthday. I was so impressed with myself. But I needed Brian’s help to upload the last video and, well, it never happened. So now that I’m ready to post it, I’m adding an update!
    When Elliott was exactly 7 months, 3 days old, the little man decided it was time to REALLY start crawling. The awesome thing about that day in particular is that it happens to be the EXACT day that BRIAN started to crawl when HE was a baby! Isn’t that awesome?!
    I caught a quick video of him on my phone the next day.

    Happy 7 month birthday, my little love!!!
  • Adios, Amigos

    Adios, Amigos

    Leaving our family and friends is for sure the hardest part about leaving… We’re going to miss everyone so, so much…
    Adios, familia
    A “Hello, Elliott,” and “Goodbye, Mobergs, etc.” party 🙂
    Adios, amigos
    Lots of friends gathered to say goodbye, Mexican fiesta style.
    Elliott wore this AWESOME hand-me-down from the Hippes! It’s a Mexican soccer jersey!!!
    Elliott’s buddy Tony had on a matching jersey jacket!!
    AND…there was a photo booth at our goodbye party…does it get much cooler than that?

    Adios, mejores amigos
    A few of our friends came together to have a last supper with us. Not the best quality picture ever, but at least we got Duke the surf boarder in the background!

  • My delight.

    My delight.

    Zephaniah 3:17

    17 The LORD your God is with you,
       he is mighty to save.
    He will take great delight in you,
       he will quiet you with his love,
       he will rejoice over you with singing.”

    I am starting to get it. 
    It’s just incredible how much I delight over my son…and I’m learning anew daily about the way the Lord delights over me. I thought I got it…until I had Elliott.
    Elliott is simply the most delightful being ever created… You know, some people say about their kids, “I don’t know how I ever lived without them!” I have a similar sentiment, but mine’s a little different… I’ve always dreamed of having children; I’ve always known deep down that there were children who were designed to be a part of my family, and in a weird way, I’ve always longed for them. So I’ve always kind of lived knowing someone was missing. It’s kind of the same as how I longed for my future husband when I was single…I didn’t know who he was, but I knew there was a piece of my heart created to love him, and until it did it would always be in a little bit of tension. Once Brian found me, my feeling was not primarily, “How did I ever live without him?” (although I really don’t know how I did!) but more: “I knew I always longed for you…I just didn’t know “he” was you, and I only wish I could have married you years and years ago….”
    And so it is the same with Elliott. In a strange way, I’ve always known there was a void in my heart for him…I just didn’t know that it was shaped like “an Elliott”…like a perfectly, clear-eyed, pure-skinned, tall and skinny baby boy named Elliott. I didn’t know this determined, brave, pure, joy-filled little baby was what the perfect puzzle piece looked like that would fill this void. And I know there are more “voids” in my heart…but only God knows how many there are and who they are…Ahh, I can’t wait to meet them… But with Elliott I find myself wishing that I could have known him all my life…he simply makes everything more delightful.

    But even though I’ve always loved him in some peculiar way, my love for him grows every single day…It is profound how it grows, and so, so beautiful. With every new dawn, with every new discovery, with every new skill, with every new event…I love him more. I love learning more about who he is…I love discovering the ways that his heart was knit together.

    It was no different when Elliott grew his very first two teeth.

    They started popping through on a Saturday. Sunday and Monday days and nights were all consumed with teething. EB’s nose ran constantly and his big eyes were lined with red and filled with tears and his cheeks were blotchy and warm.

    And there was something about that face that melted my heart even more than his usually perfect skin and normally vibrant clear blue eyes. He was a little baby boy. A messy, needy little baby boy. And for someone who doesn’t typically do well with “needy” people, I was just enamoured with my needier-than-normal little love, and couldn’t have been more eager to take care of his every need.

    He had just started to reach up for me a few days prior when he wanted me to pick him up. Ahhh…talk about melting my heart! There is nothing greater than to know that you are the one this perfect little boy wants…that  you  are the one this precious baby needs…he’s showing his affection, he’s showing his choice. And that choice is me. I can’t get enough of it. Though he’s been sleeping through the night for a couple of months, for those three teething nights he would wake up crying such a sad, sad, sad cry and couldn’t get himself back to sleep. The first night, I went in to try and soothe him in his crib but it wasn’t working. He just kept crying that sad, sad cry…like he was in so much pain. But as soon as I picked him up and squeezed him tight, he was okay. And the simplicity of the miracle of that act struck me afresh. Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t it beautiful how God created us? That, with an embrace we are comforted.

    We were created to be loved.
    And there is just no greater honor than to love him. Than to comfort him. Than to tell him he’s being so brave and strong. Than to tell him it’s all going to be okay. And I’m just so struck by the fact that it’s not a burden to get up in the middle of the night to comfort him. I was not annoyed that he was teething and interrupting my precious sleep. Did I try and take a nap those days? Yes. And if I couldn’t get a nap in? God provided strength. But that doesn’t mean Elliott’s inconveniencing my life by teething right now. He can’t help it. And, let’s not forget that he is my full time job. And this full time job has its breaks, but sometimes it requires work hours in the middle of the night. And that is an honor.

    These are my two favorite pictures that show off his hard-earned, brand new two front teeth:

    I still view God as being frustrated as I grow. But daily I am being shown that if He loves me anything like I love Elliott, than He is not frustrated at all. No, no…He is far from frustrated. He is pleased with me. He delights over me. Even when I’m growing and it hurts so badly that all I can do is cry… It is a joy for him to be my Father, and it is a joy for him to scoop me up and embrace me. And as long as I am in His arms, there is no need to cry…
    Thankful for the love of my Father today…and thankful for the most wonderful son in the world, whom I have the privilege of delighting over every single day…
  • A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words…

    A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words…

    We started Elliott on solid foods last week…
    Initially, he was so excited about the new objects I was holding in my hand…

    That is, until I let him sample the avocado

    No captions necessary, right?! I’m sure the poor kid thought we were torturing him! Look at those faces!!
    Day 2 went a little better…
    …although he definitely remembered…even before the spoon got to his mouth! (How is it possible to gag when you have nothing in your mouth? Apparently my gagging reflexes during pregnancy were passed down to him…)

    we did get a little smile out of him…

    “What did you say? I’m done now??”

    “I did it…I’m done!”

    All gone!

  • Do The Puyallup

    Do The Puyallup

    The Puyallup Fair is so cool that its website is www.thefair.com. Now, come on…you don’t get much cooler than that. 
    Brian wanted to bring Elliott to his very first Puyallup Fair for one reason, and one reason alone…

    THE TRACTORS. 
    Elliott and I both learned about the two major tractor companies represented at the fair…John Deere (aka, “the green ones”) and Kubota (aka, “the orange ones”).
    Aww, yeah!

    “Now what do I do? I can’t see over the steering wheel!”

    “Oh! It helps when I stand up!”

    “I’m getting the hang of it now!”

    Whoa.

    So happy!

    He was made for “the orange ones”

    I love this picture…can YOU find Elliott’s head??

    We Did The Puyallup…did you??