Rachel Writes

Timothy Keller describes a barrier to his faith (that he overcame) in his book The Reason for God "...While I had “said my prayers” for years, and while I sometimes had that inspirational, aesthetic sense of wonder at the sight of a sea or mountain, I had never experienced God’s presence personally. This required not so much knowledge of techniques for prayer, but a process in which I came to grips with my own needs, flaws, and problems. It was painful, and was, as is typical, triggered by disappointments and failures. It would take another, different kind of book to go into them. But it needs to be said that faith- journeys are never simply intellectual exercises." I like this. I find this helpful. I have not read all of his book, but I hope to. I'm also hoping this is helpful to someone else.

I want Whitaker and Sojourner to know that they were good friends from the start. Today Whitaker was busy helping Sojourner get dressed. He picked out the shirt that she was wearing while Soj put on her socks (by herself!). They give each other lots of hugs and Whitaker can say Sojo (he also says Dada and ball, but not Mama, yet). Sojo loves to hold Whitaker on her lap. He covers more than her lap, but they are both so happy together. Lately, Soj has taken to falling asleep beside Whit and then I transfer her to her bed before I go to sleep. They are very sweet together. This said, Whitaker is at the stage where he is very hands on. Sometimes this means he follows Sojo wherever she is going, pushes her or tries to take her toys. So there's a balance that we're trying to establish of togetherness and individuality. I was reading some of Maria Montessori's writings last night and was encouraged by what she said as the teacher as an observer and a scientist. It really ha...

Sojourner's friend James came to play with us yesterday. They had a swim time and then they were ready to bake some cookies. You can see Whitaker resting on the couch in the background. He is taking his mid-morning rest. We all woke up a bit grumpy (I am excluding Micah from this grouping) and there's nothing like chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to make a girl or boy feel better. Last night Stephanie (a new teacher) came for supper. It was a nice time. I'm hoping to make the most of these days at home with the kids. There's a lot of fun to be had, lots of new things to learn. Sojourner is having an imposed video-ban today as she asked for Blue's Clue's every half hour on the half hour. Sorry, Soj . Vacation is over. Blue's Clue's is an occasional treat. Let's make something or go for a walk, or sing and dance.

This is indeed a picture of Whit wearing Sister's hat and Mama's glasses. He's doing his best to keep the ensemble together and is failing adorably. We're back at our home in the Philippines after a wonderful two months in the USA. We loved seeing family and friends. We're happy for Daniel and Shannon and Hayley and Neil-- what great weddings! I tried three new things with the kids since we've been back: (1) I made pasta for breakfast. It was a hit with the kids. Why didn't I do that sooner? (2) I had Sojourner practice deep breathing to help her fall asleep. I don't know if that will work again, but it did for one night! (3) I had Soj relax in a dark room (great dark curtains to keep the daylight out) before trying to get her to nap. Again-- it worked! So today was a day of small victories and I am thankful.

One of my favorite things about kids is their creativity with language . If Sojourner does not know a word for something, she uses a word or two she does know to talk about it. For example, I was sanding wood before painting it. "May I saw that too, Mama?" she asked. Then there was the time she witnessed me quickly shaving my legs. I tapped the sink with the razor. "Mommy, what are you doing? Hammering?" Speaking of shaving legs, I caught Sojourner in our closet of toiletry supplies trying to do just that. She had lathered her legs with shampoo and was just putting the razor to her leg when I entered the room. Don't worry. No harm. I stopped her and have the razors better hidden. Whit took his first step last week, but has not taken more since. He stands well on his own, but would rather crawl than walk. He really like to pretend to talk on the phone right now. It's a hit.

Last weekend the kids, Jacque , and I traveled to Tagum City to be with Micah at the end of his outdoor education week. I'm glad he had a chance to fellowship with his high school students and help with work, but we sure did miss him at home. We were going to take the bus, but were very blessed to catch a ride with two teachers heading that way ( Tagum is about an hour or so north of our city). The kids were super and Sojourner talked about going to Tagum the whole time (even when we had already arrived). The first day we visited the garden and house project that they were helping with. The kids worked hard and Micah managed them well. He is hoping this next picture will serve as a model for any monuments people construct of him. Sojourner joined in the work willingly. We watched the VBS closing ceremony and then went out to the Tagum trade center for an ice cream and a look around. Finally, we spent the next day at the beach. I'm super glad that Jacque was able to come a...

One of the things that boggles my mind is the way that Whitaker and Sojourner persist on sitting on top of one another and on me. I remember my mom telling me to "go lean on your own bones" when I draped myself over her, but not until now do I see that as a reasonable request. Soj and Whit continue to bless and inspire me. I pray that I will treasure their closeness while I have it.