Opa and Oma

It is a blessed house indeed that has three generations under one roof! After several days' delay due to snow storms in New York, my dad and his wife Charlotte arrived at our home about a week and a half ago. What fun! It is such a wonderful thing that the children are making connections with an older generation, that they are learning more about their roots, and of course, that they have their very own grandpa and grandma to play with! i could not have asked for a better stepmother. God truly brought her to my dad in an amazing way as he was retiring to Germany from a lifetime in the mission field. She is also a former missionary from Peru, and spunky, and warm, and practical and lovely... and loves coffee, so of course we can connect!

I have been so spoiled to have someone always available these last few days to hold Silas while I make dinner, and the children are simply radiant about their Oma and Opa. (Though Golden does often get confused about which to call what! We hear frequent prayers of thanks for "Opa Lotti" and "Oma Wolfram," for example.) They are just such a wonderful presence, I wish we could keep them. My dad goes to Mexico for five days tomorrow to take part in the New Testament Presentation celebration: the people of our village, Santo Domingo, will at last have a complete New Testament available in their own language! This was my dad's life work, and I am so proud of him. Then we will get him back for another almost-three weeks and we will drink up every moment! In the meantime, Charlotte will teach me the recorder and reading music. Can you believe they went downtown today to buy Sparrow (they call her "Bella," her middle name) a birthday present of a real three-piece recorder?! Her first official instrument, and she can begin learning it as soon as she receives it, it is a perfect first instrument; simple and beautiful. and so German!

Jovial January

Sp: "Mama, your teeth are so white. They are white like a bride dress." - Jan. 2

(In the Trader Joe's bathroom)
G: "Does it smell like poopie, Mama?"
me: "Yes."
G: "Does it smell like boy poopie, Mama?"
(I was hoping not, since the boy bathroom was the one we were about to enter!)
-Jan. 2

Sp: "She says 'cup-a-TAI.'" (referring to 'My Fair Lady.') -Jan. 2nd


Sparrow after coming home from a procedure at the dentist, with a shy look on her:
"I shink I heard the doctor shay that I was sh'posed to have shome ice cream."  -Jan. 4

G: "When you were little, you got da TV stuck in the water sprout."  -Jan. 4

G: "I'll read da Bible. 'Once in a time, there was God.'" -Jan. 4

Sparrow and Golden playing Jacob's wives:
Sp: "I'll be the one who people think she's ugly." -Jan. 5th


Deep thoughts by Golden:
G: "Mom?"
me: "Yes?"
G: "Why don't da tree fall over me?"
me: "Because God gave trees roots that go deep into the ground and make the tree stand straight and strong."
(pause)
G: "Mom?"
me: "Yes?"
G: "Why don't David break in pieces over me?"
me: "Because God gave David bones in his body that hold him all together so he doesn't break in pieces."
(pause)
G: "Mom?"
me: "Yes?"
G: "I'm hungry."
-Jan. 8

me: "Don't hang on the stroller, Sparrow."
Sp: "Why?"
me: "Because I can't push it with Golden in it and you hanging on it and hold the baby. That's why God gave you your own two legs."
Sp: "...I think I need a third."
-Jan. 8


Sparrow's dreams:

"My dream was: First we went to Phoenix with Holly Tuggy and there were a bunch of ducks quacking around, and one of them was really excited to look at something and then it just died. And then we met an old man and he thought something was funny in his garage, and he thought it was rreeeeeeeaaaaaalllly funny, and then there were a bunch of fish in the toilet, and they were white fish, and when you flushed it, they still came back up. And there were a lot of moths in the hallway and they looked like they were made of play-doh. And Julia was there. And then we went back home and there was a butterfly in the water spout, and it flew away, and then I caught it and put it in the water spout again, and it came back out, so I caught it and put it in the water spout again, and it came back out, and then I caught it again and put it in the water spout again." -Jan. 9th

"In my dream last night we went to that place where Uncle went, and when we were there we were playing in the snow and eating pictures of Golden." -Jan. 10th

Golden, seeing me get out the Bible, says suddenly, "Whoa, Jesus!" -Jan. 10th

Sp: "Whoa, Guggies, you absolutely fell over, Guggies!" (playing with Silas) -Jan. 10th

G: "We went to walk! And rice for dinner and I drank wine, and... more wine, and... Look at that Christmas tree!" (telling Daddy about her day over the phone.) -Jan. 15

I made cinnamon rolls. Golden said to me, sincerely,
"Thank you, bringing frosting food." -Jan. 16

G: "I wanna sleep in your bed pecause I wanna sleep in your bed." -Jan. 16

G: "I was playing with my sand castle pecause I was playing with my shovel, and then I was afraid of the piggies." (javelinas) -Jan. 17

G: "Do gorillas eat people at dance class?" -Jan. 20

G: "Can David live at dance class?" -Jan. 20

G: "I just bumped the floor pecause pecause I bumped my bottom pecause I grabbed Uncle's picture pecause I fell down right there." -Jan. 21

G: "Here's your coffee, Sparrow. It has caffeine and sugar and xylitol and milk." -Jan. 21

G: "Thank you for bringing new books for Christmas." (We had gotten some new ones at the library that day.) -Jan. 22

G: "Look at dat! Issa flower-washin-ma-hand!" -Jan. 22

Golden is saying the most wonderful words of her own imaginings these days, to include such lovely hybrids as:
-water sprout
-bumpely
-jumpoline
-xylitone

S: (concerned) "That carrot went right into my bone, instead of to the curly whirly thing under my tummy."
- Jan. 23

Golden, singing a little song to herself:
"Up to California, up to California!" -Jan. 23

(Concerned about getting older)
Sp: "But I don't wanna leave Golden behind!" -Jan. 24

me: "When you're five, you can sit in back without a booster."
Sp: "OK, but can I sit in the front when i'm 38?" -Jan. 24

G: "Iss time for wake-upping!" -Jan. 26

Sp: "you go to sleep, baby. I'll stay up all night and watch out for robins." (robbers!) -Jan. 26

G: "Das a merdmaid!"
turns Starbucks cup all the way around, and says, amazed:
"Das another merdmaid!" -Jan. 26

G: "Iss like a plie, pecause its bottom is so big, like a fish." (and for some reason she was talking about the moon!) -Jan. 27

Sp: "I asked her to look at my stick, and she just looked at it really fast and didn't even say anything to my stick!" (disappointed that some person we met along our walk would not even address her precious walking stick...) -Jan. 27

(Eating English muffins:)
Sp: "Mine is an Irish muffin and yours is a Chinese muffin." -Jan. 27

(Playing pretend food)
Sp: "Mine is lollipop-chocolate-cookie-sugar-blueberry-watermelon-strawberry kind." -Jan. 28


Golden's comments on "Maisy's Big Book of Words"

"Latybug"

"Brown, brown bird"

"Fork, spoon, and flower"

"Cereal" (his name is actually "Cyril.")

"Police car"

 

"Velcro"

 

This one is just for fun! Couldn't resist.  But ripping off "Everybody Poops," just a little bit...

a joy they will know

Today marked 14 years since my mother's arrival in heaven. Now here they are, her treasures, her CROWN, her little wriggly, laugh-outloud, full-of-questions, bursting-with-energy grandchildren: how will they know her? They cannot know the warmth of her smile, the sound of her singing, the accent she would use to encourage them, the feel of her sun-kissed arms. But they will know her. Her legacy. Her story. Her words. We will talk about her. We will look forward to seeing her someday. We will remember how much of her is in me, in them. We will keep her close.

I chose to celebrate her life by simply being joyful today. As she was! Ready to smile, filled with the joy of the Lord. We lit a candle in her memory at every meal, and at dinner time we sang. Songs she loved, and with her German accent!

All too often I default to being on edge, irritated. Today, remembering the fragility of life and the importance of a mother's impact, it was a little easier to stop and think--wait, why am i NOT smiling? is there any reason not to smile? So I smiled in her honor all the day. My children seemed more sweet to me, my patience stretched further, and I put on my garments of praise. To do what God has commanded, I honor my mother. By being the best mother I can be, being sanctified daily by Him, our mutual Father, the Father she loved.