Children's Museum

Yesterday I took Emily to the Children's Museum for an afternoon of fun with Daddy. We had been looking forward to it for a while, and occasionally Emily would tell me things like "Daddy, sometimes I just can't sleep because I'm thinking a lot of things about the children's museum". Part of the fun was getting to ride the bus on the way there and back, which Emily got quite excited about. The museum turned out to be even more fun than the bus, and had new exhibits since we'd been there last.

Waiting eagerly for the bus.

Crawling through the giant tires in the garage room.

Emily climbed the rope net all the way to the top without getting scared (unlike last time).

We made a wheel to roll down the track.

The water room was once again a BIG hit (despite some wet socks and shoes).

Emily overcame her fear of the giant tunnel system and discovered it was lots of fun.

The only exhibit that was a bit of a dud was the craft workshop where the two of us spent fifteen minutes wandering around wondering exactly what we were supposed to make until we decided to just go ride the virtual car again. We agreed that Mommy could take Emily there to try some crafts some time. It was a great afternoon, and Emily told me when she went to bed that she was thinking about the museum so much she just couldn't fall asleep. Somehow, she was tired enough that she still did.

Fader Fundraiser Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

On May 6, 2012, I will be lacing up my sneakers to run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. And while many of you know that running is one of the things I love best, you not be as familiar with something else I love: the Fader family. Eric and I first met Jason and Heather Fader when they came to live with Eric and I briefly in the fall of 2000 in Ann Arbor while they were searching for a more permanent home. Heather is the sister of one of my best friends, so Eric and I were more than happy to have them be our guests for awhile. They have been dear to our hearts ever since, and I can say with complete sincerity that they are two of the people whom I admire and respect most. They live out their faith and their calling with such dedication and joy!

Here is a bit more about their story:

Both Jason and Heather Fader sensed that God was preparing them for medical missions even as children— Heather in Wisconsin, and Jason in Kenya, where his parents were medical missionaries.

In 1995, Jason and Heather first met in a general chemistry laboratory at Calvin College in Michigan. They were married shortly after graduating in 1999. Then, while Jason was in medical school at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, Heather completed a Master of Arts in Teaching and began teaching high school chemistry and Spanish. They moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2003, for Jason’s residency in general surgery. In 2005, their daughter Anna was born, and in 2009, they adopted Abigail from Ethiopia. It was also in Ann Arbor that they met two other families from their church who similarly felt called to medical missions. The three families decided to begin
working together to serve God as one team.

From 2009 to 2011, the Faders and their team served at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya. Jason and the other physicians in the group cared for patients and also trained and discipled Kenyan interns and residents. During those very fulfilling two years, the team added two more doctors to their numbers and explored options where they could continue teaching medical trainees in a long-term setting.

The whole team feels called to move to Burundi, in Central Africa, to be the clinical teaching faculty for medical students who attend the medical school at Hope Africa University. These eager students have had no permanent faculty since the medical school began in 2006. This is an opportunity of tremendous potential to train and disciple African medical students who will be the leaders of this underserved, impoverished, post-war nation.

Of all the many worthy causes to support, I find myself first and foremost wanting to invest in the Faders and the McCropder team.Jason and Heather told us recently that the entire country has a total of nine surgeons! Can you imagine that?! Talk about being able to fill a great need! However, given our current financial situation (Eric in school full-time and me as a mostly stay-at-home mom to Emily and Sophie) we aren't able to support them financially as much as we'd like. So instead, I am pledging to fund-raisefor them while I train for this half marathon. I think of them often while I run, and the good work that they are committed to doing in the Lord's Kingdom.

If possible, would you prayerfully consider making a donation to their cause as I run to raise awareness of their good work? As little as $1 per mile that I will run (13!) would be so much appreciated.

To donate on-line, just visit this website:
http://www.whm.org/give/missionary?ID=51320
Or, if you would prefer to give or send me a check, you can make it our to World Harvest Missions with Fader in the subject line. I can make sure you get a tax-deductible receipt.

Thanks so much for considering! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Blessings,

Sarah

New Year's Resolutions

Tis the season to make resolutions, and though I don't often find myself jumping on the bandwagon, there is something appealing about a fresh start and a clean slate.  And so I've decided to make some resolutions of my own this year.  Not knowing how many I can stick to for the duration of the year, I've decided to list several in the hopes of accomplishing at least one or two!

• Track all of my 2012 runs (with the help of www.dailymile.com)
• Drink a minimum of 16 ounces of water per day
• Take a multi-vitamin daily
• Organize our home spaces so that we can better enjoy them
• Spend more time in God's Word
• Tell my husband and my children how much I love and appreciate them on a daily basis
• Stop biting my nails

Whew!  That's a lot to tackle!  Feel free to ask me about my progress and help keep me on track. :-)

Happy 4th Birthday!

Dear Emily,

Happy fourth birthday to you, my big girl! I don't think I'll be able to put into words exactly how much I have enjoyed this past year of your life. Three was an excellent year for you. You morphed into a beautiful, independent, creative, silly, articulate, inquisitive, and caring girl. You learned how to play on your own so well, to make up stories, and to transport yourself into your own little world. For the first half of the year three, playing with your doll house was your absolute favorite thing to do. You love to role play, and I can't tell you how many times we hear you say "okay, you be the little girl and I'll be the mommy" or some variation of that throughout the day. You have turned animals, trains, pieces of food, and even different sized sticks into family members. The second half of this year was all about the crafts, as we learned how much you adore creating pieces of artwork. You can spend hours each day at your craft table, and though we've surely killed our share of trees this year, you delight in all of your new creations. You love drawing families, and even began to illustrate your own books, telling your dad and I what should go on the pages.

This past year you also began attending preschool, and you just love it. You like the structure, I think, and you are quite fond of your teachers. I have yet to hear a negative thing about any part of the experience. You have learned to write about 90% of your letters, you can recognize them all - uppercase and lowercase - can count to 20 (still occasionally skipping a number), and can recognize an alarming number of words by site. You love to be read to, and you also like to read your books to us. You can spell and write your own name, of course, but also mom, dad, and a handful of other words. You blew me away once when you nonchalantly came up to me and gave me a card with my name on it that you had written. You also are using new words all the time, and often correctly. Although one incorrect use that continues to make me smile is when you whine in frustration that Sophie is "recognizing" your projects.

In addition to surprising me daily with how much you know, you constantly blow me away with how much you care about others. You are so very observant, and are deeply affected when anyone else is sad or upset. When we are reading, you study facial expressions, and will ask me why someone in the story is upset, or frustrated, etc. based on how they look. You are normally so great about sharing with your sister, and wanting to make her happy. She is going to have a great role model in you, I am quite certain. You are also learning more and more about God, and beginning to have a relationship with Jesus. Your prayers are very full of energy, that's for sure! And your questions blow me away. The other day we were driving in the car when you asked, "Mom, how does God see everyone at the same time?" You are so eager to figure out how the world works!
You are still a little shy, and pretty cautious of new situations. Your least favorite part of the day is going to bed, but obedient creature that you are, once we can wrestle you into your pajamas and your bed, you always stay there.

I have loved getting to spend this past year with you, Emily, and I am so honored to be your mommy.

Te Amo, Emily!

Mommy

How To Melt a Father's Heart

Tonight I was tucking Emily in bed, and after I gave her a hug she told me:
"I like it when you put your arms around me because it's like a hammock in my daddy's arms."

What else could a father want for Christmas?

I love you Emily,

Daddy

Twelve Months Old!

Dear Sophie,

On your birthday, there are a few things I want you to know. First, we feel so lucky to have welcomed you into our family exactly one year ago. Maybe it's because you have the benefit of having an older sister (and we made all of our mistakes on her - just kidding, Emmie!), but almost everything about your first year has seemed to go pretty well. Yes, there were hiccups along the way, and yes, there were days that most certainly wouldn't qualify as easy by anyone's definition, but by and large I will always look back on your first year of life with a smile.

Second, I want you to know how much you are loved. For me, it has been especially fun to watch Emily grow to love you. And someday - maybe ten years from now - you may not believe me, but you are one of her very favorite people. She adores you, she takes great pride in the fact that you are her sister, and she is always on your side. She loves making you laugh, and you don't disappoint. Your infectious smile and giggle are so much a part of your personality, and we are thankful that you are often such a happy child. You have an entire extended family - aunts, uncles, and grandparents - that think you're pretty great. You have a mom and dad who delight in you each and every day, and you have a God who will always watch over you.

Third, I want you to know some of specific things you do that make you unique. You love to cuddle any and all things soft, and you give phenomenal hugs. You don't like being cooped up, and are always on the go. You have begun pointing to things you want to see, touch, and grab and you squeal like a stuck pig when you don't get your way. You enjoy being read to for short periods of time, and will help turn the pages. You must also believe that every book is supposed to be a "touch and feel" book, and will spend forever combing your fingers over the pictures. You were an early walker, and are pretty athletic. You can go up and down stairs with great ease. You like being outside, in new places, and around people. You have amazingly beautiful eyes, and I can never decide what color they are. You seem to detest getting new teeth, and sometimes will stuff your entire little fist in your mouth to see if that will make everything feel better. You are quick to cry, but easily comforted. You have flaws, of course, but to me you are perfect because you are you.

I love you so much, and I celebrate you today, Sophie Grace.

Love,

Mommy

Frustrations

After listening to several minutes of Sarah venting her frustrations
about trying to order a Christmas gift online, Emily steps in to help:

EMILY: Momma, what's wrong?

SARAH: Oh nothing, Emmy. Mommy's just frustrated about ordering
something with the computer.

EMILY: Oh. One time I was frustrated when I was trying to play the
game I got at the chicken nugget store.